Katie didn't come out of her room the next day, and Allyson refused to allow anyone to go in. occasionally she would bring Katie a snack or a meal, or just go in there to sit with her, but according to her, no one was allowed to be there but her.

This proved to be difficult when I pointed out that Allyson still needed to pay another visit to the lady at the ministry of magic.

Allyson glared at me for a moment. Then she nodded and whispered something to Ginny, who rushed off to Katie's room.

"Alright, let's go," she said.

"Why do you always want me to go?" I asked.

She looked genuinely hurt. "I-I though you…" she trailed off.

"No, no, no!" I said quickly. "I want to, I do, I was just curios."

"Oh," was all she said. Then she grabbed my arm and I apparated to the Ministry.

She was about to go into the lady's office when, coincidentally, she happened to step out.

"Oh, hello," she said, surprised.

"My name's Allyson May," she said. "And apparently I left home or wherever over a year ago." She handed the woman the letter. She read it a moment before gasping and looking at Allyson in shock.

"Allyson May," she said. "But-but they said-you're…Oh my god. Frank!" she called to an older wizard down the hall. "Frank!"

He walked briskly over to us. "Yes Matilda?" he asked curiously.

"This is Allyson May," she said. "She disappeared from home a year ago. Blonde, average height, blue eyes, it's her Frank!"

"Dear Merlin," he said, eyeing Allyson. "You're Allyson May Albright?"

"I am!?" Allyson asked excitedly.

Frank looked confused. "I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"She lost her memory," M=the woman named Matilda explained.

"Oh sweet Merlin," he said. Then he looked at her sympathetically. "So, she doesn't know…"

Matilda shook her head sadly. "Nothing."

"Know what?" Allyson asked worriedly.

"Come into my office," Matilda instructed her. I was about to sit down, but Allyson grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly, pulling me into the office after her.

Alright then.

*****

"Allyson," Matilda said kindly. "Your full name is Allyson May Albright. About a year ago, your family-" Allyson beamed at the word family "-was put under the Imperius Curse and forced to become Death Eaters."

Allyson looked like she was going to faint or burst into tears, so I squeezed her hand to let her know I was here.

"You were under the curse for a time," she continued. "But somehow, and no one knows exactly what happened, mind you, you escaped. You got away. That letter you're holding," she gestured to the piece of parchment in Allyson's hands. "Was probably written by your mother while she was under the Imperius Curse."

Allyson gasped and turned to bury her face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, unsure of what I could say to make her feel better.

"I'm sorry," Matilda said. Then she continued. "After you ran away, the Death Eaters were searching everywhere to find you. No one is sure why, but they were not going to let you go without a fight. Several weeks later…" she took a deep breath. "Several days later, you were reported as dead."

"D-dead?' she asked quietly. "I'm not dead!" she cried. "I'm right bloody here!"

"Please calm down," Matilda said pleadingly. Allyson complied. "Of course you aren't actually dead, as, like you said, you're right here. But if you didn't die, no one can be sure where you were for last year, and how it was that you turned up at the final battle."

Allyson didn't appear to be paying much attention. "And my family?" she asked, and I could tell she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Matilda took a deep breath. "Your father was killed by Voldemort," she said. "Your mother too. Your brother and sister, however, are at Saint Mungo's. they…they aren't well. When you got away, Voldemort was sure that they had helped you escape, and he tortured people. The Crutiatus Curse has been known to drive people insane."

"Can I visit them?" she asked in a whisper. Matilda nodded. "Irene and Zeke Albright," she said.

Allyson nodded, still holding my hand, and I led her out of the room.

*****

She wouldn't speak to anyone the next couple of days. Absolutely no one.

Not Katie, or me, or Ginny, not even Mum. It was like she wasn't even there. And I think she had a total of two meals in the three days she locked herself in her room. It couldn't possibly be healthy.

Those days were hard for me too, because she usually kept me okay. She was there when the silence became overwhelming, and when I needed someone to talk to. But for three days, I felt just as alone as she was, despite the fact that I tried to talk to everyone else. I needed her.

On the fourth day, we were all surprised when she came out of her room and walked over to me. Ignoring everyone else, she got straight to the point. "Would you take me to St. Mungo's?" she asked.

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" I asked her cautiously. "I mean, it's very-"

"I'm going whether you take me or not," she said. "But I'm sure it's a very long walk."

I sighed. She had me there.

*****

Okay, you guys know I LOVE updating, and I would update more today if it weren't for the fact that I'm going camping. Yeah, I know, I should be happy, but…

Well, I digress. So anyway, I won't update for a couple days. Bleh. But, (There's a but!) I will take my faithful notebook and pen, and as soon as I get back there will be more than one new chapter for you, because I can type really fast if I already know what I'm typing.

BTW, I can type even faster if I come back from camping to find a whole lot of reviews in my INBOX, hint, hint!