A/N: Hello, hello! Welcome back to The Owlcast and... wow. This chapter ended up being a lot longer than I'd hoped. I did try to cut it down, but considering the amount of revelations exposed throughout... I couldn't. I did my best to flesh it out as much as physically possible, because as mentioned in the previous author's notes, this chapter explores some of Lizzie's past in a bit of detail. Especially because...

Well, I must confess: do you remember that flashback in Chapter 45? That wasn't the full thing. Yup. That was just a... 'snippet'. I'm not going to say anything else here in case I spoil anything, so do check out the author's notes at the bottom for further notes on this chapter and also review responses. But I will say to those of you who are probably annoyed that I've tricked you with that... I'm sorry (not). XD As compensation, however, this chapter will give you the full picture (intended pun).

Before I let you guys get into this chapter, though, there is an announcement I need to make.

A few chapters back, a guest reviewer ('heart', I think it was) asked if this fanfic was either going to cover the whole show or just season 1. Originally I said I was planning on making it a trilogy on AO3, but that I was going to keep it altogether in this fic on FF in case it was against the rules. Well, after doing some digging, it actually turns out we are perfectly okay to post sequels as separate fanfics on FF, and after a lot of thinking, I have decided that like with AO3, The Owlcast series will be split into three separate stories, meaning this fic is only going to cover Season 1, and Season 2 and 3 will be in separate fics. This is probably for the best anyways, as you guys can see from the current word count just how long this has gotten, and seeing as Season 2 will be having original content slotted between the main episodes for my other OCs... it is better off on its own. I currently don't have details surrounding the Season 2 fic, but I promise that when we reach Episode 19, I should have more details to give so you guys can keep an eye out for it once this one is completed.

In the meantime, thank you to everyone who has been favouriting, following, reviewing and reading this story. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. I don't know when I'm going to have the first chapter for episode sixteen done, but I will say that I have some interesting developments for that one, especially concerning bonding between Luz and Lizzie. Until then, I hope you enjoy the conclusion to Episode 15.


Chapter 48: What's on Your Mind?

Lizzie slowly blinked open her eyes to be met with the bleary sight of white, a quiet groan slipping from her lips.

'What happened?'

Her rhetorical question was answered after a few repeated blinks, memories of what happened before flooding to the forefront of her mind like Hooty headbutting a tree—she'd gone to Hexside to speak with Principal Bump, only to get a big revelation after speaking with Emira and Edric. Next thing she knew, she was overcome with that sharp pain in her head, she attempted to head back to the Owl House…

'…and then I collapsed,' she mentally finished.

The sharp pain appeared to be gone, seeing as she couldn't feel any pain and she could think without feeling like her head had become the home to a hive of fire bees. But wasn't she outside when she collapsed? She was sure she had been. Which prompted her next question:

'Where am I?'

It took a few more blinks to correct her vision and bring her back to her senses, her green eyes widening at the high and dark coloured ceiling arching above her. Didn't it look familiar?

'Wait.'

The blonde witch instantly pushed her body to sit up and kept her hands firmly on either side of her for support, her gaze darting about with the constant turning of her head. Sure enough, she could see the white walls, evenly spread pillars and red monster-like lockers in rows on either side that consisted of one of many of Hexside School of Magic and Demonics' narrow corridors, causing her jaw to drop with a loud gasp.

She was inside the school's building.

'Holy Titan! Do the twins have something to do with this?!'

It was the only explanation Lizzie could think of. Emira and Edric were known to be mischievous tricksters, and while they had calmed down considerably since the incident at Bonesborough's library, Lizzie wasn't above assuming that those two wouldn't have taken the opportunity to do something to her after she'd collapsed. Then again… would those two have stooped so low, especially since Lizzie could vaguely recall Emira sounding very concerned for her wellbeing?

Either way, it didn't stop her adrenaline from spiking in her limbs with a pounding pulse, clearly as an attempt to force her to move. She wasn't supposed to be inside the school, and if she was caught by any of the faculty or students, let alone one of the school guards, she was going to end up in the same situation she'd put Mattholomule in. The last thing she needed was to be tossed around by one of those crooks.

'I'd better get out of here before I'm caught!'

However, as Lizzie scrambled to her feet, she stumbled at how weightless she felt, causing her to dig her heels into the floor to stop herself from falling over and wincing at the ear-piercing squeak that followed. She was moving with too much ease, something that she knew she struggled to do when she had her potions dangling from the satchel round her shoulder. Lizzie instinctively looked down at her hip for it, but then her reflection in the reflective flooring caught her gaze.

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open at the sight of a fifteen-year-old witch resembling Lizzie staring back at her, without her cloak, satchel and usual outfit and instead dressed in the grey tunic and cowl that made up Hexside's school uniform, with the addition of the yellow leggings and sleeves that identified her as a student of the Potions Magic Track. Her hand slowly and shakily reached for the low ponytail her hair was apparently in, stroking its fingers through the bunched strands without breaking eye contact.

'What the…?' She trailed off and looked to her front, twisting her upper body round at awkward angles with repeated blinks to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, she was indeed wearing the uniform, with her usual attire and personal items currently missing. 'What is going on?!'

But before Lizzie could even think of finding the answer to her own question, a familiar and pubescent male voice echoed furiously behind her, followed by stomping footfalls bouncing off the walls gradually getting louder the closer they got to her.

"How could you, Elisabeth?!"

The voice awoke a numbness in Lizzie's being that sprung to life throughout her whole body within the blink of an eye. The blonde witch wanted to move, to wriggle her fingers and toes, to speak, even to blink, yet for some reason… she couldn't. It was like someone had flicked a switch on the back of her head which had removed control of her own body.

'W-What?! Why can't I do anything?!'

In the least, she was still able to speak in her own thoughts, yet it did little to stop her shoulders from shuddering involuntarily and her body whipping round to face the sixteen-year-old scowling Xander dressed in his Potions Magic Track uniform storming his way over. His cheeks were flushed a faint scarlet, his jaw was clenched so much Lizzie thought he was close to shattering his own teeth, and his hands were clenched into shaking fists, moving in time with his angry stride and his bulging green eyes.

It took Lizzie several seconds before she realised Xander looked and sounded like he'd done in that dream she'd had previously, and suddenly everything clicked together like Eda's fingers whenever she casually casted a spell. She would have gasped loudly and stumbled backwards if she was able to.

'Is this that memory again?'

Lizzie was pulled from her thoughts when she spied her fifteen-year-old self regain her composure quickly within the floor's reflection, crossing her arms before her chest and returning Xander's scowl. Her own pubescent voice bit back out loud, her mouth moving of its own accord without her feeling it do so.

"What do you want now?" her younger self questioned sarcastically.

'Huh? I don't remember hearing myself say that last time…'

Xander stopped a good distance away and stamped his foot against the floor. "I heard from Father that you got an A on your recent project in Potions!" he spat, his body visibly trembling. "Because of you, he's been giving me yet another earful!"

"And that's my fault how?" Lizzie's younger self replied tautly as she scrunched her nose up and raised her chin a bit. "It's not my fault your father has an issue with it."

"But you know he's been giving me a hard time lately!" Xander retorted venomously, with Lizzie mentally registering his next words to be familiar. "Why couldn't you have just flunked this one project for me, huh?!"

"Because it wouldn't have just been the one, would it?!" Lizzie's younger self flared her nostrils with her countered yell, leaning forward as Xander stepped back with his mouth agape and his eyes wide.

"Huh?!"

"He hates my family and wants to see me fail for whatever reason! So, he'd want you to continue scoring higher than me!" Her younger self unfolded her arms and smacked a hand to her chest with a resounding thump. 'But I can't jeopardise my future for you, Xander! That's not fair on me!"

'Oh…' Lizzie remarked in her thoughts as she continued to listen and observe the scene unfolding before her. 'I get it now! My dream only revealed the chunks of the memory I could remember because of what King said to Luz…'

Lizzie halted her train of thought briefly to focus on Xander when she saw the other blonde witch straighten out and narrow his eyes at her younger self. "Well, it's not like I have other options!" he bit back as he pointed a finger her younger self's way. "You refuse to help me study like you did before!"

'But in actuality, it wasn't all there. My conversation with Edric and Emira must have triggered the sections of the memory I was missing.'

"Don't try and blame this on me!" her younger self snarled and pointed accusingly back at him, once again bringing Lizzie back to reality. "You're the one who insists on not being seen with me in public!"

"I already told you it was for your protection," Xander hissed. "Weren't you the one who said it was fine so long as I continued to acknowledge you as my friend in secret?"

'In secret? What?'

But she barely had the time to process it before her younger self cut in with a matter-of-fact tone. "That didn't include the constant bullying and humiliation to impress your posse!"

"It's not like I hang out with them by choice!' Xander took on a wide stance and brought his shaking fists to his sides, quickly peering over his left shoulder for several seconds with his next hushed words. "And keep your voice down!"

"Why?" she responded with emphasis and the roll of her eyes, the volume of her voice remaining unchanged with the following sarcasm. "Is he here? Or are you scared that one of your posse is lurking nearby and is going to hear you being friendly with your annoying little cousin?"

"No!" Xander snapped and whipped his head back towards Lizzie's teenage self with a slit-eyed glare. "But you know I can't risk any of them overhearing! They'll tease me non-stop when I'm hanging around with them later!"

"Well, you shouldn't hang around with them at all!" Teenage Lizzie shouted back in a cracked voice, stomping her foot and balling her hands close to her chest. "And you shouldn't be fighting for his love and admiration either!"

Lizzie knew what to expect next, which was why she didn't mentally say anything and stayed silent when Xander's jaw clenched with a low growl and a flush of red to rose to his face, the all too familiar words she'd recalled hearing at the end of the dream leaving his mouth as a spit-flying shriek as he swiped his fist to the side.

"But I wouldn't have to fight so hard for his love and admiration if you didn't keep embarrassing me, Elisabeth!"

The words lingered as a faint echo and gradually faded away into the hush that had fallen around the empty corridor, with the teenage blonde breathing loudly and erratically in time with his heaving chest, attempting to calm himself down even despite the extra colour slowly draining from his face.

Lizzie expected the memory to end here and prompt her to wake up, just like it had done previously (without the addition of the creepy silhouette, of course). However, Xander's expression shifted after a moment of silence had passed. He straightened up and looked towards her with wide eyes and his mouth agape, the skin of his face flushing a ghostly white with the squaring of his shoulders. Lizzie wondered why he looked so horrified… until she heard a loud sniffle sound from her younger self.

The teenage witch lowered her head towards the reflective floor, exposing her shimmering and watery green eyes and her hands clutching tightly at the chest of her grey tunic.

"You're a jerk," she said in a brittle and high-pitched tone, leaving Lizzie mentally speechless. "Father wanted me to be nice to you because he believed you were different. But you know what?" Lizzie's younger self lifted her head up to stare the shell-shocked Xander dead in the eyes, her own narrowing as the tears leaked and streamed down her cheeks. "He's wrong! You're just like him!"

Her younger self's last words became the blade that plunged into Xander's chest, forcing him to stumble back a step and clutch at the front of his tunic with twitching lips. Strangled wheezes replaced the words that refused to leave his tongue, his eyes close to bulging from their sockets.

'Father said what—?!'

But Lizzie wasn't given a chance to comprehend this newly discovered information. A pained sob escaped the teenage Lizzie as she spun on her heels and covered her face with her hands, blocking Lizzie's own view of her surroundings and slowly swallowing what little light remained into a black void.

The last things she heard were hurried footsteps fleeing the scene, followed by the faint stammered and wheezed cry of Xander calling for her, each word spoken as though the oxygen had left his body.

"Elisa— Elisabeth…! I-I'm sor— sorry…! C-Come back…!"


Light flooded into the darkness once Lizzie's eyes fluttered open. She was greeted by a blurred mess of dark colours above, differing in shades of brown and some burgundy, she thought. Yet on her left, she could make out a grey, white and yellow blob. She weakly tilted her head towards it and blinked a couple of times, finally correcting her vision enough that the blurred colours were revealed to be an intricately patterned ceiling. The mixed coloured 'blob', however, slowly transformed into King, whom she saw blink widely the moment their gazes locked. The little demon gasped loudly and turned his body away from her after several seconds, bringing his paws to either side of his jaw.

"Luz! Eda!" King shouted. "She's waking up!"

Lizzie took that as her cue to prop her body up into a sitting position and allow her gaze to wander, causing King to face her again and drop his paws back to his sides at hearing her movement. A quick glance showed she was currently sitting on a familiar red and beat-up sofa in the living room of the Owl House, her cloak and satchel bundled together on the coffee table.

'Looks like I somehow made it back in the end…'

Though she couldn't ignore the déjà vu that washed over her like the waves of the Boiling Sea crashing into rocks. Why did she feel like she'd experienced a moment like this before?

She paused at the sight of the clutter apparently scattered around the floor by the legs of the coffee table, her brow raising at recognising some of the accumulated items; a few golden bells, coloured confetti, a purple and yellow flag, even a stick with a red ball on it that Lizzie swore she'd seen somewhere before now…

"… What in the Boiling Isles happened in here?" were the first words to leave her mouth as she sideways glanced King, who rubbed his paws together with a forced chuckle.

"You don't wanna know," he answered before a pair of charging footsteps could be heard approaching from the hallway leading to the living room.

King and Lizzie turned to the doorway in time to see Luz (in her Hexside uniform) sliding into view. She skidded to a brief halt upon locking eyes with Lizzie, gaping for a few seconds.

"Liz!" she yelled and bolted towards the sofa like her life depended on it, launching herself forward with her arms outstretched.

"Weh!" King cried out and dived out of the way, landing sprawled out on his front on the empty side of the sofa just as Luz wrapped her arms around the older witch's shoulders.

"Are you okay?!" Luz questioned while squeezing the life out of Lizzie and pulling herself into her front. She ignored the blonde's wince and closing of one eye in favour of continuing her concerned rambling, not giving Lizzie any room to respond. "Was it another headache?! Does it still hurt now—?"

"Don't crowd her, Luz," Eda interrupted sternly as she suddenly appeared before the blonde witch and teenage Latina with a light frown and a hand to her hip. She reached out her other one to grab Luz by the cowl and pull the human back with one tug, prying Lizzie free from Luz's grip with little effort. "She's just woken up. Give her some space."

"Sorry," Luz apologised as the Owl Lady set her on her feet again. She forced a small smile and rubbed a hand at the back of her neck. "Got a little carried away."

King sat up and looked towards the front door of the cottage when it swung open, revealing Hooty currently nestled in his usual spot. The little demon snorted and jabbed a claw in the house demon's direction.

"At least Hooty learnt his lesson from last time," he remarked, prompting Luz to raise a brow when she saw Hooty scowl as she stepped away from the table to create some space, per Eda's instructions.

"What happened 'last time'?"

"Redwood was unconscious when I first brought her to the Owl House," Eda explained with a smirk, giving Hooty a brief sideways glance when she crossed her arms. Lizzie, meanwhile, blinked widely the second she realised what King and Eda were getting at. "Hooty was the first she saw when she woke up—"

"There's no need to tell her about that!" Lizzie interrupted abruptly and held out her hands to wave them about, her reaction causing Luz to pout and slump her shoulders.

"Aw…" she quietly muttered.

'I guess that explains the déjà vu feeling, though. Don't remember how it happened, but I do remember waking up on this sofa in a similar way back then too…'

"How you feeling?" Eda eventually asked, prompting the blonde to lift her gaze to the older witch with a heavy sigh.

"Better than before," she grumbled and creased her brow, her eyes drifting to her surroundings again. "How did I get back here?"

"Bumpikins called," Eda answered in a low voice as she moved to sit on the empty cushion close to Lizzie's feet, prompting King to clamber onto the arm of the chair to give the Owl Lady some more room. "The twins told him you were gripping your head in pain and then you suddenly passed out." The Owl Lady jabbed a thumb in Luz's direction, who moved to sit down on the floor next to the witch's legs. "Luz and I came to get you."

Eda's reminder caused Lizzie's eyes to bulge. Her heart momentarily skipped a beat within her chest at the revelations from before she'd fainted hitting her in the same way Hooty had stepped on Tibbles' stand.

'That's right…' Her hands flew to her vest. Her fingers dug deep into the material as her breathing grew quick and sharp, all the while her mind sifted through everything the Blight twins had told her. 'He's Xander's… And also my…'

Lizzie's breath caught in her throat at Eda's hand gently gripping and squeezing at her shoulder, followed by the grey-haired witch speaking her name in a small, but gentle voice, one reminiscent to the tone she recalled her own mother having used once or twice.

"Lizzie?" Lizzie dared to look up to find Luz, King and Eda staring at her intently with matching frowns (and pursed lips in Luz's case), with even Hooty having stretched his body from the front door to hover behind the teenage human and do the same. "What's on your mind?"

Green eyes quickly darted from Eda's golden eyes to Luz's hazel eyes, then to King's pink eyes and then to Hooty's beady ones, all the while her breathing remained short and sharp, her chest heaving against the faint palpitations thudding within the confines of her rib cage. The words she wanted to say were right on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't find the will to vocalise them. She forced two blinks when her eyes began to sting, yet it did nothing to stop her vision blurring from the swarm of tears gathering. Within seconds, the other four residents of the Owl House were widening their eyes and leaning back at the blonde witch releasing a loud and pained sob, forcing Eda to retract her hand from the younger witch's shoulder.

"He's my uncle!" she wailed without thinking, squeezing her eyes shut and hiding her face in her palms with splayed fingers the moment the dam broke. A collective (and overexaggerated, in Hooty's case) gasp escaped the group as they stared at Lizzie horrified, all four of them forced to listen to the rushed and stuttered ramble that came out of the blonde witch's mouth. "H-He was in the PCA— H-He hates my family—"

"PCA?" Luz repeated in a whisper, leaning close to Eda with a raised brow.

"Parent Creature Association," Eda replied in kind without taking her eyes off the still rambling witch before her, her response morphing Luz's mouth into the shape of an 'O' with the click of her fingers.

"Oh! Like PTA!"

Eda sideways glanced Luz with a squint. "PT-what now—?" But she was cut off as Lizzie continued and leaned her body forward after a hiccup, the words spilling from her mouth like water being dumped out of a glass.

"I-think-he-might-be-the-reason-I-got-expelled-and-why-Xander-and-I-stopped-being-friends—"

"Hey, hey!" Eda took that as her cue to verbally interrupt the blonde witch. She scooted across the sofa to get as close to Lizzie as she could and clamped both of her hands down hard on her shoulders, feeling them stiffen in response to the tight grip. "Take it easy," she continued sternly. When Lizzie's sobs quietened down and she was left breathing heavily and erratically between occasional sniffles, the Owl Lady gave the witch's shoulders a gentle rub. "You don't have to spill your guts all at once."

Lizzie nodded repeatedly to acknowledge Eda's words and allowed her shoulders to drop with a loud intake of breath through her mouth. She sniffled and wiped her tears away with her palms across her eyes and face whilst taking slow and deep breaths to calm herself down. Everyone else remained still and silent in the meanwhile to give Lizzie the time she needed to pull herself, with Eda briefly looking at Hooty during this time and subtly tilting her head in the direction of the doorway.

"Hooty, I think Redwood's gonna need some tea," she addressed the house demon in a low voice, causing Hooty's eyes to widen and glisten with a newfound sense of purpose.

"On it!" he shouted and immediately stretched himself off into the hallway, making the Owl Lady's eyes droop with a loud huff.

"Go help him, King," Eda said as she turned to the little demon and massaged one of her temples. "I don't like Hooty's sudden burst of confidence."

King nodded immediately and made his way to the edge of the sofa to jump down onto the carpet, daring to give Lizzie's closest knee a gentle pat as he did so. Luz watched the little demon's retreating back with a raised brow, waiting until he'd disappeared into the hallway before looking up at Eda. Meanwhile, Lizzie dropped her hands into her lap and turned to face the remaining two residents of the cottage with puffy eyes, her cheeks flushed a faint red from her momentary crying.

"Why did you send Hooty and King away?" the Latina human asked with a forced blink.

"Because whatever Redwood's about to reveal is likely something not meant for their ears," Eda answered quietly and ran her fingers through the sides of his bushy hair. As silence engulfed the room for a few seconds, the older witch returned her focus to the blonde one silently observing her, eventually leaning back against the sofa with her arms crossed. "All right, Lizzie. Lay it on us."

Lizzie waited until Luz had shuffled closer to her along the floor and rested her arms on top of the table before she chose to respond, swallowing thickly at the nausea beginning to tickle at her throat.

"… That dream I had didn't reveal everything," Lizzie said in a small voice, turning her body to sit up properly on the sofa and dangle her legs over the side. "Talking with Edric and Emira about what they knew of Xander and of an adult with Xander's surname in the PCA exposed the memory to me in full." Her eyes drooped as she focused on her clasped hands in her lap, interlocking her fingers together in a tight grip. "Apparently, this 'Blackwood' is my uncle, making him Xander's father. Based on the argument Xander and I had, it sounds like he was forcing Xander to compete against me in Potions and controlled who he hung out with, which I suspect is the reason why he and I were friends 'in secret'—

Luz's breath-sucking gasp caused Lizzie to stop and look at the human, her brows raising at seeing her wide-eyed and yanking at the hem of Eda's dress all of a sudden, having straightened up and begun bouncing a little on her knees.

"It's just like Amity and Willow!" she declared excitedly, making Lizzie frown and squint.

"Amity and Willow?"

"They used to be best friends until Amity's parents told Amity to break it off," Luz explained. "They threatened to stop Willow getting into Hexside if she didn't, so Amity did it to protect her."

"Really?" 'Although, that does sound like something the Blights would do, if I remember the little of their antics on the PCA correctly…'

"Yeah. You and Xander sound very similar to them."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah. Except in my scenario, I'm the one who broke the friendship off." Luz's and Eda's brows raised at this revelation. "I heard my younger self claim that I was only friends with Xander because my father thought he wasn't like my uncle, who apparently hates me and my family. But Xander kept blaming me for my uncle yelling at him because I wouldn't fail my potion projects on purpose, and when he insulted me, I called him a 'jerk' and ran off."

Lizzie saw Eda's eyes narrow within her peripheral vision, prompting the blonde witch to wrap her arms round her abdomen and close her eyes when the Owl Lady spoke up with a hand to her chin.

"Say, didn't you mention something about him being the reason why you got expelled?" Lizzie nodded stiffly to confirm the answer to Eda's question. "Huh."

"What is it, Eda?" Luz enquired as she watched the older witch tilt her head up to the ceiling.

"Ol' Bumpipoo claimed he wasn't the narc who reported Lizzie's little potion incident to the guards. I wonder if—"

"—my uncle was the one who did it to get me sent to the Conformatorium?" Lizzie finished venomously without breaking her gaze from her lap, causing Luz and Eda to whip their heads towards the blonde with simultaneous blinks. "Was that what you were going to say, Eda?" When the Owl Lady didn't say anything in response, a bitter smile danced on Lizzie's lips, knowing her silence more or less answered her question. "I wouldn't put it past him if he is the one controlling Xander, which makes this whole thing worse."

"What do you mean?" Luz questioned.

"Because this proves it was my fault," she uttered in a cracked tone and squeezed her eyes shut, pulling her legs closer to the sofa like she was a turtle trying to curl into its shell. "It sounded like that argument took place before Xander tried to steal my potion project." The more she spoke, the more Lizzie's voice gradually rose in volume, her hands balling into shaking fists. "But I can't help wondering if by breaking off the friendship, I caused Xander to act stupid, which then had me act stupid, which then angered my uncle—!"

"Hey!" Eda's stern interruption made Lizzie flinch and open her eyes, followed by another flinch when the scowling Owl Lady reached forward to lightly flick the younger witch in the middle of the forehead. "You can't blame yourself for that Tool-bag's actions, let alone his cranky old man's opinion!" Eda retracted and gave a shrug of her shoulders as her brow relaxed at witnessing Lizzie pout and rub at the middle of her forehead. "Yeah, sure, blowing up an experimental potion in his kid's face probably wasn't the brightest idea, and his dad sounds like a right jerk, but he still started it and had it coming!"

"Eda's right," Luz added as she climbed up onto the sofa and plopped herself beside the older blonde with a scowl, settled between Lizzie and Eda. "When you told me about the potion incident, you said you felt guilty because you could have handled it better. Well, he could have too! He didn't have to steal your potion and you did what you had to do to protect it." Lizzie blinked widely and leaned back when Luz reached out and took her hands in her own, giving them a light squeeze with a deepened frown. "And so what if your uncle hates you? It's not your fault you're so good at what you do!"

"Yeah!" Eda agreed with a sly smile and leaned closer to the two girls, placing the back of her hand close to her mouth and winking. "Wouldn't be surprised if it turned out Uncle Cranky was the one who's jealous of your talent!" Lizzie snorted loudly at the joking remark and duck her head down with the slight tremble of her shoulders, causing Eda's smile to widen into a grin. "There she is! Figured that would bring you back home, Redwood!"

Luz soon followed with her own chuckles as Lizzie recovered with a quick intake of breath, the Latina smiling widely and releasing her hold at seeing the blonde witch doing the same. "Point is, Liz, you had every right to walk away. And even if it did cause Xander to go after your potion, that's on him, not you."

"Exactly!" Eda exclaimed as she reached over to give Lizzie's closest shoulder a gentle shove, rocking the young blonde from side-to-side. "You know who Mister Tool answers to now and then some. So, stop worrying about the past and just focus on managing what you've learnt, yeah?"

Lizzie nodded to that and sat back on the sofa, just as she caught Hooty and King entering the living room again and approaching the coffee table. King was clutching a white platter and teacup filled to the brim with steaming liquid while taking slow and steady steps to where Lizzie was sitting.

"Hey, um…" King started hesitantly as he placed the items down in front of Lizzie (which she collected off him and quietly thanked him for before taking a quick sip), quickly sideways glancing the witch for a few seconds until he turned to Eda and Luz with his two claws tapping together close to his chest. "Are we still going to tell Lizzie about our plan yet, or are we holding off on that?"

Lizzie's brows raised at King's question, immediately understanding what he was getting at.

'Ah. I almost forgot about that.'

Luz, meanwhile, leaned forward and collected King under his arms, lifting the little demon into her lap so he could sit down within the safety of her own.

"Of course we are, little buddy!" she answered cheerily and smiled. She paused as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of the Latina's face, prompting her to look to Lizzie and close her eyes with a forced chuckle. "We were just waiting for the right time first…"

"You don't need to," Lizzie replied bluntly and held up her palm, prompting Eda, Luz and King to blink widely at her response. "I know you've been secretly trying to look into my memory problem."

It only took several seconds for the snail coin to drop for the trio. When Lizzie took another sip of her tea, they squinted simultaneously and slowly turned their heads to Hooty, who stared back with wide eyes and sweat visibly gathering around the sides of his face. One long and awkward stare down later, Hooty was the first to crack, throwing his neck up towards the ceiling.

"I'm sorry!" he cried as he retreated towards the front door and slotted his neck back inside the hole. The door swung shut with a resounding bang that caused the four on the sofa to wince, quickly followed by Hooty's additional muffled shouting. "It's in my nature to share!"

"That bird brain…" Eda grumbled through a huff and lowered her head a bit, pinching her fingers at the bridge of her nose. "Now I really want to bake him into a pie…"

"He's ruined everything again!" King complained and threw his arms up above his head.

Luz was the only one who turned to Lizzie with a furrowed brow and quivering lips, her voice cracking as she brought her hands close to her chest in loose fists. The guilt for their secrecy was practically emanating off her, and it probably wasn't helping that she was still occasionally drinking from her tea without a change in her reaction.

"We're sorry, Liz," Luz started with hunched shoulders, her tone wavering. "We didn't mean to go behind your back!"

"Yeah!" King interjected as he stood up on Luz's lap and tapped a claw against the side of his skull. "We only wanted to help you figure out what was going on to stop you having nightmares and headaches!"

"And we were close," Eda added while leaning her elbow against the back of the sofa, resting her chin on her knuckles with drooped eyes. "I was gonna go to the library to find a medical book that had the condition Luz looked up on her human scroll thingy. But…"

Eda trailed off and gave Luz a quick glance when she saw the Latina's shoulders slump and her head roll to the side a bit, which Luz took as her cue to finish from Eda.

"There was an incident during photo class with Willow that I needed Eda's help with, and it was kinda urgent—"

"Guys," Lizzie interrupted Luz with a chuckle and a light poke to the middle of the younger girl's forehead with her empty hand, making her flinch and widen her eyes at her. "it's okay."

"Really?" Luz questioned with the tilt of her head and a slight squint, prompting the blonde witch's amused smile to widen with a nod. "You're not mad?"

"Of course not!" Lizzie's smile faded as she leaned towards the table to put her tea down, looking towards the door of the Owl House. It was currently cracked open enough that she could see Hooty was silently peeking in and eavesdropping (had he been like that the whole time, Lizzie wondered). "I'll admit it—I was scared about uncovering what was wrong with me. But after talking to Hooty and digging for information, I've realised that this isn't something I can hide from anymore."

The trio on the sofa exchanged raised brows and wide blinks, only to return their focus to the blonde witch when King spoke up. She couldn't blame them. They must have been expecting a worse reaction than what she'd given them.

"So…" he began hesitantly and lifted a claw a bit, squinting and frowning out of caution with what he went to ask next. "…do you want us to tell you?"

Lizzie looked back to them with a scowl and a stiff nod, her next words spoken without any hesitation.

"My uncle must have been the reason I was arrested. And based on what I heard in that dream, he is clearly a threat to my family." She rubbed a hand against her chest. "I have a feeling that I know why and I can't remember, but I can't remember until I know how I can trigger the memory to return. So, Luz," She paused to sigh heavily and lock eyes with the younger girl, her brow relaxing at feeling her hand beginning to tremble against her front. "Please tell me: what's wrong with me?"

A Cheshire-wide grin stretched onto Luz's face then, her fingers flexing towards her palm.

"I am so glad you asked!" she exclaimed. Luz turned to Eda for a moment and pointed towards the Owl Lady's bushy hair, prompting Eda to gape and nod in acknowledgement before she proceeded to stick her hand in there and fish around for something. "Em let us borrow tweezers and a medical book she checked out from the Bonesborough library, so we can confirm if you have what I think you do. But…" Luz trailed off at Eda dangling a pair of metal tweezers with pointed teeth on the inside and a blue book titled 'What's on Your Mind: The Boiling Isles' Guide to Memory Medical Disorders' in front of her face, which the human allowed to drop into her lap before she forced a smile Lizzie's way and lifted the tweezers, causing them to glisten at catching the light from inside the cottage. "…it involves us poking around your brain. Heh!"

Lizzie's eyes drooped at the tweezers in Luz's grasp, recalling the sarcastic comment she made that morning about the others sticking said tweezers into her ear.

'Looks like I've jinxed myself.'

"… Fine," she grumbled after a short delay, pointing at Luz with narrowed eyes. "But only if you do it. I know you can handle them because of how often you've mentioned your 'taxidermy' hobby. Whatever that was…"

"Yes!" Luz cried and pumped a fist in the air as she moved herself closer to the blonde witch, taking her hands into her own with a wide smile. "You can count on me, Liz!"

"You're just excited at getting a glimpse of her as a teenager again, aren't you?" Eda deadpanned with drooped eyes, causing the Latina's shoulders to stiffen and her head to turn to the Owl Lady with the slight shift of her eyes to the right.

"What?! No!" she replied in an overexaggerated and defensive tone, making Lizzie shake her head in dismay.

"Can we please get this over and done with…?"


Upon moving into the kitchen to carry out the task at hand, Lizzie was instructed to sit on one of the stools in front of the table, while Luz stood to her left with the tweezers between her index finger and thumb, gently moving the object around the inside of Lizzie's ear. King stood on the table to Lizzie's right and observed what was going on without a word, with Hooty silently observing everything from the doorway (Eda had sternly ordered him to stay there and keep his beak shut to avoid any repeated incidents of today). And then there was Eda, who stood by the stove with the medical book opened to the relevant pages in one hand, her other one on her hip. She, Luz, and King were already aware of what was written on them, yet Eda still planned to fill Lizzie in once Luz had completed her task. For the time being, though, she stood quietly and watched alongside King and Hooty to avoid disrupting Lizzie's concentration (the blonde witch had been asked to recall a memory in relation to her trauma, and she'd chosen the night of the carriage accident).

"According to Luz, she thinks you have 'dissociative amnesia', specifically the localised type," Eda explained as she skim-read the pages in front of her for reference, prompting Lizzie to raise a brow as Luz squeezed the tweezers shut and gently pulled a blank photograph with a red glow out of Lizzie's ear. "It's rare memory loss of specific knowledge or moments from someone's life, often focused on specific trauma."

Lizzie subconsciously raised a hand to rub at the top of her head at Eda's emphasis on the last bit, briefly sideways glancing the photograph clutched in the tweezer's grip when the red glow dissipated. "Yeah, that sounds about right," she mumbled.

Eda continued to read from the book as she approached Luz's other side, momentarily watching the human place the photograph on the table and release it carefully from the tweezers. "It says here that one of the main ways to detect this type is if the witch or creature in question has damaged memory photos connected with that trauma, like grey spots, blurring, black patches, yada, yada, yada!"

Lizzie turned herself round to face the still blank photograph, clutching her hands at the edge of the table as Hooty stretched over to peek round Eda's shoulder and King moved closer to stand beside the blonde witch. "So, if this memory photograph doesn't come out clear or undamaged, that means I probably have this type of amnesia?"

"Probably, but don't sweat it, kid!" Eda reached around Luz to give Lizzie's shoulder a gentle shove, causing the younger witch to purse her lips and pout, a sight that had Eda smirking. "According to this, it's short lived and can easily be restored with exposure. So, if you keep doing what you've already been doing, your memory will go back to normal in no time!"

"And you won't be alone when you do it either!" Luz added chirpily and patted the blonde witch on the back with a smile. "Even after you get your memory back, if your uncle or Xander try to come after you, we'll be right there every step of the way!"

"That's right!" King declared with the wag of his tail, pumping a fist above his head and placing his other paw to his hip in a wide and proud pose. "You have nothing to fear with the feared King of Demons and Luz the Human on your side!"

"Hey!" Eda stated tightly as she placed a hand to her sternum and tilted her chin up to the ceiling with a scowl. "Don't forget about the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles!"

"And me! Hoot!" Hooty shouted with the puffing out of his neck and a squint. "I'd like to see them try and get past me!"

After staring around at the others for a few more seconds, Lizzie couldn't hold back her amusement anymore. The blonde witch released a loud laugh and covered her hand over her mouth too late to stop it, her shoulders shaking from the suppressed mirth. She knew they were being serious, and she was definitely grateful for their attempts to make her feel better, but she couldn't deny that their execution was ridiculous.

"Thanks, guys," Lizzie said after taking a deep breath to calm herself down, only to hear King let out a gasp and see him point a claw towards the photograph.

"Something's coming up!" he cried, causing all five of the house's residents to lean over the table and fix their gazes on the image gradually fading into existence.

A hush fell as Lizzie felt her leg fidgeting against the stool at the dark colours of the image appearing and blending, causing her to tighten her grip on the table to the point she could feel the sharpened edge digging into her skin. As objects solidified, Luz balled her hands into loose fists and held them against her mouth, Hooty edged himself closer to the picture with bloodshot eyes, King bounced a little on his heels with a quiet and excited noise and Eda frowned, her golden eyes scrutinising the forming picture.

Eventually the bare wooden insides of a prison carriage bathed in faint moonlight and darkness became clear, revealing fifteen-year-old Elisabeth Redwood with her arms and legs huddled close to her person, her body pressed against the back wall. However, black splotches decorated parts of the image, streaking across the teenage witch's face and the carriage walls. Only specific sections of the carriage were visible, alongside Lizzie's signature tights and boots and shackled wrists.

No one dared to move or utter a word at this revelation, the group of five taking a moment to process the memory photo on the table in front of them. Though for Lizzie, she eventually felt her stomach drop, because she knew the confirmation she'd been running from, the confirmation she'd now wanted, was sitting right there on the table.

'There it is: the bittersweet answer as to why I can never recall that night correctly. Looks like Luz and I were both right, if that book is anything to go off. This memory disorder must have been triggered as a result of trauma.'

Luz became the one to shatter the silence and confirm what the others were seeing out loud, slowly lowering her hands away from her mouth with glistening eyes.

"It's damaged," she commented in a weak voice, causing Lizzie to huff and lean back on the stool with her palm to her forehead.

'I feel so stupid. All this time, I could have easily gained my memories back if I hadn't been such a coward and hidden away from society for three years.' The blonde witch slowly turned to face the other residents at catching them intently staring at her from the corners of her eyes, their brows seemingly furrowed out of concern. 'But it's too late for regrets now. Today has shown me there's still a lot I don't know and that I need to know it to avoid the danger my uncle is seemingly threatening my family with. Yet for now… at least I have an idea of how to go about obtaining what I need to remember.'

A moment of silent staring passed before Lizzie finally brought herself to force a smile, making the effort to reassure the rest that she was fine and cease any further worrying for the day. She still had a lot she needed to think about and process, especially where the content of her missing memories and newly recalled ones were concerned. But for now, she was just glad she had the answer to the reason why this was happening, and that she knew she wasn't going crazy.

"Then I guess that's it," she stated in a small voice, her eyes drifting back to the damaged photograph on the table with a thick gulp. "I have dissociative amnesia."


A/N: YUP. You heard Lizzie, folks! She has 'localised dissociative amnesia', which is a real but rare form of amnesia! You cannot believe how relieved I am to finally say this out loud. XD But yes, I based Lizzie's condition on how it was presented for the protagonist of Angels of Death and also based on what medical sites have said, which is why Lizzie's behaviour seemed to change, why she seemed unconcerned about her memory loss initially (this is a real symptom, apparently) and why she had fractured memories surrounding some things but not others. Had she been exposed to Xander and her other family earlier, she would have regained her memories back much sooner. But as mentioned in the chapter, she shot herself in the foot without even knowing it. Her isolation in the Owl House stunted her progress, both literally and metaphorically. This is why I have been progressively having Lizzie get more adventurous with her outings between each episode, and why Xander has a hard time (partly) in believing she's forgotten things. There's still so much she has yet to remember, but for now, she at least has an idea on what's wrong with her and what she can do to fix it.

Speaking of memories though: yeah, I used the memory photos instead of the mindscape idea. Considering what was going on with Willow, it didn't make sense for Lizzie to overshadow her and Amity's development here. But in the least, it made sense that Lizzie's memory photos were used as a physical representation of the damage her brain has undertaken as a result of her trauma. The extent of the damage isn't the same as Willow's, but I wanted to present it in a way that matched the condition she suffered with the best, especially to act as a 'Demon Realm' parallel to how it would have been presented in our world. I know some of you were hoping I'd reveal Lizzie's parents here, but never fear! Episode 16 may sate that desire sometime...

And yes, it was Ulritch. Some of you thought it was Xander who tattled, but nope! Ulritch was the rat. Cat's out of the bag, pretty much about everything that's been foreshadowed in previous chapters surrounding him and Xander. And now you know why I didn't reveal the whole flashback until this chapter. XD Of course, this chapter is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much still hidden throughout the dialogue in that flashback that will be revealed in episode sixteen. But now you all have a better idea of Ulritch as a character and just how involved he actually was (and still is) in Xander's and Lizzie's lives. And yeah, some of you may have already guessed this because of last chapter, but Xander and Lizzie were friends. Though again... not everything about their situation has been revealed in that regard. Episode 16 will shine a light on it, though, I promise. But in the meantime, you guys have a little more knowledge on the timeline surrounding the events that led up to the potion incident and Lizzie's arrest.

All right. With that out of the way, time to get into answering reviews:

heart: I haven't given Lizzie's outfit much thought yet. I am considering there being a change at some point, but there's nothing concrete at the moment.

hoothoot: I don't know what direction Lizzie will be going in for Season 3 just yet, because I'm waiting until the final episodes before I can properly plan it out. But I have already mentioned in a previous author's note that I'm all for commenting on ideas even if I don't plan on using them, so feel free to share it.

Gry26: As much as I would have wanted to include that idea in there, the focus being on Lizzie's memory situation, plus canon events, wouldn't have given me a chance to include it that way. Though I do have a funny and unexpected way for Lizzie to wind up with a dress for Grom… Hopefully, it'll be a funny/heartfelt moment for you. XD