Downward Spiral
July 1997
The day after Dumbledore's funeral, Katie Bell went back to her parents' house for a few days before falling into a pattern of regularly visiting Alicia and Angelina. Both Alicia and Angelina hated that their flat only had two very tiny bedrooms. There was no way to squeeze in an extra course, Katie — with her perpetual good humor — just laughed and told them not to worry about it; she could stay with her parents or with Oliver, and she cheekily admitted she'd much rather stay with Oliver when she could.
There was also another frustration: Alicia, Angelina, and Oliver all had full time jobs. Oliver was training at Puddlemere every day, and in his spare time, he was almost always with his family in Scotland. He only used his flat to sleep, and sometimes he didn't even sleep there if he felt his family needed him more. Angelina was in Wales and Alicia was at the Healer Institute or St. Mungo's every day — so it wasn't as if Katie could hang out with either of them during the day, either. All three warned Katie not to venture into Diagon Alley alone, however — so Katie alternated her time with her parents, the twins and Lee, and Oliver's parents and sister-in-law, helping out where she could. But in the evenings, she either joined Alicia and Angelina for dinner, or she spent the night with Oliver. A couple of times, they all went out to the Gryphon with Fred, George, and Lee to try and escape the war for a few hours, but it was always waiting for them when they returned to their flats.
Two days after Katie returned home, Alicia and Angelina also made sure toteach her the charms to get into their flat if they weren't there, and reminded her to ask security questions first if anyone came by. But that particular afternoon, Katie was in a hurry because she wanted to check on Oliver, so Alicia didn't think to tell her about Adrian at that moment. Nor had she ever told Katie about Adrian in a letter, because putting such information in writing would have been too dangerous.
So naturally, it was only two days later that Katie found out about Adrian.
Alicia's summer rotations at the hospital ran later than usual that Tuesday because of a difficult case of spell damage. As soon as she left the hospital and stepped onto the pavement, she felt the familiar, though still-unnerving pressure of Adrian's Disillusioned grip on her upper arm before his voice whispered in her ear, "Hot pink."
Yes, actually, they were still using the color of her previous night's knickers as a passcode. Angie may have thought it was ridiculous, but Alicia felt like she could use a good joke considering all of the negative news. She blushed and Apparated both of them together.
As soon as they reappeared on the landing of Angelina's flat, Adrian removed his Disillusionment Charm and muttered, "What took so long today?"
Alicia was already reversing the protective wards. "A really awful case of spell damage," she said quietly. "Healer MacMillan wanted us to see the whole process and pay attention, even if it ran late."
He was standing so close that she felt him relax. Eilish MacMillan was Adrian's future sister-in-law's unmarried aunt, and the woman had quietly but staunchly agreed to help Dumbledore if a pitched battle occurred or if they needed her covertly for any serious reason, particularly if a member of the Order could not be taken to St. Mungo's without arousing suspicion. Treating a severe case of spell damage had been her way of making sure Alicia and Chrysanthe in particular obtained additional knowledge about healing dangerous curses, and Alicia was grateful, even if it made for a long afternoon.
But as Alicia went to open the door to the flat, she suddenly realized someone was pressed against it, keeping her outside. And then Katie's voice said, "Who is it?"
Alicia hissed her own name through the crack in the door.
"Who did I take to the Yule Ball?" Katie asked.
"Trystan Bradley," Alicia muttered back. And that question was what reminded her, very abruptly, that Katie didn't know about Adrian yet… and he was standing right beside her. Wincing, she decided she'd best set it up for Katie a bit. When she glanced at him, Adrian's expression was wary and his wand was out, ready to hex whoever was on the other side of the door if he needed to, so Alicia held the doorknob tight and asked quietly, "Who did I dance with unexpectedly that night?" She glanced at him again just as she asked, and his face predictably turned pink.
Katie answered, "Adrian Fit-as-Fuck Pucey. Have you heard anything from him lately? Please tell me you have. I forgot to ask on Sunday when I was here."
Alicia pushed the door open to find Katie grinning at her. But then her friend's gaze flickered to Adrian, and Katie's grin faltered as her eyes went wide.
"Oh shite!" she blurted, as Alicia shoved past her and dragged Adrian inside.
As soon as the door closed, Adrian sputtered indignantly, "Is that seriously what you three call me when you're alone? For the love of Merlin, Alicia!"
"Well, you are," Katie answered, staring at him in awe. Then her face broke into a huge grin. "Alicia, what the heckis going on?"
"What does it look like?" Alicia answered, but she couldn't help smiling a bit herself. Then, seeing Adrian's stony expression, she added, "Don't worry, love. She won't say anything."
"Of course I won't!" Katie breathed, nearly shaking with excitement. "Does this mean you two are together? You just called him —!"
"Yes," Alicia said, cutting her off. "And aside from the fact that my bedroom is tiny, it's the other reason we couldn't put an extra bed for you there. Adrian stays over most nights."
Katie squealed and hugged her. "Of course you couldn't! Besides, it gives me the chance to stay with Oliver quite a bit, so I'm sure as hell not complaining."
"You dating Wood then?" Adrian asked, his voice still a bit disgruntled.
Katie smiled, blushed, and nodded. "Yes. Finally." Then she hugged Alicia again. "Oh, I'm so happy for you! You've no idea! Come on, tell me how it happened!"
"We ran into each other at Bess and Conall's wedding," Alicia explained, stripping off her Healer trainee robes and blushing slightly. "And we snuck back here together that night."
Katie squealed a second time, andAdrian winced.
"I'm going back to my parents' if you two keep on like this," he threatened, but to his surprise, Katie unexpectedly hugged him too. His whole face turned an even brighter shade of pink as he stammered, "What the heck, Bell?" while trying to untangle her arms.
"Sorry!" Katie laughed and pulled away. "I'm just really happy for you two, that's all!"
"You know what?" he groused. "I'll just come back in the morning and take you to St. Mungo's, Alicia. I'll use the same passcode I did today."
"Oh, no you don't," Alicia said sharply, grabbing his arm before he could get to the door. "I had a long shift! I'd rather you stay!"
"You just want a shag because it's good stress relief," he argued. "Is that all I am to you?"
"Of course that's not all you are!" Alicia glared at him. "Really, Adrian?"
Katie, of course, just grinned. "Although, it isgood stress relief. Come on. I ordered take out and I have enough for you, too. And Oliver. He's on his way over."
Alicia suddenly tensed. "You didn't invite the twins and Lee, did you?"
"No," Katie said, looking at her oddly. "Flat's a bit small for all of us andthe twins and Lee. Oliver will take up half of that sitting room. It's tiny."
Alicia relaxed and explained, "The twins and Lee… er… they don't know about us, yet." She gestured between herself and Adrian.
"Oh, bloody… are you serious?" Katie cringed. "That'll go over real well when you finally tell them, Alicia…"
"I'm trying to figure out the right time." Alicia sighed and waved her wand to get some drinks from the icebox. "I can't keep it from them forever. But! Oliver already knows. He was at Bess and Conall's wedding, too. He saw us dancing and he asked me what was going on just before we snuck out."
There was a knock on the door. Katie said, "That'll be Ollie. You two go on and sit down, get something to eat. You said you'd had a long day, Alicia."
A few moments later, Oliver joined them in the sitting room. Alicia conjured him another armchair and Katie sat with her and Adrian on the couch.
"Pucey," Oliver said, nodding. He didn't look remotely surprised or concerned to see Adrian.
"Wood," Adrian responded politely.
"I hear the two of you are together," Oliver said. "And the twins still don't know, do they?" His gaze turned to Alicia.
She sighed. "I haven't figured out how to tell them, yet. You know Lee will go 'round the twist."
Katie grumbled, "He absolutely will."
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Does he have a crush on you or something?"
Alicia smiled slightly, remembering how jealous Adrian had been over Gilbert.
Katie responded before she could answer, though. "You are kidding? Lee's had a crush on Alicia since fourth-year, though he didn't get really serious until sixth-year." She rolled her eyes. "He thought Alicia would definitely date him after the Yule Ball. He didn't get that she just wanted to be friends."
"A fact I've told himrepeatedlyover the past two years," Alicia added. "But Lee's determined."
Adrian's eyebrows rose, but he didn't answer.
Katie added deviously, "It helped that you danced with her at the Yule Ball, you know. After that, her head was full of nothing but you, and she didn't have time for Lee."
"Katie!" Alicia groaned.
But Adrian grinned at her. "It's actually nice to hear that."
Before she could respond, they heard the chain snaking back on the door. Alicia jumped up to let Angelina in, using the opportunity to let her cheeks cool from Katie's statement.
The oldest Chaser looked tired and worn out, and when she followed Alicia into the sitting room, and sat down in the other armchair, she eyed the two boys and said, "Right little party tonight, huh?"
"Isn't it?" Katie beamed. "It feels just like it should again. Eat up, there's plenty."
"Thanks for getting dinner," Angelina said, giving Katie a tired smile.
"Of course! Tell me how practice went, both of you."
The conversation immediately turned to Quidditch and became much livelier, and Alicia forgot about her hard day.
Somehow, they made it through the month of July — though with Dumbledore gone, things were going downhill quickly. Reports of muggle deaths filtered in through the Order, and sometimes through the Daily Prophet, though not nearly as often. Four more times, Alicia saw cases of severe spell damage at St. Mungo's, which were almost certainly the work of Death Eaters.
And then, at the very end of July, on the 27th, the Order extracted Harry from his aunt and uncle's.
Though the Order got Harry out safely despite numerous Death Eaters attempting to capture him, the Battle of Seven Potters still ended with Alastor Moody's death and George losing an ear to Dark magic. While George rallied about the ear (and everyone could now tell the twins apart, though they were all sick of ear-related humor within two days), Mad-Eye's death casta dark pall over everything. The ex-Auror had been a crucial, battle-hardened member of the Order who knew how to fight, and his absence was keenly felt.
Only a few days later, on the first Saturday of August, Bill and Fleur got married at the Burrow. Alicia, Angelina, and Lee did not attend as they really didn't know Bill or Fleur very well. But, since Fred and George were at the wedding,Lee asked if he could come over to the girls' place and hang out with them, and Angelina and Alicia really didn't see any way they could deny the request.
Reluctantly, Alicia asked Adrian if he could go back to his parents' for the night. He agreed— Lee couldn't find out about him, nor could Alicia and Angelina put Lee off, because Lee was still their friend and he would get suspicious if he thought they were avoiding him.
It was getting harder and harder to keep Adrian a secret from those three, and Alicia knew she would have to figure out a way to tell the twins and Lee — sooner rather than later. But she didn't want to tell Lee that night. It seemed wrong to tell him that she was dating Adrian Pucey on the night of Bill and Fleur's wedding, especially when she knew Lee still rather fancied her. He would blow up and storm out, and it might end their friendship.
The three of them spent the evening eating pizza and listening to the Tornados-Catapults game on the Wireless, which wasn't anything terribly special. It also didn't last very long (the Tornados won), so they started discussing the Harpies' chances against the Bats, which was scheduled for the following weekend.
And then, much to their horror, just as Angelina was going over Chaser stats, a magpie Patronus burst in front of them. The twins had identical Patronuses, so it was hard to tell which twin sent it, but it bore the worst message they had heard since Dumbledore's death.
The Ministry fell. Scrimgreour is dead. Uninvited guests are showing up.DO NOT COME TO THE BURROW. Stay where you are until we contact you.
Alicia immediately bolted out of her chair and ran for the door. As she hurried into the small kitchen, she cast a Patronus to Adrian to warn him and his family, and to tell him not to send a return Patronus as they were now under lock-down and Lee was still with them. Angelina was at her side in seconds, and the two of them began casting additional protective wards.
Meanwhile, Lee was panicking."We have to go to them!" he yelled. "We have to help them, damn it! Let me out of here!"
Angelina whirled around to face him, her teeth bared. "Are you out of your mind?Absolutely not. Whichever twin it was told us to stay here!"
"They're my best mates, damn it, we have to help them!"
Alicia forced herself to remain calm. "Lee! Listen to us! If we Apparate there to fight, there willbe a fight. But if we stay here, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the rest may be able to smooth the situation over. Think! The Death Eaters are likely after Harry. They're guessing he might be at the wedding because Ron is his best friend."
Angelina cut in before Lee could argue. "And George told me they were going to disguise Harry as a precaution. We absolutely cannotgo there. We have to trust them."
A couple of seconds later, a cattle egret Patronus suddenly materializedin the kitchen. It opened its beak and Karen's voice came out.
Kenneth and I are safe. DO NOT GO TO THE BURROW. STAY WHERE YOU ARE. The Ministry has fallen.
The twin's Patronus had said the same thing, but now the words actually sank in.The Ministry had fallen?Alicia sank into one of the two chairs at the tiny kitchen table as Angelina sucked in a sharp breath and spat, "Fuck."
"The twins' Patronus said Scrimgeour is dead," Alicia whispered, meeting Angelina's eyes.
Angelina's expression looked exactly how she felt. "I suspect You-Know-Who killed him personally. He was a former Auror and the Minister of Magic."
"Do you two hear yourselves?!" Lee almost yelled, his voice higher-pitched than normal. "What ifFred and George don'tget out? What if the Death Eaters kill them? I have to go to them! Please let me out of here!"
At that, Angelina scowled again. "Lee, calm the fuck down. We're just as worried as you are, damn it! They're our friends, too! But we can't do anything just yet. We've got to wait!" She turned back to Alicia before sinking into the second chair at the tiny kitchen table. "At least Kenneth and Karen got out safely," she said hollowly.
Alicia nodded. It was a small comfort, though. Fred, George, and theirentire family, sans Percy, were still caught up in this unfolding disaster. Oliver had also gone to the wedding, and— Merlin, no—he had taken Katie as his date! Had they managed to escape? Katie was muggle-born; she would be in an enormous amount of danger! Alicia tried to breath. Oliver would certainly think of nothing else and he would have done all he could to get his girlfriend out safely. But what about Harry, Hermione, and Ron? Had they managed to escape like Kenneth and Karen had?
Oliver's Patronus came in next.
Katie and I are safe. Jumped four times as a precaution. At Red's Wood for now. STAY WHERE YOU ARE.
Alicia and Angelina both exhaled and visibly relaxed.
"Thank God," Angelina groaned, rubbing her hands over her face.
Alicia sent a Patronus back to him to let him know that she, Angelina, and Lee were still at Angie's flat and thanked him for getting Katie out safely.
Lee continued to pace like a caged animal for the next hour, while Alicia and Angelina exchanged Patronuses with Karen, Katie, and Chrysanthe. Alicia also sent Patronuses to warn her parents and grandmother, but her parents couldn't cast a Patronus Charm and so couldn't respond. However, Doreen sent back her crow Patronus to thank Alicia for warning her and said she would check on Alicia's parents herself the next day, because they would probably think the whole thing was just a big exaggeration.
The thought that her parents would continue to ignore the blatantsigns of war made Alicia feel ill. Between that and the fact that Adrian couldn't send a return Patronus to her because Lee was still at their flat…? She was honestly about to go 'round the twist. It was very likely that Adrian and his parents were safe, but she was still desperate to see him and discuss this whole exploding situation.
After the longest hour of their lives, one of the twins sent another Patronus, letting them know theWeasley family was safe and the Death Eaters had finally left the Burrow. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had escaped just as the whole thing erupted, and despite several people being tortured, no one revealed that Harry had been at the wedding. Even more miraculously, no one was dead— and that was the important thing. A second magpie appeared as the first disappeared, andsaid Lee could return to the twins' flat. Angelina and Alicia reversed the protective charms and wards on the door so Lee could Apparate out, and he sent them back his hyena Patronus to let them know the twins were okay,just very shaken. Both had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse more than once.
Alicia finally sent a second Patronus to Adrian. He Apparated back to the flat almost immediately, and she suspected he'd been about to go out of his mind just as she had been. His face was pale and worried, but he cut them off as they started to explain.
"I already know about the wedding," he said quickly, pulling the mirror out of his pocket. "Towler contacted me after he and Karen escaped. He told me what happened."
Alicia breathed a sigh of relief; she'd temporarily forgotten that Adrian and Kenneth were in regular communication. Exhaustion crashed down on her all at once, and she stumbled forward, wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and started to cry.
Adrian sighed and stroked her hair. "It's okay, Alicia. Everyone's safe, yeah? Are the Weasleys okay?"
Angelina nodded. "They were tortured some, but no one died. The Death Eaters were trying to find Harry again."
Alicia choked back a sob. "Everyone's okay for the moment, but you know if the Ministry has fallen andScrimgreour is dead, it's only a matter of time before the next awful thing happens! You-Know-Who is in control of everything, now!"
He didn't respond to that, because he knew she was right. He just hugged her and said, "Come on. Let's go to bed. It's been a long evening."
The rest of the weekend proved very tense. Adrian was concerned that Death Eaters would show up at Alicia and Angelina's flat because they had been members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team with Harry, so he left before dawn the next morning, just in case that happened. Angelina, Alicia, Kenneth, Karen, and Oliver visited the twins on Sunday to get the full story. Fortunately, the Death Eaters did not come to any of their flats, but it still made for a very long day.
Adrian showed back up on Sunday night, for which Alicia was grateful. For some reason, she didn't sleep nearly as well if Adrian wasn't next to her on Monday morning, Angelina woke them both up again, yelling at the top of her voice and banging on Alicia's bedroom door, just as she had done the day they found out Dumbledore had died.
"Pucey! Alicia!Get up, it's gotten worse!" she shouted.
Adrian grabbed his wand and his pants before Alicia even lifted her head. He'd only barely gotten his boxers on when Angelina barged in without warning.
"Fucking hell," he swore at her angrily, grabbing his jeans off the floor and stumbling into them. "You could give a bloke some warning, Johnson!"
"I did," she snarled, thrusting a paper at Adrian, even before he got the jeans zipped and buttoned. "Maybe you should start sleeping in your pants, because I have a feeling this is only the beginning. Now they're accusing Harry of killing Dumbledore—"
"You've got to be kidding," Alicia growled as she sat up,holding the sheet to her bare chest. "He's the lastperson who would kill Dumbledore!"
"— and the Ministry has formed something called the Muggle-Born Registration Commission," Angelina added dangerously.
"What the hell does that mean?" Alicia demanded, summoning a shirt from her closet. She didn't like the sound of it at all.
Adrian started to read out loud from the paper. "The Ministry of Magic is undertaking a survey of so-called muggle-borns to better understand how they came to possess magical secrets…"
Alicia dropped the sheet, swore,and pulled the shirt over her head, not even caring if Angelina and Adrian saw her tits at that point. "What the hell?"
He read on, "Recent research undertaken by the Department of Mysteries reveals that magic can only be passed from person to person when wizards reproduce. Where no proven wizarding ancestry exists, therefore, the so-called muggle-born is likely to have obtained magical power by…" His eyes widened and hestammered, "…theft or force?"
"But that's impossible!" Alicia cried, climbing over the bed to read over his arm. "My dad didn't steal magic, and he didn't take it by force! That doesn't even make sense!The only reason muggle-borns exist is because somewhere in their ancestry, a witch or wizard married a muggle! Or else a squib married a muggle!"
Adrian went on in a disgusted voice, "The Ministry is determined to root out such usurpers of magical power and to this end has issued an invitation to every so-called muggle-born to present themselves for interview by the newly appointed Muggle-Born Registration Commission…" He swore again and looked at Alicia in horror. "Alicia, your dad — he and your mumneed to get out of the country! Now."
"Oh God. Katie," Alicia whispered, taking the paper from him. "And Karen's mum, too!"
"Listen," Angelina said curtly, looking at Alicia. "After your classes and my practice today, we'll Apparate to your parents' place and tell them. You know they don't take the Prophet. They won't know about this until someone shows up on their doorstep and hauls them in for ignoring a summons, or some shite. Dory will warn them too, but you should as well."
Alicia could feel her hands shaking as she stared, unseeing, at the article. "I'll skip class, I need to go now—"
"No." Adrian frowned at her and zipped and buttoned his jeans, and grabbed his shirt. "You need to wait until after classes, like Johnson said. If you go now—if you skip class—someone might comment on it. Like Courtney Vanhausen. You're a half-blood, Alicia. The Healer Institute knows that."
"Pucey is right," Angelina said quietly. "And don't worry about Katie. You know between the two of us, Oliver, and the twins, we'll make sure she's safe. I'll get her out myself if I have to."
Alicia blinked back tears. They might be right, but that didn't mean she liked it. "Fine," she muttered, and she thrust the paper back at Angelina before turning to her closet to get dressed. It was going to be a very long day.
Alicia and Angelina Apparated to her parents' house that evening, as soon as they both got home and changed clothes. Of course, her dad didn't even bother with a security question, he just opened the door and smiled.
"Ali! And Ang? What brings you two out here? Come on inside, girls."
"Dad," Alicia said quickly, as she and Angelina hurried inside. Angelina still had her wand out and was glancing warily behind them. "Where is Mum?"
"Right here, darling." Her mother smiled from the kitchen table where a collection of upholstery fabrics were spread out around her, along with her concept designs for a living room. "We weren't expecting you girls. Do you want tea?"
"No," Alicia said. "Have you heard from Dory? About the Muggle-Born Registration Commission?"
Her mother rolled her eyes. "Oh, that. Yes, she was by here earlier. We told her it was just the Prophetmaking things sound worse than they actually are, but she wouldn't listen —"
Leslie went back to cooking dinner. "Much of nothing, that's what it is," he grumbled. "Just the Prophettrying to stir people up, as usual—"
"It's not nothing!" Alicia cried. "This is really serious! You two need to get out of the country, as fast as possible!"
Patty scoffed. "Alicia, really. Don't be dramatic. Leave the country? That's a bit extreme, don't you think? My entire business is here! And it's too expensive to move to another country. We're not going anywhere just because of some bad press."
Angelina interrupted before Alicia lost her temper. "We aren't being dramatic," she said stiffly, holding out the paper. "This is real. You-Know-Who took over the Ministry on Saturday. We have an inside source who told us, someone who wasn't affiliated with the Ministry or the Prophet. Someone with the Order of the Phoenix. Mad-Eye Moody is dead. Rufus Scrimgreour is dead too, and the Death Eaters have replaced him with one of their own. And this Muggle-Born Registration Commission is very likely being managed by Death Eaters, too. Mr. Spinnet, you really are in a lot of danger. You need to get out —"
"We don't have much contact with the magical world," Alicia's mother interrupted. "It's unlikely they'll target us, if this is even real. We told Mum the same thing. We'll just lay low, like we did the last time."
Alicia staredbetween her parents, tears threatening to spill over. They were blatantly ignoring her, just like she'd imagined they probably would, but at the same time, it was a hundred times worse than she'd imagined. How could they be so blind? Without thinking, she grabbed Angelina's hand and turned for the door again.
"Alicia!" Angelina stammered, stumbling behind her.
"Ali!" Her father called out, as she stormed down the back stoop. "Don't be that way! It's really nothing to get that upset about! Come on back and have dinner! I'm making —"
But by that point, Alicia was in the backyard, and she Apparated before Angelina even had her bearings.
When they reappeared, they were in a quiet, normal neighborhood in Cambridge, standing before a small, unassuming brick terrace house. Alicia hurried through the little iron gate, up the short pavement and two steps, and knocked on the door.
After a few moments, an older woman's voice called out, "Who's there?"
"Cinnamon," Alicia gasped, blinking back tears.
The door immediately unlocked and opened, and Alicia finally allowed her tears to slip out. Dory just looked resigned and pulled her inside, patting her on the back. "There, there. Come on in and I'll make some tea. You too, Angelina, it's not wise to linger on doorsteps in these times," she added.
"Mum and Dad…" Alicia blubbered, as she cried harder. "They don't understand! They don't… they think I'm being dramatic, and…"
Dory sat her down in the sitting room and summoned tea. "I know, Cinnamon. I stopped by earlier today to warn them. They didn't listen to me, either."
Alicia looked up withtear-stained cheeks and wet eyes. "What are we going to do?" she asked hopelessly.
Dory looked grim. "I don't know. But they won't listen to us. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."
Alicia hated that very idea. Wait and see what happened? Bloody hell, the Ministry of Magic would probably imprison or murder muggle-borns before it was all over. She folded in on herself, wrapping her arms around her chest and leaning over her legs as she cried, and Angelina just rubbed her on the back and rested her head against Alicia's shoulder.