Alexandra looked miserable on her birthday.
"Oh cheer up." Megan said. "You never really liked your birthday anyways, so not remembering them really doesn't change anything."
"That doesn't help." Alexandra said, her eyes focused on her breakfast. "I don't even remember turning twelve. How am I suddenly an adult?"
"Think of it like this. As long as you have the word teen in your age, you're not technically an official adult. You're still a teenager."
"As long as there's the word teen in your age, you'll be a child to me." The words floated around her head. She concentrated. Where did that come from? "But that'll be for the next three years, at least. I'll legally be an adult in sixteen months." Her own words replied.
"Alexandra?" Megan repeated. She looked up. "You okay?"
"Yeah." She sighed. "What do I usually do with my time?"
"What?"
"Like, before I lost my memories, what did I usually do? Other than spend time in the library."
"I don't know. You were always with Cedric."
"Where?" Megan shrugged. "You don't know or Hermione says you can't tell me?"
"I don't know. I guess you guys raced around on the quidditch pitch a lot, and spent time in the library or the common room." She nodded, and turned back to her breakfast.
"Dear sister." Fred started, appearing by her side. George was on her other.
"It has come to our attention-"
"That, on this very joyous occasion-"
"The very first birthday of yours we have ever celebrated-"
"In about six years-"
"That you seem to be miserable."
"And of course,"
"As you are turning seventeen."
"Reaching adulthood."
"They grow up so fast, don't they Freddy?"
"Sure do, Georgie."
"The point?" She cut them off.
"The point, our darling little sister-"
"We can't call her little anymore, Georgie."
"Oh dear-"
"If you stop being so weird, I'll give you my hourglass spell." She bargained. They looked at each other.
"No threats with the katana."
"Nor with her scary Japanese spells."
"Or just her normal arsenal of creepy spells."
"Instead she's bribing us."
"With cool toys."
"Just promise me you won't prank me on my birthday, at least." She begged.
"Oh, sister."
"Dear sister."
"What do you take us for?"
"Fred and George Weasley? The most incorrigible pranksters in the world. You guys prank on anyone every occasion. That's what I take you for."
"We promise not to prank you." George vowed.
"But you still look like you need cheering up." Fred continued.
"I don't remember turning twelve, or thirteen, or fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. And now I'm seventeen. And when did you two turn seventeen? Nothing makes sense, so if I look like I need cheering up, it's probably because I do." She pulled away from their grips.
"Cheering up's sort of our thing."
"Or have you forgotten that?"
"Not funny." The boys grinned.
"You could help us make a limb-tie lollipop."
"A what?" She scoffed. "That's not a thing."
"Just a joke."
"Though, we could make it a thing." Fred enticed. "Come on, you want distraction."
"And it's not like it's the first time you've made potions or spells."
"Like the hourglass."
"Memory potion with that boy in Japan."
"And probably more we don't know about."
"Fine, let's try to make a limb-tie lollipop." She sighed.
"It's not going to work, George." Alexandra rolled her eyes.
"I'm telling you, I feel like it's the one."
"Fine then. Try it."
"No. Never test your own product. Have we taught you nothing?" Fred shook his head in disappointment.
"Well, if you do the work right, it should be safe to test yourself. You're either confident it works or not."
"It does work. It's just better if someone else tests it."
"It's not ready." She insisted. "At this point, the hardening of the sweet distorted the potion. It'll just give you long jelly-like legs. We need something. We need a spell. Like locomotor mortis with a stasis or something."
"So we try that."
"But locomotor mortis doesn't tie legs together. It just sticks them."
"We could make leg lock lollipops!" George said. "It's a better alliteration. We'll continue working on the limb tie, make it a limb tie apple pie."
"Fine, another day. I'm hungry, and I want some food." She said pushing herself up. "Coming?"
"Sure."
The boys led her to the Gryffindor table.
"There you are!" Hermione exclaimed with relief.
"Yep, hi." Alexandra grinned.
"Wow, you look happy." Hermione commented. "Really happy."
"Well, turns out the twins are actually useful for something." She reached up and ruffled their heads, teasingly. "I am happy, thanks." She turned back to Hermione. "Who's Amélie? And Emiko? And Artemii? And Haru? And why is Headmistress Kurata sending me a birthday card?"
"Emiko and Haru are the headmistress's children. You lived with them for several months. Emiko stayed at Hogwarts for a year. The headmistress is nice and I suppose you are a friend of her family, so she sent you a birthday card. You met Amélie and Artemii in the potions qualifications tournament. If they win their school contests, you'll be going against them. Amélie was also here for the triwizard tournament. Her cousin was a champion."
"I actually made friends outside of Hogwarts?"
"Yeah, we were just as surprised." Fred sniggered.
"How do the headmistress and Emiko know I've lost my memories but Amélie and the other don't?"
"Um, I wrote to Emiko. We talk sometimes."
"Emiko. Now there was a lady." George said, leaning his cheek on his palm.
"Okay, would you really be upset if I went out with your brother?" Someone asked in Japanese.
"Which one?" Alexandra heard herself reply.
"George."
"George? That's gross."
"He's sweet."
"Uff." Alexandra moaned at the onslaught of memories.
"Are you okay?" Hermione noticed first, as though used to keeping an eye on Alexandra for the slightest discomfort.
"Yeah." She turned to George. "Did you go out with Emiko?"
"What?"
"When she was here, did you and Emiko go out on a date." George nodded slowly.
"Are you remembering things?" She shrugged.
"Sometimes, I think. I don't know. Maybe."
"What else have you remembered?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know. I mean, sometimes when I'm studying books I'm sure I've never read, I know exactly what's coming next. Earlier today, I think I remembered something. I think I was talking to my dad last year, maybe, about being grown up already. He said something about me being a child to him for as long as I've got the word 'teen' in my age." Hermione had a strange expression on her face like she knew something Alexandra didn't. "What?"
"Nothing. You should tell Madam Pomfrey you might be remembering."
A/N- So.... Alex is remembering 👀 lmfao, how do you guys suppose Headmistress Kurata and Emiko know about her memory loss? Hermione doesn't ever actually write to Emiko 😏
Favourite line is actually the whole exchange with Fred and George when they're annoying her but ima choose these specifically cos they got jokes.
"Cheering up's sort of our thing."
"Or have you forgotten that?"