Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Eight: Alex Is The Witch That You're Too Scared to Mention
Alex's Point of View
JANUARY
I woke abruptly from my nap by a loud bang and Lottie's voice screaming from the kitchen. I pushed my still broken guitar off my back, rolled off the bed onto my feet and made my way into the hallway. I saw Lottie standing on the step to the kitchen looking horrified into the living area, "What's up with you?"
"A-- ... I ..."
"Was it you banging about?" I asked her. She pointed shakily upwards and I looked around the corner into our living room,
"Aha, shit." I lent back and put a hand on my hip. I had not foreseen this flaw,
"It just ... It went bang ... And and and it was like o-on Christmas--"
"Oh, that bloody nightmare you had and kept me up for three hours. Yeah. I remember that one." I grumbled at Lottie, staring at the problem that was smouldering slightly in front of me.
The TV had exploded.
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"You're fucking useless." I told Fred bluntly,
"In his defence, I didn't hear it either."
"Well then, you're fucking useless as well." I told George as he was slowly raising his hand. It shot back down,
"C'mon, it wasn't their fault."
"Technically it was, Lottie." I told her, folding my arms, "Don't try and defend them."
"We live in a magic jokeshop, down a magic alley, in a magic world. It could of been any of us."
"Yeah, but the only thing is is that at the time of the incident--"
"Alex, this is not CSI."
"I was asleep." I pointed to myself and cut off Lottie, "You was boiling spaghetti, and these two pricks--" I moved my point from Lottie to the twins, "Were conducting an experiment for some potion I don't even remember."
"Actually, it's a diary, and it resembles that what Ginny had in year four except--"
"I don't care if it was a parrot that shits gold nuggets. You blew up my TV."
"It was our TV technically."
"Actually, it was H's TV." Lottie inputted, "Didn't the spare galleons buy it?"
"No, it came out the--"
"This is not important!" I shouted over the top of Lottie and George,
"None of it's important, Al. We just have a ... A smoking TG we need to move out."
"For the last bloody time, it's TV!"
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FEBRUARY
I slowly came to a stop outside Lottie and George's room and put a hand over my eyes. That's coughing. I really hope it's George.
I got to the kitchen. It wasn't George, "Oh ... Merlin."
"It's alright, I've given her a bucket." George told me as he turned around to face me. He was buttering toast,
"She's been throwing up?" I asked, sitting in a stool and leaning over the island, swiftly taking a slice of George's toast,
"No ... Well, I don't think so anyway." George shrugged. He seemed suspiciously unfazed by his girlfriend's illness. I squinted my eyes at him,
"What do you mean you 'don't think so'?"
"That. C'mon Al, it's not difficult."
"I don't believe you're really as casual about this as you're acting."
"There's not a lot I can do."
"Bullshit." I raised an eyebrow at George,
"Al, I don't know what you want me to say. She didn't wake me up--"
"I believe that."
"So I didn't wake up. And when I found her this morning, looking, yes, quite a lot like living death, she said not to worry--"
"I believe that too."
"Because she's fine. So I'm not worried."
"And here is where I call bullshit." I put my hands up on the counter, "She can break a nail and you will freak out."
"That's not true."
"Shut up, yes it is."
"Uh, no it isn't." I rolled my eyes,
"George, you do know what day it is?"
"Yeah, it's a Wednesday. We have a shop to run. You have an Auror class tonight. Lottie has ... N-Nothing."
"I know you're lying." I told George. He shrugged,
"She told me not to." George put his now empty plate next to the sink and my fist curled up. I opened my eyes properly and glared over to him. He didn't pick up and sauntered out of the kitchen humming. I spun slowly in my chair as I watched him leave, more suspicious than when I had entered.
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I pushed George's plate back into the washing bowl after I had finished my breakfast, ensuring I made extra emphasis to producing a more excessive amount of noise. There wasn't much activity down in the alley from what I could see out of the kitchen window, so I retired back to the living room to catch up on the news by the newspaper, since I couldn't watch my dad now because the twins blew up my TV. Little fuckers.
I stopped as soon as I was down the step into the living area, seeing Lottie emerge from her bedroom. She had the duvet over her shoulders, like a puffy, oversized cape, and a grey bucket hanging from her right elbow joint, like a tacky, non-expensive handbag. I raised an eyebrow, "You do look like living death."
"It's only a bit ... Of flu." Lottie looked like she could have laughed, but she only managed a quiet 'ha'. George was totally worried. Even I was a little worried,
"What you got up for? Hungry?"
"Merlin ... Merlin, no." Lottie shook her head extremely slowly, "Water."
"Geez, sit down. I'll get you some damn water." I nodded towards the couch. Lottie sighed and shuffled towards it, her duvet cape dragging along behind her. I brought up a plastic cup rather than a glass. She looked grateful, but she didn't manage thankyou. I forgave her. This once,
"Right, well I'm going to work." Fred entered from the hall, his robes floating slightly from the breeze by his moment. He came over and went to kiss my forehead. I held out my hand and stopped him,
"You never do that. Where is your twin?"
"First time for everything. I don't know."
"Well, maybe you want to think about telling him to get his arse into the correct gear and look after his girlfriend a bit better."
"Why, what's-- Merlin Lottie, you look disgusting." Fred said, his eyebrows shot up into his forehead. Lottie's face was extremely clammy, her skin was a lot paler than usual and her eyes were hardly open. She smiled a tiny bit at Fred, and raised the cup of water I had just given her to acknowledge his comment,
"I don't know what it is, but--"
"It feels ... Flu."
"Oh yeah, I know what's up with you." I dismissed Lottie's comment, "What I was saying, I don't know what it is, but George is being an absolute massive--"
"An absolute massive what?" George asked as he entered the room, wearing matching robes as Fred,
"Man, does nobody wait until you finish a sentence around here?!"
"Alex, if you--"
"Dick! Dick! You are a dick! An absolute massive one! You are an absolute massive dick!" I shouted at George then pointed at Lottie, who had hidden her head under her duvet, "That! That lump of polyester and cotton is your girlfriend! She is poorly! Look after her!"
"If you're going to have a domestic then I'm outta here." Fred held his hands up and dismissed himself from the room, pulling the flat door shut behind him. I raised my eyebrows at George,
"Alex, you're here all day. Why do I need to take a day off when you can just do it?"
"You work downstairs!" I pointed at the door and curled my lip,
"So I'm on call! If you need me, I am going to hear you! And you're out all night, so I can sit with her then. Lot said not to worry, I really don't get your big deal."
"I--"
"You say not to worry until you do, she said not to worry, I'm not worrying." George folded his arms, "Okay?"
I was too mortified to speak. I could tell George didn't know a thing, and I let him manage to get out of the flat without ripping his entire face off. I looked at Lottie and her eyes were just peeping out of the covers. She shuffled and her full face appeared,
"Just let him--"
"No. No, actually--" I spun around and threw open the flat door. It clattered against the wall and then the door frame as it swung shut. I stood at the top of the staircase and stared at George, who hadn't yet made it to the bottom. He had also spun around and was looking back up at me. I could feel how wild my eyes were. George looked slightly like a frightened rabbit. He knew there was something now, but he couldn't quite remember. I then screamed at him,
"IT'S FUCKING VALENTINES DAY! PRICK!"
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I smirked slightly as I watched Lottie and George on the couch together through the serving hatch. They was completing the crossword in the Daily Prophet. I brought the hatch door to a close and turned around to face Fred,
"What a dick."
"He just ... He doesn't realise." Fred tried to defend his twin, "Dates aren't his thing. Same as names isn't mine."
"Fucking forgets Valentines Day, fucking doesn't look after his girlfriend when she's ill, fucking thinks he can fight me." I grumbled as I pushed myself upwards and sat on the kitchen counter. Fred had just finished drying up and shut the plate cupboard door,
"At least he has now, you have to think of it that way."
"I don't have to think of it that way. I can think of it whatever way I want. You don't own me." I crossed my legs over and I saw Fred laughing in the window reflection as he hung the tea towel up. He came over the kitchen to me and put each of his hands on either side of my legs on the counter, trying to seem forceful,
"That's not true." Fred said quietly. I smiled on one corner of my mouth and he raised an eyebrow. I uncrossed my legs and lent down slightly, and then pulled my foot back and kicked his stomach. Fred winced and inhaled quickly, his eye rolling to look up at the ceiling. I then put a finger under his chin and tilted it slightly, his gaze locking with mine. I smiled sweetly,
"Just bloody try."
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"Mmmmmm ... Mmmmhhmmmmm ... Hmmmmmm ... Urrrggghh ... Hmmmm ..."
"You al-- ... You alright?"
"Yeah I just ... I've got this really bad arm pain."
"Let me look ... Does that--"
"Don't do that!"
"Whoa! Okay! Sorry! ... It doesn't ... Maybe it's a little swollen ..."
"I could've ... Laid funny."
"You'll lay funny if--"
"Stop, don't ... Even ..." There was quiet for a while. I traced the pattern on the ceiling with my eyes, "Hmmmm ..."
"Alright." I knelt up and slammed my hand on the wall twice, "Oh! Guys! If you're gonna start anything in there, can you let me know? Just it's ... Two o'clock in the morning!"
"Lottie's arm hurts! I was just--"
"I can hear what you was 'just', mister!" I shouted back to George, "Two am! Go back to sleep!"
"Alex, I wasn't doing anything! She's poorly! And--"
"Exactly, go to fucking sleep!"
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"I can't ... Believe it ..." Lottie was sitting at the island with my latest received parchment in her hand, "H-How?"
"Because I'm good at what I do, kay?"
"It seems far too soon." George said. He was sitting in the bar chair next to Lottie,
"Look, I gotta say that even I think it's a bit early, but who's gonna argue with the Ministry? I told you when I applied that they were desperate, they're only gonna take on who is really gonna shine and help them out."
"I still say it's too convenient." Lottie laid the letter down on the island and left the room. George raised his eyebrows at me,
"12th April then. That's your exam date."
"Yeah ... Yeah, I guess it is."
"Qualified Auror."
"Sounds official."
"That means you gotta actually do some proper work, yeah Alex?"
"Pish." I waved my hand at George, "The birthdays come before that."
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MARCH
I was sitting on the couch at my house, Tiddles laid across the back of it behind my shoulders. Lottie was in Dad's armchair, one leg over the other, with Dingo in her lap. Mum and Mrs Weasley were on the couch opposite me, "Now, we all clear?"
"Yeah, go get her." I told Mum. She got up and headed up the stairs, "Haven't you already spoke about this?"
"We did after one meeting, yes dear." Mrs Weasley said, "Tonks didn't say much though, but we're starting to get a little too worried about her."
"Same, to be honest." Lottie raised a hand slightly. Mum came down the stairs with Nymphie trailing behind her. Her hair was still a murky colour, and she looked like she had yet to get dressed today and yet to shower this week. It was Wednesday. She slumped on the couch next to me and sighed deeply,
"Wotcher."
"Wotcher." I replied. Mum disappeared into the kitchen,
"Now, Nymphie dear." Mrs Weasley sat forward a little, "This is an intervention. We're all worried about you."
"I don't ... I don't want to talk about it."
"C'mon Nymph, don't be like that. I didn't drag myself outta bed for you to zip the lip."
"I've told you all before, I'm fine. I don't care."
"Dear, you're not looking after yourself. You don't eat, you hardly sleep. Even your father senses you're miserable."
"Why'd you have to bring her?" She held her hand in my general direction, "She'll only take this piss. And Lottie? She'll feel awkward around me all the time now, I was properly friends with her and everything."
"We're still here, Nymphie." Lottie nodded,
"Yeah, and I'll have none of you talking like that." I moved on the couch so I was facing her, legs crossed under me, "They know what's going on. We're getting a gist. You've got to talk about it, or you're gonna make yourself sick."
"What does it matter?" Nymphie asked, pulling a cushion and leaning her chin on it,
"What matters is you're my sister and I love you. I don't wanna see you hurt, even if you are a shitbag." Nymphie laughed a tiny bit, "We want to help you. You've just got to tell us what you're feeling so we can. We don't read your mind."
"Oh, don't your talents stretched that far?" Lottie scoffed. I held my finger up at her and Nymphie laughed again. It was quiet for a moment, and then Mum sighed,
"Nymphadora, just tell them."
"Don't ... D-- ... I think I'm ... In love with Remus."
I stared blankly at Nymphie, eyes wide. I turned and looked at Lottie, who shared the same expression. She then began to blink furiously, and I looked rapidly between her, Nymphie, Mum and Mrs Weasley for a moment. I didn't believe it. This is madness. I was not expecting this when I spilt my cereal over Fred this morning. Lottie was the first to speak, "As in ... As in my dad Remus?"
"You see?" Nymphie looked at Mum and Mrs Weasley darkly. Lottie was still staring and Nymphie nodded sadly. I turned to look at Lottie and we both began to grin at the same time,
"That is--"
"Oh my--"
"Sisters."
"Wha--"
"Sisters."
"Sisters?!"
"Sisters!" We both shot up from our seats and were jumping in the middle of the room, clapping as we did and chanting,
"SISTERS! SISTERS! SISTERS! SISTERS!"
"Wait! Wait!" I stopped jumping and Lottie did after another. She looked at me wildly,
"Wha--"
"Aunt, niece." I said. Lottie began to grin,
"Aunt, niece?!"
"Aunt, niece!"
"AUNT, NIECE! AUNT, NIECE! AUNT, NIECE! AUNT, NIECE!"
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"I can't believe it." I said to Lottie as she placed an omelette on my plate at tea time, "That is ... Mental."
"It defiantly wasn't what I was thinking. I was expecting her to say--"
"Because of Sirius."
"Exactly!" I said after we spoke in unison. Lottie nodded madly then plated her own food up,
"I never thought that she was gonna say Dad!"
"I dunno, but what a fucked up family tree we would have if they got married."
"I'm looking forward to it more than I should be." Lottie nodded as she sat down,
"You think they'll get married?" I asked,
"They'll get married." We said in unison,
"They just ... Urgh! It's so cute!"
"It's so weird." I said after Lottie,
"It's a little bit weird, yeah, okay then." She agreed, "But love comes in all ways. I mean look at us! We're best friends going out with a pair of twins, literally nobody does that apart from in books."
"I think I've heard of it once." I commented. Lottie shook her head,
"And you! Last year, you didn't even want to get near a boy and now you sleep next to one."
"But that's Fred. Fred is an absolute God, Merlin! Have you seen that business downstairs?"
"But I could say that about George."
"George is a pussy. He's perfect for you." Lottie laughed lightly and hid her face, "Told him you love him yet?"
"Erm ..."
"You still can't remember, can you?" Lottie was staring at the floor. She shook her head slightly, "We are at war."
"So?"
"So? Either of you could be kidnapped walking down the street for some milk."
"That has nothing--"
"What if you died? What if you died tomorrow and you had never told him?"
"I--"
"What if he died tomorrow and you still hadn't said anything?"
"Al--"
"You don't seem to be getting it. War. Death. Inevitability."
"Bu--"
"C'mon Lot, we've been through this."
"I know, it's just--"
"If it wasn't a natural thing that your body does, you wouldn't remember to breath?"
"Well ... Yeah. Yeah, okay? Truth."
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APRIL
A yellow and red 'Happy Birthday' was strung from the far corner of the living room to the corner nearest to the kitchen stairs. Next to Fred's armchair, there were two metallic blue balloons in the shape of a one and a nine, and a similar pair of Irish green balloons stood at George's end of the sofa, both sets floating casually in the humid air that was plaguing the flat. It was hot. Too fucking hot. And it wasn't supposed to be too fucking hot either. It was 5.30am, the sun was rising steadily just like the temperature, and I was sprawled out like a starfish on the living room floor of confetti and party poppers. The twins were 19 three days ago, I still don't feel like I've recovered from the hangover and if I could have removed the last four articles of clothing I had left on, I probably would have done. I heard a door slowly creak open, but couldn't be arsed to rise my head and check which life form had risen, "I'm not even going to ask."
"I wouldn't have explained anyway." I grunted to Lottie following her grumble. The bathroom door opened and closed again, and I fell back into an uncomfortably hot, sticky and unsatisfying sleep.
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The Monday following my Auror exam, I was standing against the sink in the kitchen looking out of the window and staring deep into the beady eye of the owl on the outside window sill. He had an official looking scroll tied to his right leg, and every so often would lean forward and peck on the window in a rhythm. This had gone on for at least twenty minutes, and it only stopped because the owl had woke Lottie up, "Let that bastard bird in before I do and throw you out the window."
"I can't." I told Lottie straight, still staring at the owl. I heard her feet pace across the wooden floor, and she was stood beside me,
"I swear--"
"I can't do it." I said and finally broke off my stare with the owl. She turned her head to look at me, frowning but raising one eyebrow at the same time, "I'm scared, Lottie."
"You don't need to be scared." She shook her head then turned back to the owl, "It's only a bird."
"It's got my results. I don't want to know my results."
"I can't believe I'm about to give you a pep talk." Lottie looked confused, almost worried. She patted my shoulder, "That owl, all he wants to do is give you that scroll. And it's going to tell you if you're an Auror or not. You're about a metre away from, quite possibly, your auror's licence. Are you just gonna stand here and watch it, or are you gonna seise it?" Lottie tried, I'll give her that, but the 'pep' in her pep talk wasn't up to much. It never was really up to much. Out of kindness, I left her in her bubble to think she was doing well and slid the window open. The owl hopped in, stuck out it's leg and flew off into the sunrise as soon as the scroll was untied. I panicked, nearly dropped the scroll in the sink, then held it tightly in my grip. I looked at Lottie as she stared at me. Her eyes were wide,
"Go for it?"
"Go for it." She replied. I whipped the scroll and it unravelled itself. I brought it close to my vision and began to skim over it.
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"Get me some grapes, peasant." I clicked my fingers. Fred looked up from the Prophet he was reading, "The green ones."
"I'm proud of you Al, but you're not the Queen y'know?" Fred's eyes averted from me and went back to fixing on his newspaper. I sat up properly in my seat,
"Excuse me, do you wanna fight about it? Because I'm an official Auror now, so I can do that. Legally."
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"Come on then, what's the missions?" I asked. We was gathered around the table at Grimmauld place. I had my feet on the table,
"Alexandra, I really do not want you to take this the wrong way, but is it really the right time for you to be participating in these missions?"
"Ohhhh, no."
"C'mon Al--"
"Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no." I shook my head, "Don't give me that crap."
"Tonks, you have to listen--"
"D'you know what happened earlier this week?" I sat up properly and pulled the letter out of my hand, flattening it on the table, "I got this."
"Alex, we know--" I cut off Lupin,
"This is my Auror licence. D'you know what that means? It means I can actually fight the Darks Arts officially. Can you hear that?" Lottie was staring at me across the table, eyebrows raised, "That's the sound of you lots jealousy, okay? Now, you're going to listen and listen well."
"Here we go." Lottie left for the kitchen,
"As lovely and ultimately useful to the fight as we all are, we're not all official Aurors, are we? No. And if you think that I'm going to sit here and let you older ones bully me about, well there's another thing coming."
"Tonks, you are a newly passed Auror and--"
"I wasn't finishing talking!" I shouted at Moody. His magical eye rolled around, "I did not go through the absolute torture it was to get that piece of parchment just to sit around like a useless piece of meat. I can actually help to push the death eaters back, and I can do it officially."
"Tea anyone?" Lottie asked. I stared at her maliciously. A few hands raised, including my own,
"I don't have to come to Order meetings just to sit around and be told by the elders that I am too young to fight. Now, give me a mission or so Merlin help the lot of you." My eyes flicked between Dumbledore and Moody. Moody looked less than impressed, yet Dumbledore looked more. His eyes peered over his glasses and scanned the missions list,
"Will you be taking a twin with you?"
"Yes." They both said. I put my feet back on the table,
"Oh, geez."
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MAY
My eyes flew open. I was staring at the ceiling, struggling to comprehend what had woke me. I had heard a scream. And it was in this apartment, "Fred ... Fred ..."
"Al ... You alright?"
"Fred, somebody--"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
"Screamed." I jumped out of bed as the banging of a fist against the wall rang out,
"YOU TWO! GET IN HERE!" George yelled. I ran out of our room, around the wall and into Lottie and George's. Lottie was laid with her back to the door and George was knelling beside the bed,
"What the hell did you do?!"
"I don't know! I didn't do-- I didn't do anything! She just woke up and that was it!"
"You must have done something!" I shouted at George. He shook his head and looked pretty helpless. Fred followed me into their bedroom and was stood beside me, staring as Lottie crippled over on the mattress. She was clawing at the quilt and was making a squealing sound constantly,
"Right, get out of my way." I went around their bed and moved George, knelling down next to Lottie. George took a few steps back and was looking petrified at his twin's direction, who shared a look that was just as worried. Lottie's face was bright red and sweat was rolling off her forehead, "Lottie ... Lot, it's alright. Calm down, okay? Ju-Just point to what hurts."
"It's my ... It's my ... Stomach." Lottie choked out. She rolled over and was holding both hands over the lower right side of her stomach. I knew immediately. Lottie groaned and let out a weak scream as she turned back over to face me. Her face was now glowing even brighter and she looked like she struggling to breath,
"Lot, I'm gonna need you to keep calm and ... And stay breathing, okay? Nice and gentle, yeah?"
"Alex ... Alex, it's so paiNFUL!" Lottie winced and screwed her face up. She brought her knees tight to her chest,
"I know it is, mate. Look, we're gonna make it better, yeah?" Lottie nodded slowly and was trying to curl up in a tight ball. George and Fred were both staring at me and awaiting insteuctions, "Right, we need to get her to Mungo's within the hour. George," I turned to face him specifically, "I'm going to need you to carry her, it's not going to be safe otherwise. Take your time but don't piss about, we're limited. If she's need to move or wiggle or adjust or literally anything just let her, but whatever you do, do not stop moving until you're in Mungo's entrance."
"Is she--"
"Should be. Fred," I turned a little more, "I need you to put me a bag together. We're gonna need some pyjamas, underwear, toothbrush, and a blanket of some sort. Do not leave the flat until you've got everything together. Maybe bring a book or something of the like."
"For Lottie?"
"All of that gonna be solely for Lottie, so make sure it's her stuff. We'll be able to sort ourselves out as we need. Can you handle that?"
"I can handle that."
"Make sure we're locked up before you leave, you're gonna need to be at Mungo's within an hour too. Actually, you can start now." I nodded to Fred. He patted his brother on the shoulder and left the bedroom. I stood aside and George slowly knelt down and picked Lottie up. She clung onto his t-shirt with no immediate sign of her ever letting go,
"Okay?" George asked,
"O-Okay." Lottie replied weakly. The tears were streaming down her cheeks and her face was still like a traffic light,
"Be careful, take it steady but do not be long." I told George. He half nodded as I apparated out of the apartment.
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As soon as I landed in Mungo's entrance, I was straight into a pace towards the receptionist. Since it was almost 3am, it was the night staff as opposed to Hestia from the Order, so I had to avoid baffling so much, "Welcome to Mungo's, how--"
"My best friend, yeah? She's crippled with abdominal pain and I'm near enough certain it's appendicitis and if you guys don't do something soon, I'm sure it's gonna-- Well, it is gonna explode." I babbled out at the woman. She looked totally dazed and you could tell how much I had confused her,
"R-Right, where is she now?"
"Someone is bringing her over."
"I'll send for ... A healer then." She pressed a button on her desk and it began flashing red. I could hear an alarm sounding in the distance, "C-Can you fill these in, p-please?" The receptionist handed me three forms and a quill. One was for personal details, but I just scribbled Lottie's name and date of birth down, the fact she lives above a joke shop isn't going to save her insides. She's not allergic to anything, otherwise I would have remember so I disregarded the second form. The third form was a diagnosis one, and I don't think Lottie's going to need that. I was piling the sheets up when a voice echoed around the entrance. George was just waddling into the hospital, Lottie awkwardly in his arms and clinging to his tshirt, and Fred bringing up the rear. As the entrance doors flew open, so did the lift room doors,
"I came as fast as I could!" The healer and George said in unison when they got to me. They both looked straight at each other,
"This isn't the time for male dominance!" I shouted, "Get her a bed and get her seen to!"
The doctor summoned a bed and George attempted to get Lottie laid out on it. She point blank refused to let go off his tshirt. She had tears streaming down her cheeks, and the whole of her face, scalp and neck were a bright, burning red. I pried her fingers away, and as soon as contact was broken, the healer began to push the bed out of the entrance hall and back towards the lifts and other departments in the hospital. I let go off George and marched to follow them,
"Wait!" The receptionist called. I stopped mid step and spun around on my heels, "You can't go with them!"
"I can! I have to! I know what's wrong! It's--"
"They're going to take care of her, she's in good hands." She had her head stuck out over the desk. She had a sympathetic look all over her face,
"Pfft, no! I need to go! They won't understand! I actually get what is going on! My dad had it! I--"
"Alex. Alex, come on. Al--" Fred started to walk slowly towards me, his arm extended,
"IT'S A MUGGLE THING!" I yelled, my voice echoing around the entrance hall, "THEY WON'T KNOW! THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND! I KNOW! I know! I know! They don't ... They d--" I cut myself off and turned back to the lift doors. I stared off into the hospital distance. Fred caught me under my arms as I stumbled, and we sat down on the lobby floor. I placed my left hand half over my forehead and half over my eyes. I heard footsteps behind, and then George was sat on the other side of me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I didn't fight either of them off, I wasn't even sure if I had the energy to. I sniffed, and then shot a look at Fred as he began to rub my arm. He stopped immediately. I do not cry.
The three of us were left sitting on the floor of the entrance hall to St Mungo's. We were as worried as each other, yet no one spoke and we instead wallowed in the silence that loomed in the air, and connected by the group hug we was holding.
We couldn't loose Lottie.
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