The Healer | Part 2: The War

Culture Shock

George

We reappeared on the third-floor landing and I wrenched the door open, pulling her through before shutting it tightly behind us.

'How did that go, then?' Fred was sitting at the table, looking down at a copy of the newspaper in front of him. He looked up. 'Ah. Not so well, I take it.'

'Why didn't their spells hit us?' Edith turned to me and asked, her tone shockingly calm considering the events of the last three minutes. Though she was a bit short of breath.

I couldn't believe that was what she was worried about at the present moment.

'Er... Shield Charm,' I held up my left wrist where my watch was fastened.

'On your watch?' She asked incredulously.

'Yeah,' I exhaled heavily and walked over to the sofa where Edith and I had spent a great deal of time snogging the last couple of days. I sank into it and ran my hands through my hair.

She merely stood there, just inside the door. I watched as she took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Her eyes were a bit wet but she wasn't crying. Yet. 

'I need to use the toilet,' she announced suddenly. She dropped her rucksack to the floor and walked briskly down the corridor. I watched her until she shut the door behind her.

'That was really stupid,' Fred told me matter-of-factly.

I frowned at him.

'I know that,' I told him. 'But she'd have resented me forever if I didn't at least try.'

'That's probably true,' he nodded, looking slightly more sympathetic. 'What happened?'

'There was something... a pewter or something, I can't remember exactly what she called it. It put her information all through the aeroport,' I told him. 'They must have got access to it and knew she was there and trying to make a run for it.'

'Who was it?' He got up and joined me in the living room, taking a seat on his recliner.

'Dunno, didn't recognize them,' I shrugged. 'They put an Imperious Curse on the muggle air stewardess and got her to call Edith over. Edith was convinced it was perfectly normal.'

'Ah, she's got a lot to learn then,' Fred said.

Maybe she did, but Fred and I had loads to learn about the muggle world, too. If I would have known about that pewter thing, I wouldn't have even entertained the idea of letting Edith go to the aeroport.

'She did fine,' I grunted. And I meant it. She reacted quickly and didn't panic when the arse fell out of our plan. We'd both made it back alive and unharmed.

'D'you think it was because of you?' He asked. 'I mean, we're pretty recognizable.'

I ran a hand through my hair again. I hadn't thought of that in our rush to get out, I was only thinking of keeping her identity a secret. People would know who I was before they recognized her. I should have changed my hair instead of hers. People had known who she was because she'd given them her passport. I ought to have changed the name on her passport instead of her appearance.

'Possibly,' I admitted.

'This probably isn't over then,' he said sombrely. 'If it's known that she's with you, they might get more aggressive with us.'

I hadn't thought of that either.

'Maybe they didn't recognize her,' I told him. Even as I said it, I knew that they knew who she was. They had known her name. They had known that she was trying to make a break for it and they'd attempted to put a stop to it. Mind, a pretty feeble attempt. But they'd made her a fugitive now.