August 3.0 Fic: Remember
Title: Remember
Summary: Lucy, Lysander, Rose, and making new memories.
Characters/Pairings: Lucy/Lysander, Rose as a supporting character.
Genre: Angst, though there's romance too, if you squint.
Beta: No...but I usually have good grammar, save for the occasional mistake.
Rating/Warnings: PG; amnesia!Lucy.
Medium: Fic.
Word Count: 1200.
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: I'm not sure what this means, since this is my first time posting here. So, I'm going to say no.
Gently, Lysander pulls Lucy out of her bed.
"Come on Luce, it's time you get outside."
She stares blankly at him. "Why?"
Lysander forces himself to smile. "It's not healthy to stay inside all the time."
Her eyes close. "I'm tired. Go without me."
"Come on." He tugs her wrist, and she goes sailing into his chest. "How about a trip to the Burrow?"
Before she can answer, he Apparates the two of them to the Burrow.
Lucy moans. Lysander steers her towards the house, muttering words of encouragement.
"Lucy!" Molly opens the door and hugs her granddaughter. Lucy cringes.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Molly tears herself away and places a warm hand on Lucy's cheek. "Who am I? Do you remember?"
Lucy gazes at her, blinking. "Grandma Molly," she answers monotonously.
Molly manages a watery smile. "Good. Now, come inside, or you'll catch a cold."
Lysander brings her inside and shuts the door behind him. Molly excuses herself; Lysander knows that she is just going up to her room to cry.
"It's all right, Lucy," he tells the girl in his arms, feeling her apprehension.
She clutches his arm tightly. "Do we have to?" He sighs, nodding, and brings her into the kitchen.
"Hey, Lucy!" Rose waves, running up to hug her. "It's been such a long time since I saw you last - I was busy down at the Ministry - you know I'm in an internship, right?"
Lucy's eyes widen as she tries to claw herself out of Rose's hold.
"What's wrong with you?" Rose pouts, loosening her arms. Lucy jumps towards Lysander. "You're usually not like this."
Lucy stares at her. "Who are you?" She pulls on Lysander's shirt. "Lysander, who is she?" Rose's eyes narrow. "What?"
Lysander hurriedly turns away and sits Lucy down in a chair. "Lysander, tell me, who is she? Am I supposed to know her? Why does she know me? How-?"
"What's going on?" Rose demands, placing a hand on her hip. "I don't know if this is some kind of joke or something, but I don't like it at all."
"Calm down, Rose." Lysander runs a hand through his blonde hair, mussing it. "I'll explain."
"You'd better."
While they talk, Lucy rummages through her purse, pulls out her notebook, and begins to file through it, looking through her notes and pictures to find the redhead's identity.
"Lucy has post-traumatic amnesia." He looks away. It seems to hurt more each time he says it.
Rose's face is stony, but in a moment, it cracks, and water seeps down her face like a waterfall rushing over rocks. "You-you mean she doesn't-"
"She doesn't remember much," Lysander continues. "She doesn't remember most people either."
"No," Rose whispers, dropping to her knees. "No, she has to remember me, we were best friends, I'm her cousin-"
"I don't think she does," Lysander tells her, his voice cracking.
"Why?" Rose asks emptily.
Lysander blinks away tears, the memory crashing down on him like a ton of bricks.
It was a stormy Thursday. Lysander, just having come back from work, hung his coat up and began to walk towards the bedroom.
"Luce?" he called out. "Luce, where are you?"
"Lysander?" He heard her voice. Opening the door, he saw her, carefully balancing on her toes to aim a cleaning spell at the vase resting on top of the dresser. "Finally! I was almost convinced that you wouldn't be back before midnight."
Hastily, she shot the spell, trying to run and hug him. It was off its mark, the blue bolt hitting the window. The glass shattered, the fragments hitting the fragile vase-
Lysander had always had slow reflexes.
The next second, she was hugging the floor, not him, her body sprawled at impossible angles. Pieces of their favorite vase lie over her, nestled in her auburn locks and jutting into her porcelain skin, drawing ruby red droplets that pool around her head. The window was broken, the remnants scattered around her.
Thunder crashed; the wind howled; sheets of rain poured in through the open window, landing on her unmoving body.
Lysander's shrieks joined the storm's symphony.
"A vase landed on her head. When she came to, she couldn't remember anyone except me, her mother, and her father," he chokes out. Lucy has always been the only one to make him cry.
Rose shakes her head, speechless. "It can't be."
"I wish it wasn't," he answers, stroking Lucy's hair absentmindedly. Lucy leans into his touch.
"Who is she, Ly?" she asks again, impatiently. "Tell me!"
"It's better if you tell her yourself," Lysander says, pushing Rose closer to her. "That way she can remember what you said with your face. It'll help you recognize her."
"Believe in her," he tells her, but he's also telling himself at the same time.
Rose gulps, but Lysander sees her resolve become firm; Rose has always been a strong girl. "Lucy, it's me. Rose. Rose Weasley. Your cousin."
Her voice is breaking; she's wearing her heart on her sleeve and it's cracking, cracking like an egg dropped onto the floor.
Lucy always used to say that she and Rose were close; closer than she was with any of her other cousin. This must be hurting Rose a lot more than he can imagine.
"Lucy." Rose shakes Lucy's shoulders desperately. "Please. You know me so well. Rose. Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron's daughter, your best friend. Your favorite cousin. Come on, I know you know!"
Lucy blinks, scrutinizing the face in front of her. "Rose. Rose Weasley. My cousin. Rose Weasley is my cousin."
She isn't recognizing her; she's only learning her name and face. Rose realizes that, and she breaks down.
Sobbing, she sinks back to the floor, holding her face in her hands. "Where did you go, Lucy? Where? Don't you remember the summers we spent together, the nights we stayed up talking? Once we stole some fire-whiskey and drank it together, don't you remember?"
She rambles on and on, gasping and choking on her words. Tears stream down her face and she moans loudly.
"Rose. Get a hold of yourself." Lysander pulls Rose to her feet and she stands, crying freely. Quickly he wipes his own eyes with his arm.
"I love her," Rose tells him, as if that will fix anything. Lucy called her the soul sister she didn't find in Molly; Rose must think the same way. "I love her."
Lysander silently agrees, looking at the girl he still loves, even if she's completely different now, even if he's completely different now.
But even if she is a bird who has forgotten how to fly, he can teach her again. Even if she doesn't remember their story, he does, and even if he can't make her get it back, he will help her to write a new one, starting right now.
Maybe this isn't the end of the world; maybe it's the beginning of a new book, a new book in their series.
"Lucy." He pulls her up and into a quick kiss, his lips trying to tell her everything she can't remember. "Let's start again. Right here, right now."
She gazes at him, a smile slowly breaking across her face.
"Okay."
Empress/40 points earned
Summary: Lucy, Lysander, Rose, and making new memories.
Characters/Pairings: Lucy/Lysander, Rose as a supporting character.
Genre: Angst, though there's romance too, if you squint.
Beta: No...but I usually have good grammar, save for the occasional mistake.
Rating/Warnings: PG; amnesia!Lucy.
Medium: Fic.
Word Count: 1200.
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: I'm not sure what this means, since this is my first time posting here. So, I'm going to say no.
Gently, Lysander pulls Lucy out of her bed.
"Come on Luce, it's time you get outside."
She stares blankly at him. "Why?"
Lysander forces himself to smile. "It's not healthy to stay inside all the time."
Her eyes close. "I'm tired. Go without me."
"Come on." He tugs her wrist, and she goes sailing into his chest. "How about a trip to the Burrow?"
Before she can answer, he Apparates the two of them to the Burrow.
Lucy moans. Lysander steers her towards the house, muttering words of encouragement.
"Lucy!" Molly opens the door and hugs her granddaughter. Lucy cringes.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Molly tears herself away and places a warm hand on Lucy's cheek. "Who am I? Do you remember?"
Lucy gazes at her, blinking. "Grandma Molly," she answers monotonously.
Molly manages a watery smile. "Good. Now, come inside, or you'll catch a cold."
Lysander brings her inside and shuts the door behind him. Molly excuses herself; Lysander knows that she is just going up to her room to cry.
"It's all right, Lucy," he tells the girl in his arms, feeling her apprehension.
She clutches his arm tightly. "Do we have to?" He sighs, nodding, and brings her into the kitchen.
"Hey, Lucy!" Rose waves, running up to hug her. "It's been such a long time since I saw you last - I was busy down at the Ministry - you know I'm in an internship, right?"
Lucy's eyes widen as she tries to claw herself out of Rose's hold.
"What's wrong with you?" Rose pouts, loosening her arms. Lucy jumps towards Lysander. "You're usually not like this."
Lucy stares at her. "Who are you?" She pulls on Lysander's shirt. "Lysander, who is she?" Rose's eyes narrow. "What?"
Lysander hurriedly turns away and sits Lucy down in a chair. "Lysander, tell me, who is she? Am I supposed to know her? Why does she know me? How-?"
"What's going on?" Rose demands, placing a hand on her hip. "I don't know if this is some kind of joke or something, but I don't like it at all."
"Calm down, Rose." Lysander runs a hand through his blonde hair, mussing it. "I'll explain."
"You'd better."
While they talk, Lucy rummages through her purse, pulls out her notebook, and begins to file through it, looking through her notes and pictures to find the redhead's identity.
"Lucy has post-traumatic amnesia." He looks away. It seems to hurt more each time he says it.
Rose's face is stony, but in a moment, it cracks, and water seeps down her face like a waterfall rushing over rocks. "You-you mean she doesn't-"
"She doesn't remember much," Lysander continues. "She doesn't remember most people either."
"No," Rose whispers, dropping to her knees. "No, she has to remember me, we were best friends, I'm her cousin-"
"I don't think she does," Lysander tells her, his voice cracking.
"Why?" Rose asks emptily.
Lysander blinks away tears, the memory crashing down on him like a ton of bricks.
It was a stormy Thursday. Lysander, just having come back from work, hung his coat up and began to walk towards the bedroom.
"Luce?" he called out. "Luce, where are you?"
"Lysander?" He heard her voice. Opening the door, he saw her, carefully balancing on her toes to aim a cleaning spell at the vase resting on top of the dresser. "Finally! I was almost convinced that you wouldn't be back before midnight."
Hastily, she shot the spell, trying to run and hug him. It was off its mark, the blue bolt hitting the window. The glass shattered, the fragments hitting the fragile vase-
Lysander had always had slow reflexes.
The next second, she was hugging the floor, not him, her body sprawled at impossible angles. Pieces of their favorite vase lie over her, nestled in her auburn locks and jutting into her porcelain skin, drawing ruby red droplets that pool around her head. The window was broken, the remnants scattered around her.
Thunder crashed; the wind howled; sheets of rain poured in through the open window, landing on her unmoving body.
Lysander's shrieks joined the storm's symphony.
"A vase landed on her head. When she came to, she couldn't remember anyone except me, her mother, and her father," he chokes out. Lucy has always been the only one to make him cry.
Rose shakes her head, speechless. "It can't be."
"I wish it wasn't," he answers, stroking Lucy's hair absentmindedly. Lucy leans into his touch.
"Who is she, Ly?" she asks again, impatiently. "Tell me!"
"It's better if you tell her yourself," Lysander says, pushing Rose closer to her. "That way she can remember what you said with your face. It'll help you recognize her."
"Believe in her," he tells her, but he's also telling himself at the same time.
Rose gulps, but Lysander sees her resolve become firm; Rose has always been a strong girl. "Lucy, it's me. Rose. Rose Weasley. Your cousin."
Her voice is breaking; she's wearing her heart on her sleeve and it's cracking, cracking like an egg dropped onto the floor.
Lucy always used to say that she and Rose were close; closer than she was with any of her other cousin. This must be hurting Rose a lot more than he can imagine.
"Lucy." Rose shakes Lucy's shoulders desperately. "Please. You know me so well. Rose. Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron's daughter, your best friend. Your favorite cousin. Come on, I know you know!"
Lucy blinks, scrutinizing the face in front of her. "Rose. Rose Weasley. My cousin. Rose Weasley is my cousin."
She isn't recognizing her; she's only learning her name and face. Rose realizes that, and she breaks down.
Sobbing, she sinks back to the floor, holding her face in her hands. "Where did you go, Lucy? Where? Don't you remember the summers we spent together, the nights we stayed up talking? Once we stole some fire-whiskey and drank it together, don't you remember?"
She rambles on and on, gasping and choking on her words. Tears stream down her face and she moans loudly.
"Rose. Get a hold of yourself." Lysander pulls Rose to her feet and she stands, crying freely. Quickly he wipes his own eyes with his arm.
"I love her," Rose tells him, as if that will fix anything. Lucy called her the soul sister she didn't find in Molly; Rose must think the same way. "I love her."
Lysander silently agrees, looking at the girl he still loves, even if she's completely different now, even if he's completely different now.
But even if she is a bird who has forgotten how to fly, he can teach her again. Even if she doesn't remember their story, he does, and even if he can't make her get it back, he will help her to write a new one, starting right now.
Maybe this isn't the end of the world; maybe it's the beginning of a new book, a new book in their series.
"Lucy." He pulls her up and into a quick kiss, his lips trying to tell her everything she can't remember. "Let's start again. Right here, right now."
She gazes at him, a smile slowly breaking across her face.
"Okay."
Empress/40 points earned