WHO: Alicia Spinnet & Angelina Johnson WHAT: Coming to a realisation. WHEN: January 28 WHERE: Yesterday's [oooridinates]
âUgh, I think that one got me in the eye,â Angelina complained, sitting cross-legged at the other end of Aliciaâs bed. Unhappily, she swiped the back of her hand across her eyes and then made to flick the offending gobstone, but thought better of it. She didnât want it squirting into her other eye. What if she had to tell people thatâs why she couldnât play quidditch anymore?
Alicia tried not to laugh and handed her friend a tissue from the table next to her bed. After a few rounds of pain potions and a few more rounds of gobstones, she was starting to feel like herself again — mostly. âI think these must be advanced gobstones,â she said. âThese ones have pretty impeccable aim.â
âCan they not?â Angelina asked from behind the tissue.
And then, with the overdone casualness of someone who wasnât casual at all and had actually been waiting for a moment to bring it up, Angelina added, âSpeaking of impeccable aim! I had two Killing Curses thrown at me yesterday. Those Puddlemere Beaters deserve an award for those bludgers they let loose.â She stared resolutely down at her gobstones.
âThat was some good thinking on their part,â Alicia began, but when it dawned on her what other information Angelina had sandwiched in there, she sat gaping at her. âAng! Killing Curses?â
âTwo bludgers valiantly gave their lives to save me from them,â Angelina said with a shrug, scooping up one of the gobstones to roll it around in the palm of her hand.
âThank Merlin for that,â Alicia said, still keeping her wide eyes fixed on her friend. She leaned back against her pillows and let out a deep sigh. âThe whole thing still feels surreal. I remember flying, chasing a Death Eater and—â
Aliciaâs eyes went wide again as the previous dayâs events came rushing back to her with a clarity the pain potions and her throbbing headache had prevented before. The memory gave her pulse a kick and she swallowed before saying, âI think I know who it was.â
âWhat? The Death Eater?â She glanced up at Alicia, though, and the look on her face made her sit up a little straighter, the gobstone, forgotten, slipping through her fingertips. âReally?â
âHave you ever seen anyone do a loop while flying?â Alicia leaned in toward her friend, her voice becoming a loud whisper. âNot just while flying, but during a race? Like in a mildly impressive but utterly stupid way?â
âMaybe?â Angelina said slowly, not quite getting it.
âItâs Layla,â Alicia said, as though she couldnât believe the words coming out of her own mouth. But it made sense — the Death Eater sheâd been fighting hadnât been just any amateur flyer. Theyâd kept pace with Alicia, which was no small feat, despite her still being a rookie. âThatâs how she lost the race at her party.â
âWhat? No,â Angelina said with half a laugh, shaking her head at Alicia. âNo!â
But in the back of her mind, the things they knew started to fit together. Who wouldâve bothered sending that note to Alicia? Who wouldâve snuck into Francineâs flat just to lecture her? Who would want — maybe even need to warn either of them? Who had access to their homes, to their lives, to their hearts?
All the humor seemed to leave Angelinaâs face at once and with one more slow, slow shake of her head, a flat, âNo.â
Her thoughts having kept apace of her friendâs, Alicia was almost convinced she was right. It made more sense than Becca having betrayed them, as Angelina had originally suspected. And the way the Death Eater had said her name — Gameâs over, Spinnet. It was her.
She sat back with a stunned expression on her face, at a complete loss for words. Eventually, she managed to close her mouth and look at Angelina again. âIt explains everything, doesnât it? The weird injuries. The tracking charms — Layla was at our flat that weekend. We watched Moana. She —â Alicia trailed off, speechless again and shaking her head.
âBut —â But what?, Angelina had to ask herself. They knew it had to be someone close to them. Layla was close to them.
Alicia cast a nervous glance at her. âAm I mad or does this make sense?â Not that any of it made sense. Layla was their friend. âI mean, does it fit?â
âI —â Angelina felt hot and cold and like she couldnât breathe and like she couldnât just sit there anymore. Only one of those things was something she could change so she abruptly slid off the bed and began to pace, the edge of her thumb between her teeth as she processed. Or tried to.
âThe Death Eater,â she said finally, glancing at Alicia, but still pacing. âThey were a good flyer?â
âReally good,â Alicia said, her eyes following Angelina back and forth across the room. âAnd now that Iâm thinking about it, Iâm pretty sure they were flying a Lightningbolt.â
âThatâs Laylaâs broom,â Angelina said, as if Alicia didnât already know.
âYeah,â Alicia echoed, her eyes starting to sting. She closed them and held her hands over her face, muffling her voice.. âI canât believe this.â
âIâm gonna —â All of Angelinaâs threats of violence had been easier to make when she didnât know who she was threatening. And on some level, she still wasnât sure she really knew whoâd been selling them out to the Death Eaters — whoâd been selling them out as a Death Eater.
But on a self-preservatory level, Angelina knew it, like Alicia had asked, fit. All the while she still paced. None of this made sense. âWhat are we going to do?â
âWe have to confront her.â When Alicia lowered her hands, her eyes were red-rimmed and glassy. âWe have to —â She drew a sharp breath. âWe have to warn Francine.â
âWe have to tell everyone,â Angelina said fiercely.
But then she glanced at Alicia and stopped pacing to rush over to her side. She couldnât exactly pull her into a hug after yesterday, but she sat on the edge of the bed and reached for one of Aliciaâs hands. âThis sucks. But youâre right. We have to tell Francine. Then we have to tell everyone. And then we have to —â She was at a loss for words, so she mimed grabbing someone by the collar and punching them a lot. That was for making Alicia sad.
Alicia bit her lip and nodded. âIâd punch her in the face right now if she was here.â As upset as she was, as much as it hurt, she was still angry. Beyond angry. âWe canât let her get away with this.â
âSo letâs start with telling Francine,â Angelina said. âRight now.â
âOkay.â Alicia reached for her phone. âThen everyone.â