Gryffindors were supposed to be brave, and at one point in time Alicia had been that way. She couldn't pinpoint when exactly she'd started to become such a coward, running away from what scared her, but she had a feeling it had been right around the time of the last war. It made her so angry and disgusted with herself -- she hated that it had affected her like that. Because of it, she felt like she'd spent half her life avoiding things... people... feelings. She'd missed out on so much.
Alicia had suspected Mandy might say something like that. Probably because it was true. Deep down, she knew that even if she was on another continent and she heard that something had happened to a friend, she'd be just as heartbroken as if she'd been right there with them when it happened. It's just that she'd been lying to herself for so long, telling herself that more distance meant less chance of getting hurt, that she'd truly begun to believe it.
"I don't know," she admitted in a quiet voice. "Yes, I guess they will." Looking up at Mandy, she told her earnestly, "I don't want to run anymore, but I don't know what to do."