Light.
Light was equivalent to paint, as I had found out. In the blackness there was peace, but light burned in my eyes, searing though my head. As I opened my eyes wider, white walls and wooden frames swam into focus. Wait a minute…white walls?!?
I saw up so fast that the dull throbbing in the back of my head exploded to a roaring pain as my blood rushed downwards. Clenching my teeth to suppress a groan, I eased back down into a horizontal position on the bed. Wait…bed? I was in a bed?
I looked down and saw light blue sheets with matching pillows (so that explained why my head was so comfortable). The light, I had found out, came from an enormous bay window. From the frames, strangers either greeted me hello with a nod, or peered out of the pictures as if worried about me. On the nightstand, there was a glass of water, my wand, and the necklace Charlie gave me. On the floor were my Quidditch boots.
So, this was all great fun, but where was I? I tried to think of the answer, massaging my head as if the solution would come to me that way, when I looked down at my outfit: a white button down blouse and black pants. All of a sudden, I remembered.
“Bloody HELL!”
The last think I could remember was walking up to Noah; after that…darkness. I wanted to slap my forehead; this was my first career party, and I made a complete idiot of myself. From now on, I’d be known as The Fainting Girl. Well, it could have been worse, I thought, remembering Gwenog Jones. She was drunk, reeked of champagne, flirting with a Ministry official, and on top of it all, had a beetle in her hair.
Suddenly, Leo burst into the room, alarmed by my earlier outburst. “Mim- Ari, are you all right?” he asked, correcting himself because Noah was following closely behind him.
I gritted my teeth to provide minimal relief from my pounding headache. “I’m fine,” I lied.
Noah stepped forward with a cup in his hands. “I may not have gotten into O.W.L. Potions,” he began. “But I’ve made this brew enough times to be sure of what I’m doing.” He handed me the mug.
I sipped at the drink (which tasted oddly enough like raspberry tea), and almost immediately felt a cooling relief wash over me. I quickly thanked Noah before drowning down the rest of the potion.
I set the cup down on the nightstand next to the glass of water. “That helped a lot. What was it?”
“A hangover potion,” replied Noah with a shrug. “Slightly more advanced than an O.W.L. potion, but after making it for so many years, it’s become my specialty.”
“I see. So, do you always set up a hospital after a party for hung-over people?”
Noah laughed. “Only for the first timers,” he teased. “If my guests are passing out,” (I looked away, embarrassed), “or are too drunk to Floo or Aparate back home, then yes, I do set up a hospital in my house.” He sighed. “Luckily, last night was more of a get-together than a party. The only patient is you. Well, actually, Gwenog Jones stayed until she was sober enough to Floo back home.”
A get together? I thought. Note to self: do not drink at “parties”.
When Noah took the mug back downstairs, Leo turned to me and sighed. “You really scared me, Mimi,” he said, smiling at me with loving eyes.
Loving eyes? Hold on a tick. Those were not the same eyes Charlie looked at me with. Charlie’s eyes were much more passionate and awe-filled. Leo’s were like…a father gazing proudly at his daughter.
Or a brother gazing happily at his twin sister.
Suddenly, the nickname Mimi did not feel warm. It felt foreign; it was a different person. I was Ari, not Mimi. I wasn’t Leo’s sister, and I felt like I was cheating him out of the memory of his sister. No, he was the one cheating himself. He was not letting her go and die in peace.
“Leo, I need to talk to you,” I said softly.
“About what, Mimi?” he asked, curious.
“About that,” I sighed. This was not going to be easy. “Leo, you told me that I reminded you of Cira. How?”
Leo thought for a moment. “Well…you two have the same face shape. You both have the same kind of eyes, though yours are a slightly different blue. The way your hair falls is like Mimi’s, but again, your hair is darker. Mimi was shorter than me, even though we were twins, but you’re a lot younger….”
I held up my hand to signal Leo to stop. “How about personality-wise? Was Cira active?”
Leo shook his head. “Aside from hunting for plants, no.”
“Could Cira fly high into the air on a broomstick?”
“No; she was afraid of heights.”
“Would Cira have defended herself against Janusz like I did?”
Leo shook his head again. “No; she would have waited the practice out.”
I sighed. “Leo, I know you loved Cira very much, but she’s gone now. Leo, I am not Cira. I am not Mimi. I’m Ari. It’s fine that I remind you of your sister, but you can’t hold onto her through me. You need to stop chasing ghosts and let her memory rest in peace, or else you’re only hurting yourself.”
The room was silent for a long time; Leo’s _expression was unreadable. I bit my lip. Was it a bad idea to tell Leo what I just said?
Leo finally broke the silence. “You’re right.”
“What?” I was so relieved that he spoke that I completely missed what he said.
“You’re right. Ever since she died, I…couldn’t bear the thought of life without her. I needed her. Now…I don’t. Or I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t live in the past.
I smiled sympathetically. “You don’t have to erase her from your life. Just move on.”
Leo smiled back. “Ari?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I still be your brother?”
Growing up as an only child, suddenly having a brother (even if he wasn’t biologically related to me) seemed like a miracle. “Of course!” I exclaimed, and Leo leaned over to give me a very brotherly hug.
Suddenly, there was a flash, and Charlie appeared, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet. His eyes darted from me to Leo, where he caught us releasing from each other’s hug. Charlie’s eyes narrowed and (helped by his red hair) looked remarkably like a bull whose snout just got slapped.
“Oh, damn.” I whispered.
Ultimate by Ivona Queens
Chapter Notes: Let's give a mighty cheer for fireflower, who beta-ed this chapter. Without her, it would be filled with goofy mistakes (though I am getting better).