alone by the lake

Bradley ribbited a long, wavering mournful note and flipped onto his belly. Slowly, like a rising storm, he lifted up his body on his hind legs, and drop kicked himself into jazz hands and feet, moving his head in time to his ribbits. In a roaring crecendo of frogish moans, he spun, digging his feet into the soil, faster and faster until he faced them, deathly still, and bowed, as the plaintive tune he had hummed drifted away on the breeze.

"And that, my friends, is what you call a jazz dancing frog."

She watched the frog as it came to the end of the dance and he spun faster and faster until he stopped facing the three of them she smiled "it was brilliant bradley the best dnce I have ever seen a frog preform" she said to the frog as he took a bow.

"He is one of the best," said Cass proudly. "but you should see him try to tango. Funniest thing I've ever seen. Anyway, you fancy a bit of a ramble around? Find somewhere interesting to go? Maybe I could cross something off my list while we're at it!" she added brightly.

"I thikn we can save the tango for another day." she said smiling "but don't orry I won't forget when I need cheering up you will be the first people I come to" she laughed a little. "yeah let's find something interesting to do any idea's what we could cross off your list?" she asked her jumping up. "should we put Bradley back in the forest first?" she asked Cass.

"Sure, he's looking a little tired after that dance, after all. I'll just read through my list on the way," she said, as she opened her bag. "Bradley, seeing as you're not so scared to talk to Alex now, you fancy walking with her?"
She looked at Alex next, "that alright with you?"
Either way, Cass offered her Bradley.

"yeah thats fine" she said holding her palm out for Cass to place Bradley on "would you like to sit on my shoulder?" she asked the frog "but you have to promise not to ribit in my ear" she said sternly to him. "back to the forest we go then" she said smiling at Cass.

"Sure thing, m'dear, what do you fancy looking for?" she asked as she handed Bradley a jar of Lacewing Flies, "don't forget to chew," she whispered.

Noticing the sun was setting now, Cass made a mental note not to be too long in the forest- curfew AND being badass in the forest equaled detenteenos.

Alex had run from the forest to the lake she hoped Cass would get here soon. She turned around to see Cass right behind her "hey are you okay" she asked her friend giving her a quick hug. "what about Bradley?" she asked Cass. She sat down tired after running.And gestured for Cass to sit next to her.

Cass bent her head down to show where Bradley had nestled- quivering under her fringe. She clicked her tongue. Honestly. What was with him?
"Accio picnic," she said impatiently, having accio'd the picnic every few metres. Wonder how she'd taken so long. "Sorry about that. Bradley has a a real good sense of smell when it comes to predators. But at least we have our picnic, eh?"

With Cass headbutting the air, Bradley leapt gracefully off, and sat next to Alex, looking very quaint.

Alex took a deep breath now was the time Cass had to know the truth. "Cass I need to tell you something" she said quietly "have you ever noticed I act kind of weird in the forest or have I ever trailed off into memories when talking to you. Have I ever let something slip about someone named Lachlan?" she asked her friend. She had to know the truth.

Cass' mouth formed a perfect 'O' when Alex started to change the direction of the conversation. Slowly, the amused look in her eyes and her raised eyebrows expecting a punchline as usual faded, and dropped.
"I did notice the fear in the forest, but then you wanted to go in, and I thought you were being brave!" Cass' voice broke on the final word.

Was Alex scared, too?
"Lachlan?" she repeated, the name foreign on her lips. She shook her head. I drift off too much to remember a name, anyway...

Cass got a hold of Alex's wrist, softly, softly. "We don't have to go in the Forest again. Auror's honour."

"no the first time it brought the memory back but the second i liked it i felt close to him" she could feel her eye's water and she blinked back the tears "You know I have two brothers and a sister right? but what you don't know is that I used to have another brother too" she said used as he didn't feel like her brother anymore. "hi name was lachlan and it happened when I was six he was eight at the time" she couldn't hold back her tears and she felt one drop onto her cheek.

Because Alex had sometimes become completely synonymous with her own Alex, Cass wiped the tear falling on Alex's cheek away. She nodded at the number of siblings.

And then Alex told her what she'd not expected, because if she'd expected it she'd have stopped Alex there and then.
Oh no.

It had happened to her too.
Her voice was scratchy and hoarse, as if she was five times her age. "What happened."

Alex was about to burst into tears and run away but something on Cass's face made her stay where she was. It will be better once someone knows she told herself hoping she was right.

"okay," she said preparing to tell her story "well when I first came to hogwarts I barley gave the memories a second thought. But when you told me the story of how you got bradley and you said" she didn't want to say remebring Cass's face when she had let something slip about her brother she hoped that telling Cass her story wouldn't pressure her into telling Alex hers.

"I told you the past makes us who we are today and the first time I went into the forest with you sudddenly everything cam rushing back all the memories I had worked so hard to push away came back" she paused as another tear ran down her face she quickly wiped it away pausing for a moment to let Cass catch up and to prpare herself for the hard part.

She had the same look her mother had when her brother had gone.

Alex was almost coughing on her words, fighting to get them out. "The past does make us who we are today. You're right. And you really can't keep this bottled up, Goodlove, I'm a spitting image of bottled up gone wrong. If you don't unburden yourself to me, at least unburden to Bradley. He's a very good councillor," she joked.

"i think it will be better to talk to you" she smiled faintly "we lived up in the north of scotland near a muggle city called Inverness. We lived in the countryside by a forest and a lake" she began "Lachlan and I loved to play the muggle game hide and seek in the forest. mum had no problem as long as we stayed close to the edge and it was only small so if we did get lost she always said she would be able tofind us"

"Lachlan sometimes got bored and would run back to the house when it was my turn to hide and i didn't like being left by myself. One day he was hiding and I couldn't find him I knew he hadn't gone back to the house but I thought why not give him a taste of his own medicine so I left. Leaving alone. I went back to the house and played with Emily instead. About an hour later my mum go worried about Lachlan and I told her the whole story" she paused trying hard to finish her story before she creied.

"Mum and Dad looked for him for five hours their was no sign and it was getting dark. Mum and dad came back to wait for Gran to come to look after us. he came back at eleven at night I was still up sitting with my parents they were trying to convinve me that it wasn't my fault. 10 hours after I after I left him in the forest. But he wasn't the same"She pused letting Cass take the information in.

Cass understood. What had happened with her brother was the same, only over a longer period of time.
"I know the feeling of being the reason for taking away a brother, Alex," she said faintly, "but he came back, didn't he? My brother did too,"

And then he went to St. Mungo's and killed two people and left again.

"Alex wasn't the same either. I know how it is. You just have to think how much he loves you." The last word caught in her throat.

There was something different between the two now. Cass felt a bond, a kinship towards Alex Lovegood.
Loss was so sad.

"there's more" she said quietly "we took him to St Mugo's and they didn't know what had happened and we still don't know what hapened in those ten hours. He hated us he was horrible to all of us he tried to Kill Emily he though she was me" Alex whispered.

"Aunt Lizzie cam to visit, mum's siter he bounded well with her she's a healer for a wizarding hospital in america she specialise's in trumatic experinces and helping people trough them. He still hated us but at the end of the visit Aunt Lizzie offered to take Lachlan with her she could see the strain he was putting on my mum. She had a one year old baby that need all her attention and Lachlan didn't fit in with us anymore. So he moved to America with Aunt Lizzie. I haven't seen him since. Mum and Dad visit him once a year but he still hates them. He hates the healers in America too only Anut Lizzie can keep him calm. He's violent now he wouldn't think twice about killing someone" she said.

" I protect Kyle and Calum from evrything I can i can't loose another brother Cass" she let a tear escape "I just can't" she repeted. She was crying now the tears streaming down her face she couldn't hold them back any longer.

Cass was horrified. She really was.

Her eyes had glazed over as she grabbed onto Alex for comfort. Not for Alex. For herself.
It was happening all over again.

"Oh Alex. I'm so sorry."

That nagging gene was screaming again.
These couldn't be connected, could they?
She swallowed. "Did he change when he came back? What was he like?"

Alex pulled way from Cass and Gave her a confused looke. She wiped the remaing tears away with the bck of her hand. "what do you mean?" she asked Cass. She felt better now knowing that if something that reminded her of him she had someone to go to to. "thaks cass you were right taking about it made me feel a bit better" she said offering her a weak smile through he last of her tears.

"It did?" she said incredulously glad she hadn't done anything to make it any worse.

She shook herself. "The same sort of thing happened to my brother. What if it happened to your brother- as in intentionally?"

There was no way two eleven year olds could comprehend this. This was scary.

"no" Alex shook her head refusing to believe what Cass was suggesting "what happened to my brother was an accient" she said. "If you don't mind me asking what happened to your brother?" she asked "you don't have to tell me" she added not wainting her to be pressured into answering the question.

"Same thing that happened to yours. Only I saw some of it," she croacked, "We were in a circus. Bradley was a tortured animal being made to dance. I went backstage to free them all but before I could, I heard someone behind me. And it was Alex. Accidentally, he touched a portkey. Was away for months. Came back. Was different. Scared me so bad. He'd whisper from the top bunk ways he'd hurt Mum, Dad and Bradley. Said he'd take me to where he was so I could suffer too.
Then Mum took him to St. Mungo's. He killed two healers. Now he's on the run."

Cass took a deep breath. Now they both knew.

Alex hugged her friend a new bound had been created between them they both had lost brothers. "do you blame yourself?" she asked her quietly " I do evryday I think what if i'd stayed? I might still have my brother" she said. "it's kind of weird i mean our stories are so similar."

There didn't seem to be a reflex to tell Alex the answer to that. This was so mind-numbing! A gargle caught in her throat and meaningful eyes made their way to Alex.
Please don't make me say yes..

"...It's weird. But I'm more spooked than weirded out. What if-"
Those words stayed hidden though. There was no point speaking out her stupid theories.