falling through the sky, joanelle's heart seemed to stop beating. time slowed down.

the stars turned into golden streaks shooting through the inky sky, like a painting of shooting stars. it was beautiful, and for a moment, she forgot that she was falling through the air at a rather alarming rate. she was in awe of the sky surrounding her, the very thing she had dedicated her life to.

then, being sharply catapulted back into reality, her eyes squeezed shut and a single thought appeared in her head and repeated itself.

i'm going to die. i'm going to die. i'm going to die. i'm going to die. i'm going to die.

she didn't have time to brace herself for impact; she was falling too quickly. then, with a thump she hit a hard surface.

but it wasn't the ground. something had flown underneath her and caught her, saving her from certain death.

now, the thing that had saved her landed on the ground and set her softly on the cool, dewy grass.

"joan? joan! are you okay?!" a voice asked hysterically. it sounded oddly like james' voice.

she reluctantly opened her eyes and squinted upwards. sure enough, james stood over her, the look on his face near hysteria.

"james?" joanelle croaked. "what are you—why didn't i hit the ground?"

"well, i—i saved you, i guess," he said with an unsure voice.

"hmm? how?" joanelle wondered aloud, her voice still shaking in fear. trembling, she propped herself up on her elbows and tried to slow her heart down and catch her breath.

"i—" james shifted uncomfortably, trying to stand in a way such as to cover something sitting on the ground behind him.

"what's that? james, move," joanelle demanded.

james suddenly looked very guilty, but remained where he was.

"ugh, fine," joanelle said irritably, pulling herself up out of the grass and dusting her pants off. after wobbling for a few seconds, she gained her balance and maneuvered around james' figure to see what was on the ground behind him.

it was...a broomstick. it lay on the grass and its wooden, knobby handle and yellow straw tethered to the end made it look completely normal.

"why is there a broom?" joanelle asked, her gaze transfixed at the ground. "and what does that have to do with you saving me?"

"joanelle, i'm really sorry," james said sadly.

"for what?!" joanelle said, her voice rising. she spun around to see james. he was holding a stick in his hand... like a magic wand.

"a broomstick? a magic wand? what kind of game are you trying to play?" joanelle asked, her voice now quivering.

james raised the wand and pointed it at her.

obliviate!

•••

joanelle opened her eyes. she was in a bed, staring at a plain, white ceiling.

white? but my ceiling is painted with the solar system, her mind pointed out.

then everything came flooding back to her.

her head shot up and she looked around the room. she was in the guest room at albus' and scorpius' house. its decor was simple. a mint green quilt was neatly resting on top of her. a few green succulents were placed around the room. there were a few pieces of polished, pristine white furniture placed minimally throughout the room. sunlight drifted gently into the rooms from the blinds. the room had a calm aura, but it did nothing to ease the questions arising in her head.

i fell off the roof... someone saved me, then james was there, and then there was a magic wand and then he pointed it at me and yelled something like "obliterate" and then silver light came out and hit me and then there was a broomstick and then james said he was sorry and then everything went black and then—

the memories twisted and turned in her head, throwing off the order and accuracy of what had happened. maybe she had imagined it...or maybe she had hit her head on the ground when she fell and it made her go insane. no, it was real. it felt real in a way that didn't make sense—like she had just woken up for the very first time.

the door slowly opened a crack. it was james.

"hi, joan," he said softly.

"what happened?" she snapped.

"you fell off the roof last night and hit your head pretty hard. it's a good thing i arrived a few minutes later and found you."

"you're lying," joanelle said instantly. "you were there when i fell and you had a broomstick and you pointed a wand at me and you knocked me out!"

james face went slack. "you—you remember? it didn't work?"

joanelle tilted her head. "what are you talking about?"

"i—i mean, uh, you must have hit your head pretty hard. why would i have a broomstick?" he laughed nervously.

"but...it was real. it felt real." joanelle said softly.

"i know it does. but it's not." james said, trying to be soothing. he joined her on the bed, folding his hands in his lap and staring wordlessly at the ground.

they sat in silence for a moment.

at last, james got up. "if you want to rest, that's fine. if not, you can join us in the kitchen for coffee," he said, letting himself out the door.

joanelle didn't exactly feel tired, so she got out of bed and followed. in the kitchen, james was standing with scorpius and albus next to the brewing coffee pot. they all gaped at her when she walked in, concern written clearly all over their faces.

"james?" she asked.

he said nothing.

"james?" she repeated. "if i had hit my head, wouldn't it be hurting right now?"

james paled. "uh—"

"painkillers," scorpius chimed in. "the doctor gave you some painkillers."

joanelle wasn't convinced. "something's up," she said, crossing her arms. "i don't think i hit my head. what are you hiding?"

"nothing!" james insisted again.

"fine, then. don't tell me." joanelle raced up the stairs back to the guest room.

"my best friend thinks that i'm an idiot," she grumbled to herself once she had gotten there and closed the door.

joanelle angrily got into bed and pulled the covers up over head, her mind writhing with ideas of stars, wands, and broomsticks.