Realizing his reaction was completely understandable, Sloane pulled her hands back into her own lap, curling her fingers into her skirt as she watched him process. She couldn't put a name to the feeling holding her heart still, but it was easier to focus on the explanation than anything else. "I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but there was a weird storm over the park last summer," Sloane had a copy of the Daily Prophet from that day, detailing the accident and she held it out to him.

"I was caught in it. Everyone thought I died." For all intents and purposes, she pretty much had. "The healers think the lightning temporarily interfered with my metamorphmagus abilities, so I didn't look like me." She had explained this all so many times, to so many people, but this felt more important somehow. "I was found by the Sinclairs and because I didn't look like me, they took me in." It was a little weird; they found some poor amnesiac on the edge of the lake and just... took her home, but they had treated her well and for that Sloane was grateful. From what she could understand, they did have a granddaughter named Sadie, but she lived in the States with her family and didn't visit, ever. It was easy to pass her off, especially with no memories of her own. Sloane could tell that was particularly difficult for Mrs. Sinclair, to not have that relationship in her life.

This was a lot, so she paused for a moment, collecting her own thoughts before pushing on. "On the night of the Coming Out Ball at Hogwarts it sort of all came rushing back and so here I am. It's taken me a few days to get everything sorted and I thought it best to explain in person. I appreciate your patience." She still didn't know what she was doing here, what she wanted from him or he from her. They had been on the verge of getting engaged and while there were things Sloane knew about Mr. Ashford, there was much more that she didn't and he knew almost nothing about her now. Never mind the fact that the only place she felt truly comfortable at the moment was next door at her best friend's house, in his room, where nobody expected anything of her and she could wallow in her buried feelings for Lester and about everything else without anybody watching her.