The Great Pretenders

o. Prologue

              If Alice Kelley was known for something amongst the mass of students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it was for being top of all of her classes.

              Perfect grades, praise from teachers, and jealous remarks from a few fellow peers; she was used to it. It was a routine, and she stuck to it.

              Wake up. Study. Eat. Go to class. Study more. Go to class again. Eat. Study once more. Eat and then study some more. Sleep. Repeat.

              Nothing in her life was out of place — well, nothing that was on the surface, anyway. 

              Her muggle parents despised her. She was an embarrassment to them. No matter how high her grades were, she was still a Satan-worshipping-devil-witch-creature in their eyes. Never in a million years did Mr. and Mrs. Kelley think they would bring a magical child into the world, and when Hogwarts sent their acceptance letter, Alice Kelley knew that, if she wasn't before, now she was an unwanted child. 

              But she didn't dwell on it too much. She was way too busy with school to stop and think about her awful parents. Besides, she'd found her own little family at Hogwarts. Her only friends, Lily Evans and Severus Snape, gladly took her in on a rainy night when they'd stumbled upon the brunette studying by herself in the library.

              From that day on, Alice never studied alone. The three of them enjoyed their study dates out on the Hogwarts grounds, sitting under the shade of a tree. Their focus was often disturbed by a Gryffindor boy by the name of James Potter, who would follow them and watch them from afar.

              Wherever Lily went, Potter was never too far behind. He didn't always speak to her, so he just stood by awkwardly with his friends trailing behind him, Alice and Severus watching them skeptically. 

              They were definitely a sight. James Potter with his wild hair and crooked glasses, Remus Lupin with his mysterious scars and gentle ways, Peter Pettigrew with his pile of books and always-creased brows, and, finally, Sirius Black with his long hair and undone tie.

              This last character, Alice thought, was the mastermind behind Potter's operation get Lily's attention. She'd always see them talking in hushed tones while glancing their way. 

              Sometimes, Sirius would go up to Alice and try to start a conversation, but to no avail, for Alice believed he just wanted to get close to her so Potter could have an easier time approaching Lily. Every interaction between the unlikely pair usually ended in Alice telling the boy with the curls, "If Potter wants to get closer to Lily, he'll have to do it himself — and that means not sending his friends to do the work for him."

              "That's not what this is about!" Sirius would call after her. But Alice never dared to ask what it was actually about.

              Alice knew of Sirius's 'dating' antics, how he would never be seen with the same girl more than just a couple weeks. Alice feared he wanted her to be just another notch on his belt, so she tried avoiding him altogether. 

              Key word tried. 

              Every time Lily, Severus, and Alice sat down to study, the loud voices of Potter and Black could be heard nearby. This annoyed Severus greatly, and he would always be in a bad mood by the time they were done with their schoolwork. Lily's occasional comments about the boys ("They're not that bad," she would mutter) would never help with his fits; in fact, his face would distort in disgust at the mere mention of their names, which would always earn him a laugh from Alice.