LIVE A LITTLE
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"No, that can't be right." Alice shook her head.
"Then what?" Zeph flopped his arms hopelessly.
Alice sat up. They'd been laying on her bed for the past few hours, arguing about meaningless topics. "I mean, it's totally irrational for a man with saggy bollocks to judge a woman for having saggy tits."
Neither of them knew how they made it to this topic, but they continued their conversation anyway. "Well, I somewhat agree, but I think-,"
Alice scoffed at him. "Don't think, you're just going to say something stupid."
"Kiss my ass, Ali," He kicked the side of her ribs with his heel. "Ali?"
"Yeah?"
"I asked Isabella out. But she said no. But she also said she likes me." Zephyr wasn't hurt about it, but he was confused.
"Why did she say no?" Alice frowned. She wanted to see Zeph happy.
Zephyr laughed at himself. "I don't know. Something about her wanting to be a priority but fearing I couldn't provide that. I think she doesn't trust you, actually. She was very interested in how loyal you are to Fred. Maybe that's a... casus belli, but what do I know?"
Alice didn't want anything to do with the downfall of Zephyr's relationships. She also didn't want him to get into a toxic one. "Perhaps I could talk to her."
"I don't know. It might help, but I'm so baffled by everything going on. I mean, she's just being weird, Clint's acting weird, you're always weird, and everyone is just acting like a bunch of buffoons." Zephyr wanted to scream into the woods with an aching throat and let it all go.
"Buffoons?" Alice covered her mouth as she began giggling hysterically at Zephyr's choice of wording.
Speaking correctly around Alice was a constant fight. "Leave me alone." Zeph placed his face in his hands.
Around this time, Blue would usually come trotting in after scratching at the door. The cats at Hogwarts liked to prowl, but Blue still spent a majority of his time asleep. Until it was time for Alice to sleep, then he decided to act like a homicidal maniac.
"Where do you suppose Blue is?" Alice asked, leaning over the side of her bed to look for her cat.
"Mmm... I see him in the common room a lot. I'm sure he's fine."
"He needs to eat, and I hate waiting around for his prissy arse," Alice crossed her arms and slid off the bed. "I'll check the common room quickly, stay here."
Alice hopped down each step, twisting her ankle at the bottom. No one was in the common room. That made it more likely that Blue was here. Alice began snapping her fingers and checking underneath tables and seats.
This was getting frustrating. After another few minutes, she saw him lying by the fire, completely ignorant to her calls.
"Blue! Do you want to eat or not?" She approached him with a smile.
But why wasn't he responding? He wasn't biting her. He wasn't clawing at her. He wasn't stretching. He wasn't... he wasn't breathing. Alice gulped. "...Blue?"
Still nothing. Her heart began to thud against her chest so loudly that she couldn't hear the crackle of the fire anymore. Alice knelt on the floor, covering her mouth as she saw the other side of him. His stomach was cut open. And blood was stained into the rug. His black and white fur was ruined, everything was ruined. Alice's hand began to quiver and she choked on a sob. "What happened?" She whimpered to herself, gently grasping his small body and pulling it onto her lap.
Zephyr came down, wondering what was taking so long. He was glad he didn't shout anything stupid. Alice was sitting on the floor with her dead cat. "Alice?"
"I- I don't know what happened? Who... who could do this?" She pulled Blue closer to her chest, not caring if any blood left a residue.
"I'm going to get Professor Snape, okay? Just... stay... I'll be back." Zephyr took off without hesitation.
Alice could feel her tears pouring down her cheeks, and she watched them sink into Blue's fur. Quick footsteps followed, coming from behind Alice. She sniffled, using her wrist to wipe the tears. "May I see the cat, Miss Lafitte?" Professor Snape asked.
"No," she choked out. "He's my- my cat. He's... where's my cat, this can't be him? Where is he!?" Alice began sobbing even harder. Zephyr softly took Blue out of her arms and handed him to Professor Snape. Then he turned back to Alice. "Give him back!"
Zephyr shook his head. "Alice, no. Blue's gone, honey." He sat down on the floor and embraced her, pressing her head against his chest. It pained him to look at her so crushed. Tears spilling from her eyes and the way her body could hardly move.
Alice pushed Zeph off her and stood up, staring at Blue in Professor Snape's arms. "Please tell me he's not dead! He's only three!"
Professor Snape was no such an expert at this. "I think it's best Mister Aberra escorts you to the hospital wing for now."
"Please don't make me leave him," Alice begged, blinking the tears away.
"Alice, come on. Everything will be okay," Zephyr whispered, coercing her to the exit so they could leave.
She felt so weak. Her cat was dead. All the times Alice complained about him being hyper... now she'd never seen him so still. Her face was read, mascara was runny, and she looked tired. Zephyr made sure no one tried to talk to her on the way to the hospital wing.
It angered him that someone hurt a helpless cat. For what? What could that cat have possibly done? And if their target was to hurt Alice, what could she have possibly done? Nothing Alice had ever done could have encouraged this behavior from someone. Zephyr stopped in front of the hospital wing and placed a kiss on top of Alice's head.
He opened the door and walked right in. After sitting her down with a cup of water, he quietly explained the situation to Madam Pomfrey. Even in Alice's mostly blank mind, her thoughts wondered what being in a hospital wing could possibly do to assist her emotion.
All she wanted was to hold her cat.
Just one more time. Even if that meant dealing with the claw marks and biting.
The only thing Madam Pomfrey could give Alice was the suggestion that she sleeps for a while. Alice was already dismissed from her classes for the next day. But Alice wasn't sure she wanted to miss her classes. There was one class worth going to. Before Alice gave into sleeping, Fred came by.
He worried about her. Fred stayed for a while, just holding her while she recollected her thoughts.
And while he was comforting her... she felt good. But maybe... just maybe... Fred's arms weren't where she belonged.
It didn't take her long to fall asleep. She was so sad that sleep was the only place where she'd be safe. Unfortunately, when she woke up she'd be reminded of her horrid reality. Her cat was dead and she was having second thoughts about her relationship. The relationship Alice promised was not having issues.
Alice woke up, Clint sitting by the bed. He was asleep. He looked very uncomfortable. It was a miracle he got Madam Pomfrey to let him stay. "Clint?" She nudged him.
He jumped awake. "Oh! Hey, hey, how are you? I stayed because I didn't want you to be alone when you woke up. Are you okay?"
Too many questions at once. Alice put up her hand, telling him to slow down. "I'm okay." Still hurt, but okay.
"I'm sorry about Blue, Ali."
Alice sharply inhaled and looked away. "Yeah. Me too."
Clint sighed. "Do you want me to stay?"
He should've stayed anyway, but Alice didn't want him to miss his classes. His education was more important than him helping her manage her cat's death. "No, it's okay. I'll see you later."
As Clint left, Aria came in, turning to check him out. Aria just sat down where Clint had been. "Are you sure Blue is..."
"He was cut open, Aria. I'm surprised his- his insides weren't falling out." Her nose and eyes began to sting again.
"I'm sorry!" Aria grabbed her sister and almost choked her with a hug.
"Go to class, Aria." Alice squeezed her once and then let go.
Aria rubbed her nose and then nodded. "I love you."
"Everyone does." Alice managed a small smile. Aria left after that.
Alice crossed her legs on the bed and twirled her finger around the corner of the bedsheet. Madam Pomfrey brought her breakfast, but Alice was hardly hungry. She ate very little, picking here and there. All she could think about was Blue and missing third block. Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was only the second week of school and this would be the second day of classes she'd missed.
If she was going to be honest with herself, she just wanted to see Professor Lupin. Alice felt like he could make her feel better, just with one of his sarcastic smiles.
Zephyr came by during lunch. So did Fred and George. Clint and Aria felt like she just wanted to be left alone. Which she did. For the most part. Alice certainly wouldn't mind if Professor Lupin came by to check-in. He probably didn't even know why she was absent.
With Zephyr's inability to be quiet, she wouldn't doubt someone heard about Blue. But Alice did doubt that it was Professor Lupin who would've heard.
After the school day was officially over, Alice was contemplating going to sleep instead of having dinner. But she was brought dinner.
By who she had not expected to see.
"I'm sorry to hear about your loss, Miss Lafitte." Professor Lupin stood at her bedside. She was so surprised and happy from his appearance that she could barely recognize the words coming from his mouth.
"I- yeah. Uh, how come you're here?" She asked, sitting forward as he took a seat. He felt relieved, seeing as Alice didn't want him to leave.
Professor Lupin leaned toward her. "That friend of yours was out of it, worried sick about you. He needed someone to talk to, and I offered a listening ear. Just as I am now doing for you."
"Are you talking about Zephyr or Fred?"
"Well, I can see Fred is more than a friend to you. Zephyr was the one upset. As he worried, so did I. Are you okay, Alice?" This wasn't a normal 'are you okay?' It was genuine.
She didn't want to break down in front of him, but he made her feel safe that it was okay too. "I mean... My cat's dead. I can't do anything about it, but it's still painful." Ignoring the itch in her throat, Alice looked up to avoid crying.
"I'm very sorry, Alice. I would tell you he's in a better place, but I heard he was quite the troublemaker." Remus made an attempt to conduct a smile from her.
Alice began laughing through the tears she felt surfacing. "He was."
"A lot like you."
"I'm not a troublemaker!" Her jaw dropped at his comment.
He held his index finger and thumb about half an inch apart. "A little bit."
"How? I behave perfectly in your class." Alice was challenging him.
"Yes, you're such a good girl." Professor Lupin nodded slowly.
Alice turned pink in the face and turned her body towards him, kneeling on the bed instead. "Something tells me that you weren't such a good boy in your teenage years either."
"Well, you're never going to know, are you?" He smiled teasingly at her. Professor Lupin had a profound talent for creating tension with just his eyes.
"I'll figure it out eventually, Professor. May as well just tell me now."
Professor Lupin shook his head. "No, Alice. I won't make things that easy for you. You haven't made things easy for me."
Alice rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Yeah," she leaned closer to him. Far too close for a teacher and student. "I'm good at making things hard."
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