Alice's P.O.V
I squint to see, my head spinning. The last thing I remember is reflecting Hermione's spell. Faint sunlight from dusk settling in, has given the infirmary a tint of orange.
Heavy breathing beside me causes me to come back to complete reality. Slowly, I turn my head and I'm caught off guard.
Ron Weasley looks down at me, very concerned. When did he get here and why am I on the floor?
"Are you okay?" He asks, his voice a quiet rumble.
No.
"What happened?" I ingore his question, my voice sounding groggy.
"You were hit with 'stupefy'. I reversed it for you," He explains, sitting down beside me.
Did he, really? I shift, uncomfortably, on the floor. Why would he do that?
"What makes you think that I need any help?" I raise my voice, trying to replace my protective shield that he shattered once before.
"Uh... Because you were unconcious..." He answers, a small smile forming on his mouth.
I scowl at him, but turn away to let out a small smile. As I turn away, I lay eyes on the partly destroyed infirmary. Oh, Madam Pomfrey is going to be thrilled.
"So, you and Hermione, eh?" I comment, quietly.
I try my best to hide my distaste for their relationship. One, I hate knowing Hermione's got something that I don't, especially it being Ron. Two, I hate that I'm actually jealous of a mudblood. It puts me almost lower than her. Almost.
"Hermione and I?" He asks, a little confused, "We're not... you know.." He shakes his head and crinkles his nose. I let out a small laugh at his look of disgust. "We're just friends," He insists.
I piece together what she said earlier. She nearly killed me because she doesn't want me falling for her best friend? Well, not that I'm falling for him. Nope. Not at all.
"She's in love with you." I state matter-of-factly, "Jealousy brings out the worst in people," I joke with a sly smile on my face.
"Well, I do not share that feeling, if that's the case." He mumbles. I watch him pick at the bottom of his robes.
"And, why is that? You two are inseparable, it would be rather easy." I ask, "Surely, you two are compatible, since you are best friends." I add, so he can't give me excuse that they aren't each-others types.
"Because, I have feelings for another person," He says, even quieter.
His eyes flicker up to mine and I feel my face burning. My stomach becomes queasy and I think I'm going to be sick, but then I realize the feeling. Butterflies. I've never had this feeling before. It sounds so cliche that I might actually be sick.
I shy away from him; probably a first. My hair falls in front of my face, creating a light brown wall between us. I see him scoot closer, out of the corner of my eye and my heartbeat accelerates.
Delicately, he brings his hand up and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. My stomach does flips and my head feels as light as a feather. I look up at him from beneath my thick eyelashes. His face, so focused, is a mirror image of my own. I start to lean in, my hands practically shaking, when I see someone enter the room.
I let out a small gasp as I meet eyes with Jake Matthews; my brother's best friend. For a moment, we just stare at each other, completely speechless. But, he quickly leaves the room, almost in a sprint.
I jump to my feet.
Jake is going to tell Aaron, and Aaron will love to take the opportunity to use this against me. He'll tell Draco and my life will be ruined.
Ron jumps up as well, realizing the severity of the situation.
"What are we doing?" I hiss at him, "I'm engaged!" I add, with a groan.
This is low, even for me...
"Yeah, you are... You are very much engaged." He nods, looking at my left hand.
The ring seems to weigh my hand down by a hundred pounds. I play with it some, then can't bare it anymore. I slip it off and put it in the pocket of my robe.
"Just because you take it off, doesn't mean anything's changed." He says, bitterly.
I look up at him, in exasperation; in desperation. He doesn't know how cornered I am. All I keep picturing is Lucius and Voldemort chasing after me.
"Alice, I like you, a lot. But, I'm not going to do this anymore. It's not right. And, it's not fair to Draco or I. You'll have to get over your selfishness sooner or later. And, I just hope you don't wait until it's too late." Ron says, trying to keep his chin high and chest out, but I can see the confidence draining from him.
I feel something inside of me, die a little. I could tell him it all, explain everything so he can understand my predicament. But, I can't. If I did, I could possibly put him in harm's way. Voldemort would kill him, no doubt.
So, I'll take him giving up on me, if that makes him safer. And, that's a sacrifice I never thought I'd make, for anyone. Slytherins don't looks out for others, only themselves.
I pat the pocket my ring is in and exit the infirmary.
Harry's P.O.V
After finding Madam Pomfrey in the Quidditch feild, tending to a sick Hufflepuff, I leave Hermione in her care. She was outraged that someone used Spectumsempra on her. She would've asked more questions if she didn't need to stop the bleeding, I know it.
So, after I was positive Hermione was safe, I decide I need to pay a visit to Dumbledore.
His door was open and he was seated at his desk.
"Good afternoon, Harry," He greets me, getting to his feet.
"Good afternoon, Professor," I nod, not bothering to take a seat. I'm far too anxious for that.
"What's the matter, Harry?" He asks, reading me like an open book.
"You know how you told me that there is more than meets the eye with Alice?" I remind him of our last conversation. Dumbledore nods, "Well, I still don't quite believe that's true," I admit.
Dumbledore raises his eyebrows.
"Please, indulge me," He requests.
How should I say this? He knows I'm fairly biased about her. I've disliked her since day one. And, when Dumbledore told me that she's deeper than I think, I was taken back. I dismissed that possibility, very quickly.
"It's Ron, sir," I start, sighing. "She's manipulating him, I know it. She-" I start to explain, but Dumbledore interrupts.
"Harry, you musn't let her or Draco get the best of you. I thought you learned that already," He says, confused. I never go to him, or anyone else for that matter, to complain about bullies.
"Sir, I believe she knows something... I feel she's using Ron to get information or to get to me. She must know about the 'combination'." I whisper, even though we are alone.
Dumbledore lets out a small smile and opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by a visitor.
"Albus, I-" Snape says, but stops himself when he sees me. "Oh, hello, Potter," He says, not looking pleased to see me. But, really, when has he ever been?
"Harry, thanks for showing your concern. I assure you, I will give Filch your message." Dumbledore says, covering up our tracks.
He gets to his feet and shows me to the door. Snape watches me, very carefully. Suspition splattered all over his face.
"Goodnight, sir," I say, starting down the hall.
"Goodnight, Harry," Dumbledore says and quickly goes back into his room.
I wait and listen... Nothing. Perfect!
I pull my invisibility cloak out of my robe. I had it, planning to sneak up to Dumbledore later, anyways.
Slowly and quietly, I walk back to Dumbledore's office.
"Severus, there seems to be trouble," Dumbledore says, almost too quiet for me to hear.
I see Snape approaching the door, to close it. So, I swiftly sneak into the room, before he shuts it. He doesn't suspect me there at all.
"We're barely making any progress," Snape complains, pacing around the room. I almost see... fear in his eyes. An emotion I rarely associate with him.
"We must be patient..." Dumbledore assures him, "But, there does seem to be a minor setback..." He adds, looking at Snape with a serious expression welded on.
"What? I'm doing all I can to be sure they do this!" Snape snaps, "And, if you're talking about the girl being in the infirmary, Poppy assured me she'd be better by tomorrow," Snape adds, quickly.
Girl, in the infirmary? Is Snape talking about Alice? What plan is she involved in with Dumbledore?
"I kept this from you because I thought it wasn't important. I thought it was just going to pass over, but it seems to be a tad more serious than I thought." Dumbledore says.
Snape groans and takes a seat. He waits patiently for Dumbledore to continue.
"Alice seems to be... involving herself with someone else. Filch reported to me that he caught them kissing on the balcony on New Years Eve." Dumbledore explains.
I nearly let out a gasp. What is Alice bringing Ron into? And, now Snape knows? That surely can't be a good thing for Alice, or Ron.
"What?! No!" Snape pounds his fist on Dumbledore's desk. "She must be married to Draco! If his parents, or worse, if 'you-know-who' finds out, she'll be done for." Snape says, trying to keep his voice down.
Voldemort. That's what Alice is bringing Ron into. I have to restrain from throwing the invisibility cloak down and attacking Snape. My best friend is in some serious trouble...
"Exactly. So, we must try and keep Alice away from Mr. Weasley, because-" Dumbledore says, calmly, but Snape interrupts him.
"Weasley? Which one?" Snape demands.
"Ronald," Dumbledore answers.
Snape groans and wipes his face, out of frustration.
"She's more like her parents than I thought..." Snape says.
I remember hearing Alice was the first Slytherin in her family. And, her brother, Aaron is a very proud Gryffindor.
"I'll try my best to keep Alice with Draco." Snape sighs and gets up.
"Severus," Dumbledore calls out, just as Snape's hand reaches the door, "You've been doing a great job of watching over Alice and Draco, after all these years. Don't worry. They are very strong, they'll do what's right." He assures him.
Snape gives him a nod of the head and opens the door. I followed him out the door, not even two feet behind him.
"Let's hope she is strong enough. Or, it's the end of us all..." Snape mutters under his breath and takes off down the hall.
Marleigh Winter's P.O.V
"This is impossible!" Annie cries out in frustration and slams another book shut. "How am I supposed to find the combination, if I have no idea what the object is." She vents to me.
"You got a glimpse of Potter's notebook, right?" I ask, trying to get some creativity flowing.
"Yeah, and all it was, was a bunch of words, put in different orders." She grumbles.
"Could you read the words?" I ask.
We've been sitting here in the library for two hours, because yesterday, Draco asked Annie to speed it up. And, as much as she denies it, I know she's scared of him.
"I remember seeing, 'hair', 'tears', and 'pain'. It made no sense." She says, closing her eyes so she could focus harder.
"Maybe it's not a combination... Maybe it's, like, a potion? 'Hair', 'tears', that sounds like ingredients to me," I suggest. It's a pretty far fetched idea, but maybe...
I see the gears in Annie's head working. She gets up and puts her books away, quickly.
"I'm good with codes, not potions or ingredients..." She says, leading me out of the library in a frantic walk. "But, I bet a Hufflepuff would know." She grins and we make our way towards the herbology greenhouse.
As we whip around a corner, Annie smashed directly into someone. The two of them land on the ground.
As I realize the other person, my pulse quickens and my hands become clammy.
"Do you always sprint around corners, hitting people?" Alice snaps fiercely and whips out her wand.
Annie stays on the ground and looks up at her in fear. I can feel my veins turning to ice. My eyes stay glued to her left arm. And, much to my surprise, her ring is gone.
"I'm sorry," Annie apologizes, "We may have a lead on the combination, so we were in a hurry," She explains, scrambling to her feet.
Annie's never been scared of anyone. But, she especially had zero tolerance for Alice and Draco. I wonder if she found out about Alice being a Death Eater...
"Oh," Alice says, not expecting that. "Well, carry on, but watch where you're going," She says, giving us both an icy glare.
My breathing continues to be uneven as I recall the long black mark on her left forearm. That mark has haunted my dreams and memories ever since.
But, I've got to be strong. The more Alice trusts us, the closer I get to finding the Dark Lord and then, I'm closer to finding my mother.
I mutter 'Good Luck,' for Draco, before Annie and I hurry off.