The swirling leaves from the tall trees on the grounds of Hogwarts were soon no more, as the seasons quickly changed and before anyone knew it, it was the middle of November.
Katie Bell had still not been released from St. Mungos after her unfortuante luck of being cursed at the first Hogsmead trip that year.
As she was not in school, the promising Gryffindor Quiditch team Harry had been training so carefully since September was one Chaser short.
He kept putting off replacing Katie in the hope that she would return, but their opening match against Slytherin was looming and he finally had to accept the fact that she would not be back in time to play.
Harry did not think he could stand another full-house tryout.
So instead, he cornered Dean Tomas after transfiguration and he happily accepted the offer to become the offial stand in for Katie.
Training went well, but there was still one major problem.
Ron.
Harry had known all along that Ron was an inconsistant player who suffered greatly from nerves and lack of confidence.
That evening, Alice was returning to the common room after sitting in the owlery and reading over her DADA notes again.
Ron and Harry had caught up with her and he and Alice tried to bring back Rons confidence and by the time they reached the second floor, Ron was looking marginally more cheerful.
"You'll do fine Ron, I promise" said Alice smiling.
When Harry pushed open the tapestry to make their usual short cut up to Gryffindor tower, however, they found themselves looking at Dean and Ginny, who were locked in a close embrace and kissing feircly as if glued together.
Harry immediatly covered Alice's eyes, but she shook off his hold.
"Im not five Mr. Potter" she said annoyed. People seemed to forget that she was eleven and not a toddler despite her short and thin build.
Alice suddenly heard Ron's voice as though from a great distance away.
"Oi!"
Dean and Ginny broke apart and looked around.
"What?" said Ginny.
"I dont want to find my sister snogging in public!"
"This was a deserted corridor until you butted in!" she said.
Dean looked embarrassed and gave Harry and shifty grin which he did not return.
"Er.....come on Ginny" said Dean. "Lets head back to the common room"
"You go!" said Ginny. "I want a word with my dear brother!"
Dean left, looking as if he wasn't keen to stay to see what happened.
"Right" Ginny said, tossing her red hair out of her face and glaring at Ron. "Lets get this straight, it is none of your business who I go out with and what I do with them, Ron-"
"Yeah it is!" said Ron just as angrily. "D'you think I want people saying my sister's a-"
Alice took a step back.
She thought it would be a civil conversation, but it was everything but civil.
She had never seen any of her friends that angry, and she knew she would have to step in soon.
"A what?" shouted Ginny, drawing her wand. "A what exactly.
"He doesn't mean anything Ms. Weasly-" said Alice quickly.
"Oh yes he does" she said, flaring up at Alice. "Just because he's never snogged anyone in his life, just because the best kiss he's ever had is from Aunt Muriel-"
"Shut your mouth" bellowed Ron, bypassing red and turning maroon.
"No I will not" yelled Ginny, beside herself. "I've seen you with Fleur, just hoping she'll kiss you on both cheeks, you're pathetic!"
"I don't know what you're talking about"
Harry was now holding Ron back and Alice had stepped between them, eyeing each of their wands as their knuckles turned white from the tight grip.
Ginny screamed with derisive laughter and pushed Alice to the side, causing her to stumble but regained her footing, and stood in front of her again.
"Ms. Weasley, he's your brother" she pleaded. "Don't hurt him"
But Ginny didn't listen.
It hurt Alice to see them fighting, and years from now when one is no longer with the other, this fight is all they'll remember, not the good but the sad.
"Been kissing Pigwidgeon have you? Or have you got a picture of Aunt Muriel stashed under your pillow?"
"You-"
A streak of orange light flew under Harry's arm and missed Ginny and Alice both by inches.
Harry pushed Ron up against the wall.
"Don't be so stupid Mr. Weasley" said Alice, shooting him a glare which only made him madder.
"Harry's snogged Cho" said Ginny, close to tears. "And Hermione's snogged Victor, it's only you who's acting like it's something disgusting and that's simply because you've got as much experience as a twelve year old"
And with that she stormed off.
Harry ket go of Ron, the look on his face was murderous.
Alice took one look at him before she ran off in the direction that Ginny had headed.
"What's her problem?" asked Ron, annoyed that Alice was picking Ginny's side.
"Ron, use your head" said Harry irritably. "She just lost her brother, she doesn't want you two to lose each other"
Ron didn't respond.
He didn't know how to.
~*~
"Ms. Weasley?" called Alice. "Ms. Weasley, are you there?"
Alice stopped for a moment and held her head, it was pounding and her chest was burning.
She hasn't been that sick for the last month or so.
Maybe the odd cough, headache or something as simple as her leg falling asleep.
But she hadn't been in this much discomfort before.
It was as if she was having a heart attack, although she wasn't.
She chose to ignore in the hope it was just another episode and would pass soon.
But hope was all she had.
"Ms. Weasley? It's Alice"
She heard a muffled sob coming from an abandoned corridor and soon found Ginny, sitting in a corner, crying with her knees tight to her chest.
"Ms. Weasley?"
"Go away Alice"
"No, I won't"
Ginny looked up, her face red and wet with tears and her eyes puffy.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you and Mr. Weasley go on without apologising!"
Ginny was shocked.
Alice usually went along with everything, never took sides, and she agreed with everything so it was a massive shock to have her speak like this.
But Ginny's shock soon turned into sudden anger.
She didn't know what brought it on, but she was mad.
"Ms. Weasley, he obviously didn't mean what he said" she said, surprised at her confidence.
"You're just jealous"
Alice took a step back as Ginny stood up.
However, Alice didn't let her confidence go, she wouldn't do that.
"You're jealous because Draco is an arse and you'd rather have Ron as a brother!" she cried. "You wanted us to fight, you lead them that way!"
Alice hadn't heard something so untrue in a long time.
Not since Rue.
Her blood began to boil and she felt tears prick the backs of her eyes.
That was the last thing she wanted to do, she wanted them to stop fighting, not start.
She would kill to stop all the silly fights her and Henry had.
Most of them over something as simple as what they wanted for dinner.
They never stayed mad for long, but you never want to redo something until that person is gone.
"Admit it!" she spat. "You hate Draco with all your heart and you wish you had a different brother!"
Alice barely kept it together, but no matter how hard she tried, a tear still escaped and fell down her face.
Ginny didn't know the truth, but this was hurting her more and more every sentence.
"You want him dead, you'd do anything-"
"STOP IT!" she screamed, catching Ginny off guard. "You don't understand what it's like, what's it's like to only have one person in your life that loves you, and that one person is dead, killed by his best friend!"
Ginny had no idea what she was on about.
But she snapped back to reality and sat back down, not knowing what to expect from Alice.
"I had a brother" she said. "He died to save me, I put him in that danger, it's my fault and I would do anything to change that. Draco isn't my brother"
Ginny moved over slightly, giving Alice the option to sit down, and she accepted.
She placed an arm around Alice, not really knowing what to say.
"Do the others know?" she asked and Alice nodded.
"I live with D-Draco because he helped me, he saved me" she lied. "But I want my brother back"
Ginny thought for a moment, finally piecing everything together.
"You intervened because you were afraid we would lose each other and this is all we would think of?"
"Yes, I don't want you to go through the same thing I am"
Ginny hugged her tight.
Alice may be mysterious, but it doesn't overshadow the fact that she has a huge heart, and would put herself in danger to help someone else.
Soon enough, they both headed back to the common room.
Ginny wasn't ready to talk to Ron yet, but Alice didn't mind how long it took, as long as they made up.
Nobody spoke to each other that evening and headed to bed in silence, leaving Alice by the fire.
Four people, four people who shouldn't know about Henry.
If anyone found out she told, she would be in deep trouble.
If anyone found her, she'd be killed instantly.
~*~
"Ah James!" bellowed the round bellied figure of David as he brought his son into a bear hug.
He had never received one before, and he knew it was because he expected to see Alice behind him. "Now, did you talk with Rue?"
"Yeah, I actua-"
"Don't care, where's the girl"
James rubbed the back of his neck nervously, trying to find the right words.
"She's not here"
"What do you mean she's not here?"
"She's not here!" he repeated. "She wouldn't come, besides, Voldemort has his eyes set on her, spies looking at her from all angles. I mean, she just lost her brother!"
David took out his stick and whacked it across James' head, drawing blood.
"You said you'd have her here by Christmas!"
"I know, but Hogwarts is too protected! I'll never get in!"
David whacked him again.
And again, and again, until James fell to his knees in pain, a tickle of blood escaping his lips.
He couldn't die.
But he couldn't bring Alice.
What if he brought her, then immediatly gave her to Voldemort?
Then it's not his problem and she'd still be alive.
No.
She promised her.
He wouldn't let her die this way.
If David wanted her back, then he can go get her himself.
But for now, he was locked in an old dressing room, the location monitors locked on his wrists, and the stale taste of blood in his mouth.
This is where he would stay.
No more circus duties for him.
There was a chance he might escape.
David couldn't have that.
If only Alice came.
Everything would be different.
~*~
Alice slept that night.
A good four hours.
She fell asleep in front of the roaring fire, and became the beast many fear.
A snake.
It amazed her nobody wandered down in the middle of the night and saw her.
She was lucky, but next time.....well there hopefully won't be a next time.
She awoke from the excruciating pain she was in.
Her legs were locked in the same sprawled out position like at the Burrow, and it was too painful to move.
But she had to.
If anyone found her, she was in bother and soon everyone would know.
She grabbed Ron's hat from his satchel and stuffed it into her mouth.
Inhaling deeply, she gripped onto the couch and pulled herself to her feet.
The hat worked great, no one could've possibly heard her painful screams.
She say down on the couch, stretching her legs out, making sure she moved them every so often so that they didn't seize up again.
"Morning Alice" said Hermione cheerfully, rooting through her piles of books, dropping few at occasion. "Coming to breakfast?"
"Sure" she answered without realising that she must walk.
But with one huge piece of effort, she managed to walk all the way down to the Great Hall.
"You alright Alice? Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?" asked Hermione noticing Alice's slow pace.
Alice panicked.
She knew if anyone suspected anything, they would make her take that potion.
"Just must've slept on my leg funny" she answered.
Hermione knew immediatly this wasn't true.
Alice never slept, why would she suddenly fall asleep?
Hermione was beginning to figure things out, but she was no where near figuring it all out.
Breakfast was the usual excitable affair that morning; the Slytherins hissed and booed loudly as every member of the Gryffindor Quiditch team entered the Great Hall.
The Gryffindor table, a solid mass of red and gold, cheered as Harry and Ron approached. Harry grinned and waved; Ron smiled weakly and shook his head.
He was convinced he was going to let the team down and wanted to resign after today's match.
Harry didn't want that, so tried to think of a strategy and it finally came to him.
"Cheer up Ron!" called Lavender Brown. "I know you'll be great!"
Ron ignored her.
"Tea?" Harry asked. "Coffee? Pumpkin juice?"
"Anything" said Ron glumly, taking a moody bite of toast.
"How are you both feeling?" asked Hermione, placing food on Alice's plate as teachers walked past.
She knew she wasn't going to eat it, but it had to look like she did so they didn't get suspicious and send her to the Hospital Wing.
"Fine" said Harry, concentrating on handing Ron a glass of Pumpkin juice. "There you are, Ron. Drink up!"
Alice noticed something.
A small glass vial in Harry's hand.
"Don't drink that Ron" Alice hissed, nodding at Hermione who noticed the same thing.
Both Harry and Ron looked up at her.
"Why not?" said Ron.
Alice was staring at Harry as if she didn't believe her eyes.
"You put something in that drink"
"Excuse me?" said Harry
"You heard me. I saw you. You just tipped something into his drink! You've got the bottle in your hand"
"I don't know what you're talking about" said Harry, stowing the bottle in his pocket.
"Ron, I warn you, don't drink it Ron!" Alice said again, alarmed, but Ron picked it up, and drained it in one.
"You should be expelled for that Harry!" whispered Hermione angrily.
Alice and Hermione wandered off in annoyance after that.
Hermione had promised Alice to help her with a spell for DADA before the match, so they headed back to the common room.
"Now, what is it you need help with again?" she asked, flicking through the pages.
"The tongue tying curse, I can't get the movement correct" said Alice. "It's on page one hundred and sevnty-four"
Hermione looked up after finding the page.
"This isn't even a second year book Alice" said Hermione. "It's a third year book"
"Won't stop Snape from asking me to do it" she answered.
"He can't do that, it's not-" but Hermione trailed off as she noticed something odd in Alice's hair. "Alice, what's that?"
She felt the place in the long black hair where Hermione was pointing and her heart and stomach dropped as her face lost all colour.
"Alice?"
"Nothing but a tangle" she replied nervously. "Now how does the wand-"
"Alice's that's not a tangle. Let me have a look"
"NO!" she shouted, jumping to her feet. "Just leave me alone"
And she ran out of the common room, her legs burning, and her head throbbing.
She knew exactly what was in her hair.
It wasn't hair.
It was black scales.
"Crap" she mumbled, tugging at it, but it wouldn't come out, and the match was starting soon.
She soon gave up, and braided her hair, making it unnoticeable.
Well, she hoped.
She rushed to the pitch and found Hermione and Luna fairly quickly and sat beside them.
Hermione gave her a shift look, but Alice ignored it.
"Captains, shake hands" said Madam Hooch, and Harry had his hand crushed by the new Slytherin captain, Urquhart. "Mount your brooms. On the whistle......three....two...one"
The whistle sounded, Harry and the others kicked off hard from the frozen ground, and they were away.
Harry soared around the perimeter of the grounds, looking for the snitch and keeping an eye on the Slytherin seeker, who was zigzagging far below him.
Then a voice that was jarringly different from the usual commentator, started up.
"Well, there they go, and I think we're all surprised at Potter's team that he put together this year. Many thought given Ronald Weasleys patchy performance as keeper last year, that he might be off the team, but of course, a close friendship with the captain sure does help"
These words were greeted by jeers and applause from the Slytherin end of the pitch.
Zacharias Smith had taken over commenting at the Quidditch matches after Lee Jordan left school.
A boy who Harry heartily disliked.
"How can he be so selfish? Ron is trying is best!" mumbled Hermione.
"Why don't you say something?" asked Alice.
"It's not that simple"
Ron had just saved a goal and Alice shouted ahh the top of her lungs making her throat burn in a different way.
In a good way.
With half an hour of the game gone, Gryffindor were leading with sixty points to zero, Ron having made some truly spectacular saves, some by the tips of his gloves and Ginny scoring four of Gryffindors six goals.
"Oi, look over there" muttered Alice urgently and tapping Hermione frantically on the shoulder.
Harper, a Slytherin player, collided with Harry dilberatly, nearly knocking him off his broom.
Madam Hooch's back was turned, and though the Gryffindors shouted in anger, by the time she looked around, Harper had sped off.
"And I think Hapers seen the snitch!" said Zacharias through his megaphone. "Yes he's certainly seen something Potter hasn't!"
Zacharias really was an idiot, thought Harry, hadn't he noticed them collide? But next moment, his stomach seemed to drop out of the sky - he was right and Harry was wrong: Harper had not sped upwards at random; he had spotted what Harry had not: the Snitch was speeding along high above them, flinging brightly in the clear blue sky.
"What's happening?" asked Alice. "Ms. Granger, what the hell is happening?!"
Hermione forgot this was Alice's first match.
"You see that golden ball with wings?" she asked and Alice noticed. "That's the snitch, you catch that, you earn a hundred and fifty points and the game is over"
"So...Harry needs to catch it?" she asked.
"Exactly"
If Harper got the snitch now, Gryffindor would lose.....and now Harper was feet from it, his hand outstretched.
"Oi Harper!" yelled Harry in desperation. "How much did Malfoy pay you to come instead of him?"
He did not know what made him say it, but Harper did a double take; he fumbled the snitch, let it slip through his fingers and shot right past it: Harry made a great swipe for the tiny, fluttering ball and caught it.
Alice jumped to her feet, cheering as loud as possible with her fellow Gryffindors.
"YES!" Harry yelled as the sound of the whistle signalled the end of the game.
Harry hugged Ginny, but let go quickly. Avoiding her gaze.
He clapped, a cheering Ron, on the back.
The Gryffindor team left arm in arm, punching the air and waving to their supporters.
"Party up in the common room, Seamus said!" yelled Dean exuberantly.
Ron and Harry were the last two left in the changing room.
They were just about to leave when Hermione and Alice entered.
They looked upset but determined.
"We want a word with you Harry"
"What's up?" he asked, knowing exactly what it was about.
"You shouldn't have done it" said Alice. "It's illegal"
"What are you two talking about?" asked Harry, turning away to hang up his robes so no-one could see him grinning.
He knew Ron had figured it out.
"You know very well what we're talking about!" said Hermione shrilly. "You spiked Ron's drink with Felix Felicis!"
"No I didn't!" said Harry, turning back to face them.
"Yes you did Harry and that's why everything went right" said Ron. "There were Slytherin players missing and I saved everything!"
"I didn't put it in!" said Harry now grinning broadly. He slipped his hands inside his jacket pocket and drew out the tiny bottle Alice had seen in his hand that morning.
It was full with the golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax. "I wanted Ron to think I did it, so I faked it when i knew you were looking" he looked at Ron. "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself!"
He pocketed the potion again.
"There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" Ron said astounded and Harry shook his head.
Ron gaped at him for a moment, then rounded on Hermione, imitating her voice.
"You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything! See! I can save goals without help, Hermione!"
"I never said you couldn't - Ron you thought you'd been given it too!"
But Ron had already strode past her out of the door with his broomstick on his shoulder.
"Er" said Harry, into the sudden silence; he had not expected his plan to backfire like this. "Shall we head to the party?"
"You go!" said Hermione, blinking back tears. "I'm sick of Ron at the moment"
Harry and Alice walked slowly back up to the grounds towards the castle through the crowd, many of whom shouted congratulations at Harry, but he felt a great sense of let down.
Ron and Hermione were shifty friends since the beginning of the year, and Harry hoped that after winning this match, they would he friends again.
But he just made it worse.
The party was at full swing when they arrived.
Renewed cheers and clapping greeted Harry as Alice slipped off to her corner, the noise not agreeing with her.
Harry bumped into Ginny moments later, after escaping from a bunch of girls dropping massive hints that they wanted to go to the Slughorns Christmas party with him.
"Looking for Ron?" she asked, smirking. "He's over there, the filthy hypocrite!"
Harry looked into the corner she was indicating.
There, in full view of the whole room, stood Ron wrapped so closely around Lavender Brown it was hard to tell who's hands were who's.
"It looks like he's eating her face, doesn't it?" said Ginny disgusted and Harry nodded, heading off to find Hermione.
Alice felt sick as she saw Ron and Lavender.
It was horrible.
Sickening.
So, she grabbed her satchel and headed upstairs, a place she had never been.
Alice always stayed beside the fire for the nights at Hogwarts.
The students whom she shared a dorm with, had never actually seen her up there.
But it didn't matter.
All her roommates were still at the party.
She sat on the windowsill, and took out her album.
She studied every picture, each one showing something different.
The letters were beautiful, a constant reminder that there was a family who loved her, and even if they were all dead, they loved her once and that's all that mattered.
"What are you doing?" said a voice, startling Alice as she pushed the album behind the curtain, looking around.
"Oh it's only you Ms. Weasley" she said, relieved.
"Just me?" she asked smiling.
"Fine, the most amazing female red-head!"
Ginny sat down on the bed, laughing.
She came up here because she was sick at looking at Ron and Lavender.
They had left a short while ago, only to come back when Hermione made birds attack Ron.
"What's that?" Ginny asked, pointing to the album.
"It's just something Mr. Lupin found" Alice answered, handing it to her. "It was from my brother. He tried to send it, but his owl died"
She looked through the photos, careful not to rip, dent or cause any damage to them.
"Your brothers hot!" she exclaimed, and Alice whirled around, surprised by her sudden remark.
Alice laughed, but her sudden burst of happiness didn't last long.
"Sorry" said Ginny, closing the album and handing it back, realising what happened to Henry.
"It's fine" she sighed.
Nobody spoke for a moment.
Ginny felt terrible, she wanted to help, but she needed to know more.
"What was he like? Henry I mean"
Alice looked at her, not sure where to start.
"He wasn't only my brother, he was my parents and best friend all in one" she said, smiling. "He was the kindest person ever, a kind person with an awful, stupid haircut!"
"I like his haircut!" said Ginny proactively.
"That's exactly what he said!" Alice laughed.
Alice opened a certain page in the album, to a photo she'd stare at for hours.
It was her favourite.
It was a picture from just a few days after she was born.
Her mother, the bright blue eyes Henry inheritated gleaming with happiness, and her hair in the neatest bun.
Her father, his dark eyes sparkling with joy as he looked at Alice.
She was dressed in fluffy pyjamas and holding a brown teddy bear.
Henry was lying on the couch, beaming as he saw Alice.
She was taking her first steps.
The happy faces reminded her that there were good times, and things can be good again if she just kept enough hope.
She always wondered who took all these pictures.
It wasn't anyone.
It was an invention her father made, and it really helped capture the best memories.
"They loved you Alice, just remember that" said Ginny kindly.
"Thank you Ms. Weasley" she said, smiling weakly.
It was hard living knowing you were the reason your family was killed.
They talked a bit more, Alice receiving much gossip about Lavender and Ron, until the other girls began heading to bed and Alice headed back down to the common room after saying goodnight to Ginny.
The common room was deserted.
Not even the trio around.
She threw a blanket around her and took out one of the books from the mini-library.
Alice had really come along this year.
She was standing up for herself and she learnt to read and write.
If only Henry was here to see her.
Then everything would be perfect.
If only she knew the truth.
If only she knew he was still alive.