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"DO YOU WANT ME
TO TAKE A LOOK?"
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"You wanted to see me professor?" said Alice, peeking her head around the door of McGonagalls office.
"Yes, take a seat" she replied, gesturing towards the chair in front of the desk.
Alice knew this couldn't be good.
They know what happened to her, that was easy, it's asking her to talk about it that's the hard part. "Remus Lupin will be in in a moment"
Now it defiantly couldn't be good.
Alice sat down, gazing around the room.
She missed it.
She missed everything about Hogwarts.
Hermione wouldn't leave her alone, she knows something is up.
But Alice won't tell, she will never tell.
"Good morning Minerva" greeted Lupin as he walked in and stood beside Alice.
Her heart was racing.
She wasn't ready to talk about it.
They'd want to know about James.
She couldn't tell them that.
"Good morning Mr. Lupin sir" says Alice.
He chuckles.
"Lupin is just fine Alice"
She smiled.
"Now, I'll leave you two for a moment" said McGonagall as she gets up to leave.
Lupin smiled.
Now is defiantly couldn't get any worse.
"How are you Alice?" he asked.
"Good" she answered, and it was the truth.
There was no more pain.
She wasn't at the Manor, and that's all that mattered.
"The Malfoys aren't a family Alice, you have to see that" he said.
Alice looked at him.
Of course she knew that.
"I know, I've known from the start"
Lupin looked at Alice.
He felt stupid, if she had known, why hadn't they seen through her.
"And you didn't tell us?"
"I had to go back!" she cried. "They would've killed me! Found me and killed me! My injuries were nothing!"
Lupin sighed.
He didn't know what to do.
The question was why?
Why was it happening to her?
What were they missing?
"Why?" he asked. "Why would they kill you?"
"I don't know!" she yelled. "I'm just Alice! Nothing special about me! I just got the bloody short stick, didn't I? A brother dead and the Malfoys watching over me!?"
Lupin knew she was keeping something, it was written all over her face.
Everyone has a secret, but Alice has too many to count.
"What aren't telling us?" he asked.
Alice was angry.
Why couldn't take i don't know for an answer? Why won't they all leave her alone?
"Alice?"
"I've told you already! I DON'T KNOW!"
How can someone not know their secrets?
How can someone keep secrets that are eating them inside for so long?
"I don't understand-" Lupin said.
"I don't either!"
She folded her arms across her chest.
She wanted to forget everything, not relive it.
She didn't want to talk about it.
She wanted everyone to forget.
"Mr. Lupin, I have to get to class" she said.
"See you around"
Let's hope not.
She hopped off the chair and left the room, still annoyed beyond annoyed.
She couldn't understand why everyone was so interested in her life and not their own.
She's not a newspaper.
She had potions.
One of the only subjects she was good at.
"Who were you talking to?"
Alice jumped two feet in the air and spinned around to see Draco behind her.
She didn't feel like talking to him.
But did she ever?
What was his deal?
"What do you want?" she sneered.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, shocked at her tone.
He walked forward but Alice only took a step backwards.
Away from him.
"Why does it matter?" she retorted.
He's never cared.
Why does he care now?
She walked off, leaving him behind.
He wasn't telling her something. Draco needs to talk to her, he really does.
She'll be in trouble if he doesn't.
Alice stopped outside the potions room, plucking up the courage to knock.
She knew Slughorn wouldn't be mad, he isn't like that, but there was still that fear of everyone else.
She knocks.
"Sorry sir, I was with professor McGonagall" she said, taking her seat.
"No she wasn't!" shouted someone from the back.
She turns to see that it was Sam Nolan. He never liked her. "She's always lying professor! She lied about her family, she lies about having friends and now-"
"That's enough Mr. Nolan!" bellowed Slughorn harshly.
Sam folded arms across his chest and slouches in his seat.
"I swear professor, I was with McGonagall and Mr. Lupin" she said desperatly.
"It's alright Alice, Minvera already explained"
She smiled weakly, and took out her book and begun taking down the notes on the board, still feeling Sam's burning holes in her skull.
"Alright, everyone open page ninety-six"
~*~
Henry made it.
He finally made it.
The opening to Diagon Alley, the full brick wall.
Now all he had to do was tap the right one.
He took out the nice from his pocket once again and read it.
Tenth brick from the left on the thirteenth row.
He knew he needed a wand.
He didn't have his anymore.
So he did the only reasonable thing; steal one.
He didn't know who it belonged to, but the only thing that mattered was that he got in.
One by one, the bricks spread out making a small archway to Diagon Alley.
Taking a deep breath, he walked through the arch, hoping no one would recognised him, that no one would take him away.
He escaped death once, it's almost impossible to escape it twice.
Some windows were covered in bits and bobs, while others were completely dull.
Purple posters covered the walls showing terrifying death eaters with massive rewards stuck underneath them.
Henry loved it.
His father always told him about it, always said how amazing it was.
But he never got to go.
Money was tight and death eaters roamed.
It wasn't a great time.
Now that he was here, he just wished his father could be there with him, showing him the best shops, the best sweets and meeting the best people.
He didn't have any money.
He didn't know anyone.
But that didn't matter because he was one step away from finding Alice.
Roaming the nearly empty streets, finally made him feel like a real wizard.
That he wasn't some wanted seer, that he was like everyone else.
Just a normal wizard.
He walked into the shops, looked around, picked things up as if he was going to buy it only to casually put it back down again, walking out.
People asked him if he was new, if he moved here, and to avoid an interrogation he answered a simple yes before continuing down.
He was handed flyers, booklets, random articles. He took them, stuffing them in his pocket.
He found it easy to walk the streets.
And that's for one simple reason.
No one knew him.
But he had one problem.
He had no money.
Zero.
You're doing this for Al, figure something out.
He scanned the streets for coins.
Every shop floor.
Every drain.
Everywhere.
But he found nothing.
He wouldn't survive long if he didn't even have a few knuts.
He sat on a curb and thought.
How the hell do I get money?
Then it came to him.
He didn't want to do it.
But it seemed like the only way.
~*~
Alice couldn't sit still.
Everyone knows that she's not a Malfoy.
Soon everyone will know she's a Maledictus.
Soon she'll be killed.
Lupin wouldn't stop.
He would keep digging until he found out her secrets.
He wouldn't rest until he knew everything.
She didn't want sleep.
It seemed like a distant friend at this point.
No more transforming.
It wasn't safe.
"What's wrong?" asked Hermione, looking up from her homwork. "You're not yourself"
"Just thinking" replied Alice.
Hermione looked at her, not believing her.
"You're going to tell us at some point, aren't you?" asked Harry, relieved he could have something that distracted him from his DADA homework. "What happened to you, I mean"
"I don't know" she said truthfully, looking up at them.
They wanted to know.
But Alice would never tell.
"Alice, we are your friends, you can trust us"
"I can't trust anyone Mr. Potter, not even my friends"
No one talked.
No one asked questions.
Alice couldn't stop thinking.
Something told her everyone was lying, everyone was lying about Henry.
That maybe he wasn't dead at all.
~*~
It was time.
The perfect time.
Henry knew what he had to do, and he wasn't waiting any longer.
He had to do this.
He scanned the busy street for an easy target.
He needed the person to be remote, away from people.
And most importantly, he needed a quick get away.
That was the hard part.
Getting away.
He found his target.
A small, elderly lady. Grey hair pulled into a bun, so tight it was nearly non existent.
She was perfect.
She probably didn't even know her own name.
Henry stood up and walked through the crowd over to her.
Just like you rehearsed.
"Excuse me miss?" he said, tapping her lightly on the shoulder.
"Yes?" she said, looking at Henry straight in the eyes as if she could see right through him.
He had to pull his off.
"I was wondering if you had some lip-balm I could borrow?"
This was terrible.
Terrible excuse.
So it better work.
"Yes of course dear" she said, rummaging through her bag.
It was taking a while. "I know I had some, i really did!"
"Do you want me to take a look?" Henry asked.
She handed him the bag.
It was now or never.
Who would catch him?
He ran with the bag in his hand.
He thought he was free.
He thought he did everything right.
But he didn't.
People caught on.
They saw him.
And they were going to catch him.
"OI STOP!"
"WHAT THE HELL?"
"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!?"
A crowd of people were now running after him.
His legs couldn't take it much longer.
He needed to stop.
But he wouldn't.
He ran faster as the shouts got louder.
You're doing it for Alice.
You're going to find her, just like you did last time.
He takes back alley-ways behind shops.
He thought he was doing the right thing, but he wasn't.
Dead end.
He was trapped.
"Give us the bag" said a man, holding out his hands.
Henry was frozen.
This wasn't supposed to happen. "Sir, I'll have to call someone"
Henry still didn't move.
He needed this money.
But then, when it seemed like nothing more coulf go wrong in his plan, it got so much worse.
"Hey, isn't that the seer?"
People looked back at him.
They stared harder.
"I think it is"
No no no! This can't be happening!
"Here's the bag, I apologise for the disruption I have caused" he said, handing the pale blue handbag over to the man.
Henry went to walk past, but the man stopped him.
"Where do you think you're going?" he sneered.
Henry gulped.
He was in a horrible situation.
"I'm heading home, this is all a misunderstanding" he explained, his heart pounding in his chest.
"No you're not!" shouts another, pulling Henry's arms behind his back. "Do you understand how much you're worth?" The man pointed at a poster.
It suddenly clicked.
It was his face on the poster.
They were offering the man an award if he brought Henry back alive.
"Are these all over Diagon Alley?" Henry asked worried.
"Just Knock-Turn Alley, where you managed to end up"
Now it made sense.
Not many people - normal civilians - knew about Henry.
The award was only to be handed out to a death eater.
If he got away, he could be safe.
Just how?
His mind raced.
He needed to get out of there and fast.
He began to regret everything.
Stopping Rue.
Staying alive.
Coming to Diagon Alley.
Stealing the ladies purse.
And most importantly, leaving Alice.
"Just let me go" Henry said calmly.
"You think that's how it works?" sneered one. "We need money"
Without thinking, without thinking about what will happen next, Henry punched the man, straight the face.
He fell to the ground, leaving Henry free.
He started to run before one pushed him down onto the floor, holding his head against the stone.
"You're coming with us"
"In your dreams"
Kick.
Punch.
Henry felt helpless.
He needed out.
He needed to find Alice.
He pushed them off with all his might and wiped the blood off his face before making a dash.
He ran as fast as possible, but the guys were fast, and he wasn't going to make it.
But he kept going.
You're doing it for Alice.
He ran faster.
He knew where to go.
But he didn't know if he would be safe.
He turned sharply around a corner and dashed for the shop at the end of the street.
Weasleys Wizard Wheezes.
He knew the name.
But he didn't know where from.
"RUN FASTER LADS! HES GETTING AWAY!" one shouted.
Henry ran into the shop and slammed the door behind him.
He kept running, trying to find a place to hide.
He was panicking.
He made a horrible mistake.
Several mistakes.
He was afraid the men would follow, but as he listened, he didn't hear footsteps.
He heard nothing.
It was silent.
He froze in his place.
Silence was never good.
He began walking towards the front again, his heart pounding behind his ribcage.
The men weren't there.
He only saw two tall, identical, redhead, twins.
The Weasley twins.
"Good day sir, how can we help you?"
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