I was in Platform 9 and 3/4, where everyone ignored me due to the crowds. I was used to this. I was used to being ignored, even by my own parents. Even by my famous twin brother, Harry. I was never neglected or abandoned, but Harry did get a lot more attention. I always had to pull it from my parents' fingers.
This did mean, however, that I was often allowed to practice my artistic talents with no interruptions. Paint on my bedroom walls? Yeah, sure, kid. "Artistically" rip up and restitch my clothes? As long as you don't wear it to a press event.
It was a lonely, thrilling life. Yet I was free from expectations, and it was the only road that I'd ever truly known. I was more independent, more resourceful than Harry in so many ways because of it.
My black hair that matched Harry's did attract some attention, but not a lot. My bangs covered up my own lightning scar, the one that mirrored Harry's. I didn't need the John Lennon glasses, so if it weren't for my mum's eyes and my dad's hair, I wouldn't have such problems.
Dad gave a little look at my outfit, yet again. My black hair was stuffed into a dark burgundy crocheted beanie cap, and I was wearing a leather jacket the color of dried plums over my lilac tank-top, and black distressed leggings, with my bubble-gum pink high-tops that had sharpie doodles all over them. My artistic style drove attention that could've been on Harry to me.
"We'll be taking the train with you," Mum said. "It'll be so fun!"
I rolled my eyes when they couldn't see. They'd taken posts at Hogwarts since we'd started attending so that little Harry could be protected from Jr. Death Eaters. All for him, all for him, I couldn't help but think.
"I'll see you there." Harry said, with a cheerful smile. He then helped Dad with his trunk, and took it into the compartment, where the Happy Family would be sitting. Well, all of them, except for me.
"We'd better get on the train." Mum said finally, checking her watch. Indeed, some guards began blowing last-call whistles. I just stood there, for a minute, wondering if they would just acknowledge me.
"Come on, we've got to go, Alice." Dad sounded annoyed. I wanted to push them, just for a second. "Come on."
I finally leapt onto the car, and followed them into their compartment, or at least, to the doorway of it.
"Aren't you going to sit down?" Harry asked politely. I hate how you always act so nice, like you don't know the discrimination. I resent you for that.
"I think I'm going to go explore compartments." I said.
"Sit down, the cameras are going." Mum mounted to me.
"Fine." I reluctantly joined them, arms folded across my chest.
"Act friendly." Dad said, through a toothy grin as he looked out to the hordes of fans and reporters taking pictures of the Happy Potters, off to Hogwarts once again.
As soon as they were gone, I folded my arms over my chest, and crossed my legs, showing off the sketches on my trainers, and I slammed my head back against the seat. It was fourth year, and I was tired of the charade. We're not happy and close. Why should we act like we are?
"Can I go, now?" I asked.
"Not until we've talked, Alice." Mum said. I groaned, and rolled my eyes. "Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady."
I merely raised an arched eyebrow.
"Young lady, there's rumors going around since the Quidditch World Cup." Dad said. "The ex-Death Eaters may become more active again."
"So? I'm not afraid." I replied. My brother, being the Boy Who Lived, was granted a spot in the first VIP box, right along the Ministers of Magic, and watched the Quidditch World Cup between Bulgaria and Ireland. He got to even meet the Irish and Bulgarian players, and got an autograph from Viktor Krum. Some ex-Death Eaters grabbed their old cloaks and masks after they'd had a few drinks, and levitated the muggles running the campsite, and pretty much burned the place down.
That was nothing, though, compared to the panic that ensued when the Dark Mark was shot into the sky. I know, I was nearby, and nearly Stunned when it was shot into the sky.
"You should be." Mum spoke up. "You don't know what they're capable of, you're much too young."
Frustration rumbled below the surface. Try me.
"I always knew that being in Slytherin was bad for you," Dad began. "You hang around children of You-Know-Who's inner circles, all day, every day. They're corrupting you. Making you think that you can get away with saying You-Know-Who's name, and drawing Dark Marks on your classmates' arms whenever they doze in class."
I merely arched an eyebrow. I'd almost forgot about that one time I did it to Hannah Abbott when she fell asleep in Binn's class. Let's be fair, it was an extremely artistic rendition of it.
"Oh, I know, Severus keeps letting her get into all sorts of mischief," Mum joined in. "Graffiti in the dungeons, learning obscure dark hexes in the library, doing stupid stunts on the rooftop. I had such hopes for him as her godfather."
"He never gives detentions when those little brats deserve it," Dad added. "Quite frankly, they should be in detention for five long hours doing excruciating labor every night, then maybe we'd get decent folk out of Slytherin."
Tears were coming up. No matter what I do, they'll never be proud. I wrestled them back, keeping the bored, rebellious expression on my face. Letting them know that they'd gotten to me would be letting them win.
"That nasty little boy isn't much help." Mum agreed.
Rage flamed, and was slowly melting my icy exterior. No one insults my best friend.
"Speaking of which, and the subject we were originally on, your mother and I had something to say to you," Dad began. He and Mum exchanged a glance. "With the recent surge in Death Eater activity, we feel that it would be best if you broke it off with that Malfoy brat."
"Did someone say Draco Malfoy?" The boy of the hour swung into the doorway of the compartment. The boy in question was already in the Hogwarts uniform, minus the robes. Mum and Dad looked at him in disgust, Harry in hatred.
"What do you want around here, Malfoy?" Dad demanded sharply. I grabbed my own bag, a black shoulder-purse with designs of Maleficent's dragon on it and spindles, and slung it on my shoulder.
"I wanted to borrow Ali." Draco replied with a smirk, looking me in those silvery eyes.
"You may not." Mum said sharply.
"Mum!" I protested. I stood up.
"Sit down, Alice." Dad ordered. I ignored that, and walked past them. "Do you think that the rules don't apply to you? You really are a little snake."
"Of course I don't." I replied airily. "I know they don't." I waved, and I trailed out of the compartment, despite the fact that I would pay for that later.
"What's up with them?" Draco asked, as we began towards our compartment, where all of us Slytherin gang-members, me, Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Theodore, and Millicent got into trouble. Blaise Zabini hung out with other Slytherins in our year, and the other girls, although part of Pansy's clique, didn't like me all that much. Not that I cared.
"They think because the Dark Mark's in the sky that I shouldn't be friends with Death Eater spawn, and how Slytherin has corrupted me." I replied. I rolled my eyes. "Like we're all rotten to the core."
I strutted into the compartment. "What's up with you?" I snapped. "It's go time."
Everyone grinned. We had a general plan for how our plans worked- Crabbe and Goyle would stand guard while our plans soared into action, and Draco, Pansy, Millicent, Theodore, and me did our stunts, our pranks. Usually graffiti of some sort, my special talent, or something that tested our amazing agility and flexibility.
"Operation Paint the Tracks?" Pansy asked as she tied her waist-length dark hair into a sassy high ponytail.
"Absolutely." I replied. Crabbe and Goyle sat down in the compartment. First, Millicent crawled out the window, and up the side of the train. She's the strongest out of all of us, excepting perhaps Crabbe and Goyle. After that, she pulled me up to the roof of the train first.
There's a bit of thrill to climbing out of any kind of window. There's that sharp warning in your head to be careful, and your heart hammering against your ribs, and the adrenaline of it all, that feeling that you're walking the edge of a cliff, all day, every day. I absolutely loved it all.
I grabbed my sketchbook, and looked through for a suitable one, as the rest got on top of the train. The wind whistled in my ears, and it was a bit shaky, standing up, but otherwise, quite easy. Easier than you'd expect, anyways.
We'd been wanting to give the Hogwarts Express a paint job since our second-year, and I was ready with the perfect sketch. It was a dragon, with the words "Long Live Evil" imprinted on it in a shade of green that rather matched my eyes.
"This one," I said, pointing it out to my partners in crime. I stowed the sketch back into my bag, and began down the cars, till I could see and spray the connecting doors.
Some of the others jumped ahead, and we all began spraying the same exact message, the one that I'd shown them. I know, maybe a bit callous in the time of possible Voldemort resurrection, but come on! Can't people take a bit of a joke?
"Greg just made the signal." Millicent said frantically.
"Wait, was there any specifics to it?" I asked.
"Vincent made the lightning swish." She added.
"EVERYBODY RUN!" I yelled, and we started running and jumping cars like nobody's business. Everyone goes on about how self-preserving Slytherins are- oh, we are in our hearts, but we all go thrill-seeking and risk-taking every once in a while. At least we weren't stupid- we didn't go too fast, and we only jumped when we knew we could make it.
When we were a safe distance away, we slipped into the luggage carriage. Dad burst in a couple minutes later.
"What did you do?!" He roared, pinning me against a stack of trunks.
"Nothing." I snarled back. "We were just looking in Theo's trunk for-"
"Don't lie to me." He growled, drawing his wand.
"Get off of me, Professor!" I cried. A prefect, Cedric Diggory, rushed in.
"Professor Potter, get your hands off of your daughter." Diggory ordered. "Releashio."
Dad panted for a moment. "You're right, Diggory, I shouldn't have forgotten myself." With that, the two exited.
"That was close." Pansy said.
"Closer than normal," Draco muttered.
"Come on, guys, we live for thrill!" I said, putting my arms around both of them. "This is going to be a great year."
"We don't need to add much to the upcoming thrill," Draco said dryly, as we began back to our compartment. "The Triwizard Tournament is coming back this year. Think that Potter's going to enter?"
"Wouldn't surprise me if Mum or Dad entered him." I replied. Despite me being on all his adventures to date, the press somehow frequently forgot about me. I sometimes wondered even if Mum and Dad had bribed them to do so.
They weren't always bad people. Once, they'd been loving parents. Then the fame got to their heads. Somehow, Harry's head wasn't turned by him being famous and spoiled, and I resented him for that. How could he, when I had to suffer because of it?
"Your outfit's very purple, today." Pansy remarked.
"It's my favorite color," I replied with a shrug. Purple was neutral, much like me. As much as I played as the wicked girl, the delinquent, I was really the hero, if the past three years had taught me anything. I was a natural-born leader that was quite likable. Purple also had many shades, and symbolized mystery and magic itself.
"Your hair might look really nice, purple." Draco said. There were murmurs of assent.
"You're better at Transfiguration- you do it." I said. "I trust you."
He laughed. "Let's grab a mirror, and do it."
Pansy grabbed her compact, and gave it to Draco. I held it open in the palm of my hands, and closed my eyes. When I opened them, my hair had been turned to a lovely dark grape purple.
"You're right." Theodore said thoughtfully. "Looks really pretty that way."
I looked into Pansy's compact. A girl of fourteen, small, but strong and agile, looked back at me, with grape-colored hair and glimmering green eyes. She winked back at me, and for the first time in a long time, I really liked what I'd seen.
We had fun in the compartment for the rest of the ride, and changed into our uniforms. As expected, the adults weren't exactly the most happy about the graffiti, but they had no real proof to prove that we were the ones who did it.
I got into a carriage in all the downpour, and I wondered what I'd see up at the castle.