ALICE SAT CROSS-LEGGED on the bed.
This was a normal occurance for the young girl, although what lay around her was the simple difference.
The many letters that Henry had written to his sister were placed evenly around the bed, separated into certain piles.
She stared at two in particular, dissecting them with her eyes, her hands almost shaking with concentration.
Something isn't right. Something isn't right.
"Alice" Bill knocked softly on the door. "Alice, James wants to see you downstairs for a moment, something about the wedding"
Alice didn't look at him, and she didn't move.
She stared at her rough-skinned hands, or more logically, the two worn, ink faded letters she held, her eyes slightly widened and her breathing quickened.
"Alice?" Bill took a step into the small bedroom, worried. "Alice what's wrong?"
"T-The letters..."
The red head took another slow step towards the girl. "Alice, what's going on? You need to tell me"
Alice suddenly snapped out of the light trace she had fallen into and stared at her friend, her red cheeks losing all its colour.
"The letters" Alice repeated, slightly louder. "These letters, they aren't the same, look at the writing, it's different. It's all different"
Her voice cracked and quivered with the fear bubbling inside her rib cage.
She tried to focus on her breathing, but her face became numb and she started crying.
Why am I crying? What's wrong with me?
Bill was quick to wrap a gentle arm around her, pulling Alice close.
He took the crumpled letters out of Alice's stiff hands and placed them on the floor, supposedly out of view of Alice's tired eyes.
But she could still see them.
"It's alright" he hushed.
Alice pulled away suddenly, wiping tears roughly from her pale, thin face, leaving small red marks. "I'll be down in a minute, you go on ahead"
"Alice-"
"I said I'd be down in a minute" she hadn't expected her voice to raise as loudly as it did.. "Could you send James up?"
"Alice i don't think that's a good-"
"Bill" she said. "Send. James. Up"
Bill nodded but didn't say anything.
He turned and left the room silently.
Alice's breathing slowed but her eyes never left the letters that were placed on the floor, her mind wouldn't stop until she found the true person that wrote that letter.
The letter with the distinctively different handwritting.
And then she saw it.
Draco...It's his handwriting....
The dreaded truth had sunken in.
He forged the letter, the letter that brought me to the Manor, to Hogwarts, to Voldemort....
He was the one that ruined her life and it was all his idea.
Alice let out a deafening sob, the sound echoing through the warm home. Her cries were filled with pain, and the tears wouldn't stop pouring.
Her marking had come true.
Property of the Dark Lord
The one who is to be betrayed.
James was now standing at the doorway, leaning up against the frame, watching as Alice reckoned with what had happened.
Her eyes were red from crying, her entire body shaking with fear, her skin as white as paper.
"Alice..."
"It was him James....it was all him"
James engulfed her in a hug, stroking her short hair, knowing almost immediatly who she was talking about, yet he asked no questions.
"It's going to be alright Alice" he said softly.
"I trusted him James"
"I know, I know"
Draco Malfoy had betrayed her.
The mark had always been about him.
At least, that's what it seemed....and Alice wouldn't realise she was wrong until it was too late and the events were too close to change...
COFFEE NEED COFFEE" Alice moaned as she stumbled into the kitchen, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
James chuckled. "You can have cereal"
"Coffee" she whined.
"Hot chocolate?"
Alice thought before smiling. "Add in marshmallows and you've got a deal"
Alice sat herself down at the kitchen table and watched the colourful wheels of cereal float around in the bowl full of milk.
Alice frowned unsatisfied.
She dropped three spoonfulls of sugar into the striped bowl before her and smiled.
"You're disgusting" James commented as he placed the mug down in front of her.
"You know you love me" Alice replied, stuffing a spoonful in her mouth.
"It's very hard not too"
She laughed.
James and Alice had a special friendship. Chatting was sort of a verbal dance, beautifully chaotic, one that makes you laugh out loud. Some called it a banter, but they lived for it, looked forward to it and would spend any amount of time in each other's company.
She looked over at James as he stirred his coffee. "Want to watch a movie?"
"Are you going to talk?"
"Of course" She took a sip from the mug.
"Well I get to pick"
"Fair deal"
Alice held out her hand and James took it firmly, before breaking into their handshake, one that Alice struggled to remember, with the chant and the countless claps and clap backs involved, anyone would find it challenging.
Mr. Weasley had his head buried in the paper as he walked into the kitchen, startled as he saw James and Alice.
"Oh...erm...Good morning"
"Morning" the pair replied in sync bringing on another fit of laughter.
Mr. Weasley looked uncomfortable.
Soon enough as the morning grew later and later, the kitchen was full.
Ron grabbing his much needed toast, Fred and George pouring salt into eachother's drinks, unaware of the other and Hermione attempting to keep order.
"Harry mind your knife, you could take someone's eye out" she exclaimed.
"My knife is no where near anyone, let alone your eye" he replied, slicing through the bread.
"I didn't say my eye, I said someone's eye!"
This chaos brought an unexplainable sense of order to the kitchen when it was infused by love and friendships alike. It was like an ecosystem, everything in liberty and every choice given.
Never once was there a problem.
However, today was different.
"Morning Alice" grumbled Henry poured the same sugar coated cereal into a bowl. "Mind if I sit here James? There's a spare seat on the other side" he added rudely.
Alice made a face.
"Henry he was sitting there" she hissed.
"It's alright Alice" James said, ruffling her hair. "I had to get more coffee anyway"
Alice slumped further into her chair, her brows creased. "That was incredibly rude"
Henry did nothing but shrug.
Alice racked her brain for any logical explanation for the sudden coldness to her friend.
One moment he's the one who saved her, the one who brought her here, the next moment he's background and old news at the best.
Ron leaned into Hermione. "He shouldn't be here, it's not right"
"I know, but it's not fair"
"Mum will talk to him, she has to"
Alice's head grew foggy and cloudy like the time when the Sleeping potion brings her into a sense of oblivion but she hadn't drunken a drop.
"I think I'm going to lie down" she announced, rising slowly.
"Alice there's something we need to discuss first" chimed Mrs. Weasley, wiping her hands on her pink apron. "James would you mind leaving a moment"
"Yeah sure"
"No James, wait" said Alice sternly and he sat back down. "If everyone else is here, he can be too. You guys invited James, he's my friend, and he can hear what you're about to say"
Everyone was taken aback and for once they saw the young, shy Gryffindor disappear, it was as if she no longer felt the need.
James on the other hand was grateful.
"So?"
Mr. Weasley sighed. "Alice, the Order has agreed to forbid your to return to Hogwarts"
Alice's brain stuttered for a moment.
Her eyes took in more light than she expected, every part of her went on pause while her thoughts caught up.
She jumped as she felt Henry's hand rest on her shoulder. "It's for the best Al"
She shrugged off his grip. "No"
"What?"
"No, I'm going to Hogwarts" she confirmed bravely. "I've been hiding, scared and confined for ten years, ten years. I'm not going to be here-"
"And that's why we need to keep you safe Alice" interrupted Mrs. Weasley. "We can't lose you to You-Know-Who"
"And you won't, but I am going to Hogwarts, if I don't go, they'll find me here, they'll find me and not only kill me but all of you too"
Her voice broke off at the end.
She felt the panic begin like a cluster of spark plugs in her abdomen. Her breathing became more rapid, more shallow.
"Alice are you alright?" asked Bill.
"IM FINE!" she snapped loudly.
"Please-"
"I'm going to Hogwarts, full stop"
And she left the room.