A/N: To the people who've already read the rest of my story: I know the prologue should have been the first thing I wrote, but first I didn't mean to write one. I hope you don't mind that it's a bit late.
To new readers: I hope that this isn't too dramatic and pessimistic. In the rest of my story are a lot of troubles, but there are also at least as many enjoyable things in.
Rose bent over the body of Alice. She felt powerless and desperate. For the first time since the bad news she cried. Tears flew over her cheeks. It couldn't be possible, it couldn't, it just couldn't!
"There must be something we can do, there must be! There must be someone able to help her!" Rose screamed hysterically. "She isn't dead yet, she's only in a coma! We can still save her!"
"Rose, there is no way out, she's as good as dead."
Rose didn't believe Lily's words. "No, no, there is a way! I won't let her die!"
Hands, wet of tears, took Rose's shoulders. "Rose, we can't save her, she's dying, there really is nothing we can do about it." Lily was weeping while saying it.
Rose was furious. She pushed Lily away. "How can you say that?! She isn't dead yet! We really can save her."
Rose embraced the almost lifeless body. "You'll be okay," she whispered, "you won't die."
Rose cut herself totally off from the reality. She didn't see or hear anything but Alice and her feeble breathing and heartbeat. She cried and she whispered reassurances in Alice's ear. Hours without interruption. She laid her ear regularly on Alice's chest to hear the weak heartbeat.
No one could get Rose away, no one could make her see that Alice couldn't survive.
She had been sitting there four hours, when the heartbeat and breathing disappeared completely. It took another five minutes for her to realize that the inevitable had happened.
When she stood up, everything was black, she felt dizzy, the room was moving in her head. She lost consciousness. Thoughts were haunting her head.
It's all my fault - Why her? It's unfair! - If I hadn't got that idea, she wouldn't have died - If I just hadn't tried to get those prejudices away...
Images of her time on Hogwarts went through Rose's head. Her friendship with Alice. The nice memories during classes, in the common room and dormitory, playing Quidditch and of course the epic party, the most reckless action she'd ever done -that had only been possible thanks to Alice and her other close friends- and wherefore she would be famous for years. But also her battle to break through the prejudices, always supported by Alice and her other friends.