The red-haired woman walked swiftly across the halls. She knew the path very well, could even try to walk it with her eyes closed. But today, it felt different. She was almost in a daze.
She entered the desired room, and said with a trembling voice: "Hello?"
As the targeted person slowly turned around with questioning and confused eyes, Lily forced a smile on her face.
"Her girlie. How have you been doing? Where's my dear Frank?", Lily asked the woman, knowing full well that the girl was not going to answer her questions. Instead, she reached out her hand and Lily took the gift. A chewing gum wrapper.
"Oh, Ally.", sighed Lily. She looked up and stared at Alice's vacant, yet questioning eyes. Blue eyes met green ones.
"Ally", Lily said. "Dumbledore came to see us. James and Harry and me." Her voice now cracked. "He wishes for us to go into hiding."
Lily continued, "He thinks that we are all now targets. This may be the last time I may see you, for a long time." The ginger girl took her friend's hand.
"Do you remember when we first met?", she asked Alice. Lily was searching her eyes, still smiling, even though her eyes were watering. "I tried to remember when I was on my way, and it wasn't until I saw you now that I remembered. It was when I first arrived at Hogwarts. I had just been sorted into Gryffindor, like you, and you smiled at me. Your smile made me want to sit down next to you, and you said 'Hi, I'm Alice. Second Year. You have wonderful red hair.', and I just laughed, and knew I belonged. Ally, you made me feel like I belonged somewhere I did not, and that for me, was the best thing you could give me."
Tears were now streaming down Lily's face, and she had to clean her face with her sleeves. "I'm so proud of you, because you were strong enough to survive, but now, I wonder if it's even worth it." She continued with her voice cracking with every word, now rambling. "And, I know th-that little Neville will be alright, w-with your mother-in-l-law, but without that smile, w-which reassured me that I belong, I just don't know what to do, a-and it's all overwhelming. I just wish there was m-more that I could do. B-but I c-can't do this anymore." She inhaled deeply and looked upon her friend's eyes once more.
Instead of the hopelessness that she thought it would fill her with, she let out a breathy laugh, and recognized what she was looking for: strength. Alice opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, and surprised Lily by saying just one word, which Lily would repeat over, and over again for the rest of the day, until she would find herself in James' arms at the end of it. "Fire."
Lily could not contain her laughter, as she remembered the last time her best friend had called her Fire. It was three months ago, before everything had gone to hell. Before the nightmare came to life. They had been fighting that day, and had returned to their homes, just in time to hear the news about Marlene's death. Alice and Frank had invited James and Lily for a drink, to commemorate their friends' death. As they were reaching at the other end of 'slightly tipsy', Alice had whispered seriously to Lily's ear "Has anyone ever told you your hair looks like it's on fire?". Lily laughed so much that she was gasping for air, as their husbands took a look at them and silently decided it was enough for that night. As Lily got up and bid them farewell, Alice said, "Later, Fire!", and Lily , laughing, stumbled towards James. The world was spinning, and they were home.
That was the last time she saw her, before hell had come and claimed her.
The woman came out of her stupor, as the room's door opened, allowing the Healer to come in with a man in tow.
"This one has taken to stroll around the halls aimlessly now.", the Healer explained.
"Why, Frank, haven't you been naughty?", said Lily jokingly.
The adressed man just stared at the walls. Lily sighed once more (she had taken to do that a lot recently), and took Frank's hand and guided him to his bed, where at once he started humming a song which Lily did not know.
Taking one last look at him, she went back to Alice, who was still sitting in the same chair, staring off into space. She thanked the Healer, who went back out the hall.
Sitting down once more, she said to Alice, "I came here, not to tell you any of what I had said. I came here to thank you. For being a great friend. For being a great mother. And, for being the sister I never was allowed to have. Thank you. It was an honor to meet you, and be able to spend all of this time with you. But I'm now living on borrowed time. And time will not stop for me, or James. Not even Harry. " She smiled at her one more time before getting up.
She kissed her on the cheek. And, laughing slightly, she walked towards the door. As she was opening the door, she took one last look at the person who was many times her "chamber of secrets" as they used to call one another. Smiling up at her, remembering the silly nickmnames they had called each other once, Lily said "Fire has left the building. Later, Ally-gator." And Fire finally went away.