Title: Competition

Note: Ties in very slightly with my WIP "Love is a Labor" but both fics are understandable without the other. Neville's last name was apparently "Pupp" in some of JKR's early story notes, so I used that to avoid having to make up another name :)

Melora Pupp dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief. "My little girl is growing up so fast! Your last year at Hogwarts already!"

Alice's eyes darted around, more than slightly embarrassed. "What do you mean, already? It's been seven years!"

Melora sniffled. "But it doesn't seem like it. It seems like just yesterday I was sending you off for the very first time."

"I promise, there have been no funny time tricks. It really truly is my seventh year." Alice frantically searched for an escape. "Oh…oh Mum! Look, there's Frank Longbottom. I have to go say hello." She kissed her mother's cheek. "I'll see you at Christmas."

Her mother squeezed her tightly for a moment, then let her go. "Oh, alright. I love you, darling."

"Love you too." Alice pulled her trunk over to where Frank and his mother were standing. "Hello, Mrs. Longbottom."

Augusta Longbottom's eyes swept over Alice's body disapprovingly, coming to rest on her short, messy hair. "Miss Pupp. I see you are still not wearing your hair as befits a lady."

"Mother!" Frank hissed, red-faced and utterly mortified.

The older woman continued, heedless of her son's discomfort. "In my day, young women knew how to dress properly."

A small part of Alice wanted to be offended, but the whole thing was just too ridiculous. "I'm quite sorry to hear that. It must have been very boring." Augusta's eyes narrowed, and she turned her head with the air of someone who was not going to dignify the comment with a response. Alice smirked. "Frank, I had a question about Potions to ask you. Can I talk to you? Over there?"

Frank looked at her with eyes of a starving man sighting food. "Sure!" He turned to Augusta. "Goodbye, Mother."

She hugged him, somewhat formally. "Make your family proud."

"I will." He let Alice drag him away to a safe distance before letting out a sigh of relief. "Merlin, Alice, how can I ever thank you?"

She smiled at him. "Oh, don't worry about it. My mum was getting all soppy and so I figured that rescuing you would be a good way to get away from her."

Frank grinned back gratefully. "Well, thanks."

His gaze dropped to his shoes and Alice felt the tension build between them. She and Frank were not exactly friends. Friendly, yes, but they'd spent the first five years of schooling barely interacting and the most recent year in direct competition. They were generally known as the two most academically promising students in years, and the fact that they were in the same NEWT-level courses didn't help matters. Adding to the problem was that Frank's particular strength, transfiguration, was Alice's weak spot, and vice-versa for the two of them and Charms. This caused no small amount of consternation between Flitwick and McGonagall; each were eager to boast about Frank and Alice, respectively, but there was also a slight sense of shame in a Ravenclaw excelling at Tranfiguration while a Gryffindor was best at Charms.

But in the way of students who suddenly find themselves in parallel academic lives, they at least knew one another, and Frank thought to himself that if he wasn't so pathetic, he would have an easier time making conversation. He cleared his throat. "So. How was your summer?"

Alice, glad that Frank had given her a conversational opening she could work with, beamed. "Oh, it was wonderful! Molly got married, you know, so there was her wedding, it was really quite nice."

Frank smiled shyly. "The school won't be the same without the two of you making havoc together."

"We did NOT." Alice rolled her eyes. "We caused no havoc. Any havoc was caused by silly boys who cannot handle strong, independent women." She paused, considering. "And Fabian and Gideon too, but they've graduated as well."

Frank laughed. "Okay, I'm sorry!" Truthfully, he'd always liked Molly. She and Alice were both loud and assertive, but there was a clear core of kindness to her. "So I trust she and Arthur are happy then?"

Alice nodded. "Oh yes." She leaned forward conspiratorially. "She's trying to get pregnant already! Can you believe?"

"My grandmother would approve," Frank said dourly.

"Well, you won't see me doing anything like that." Alice shook her head. "I'm going to have my career before I have any babies."

Frank nodded. "I think you kinda have to. I mean, people are already, well, you know, not very…open to the idea of female Aurors, so if you had children that might really put people against you."

Alice smiled. "Much as I do enjoy irritating stupid people, I think I will avoid that situation."

"Well, I do appreciate your efforts at irritation." Frank grinned. "I promise, I will support your efforts to become a female Auror, with or without children."

Alice laughed. "Well, don't support me too much. I always do better when I have you to compete against."

Color rose to Frank's face, and Alice was slightly amused that she'd made him blush. "With Auror training and all, I don't think you'll be getting rid of me for awhile."

"Good. I'm glad." She said it because it seemed like the right thing to say, but found that she actually meant it. The whistle for the train blew, and students started to head for the train cars. "I'm still going to out-NEWT you though," Alice declared.

Frank raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Good luck with that."

As they boarded the train, both were smiling.