Alice Reed sighed as she sat down on the last step of the staircase to tie the shoelace that she had just tripped over, again. She was constantly tripping over something and if there was nothing there to trip over she would trip over her own feet. It got really quite exhausting sometimes trying to keep her balance. She didn't understand why things like this had to happen to her. She was clumsy, forgetfully and invisible. It really was quite unfair being Gryffindor's wallflower. Nobody ever notice her. She had mousy brown hair, a round face and dull brown eyes. When she smiled she looked like Dutch cheese. It was embarrassing. She felt terribly envious of Lily Evans with her thick titan hair and emerald eyes. Lily was completely oblivious to her good looks and Alice could sometimes feel the jealousy burning up inside of her. As if that wasn't enough Lily's best friend, Serena White, was another absolutely devasting girl with long brown curls and startling green eyes. Still at least Serena had some flaws what with her being a complete scatterbrain but Lily seemed to have none at all. She was a professor's perfect student. Alice just wished for once that she could be elegant and beautiful and smart. Yet she knew it wasn't going to happen.

She glanced up at some people coming towards her. They just walked round her without even noticing that she was there. Gryffindor wallflower indeed. Nobody ever seemed to notice her. She doubted that even half of her class knew she existed. She could probably run down the great hall completely naked and nobody would even notice unless she tripped and fell. That was the only time anyone noticed her, when she was being clumsy or if yet again she had forgotten which class she was suppose to be in. She was constantly leaving books behind but unlike Serena White she never knew was the professor was going on about in the lesson. How good would it be to remember everything? It took her months to study everything for her O. and by the time the exams came she had forgotten everything already.

'Hello Alice.'

Slightly in shock that someone should actually be able to see her Alice glanced up into startling green eyes that were set in a smiling face.

'Oh hello Johnny,' she said grinning at him. Johnathon White was Serena's twin brother and was just as good looking. For some reason however he knew exactly who Alice was and actually enjoyed talking to her. Not that it was always helpful since Johnny was in Ravenclaw like the rest of the White family.

'What are you doing sitting here?' he asked and then sat down beside her. 'Trying to trip up Slytherins?'

Alice grined and nudged him playfully.

'I'm so invisible that they could probably walk straight through me,' she joked with him.

'Don't be silly,' he said softly. 'You're not invisible to me.'

'Well you're the only one,' Alice told him, pushing a strand of hair back from her face.

'No I'm not,' he told her firmly. 'Plenty of people see you.'

Alice sighed.

'I am a wallflower. I'm not beautiful like Lily. I'm not elegant like Emmeline. I'm not bubly and exciting like Hesita. I'm certainly not smart like your sister.'

'Oh come on Alice,' Johnny said frowning slightly. 'Serena's like a freak of nature being so smart. I'm certainly not as smart as her. Normally people have to study. Everybody has flaws.'

'You don't,' Alice told him.

'Yeah right,' scoffed Johnny. 'Of course I do. I have a temper and sometimes I say things I shouldn't.'

'Hardly much of a flaw, Johnathon,' Alice told him.

'Well it's not like you've got very many either,' he told her.

'What like being extremely clumsy and not being able to remember my own name half the time?' Alice joked.

'Hey those things make you different,' he told her. 'They make you special. If you hadn't fallen down the stairs and landed at my feet on our first day who says we'd be friends now?'

Alice laughed.

'I suppose,' she said. 'I just wish that for once I could walk into a room and make it light up.'

'What do you need to do that for?' he asked her. 'What kind of achievement is that?'

Alice shrugged.

'I don't know,' she said. 'I just want someone to think I'm beautiful.'

'You are beautiful Alice,' Johnny told her. 'It only takes one person to see it and it's true. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Look at my sister. Yeah she's devastating and I hardly know a boy in the school that doesn't want to be with her yet none of it matters to her. She'd trade it all to have had a nice, simple life like yours.'

'Oh Johnny I'm sorry,' said Alice suddenly throwing her arms round Johnny's neck in a hug. Two years before Johnny's father had been murdered and his mother driven insane. 'How selfish of me to complain.'

'Silly Alice,' said Johnny gently. 'Don't worry about it. Everyone has problems either big or small. Just because you're problems are smaller than someone elses doesn't mean they are any less important.'

'I know but I feel stupid.'

'Well don't. I wasn't even referring to that. I was talking about the fact that Serena has spent all these years with boys chasing after her and yet the only one she's ever wanted never looked her way. Sometimes it doesn't matter how beautiful you are. If things are meant to be then they'll happen. Just because you're beautiful doesn't necessarily make you happy.'

Alice smiled. Johnny always had a way of making her feel better when she was down. It was nice to talk to him. When they had first known each other she use to have quite a bit of a crush on him but now he was just too good a friend.

'You're a such a good friend to me,' she told him grinning.

'Glad to be of service,' he told her putting his arm round her shoulders and giving her a quick squeeze. 'Now you'd better tie up that shoelace again because it's come undone.'

Alice groaned and looked down. Both shoelaces were tied and Johnny was laughing at her.

'Meanie,' she said sticking her tongue out at him.

He jumped up and run down the corridor Alice came after him in hot pursuit.

'I'll get you Johnny,' she called as she turned the corner and smacked right into someone who knocked her backwards so she fell on her backside.

'Ouch,' she muttered.

'Sorry.'

Alice looked up to see Frank Longbottom crouching down to help her up. She blushed slightly as she got to her feet.

'Sorry I was chasing Johnny,' she told him.

Frank Longbottom was one of Johnny's best friends and yet he had hardly ever spoken to Alice really. He helped her in class sometimes when she couldn't do something but he barely spoke to her outside of class.

'Yeah he sped past me two minutes ago. I've been waiting here for him for about ten minutes.'

Alice blushed again and looked down at her feet.

'Yeah sorry,' she whispered. 'He was stuck talking to me.'

Frank shrugged.

'I don't mind. I wanted to see you anyway.'

Alice frowned in confusion and looked up at him. He was looking at her through the deep, chocolate brown eyes. She felt slighlty weak at the knees.

'Why is that?' she whispered slightly suddenly aware of the closeness of him.

'Well I …'

Frank suddenly seemed hesitant. Alice felt her breath becoming shorter. What on earth was going on? Where had Johnny gone?

'I … em I …'

'Would you just ask her out already?'

Johnny's voice came from nowhere.

Frank turned slightly red and Alice's mouth dropped open. This couldn't be happening to her? Frank Longbottom surely didn't want to go out with her?

'I was wondering Alice if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?'

Alice glanced around wondering if Johnny was suddenly about to appear.

'As in on a d-d-date?' she stuttered.

Frank didn't seem to be able to speak and just nodded his head.

'Say yes Alice,' whispered Johnny's voice from nowhere. Somewhere in her head Alice reasoned that Johnny must being using a disillusionment charm.

'Y-y-yes,' she reponded to Frank whose face split into a great big smile.

'Finally,' whispered Johnny.