The sun beat down on her face as she sat under the Holy bush. Alice
wasn't in the most comfortable place, but at least she didn't have to
listen to her grandma shriek at her. She sighed and shifted in the loose,
dry mulch. The dirt's sent filled her nose and she wiggled it to make the
tingling go away, but it didn't. She sat up and immediately regretted it.
The leaves poked her sharply in the face. "Oh!" She slung her head back as
the tingling got worse. "Ah! Chooo!" She sneezed loudly.
The clinking in the kitchen stopped abruptly and she froze. She didn't even what to take the chance that her grandparents would hear her. They resumed slowly and their talking started up again. She breathed a sigh of relief as she listened to their conversation.
"Where is that girl?" her grandfather asked in a rough voice.
"How should I know? And really I don't care where she is!" came the dry raspy voice of her grandmother.
She rolled her eyes. She had expected that, but that didn't mean she had wanted to hear it. Quietly she fought her way out of the itchy bush. The sun blinded her as she tried to focus on the scene in front of her.
Nathan was walking down the walk in his punk outfit. She snorted. He looked like a bloated ape that had gone goth! She wondered who he was going to 'visit' this time. A member of his gang obviously, but which one? She mentally slapped her self for even wondering, but she was curious. It was in her nature to be curious, but at the moment she didn't want to follow him. She was hungry; not that she expected to get much though.
She walked up to the edge of the wooden porch and jumped onto it. The clean white siding of the house made her squint her eyes as she open the front door. She was greeted by light glares from her adopted grandparents. Both were incredibly large around the middle and hips and carried a heavy resemblance to Nathan.
With out a word she grabbed a small apple from the counter. Her grandparents' glares increased, but she pretended to not even notice. She disappeared into the laundry room. Its floor was concrete and the ceiling was unfinished and covered in spider webs. A cockroach scurried over her torn and tattered shoe. Alice squashed it and she made a face of sympathy. "Sorry, but this is my room," she whispered to the dead bug.
She bit into the apple and wiped away the sweat that had beaded on her forehead. It was so hot! She closed the moth eaten curtains and sat down on the hard rock floor. It was rough, but at least it was cool. A hiss came from beside her. She looked around and saw Slinky her black rat snake. He hissed and slithered up her arm.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Slinky. I didn't realize you were still in here," she apologized. She knew enough to know that he must have been horribly uncomfortable in the heat.
He hissed as if knowing what she had said.
She laid down and put her cheek on the rough surface of the concrete. It felt so cool. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
"Get up girl!" her grandfather's voice boomed.
She opened her eyes lazily, and sat up. "What?" she asked dryly.
"Take the garbage out!" he said and left.
She let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Darkness! It was nighttime! She had slept away a perfectly good day! "Great," she muttered as she looked around for Slinky. He moved around on her neck. She stroked his scaly head and stood up. Her back ached. "I'm never going to lye down on the floor again!" she mumbled as she walked out towards the street with a bag of garbage in her hand.
Suddenly there was a loud crack. She jumped and dropped the bag. "W- Who's there?" she asked in a scared voice. A dark figure stepped out from behind a bush.
"Don't run away. I won't hurt you," he said in a soft elderly voice. It made her freeze. His words echoed in her void mind. Then one phrase rang clear and loud in her head. A spell! She watched the man come closer. Suddenly she jumped as if she had been shocked and ran.
Her feet carried her down the street with lightening speed as her baggy clothes hung around her. She could hear something following her. It wasn't footsteps. It was more of a swooshing sound, and an icy feeling was creeping into her body. "What's happening?" she asked herself softly as her muscles began to fail. She stumbled forward and for a second looked behind her. A tall dark figure cloaked in a dull, dark green was following her. Its breath was rattling under its shadowing hood. Quickly she looked back around just in time to see the manhole cover. She tried to pick up her foot to avoid its cocked edge, but it caught the edge of her shoe, and she fell. Fell toward the rough asphalt. It ripped at her hands and knees. She groaned, but was brought back by the rattling breathing. Her head whipped around and she saw the figure standing over her. It was binding down pulling back its hood. Its face was a hideous rotting green with warts along its wrinkled skin. It was leaning closer...closer... She open her mouth and screamed. For a moment she was surprised at how strange it sounded. High pitched, but not girly. It sounded more like nails scratching on a chalkboard, but it was a long, loud, solid note. The creature whipped straight and then suddenly curled up and started to twitch on the ground. She scrambled away pushing dirt into her wounded hands.
She sat there looking at the thing twitch on the ground. It moaned and cried. She shivered with each sound it made. "Shut up!" she yelled at it.
It froze and lay limp on the ground.
"Very good, Miss Alice," came an elderly voice.
She whipped around to face the old man. He had long silver beard and half moon spectacles, and behind them were twinkling blue eyes. He bent down beside her and looked at her hands and knees. He pulled out a thing that looked like a twig, but he flicked it and her skin healed itself.
She gave him a weird look. "Okay...Who are you? What are you?"
"I am Albus Dumbledor, and I've come to take you to my school," he explained. His voice was slightly dry, but its kindness over powered any fear she had held towards him.
"School? Why!? Where!?" she asked as she stood up. He stood up also.
"I run a school in Europe. I would like you to join," he explained.
She bit at her bottom lip. "But...my grandparents..."
"I will send them a letter. Do not worry. Now, come we will take the Floo system sense you can not apparate."
"Apparate? What's that?" she asked as she followed him down the street to where a car sat.
"It's when you more or less transport to somewhere," he explained. He seemed to do a lot of that.
"I don't understand. That's impossible! People just don't appear! They walk or ride bikes or something!" she exclaimed.
He kept walking as he explained what was really going on. "Whether you know it or not you're a witch. A very rare one at that, Alice. Your voice is magic. That is why the dementor died like that. You voice is pure, unrestrained magic. A lot like a siren's voice, but as I suspect even stronger.
A lump had grown in her throat and her mouth was very dry. "A-A witch? Me?" she asked and she sort of stumbled around in her thoughts.
Instead of getting into the car he grabbed what looked like two brooms from the trunk.
"Here." He gave her one and she took it.
It vibrated at her touch. "So I'm a witch? Is this my broom?" she asked giving him a weird look.
"Yes. Try it out," he said with a smile.
She put it between her legs and kicked off the ground. It hovered above there for a moment. "Oh, cool!" she whispered in awe.
He flew up far above her. "Oh! Wait!" she said and pushed the broom up. It went up like lightening and she clung to it. She hadn't expected it to be that fast! Alice was slightly below him.
"You're very advanced. Come we are going to go to a friends house." He flew forward, and she followed.
Her heart felt like it was flying as well. It felt free and at home in the night air. She let the wind pull at her long chocolate brown hair has they flew over many cities.
Finally they descended to a large gray house. They walked up to the door with their brooms. Dumbledor knocked, and a man with black greasy hair and a hooked nose answered. He looked surprised at the old man.
"Head master! What are you doing here?" he asked in a voice that was as greasy as his hair. (Which was really greasy!)
"I'd like to use your floo powder, Professor Snape. We must get to Harry's," he said to the man.
The man looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "If I may ask, Head Master, why are you taking this girl?"
"She will protect him for the next week. She is strong and has a powerful weapon against the dementors," he said and Professor Snape opened the door to let them in.
Dumbledor walked towards the fireplace and grabbed a bowl on the mantle. She stayed back as she watched him throw powder in the fire. The flames turned a bright green, and Dumbledor beckoned her over.
"Step into the flames and say to Harry Potter's house. I've had his house hooked up to the net work. I will follow you."
She gulped and did as she was told. "To harry potter's house!" she said and she began to spin and twirl in the chimney. She stopped abruptly and tumbled out of an opening.
"Oh, God! Vernon! Vernon!" some one shrieked. It was high pitched and her ears rang with its sound.
Three sets of footsteps came towards her. She sat up and brushed her self off. "Oh, God! My head!" she groaned.
She looked around and saw Dumbledor step out of the fire. Step out not falls. She blushed. "How come I had to fall?" she mumbled and got up. She looked at the people in front of her.
The man she thought was Vernon was heavy and reminder her of her grandfather. The younger boy was just as large and reminder her of Nathan. The skinny boy was a lot like her in baggy clothes and old shoes, but the woman didn't strike a memory anywhere.
"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" bellowed the man.
"Dumbledor!" the boy said and ran up to them. He had dark brown hair that flew in every direction, green eyes, and a lightening shaped scare on his forehead. He was tanned from working outside as well.
"Hello, Harry. I'd like you to meet Alice. She will be staying with you," he said softly.
The man's face became a shade of purple. "She will not! I will not tolerate this! Get out! Get out! Get out!" he yelled wildly.
She frowned and stuck her tongue out at him. "Freak," she whispered.
Dumbledor ignored the comment and looked at Vernon. "The dementors will be coming and if she doesn't stay you will all be soulless in two weeks," he warned.
The boy became very pale. "Daddy! Let her stay!" he cried.
She raised an eyebrow, and was about to say something when a nock sounded on the door. An icy feeling crawled into her.
"Answer the door. Dudley," ordered Vernon.
"No!" she said and grabbed him.
He went pale and she could just see the defenses go up. He threw a punch and she dodged and went to the door. She opened it and was greeted by the rattling breath of two dementors. She backed into the hall and they followed her. "Dumbledor?" she asked.
"Do as you did before!" he said.
She nodded and took a deep breath. Her eyes closed as she screamed.
The dementors screeched, and crumbled to the ground. She opened her eyes and kicked at their bodies. "Yep, dead. Now what do I do with the bodies?" she asked the smiling old man.
"Here," he said and handed her a wand. "Say clearyoto."
She pointed it at the bodies. "Clearyoto!" she said firmly. The bodies disappeared immediately.
She looked at the people in the living room. "Oh, yeah! Now what'd you think about me staying?" she asked proudly.
"N-."
The woman cut him off. "Yes! You can stay! Just...Just stay away from us!"
She shrugged. "Sure. Whatever, as long as I get food and clothes," she said and walked back into the living room. She went up to the skinny boy. "You must be Harry. Nice to meet you," she said and they shook hands.
"Yeah, and you must be Alice." He looked at her clothes. They were covered in ash and bits of burnt wood. "I'll get you some new clothes."
She laughed. "I would appreciate it," she said and looked at Dumbledor.
"I'll be going now," he said and turned around.
"Wait! You forgot this!' she said and gave him the wand.
"No, No! Keep it," he said and walked into the chimney.
She looked at the wand. "Cool!" she turned and followed Harry up the stairs. He led her into a dark room with a white owl. She hooted.
"Nice owl!" she commented.
He smiled and petted her. Slinky slithered around her neck. She pulled him from his place and he curled around her wrist. He didn't talk much, but when he did she could understand him.
Harry looked at the snake. "Nice snake. What's his name?"
The clinking in the kitchen stopped abruptly and she froze. She didn't even what to take the chance that her grandparents would hear her. They resumed slowly and their talking started up again. She breathed a sigh of relief as she listened to their conversation.
"Where is that girl?" her grandfather asked in a rough voice.
"How should I know? And really I don't care where she is!" came the dry raspy voice of her grandmother.
She rolled her eyes. She had expected that, but that didn't mean she had wanted to hear it. Quietly she fought her way out of the itchy bush. The sun blinded her as she tried to focus on the scene in front of her.
Nathan was walking down the walk in his punk outfit. She snorted. He looked like a bloated ape that had gone goth! She wondered who he was going to 'visit' this time. A member of his gang obviously, but which one? She mentally slapped her self for even wondering, but she was curious. It was in her nature to be curious, but at the moment she didn't want to follow him. She was hungry; not that she expected to get much though.
She walked up to the edge of the wooden porch and jumped onto it. The clean white siding of the house made her squint her eyes as she open the front door. She was greeted by light glares from her adopted grandparents. Both were incredibly large around the middle and hips and carried a heavy resemblance to Nathan.
With out a word she grabbed a small apple from the counter. Her grandparents' glares increased, but she pretended to not even notice. She disappeared into the laundry room. Its floor was concrete and the ceiling was unfinished and covered in spider webs. A cockroach scurried over her torn and tattered shoe. Alice squashed it and she made a face of sympathy. "Sorry, but this is my room," she whispered to the dead bug.
She bit into the apple and wiped away the sweat that had beaded on her forehead. It was so hot! She closed the moth eaten curtains and sat down on the hard rock floor. It was rough, but at least it was cool. A hiss came from beside her. She looked around and saw Slinky her black rat snake. He hissed and slithered up her arm.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Slinky. I didn't realize you were still in here," she apologized. She knew enough to know that he must have been horribly uncomfortable in the heat.
He hissed as if knowing what she had said.
She laid down and put her cheek on the rough surface of the concrete. It felt so cool. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
"Get up girl!" her grandfather's voice boomed.
She opened her eyes lazily, and sat up. "What?" she asked dryly.
"Take the garbage out!" he said and left.
She let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Darkness! It was nighttime! She had slept away a perfectly good day! "Great," she muttered as she looked around for Slinky. He moved around on her neck. She stroked his scaly head and stood up. Her back ached. "I'm never going to lye down on the floor again!" she mumbled as she walked out towards the street with a bag of garbage in her hand.
Suddenly there was a loud crack. She jumped and dropped the bag. "W- Who's there?" she asked in a scared voice. A dark figure stepped out from behind a bush.
"Don't run away. I won't hurt you," he said in a soft elderly voice. It made her freeze. His words echoed in her void mind. Then one phrase rang clear and loud in her head. A spell! She watched the man come closer. Suddenly she jumped as if she had been shocked and ran.
Her feet carried her down the street with lightening speed as her baggy clothes hung around her. She could hear something following her. It wasn't footsteps. It was more of a swooshing sound, and an icy feeling was creeping into her body. "What's happening?" she asked herself softly as her muscles began to fail. She stumbled forward and for a second looked behind her. A tall dark figure cloaked in a dull, dark green was following her. Its breath was rattling under its shadowing hood. Quickly she looked back around just in time to see the manhole cover. She tried to pick up her foot to avoid its cocked edge, but it caught the edge of her shoe, and she fell. Fell toward the rough asphalt. It ripped at her hands and knees. She groaned, but was brought back by the rattling breathing. Her head whipped around and she saw the figure standing over her. It was binding down pulling back its hood. Its face was a hideous rotting green with warts along its wrinkled skin. It was leaning closer...closer... She open her mouth and screamed. For a moment she was surprised at how strange it sounded. High pitched, but not girly. It sounded more like nails scratching on a chalkboard, but it was a long, loud, solid note. The creature whipped straight and then suddenly curled up and started to twitch on the ground. She scrambled away pushing dirt into her wounded hands.
She sat there looking at the thing twitch on the ground. It moaned and cried. She shivered with each sound it made. "Shut up!" she yelled at it.
It froze and lay limp on the ground.
"Very good, Miss Alice," came an elderly voice.
She whipped around to face the old man. He had long silver beard and half moon spectacles, and behind them were twinkling blue eyes. He bent down beside her and looked at her hands and knees. He pulled out a thing that looked like a twig, but he flicked it and her skin healed itself.
She gave him a weird look. "Okay...Who are you? What are you?"
"I am Albus Dumbledor, and I've come to take you to my school," he explained. His voice was slightly dry, but its kindness over powered any fear she had held towards him.
"School? Why!? Where!?" she asked as she stood up. He stood up also.
"I run a school in Europe. I would like you to join," he explained.
She bit at her bottom lip. "But...my grandparents..."
"I will send them a letter. Do not worry. Now, come we will take the Floo system sense you can not apparate."
"Apparate? What's that?" she asked as she followed him down the street to where a car sat.
"It's when you more or less transport to somewhere," he explained. He seemed to do a lot of that.
"I don't understand. That's impossible! People just don't appear! They walk or ride bikes or something!" she exclaimed.
He kept walking as he explained what was really going on. "Whether you know it or not you're a witch. A very rare one at that, Alice. Your voice is magic. That is why the dementor died like that. You voice is pure, unrestrained magic. A lot like a siren's voice, but as I suspect even stronger.
A lump had grown in her throat and her mouth was very dry. "A-A witch? Me?" she asked and she sort of stumbled around in her thoughts.
Instead of getting into the car he grabbed what looked like two brooms from the trunk.
"Here." He gave her one and she took it.
It vibrated at her touch. "So I'm a witch? Is this my broom?" she asked giving him a weird look.
"Yes. Try it out," he said with a smile.
She put it between her legs and kicked off the ground. It hovered above there for a moment. "Oh, cool!" she whispered in awe.
He flew up far above her. "Oh! Wait!" she said and pushed the broom up. It went up like lightening and she clung to it. She hadn't expected it to be that fast! Alice was slightly below him.
"You're very advanced. Come we are going to go to a friends house." He flew forward, and she followed.
Her heart felt like it was flying as well. It felt free and at home in the night air. She let the wind pull at her long chocolate brown hair has they flew over many cities.
Finally they descended to a large gray house. They walked up to the door with their brooms. Dumbledor knocked, and a man with black greasy hair and a hooked nose answered. He looked surprised at the old man.
"Head master! What are you doing here?" he asked in a voice that was as greasy as his hair. (Which was really greasy!)
"I'd like to use your floo powder, Professor Snape. We must get to Harry's," he said to the man.
The man looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "If I may ask, Head Master, why are you taking this girl?"
"She will protect him for the next week. She is strong and has a powerful weapon against the dementors," he said and Professor Snape opened the door to let them in.
Dumbledor walked towards the fireplace and grabbed a bowl on the mantle. She stayed back as she watched him throw powder in the fire. The flames turned a bright green, and Dumbledor beckoned her over.
"Step into the flames and say to Harry Potter's house. I've had his house hooked up to the net work. I will follow you."
She gulped and did as she was told. "To harry potter's house!" she said and she began to spin and twirl in the chimney. She stopped abruptly and tumbled out of an opening.
"Oh, God! Vernon! Vernon!" some one shrieked. It was high pitched and her ears rang with its sound.
Three sets of footsteps came towards her. She sat up and brushed her self off. "Oh, God! My head!" she groaned.
She looked around and saw Dumbledor step out of the fire. Step out not falls. She blushed. "How come I had to fall?" she mumbled and got up. She looked at the people in front of her.
The man she thought was Vernon was heavy and reminder her of her grandfather. The younger boy was just as large and reminder her of Nathan. The skinny boy was a lot like her in baggy clothes and old shoes, but the woman didn't strike a memory anywhere.
"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" bellowed the man.
"Dumbledor!" the boy said and ran up to them. He had dark brown hair that flew in every direction, green eyes, and a lightening shaped scare on his forehead. He was tanned from working outside as well.
"Hello, Harry. I'd like you to meet Alice. She will be staying with you," he said softly.
The man's face became a shade of purple. "She will not! I will not tolerate this! Get out! Get out! Get out!" he yelled wildly.
She frowned and stuck her tongue out at him. "Freak," she whispered.
Dumbledor ignored the comment and looked at Vernon. "The dementors will be coming and if she doesn't stay you will all be soulless in two weeks," he warned.
The boy became very pale. "Daddy! Let her stay!" he cried.
She raised an eyebrow, and was about to say something when a nock sounded on the door. An icy feeling crawled into her.
"Answer the door. Dudley," ordered Vernon.
"No!" she said and grabbed him.
He went pale and she could just see the defenses go up. He threw a punch and she dodged and went to the door. She opened it and was greeted by the rattling breath of two dementors. She backed into the hall and they followed her. "Dumbledor?" she asked.
"Do as you did before!" he said.
She nodded and took a deep breath. Her eyes closed as she screamed.
The dementors screeched, and crumbled to the ground. She opened her eyes and kicked at their bodies. "Yep, dead. Now what do I do with the bodies?" she asked the smiling old man.
"Here," he said and handed her a wand. "Say clearyoto."
She pointed it at the bodies. "Clearyoto!" she said firmly. The bodies disappeared immediately.
She looked at the people in the living room. "Oh, yeah! Now what'd you think about me staying?" she asked proudly.
"N-."
The woman cut him off. "Yes! You can stay! Just...Just stay away from us!"
She shrugged. "Sure. Whatever, as long as I get food and clothes," she said and walked back into the living room. She went up to the skinny boy. "You must be Harry. Nice to meet you," she said and they shook hands.
"Yeah, and you must be Alice." He looked at her clothes. They were covered in ash and bits of burnt wood. "I'll get you some new clothes."
She laughed. "I would appreciate it," she said and looked at Dumbledor.
"I'll be going now," he said and turned around.
"Wait! You forgot this!' she said and gave him the wand.
"No, No! Keep it," he said and walked into the chimney.
She looked at the wand. "Cool!" she turned and followed Harry up the stairs. He led her into a dark room with a white owl. She hooted.
"Nice owl!" she commented.
He smiled and petted her. Slinky slithered around her neck. She pulled him from his place and he curled around her wrist. He didn't talk much, but when he did she could understand him.
Harry looked at the snake. "Nice snake. What's his name?"