Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just a writer using her characters or non profit use :)
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This chapter will include - something that will come up later, and that's all I'm going to say on the matter. And Alice's mother! Yay! (-.-)
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Chapter Nine
Alice wasn't sure that she could say anything under James' livid eyes. They were forced to stay close to the windows of Flourish and Blotts, as the throng of people were still going strong in their haste to complete their shopping before school started.
"Let's go into that pub," Alice muttered, indicating the one directly across Flourish and Blotts, despite the sign quite clearly saying you had to be of age.
They made their way to the dingy-looking pub, and Alice opened the door. A very young witch was idly examining what appeared to be a quill at a small desk and looked up, startled, as if seeing customers were a rare occurrence. Behind her was a narrow door that Alice figured led to the café.
The witch's face visibly deflated as her gaze settled on their youthful faces. "I don't have time for this. Go buy your schoolbooks, kids." She stroked the feather on her quill, bored. Upon closer look, Alice realized it was much too thick to be a quill. The witch glared at her and stowed it in an opening under her desk.
"We're all of age," Sirius lied smoothly.
The witch looked at him with distaste. "Do you think I'm a fool, boy?" She spoke as if she had grown up way too early. "I can see your bags filled with those magic books."
Alice tugged Sirius's shirt and began saying, "Let's just go," but James resisted.
"We have early birthdays. I'm surprised you work here, young as you are." James gave her a charming smile. The witch's red hair turned dark brown and her skin paled. She stood up and clutched the desk with bloodless hands.
"You think I'm here by choice?"
Alice was alarmed by this unexpected outburst and wanted to leave more than ever, but Sirius and James' resolve only hardened.
"Let us in," Sirius said, nonplussed. "We're not going to cause trouble; we just fancy a chat."
"Neville!" the witch bellowed fearfully, and her hair faded into a dirty blond.
"So," James said conversationally. "You're a Metamorphamagus?"
"Neville!"
"Who is this Neville fellow?" Sirius asked politely, raising his eyebrows when the door creaked open.
A short and very fat man with a receding grey hairline appeared behind the witch and laid a hand on her waist. He was dressed in an impressive grey suit and tie.
"Amelia?" he prompted.
"We were just leaving, sir," Alice said more firmly this time. She noticed his bulging stomach; it had not been the only reason he had found difficulty in squeezing through the doorframe: it was, she saw now, unusually narrow.
The man's dull blue eyes lit up when he laid eyes on her. "Ah, Amelia. She's perfect."
"What?" Alice asked loudly, but with a slight tremble in her voice. She realized suddenly, far too late, that this was not a pub as they had previously supposed.
"Fancy a drink with me, my sweet?" Neville asked, his lip curling. His eyes darted keenly from Sirius to James. "Ah, these must be your people," he purred. He stepped away from Amelia. "Don't worry dear; they are going to be taken care of."
"Don't touch us," Alice said forcefully. She did not know what made her say it when it simply seemed as if they were discussing the prerequisites of a business plan. She took out her wand and pointed it at Neville's heart, her hand shaking slightly. James and Sirius took out their wands in one almost choreographed motion, also sensing that things were not as they seemed.
"We were just going to leave," she said in a would-be calm voice, backing away slowly. "We can show ourselves the door."
Neville took out his wand and the door banged shut behind them. Alice felt her heart beat madly against her blouse, and wondered why, if it was working so hard, she had become so pale?
"Why are you leaving?" he asked softly. "Surely you would not have come if you didn't want to. And I think you wanted to."
Amelia busied herself with the quill again.
Alice retreated further, and bumped into James, who held her arm tightly. "Let go of me," she whispered. But she needed James' firm support; her knees would surely give away without it.
"Yes, let her go, and come to me," the portly man said eerily, stepping closer.
"Stupefy!"
They all looked around to see who had Stunned Neville. Alice opened her eyes wide when she saw that Amelia was holding her quill aloft, motioning for everybody to leave quickly. They didn't need to be told twice. But before any of them could make a move for the door, something seemed to occur to Alice because she lifted her wand quickly into the air and –
"Stupefy!" Alice shouted at Amelia, who slumped to the floor on top of Neville's back, her hair now a deep purple. They scrambled to the door, and once they were outside, far away from the pub in the blazing sun, Sirius gasped, "Had to make sure she didn't - ?
"- get in trouble, yes," Alice said hoarsely. James quickly stowed his wand in his back pocket. Alice watched with horror as three blond girls headed towards the very same place. They were constantly casting glances over their shoulders, as if to make sure James and the others were watching them.
She saw James' face whiten. "Give me a minute," he said hastily and ran to the girls, weaving in and out of the slowly thinning crowd.
"Blimey, that's Lauren, Rachel, and Cassie," Sirius said.
"What the bloody hell are those kinds of people doing in Diagon Alley?" Alice said angrily, thickly disguising her fear. "That's the kind of bullshit they pull at Knockturn!"
Sirius must have taken her shaking hands for anger, for he said, "Don't worry, I doubt they're legal – the Ministry will get rid of them. They watched as James stopped the girls in front of the door and gestured to the building, his lips moving silently as he explained why they shouldn't enter it.
"Mind you," he said, turning to narrow his eyes at Alice, "we wouldn't have had to go in there if you hadn't set up Alistair with the girl James fancies."
She mumbled something unintelligible.
"Yeah, you don't know what to say? You know Prongs still fancies Lily, don't you?" Sirius asked sharply. Alice swallowed thickly. "Why the bloody hell would you set Lily up with a guy so soon, especially after – and I was there! - telling him yesterday that he should 'take baby steps with her'?"
"And the fact that you know Alistair was being a git to you," James interjected, back and looking slightly harassed and therefore more irritated. "You set Lily up with a really nasty bloke. And you know I fancy her."
Alice couldn't say anything. The disappointment in James' eyes made her feel unbearably horrible. She desperately wished she could tell him the truth: that maybe if Lily got to know other boys she wouldn't think twice about going for James, that there would finally be no obstacles between him and Alice. She only swallowed the impulse because Sirius was present. He went with James everywhere, Alice noted resentfully.
All she knew when she had seen Alistair coming towards her and Lily was that he could potentially be another wedge between Lily and James; and yes, yes she was selfish and a bitch and every name in the book – but every single damn time she had to decide between Lily and James, she was torn. She had chosen Lily last night, hadn't she? So this time she had chosen her feelings for James first. But this was a ruddy excuse. Friends aren't like clothes; you can't alternate them at your fancy. There needs to be a balance, maybe not a perfect and selfless one, but certainly one that is best for everyone.
Could she do anything but look into James' hurt face? Could she have what she wanted, and deflect James' criticism?
"I –" Alice cleared her throat, embarrassed at how timid she sounded. "I figured," she said in a stronger voice, sadness at what she was about to say violently racing underneath the words, "that if Lily saw how awful Alistair was…that that would make you look better, by comparison."
She looked down and fully expected the boys to look at each other in silent acknowledgement of her bluff; therefore, she was very surprised when she felt herself being hoisted in the air, in James' arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, peeking at Sirius who was looking at her carefully, and managed to cover her dry, but completely real sob with a mild cough.
She felt completely free in the air, wind slowly blowing through her hair, clutching James as if her life depended on it, feeling his smile as if it were her own. Then, because good things never last long enough to savor, Sirius had to ruthlessly run a knife through the moment.
"Lily at three o' clock," Sirius said, indifferent to Alice's brief spell of happiness.
James set her down and she looked to her left. The sun was setting at a ridiculously slow pace, providing an appropriately dramatic backdrop to the scene. Lily was walking – no, stomping, towards them, her red hair flying all about her in a very wild way; the sun was hiding just behind her head, so the effect of the orange skies and her haphazard mane of hair was frighteningly theatrical.
Alice was almost afraid of her.
"Let's see if you can make up a better story for Lily," Sirius murmured so that only Alice heard. She ignored him and pretended to be engrossed in the appearance of her red-faced best friend. Alice looked behind Lily; Peter was shining with sweat, using his arm, from which the bag from Flourish and Blotts was dangling, to blot his face.
"Um, hi Lily," Alice began nervously, but Lily narrowed her eyes and Alice closed her mouth at once.
"He showed me the best way to polish my badge," Lily said in a deadly whisper.
"What a charmer," Sirius snorted.
"Look at my badge!" Lily said, but she didn't hold it up for Alice to see, as she had expected. Alice snuck a look at James, who was trying his best not to yield to the smile that was tugging at his lips.
When Lily still didn't show Alice the badge, she asked hesitantly, "Where is your badge?"
"You left me with that nutter who's been campaigning for Head since first year and you're wondering what happened to my badge?"
"You're the one who brought it up -" Alice started defensively, but her next words never left her mouth. She dug her teeth deeply into her bottom lip when Lily shifted so that Alice could see the badge pinned to her shirt.
Sirius howled with laughter and slapped his knee when he caught sight of it as well. "Excellent!"
"I'm so sorry," Alice managed to say quietly, trying her best to contain the heaps of laughter inside of her.
"I guess you'll be sitting with the Ravenclaws, then?" James commented, his voice thick with amusement as he bent to examine the blue and bronze badge.
Lily shoved him away roughly and unpinned it, shaking it violently.
"I'm the best in the year at Charms and I can't change it back!" she said angrily.
"It isn't the badge's fault!" Sirius said, and laughed again when Lily glared at him.
"So…was that the highlight of your date?" Peter asked unexpectedly.
Lily took out her wand and Peter immediately hid behind James and Sirius.
"I'm just wondering why he changed your badge instead of mine," James said thoughtfully.
"You weren't with him long enough for him to say, 'Oh James, can I please see your badge?' and then have him say 'Can you please get me a drink, dear, I'm rather tired' while you stupidly left your badge with him to get that bloody drink. That's why," Lily snapped, and poked the badge. The picture of the eagle wiggled then stayed still.
James smiled at Alice appreciatively.
Sirius laughed, "Well, that answers your question too, Peter."
"Why didn't you ask the bloke to change it for you?" Peter asked.
"He left before I came back," Lily retorted.
"Here, let me try," James said, fingering his wand.
"No!" Lily said suddenly, a new idea dawning on her. She lifted her wand. "I can do it. I didn't think of this before but…Cambio!" The badge gleamed scarlet and gold and Lily smiled briefly. Then she rounded on Alice at once.
"Why?"
"I just thought he liked you – you probably made his day -"
"You're lying!" Lily accused shrilly.
Alice grinned. "Honestly, Lily, you can't tell me he didn't look interested. Who would have thought that he preferred the shade of scarlet on your badge to the one in your hair?"
"Well don't ever do that again unless the boy in question is male inclined. And if that wasn't bad enough," Lily said, trying to pin the badge back on her shirt, "I had to spend about a good half hour looking for you guys, and then I met those awful Potter Club girls on my way back."
"You mean Lauren, Cassie, and Rachel?" said Sirius.
"Yes."
"You sure didn't look annoyed when you were all conspiring against me back at Flourish and Blotts," James reminded her bitterly. Alice looked at Lily and James questioningly.
"You know very well that was because you were being a prat," Lily said heatedly.
"Okay, yes, I agree, I deserved it!" James amended hastily, trying to tame the spark before it burst into flames.
"They're idiots," Lily said shortly.
"They're actually not stupid," James said defensively, as if his admirers shouldn't be considered less than worthy of his attention. "They're ditzy, yes, and I want to donate each of their larynxes to St. Mungo's, but they did brew a Love Potion correctly and manage to bewitch my broom. They got Outstanding in Potions and Charms...not unlike you, of course," he added, with a big smile to Lily.
"Wait, how do you know that?" Alice asked. "They're all sixth years, meaning they must have gotten their results not too far back."
"Ask me no questions and I shall tell you no lies," James said.
"He's probably just after chatting them up a little. Couldn't resist, eh, Jamsie?" Sirius said cheekily, earning a scowl from James.
At this, Lily looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Are you sure you don't mind their attention, then?"
James mirrored her expression. "Of course I do. They tried to steal my wand for Merlin's sake!"
"Okay, what exactly happened at Flourish and Blotts?" Alice asked sharply.
"We had a nice chat, is all," James said airily.
"That's right, Hunkie Poo," said Lily with the shadow of a grin.
Alice blanched and said "What?" while Sirius mouthed "ouch," wincing.
"Never mind it," Lily said with a short giggle. She suddenly turned somber. "What were you lot doing while I was gone?" she asked abruptly with a tone that suggested it better have had been mundane.
"Funny you ask. Let's walk back to the Leak and Alice will tell you all about it," Sirius said as they began walking. "Alice?"
"We wanted – er, some drinks, so we went into a pub across from Flourish and Blotts -" Alice began.
"Let the stenographer note that Alice suggested this," James said in a mock serious tone.
The brown-haired witch tossed him an exasperated look before continuing.
"Well we went in and there was a witch and she said we weren't allowed in because we were under-age. Then Sirius lied to her," she said, noting that Lily's face was free of any judgment so far. "And then the witch insisted that we leave and then stuff happened and we left," Alice finished quickly.
"Oh, I think you left out a few bits," Sirius said airily.
"Stuff happened? Like what, Black?" Lily asked.
"Like, the witch was a Metamorphamagus and had a quill that was really her wand and that this sleazy looking fat toad appeared from behind a door that not even Stick Stacy could squeeze through and tried to take Alice for bodily services – ah, there's that charming place," Sirius said, directing Lily's horrified eyes at the innocent looking pub with the large sign bearing the admission policy.
"He – you – then – how'd you escape?" Lily said, stunned; she looked at Alice up and down, as if she expected to see a sign of struggle on her person. "Why didn't you leave when you were told to?"
"We reckoned she was just yanking our wands…how were we supposed to know that they didn't have fire whiskey on their menu?" James said, eyeing the pub grimly. "All I was thinking was what the fuck was this doing in Diagon Alley and not Knockturn?"
"Maybe it is in Knockturn, as well," Lily said quietly.
"How? Do you think it's just there as a front office and the real headquarters dig deep into Diagon Alley and poke out the other end to Knockturn? Oh, wait," James said, interrupting himself comically and pondering this thought.
"Can we stop talking about this?" Alice said, opening the archway and stepping through into the Leaky Cauldron courtyard.
"You were the one who took us there, remember?" said Sirius.
"Alright, drop it, Padfoot," said James.
For some odd reason, Lily gave Alice a knowing look when James said this …but she didn't know what she was supposed to know…
She must have missed something while she was thinking about this, because James said to Lily, "Don't hold your breath. You already know that I don't -"
"I'll go first then! Okay, brilliant!" Sirius said loudly, taking a handful of Floo Powder and throwing it in the fire. "Prewett Estate!"
Peter followed him, and then Lily.
"Oh!" Alice gasped. "I forgot to tell Lily to take off her badge!"
She had decided to tell her mother the bad news without the latter first seeing the badge on someone else's robes, to save embarrassment for Alice and Lily both.
"Don't worry," James said, putting a sooty hand on Alice's shoulder after he had transferred the Floo powder from his right to his left hand. Alice noticed he seemed barely able to stop smiling at her since Lily had recounted the details of her horrible not-date. Although his smile certainly made her happy, it did not ease the tension she felt.
After James was gone, she took some powder and threw it into the fire. She stepped in and said in a voice that wasn't too confident: "Prewett Estate!"
In a few seconds, she stumbled out of the fireplace, brushing herself off. Barney was there, cleaning up the mess happily. That could only mean one thing -
"Alice!" her mother called from the far end of the room. She walked over, holding a large parchment in her hands. Alice recognized it as some sort of welcome back card. "Come on, tidy up – you've got a bit of soot on your shoulder, yes, there... now, let's have a nice talk."
Her mother had short brown hair and crow's feet etched deeply into the skin around her eyes. Her smile was taut as she looked at Alice with pale green eyes.
"Hey mum," Alice said with faux cheerfulness. She held out her arms for a hug.
Mrs. Prewett frowned deeply, and for a split second Alice was reminded of Professor McGonagall when James and Sirius were acting up.
Alice dropped her arms and clasped her hands together. Ironically, nobody was sitting in the sitting room. On the contrary, they were all standing, shifting from foot to foot - all nervous besides James, who was looking at her mother expectantly; Lily had her head slightly bowed.
"I asked Lily why she had your badge," Mrs. Prewett said quietly, looking her daughter in the eyes. "Do you know what she told me?"
Alice stayed silent, not moving, and looked back into her mother's eyes so as not to meet the gazes of her friends. Maybe if she was lucky, a quick lecture followed by an appropriate shade of ashamedness on her own part would suffice.
"That it's her badge," said Alice's mother, and she let this sink in and fester. "Her badge, Alice," she prompted sharply, and Alice started.
"I'm sorry, mum," Alice mumbled almost automatically.
"That's what you said in your fifth year, when you failed to get a Prefect badge."
Alice bit her lip, face reddening in shame. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Sirius was elbowing Peter, his eyes darting to the door pointedly.
"No," Alice's mother said to Sirius, noticing this. "You can all stay right here. Maybe Alice needs to know what humiliation feels like; she clearly doesn't understand what it feels to be ashamed."
Alice tried to breathe evenly.
"Mrs. Prewett, no disrespect, but I think you're being a little too harsh with Alice," James said bravely.
"James, I have allowed you to stay in my home with my daughter with no adult supervision," Alice's mother said crisply. "Do not make me regret it."
"Not at all, ma'am," James said earnestly. "But I just don't think there's any point in going on about something you can't change."
Mrs. Prewett's eyes bored into each of Alice's friends', as if to let them know the extent of the shame they should be feeling. She said, "This will be your last day here. It was lovely having you here -"
James opened his mouth but Alice interrupted him, unable to fathom this.
"How would you know, you weren't even here," Alice blurted. "You never are."
"Be quiet Alice, or I shall send your friends packing tonight. I'm going to go upstairs and rest. Merlin knows I can do with some," said her mother, and walked to the door, Barney right behind her. She paused with her hand on the knob. "You lot ought to do the same," she said firmly. It was an order, not a request.
"Mum, that's not fair!" Alice protested, watching as her friends filed out of the room, James looking at her apologetically.
Mrs. Prewett turned around to face her daughter again. "Keep your voice down, Alice," she said calmly, as if Alice was a bratty child who needed to have sense talked into her.
Alice looked about her; it was now just her and her mother on the battlefield.
"Can't they stay until the first day of term? Please?" she asked hopefully.
"They'll be gone tomorrow."
"And you?"
"What about me?" her mother asked coolly, her impatience tangible.
"Are you going to be gone, too? You're just going to leave me alone, and knowing that Daddy may not come either? Leave me here with that barmy elf without even my friends? Without James? Two days may be nothing to you, mother, but they're everything to me," Alice choked out.
"Your father -"
"Is just as unaccountable as you are!" Alice interjected angrily, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.
Mrs. Prewett looked at her daughter sternly. "Seeing as how James was made Head Boy, I hoped having him around would encourage you to be better. That is obviously not the case."
"But what do you want me to do? It's not like I can hope to be Head Girl two point oh next year – there is no next year," Alice reminded her, trying to tether her mother to her side of the story with her useless protests.
"Please, Alice," said Mrs. Prewett, and for a brief, strong moment, her cold exterior gave way to raw disappointment. This hit Alice harder than anything. Did her mother not understand there were far worse things she could be as a daughter than simply unlucky in not getting the Head Girl badge? That she could be sick, or selfish, or rebellious, or – or a pureblood supremacist?
"Mommy," Alice whimpered when she realized that her mother was slipping away from her, and that she had not heard the words that Alice was feeling in her heart.
Mrs. Prewett looked as though she would like to say something, but she blinked rapidly and then was gone.
Was she ever here, Alice wondered, staring dumbly at the door; her mother was just on the other side. Always close, never there.
Feeling void of any emotion inside of her, she trudged up to her room, savoring the long sixty two steps it took to get there. She fully appreciated the dynamics of metaphysics. Walking, the act of moving forward: an act completely in her control, which was made ten times harder by her weary heart.
Lily and James were leaving in a day.
Sirius, who she could tell was growing steadily suspicious of her behavior, was becoming uncomfortable to be around. Suppose he blabbed and told James that she fancied him? She would lose James.
Barney would be her only company.
The thought of being with a creature who accepted, even loved her mother to the point of absurdity made her want to scream.
She was on step thirty two before she realized she was counting.
If only Lily hadn't gotten the badge…but she stomped this thought out of her mind before it took full bloom. She would not go there.
Step forty five…
Only two more days until Hogwarts…and then she would be with her friends all day, every day.
Fifty two…
Sixty…
Sixty one…
Sixty two.
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