Harry thought he, Ron and Hermione were safe from Filch. They managed to safely get out of the third floor corridor door, escaping the giant three headed dog. It was a close call. He was thankful that they weren't caught. Then, a smooth, drawling voice spoke up from behind them, as they slowly backed away from the forbidden door. At first he thought it was Malfoy, then again unless Malfoy suddenly turned into a girl, the chances that it was him behind them were slim.

"Up for a late night stroll?" drawled Alice.

The three of them turned around.

Harry's first impression of Alice Jones was that she was rather small for her age, yet her grey eyes were so much older and held more knowledge than an ordinary 11 year old or Hermione, and that was saying something. Alice was still in her pajamas, twirling her wand around her fingers. There a parchment sticking out from under her pajamas. She smiled slyly at them. Harry thought that she slightly intimidating when he stared into her eyes that were even paler in the dark.

"I can say the same thing about you." Ron said, trying to sound brave but his voice was still shaking after facing the three headed dog. Alice gave them a sideways glance and lopsided smile. There was mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Don't worry, I won't tell on you," she said.

"What are you doing here, Alice?" Hermione asked.

"Oh you know, same as you three—exploring the castle," Alice replied nonchalantly.

"Past curfew?" Harry claimed. He regretted saying that because they too were breaking curfew. Alice didn't reply. She merely quirked an eyebrow.

"You know, Ron. For a Gryffindor, you sure are a wimp," Alice commented.

Ron trembled, "you won't be saying that once you see what's in there," he said.

Alice rolled her eyes, "You mean, the Cerberus inside. I think his name is Fluffy. It's in the collar. You should take a closer look, though."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, "You went inside!" he remarked.

"I got curious," she said, yawning, "It was all very boring if you ask me,"

Hermione frowned, she still spoke in a shrill voice, "There's nothing boring about that. That dog could have killed us."

"Whatever you say," said Alice in a slow sleepy voice. She twirled her wand again before pocketing it in her pajamas and turned. She started to walk slowly, "Let me know if you need help getting pass Fluffy," she said while looking over her shoulder, "I can tell you, with a price of course."

Alice gave them one last smirk before looking straight ahead, turning to another corridor, leaving out of their sights.

"You seem to be familiar with that Slytherin hatstall, Hermione." Ron said. His voice had a hint of an accusing tone in it.

Hermione shook her head and scrunched up her nose as if she was remembering something unpleasant, "I met her on the train. She wasn't very polite," she said.

Harry briskly said the password and they scrambled inside the common room, collapsing, trembling into the armchairs.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on.

"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."

"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something. She stood up, glaring at them.

"Anyways…I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." She turned her back at them, marching angrily to the girl's dorms.

"She needs to sort out her priorities." Ron said. Harry nodded.

But Hermione gave Harry something to think about as he climbed into his four poster bed. The dog was guarding something. What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide - except perhaps Hogwarts.

It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was, and he had the feeling that Alice knew exactly what it was.

Alice rarely spent her time in the common room. The only reason she ever did go there was to listen to gossip and find out about everyone's juicy secrets. Her adventure towards the third floor corridor was probably the least boring event that ever happened to her while she was in Hogwarts. She managed borrow the Weasley twins amazing map; The Marauders Map, a map that sort of works like a security camera, only without the actual video, but equally useful.

She was sitting lazily inside the common room, by the fireplace with Somali on her lap. She stroked his fur distractingly as she listened to gossips, and as usual, Malfoy was still bragging all about Potter and how he bet that he wouldn't show up in the Great Hall tomorrow. Fat chance. She thought.

It was breakfast. Alice didn't do breakfast. She would rather spend her time looking for more secrets, and conducting experiments in abandoned restrooms. So, she really didn't know that today was the day that Harry Potter got his Nimbus 2000. Lucky for him. Not so lucky for Alice, who was forced to listen to Malcolm's 30 minute rant about how "unfair" it was again, during Transfiguration Class.

Ugh. Why do I even hang out with him?!

She couldn't even answer her own obvious question.

The troll was getting closer towards them, eyes filled with hunger. The three of them stood there trembling. Ron was on the verge of peeing is trousers. After Harry was thrown down from the back of the troll, Ron uttered the first spell that came into his mind.

"Wingardium Leviosa" the troll's club levitated into the air, turned slowly over –and dropped with a sickening crack, onto the owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

Harry got to his feet. He suddenly heard footsteps approaching the bathroom. It was Alice. She fixed her eyes on the troll. There was no emotion on her face at first then she surprised Harry by suddenly smiling.

"Sweet!" she remarked and advanced towards the troll's body, bending down over it and taking something from her pockets that looked awfully like a syringe and a pocket knife. She appeared to be gathering some flesh and blood from the troll. The troll didn't stir.

"Is it—dead?" Hermione said.

Alice shook her head. Harry saw her eyes scanning the troll like they were x-rays.

"Nope," she said, popping her 'p'

Harry wasn't relieved.

"But he'll be out for the moment. Give it one or two hours at most." She said, finally straightening her posture and looking at them with twinkling eyes, "Always did wanted to see a troll. Good job for knocking it out, Ron. Here you go, Harry." Alice said, handing over his wand.

"Thanks." Harry mumbled. His wand was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue. "Ugh. Troll boogers." He wiped it on the troll's trousers.

Ron then pointed his wand, accusingly to Alice's direction. He appeared as if he just realized something, "Wait—what are you doing here?" Ron demanded, "I bet you were the one who set off the troll weren't you, thinking it would be all funny." He spat.

Alice did another of her signature eye-rolls.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Alice said. She raised up her chin making her appear pompous, "It wasn't me. However, the culprit should be coming towards here in three…two—"

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.

Alice was still standing there squinting at Quirell who was still whimpering.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down. Then his eyes darted towards Alice looking more perplexed than angry.

A small voice came out of the shadows. It was Hermione, and she finally got to her feet. She lied to McGonagall, saying that she thought that she could have taken the troll herself.

"Well - in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, completely ignoring Alice.

"Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head. "Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione left. Alice went with her.

"Miss Jones," Snape said. Alice let out a mock wince but Harry could tell that she was expecting that Snape would want to talk to her about why she was with three Gryffindors, "My office. At 8:00 p.m. don't be late like the last time," said Snape darkly, glaring at Alice's small figure.

Alice only nodded, and then scrambled out of the bathroom together with Hermione.