Hello everyone!

I hope all of you are doing well. I apologize for the shortish chapter, but I wanted to put a divide between Alice getting better and Harrys first Quidditch match, if that makes any sense. My life continues to be a bit hectic, so I'm very sorry for not being as consistent with updates like I should be. I just finished applying to University and am currently dealing with the fact that my childhood home is being sold, which is hitting me harder than what I expected. A part of me feels as though I am falling away from this series, yet the other part thinks this isn't the case. If anything, I'm anxious to get writing and progressing the story, though I have so many ideas that it's almost overwhelming lol

A huge thank you to Grummelnut, Lisa Cooper, Mizu Kouken, hitvinw, and nagoth for following/favouriting the story. As always, your support is something so dear to me, so thank you for following me on this journey!

For reviews,

madwamoose: ooooh I'm so glad the chapter made up for my absence! Thank you for putting up with my odd publishing schedule as of late. As for Alice, I don't think I have the heart to ever permanently injure my OC lol hopefully I'll never have to ;-; I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter, which will be the first Quidditch match of the year. :)

something526: gosh you guys are so understand thank you very much! I'm happy that this chapter made up for my lack of presence as well. I was originally just going to include Alice getting better in this chapter, but your comment made me think about writing a little snippet of things through Mr. Potter's perspective, just to make things a little interesting lol

Lisa Cooper: lmao the struggles of growing up as a witch. Thank you for joining me as I write this story with everyone. I am always thankful for the support that has been shown for this fic. It's good to hear that this story for you has been able to distract you from your life. I personally write to help deal with the anxiety and stress that seems to keep appearing in my life, so to hear that it is helping you, even if it is only by a little bit, is wonderful to hear. Thank you for the kind words :)

Honestly, I wasn't exactly thrilled with how this chapter turned out but by adding the little part through Harry's POV, it appeared to be the missing piece this chapter needed.

Enjoy my lovelies~

Harry's Prospective

How Ron had managed to use the levitation charm and knock out the troll in the bathroom was beyond Harrys own understanding. One minute, he was being held up in the air by the horrid beast and just barely missing being demolished by it's club, and the next he was on the ground with the troll almost crushing him as it fell unconscious. There was still dust in the air and nothing remained where the bathroom stalls once remained. The sink that the troll had broken was spraying water in the air with Hermione no longer under it. In fact, the bushy-haired girl had crawled over to Alice, who was sitting up right against the fair all with her head lolling to the side.

Harry figured as though the girl was resting, but quickly changed his mind when he heard Hermione yelling at them as he slowly pulled his wand from the nostril of the troll.

"Harry! Ron! Alice is hurt!"

The boy didn't even glance over at Ron as he made his way through the remains of the stalls towards the two girls, his stomach quivering and his chest tight. Watching as Hermione shook Alice by the shoulders to try and wake her up, Harry had almost missed the piece of stall sticking out from the blonde's leg.

"Bloody hell!" Ron practically cried out, his eyes taking in the state of their friend.

It wasn't what Harry had expected at all. Pieces of wood were in Alice's hair and a layer of dust covered her face. She looked extremely pale, almost deathly, which made the young boy worry even more. He could barely bring himself to look at her leg. The blood had stained her robes and was being washed away by the water spraying out form the broken sink. The piece of wood that was lodged through the fabric of her robes and into her leg was much larger than Harry had thought as he crouched down beside the two girls.

"She's not waking up," Hermione muttered, worry filling her eyes. "I think she's losing too much blood."

Harry didn't know what to do. He knew that they had to get her help, but they wouldn't be able to move her on her own, not without hurting her even more. The realization that his friend might actually die from this hit him like a freight train, leading to him unconsciously placing his hand over hers.

Her skin was warm. Way too warm for someone who was losing blood as fast as she was. The light movements of her chest told him that she was still alive, while the warmth told him something else. It was almost like something was keeping her alive, hence the heat in his hands. It made him wonder if there was more to Alice's fire abilities than they knew.

"Oh my word!"

The three of them glanced over their shoulders to spot Professor McGonagall staring down at the unconscious troll, Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell by the witch's side. The looked absolutely horrified by the sight in front of them, even before they looked over and noticed Alice's condition.

"What in Godric's name happened here?" McGonagall questioned, coming closer to the four of them. It was only when the professor got a clearer look at Alice that her face fell even further. "Severus, we need to get this girl to the Hospital Wing immediately."

There wasn't much talk of the troll as they teachers figured out how to get Alice out of the bathroom without hurting her anymore than she already was. Harry didn't think for a moment that they were getting out of this situation without having a stern scolding from Professor McGonagall.

It was only when Snape and Quirrell left with that McGonagall turned to them.

"We will discuss this once Miss Fairfax is in the Hospital Wing." Was all the older witch said to them before following after her coworkers.

The trio were left standing outside the washroom in shocked silence, trying to understand what they had just gone through. While Ron and Hermione managed to have a small conversation that didn't involve bickering for once, all Harry could think about was the well being of his friend. The possibility of losing her when they had barely even started getting to know each other was almost too much for Harry to bear. He couldn't even think about what he'd do about his nightmares if Alice weren't there to provide reassurance.

Unsurprisingly, he had one of the most vivid nightmares he'd ever experience.

And of course they involved his young blonde friend.

Alice's Prospective

Warm. That's the only way she could describe how she felt as the heavy blanket that was oblivion was lifted off of her body. The ends of her fingertips were tingling, moving slowly along soft bed sheets. There was a light on the other side of her eyelids, which worried her slightly. It was incredibly bright and demanded to be acknowledged. For a moment, she believed as though she were dead, but the tingle behind her eyes and the soft thumping of her heart reassured her that she was still in the land of the living.

It wasn't until she had slowly begun moving her limbs that Alice felt the pain. It shot from her thigh all the way down her leg, but it subsided as soon as it came. It was nowhere near as excruciating as it had been when she'd been in the girl's bathroom with her friends.

And the troll.

Eyelids flying open and panic flooding her system, Alice lifted her upper body off the mattress of the bed she was currently occupying, which evidently wasn't her own. White walls and pillars attacked her retinas in a somewhat harsh manner, a grimace contorting on the young girl's face. When the shock to her system melted away, her eyes fell on the rows of white beds and draw-able curtains for privacy. Long glass windows let in the sunlight from outside, amplifying the harshness of the all-white room. It surprised her that the sun was in the sky. How long had she been out for?

"Good morning, dearie."

Hearing the soft click clack of pumps hitting the floor, Alice spotted an older looking woman dressed in nursing attire, white apron and all. Her grey hair jutted out from under her nurses' cap. A kind smile played on the ends of her mouth as she brought over a tray with water and some sort of bottle, containing a dark liquid.

"Are my friends okay?!" Alice almost yelled at the woman, though her dry throat betrayed her as her words came out as more of a squeak.

"The three that keep coming to see you?" The woman asked, an almost annoyed tone gracing her voice. "If they are whom you speak of, then I suppose yes."

Alice sighed, leaning back on her pillows with relief. Her friends were okay and alive; that was the only thing she hoped for. Though, she was sure that her nerves would remain until she saw the trio with her own eyes.

"It must have been quite the endeavor. Minerva looked horrified."

"Professor McGonagall was here?"

"Of course. She was worried sick! Good thing they brought you to me when they did, you lost quite a lot of blood."

So McGonagall had been the one to find the four of them in the girl's washroom. While Alice can imagine the witch had most likely given her friends a stern talking to, but of all the professors to find them, she was glad it was the older witch.

The second thing that hit her was the mention of her losing a lot of blood. Feeling a bit hesitant at taking a look at her leg, Alice swallowed the lump in her throat and moved the sheets out of the way to reveal her bandaged thigh. It appeared as though it had been recently changed.

"You're a lucky girl. The piece of wood that was stuck in your leg didn't hit any arteries." The woman spoke up again, relief evident in her voice.

"How long have I been here?" Alice questioned, placing the covers back over her leg.

"In the Hospital Wing? Two days. Thankfully it hasn't been too busy here. My only patients are you and the boy over there that has a case of the mumblemumps."

"Thank you for looking after me…?"

"Madame Pomfrey," the woman clarified for her. "Matron here at Hogwarts."

It was nice to meet the witch, though Alice wished it were under different circumstances. While Madame Pomfrey was kind to her, she was quite stern when it came to the patients under her care. The witch made Alice drink the dark liquid from the bottle she'd brought over, which was probably the worst thing the young girl had ever tasted. She was very glad that Madame Pomfrey had brought her water to get rid of the aftertaste, the older witch informing her to get some rest before her friends could come barging in to see her.

To say that she was bored out of her mind sitting in the Hospital Wing alone was an understatement. Alice had no book to read, no kitten to play with, and no friends to talk with. That was, unless she wanted to have a conversation with the boy three bunks over who could barely talk above a whisper. Even if she tried, Madame Pomfrey would tell her to quiet down and focus on getting better.

After a while, the young girl began to feel quite tired. Perhaps it had something to do with that horrid drink the older witch had given her, or maybe it was simply the fact that her body and mind were exhausted. A lot had gone on during the past few days and she couldn't help but comply with her heavy eyelids as she let them fall shut.

As soon as she had closed them, Alice heard a few pairs of feet running down one of the nearby hallways. With the heavy creak of the doors that lead into the Hospital Wing and the irritated warnings coming from Madame Pomfrey, the hurried footsteps got louder and louder. The young girl wondered if someone had gotten hexed or something and had to be brought to the Hospital Wing. A part of Alice hoped that that person was Malfoy.

However, she had been deeply wrong. The worried and somewhat exhausted faces of Harry, Hermione and Ron came into view of her own tired gaze as they quickly rushed over to her.

"Alice, you're awake!" Hermione concluded happily, grabbing ahold of the young girl's hand.

"We thought you were a goner!" Ron said, only to be elbowed by the other two. "Come on, there was a lot of blood! You must've thought the same."

"Even so, you shouldn't say it aloud!" Hermione scolded him.

"Especially when she's sitting in the Hospital Wing." Harry said, giving Alice an apologetic smile for his friend's sake.

She hadn't realized how much she had missed them until they were right in front of her. They made the pain in her leg more bearable and the fatigue less apparent, a smile splitting across her face as she watched them.

"I'm glad that you're all okay," Alice spoke up. "What happened in the bathroom though? I passed out halfway through."

"Ron managed to levitate the troll's club and drop it on its head," Hermione explained, smiling softly. "It got knocked out and collapsed. Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Professor Quirell found us there."

"Hermione took the blame, got five house points taken away but Harry and I got five back each!" Ron exclaimed, though his smile faltered. "That's when we spotted you. We hadn't seen that you'd gotten injured. A piece of the stall was sticking out of your leg and it…"

"It wasn't good," Harry continued for his friend. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sore," Alice said, trying to ignore the content sensation in her chest by being asked such a normal question. She didn't know why, but she suspected that it had something to do with the person asking the question. "Really, really bored. There's nothing to do here!"

"You're supposed to be resting." Hermione stated.

"I know, but would it be a crime to go get a book from my trunk and come back? I don't think so."

Her three friends laughed and that's when Alice noticed that the previous tension between Hermione and the two boys had dissipated. It made her heart soar at the thought of her friends getting along. Of course, there was no way that the bickering between Ron and Hermione would ever go away but deep down, Alice never wanted it to.

The trio kept her company for a good hour, the time being spent either by telling Alice about the new prank the twins had managed to pull or how Seamus had managed to make another explosion during McGonagall's class. By the end of it, she was laughing so hard that her sides had begun to ache and tears had threaten to fall. It got to the point where Madame Pomfrey had to kick the three of them out for being so loud.

Alice was sad to see her friends go, the emptiness they left behind hung unpleasantly in the air. She couldn't help but feel thankful for all the wonderful people she'd had the pleasure of meeting and calling them friends. Two months ago, she'd only known a handful of people and magically, that handful had turn into two handfuls. She'd always known that there would be pleasure in having friends if she ever had the chance to acquire some, but she had no idea what she had been missing. The joy of having people to rely on, people to laugh and cry with, to share memories with, and to grow up with had seemed to be a far away star out of reach. The fact that she now had that same star in the palm of her hands was almost overwhelming, silently wondering if life was playing a cruel trick on her, worried that in the blink of an eye everything would be taken away from her.

Yet, everyday, she was greeted with the same wonderful faces of her friends.

Alice had drifted asleep almost immediately after the trio had left, the Hospital Wing falling silent once again. She had a dreamless sleep for the first time in what felt like forever, her mind obviously too tired to come up with a nightmare like it usually would.

A part of her regretted going to sleep in the afternoon, because when the young girl woke up, wide away and ready to go, it was the middle of the night. She could hear the boy three bunks down snoring obnoxiously loud and Madame Pomfrey appeared to be nowhere in sight. It was nice to be left alone for a moment without having the older witch monitoring her every move. Alice needed to do something or she would lose her mind from boredom. Every fiber of her was awake, the pain in her leg almost unnoticeable now, even when she moved it.

She needed to stretch. There was a cramp in her back that was giving her more pain than the injury in her thigh. Knowing deep down that the idea was stupid and would probably result in her crumpling to the floor, Alice carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed. With both hands placed firmly on the mattress for balance, the young girl allowed her feet to touch the cold tiles beneath her. Putting the majority of her weight on her right leg, she managed to stand up straight without falling over.

"Alice, what are you doing?"

The sudden voice made her almost lose her balance, her hands grabbing hold of the edge of the side table as she searched for the whoever spoke to her. Standing a little ways away from her bunk stood Harry, clothed in his blue pajamas and hair slightly rustled. Alice let out a sigh and sat back down on the edge of her bed.

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied, rubbing at her eye. "Why are you out of bed?"

"Had a nightmare, couldn't get back to sleep."

"That doesn't explain why you're here."

When she didn't get an answer, Alice looked over at her friend in question. A hand was held out to her, a golden-bound book wrapped in his grasp. She thought the book had been familiar, especially when she saw the silver dragon on the front of it.

"You mentioned earlier that you were bored, so I brought you one of your books," Harry stated, coming over and sitting beside her on the bed. "Of course, I didn't go get it myself. I asked Hermione to get it for me."

"So you were planning to come back here regardless?"

"Yeah, I suppose you could say that."

Alice hesitantly took the book from Harry, feeling a sort of sadness sink into her chest. She hadn't touched any of her own books since she'd arrived at Hogwarts, not the ones in the curriculum at least. It made her think of Mr. Hugo and his bookstore, the need to visit the man again ever so strong in her chest. It had been years since she'd spoken to him. Of course, they always talked through mail, but it wasn't the same. She missed him and his old books.

"Thank you, Harry," Alice mumbled, giving the boy a smile as she looked back up at him. "This was very sweet of you."

"Hermione didn't know which one to take," Harry explained, ringing his hands as he laughed. "She said there were at least ten different books in your trunk."

"I've always loved books. Have so ever since I was younger," Alice explained, chuckling softly as well. "I might not have read as many books as Hermione, but I definitely love them as much as she does."

"And what is this one about?" Harry asked, looking down at the book.

"Different dragon species," she stated, not noticing his eyes go wide in shock until she looked over at him for a reply. "Don't tell me you didn't know dragons were real!"

Before she knew it, Alice had gone off on a tangent about dragons and other mythical creatures that were actually real. She told him about her favourite book and how she had learned the majority of her information on beasts from its pages. Alice even told him how she had lost it in the house fire, but quickly diverged back on path. There were a few times where she'd wondered if she was boring Harry, but the young boy looked absolutely blown away. The look only encouraged her to continue, and continue she did for at least a half hour.

"So, hippogriffs are real too?" Harry questioned, eyebrows raised and eyes wide.

"We learn about them in third year." Alice smiled, laughing at the boy's reaction.

"I love magic." He mumbled and she nodded in agreement.

The two fell into a silence that was on the line between comfortable and somewhat tense, the possibilities in regards to which direction their conversation could go were a bit worrying. Of course, having difficult discussions were always important, but they had just spent the last half hour together laughing and enjoying each other's company. She didn't want to talk about anything worrisome, but Alice knew that Harry did.

"Have you had anymore nightmares?"

Alice let out a soft sigh at the question.

"Yes, though I've been having a new one as of late."

"About what?"

"My parents."

Harry didn't need to asked anymore questions, knowing whatever had to do with her parents showing up in her nightmare was not something pleasant.

"And you? You said you had a nightmare." Alice asked, looking over at the boy.

"Same one as usual," Harry replied, gazing down at his hands. "You'd think you'd get used to or tired of seeing the same thing over and over again…"

"But you never do."

The boy nodded silently. It was horrid, seeing someone else go through the same thing you were, but in a sense comforting, knowing that you weren't alone in the struggle. She had a great respect for the boy beside her and she felt as though she'd known him her whole life. A part of her couldn't believe that they had avoided each other at the beginning of the year. That seemed like such a long time ago now.

"Thank you for being talking with me about everything, Harry." Alice said without really thinking, the boy looking over at her in surprise.

"What do you mean?" He questioned, eyeing her carefully.

"It's hard to explain but thank you for being so understanding," she continued, trying to find her words. "There are so many weird things going on with the two of us, but I'm glad we're not avoiding each other anymore. As much as it's not ideal, it's nice to be able to talk with someone who knows what's going on in the background. The whole thing with our nightmares, and me having an odd affinity with fire, I appreciate your kindness and consideration. It makes me feel more at peace."

The fact that Harry didn't answer right away caused the anxiety in Alice's chest to skyrocket and hit the moon. She worried that she had freaked him out or had been too honest with him, but was hoping that he was simply taking the time to process her words.

"Do you feel like we've known each other for a long time?"

Harry's sudden question threw her off, Alice's mouth opening in surprise as she glanced back over at him.

"Yes."

"Me too," he stated, staring off into space. "It's odd, considering that we don't know much about each other but still know things about the other that nobody else does."

"It makes you wonder."

"Yes. Yes, it does," Harry agreed, finally looking over at her. "I'm glad we became friends."

Alice's response came in the form of a large smile that stretched from ear to ear. The amount of joy that spread through her system was almost unreasonable, but she didn't seem to care. The boy with black hair and green eyes that hide behind round specs had been the focus of her worst nightmares for the longest time was now one of her closest friends. She would have never thought in a million years that things would turn out this way, but she didn't argue.

"So, when are you free to leave the Hospital Wing?" Harry asked after a moment, breaking the silence.

"I'm not sure, hopefully soon."

"Well whenever it is, you'd better come to my Quidditch game on Friday."

Alice had been so caught up with schoolwork and what happened in the troll that she had almost forgotten about Harry's first official game.

"Of course I'll be there!"

"Good," he replied, sending her another quick smile. "Well, I ought to go back to the common room and get some sleep."

"Yes. Thank you again for the book and speaking with me."

"Thank you for making me excited for third year."

With a soft laugh, Alice waved goodbye to Harry as he bid her goodnight. The door of the Hospital Wing silently opened and shut, leaving Alice alone once again. She felt a hundred times better after talking with Harry, any worry or pain that was bothering her was suddenly not as prominent in her mind. All she could think about as she laid back down again was of how lucky she was to have a friend like the Boy Who Lived.

Ahhhh so cheesy I'm sorry, I couldn't help it ;-;

Thank you once again for putting up with my odd uploading schedule. As always, I'd love to hear feedback from you guys, whether it be good or bad, or just to say hi. i promise I don't bite lol

I hope you're all doing well.

Until the next update,

- GuiltyCalamity