When Alison opened her eyes, the birds were singing and gentle morning light poured in from the windows. Madam Pomfrey was, as usual, bustling about the room and dishing out medicine to other ill students.
"Ah, you're awake at last!" Madam Pomfrey had noticed that she was awake at last. "How are you feeling?"
Alison tried to sit up, and winced. "Sore," she admitted. "I don't think I remember much about yesterday-"
"You were attacked in the most cowardly act I have ever known!" Madam Pomfrey said, looking disgusted. "And Third Years too! Appalling, though Dumbledore will of course be dealing with them. I daresay that the Ministry will have to be involved, as they are in cases of severe bullying."
"The Ministry?" Alison felt relief. Now Lucretia and Pansy couldn't hurt her anymore.
"Rarely has the Ministry been involved here when it comes to bullying," Madam Pomfrey informed her. "But anyway, you need your morning dose of medicine and then I think you can probably go to your lessons."
Go back to lessons? Alison could hardly contain her joy. She swallowed down the vile medicine, closing her eyes and willing herself not to throw it back up. Just as she was about to be let out of the infirmary, Hermione slipped in, looking anxious.
"Oh, Ali!" No-one had ever called her that before, but she quite liked it. "Your bruises look so painful! How are you? Well, obviously you must be feeling extremely sore, but-"
"I'll live," Alison said quietly, smiling, though it hurt slightly. "I can come back to lessons now, but first I want to go somewhere."
She began to tell Hermione in hushed tones, then had to continue outside after she was dismissed. Hermione nodded, looking a bit unsure, but agreed to take her to Dumbledore's office, where the girls knew Pansy and Lucretia sat.
Alison had to walk very slowly, as she was still in a lot of pain, but Hermione, the only best friend that she wanted now, took her mind off it by filling her in on everything that had happened while she was passed out.
"The Gryffindors were all so worried about you, they'll be so pleased to see you again," Hermione told her, and Alison's eyes welled up with happy tears.
Outside Dumbledore's door was McGonagall and Snape, looking very grave. When the girls approached, Alison far more bravely than Hermione, the two turned to face them.
"Miss Whitesnow. My goodness, how are you?" McGonagall said, her face white as she surveyed Alison's wounds.
"I've been better… are Pansy and Lucretia up there?" Alison asked, jumping straight to the point.
"They are," McGonagall answered.
"I'd like to speak to them both."
McGonagall did not try to contain the surprise from her face. "But why?"
"I'd feel more at peace if I could confront them for what they have done," Alison said bravely.
"If you return at the end of the day, after your last lesson, I promise that you will be able to speak with them. I believe that Miss Blacksnake is facing more consequences that Parkinson, but I will update you when they are finished talking. I suppose you'd better go and get your breakfast now."
It was a better answer than either of them had expected. Slowly, they made their way to the Great Hall, where everyone was beginning to go in.
"Ali!" Lavender Brown rushed over, followed by Parvati. "I heard what happened, you poor thing!" She hugged her tightly, and Alison winced. "If you want any help catching up with your Divination work, we're happy to help!" Smiling in a sympathetic way, they ran into the hall together.
"Blimey, you've seen better days mate." Fred Weasley beamed at her as he sauntered past, followed by George.
"Good to see you though," George added with a wink, and Fred grinned wickedly, winking too.
In the entrance of the hall, Alison looked round, and watched Draco shove some First Years viciously out of the way, smirking at Crabbe and Goyle. She remembered what he had said to her outside Dumbledore's office, and turned to Hermione.
"I'll be back in a second." She walked back up between the tables and over to her former house table. Many people stared at her along the way, and she tried to smile bravely, glancing down at the glittering snake pendant.
She went up to Draco, not bothering to try and get him away from the others.
"Draco," Alison said as a greeting.
"Hello," Draco said, more warmly than she'd expected. It still didn't change her decision. "How are you- wait, what are you doing?"
Alison carefully slipped the necklace off and handed it to him. He stared at it for a second, then looked at her carefully.
"I don't think you'll ever really change, you know," she said clearly, not quietly or timidly. "This is my new life with my new friends, and I don't think you can be a part of it."
Draco swallowed. "It didn't have to end like this."
"You haven't changed," Alison said. "Goodbye Draco." And she turned and left her last two reminders of Slytherin house behind, to go and join her true friends at her true house table.
~~~(O.O)~~~
Waiting the whole day just to confront her bullies was tedious, but Alison made sure she studied hard. Then, at the end of Transfiguration, McGonagall gave her a nod, and she packed up quickly and left. The others knew already where she was going, so didn't try to stop her or ask her about it.
On her way up, she passed Pansy Parkinson, her eyes red from crying. Holding her head up high, she strode on past.
"Alison, I'm sorry!" Pansy gasped after her. "I didn't- you know that I-"
"Don't ever speak to me again," Alison said confidently. "Don't come near me. You're a cowardly bully and I want nothing more to do with you."
Swinging her bag purposefully along the corridors, she suddenly wondered if she had made the right decision. But the brave Gryffindor in her kept her going, and she soon found herself saying the password and arriving at Dumbledore's door. She knocked at the top, and waited for permission to enter.
"Enter."
Alison pushed the door open, and glanced at Lucretia, her face remorseless.
"Ah Miss Whitesnow, take a seat." Dumbledore was smiling calmly, though his eyes said otherwise. Alison sat down, and faced Lucretia, now alone with nowhere to hide.
"Why did you do it?" These were the first words out of her mouth.
Lucretia shrugged in an infuriating way, picking at her long black nails.
"There must have been some reason. Was it the fact that I left Slytherin?"
"I guess," Lucretia said in a bored voice.
"What was it to do with you? You knew I was unhappy there. You should have just left me to it, we'd all have been much happier if you and the girls had left me alone."
"You want to know why?" Lucretia spun to look at her. "You were friends with the most popular girls in Slytherin, you were doing okay in lessons," - Alison snorted at this – "and you had the best guy in our year! And still, you weren't happy! It's not fair, you took my crush!"
Alison laughed suddenly. The thought of Dumbledore sat listening to a girl talking about her popularity and her crush on Draco was highly amusing.
"This isn't funny!" Lucretia said, and she reached forwards to slap her. Dumbledore, however, intervened.
"I cannot allow you to keep bullying my students, Miss Blacksnake," he said dangerously. "This isn't going to look good for you."
"I don't think we're going to get anywhere with this, sir," Alison said, getting up. "You feel no remorse, Lucretia. That's fine. But I've come out of this better at the end of the day. I'm going to do well in my life. You're just a sad, pathetic bully."
Dumbledore said nothing as Alison said a hasty goodbye to him and walked out, feeling as satisfied as she could about the failed meeting.