So, I know you might have some confusion and questions and I'm sorry to say you'll probably not get the answers you need in this chapter. But it's all coming, just have some patience and you'll understand. It'll all clear up as the story goes along.

Here's chapter twenty-five, enjoy. :)

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Chapter 25

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Alice stepped back and forth over the hard stone floor. The old man sitting at the end of the room watched the more inpatient girl grumble in her own thoughts. Then she suddenly stopped and pierced her blue eyes in his.

"What was it?" She asked; her voice was soft yet cold at the same time.

"What attacked you and Mr. Zabini you mean?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I saw dead faces, the haunt me, why did I see them?" Alice whispered. "What was it?"

"Right now it doesn't matter what it was, we need to focus..." Alice pulled out her wand and pointed it towards the old man. He didn't react especially, the hands he had folded underneath his chin fell to the desk and his eyes fixed themselves in hers.

"Tell me what it was!" She hissed between her teeth.

"A Dementor", he said and gave her a soft smile. She put the wand away quickly and loosened up a bit. "Have a seat and I will tell you of them." A moment of hesitating before Alice walked up to the desk and sat down in the chair.

"What is your biggest fear?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Alice asked; the look on professor Dumbledore's face made it clear that he would tell once she answered. "To lose my mind, to not remember who I am or who it is that I love", Alice said.

"Not to die?" Alice shook her head.

"I do not fear death. Death fears me", she said. Her tone was low and cold. "Why did I see dead faces?" She asked once more.

"Dementor's drain us of our happy memories, leaving us with nothing but the worst behind", professor Dumbledore explained.

"Those memories are not mine", Alice interrupted. "Is there no way of protecting one from this?" Professor Dumbledore stood up and walked around the desk, he stopped by a chest, placed next to a small round table with a silver device on it.

"A previous professor thought a student how to protect himself from Dementor by using this technique", professor Dumbledore said. Alice walked up next o him. "What I need you to do is picture the fear you felt that night, picture the Dementor in your head. Then, when I've opened the chest you need to place a happy memory, the happiest you've got in your mind and speak the words 'Expecto Patronum'."

"Is that all, a happy memory?" Professor Dumbledore smiled. Alice didn't have to think twice about that, she already knew. "I'm ready." She pictured the fear, she pictured the feeling she'd had that night. AS professor Dumbledore opened the chest with a fast swooping with his hand Alice felt unsure. Who could ever protect themselves from such true horror?

The creature inside the chest stepped out of the chest. Alice placed the memory in her head.

"Expecto..." She lowered her wand, there was no hooded figure, there was no Dementor. She looked upon herself, as if she would stand in front of a mirror. For every time she took a step back as did she, the other her, take a step forward. Until there was nowhere to go, the wall behind Alice made her stop.

"You can't exist!" Alice screamed at the figure of herself. Alice didn't quite understand what happened next, the figure disappeared but she didn't feel any better for it. Her legs gave way under her and she fell on the floor. She pulled her legs to her chin, crossing her arms around them. She couldn't get the image of herself like that for her mind. The grin, the starring eyes, the straight posture. Was that how others saw her?

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"Hey Alice, are you alright?" Blaise caught up with her right outside the great hall. "I looked for you in the hospital, but you'd already left."

"Yeah, I had to go", Alice said in a whisper.

"I heard about the fight with Draco..." Blaise tried to pull it out of her; what had happened between the two of them.

"He was a moron", Alice said, now in her normal tone.

"Nothing new, that is", Blaise said with a sigh of relief.

"Alice! Alice!" They both stopped and turned. Amy Broderick ran up to them and stopped for a moment to catch her breath. "We have a bit of a situation", said Amy breathless.

"Well, handle it then", Alice said with no pity for the girl in front of her.

"It's Joanna", Amy tried. Alice turned completely against her.

"What about her?"

"Well, she and that mudblood from Rawenclaw had a fight and the teachers caught them", Amy said. Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Joanna who?" She said and smirked. "Remember Amy, we do not wish to fatally harm them, only remind them that they are not really a part of this world." Amy seemed pleased with her answer and smiled back before leaving the two of them.

"Just like that?" Blaise asked as soon as Amy was out of hearing from them. Alice looked at him as if she didn't understand what he meant. "You're just tossing her away?"

"If you were to carry all the dead weight, you'd be crushed underneath it", Alice answered with a soft smile. She stroked him over the cheek and kissed him quickly on the lips.

"What are you not telling me?" Blaise asked and took a firm grip around her wrists.

"It's nothing, Blaise, I promise", Alice said and smiled once more.

"Don't you trust me?" He asked while looking her in the eyes.

"Of course I do", Alice said. "We are great."

"You're great. I'm just tagging along", Blaise said before he kissed her again. "I love you", Blaise whispered. Alice's body stiffened. She pulled herself out of his arms and turned from him. Love, he couldn't love her.

"No", Alice said, "no, you can't love me", she continued before she turned and walked away. She glanced over her shoulder. Blaise stood exactly where she'd left him. His always so proud posture was blown away. For the first time Alice actually saw him vulnerable, he was hurt. As she passed by the Great Hall Harry Potter and his mudblood friend almost walked in to them. As for Potter, he didn't seem to notice her whilst Granger gave her a long, examining look before she turned back to Potter. Alice had completely forgotten about the Apparating lesions the sixth years was having today. The other students weren't going to be outside because of the weather, they were probably going to sit in their common rooms, cuddle up in the sofas with their friends. Heavy raindrops hit the ground outside the school building, mixing themselves with the snow creating slush of it all. As soon as Alice had left the courtyard she slowed down. She'd had this feeling of being followed, but is soon went away. A chill went down her spine and she glanced over her shoulder. No one was there. To get rid of the feeling and take shelter from the unpleasant weather she started jogging over the lawn, towards the forest. The threes were good as shelter, not only from the bad weather but from unwanted eyes as well. Alice started walking down the same path she and Blaise had walked on the week before. It was better like this, that she was alone. She needed to think over some of the recent events. Blaise, loving, gentle Blaise who not only were in love with her, but loved her. And it was all her fault. She shouldn't have let him come so close to her. Not he was just going to be hurt, hurt because she wouldn't live up to him. And then it was Daphne, whom had avoided Alice everywhere except in the common room. Things weren't going exactly as she'd planed. A crack behind her caught her attention and interrupted her thoughts. Alice snuck up behind a three and fixed her gaze to where she'd heard the noise. It was a girl, about Alice's age. The girl was sitting by a three, leaning against it. Her eyes were red of tears. Alice wondered what might had gotten the girl so upset that she'd hide in the forest, crying. She concentrated at the girl, not knowing exactly what she was doing.

"I just wish someone would notice me sometime. But no, because everybody loves Alice Gaunt. Who is she really?" Alice didn't know how it was possible, but there was no doubt. She'd just entered this girl's mind, this unknown girl that was thinking about her. Alice focused again and entered once more. It wasn't as hard as she'd thought; it was just to poke around in the girl's memories. Then she found what she'd been looking for. The girl felt left out, all her friends had abandoned her because of what she was. It wasn't hard to discover more about the girl, whom now had a frightened expression on her face. The girl's name was Julie Andersen, a muggle-born in Rawenclaw. Of course, it all made sense. Joanna had gotten in to a fight with a Rawenclaw mudblood. Alice pulled every memory this girl had of her and the girl's previous friends to the surface, making her remember and making her suffer even worse for it. All those foul thoughts she had about Alice just because her so called 'friends' had chosen to be with Alice instead.

"Who's doing this to me?" Julie Andersen finally yelled out while in tears.

"What makes you think you would ever be good enough for them?" Alice said. If Julie had paid more attention she'd noticed Alice long ago.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to", Julie sobbed.

"Walk with me", Alice said. Julie quickly got on her feet and followed Alice deeper in to the forest.

"Alice Gaunt", Julie whispered. "You're the most beautiful girl in school."

"Enough with the flattering, it won't help you", Alice said coldly.

"Are you going to kill me?" Alice stopped and Julie was only inches away from walking in to her. Alice turned towards the scared girl with her wand raised.

"Crucio", Alice said and Julie fell to the ground, twisting from the pain. "This is only a mare inch of what will happen to you when it comes out that you're a mudblood." Alice said and broke the curse.

"Then what do you want from me?" Alice started walking again and she felt how Julie hurried to follow.

"You're in the seventh year, right?"

"Yes."

"And you're in Rawenclaw which means you're clever, right?"

"I guess." Alice stopped, they'd reached the three Alice was looking for.

"Now, here's what I want you to do", Alice said and took the same branch she'd been after previously. "Since everything we send in and out from the school is being searched, I want you to take this with you and send it to Garrick Ollivander. I doubt they'd let me send this to a man whom is supposed missing."

"I'm not going back to school?" Julie said and took the piece of wood from Alice's hands.

"No, you're leaving Brittan with your family", Alice said. "When they find out, you're as good as dead." Julie looked from the branch to Alice and back to the branch. "I brought you here because we're far enough from school for you to apparate."

"Thank you", she said, once again crying. She hugged Alice before she apparated away from the scene. With a sigh of relieve Alice started the walk back to school. It'd stopped raining, for the moment. Alice enjoyed the short moment of relief from the heavy weather. She walked by the brink of the forest, towards Hagrids hut and the main road that lead up to the castle. Fang, Hagrids large hound ran towards her, barking happily. He jumped Alice, almost knocking her of her feet while trying to lick her face. Alice didn't mind the dog, she's always liked animals. Alice kneeled and started scratching the dog behind one of his ears, as most dogs enjoy.

"Fang, get yer butt back here!" Hagrid yelled to the big dog. Fang lifted one ear in Hagrids direction but ignored his command. Hagrid lumbered over to Alice and Fang, unknowing that Alice was even there. "Oh, miss Gaunt, didn't catch yeh there", Hagrid said once he was close enough to see both of them.

"Hello professor Hagrid", Alice said and put on an innocent smile.

"You haven't been to my class lately, Gaunt", Hagrid said and tried to not sound to disappointed.

"Alice please, sir", Alice said and smiled once more. "And I know; no excuse really. I'll have to get a grip of myself."

"Would you like a cup of tea, Alice?" Hagrid asked and smiled back at her.

"Thank you sir", she said and they started walking towards the small house.

"I'm glad to see that yer doing alright anyways", Hagrid said and have her a, according to him, light tap on the shoulder. "Heard about that nasty Dementor attack."

"Yes, not very friendly those guys", Alice said and tried o shake it off. The attack itself didn't bother her as much as the events that had followed did. Hagrid opened the door and let her in to the small space. Alice had never been inside before, but it was pretty much as she'd imagined it. Cosy, a bit messy but very homely. The cups he placed on the table was big enough to play as a hat for Alice if she'd like.

"You went to Hogwarts in the 40's right, sir?" Alice asked carefully.

"Yes, how come?" Hagrid asked and poured the cup to its brink.

"If you knew someone, that clearly had a bad influence on you. Made you do things you didn't really want to. Would you pull out, even though you loved that person?"

"Who do yeh know that went here in the 40's?" Hagrid counter questioned. He tried to sound authoritarian, and looked at her with suspicion in his mind.

"I'm really sorry that you got expelled. Self-preservation often takes it tall on those who really don't deserve it", Alice said and stood up. She hadn't touched her tea, but she needed to speak to someone else right now. Daphne was the one she needed.

"Alice?" Hagrid said as Alice walked out of the house. "Alice?" Alice ignored him and walked with hurry up the lawn. The Apparation lesion had probably ended by now, and everyone would be sitting in the common room, talking and laughing about it. She hurried in to the castle, passed the Great Hall and down to the dungeons. Alice quickly made her way to the Slytherin common room. It was about empty, not at all as crowded and cosy like Alice had imagined. Draco sat in the sofa by the fireplace. Their eyes meat, and for the first time Draco was the one to break it. Pansy was leaning against him with a loving smile on her lips. Not really feeling up to it, Alice walked past the group of students towards the dormitories.

"Alice?" Blaise said from behind her. What was it with everybody and saying her name today? Alice stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "Daphne and I kind of needs to talk to you", he said and combed through her hair with his fingers. Just as he'd finished the sentence Daphne opened the door that Alice was currently holding on to.

"We need to talk", Daphne said and opened the door to let them in. Blaise mostly seemed fascinated by being in the girl's bedroom and walked around the room, inspecting every inch of it.

"What happened?" Daphne asked. Alice looked at her as if she had no idea what Daphne referred to. "You said you were going to be gone a few hours, half a day tops. Alice, you were gone almost two weeks!"

"I had things I needed to do", Alice said firmly. Daphne was in no position to question her.

"And all those people? Did you hex them?"

"No! How can you even ask me that?" Alice glared at her friend with anger.

"Daphne's right Alice..." Blaise had been quiet so far.

"Right about what?" Hissed Alice to him. He backed off a few steps and held his hands in the air.

"You're using them for your own amusement!" Daphne said in a high pitched tone.

"They came to me; I didn't make them do anything. They're doing it by their own will", Alice defended herself. "Stop acting like a filthy blood traitor and join us instead."

"Join you in what?" Daphne asked, she was calmer now.

"Cleansing out those who are below us", Blaise said, suddenly it'd all come clear to him.

"We don't need a world with them", Alice said and smiled. "We don't need anyone to tell us what to do. All those grownups who think they are someone? Those who think they can make a change? They're yesterday and we are today." Daphne smiled.