The snow now covered the mountains, painting them a sharp white during the day. The night, however, was a different story. The bright white was now a shade of dark purple, with black trees, casting shadows on the ground. The dark sky held the full moon. The bright stars were not enough to keep the mountains and forest lit. The darkness was omnipresent, leaving the woods empty of all of the students. In the distance, the shack at the end of the village was filled with it's monthly screams. None of the townspeople would dare to go near it. If they did, they would be quite shocked to find a werewolf, large black dog, stag and rat within it.
In the center of the gray mountains, the school within was bright with light. Fires burned in the hearths and the lanterns throughout the halls. In one of the rooms, Alice Falwey sat in one of the cushioned chairs. She swung her leg over the armrest and turned the page of her book. She looked at the page number. She rolled her eyes when she realized what page it was. She had only read several pages in nearly an hour. She groaned as she closed the book. What was the point of reading this stupid muggle book if she could not get through it? She dropped the book by her side and closed her eyes. She pinched the bridge of her nose. Behind her, Frank Longbottom approached. He swooped down and hugged her from behind. She looked up to him smiling down at her.
"Hey Frank," She said
"Hi Ally" he said back "watcha reading?" He asked
"This book Lily gave me for christmas, it's called the Hobbit. Apparently muggles love it"
"Is it any good?" He asked her
"I have no idea. The language hardly makes any sense. It feel like every paragraph is a single sentence, turned into the most convoluted prose possible"
"You're gonna have to dumb it down for me" he said
"The sentences make you feel like you're in wonderland" she said, rolling her eyes
"Wonderland?"
"Did you never read Alice in Wonderland?" She asked
"Nope, though the title character sounds pretty cool"
"Let me guess, because her name is Alice?"
"Yup" Frank said, a grin plastered over his face
"You really need to read more muggle literature" Alice said
"Fine, then what should I read?"
"Well to start, any Jane Austin, Dracula, Frankenstein, definitely Agatha Christie. Definitely do not read F. Scott Fitzgerald. Lily and Emiliene really liked this one book, Carrie-"
"Are there moving pictures for them?" He asked. Alice laughed
"What, you can't sit through the books?" She asked him
"I can get through a book" he crossed his arms over his chest. "Moving pictures are just more fun"
"Moving pictures?" Alice asked
"Yeah, like the one Remus took me and James to. The one with the fancy lights, swords and the jedis and they were in the stars." He stood and acted them out. "It was incredible" he said, falling back onto the couch. Alice giggled "please tell me you saw it?"
"I can't say I have," she said. Frank looked scandalized
"What do you mean? How could you not see it. Every muggle would know it. How could you ever pretend to be a muggle without it?"
"Pretend to be a muggle?" She asked, her happy expression turning stoic. Frank's joking face fell "why would I ever need to pretend to be a muggle" she asked forcefully.
"Well, I was talking to James and after what happened in the woods-"
"You think we might have to pretend to be muggle because of the dark wizard."
"Yeah,"
"James and you talked about it? You didn't feel a need to tell anyone else?"
"James was gonna talk to Lily and Sirius and I was gonna talk to you first." He admitted
"Do you think we will?" She asked
"I don't know, maybe?" He said
"Frank," she said.
"Can you make me a promise?" Frank asked
"What, Frank?" She snapped
"Promise me, you and I are gonna get through this?"
"Get through what?"
"Whatever happens next. Dumbledore sounded like that dark wizard might start another war. I just want to know that we are going to be ok."
"I promise you, we will be"