In retrospect, she knew it was a rather bad idea.

But—as Alice carried on, storming over the landscape beyond the castle as the clouds above began to thicken—she couldn't be bothered to care.

Growing up in the O'Heiden Carnival, her earliest and warmest memories were of she, her mother, and her father, all curled together in their single-room home, staying warm in the cold Irish winters and telling stories by the fireplace. Samuel and Melody O'Heiden had countless stories about their pasts—and often times, Alice's favorite stories were the ones Samuel told of his time at Hogwarts.

For so long growing up, she couldn't wait to attend Hogwarts herself, to make her own friends and to live all her own adventures just like he had—but it seemed her only friend had no interest in entertaining such ideals.

Perhaps it was childish in a way, and maybe it was something she couldn't just expect others to prioritize the same way she herself did—but it simply mattered to her, even if it didn't to anyone else.

In fact—before she passed away, Alice promised her mother that she'd live her life to the fullest, which was something Melody and Samuel both always urged her to do.

She'd do her mother's memory no good if she didn't live up to that, at the very least.

Alice slowed to a stop at the edge of the hillside, gazing down at the whomping willow in the distance and inhaling a bracing breath. She then drew her wand—a black, curved wand handed down by her father, with a core of a particularly rare breed of dragon's heartstrings—and she marched on, maneuvering down the grassy hill and approaching the moving tree at a steady pace.

The willow seemed to stir, its largest branches raising slightly, perking upright as she easefully drew closer.

"I can't think why no one's ever tried this before," Alice uttered, raising her wand. "Incendio!"

A blast of flames erupted from the wand—a wave of fire washing over the nearest thick branch. But—the flames seemed to breeze off the surface of the tree, flickering away and leaving not even a scorch mark behind.

"Oh… that's why," Alice sighed, cocking her head at the willow. "I guess this'll be hard to do, then. Fire and flying's all I'm good at. Well, that and…"

She smirked, raising her wand again.

"Bombarda-maxima!"

She unleashed a rattling explosion spell—blasting into the large branch before her and blowing several chunks of wood from its moving limb. They flew amok alongside several of its tiny branches—and then, the willow's many other branches moved much quicker, raising and seeming incredibly agitated now.

Alice looked directly ahead—spotting the large opening in the trunk of the tree and wanting to make a run for it, but it was too far away. So, she tensed and prepared for the branches, holding her wand upright and—

"Agh!"

A vine whipped around her ankle—yanking her off her feet and making her head bash into the ground. The vine contracted—jerking back and pulling her toward the tree, dragging her roughly across the grass—and it stopped her just beneath the branches, perfectly within range for a strike.

Alice gaped up at them, feeling a spiraling panic shoot up and down her and scrambling to take aim with her wand again—the huge branch above her beginning to descend—barreling right down at her—

"Immobulus!"

She yelled the spell just in time—making the giant branch slow itself nearly to a stop.

Alice rolled to the side and leaped to her feet, stepping back and aiming her wand perfectly upright, inhaling several rapid breaths as her heart raced beyond her control. The branches regained their movements within seconds, shaking off the spell and towering over her before she could back far enough away—

"Alarte Ascendare!"

Another voice entered the scene—and Zander flourished his wand in a hard flick upward, a bright light soaring into the branches nearest Alice and shooting them all high into the air rather abruptly.

Alice took back—whipping around and spotting him thundering directly toward her.

"Arresto Momentum!" Zander called—flicking his wrist and shooting back several vines, which had been soaring across the grass toward Alice's ankles again.

She glanced down and saw them, then quickly shuffled farther back from the tree—the branches craning down and launching toward her once more—

"Ascendio—accio!"

Zander shot the first spell up—blasting the branches upright again—then whipped his wand and aimed the second spell at Alice, ripping her off her feet and making her fly through the air right toward him.

He moved swiftly forward—snapping his free hand around her robe and yanking her closer as she nearly lost her footing, his wand still trained on the tree, vines fighting to jolt toward them yet again—

"Aufhoren!"

Tobias emerged from the hillside as well—shooting a spell right past them and hitting the vines perfectly in their tangled center. Then all the sudden—every vine seemed to freeze solid, temporarily unable to move.

Zander and Alice panted and caught their breaths, staring at the now immobilized tree and feeling a touch of relief. Tobias rushed forward and joined them, and all three of them distanced themselves from the tree a little farther, pausing to collect themselves.

Then—Zander twisted Alice around, his hand still clasped onto her robe viselike.

"Are you barking mad?!" Zander hissed, giving her a hard jerk. "Where do you get off coming out here and—?!"

"WHAT'RE YOU LOT DOIN' OVER THERE?!"

The booming voice made all three of them leap from their skin—jumping and spinning around in sudden alarm.

Then, on the hill in the distance—a huge, lumbering figure slowly emerged in their sight, a shaggy giant of a man who seemed to be quickening his pace toward them.

"BACK AWAY—GET AWAY FROM THERE NOW!"

"Ve are…" Tobias breathed. "In… trouble."

"Brilliant," Zander grumbled. "That is just what I need…"

Alice said nothing—watching with an anxious frown as Hagrid stopped before them.

Hagrid hesitated, sparing the whomping willow a glance. His eyes then landed on the trio again, his visage painted with perturbation, biting his lip and appearing to be in thought. He glimpsed around once more—and then, he stepped back, moving toward the area from where he came and waving for the students to join him.

Alice, Zander, and Tobias all exchanged faces—then they hurried to follow Hagrid without question. All four of them trekked down the grassy hillside in the distance, and none of them spoke a word for the entirety of the long, tireless walk.

The thickening clouds above began to darken even more, the faint rumble of thunder on the air.

Hagrid approached his cabin and swung his large door open with an effortless swing, leading the students inside. He motioned to the table beside his window, pulled the door shut, grabbed an alarmingly large pint still halfway filled with butterbeer, and sank into a huge chair across from them.

Alice, Zander, and Tobias all sat in the chairs around the table, facing Hagrid and saying nothing, preparing to hear some form of lecture or punishment.

But, Hagrid gave them neither. Instead, he continued eyeing them thoughtfully, tapping two meaty fingers to his mouth for a moment, then releasing a heavy cloud of breath.

Alice traded subtle glimpses with her friends, none of them knowing what to expect. They all took Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class, but none of them knew him especially well, and they weren't sure how he would react to the stunt they'd just pulled.

"Sir," Alice began cautiously, gently scooting her chair forward. "I just wanted to say… it was… my fault. I wanted to go to the shrieking shack, and my friends didn't wanna go with me. So, I headed off alone, and they…"

"Yer lucky," Hagrid said pointedly, jabbing a finger at her. "Yer lucky it was me who saw yeh, and not one of the other teachers."

Alice took slightly back, Zander and Tobias giving Hagrid an odd squint.

"But I'm not gonna cover for yeh again," Hagrid added, raising his thick brows and giving each of them an intense look. "You can ride out the storm here, then you'll head back to the castle before nightfall. Ya' understand?"

"Aye," Alice agreed with a nod. "Thank you, sir."

Hagrid leaned back in his chair, shaking his head and swatting the air. They were all quiet for a few seconds, the only sound being the gentle start of rainfall just outside, the smooth, watery scent of it wafting into the cabin from the window.

"Jus' tell me," Hagrid said, leaning forward again, now looking more curious than disturbed. "Why would you wanna go to the shriekin' shack?"

Zander and Tobias both looked to Alice, and she sighed deeply, crossing her arms and wearing a distant expression.

"My dad used to go there when he went to school here," Alice explained. "I've been going to school here for five years… this being the sixth… and I've never even seen it. And, since we're all gonna be in America for our last year of school… I just wanted to go and see it now, while I still could."

"Mmm." Hagrid nodded, straightening up and waving a finger at her. "Well, I can tell yeh a secret. It's not all it's cracked up to be. Not haunted, or enchanted, or nothin' like that. Truth is, it's jus' a shack. Nothin' special about it at all."

Alice fell silent, looking down and feeling a touch of disappointment.

Hagrid read her face. "Ya' know… yeh don' have to go walkin' in somebody else's footsteps to make yer own."

Alice met his eyes, pondering on this and feeling as if she understood his sentiment. She nodded, still saying nothing.

"God—blind me!"

Zander gasped and jerked away from the table rather abruptly. Everyone turned to face him, seeing that he'd scooted far away from a creature that had just landed on the edge of the table—a small, dark, and lanky little animal, with black fur and what appeared to be wings protruding from its head, a pair of shiny, orb-like eyes on its face as it peered around the room.

"What—is that?" Zander gasped.

Alice covered her mouth and swallowed a laugh, Hagrid smirking at him.

"You two 'ave been in and outta my class for years now," Hagrid remarked. "You tell me."

Alice and Zander turned to each other, both of them drawing a blank.

Then, Tobias moved gently closer, leaning over the creature and gingerly extending his hand. He held it outright, allowing the little creature to crawl smoothly onto his palm, standing on it and sniffing his skin rather intently.

"Doxy," Tobias grinned, holding it closer and marveling at it.

"Tha's right," Hagrid affirmed with a nod.

"It is in ze same family as a fairy… or a pixie," Tobias explained, turning slowly and carefully, holding the creature in Alice and Zander's view. "But it is neither. It is a doxy… and ze doxy is unique."

"I only seen you in my class once," Hagrid recalled, pointing at Tobias. "But yeh seem to know a lot about magical creatures. Must be an area of interest for yeh… m'I right?"

"Yes," Tobias beamed, his attention resting solely on the creature in his grasp. "Very much…"

Alice smiled at the doxy as well.

Zander surveyed it, then turned to Hagrid interestingly. "That's quite the tame creature for you to have for your classes. I mean… compared to how they used to be."

"Well…" Hagrid made a sideways nod. "Th'more time that passes, the less dangerous them creatures oughta be. I'm gettin' old, yeh know. Can't be fightin' with the strongest of 'em all forever…"

The rain outside grew into a heavy downpour, the thunder louder and the sky illuminating with the occasional blast of lightning.

Hagrid eyed the window, then stood from his chair. "I oughta cover a few thin's up outside. You lot can hang about 'till the storm's over."

He shuffled out of the room, leaving the three students alone.

Alice continued to ogle the little creature along with Tobias for a moment. Then, she glanced to the side, seeing that Zander was standing across the room with his arms folded, surveying one of the many odd things on Hagrid's wall, his back facing them.

Alice sighed, sauntering over to him and feeling several emotions rising up all the sudden, though she kept them all inside, stopping beside him.

Zander turned and met her gaze, looking expressionless.

"I didn…" she uttered, clearing her throat and trying to assess her thoughts. "I honestly didn't think you'd come after me."

Zander's eyes narrowed at her.

"I'm sorry. I really was just… gonna go out there by myself," Alice told him sincerely. "I didn't plan for it to go the way it…"

"Wait." Zander's voice flattened, raising a hand and glaring at her. "You didn't think I'd come out here?"

"No," Alice replied with a laugh. "I didn't exactly tell you where I was going, now did I?"

Zander opened his mouth, then sighed and turned away, shaking his head at the decorative pelts on the wall.

"I know you well enough to know where you were going," he murmured faintly. "Lunatic."

Alice cracked a smile, feeling touched and giving his sleeve a gentle tug.

Zander didn't face her—still staring straight ahead and feeling a similar sense of warmth inside, though not a hint of it showed, save for the faint pinkish hue appearing along his cheeks.

Moments later, he suddenly turned, his eyes landing on Tobias.

"And you—I told you I didn't need your help, did I not?" Zander griped, rounding on him. "Why'd you follow me out to the whomping willow?"

Tobias raised his head, clutching the doxy and meeting his eyes, his smile waning.

"I just thought I vould follow you… in case you were wrong," Tobias told him honestly. "In case you did need help."

Zander wanted to argue—but his words got caught in his throat, staring at Tobias and the innocent shine amidst his gaze, cradling a tiny creature and looking as if he'd never done any wrong before in his life.

Suddenly, something about Tobias deeply reminded him of Alice.

Perhaps it was simply the way all Hufflepuffs were—simply decent, loyal, and caring in a way he still struggled to comprehend.

Zander let out a heavy sigh, choosing to dismiss the topic and reclaim his seat at the table, surveying the doxy as it began to climb up Tobias's sleeve. Tobias and Alice both chuckled at it, and—beyond both of their notice—even Zander flashed a faint smile at the creature.

"You used a summoning spell," Tobias remembered, giving Zander a nod. "I did not know you could use a summoning spell on a human being. Zat was impressive."

"What? Oh." Zander tore his gaze from the doxy, straightening up and shaking his head. "No, you actually can't—but using accio on a person's robe tends to get the job done just as well."

"Hah, see?" Alice grinned, patting him once on the shoulder. "I told you, Tobias. Slytherins think outside the box. Especially this one."

"Ve all have much to teach each other," Tobias determined. "Maybe I really could join the dueling club. Learning from Zander vould give me an edge."

"Well… then there's a lot you need to know," Zander began, inhaling deeply and telling Tobias everything he knew about the dueling club.

The two of them shared a long conversation about dueling—and Alice stood by, watching them and smiling, feeling suddenly reassured about the newfound friendship they'd come by this strange new year.

Then, as the boys continued talking and as the storm continued to rage outside—Alice wandered over to the window, gazing into the darkening world as the rainy twilight steadily drew near.

Her eyes traced along the edge of the forbidden forest in the distance, pondering on all the adventures to come—the fun to be had this year, their final year at Hogwarts, and all the fun they would have in America next year—feeling totally certain that Hagrid was right, and that she didn't need to retrace someone else's steps in order to forge her own memories here and now.

Then suddenly—a hint of movement snapped her out of her thoughts.

Just on the edge of the trees, far across the pummeling rain and shrouded in the distant darkness—she could've sworn she spotted the faintest hint of a person, a shadowy, humanoid shape, marching along the edge of the woods with a dark overcoat shifting at its heels, turning away before quickly vanishing from sight.

Alice stared at the forest afar, her eyes narrowing and her mouth drifting agape.

She barely turned her head, wanting to call out, to speak to the boys and to tell them what she saw—but, in the seconds to follow, as she continued to gaze into the forest, she saw nothing, no further movements and no trace of a person among the trees.

Perhaps she'd simply imagined it.

So, sighing and dismissing it from her mind—Alice turned back to her friends, and the trio shared a hearty conversation for a long while, entertaining themselves until the storm was finally over.