Chapter 8 – The Phoenix Pendant

There was general aura of excitement around Ron and Alison over the next few days. Ron's homework lay forgotten, and instead, out came various books on quidditch tactics. Hermione was extremely miffed not to see him doing his schoolwork.

"Really, Ron! Why don't you try doing your homework for a change?"

"Why don't you trying raising your eyes from a book sometimes? If you want to live your life buried in books, that's fine by me- only try to make me as boring as you!"

"Oh, so I'm boring?" Hermione cried shrilly, a sign that a very large fight was about to break out between her and Ron.

"Shut up… I'm trying to finish my Transfiguration!" Alison said, kicking both Hermione and Ron under the table.

"Ow… Stop that!"

"Well, stop it, both of you. Honestly, you behave worse than a batch of first-years!"

"Well! I can't believe you'd say that, Al-"

"You too Hermione. I thought you were more mature than to pick a fight with Ron. And you Ron, you should try concentrating a bit on your studies. Hermione's right, you've been lazing about all week- d'you want to miss all your Quidditch practice, just because Snape'll keep you in detention all term?"

"You don't understand, Alison…"

"Oh, so I don't, don't I? Well, I'll tell you something, Ron! I've managed to get in the team as well, but Quidditch, fun as it may be, isn't as important as schoolwork! Besides," she added smiling wickedly, "what curses are you going to use on Malfoy after he fouls you? It'll do you good to open your Defense against the Dark Arts and take a leaf out of Malfoy's own book!"

At that moment, Harry, who had been at the Owlery checking on Hedwig, entered the common room. "Hello!" he said brightly, as he slumped down on the table in between Hermione and Ron, who were now glowering at each other behind his back.

"Hermione and Ron have been fighting."

"Not again?"

"Stop lecturing Harry, I only need a few more paragraphs to finish this Arithmancy essay… Keep it down for now!"

"A few more paragraphs? What are you trying to do, research to death?"

"Don't start again Ron…" said Alison testily, glaring over her copy of Advanced Transfiguration. When the argument showed no sign of dying down, she slammed her book shut, said a curt: "I'm off to the library," and walked away in a huff. Harry, having nothing better to do, followed her. He needed the library to look up fresh Quidditch tactics, and to draw up practice timetables anyway. Alison smiled as he joined her, but they didn't say much to each other as they trudged to the library. Just as they went in, Alison dropped her books with a loud clatter. Several people looked up, annoyed, and Madam Pince, the librarian, peered grumpily over her pince-nez spectacles. Harry bent over with Alison to pick up the various textbooks, and as he knelt on the floor, he noticed that a necklace had popped out of Alison's robes as she bent down. Alison noticed it and she hurriedly stuffed it back in, but Harry had managed to get a good look at the necklace. It was a clear, tear-shaped, diamond, which shimmered faintly, on a thin golden chain. Harry thought it was rather strange that Alison was so eager to hide it, but he held his questions till they were seated on a table in the far corner of the library, doing their work silently.

"Alison… what was that necklace?" Alison stopped writing abruptly, and stared blankly at him.

"Er… nothing," she lied.

"You're not very convincing, you know!"

"Very well, my mother gave it to me when I was little, and I wear it all the time," she said, sighing, and picking up her quill again.

"Is it magical? Real diamonds don't glow like that," he said helpfully, egging her on. Alison put her quill down again and gave him an 'I-can't-believe-you-can-be-so-nosey' look.

"It is magic… There's a phoenix tear in there- one of Mae's in fact- and it's got healing powers."

"Wow! Show me." Alison was grinning wickedly now.

"Well, I could rip your arm open…" she said, laughing.

"OK, go on!"

"I was joking, Harry!"

"But could you close it up again?"

"Yeah… but there's no way I'm making a gash in your arm to show you."

"Please?"

"No way." she said flatly.

"Come on, Alison… I won't believe you, then!"

"Oh, very well… But not here… Somewhere empty- people will look!" she hissed.

"C'mon, pack your books and we'll go to some disused classroom- there are plenty…"

"Oh, alright!" Alison snapped, stuffing her books into her bag.

Some minutes later, they were in an old, dusty, classroom, Alison rolling up her sleeves, and gesturing to Harry to do so, too. Harry was now having second thoughts- he wasn't sure about the cut Alison was going to make in his arm with the long knife she had Summoned from the kitchens.

"Well, then, you ready?" she said picking up the knife.

Harry, nodded, winced, screwed his eyes shut, and prepared for the blow. Sure enough, some second later, he felt the cold touch of metal on his arm, and a split second later, searing pain right up till his elbow. He prised open as eyelid, only to see a long gash from his wrist to his elbow, blood flowing steadily out of it. Alison was bending over the cut, one hand on his arm, the other clasping the pendant tightly. Her eyes were shut, and her lips were moving silently, as though she was mumbling something he couldn't hear very well. The pain in his arm reached exploding point, when, suddenly, it began, gradually, to go away, till there was no cut at all… His limb was normal again! Suddenly, Alison snapped out of the trance- her lips were parted slightly and she was deathly pale.

"See?" she said, quietly, her hands shaking slightly as she pulled down her sleeves.

"That was…" Harry was lost for words. Alison had recovered a bit from the after-shock, and so had he.

"C'mon," she said, smiling again, "The others'll be looking for us!"

Sure enough, Ron and Hermione were rather agitated when Harry and Alison clambered through the portrait hole. They had made up, but they were pacing the common room in a very restless state. Hermione gave a cry, and Ron tripped over Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, not even swearing at it, as he rushed over to them. "Where the hell have you been?" he said, breathlessly.

"The library," said Alison, innocently. She specialised in looking innocent, when the need arose.

"We looked in the library too, and we didn't find you! Where were you?" Hermione demanded.

"We took a different route to the common room- don't worry- we're still alive!" Harry said brightly, as he set his books down on a sofa.

"Never mind…" Ron shook his head. "Let's go down to dinner!"

* * * * *

To Swim Chic: Yeah, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the title of Book 5, but it's just my version, so I really have to owe the title to the great J.K. Rowling… Thanks for spotting those mistakes, I'll try and watch out for those details… And if you find any more (that's not very hard lol!) please let me know!

To Elena, WolfMoon, LittleEar BigEar's sis, and anonimiss: Thanks for giving such nice reviews!

To Darkness: Thanks for being such a sweet person and reading every one of my chapters! You rule! :-P

Thank you, all of you - please review as much as you can! It helps a lot to know what my mistakes are, and it makes me feel so satisfied when I get good reviews! So R/R I say! :-P

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter (wish I did though!)… They all belong to the G R E A T J.K. Rowling – so don't sue me! :-P