Twice Over
I've been so bad! I don't even remember the last time I updated my story, or the last time I wrote a thing! Life has been really busy and with exams coming up, I doubt it is going to get much better… but now that I have some free time, here's my chapter! If I don't watch out I'm going to loose track of everything! Can't wait till schools out though, then you guys can have piles of chapters!
Disclaimer- me no own, you no sue. I am not hiding George Weasley in my closet. :distant banging is heard coming from closet::silence: That is not George, I swear. It's my closet monster… but I need to go give George- I mean, my closet monster, his cracker for today… so, read the chapter while I'm feeding G- the monster.
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Chapter 15- Home Sweet Home
Alicia disappeared from sight, as did the train after a while. Angelina lowered her hand and discontinued waving, sighing and then turning to head for the castle.
"Where are you going?" Fred asked her.
Angelina turned around. "Um- to do something."
"To do what?" Lee asked.
Angelina shrugged. "I don't know… you guys don't want me hanging around, getting in the way."
"Angelina, its exactly what we want you to do!" George said, slinging his arm around her shoulder.
"Get in the way?" She asked.
Fred shook his head and slung his arm around her other shoulder. "No- we want you to hang around."
Lee nodded and walked beside George. "And if you're interested, we'll pay you a galleon a day to be a tester for some of our new inventions."
"No way!" Angelina yelped.
"Two galleons?" He asked tentatively.
Angelina sent him a warning glare.
"All right, sorry." Lee apologized.
After a while of walking in silence, Fred cleared his throat. "What do you say to three galleons?"
"Fred!" Angelina warned.
They all nodded and as they reached the entrance of the school, walking through the large wooden doors and down the hall, George said very quietly, "four?"
"George Weasley!" Angelina shrieked.
All the guys flinched and gave her grins. Angelina laughed, and the boys laughed with her. The four of them walked down the hall laughing and George and Lee were trading spots of running slightly ahead to throw what looked like a smaller version of a Quaffel.
…………………………
The compartment door swung open and a very tidy-looking boy with neat black-brown hair, fair skin and brown eyes appeared, looking shocked to see her sitting there. "Oh, I'm sorry- I didn't know you were in here-…" He apologized.
Alicia's hand closed around the box George had given her, and she shoved it into her pocket. "Hi." She said, smiling up at him. "No problem… Joe Hardyment, right?"
Joe smiled. "Yeah… how did you know?"
Alicia recalled Angelina telling her a while back that he was the Ravenclaw that was supposedly 'eyeing her' at the Halloween feast. He definitely wasn't sore on the eyes. "I've seen you around." She replied with a smile. "Please, sit. I'm A-…"
"I know, you're Alicia Spinnet." He said quickly, outstretching a hand to her. She smiled and shook his hand as he continued, "I've seen you around too… you hang with Angelina Johnson a lot, and the Weasley twins, and Lee Jordan."
Alicia's eyes went wide. "Yeah, how did you…?"
"I'm good with names." He answered, flashing pearly white teeth her way.
"Right, I'm not as good- so sorry if I don't know any of your friends." She apologized.
"I wont take it offensively. I'm used to being the one who remembers the names, its just I don't remember faces well… but I remember yours." He answered.
Alicia smiled and blushed at his comment. She didn't quite have anything to say to that.
"I take History Of Magic and Herbology with Lee. He's a real nice guy." Joe said, filling in the empty silence. "I also take Defence Against The Dark Arts with Angelina and Fred. Fred's usually making trouble, but Mr Carll doesn't seem to mind, and Angelina's talked with me a couple times, she seems quite nice too."
Alicia nodded, "yeah, they're great."
"I'm the only one of my friends going home for Christmas…" He said, looking out the window that was now countryside.
"Me too." Alicia smiled. "I'd be quite lonely if you hadn't showed up."
He smiled. "I'm going to my grandmothers, what about you?"
"My mom's. I really don't want to go, though." She said, remembering she had to spend her time with her mom.
"Yeah, I would have rather stayed at Hogwarts too, with my friends." Joe said.
"Where does your Grandma live?" Alicia asked.
Joe looked as though he was thinking for a moment, and then he answered, "Hitch Road down by Tony's leather… you know the place?"
"No," Alicia said shaking her head, "sorry."
"Not a lot of people know it… I didn't expect you would." He answered. "She's got an okay townhouse… a bit of a dump, but she didn't want Muggles expecting she was a witch- you know the drill." He said, waving it off.
"Yeah," Alicia lied. In fact, she didn't know 'the drill'. "Seeing any more family while you're there?" She asked.
"My parents might drop in, but they're working most of the Holliday, which is why I'm at my Grandmothers. There was no sense going to their place if it was going to be empty." He laughed.
"Your parents work a lot?" She asked.
"So-so I guess. They don't work much in the summer, they like to take it off, and so they fill it up during the time I'm away." He answered. "Your parents work much?"
Alicia smiled softly. "My moms works on business a lot of the time, she's hardly ever there."
"And your dad?" He asked.
Alicia looked out the window. "I don't have one." She said softly. "He died before I was born- or before I could remember anything… I'm not really sure, my mom doesn't talk about him much."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I shouldn't have brought it up." Joe said.
"Nonsense! I was the one who brought it up, anyways." She said with a light smile.
They were silent for a small while, and then Joe dug his hand into his bag and brought out a chessboard. "I brought Wizard Chess, I'm guessing you wouldn't want to play?"
"Sure, I will." She answered.
Joe smiled and took out the chess pieces. Alicia moved over to the other side of the compartment so that she was beside him, and then she grinned up at him.
"Oh yeah, and be warned, I'm not too shabby with Chess." She winked.
Joe smiled. "I don't know, Alicia… I think I could beat you."
"You're on!" Alicia laughed.
………………………
"I wonder if Alicia's home yet." George said with ease, acting as though it really didn't matter.
"Yeah," Angelina said, "I bet she's close to it."
Fred shrugged behind many dinner plates. "phromumlem… Hugm-wuds Exphfms ips m spheleedee phraim."
Lee raised his eyebrows at Fred. "Did anyone catch what he just said?"
Fred gulped down the food that was in his mouth and repeated, "I said, probably… the Hogwarts Express is a speedy train."
"Maybe because it doesn't have any other trains to wait to cross, and because Muggles cant see it." George suggested lamely.
"That's quite a possible reason." Fred said with a shrug, as he disappeared into his food again.
"So about those presents…" Lee began.
"You're not getting them, Lee." Angelina answered.
Lee shrugged. "I never said anything about having them-… all right, I didn't think it would resort to this, but… well, all right. Angelina, I will give you a kiss if you let me have mine."
"What?" Angelina asked in monotone.
Lee sighed. "Fine, fine… two kisses, but no more you greedy girl."
"Lee!" Angelina scolded, holding in her laughter.
"No more than that Angelina…" Lee teased.
Angelina sighed. "I'm not giving them to you."
"FINE! You are seriously making me do this? ONE NIGHT, Angelina, ONLY one. No ties…" Lee said.
"Lee…" Angelina laughed.
"Okay, so your bed or mine?" He asked with a grin.
Angelina and George laughed at Lee's humour, but Fred only glared at him from behind a bowl of pasta.
………………………
"Check mate!" Alicia said happily.
Joe groaned and then smiled at her. "Nice move, I didn't see you coming at all!"
Alicia laughed.
"Another
game?" He asked.
"Sure." She answered, grabbing
for the black pieces as he took the white. She reached over and Joe's hand
grasped hers accidentally. There was a pause for a moment, almost like the
world decided to go still for a few seconds, and Alicia looked up, her eyes
meeting Joe's.
They withdrew hands, blushing.
"Sorry about that," Joe said with a flush in his pale cheeks.
Alicia smiled her eyes never leaving his. "No problem, really."
Joe looked down and grabbed some other pieces, and Alicia blushed and looked down, grabbing the rest of hers and setting them up.
"Okay, white first, I guess." Joe said. "Pawn to E four."
The pawn made its move and Alicia made hers. They sat there in silence for a long while, thinking over next moves and calling out letters and numbers.
Suddenly, Joe let out a sigh of relief and called out, "Castle to B two! Check and mate!" He said.
Alicia laughed, "Looks like you won."
"Looks like we tied the game." He said with a wink.
There was suddenly a long whistle from the train as they halted to a stop. A man came along the rows, looking into compartments.
"Trains stopped." Said the man. "Hope you had a nice ride."
Alicia nodded as he left and smiled at Joe. "Looks like we'll have to see about who wins the tournament then."
"Tournament?" Joe asked.
"Of course," Alicia laughed, "we're going to have to have a chess tournament now- saved for the train-ride home."
"Right," Joe said with a smile, "same compartment then?"
"Sure, or hereabouts." She said with a wink.
Grabbing their stuff, the two made their way out of the compartment together. They walked along the isle and then loaded out of the train.
"There's my family…" Joe said, pointing over to some Witches and Wizards. "So, I'll see you around then, Alicia?"
"Yeah, of course." She said, smiling.
"It's been amazing to talk to you," he said, outstretching his hand.
Alicia nodded. "And you, as well."
Joe smiled and turned around, walking over to his family and greeting them. Alicia watched him for a small while, and then turned around to look at the platform. She walked through it and a wave went through her, like a strong and cold wind. She shook her head as she came out the other side, acting as though she had been there all along.
Looking around to make sure no Muggles had seen her come out of the wall, she began walking down the train-station, pulling her backpack higher onto her shoulders. She walked out of station and onto the busy roads of London.
The sky was a dreary grey, snow littered the ground lightly, and a gust of wind hit her face. Alicia shivered and looked up at the street-signs. The air nipped at her face and her hair flew around her freely.
"Madame Spinnet?"
Alicia turned around to see Winston, her butler, standing in front of her in his suit, his chest puffed out.
"Hello, Winston. Lovely day, isn't it?" She asked.
"Very cold, miss." He answered. He walked to the limo and opened the door for her. She sighed and gave him a small and forced smile as she crawled into the limo, throwing her backpack onto the floor. Winston closed the door behind her and she could hear him open his side of the door and climb in.
"Straight home, miss? Or would you like to go shopping?" He asked.
Alicia shook her head. "No, just home." She answered.
Winston nodded and Alicia pressed the button to her left that raised the shaded screen. She didn't want to have to stare at the back of his head. She looked out at the shaded dark windows, not able to see much.
Curling her legs up beside her, she opened the mini-fridge and took out a soda. It was in one of the old glass bottles, so she twisted off the metal cap and sipped it slowly. Letting her mind wander, she remembered what Joe Hardyment had said to her.
"It's been amazing to talk to you," he said, outstretching his hand.
Alicia nodded. "And you, as well."
It had been amazing to talk to her, not it has been nice to talk to her. Nice was such an overused word, mostly used out of politeness, and as an excuse because someone cant find a way to say, 'I didn't really want to be here', or 'you're not that great of a person'. The possibilities were endless. You could never tell what a person was trying to say when they said 'nice'. But- amazing. Now that was a word that you could understand.
Alicia smiled. Amazing… was she amazing? No. Definitely not. She was bland, boring, and plain. But Joe had used it… maybe she was amazing? Or just amazing to him? She had never felt, 'amazing' before.
She smiled.
'I like feeling amazing,' she thought, 'it feels, well- not nice, but- amazing.'
There was no way to explain it. She sighed and her eyes unfocused as they stared into the black window. She didn't want to go home to spend Christmas with the Grinch- or her mom. Either one.
…………………………
"Go fish." Angelina said.
Fred looked around. "Why do you keep saying that?" he asked.
Angelina sighed and picked up a card for him, shoving it into his hands.
"And why do you keep giving me a card after you say it?" He asked.
"It's how you play the game, Fred." Angelina answered.
George looked down at them on the floor, from his spot on the chair. He rolled his eyes and looked back at his book… some Canadian novel about a teenage boy. He sighed, and skipped a page or two, not really paying attention to the book, but using it as an excuse to stare blankly at a page and think.
"Go-…" Angelina began, but Fred's hand flew up over her mouth. "Mmph!"
"Ha!" Fred said smiling. "I know how to beat the game."
Angelina raised an eyebrow.
"Now you cant say 'Go Fish' and I don't have to pick up a card. Very smart Muggle game, sort of useless if you ask me. Once you figure out how to beat it, you cant play it again." He answered.
"MMMPPHH!" Angelina said something beneath his hand. Her hands reached up to pry him off of her, but then he used his free hand to grab her around the waist and pull her over to him, keeping her under his hand.
Lee came down the stairs with some papers in his hand and looked over to George, reading silently, and then to a kicking and struggling Angelina, fighting with Fred on the floor, a deck of cards lying forgotten.
"At least let the girl have an opportunity to scream for help- that's not very polite of you to deny her of that, Fred." Lee joked, sitting at one of the tables.
Fred smiled. "Be polite, or have things go my way…?" Fred asked himself, acting as though he was seriously thinking about it. "I say… my way."
"Nice choice." George said sarcastically from his book.
Lee laughed and Angelina tried to scream, but it came out more like a bunch of m's strung together. Fred then smiled and winked at her.
"Ow!" He said, his hand releasing Angelina as she smiled up at him and scrambled on hands and knees away from him and over to her side of the cards.
"Ha!" She said with a wink.
"What she do?" Lee asked, looking up from the papers and books.
"She bit me!" Fred said, shaking his hand.
Angelina shook her head. "No, it was much more lady-like than that! I didn't bite him, I just… well… yeah," she said with a smile, "I bit him."
"Well, now that I won at cards…" Fred began.
"You didn't win!" Angelina protested.
Fred rolled his eyes. "Yeah, were you in the conversation or was I talking to myself? I prevented you from saying, 'go fish'."
"So? That means nothing." Angelina said.
"Nothing, right. It means, everything. I. Won." He said with finality. He then stood up and dusted himself off, checking his watch. "Doing Potions, Lee?"
Lee nodded. "Yeah. The only homework I have over the holidays."
Fred grabbed some paper and a book, and sat beside him. "Yeah, I have Defence Against The Dark Arts, and we have homework too. I guess I'll do it."
Angelina sighed, and George looked from his book to her on the floor.
"All right, Angelina." He said, "I'll play with you."
"Thank you, George." Angelina said sweetly, smiling. She dealt the cards and briefly explained the rules.
"Okay…" George said slowly. "Go fish."
"No, not yet…" She said. "I haven't asked you what you have."
"Oh…" George said slowly.
Angelina spread her cards out in her hands. "Okay, do you have any-…"
"Go fish!" George said quickly.
Angelina sighed. "Not. Yet."
"Oh…" He said yet again.
"Do you have any fives?" She asked.
George
shook his head. "No."
Angelina was silent.
George was silent.
"Okay, George… now you say it." Angelina said.
"OH! Um, go fish!" He said.
Angelina nodded and grabbed a card.
"Ange, do you have any sevens?" He asked.
"Nope, go fish." She answered.
George sat there for a bit. "Um, Ange? I don't know how to fish…" He said slowly, blushing a bit.
"No, George, you pick up a card." Angelina replied. "Like I did when you told me to go fish."
"Oh!" George said, reaching for a card.
Angelina sighed. "Who knew a simple game of 'Go Fish' could be so difficult?" She asked with a smile.
……………………………
Alicia climbed out of the limo, standing in front of her white brick mansion. Huge pillars lined the front near the doorway, the driveway a neat stone, a huge clean-cut lawn surrounding the house, large cylinder shaped hedges around the edges of the lot, and metal gates surrounding the lot as well. There were gardens, which at the moment had a light frost over the closed flowers.
Alicia sighed and looked up at the building. It was the same as she left it; the same huge house, looking untouched and classy.
"Coming, miss Alicia?" Winston asked.
Alicia nodded. "Yes." She followed him and he opened the door for her. Alicia stepped in, keeping her shoes on the red carpet that lined from the front door, up the large staircase that stood in front of her. She looked at her reflection in the grey-white stone that lined the halls floors. She saw a glimmer of light from the diamond chandelier over her, and she looked up, wanting to feel sick. This was home as she remembered it. Just the way she hated it.
She took off her shoes and nodded to Winston as he took them to put them away. "Thank you." She then made her way up the staircase to the middle floor, and walked along the marble halls until he reached the other staircase and walked up it as well. Passing the many doors, she reached the one on the very end: the one room she actually liked in the house. Her room.
She swung open the door and looked around the large room. The floor was hardwood, her bed sitting in the middle with Victorian sheets and many pillows. She had a computer in the corner by her bookshelf and a T.V. across from her bed. It would look like a classy room if it wasn't for the things littered around it. On shelves there were action figures, stuffed animals, posters of Rugby teams and CD's and records.
There was a large walk-in closet and some game systems attached to the T.V. As well, there was a microphone in the corner of the room, a large stereo and some other random things.
Alicia threw her bag on the floor and jumped onto her bed, snuggling her face deep into the pillow. Her eyes stung with tears; she came home to a big, empty house, with no one to keep her company.
There was a knock on the door and Alicia sat up in bed, wiping her cheeks and clearing her throat.
"Come in!" She called.
A maid poked her head in and smiled. "Alicia, your mother wants to see you. She's in the dining room."
"Right." Alicia said. "Thank you. Tell her I will be down as soon as I change."
The maid nodded and closed the door behind her.
Alicia sighed and pulled her cloak off, hanging it on a hook, and then pulling off her skirt. She walked over to her closet and looked into it, grabbing a pair of jeans and a lime-green tank top. She then pulled a black zip-up sweater off a rack and pulled it on, zipping it up halfway. She brushed her hair and tried to look presentable, and then she sighed and decided to go with what she had.
Walking out of her room, it took her a while to get down to the second floor, so she ran the rest of the way to the dining room, almost crashing into a maid. She took the short cut and ran through the kitchens, waving to the cook and some of the waiters that she knew from previously, and she slowed down to a halt before she opened the kitchen doors.
She straightened her hair a bit and pulled down her sweater, and then pushed the kitchen doors open, walking into the dining room. The dining room had wood floors and light brown wallpaper with a few markings on it. There was a large chandelier that was in the center of the very large, rectangular yet round wooden table.
"Hello, mother." Alicia said as she silently cleared her throat.
Her mother managed a smile that was all a serious woman could do, and she stood up, straightening her office skirt. Her high-heels clicked across the wooden floor as she made her way to her daughter, her straight brown hair cut clean and level around her chin like always. She halted in front of Alicia and stuck out her hand.
Alicia took her mothers hand and shook firmly. Her mother withdrew her hand and motioned for Alicia to take a sit.
"It is certainly nice to see you, daughter." She said.
Alicia nodded. "And you, mother."
Mrs Spinnet nodded and picked up the paper. "I doubt you saw the latest in the news… our news… business in Walk's has crashed. I always knew they would do poorly."
Alicia nodded, her hands on her lap and her back straight. She looked straight ahead and her mind was racing.
"Anything for you, Miss Spinnet?" Asked a waiter as he came out from the kitchens, a pad of paper and a pen in hand.
"Yes, some shrimp and caviar." She ordered. "Alicia, anything?"
Alicia shook her head.
"You've been on a disgusting train all morning, you will have something." Mrs Spinnet said.
Alicia nodded. "Okay, um, a chocolate chip muffin, please?" She asked.
"Yes." The waiter nodded.
"Well," Mrs Spinnet said, "snap to it!"
The waiter nodded and scrambled out of the room.
Alicia looked around the room and then down at her lap. There was a slap of something hitting the table, and she looked up to see the newspaper right in front of her, and her mother staring at her.
"Study the business section. I will test you on it." She said.
Alicia sighed silently and looked at the paper. Words were strewn all across it, all about the decrease in profits and stocks. Her mind throbbed just looking at the tiny print and all of the numbers and percentages. Her eyes ran over the paper and she tried desperately to take in the information.
"Pass it back, now." Mrs Spinnet said.
Alicia wanted to protest to say she hadn't nearly read all of it, but she saw her mother's stern face and her prim hair, and she reluctantly pushed it across the table back to her.
"Walk's old percentage of income." Her mother said.
Alicia thought about it. "Um… eighty-three percent." She answered.
"Walk's new percentage of income." Her mother snapped.
"Um…" Alicia's mind raced. "thirty-one percent."
"Quicker." Mrs Spinnet ordered. "The valued income of the least important good at Central New."
"Sixty-four percent. The least-valued good is their fashion designer boots." Alicia said quickly.
"Rate at which the business of Cam's is growing." Mrs Spinnet said faster.
"Point three, two, two, four, each day." Alicia answered.
Mrs Spinnet smiled. "There was an add in the corner. What was it, what was its rating percentage?"
"Cashmere boot skins, ninety seven percent." Alicia said quickly.
"What brand?" She asked.
Alicia closed her eyes. The brand… it was a name she knew all too well… "George Leo." She answered.
Her mother nodded. "Colour?"
Alicia's breath caught in her throat. "Um… navy blue with teal markings?"
Mrs Spinnet shook her head. "Sky blue, peach markings."
Alicia nodded and looked down.
"You should have studied it harder. I'm giving this to you, we will do another test on it tomorrow." She answered, placing the paper in front of her.
Alicia nodded. "Yes, mother."
"Business and fashion are the two most important things in my life, Alicia." She said.
"Yes, mother, I know. Your job." She answered.
Mrs Spinnet nodded. "There is nothing I care more about than my business. You should be like that too… you'd do well to follow in my footsteps." She said.
Another waiter came out and delivered the food to her mother, and then crossed to Alicia, placing a chocolate chip muffin on a silver plate with gold lining, and placed three different forks in front of her.
"Thanks." Alicia said to him.
Mrs Spinnet waved him away.
Alicia broke a piece off her muffin and thought silently to herself. Her mothers business and fashion were the most important things… not for her, at least. Friends and- what would be family would stand in first and second place. She looked up at her mother. What family?
"Business and fashion are the two most important things in my life, Alicia." "There is nothing I care more about than my business."
What about her? Wasn't she supposed to be one of the most important things in her mothers' life? She tried so hard to make her proud of her… but that wasn't possible.
"Alicia, I'm going to a conference." Mrs Spinnet said, standing up. She reached over the table and Alicia grasped her mothers' bony hand.
"Good bye." Alicia said.
With that, Mrs Spinnet left the room, leaving nothing but an empty plate. Alicia stared at her muffin that lay half-eaten on her plate. She had no appetite- she had lost it on the way here. Her own home made her sick to her stomach.
She stared at her mothers' empty plate that lay across the table from her. A waiter walked into the room and lifted it off the table, taking it away. That left her with nothing but emptiness.
She sighed and grabbed the newspaper, walking out the dining room and making her way to her room where she could study in peace… not that this empty and droning house was loud anywhere else.
Business and fashion… who really placed those first in their lives? The only people who do are the people who forget about life itself- forget what its really about. Her mother forgot about what life was about a long time ago. This was the life she knew. This was the hell that brought her to the brink of insanity.
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Well, there is the beginning of everyone's holiday! Alicia is back to the same-old thing that she's used to- yet somehow she isn't happy with what that is. What is she feeling, you think? Tell me in a review, if you'd like. And then there's Angelina who didn't- well, yeah. She bit Fred. And then George learning 'Go Fish' and like his brother, doesn't really grasp the concept. And Lee? He's stuck doing homework for Snape. As for Joe Hardyment… well, I want to know what YOU guys think about him. I already have plans, but tell me if you like him or not, and why or why not! Anyways, I'm out for the night, it's about three in the morning and I'm getting tired!
Kit
