I have time, so here's a chapter, mmkay? Yes. Do enjoy it, will you?

"I'll catch up with you at home, okay George?" Alicia said as the group made their way out of the locker room. Showered and in clean clothes, all except Ginny and Hermione, most were worn out from the game.

"Okay, but where are you going?" George asked, wondering what he would do in their flat alone. He had never been left alone for long, partly because he was usaually at work on the shops while Alicia worked from home as an increasingly popular children's book writer, and partly because George really wasn't trusted.

"I'm just gonna go to look around for a bit. It's been awhile, you know?" she answered, surprised that she lied so easily.

"That's all well and good, 'Lic, but you were here a month ago." Fred teased.

"Yeah, yeah," Alicia joked back, smiling.

Alicia didn't know what she was doing, but she knew it had something to do with walking into the school, away from her friends, towards the castle. To look for the most feared squib to ever grace the halls of Hogwarts...

Argus Filch. He wasn't too hard to find, lurking at a corner on the third floor, just waiting for a student to run. His job was more difficult now, at least when it came to catching students, since the loss of his beloved cat.When Alicia saw him, just standing there, she almost felt bad for him. He looked so lonely, just lurking by himself with no one to mumble curse words under his breath to.

"Filch?" what am I doing? What am I doing?

"What are you doing out of class? Get outta here!" Filch barked at Alicia, barely looking at her.

"I'm not a student, but thanks for the mistake, I graduated a few years ago. I'm a writer now, and I have a few questions for you. About another student." What am I doing? What am I doing?

"I've seen a lot o' students, you'll need to do better than that. If you're capable of it."

"Okay, her name was Katie Bell. She graduatated not too long ago, and she kept your flask full." So that's what I'm doing.

Filch nodded, his filthy hair moving with each bob of his head.

"That girl," he paused, looking Alicia in the eye for the first time since she could remember. "That girl I remember."

And then he started walking away.

"Wait!" Alicia yelled, urgency in her voice. "I need to talk to you!" this was probably the first time anyone truly needed anyhting from Argus Filch. "I need to know everything you know about Katie."

"Why?" his voice was gruff, and his eyes were suspicious. And crinkly.

"Because Katie's my friend, and I barely know her, and I'm scared of what I might find out, but I'm terrified of not knowing." Alicia spilled, not able to believe that she was spilling her guts to Filch of all people.

"All right then." Filch started, taking out his flask and taking a swig. Alicia found herself wondering how many other students had refilled it besides Katie.

Filch made his way over to an old bench that had been in the same hall on the third floor of Hogwarts since the school was built, but was so stony and uncomftorable that no one sat on it except Filch. Alicia followed, sitting on the opposite side of Filch so that she could look at him, and hear him, but not really be near him.

"Bell was first out there at her wall in her first year, when she was supposed to be scared o' me. She wadn't. When I caught her, Fire Whiskey in one hand, fag in the other, she just kinda looked at me like this was supposed to be normal. It wasn't. Usually yah little brats didn't get the balls to do that 'till yer fifth year, or later with some. But not Bell, she was all ready out there."

"So that's why you remember her? She was so young?" Alicia asked, anxious for an answer, and Filch gave her a look that seemed to growl at her impatience.

"She was also different in other ways. She was there consistantly, and almost always alone. No friends, that one. But what's really weird, is her third year."

"She got noticably worse?" Alicia asked, her anxiousness getting the better of her yet again.

"Nah, stranger. She wadn't out there. She had nothing to fill my flask with. No fags to smoke. She wadn't a good kid all of a sudden, that's for damn sure, she wasn't out there."

"Where was she?"
"You said you were her friend, you should know."
"But I don't, so tell me!"
"Why don't you just ask her yourself? I'm done here."

With those friendly parting words, Filch stomped off, looking for a current student to catch in the act of not being perfect like requested. Or just looking like he had the potential to cause trouble. Or just being unlucky enough to bump into Filch between classes.

That's what I'll do, I'll just go to Katie's and talk to her, Alicia's rational side told her. Alicia tried to explain all her new information as she walked to Hogsmeade so she could apparate. A wide range of explanations made their way into to her mind, some almost reasonable, others not even close to being plausable.

It was some other girl, everyone was mistaken.

She did it, but was under the Imperious curse.

She wasn't as frequent as Filch thought, it was a random thing.

It's a big joke being pulled on Alicia, by Katie. Elaborate, but effective.

Alicia was finally away from the school, in a safe place to Apparate, and with a blink she was gone. Gone to miles away, to Katie's building, on the front steps. It didn't seem like anyone saw her, since Katie lived on a street that was so busy that mistakes could easily be made and muggles would just assume that they hadn't seen the person before, not that they had appeared out of nowhere.

Alicia tried to buzz in, leaving her finger on the small button that read the words "Bell, K." that would supposedly grant her entrance into the home of the elusive Katie Bell.

As she waited, Alicia thought. She tried to think about the last time she had visited Katie at her studio loft, but was drawing a blank. She only remembered the address because she and George had sent out Christmas cards the previous December. Humorous ones that had a picture of the happy couple, George wrapped in a box and Alicia looking surprised. Mr. Weasley had loved it, and Mrs. Weasley had been sure it was all George's idea. She was right.

"Can I help you?" Alicia jumped at the unfamiliar voice, but it wasn't coming from the little button she had been violating for quite some time now. It was from a short little woman with dark hair shaped perfectly like a Mary Tyler Moore knock off do, and coke bottle glasses resting on a knobby little nose.

"Yes, I was just trying to see my friend Katie. Katie Bell." Alicia quickly said, trying not to stare at the little elf like woman.

"Haven't seen her for months. I'm the land lady, Heloise. Come! I'll take you up!" the small, apparently named Heloise, lady declared.

Alicia followed her through a small lobbly like room that held where all the mail slots for the tenants. From what she could see, Katie's only had junk mail in it.

"Haven't seen Katie for three months." Heloise stated for the second time, now in a cramped elevator that was taking the pair up. "She paid her rent for six months, it runs out soon. You interested in a studio flat?"

"Oh, no, I just want to find Katie."

"It's strange, the way she just vanished, but I ask no questions!"

"Was she a good tenant?"
"The best. Always paid on time, never complained, no problems with neighbors. But you can still have her flat if she's disapeared."

The elevator thankfully opened, and Heloise opened the door to Katie's flat for Alicia. She didn't ask questions about who Alicia was, didn't seem concerned if she was a thief or anything. Alicia made up her mind right then that she would never live in a building owned by this Heloise creature.

Katie's studio flat would have been cramped if it had more furniture. A small tv that looked unused sat in the corner, with a single lounge chair in front of it. In the corner of a room was a dresser and a bed, unmade. A bathroom was off to the side, but Alicia really didn't check there. The kitchen was in the back, and from the looks of it, empty food wise.

The walls were plain red brick with no pictures, and only a few windows. One window was opened, where Katie's black and white tuxedo cat, Celia, was perched. On the floor in front of her sat a water bowl and food dish, both magically set to replenish and a self cleaning litter box.

"Hello, Celia. Can you tell me where Katie is?" Alicia mumbled to herself more than the cat.

She got a mew in return despite this.

Working her way through the small home, Alicia stopped and looked at the only picture in the whole place. Sitting on and table, in a plain frame, was a picture of Katie and Celia. Celia seemed quite unamused by the idea of a picture, but Katie had a smile.

Her dark almond shaped eyes crinkled, as her dark brown hair fell into them, and her oval shaped face seemed even more golden brown than usual. She wore make up, as usual, this time taking care to accent her high cheekbones. Alicia studied the picture carefully, thinking about how pretty Katie looked in that picture.

That was the prettiest she had looked in a long time, in this photo that looked like she took it herself. Out of instinct, Alicia slid the photo out of the frame and put in her purse.

It was that same instinct that caused her to pick up Celia, and Katie's left out address book, and walk out of the flat to her home a few blocks away.

She didn't know what she was doing or how she was going to explain the sudden pet adoption to George.