I'm sorry, this is a short chapter, but I really don't have the time to do more than that.

Chapter 23

"Do you have any news from Alicia?"

Mitch didn't know what to say. He was holding Emma in his arms. The little girl was waiting for his answer. She was looking at the older boy with shining green eyes. Mitch didn't like Emma's stare. It reminded him too much of the woman he loved.

"I haven't heard from her since her last letter four months ago." Mitch said sadly.

"Oh."

Emma sucked on her thumb, a little frown forming on her face.

"Why?" She asked.

Mitch had to hide his smile. Emma was only four years and a half, and she already spoke like a normal person. Everyone in the neighbourhood liked to say she was growing up to be a famous business woman, a woman into politics. They were proud to have a girl like Emma in their street. Mitch, however, didn't go as far as that. He didn't see Emma as a future leader in the world. But she was a genius: there was no doubt about that.

"I lied to her. I wanted her to react and she didn't."

Emma stood up on her little legs. The wind was blowing in her face. Her thick black locks were flying around her white face. Her green eyes shone darkly. For a moment Mitch thought he saw something else than a little girl in front of him. And then it was gone. The wind disappeared and Emma was staring at him. Again. Mitch avoided her gaze as much as he could.

"What did you say to her?" Emma asked.

"I told her I had a girlfriend." Mitch said simply. It hurt to think about it, it hurt to talk about it. Alicia had never answered his last letter. Mitch had asked the Potters if something had happened to her, and they had assured him that Alicia was fine. Then why was she cutting him out of her life so suddenly?

"Is it true?"

Mitch sighed.

"No."

"Why did you lie to her?" Emma didn't stop asking questions. Mitch knew he could confide in her. After all, she was only four years old. She was not going to remember this moment. Mitch had not been able to speak about Alicia to any of his friends. They wouldn't understand how he could have fallen in love with a girl so young.

"I lied to her because I thought she was going to react. I thought she was going to be jealous. I thought she was going to leave Alan and come back to me. It has taken me a very long time to realise my feelings for her. And now it's too late."

There was silence.

"Oy! Mitch! Are you ready to go?" Someone called suddenly.

Mitch turned around. His friends were waiting for him. They were going to watch a football match.

Mitch winked at Emma and stood up. He joined his friends.

"Mia Burrows is coming to the match as well. I think she's interested in you," Jason clapped Mitch's shoulder fondly.

"Yeah, maybe you two can go out together. She has always liked you." Another friend, Marc, said.

"Yeah, Mitch, you need a girlfriend! It's been a long time since we've seen you happy!" Jason cried loudly. He laughed as if he had just invented a good joke.

"Go to hell." Mitch said grinning.

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Emma tiptoed into her parents' room silently. She hoped Ginny and Harry could not hear her. They were in the kitchen downstairs. Ginny was backing a muggle cake and Harry was reading the newspaper. Emma had checked they were busy before going into their room. If they caught her, they would want to know her why she was suddenly interested in their room.

Emma's hands trembled as she grabbed the wand on Ginny's night table. Ginny always kept a spare one beside her bed.

Emma held the wand in front of her eyes and examined it carefully.

Carefully she waved the wand in front of her. Nothing happened.

She waved the wand again, with more force.

"Oh, come on! I'm not asking much." Emma begged to the wand.

The little girl waved the wand with so much force it looked as if her life depended on her.

After a while, Emma fell down on her knees and let go of the wand. It rolled under the bed.

Emma gritted her teeth and tried not to cry. It was not the end of the world after all.

Emma had always felt she was different from the rest of her family. She had always felt it in her heart, but she had never had the courage to take a wand and confirm her fears.

Emma took the wand again and stroked it. She would never use one. This could be the last time she actually held one in her hands.

All of Emma's dreams vanished. She would never become a witch. It was impossible. Emma had to face the truth: there was no magic in her and there would never be.

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Alan smiled as Alicia approached him. She really was the prettiest girl in Hogwarts. Alan had to congratulate himself.

"Hello, Alan." Alicia whispered fondly.

"Hello, Alicia." Alan said.

They kissed.

"Hum, Alan cleared his throat when they had finished kissing, Alicia, do you remember the conversation we had last night?"

"Yes." Alicia had not forgotten about it. After all, it wasn't every day they talked about sex.

"Well, have you taken a decision? When are we going to do it?" Alan asked eagerly.

Alicia grinned.

"Tonight." She whispered and walked away.

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Mr Collins was making his way towards his office when he bumped into Elisabeth Malfoy and her friend Alicia Potter.

Mr Collins had been the two Slytherin girls' teacher for a very long time, and he knew them better than any other teacher did. Although he tried to hide it, everyone knew Mr Collins didn't like Alicia Potter.

Mr Collins had the feeling that the Potter girl was not what she pretended to be. Everyone saw her as a beautiful clever girl, a girl with a good heart. Mr Collins, however, knew she was hiding something. He didn't know what, but he planned to find out.

Alicia Potter was up to no good.

She never was. Mr Collins had never managed to catch Alicia but he knew she was the one steeling from his cupboard. Several dark books had disappeared from his office, as well as a few dangerous potions.

Professor McGonagall had not listened to him when he had gone to her for help. She didn't want to accuse anyone as long as there was no proof.

"Elisa, I have to tell you something." Alicia was saying when they bumped into the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher.

Mr Collins liked to think he was a good man. He had been brought up by very rich parents who worked in the Ministry of Magic. He was polite and nice to everyone. He had never done anything wrong in his life.

He followed the two girls. Alicia and Elisabeth locked themselves into an empty classroom.

Mr Collins didn't feel at all guilty as he eavesdropped on the girls' conversation. He thought his acts were justified.

"I'm going to do it tonight." Alicia said.

"Tonight? But I thought you had changed your mind!" Elisabeth cried in panic.

"I know but I can't stand it anymore, Elisa! I have to do it."

There was a long silence. Mr Collins hoped the girls had not felt his presence.

"Alicia, do you realise that there'll be no turning back afterwards?"

"Yes, I know."

"What if someone sees you?" Elisa whispered. It sounded as if she was crying.

"I don't care, Alicia said in a determined voice, I have made up my mind about this a very long time ago."

Mr Collins smiled. He walked away. He had heard everything he needed to hear.

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For the first time in months Mitch was having fun. He felt happy to be surrounded by his friends, and the girl sitting next to him was interesting. Her name was Mia Burrows and she was a year above them in school.

She was the kind of girl Mitch liked. She didn't obsess about her looks, she had no mirror in her bag, no lipstick in her jeans' pocket and yet she managed to be charming and sexy.

She was funny and she laughed a lot.

Mitch wondered if maybe he could begin something with Mia Burrows. Maybe it was time to stop thinking about Alicia and start thinking about someone else. Maybe it was time to get over her and start something new.

"Are you all right?" Mia said all of a sudden.

Mitch grinned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something else." He said.

Mia laughed.

"And I suppose that something else is a girl you like?" She asked.

Mitch chuckled.

"How did you know?"

"It's written all over your face. Now spit it out! Who is the lucky girl?"

"My neighbour." Mitch answered. Next thing he knew he was telling Mia everything about Alicia. He knew he could trust her.

Mia was a very good listener. She didn't interrupt him and she didn't make any mocking remarks. She didn't even find it weird when Mitch told her Alicia was much younger than him.

Finally, when Mitch was finished with his story, Mia spoke:

"After the party where she kissed Alan, did she come to your house?"

"Yeah."

"Did she say sorry?"

"Eh, yeah." Mitch wondered why Mia was asking him this. Hadn't he given enough details already?

Mia smiled.

"Mitch, I didn't think you could be so stupid," she said shaking her head in disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Mitch frowned.

"Well, it's obvious this girl is gaga for you!" Mia cried.

"What?"

"She answers all your letters. She tells you everything. She spends nearly every day of her holydays with you. She asked her cousin to break up with you. Then you go in her house and yell at her. Two years pass, and you don't hear a word from her. Then, all of a sudden, she comes back and apologizes. You guys are friends again. You ask her to come to the party with you. She's nervous, she drinks too much: she gets drunk. She kisses Alan. The next morning she comes to your house and apologizes. She feels guilty, as if she betrayed you. It's obvious she felt as if you guys were more than just friends."

Mitch was silent. He didn't know what to say. What if Mia was right?

"But if she really liked me, then why isn't she answering any of my letters?" Mitch asked.

Mia frowned. She thought for a while.

"You told me this girl hides a lot of stuff. Maybe she's not answering your letters because she feels as if you need to distance yourself from her. Maybe she's only trying to protect you."

They stopped talking for a while and watched the match. They cheered and booed with the rest. At the end of the match, when everyone got up, Mia talked again.

"When you speak of Alan, are you by any chance talking about the guy who lives near Jason's house?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's the guy." Mitch said.

Mia made a face.

"I don't like that guy. He reminds of a fox."

Mitch had to smile when Mia said that.

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It was ten o'clock in the evening. Elisabeth glanced at Alicia. Alicia was sitting on one of the cosy armchairs. She didn't look nervous at all. On the contrary, she looked peaceful. If Elisabeth hadn't known her friend, she would have said Alicia looked like an angel.

Suddenly Alicia stood up.

"It's time." She mouthed at Elisabeth.

Elisabeth nodded to show she understood. She knew nothing could stop Alicia now. She had made her decision.

Elisabeth felt the tears come to her eyes as she watched her friend leave the room. She wanted to do something. She wanted to stop her friend, but she didn't know how.

Elisabeth had already done everything she could. She had begged, shouted, and threatened … nothing worked. Alicia was more than determined.

Elisabeth knew the right thing to do was to call a teacher. But that was something she couldn't do. Elisabeth wasn't able to betray anyone, especially her best friend.

Because after all these years, Elisabeth had to admit it: Alicia was her sister. They didn't have the same blood, and they didn't have anything in common. Except for having been put in the same house, Alicia and Elisabeth were as different as night and day. And yet their hearts told them they were sisters. They had learned to love each other over the years.

Elisabeth felt like a coward.

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Mr Collins glanced at his watch.

"It's time." He said out loud and left his office.

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Alan was very proud of himself. He glanced one last time at his reflection and then he left the room.

"You're so lucky," his friend Frank said.

"Yeah, I can't believe you're going to have sex with Alicia Potter!" another guy cried.

Everyone in the Gryffindor common-room looked up. A bunch of guys whistled. Alan blushed. He didn't want anyone to notice how nervous he was. His hands were sweating. Cursing, Alan quickly made his way down the stairs and ran to the door as fast as possible.

But someone stopped him. It was Beverly Weasley. She was looking at him strangely.

"Is it true?" She asked simply.

"That's none of your business," Alan snapped.

Beverly laughed.

"I believe it is. Alicia is my cousin, remember?"

"Just get out of the way," Alan said. He pushed Beverly aside and went outside.

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