I hope you all still enjoy reading my story and thank you for the reviews! Let me know if there's something you guys wants to happen or any idea you might have; I can always use everything for something! ;) I feel I've been a bit in a dry period just trying to get to the interesting parts of the story I have in mind. But I hope you can appreciate it anyways. :)

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Chapter 14

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It was raining, like it'd done all day. Alice felt rather bored since Daphne was in class and she had a free period. She was walking down the stairs towards the Great Hall. The corridors were empty; probably because of the poor weather.

"Lucky you remembered to fall on you huge bottom, Longbottom." She recognized that voice too well. A light-haired boy was sitting on his bum in front of what seemed as half the school; Draco was in the front row openly laughing at the poor boy. "Stuffed enough to reduce your fall?" Alice stepped out of the crowd and reached a hand out to him.

"Are you alright?" He took her hand, let her pull him up on his feet and nodded.

"Thank you", he said in a whisper before starting to walk away, leaving all his books and his wand behind. Alice picked them up and hurried after him.

"I'm sorry about that", Alice said and reached him his things. "Draco can be a bit of a dimwit."

"Draco? You know him?" The boy asked. He stopped and sat down on a bench with a plagued expression on his face.

"Well, yes", Alice said and sat down beside him. "I'm Alice."

"Neville", he said with a weak smile. "Why are you nice to me if you know Malfoy well enough to call him by his first name?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Neville shrugged his shoulders and started to put the books in his bag.

"I haven't seen you before..." A group of Slytherin students passed them and laughed out loud while portraying Neville's stumble.

"I just started this year", Alice made a pause, "and I'm in Slytherin as well." Neville's eyes widened and he pushed as far away from her as the bench would allow.

"You are?" He stuttered. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Well, because they were all so rude, I guess." They sat quiet for a moment, it felt a bit uncomfortable. "I'm going to talk to Draco, I'll see you around Neville", she said and stood up.

"Yeah, see you", he said, still a bit in chock. Daphne clutched Alice almost by the Slytherin common room; apparently she'd already heard the news about Alice rescuing Neville.

"What are you so angry about?" Daphne asked while trying to keep up Alice's pace.

"That sodding…" Alice stopped and Daphne accidently walked right in to her. "Lying, back talking idiot!" Draco stopped and looked up at the two girls in front of him; one of them surprised and confused and the other one absolutely furious.

"You", Alice said between her teeth, "have some serious explanations to do."

"What?" He looked over at Daphne for a clarification but received nothing but a shrug of her shoulders and a quick shook with her head.

"I need to… go", Daphne said and quickly disappeared.

"Who are you?" Alice said, clutching her eyes in his.

"Draco Mal…" Alice interrupted him.

"Not your sodding name! Who are you? Who is Draco Malfoy?" He opened his mouth several times but never said anything. He wasn't sure what to answerer.

"You know me…" He tried, but as soon as he'd said it, he knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"No, apparently I don't!" She said in despair. "The Draco I knew would never kick on the laying." Once again he stood with open mouth but without words. "I knew you would be different around your friends. But if it is this, I don't think I can handle it."

"Alice…" He started, but still couldn't get anything out. She waited for him to speak, but when he didn't say anything Alice said it for him;

"I'm going to be honest Draco", she said. "If this is who you are; I don't want to be a part of it." He seemed troubled and distressed; as if something was more wrong then it had been before.

"Maybe your right", Draco said, turned around and walked away.

"You broke his heart", Daphne walked out from her hiding place and leaned against the wall.

"If he has one…" They walked after Draco towards the common room.

"I thought you liked him?" Alice understood Daphne was being careful not to press on a soar nerve.

"I did, or I thought I did", Alice said. She wasn't sure where to place her feelings. She felt hurt, betrayed and confused. "It was a brief moment of misunderstood feelings between us."

"Alice, it's alright if you like him; I mean, he's handsome, smart and for most parts nice", Daphne said, trying to comfort her friend.

"For a moment, yes I thought so too", Alice said. "I've changed my mind."

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Slytherin and Gryffindor had class together again; this time it was Defense against the Dark Arts. Ginny Weasley actually waved and smiled at Alice, even asked her to come over and chat. Alice saw Draco coming down the hallway and made sure not to look at him, at all.

"Draco aren't…" Pansy Parkinson was walking next to him, clinging on to his arm.

"No", he said and before she had the chance to say something else he said "no" again.

"No hi?" Ginny asked, she seemed a bit shocked.

"To who?" Alice asked, acting as if she hadn't seen him.

"Aren't you friends with Draco Malfoy?"

"No", Alice said quickly.

"But…" Alice interrupted her.

"No."

"He…"

"No."

"You…"

"No." It looked as if Ginny was giving up.

"I was under the impression you cared for him." Before Alice got the chance to answerer the door swung open and professor Snape stepped outside.

"Get in", he said in his normal, cold tone.

"I don't", Alice whispered as they followed professor Snape into the classroom. Instead of the usual rows of benches the spaced was cleared out.

"Line up on two rows", professor Snape said. No one hesitated for a moment; they lined up in two rows facing each other. "Today we are practicing defensive spells, page 184 in your books which I presume all of you have read until today…"His gaze flew over the room; giving everyone a rather unpleasant feeling of being evaluated thoroughly.

"Now, I will not have any unnecessary injuries so I suggest you stick to the milder version of both attacking and protecting spells." Alice stood across to Ginny; which felt comforting.

"Ginny", Alice said looking over at her. "I don't know any attack spells."

"Try 'stupefy'", Ginny said and prepared herself for Alice's attack. Alice took out her wand and pointed it at Ginny.

"Stupefy!" Alice said and a bright light shot out of her wand.

"Protego!" Ginny said only seconds after and a light blue shield appeared in front of her. Alice was sure it would block her spell out completely but the red beam split for a moment before going through Ginny's protective spell and hitting her in the chest.

"Oh god, Ginny I'm so sorry", Alice said and ran over to the almost unconscious spell. Ginny smiled at her before starting to laugh. "I think you got a bit of it anyway", Alice said.

"Blimey Alice, that was one strong spell", she laughed, probably by the shock. "I thought you said you didn't know any spells."

"I don't, or I didn't. This was the first time", Alice tried to find the right words.

"It's alright, really", Alice helped Ginny on her feet. "Maybe we should go the other way around until I've catch my breath." They stood at opposite ends of the room again; Ginny holding out her wand towards Alice.

"Aren't you going to have your wand ready?"

"I want to try something", Alice said while calmly standing in her place.

"Stupefy!" Ginny said and the bright light came flying towards Alice. Alice put out her hands just in time to capture the light between them and then pushing them together, forcing the spell to disappear.

"Again", Alice said. This felt great, it gave her a warm tickling feeling and it made her heart beat.

"Stupefy!" Ginny launched another attack towards Alice. This time she reached for her wand.

"Protego!" Alice said, she stopped the spell alright. As well as every other spell in the room. Unknowingly she pushed the spells away from herself, making them return in full force on their caster. Even professor Snape fell of his feet and seemed stunned for a moment.

"Um…" Alice didn't know what to say; being the only one standing in the room. "Sorry?" She smiled the sweetest smile she had in herself, flinching with her lashes. Some of them seemed way to mad to ever forgive her; while some of them was smiling back or laughing at the irony of the situation.

"An excellent preformed protective spell miss Gaunt; ten point to Slytherin", professor Snape said and clapped his hands.