I know this is a far too short update for taking this long, but I've been rather busy this week and hope you'll forgive me for it. I'm trying to do as much research to make the story fit in with the original one. And I do hope you will see the references I am making as we go, they are of importance to this story and its plot. Thank you as always for continuing reading and reviewing!
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Chapter 17
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Pansy Parkinson yelled the loudest she could. It wasn't a yell out of joy or happiness, but of true horror. Alice ran after her with her wand raised, shooting spells after the running girl.
"Stop and face me you coward!" Alice screamed after her. She wasn't sure what would happen if any of her spells would actually hit Pansy, only that they would hurt her. The corridors were starting to fill up because of the rumble they were making. Pansy tried shooting a curse back at Alice, but it hit a boy to their left instead who instantly started puking. They came to a dead end. Correctly; they came down to the main entrance and the Great Hall. Students and teachers were blocking all ways out of there. Alice remembered what her father had told her. Feel it, they deserve it; she deserved it. She didn't have to say anything, Alice just pointed her wand at Pansy and she fell down on the floor, twitching and screaming. Alice felt the hate and the anger rise inside of her.
"Alice! Alice!" She heard them screaming. "Snap out of it!" The voice was getting closer. Pansy was still lying on the floor, screaming out in pain. It was like Alice was in a trance; she couldn't stop nor could she move.
"Alice what are you doing?" She regained some of her focus and looked to her right, still with her wand pointing at Pansy. "Stop it", Neville said. His voice was calm and when he reached out and touched her shoulder her body went heavy and she began coming together, falling down on the floor. For a second; everything went black. She felt regret and anger. Hatred, for someone or something. Pansy was still screaming in the background.
"What happened to her?" Alice couldn't open her eyes. She didn't need to either; she knew what was happening anyway.
"I don't know, I just got here", Neville said. Alice felt a pair of warm hands lifting her upper body up. "We have to take her to the hospital, Pansy Parkinson as well."
"Let go of her Draco and go take care of your girlfriend instead", Blaise said with a cold tone. Suddenly Alice felt like she could breathe again. She inhaled deep and quickly. She opened her eyes just in time to se Blaise push Draco away so that he fell backwards from his squatting position to fall on his bum. All the faces, they were all looking at her. It couldn't be; they couldn't recognize her like this.
"Alice, may I have a word with you?" Professor Slughorn had stepped out of the crowd, standing not two feet away from Alice. "In my office." Neville helped Alice up since Blaise was busy staring with hate at Draco.
"Yes sir, of course", Alice said. "Thank you Neville." Alice followed professor Slughorn passed all the students, who were giving Alice suspicious looks. When Alice was sure professor Slughorn wasn't looking, she pointed her wand at the students. She knew by the expression of their faces that she'd manage to change their memories. Most of them would just think the two girls had just fought. Pansy would remember, so would Draco and Blaise. Perhaps Neville, if he dared to. The clusters of students started to disband, returning to their own chores. Alice followed professor Slughorn in silence all the way to the sixth floor and his office. It was rather big, but still had a cosy feeling to it. They stepped over the floor to the far end by the fireplace where the desk stood. Professor Slughorn signed to Alice to take a seat while he was fetching two glasses and a bottle of butterbeer.
"May I ask you something Alice?" He poured the liquid in the glasses and reached one of them to Alice.
"Anything sir", Alice said and took the drink.
"What do you know about the Dark Arts?" Professor Slughorn sat down in his chair on the other side of the desk.
"Not much I can tell you, sir. Mostly what I've learned in Defense against the Dark Arts class with professor Snape sir", Alice said and sipped on her butterbeer. "Professor, how do I know what magic is a part of the Dark Arts?"
"There are many kinds of magic, some better than others. It's not always easy to separate them. But most of the dark magic is about using or hurting other to benefit for yourself", professor Slughorn said. He gave Alice a concerned look.
"What about the Imperius curse? Or the Cruciatus curse, sir?"
"Blimey Alice! Have your parents taught you nothing?" He leaned on his elbow on the arm of the chair. "Do you know what curse you used at Pansy Parkinson?"
"No, not quite sir", Alice said and put down the empty glass on his desk. "Professor, it was as if it wasn't me. I couldn't control myself. I wanted to hurt her, much more than I did, sir."
"Alice, it looked like you used the Cruciatus curse on her. It's forbidden, don't you know that?"
"No professor, my father told me to use it. On the ones that deserve it. Like mudbloods and blood traitors."
"Merlin's beard! What are you speaking about?" What surprised him the most was that Alice seemed chocked over his reaction. "Alice, those are foul things to say!"
"I'm sorry sir", she said in her most innocent tone. "Did I say something wrong?" Professor Slughorn said nothing; he just stared at the full glass in his hands.
"Professor I've lived isolated from this world until this summer. My mother told me nothing about it and my father barley never has time for me, sir. Some people tell me one thing and in the next minute someone else tells me differently. It is very confusing, this you must understand, sir?" Professor Slughorn finally looked up on the girl sitting in front of him with a smile. She tried not to smile over her success of deluding the old man.
"Do you like reading Alice?" He stood up and turned to his bookshelf at the right.
"I do sir, very much." Professor Slughorn picked down an old book from the top shelf and reached it over to Alice. "I know it might seem a bit silly, asking you to read childrens stories, but I think you might get found of it." Alice looked down on the cover; The tales of Beedle the Bard. Alice had never heard of it, but by the looks of it, she was sure it would be enjoyable.
"Thank you, sir", Alice said with a soft smile.
"I hope it will change your mind about things", professor Slughorn said. "I must tell you though, it is written in very old English. If you struggle with it, just come by my office and I'll see if I can help out", he continued. "Now off you go, I don't want to take all of you time on the weekend like this."
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Blaise stood tall outside the girls' dormitory, waiting for his date for the evening. They'd had been invited to supper in professor Slughorn's office. Blaise started to lose his patient and knocked at the door.
"Alice, are you ready?" The door opened and Alice smiled brightly at him.
"I'd lost track of my stockings, but I found them", she said and closed the door behind her.
"Well, I guess it was worth the wait. You look stunning", he said and kissed her on the cheek. Alice opened her bag and took out a jumper; the castle was feeling rather cold. Daphne had helped her do an invisible extension spell on it, so she wouldn't need to go carrying around a suitcase for all the things she wanted with her all time. As they walked across the common room Alice felt the looks from the other girls burning in her back whilst most of the boys were giving her an appreciated smile. She'd noticed some of these looks recently, especially since her date with Blaise not two days ago.
"Why are they all looking at us?" she whispered as they left the room and headed upstairs towards professor Slughorn's office.
"They're looking at you", he said with a smirk. "The best thing is; they know they'll never have you." He took Alice's hand and smiled at her. The two twin girls from Alice's year walked about half a stair before them. Blaise didn't seem to care too much about them and neither did Alice; they still frightened her a bit with their identical blank stare and neutral faces. They almost seemed as dolls, walking the same way, acting the same way and always being together. When they walked through the door in to professor Slughorn's office, professor Slughorn barley said hello to the two twins and made his way directly to Alice and Blaise. A fair few students were already there, among them Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's mudblood friend.
"Alice, Blaise how good to see you!" He shook both of their hands. "Both showing class in such fine outfits. Good, keeping the standard high." He himself wore a dark blue, velvet robe with a matching hat that covered the most of his bald spot.
"We brought you something sir", Alice said and reached in to her overly enlarged handbag. "As a token of appreciation for this lovely supper party." Alice reached over the box of crystallized pineapples.
"Oh, wonderful Alice! These are my favorites, how did you know?" he said in delight and Alice put on her most faithful smile.
"Intuition", she said and made a small shrug with her shoulders. Professor Slughorn's face went blank for a moment before he laughed again. "Do you mind Blaise? I wish to have a moment alone with professor Slughorn." Blaise smiled at her and made his way to the other side of the room, where they served drinks and appetizers.
"Have you had any time to read the book I gave you?" Professor Slughorn said while opening the box of pineapples and taking a piece.
"I have sir, only one of the stories though, sir. I must say I found it thrilling! Are these based on true events, sir?"
"Rumors are that some of them are true, but then again; what doesn't make a childrens story more fascinating than the unknowing facts of its heritage?" Professor Slughorn laughed. "Which one of the stories have you read?"
"The tale of the Three Brothers, sir", Alice said. "Wouldn't it be intriguing though? Knowing there's a way to cheat death?"
"Death is a natural part of life, another step of the journey. Not something one would seek to avoid", professor Slughorn said, leaving the subject. Instead he took Alice and introduced her to the other students and some famous athlete named Gwenog Jones. To her joy, both Ginny and Neville where there. Neville was cheerful as always; whilst Ginny seemed to be in a damped, sad mood and didn't say much at all. It was hard to make both Blaise and Neville have a civilized conversation with each other. Blaise looked at her or over Neville's head and Neville looked down on the floor most of the time. The gap between them had never been more obvious. Where there really that big a difference between the two?