I'm sorry for the long wait for this chapter, and I do want to apologize for how short it is as well. A lost my inspiration for a day or two but I'm sure it has found its way back by now. :) Thank all of you who are still reading my story and thank you to those who is reviewing. I do have two special thanks this chapter as I got two wonderful reviews. The first one is as always from JucyLucy921 who always leaves me with a smile. And the second one was from Ophidianvoix; I am sorry for not have reviewed yours, I do like reading it and finds it very inspirational. You should all check it out actually; .net/s/7448421/1/Love_is_Void_Tom_Riddle_and_Eve_Sinclaire

Cheers! :)

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Chapter 29

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"Do you mind?" Ginny asked. She combed her hair with her fingers, to get it in place from the harsh wind.

"No, not at all", Alice said and made room next to her at the bench.

"Oh, you've got a new wand", said Ginny with surprise.

"Yes, this one suits me quite better", Alice said and smiled.

"You missed class", Ginny said and held out a bunch of papers towards Alice. "Professor McGonagall asked me to give you this, it's all that you've missed in most of the subjects." Alice took the papers and tried to put it in her bag. "And the OWL's are coming up soon", Ginny said, she was a bit worried.

"Hi Ginny." The girl that spoke was one of the oddest persons Alice had seen in a while. The girl had long, dirty-blond hair and she had a constant expression of surprise in her face.

"Oh, hi Luna", Ginny said and smiled.

"Wow, your aura is big", Luna said and looked directly at Alice. Most people had a hard time looking directly at her the first time they met.

"Pardon me?" Alice said, as she didn't fully understand what Luna meant.

"Your magical aura", Luna said with a dreaming expression on her face. "Every person has one, it's like the air around them vibrates. You make a lot of air vibrate." Alice couldn't decide if this was some sort of odd compliment or not. "A lot of people must want to please you", she continued with the same dreaming expression as before.

"Why would you say that?" Alice asked and watched her carefully. She seemed to return to this world and smiled.

"Strong and big auras often makes people insecure, and they seek comfort with those who have them", she said. "Bye." And the odd girl trotted off.

"Bye", Alice said, absolutely fascinated with the girl.

"I'm sorry about that. Luna is very nice but she's got ideas..." Ginny started.

"I liked her", Alice said and picked up her bag. "I've got to go", she said and left Ginny alone at the bench. Most students were outside, leaving the corridors rather empty. Most of those who Alice passed were too busy with each other to even notice her. The girl, Luna, must have been wrong. There was nothing big or strong about her. She was just an ordinary girl, like anyone else. Except... Alice caught up with Luna soon enough.

"Excuse me", Alice said and grabbed Luna's shoulder. "What do you mean with a strong aura?"

"Yours remind me a lot of professor Dumbledore's aura", Luna said. "People will listen to what you have to say." And once again Luna left Alice confused and by herself. Listen? Even if they did, what did she have to say? An echoing scream sounded trough the corridor and interrupted Alice's thoughts.

"Are you psyched or what?" Daphne jumped up and down. "The game?" She reminded Alice when Alice didn't respond in the way she wanted.

"We're not even playing", Alice said, a bit confused over Daphne's excitement.

"Come on! Let's go, let's go!" Daphne said and pulled Alice with her down the hallway. "I can't wait to see those Hufflepuff's squash Gryffindor's faces!"

"So we're rooting for Hufflepuff then? Great", Alice said, trying to sound excited.

"Oh don't be grumpy", Daphne said with a big smile as they walked down the lawn towards the Quidditch pitch. "Is there some place other you'd rather be?"

"I guess not", Alice said and looked over the landscape. The weather was nice, rather warm and the sun was shining through the thick clouds occasionally.

"Alice!" Alice turned to see Blaise, in company with Draco a few yards away. He waved in a motion to make her come to him. A lump took place in her stomach and throat. Wasn't he the one who had said they needed time apart? What if he'd changed his mind? It had been almost two weeks.

"I'll save you a seat", Daphne said and started walking to the pitch again. Alice walked up towards the boys, but as she got closer Blaise disappeared leaving her alone with Draco. Her heart started pounding. Is it possible to love two different persons at once? For a moment she hesitated, she could just run and leave him there. But then again... She held up her smile and stopped in front of him.

"How are you?" He asked, looking down on the ground. He looked dashing as always in the black suit in contrast to his light skin and hair.

"I'm fine, thank you", Alice said and smiled. It had become a bit of a habit, the smile and the positive answers. "And you? How are things going?" He threw his head up with a frown, glaring suspiciously at her.

"Are you really asking me about that?" He said grimly.

"I don't have much else to say to you", Alice replied coldly. She needed to be cold; she needed to send him off.

"You used to tell me everything", he said in a whisper.

"Well, that changed." She bit him off; he was supposed to do the same. Something wasn't right, something had gone wrong.

"I've noticed", he said, just as coldly as she. That's what she'd been looking for. That was the way he was supposed to speak to her. "I'm only here because Blaise asked me to speak with you anyway", he said and turned to walk away from here.

"Draco?" She called after him; he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Don't mind me, you'll be fine."

"Whatever Alice", he said and continued to walk. She looked around, no one was there. The match was about to begin. Two small girls closed up with Draco halfway up to the castle. Harry Potter encountered with them before he hurried away, down to the locker room to change. Alice waited; she didn't want to run in to Potter or his merry friends, or anyone else for that matter. The match had begun when Alice decided to join Daphne again. She could hear the voice of the same girl she'd been talking to just earlier that day in the speakers. Alice walked up the stairs to in the stalls and stopped just as she was to enter it. Daphne sat next to Blaise, and they were having a really good time. She'd never thought about it before, the fact that Blaise and Daphne were just as much friends as they were with her. It was always her and Daphne, her and Blaise or all three of them. All came to her, why shouldn't they be friends just because she and Blaise weren't together anymore? With a smile on her face, Alice ran down the stairs and left the Quidditch pitch and its cheers behind. They wouldn't mind, they had each other. And they were probably much better off without her.

"Ah, Miss Gaunt!" professor Slughorn said as they got closer to one another. "I took a nap and overslept, what is your excuse for not being at the game?" he said and chuckled.

"Friendship, sir", Alice said and smiled at the old man.

"I haven't seen you in class for some time. Don't mean to talk down, but it's been rather dull not having you or your talent there", he said.

"I'm afraid I don't have a good reason for that, sir", Alice said and smiled innocently. "But I assure you, professor that I will be joining in for class again."

"Well, well", he said and smiled brightly. "Oh, I almost forgot. Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office when you got time." They said good-bye before Alice took off towards the castle. She was so used going up to the headmasters' office she didn't really had to think much. Her feet just carried her the long way up the stairs; she spoke the password on routine and stepped on the twirling staircase. Three knocks on the door and as always a "come in" sounded from inside the room.

"It's nice that you joined me so quick", professor Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Well, I didn't have much else to do", Alice said and sat down in front of his desk.

"I would like to talk with you about your friends…"

"What Blaise and Daph…?" Alice silenced herself and looked at him in confusion.

"Friends might not be the right term." Dumbledore smiled his smile again and clutched his hands together under his chin.

"Oh, those ones", Alice said. She had completely forgotten about them. They used to come to her but it had been a while since she'd seen them around. "I haven't seen them in a while", she admitted.

"No, they adapt to what you do very quickly", professor Dumbledore said. "Much like others they must have noticed the change in you after the Christmas holidays and now they're skipping more classes than you are."

"What have they done?"

"Well, since you haven't held them tightly enough in their leach they've been doing what they think you want them to."

"Such as?" Alice felt a bit offended by how Dumbledore was treating her, it felt like combination of her being both lower and stupider than him.

"Attacking muggle-born students", professor Dumbledore said. "I know you're only trying to protect him by creating a distraction to take the attention away from…"

"I'm not protecting anyone and I'm not creating a distraction!" Alice interrupted him. They sat quiet for several minutes after that.

"What do you know about auras?" Alice asked. Dumbledore lit up in curiosity for the subject she'd brought up.

"Well, there are many different kinds of auras and very many different kind of people who believe in them", he said and straightened up in his chair.

"Magical auras?" Alice filled in.

"Some people claim that a magical aura can be felt in the air around them. A muggle, for instance, would not affect the air since they posses no magic whilst a wizard or witch would in some way affect the air", he explained.

"Create a vibration?"

"Something in that direction, yes."

"So if someone would have a big magical aura, it would be rather impossible for them to hide?"

"No Alice, I don't think so. Most wizards are to ignorant to even take notice of things like auras", he comforted her.

"Are there things that can increase auras or make them weaker?" Alice asked, she couldn't take the risk that someone would sense hers. And if it was true, what the girl had told her, hers was easily detected.

"Emotions, if someone is very upset or sad it could either increase or decrease someone's power. A thoughtful silence fell over them as Alice mended his words.

"I could heal it, you know", Alice said and looked down on his burnt hand. "I could take the curse away."

"What would happen to you if you did?"

"I would linger on me for some time, make me sick probably. It wouldn't take hold, if that's what you are asking", Alice said.

"An old man knows when his time has come, Alice. Don't worry about me", Dumbledore said and smiled. "Ah, don't worry", he said when he saw Alice's expression. "You don't have to worry about young Mr. Malfoy either. It is taken care of." Alice sat quiet with a vague smile on her face.

"The picture of the cave you gave me, what was that about?" professor Dumbledore asked.

"Forgive me sir, but someone as brilliant as you. I thought you'd figured it out by now", Alice said and leaned in towards him. "It's a part of a memory from someone we both know", she whispered. Alice stood up and walked through the room, this time it was she that decided the meeting had come to an end.

"Well, thank you for the picture", professor Dumbledore said. Alice glanced over her shoulder, he'd figured it out.

"What picture, professor Dumbledore?" She said with a smile before leaving the room.