A/N: Sorry about the delay. Life is getting busy again and these might become more sporadic. A big thank you to all my lovely reviewers for keeping me going. :)
It was a Thursday and while Alice typically lectured at the university, the school was on holiday, thus she had a free day to accomplish other pending tasks. This made her think that perhaps this weekend her and Draco could simply relax and enjoy each other's company; something they had little time to do lately. After writing down notes from the previous night's dream, she planned to run a few errands around town. These included the mundane muggle experience of grocery shopping, dropping off some clothes at the laundry matt, and multi-realm banking, since she had to exchange her Hogwarts paycheck from galleons to pounds before depositing it and paying that month's rent which was almost overdue. Afterwards she planned to head to Hogwarts to spend the afternoon grading papers in her office. She found the archaic space rather conducive to getting work done. The windows never ceased to provide enough light during the day and the fireplace could heat the space much better than her flat's central heating. There was also no annoying buzzing sound from fluorescent lighting, which she only recently became aware of since utilizing the space.
On her way to Hogwarts she ran into Mr. Malfoy in the manor's drawing room, who probably wasn't expecting her to enter on that day of the week. The table he was sitting at was littered in paperwork and Alice assumed it had something to do with his varied investments. He looked up at her with obvert annoyance, his reading glasses perched ever so slightly down his nose. Alice immediately apologized for the intrusion, feeling for the first time that this arrangement wasn't really the ideal solution for her travel to and from Hogwarts.
"I suppose you'll be living here in a few months time anyways," he replied in one breath, thinking he might as well get use to it. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching a class of muggles today?" Alice could note the irritation in his voice.
"The school's on holiday and I was hoping to finish grading these in my office," she held up a heavy canvas tote filled with essays from her university students, one hundred and fifteen in total.
"I see," he said disinterested, looking back down at his paperwork.
"I had a question, Mr. Malfoy," Alice asked a little hesitant, walking closer to him.
He looked at her with the same leave-me-alone expression on his face. Alice expected this reaction, but continued, "Ivar Kramstad is currently at Hogwarts. Should I be concerned?" Alice had not gotten the opportunity to ask Mr. Malfoy this question when he was alone, and it remained on her mind since she heard the man would be at Hogwarts for the TriWizard Tournament.
Lucius slowly removed his reading glasses before speaking, "Has he given you reason to be?"
"No, but…" Alice started but she was interrupted.
"Then there's no need to worry," his eyes turned back to his paperwork.
"He's quite curious about Draco's research, I hope the interest is an honest one," she replied.
Lucius seemed to be contemplating this before responding to her, "Try not to get involved Alice, Draco can take care of himself."
"That 's not very reassuring," Alice said while stopping on the opposite side of the table from him. "I'd hope you'd warn him."
"If I was at liberty to I would," he said angrily, "It's more complicated than you think. My best advice is keep your mouth shut and if possible, completely avoid the man."
Concern still gleamed in Alice's eyes but she had to accept this explanation for now. She nodded before continuing to the fireplace.
"Alice," he called to her before exiting, "Do tell Draco that you both are expected at dinner Saturday night." Narcissa had requested he send an owl post to Draco but with his paperwork he hadn't yet gotten around to it. With Alice there, it would be one less thing to do.
"Will do, Mr. Malfoy. Have a good rest of your day," she said pleasantly; glad to end the conversation on a less intrusive note, though she still wasn't sure whether to be concerned about Kramstad.
Alive arrived at Hogwarts at a time when Draco should have been taking his afternoon break. Hoping to catch him with time to spare, she threw her tote bag on her chair and quickly made her way down to his office residence, hoping to tell him about her past dream and also their dinner invitation. After walking these same hallways in her dreams, they seemed more familiar. It was as if she took on the memories of her alternate self and thus that life's familiarity. It was only a subtle difference she felt, but one none-the-less.
She knocked on the heavy wooden door of Draco's office, which previously was Slughorn's abode. There was no answer. This made her think he may have stayed in the potions classroom during his break, either to do prep work or meet with students. Making her way to the dungeons, she was greeted by several of her students and a few younger ones who were not taking her class but still managed to make her feel welcomed by their recognition. It was still new for her to be working with teenagers, but she ended up treating them the same as she did young adults.
The classroom door was slightly ajar and she didn't hear any conversation coming from within, so she assumed Draco was alone. Instead, she found Ivar Kramstad sitting at Draco's desk, reading several papers that lay in front of him.
This unexpected encounter made Alice at a loss for words, making her neglect a proper greeting. She looked around again to see if Draco was in another part of the classroom.
"It's astonishing that they hired someone as inexperienced as you," he said condescendingly, shuffling his papers before laying them face down before looking at her.
"What?" Alice said confused on both accounts, of Draco's absence and his insult.
"I'm assuming you're looking for Draco, he's away for the day," Kramstad replied, not providing any details.
"And why are you here?" Alice asked suspiciously, suddenly wondering if there was a reason he didn't want her to see the papers he was reading.
"Covering for him, obviously," his patronizing tone made Alice feel quite inferior at that moment.
Remembering what Mr. Malfoy said, Alice decided to leave the conversation at that, "Well, sorry to have bothered you." She quickly headed for the door; she had already started feeling weary about being alone with him.
It was not until she made it back to her office that she could breathe easily again, though she still had no clue why Draco was gone. One minor set-back to Hogwarts was their inability to use mobile phones on the premises, something she missed dearly. She even pulled her phone out to check if there were any messages left unread. None. Of course, Alice's encounter could have been avoided if she just checked the top of her desk to find a letter left by Draco before she ran to meet him. Feeling completely daft, she hastily sat herself down and opened it.
Dearest,
I knew you'd be at Hogwarts today, but I was unsure of the time, so I hope this letter finds you sooner than later. I was unexpectedly called to St. Mungo's this morning. My elixir was given to a misdiagnosed patient and had adverse effects. Hopefully I will be back before you retire for the evening.
Yours,
Draco
Her eyes lingered a moment longer on his overly neat cursive and she placed her hand under her chin as if her head was suddenly too heavy to hold up. Emotionally she was all over the place and hated the insecurity and uncertainty of her current situation. Missing this letter reminded her that she again needed to slow down. She steadied her breathing and meditated; a routine she regretfully fell out of since the trial. Everything was complicated right now, this realm provided layers of confusion to her life and she wondered how she'd be able to navigate it. She reminded herself that her grandfather thought she was ready for this; otherwise he would not have lifted the enchantment. With her mind cleared she reverted to normality, which at this moment was the never ending task of a teacher, grading papers. She was determined to whittle away the pile before Draco returned. She smirked when starting her first essay, thinking she found something preferable about muggle society: the use of typed print. It at least saved her eyes and brain from having to decipher messy handwriting. Though it didn't save her students from having to decode the comments she scrawled in red pen in the margins.
Draco returned several hours later and he was grateful Alice was still in her office. Alice could tell he had quite an unexpected day and she quickly got up and embraced him after he entered the door. This simple gesture seemed to allow both of their worries to float away. Luckily he was able to administer an antidote to the misdiagnosed patient, but he had to stay for several hours to observe the progress since he was unsure of the needed dosage. Alice then told him about the dinner on Saturday and finally about her most recent dream. Draco didn't expect her to move so rapidly through the school years and with his fifth year completed, next would be the year he attempted to murder her grandfather. Though Alice had made progress with their alternate relationship, Draco would go through incredible changes that summer prior to his sixth year. He was not the same confrontational bully he was before and spent a lot more time alone. He was concerned that he may have used Alice in one of his schemes, perhaps instead of Katie Bell she was the one tasked with taking a cursed necklace to Dumbledore. He spelled out these speculations to Alice and told her to be cautious around him. He was a Death Eater and probably would want little to do with a muggle-born witch.
Alice would not have another dream until Friday night.
Dream 5:
Alice stepped onto the dimly lit train platform in Hogsmeade village, still feeling groggy and disoriented. She had fallen asleep on the ride there and barely woke up when the train came to a screeching halt; partially the music from her headphones muffled the jarring sound. She had been traveling since yesterday morning, having literally walked off an airplane and onto a train. The worst of the jetlag was yet to come she was sure. She spent the entire summer in Los Angeles with her father and Jane, attending summer intensive courses and taking driver's education. She hoped to pass her driver's exam next summer after she turned sixteen. Returning to Hogwarts had also become somewhat of an issue. Her father was even unsure whether to let her go after hearing from Dumbledore about the unstable situation in the magical realm. But Alice insisted on continuing her education no matter the circumstance, especially since the O.W.L.S. were that year.
Even on the platform she could sense that this year would be different for all students. The amount of security around Hogwarts had significantly heightened. There were guards nearby pacing menacingly and every student would have their luggage checked and cleared at the gates before entering the school grounds; something Alice did not find out about until she was on the train. This was another reason why she lingered behind and waited for the Thestral-drawn carriages to leave ahead of her. She had several muggle items in her luggage and preferred if students didn't know about them, especially since they would probably be pulled out and confiscated. She had also tucked her compact disc player into her handbag since technically they weren't supposed to bring electronic devices onto school grounds. She futilely hoped they wouldn't search it. Leaving out a sigh, she noted how she already felt frustrated about this year.
By taking her time walking the carriage route, she entered the gates after most students had already cleared security and left to enter the Great Hall. Professor Flitwick stood just beyond the entrance and asked for her name, which was odd considering he was the head of her House. His job was to mark students off his list properly and he made no excuses for the strange inquiry. Filch would be going through her baggage which made Alice particularly uncomfortable. Her luggage sat there in front of him, along with a few chests belonging to other students who had not yet arrived from the train. As soon as Filch popped her luggage open, none other than Draco Malfoy entered the gates behind her. His sudden appearance again made her aware of her purpose in this dream world. Their encounter was not coincidence, but the timing could have been better as Filch pulled out several large S.A.T. and A-Level textbooks which she purchased to start preparing for the extremely important exams. Like in her real past, she still had plans to attend a muggle university. Not the best time to display her muggle ambitions, she thought, as Draco walked closer to them.
"What is this? Kaplan's SAT Strategies…" Filch began reading the tome's title, "Some sort of dark magic textbook?"
"Of course not," Alice scoffed, "It's for a test I need to take."
"Muggle textbooks by the looks of it. Unnecessary items," he said, literally throwing them to the ground making Alice cringe.
Alice crossed her arms and silently hoped he wouldn't find her compact discs that she tucked in between her clothes.
Draco was indeed waiting close behind her; hearing every word of the conversation. As Filch finished, he asked, "Now give me your bag, gotta check everything."
His hand went to the handbag on her shoulder, which she then bitterly handed to him. He immediately pulled out the tattered book that belonged to her mother.
"I swear, if you throw that," she threatened. But before he did anything with it, he spotted her CD player that had the headphones still attached.
"What are you planning to do with this?" he looked at the round silver device slightly bewildered, but suspicious none-the-less.
"I was going to kill someone with music, obviously," Alice said in all seriousness, knowing she was being a smartass.
As she said this, out of the darkness appeared Professor Snape, his dark eyes inspecting the items Filch had confiscated. "McNally should be aware that electronic devices are prohibited on school grounds."
"Must have slipped my mind," Alice said brazenly.
"Nice way to start the year McNally, five points from Ravenclaw," he said unapologetically.
Alice breathed in the air instead of replying, simply smiling it off. The point system was something she cared so little about.
When Filch stopped scrimmaging through her bag, she forcefully grabbed it back from him. Looking disheartened at her pile of confiscated items and then back to Filch and Snape, she said, feigning politeness, "I'd appreciate if those were returned to me prior to winter break." But they provided no reply, and Snape simply crossed his arms and looked at her in disdain.
Before storming away, Alice turned to look at Draco, giving him a slight smile and saying sarcastically, "So wonderful to be back at Hogwarts." His eyes simply acknowledged her and she could sense anger in them, not at her per say, but from another situation altogether. If anything, they both weren't thrilled about beginning the school year.
As she walked toward the school's darkened front courtyard, the scene changed and she found herself lounging in Dumbledore's desk chair as she waited for him to return from a quick meeting with McGonagall. She was reading The Standard Books of Spell, Grade 5, memorizing what would probably be a month's worth of learning. The first day of school had just finished and she was looking forward to catching up with her grandfather after several months away. She had brought him a huge box of his favorite chocolate covered sea salt caramels and placed it on the desk in front of her.
He returned minutes later, and Alice got up to give him a big hug. "Every summer you grow taller it seems," he said adoringly.
"I missed you grandpa," she said, realizing externally that this year would be their last. "I brought you something," she presented him the gold foil wrapped box.
"How did you know?" he said mischievously.
"I had a hunch," Alice smirked, then she realized his hand looked mangled and blackened. "What happened?"
"Oh this?" His tone seemed to shoo off any worry coming from her. "A very thrilling tail, but not for your ears my dear."
"I know you want to protect me, but…"
"We've discuss this Alice, these are dangerous times, especially for someone like you. I understand your desire to return to Hogwarts, but don't think I didn't consider against it. That's why I must ask of you the same as last year, to not get involved."
"Yet, you encourage Potter to," she replied bitterly; she felt slightly jealous of their relationship.
"That's a different situation," he said firmly. "Your path is not his. You will fight a war of words, not of wands. To get there you need to stay focused on your studies. Which reminds me, Professor Snape brought these by." Her college entrance exam textbooks appeared on his desk.
"He knows?" Alice asked concerned, not thinking anyone knew of her blood relation.
"One of the few that does," he assured her, "Our secret is safe Alice as long as you're cautious. But this," he held up her CD player, "You know better." He looked at her disapprovingly but a sparkle remained in his eyes.
Alice could sense he wasn't mad at her; he never really could be, even with all the minor squabbles she got into with teachers and students. "I used it on the plane and since Aunt Marla and Uncle George are on holiday, I had nowhere to stash it."
"I'll let you have it before you return home for Christmas," he conceded. "Now there's one other thing you must know. I'll be away more often this year."
Alice looked at him concerned.
"You don't have to worry," he said encouragingly, "But if you get yourself into trouble, you are at the mercy of your punisher."
Alice knew this meant he wouldn't be able to bail her out as he often did. She nodded and her dream shifted to where she was strolling the wide sunlit hallways of the school. It was still the first week of classes and she just started her lunch break. She realized she was holding her mother's book and that that day was the anniversary of her death. She wasn't sad per say, but more reminiscent of the loss she felt each year at that time. Not feeling like eating lunch, she was headed to the outside courtyard to be alone. Before she cleared the walkway, however, she fell face-first to the stone floor beneath; her shoes had completely lost their grip on its surface. Her forearms hit first, saving her chin from the collision; her mother's book slid a few meters ahead and unbeknownst to her, the old photograph she had tucked inside of her and her mother flew out to the side wall. Her eyes met the ground before looking up at her attacker, who had started laughing proudly at having thrown the curse that made the floor impossible to walk on. It was Pansy Parkinson followed by several Slytherin girls.
"Nice landing mudblood," Pansy said mockingly as she walked around her. Other classmates were also there, having all come from the same sixth-year class.
Alice didn't get up too quickly, and if it was any other day she would have said something back, but there was no fight in her today. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her elbows, she got up, fixed her robe and went to grab her book off the floor. Without looking back, she continued her way to the courtyard, realizing Draco was also there and had witnessed her embarrassing fall. His face was expressionless, though he did glance at her as she walked off with her tattered book clutched in her hand. Alice wondered why this scene was relevant in her dreamscape past; if anything it made Alice look vulnerable. Was it uncharacteristic of her to not fight back? Did she spark jealousy in Pansy the previous year and thus become a victim of her bullying that year?
Before her thoughts continued the dream again shifted and she was staring into a crystal ball. The paisley tablecloth underneath the orb made her realized she was sitting at one of the small round tables in Professor Trelawney's classroom.
"Broaden your minds," Professor Trelawney chanted while circling the room, running into a stool twice before reaching Alice's table. "The art of divination requires…Oh!" She stopped and her eyes seemed glued on Alice. Tilting her head, she asked, "What do you see my dear?"
Alice looked into the ball, but saw nothing and shook her head.
Trelawney raised her hands and fidgeted them over the top of the glass orb, peering through her thick glasses into the milky mist that swirled inside it. After a moment her face contorted and she cried a startling, "Oh my!"
"What is it?" Alice asked apprehensively, realizing all eyes in the room were suddenly on them as they listened to the words the professor spoke.
"Your ancestry is clouded to all but a few. A great secret looms about your past or is it your future?" Trelawney's voice fluctuated rhythmically as if she was completely entranced by the crystal's invisible pulsing energy. "You are not who you say you are! The blood in your veins stretches two realms! Your mission…"
Alice's eyes went wide, she wasn't sure how to stop Trelawney from saying something damning about her ancestry or perhaps the presence of her alternate self. She thought fast and threw the ball's dustcover over it, snapping Trelawney from the spell she was under.
"Oh," She blinked her eyes several times, seemingly disoriented. "I believe class time is already over." Trelawney crept awkwardly back to her desk as the students packed up their books and papers and exited out to the spiraling staircases. Alice waited before following them. While Trelawney was known for her eccentricities, she had proven to be clairvoyant in the past, but would the students take any credence to this revelation? Alice hoped it would remain in her fifth year class and not move beyond those walls.
While putting her book in her bag, the scene shifted to a week later; she was in Professor Snape's Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and her classmates were noisily packing away their books since the class had also just ended. Alice, however, was on her way to approach the teacher with a question about how to do a spell they just learned non-verbally, since it wasn't something they would be taught until sixth year.
"As usual, you're getting ahead of yourself McNally," Snape said, overtly uninterested in her question.
"Until next year then," she said discouraged, returning to her seat to collect her belongings. Sixth years were already filing into the room for the next class.
Parvati Patil, who sat in the same seat, approached Alice as she was putting away her things. She asked her what many students wanted to, "Is it true then, Alice?"
"Is what true?" Alice asked innocently, noticing that Parvati and her sister Padma weren't the only students in ears distance of their conversation.
"That Trelawney called you out; you're not muggle-born?" Her clear voice expressed a heightened curiosity.
The speculations must have traveled though the school and they took from it exactly what Alice expected they would. Admitting or not admitting to the truth seemed pointless. "Does it matter either way?" Alice finally asked, trying to feign importance in the subject.
"Not really, but why would you lie about that?" Parvati asked. The word "lie" hit Alice hard; she didn't "lie," more like hid the truth.
Hermione Granger then approached them, equally interested in the circulating gossip. "Professor Trelawney isn't always correct," she said smugly to Parvati with her arms crossed, her dislike of the professor and the subject of Divination slightly apparent. "And being muggle-born isn't something you just lie about." Alice knew Hermione understood the stigma of this identification, thus she probably couldn't imagine someone intentionally pretending to take it on as their own.
Before Alice responded, however, Professor Snape called from the front of the room, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "If Miss McNally would stop pretending to be a year older and remove herself from my classroom, we'll get started."
Despite sounds of amusement from several students, Alice was rather grateful to Snape for providing her an easier exit from the encroachment. She grabbed her bag from the desk and sidestepped Parvati and Hermione, passing by the desk where Draco sat before heading to the door.
Alice awoke from this dream at 3 am in the morning, stirred by ambulance sirens passing by on the busy street outside. She felt slightly confused about this new development. Students might know that she wasn't muggle-born, but her relation to Albus Dumbledore was still hidden. She then realized she hadn't encountered Draco face-to-face as she had in previous years. It was as her Draco had said, that year he mostly kept to himself, focused on his mission and stayed silent in his own fear. Her thoughts made it difficult to return to sleep and she tossed and turned until sunlight started streaming through her window blinds.
"Not a wonderful way to start the weekend," she thought as she gave up trying to sleep and threw off her covers. Looking in the mirror she frowned at the sight of puffy bags under her eyes and her tornado-blown hair. Draco would be stopping by later that morning, finally having weekend leave from school duties. They had no pressing plans and had gotten to the point where all they wanted was to spend time in each other's company. Of course, they did have dinner to attend at the manor that evening, which for Alice was more of a casual occurrence than a hindrance. She also looked forward to seeing Narcissa.
Draco arrived an hour later and immediately noted Alice's look of exhaustion, despite her attempt to look lively. She explained her difficulty falling back to sleep due to the dream she had. He immediately sat her down and made her tell him everything. It actually felt good for Alice to share the experience and get feedback on what she was thinking.
"It's not surprising that you didn't encounter me. I sort of lost my desire to bully. Mending that cabinet occupied all my free time," he said after.
"I could see the difference in your demeanor," Alice remembered solemnly, "At least when you were bullying you were full of life, it seemed drained from you this time."
"I was pretty devastated when my father was put in Azkaban. It was stressful at home, mother was a mess and her maniacal sister, Bellatrix, filled my head with delusions of grandeur at the task I was given. No matter the confidence I started the year with, deep down I knew if I failed my family and I were dead."
"I can't imagine the stress you were under. Do you think I should reach out to you?" she asked as she grabbed his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.
"I may not respond well to it, especially considering our track record. But this new development, your ancestry, it could change dynamics," he said intrigued. "But you know, I'm not so sure I want you to spend time with this other me," he pulled her hand towards him, "I should be jealous."
Alice smiled, "Don't worry, you're not nearly as charming. But it's strange," she tone changed, "It's me, but it's not. I enter the dream with immediate access to another past, but I can betray those thoughts as I go. Sometimes I feel in control but when I am, I'm slightly confused about what's happening."
"You should do what feels right at the time then," Draco said unsure, "Thinking back now, if I knew there was someone concerned about me and willing to listen, maybe I would have appreciated it. But be weary, I could use you just like I did others…"
They spent the afternoon in warmer climate, having apparated to a lake farther south. Alice had never heard of the location, since it wasn't located on any muggle maps. It was a perfect place to relax and Alice ended up falling asleep on the blanket they brought to have a picnic on. Draco sat next her and casually read an old book he found in his family's library on dreams. He felt helpless in her situation and he wondered as she lay there, if she was again dreaming of a past that never happened.
Dream 6:
Alice found herself seated in a dark blue tufted sofa in the wide circular common room of her house dormitories. The space was empty and eerily quiet; everyone had left to watch that afternoon's quidditch match where Ravenclaw was playing Slytherin. This provided a perfect outlet for Alice to utilize the space to study in, and she noted the paper she had finished writing in front of her. Several more weeks had passed during this term and her contact with Draco had been minimal. Closing her Transfigurations textbook, an ulterior motive took hold. She remembered that Draco quit quidditch this year and perhaps she could find him somewhere in the hallways of the seventh floor, where the Room of Requirement was hidden. Of course, she had no idea at that point what she would say to him if she did find him.
Leaving the tower she quietly walked the upstairs corridors for what seemed like an hour, reading a book while pacing. The sun had already gone down and she found her tired feet moving to the Astronomy Tower. She had not been there in her reality, but she knew it was where her grandfather took his last breath. Something inherent told her to go, though she felt apprehensive.
Walking up the steps to the open space, she spotted Draco at the far railing in his black suit, standing with his back to her, almost blending in with the dark landscape he was looking out on. He grew aware of her presence and she thought he tucked his hand into his jacket for his wand.
She didn't stop, however, and boldly walked up to the railing next to him, giving him a slight smile before she gazed up at the stars, avoiding looking directly below for she still had a minimal fear of heights. It was a perfectly clear night and Alice could not help but marvel at the amount of stars she could see. A vision beyond anything available to her in any of the cities she'd ever lived in. She shook her head in disbelief, wondering if the dream was taking some liberties with the spectacle.
"You just don't see stars like this where I'm from," she said accidentally, momentarily forgetting that he probably wouldn't understand. There was an awkward silence, but Draco didn't leave which prodded Alice to continue with an anecdote. "When I was a child," her tone was careful but positive as she thought back to when she was six years old, having just been on a family camping trip, "I was determined to recreate the night's sky in my bedroom. I spent hours with black construction paper, cutting and poking holes, taping it together, setting up lamps, only to fail miserably. My mother told me not to expect to create something in a few hours that took the universe over 13.7 billion years. I like how insignificant the cosmos makes you feel, but also how important it feels to be a part of it."
While again Alice thought Draco would leave, he stayed and listened to her, not speaking but also looking up at the stars.
After another moment of silence, they could hear loud cheering from the quidditch pitch in the distance. Alice then asked, "You quit quidditch?" in an effort to direct the conversation to him.
"Since when did you care about quidditch?" he retorted; Alice knew there was truth to that.
"I don't," Alice replied, "Only aware of whom my house is playing."
"Shouldn't you be studying?" He asked after a moment of silence.
Alice laughed, "Probably. But I don't always do what is expected of me. Do you?" She looked at him after throwing this question. At first he didn't seem interested in answering and Alice thought the studying question was a hint for her to go away.
"Expectations," he scoffed, looking angrily out at the skyline. "There's always expectations."
"The worst I find are the ones I place on myself," she replied, playing against his negative tone. Then she added with sarcasm, "Though this school never ceases to amaze me. At least you're someone who I think understands that."
"This school," he said disdainfully, "It grows more pathetic each year. They teach child's play and expect competence in the real world."
Alice could see she hit a nerve. "I think we'd sooner experience a warm winter than see them change the curriculum. Sometimes I regret my decision to come here."
"Against what, a muggle curriculum?" he remarked coldly.
Alice looked at him and gave him a smile, saying casually, "Perhaps, or somewhere in the States where my father lives. You probably would have been better suited for Durmstrang."
He looked at her briefly before turning his head back to the view, "So what is it McNally, this rumor about you?"
"I'm surprised you asked," she said truthfully before shrugging her shoulders, "My mother died when I was child but her ancestry is speculative. I can't claim blood ties by name so I don't."
"And you willingly identify as muggle-born?" Draco asked skeptically.
"Does it make a difference to your pure-blood ideology whether I'm muggle-born or half-blood?"
He didn't respond.
"I didn't think so," she answered for him. "As for speculations, you're obviously not yourself."
His eyes narrowed. "What would you know," he replied bitterly.
Alice looked at him, "For starters, we're actually having a conversation."
He rolled his eyes imperceptibly, unsure if this was a good thing.
"But honestly," Alice continued, concern apparent in her voice, "I can sense something's been troubling you this year. You're not yourself." She paused briefly before continuing, it seemed that Draco didn't seem to acknowledge her words. Then she added, "I heard about your father, I'm sorry."
He suddenly felt uncomfortable and made a motion to leave, anger was apparent as he squeezed the guardrail before releasing it to walk away. Alice grabbed his arm lightly, making him stop. She said sincerely to him, "If you ever need someone to talk to," she let go as he pulled away. "I'm here," the last part trailed off her tongue as he continued to head for the stairway. She looked solemnly at the darkened landscape again, wondering whether she approached the situation right.
The scene changed and she was in a nook in the seventh floor corridor studying from one of her SAT books. Several pages of notes she wrote and scratch paper she had used lay nearby. It was early; she got up before anyone in her house. In her bag she had several pieces of fruit that she took from the breakfast table, foregoing eating with others to study alone. This was her first time cracking these books to study and it was on her Saturday no less. She always compartmentalized her studies, regulating a specific time for everything. With the O.W.L.S. approaching and all her other coursework taking up her week, Saturday would become her muggle exam study days, while Sunday was her only non-forced study day. Even then she usually read her history books. This rigorous study schedule was not uncommon for a Ravenclaw, however.
While drawing a Venn diagram, she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She quickly gathered her papers and closed them in her book, not knowing if it was Filch or another professor. Technically she wasn't supposed to be there, nor was she to have a book that Filch confiscated upon her arrival at Hogwarts. She stood up and backed herself against the wall, but as she did so a pencil slowly rolled off the stone bench she sat on.
"Who's there?" A voice called sternly, immediately Alice knew it was Draco's voice.
She walked out of the nook, "I'm glad it's you," she said genuinely relieved, giving him a pleasant smile. "For a minute there I thought it was Filch."
"What are you doing here?" he again sounded perturbed and Alice wondered if he was always like that or if it was just her that agitated him
"Studying," she said calmly, "You?"
He didn't answer but continued walking.
"Hey," Alice called to him, retrieving something from her bag. He turned around, which for Alice meant progress because she expected him to ignore her and keep walking. "Catch!" She held up and then threw one of her green apples and with quick reflexes he caught it; her alternate self knew it was his favorite fruit and that he often skipped breakfast. "I'm assuming you could use some breakfast," she said cheerfully, "And don't worry, it's not poisoned."
He simply nodded as he looked at her, a gesture Alice took as gratitude, and then he continued down the corridor.
Looking down at her closed book again, the scene changed and she was in her grandfather's office. The old wizard was sipping a cup of tea and Alice was staring at a half empty cup in her hand.
"…So every winter I become a little more melancholy," he said ending the previous topic. "Before I forget," he pulled out a wrapped package from his desk, handing it over to Alice. "This is your Christmas present, but not to be opened until then."
Alice grabbed the package, smirking at her grandfather because of its shape. It was too obvious that it was a book, which was more than appreciated. He had usually found her the rarest of books. But then she asked rather confused, "Why so early?" Winter break wasn't for a few weeks.
"I'll be traveling soon and may not be back until after the break, but I must insist you apologize to your father and Jane for my absence at Christmas dinner."
"Traveling again?" Concern was again apparent in her voice, then she lectured, "You aren't going to injure yourself again, are you?" She was referring to his badly damaged hand.
"One hopes not," he chuckled at her tone. "Now what's this I hear about your detention?"
"Oh that," Alice said, feeling a bit dejected. She was serving detention with Professor Snape for making Pansy Parkinson fall down a flight of stairs, a curse she provided after Pansy mocked her in the hallway again. She also felt it was needed payback for what happened to her at the beginning of the year, which she assumed made her loose the photo of her and her mother. Alice was just unlucky in the fact that Snape happened to walk around the corner when she did it. Her grandfather couldn't bail her out of this one, unfortunately.
"Using magic to cause someone harm is not something we tolerate at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said firmly, "You know better."
"I do, of course I do, but…" Alice tried to defend herself knowing it was pointless.
"Words not wands," Dumbledore reiterated. "Unfortunately, I agree with Snape that you should serve out your detention till the end of term, but I've insisted it to be a study detention."
"And?" Alice asked eagerly, hoping Snape agreed.
"He'll consider it…"
The scene changed and Alice found herself holding a quill and staring at a badly written potions essay. As part of her detention, she was correcting grammatical errors of papers written by first years.
"Consider yourself lucky McNally, I don't normally give such easy detentions," Snape said, placing another pile of papers nearby.
"Right, and grading isn't the bane of a teacher's existence," Alice replied sarcastically, knowing too well how grading sucked the life out of her.
Snape's eyes narrowed, "And how would you know?"
Alice's eyes suddenly went wide, "Just a general assumption," she said quickly and politely, "It's a perfectly reasonable detention professor."
"You've been acting strange lately McNally, like you know something," he said condemningly.
Alice tried to stay calm at his inquiry, replying bitterly with hopes of finding out something, "What would I know that you don't already know. My grandfather already told you everything." She put her correcting quill down and crossed her arms.
Snape cocked one eyebrow, "Dumbledore told me nothing. I came across your ancestry documents prior to their disposal."
This caught Alice's attention, "Prior? Then others know…" Her voice trailed off as she wondered who else saw these documents. The Death Eaters would take over the Ministry next year and round up and imprison all muggle-borns. She would no doubt be on that list or perhaps someone there knew and the information would be leaked. Wouldn't Voldemort be interested in Dumbledore's only offspring? Did this make her a target? Alice's mind was going fast at this point and her deep internal turmoil was noticeable to Snape who watched her suspiciously.
"It's unlikely," he said breaking her thoughts. "What is your concern exactly, McNally?"
"Nothing, just curious," Alice said calmly, and trying to brush off any hint of her worry, she picked up her quill and starting correcting, drawing a circle around the misspelled version of the word "jinx."
Before Snape could interrogate her further, Draco Malfoy entered the classroom causing the door to thud loudly behind him.
"You're late Mr. Malfoy," he said scathingly. Alice was surprised to see him, she wondered if he was also serving detention and for what.
"Sorry professor," he said politely.
"Not as sorry as you will be after you finish an even lengthier assignment. It will make you think twice before deciding to skip my class." Snape began walking to his side office but stopped, turning back to them momentarily which made his robe swing dramatically behind him, "And don't expect to leave early. That door won't open until the allotted time." He then entered his office and the door instantly shut loudly behind him.
Alice thought it was unbelievable that she'd be stuck in detention with none other than Draco, who sat at a desk opposite from her and was removing his textbook and parchment from his bag. He had skipped Snape's class without reason, which landed him with extra homework to complete on a Friday night. Alice wondered why he missed class. If anything, he didn't look healthy. He was a bit paler and looked like he hadn't slept much. She wondered whether he was intentionally avoiding Snape at this time, who had vowed to protect him; the Unbreakable Vow, Draco said Narcissa made Snape swear. Draco had yet to hex Katie Bell, and Alice wondered if at this time he was contemplating doing it.
She continued to grade the paper in front of her but her brain was thinking of what to say. She felt unbearably awkward around him, especially due to his fragile state. Not thinking of anything witty or anecdotal, she simply asked sincerely, "How is everything?"
He didn't look at her and continued writing, the sound of his quill seemed to echo through the room as she watched his hand move.
"You don't look well," Alice continued, "Are you sleeping enough?"
"What's it to you?" He said angrily, not looking up from his paper.
"Just asking," Alice replied, then she remarked with mild sarcasm as she grabbed another paper to grade, "Perhaps I miss your bullying."
"You would," he sounded not too pleased.
Alice knew this wasn't getting her anywhere, so she directed the conversation a bit more, "It seems like you're carrying a heavy burden."
His hand stopped writing in mid-sentence and he seemed startled by her suggestion.
"It's hard to be alone with it," Alice continued cautiously.
Draco rose from his chair quickly and pulled out his wand, pointing it at her, "What do you know?" He asked viciously. Alice remained calm, not wanting to believe he would curse her.
"I'm just trying to help," the concern in her voice was apparent.
"I don't want your help," he said angrily, still pointing his wand.
"I can see that," Alice said calmly; she shrugged off his threat by looking back down at the paper in front of her.
"Aren't you afraid I'll curse you?" he asked firmly.
"No," Alice looked up at him again, "It's not exactly a good place to throw magic around," her eyes glanced at Snape's office door briefly.
Draco also looked at Snape's door and considered what she said; he slowly placed his wand back in his jacket and sat back down.
After she finished grading another paper, Alice brought up another topic of conversation, "So you skipped class? That's very un-prefect-like of you."
"I have no interest in those duties," he said bitterly of the position he was given in fifth year.
"I thought the same when I was offered the position," Alice replied, not saying anything more.
After a moment of silence, Draco's curiosity got the best of him. "So what has you here?"
"Your girlfriend," Alice smiled smarmily.
"If you're referring to Pansy, she's not my girlfriend," Draco replied dryly.
"Well, that's news," Alice replied equally dry, "Perhaps it is more than jealously then."
"Jealous? Of you?" He scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself."
"I actually find it disturbing. I have little control over her emotions and prefer not to be the victim of her longing for you. At least you didn't hurl curses at me. I can handle insults but hate the thought of what she's brewing next… Of course," Alice thought out loud, "I probably exacerbated the problem when I tripped her down the stairs."
"That's unlike you," he said.
"I know, I usually get detention for my mouth, but she made me lose something that was important to me," Alice said solemnly, thinking of the picture she lost. "Unfortunately, now Snape has me doing his job." After Alice crossed out several misuses of the word, there, their, and they're, she asked, "Don't magical children learn grammar prior to attending school?"
"Of course we do," Draco said annoyed by her insinuation.
"I was just joking," Alice continued grading giving him the next chance to talk. He continued to work on his paper, perhaps noticing the silence more now than before.
After a few more minutes, Draco asked, "Why do study so hard?"
This question caught Alice by surprise, was he actually directing a personal question at her? She looked at him but she was unsure of what to say, "No reason."
"It's not because you're being forced?" he asked.
"No, my father actually thinks I study too much. He probably wishes I was more normal. How about your parents? Do they expect a lot of you?"
"Too much," he replied.
"That makes it difficult to be your own person," Alice said consolingly.
He seemed lost in his thoughts.
Alice then said encouragingly, "You'll be adult soon though. That allows for more freedom."
"I doubt it," Draco said, "I'm sort of stuck in my situation."
"I hope you'll be given a chance to get out of it," Alice was careful with her tone.
"There is no way out," he sounded hopeless.
"Perhaps you just don't see one right now, but things can change."
Uncomfortable, Draco changed the subject, "What exactly is your relationship to Dumbledore. You're often in his office."
Alice was sort of off-put by this question. She grew suspicious of his interest; she wondered if she would be replacing Katie Bell as the victim of his hex. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to let anyone else know."
This made Draco grow more interested, and he nodded in agreement.
"I didn't want to attend Hogwarts unless I could also study what I'd be missing at home, so I made a deal with Dumbledore, that I'd also learn a separate curriculum concurrent with the one here. I go to his office to take exams and get my next assignment from home. That's all." She thought confiding in him might help gain his trust, though she wasn't sure if they'd ever get to that point.
Draco then realized, "So that's why you're always studying."
"Yeah, I don't regret it though. I think I get the best of both worlds this way."
Suddenly Snape's office door swung open and he walked hastily towards them, a disgruntled look was on his face. "Since when did detention mean socializing?"
"Sorry professor," both of them said in unison as they looked back down at the papers in front of them, pretending to be hard at work.
"If I hear anymore words from your mouths your detentions will become a lot less pleasant," he threatened before returning to his office. It was enough of a threat to make the two of them silent for the next hour. The last thing Alice remembered was leaving the classroom alongside Draco and giving him a friendly look before walking in the opposite direction; a look which she could have sworn he returned.
Alice awoke from her nap, nestled next to Draco on the picnic blanket. He had also fallen asleep and an open book was lying face down on his chest. A cold breeze had started to blow from the lake front and Alice gathered her cardigan and placed it over her shoulders. Bringing her knees to her chest, she looked over the rippling waters and wondered if she was making progress.