Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

Dedicated: to the ostriches that killed Mufas in The Lion King

XxXxX

"Footprints. They lead straight into the forest and back."

"Who's are they?"

"My daughter's. Plus, three young men, I assume."

"My students?" McGonagall asked. "I put a sealant charm on the door. There's no way."

"The window," Dumbledore pointed up at it.

They were standing out in the cold snow investigating the site.

"Outrageous," McGonagall mumbled as Dumbledore shook his head in dismay at the thought of what he had to do next came.

XxXxX

"We've had an unfortunate deliberate breaking of the rules last night. Four pairs of footprints, leading to the forbidden forest, were discovered."

Aly sent a quick glance towards the Marauders. Sirius and James had their heads bent together and Remus was studying Dumbledore intently.

"It is impossible to know exactly who they belong to," Dumbledore continued. "So, until those four people come forward and take the penalty of their misbehavior, everyone will hereby be suspended from Hogsmeade visits."

An instant uproar filled the hall.

"And," Dumbledore pressed on, "There will be a 7 o'clock curfew for everyone."

At this the whole hall groaned and mumbled, Lily one of the loudest.

"If I ever find out who did this I'll—" she seemed to struggle at trying to find a bad enough punishment.

"Why would he punish the whole school for something only four people did?" Peter asked simply.

"Yeah, why?" James said in a contemptuous tone as he turned towards Aly.

"Who knows?" Remus answered before Aly could respond.

Aly felt something crumble inside of her. She knew why her father had done it. He knew it had been her involved and he also knew Aly's conscience was easily moved and he planned to get her to confess by using it against her.

She suddenly felt a surge of extreme dislike for her father. If it had only been the three boys, he would've just asked for a confession and left it at that. However, since she was involved, he could maneuver a confession from her.

"I hope someone confesses soon or I may have to get violent," Lily announced rather loudly to the table, her eyes on James.

"I don't," James said in response glaring at Aly.

Great, Aly thought, just great.

XxXxX

Aly carried around the guilt for a whole three days before she cracked. She relieved her soul of the burden to Lily who seemed much less vicious after she found out it was Aly involved.

"Did they force you to go?" Lily questioned as they sat on Aly's bed.

"No," Aly said throwing herself back onto the bed causing Lily to spring up suddenly. As Lily rearranged herself on the bed again, she said slowly, "I think that you should fess up."

"Wish I could," Aly mumbled, her head hanging off the side of the bed, the blood rushing to her hair.

"Why can't you?"

"I'd prefer not to bring on anymore of James' taunting," Aly mumbled.

Lily grabbed Aly by the tie and yanked her up. "Are you telling me James is the problem? You're afraid of Potter?"

Aly didn't reply, but just took her tie and put it on straight.

"Fine," Lily snapped, "I'll handle this." She jumped off of the bed.

Aly settled down at dinner but didn't feel like eating. Lily looked at her as she ate and smiled as Dumbledore addressed the hall. "The ban has been lifted. Curfew's are to be reset to normal and all third years and up can visit Hogsmeade next weekend."

The hall buzzed again. This time it was a grateful buzz instead of an angry one. Remus and Sirius were both staring at Aly. Sirius whispered angrily at Remus without taking his eyes off of Aly. Remus didn't reply.

Aly got up and left the hall.

"Aly," said a blur as she rushed past it. She stopped and turned to see James there.

"What?" she snapped, her dislike for him seemed to swell again. She didn't understand this boy. One second he was pleasant; the next he was unbearable.

"I'm supposed to tell you to go see your dad,"

"The headmaster," Aly corrected tersely.

"Yeah, him, at 8:30 tonight. He wants to talk to us." James turned and went down the steps and with passing Lily, who was coming up, he blushed slightly and quickened his pace.

Lily raised her eyebrows and smirked as she came up to Aly. "You?" Aly asked.

"Yep."

Aly smiled, "Thank you."

"No problem."

XxXxX

It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell Aly what the meeting with her father would be about. What she wouldn't have predicted was how the meeting went down.

First, he started with stating that the excursion, a term Aly would quickly grow to hate, was beyond against the school rules and therefore would implement further detentions. Further separate detentions.

Then, he went on to tell them all of the dangers that could have happened and how the alliance he had been at constant work to keep stable between the centaurs may very well have been broken. "Something you should have known, Alyson," he said turning on her. But before she could reply he continued on.

He kept saying that Aly should've stopped the excursion and eventually it became as if he thought the whole thing had been her idea. Her insides were literally smoking through her nose as she sat there, staring hard at the floor, allowing herself not to attack the tall, lean (dumbass of a) man in front of her.

"Do any of you have anything to say for yourselves?" he finally asked.

Aly's face looked oddly gruesome as she continued to stare at the floor imagining horrible, horrible things happening to her father. Maybe a meteor would fall from the sky and land on him. Or maybe he could spontaneously combust.

"I do," Sirius said. Aly looked over at him. He looked slightly petrified he had said anything at all.

"Yes, Mr. Black?" Dumbledore said with a hint of vague intrigue behind his voice.

"With all do respect, sir," he started tentatively, "It wasn't Aly's fault she was with us."

Dumbledore examined Sirius for a moment, his lips curling over to one corner of his mouth, his nose moved upwards causing creases to form deeply in his forehead.

"We made her come with us," he pressed on. Beside him, James made a noise from deep in his throat as if trying to make it so only Sirius could hear him. Sirius, however, ignored the noise and pressed onward. "We left her behind because she didn't want to leave and after what James had said we thought it was unfair to leave her behind." His face fell into a remorseful look instantly. He had obviously not intended on saying that James had said what he had said to Aly.

Dumbledore, though, seemed fascinated to learn what James had said to his daughter. His face had fallen from its deep thoughfulish look into one of fervent impatience. "What did James say to her?" he asked.

The three boys all sat up straight and shared quick glances from the corners of their eyes. Aly, who was still burning a hole into the floor with her eyes, remember what Lily had said, "I can handle him." So, she mumbled, "Frosty the Ice-Bitch."

All four heads shot towards her, James eyes had grown to the size of saucers as Dumbledore asked her quietly, "What was that?"

Aly's pulled her head up as if by force and repeated it. As the words fell from her mouth an amused smile spread across her fathers face and her internal fire that had been stewing, held inside for the past 30 minutes or so, spilt out in a fury. She jumped up and her chair fell with such force that its top smashed. She stood for a second, her father had changed his face as she stood, and he looked concerned. She struggled for words, couldn't find them, and, finally, just exhaled loudly through her nose and turned on her heel and strode the length of the room.

"Alyson, I'm not done yet," Dumbledore said in a voice of distinct authority.

"I don't give a shit," Aly barked. He looked startled by her cursing. Good, she thought.

"You cannot leave yet," he said.

"Yes I can. What's the worse you can do if I leave. Give me detention? Oh wait you already did that," she yelled this at him, her face red and sweaty from holding in her rage. "It doesn't matter. More hours with you couldn't make me hate you anymore than I do right now."

Dumbledore looked at her, startled. The three boys were watching her too and all of them looked shocked by her statement.

"What did you say?" Dumbledore asked so quietly it was almost a whisper.

Aly's words were distinct and full of plenty of venom, "I—hate—you."

And with that she left, slamming the door behind her.

XxXxX

Done. Check and mate. Ok, I don't really know what that means, but anyway, I'm pretty sure it fits. I hope you liked chapter 16 of the lovely Aly story. More to come. Quickly, I hope. Later days.

Review. You know you want to. All the cool kids are doing it.