Chapter 34:

December arrived, bringing with it more snow and a positive avalanche of homework for the fifth years. Ron and Hermione's prefect duties also became more and more onerous as Christmas approached. They were called upon to supervise the decoration of the castle ("You try putting up tinsel when Peeves has got the other end and is trying to strangle you with it," said Ron), to watch over first and second years spending their break times inside because of the bitter cold ("And they're cheeky little snotrags, you know, we definitely weren't that rude when we were in first year," said Ron), and to patrol the corridors in shifts with Argus Filch, who suspected that the holiday spirit might show itself in an outbreak of wizard duels ("He's got dung for brains, that one," said Ron furiously). They were so busy that Hermione had stopped knitting elf hats and was fretting that she was down to her last three.

"All those poor elves I haven't set free yet, having to stay over during Christmas because there aren't enough hats!"

"I told you Hermione, you haven't set any elves free because Dobby has all your hats!" Alicia said strongly but the girl didn't listen. Harry seemed to have learnt better for he didn't bother to tell her anything and he bent lower over his History of Magic essay.

Alicia had been looking forward to Christmas, as she usually did. But this year was slightly different, there was the prospect that she could go to Grimmauld Place and spend with Sirius but she couldn't send a message to ask nor could she find any way to get there without someone to help her. She'd be in a lot of trouble if she walked by herself out in the open.

First they had to make it to Christmas however. Harry still had his Quidditch ban along with the Weasley twins and so Angelina was working fiercely to find their replacements, of which the three chasers were demanded to be a part of. Hagrid was going to be put onto probation in which he could be fired from Hogwarts and the only happiness amongst Umbridge and her rules seemed to be the D.A. meetings. Unfortunately those would stop around Christmas as everyone went home for the holidays. It seemed Harry and Alicia were to be staying at the castles by themselves. Hermione was going skiing with her parents which amused Ron, who had never before heard of Muggles strapping narrow strips of wood to their feet to slide down mountains. Ron, meanwhile, was going home to the Burrow.

"How are you getting home Ron?" Harry had asked after several days of jealousy which he confided in with Alicia only.

"Yeah are they going to give you a parade?" Alicia wondered "I suppose you wouldn't need it if Harry and I aren't there…" she mumbled and Ron looked at them surprised.

"But you're coming too! Didn't I say? Mum wrote and told me to invite you weeks ago!" Hermione had rolled her eyes and Alicia hit Ron over the back of the head.

"You're supposed to tell us these things!" she demanded.

It was clear to see Harry was much happier by this news.

On the day of the last D.A. meeting Alicia, Katie and Angelina were down in the cold at the pitch recruiting three new players for the team.

"You know I'm happy to give seeker a shot if it's easier to find a chaser." Alicia offered Angelina, who looked at her. She shrugged at the look. "He is my brother and I haven't had a problem with seeing the snitch so far, not that I'm always looking." she added.

Ginny Weasley turned up and Alicia beamed at her before giving her a hug.

Several turned up for the positions and Alicia was on her broom with Angelina and Katie as they watched the tryouts. Alicia had never been to tryouts except for her own, for she'd missed Ron's thanks to Umbridge's detention.

Ginny did a great job at seeker, not as well as Harry but definitely better than the others.

The beaters were a harder choice. None of them were great, at least not like Fred and George and so they had a harder time deciding. Eventually Angelina decided on Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper.

"And in time for the D.A." Alicia said as she rubbed her hands together "Come on, it's freezing."

The three trudged through the snow and into the castle to proceed up to the seventh floor and into the Room of Requirement. The only people inside were Luna and Harry. Alicia looked around grinning to find the room decorated for Christmas.

"Wow Harry."

"Dobby." he responded and Alicia chuckled

"Of course."

"Well," said Angelina dully, pulling off her cloak and throwing it into a corner, "we've replaced you."

"Replaced me?" said Harry blankly.

"You and Fred and George," she said impatiently. "We've got another Seeker!"

"And beaters." Alicia added

"Who?" said Harry quickly.

"Ginny Weasley," said Katie.

Harry gaped at her.

"Yeah, I know," said Angelina, pulling out her wand and flexing her arm. "But she's pretty good, actually. Nothing on you, of course," she said, throwing him a very dirty look, "but as we can't have you…"

"Angelina," Alicia sighed.

"And what about the Beaters?" Harry asked, clearly trying to keep his voice even.

"Andrew Kirke," said Alicia without enthusiasm, "and Jack Sloper. Neither of them are brilliant, but compared with the rest of the idiots who turned up…"

"We'll see how it goes." Alicia shrugged "So, today?" she asked chaining the topic

"Well there's no point doing anything new."

"Well if we had something easy it would be and you could always send them home to practice." Alicia shrugged

"And what would their parents think?" Harry wondered

"Depends on what side their parents are on anyway." Alicia said

"I think we'll just go over impedimenta and stunning." Harry thought "Easy and simple."

"And a bit boring." Alicia added and Harry looked at her slightly annoyed. She just shrugged.

Ron, Hermione and Neville arrived next and then within five minutes the room was full.

"Okay," Harry said, calling them all to order. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break —"

"We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come…"

"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Fred loudly.

"I'm unsure as to why you're still here anyway when you seem to hate it so much." Alicia sighed.

Several people sniggered.

The boy didn't move.

"We can practice in pairs," Harry continued. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, just for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."

They all divided up obediently; Harry partnered Neville as usual. The room was soon full of intermittent cries of "Impedimenta!" People froze for a minute or so, during which their partners would stare aimlessly around the room watching other pairs at work, then would unfreeze and take their turn at the jinx.

Fred and George were taking great pride in freezing one another and Alicia flicked her want to divert the jinx they aimed at Smith.

"If you don't stop misbehaving I will freeze you both and leave you that way for the rest of the lesson." she said as she stood beside them. They looked at her grinning but Alicia saw the unsureness and rose her eyebrow "Think I'm bluffing?" she asked and they shared a glance.

"Sorry Alicia," Fred stroked her hair and she watched them both for a minute before she flicked her wand and George froze. "Keep going then." Fred snickered and as she walked away he unfroze his brother who looked around confused, causing his twin to laugh harder.

Alicia moved around them all watching with pride at how much they'd all learnt. Neville had improved beyond all recognition. After a while, when Harry had unfrozen three times in a row, he had Neville join Ron and Hermione again, so that he could walk around the room with his twin and watch the others. When he passed Cho she beamed at him; he resisted the temptation to walk past her several more times.

After ten minutes on the Impediment Jinx, they laid out cushions all over the floor and started practicing Stunning again. Space was really too confined to allow them all to work this spell at once; half the group observed the others for a while, then swapped over. Harry felt himself positively swelling with pride as he watched them all. True, Neville did Stun Padma Patil rather than Dean, at whom he had been aiming, but it was a much closer miss than usual, and everybody else had made enormous progress.

At the end of an hour, Harry and Alicia called a halt.

"You're getting really good," he said, beaming around at them. "When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff — maybe even Patronuses."

There was a murmur of excitement. The room began to clear in the usual twos and threes; most people wished Harry and Alicia a Happy Christmas as they went. Fred and George both proceeded to smuggle the girl in a thank you hug before they disappeared out the door and she rolled her eyes at them.

Alicia and Harry began to collected up the cushions with Ron and Hermione and stacked them neatly away. Ron and Hermione left before they did; Harry hung back a little and Alicia glanced around before he noticed Cho.

"No, you go on," she said to her friend Marietta.

Alicia chuckled and moved over to him.

"I'll see you in the common room shall I?" she offered and Harry watched as she glanced at Cho. He blushed slightly.

"Hey, do me a favour…" he began and Alicia looked at him before sighing.

"I wont ears drop." she promised quietly before beginning to back out "Of course it wouldn't be weird if you couldn't see me." she added with a grin and Harry rolled his eyes before she waved, mouthed good luck, and moved from the Room of Requirement.

She moved along the corridor towards the Portrait and entered the common room to find Hermione and Ron there. Hermione was writing a letter and Ron was lying on the hearthrug trying to finish some transfiguration homework.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked

"He'll be coming." Alicia grinned and they both looked at her. "I left him with Cho." the two looked a little surprised and Ron snickered as Alicia nodded in agreement.

Harry didn't return for half an hour and the room had emptied in that time.

Alicia looked up at Harry to see the odd expression on her face, she could feel his emotions and he seemed unsure on how he felt. She started giggling, trying to cover it up.

"What kept you?" Ron asked, as Harry sank into the armchair next to Hermione's.

Harry did not answer. He almost seemed as if he was in a state of shock.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked, peering at him over the tip of her quill.

"What happened?" Alicia wondered.

Harry gave a halfhearted shrug. Alicia rose an eyebrow.

"What's up?" said Ron, hoisting himself up on his elbow to get a clearer view of Harry. "What's happened?"

Harry hesitated and seemed to not want to speak. Hermione took matters out of his hands.

"Is it Cho?" she asked in a businesslike way. "Did she corner you after the meeting?"

Numbly surprised, Harry nodded. Ron sniggered, breaking off when Hermione caught his eye.

"So — er — what did she want?" he asked in a mock casual voice. Alicia shot him a look.

"She —" Harry began, rather hoarsely; he cleared his throat and tried again. "She — er —"

"Did you kiss?" asked Hermione briskly.

Ron sat up so fast that he sent his ink bottle flying all over the rug. Disregarding this completely he stared avidly at Harry.

"Well?" he demanded.

Harry looked from Ron's expression of mingled curiosity and hilarity to Hermione's slight frown, and nodded.

"HA!"

Ron made a triumphant gesture with his fist and went into a raucous peal of laughter that made several timid-looking second years over beside the window jump. A reluctant grin spread over Harry's face as he watched Ron rolling around on the hearthrug. Hermione gave Ron a look of deep disgust and returned to her letter. Alicia watched him with confusion, she thought his reaction was a bit overkill.

"Well?" Ron said finally, looking up at Harry. "How was it?" Harry considered for a moment.

"Wet," he said truthfully. Alicia couldn't help but laugh.

Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell.

"Because she was crying," Harry continued heavily.

"Oh," said Ron, his smile fading slightly. "Are you that bad at kissing?"

"Dunno," said Harry, who hadn't considered this, and immediately felt rather worried. "Maybe I am."

"Would explain why you're feeling a mix of lousiness and pride."

"Of course you're not," said Hermione absently, still scribbling away at her letter.

"How do you know?" said Ron in a sharp voice.

"Because Cho spends half her time crying these days," said Hermione vaguely. "She does it at mealtimes, in the loos, all over the place."

"You'd think a bit of kissing would cheer her up," said Ron, grinning.

"Ron," said Hermione in a dignified voice, dipping the point of her quill into her ink pot, "you are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Ron indignantly. "What sort of person cries while someone's kissing them?"

"Yeah," said Harry, slightly desperately, "who does?"

"Someone who's emotions are conflicting and all over the place." Alicia shrugged.

Hermione nodded before looked at the pair of boys. Neither of them seemed to comprehend and she gave them a look of pity.

"Don't you understand how Cho's feeling at the moment?" she asked.

"No," said Harry and Ron together.

Hermione sighed and laid down her quill.

"Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings toward Harry are anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly."

"Like I said, conflicting emotions." Alicia sighed

A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, "One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode."

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," said Hermione nastily, picking up her quill again.

"Girls are also very complicated." Alicia shrugged

"She was the one who started it," said Harry. "I wouldn't've — she just sort of came at me — and next thing she's crying all over me — I didn't know what to do —"

"Don't blame you, mate," said Ron, looking alarmed at the very thought.

"You just had to be nice to her," said Hermione, looking up anxiously. "You were, weren't you?"

"Well," said Harry, an unpleasant heat creeping up his face, "I sort of — patted her on the back a bit."

Hermione looked as though she was restraining herself from rolling her eyes with extreme difficulty. Alicia sighed.

"Maybe I should've stayed." she mumbled and Hermione glanced at her.

"Well, I suppose it could have been worse," she said. "Are you going to see her again?"

"I'll have to, won't I?" said Harry. "We've got D.A. meetings, haven't we?"

"You know what I mean," said Hermione impatiently.

Harry said nothing. Hermione's words opened up a whole new vista of frightening possibilities. He tried to imagine going somewhere with Cho — Hogsmeade, perhaps — and being alone with her for hours at a time. Of course, she would have been expecting him to ask her out after what had just happened… The thought made his stomach clench painfully.

"Oh well," said Hermione distantly, buried in her letter once more, "you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask her…"

"What if he doesn't want to ask her?" said Ron, who had been watching Harry with an unusually shrewd expression on his face.

"Don't be silly," said Hermione vaguely, "Harry's liked her for ages, haven't you, Harry?"

"Understatement, his stomach flips every time she smiles and breath hitches when she compliments him." Alicia chuckled

"How would you know?" Ron asked

"Psychic bond or what ever you want to call it." Alicia chuckled "I can feel what Harry feels. Not all the time but,"

"Who're you writing the novel to anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, trying to read the bit of parchment now trailing on the floor. Hermione hitched it up out of sight.

"Viktor."

"Krum?"

"How many other Viktors do we know?"
Ron said nothing, but looked disgruntled. Alicia and Harry shared a look before they sat in silence for another twenty minutes, Ron finishing his Transfiguration essay with many snorts of impatience and crossings-out, Hermione writing steadily to the very end of the parchment, rolling it up carefully and sealing it, Alicia had collected a book in which she was reading while Harry was staring into the fire

"Well, 'night," said Hermione, yawning widely, "Alicia?" the girl yawned in response before standing, waving to the boys and moving up the stairs. The girls changed in silence before climbing into bed.

Her dreams did not turn out to be peaceful, though she had no reason they wouldn't be. Where she was it was dark and she was gliding through the darkness. She felt smooth and flexible, coiling powerfully. The floor was dark and stone, cold beneath her as she moved through metal bars. She realised she was sliding on her belly, sort of like a snake. Everything was strange colours within the darkness.

She turned her head to look one way, the corridor was empty… and then it wasn't. There was a man sitting on the floor, his chin drooping onto his chest. Her tongue flashed, she could taste the man. He was alive but drowsing as he sat before the door at the end of the corridor.

She felt the longing to bite the man, though unsure on where it had come from… but the impulse was mastered… there was more important work to do…

But the man was stirring… a silvery cloak fell from his legs as he jumped to his feet; and Alicia saw his vibrant, blurred outline towering above her, saw a wand withdrawn from a belt… there was no choice… She reared high from the floor and struck once, twice, three times, plunging her fangs deeply into the man's flesh, feeling his ribs splinter beneath her jaws, feeling the warm gush of blood…

Alicia wanted to scream as the man was yelling in pain… then he fell silent… He slumped backward against the wall… Blood was splattering onto the floor…

Alicia's neck was searing angrily and she was suddenly aware of her name being called.

"ALICIA!" She sat bolt right up and realised she'd been screaming. She had pushed her blankets far away, her hair was clinging to her neck and tears were rolling down her face. Her scar was burning angrily and it made breathing feel difficult, every pulse in her neck hurt as she looked to notice Hermione beside her.

"Alicia it's okay, it was just a dream." Hermione began to sooth her as Alicia gulped down air. Lavender and Pavarti were watching from the other side of her bed as Alicia began to shake her head.

"No. No it wasn't." Alicia managed to choke out. "Ron… Ginny… Mr Weasley… Mr Weasley!" she gasped and, ignoring the three who tried to get her to stay in bed, she was up and scrambling for the door.

"Alicia wait!"

Alicia slammed her way into the fourth year dormitories and a few of the girls slurred in their sleep before she found Ginny's bright red hair.

"Ginny! Ginny!" Alicia called frantically, shaking the girl.

"Alicia? What's wrong?"

"It's your dad! He's been attacked!" Alicia said and Ginny sat up looking at her rubbing her eyes.

"Attacked? What?" Ginny looked at the girl before noticing her face and her's paled. "How?"

"A snake. We need to go! Now!" Ginny grabbed her dressing gown which Alicia had not even contemplated before they ran down the stairs to the common room.

They came face to face with Professor McGonagall who was with Neville.

"Potter, Weasley, what are you doing up?" McGonagall demanded

"Ginny's dad's been attacked!" Alicia said again "it's really bad!"

"Attacked?"

"But… Harry said the same…" Neville muttered and Alicia looked at him before she realised what happened.

Alicia wheeled around and headed up the boys staircase and into the boys room.

Ron was beside Harry's bed and the room stank like vomit. Seamus and Dean were at the foot of his bed.

"Alicia!" Harry gasped as soon as he saw her. She ran forwards and threw arms around him.

"Alicia, Mr Weasley," Harry began and she released him only to cry some more, nodding her head.

"We have to do something, the blood, the poison…" Alicia gasped before McGonagall came in behind her with Neville and Ginny.

"What is it, Potter? Where does it hurt?"

"It's Ron's dad," he said, sitting up again. "He's been attacked by a snake and it's serious, I saw it happen."

"What do you mean, you saw it happen?" said Professor McGonagall, her dark eyebrows contracting.

"It's long and complicated but he's in trouble!" Alicia said

"I don't know… I was asleep and then I was there…"

"You mean you dreamed this?"

"No!" said Harry angrily.

"I saw it too!" Alicia said quickly and McGonagall looked between them too. "Please professor!"

"I was having a dream at first about something completely different, something stupid… and then this interrupted it. It was real, I didn't imagine it, Mr. Weasley was asleep on the floor and he was attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, he collapsed, someone's got to find out where he is…"

Professor McGonagall was gazing at him through her lopsided spectacles as though horrified at what she was seeing. She looked between the two twins and looked Alicia over, her race red and her hair a mess.

"I'm not lying, and I'm not mad!" Harry told her, his voice rising to a shout. "I tell you, I saw it happen!"

"I believe you, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly, looking between them both. "Put on your dressing-gown — we're going to see the headmaster."