Chapter 43:
The following day proceeded as it usually did. Snape was as unpleasant as ever to Harry within potions and Umbridge made Alicia want to hit her with some jinx, just by them being in the same building, let alone later in the same classroom. D.A. members continued to approach Alicia and Harry through the day and ask if there was going to be a meeting that night, clearly all of them eager to continue immediately. Alicia had to explain she had extra credit lessons she had to take that evening while Harry repeated the excuse Snape had given him.
"I'll let you know when the next one is," Harry said again, "but I can't do it tonight, I've got to go to — er — Remedial Potions…"
"You take Remedial Potions?" asked Zacharias Smith superciliously, having cornered Harry in the entrance hall after lunch. "Good Lord, you must be terrible, Snape doesn't usually give extra lessons, does he?"
As Smith strode away in an annoyingly buoyant fashion, Ron glared after him.
"I wonder why they think you're that stupid when you're teaching them all these spells?" Alicia said annoyed.
"Shall I jinx him? I can still get him from here," Ron said, raising his wand and taking aim between Smith's shoulder blades.
"Forget it," said Harry dismally. "It's what everyone's going to think, isn't it? That I'm really stup —"
"Hi, Harry," said a voice behind him. They turned around and found Cho standing there.
"Oh," said Harry as his stomach leapt uncomfortably. "Hi."
"We'll be in the library, Harry," said Hermione firmly, and she seized Ron above the elbow and dragged him off toward the marble staircase as Alicia winked at her brother and followed.
"Hermione! What you do that for?" Ron demanded when they were a few corridors away.
"The last time Cho tried to talk to Harry while you were around, you interrupted them rudely and ruined it." Alicia said annoyed.
"She wants to talk to Harry alone, Ron." Hermione agreed
"She can." Ron believed
"Ha. You have no tact and would bump in no problem." Alicia said
"No tact?" he asked shocked. Hermione and Alicia shared a look of agreement as they entered the library, causing Ron looked between the two of them confused and slightly insulted.
"You know not all boys are this clueless," Alicia confessed
"Not judging by some things." Hermione said and she glanced at Alicia's wrist where Fred's bracelet still sat. Alicia just smiled proudly while Ron looked more lost in the conversation between them than ever.
"Hey Alicia!" the three turned and Anthony approached them from where he'd been sitting at a table with Michael and Terry.
"Hey Tony." she said and he chuckled "If you're going to ask about the D.A. meetings," she dropped her voice a little more than it already was. "we can't have one tonight unfortunately, Harry and I will decide when we have the next."
"Yeah Ginny told me." Anthony admitted, looking at Michael. Ron scowled at the boy.
"Well did you have a nice Christmas then?" Alicia asked changing the topic.
"Yeah, rather quiet considering all the homework we've had until this point." Alicia nodded in agreement as Ron sighed, the reminder clearly irritating him.
"What about you?"
"Yeah we all spent it together which was nice." Alicia admitted indicating to the two beside her. Hermione was smiling slightly sheepishly as Ron continued to glare at Michael.
"That's nice, get it for Christmas?" Anthony asked, noticing her bracelet when she moved her hand.
"Yeah, Fred Weasley gave it to me." Alicia admitted and Ron looked surprised as Hermione gave her a look.
Anthony looked taken aback.
"Really?"
"Yeah." she said simply.
"Oh — well I've got some stuff to do, I'll see you around." Alicia watched as he turned away from her and moved back to Terry and Michael before she lead the way further through the books.
"Fred got you a bracelet?" Ron asked
"Yes." Alicia replied
"Why'd you tell Anthony?" Hermione wondered "Didn't you think he'd be a little…"
"Well it is true, and it wouldn't have done anything to lie."
"You could have not lied and not told him?" Hermione offered
"And that would have gotten us where?" Alicia wondered. They came to a stop to be in view of the door for when Harry caught up to them.
He was very bouncy and rather giddy when he did, in which Ron had to ask what was up, grinning while he did.
"Yes what did Cho say?" Alicia wondered
"We're going to Hogsmeade together on the next trip." Harry responded, trying to sound casual.
"Oh, you mean the one on Valentines Day?" Hermione asked. Alicia chuckled
"I didn't know it was Valentines Day." she said and Harry blushed slightly but said nothing in response.
Six o'clock approached faster than Alicia expected it to and soon she and Harry were standing outside Snape's office door, Harry looked very unhappy about it.
"Maybe we can get some answers while we're here." Alicia offered quietly, though her voice seemed to echo regardless. Harry looked at her but didn't answer before he took a deep breath, knocked and the two entered.
Neither had ever been in Snape's office before. It was a shadowy room lined with shelves bearing hundreds of glass jars in which floated slimy bits of animals and plants, suspended in variously coloured potions. In a corner stood the cupboard full of ingredients that Snape had once accused Harry — not without reason — of robbing. Harry's attention was drawn toward the desk, however, where a shallow stone basin engraved with runes and symbols lay in a pool of candlelight. It was easily recognised as Dumbledore's Pensieve and Alicia could not fathom why Snape had it.
She didn't get to think about it long before Snape's voice sounded from the corner and caused Harry to jump.
"Shut the door behind you, Potter."
Harry did as he was told before turning back to face the room as Snape moved into the light and pointed silently at the chairs opposite his desk. Harry sat down in one, Alicia in another and so did Snape behind his desk. His cold black eyes fixed unblinkingly upon Harry, dislike etched in every line of his face.
"Well, Potter, you know why you are here," he said. "The headmaster has asked me to teach you Occlumency. I can only hope that you prove more adept at it than Potions."
"Right," said Harry tersely.
"This may not be an ordinary class, Potter," said Snape, his eyes narrowed malevolently, "but I am still your teacher and you will therefore call me 'sir' or 'Professor' at all times."
"Yes… sir," said Harry.
"Now, Occlumency. As I told you back in your dear godfather's kitchen, this branch of magic seals the mind against magical intrusion and influence."
"And why does Professor Dumbledore think I need it, sir?" said Harry, looking directly into Snape's dark, cold eyes and wondering whether he would answer.
Alicia rose an eyebrow. Was that not an obvious question?
Snape looked back at him for a moment and then said contemptuously, "Surely even you could have worked that out by now, Potter? The Dark Lord is highly skilled at Legilimency —"
"What's that? Sir?"
"As your sister pointed out in your godfather's kitchen it is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another person's mind —" Alicia felt Harry's fear rise.
"He can read minds?" said Harry quickly.
"You have no subtlety, Potter," said Snape, his dark eyes glittering. "You do not understand fine distinctions. It is one of the shortcomings that makes you such a lamentable potion-maker."
Alicia looked at Harry who nodded subtly. It was pretty much mind reading, only a little more complicated.
Snape paused for a moment, apparently to savour the pleasure of insulting Harry, before continuing, "Only Muggles talk of 'mind reading.' The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter… or at least, most minds are…" He smirked. "It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without detection."
So if Snape was on Dumbledore's side, infiltrating Voldemort's inner circle, Voldemort wouldn't know because Snape knew Occlumency.
"So he could know what we're thinking right now? Sir?"
"The Dark Lord is at a considerable distance and the walls and grounds of Hogwarts are guarded by many ancient spells and charms to ensure the bodily and mental safety of those who dwell within them," said Snape. "Time and space matter in magic, Potter. Eye contact is often essential to Legilimency."
"Well then, why do I have to learn Occlumency?"
Snape eyed Harry, tracing his mouth with one long, thin finger as he did so.
"The usual rules do not seem to apply with you, Potter. Nor your sister for that matter. The curse that failed to kill you both seems to have forged some kind of connection between you and the Dark Lord, and you and Alicia." it was weird to hear Snape say her name when he only ever used the students' last names.
"So Professor Dumbledore did not tell the complete truth when he explained it to us then, sir?" Alicia wondered, Snape glanced at her but did not answer. Alicia wouldn't have been surprised if he did not even know an answer to give.
"The evidence suggests," Snape continued "that at times, when your mind is most relaxed and vulnerable — when you are asleep, for instance — you are sharing the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions. The headmaster thinks it inadvisable for this to continue. He wishes me to teach you how to close your mind to the Dark Lord."
"But why does Professor Dumbledore want to stop it?" he asked abruptly. "I don't like it much, but it's been useful, hasn't it? I mean… I saw that snake attack Mr. Weasley and if I hadn't, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to save him, would he? Sir?"
Snape stared at Harry for a few moments, still tracing his mouth with his finger. When he spoke again, it was slowly and deliberately, as though he weighed every word.
"It appears that the Dark Lord has been unaware of the connection between you and himself until very recently. Up till now it seems that you have been experiencing his emotions and sharing his thoughts without him being any the wiser. However, the vision you had shortly before Christmas —"
"The one with the snake and Mr. Weasley?"
"Do not interrupt me, Potter," said Snape in a dangerous voice. "As I was saying… the vision you had shortly before Christmas represented such a powerful incursion upon the Dark Lord's thoughts —"
"I saw inside the snake's head, not his!"
"I thought I just told you not to interrupt me, Potter?"
Harry didn't seem to care, he had been sliding forwards as if to be closer to Snape to get the answers he wanted better that way.
"How come I saw through the snake's eyes if it's Voldemort's thoughts I'm sharing?"
"Do not say the Dark Lord's name!" spat Snape.
There was a nasty silence. They glared at each other across the Pensieve and Alicia looked between them both waiting for one to speak.
"Professor Dumbledore says his name," said Harry quietly.
"Dumbledore is an extremely powerful wizard," Snape muttered. "While he may feel secure enough to use the name… the rest of us…" He rubbed his left forearm, apparently unconsciously, on the spot where both twins knew the Dark Mark was burned into his skin.
"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." Alicia said simply. They both looked at her, but said nothing until Harry again broke the silence.
"I just wanted to know," Harry began again, forcing his voice back to politeness, "why —"
"You seem to have visited the snake's mind because that was where the Dark Lord was at that particular moment," snarled Snape. "He was possessing the snake at the time and so you dreamed you were inside it too…"
"And Vol — he — realised I was there?"
"It seems so," said Snape coolly.
"And me too?" Alicia wondered cautiously
"Most probably."
"So, if Harry can reach into the snake while he's possessing it, does that mean he could get into me through Harry? I mean, as far as I'm aware I don't have a connection with — him, sir." Alicia said carefully. She had to remind herself not to name Voldemort as to not piss Snape of any more.
"More than likely." Snape replied
"How do you know?" said Harry urgently. "Is this just Professor Dumbledore guessing, or — ?"
"I told you," said Snape, rigid in his chair, his eyes slits, "to call me 'sir.' "
"Yes, sir," said Harry impatiently, "but how do you know — ?"
"It is enough that we know," said Snape repressively. "The important point is that the Dark Lord is now aware that you are gaining access to his thoughts and feelings. He has also deduced that the process is likely to work in reverse; that is to say, he has realised that he might be able to access your thoughts and feelings in return —"
Alicia wondered if Snape knew this because Voldemort himself had told him? It would explain the information and Snape's reluctancy to answer that question.
"And he might try and make me do things?" asked Harry. "Sir?" he added hurriedly.
"He might," said Snape, sounding cold and unconcerned. "Which brings us back to Occlumency."
Snape pulled out his wand from an inside pocket of his robes and Harry tensed in his chair while Alicia watched curiously. Snape raised the wand to his temple and placed its tip into the greasy roots of his hair. When he withdrew it, some silvery substance came away, stretching from temple to wand like a thick gossamer strand, which broke as he pulled the wand away from it and fell gracefully into the Pensieve, where it swirled silvery white, neither gas nor liquid. Twice more Snape raised the wand to his temple and deposited the silvery substance into the stone basin, then, without offering any explanation of his behaviour, he picked up the Pensieve carefully, removed it to a shelf out of their way and returned to face Harry with his wand held at the ready.
Alicia watched him as he'd removed his thoughts before their lesson and wondered, perhaps he was worried the two would get into his head. Had he something he didn't want the two to see? Most likely, but to be so cautious as to remove them…
"Stand up and take out your wand, Potter."
Both of them obeyed and Alicia wondered how exactly Snape was going to teach them. She figured invading the mind was rather an invasion of privacy but how else could you learn to push someone out?
"You may use your wand to attempt to disarm me, or defend yourself in any other way you can think of," said Snape.
"And what are you going to do?" Harry asked, eyeing Snape's wand apprehensively.
"I am about to attempt to break into your mind," said Snape softly. "We are going to see how well you resist. I have been told that you have already shown aptitude at resisting the Imperius Curse…You will find that similar powers are needed for this…" so he was going to invade the mind. Only he couldn't do that twice.
"Brace yourself, now… Legilimens!" Harry seemed to lose some focus as Snape stared at him and she felt Harry's overwhelm of emotions. He seemed to retreat so far into himself in that quick instance and he did nothing to throw at Snape. Alicia thought this would be fun, they could hex Snape without getting in trouble.
Alicia watched as Snape had his wand pointed at Harry. She knew how to see through Harry and feel his emotions. But only a short number of times had she seen his memories or heard his thoughts. She felt maybe if she could figure out how to do that, it would be a nicer way for Harry to learn.
Then again, having you in his head might not be nearly as motivating to push out as Snape. Alicia was sure there were things Harry wouldn't want Snape to know in which Alicia already knew or he didn't care if she did.
Still, you both could learn away from Snape if you could manage it. And if Voldemort and Harry could work in both directions then couldn't Harry and Alicia? Would it be useful for them to learn Occlumency and Legilimency? For if you knew how to do one perhaps you'd understand better how to block out and achieve the other?
Harry suddenly fell to the floor and one of his knees collided with Snape's desk leg. As he did a spell went flying at Snape from Harry's wand and hit the professor in the wand wrist. Alicia looked at the two surprised before she moved to Harry who was looking around and seemed as though he was coming around from having fainted.
Snape lowered his wand and rubbed his wrist where the angry weal of a scorch mark from Harry's wand had grazed him.
"Did you mean to produce a Stinging Hex?" asked Snape coolly.
"No," said Harry bitterly, getting up from the floor with Alicia's help.
"I thought not," said Snape contemptuously. "You let me get in too far. You lost control."
"Did you see everything I saw?" Harry asked, unsure whether he wanted to hear the answer.
"Flashes of it," said Snape, his lip curling. "To whom did the dog belong?"
"My Aunt Marge," Harry muttered, hating Snape.
"She's not really your aunt though." Alicia mumbled. She'd met Aunt Marge two years previously, several days before Harry had blown her up like a balloon for loosing control of his temper. Hardly his fault though considering the words Marge had said to him.
"Well, for a first attempt that was not as poor as it might have been," said Snape, raising his wand once more. "You managed to stop me eventually, though you wasted time and energy shouting. You must remain focused. Repel me with your brain and you will not need to resort to your wand."
"I'm trying," said Harry angrily, "but you're not telling me how!"
"Manners, Potter," said Snape dangerously.
"A little instruction would be really appreciated professor." Alicia added, trying to stay calm and keep her voice level. How did he expect them to learn if they had no idea where to even start.
"I want you to close your eyes." Snape began, perhaps listening to her advice.
Harry shot Snape a filthy look but did as he was told.
"Clear your mind, Potter," said Snape's cold voice. "Let go of all emotion…"
Alicia rose an eyebrow. She could feel Harry's anger and she knew that being with Snape, having Snape insult him and enter his mind was not going to help him concentrate and relax.
"You're not doing it, Potter…You will need more discipline than this… Focus, now…"
"Let's go again… on the count of three… one — two — three — Legilimens!"
The same thing happened again and Alicia felt the pain, emotional distress, run through her and clapped her hands over her ears to try and push against the memory that Harry saw. She shook her head to rid of it, she didn't want to see that. She didn't want to remember. She had done well to move past it!
"NOOOOOOO!" Harry had shouted out.
"Get up!" said Snape sharply. "Get up! You are not trying, you are making no effort, you are allowing me access to memories you fear, handing me weapons!"
Alicia breathed in slowly, released the breath after holding it a few seconds to regain herself. When she felt her heart slow she removed her hands and opened her eyes to find Harry was looking at her from where he was on the floor. Snape was watching her as well.
Snape was looking angry, his face had gone paler than usual, but Harry seemed more angry still.
"I — am — making — an — effort," he said through clenched teeth.
"I told you to empty yourself of emotion!"
"Yeah? Well, I'm finding that hard at the moment," Harry snarled.
"Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!" said Snape savagely. "Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked this easily — weak people, in other words — they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!"
"I am not weak," said Harry in a low voice, fury now pumping through him so that he thought he might attack Snape in a moment.
"Then prove it! Master yourself!" spat Snape. "Control your anger, discipline your mind! We shall try again! Get ready, now!"
"Professor!" Alicia cut in before he could cast the spell. "Aren't you supposed to teach me too?" Harry looked at her surprised and Snape stared at her, his anger still evident in his face. "I'd like to give it a try." she looked at Harry, not only did he need a break but Alicia, during that fleeting memory, realised there were somethings she didn't want from Harry. Such pain as that, one that connected to her own and caused her to feel double, was one of them.
"Very well." Snape agreed and he turned his wand on Alicia. The girl look a breath. She needed to feel nothing, so concentrating on a memory would not do, as they were connected to emotions. So she needed something neutral.
"One… Two… three… Legilimens!"
Alicia could feel the professor in her mind as images took the room away from her sight and her memories were seen instead. It was like she was reliving them. First meeting Harry… sitting under the tree at five years old in the orphanage… Matthew tormenting her… first time flying a broom.
Alicia grabbed that memory before it could flash by and remembered the feeling of the air through her hair, the freedom of sitting on a broom. The room began to come back into focus, Harry was watching her and Snape's eyes narrowed.
He pushed harder and the room was gone. She was playing her first game of quidditch… she was in charms class… Harry walked into the maze… Portia and Alex discovered her Hogwarts items… she was in the Room of Requirement.
Alicia saw the wand movement and willed herself to follow it and do the same. The memories halted, she felt her head ease up as it had began pounding and she found herself clinging to the back of her chair to keep herself standing. Her wand was pointed at Snape as Harry was helping her to stay standing, his arm around her back. Snape seemed frozen and the two looked at him as Alicia gathered her bearings.
"Impediment Jinx." Harry mumbled and Alicia nodded. She stood up and took a breath before waving her wand to unfreeze the professor.
"Sorry sir." she mumbled
"At least you managed to keep your emotions in check." he sneered, not bothering to compliment how she'd almost pushed him out.
"I figured concentrating on something simple, a feeling instead of an emotion, might help." she thought.
It was strange, the memories flashed across her mind and some of them she wanted to watch, she liked reliving them, and so she let them play, forgetting that she shouldn't. Others reminded her and made her want them to stop, made her try harder.
Perhaps there was no little trick like that, perhaps she had to remain calm and also just push the person out. For that she had to learn to feel when someone was in her head properly. It was possible if Voldemort had realised Harry was there that night when they saw Mr Weasley.
"Well let's see if you can do better than your sister, Potter. Now that you've had the chance to control your anger and prepare yourself." Snape sneered as he turned back to Harry. "Legilimens!"
This time Harry ended up on all fours on the floor of Snape's office before he shouted out.
"I KNOW! I KNOW!"
But it wasn't painful or angry, it was triumphant. Snape was staring at Harry who had lifted the spell himself instead of letting Harry push through it.
"What happened then, Potter?" he asked, eyeing Harry intently.
"I saw — I remembered," Harry panted. "I've just realised…"
"Realised what?" asked Snape sharply as Alicia looked at her brother confused.
She could feel his understanding though, as though he had noticed something amongst the memories as he rubbed his forehead. Alicia had felt the prickle in her neck, something to do with Voldemort in those memories had brought a sort of enlightenment to Harry.
Harry finally looked at Snape.
"What's in the Department of Mysteries?"
"What did you say?" Snape asked quietly and Harry saw, with deep satisfaction, that Snape was unnerved.
"I said, what's in the Department of Mysteries, sir?" Harry said.
"And why," said Snape slowly, "would you ask such a thing?"
"Because," said Harry, watching Snape closely for a reaction, "that corridor I've just seen — I've been dreaming about it for months — I've just recognised it — it leads to the Department of Mysteries… and I think Voldemort wants something from —"
"I have told you not to say the Dark Lord's name!"
"Harry, I've been saying that for months." Alicia reminded him. "How could you have not noticed that door?" she wondered.
Harry wasn't listening. He and Snape were too busy glaring at one another, Snape looking agitated.
"There are many things in the Department of Mysteries, Potter, few of which you would understand and none of which concern you, do I make myself plain?"
"Yes," Harry said, still rubbing his prickling scar, which was becoming more painful. Alicia was trying to restrain the need to itch her own as she watched them both.
"I want you both back here same time on Wednesday, and we will continue work then."
"Fine," said Harry.
"You are to rid your mind of all emotion every night before sleep — empty it, make it blank and calm, you understand?"
"Yes," said Harry, he seemed to be barely listening.
"And be warned, Potter… I shall know if you have not practiced…"
Alicia felt like they should thank the professor as Harry responded but he picked up his school bag and grabbed Alicia's hand after swinging it onto his shoulder. Alicia managed to grab hers before Harry hurried from the office with her.
"We need to find Ron and Hermione?"
"Why?"
"To tell them."
"But they already know?" Alicia believed
"They assume. This confirms it."
"I think I'm smart enough to not voice an opinion like that unless it's true." Alicia mumbled.
Harry didn't listen and continued on his journey until they found Hermione and Ron in the library, along with many other fifth years who were working under the lamp light at the tables nearby, noses in books, quills scratching feverishly while the sky outside grew darker and darker.
The two sat down as Alicia glanced at Harry. He was very pale and didn't look healthy. Hermione noticed.
"How did it go?" Hermione whispered, and then, looking concerned, "Are you all right, Harry?"
"Yeah… fine… I dunno," said Harry impatiently, he winced as Alicia felt a pain in her neck. "Listen… I've just realised something…" And he told them what he thought.
"So Alicia is right." Ron whispered as Madam Pince swept past, squeaking slightly, "that the weapon — the thing You-Know-Who's after — is in the Ministry of Magic?"
"In the Department of Mysteries, it's got to be," Harry whispered. "I saw that door when your dad took me down to the courtrooms for my hearing and it's definitely the same one he was guarding when the snake bit him."
"You're rather slow Harry, Alicia worked that out before the holidays began." Hermione said.
"That was speculation." Ron said
"Yes but it makes sense. Ron, think about it… Sturgis Podmore was trying to get through a door at the Ministry of Magic… It must have been that one, it's too much of a coincidence!"
"How come Sturgis was trying to break in when he's on our side?" said Ron.
"Well, I don't know," Hermione admitted. "That is a bit odd…"
"So what's in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked Ron. "Has your dad ever mentioned anything about it?"
"I know they call the people who work in there 'Unspeakables,'" said Ron, frowning. "Because no one really seems to know what they do in there… Weird place to have a weapon…"
"It's not weird at all, it makes perfect sense," said Hermione. "It will be something top secret that the Ministry has been developing, I expect…"
"Or something they've already got… it all depends on what you count as a weapon really." Alicia thought. Hermione nodded before looking back at Harry.
"Harry, are you sure you're all right?" For Harry had just run both his hands hard over his forehead as though trying to iron it.
"Yeah… fine…" he said, lowering his hands, which were trembling. "I just feel a bit… I don't like Occlumency much…"
"It's Legilimency you don't like, that's what Snape's using. And I don't blame you, it's like having all your nightmares and bad experiences thrown back at you like you're reliving it." Alicia shook her head.
"I expect anyone would feel shaky if they'd had their mind attacked over and over again," said Hermione sympathetically. "Look, let's get back to the common room, we'll be a bit more comfortable there…"
But the common room was packed and full of shrieks of laughter and excitement; Fred and George were demonstrating their latest bit of joke shop merchandise.
"Headless Hats!" shouted George, as Fred waved a pointed hat decorated with a fluffy pink feather at the watching students. "Two Galleons each — watch Fred, now!"
Fred swept the hat onto his head, beaming. For a second he merely looked rather stupid, then both hat and head vanished.
Several girls screamed, but everyone else was roaring with laughter.
"And off again!" shouted George, and Fred's hand groped for a moment in what seemed to be thin air over his shoulder; then his head reappeared as he swept the pink-feathered hat from it again.
"Did they have to make it pink and feathery? Wouldn't it be more effective if it was a little more normal?" Alicia wondered as she watched them with interest, forgetting the homework that sat in front of her.
"How do those hats work, then?" said Hermione, distracted from her homework and watching Fred and George. "I mean, obviously it's some kind of Invisibility Spell, but it's rather clever to have extended the field of invisibility beyond the boundaries of the charmed object… I'd imagine the charm wouldn't have a very long life though…"
"Makes two gallons sound a bit far fetched doesn't it." Alicia thought thinking it over. "You know Seventh year must be very easy if they're able to spend all their time inventing." she suddenly thought. "Of course they don't care about their exams or anything so…" she added.
"I'm going to have to do this tomorrow," Harry muttered, pushing the books he had just taken out of his bag back inside it.
"Well, write it in your homework planner then!" said Hermione encouragingly. "So you don't forget!"
Alicia rose an eyebrow while Harry and Ron exchanged looks as he reached into his bag, withdrew the planner and opened it tentatively.
"Don't leave it till later, you big second-rater!" chided the book as Harry scribbled down Umbridge's homework. Hermione beamed at it while Alicia pulled a face. She'd hate it if a book gave her advice every time she opened it. It would get very annoying after a while.
"I think I'll go to bed," said Harry, stuffing the homework planner back into his bag.
The three watched as he crossed the room, dodging a hat George tried to put on his head and disappeared up the stairs.
"He really doesn't look good."
"He's not feeling good either." Alicia admitted.
She suddenly let out a cry that had several people turn from Fred and George to look at her as she clapped her hand over her neck as she felt like her head had been half cut off, leaving her with a severe pain that even the Cruciatus Curse may not compare to.
Hermione and Ron looked at her shocked as Fred and George moved over to her quickly, Fred looking at Ron questionably.
"Ron, Harry!" Hermione suddenly realised and he moved up the staircases to check on the boy.
Alicia had her lip between her teeth and Fred rubbed her arm before the pain died down until her scar only throbbed. Despite the pain she'd felt the far away feeling of absolutely, delighted happiness. As if the best thing in the world had happened.
Alicia knew it wasn't her's and she could feel too much distance for it to be Harry's, which only left one other person. She took a breath as she was able to be brought back to her senses and upon looking around, she found many people were looking at her.
She didn't even bother to try and explain what had happened as the twins and Hermione looked worried. She shook her head and glanced at the staircase to the boys dormitories.
George suddenly placed the Headless Hat on her head and people started bursting out laughing. She sighed and rolled her eyes but was glad they distracted everyone from her and her weird behaviour. She gave it a few minutes before removing the hat and placing it on George's head as he was looking at everyone around them. More people laughed at him.
Hermione looked at her worried, exchanging a glance with Fred.
"Something's happened, and it's not good."
"What is it?" Hermione asked
"I don't know but what I just felt was pure happiness, and if Voldemort's that happy, then it can't be good for the rest of us." she whispered. Fred and Hermione looked worried as George glanced at them from beside her, having removed the hat.