Mysterious Ways

October gradually turned to November and the weather grew colder. Sudden downpours of rain and sleet sent many students scurrying inside, shrieking. The workload for the seventh years increased. More often than not, Alice found herself skipping meals to go to the library and work on her homework. At least, that's what she told herself, anyway. The truth was she couldn't face the glares and accusations that followed her wherever she went.

She had seen Violet Pinkett as well; crying one day in the corridor, surrounded by people, who had all sent Alice death glares as she walked past. Alice had wanted to go up to Violet and say something, anything - but all she had managed was a choked "I - I'm sorry," before running off. She felt terrible, not only for herself but for Violet too, who would never see her mother again. Violet had gone home for a while to be with her dad, but it didn't make Alice feel any less guilty; everywhere she went she was reminded of it by the hostility from the other students.

Lily seemed to be growing more concerned about her every day. "Alice, you've lost so much weight," she said worriedly, peering at her.

"I'm fine," Alice replied, trying to make her voice sound convincing. "I've just got loads of work to do, that's all."

Lily shook her head. "That's not it at all. You're stressed out about the way people are treating you, aren't you?"

"No," Alice lied over the top of her Arithmancy textbook. "I couldn't give a flying fuck what they think. It's up to them." Her voice wobbled at the end of her sentence, and to her horror she found tears springing to the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away furiously.

"Who are you trying to kid, me or yourself?" Lily asked gently. Alice looked up at Lily - Lily, her best friend in the entire world, the only person who could understand how she felt. Alice closed her eyes and let the tears fall freely.

Lily put her arms around Alice and hugged her fiercely. "Listen, Alice, I don't care what people say," she reassured her. "I know you better than anyone else in this school. You're my best friend, and there's no way I could ever think badly of you, despite what that bastard has done."

Alice took the tissue Lily was holding out to her and dabbed her eyes. "Thanks," she said. " But you just don't know how it feels to have people whispering about you, people hating you for something you didn't even do."

"Who cares?" Lily cried, her voice rising. "Anyone who says anything bad about you doesn't know what they're talking about, and they're about as worthless as dragon dung."

"It's not just that," Alice said. "It's Violet as well. We can't even imagine what she's going through, Lil. She's only eleven and her world's just been turned upside down! She's lost her mother, for God's sake!"

"I know," Lily said with a sigh. "It's awful, but you can't blame yourself for it. Alice, you're not the guilty one, so there's no need to feel like it! Look, it's Hogsmeade this weekend. Why don't we go together and just have fun? You've barely set foot outside the library for over a week."

"I don't know..." Alice paused. The thought of going and facing the people who had been talking about her behind her back for weeks filled her with dread.

"You're coming," Lily said with determination. "You can't leave me to face them on my own!"

Alice laughed, suddenly gaining new confidence. Lily was right. Who cared what people thought of her? The only person's opinion who mattered to Alice was Lily's, and she had stuck by her, even with all the gossip.

"OK," she said, making a split-second decision. "I'll come!"

That Saturday, though, she got dressed with a growing feeling of unease. By the time she had met Lily outside, she was already beginning to regret her decision.

"Lily, I'm not sure if this is a good idea," she whispered. Icy looks were being thrown at her from every direction.

"You know," Lily began conversationally, "I seem to remember a couple of months earlier, just before we caught the train to Hogwarts, I was embarrassed because people were staring at us. And I distinctly recall you saying - now, what was it?" Lily paused for a moment, her eyes sparkling. "Oh yes - 'Fuckem!'"

Alice couldn't help but laugh. Lily always managed to cheer her up. She thought about that day on the train, when her only worries were about James and Lily and how she was going to get them together. Was there really a time when she had been that carefree? Alice could barely imagine it now. The memory was still there, lodged into her brain, but it was fuzzy - almost as if it was someone else's life she was watching, and not hers. Other happy memories flashed across Alice's mind, like an out-of-sync VCR - her and James playing together when they were small, the day she got her Hogwarts letter, the first time she met Lily... Alice smiled sadly at the thoughts. Would she ever be that happy again?

Almost as soon as she'd thought this, Alice mentally scolded herself. Stop being so melodramatic and selfish, she thought. Of course you'll be happy again. At least your parents are still alive! Think about what Violet's going through. She's got it worse than you.

Alice felt her spirits begin to lift at this thought. She was unhappy for Violet, of course, but all things considering, her own life was pretty good. Even if she did have a psycho lunatic for an uncle. She hooked her arm through Lily's and began bounding madly along the grass. "Hey!" Lily protested as Alice dragged her along. "What's up with you? You've had a change of spirit all of a sudden!"

"I know," Alice said cheerfully. "I've been a right plank, haven't I? But I've got no reason to be miserable. Well, I have, but I'm just thinking about Violet now. She's probably going through the worst torment of her life, and I'm standing around worrying what people think of me. What sort of an attitude is that? No, from now on I'm going to start living life to the full. Starting from today." She yanked Lily's arm even harder and broke into a run. Lily had no choice but to run after her, a bemused but happy expression on her face at her friend's dramatic mood swing.

"Hey!" Alice heard a voice call out behind them. She stopped abruptly, causing Lily to smack straight into her. Alice burst into giggles at Lily's shocked face.

The two girls turned to see Holly Gordon dashing over to them. "Are you two going into Hogsmeade?" she asked breathlessly.

Alice and Lily nodded. "Do you mind if I come with you?" Holly asked, shyness creeping into her voice as she looked down at the floor.

"Course not!" Lily grinned, gesturing for Holly to join them.

"I - I heard about what happened with your uncle," Holly said tentatively, falling into step beside Alice and Lily.

Some of Alice's good mood began to ebb away. "I suppose you think I'm to blame too," she said dully.

"Oh, no!" Holly protested. "I don't blame you at all. It's not your fault. How were you supposed to know what he was going to do?"

As soon as Alice's spirits had begun to dim, they were immediately lifted again by Holly's words. She knew her parents were Muggles, and she couldn't really blame Holly if she said she hated her uncle, and her - but she hadn't. "Thanks, Holly," Alice said with a smile. "You don't know what that means to me."

"No problem." Holly smiled a little self-consciously. Alice hesitated for a moment and then, feeling bold, linked her arm with Holly's. Holly blushed with pleasure and a smile lit up her face. Alice grinned back, hooked her other arm through Lily's again and the three girls strolled along in companionable silence.

It had just started to rain when they reached Hogsmeade, and an icy wind blew the stinging drops into the girls' faces. "Shall we go into the Three Broomsticks and have a butterbeer?" Lily suggested.

"You two go ahead," Alice said, gesturing for them to go on without her. "I just need to go to the Post Office and send this letter. I'll meet you in there."

Alice quickly went to the Post Office and sent the letter to her parents. Her errand done, she hurried down the street to the Three Broomsticks and pushed open the door, wiping the cold raindrops from her cheeks. She scanned the room for Lily and Holly. Her eyes narrowed when she saw them sitting at a table with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter.

So much for a girls' day out, Alice thought moodily. She reluctantly made her way through the crowded bar to the table. Plastering a bright, fake smile on her face, she slid into a chair next to Lily. "Hi, everyone," she said, attempting to muster some enthusiasm into her voice.

"Hi, Alice." James greeted her cheerfully. Alice gave him a brief smile and slumped back dejectedly into the chair, casting her eyes over the table. Holly and Remus kept giving each other shy half-smiles and then quickly looking away again. Lily was twirling her hair round her finger, trying to act cool and aloof, but Alice noticed she was sneaking glances at James whenever he wasn't looking. Alice rolled her eyes, beginning to feel like the odd one out and wishing she had never agreed to come to Hogsmeade.

Alice's eyes fell on Peter, who was looking at her anxiously. She remembered how she had heard him arguing with Snape the other night and briefly debated with herself on whether to bring the topic up. Peter looked scared to death, however, and he seemed to be sending her pleading signals with his eyes not to say anything, so Alice decided not to. She had made up her mind that Snape had been lying about the Potions project, though, and decided to ask Peter about it later, when she could get him on her own.

Alice glanced around the table again, aware that for the past five minutes no one had spoken. Anxious to break the uncomfortable silence and to get away from everyone, Alice muttered, "I'll go and get the drinks," before pushing her chair away sharply and stalking over to the bar.

Alice ordered the drinks and rocked back and forth on her heels while she waited. She scanned the pub with casual disinterest. It was crowded, but most of the people milling about were adults. The few Hogwarts students that were in there were all squashed together around one table. As Alice's gaze swept over them, she noticed that they were all shooting her poisonous glances. Alice hastily cast her eyes down to the floor, wishing more than ever that she was inside the safe realm of the library.

"Your butterbeers," a bored voice said.

Alice spun back around to see Madam Mallone, the barmaid, looking at her expectantly. "Oh, right - er, thanks," Alice stuttered, extracting a handful of Galleons from her pocket and shoving them across the bar. Madam Mallone scooped up the coins and swept away, shaking her head.

Alice stared at the row of butterbeers that were lined up along the table, vaguely wondering how on earth she was going to carry seven bottles by herself. She had managed to scoop up four and was just about to use the Levitation charm on the other three when she heard a voice behind her.

"Need some help?"

Alice turned to see Sirius standing behind her. "No," she said stubbornly, turning back to the bar. She realised that to cast the spell she needed her hands free. With an irritable sigh, Alice slammed the bottles back down on the table with enough force to break them and reached for her wand. She could see Sirius grinning out of the corner of her eyes, obviously amused by her predicament. Alice bit her tongue and resisted the temptation to hex him into oblivion; instead she flicked her wand and muttered, "Wingardium Leviosa." Five of the bottles floated up off the table and hovered in midair. Cradling the other two bottles under her left arm, Alice used her right hand - her wand hand - to control the movement of the airborne bottles. Satisfied, Alice turned back to Sirius and glared fiercely at him, silently daring him to challenge her. Sirius, however, just looked at her with a slight grin; as if she was a monkey in a zoo that he found mildly amusing.

"What?" Alice asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing," Sirius said, his own eyes widening innocently.

"Good," Alice snapped, sliding out of her seat. She flicked her wand towards the hovering butterbeers and was just about to walk away when Sirius said, "It's no wonder you and Evans are such good friends."

Alice turned back around in exasperation. "And why is that?"

Sirius was smirking. "I have never seen anyone so uptight in my life."

Alice gritted her teeth. "I am not," she said, slowly and deliberately, "uptight."

Sirius chuckled. "You are. You're actually worse than Evans, in fact."

Alice could feel anger bubbling up in the pit of her stomach. Ignore him. Don't rise to it, he's just trying to provoke you. "I am not," she said again, cringing as she realised how childish she sounded.

"Come on, Tyler, just admit it." Sirius seemed to be enjoying tormenting her, the smug git. "Spend all your time in the library... never coming down to dinner... I bet this is the first time you've left Hogwarts in months."

"It is none of your business what I do with my personal life," Alice said icily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't want to stand around here talking to you." She started to walk away, the butterbeer bottles trailing behind her.

"Of course, I suppose I can understand it," Sirius continued. "After what your uncle did, I mean. I'd be ashamed to show my face around here too."

Crash. Seven bottles fell to the floor and smashed, spraying glass everywhere. The pub went immediately silent and everyone, it seemed, turned to look at Alice. Alice stood where she was for a moment, butterbeer pooling in sticky puddles around her feet. She felt her face flaming and to her horror, tears were beginning to cloud her vision. Not caring what she was doing, she pushed somebody out of the way and ran blindly from the pub. Vaguely she could hear Lily shouting her name, but she didn't stop; she just knew she had to get out of there.

Alice pushed open the door and bolted outside. The rain had stopped - it must have just been a quick shower. Alice glanced around, wondering whether to run back up to school or go somewhere else. A solitary tear trickled down her cheek.

Alice heard footsteps running behind her. She swung around to see Lily and James hurrying after her. Alice tensed, getting ready to sprint away. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. But before she could even move, they had reached her, Lily clinging onto her right arm and James her left. "Alice? Alice, what's wrong?" Lily was saying urgently, but Alice didn't hear - all she could hear were Sirius's words echoing in her head: "I'd be ashamed to show my face around here too..."

"Leave me alone," Alice said, struggling half-heartedly to get away. "I just want to be alone."

James and Lily both hung on grimly. "You can't have been that upset about dropping the bottles," James said, sounding slightly confused. "I know it must have been embarrassing, but..."

Alice brushed away a tear impatiently. "That's not what I'm upset about! Look, I'm going back up to the castle, I'll talk to you later." She tried one last desperate attempt to get away, but it was impossible. Lily and James were clinging to her like limpets.

"What's the matter, Alice? You can talk to us, you know," Lily said pleadingly. Her bright green eyes bored into Alice's, silently begging her to tell her what had happened. Alice sighed. Lily knew her so well. She did want to talk to her. But what about James? Sirius was his best friend, after all, and she didn't want James to know how malicious he'd been. She cast a glance at him and saw that he was staring at her, his jaw set determinedly. He obviously wasn't going anywhere until she had told him what was up. Well, and why shouldn't I, she thought stubbornly, after what he's just said to me! Reluctantly Alice told them about her conversation with Sirius.

By the time she had finished her recollection, Lily was seething with anger. "That insensitive git, how dare he..." she fumed.

"They're never going to forget about it, are they," Alice said dully. It was a statement rather than a question. "Wherever I go, it's going to follow me. I'll be stuck with it for the rest of my life. Now matter how much I run from it, it'll always catch up with me."

"You're going to let him get to you?" Lily cried incredulously. "Alice, just because some snarky bastards make stupid comments doesn't mean you should hide away for the rest of your life!"

James was looking worried. "That doesn't sound like Sirius. Are you sure you didn't mishear?"

"What is there to mishear?" Alice snapped. "I definitely heard what he said. I was surprised he'd make that kind of comment, actually, especially considering what his family are like..."

"It's just..." James cast his eyes downward. "He's going through a really bad time at the moment. I'm sure he didn't mean what he said."

"Don't you ever get tired of defending him?" Lily snapped. Alice jumped. It was the first time Lily had spoken harshly to James since that day on the train. James looked slightly taken aback too. "Just because he's going through a bad time doesn't mean he has to take it out on other people," Lily continued indignantly, folding her arms. "There was no need for a spiteful comment like that."

"I know that," James said defensively. "And I'm going to talk to him about it. I'm just saying we should give him some leeway, that's all."

"Leeway," Alice said in disgust. "Ha!"

"I'd better go back," James said quietly. "I'll talk to him, Alice, don't worry. Are you coming, Lily?"

Lily hesitated. "Are you sure you don't want to stay, Alice?"

Alice shuddered. "I'm positive."

"Do you want me to come back with you?"

"No, don't worry about it," Alice said. "I just want to be alone for a while."

Lily gave her a long, searching look. "OK then. I'll see you later?"

Alice nodded, waving her away. She and James began to weave their way back through the crowd. Alice waited until they had disappeared back into the Three Broomsticks before turning and heading back towards Hogwarts.

Alice walked as quickly as she could, but the Hogwarts castle loomed in the distance, not seeming to get any closer. She was aware of her feet moving in quick, rapid steps, but all she could hear were Sirius' words in her head: I'd be ashamed to show my face... Alice shook her head furiously, trying to clear her thoughts. Looking up, she realised with some surprise that she had made it: the main doors to the castle were a couple of metres away from her.

Alice paused for a moment, shifting from one foot to the other, unsure where to go next. The library had always been her favourite place when she wanted solitude, but for some reason she didn't want to go there. She hesitated, then pushed open the doors. She began hurrying up to Ravenclaw tower, hoping and praying it would be empty.

There were a couple of people in the common room who looked up as Alice dashed in. Alice, however, didn't look at them: she practically sprinted up to the dormitory and slammed the door. Breathing heavily, she leaned on the door, waiting for her heart to stop pounding. After a couple of minutes she crossed the room, pulled open a drawer, took out a quill, parchment and ink bottle, flopped down on her bed and began to write.

It took her almost half an hour to finish the letter; Alice was surprised when she looked at the clock and saw how long it had taken her, especially when she looked back down and saw how short the letter was - barely a page long. Alice wondered if it was long enough. She quickly skimmed it over and decided that it was fine before folding it up and hunting for an envelope. She sealed the letter and then made her way to the Owlery.

Outside the door, Alice paused for a moment. A little voice kept nagging in the back of her head: Are you sure this is what you really want? "Yes," Alice said out loud, trying to convince herself. "This is what I want," she said with more force. A passing first-year gave her a scared look and hurried away. Alice almost laughed at the irony, despite feeling cold and miserable inside. That had cinched it for her; she pushed open the Owlery door and went inside. Alice selected an owl at random and hesitated one more time before giving it the letter. "Take this to Persephone Tyler," she said to the owl, which nipped her finger before swooping out of the window. Alice stood and watched it fly away until it became just a speck in the distance. Then she turned and left the room dully.

"It's done now," she said sternly to herself. "You can't take it back." She turned on her heel and left the room, heading for Dumbledore's office. "Mint humbug," she said to the stone gargoyle when she reached it, and it sprang to life to let her pass. Alice hurried up the stairs, not even sure what she was going to say. When she got to the top nervousness had overcome her, and she knocked timidly. There was no answer.

He probably didn't hear me, Alice realised, and knocked again, more loudly. Still no answer. Alice rapped sharply on the door and to her surprise, it swung open under her knuckles. Alice peeped in cautiously. A quick scan of the room told her it was empty.

Alice hovered for a moment, half in and half out of the door. She didn't want to go searching for Dumbledore, there would be too many people to run into. Surely he won't mind if I just wait for him here, Alice said to herself, before sliding into the room and shutting the door quietly.

Alice gazed around the room. She had never really noticed Dumbledore's office before; the handful of times she had been in there she had been too preoccupied to admire the décor. But now she looked around in awe. Portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses looked down at her suspiciously. "Trespassing, are we?" one of them, a hook-nosed wizard with a long grey beard and moustache, snapped at her. Alice ignored it and sat down in a chair opposite Dumbledore's desk. Behind the desk was a large wooden case filled with books. The Sorting Hat sat on the top. On the other side of the room, Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, was perched on a silver stand, head tucked under his wing, apparently asleep.

Alice's gaze swept over the desk. Something sticking out from under a pile of books caught her eye. Alice cast a furtive glance around, double-checking that nobody was there, and cautiously pulled the piece of paper out from under the books. "Nosing around, are we?" a voice cried, making Alice almost jump out of her skin. It was the headmaster in the portrait again, glaring at her. "It's none of your business what's on that desk. You're acting very suspiciously, you are."

Alice glared back at the portrait. Annoying as it was, she didn't feel like she should disrespect an old Hogwarts headmaster, so instead she bit her tongue and resisted the urge to tell it to shut up. She glanced down at the piece of black-and-white paper in her hand. It was an article cut out from a newspaper, with today's date written on it. Alice frowned. She had read the Daily Prophet this morning and hadn't noticed an article like this. It must have been from another newspaper.

Alice scanned the headline: Corpse Stolen From St. Mungo's. Alice shuddered at the thought. "What a twisted freak," she mumbled, setting the article back down on the desk. She didn't particularly want to read it, but Alice was a naturally inquisitive person and soon curiosity overwhelmed her disgust. She picked up the article again, holding it by the edge as if it had some disease that would be passed on if she held it too close to her, and began to read.

Early this morning, the dead body of a witch was stolen from St. Mungo's hospital.

The body, which was being kept for further tests, was found missing this morning when mediwizards went in to study it. However, there had been no sign of a break-in, and nobody had seen anything suspicious.

"It must be the work of Dark magic," mediwitch Amelia King insists. "Guards and protection spells are put up all around the room to prevent things like this from happening. Only a very powerful witch or wizard would be able to break the spells."

The body in question is that of 38-year old Susan Pinkett, who was believed to be murdered by Cameron Tyler, 42. However, it is yet to be determined who would have a motive to steal the body.

"It was a disgusting and sick thing to do," says Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold. "Thorough investigations are being carried out. We won't rest until we found Cameron Tyler and the person who stole the body."

Alice felt slightly faint. Somebody had actually stolen Susan Pinkett's body? "Please, please don't let Violet have seen this," Alice begged silently to herself. Of course, she probably already knew, Alice realised with a sinking heart. That poor girl.

Alice examined the piece of newspaper again curiously. She didn't know much about how newspapers were set out, but this seemed like a pretty big story to her. Why was it such a small article? Probably the Ministry trying to hush it all up, Alice thought grumpily. She was just pondering over this though when she heard a voice behind her: "Miss Tyler?"

Alice almost jumped out of her skin. Clutching the article to her chest, she spun around in her seat to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway, curiosity and amusement twinkling in his bright blue eyes.

"Oh - er - Professor..." Alice noticed that Dumbledore wasn't looking at her face, but at the piece of paper she was twisting around in her hands. She hastily tossed it back onto the table. "I was just..."

Dumbledore smiled faintly. "Curiosity is not a sin, Miss Tyler."

Alice could feel her face reddening. "I... er..."

Dumbledore didn't comment further. "You wanted to see me?"

"Er... yes." Alice wasn't really sure how to phrase what she was about to say. "I - well - since everything happened with my uncle and everything," Alice started, then stopped, feeling awkward. Dumbledore was looking at her calmly, as if he anticipated what she was going to say. Just get to the point, Alice! Alice cleared her throat. "I want to leave Hogwarts."

There. You've said it. Alice swallowed hard and looked nervously at Dumbledore. His expression hadn't changed at all. He didn't even blink. There was silence for a few moments, during which Alice wished she had never even come. This is what you want, Alice told herself, ignoring the nagging feeling of doubt at the back of her mind.

Alice bit her lip, quite unnerved at the silence and acutely aware of Dumbledore's piercing gaze on her. "I've already written home about it," Alice said haltingly. "I mean - I just thought it would be better for everyone. The other students don't want me here, and -"

"You are sure of that?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting her in mid-flow.

"Well -" Alice was thrown for a moment. "It's quite obvious that they don't like me or my family."

"I see." Dumbledore walked across the room and sat down at his desk opposite Alice. "Do you think every student feels this way?"

"Well - James and Lily don't, I suppose," Alice admitted. "And Holly Gordon says she doesn't think it's my fault. But everywhere I go, it just feels as if people are glaring at me and whispering about me."

Dumbledore steepled his fingers together on his desk. "Are you sure you're not just suffering from a case of paranoia?" he asked, and Alice thought she detected a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's to be expected in a case like this."

"No!" Alice said indignantly. "Well - I mean - it would just make everyone happier if I left."

"I see," Dumbledore said. "Even Mr Potter, Miss Evans and Miss Gordon? It seems to me that those three would be very unhappy if you leave."

"Three out of a thousand isn't much," Alice pointed out.

"Even if those three are the most important people in the school to you?" Dumbledore asked with a knowing smile. "Even if theirs are the only opinions you care about?"

"No - I mean, yes," Alice hedged, beginning to get a bit flustered. Dumbledore seemed to be able to see right through her. "I do care what everyone thinks about me, and I don't want to be hated."

"And you feel the only solution is to leave Hogwarts." It was a statement, not a question.

No. "Yes," Alice said, setting her jaw determinedly.

Dumbledore surveyed her silently for a few moments. "Don't you have NEWTs next year? Do you think it wise to leave school at such an important time?"

"I can study at home," Alice said without hesitation. "My dad can help me when he's not too busy. The rest I can study from textbooks."

"Not everything can be learnt from books, Miss Tyler," Dumbledore said, his steady gaze fixated on Alice. Alice got the feeling he wasn't just talking about schoolwork. "I know," she said quietly. "But I can try."

There was silence again for a few moments. Alice pretended to be very interested in studying her fingernails. Eventually Dumbledore spoke again.

"Running away doesn't solve problems, Miss Tyler," Dumbledore said quietly. "In fact, it may make things worse for you in the long run."

Alice slowly raised her head until she met Dumbledore's gaze. "I know I can't run away from what happened," she said. "But it's just something I have to do. I just want to lay low for a while, until all the fuss has died down."

Some of the light seemed to leave Dumbledore's eyes. "I don't think the fuss is going to die down, Alice," he said matter-of-factly. Alice noted that it was the first time Dumbledore had called her by her given name. "In fact, I think it will only increase over time."

Alice didn't say anything, just lifted her chin defiantly. Dumbledore sighed heavily. "I must say I'm disappointed in you, Miss Tyler," he said gravely.

Alice felt her insides twist up and tie themselves together in a knot, as they always did when a teacher told her off, but being told that she had disappointed them was even worse somehow. Alice cringed at the look on Dumbledore's face. She had always tried so hard to please people.

Well, not any more, she told herself grimly. You've been trying to please people your whole life, and look where it's got you. You've made your mind up, and you're sticking to it. But now she wasn't so sure any more. She was vaguely aware of Dumbledore telling her that she could pack her things and leave the next morning, but she wasn't really listening. "Thank you, sir," Alice said listlessly when Dumbledore had finished talking, and she left the room with a heavy heart. Outside the door, she leaned against the wall for a moment, contemplating what she had done. "Well, it's too late now," she said dully, before beginning to descend the stairs. She had no choice. She had to leave Hogwarts.

Alice slowly left the office and walked down the corridor, wanting to appreciate the castle as much as she could before she left. She knew she should probably go and talk to James and Lily, but she didn't really feel up to telling them. "Besides, they're probably still in Hogsmeade," she mumbled to herself, anger bubbling up inside her as she thought of Sirius and his tactless comment. This strengthened her resolve slightly, and she turned abruptly and headed for Ravenclaw tower. She supposed she should get started on her packing.

It was empty up in the dormitory. Alice presumed everyone was still in Hogsmeade, enjoying themselves. Alice slowly pulled out her suitcase from under the bed and began pulling clothes out of the drawers, folding and re-folding them so that it took as long as possible. Finally everything was packed. Alice sat down on the bed and gazed around the room. It wasn't untidy, but it had a lived-in feel to it. Alice then glanced at her own chest of drawers, bare and empty, and her bed, made and neatly folded down. Alice sighed. More than ever, she felt as if she had made the wrong choice. But she couldn't go back on her word.

"Aaargh!" Alice jumped as the door swung open and Belinda came storming in. Great. Just what I need right now, another showdown with that snobby cow. But Belinda didn't seem to notice her. She stomped over and threw herself dramatically on her own bed. Alice wondered if there was any way she could sneak out without Belinda noticing, but Belinda obviously decided to acknowledge Alice's presence and sat up. "What can I do to get Sirius to notice me?" she asked.

Alice blinked. That she hadn't expected. She had thought Belinda would bite her head off again. "What?"

"Nothing is working!" Belinda groaned. "I bumped into him in the Three Broomsticks earlier on, but he completely ignored me. Lily was there too, and what's-her-name, that mousy girl."

Alice felt a flicker of annoyance at hearing Belinda call Holly mousy, but she didn't have time to comment. Belinda was steamrollering on. "Lily was the only one who even seemed to notice me, but she completely brushed me off. She asked me to come up here and to tell you to meet her in the library before dinner. I might as well have been invisible!"

"Why don't you get your uncle to murder someone? That ought to get his attention," Alice said moodily.

Belinda rolled her eyes. "Merlin, you're not still going on about that, are you?"

Alice frowned. "What?"

It was then that Belinda seemed to notice Alice's trunk and empty chest of drawers. "Where are you going?" she asked, knitting her eyebrows together in confusion.

Alice sighed. She didn't see much point in denying it; she would be gone the next morning. "Home," she admitted. "I think it would be best right now, what with the whole school hating me and all."

"Hating you?" Belinda asked incredulously. "Nobody hates you!"

"Oh, right," Alice said sarcastically. "I mean, you didn't put the Leg-Locker curse on me and force me to admit that I was in on it too, or anything."

Belinda actually looked faintly embarrassed. It was the first time Alice had ever seen her look like that. "Yes, well," Belinda said, hastily brushing it aside. "That was then, and this is now. Look, maybe some people were annoyed with you when the story first broke out -"

"Ha!" Alice interrupted. "Annoyed is an understatement!"

"But not any more," Belinda continued, as if Alice hadn't spoken. "Look, everyone's over it now! In fact, I think you're the only person who keeps going on and on about it."

"But -" Alice couldn't think of anything to say. "But today in the Three Broomsticks, I was getting dirty looks from everyone!"

Belinda raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's not an overstatement?"

"Well - maybe," Alice admitted grudgingly. "But then Sirius said that if he were me, he's be ashamed to show his face around here -"

"Well, his family aren't exactly saints either," Belinda pointed out. "Since when do you care what he thinks? In fact, since when did you care what anybody thinks?"

"Since now," Alice protested weakly. "Well, I don't care what Sirius thinks. But I care what other people think!"

"Why?" Belinda asked. "I mean, what makes other people any better than Sirius? Why do you need their opinions to decide what you're like? You know yourself better than anyone, after all. It's your life, and you should be able to decide what you do with it, not do what everyone else wants."

Alice couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew that Belinda was an intelligent girl, academic-wise, but she was a bit of an airhead when it came to people skills. Now, here she was, spouting at Alice like a psychologist. And what's more - and here Alice couldn't believe she was thinking this - what she said was actually making sense. "Belinda," Alice said suddenly. "You are completely right. Why should I just give in to what everyone else wants? I should start doing what I want."

"Right," Belinda agreed. "And besides, Suzanne told me that Violet said that she doesn't blame you at all."

"Really?" Alice asked, her spirits lifting, hoping against hope that it was true.

Belinda nodded in confirmation. "She said she never blamed you in the first place - she knows it's not your fault and she doesn't want you to feel guilty about it - after all, there was nothing you could have done to stop it."

It was like a huge weight had been lifted off Alice' shoulders. She could cope with everyone else hating her as long as she knew Violet didn't hold a grudge against her.

Belinda looked impatient. "Now can we please get back to my problem?"

Alice's face suddenly fell. "But I already told Dumbledore that I was leaving," she said dismally. "And I wrote home to get my parents to pick me up tomorrow."

Just as she'd finished speaking, a snowy-white owl came swooping in through the open window, circled the room a few times, and dropped a letter into Alice's lap. Alice recognised the handwriting as her mother's and tore it open.

Alice,

There is no way that your father and I are coming to pick you up tomorrow. Even if there was a good reason for you to come home, we're both too busy at work. Just because people are saying things to you about Cameron, there is no reason for you to run scared. Rise above it! I know it's hard right now, but the worst thing would be for you to come home. You'd be disappointing us - and what's worse, you'd be disappointing yourself. Hogwarts is the best place for you - I don't believe that you truly want to come home. Try and cope with it as best as you can - and just ignore what everyone's saying. I'm sure it'll all be forgotten soon.

Love always,

Mum.

Alice couldn't help it; she felt a huge grin spread across her face. She was staying after all!

She jumped up, knocking the letter to the floor, and did something she had never done before: she flung her arms around Belinda and gave her a genuine hug. Belinda staggered, almost falling, and squealed, "Mind my hair!"

"Belinda," Alice said, releasing her with a grin. "I never thought I'd be saying this, but thanks for making me see sense."

And Alice couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw a faint blush of pride spread across Belinda's face.