When I entered the Great Hall the next day, after all the classes were over, I noticed Ron whisper something to Harry and Hermione who in turn glanced at me. I decided not to sit with them, Ron had seen Draco and I together yesterday and he must have told Harry. Harry was hell bent on the idea that Draco was a death eater.
I sat at the Hufflepuff table with Ernie MacMillan and Padma Patil who were quite happy to see me.
"Hey Alice! Welcome back to the Hufflepuff table" grinned Ernie.
"Sorry I haven't been around much" I said.
I started to eat when suddenly I remembered something.
"Padma? How's Jenna?" I asked.
"We haven't been talking much" Padma sighed.
Jenna was in her final year of Hogwarts and I hadn't seen her around ever since she..kissed Fred. I had put that behind me now, I believed Fred when he told me that he wanted nothing to do with her.
"Why not?" I asked.
"To be honest, she's been a bitch. I had no idea how terrible she could be. Especially when she kissed your boyfriend, that was just crossing the line" said Padma.
"What's crossing the line?" someone said behind me.
Speak of the fucking devil.
"Hello Jenna" Ernie said, amused.
"Hey there Ernie, Padma..Alice" she said, sitting next to Ernie and opposite me and Padma.
Ernie gave the two of us a look that said 'this is going to be fun'.
"What are you doing here Jenna?" Padma huffed.
"Sitting, with my friends" she shrugged.
Seriously? How did she even think that we were still her friends?
"What friends?" said Padma, earning a chortle from Ernie.
"What, are you guys not my friends?" she looked innocently at the three of us.
"Sure" shrugged Ernie.
"Not anymore" said Padma.
"Maybe if you hadn't snogged my boyfriend" I muttered.
"Oh Fred! I remember him, how is he now?" she asked me.
"It's none of your business" I said.
"None of my business? Or are you just not talking to him?" she smirked.
I wanted to smack her on the face with a chair but I tried to keep my composure.
"You know what, I have to go" I snapped, getting up from the table and walking out to the grounds. I walked towards the Quidditch pitch, one of my favourite places in Hogwarts, in hopes that it would calm me down.
When I went there, I saw that the Gryffindor try-outs were taking place. I saw Hermione sitting in the stands while Harry and Ginny ordered all the students about on the pitch. I wondered who was going to replace Fred and George as beaters, they used to be one of the best on the Gryffindor team.
Hermione spotted me from where she was sitting and motioned for me to come sit with her.
I climbed up the steps and walked towards her, sitting down next to her.
"Where were you today morning?" Hermione asked.
"At the Hufflepuff Table"
She nodded as awkward silence filled the air.
"Ron told you and Harry that he saw me with Malfoy didn't he?" I said, not looking at her.
"He did" said Hermione quietly.
"And Harry thinks that I know what Draco's been up to doesn't he?"
Hermione nodded hesitantly.
"And do you think that too?" I asked.
"Alice, I just think that Harry needs some time, he's still pretty shaken by Sirius' death. But of you say that Malfoy isn't up to anything then I believe you" she said firmly.
I felt guilty that Hermione trusted me so much. Little did she know..
We watched as Cormac McLaggen sat on his broom and flew up to the rings. Quaffles were shot at him and he prevented them from going inside the hoops.
All of a sudden when another Quaffle was shot at him, he jerked to the side, allowing the Quaffle to enter the ring.
"How on earth did he manage to do that?" I laughed.
I looked at Hermione who had a rather satisfied look on her face, she was clutching her wand in her left hand.
"Hermione?"
"What?"
"Did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You confunded him didn't you?" I said.
"Shut up. No one can know about this" said Hermione.
"Wow, I didn't know that Hermione Granger would break the rules" I laughed, leaning back into my seat.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone jumping up and down behind the stands trying to catch my attention.
"Hermione I have to go, I just remembered that I have homework to finish" I lied.
I made my way to Draco who had finally stopped jumping, and walked with him away from the Quidditch pitch.
"What happened? Did you find the cabinet?" I asked.
"No no but I got this necklace" Draco pulled out a rather large necklace with a beautiful emerald pendant. He looked like an excited kid.
"Well it's quite beautiful, did you need my help in putting it on? You could've just asked Pansy or Crabbe or Goyle"
"Shut up, it's not for me. This is the necklace that will kill Dumbledore"
I was caught off guard.
"Kill Dumbledore? What? And how are you planning on doing that?" I asked.
Draco told me his plan, he really had it all figured out.
"But you do know that using the Imperius curse is illegal don't you?"
"There is nothing we're doing that isn't illegal" scoffed Draco.
"Listen to me Draco, I am not going to help you with this. The only thing that I'm willing to do is keep watch, that's it" I said firmly.
"Fine have it your way, but you have to be there with me when I do it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have important business to attend to" said Draco. I watched him as he walked back to Hogwarts following a girl who I had never seen before. She was probably in Slytherin.
I made my way back to the dorm room, hoping to get a nap before I had to start working on homework.
When I reached, I took my sweater off, revealing the dark mark on my forearm. I absolutely hated it. I sat on my bed, eyeing my bag which was kept on my nightstand. I tried to distract myself but after a few minutes, I could wait no longer.
I grabbed the bag and ripped the zip open, pulling out the last letter I had received from Fred. It was sent to me on the first of August. I opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of parchment.
Dear Al,
How are you? I'm doing fine, George and I opened our joke shop and it's doing quite well. Mum was very very mad at us, I wish you had seen the look on her face when we turned up at the Burrow in the middle of the school year.
We've got a small flat on top of the shop now, where George and I are going to live. Sometimes he has Marianne over, thank god we've got different rooms.
There were a few sentences that were scratched out.
Alice, I only wanted you to know how sorry I am. I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye. I thought I could stop thinking about you once I started working but there is not one day that goes by that I don't think about you, the silly smile you give me when you tell me your terrible jokes, how you always fall down on to the ground, it's hilarious, I can't believe they let you on the Quidditch Team. I thought you would've fallen off the broom a million times. That being said, you are a good Quidditch player, but the both of us have never played together before (that's what she said).
More scratched out sentences and blots of ink.
I miss you Al, I know that we aren't done yet. Write back to me.
Yours,
Fred.
P.S - Hey it's George, can you bring me another trick quill from the shop in your town please?
I opened the other letters, realising that they were all the same. Fred had sent a few to Malfoy Manor, but he had also sent some to my cottage. Of course, no one was there to receive those.
I clutched the letter tightly to my chest. What was I doing? Fred and I really liked each other. Why were we even broken up?
'Because Fred won't like you the same when he sees what you have become' said a voice inside my head.
I pulled out a parchment and a quill and began to write a letter that I would send to him tomorrow.