Friendos!

This chapter was supposed to go up yesterday but I had a pretty bad shift at work and I was low key moody and I didn't want to transfer that negativity into my work so I decided to wait a day. It appeared to turn out well though, since I feel pretty happy with this chapter and man is it longer than the others I've written holy mother of god.

Thank you to Icanlovegood, JediGemini, Butterfly007, Kennan592, ReadingAnyhow, djmegamouth, and shinoyukine27 for following/favouriting the story! As always, it encourages me to write for you all so the support is always appreciated!

On to reviews,

DarkDust27: hehe I'm hoping them being a-dork-able is a good thing! I honestly couldn't tell if it was too cheesy or not. Apparently I'm a cheese ball, or so others say to me lol ;-;

madwamoose: Thrilled to hear you enjoyed the chapter, fam! xoxo

something526: Ahhh I'm glad it was a good type of cheesy (sorry for making your friend concerned lmaoo). In canon, i always felt bad for Harry, since he had to put up with a lot all on his own. That's one of the reasons why I got the idea to start this fic. i was like "how would things have turned out if harry had someone to help him along with those kinds of things?" It played a huge part in me beginning this fic. My friend, I wish you the best with your applications to university! I'm waiting for my acceptance/rejection letter as well. Thank you for the kind words, smiling like an idiot right now lol. Cheers!

Lisa Cooper: To hear you say that you feel the relationship building nicely between Harry and Alice is like a dream to me. When I've read fics in the past, I've always loved those that build a strong relationship first before diving into anything else, whether it be romantic or not. It so important and brings so much more meaning to even the smallest of actions, so hearing you say this about something that I've written is one of the ultimate compliments for me, so thank you so so much. No need to apologize for your grammar, I'm not that great with mine sometimes too lol. SO pleased to hear you enjoyed the chapter, thank you so much for the kind words!

Geez, you guys are a blessing. I know I say this almost every chapter, maybe multiple times in each chapter, but thank you for everything. Writing is one of the few things that makes me truly happy and to hear that you're enjoying the story makes everything worth while. I've been writing for years, but i never showed my work to anyone, and never even thought of posting any of my own work out of a personal fear of being told I wasn't good enough. I know my writing isn't perfect, but I'm so glad I decided to start posting some of my writing. Thank you all for inspiring me to write more and to be creative.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart~

Alice hadn't realized how much of a prisoner she truly was until she had been denied from leaving the Hospital Wing for the fourth time in two days. Madame Pomfrey was unwavering in her decision to keep her for another day, saying that the young witch still needed time to rest. It wasn't that Alice was bored there, considering that she still had the book Harry had brought her a few days ago, but it was the fact that the Matron of Hogwarts had kept the trio from coming to visit her until she was well again. A few days had passed since she had last seen them and Alice was able to walk around freely without feeling any reminisce of pain. That was what bothered her the most. She was fine and back on her feet, but the older witch still kept her there. It was frustrating to say the least, knowing the importance of the date.

Since today was the day of the Quidditch game.

In other words, Harry's first game.

"Madame Pomfrey, please!" Alice begged for the fifth time. "My leg is fine, I'm able to walk, and there isn't a part of me that feels bad! I'm rested, if anything, too rested!"

"Miss Fairfax, you had a traumatic experience and even if your body feels fine, your mind might not be." Madame Pomfrey replied, sitting by her small desk near the entrance.

"Being with my friends and housemates would do my mind some good!"

"I don't know…"

"Please," Alice sighed, face falling slightly. "It's the first Quidditch game of the year, one of my closest friends is playing but he's really nervous and…"

The young girl looked at the witch's face, watching as Madame Pomfrey's stern exterior wavered slightly. Alice wasn't going to take no for an answer, and it was in that moment that the older witch became aware of it.

"Alright, fine. But if you feel any sort of pain or discomfort-"

Already grabbing her things and shoving them into her arms, Alice sprinted towards the doors with a grateful smile on her face.

"Thank you!" She called, throwing open the large doors of the Hospital Wing and dashing down the closest corridor.

By the way the sun was set in the sky, Alice knew that it was around breakfast time in the Great Hall. She had almost ran there immediately until she realized that she was still in hospital cloths and changed her course towards the common room. Ascending the tower and quickly uttering the common room password, Alice darted up to her dorm and threw open her trunk to fish for a fresh uniform.

Thankfully, nobody remained in Gryffindor tower except for Alice, assuming that everyone was in the Great Hall, eating away at their toast and eggs. Scarlett meowed happily at the young girl as she changed, giving the kitten a few rubs under the chin before running from the dorm and out of the tower.

She was still trying to do up her tie when she barged into the Great Hall, nobody paying her much attention. Alice probably looked like a mess honestly, but she did brush and tie her hair up so there was the possibility of looking somewhat presentable and not like she just came from spending almost a week in the Hospital Wing.

Walking past one of the other house tables, it was Neville that spotted her first.

"Alice! You're all better!" The boy concluded happily, though the slightest bit of nervousness could be found in his voice.

The young blonde gave him a smile as the heads of her friends snapped up to look over at her. Hermione had pulled her nose out of a book and Ron had bacon spilling out of his mouth, which made Alice laugh softly as she sat down beside the youngest Weasley boy.

"Well it's about time they let you out!" Hermione said, smiling softly but a bit annoyed at how long her friend had been in the Hospital Wing.

"We thought you'd never leave." Ron attempted to say through all the food in his mouth, to which Alice chuckled and handed him a napkin.

"It took some convincing, alright." She replied, catching the Weasley Twins waving at her, which she gladly returned.

It was then that Alice had spotted Harry playing with his food. He appeared to be deep in thought, his eyes fixed on his fork as if he were questioning his existence. She knew he was nervous, but he needed to eat if he wanted to be in good condition for the game.

"Who knew forks could be so interesting?" Alice jested, eyeing Harry and trying to hide her smile when he finally looked up from his plate and met her eyes.

"Alice!" He exclaimed, eyes wide but the softest of smiles played at the corners of his mouth. The boy's reaction made the blonde's own smile grow even wider than before. His genuine surprise at her presence made her chest feel as light as a feather.

"You need to eat." She continued, nodding her chin in the direction of his plate.

"Take a bit of toast, mate. Go on." Ron ushered his friend.

"Ron's right, Harry. You're going to need your strength today." Hermione said as all eyes fell on him.

"I'm not hungry." He replied, placing his fork on the table beside him.

Being too focused on the friends in front of her, Alice had almost missed the approaching figure of Professor Snape. She couldn't help but feel her stomach drop at the sight of the man, knowing just how nasty he could really get when angry. While she had remained somewhat calm when the wizard had been scolding her a while ago when she had hexed Malfoy, it didn't mean that he didn't scare her.

"Good luck today, Potter," Snape said, eyeing Harry in a cold manner. "Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you. Even if it is against Slytherin."

Nobody responded as Snape shifted his gave from Harry to the rest of them. He had eyed Hermione and Ron first, but his gaze appeared to grow even colder when his eyes fell on Alice.

"Miss Fairfax, I see that you've been released from the Hospital Wing." The man concluded, and the young girl fought the urge to narrow her eyes.

"That I have." she replied, voice monotone. The desire to say something snide to the professor burned deep in the pit of her stomach, but came to the conclusion that the wizard wasn't worth the time or energy.

Sensing as if he wasn't welcome at the table anymore, Professor Snape and his black cloak floated away and towards the entrance of the Great Hall. Though, Alice couldn't help but notice that the professor was limping ever so slightly.

"That explains the blood." Harry muttered, causing Alice to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Pardon?"

"Listen, the other night, I'm thinking that Snape let the troll out as a diversion so that he could try and get passed that three headed dog but, he got himself bitten. That's why he's limping."

"But why would anyone go near that dog?" Hermione questioned.

"The day that I was at Gringotts, Hagrid took something out of one of the vaults," Harry continued to explain. "He said it was Hogwarts business, very secret."

"So you're saying that's what the dog's guarding?" Alice inquired, looking at her friend.

"Exactly."

She didn't like it one bit. While it was completely possible that Snape had been the one to let the troll out to try and get to whatever that dog is hiding, it didn't seem like something the professor would do. Sure, Alice didn't trust him one bit, but from what McGonagall had told her, Snape had been a teacher at Hogwarts for years now. Even though McGonagall didn't appear exactly fond of him either, she had told Alice that Dumbledore thought highly of him. A headmaster wouldn't think highly of someone who wanted to cause harm to the school.

Though, it was still a possibility. All Alice knew was that she didn't like the situation they were in at all.

The soft and familiar hoots of an owl could be heard, causing the four friends to glance up towards the ceiling of the Great Hall. Alice spotted a white snowy owl quickly approaching the Gryffindor table, a large parcel between its talons. The package was swiftly dropped into Harry's hands and the owl flew off as they all gazed at the parcel in question.

"A bit early for mail, isn't it?" Hermione asked.

"But I…I never get mail." Harry muttered, looking up at Alice in confusion.

"Well, come on. Let's open it." She replied.

As soon as the words left her mouth, the four of them began tearing into the parcel, swiftly unwrapping the bindings and getting rid of the paper wrapping. If it hadn't been obvious by the shape of the package, it was clear what the item was. A beautifully crafted broom sat on the table in front of them, it's wood as smooth as any flying on one could want. Peering at the end of the broom where the name was usually inscribed, Alice's eyes widened.

"It's a broomstick." Harry said in wonder of the gift he had received.

"That's not just any broomstick." Alice muttered, a grin splitting across her face as she gazed over at Harry.

"It's a Nimbus 2000!" Ron finished for her, even more excited than she was. That was understandable, considering that the boy had much more knowledge of Quidditch or flying in general, while Alice had only recently begun following the news. One of the reasons she took an interest in it was not only because the sport was actually quite interesting, but because her brother had adored the game. In a way, it made her feel like she had a connection to her brother, as ridiculous as it sounded.

"But who…?" Harry mumbled as he looked over towards the head table and Alice followed his gaze.

The owl who had delivered the broom, which Alice could only assume was Harry's owl, sat beside McGonagall at the head table. The professor softly stroked the bird's feathers, catching both Harry and Alice's eyes as a kind smile played on her lips. The gesture was very kind, even for McGonagall, but it made Alice happy nonetheless.

Breakfast appeared to speed up after that, and before anyone realized it, students and teachers had begun clearing out of the Great Hall in preparation for the first Quidditch game of the year. Oliver Wood patted Harry on the back and Alice watched as her friend's face grew paler than before. Without giving it much thought, she reached across the table and grabbed ahold of Harry's hand.

"Try not to worry too much," she said to him as he glanced over at her in surprise. Both Ron and Hermione had already gotten up from the table with the rest of their housemates. "You're good with a broom, Harry. You wouldn't be on the team if you weren't. Don't worry about the other players on the field; they'll be too busy doing their own thing. Just focus on yourself and we'll all be cheering for you, regardless if you win or lose."

Harry appeared almost startled by her words, but she watched as his shoulders physically lowered and a long breath left his mouth, almost as if he were trying to release all the stress from his body. A thankful, yet nervous smile graced his face as he looked over at her, squeezing her hand softly in reassurance. Now it was Alice's turn to be somewhat startled.

"Thank you."

It was only the third time in her life that Alice had been to a Quidditch game. The first had been when her brother had put together a makeshift game with his friends, inviting pretty much the whole town to come and watch. While it wasn't much like an actual game, the neighbourhood children who owned brooms all played in the small match, which the adults appeared to love even more than the kids themselves. The second time, however, was when their mother had someone acquired tickets to the World Cup. It was perhaps one of Alice's best memories, and one of the few times she'd ever seen so many people gathered in one place at once. She somehow even followed the game, trying to ignore the screaming coming from her brother from beside her. She never regretted going to that game.

However, where she stood now, it was difficult not to gaze around in awe. In front of Alice remained the open and quite large Quidditch pitch. Sitting in one of the stands surrounded by her housemates, her focus was stuck on the field. The stands that were lined with hundreds of seats remained planted around the pitch, high enough for the students and teachers to see what was going on in the game. At the opposite ends of the field remained three golden poles with hoops on the end. The cheers from the other houses were already loud and apparent, even though no players were on the pitch yet.

Sitting between Ron and Hermione, a loud roar erupted from the Gryffindors around them. Assuming that their team had appeared on the field, Alice watched as players dressed in red and gold took over the pitch, the occasional player waving at their stand. The first ones Alice noticed were the twins, who were swinging their Beater's bats in order to get their house to cheer louder. She noticed that the one of only two girls on the team was Angelina Johnson, whom Alice had talked with occasionally over the past few months. The older witch was feisty, which Alice liked a lot about her. To see the girl as a Chaser on the team made her exceptionally pleased. Flying around the hoops at the end of the field remained Oliver Wood, captain of the team and it's Keeper.

And then, of course, there was Harry. The Seeker was floating higher above everyone else, nervously waiting for the game to begin. He appeared more shook up than before they parted ways, and Alice couldn't help but wonder if one of Gryffindor players had said something to him that freaked him out.

"Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch game of the season!" A voice rang out over the pitch, belonging to that of Lee Jordan. "Today's game: Slytherin versus Gryffindor!"

A cheer erupted from the mouths around Alice and she gladly joined in. Seamus and Dean were screaming at the top of their lungs, with a much quieter Neville yelling with them. Ron was calling out words of encouragement while Hermione was jumping up and down from her excitement.

"The players take their positions as Madame Hooch steps out onto the field to begin the game!"

Lee was correct; the players had positioned themselves in a circle around the centre of the pitch as Madame Hooch remained standing at the bottom with a trunk placed near her legs. She appeared to say something to the players, though Alice couldn't hear a thing over the screaming coming from every mouth around her. She gave a quick kick to the trunk and its lid opened up, watching as two of the Bludgers and a small golden ball shot out of the trunk.

"And the Bludgers are out, followed by the Golden Snitch," Lee Jordan continued to narrate. "Remember, the Snitch is worth a hundred and fifty points. The Seeker who catches the Snitch ends the game."

Turning her attention back down onto where Madame Hooch stood, the woman reached into the trunk and grabbed the sole remaining ball; The Quaffle. Giving the players a quick look, the older witch tossed the ball into the air.

"The Quaffle is released and the game begins!"

The Chasers from both teams went after the ball, though it was Angelina who acquired it first, making her way towards the Slytherin goal posts at the opposite end of the field. Dodging multiple players from the other time and almost getting hit by one of the Bludgers, Angeline steadied herself on her broom and chucked the Quaffle through one of the rings.

"Angelina Johnson scores! Ten points for Gryffindor!"

Alice let out cheers with the rest of her housemates, in awe of how fast Angelina had flown. The skill that she had was impressive and made the young blonde giddy for some reason.

"Well done!" A loud voice bellowed from behind her, causing Alice to turn and gaze up at the Gamekeeper of Hogwarts, Rubius Hagrid. She'd never had a conversation with the large man, though the rest of her friends appeared quite close to him.

"Slytherin takes possession of the Quaffle Adrian Pucey passes to Captain Marcus Flint!"

If Alice hadn't realized that the Slytherin team had been playing dirty before, than she definitely knew now. The players had been body checking the Gryffindor players out of their way, even kicking at some who got too close. It angered Alice once again, but the heat in her chest faded as she watched Oliver Wood successfully deflect Flint's through at one of the Gryffindor hoops, passing the ball over to Katie Bell.

The two girls on the Gryffindor team threw the Quaffle back and forth between one another, attempting to throw off the Slytherin Chasers. Katie passed the large ball over to Angeline once again, who quickly threw the Quaffle through one of the Slytherin hoops once again.

"Yes!" Alice cried out happily with her housemates. The two girls were a force to be reckoned with, a truly inspiring duo.

"Another ten points to Gryffindor!" Lee's voice rang over the field enthusiastically.

With the Quaffle back in Slytherins' hands, the green team attempted to score a point but Oliver Wood managed to block it once again before passing it off to one of the Chasers. Looking absolutely furious, Alice watched as the Slytherin captain took a hold of one of the Beaters' bats and hit one of the Bludgers at Wood, which directly hit the Gryffindor captain in the face. The Keeper hit the back of his head against one of the goal posts and Alice watched in horror as the captain fell down into the dirt below.

Moans and complaints were echoing across the field, the move one of the dirtier acts on Slytherin's part. Alice looked around at her friends in confusion, surprised that there was no punishment for such a cruel move as Slytherin scored their first ten points of the game.

More yells of displeasure erupted from the stands and Alice quickly turned her attention back on the field just in time for two of the Slytherin players squish Angelina between them and force her into one of the sides of the tall stands. Yet again, Slytherin acquired another ten points.

Alice spotted Harry still floating above the pitch, unmoving as he watched the game before him. The fact that he hadn't caught sight of the Snitch yet was a bit unnerving, but she was glad that he was at least staying out of trouble.

Harry's sudden movement and dash across the field signaled that he had finally spotted the Snitch. His speed was ridiculously fast, practically a blur in Alice's vision. It was absolutely fascinating, considering that he was one of the fastest players on the team and had only just came to understand the game of Quidditch within the past few months. Alice couldn't help but smile.

Her grin quickly faded as she watched Harry's broom jerk around awkwardly underneath him. It appeared as though he were losing control of his broom, which made no sense to Alice considering how talented he was on a broom. It made her worry as she watched him be almost thrown from his broom and up against one of the stands. Alice gave both Ron and Hermione a look of concern.

"What's going on with Harry's broomstick?" Hagrid questioned from behind them, Alice quickly acquiring the binoculars from Hermione to take a peak. She only had to look through it for a second to know that someone was controlling his broom.

"I think someone's controlling it!"

The words slipped from her mouth once her gaze fell on the teachers in one of the other stands. Alice spotted Quirrell with his hands clasped together, his eyes intense as his gaze was fixed on Harry. She quickly passed the binoculars back to Hermione so that she could have a look, but her bushy haired friend had come up with a completely different answer.

"It's Snape! He's jinxing the broom!" Hermione harshly whispered for both Alice and Ron. The blonde scrunched up her face in confusion.

"Jinxing the broom?!" Ron practically yelled in concern.

"Did you not see Quirrell? It must be him instead." Alice countered.

"But Snape looked like he was chanting something!" Hermione replied in a panic.

"What do we do?" Ron questioned nervously.

"Leave it to me."

"I'm coming with you, Hermione,"

The two girls quickly weaved their way through the crowd of Gryffindors, quickly making their way out of their stand and venturing to the seats where both Snape and Quirrell remained. Quietly passing through the under area that remained below the stands, both girls tried their best to hurry without making a sound.

"What's the plan?" Alice questioned softly.

"I'm going to set fire to Snape's robes." Hermione replied simply and Alice almost tripped.

"I suppose that'll do it." She sighed softly. While the plan mildly worried Alice, she realized that this was another reason why she cherished Hermione as a friend; she wasn't afraid to act when she had to.

Making their way up underneath the stands was slightly difficult, but the two girls managed to crawl beneath the seats of the stand where the two teachers remained. Hermione peered out from under the steps, Snape's robes hanging right in front of them. The bushy-haired girl gave the blonde a look as she took out her wand to create her distraction.

Alice couldn't help but have her doubts. She had been sure that it was Quirrell who was responsible for jinxing Harry's broom, not Snape. While it kind of made sense if she took into consideration the weird conversation the four of them had with the Potion's teacher this morning, but even then this seemed a bit too extreme for the professor.

Slowly sneaking back from Hermione and towards where Quirrell was sitting, Alice couldn't ignore her gut. While her wand was in the pocket of her robes, the young blonde figured that causing a fire without it would be easy business. It was true that she still didn't fully have control, let alone understand, her powers, it was safe to say that she was pissed. It was the first game of the year, one where her closest friend was playing for the very first time. The fact that someone was trying to manipulate the game, let alone through Harry, made Alice's blood boil. Peaking out from the stairs to see familiar purple robes lying in front of her, Alice narrowed her eyes and concentrated her anger.

"What are you doing?" Hermione hissed at her, apparently done setting fire to Snape's robes.

It hadn't even reached her mind that Hermione might see her creating a fire without a wand. Alice hadn't considered all the questions and consequences of letting her friend know about her affinity with fire. All Alice could do in that moment was watch as flames danced across her palm and licked up her fingers, slowly reaching forward and allowing the fire to make contact with Quirrell's robes. The fire spread along the professor's robes a lot faster than Alice had expected or wanted them to, quickly backing up and bumping into Hermione. The blonde met her friend's eyes, which were wide in surprise and question. Alice still felt the warmth in her hand, glancing down to see that the orange flames still spread across her skin.

She was freaking out. Hermione had seen her and Alice didn't have an excuse in the world to explain what was happening. The fact that the fire wouldn't disappeared from her palm created more panic in the young girl's body, the panic turning into full on fear when she came to the conclusion that they were in stands made of wood. Wood was flammable and so were the people sitting in the stands. Alice couldn't be responsible for more deaths, she wasn't sure if her mind would recover from that. Maybe she had been the one responsible for the death of her family. The fact that she had no control for the moment made her doubt everything she'd believed about her innocence. Her breathing felt constricted, as if someone were strangling her for every last drop of air in her lungs. It had been ages since she'd felt so much fear, it flooding her system like a virus. Voices had taken up residence in her head, some spitting insults while others yelled in blame. She felt like she was shrinking in on herself. Where was she? What was going on? Were the stands on fire? Was she responsible for more pain and suffering?

"Alice!"

Vision clearing and breath escaping her lungs once again, Alice looked around frantically at her surroundings. Nothing was burning, there were no screams of pain, no voices in her head. All that remained was her and Hermione, sitting in one of the more upon parts under the stands. Alice hadn't even noticed that they had moved.

There was still warmth in her palm, and Alice looked down to see the flames dancing along her knuckles, much brighter than she'd ever seen them appear before. She felt as if she were in one of her nightmares, or had just woken up from one. A part of her felt as though she was going to pass out.

"Alice, you need to calm down! Breathe with me, come on. In and out. In and out, slowly. You're okay, everyone's okay."

Hermione's words confused Alice. While she was extremely thankful and listened to her friend's calming voice, it made the blonde wonder why she wasn't freaking out as well.

After a few rounds of controlled breathing, Alice was coming back to her senses. The flame in her hand was now barely glowing in the middle of her palm, small enough to be barely visible to the eye. The warmth wasn't overwhelmingly frightening anymore, but the normal heat that came to her whenever her emotions were high strung. Everything was okay, or would be okay.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Alice muttered, eyes still fixated on her hand as she willed the flame to go out. Thankfully, it did. "I lost my mind for a moment there."

"I was wondering when you were going to tell me about this." Hermione stated, a sigh leaving her lips as the blonde looked up at her.

"What do you mean? Did you know about…?"

"I saw the burns on the floor the first day we got here. After your argument with Malfoy," Hermione began to explain. "There were also burn marks on the girls bathroom when you got injured. I thought it was residue from all the dust and destruction in the bathroom, but it wouldn't come off the wall or the floor. Plus, you're always warm. "

Alice was dumbfounded. Of course Hermione knew, she was a bloody genius. She never missed a thing, always being perceptive of her environment and aware of the things around her. While she hadn't known everything, she'd been intelligent enough to guess that something was going on.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about this, I promise I'll explain later."

"It's fine. I just feel bad that you had to deal with it on your own."

"Well…"

"What do you mean, well? Did someone else know about this?"

"Harry."

"Of course, you two are practically attached at the hip now," Hermione sighed, which made Alice laugh softly. "I don't know what happened that made you two become so close, but I'm glad that you didn't need to deal with it on your own. Plus, now you have me as well. We could tell Ronald as well, though I don't know how he'll react…"

Alice was full on laughing now, much to both of their surprise. A part of her wondered if she had lost her mind, but she came to the conclusion that she was laughing at herself. She'd been stupid enough to isolate herself in her moment of panic, thinking that she was dealing with everything on her own. It was stupid and inconsiderate to the people around her. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she hadn't made any friends at Hogwarts.

"Why are you laughing?" Hermione questioned, eyeing her nervously.

"Because I'm an idiot."

"No you're-"

"Thank you."

Hermione glance at her quietly.

"For what?"

"For being my friend and putting up with me," Alice explained, slowly getting up from the floor. "I don't know where I'd be without the three of you."

To say that Hermione looked taken back by the blonde's statement was an understatement. The girl looked on the verge of tears and Alice quickly began to panic, not wanting one of her dearest friends to cry. Before she could do anything, Hermione pulled her into a hug.

"No more secrets, you idiot! We're friends for a reason," Hermione practically yelled, tugging Alice along with her. "Now come on! I want to see the end of the game!"

Practically sprinting through the stands to get back to their seats amongst their housemates, the two girls arrived just in time to see Harry flying along the bottom of the field, standing on his broom and reaching a hand out towards the Golden Snitch. The sight was like something out of a movie or a dream, taking Alice's breath away out of awe and mild nervousness. She'd had every reason to be nervous, watching him fly like that, because not a moment too soon, Harry reached forward and fell off his broomstick, rolling across the ground below.

Alice felt her stomach drop when she watched him get up, appearing as if he were going to throw up. Where the Snitch had gone, Alice hadn't a clue. It looked like Harry had caught the thing, and when Harry finally appeared to throw up, he spit the small, golden ball out of his mouth and into his hand.

He'd caught it.

"He's got the Snitch! Harry Potter receives one hundred and fifty points for catching the Snitch!" Lee Jordan's voice echoes across the field.

Spotting Madame Hooch flying around on her own broom, a whistle shooting out from the small metal contraption in her mouth.

"Gryffindor wins!" The woman declares.

Alice had almost gone deaf from the amount of screaming coming from the mouths of her friends, her throat almost giving out as she yelled out happily with them. She watched as all the players on the Gryffindor team flew over to congratulate him, the smile on his face as wide as Alice had ever seen it. If there was anyone in the whole world who deserved to be happy, it was Harry Potter, Gryffindor Seeker, First Year, one of Alice's best friends.

Being whisked off right after the game, Alice didn't get a chance to congratulate Harry on sealing Gryffindor's victory against the Slytherins. She didn't mind, knowing that the boy deserved to be praised and celebrate with his teammates. Everyone in their house was talking about their victory, a warm vibe filling the common room. Things had thankfully calmed down, Alice currently sitting in one of the large comfy chairs near the window. Reading one of the chapters that Professor Flitwick had assigned them to get done over the weekend, Alice couldn't help but feel herself nodding off every few minutes.

It had definitely been a long day. The struggle of getting out of the Hospital Wing, having a mental breakdown underneath the stands at the game, and cheering so loud that she'd practically lost her voice had taken a toll on her. A part of her wondered if she should bring up her fiery mishap to Professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall. It had been years since she'd felt that level of fear, ripping open old wounds that Alice hadn't even known she'd had to begin with. The whole first year after the death of her family, Alice hadn't spoken a word to either Remus or McGonagall. She'd been too busy having her own inner monologues with herself, trying to wrap her mind around what had happened that day. Some days the noise in her head was unbearable, while on others it felt as though her mind had faded away into nothing. It was draining, going between those two states. They'd only begun to fall away when she started making connections to other people once again. Finally speaking to Remus that day in the coffee shop in London had been one of the best decisions she'd ever made for herself. She needed connection if she planned on keeping everything together.

However, Alice still felt anxiety bubbling in her chest. She couldn't rely on her friends all the time, or hand them the responsibility of her mental well-being either. That would be too selfish of her to do, putting all the pressure on them instead of herself. She would rather suffer alone than put her own worries onto someone else, fearing that it would affect them as well. Alice needed to be more independent, which she knew could not be accomplished over one night.

Worrying so much at the age of eleven made her anxious for the future and what other fears and dreadful moments would come along with time. The thought of all the memories and laughs she would share with friends graced her mind as well, a warm light flicking behind her irises that could not be ignored. It was almost as if her body was telling her not to be so pessimistic, that she needed to consider the good with the bad, since the two go hand in hand.

She came to the conclusion that everything would be okay one day, and that she needed to be patient.

"I never took you as someone who did homework on a Friday night."

Eyes flying open and book slipping from her hands, Alice felt her heart jump into her throat at the sudden voice from beside her. She'd drifted off into the depths of her mind, so deep that she hadn't even heard anyone approach her little spot by the window. The lack of light coming in from the window told her that it was well into the evening, maybe even later than she thought. Had she been in this chair for that long?

"I live to confuse the weak minded." She replied jokingly, leaning forward to pick up her book and place it on the near by table.

Harry frowned disapprovingly and all Alice could do was laugh at his expression. The boy looked worn out, almost as if he'd been trampled by a stampede. While a fake frown remained on his face, Alice could still see the soft twinkle in his eyes.

"You look tired." She commented softly, shifting over so that her friend could sit in the chair with her. They were both small enough to fit onto the wide seat cushion, and Harry gladly joined her, practically collapsing beside her. The outside of the boy's thin leg pressed against her own, both too tired to care about personal space.

"I can still hear Fred and George's voices in my head," Harry replied with a sigh. "I've never seen them so excited."

"Sounds like a nightmare."

"It really was, honestly."

A chuckle escaped from Alice's lips at his honesty, imagining the hyper twins practically bouncing off the walls in excitement.

"Congratulations, by the way. I didn't get to see you after the game." Alice said, glancing over at her friend.

"Sorry about that. The team dragged me away-"

"Nothing to apologize for, Harry. Did you have fun?"

"Yes."

"Then that's all that matters to me."

She could feel his gaze on her as she stared out the window and out onto the rest of the school. She could see the Quidditch pitch from the tower, or rather the hoops and the tops of the stands that lined the field. Her mind kept going back to that moment under the stands, making her skin crawl violently at the feeling of dread that had pretty much swallowed her whole.

"Is everything alright?"

Turning her attention back to Harry, she easily caught to worry in his eyes. She hadn't meant to make him worry, that was the last thing he needed right now. Harry should be celebrating his victory, not having to put up with her worries instead.

"I'm fine, don't worry about-"

"Alice, please. I'm not an idiot."

"Are you sure about that?"

Alice wasn't sure where her feistiness was coming from, considering the situation. She watched his mouth open in surprise at the jab, a small laugh leaving him.

"You know, I'd say you were fine from the amount of wittiness that is leaving your mouth," Harry began, Alice attempting to hold back her own laughs. "But I know you. I haven't for long, but I know that something's bothering you."

Her laughs died in her throat at his words, watching his expression carefully. She was hesitant, not wanting to ruin his good mood, but he was a friend and she knew that having friends meant sharing the things that were heavy on the mind.

"I had a bit of an incident today at the game." Alice began slowly, watching Harry's eyebrow raise in question.

"What kind of incident?"

"A fiery one."

The panic and worry filled his eyes almost immediately, causing Alice to sigh. That was the last thing she wanted to do, and she hadn't even told him the whole story.

"Are you okay?"

The question surprised her more than she thought. He was asking her if she was okay, even though she had been worried about hurting others in her little episode under the stands. Alice was sure that he knew the possibility of her hurting others with her little affinity, but the fact that he was asking her if she was okay and worrying about her well being made her throat tighten.

"I think I am, but…"

She told him about how her and Hermione had figured that Snape or Quirrell was responsible for his broomstick going haywire during the match, and how they'd crawled under the professor's seats and seat their cloaks on fire. She told him how she hadn't used her wand and used her hands instead, how Hermione had seen it happen and how Alice had felt in that moment. How she couldn't breathe and the amount of dread that filled her body at the fact that's he couldn't get rid of the flames that danced across her fingers. How she couldn't help but wonder that she had been the one that had killed her family when she'd been so convinced that she was innocent.

"You weren't responsible for killing your family." Harry said suddenly, cutting her off from her tangent and watching her face carefully.

"But Harry-"

"As someone who has seen it happen, even if it was only in some nightmares, that fire was almost alive and full of evil," he explained, interrupting her once again, much more forcefully this time. "Something like that couldn't come from you. There isn't an evil bone in your body."

Alice's eyes had become blurry with tears, her jaw clenched in order to try and keep a straight face. She was extremely touched by his words, wanting to believe them with every fiber within her, but the doubt was still there. There was still a possibility and it worried her to no end. She'd barely noticed the tears slipping free from her eyes and travelling down her cheeks, embarrassment flooding her system as she quickly wiped them away.

"I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to get so emotional," Alice stuttered, her voice strained in the attempts of keeping it even. "I'm all over the place, aren't I?"

"For someone who's had to deal with the things you have, I'd say you're doing pretty well."

There it was again, that sincerity. Alice couldn't bring herself to look at Harry, worried at what she'd see. She knew he'd never pity her, but she was embarrassed and nervous with the situation that she felt as though she were going to explode. His kindness was almost too much for her to deal with. It made her heart hurt and her thoughts race through her head. The feeling was odd, and she couldn't tell if it was a pleasant one or not.

"You're too kind to me." Alice muttered after a moment, trying to loosen her tense muscles.

"We're friends, that's what we're supposed to do."

"I guess I'm just still not used to having friends."

"Neither am I. I never had any friends before coming here."

It was in that moment where Alice realized she didn't know much about Harry's life before he came to Hogwarts. Sure, she knew about the death of his parents and that he'd been living with his aunt and uncle, but that was the extent of her knowledge.

"What was it like before you came here?" Alice questioned, finally catching Harry's gaze.

"I lived with my aunt and uncle, along with my cousin, Dudley," Harry said, looking displeased at the mention of his extended family. "Nasty people. My room was in the closet under the stairs. Barely any room to fit myself, let alone anything else."

He went on about how they always made him make breakfast, always scolded him for the littlest of things, never celebrated his birthday, would lock him under the stairs, and the overall ridiculousness that came with living under that roof. Sensing the fact that the talk of the Dursleys was making Alice angry as well, he began telling her about how he'd freed a snake from a zoo, the glass disappearing and Dudley falling into the snake case. How when his cousin got back up, the glass was back and he was stuck in the pen like an animal. Harry also told her about when Hagrid came to get him, and how the large man had given Dudley a pig tail after his cousin had tried to eat the cake that Hagrid had gotten Harry for his birthday.

Harry's stories of the Dursleys had caused Alice to drift off with a smile on her face. Not because his words were putting her to sleep, but because having him near her seemed to calm her mind to a more bearable state of being. It was only after a while that she heard his voice pause as well, coming to the conclusion that he had fallen asleep as well.

Whether they had meant to or not, the two of them slept together on the large chair that night. No nightmares reached their subconscious, and the two were left with dreams of tall trees and soft grass.

Even in dreams, they had something in common.

Fin! For now, at least.

That was yet another chapter. Once again, I apologize for the lack of a consistent schedule, but thank you to those who've stuck around. I hope you're all doing well and staying healthy xoxo

My apologies for any grammatical errors on my part. It's super late and I wanted to get this chapter out for all of you lol

Take care my friends.

Until next time,

- GuiltyCalamity