Saying Goodbye
What Alice couldn't understand was the fact that no matter how hard she tried, and how carefully she stored them in her drawers, she always managed to lose socks. The day before the Hogwarts Express was due to leave she was to be found digging around under her bed searching for the illusive items and getting increasingly frustrated at their lack of appearance. If she hadn't known better she would have said that Harry's house-elf friend had stolen them - apparently he had a liking for socks - but that would just be silly.
As she was crawling out from under the bed she straightened; only to discover that she hadn't fully completed the manoeuvre and her head connected sharply with the bed frame.
"Ouch!" Sitting on the flooring rubbing the back of her head and cursing softly to herself she suddenly became aware that she wasn't alone in the dormitory. Glancing up she saw none other than Ginny Weasley standing in the doorway. This surprised her for two reasons: firstly no one had seen much of the red head since the incident in the Chamber of Secrets as she had kept fairly much to herself. Secondly she had never considered herself a person whom Ginny would want to actively seek out. Perhaps she had hit her head harder than she thought?
"Hi," she said after a moment when Ginny just wavered in the doorway looking anxious. "Can I help you with something?"
"Erm… No… Well, yes… though," she stopped and took a deep breath. "I wanted to talk to you. And apologise."
"Apologise?" Alice rocked back on her heels, "whatever for?"
"For… For the way I behaved this year; it was childish. You were nothing but nice to me and I was horrible to you."
"Oh." What could she say to that? "Apology accepted then."
"Can I come in?"
"Yes… of course," Alice really wasn't sure where this was going. "Take a seat," she indicated her bed, "just shove my stuff out of the way. I'm just packing the last few things into my trunk."
Ginny moved to comply and sat for a few moments fiddling with the edge of Alice's bedspread and staring absently at a pile of Gilderoy Lockhart books that had been carelessly cast aside. Eventually she glanced up at her again. "I hate doing packing, Mum always does it for me at home. I can never find all of my socks and things; I swear our ghoul nicks them."
Alice smiled at this, "I'm the same… without the ghoul part." She was pleased to see this elicited a small chuckle from the younger girl.
"Ginny I don't -"
"Wait a minute. I want to say something first." Ginny flushed the same colour that her brothers went whenever they were embarrassed or upset. Alice didn't think she'd ever seen her this uncomfortable. "About my behaviour… I should probably explain."
Realising that this might take some time Alice got up and sat on the bed next to her. "Ok I'm listening."
"The thing is," she was avoiding eye contact, "this last year I was really - well I was jealous of you if I'm honest."
"Jealous?" Alice fought to keep the incredulous squeak out of her voice and failed miserably. "Of me? Whatever for?" What about Alice could possibly make Ginny jealous, she had everything that Alice had ever wished for. A home, plenty of siblings, loving parents, confidence - well, when she wasn't around Harry Potter anyway. Alice had none of those things; what was there about her that would inspire enough jealousy to last a whole year?
"Well, over the summer the boys kept talking about you and when Harry arrived he did too, I mean they spoke about Hermione too of course, but Fred and George aren't really as good friends with Hermione, and with your red hair I thought that you would be like another little sister to them which is my job. I was determined to hate you and then we met on the train and you were so clever and nice and you kept trying to help me all year and I saw how well you got along with my brothers and you, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and Neville too I suppose are this little group and you're all really close… and I was jealous." She said all this very fast.
Alice blinked at her in stunned silence for a few moments. "Ginny," she spoke slowly so that she could make sure that her words and meaning were in sync - sometimes when she was trying to convey a serious sentiment to someone that she didn't know very well the two tended to diverge somewhere between her brain and her mouth. "I would never try to take your place; surely you know that? I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love to have what you and your brothers have, but I would never try and come between you all. Surely you know that your brothers all dote on you?"
"I suppose." Was that a hint of a smile she could see? "I guess it was a bit stupid of me, I'm not usually like that I just…" She stopped again.
"Just what?"
"I was nervous about coming to Hogwarts I guess. I'm sorry. Then there was everything with the Chamber and when I started to realise what was happening I tried to stop it, but then Harry got the diary and -"
"It was you who stole it back wasn't it? When he left it in his bag?"
"Yes," she looked forlorn. "I was just scared someone would find out what I had done; and then you and Hermione were petrified. I did try to make sure you were alright. I snuck into the Hospital Wing to visit you."
"I know I saw you… well sort of… it's difficult to explain."
"I'm so sorry." She seemed on the verge of tears again.
"Look its fine, there's no harm done. Why don't we just forget about it and start again?" She held out her hand, "hello Ginny my name's Alice."
The youngest Weasley cracked a smile for the first time since she had come into the room. "I'm Ginny Weasley; it's nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you."
It was with mixed feelings that Alice boarded the Hogwarts Express the following day. Obviously her main emotion was sadness at departing Hogwarts and her impending separation from her friends. It had been such an odd year though, with so much fear and upset in it that a tiny part of her was almost relieved that it was the holidays and that they could start afresh come September.
Trying not to permanently injure people with her overly heavy trunk she dragged it along the corridor and into the compartment which she, Harry, Neville and Hermione had commandeered along with all the Weasley's.
"Oh for goodness sake," she exclaimed in frustration, "this is ridiculous!" Pulling out her wand she levitated her trunk up into the rack.
"Alice!" Hermione looked mildly disapproving. "You know we aren't allowed to use magic outside of school.
"Yes but term isn't finished yet. It doesn't finish till we reach Platform 9 and 3/4," she smiled sweetly as her friend huffed sceptically.
Suddenly a loud laugh over at the window distracted their attention. "Everyone quick! You have to come and look at this!" George Weasley was practically dancing with unconcealed glee.
"If it's another pair of idiots in a flying car I don't want to see," Hermione quipped with a smirk as they all crowded round the window.
"Oi, I heard that," Ron mock glared at her.
Climbing onto a seat so that she could see over everyone's heads Alice pressed her face against the glass and peered out at the station.
"What are we looking at?"
"That."
"Where?"
"I can't see anything!"
"Shove over Ron I can't see past your big head!"
"Oh for goodness sake over there," Fred pointed towards the station building, "quick or you'll miss it."
Craning in the direction that he was pointing in Alice eventually saw what she was supposed to be looking at. Tucked around the side of the building, where he evidently thought no one could see, was Ron's older brother Percy. And he wasn't alone.
"Are they… holding hands?" George could hardly get the words out he was laughing so much at the sight of his older brother with a girl.
Fred who looked like all his Christmases had come at once whooped loudly. "I think they're going to kiss!"
When his brothers whooped and cheered as Fred was proved right Alice was torn between amusement at their actions and a slight sympathy for Percy. To have half your family and their friends spying on you when you were saying goodbye to someone would be mortifying; her mouth seemed to disagree with her brain however as she felt it pulling into a smile as a result of the infectious laughter in the carriage.
"We are going to have so much fun this summer!" She could almost see the plans forming in the twins' brains as they watched.
Whether he heard them, or sensed them looking or just happened to glance up at that moment, Percy suddenly caught sight of them all grinning out of the carriage window like fools at him.
"Ooh look out! I think we've been spotted!" Fred and George dropped comically into a crouch as the rest of them retreated from the window.
"I think it's a bit late for that," Ginny remarked sagely as Percy strode towards their carriage, swiftly turning a respectable puce and spluttering indignantly.
"Really?" George glanced up at his sister looking entirely genuine.
Alice rolled her eyes, they were completely incorrigible. Looking back outside she saw that Percy had stopped several feet from their window and was gesticulating wildly. However whether the glass was too thick to hear him properly or he was simply incoherent with rage she couldn't make out what he was saying properly; she suspected it was a bit of both.
"… Here NOW!… little toe rags… people, it's not nice!… You wait… Mum… SEVERELY disappointed!" His diatribe was suddenly cut short as a shrill whistle sounded to signal that the train was about to move off. Casting about himself in sudden confusion, Percy realised that he was alone on the platform and swiftly made a mad dash to get on to the train. Fred and George who had poked their noses above the windowsill just in time to see him sprinting headlong across to the nearest door promptly collapsed on the floor laughing again, which set the rest of them off in turn. They were still all chuckling a few minutes later as they settled down to enjoy the rest of their journey and their last few hours together before the summer properly began.
Once they had played several games of Exploding Snap, eaten their fill from the tea trolley and been treated to a demonstration of the spell that the twins had used to create a distraction for them all those months ago, Alice fell to gazing out of the window. Outside the wild and rugged peaks of the sort that surrounded Hogwarts had disappeared and been replaced by wide green fields and rolling hills, just another indication that they were on their way home. Well for most of them, for Alice it felt like she was leaving home.
"What's up?" Hermione, who had been deep in "friendly debate" with Ron over something turned to look at her best friend with concern.
"Nothing."
Hermione raised her eyebrows sceptically. "Sure."
Alice grinned; she never was much good at lying to her friend. "I'm just sad to be leaving that's all. I wish it was the start of next term already."
"Well I'm sure it will be soon enough. I'm so glad Professor Kreevain is staying on next year though, it'll make such a difference don't you think?"
Alice nodded in agreement. She had been over the moon when she discovered that Dumbledore was keeping the new History of Magic Professor on. They wouldn't have her all the time as she would be sharing duties with Professor Binns, which would keep him employed and still allow her time to write her books. Alice would have loved to have known how Dumbledore got Binns to agree to the new arrangement; at least it showed that he was aware of some of his staff's ineptitudes and was willing to do something about it. Now all they had to do was get rid of Snape and classes would be perfect.
"Do you think anything is going to happen next year?" Ginny asked, looking curious and slightly pensive at the same time.
"Nothing out of the ordinary surely, well ordinary for Hogwarts," Ron amended himself, "I mean how often can we have stuff happen to us?"
Harry, Alice and Hermione all turned to look at him incredulously. "You said that last year!"
"Well," he stuck his chin out mulishly, "it might be true one year."
"The key word in that sentence ickle-Ronniekins, "Fred grabbed his brother and ruffled his hair, "is might. And it certainly won't be ordinary if we have anything to do with it."
"Gerroff!" Ron swatted at him to no effect, when he moved for his Spello-taped wand however, Fred promptly let go and put his hands up in surrender.
"Please no, not the mental wand!" He swooned theatrically, "that thing is terrifying."
"It's useless is what it is," Ron stared at it glumly as it fizzed and sparked in his hand.
Hermione smiled in sympathetic amusement. "You never know, your Mum might buy you one for next year."
"You've never met my Mum properly; she'll just say it serves me right and that we can't afford it. Nope, I reckon if we do have any adventures or emergencies next year then it'll just be me and the broken twig."
Once they eventually pulled into Platform 9 and 3/4 those returning to the Muggle world quickly scribbled down their phone numbers and passed them out amongst the group, "just in case," as Hermione put it. Alice was just tucking the slips of paper into her pocket when Harry elbowed her in the ribs.
"Look over there - don't make it obvious though."
Glancing surreptitiously through her eyelashes in the direction he had nodded she spotted something that made her grin. Standing at the far end of the Platform was a thoroughly chastised looking Draco Malfoy, with the couple she recognised from her first trip to Hogwarts as his parents. For reasons she suspected she knew, Mr Malfoy seemed furious and was hissing irately at his son. The former school Governor also looked slightly less well kept than usual, almost as though he hadn't gotten much sleep lately and was lacking the services of a family house-elf.
"Good to see there is some justice in the world then," she and Harry smirked at each other as they made their way with all their friends towards the Platform's exit. Once they had waited their turn and been allowed through she spotted Carol from the Home waiting for her on the Muggle platform. "Well I better go," she hugged each of them in turn - even Ginny. "I'll keep in touch, and you better all write back," she informed the boys doing a passable impression of Hermione at her most stern.
"Ok Alice," Hermione sniffed as she began to walk away. "See you next year - if not before!"
"Yeah, bye."
"Don't do anything we wouldn't," the twins yelled at her retreating back.
"Bye everybody!"
A/N: Well there you go, that's it for another year! Hope you've enjoyed, I know this last chapter was a bit slow, but it was mostly just about tying up a few loose ends really. Keep reviewing and stay tuned for Year 3!
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