《The Vorpal Prophecy》


 Chapter 1: Alice Returns

    Darkness. It felt like an eternity floating in a depthless chasm. My whole body, though it felt numb and constricted, can move limitedly. I decided to remain in my current position, in which I am lying on my back, my limbs dangling freely. I felt empty, apathetic, and although my vision was clear amidst the void I am in, it slowly turned foggy until I was plunged in reminiscing a vividly triumphant but broken memory.


    "I''ll see you charged. In prison, some half-wit bruiser will make you his sweetheart.. and then you''ll hang."I remarked mordantly, acid dripping from my tongue as I wanted nothing more than justice from the appalling horrors this grotesque abomination have committed.


    "Indeed? A hysterical woman, former lunatic, roaring outrageous accusations against a respectable social architect and scientist? My God, Alice, who will believe you? I scarcely believe it myself."Yes. I too didn''t believe it at first, since I was at mercy to this man. Dr. Bumby was one of my father''s undergraduates. He freed me from Rutledge, offered me home and employment in the orphanage, but all of his actions have an ulterior motive. Hate is a mere understatement of what I feel for him. He killed my family, and the twisted monster made me think I was the one who killed them.


    "You.. Monstrous creature! Such evil will be punished."


    "By who? By what? Psychotic silly bitch. Your madness will be punished. Now leave. I''m expecting your replacement."I felt something inside me snapped. That was the last straw. Anger dwelled upon me and my grudge for him reached its peak. I turned around and was about to leave, but determination filled me and felt myself revert to wonderland Alice as I faced him again. I have been used and abused, but he will never destroy me.. Nor will I let him destroy any more lives. If no one can deliver justice from this man, then I will.


    I allowed a smirk grace my lips as I saw the man''s shocked face. May the weak London Alice he knew morph into Wonderland Alice and be imbued in his sight and soul, if he ever has one. Forevermore haunting him in his death, for I am his death.


    Cheshire''s voice rang in my head as I left the station, knowing all too well what I had done, my confusion apparent as I saw London and Wonderland merged."Ah, Alice. We can''t go home again. No surprise really. Only a very few find the way, and most of them don''t recognize it when theydo. Delusions, too, die hard with memory. Only the savage regard the endurance of pain as the measure of worth. Forgetting pain is convenient, remembering it:agonizing. But recovering the truth is worth the suffering and our Wonderland, though damaged, is safe in memory... for now."


    I awoke. Sluggish and groggy, I stayed on my bed and rubbed my eyes, focusing my blurry vision on the ceiling. It has been a while since I dreamt of my past. Try as I might, I could never feel guilt pushing Bumby off the train, although I do regret to have let him die that easily. He deserved so much more. After that incident, I was still plagued by nightmares of the past, but it wasn''t that horrifying anymore. I learned how to accept my dreams as just dreams, and then they no longer felt hostile, or more like I could never treat them hostile again. Wonderland has been infused with my reality, for better or for worse. I was able to act normally, and everyone had thought me cured for good. Although they were pitiful when they heard of Bumby''s death, the memory of his death effaced from the society and was soon forgotten. Luckily, even though I reek of poverty, there was a little amount of money enough for me to live in a shack near our burnt manor, and I was able to find jobs and earn money, however I got them with much difficulty. In this xenophobic society, being a former mental was not easy for them to overlook.


    At some times, when I am in complete control of my mind, Wonderland is separated and I can see the normal London, and I''ve been frequently getting better at controlling myself. However, the most peculiar thing has happened to me. I am able to go to the Otherlands. I have met so many interesting figures, so many who are different yet similar to me. I have met Jules Verne, discussing the nature of humanity and their fears; Richard Wagner, whose mind I have discovered through his opera. I had my fill of theater after though; I even had been stuck on the mind of Vincent Van Gogh, whose wonderland was a swirling, vibrant mess. His madness however paved an odd path of friendship between us.


    Having unified the material and psychological worlds, I now embrace my.. power, which allows me to move freely between both realms. No longer limited by mortal constraints, I can enter into and manipulate the psychological worlds of others. I do not know exactly how or why, but I figured that I wasn''t the only one who suffered. I have ventured into their minds and helped those in need - confronting manifestations of their psychological trauma, guiding them to resolution and tranquility. There is, however, a consequence. As I have travelled into the Otherlands, I was also trapped in the psychological world. Time flows differently within the Otherlands and reality. I have not aged, but seven decades has already passed and I still look like my 16 year old self. What felt like hours or days of disappearance in the Otherlands, was equivalent to months and years of absence here in reality. Realization only hit me when I thought I was just a few hours gone and was heading back to work, but when I returned, I actually have been gone for days.


    From then on, I was more careful with treading into the Otherlands. I''ve worked til my bones visibly protruded my petite body, just so I could store food on my cupboard and be able to go more often into the Otherlands. It is the only way of retribution for being too blinded of my own problems. Paying for my sins through helping others is my vow, and I''m paying for it in a way that I only know.


    Suddenly, I heard a rapping noise on my window. I sat up and stretched a bit then looked out the window. My eyes widened in surprise as I saw an ochre owl tapping its beak against the dirty, stained glass of my window. I quickly opened it and coughed as dust invaded my nostrils and throat. Right, I just got home yesterday and I wasn''t particular in cleaning my own home. As soon as the window opened, the owl swooped in and a letter came flying down into my hands. The owl hooted and flew out, leaving me in utter confusion.


    "What just happened.." I muttered, eyeing the letter in my hand with confusion and curiosity. It looked like an ordinary parchment with a red wax seal, and being the inquisitive creature that I am, I decided to open it. However, I heard a grumble and felt my stomach churning and eating my own guts. I sighed. Looks like the letter has to wait. Eating is the first priority.


    I headed to the kitchen and first washed myself, then began filling the fireplace with wood. I lit matches and patiently waited for the wood to spark and smoke, then fanned it til fire was finally caught. I began washing my century old pan and took out what is left on my cupboard. Some canned meat and beans, and some potatoes. I''m running out of supply, and I better start finding work again to fill it up.


    It''s really surreal. It felt like only two years have passed, but the reality is, I was frequently gone for almost more than half a century. Things have changed, London has progressed and it is year 1942. I found out when I was in the city yesterday. It was a bizarre situation that I have yet to get used to, afterall, I have witnessed the city''s progression too suddenly.


    I stabbed the knife into the can and began opening it, pouring the beans on the already searing pan. When the beans were cooked, I placed it on my chipped plate and cooked canned meat next. This is my life, and although very pitiful, I am very grateful for my independence. Unlike when I was in the asylum, I had very little freedom and I was trapped by my own self. I have been trapped by my own madness. Even in the orphanage, I was trapped by my own memories, by Dr. Bumby, and mostly, by myself. Now.. I''m still trapped, but I no longer have too damaging inhibitions. Even if it takes my entire life, I will dedicate it to help others. To help them with their Wonderland. To help them not to become like me.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The meat was cooked and I settled on the rickety table. I prayed, thanking a higher deity for my well being. Even if I am skeptical about God, but I see no harm in thanking for even the little things. It gives me a sense of thankfulness and peace. I begin eating, but was interrupted by someone knocking on my door.


    "Excuse me! But is Ms. Liddell in here?" An older voice voice boomed throughout my little, decrepit shack. My eyes widened, shocked to have a visitor, much less someone still knowing I''m here. I panicked, not knowing what to do. They must have expected an elderly version of herself, but she isn''t. Then an idea struck me. Even though ridiculous, I decided to go with it.


    "Do wait!" I said and quickly dusted off my dress and unbolted the lock, opening the door as it gave a loud creak, obvious that the door''s hinges were rusty and needed a bad case of oiling.


    "Ah! Ms. Liddell! What a great pleasure to finally meet you!" The older man expressed with much jubilation. He was a sharply dressed middle aged gentleman with greying hair and beard. To have a sudden visitation by a complete stranger who knew who she was.. No. He must''ve been mistaken.


    "Excuse me but I am-"


    "Oh no need for pretense Ms. Liddell. I know very well that it is you. May I come in?"


    I only nodded. Too shocked and unable to completely comprehend what is happening in front of me. In an instant, my eyes darted on the knife hidden on my kitchen drawer. Should this man try to do anything funny, I will defend myself. And if he does try to hurt me, I will not hesitate to murder once again.


    "Relax Ms. Liddell. I am here to make you aware that you are not alone." The man smiled kindly, a smile that took me aback. His guard is completely down, his bright eyes twinkling in amusement as he sat on a nearby chair, the only chair in this house.


    "What do you mean alone?" I asked, confusion still scrawled visibly on my face. Although, I did put my guard down a little since he didn''t look suspicious enough to attack me.


    "Ms. Liddell, you are a very special being. You believe magic exists, don''t you?"


    "I do, but I suppose admitting that would earn me another stay on Rutledge?"


    "No Ms. Liddell. Haven''t you received the letter?"


    "Letter?" I asked in confusion, then it suddenly dawned on me that the letter he meant was the letter I received through an owl earlier. "I did. I haven''t opened it yet though since I am supposed to be eating my breakfast."


    "Ah, yes. Do forgive me for intruding early in the morning and for disturbing your breakfast."


    I sighed and pulled the letter out of my pocket. I gave a wary glance to the strange bearded man, then hesitantly opened the letter and read it silently.


    HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY


    Dear Ms Liddell,


    We are pleased to announce you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.


    Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.


    Yours Sincerely,


    Headmaster Armando Dippet


    I was speechless. Completely dumbfounded by the letter I have just read. What does this even mean?


    "Ms. Liddell, you are a witch. Your innate magic for delving into Otherlands is a kind of magic that is ancient and lost. We believe your schooling in Hogwarts will hone you into a hero." The man let out a mischievous grin, his eyes glinting with mirth.


    "Wh-What..? Me.. A witch?" Even I couldn''t quite believe it myself. I knew what I am doing is something beyond the ordinary human capabilities, but I didn''t expect it to be because I''m a witch. Also, this man knows about the Otherlands. "Then.. You are a wizard? Can you go to the Otherlands too?"


    "Yes and no. Yes, I''m a wizard, but going to the Otherlands is something only you can do, Ms. Liddell."


    "But.. Surely you must be mistaken. And you can''t expect me to believe a stranger''s words."


    "True. I must demonstrate why I am a wizard then." The man stood up and pulled a peculiar looking stick out of his pocket, which I assume is a wand. I immediately took a step back, staring at him suspiciously. My eyes darted to the nearest object beside me, which was a broom that collected way too many dust and cobwebs.


    Flicking the wand, the man said out loud. "Expecto Patronum."


    With those words, light emanated from the tip of his wand and out came a silver bird. Bright and dazzling with wide wings, the bird flew over the house and around me. I gasped in amazement, my eyes widening not only in surprise but also awe. The silver bird felt warm, happiness seeping into me as its head nuzzled into my disheveled hair. The silver bird flew away and disappeared, and although I ought to feel disappointed of its leaving, I felt strangely better. The warmth that I felt from the bird still lingered.


    "That was my patronus, a phoenix." The man chuckled, tucking its wand back in his belt. "The spell I casted is called a patronus spell. You cast it through thinking a cherished happy memory. You''ll learn casting one once you attend school."


    "This is not one of my hallucinations?" I stared at the man intently, daring him to suddenly disappear from my sight. I pinched myself too, and I felt the pain. I am not dreaming, and this hallucination is too vivid for it to be one.


    "No. I am a wizard, and you Alice, are a witch." The man addressed me using my first name, and it oddly felt much more real. I sighed and looked down at the floor, still expecting it to suddenly crack and I would find myself falling into a hole once more.


    "I know it isn''t easy to take in Ms. Liddell, but I am sure stranger things have happened in your wonderland."


    "Yes, but they all happened inside my mind. This.. This happened in reality.. But then again, I do not have a clear definition of reality." I ran a hand through my hair, a habit I have grown fond of since my hair was shaved clean on the asylum and my arms were restricted by the straitjacket.


    I looked up at the man once more. He didn''t really looked like the wizards she saw in her books, but he has a wand and performed a spell that felt so warm and real. Though he didn''t look like the kind of wizard she expected, he seemed wise and capable, especially with the way he brought himself. I feel the power and confidence he exuberates yet his gaze felt kind, nodding at me understandingly. I must admit. My curiosity has not failed to itch me and I will allow it to have its way once more. I will pay the price later, for now, I must satiate my inquisitiveness.


    "Say, mister.. I do believe that it is quite rude of you to have not introduced yourself." The ends of my lips twitched and I wasn''t able to stop myself as a full smile painted my lips. It was indeed a bizarre situation, for often it was I who was called rude by people whose mind I have entered. I usually did not bother introducing myself, but my how the tables have turned.


    The wizard let out a tinkling laugh, his eyes never seems to stop twinkling in amusement. "Do forgive me for my rudeness. I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, a transfiguration professor in Hogwarts. It is of my utmost honor to have finally meet you, Alice." He smiled widely, offering his hand.


    "It is a pleasure meeting you too, Mr. Dumbledore. Or should I say professor?" I took his hand and shook it.


    "I take that as an answer of you accepting your admittance to Hogwarts. Now, would you rather finish your breakfast now or would you rather go on a shopping spree for your school supplies first?" I was about to say shopping spree, but much to my displeasure and embarrassment, my stomach growled loudly. Dumbledore chuckled and stood up. "I suppose shopping could be quite draining and eating to gain energy is definitely a must."


    I sat back down and ate my meal quietly, finishing it as quick as I could. Dumbledore performed another spell and filled my mug with water. I thanked him and drank it as soon as I finished eating. Lucky me, Dumbledore helped with cleaning my dishes and putting the fire out with just a couple of latin-sounding words and a flick of his wand. If being a witch meant being able to do those, then I would gladly go to Hogwarts.


    "Shall we, Ms. Liddell?" Dumbledore offered his left arm.


    "Shall we what, professor?" I asked, looking at the arm and Dumbledore questioningly as I reluctantly accepted it.


    "I am going to apparate to Diagon Alley, and you will be apparated with me." He pulled me gently to his side and locked my arm with his. "We are going to do a Side-Along Apparition spell. I must warn you that side-along apparition can be very uncomfortable, especially for the first timers, so do prepare yourself."


    I gulped and nodded. He had said it with such a comforting tone that I can''t help myself ease despite the little anxiety I felt over the warning. I closed my eyes and gripped his arm tightly as soon as I felt that the world disappeared before me and I felt my entire self be swallowed by a bright swirl.

 Chapter 2: A Wand For Alice

    Dizzy and disoriented, Alice lost her balance and fell to the ground on all fours. The side-along apparition was much more vomit-inducing than she had imagined. She forced herself to swallow the putrid puke that threatened to sputter out from her throat.


    "Alice, are you alright?" The wizard asked worriedly, drawing out his wand from his pocket.


    Alice held her hand out and Dumbledore quickly grabbed it and helped her up.


    "Just let me close my eyes for a while." Taking in deep even breaths, she calmed herself and soon she regained her composure along with her balance. "I''m fine now. Thank you."


    "It''s nothing to worry about. Are you fine enough to walk?"


    "Yes." Alice raised her head and was thankful that she didn''t feel woozy, although she doubted that after seeing the sight in front of her. She looked around and found herself in a chaotic but lively street. Eccentric stores lined up in each and every building. They could''ve been considered just another bustling shopping district, but the store signs indicated it was not just that, along with the floating candles, owls sold off, creatures who wore robes and some even paired it with pointy hats, and magic was performed openly. She could feel the magic in the air, literally.


    "Welcome to Diagon Alley, although I do think the much appropriate greeting would be: Welcome to the Wizarding World, Alice." And with that, it suddenly hit Alice that she is falling into a hole much deeper than Wonderland''s. She is in a reality much different from the reality everyone from before defined. A reality that she could only define for now as a cluster of madness, because everyone in front of her is thought of a fantasy that people from her world would say. Right now, words have failed her and her mind is too busy to comprehend.


    "Come now Alice." Dumbledore, who seemed unaware of Alice''s confusion, went on with his usual cheerful disposition and began walking. Alice snapped from her daze and followed the wizard by his side.


    "Where are we going?" With a memory from her childhood, Alice remembered that sometimes things can be beyond comprehension and it will do her well to dart questions until she can find an answer or none at all. Nonetheless, it is her job to satisfy her curiosity''s appetite and so for now she reverted to her young, inquisitive self.


    "See that building with a dragon guarding on top of it?" Dumbledore pointed straight at the dragon and Alice immediately craned her neck up before nodding as she indeed saw the dragon atop the building, her eyes glittering in awe. "We are heading over to Gringotts, the Wizarding bank."


    "Why would we head there?" She asked. She certainly is a penniless girl and her parents'' accounts were closed off decades ago.


    "Why, to withdraw your money of course. You''d need them to buy your school supplies."


    "But I''m broke. My parents'' accounts were forfeited long ago. The funds and little savings they left to me were all spent on the asylum."


    "Oh no, your parents had no Gringotts accounts. Your grandfather Liddell however, have one."


    "Grandpa? But he has long gone been dead and all his wealth was transferred to Father."


    "But that was his muggle wealth. Your grandfather''s wealth in Gringotts was forbidden by your great grandparents to be passed on to muggles. Since your parents were both muggles, a British wizard''s term of non-magical people, his inheritance is still safely tucked away in the bank, waiting for its next heir, which is you, Alice Liddell."


    With that knowledge, Alice barely managed to contain the delight and surprised that showed in her tone. "You mean, I''m not broke?"


    "Yes. You can withdraw money from Gringotts since you''re of legal age. Your grandfather was the last heir of a pure blood Wizarding family, and so you have plenty more money that will be enough to pass on your predecessors. I know you''re wise enough in spending money."


    "Of course." She nodded and raised her chin up as she walked much enthusiastically towards the bank, still giddy of the thought that she will no longer spend her days in the shack cold, bitter and very hungry.


    Alice dodged and squeezed through the busy crowd, tiring out so easily as her expertise of being nimble against the sea of people is challenged. Meanwhile, Dumbledore walked past the people as if he was water, and that pushed Alice to push her way out even further. It wasn''t of much difficulty and they soon arrived at the bank. Alice walked closer to Dumbledore but her eyes wandered to look around the building. It was ivory white with vast bronze doors, crooked pillars that made it look slightly warped and the words "GRINGOTTS BANK" carved boldly. As they entered, people were walking in, out, and around, and it did seem like a normal bank with the huge chandeliers hanging above, beautiful patterned floorings and columns that she vaguely guessed were runes or glyphs. However, the bank is obviously a proud Wizarding bank with ink pots, quills and documents flying about, and most of all the goblins that seemed to run the place whether it be simply guarding or doing the retail job. Alice''s eyes shimmered in awe, and it seemingly never does stop, after all, this world is a new and curious one. Alice have gone through several worlds, but the one in front of her is a reality so vibrant and alive that it made her confuse reality and fantasy even further.


    Dumbledore was the one who talked to the goblin, giving them the key and soon they were headed to her family vault. Her eyes frequently darted around out of curiosity, the bank was much more exciting than the bleak ones she has visited before and goblins were rare to show up on her imaginations. When they arrived and entered in her family vault, Alice had thought that her jaw fell to the floor. She couldn''t help the twinkle of happiness and greediness as she saw heaps and heaps of gold, silver and bronze coins.


    "Coins are the wizarding currency of the wizarding world. UK''s wizarding currency consists of three different coins which are Galleons, Sickles and Knuts."


    "There are wizards on other countries?" Though the possibility isn''t surprising, Alice felt compelled to ask that question for confirmation.


    "Yes. The Wizarding World, although smaller compared to muggles, has a very interesting magic diversity. You will find out the differences sooner or later, as it will be tackled in classes."


    Alice nodded, getting curiouser about the school. It was decades ago since her last day of schooling. She have missed out the vital part of her life, education. Not only was her schooling halted, her future of being a part of the society as a dignified lady like Lizzie was lost too and her time was instead wasted in the asylum where she rotted for years in a seemingly vegetative state.


    Dumbledore addressed the goblin to withdraw 200 galleons which the goblin then subserviently complied. Taking 200 of the gold coins, he placed them on a pouch and gave it to Alice whose eyes were gleaming with happiness, an obvious glint of greediness, and also a bit of reluctance.


    "Is it really alright to take this much money? I''m not sure how the wizarding currency works, but isn''t this a bit much?"


    She was answered by a chuckle and a warm smile. "School doesn''t start until a week. The money left on your shopping can be converted to pounds, which I think will be helpful when you get back home."


    By now, Alice''s mouth was pulled into an enormous grin. She had never been so happy for years, and it was not only because of money, but by the kindness Dumbledore have showed to her.


    "Thank you." She thanked with much gratitude and sincerity, although it felt strained and rusty.


    "Oh no Alice. It is your money after all. I trust that you''d spend it wisely?"


    "Yes sir! But still, thank you."


    The old wizard chuckled and ushered Alice out the bank. They first head out to buy the books, and to Alice''s pleasure was able to buy two more just for herself. She bought the pewter cauldron, phials, telescopes and set of brass scales, and it was all thanks to Dumbledore who patiently shopped and explained things to her. Although his answers were sometimes vague and resembled more like clues and poems, she never struck him as peculiar. No, he reminded her of her doting father and Caterpillar very much.


    "Alice, I have an urgent matter to go to, but I will be back before you finish your shopping. Will you be alright?"


    "Of course. I have grown quite familiar with this place after browsing around. I only have the wand and the robes to worry about."


    "Alright. Thank you for understanding Alice. You''ll find your robes at Madam Malkin''s at the north side and your wand at Ollivanders located at the south side. Take care and I will see you later."


    "Don''t worry, I can handle my own." The professor gave a kind smile before walking into the crowd and disappeared. Sighing, she headed first to the shop she''s most excited with, the wand shop.


    OLLIVANDERS Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.


    ''This shop sure have quite the fancy name.''Alice thought as she looked at the dusty, old building. At the window, she saw a lone wand resting at a pillow as a display. She marveled at the beauty of the wand''s carving, wondering if she could really wield a wand like Dumbledore and the strangers she saw on the streets and shops. ''Maybe he was mistaken.. But I better try first.''With a defeated sigh, she entered the shop and was welcomed by stacks and stacks of boxes filled in the shelves.


    "Hello and welcome to Ollivanders! I am Garrick Ollivander, the wandmaker of this fine shop. And may I ask who might you be, miss?"


    Smiling, the girl was welcomed with an enthusiastic greeting by a middle-aged, but still youthful man whose pale eyes glowed amidst the gloom of the shop. "Mighty cheerful you are Mister Ollivander. My name''s Alice, Alice Liddell."


    "Alice Liddell.. Hold on. I feel like I- Oh my! You''re Alice Liddell? The Alice from Wonderland?" Ollivander gasped in surprise, staring at Alice in disbelief to which she replied with her brow raised in question and face contorted in confusion.


    "That''s.. May I ask why you know me sir?"


    "Because of the book, of course! Lewis Carroll wrote an extraordinary book about an extraordinary child like you. Alice''s Adventure in Wonderland is one of my favorites, But what astounds me is that you look.. So young even though the book was published decades ago. Perhaps of a potion you made or bought? Or was it because you got out of the book?" The man mused in wonder, staring at Alice curiously and with expectation.


    "Uhm.." Unsure exactly what to say, Alice was stunned. She never thought of keeping her talent of going to the Otherlands as a secret. No, it was about the book that left her speechless. ''So Charles did publish a book about my Wonderland. He was a strange yet kind man.. I hope I was at least able to personally thank him, although, I suppose he''s already dead.''With that thought, Alice smiled sadly and decided to tell Ollivander the truth.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "I-"


    "Excuse me."


    Alice was cut off by a voice of a young man who strode straight to the desk with precision and elegance in his steps. She was actually glad of his interruption and gazed curiously at the young man.


    "Tom! What a surprise to see you!" Ollivander greeted Tom with familiar cheeriness, smiling expectantly at him. Tom was a very dashing man who seemed to be around her age(appearance-wise) and kept a prim and proper appearance. His black, wavy hair was neatly combed, and his handsome face was a kind that easily charms and attracts anyone. Alice thought for sure that he was born an aristocrat.


    "Hello Garrick. I''m sorry for intruding." He bowed respectfully to Alice before facing Ollivander with a serious face. "Garrick, I need your help."


    "Help? Are you in any trouble?" Ollivander''s brow quirked up, surprised to see Tom asking him for his help.


    "Not exactly, but I will be if you don''t help me. Can we talk about this in private?" His velvety voice lowered and hushed in urgency. Alice suddenly felt like an intruder, but that wasn''t exactly true since she is the one who got here first and he was the one who interrupted her shopping.


    "Fine, but if it''s alright with Ms. Liddell?" Ollivander sighed in bewilderment and looked at Alice for confirmation, who then nodded and began walking towards the door.


    "I''ll be back Mr. Ollivander." And with that Alice glanced at Tom for one last time and exited the shop. With a sigh, she sauntered towards the north side and found the clothes shop. Throughout the time she was being measured for her robes and uniform, Alice welcomed the opportunity to let her mind wander and digest the day''s event. She''s apparently a witch, in this world filled with magic. She felt her vague definition of reality slip further away, only to be replaced by a solidifying fantasy. If this world was truly reality, then she could see and enter others'' fully manifested wonderlands unlike creatures created in wonderlands. However, she dared not risk entering right now because it didn''t feel right. If she did enter someone''s Wonderland, being able to immediately return was a 50/50 chance. Her wizarding clothes were given awhile after the measuring, then she hastily paid and thanked the employees, hurrying back excitedly towards the wand shop.


    "Ah! Welcome back Ms. Liddell!" Ollivander greeted Alice, although with lackluster and obvious glint of mixed emotions, including an apparent fear. Alice looked around and felt a twinge of disappointment for not seeing Tom. She had to admit that the young man intrigued her. There was something about him she couldn''t quite place. Whether it was a negative or positive impression, she''d still like to know and wished she could see him again.


    "Let''s start trying out wands. Remember, wands choose their owners, so trying out wands would require much patience." Compared to his usual enthusiasm earlier, Alice have noticed that he was starting to get as gloomy as the shop, but he was still earnest with his job.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, I''m still new to this world. May I ask what wands are exactly?"


    "A wand is the object through which a wizard or witch channel their magic. It is made of wood and has a magical substance at its core. Our wands have cores of phoenix feather, unicorn hair or dragon heartstring and are of varying woods, lengths and flexibilities. Although, we are not quite restricted with just three cores but those cores are the pride of Ollivanders." Ollivander gave a little shrug, having said the same words to muggleborns before made him memorize and occasionally reinvent his way of telling. "What is your birthday?"


    "May 4," was Alice''s instinctive reply. She felt it odd to have someone ask her birthday, but then everything in her life is odd.


    "Hm." With his back turned, Ollivander began to search through the shelves and quickly found a box, opening it and handing it to Alice. "Try this. Just swish it or give it a wave. Whatever gesture you feel like it."


    Hesitant, Alice took the wand and felt her heart thumped in nervousness. She felt the magic alive, in the wand and surging in her veins. Giving it an unsure flick, a tiny blue spark came out there tip of the wand and fell to the ground, disappearing. Confused if her heart leapt from actually being able to use a wand or if her heart sank with such a small spark, she gazed worriedly at Ollivander who frowned.


    "Nope. Not this unicorn hair then.." Ollivander turned back to find another wand, meanwhile Alice stared vacantly on the shelves, seeing a few mushrooms pop out and flowers talking to themselves. There were a few bugs too, but Ollivander didn''t seem to mind them.


    "Here. This is one has a core of a dragon heartstring."


    "A dragon heartstring?" The following cores were mentioned before, but Alice was itching what the cores actually are.


    "You see, cores are what makes the wand alive. I am a wandmaker and I make sure that each core I have corresponds accordingly to the wood they''ll be made with. Some are stubborn and some even rejects it completely, that''s why wandmaking is an ancient, proud yet difficult job. The three common cores that is used here in Ollivanders are the unicorn hair, dragon heartstring and the phoenix''s feather." Ollivander paused and pointed at the one Alice is currently holding.


    "That one is made out of willow and dragon heartstring. As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental. Although, willow is a wood enough to balance the core''s flamboyance. Willows are usually for those highly creative, intuitive and intelligent, which I say suits a dragon heartstring core well. Willow holders are usually bursting in potential, but have a tendency to hold themselves back for fear of appearing flamboyant or overindulgent. That wand will help balance the user''s ability and personality. It is your powers of perception that ultimately allow your true nature to shine, and what leads you to success in life." Alice''s eyes shine eagerly, it seemed like such a powerful wand the way he describes it. She can''t help but think of him as a wonderful salesman.


    "Go ahead, give it a try." Ollivander gave such a smile, and it made Alice felt envious, for the love he has over his job is much apparent. With a much firmer grip, she waved the wand and suddenly a huge explosion of light came out of its tip. It stunned both of them for awhile, Alice felt overwhelmed by such a powerful reaction from a wand. She grinned hugely but then it wavered as she saw Ollivander frown.


    "Hm, not this wand then." Ollivander head back on the shelves again before sprouting back and returning with another wand, handing it to Alice.


    "Here''s another willow wand with a unicorn hair core."


    "What does a unicorn hair do?"


    "Unicorn hair can produce the most consistent magic, least subject to fluctuations and blockages, most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts and the most faithful of wands. However, they do not make the most powerful of wands and are prone to melancholy if mishandled. And since you are Alice from Wonderland, I think unicorn hair might suit you." A soft smile graced Ollivander''s mouth, vaguely reminding Alice of a reminiscing old man.


    "And how about phoenix feathers?"


    "Ah. I rarely use that core since it is one of the rarest core types. Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn hair or dragon heartstring cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative, sometimes acting of their own accord, a quality that many witches and wizards dislike. Phoenix feather wands are always the pickiest when it comes to potential owners, for the creature from which they are taken is one of the most independent and detached in the world. These wands are the hardest to tame and to personalise, and their allegiance is usually hard won. However, it will surely surprise me if you are chosen by a phoenix feather wand. Tom, the gentleman earlier is a proud wielder of a phoenix''s feather wand." With the mention of Tom, Ollivander''s growing calm face backtracked into a dour expression.


    ''Huh. I wonder what happened between them earlier. He was oh so cheerful with Tom earlier.''Alice inwardly shrug and wave the wand quite with lesser anxiety and unease. ''Here goes.''


    With a swish, the amount of magic that came out of the magic became more stable, yet it wasn''t enough. Ollivander frowned further and shook his head.


    "Hm. I thought it would be easy with you being Alice of Wonderland. This might take long. No matter. Choosing your first wand was never an easy task." Ollivander offered a comforting smile before returning to the high shelves to find another wand for Alice.


    It did take long, much longer than either of them expected. Alice lost count by the 50th wand and eventually lost count of time too. All the wand swishing and waving spent her energy, and the excitement of owning a wand faded and was replaced by impatience and growing hopelessness.


    "Oh this is hopeless! I''ve lost count of the wands I''ve tried!" Alice cried out in despair, murmuring about her magical inadequacy and aching for the little comfort her bed offers. Ollivander however was serious and has forgotten about the previous encounter, and was instead distracted by the company of Alice.


    "Remember, it is not you who chooses. It is the wand." He was patient. Throughout his years in the shop, aiding customers to choose their own wands, his patience was tested then and then, deeming it to be the most laborious job, and the labor equaled boredom. It was always the children he helped seek their destiny through their wands, and it was the children he is always the proudest. He noticed Alice''s impatience and he only shook his head mentally.


    "We''ve tried all other woods, even the phoenix feather doesn''t suit you along with the other cores.." Ollivander thought long and hard, remembering a beautiful wand that has stayed in the shop for innumerable decades. "I finally got it!" He quickly scampered off the farthest and highest of shelves, finding the beautiful blue box and showing it to Alice with a huge smile rolled up until his ears. He opened it and revealed a wand with beautiful flower and butterfly carvings, its color an elegant pastel lavender. Alice took the wand and felt it snuggle right in her hand.


    "This is such a beautiful wand." She strokes it lightly, her eyes lighting up in delight and a warm, crackling feeling surged through her.


    "Yes, it is. It is carved out of Hawthorn and its carvings are indeed fine and requisite." Ollivander frowned and sighed. "However, I do not know what core it is made of. Even my father doesn''t know. Others have tried it, but it didn''t produce any powerful spells. It refused to do so. I still would like you to try it. It seems like the wand suits you perfectly." He smiled gently, and Alice looked down at the wand, hoping it is the right wand. The mystery of its core seemed to intrigue her, and it is such a beautiful wand.


    She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, giving a gentle yet sure swish. She felt a light magic flow through her and into the tip of the wand. As she opened her eyes, she saw a beautiful display of a few several blue butterflies fluttering about in front of her before diminishing slowly.


    "My! Those sure are beautiful butterflies! That''s the first time I see that wand perform a magical display. So it did indeed choose you." A proud and relieved smile made way into Alice''s face, happiness surging through her. "Wonderful."


    Alice paid for the wand and bade farewell to Ollivander who had a gentle and friendly smile on his face. She happily hid the box on along with the other shopped goods and headed straight to Eeylops Owl Emporium. She bought a beautiful black owl and named it Obsidian, very pleased with herself as she stared adoringly at the caged owl. Not even a moment before she remembered him, Dumbledore appeared cheerful as usual.


    "Ah. I see you''ve bought a beautiful black owl. How was shopping?"


    "It was great." It was indeed, and she felt like the extraordinaire events that relayed in one day couldn''t be justified by any adjectives in her vocabulary without being superfluous, so she settled for ''great''. Her eyes had never been as bright as it is today than it was for years.


    "That''s good to hear. It''s getting late, I''ll apparate you back home. Let me help you with that cage." Alice nodded and let Dumbledore take the cage. They linked arms and once more, to Alice''s displeasure, apparated. Even though it was the second time, she still felt as nauseous as she was when she first experienced it. The numerous bags she held fell at the same time her knees touched the ground.


    "Alice!" Dumbledore quickly came to aid, with a wave of his wand the things she bought were unharmed, bringing them inside her shack. He kneeled and tried to help Alice up, to which she didn''t protest with.


    "I''ll be fine. Let me be for a while please." And that Dumbledore did. After several deep breaths, Alice was able to regain her balance, sighing deeply as she raised her brow at Dumbledore.


    "Aren''t there more.. Less nauseating ways rather than apparating?"


    "There are." Dumbledore chuckled. "Countless ways, of course. However, portkeys can be as equally nauseating. Well, you could''ve traveled through floo powder, but you can floo another time. I just find apparating more convenient. Don''t worry, you''ll get used to it."


    Alice''s face furrowed into a frown, then sighed. "Well, I guess so. Thank you very much, professor. For accompanying me today, and teaching me along the way."


    "It was only my job to do so. Also, I am very interested in what kind of person you''ll grow into at Hogwarts." He gave a gentle, supporting smile that made Alice felt glad, but also hollow.


    "You know professor, I still can''t believe this is actually happening. Oh don''t get me wrong. There are all kinds of reality, and it has always been a pleasure to relinquish each and every one of them. However.. Everything today felt real yet so.. Impossible." Her hand clutched on her dirty apron tight, head casted downwards as she felt troubled by an unknown emotion.


    "Reality has always been a vague thing. Reality is a word whose meaning is defined by its viewer. It is up to you if you will believe or not. As for me, I believe in you Alice." He placed his hand on Alice''s shoulder, his gentle and understanding gaze remained as she looked up to him.


    "That''s.. Thank you."


    "You''re welcome Ms. Liddell. It has been a pleasure to spend the day with you, but I must now go and bid you farewell. I''ll see you on school." Alice waved him off as he apparated, leaving her once more in the company of her own mind, and it was a very noisy and crowded company.

 Chapter 3: Alice in Hogwarts

    A week and a couple of days have passed, and Alice have finished reading all of the books, although she either skimmed or read with confusion. It was a guaranteed fact that she tried to copy spells and tried to experiment Potions, and all of it were a huge failure save for some simple spells she managed to do. She developed an interest towards Divination, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures, subjects she looks forward to the most.


    "Huh. Looks like I have to wait for school to actually understand all the indecipherable materials and terms on these books." Alice slumped on her bed, on her hand was a copy of Advanced Potion Making. During the entire time she meddled with her wand and tried out spells, some bombarded her shack and she had no choice but to work on cleaning and fixing. The galleons she have were converted to euros, all thanks to the kind old wizard, and was able to buy food and other basic things that she thought she couldn''t afford anymore. She was able to look around the new, modern England and it still looked similar although with different, much daring clothings, wider roads, more vehicles and new machineries. It truly was a world embracing science, and engaging in a world war, just like H.G Wells predicted.


    Today is the day she''s been waiting for. The day she''ll depart her home once more and travel a new path. The day she''ll start as a student at Hogwarts.


    "Pfft-" She bursted out in a rambunctious laugh, rolling on her little bed until she fell off. "Ha! Not only am I going to be a wizard, but also back as a student! This sure will be a riot!"


    Alice picked herself up and returned the book in the luggage. She has already prepared everything beforehand, and the train ticket in her pocket. With her lanky arms, she took her bag along with the cage where Obsidian is. From all the reading she did, she was able to cast a feather-light charm on the luggage along with the cage and was able to carry them easily. She locked the house and without even turning back, she began to walk towards the train station. She left early to catch the train travelling here from Oxford to London where she is supposed to board a train to Hogwarts. Excitement filled every fiber in her body, and she was unable to restrain the smile that stayed throughout the train ride to London.


    Within a span of one week, she was able to do a lot of things than just cleaning her impoverished shack and reading her books. She went to the city and spent her money very wisely, then looked around to keep herself updated. Much to her pleasure, she was able to buy a few clothes and is currently wearing one of the clothes she bought. A blue, navy-styled dress paired with oxford shoes suited her well, and wearing them other than her ragged clothes that lasted for decades welled her up with hope and happiness. However, a crisis arose as she reached King''s Cross station without being able to look for platform 9 ?.


    "Is this really the right number?" She glanced at the number on her ticket once more, looking around as she began asking.


    "Excuse me? Can you tell me where platform 9 ? is?"


    The stranger just glared at her and harshly said, "Don''t ask stupid questions."


    The man left and Alice felt irked, and her irritation grew after her question was denied many times. With a sigh, she started to feel hopeless, looking at the ticking clock and wondering if she really won''t be able to go after all. But then, someone tapped her shoulder and greeted her with a friendly smile.


    "You''re looking for platform 9 ?, right?" The light, brown-skinned foreign girl asked.


    "Yes. I can''t seem to find it and all these people don''t know either." Alice frowned, aggravated but was glad that someone seem to know.


    "Of course! They''re muggles after all!" The girl laughed, then gave Alice a rather big smile. "You don''t have to worry though, I''ll show you how, and we must hurry. We have only have a few minutes left to catch the train."


    The girl walked towards the wall in between platform 9 and 10 then faced Alice. "Alright. You must watch very carefully. As long as you have your ticket in you somewhere, you can get in. Don''t worry, I''ll be waiting for you. Just run straight in." She instructed, and all Alice could do is nod and anticipate. Taking in a deep breath, the girl sprinted towards the wall and seemed like she got sucked right in. Alice gasped, her eyes widening as she looked around.


    "What- No one seemed to notice." She sighed, and felt more nervous. "What if I crash in? That girl didn''t give very specific instructions. Time for my rashness then." She heaved a defeated sigh and closed her eyes, gripping the trolley tightly as she sprinted towards the wall. The whole time her heart was pounding, she felt like she passed through some sort of barrier and it proved to be so as soon as she opened her eyes.


    "Woah.."


    As she turned around the corner, a lively sight greeted her. Everyone was hustling and bustling, farewells and greetings left and right. The train was a huge locomotive with HOGWARTS EXPRESS written in a red plate in front along with the digits 5972. She looked around for the girl earlier, but she was nowhere to be seen.


    "Maybe she went by herself. Quite rude to leave work unfinished." Alice went inside the train, seeing a lot of compartments packed by students of various ages and 11 year-olds uneasily approaching others. She walked ahead and found an empty compartment much to her delight. Sitting on the right side, looking at the boisterous people greeting their farewells to the student boarding the train, a little pain suddenly twinged her heart with grief and longing. She wishes she still have her family to greet her farewell in the train and open arms when she returns. It wasn''t long before the deafening train whistle blared through, the train started moving and Alice gazed out the window with excitement pumping throughout her body. A food trolley came along and she bought a few sweets, heaving out a relaxed sigh as she sunk further on the seat and ate happily.


    "This is bliss." She purred. Her lips curled into a smile, keeping what remains of the things she bought in her little pouch and closed her eyes.


    "Excuse me?" She didn''t know how long she napped, but it felt so brief, interrupted by a familiar, masculine voice. She opened her eyes and on the door was the gentleman she saw a week ago. She abruptly sat up and met his gaze.


    "Yes?" She managed to answer politely, and she was greeted by the same curtness as a charming smile appeared on his face.


    "Are you Ms. Liddell?"


    "Yes I am. May I help you with something?"


    "I''m Tom Riddle, a 6th year prefect. I have been told to check up on you by Professor Dumbledore." Alice was unsure if she saw a hint of shadow and irritation, because as soon as she thought she saw a glimpse of those, his charming smile cleared it.


    "Professor Dumbledore? Well that''s very nice of him. Did he say anything?"


    "Yes. You don''t mind me sitting here and chatting with you here for a while, right? I must confess that I find you curious."


    Alice blushed and smiled back. "Of course, I don''t mind."


    "Thank you." He sat across her in such a poised manner that made Alice instinctively remember her manner lessons and sat upright. "It''s very surprising to see a 6th year transferee. I''ve read none about 6th year transferees in Hogwarts, so I''m guessing you''re a first. That''s why the Transfiguration Professor and other professors asked me to talk to you and make you feel reassured."


    ''Hm. Seems like he''s a reliable lad.''Alice thought. "To be honest, I am completely baffled when I was told that I was a witch. Even though this might turn out as no different from my illusions, wouldn''t it be fun to just go with it and not waste the fun?" She grinned, and offered him a candy.


    He shook his head, declining the candy. "I think that''s an interesting perspective. I was pretty confounded too, but I assure you though that this is real. You can''t just imagine all of this in your mind, right?"


    "No. Doesn''t matter to me if it''s real or not, or if it''s my imagination or some others. The important thing is, how to keep it going? This magic world could easily be a reality to us and at the same time a work of someone''s expansive imagination. Are we going along to the author''s will? Or the author is just letting the mind and ink flow? The moment the imagination is ended, then so are our lives. It''s a mystery." Alice said rather wistfully, shrugging before chuckling and looking straight at him since her gaze was darting around while she was talking. "How about you Mr. Riddle? Do you think this is reality?"


    "You ask rather peculiar questions, Ms. Liddell. However, I stand by the fact that this is reality. My goals will be a reality too. Won''t it be too bad if this was just someone''s vivid wet dream?" Tom grinned and for a split second she saw a hint of malice and scorn.


    Sniggering, Alice nodded in agreement. "I have to agree with you on that. I wouldn''t like to be a product of someone''s random dream. However, I don''t mind if it''s made by an elaborate dreamer, since I am one myself." She shrugged. "Now, tell me, how big is the Hogwarts castle?"


    Tom chuckled. "An enormous, magical castle with a magical lake, a forbidden forest, moving staircases and much more. I was blown away myself when I entered Hogwarts as a 1st year. I wouldn''t blame you if you get as surprised and lost as the first year students. You don''t have to worry though, the prefect of whatever house you''ll be assigned to will help you." He leaned forward Alice and looked around, as if he was going to whisper something very important. "Slytherin is the only house worth getting into."


    Her brows quickly quirked up, stifling a laugh. "Pfft. How come? I''ve read that there are 4 houses. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Do I have the right to choose which house I go to?"


    "To some extent." He shrugged. "I won''t be spoiling the fun. You could chant Slytherin many times and you''d be lucky enough to go there. However, you seem like a Ravenclaw. Still, witticism is greatly welcomed in Slytherin."


    "Huh. What''s so great about Slytherin anyway?"


    "Slytherin is a house established by the Great Salazar Slytherin. It houses cunning, resourceful and ambitious people. Why, it''s the house that hosts the most pure-blooded people." He announced with much pride, and there was a glint of greed that Alice didn''t miss.


    "Sounds like a great house. I''d like to keep my options open though." She have read Hogwarts: A History, and the book left her greatly amazed and puzzled. The houses were briefly explained, yet she still doesn''t know which house she likes. Hufflepuff is a house who values hard work, patience and overall exuberates a sort of kind, warm welcome she wants. Ravenclaw prizes intelligence, wisdom and creativity, and she honestly felt like it''s a house made just for her. After all, she prides herself as an intelligent person. Gryffindor is a house that suited her wonderland self. Bravery, chivalry and nerve, the stuff she''s been pursuing and keeping to have over many years. Slytherin seems to resemble Hufflepuff if only its logo wasn''t of a snake. It''s the house that focuses on power, ambitions, and cleverness, the things that made her fire going despite decades of impoverishment. The houses all look great and she looks forward being in one of them. In fact, she doesn''t mind if she''s sorted into all of them.


    Tom sat up and straightened himself. "It was nice chatting with you Ms. Liddell."


    ''Oh please, call me Alice."


    "Well then, it was a pleasure getting to know you, Alice." Tom gave such a dashing smile that made Alice swooned for a little while if she didn''t remember that she''s actually much older than him. "However, I still have prefect duties to attend to. But may I ask a question?" His tone was light yet clipped and his face was suddenly blank as his dark eyes locked with her green ones.


    "Yes, whatever is it?"


    "Alice Liddell from Alice in Wonderland?"


    Alice was surprised he too knew about her. When she went back home, she did a little visit on the library and found out that Charles indeed published a book with her as the protagonist. She laughed at how accurate he wrote her childhood adventures and was both proud and happy that her friend received such a big audience on his book. The illustrations were as exactly as she told him. What stunned her though, that a muggle children''s novel would grab the attention of the magical community too.


    "Yes. Quite surprising right?"


    "Very much intriguing too. I''d like to chat more but I''m afraid I can''t stay any longer. I guess I''ll see you around."


    "I''ll see you around." She smiled at him and he politely nodded and returned the smile. He finally left and Alice was left on her own once more. Tom, no matter how charming and delightful he appears, is a mysterious figure, and that made him all the more alluring. She slunk at her seat and popped a candy on her mouth, before another bustling person entered the person.


    "Oops. ''Scuse me."


    It was the girl from earlier. She entered, panting and looking outside the hallway before collapsing on the seat opposite to Alice.


    "Dios mio! Hanggang ngayon hindi ko pa rin lubusang maintindihan ang mga ingles."The girl muttered in a foreign language and sighed deeply. Alice stayed quiet until it was about a minute when the girl finally noticed her.


    "Oh my! How rude of me!" She immediately sat up, her face flushed. "I''m sorry for not noticing you until now! And for abandoning you earlier on the station. I''ve been looking all over for you though! Goodness, how uncivil of me to leave a new student! You see, my friends dragged me somewhere as soon as they saw me and I''ve just managed to escape from those lunatics! Urgh! I may love those fools but they certainly have no right to drag me and just barrage me with questions about my vacation and dalliances! Oh, sorry for rattling! Don''t mind me please." The girl was chatty, but then quickly sighed and scratched her head.


    "I''m Flordeliza Torres by the way. My name is too long so I''ve shortened it to that. I''m really sorry for being such an inconvenience." She extended her arm and offered her hand, to which Alice though hesitant but nonchalantly shook.


    "I''m Alice Liddell. It was quite rude when you left me all of a sudden, but it''s alright now. I''ve managed without your help."


    Flordeliza laughed, a carefree yet sweet laughter. "Blunt, aren''t we? But it''s my fault after all so I don''t mind, and I''m really sorry."


    "Can''t help it. They''ve always said honesty is the best policy, but I just cut to the chase since it''s tiring to beat around the bush. I do lie from time to time though. You''re forgiven." The girl laughed once more, and Alice felt herself swell in pride. It''s been too long since someone laughed at her jokes. Her laughter was quite infectious, and she knows that Flordeliza is a rambunctious and cheerful person she won''t mind as a company.


    "So Alice, what year would you be in?" Flordeliza asked very casually, slouching down her seat and grabbing a candy from her pocket and ate it.


    "I''m in 6th year. Seems like I''m a transferee though."


    "Seems like it? It''s obvious you are a transferee. Transferees are a very rare case in Hogwarts. As rare as a blue moon. I''m in 6th year too by the way. Do tell me your story." Not only was the girl chatty, she also seems like an eager listener to gossips.


    "Well, to be honest I don''t know. I''ve only known that the magical community existed a week ago and now apparently I''m going to attend a magical school." She had a few skeptical ideas about how she has become a student this year despite the fact they could''ve sent her years and years ago. She''d have a word with Dumbledore or another professor when she''ll have a chance.


    "Oh, so you''re a muggleborn I assume, but that''s just flabbergasting! It would''ve been assumed that you were from another wizarding school, but you didn''t even know about the magical community ''til a week ago? Oh you poor yet lucky dear!" Flordeliza shook her head and placed a consoling hand on Alice.


    "Oh." Alice was indeed flabbergasted, but also skeptic how she resembles one of her Wonderland''s residents, the main characteristic being rather nosy.


    "You know, poor since you have to deal with this all too sudden. I bet you''ll be riding the carriage though."


    "I don''t mind."


    "But also lucky because the wizarding world is such a beautiful one! Very amazing. You''d love being a witch! Back in my country witches may have been more open, but we were also more openly feared and ridiculed. Here, the wizarding community is much more united while in ours, witches were separated and mostly led secluded lives." The girl sighed sadly before squeezing Alice''s shoulders.


    "You''ll be fine. Remember to do what your heart needs, not wants."


    "Yes, thank you." Alice smiled, feeling somehow awkward. ''I would not doubt if she''s into theatrics.''


    Flordeliza looked at Alice up and down before giving two thumbs up. "I like your clothes. It''s very cute. Too bad you have to change into your uniform now. We''re nearing Hogwarts."


    Alice obliged and changed into her school new uniform, neatly tucking her new clothes back in the trunk and returned to the compartment. She saw the girl staring outside and waving her hand out of boredom. She wasn''t able to fully observe her earlier, but Flordeliza is a pretty girl. Short black hair and bright, almond eyes that matched her tanned skin, she''s taller than Alice by at least 3 feet. She also noticed the yellow and black tie tucked inside her gymslip, the yellow linings of her robe along with the hufflepuff logo stitched on her right side.


    "You''re back. Nice! The uniform suits you." Flordeliza smiled happily and Alice sat back to her spot. "There will be a bit of changes in your uniform when you get sorted into a house. Hope you''d be in Hufflepuff."


    "I''d love to be in there, but I hold the same feelings about the other houses. Could you spoil some things for me? I''m dying of curiosity."


    "I know, but didn''t they say that curiosity killed the cat?" She giggled. "I thought for sure that I''d be in Gryffindor, but I consented with the hat wanting me in Hufflepuff instead. I don''t regret it. Hufflepuff is the nicest house ever! We may be often underrated, but exceptional wizards and witches also came from our house. We''re just thoroughly humble.. Except me." Flordeliza chortled and Alice nodded along.


    "And seriously. It wouldn''t kill us to win at least more quidditch games or a house cup this year!" She groaned in exasperation, and though Alice didn''t exactly understood but she has read it in one of her books earlier. "Alright, I''ll give a bit of teaser."


    "Thank you." Alice chuckled.


    "Coward Hufflepuffs. Pompous Gryffindors. Weird Ravenclaws. Evil Slytherins. Those are the house stereotypes. I''m an advocate of truth, but these stereotypes have been going on for centuries. There will be dumb people who''d mock you for being in any house. It''s like anyone has a say and right to feel above others, really." Flordeliza huffed, but then quickly waved her hands and shook. "It''s not like I''m discouraging you, but it''s the truth. Don''t worry about that though, whatever your house you''re in, it''s your decision to make the best of it and I''ll support you."


    "You''re quite a sensible person after all besides being a chatterbox." Alice said bluntly, but with sincerity.


    "You sure have a sharp tongue.. And I like that! Wouldn''t hurt to be in a more outspoken and honest company. You wouldn''t mind being my friend, right?"


    Alice returned Flordeliza''s friendly smile. "Sure. Wouldn''t hurt to have a lively companion either. I''d appreciate your help in guiding me, and not leave me like you did earlier."


    "Of course! I''d shove all those pesky critters that bothered me earlier and this time accompany you properly. I''d like to introduce you though. You''d be quite popular being a transferee."


    Soon the train arrived at the Hogsmeade station and everyone departed from their compartments. Alice was accompanied by Flordeliza as promised. She saw Tom moments ago, but he was too surrounded by his peers to notice her. Even though she was a transferee, she was spared the embarrassment of being sorted with the 1st year students and instead was able to ride on the carriages like all other older years, and along with Flordeliza. Everyone mounted the carriages, and Alice can''t help but notice the sinister, bony, reptilian-like horses that pulled the carriages. She sat across Flordeliza and asked, "Flordeliza, what are they called?"


    She pointed at the reptilian-like horses, eyeing them with curiosity. "Oh? You can see them? Those are thestrals."


    "Thestrals. They look, hm, ominous, I think."


    "You think? They are ominous. But don''t worry, they''re trained and domesticated quite well." She gave a nonchalant reply to Alice''s surprise, noticing that her gaze were somewhere far off, but her observation was cut off by Flordeliza pointing towards her friends. "Look, the pesky critters!"


    "Pesky critters! Why you!" A dark, brown haired female marched towards them and grabbed Flordeliza by her ear. "Have you any idea how worried we were when you ran off? Honestly! You always make us chase you around!"


    "Ouch! Ouch! I''m sorry Mother Therese!" With the pun she made, Flordeliza''s ear was pinched even harder and was left bright red. "I''m sorry! No need to pinch my ear like that!" She frowned in disapproval, cradling her aching ear.


    "Now Therese, it was our fault for getting too excited. We missed you after all Flor, but it was rude of you to run off. Proper ladies don''t run off like you do." The blonde female sighed, subduing the situation.


    "Eh. I couldn''t help it. You gals know me, right?"


    "And you know us too. If you keep this up, we wouldn''t know you anymore." The girl named Therese glared at Flordeliza before her gaze fell to Alice. "Is that the girl you''ve abandoned us for and searched?"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Yes! Her name''s Alice Liddell, and she''s a transferee."


    "Alice Liddell huh. Familiar name. Anyway, nice to meet you miss. I''m Therese Urquart." Alice nodded as the girl gave her a curt greeting.


    "It''s nice meeting you too."


    "I''m Martha Steward. I apologize for Flor''s irresponsibility and rudeness."


    The two girls snickered and Flordeliza scowled at them. They all rode in the same carriage and despite the chatter of the three Hufflepuffs, Alice''s mind wandered and her gaze focusing on the nearing castle. She was thankful that the other two were either too shy or awkward to talk to her, and Flordeliza was busy bragging. The years of being locked up in an asylum without talking to anybody other than those inside her mind should''ve rendered her incapable of being social, but right now, the excitement of the new environment has overwhelmed her and made her temporarily forget her anxiety. It wasn''t that she still didn''t feel anxious, rather, she still felt all of this unreal and has treated them as a citizen of someone''s expansive imagination.


    She stared at the three of them, observing them chatter. Flordeliza seemed to resemble the Mad Hatter in some ways, for both of them causes her frustration. Flordeliza however is kind hearted compared to the lunatic of a hatter. Therese would be the Duchess. A disagreeable and horrendous person, but can actually be sane and affectionate to the point of being cringing. Martha would be Mouse, sensitive but tries to keep a strong font by calling herself a rebellious feminist, which honestly is a contradiction to her otherwise personality. It isn''t nice that she''s comparing them with the lunatic residents of her Wonderland, but it was a way to identify them easily. The three of them seemed like great friends, and being Hufflepuffs strengthened their friendship. Even though she once held herself with pride for being brought up as an aristocrat, she could no longer do the same now after all that she''s been through. For now, she has to go with the flow and make do.


    The three chatterboxes got off the carriage, along with the silent Alice as soon as they arrived the castle. A balding, old man dressed in finery waited on the entrance, and soon the loud chatter of the three Hufflepuffs turned into hushed murmurings.


    "It''s the Headmaster!" Alice heard Martha scream in a whisper.


    "What''s he doing here? Was he waiting for us? Oh no! Did we do something wrong?" Flordeliza''s panicked response worsened the worry of her peers, whilst Alice was merely curious.


    "Good evening girls." The headmaster approached towards them and greeted them cheerfully.


    Flordeliza was the one who greeted back the headmaster in an equally cheerful tone while the other two murmured their greetings. "Good evening to you too Headmaster! To what do we owe this pleasure of meeting you here? We aren''t in trouble, right?"


    "No, no, Ms. Torres. Though I would appreciate if you strain yourself from making any future troubles. You''re quite the troublemaker after all." Flordeliza gave a shy and awkward giggle, turning her head from the Headmaster and looked somewhere far off instead. The Headmaster''s gaze turned from the Three Hufflepuffs to Alice who stood a bit distant from the rest of them. "Ms. Liddell. Lovely to finally meet you. I''m Headmaster Armando Dippet, and pardon for my intrusion girls, but I''d appreciate if Ms. Liddell would follow me. There are things to be discussed with our transferee."


    ''Oohh''s were heard from the three of them and Alice obliged, nodding.


    "See you later Alice!" She waved at the three of them and followed suit the Headmaster''s strides.


    "Ms. Liddell, I am terribly sorry for getting you into this mess." Alice wasn''t able to see the Headmaster''s face since she was following him from behind, but his voice sounded really apologetic.


    "Why ever so, Headmaster Dippet?" She heard him sigh.


    "We''re approaching my office soon. The other Head of the Houses will be there, so hold on to your questions."


    And Alice did so. After the shopping trip, her mind was plagued with so many questions and her head ached pondering all of it and trying to give all of the questions so many alternate guesses of an answer. Despite all the excitement and anticipation, uneasiness lied deep inside, and hopefully she will get answers of at least half of her thousands of questions. The castle was by far the biggest and most enchanting one she has ever seen, and she could feel the powerful magic it exudes. Soon they arrived at the Headmaster''s office, a quaint room with tall columns, high shelves of books, a grand desk amidst and probably hundreds of portraits hung on the wall. The office vibrated with much magic, and she was greeted by Dumbledore who sat amongst three unfamiliar faces in front of the desk.


    "Alright everyone. Alice, take a seat." The Headmaster offered her a seat in the middle of them all, making her anxious as she sat down.


    "Everyone, meet Alice Liddell." The Headmaster introduced her to the four of them, the three scrutinizing her whilst Dumbledore gave her a supportive smile.


    "Ms. Liddell, each of these professors here are also head of the houses and are thoroughly involved with the decision making here in Hogwarts. You are here as a student due to their approvals." Alice remained impassive, only looking forward, particularly at no one. "This is Professor Horace Eugene Flaccus Slughorn, Head of Slytherin and also the Potions Master."


    Professor Slughorn was a rotund man who offered his hand to Alice and genially shook it when she accepted it.


    "On your right is the Head of Ravenclaw and also the Divination Professor, Professor Arsinoe Rosamund." Professor Rosamund is a young woman who looked like a refined ice beauty, acknowledging Alice with a curt nod.


    "Professor William Rollo Selwyn, Head of Hufflepuff and an Astronomy Professor." The Astronomy Professor on the other hand seemed like your average professor, smiling at Alice in a friendly manner.


    Her head immediately went to Dumbledore who smiled at her benignly and was introduced last. "And I believe you already had the delight of meeting Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Head of Gryffindor and Transfiguration Professor."


    The Headmaster cleared his throat and sat straight up right with his clenched hands placed on the desk. The other professors sat straight too, yet still in their usual composure although a bit more business-like. "Now, I would like you to enjoy your stay here in Hogwarts, but jumping into 6th year with not much prior knowledge will be a difficult task. You have the right to leave Hogwarts."


    Alice was irked. The Headmaster just dropped the fact without so much a tact. Her face scrunched in displeasure, and her hands fisted her dress. She knew there will be difficulties, but it wasn''t her fault since she wasn''t informed well to begin with. Dumbledore explained magic and the magical community, but the reason why she is in Hogwarts right now was left to question. "Then why am I summoned here? School supplies have already been bought and to top that, I''ve already met a few students in my year."


    "Ms. Liddell, even though you have the right to leave, we were hoping that you would stay." The Headmaster sighed, and Alice kept silent, sensing he has a lot more to say. "At the age 11, you were supposed to be a 1st year student on 1867 here at Hogwarts, but your traumatized mind was beyond our current healer''s abilities. We are terribly sorry, Ms. Liddell."


    Alice grimaced, and tried her best not to show her contempt and disgust openly. Instead, her grimace morphed into a neutral expression and her voice blank.


    "Why now?"


    "Otherlands, Ms. Liddell. You can enter and even live inside a person''s mind." That wasn''t a surprising answer, in fact, she has suspected it since Dumbledore himself told her that only she could do it.


    "But why? You all know magic that surpasses my ability of entering a person''s wonderland."


    "That''s precisely the reason. We are many years ahead of you when it comes to the knowledge and experience of wielding magic, thus we also know that your ability is one of a kind."


    Alice didn''t know if she should feel special or used, because the situation she is in now makes her feel like she''ll be ordered and taken advantage of, and that made her blood boil, making her spill words dripping with derision and sarcasm.


    "Such poor persuasion ability. You think I just enter the minds of other people for the fun of it? With all due respect, Headmaster, I am not a 16 year old. Of course I look like the part, but I have been living for almost 90 years. To think I was influenced and misguided by some hefty magical words and display. I''ve seen much interesting things inside a person''s mind. This is trickery!"


    Silence befell among them and Alice was growing angrier at every passing second of silence. Everyone noticed Alice''s growing vexation, but it was Professor Rosamund who quickly acted and broke the awkward ice from the five of them. "May I explain in your stead, Headmaster?"


    She was approved with a sigh and a nod. "You may do as you wish, Professor Rosamund."


    "Ms. Liddell, I may not have been born by that time of your misfortune, but it is our fault for neglecting you. We didn''t bother anymore seeing your decrepit mental state, and we thought the same when you were released from the asylum by the time you reached 16. It was a difficult decision to let you in Hogwarts when you didn''t even know about Hogwarts at the age 16. You can''t just skip ahead 6th year. You were supposed to be summer-schooled at least but the responsibility and risk of taking a demented person like you didn''t seem worth it by the past administration. I am taking responsibility of your admittance here Ms. Liddell since I am at fault. I foresaw a possible future, and I''ve blabbered it first to the ministry instead of consulting the headmaster first."


    "Rosamund-" Professor Selwyn and the Headmaster gasped, shaking their heads in disagreement. Alice however, appreciated the cold straightforwardness from Professor Rosamund, her apathetic expression returned as her anger simmered down.


    "Don''t blame yourself Arsinoe, you were born a Seer and it is in your future to be both a prophet and a witch." Dumbledore said and the three others agreed. "It was the fault of the previous administration and by extension, ours too. The ministry has approved of us taking action of Professor Rosamund''s prophecy. You are here now Alice not only because of the prophecy, but also because we wanted to make it up to you. It was also Charles''s last wish."


    She felt a blow in her heart when he mentioned Charles. Her blank expression crumbled into a defeated and confused expression. It was heavy to take and hard to swallow, and she couldn''t even chew the information because of its bitterness. It was beginning to be a lot easier if she thought of this as another situation in another Otherland, but the probability was a blur too.


    "Ms. Liddell, we need your power to go to the Otherlands. We would have considered other means rather than you being a student here, but it''s a student here that needs your help most, and you being a student seemed much likely than the other means we have come up with. Legilimency, or the ability to read minds, could only just read minds and explore memories. A memory charm could only erase and create memories. You however, can enter it, shape it, manipulate it, bend the subconscious to your will and you have used it to help others. That''s why we need you." Professor Rosamund pleaded, but her sincerity mismatched her cold appearance and so her words sounded odd.


    "Professor Rosamund, you make it sound like I''m so special. That I''m so gifted." Alice snorted, her brows arching in challenge. "Going to the Otherlands is no easy feat. I lose time whenever I go in. I could spend an entire week in someone''s wonderland and I''d be actually losing a month or two in the real world. I''ve neglected myself just by going in, and I have lost dear friends because I couldn''t entirely save their wonderlands. In the end, it is still their own minds, and it is their choice if they wanted themselves saved or doomed. I wish your judgement was a bit clearer. You chose to tell me all this the moment I''ve arrived Hogwarts? Have you considered telling me all this a week ago instead of now? This is such a hassle on both our ends. Not only will I be dealing about going in a student''s wonderland, but also fitting in here. You realize the clear error of judgement in here?"


    "Yes, we do. A series of unfortunate events happened and we couldn''t take action immediately. We were planning to send you to summer school, but you were away. Instead, we chose to tell you all this now, and I sincerely apologize." The Headmaster hung his head low, whilst Alice just speculated them all with a defiant stare. Rosamund turned into steel ice, Slughorn grimaced, and Selwyn had a troubled expression while Dumbledore retained his observant gaze.


    "Are you aware of the current World War 2 in your world?" It was Professor Slughorn who spoke.


    Alice nodded.


    "There is currently a conflict here the magical community, you might even say a war would break out in here if we couldn''t contain it. From the prophecy foretold by Professor Rosamund, you might also be involved." Her eyes followed Slughorn''s gaze towards to Rosamund, and then all four eyes focused to the Divination Professor.


    "That is just one of the many other probabilities. No matter, the top priority right now is making Ms. Liddell fit in here, that is if she chooses to stay."


    Alice took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves and clear her blurry mind.


    "How do you people know Charles?"


    "Charles Dodgson was a proud alma mater of Hogwarts. He was an excellent Ravenclaw who achieved his N.E.W.T.s, although he opted to continue his studies and work with muggles. He later settled on Hogsmeade and taught Arithmancy here in Hogwarts." The Headmaster paused, leaving unsaid words hanging before continuing hesitantly. "He was the one who pleaded to have you here when you were released from the asylum, but you were still ill and you often disappeared. It was later on when we realized that you were travelling inside the minds of people. Charles still pleaded to have you atleast know about your wizarding heritage, he was also the one who helped figure out the prophecy and asked that you be educated in Hogwarts. Unfortunately.. He.. He passed away two months ago."


    There was an uneasy silence, and Alice sighed in defeat. "I''m staying."


    Everyone cheered and before anyone has got more to add with Alice''s decision, Professor Selwyn hastily disrupted the relieved atmosphere. "Great! Hate to break it to you people, but we rather should move along. The sorting ceremony will be starting."


    The hasty professor stood from his chair, but was stopped by Dumbledore.


    "William, slow down. We still have ample time left. Ms. Liddell is yet to be sorted." The Headmaster nodded and stood from his seat, taking along the old, brown wizard hat.


    "Ms. Liddell, meet the sorting hat. I''ll be placing atop your head so it could sort which house you''ll go to."


    The sorting hat was placed in her head, her hands clasped together as her green eyes was fixed on the table, disregarding the gazes of the headmaster and his head of houses. She felt slightly agitated and curious with how exactly a hat will sort her, and though her face remained impassive, her twisting fingers tell otherwise.


    "Oh dear. Quite a difficult spot you''ve put me in, Alice."The hat spoke after such a long pause. Its scruffy, old voice matched her imagination. In fact, she was surprised that it could talk.


    ''A talking hat? That''s.. A bit of surprise.''


    ''Shouldn''t be much of a surprise to you since you''ve seen plenty more inanimate objects talk.''


    ''Wait, how come I''ve placed you on a difficult spot? I think I''d go well in any of the houses. Just sort me quickly so I won''t have them staring at me anymore.''


    The sorting hat ignored her plea to sort her quick. ''That''s precisely the problem. The ambiguity of your life in any of the houses is perturbing and it doesn''t help that you like each house equally.''


    ''All of the houses seems great. Whatever house I''m sorted in, I''ll be good.''Alice shrugged, and there was a mental image of the hat shaking its head in disapproval.''But you see, that''s not how sorting works. The environment will shape you, and it''s my job to sort you in a house that suits your.. Questionable personality. Tell me Alice, what bothers you?''''There are many things that bothers me, however I don''t understand what you''re implying.''


    ''Nonchalance won''t cancel out an unfortunate encounter. I''m sorting you through what you''re averse of instead of what you desire.''


    ''Huh. Guess that makes sense.''Alice''s fingers stopped fiddling, curled and clenched together instead. Her brows furrowed in distaste as she reminisced an untasteful memory. ''I don''t want to be left alone. I don''t like being played. I don''t like being taken advantage of, which I am experiencing with my situation to these people right now. And..''


    Alice paused. Her clenched hands were now placed calmly in her lap. ''I have vowed to help those in dark like me, and I will fight their monsters in their behalf.''''Ah. Now that''s a clear answer. Brave Alice, defeated both the Evil Red Queen and the damned Dollmaker. Stopped the Infernal Train too. Bloodied hands, twisted sense of justice, broken human yet still wants to be a heroine. You''d suit Slytherin most but..''"GRYFFINDOR!"


    Everyone was waiting for almost four minutes, Professor Selwyn in particular was anxious with Alice being a hatsall and was greatly relieved when the sorting was over, but was also a little dismayed when she wasn''t sorted in his house. The Ravenclaw and Slytherin Heads were disappointed with the sorting result, hoping that they would be the one to guide such a talent, but they congratulated her nonetheless. It was Dumbledore who was thoroughly pleased, looming over Alice with a exuberant aura as he smiled at her.


    "You''d make a fine Gryffindor, Alice."


    Alice felt herself well with pride as Dumbledore placed his hand on her shoulder as a gesture of him being proud. Although she''d be as happy if she were sorted in the other houses, but having Dumbledore as her head of the house was a relief, since not only is she familiar with him, she took a liking to the kind old wizard.


    "Ms. Liddell, I have to inform you to keep your identity as Alice from Wonderland as a secret."


    She gave Headmaster Dipper a questioning look. "Why? I thought it was a general fact that Charles''s book about my wonderland is widely known."


    "Yes, but how would you go on telling facts about your past so openly?"


    "Oh. I see the point. Wouldn''t want to be called granny or old crone."


    "That wasn''t exactly the point, but we''ll go with that. For now, you''d rather keep your ability of going to Otherlands a secret to avoid clamor or disruption to the prophecy. Devise an excuse. Professor Dumbledore will help you, and I would''ve liked to help if we aren''t tight in time. We should all get going."


    The meeting was over and everyone hurried towards the great hall. Dumbledore walked near Alice, matching her pace as they lagged behind.


    "Say you''re home schooled. Your parents died from an air raid and it was in their will to have Hogwarts take you in."


    "How about my name?"


    "Just say there were friends with Charles and named you after his book''s heroine."


    "And not the other way round?"


    "It was a coincidence that suited you best. If anyone were to ask of your blood status, say you''re a half blood. Muggle mother and pureblood father, since Liddell was formerly known as a pureblood family. You were homeschooled to avoid discrimination, and because you were a very sickly child. No holes in the story, feel free to decorate the lie, but it will still be a lie and I''d actually rather you not. And oh, best prepare your nerves too. You''ll be introduced with everyone as your audience."


    "Perfect." She remarked sarcastically, and her nerve wracking feeling increased as they entered the great hall. It truly was a great hall with thousands of lit candles afloat, its enormous size holding four long tables filled with chattering students and a long table at the front of the hall where the staff sat, and if her eyes didn''t betray her, the hazy figures were ghosts. The Transfiguration Professor steered through the crowd, and Alice followed suit.


    The Headmaster stood from his seat and announced that the Transfiguration Professor has a few words to say. Dumbledore walked in front the podium and urged Alice to stand beside him. The crowd was silenced, every set of eyes were focused on the new girl, their curiosity waiting to be quenched.


    "Everyone, I introduce you Miss Alice Liddell, Hogwarts first transfer student since many decades ago." Dumbledore introduced her with his calm voice loudly reverberating throughout the room, which she suspected as magic. The silence broke and in flowed the loud whisperings of the crowd. Alice kept her face impassive, staring at the sea of people in front of her but not at anyone in particular. "As you all know, Hogwarts scarcely allow transfer students, but this is an exception. Miss Liddell will start as 6th year Gryffindor this year. She has been homeschooled, but she is still talented with magic. I am hoping that you will welcome her as one of you."


    "Go on, take a seat." Dumbledore offered, leading her towards the red and golden table of Gryffindors. The rambunctious students cheered and moved to clear a vacant space for Alice to sit on. The moment her bottom touched the bench, she was attacked by a barrage of introductions and questions.


    Left and right, students of the same year as her flocked around her. From ''Hello Alice''s, ''Nice to meet cha transferee''s, to ''Why did you transfer'' and ''How did you become a transferee?'', it was dizzying. She had no choice but to accept and shake their hands, return their greetings with hello''s and nice to meet you''s and was thankful when they were told to behave. The ones who sat beside her didn''t give up and went on to make themselves familiar with the new student.


    On her right were ginger headed identical twins named Isla and Lorna Prewett. Both were cheerful twins who were worse off than Flordeliza in terms of being a loudmouth. On her left is another red head named Archibald Prewett, his red head a darker tone than the twins, he had a rugged appearance and was trying to calm his fellow classmates down.


    Across the table is a blonde lovey-dovey couple, the plain, ash blonde Madison Jane Parks and stud, sandy blonde Liam Carter, who both flirted with each other while attempting to interact with her. Underneath the table, she was fiddling her fingers and felt herself turning paler than she already is, their words not getting through her ears and her mouth sewn save for the occasional nods, grunts, and yes'' or no''s. Overall, it was a rambunctious party that gave Alice a massive migraine, amazed that she was able to easily memorize their names despite their faces not being fully registered in her mind. She suspects she''ll forget their names and even faces, but hopes she won''t.


    After the 1st years were sorted, Dippet announced for the feast to commence and the chattering around her magically paused and the noise was instead caused by their eating. Alice''s growling stomach permitted her to devour the abundant food laid in front of her. She easily managed to steal pieces of food without the other getting suspicious, her first few bites were huge until she noticed the glances stolen by her seatmates.


    "Woah! For someone so thin, you surely can eat!" One of the twins exclaimed. She heard giggles and chortles from beside her, her face bursting red. Her eating pace slowed, until the queasiness she felt made her lose her appetite. She forced herself to swallow and finish the food, waiting for the right timing to leave. After dinner, Alice was dragged by the girls to the Gryffindor room. She took in deep breaths as she followed them from behind, grateful for their amicable chatter with her and for the breathtaking structure of the magical castle. Her previous embarrassment and anxiety faded, too occupied with her awe from the grand staircase, the Gryffindor common room and their room.


    "Phew! I''m beat!" Isla exhaled, flopping on the left bed nearest the entrance. Her twin, Lorna, did the same on her own bed which is just beside Isla''s.


    "The bed on the right near entrance is mine. On the middle is Zinnia Parkinson''s, the left corner is Vivian Thorne''s, and yours will be on the right corner, beside mine." Madison explained and helped Alice with her luggage. "Is there anything I could do to help?"


    "Thank you Madison. I can handle it." Alice gave the girl a grateful smile, which was returned by a friendly and welcoming one.


    Isla shot up from her bed and excitedly jumped up. "Oh! We should party! I''ve missed you girls! Where''s Zinnia and Vivian?"


    "Vivian''s probably wandering in the library to check if it still exists. I have not the slightest clue to where Zinnia would be though." Madison answered, shrugging her shoulders.


    "Ugh. Zinnia. Who knows what that vicious girl is up to?" Lorna scrunched her nose and Isla did too, then the twins chortled in agreement.


    "Hey. Zinnia''s not that bad. She probably was summoned by the teachers or something."


    Lorna snorted. "As if."


    Alice began unpacking what little things she have and settled them in the closet and desk beside her four poster bed.


    "Alice! Come join us! I have cookies!" Isla waved the tin box, the contents made a shaking noise. "Lorna baked these yesterday. Here." Isla opened the tin box and Alice''s nose was assailed by the sweet scent of cookies.


    "These tastes great Lorna. Thank you." She chewed on the cookie happily. "These would go well with tea."


    "Oh-ho. No worries about that." Lorna already prepared tea for all of them and they began their tea party.


    "So Alice, isn''t it nerve wracking?" Isla asked.


    "What is?"


    "You know, moving in here. It''s really surprising to have a transfer student."


    "It''s completely baffling to be honest. I''ve been homeschooled my whole life." She lied smoothly.


    "That''s a pity. Why did you suddenly move here? You really weren''t paying much attention during the feast. I can''t blame you, we were all very curious." Madison took another sip of her tea.


    "My parents wished that I''d be taken care of by Hogwarts. It was their last wish."


    "Oh. I''m sorry.." The three of them had downcast eyes, showing their sympathy.


    "It''s alright."


    "Alice Liddell.. Hey! Alice in Wonderland!" Isla exclaimed.


    "Uhm, yes. My parents were friends with Charles. They named me after the character."


    "That is so awesome." Both Lorna and Isla nodded in agreement, Madison laughing along and nodded too.


    Alice covered her mouth as she yawned, rubbing the tears off her eyes. "I''m really tired. I should retire to sleep now."


    "You can''t be serious. We hadn''t even gone to the fun part yet." Lorna pouted.


    "Yes. Seeing you''ve all excluded me." A mocking voice said. The brunette entered the room, sitting on her bed and looking down at the girls who were drinking tea on the lush, carpeted floor. She arched her brow and gave them all a judging look, her intense gaze lingering last on Alice. "Oh. A tea party for the transferee. Well, whatever."


    "Where were you Zinnia?"


    "Trying to bond with Tom, as usual. I missed him dearly. Oh look, there''s Vivian."


    Someone squeaked. Vivian who tried to enter the room as quietly as she can but was caught, her eyes widening like saucers. "E-Excuse me. I''m sorry."


    The soft spoken girl quickly rushed towards her bed, her shaggy brown hair covering her face and soon it was her blanket that covered her whole body.


    "Tch. Like you''d ever get a chance with Tom. I swear the Slytherin girls are so lucky!" Lorna rolled her eyes, her face scrunching in envy.


    "I''m a pureblood and the most beautiful in our year. Of course I''ll be with Tom. But I still rue the day that the damned hat sorted me in this lousy house instead of Slytherin."


    "We''re purebloods too, and boys fawn over us too. Right Isla?"


    "Yes! And I too rue the day the hat sorted you in such a magnificent house. It''s your lousy personality that doesn''t match here."


    Zinnia hissed, her hand quickly going over her robe''s pocket where her wand is.


    "Calm down you three. Let''s just go to bed already." Madison was quick on her feet and has immediately cleared the cups back to the counter. She pushed both Isla and Lorna to her beds, along with Zinnia who didn''t budge at first but then swatted her hand and went to bed.


    Alice changed to her sleeping robes, lying on her bed with the blanket up to her neck. She shifted and gazed outside, her mind recollecting the whole day. She pressed her fingers on her forehead and massaged it.


    ''Too much happened in just one day.''She mused, sighing deeply. The anxiety and dread in her stomach still hasn''t unknotted itself. She still had many questions, and the answers she got caused more questions. ''There will always be endless questions.''


    ''Folks here are weird. Then again, all wonderlands are.. Is this really a wonderland though?''Her lids went heavy, her body languid yet her mind refuses defeat. In a fetal position, she hugged her knees and closed her eyes as her mind wandered for the last time today.


    "How.. Could this be reality?"

 Chapter 4: A Sinister Foretold Future

    It was still dark. Alice awoke before the sun rose. After a refreshing wash and a change of uniform, she left the dorm and wandered on the corridors in hopes of finding the library, but luck wasn''t apparently on her side and with her tendency to be confused with directions, she got lost.


    "Darn it." Alice sighed. Last night was noisy. Even after lights out, the four Gryffindor girls were having a blast with drinking some alcohol named Firewhiskey. They wanted Alice to join, but they consented when Alice said she was too tired, promising to join them another time. She was relieved that they were considerate of her despite their tiring persistence.


    "Ack! Watch your way you buffoon!" A shrill voice underneath her screamed. Alice looked down and found an odd little man wearing wizarding clothes. She tried to help him up, but her hand was swatted away.


    "I''m sorry mister. You were too short so I didn''t see you."


    "Short! Short!? How impudent of you, you giant freak!" The little man pushed Alice aside as he stomped off, unrelenting cussing spilled out from his mouth.


    Alice had to swallow the laugh that threatened to sputter of her lips and instead followed after him. "I''m really sorry mister! I didn''t mean to!"


    "Stop following me you nincompoop!"


    "I''m sorry! But please help me find the library!"


    "Tch! Find it yourself!" The little man spat on the ground and shifted to the right, disappearing right into the wall. Alice tried to do the same but her forehead met a painful thud against the solid wall.


    "Ouch." She pouted. She rubbed her forehead, trying to find another way in but was disappointed when she only saw a few weeds and plants that ignored her.


    "If you can''t let me in the wall, then at least help me find the library." She pleaded to the dandelion, but it merely shook its head and kept on ignoring her. "Ugh. Fine!''


    "Fine what?" Alice jumped up, startled by the voice behind her. She turned around and saw Tom, ever so cool and composed.


    "Good morning Tom." She saw Tom frowned a little, but went back to his usual cool expression.


    "Good morning Alice. You''re an early riser."


    "Well, not on a daily basis though. What are you doing here?" Her head cocked to the side, her right brow arched up.


    "I should be asking you that question. I told you before I was a prefect, and it''s one of my duties to do daily patrolling. Students aren''t allowed to go out their dormitories before the wake up call." Tom held himself tall as he reprimanded her, and it wasn''t difficult since he was much taller than Alice. "I should be taking points away from Gryffindor, however, you are a transferee and you seemed like you weren''t completely aware of the rules, so I''ll let you off the hook."


    Alice felt herself redden in shame and embarrassment. She facepalmed and sighed. "I''m really sorry. I was too tired last night to read the rules."


    Tom chuckled, a charmingly adorable chuckle. "It''s alright Alice. Why are you here anyway?"


    "I was trying to find the library. Since I am a transferee, I was hoping I could hit the books early and learn a thing or two. I didn''t want to lag behind too much."


    "That''s nice to hear. At least you know your priorities and isn''t a clueless transferee." Tom gave her a teasing grin. "Although you are very much going the wrong way. The library is on the 3rd and 4th floor, and this is the 6th floor."


    "Oh. I''m sorry." She sheepishly apologized.


    "It''s alright. It isn''t surprising you''ll get lost on your first day. Come on, I''ll take you to the library."


    "Thank you Tom."


    The Slytherin Prefect lead the way down the library. Alice quietly observed his wide back that he held straight, his tall height a stark contrast to hers. The castle was infested with lively creatures, from the talking plants to animals that hurry off. Tom didn''t pay attention to them, in fact, he was unbothered when a child bumped into him and kept walking. She realized and sighed. Her wonderland creatures are overlapping with Hogwarts. It will be very difficult to differentiate which is her imagination and which is an actual creature in the wizarding community.


    Alice''s eyes widened in awe at the sight of the library. The library is one of the grandest she has ever seen, and the fact it was a magical library made her all the more excited. Undoubtedly, just the sheer amount of books she could read overwhelmed her as well.


    "Well, I''ll leave you to your own devices. I still have prefect duties to do. Beware that you won''t treat all books like you would with a normal one. Some books might bite and suck you in their own world. The librarian.. Might help you. I''ll see you later."


    "Really thank you, Tom. I''ll see you later too."


    Alice stared at Tom''s retreating back for awhile before entering the library. She went to the desk and greeted the old lady sitting behind it.


    "Good morning. I''m Alice Liddell, a transferee. Would you kindly guide me about the library?"


    The librarian barely glanced at her, too engrossed in her work. She however handed Alice a pamphlet and Alice began reading it. Library rules were printed on the paper and although Alice expected a very intricate guide, the rules were almost the same as a normal library except for the obvious few ones. Alice read her Hogwarts guide and schedule and learned that her first subject was History of Magic and the class is held together with the Hufflepuffs. She searched for history books and picked a seat near the windows as she began reading. Time passed and after an hour or more so of reading, her stomach growled and called for breakfast. She placed the book down on one of the many unreturned piles of books and went out. While walking in the hallway, tracing her way back to her room, she bumped into a groggy Flordeliza.


    "Alice, good morning! What a surprise to see you." The hufflepuff girl tried to greet cheerily, but ended up yawning mid-sentence. She rubbed her eyes and blinked several times, her eyes wide open as she stared at Alice. "Sorry to stare, but my vision is still a bit blurry and I''m trying to clear it."


    "It''s alright. Good morning to you too Flordeliza."


    "Oh hun, you can just call me Flor. We''re friends now afterall, aren''t we?"


    "Of course." Alice replied Flordeliza''s huge grin with a smile. Their stomachs growled loudly at the same time, and both laughed.


    "We should head down to the hall now. We''re both starving." Alice nodded and followed Flordeliza down, glad that she didn''t have to go back to the dorm to ask for the other girl''s help.


    "Oh.. Oh!" Flordeliza suddenly stopped and looked straight at Alice. "I almost forgot! I''ve been dying to ask since yesterday. I thought you were a muggleborn!"


    "Ssh!" Alice shushed Flordeliza and quickly tugged her along the side of the hallway.


    Flordeliza realized she shouldn''t have half-screamed the muggleborn part and so proceeded in a hushed tone. "Dumbledore said you were homeschooled in magic, but you didn''t say anything about that yesterday. You said you haven''t ever heard of the magical community."


    "Uh.. Look." Alice sighed. She never really her "magical heritage" to be a secret, but it was what the teachers wanted. However, she has told a bit of herself to Flordeliza, and frankly, she just doesn''t see what kind of trouble she is in by just being open about it. "This is supposed to be a secret so.. Will you promise me you won''t tell anyone?"


    "What.. Why? There''s nothing to be ashamed of! Don''t tell me that not even the teachers know?"


    "I''ll tell you if you promise to keep this a secret." Alice squeezed Flordeliza''s hand and looked at her straight in the eye. Flordeliza recognized her seriousness and nodded.


    "Alright. I may be a huge chatterbox, but I do my best in keeping secrets. I promise."


    "Thank you." Alice sighed in relief and looked around. One or two students passed every now and then.


    "Oh. I''ll cast a spell. No one would be able to hear what we talk about." Flordeliza smiled and casted a muffliatto charm. Alice leaned back against the wall, on the lookout for any incoming students just to make sure and Flordeliza did the same. "It was the teachers who asked me to disclose the information about my heritage."


    "But why? Are they afraid you''d face discrimination? Pfft. If they are, they should actually do something about those who bully the muggleborns."


    "No, no. It''s probably because my grandfather was apparently a pureblood who was disowned and had discontinued the Liddell''s pureblood heritage. I don''t know about my parents though. My dad never displayed any magical abilities. He went to a non magical school and got a non magical job as a non magical professor. However, he and grandfather were the only people that encouraged my magical fantasies."


    "Oh.. So the part where your parents is dead, is true then?"


    "Yes."


    "I''m sorry to hear that." Flordeliza turned to Alice with a look of sympathy. Alice''s face was blank, and seemed to be contemplating. Flordeliza wasn''t that good at reading expressions, however, she was good at going with her gut feeling and guessing things.


    "It''s alright."


    There was a short silence between them, and after much contemplation, Flordeliza spoke. "But.. How can you be in 6th year if you''ve never known about the magical world? So the part that you''re homeschooled is true then?"


    "Not at all. In fact, I''m as clueless as the first year muggleborns."


    "Oh Merlin. That''s horrible." Flordeliza stared at Alice with much confusion and disbelief. "Then.. Excuse me, but why are you in Hogwarts?"


    Alice was about to answer her question when students began to emerge more often, all heading for breakfast. "I don''t know exactly why I''m here either. Let''s continue this when we have time later. I hope you can keep this a secret."


    "I promise! Let''s go. We''re starving." Flordeliza smiled kindly and held Alice''s hand all the way to the great hall. They both waved goodbye as they head to their own respective tables, leaving Flordeliza filled with intrigue and Alice with exasperation on how much truth she can reveal to an acquaintance.


    "Alice! Good morning! You were out early. You beat me and Lorna from being the early risers of the dorm. What time did you wake up?" Isla cheerily greeted Alice as she ate her breakfast. All the others were eating breakfast. Madison is eating with her boyfriend, Vivian eating quietly, Zinnia however was nowhere to be seen.


    "I don''t know. It was still dark out when I woke up. I''m not very good at sleeping." She gingerly placed small but filling enough food on her plate, not wanting to seem too gluttonous even if she really feels so. She''ll add in more food later.


    "So early! Where were you then? We didn''t see you lounging on the common room." Lorna asked.


    "I was at the library. I didn''t know I wasn''t supposed to walk around the school before wake time, so a prefect reprimanded me. He let me go to the library though."


    "Oh! He! Whose house''s prefect scolded you then?" The twins giggled and grinned widely, teasing Alice.


    "Slytherin." By then, both the twins high pitched giggling exploded as they looked at Alice with much excitement.


    "Don''t tell me it''s Riddle? Merlin! You are so lucky!"


    "I''m so jealous! Isla, we better wake up earlier now."


    "We did that a lot in the past couple of years. We can''t play the "I''m lost" card anymore. Especially since we abused it too much."


    "Ugh. Such a shame. He''s just so dreamy." Lorna dreamily sighed. "Don''t you agree Alice?"


    "Oh, uhm.. Yes. He''s a kind and friendly person." Alice smiled curtly at the twins, happiness blossoming inside her with being able to eat a scrumptious and filling meal after so long.


    "That''s just two of the endless great qualities he has." The twins both sighed dreamily and everyone continued with eating their breakfast. The bell rang, signalling the end of breakfast and start of the morning classes. Everyone began going to their respective classes, and Alice just followed her dorm mates, with Madison rejoining the twins. Zinnia woke up and ate breakfast late, while Vivian finished her meal fast and went ahead to the class first. Alice took a seat not too far from the front together with her new friends. She looked at the Hufflepuff''s side of the room and saw Flordeliza busy chatting with her friends. Flordeliza noticed Alice and gave her a wave, while both Martha and Therese smiled at her.


    A middle-aged professor entered the class and placed his things on his desk. He greeted somberly to the class, and was greeted back by a few mutters. Cuthbert Binns, a History of Magic professor as Alice have read on her guide. The professor began his lecture about the current economy of the goblins, his eyes barely leaving the board. He''d talk while writing, then occasionally facing his students in an attempt to make them understand his lessons. His reedy and monotonous voice sent students battling against their heavy lids, some even lost the battle and ended up knocked out at their desks. He knows his classes bore his students, but whenever he tries to ask questions related to the topic, they''d always say "I''m sorry, sir", or they''d give him a wrong answer. He''s even more frustrated from being too self-conscious that he can''t confront his lazing students.


    Alice looked around and saw the other students as fallen comrades. If it wasn''t for her excitement as a new student, she would have fallen asleep with them. She glossed over his voice from her head and instead focused on reading the book. She has already read the book, so now she went on with memorization. While memorizing, her eyes went up to the teacher in the pretense that she''s listening, then turned her gaze to where Flordeliza is seated and saw her asleep. After an hour of napping, the students were disturbed by the bell and began going to their next class.


    "As expected. Every year. Professor Binns'' class is the most boring." Madison groaned.


    Both the twins both yawned and stretched. "His classes are perfect for napping though. No matter. Our next class is with Riddle. The reason why school is less boring."


    "With Riddle, everyday here in school is worth looking forward." Zinnia said as she walked by. The twins made a face at her while Zinnia just rolled her eyes and walked on.


    They reached the classroom and both Gryffindors and Slytherins entered the class ignoring each other, except for Riddle who greeted back the Gryffindor girls that flocked over him, Zinnia and the twins were no exception. Alice saw Madison walk towards the tables and was about to follow suit and tell the twins when she caught sight of Tom looking at her. She smiled politely and he greeted back with a smile, and he went to his seat.


    Charms class began and a petite and timid-looking old lady entered. She smiled kindly to the class and greeted everyone.


    "Good morning class. I hope that you all enjoyed your vacation. I certainly did with mine. To our dear transferee, Miss Liddell, I am Professor Effie Abbott, and I hope you will learn from my class." Everyone turned their gaze to Alice, whose face turned pink from the attention. "Now, I want you all to open your books on page 3, and let''s all get started with our lessons."


    The students opened their books and on the third page was an introduction to nonverbal spells. Excitement filled Alice at the thought of being taught how to use her wand, so she looked around and saw both excited and frowning faces.


    "We all know how tricky it can be by just performing spells with incantation, and the difficulty is much more so when it is to be done non verbally. Performing nonverbal spells are very difficult and requires concentration and mental discipline, so we will be dealing with a good deal of practising of nonverbal spells in this class. However, that doesn''t mean I will neglect studying about its theories, in fact, as I have taught you for years, theoretical study is important to grasp more knowledge and wisdom on how you wield not only your wands, but your magic. Let''s start with a basic spell. The levitation spell you have all mastered during your first year. Do it with the incantation first, and proceed with practicing it nonverbally."


    The classroom was filled with "wingardium leviosa''s" then silence and floating school materials. Riddle was the first one who managed to do it, and effortlessly too. Everyone praised him, including the professor, then continued with their own. Alice tried with the incantation first and failed to do it a few times. She heard sneers and snickers from the Slytherin and few from Gryffindor, causing her face to be pink, but she was quickly defended by Madison.


    "No Alice, you''re waving your hand wrong. Your enunciation is right, but the hand movement is wrong. Swish, and flick. Here, like this. Wingardium Leviosa." Madison swished and flicked and the book in front of her levitated.


    "Alright." Alice nodded and readied her wand. She visualized the quill to be levitated first and proceeded with the swish and flick. "Wingardium Leviosa."


    Her quill floated above their heads and Alice''s face broke into a smile of achievement.


    "Great! Took me about hundreds of tries before I finally managed to levitate the apple when I was on my 1st year. Now we both should concentrate and do it nonverbally."


    This time, Alice visualized her quill being levitated clearly and waved her wand more confidently, the quill levitated above their heads once more, much to Alice''s happiness.


    "Woah! You did it at the first try." Madison cheered, along with the twins and the gryffindors near them.


    "That was impressive Ms. Liddell." Professor Abbott smiled approvingly, and this time, Alice''s pink cheeks is caused by elation and not embarrassment. Alice did it a few more times to make sure it wasn''t a fluke, and she did it perfectly. After awhile, several students managed to get the spell done nonverbally and was asked by the professor to continue reading about nonverbal spells. The bell rang and to those who haven''t managed to get the spell done during the class were assigned to practice more, and everyone was assigned to do more studying about nonverbal spells.


    "Man! I wish I could easily do nonverbal spells." Isla pouted, and Lorna laughed at her.


    "Haha! Right! We both nonverbally destroyed the kitchen when we were younger."


    "But that was different! We were kids. Now we''re all heading to adulthood. Soon, we won''t be able to see our dear Riddle anymore!" The girls sobbed and Madison just rolled her eyes at them. Alice took out the sandwich she packed from earlier breakfast. Everyone''s having a short break, and Alice relishes it on eating.


    "Well.. I will probably be too busy after graduation to miss Hogwarts." Madison said, sipping from her juice.


    "Oohh. What do you mean? Will you be getting a job?"


    "Hmm.. No.. but I guess being a housewife is a job in its own right." Madison''s cheeks flushed while the twins gasped and grinned cheekily.


    "You''re engaged with Liam! Madison''s engaged with Liam! Everyone! Madison and Liam are engaged!" Both the twins shouted and the Gryffindor girls gathered around Madison and the boys with Liam. Madison''s whole face was red but it was obvious that she was elated to share the news. Liam on the other hand was very proud and had a huge grin on his face. Alice merely watched them, her mind flew away as soon as she congratulated and leaned back in her chair. They were already on the Potions Master''s classroom, waiting for their teacher to start the class.


    "Quiet." A voice demanded amidst the loud room. It was Professor Rosamund. Everyone quieted down and went back to their seats. Professor Rosamund walked towards Alice, and everyone''s gaze was on the two of them. Alice however was busy gazing on the small gnome earlier, the gnome taking stuff from Professor Slughorn''s cupboard.


    ''Damn it. I know this is part of my imagination, but I am itching to see the little man be toppled over.''


    "Ms. Liddell." Alice quickly tore her intense gaze away from the gnome and onto the voice that disrupted her.


    "Professor Rosamund. What can I do to help you?"


    "Will you please follow me, Ms. Liddell?" Alice looked around and noticed everyone''s gaze on them. She looked back to professor Rosamund and agreed. They both went out and began walking up the hallways.


    "Professor Rosamund, where are we going?"


    "On Ravenclaw tower. My office is located there, and it''s the perfect place to read books and sip tea."


    "How nice." Alice didn''t say much and continued following the Divination Professor. When they reached her office, Alice was taken aback by the amount of huge bookshelves yet the room, instead of feeling stuffy like the library, it felt more free and cozy. She concluded that it''s because of the open windows, and the shelves stuck in the wall instead of being cramped towards the center.


    The center of the room is a pile of pillows as the seats and a small but wide table. On the center of the table is Rosamund''s crystal ball. The professor prepared a tray of tea and sat down on one of the pillows. She beckoned for Alice to seat across her, which she did so. Alice stayed silent as the professor poured tea into their cups, and she noticed that the professor''s usual coldness morphed into comfort even for a little bit. She can feel her relax.


    "Do you like sugar in your tea?"


    "Yes. I like my tea sweet. Can I be the one to mix it?"


    "Of course. Be careful though. It''s hot."


    Alice took her cup and added three teaspoons of sugar and poured milk on it too. She notices that her professor only added one teaspoon of sugar, nothing more. She felt awkward, but there was a comfortable silence as they stirred their teas, and Rosamund began the discussion.


    "Once again, I would like to apologize for inconveniencing you. I find Slughorn''s class an interesting subject, and so I didn''t want you to miss your first class with him. I''ve already gotten his permission and you are excused to the class."


    "It is fine, Ms. Rosamund."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "That''s good to hear. Now, you might be wondering why you are excused from your class and is being summoned here in my office. It is regarding by the reason you were admitted here in this school, about the prophecy." The professor took out her wand and tapped its tip on the crystal ball, from there, images of war were shown, orchestrated by a brilliant yet cruel wizard. Death was everywhere, and it marked the success of a Dark Lord who orchestrated the first war in the wizarding world. The cruelty of the images shown sent a chill down to Alice''s spine. Bumby''s business of selling children to the black market was repulsive and downright cruel, but this war.. It was pure evil, and terrorizing.


    "Miss Alice.. I assure you, we didn''t want to cause you any trouble, and would rather really help. You know, Professor Dodgson is like my grandfather, and you were my childhood." Professor Rosamund gave Alice a warm, kind smile, completely different from her usual icy demeanor. "Alice in Wonderland had always been a favorite childhood book of mine, and I had always admired Professor Dodgson. He made learning arithmetic fun and he always helped out troubled students regardless of background, he''s the kind of teacher I aspire to be. He always helped me out when I was still a student here in Hogwarts, and he continued helping me when I started teaching here. Even when he retired, I''d always drop by his place and give him company, since he didn''t have any of his family visit him. His last few days were.. Particularly difficult. He said, you were one of his biggest regrets. He always wanted to help you, but he said he was too much of a coward to face you. He uh, he blamed himself for your family''s demise and for what happened to you."


    "What? But it wasn''t his fault at all. It was all Bumby''s."


    "Well, he blamed himself, thinking if only he had helped sooner. If he dropped by the house to visit, maybe he would have prevented the fire. He was the one funding your bills on the asylum so that you wouldn''t spend your parents'' inheritance for you, and the nurse told him you were discharged and was off travelling around the world. He only learned the truth much later, discovering that the nurse took all of the money, and you were left impoverished and suffering at the hand of that disgusting doctor. When he finally resolved to facing you personally and bringing you to the wizarding world, you have gone missing."


    Alice sighed deeply, her face darkened. She was relieved that Charles had been looking out for her, but she was also angry at that old bitch who stole all her money. She had to live her whole life as a penniless miser, when all along she shouldn''t have been suffering financially.


    "I''m really sorry, Miss Alice.. Professor Dodgson only knew about your true ability and whereabouts when he discovered your connection to the prophecy. He was relieved and elated to find you are still alive, but was also scared to involve you in the wizarding world''s affair when you didn''t even know it existed. He couldn''t really ignore all the death looming in the future, and I bet he regrets that he wasn''t able to see you again and help you through this. It''s why I''m here, on behalf of Professor Dodgson, I will do my best to help you through this and let the old man rest in peace." With a kind smile, she held Alice''s hand and squeezed it gently. She took her cup of tea and drank, and Alice followed suit.


    "Thank you, professor. For telling me all of this. It at least gave more clarity to my situation."


    "It is no problem, because from here on out, expect me to always be there to help you in any way I can."


    "I''m thankful to hear that. But Professor, how do I exactly fit in this prophecy? I''m already guessing that I need to jump into a student''s wonderland, but whose? And what do I do exactly?"


    "That.. I can''t help you with. The ministry is already tied up dealing with Grindelwald, a maniac who wants to rule both the wizarding world and the muggle world. So we here in the academy are to prevent the rise of another dark lord who is much more sinister than Grindelwald. The problem is, we do not know who this future dark lord is. We are already lucky to find you Miss Alice since your abilities gave you away, but this student, their future is still yet to come. Our only hope is that we still can change this grim future laid out in front of us."


    "So we are in the process of finding this student. Anyone on the list?"


    "Yes. Here." Professor Rosamund gave her a sheet of paper with the names, houses and years of the students. There were only 7 people written down, and Tom was included.


    "Tom Riddle? Who put his name in here?"


    "It was Professor Dumbledore. You see Alice, it is difficult for us teachers to put our student''s name in that list, much more so when the list is indefinite. We never want for our students to grow into such a malignant being, but the Dark Lord in the future is shown to be brilliantly powerful and cunning. Believe me when I say that almost everyone in the school admires Mr. Riddle, and that includes us staff. My class is always disregarded as an unreliable one, but Riddle aces it anyway. He is a charming gentleman who may have a troubled background, and I couldn''t imagine him being that evil. Professor Dumbledore however said that he is suspicious of him and that we should look out for him." She sighed and rubbed her temple, then drank what''s left of her tea. Alice however, isn''t that surprised. People who hide behind gentle masks can be the most terrifying. Take Dr. Bumby as an example, a man regarded as a brilliant scientist in his society with a kind heart, only to be hiding a hideous monster inside him.


    "I honestly find all this hard to take in, but I''m the one who foresaw the future. A student.. I truly want to help students, and guide them to the right path. I''m sincerely glad you''re here to help, as I alone don''t have the power to fully do it yet. I still am a new teacher, and so I lack experience."


    "Don''t worry Professor, I''ll help you as you have promised to help me too. I''ll start by looking out and observing those in this list."


    "Yes please, thank you."


    The bell rang, signalling the end of the class and the end of both the professor and Alice''s discussion.


    "Don''t worry about the cups, I''ll take care of it. You should head down for lunch, enjoy it with your classmates." Professor Rosamund smiled and took out her wand, waving the cups into the sink.


    Alice nodded and sat up, taking her stuff with her. "Thank you, Professor. I had a good time talking to you."


    "Oh, it''s no worry. I enjoyed my time with you too. Miss Alice, after class, you''re free to roam about. I''d like for you to rest on your first day on school, but tomorrow, we will be starting our tutoring. We wouldn''t want to have you lag around in classes after all."


    "Yes Professor. I''ll see you around." And with that, Alice left her office and went to the dining hall.


    "Alice! Over here!" Isla called Alice over their table, her hand waving and gesturing her to take a seat beside them. Alice smiled and waved back, taking a seat beside Lorna. Lorna greeted her, but was preoccupied with her food and with her notes.


    "Where were you? Why did Professor Rosamund called you?" Isla asked as she was eating.


    "Oh. Uhm. Well, we were discussing about my extra classes. Since I''m a transfer student, it''d be obvious that I''m going to lack on certain subjects, that''s why Professor will be helping me with my studies."


    "That''s awfully nice of Professor Rosamund, but it''s surprising since she is known to be strict and cold. Also, she''s a Ravenclaw Head Teacher and you''re a Gryffindor, shouldn''t it be Professor Dumbledore''s duty?"


    Alice began filling her plate with food and muttered a silent prayer before digging in. "Ah. I see. I think Professor Dumbledore will be teaching me too, but contrary to how Professor Rosamund looks, she''s a kind teacher. She wants to help me and the other teachers approved of her assisting my studies."


    "Oh. Okay." Isla nodded, and the three of them ate in silence. Well, the silence was brief though as Lorna argued with Isla about a certain subject''s assignment.


    As Alice looked around, her gaze fell upon the Slytherin table. Sure enough, she quickly found Riddle in the middle of unabated attention. He was talking to his peers with a charming smile on his face. The boys and girls around him seem to hang on to every word he said, and it made her curious what he was talking about with them. When Riddle began to eat, the others didn''t disturb him and he was left alone, eating in silence while his peers chatted away.


    ''He''s quite a mystery.'' Alice mused. Then, she remembered about the list. First on it was someone named Antonin Dolohov, one of the four Slytherins listed.


    "Isla, Lorna. Do you know Antonin Dolohov?"


    The twins face immediately scrunched up in displeasure. "Oh. You mean that git?"


    "He''s an insufferable slytherin, it still exasperates me that he''s a friend of Riddle." Lorna groaned.


    "He''s a show off, that Dolohov. He''s part of the Quidditch team, likes roughing up against us Gryffindors, and Hufflepuffs even more. Not only that, but he harassed a lot of girls. Dirty bastard. Yet despite how despicable he is, he''s actually pretty good academically." Isla sighed. "It''s our 6th year already, I wish I could just play everyday instead of studying. Soon, I''ll be finally free from school!"


    Lorna raised two thumbs up, nodding at what her sister said. "I share the same sentiment sis."


    ''Hm.. A boy with despicable reputation yet good grades, no wonder he is in the list.'' Alice mused. ''But how do I know if he''s the future dark lord?''


    Alice remembered about the teachers mentioning Legilimency, a spell to read minds. She''ll ask the next professor later. She finished her food and head on to her next class, Transfiguration.


    Alice was excited, yet also nervous. Dumbledore has advised her to buy a lot of books, although she would''ve bought a lot anyways. He guided her to which books she would need and over the course of a week, she may have not fully read all of them, but due to ample time she had, she was able to atleast grasp basic knowledge on the core subjects. It wouldn''t compare at all to her classmates, but she''ll need whatever she can learn. Alice had always slacked off her schooling, in a way, she''s trying to compensate for it now that she was given a second chance.


    Transfiguration, as she has read, is a difficult subject that requires diligence, logic and hard work. It wasn''t a subject that she would breeze through, and it was apparent when she tried a few transfiguration spells. She couldn''t learn it alone easily and was excited to learn more at school, however, sixth years are already at an advanced level of transfiguration, and that deeply worried her. She can''t possibly catch up with their years of practice. She feared making a fool out of herself.


    "Good afternoon class. I am glad to have you back again at school." Dumbledore greeted, heading towards his desk. Alice sat along with her Isla and Lorna, who chose a spot near enough to easily gawk at Riddle. "Alice, I''m hoping you are enjoying your classes so far?"


    "Yes, professor." Alice nodded.


    "Good, good. Today is the first day of school, so I won''t delve into the lessons to deep for now. I will be recapping our lessons last year, and introduce you to a whole new level of Transfiguration." Dumbledore then began writing on the board and started the lesson, and Alice was relieved there will be no practical exercise like their have been on the charms class earlier. She listened diligently, but found her gaze drifting off to Riddle and his gang. As usual, Riddle is the epitome honor student, but he seemed less interested and looked even a bit disgruntled. How was she able to tell? One time during the class, Dumbledore asked Riddle to show an example of what they have learned last year and explain it since he was the first one out of the class to pull off a difficult intermediate level configuration. He scowled when Dumbledore called him, and had an annoyed look throughout his explanation. It was subtle and others wouldn''t have noticed at all except his friends, but Alice noticed. His face stiffened when he was annoyed but his hands gripped his wand a bit tightly. She wouldn''t have noticed it if she wasn''t keeping an observing eye on him and Dolohov. Dolohov on the other hand, was half-listening to the class, half chatting with his friends, and half checking up the girls. He noticed Alice''s gaze earlier and mistook it as an interest in him, which he seemed to welcome with a flirty smirk and wink. Alice groaned and immediately turned her head away. She sees why the twins hate him.


    "That is all. I expect you children to read ahead so you''ll be able to grasp a better understanding. Be careful when you are practicing too, immediately go to Madam Longbottom when you encounter an accident. See you again on wednesday."


    Dumbledore left the class and the students began packing for their next class. Alice and her friends were about to exit the classroom when Dolohov stopped them, his hand leaning against the door and blocking their way.


    "So new chick, I saw you checking me out earlier. Want to go out alone and go around the school later?" Dolohov asked her out with an impish smirk plastered on his angular face.


    Alice cringed and inwardly groan. "I wasn''t-" She was about to say no, when she remembered that she has to get to know him better, to see if he could possibly be the dark lord. "You know what, sure. I''d love to." She smiled back, and wished she didn''t.


    "Woah. Nice. You''re a swell girl. I''ll see you later then babe." He winked and finally removed himself from the door and went with his friends who were laughing and cheering him, except Riddle who was uninterested.


    "What did I just see?" Lorna gasped and immediately grasped Alice''s shoulder and shook her. "Why did I just see you agree to go with that git?"


    "Seriously Alice. Have you not heard us tell you how much of a bastard he is? You really couldn''t possibly be considering going out with him? He''s done other girls and you''d no doubt be one of his victims."


    "Uhh.." Alice struggled to answer back, but she immediately started walking to class.


    "That''s the wrong way." Madison chuckled and held Alice''s hand as they walked towards the next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts.


    "Alice! Dolohov is a real jackass. Unless.. You''re into guys like him?" Isla and Lorna shivered, disapproving of Alice''s alleged questionable taste.


    ''I prefer men my age.. But considering how I look, then it''d look like I prefer old men.'' Alice sighed and shrugged. "I don''t know girls. Is it that wrong to go with him?"


    "YES." The three girls answered in chorus, and Alice could only sigh again in defeat.


    Defense Against the Dark Arts is held together with the Hufflepuffs and Alice met Flordeliza again. She waved at her, Therese and Martha, and they waved back.


    "You know those three girls?" Madison asked curiously. "Those three are quite popular, especially Flordeliza. She''s quite popular with the boys. With her charm and all. She''s a friendly gal."


    "Yes, I''ve noticed. We met at the train station, she helped me and accompanied me throughout the train ride and also at the carriages."


    "That was nice of her." Madison commented. The professor finally arrived and the class started.


    Professor Elise Hawthorne, a young woman with a strict and no nonsense attitude with a strong preference for Ravenclaws. As soon as she arrived, she reprimanded her class.


    "You Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs better not lag behind and mess around my class again like last year. That applies to you too new kid. Now to start of this class, I would like to jog all of your brains with a duel. All that summer playtime made you brats lazy. Now quick. Go to your position."


    Alice was completely confused, and had no choice but to follow her friends. They all lined up according to alphabetical order, standing straight and tall. Alice was nervous. The subject interested her greatly and appealed to her dark side, but she has zero experience with duelling.


    "For today, we will practice Stupefy and Protego. To remind you idiots, stupefy is a stunning spell and protego a shield charm. It is of utmost importance that you brats know how to cast a shield charm, lest you get injured or jinxed because your idiotic asses don''t know how to counter a stupefy or any other jinxes when in a battle. We are in dangerous times, especially with that dimwit Grindelwald marching around the wizarding world with his stupid propaganda of revealing ourselves to muggles. Pah! Damnation! He needs to pull his head over his ass." Professor Elise tutted, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. " When casting a stupefy, remember to point directly at your opponent. For safety reasons, I don''t want you to point your wands at your partner''s heart or head. Point at the shoulder or the stomach. And not at the crotch! It''s a brilliant tactic in a battle, but not here in school when you could make a student forever erectile dysfunctional." The class giggled and males immediately covered their crotches and winced at just even imagining the pain. "For shield charms. You better think and cast quick. You do not want to be hit! That''s right. Hold on to that fear and protect yourself, and your crotch. Now, face the student on your right, that''ll be your partner. You, the kid on the last, lucky you. You''ll be my partner."


    On her right was Charles Linton, a tall gangly guy who groaned and faced Alice with a mix of nervous and bored look.


    "For now, try practicing your spells in front of the wall. After three tries of both Protego and Stupefy, you will duel with your partner. Start."


    The sounds of protego and stupefy reverberated throughout the classroom, with sparks hitting the magically enchanted walls. Alice breathed in and tried stupefy first. Her first try was a lame attempt, and so was the second. She closed her eyes and steeled her nerves.


    ''This is nothing. I''ve slashed with the vorpal blade, shot with the teapot cannon and used the umbrella to protect myself against the vomit of the countless bitch babies. Eugh. Bitch babies..'' So Alice thought of it as the same as battling inside the wonderland, and she produced the stupefy spell well. ''See. That was easy.''


    Alice grinned and casted the protego spell thrice, which also went well.


    After everyone finished practicing the spells, the professor and the first student dueled. The student casted stupefy but professor quickly blocked it. Dissatisfied, professor made him cast stupefy against her thrice, but all tried failed.


    "Tch. Weak! Your stance is wobbly and the way you held your hand is too tight. Godric''s ass! You''re trying to render me immobile, not yourself. You better practice this spell well or else you''re gonna lose your damn balls." Professor scolded the poor student who was completely red in embarrassment. He hung his head in shame and went to his seat on the side of the classroom, meanwhile the class laughed at him.


    "Alright! You two, you''re next." Professor Elise pointed on the first two students of the line. Two by two, the students dueled with their partner and so far, none was hit in the crotch. A student tried, but was immediately caught and stupefied by Professor Elise, so no one dared to try again.


    It was finally Alice and Charles'' turn, they went in front of the class. Alice''s initial nervousness was gone, her face ice cold and ready to duel. Charles on the other hand was nervous and frightened by how blank Alice looked. Professor Elise was alert as soon as she saw Alice''s cold face. She had been in many dangerous battles back when she was working as an auror at the ministry, and Alice''s face looked like the faces of those who have fought many life threatening battles and won. Hell, a face of a person who has killed even. She wasn''t wrong, Alice after all battled with many of her inner demons and she wasn''t exactly against killing evil people. Wary, Professor Elise clutched on her wand and preparing for what will happen.


    "Go!"


    "Stupe-" Charles went first, but before he could even finish casting, Alice immediately nonverbally casted a strong protego that knocked him back.


    "Ouch, ouch.." Charles was on the floor, rubbing his back. Thankfully, the knockback wasn''t that painful. The class were in awe with what just happened. Alice non verbally casted protego, and a strong one at that. Alice looked so weak and bony, Professor Elise doubted her part in preventing the rise of another dark lord, but after seeing how she duelled, she was convinced that she would be a good hand to have. She will help in shaping this girl up to become a powerful witch.


    "I''m sorry." Alice helped Charles get back to his feet. "You alright?"


    "Yeah." Charles replied, rubbing his butt a bit then stood straight.


    "Alright. That was a good one. New kid, your turn to cast the stunning spell."


    "Okay." Alice stepped back and went to her previous position. Charles however was intimidated. He was just knock backed by her shield charm, what more if he was hit by her stupefy? This time, he put his guard up and is wary of her. His wand pointed against her.


    "Go!"


    "Pr-" He could barely even utter the spell, he was hit by a blue light and was rendered unconscious. The class cheered, Alice casted stupefy non verbally too. Her face returned to normal as she heard the cheers, her face flushed red.


    "Rennervate." Professor Elise casted rennervate, counteracting the effects of stupefy. Charles groaned and the teacher helped him.


    "Very impressive new kid. Your timing was fast and your stance was great too. But the fact that you casted both of it non verbally already earns enough praise. You Gryffindors sure are better with acting first, talking later." Professor Elise chortled and patted her back. "Now brats, if you actually took time to see her stance and see how she held her wand, you''d stand a better chance at duelling. Next!"


    Alice helped Charles go to his seat, and those who were already done clamored around her, asking her how she did it.


    "QUIET! You kids back there! Class is still not over! Or do you guys want to go another round here in front, with me?" The students quickly shook their head and finally stayed silent. "Good! Stay silent and watch how the others do it too. Especially you brats who got stupefied."


    Everyone got their turns and the class finished. Professor Elise gave them an assignment to learn more about nonverbal spells, and to practice stupefy and protego non verbally since tomorrow they will have another dueling practice.


    The twins and Madison immediately went to Alice and excitedly chattered.


    "Alice! That was so awesome! You''re like, super good with nonverbal spells." Madison exclaimed. "Earlier too, during Charms."


    "Yeah! How do you do it? It takes a lot of practice to be able to pull off nonverbal spells." Lorna said. It may not seem like it, but the twins do work fairly hard with their spellcasting. They have their own pride to uphold and wouldn''t stand just being okay.


    She didn''t know exactly how to answer that. She is still new with handling her wand, but she definitely is used with battling and using her weapons. Even if it wasn''t on her wonderland, the otherlands are dangerous too and she has to fight other people''s inner demons.


    "I just do? Well. I practiced a lot. I lived by myself for quite awhile along with uhm, muggles, so doing nonverbal spells helped me alot."


    "Ah. That''s why." The three girls continued to talk about subjects and of other matters, specifically how Madison was proposed too. They were all walking towards the dining hall to grab some snacks, and there they encountered Dolohov talking with another girl.


    "See Alice, that''s exactly why we told you not to go with Dolohov." Isla whispered aggressively. Dolohov noticed Alice from a distance and immediately waved and went towards them. The girl he was talking with gave them the stink eye then left with a huff.


    "Hey! Alice right? Finally found out your name. I asked one of my buds earlier."


    "Yes. And you''re Dolohov?"


    "That''s my last name. Call me Antonin, but you can call me whatever you want babe."


    "Okay. Alice, we''re going to eat and leave you two be. See you later at the dorm, or at dinner." Madison said.


    "See you later Alice!" The twins waved goodbye and followed Madison to the gryffindor table. The girls left her with Dolohov, although she never really wanted to be with him. Still, she had already decided to go with him, let''s just hope he doesn''t do anything funny to her. This Dolohov guy gave her the feeling that he''s sleazy.


    "Oh good. They took the hint. Let''s go. I''ll show you around the school. The school''s enormous, so I''ll just show you around important places."


    "Thank you, Antonin."


    The two began their tour around the school. Alice expected the guy to just bring her somewhere quiet and coerce her to shag, but he actually showed her around. Although, his loud mouth sure did love to talk about himself. It was easy, Alice just stayed quiet and just nodded along, flattering him here and there, and he seemed to open up more and bragged more about himself.


    They reached outside the school, just outside the clock tower overlooking the lake and the forbidden forest. Alice''s eyes sparkled at seeing such a magnificent view. She was thrilled, and for a second, she didn''t mind that this was reality.


    "Great view, right? Honestly, you''re not really my type of girl. Too skinny for me. I like my women to be thick at certain places. But you don''t seem half bad, Alice. You''re the first girl I brought here you know." Dolohov said, sitting on the grass.


    ''You''re not my type of man either.'' Alice thought, chuckling. She sat on the grass too, but didn''t sit near him.


    "Thank you, for bringing me here." She thanked him, sincerely. It was a beautiful view and she appreciated it, but no doubt this guy has used this place to keep girls clinging on to him, making them feel special. Not half-bad of a trick.


    Dolohov moved close to Alice, placing his hand over hers. He was feeling pretty confident, once he brings a girl here and tells them they''re the first, they go all over him. It was a sure fire way to keep girls clinging to him for more. It made him feel attractive, powerful even.


    Alice removed her hand from his. Then all of a sudden, she grabbed his hand instead and pinned him against the ground. She was too quick, even though he was much stronger and heavier, she surprised him by her sudden fierceness.


    Dolohov chuckled and smirked. "Hey! Didn''t know you had this kind of spunk!"


    A devious smile appeared on Alice''s face. She stared straight in his eyes, scrutinizing him. "You''d be surprised with how wild I can be."


    Dolohov''s eyes widened in surprise. He has never encountered a situation like this. All the girls he has been with were weak and submissive, but Alice wasn''t. He didn''t mind, as long as it leads to them shagging. "Will you show me?"


    "Perhaps. If you answer some of my questions." She answered her eyes unblinking as she just stared right through him, and it kind of unnerved him.


    "Alright."


    "What do you think of becoming.. A dark lord?" Alice just shot through the question, and it caught him off guard.


    "That.. Wasn''t the kind of question I thought you''d ask." He sighed. "But hey, becoming a dark lord doesn''t sound bad at all. You into those kind of stuff?"


    Alice shrugged, and got off of him. "Hm. What if I am?"


    "Damn. Didn''t peg you to be that kind of crazy." Dolohov scratched his head. "Holding that kind of power. Being able to do what I want and kill off those that oppose me.. Doesn''t sound too bad. If I could become one sure. But eh, I don''t have any lofty goals to become one. I''d rather leave it to someone who''s crazier than me."


    "Who''d be crazier than you then?" Alice poked further.


    "Well, that''d be-" Dolohov stopped midway, then clicked his tongue. "Don''t know anyone crazier than me to do that. But, if you want to be one, I suppose I won''t oppose it." He smirked and brought his face near Alice''s. Out of reflex, Alice knocked him out.


    "Oops." Alice sighed and stood up. If she knew more spells, she wouldn''t have resorted to this. She looked around and decided to go back inside the castle and ask a teacher for help. Preferably Professor Dumbledore or Professor Rosamund. Thanks to Dolohov who guided her around earlier, and most especially the school map, she was able to return without getting lost. She decided to go to Dumbledore since he is the head of her house. The wizard laughed at her and assured her Dolohov is alright and will be taken care of Madam Longbottom.


    "Oh no. What do I do if he wakes up? While I don''t think that he''s the prophesied dark lord, but I can say that he has a dark personality."


    "Don''t worry Ms. Liddell. I''ll take care of it. I have to say, I''m glad to see you taking the prophecy seriously. You even tried to pry Dolohov open today."


    "I am curious. After seeing what Professor Rosamund showed me earlier, I don''t think I''ll be able to easily ignore the plight of people from the future. I think it''s good, preventing a catastrophe instead of fighting its aftermath. Prevention is the best cure."


    "That''s admirable of you Ms. Liddell." Dumbledore patted Alice''s shoulder. "I''ve also heard of your extraordinary performance during charms and defense against dark arts. You truly are a talented person. My only regret is of the school discovering you way later. Fate sure has its funny ways of twisting paths."


    After talking with Dumbledore, Alice passed time in the library til dinner came. She went to the dining hall and found Dolohov absent from the slytherin table, much to Alice''s relief.


    "Alice! There you are! How did it go with that git?" Isla grabbed Alice and made her sit beside her.


    "Well.. It was alright at first." Alice sheepishly replied.


    "What happened? He didn''t try anything perverted, did he?" Lorna asked, her eyes squinting in suspicion. "We''d kill that bastard if he did!"


    "Don''t worry. I knocked him out when he tried to kiss me."


    "HE WHAT!?" Lorna shouted and stood up, immediately all eyes were on her. "Sorry, sorry!" She apologized and sat back down.


    "That bastard!" Lorna slammed the table with her fist. "Just wait til that git shows his face! I''m gonna hex him!"


    "Agreed!" Isla nodded. "Let''s make him barf slime. Oh! Oh! Our make his lips get stung by tons of wasps!"


    Alice giggled. She does love a good prank. The twins'' rowdiness reminded her of her childhood. She was one queer, troublesome child. She still is though, just grown up a bit.


    "But wait." Madison was pissed off like the twins, but suddenly interjected in their spewing of expletives. "How did you knock Dolohov out? He deserves it, but you''ll be making an enemy out of him."


    "Uh.. About that. He might probably not have noticed. I didn''t stupefy him or anything. Just hit his neck with my hand."


    "What? How did you do that?" The three of them were flabbergasted. Dolohov is a strong guy, and Alice, well she looks so much weaker than him and wouldn''t stand a chance at all against a physical fight. She''s a girl, and bony looking one at that.


    "I just hit his neck. Out of reflex. I must''ve put in all my strength cause my wrist is in pain right now. He was coming close to me so I panicked. Don''t worry, I''ll just tell him he got hit by someone who was on a broom."


    "That''s a good excuse!" Isla said.


    "I don''t even know where to begin. But seriously Alice, don''t come near him anymore. That guy''s a danger to all women." Madison warned, sighing.


    "I won''t go with him anymore. I''ve learned enough that I need to stray as far away from him."


    "That''s good to hear!" Lorna said, and the four of them began eating dinner and returned to their dorm right after. It sure was an eventful day.