"So you're telling me Alice sent you to me, saying I should hook you up with a paying gig?"
Theodore Nott melted into the shadows, eyeing Pansy.
His blunt tone—and the zero effort to hide his disapproval—made Pansy's face go a shade paler. But she'd grown up in a proper pure-blood household; she buried the sting fast and nodded.
"Yeah. Alice told me to come find you."
Nott gave a curt nod. "But what exactly can you do?"
"Look, I'll be straight—I don't like you."
"I know everything you've pulled since you got here. The stuff you've done proves you're childish, spineless, and not nearly clever enough."
"And coming to Alice for help? That just screams you're not the type to stick to your guns."
"I can't have someone like you standing next to me, helping Alice."
Every word hit like a slap. Pansy's face got tighter and tighter—until, weirdly, it smoothed out completely.
She answered, cool as ice:
"I'm not here to defend my past."
"I'm here because Alice told me to be."
"You might not trust me, but you do trust Alice's judgment, right?"
"We're young. We've got years to figure out who we really are—and who the other person is."
"So your opinion of me? Doesn't faze me. I just want us to give each other a shot at something new."
Silence.
They locked eyes, calm on the surface, but anyone walking by would've felt the standoff vibe crackling in the air.
Nott looked away first, staring at the floor tiles. "Fine. I'll give you one thing to do."
Pansy's face lit up—progress! "Name it."
"Find me someone who's an expert in Ancient Runes. No third-years or below. No Slytherins. Can you handle that?"
"Ancient Runes? What are you guys up to?"
The second the words left her mouth, she caught Nott's dead-fish stare.
Oops. She shut up for a beat, then: "…Sorry. I can do it."
"Good. Then go do it."
Pansy turned to leave. Just as she was almost out of sight, Nott called after her:
"Hey… don't sweat the family stuff. Standing on your own two feet—that's what real strength looks like."
Pansy paused mid-step. "Thanks."
After she was gone, Alice stepped out from the corner behind Nott.
"Why'd you say that last bit?"
Nott shrugged, still staring at the shadows. "Bottom line—she's just an eleven-year-old kid. At this age, anything's possible. A little encouragement beats total hopelessness."
Alice grinned. "Eleven, huh? Aren't you eleven?"
Nott didn't crack a smile. "I'm different. The stuff I've been through? They can't even imagine."
"Whatever you say. So—how's potion-brewing with Professor Snape going?"
Nott's face did something weird for a split second.
Alice caught it. "Spill. What's up?"
"Nothing major. Potions is just… precise. I'm still getting the hang of measurements and timing."
Precise, huh?
Alice thought for a second. "I can have my family send a set of Muggle chemistry gear. Super useful."
"Chemistry? What's that?"
Alice went quiet, staring at Nott's confused face. These pure-bloods were straight-up hopeless when it came to the non-magical world.
Magic was wild, sure—but as a Muggle-born, Alice genuinely believed Muggle smarts were just as impressive.
"…Think of chemistry like Muggle potions. Or alchemy."
"Muggles have potions and alchemy?"
"Uh, you'll get it when the kit shows up."
Alice had no clue how to explain chemistry to Theodore Nott, so she dropped it.
They chatted a bit more—mostly Alice using soul-knowledge from the Soul Shroud to help Nott crack some of Snape's homework.
As she left, she tossed over her shoulder:
"You're studying under Snape, sure—but you don't have to copy his face. Ditch the dead-fish stare and smile once in a while, Theo."
Nott forced a grin that looked more like a grimace.
"…Emmm. Not the prettiest, but it's something."
Alice laughed and bounced.
Left alone, Nott stood in front of a mirror, tugging a few more awkward smiles before deciding the whole thing was stupid. He shook his head and walked off.
Next up: Transfiguration—with Gryffindor.
Alice slipped into the classroom. The Gryffindors were already parked in their seats, quiet as mice.
Professor McGonagall being both their Head of House and the teacher apparently scared the lion cubs into behaving.
A tabby cat with spectacle markings around its eyes sat primly on the desk.
Alice waved. "Morning, Professor!"
The cat dipped its head like royalty.
Even after a month of seeing McGonagall pull the Animagus cat trick, Alice still thought it was unreal.
Wonder when I'll be able to do that, she mused—then shoved the daydream aside.
Her Muggle upbringing had drilled one rule into her: Don't waste time on pie-in-the-sky stuff. Keep your feet on the ground.
She slid into her seat. Hermione immediately craned her neck over Parvati and Millicent, whispering loud enough for the whole row to hear:
"Alice, Millicent says you helped Professor Flitwick invent a whole new teaching method. You're amazing."
Alice shot Millicent a look. Millicent threw her hands up. "Wasn't me who started it—people in the common room were talking, and Granger overheard."
Alice shrugged. "It wasn't really teamwork. I just shared how I learned Expelliarmus and Protego with Flitwick."
"The parchment trials were all his idea."
Behind Alice's back, Millicent mouthed to Hermione: She's being modest.
"Millicent?" Alice warned.
Millicent zipped her lips with an invisible zipper.
A few rows over, Pansy stared at the scene while mentally running through everyone she knew who was fluent in Ancient Runes.
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