"Hoot! (What're you staring at?)"
"Hoot-hoot! (And don't even think about trying any possession nonsense on me!)"
The owl tilted its head and let out a series of indignant hoots.
The Bloody Baron stared at the bird in shock; he'd never once heard this particular owl make a sound.
Alice glanced at the owl, then turned to the Baron. "Could I… have this owl?"
The Bloody Baron looked back and forth between Alice and the bird for a long time before finally answering.
"…Well, if you really want it, you'll have to talk to Hagrid. It's his owl, after all."
Alice nodded. She asked the Baron to keep an eye on the owl for a bit longer while she went off to find Hagrid and talk it over.
Walking across the Hogwarts grounds, probably because Christmas break was right around the corner, pretty much every student was in a great mood and buzzing about the holidays.
All of a sudden, Alice heard the crunch of footsteps in the snow behind her. She turned around just in time to see Hermione sprinting toward her, with Harry and Ron trailing behind, bundled up like Eskimos but still red-cheeked from the cold.
Hermione looked a little bummed. "I was totally planning to scare you from behind!"
Alice shrugged. "Your footsteps were kinda loud in the snow. Maybe be a little stealthier next time."
Hermione nodded, then noticed the direction Alice was heading. "Where're you going? That's the way to Hagrid's hut, right?"
Alice gave a quick nod.
Hermione instantly lit up. "We're heading there too! Let's walk together."
"What do you guys need at Hagrid's?" Alice asked.
Ron blurted out before he could stop himself, "To ask about Nicolas Flamel."
Nicolas Flamel?
The name felt super familiar to Alice, like she'd seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place it.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ron slapped a hand over his lips and shot Harry and Hermione a helpless look.
Hermione rolled her eyes, then turned to Alice, mentally bracing herself for the inevitable interrogation.
If Ron had just played it cool after spilling the beans, Alice probably wouldn't have thought twice about it.
But covering his mouth and looking all panicked? Hermione silently face-palmed.
Sure enough, Alice spoke up. "You guys… are keeping something from me, aren't you?"
Hermione forced a smile and went with the lamest excuse ever: "We overheard Hagrid mention the name Nicolas Flamel once and thought it sounded familiar, so we figured we'd ask him about it."
…Wow, stiff much? Alice thought, fighting the urge to cringe.
Still, she could tell the trio didn't want to tell her the real story, so she let it drop.
But seriously, Nicolas Flamel… where have I seen that name before?
Thanks to Harry and the others leading the way, Alice reached Hagrid's hut in no time. When Hagrid saw Alice show up with the Gryffindor trio, he did a double-take at the weird combo.
To break the awkward silence, Harry stepped up. "Hagrid, this is Alice Norton. She's a good friend of ours from Slytherin."
"Alice, this is Hagrid—you obviously know who he is."
Hagrid acted like Harry had just told him pigs could fly. "You lot? Friends with a Slytherin?"
Alice's smile faded into a serious look. She tilted her head up at the half-giant. "Is that really so shocking, Hagrid? Me being friends with Hermione and the others?"
For some reason Hagrid suddenly felt a cold sweat coming on. He waved his dinner-plate-sized hands frantically. "No, no, no! Of course not! I just… uh… sorry, lass. My bad."
He quickly changed the subject. "So, what brings you all here?"
Alice's expression softened. Hermione jumped in to smooth things over. "We ran into Alice on the way. Alice, why were you heading to see Hagrid?"
Alice lightly patted Hermione's shoulder (chill, girl, I'm not mad) and waited until Hermione relaxed and smiled before turning back to Hagrid.
"Mr. Hagrid, do you remember the owl you lent to the Bloody Baron? I'd really like to have it. Just name your price."
Hagrid waved it off like she'd insulted him. "Whoa now, none of that 'Mr. Hagrid' stuff—just Hagrid's fine. And no need to talk all fancy."
"As for the owl… look, you know it can't even deliver mail, right? If you want it, it's yours—no charge. I didn't pay a single Knut for it. Just… if you ever decide you don't want it anymore, don't hurt it. Bring it back to me, yeah?"
A little spark of amusement flashed in Alice's eyes. Hagrid's long, rambling explanation painted a pretty clear picture of the guy: not the smoothest talker, kinda awkward with people, but a total softie for animals.
She didn't mind people like that at all. Actually, chatting with someone like Hagrid put her totally at ease.
She smiled and nodded. "Got it, Hagrid. Thank you. I'll take good care of it."
Hagrid sighed—he'd lost the battle against the "Mr." part—but when he glanced at Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing on either side, he relaxed. A Slytherin who got along with these three probably wouldn't hurt the owl… right?
Hermione, still surprised, piped up, "Alice, wait—you don't even like animals. You didn't bring any pet when we started school."
Alice pictured the owl and smiled. "That one's… special. I don't mind it."
They all chatted for a few more minutes, but Alice could tell Harry and the others were holding back on asking about Flamel because she was there. Figuring it was time to give them some privacy, she said goodbye and headed out.
As she walked away, she could still faintly hear their voices behind her.
Hagrid's low rumble: "Blimey, when that girl gave me that serious look earlier, I swear it felt like Dumbledore himself was staring me down. Gave me the heebie-jeebies for no reason."
Ron, instantly: "Right?? Doesn't Alice have crazy intense vibes sometimes?"
Hermione shot back, "She does not! Where are you getting that?"
Harry and Ron exchanged a look—yep, Hermione was totally head-over-heels for Alice and had lost all objectivity.
Alice's footsteps suddenly stopped in the snow.
She remembered.
It was on Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card. One of his accomplishments listed in tiny print:
"Known for his successful collaboration with partner Nicolas Flamel in the field of alchemy."