Pansy glanced at Alice and saw she was just as clueless about what Stardust wanted.
Since Alice didn't object, Pansy slipped the bracelet off her wrist, set it in front of the bird, and asked,
"You want this?"
Maybe because Pansy was its owner, Stardust warmed up a bit and gave a grudging nod.
Alice asked, "What's the bracelet made of?"
Pansy thought for a second, then said hesitantly,
"Not sure. It was my grandma's. She told me to always wear it, never take it off, but didn't say what it's made from."
Alice hummed. Since it was a family heirloom, she couldn't exactly buy it off Pansy.
She scooped up Stardust, who'd been eyeballing the bracelet nonstop, and said,
"That's something Pansy's family gave her. You can't have it, got it?"
Stardust shot the bracelet one last longing look, but Alice's stare left no room for argument. It finally turned away.
The bird looked so pathetic that Pansy actually felt bad. She told Alice, "If it just wants to borrow it for a bit, I don't mind—as long as I get it back."
Stardust's eyes lit up with gratitude and it bobbed its head like crazy. Alice caught the sly glint flashing in its eyes and knew it was up to no good.
She asked, "You just want it for a little while? When you give it back, it'll be exactly the same as when you took it?"
Stardust wouldn't meet her gaze. Everyone in the dorm got the message.
Pansy quietly pulled the bracelet back.
Millicent, who'd watched the whole exchange, said in awe,
"Alice, your owl is seriously something else!"
Alice nodded. Of course Stardust was special—that's why she'd sweet-talked it out of Hagrid.
Truth be told, though, aside from its smarts, she hadn't spotted anything else unusual yet.
She told Pansy to stash the bracelet before Stardust swiped it, then asked Pansy and the curious Millicent to keep an eye on the bird. She had to track down Theodore and talk about Flint.
She found him in the Potions classroom, brewing something new.
Thanks to her funding, Theodore had access to all kinds of ingredients and was learning tons of recipes under Snape's guidance.
Snape had given him classroom privileges, but his private lab was still off-limits.
Theodore spotted Alice but was at a critical stage, so he stayed silent.
Once the potion hit a safe spot, he killed the flame under the cauldron, wiped his hands, and said,
"What's the mission?"
Alice's face turned serious. "Lately—Flint been giving you grief?"
Theodore paused a few seconds, then asked,
"…How'd you know? Who told you?"
Alice didn't like the dodge; a little heat crept into her voice.
"That's not the point. Why didn't you tell me? Don't you trust me?"
Theodore looked uncomfortable. "Flint's beef is with me, not you. Why drag you into it?"
Alice glared. "You think he's targeting you because of you?"
"That's exactly why I kept quiet. He wants to piss me off, push you into hitting him, then the headmaster and professors can't protect you anymore."
"I know the game, Alice. No way I'm pulling you into the mud."
Alice cut him off with a raised hand, voice firm.
"We're friends. You're under my umbrella. Telling me isn't a problem—it proves we're real friends."
"Theodore, your words: you're not fighting alone. We're friends. You have to trust me."
Theodore froze. Growing up, only his mom had ever truly cared.
Even with Alice, he'd seen her as the boss, the leader—do the work, get the gold. Fair trade.
He'd never called himself her friend. Never expected anything beyond cash.
Flint's bullying? Just the cost of taking Alice's money.
Now she was telling him to trust her. They were friends.
He didn't know how to handle that kind of care.
"What, first time someone says you can lean on them, so you're freaking out?"
Theodore wasn't the shy type. He met her eyes.
"Yeah, it's weird. But I'll get used to it."
Alice nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now—tell me how Flint's been messing with you."
Theodore slipped back into his usual cool self, a sarcastic smirk tugging his lips.
"What can he even do? Guy's a blowhard."
"At first he tried baiting me into swinging. Like I'm that dumb."
"Then he pulled the same pranks he used on you. Early on, yeah, they got under my skin."
"But I flipped one of his buddies, started getting his plans ahead of time. Now his pranks are a joke."
"That's why I didn't tell you—his stuff doesn't even land anymore."
Alice shook her head. "Think harder. Has he really backed off, or is he cooking something bigger?"
Theodore's eyes widened—he got it. Alice had inside info; Flint was plotting round two.
But what was off?
He sank into thought. Alice grabbed a stool and waited.
After a long minute, Theodore slapped his hand on the table.
"I think I've got it!"
Alice raised a brow—go on.
Theodore said, uncertain, "A while back a third-year mentioned Flint's been hanging tight with Derrick Bole."
Alice got it instantly. Two losers teaming up!
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