With Stardust's help, Alice's rage simmered down to a low boil. She started plotting her next move like a chess grandmaster.
Pansy, nosy as hell, eyed her. "So, Alice, got a game plan yet?"
Alice's eyes lit up like fireworks. "Hell yeah—eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth!"
"Those bastards gotta pay for Theo's coma!"
Pansy hesitated, mouth opening then snapping shut. Alice caught it. "Spit it out. What's eating you?"
Pansy chewed her lip, then went for it. "Alice, not sure if you know, but some wizards are memory pros—they can peek into heads."
"And from what I overheard my dad say, Snape's one of 'em."
"So, I doubt Flint and Bode could hide shit from Snape's brain probe. If he says they're clean, maybe they really are."
Alice shrugged it off. Memory masters? Sure, wizard world has 'em. But who gives a damn if Flint and Bode are the real culprits?
Even if it was a freak accident—so what?
If those two hadn't been riding Theo's ass non-stop, stressing him out like a bad loan, he wouldn't have botched that potion. Hell, even Snape told Pomfrey Theo's too sharp for rookie mistakes.
But it happened anyway.
Pansy was waffling—help or bail? If she was out, she wouldn't look this torn.
To cut her slack, Alice said, "Pansy, sit this one out. You're already dealing with family bullshit; piling on more's just gonna crush you."
That lit a fire. Pansy bolted up from the bed, fired up. "No way, Alice! I gotta be in. Not worried about family heat—I'm scared we're screwing up what Theo wanted."
"He told me he didn't want you beefing too hard with Flint's crew. Said it'd piss off big-shot wizards outside school. Put you in real danger."
Alice went quiet. Theo had a point.
Right now, her scraps with Flint were bottled up in Hogwarts, thanks to the profs and Dumbledore playing referee. Go too far? Outside pressure crashes in like a tidal wave.
She met Pansy's stare. "Pansy, some stuff I won't tell Theo myself. When he wakes, pass it on."
Pansy nodded, grabbing quill and parchment. Alice waited, smirking at the prep, then dropped: "Some crap you can't dodge forever. Ignore it? It bites harder."
"With Dumbledore shielding us, low-key clashes with those 'elite' assholes? It's training wheels. Builds us up without the wipeout. Play smart, we level up fast."
"I bet the greatest headmaster ever, chilling in his office, spots our little crew growing under his wing. He'll keep the big bads at bay."
Pansy blinked, jotting it down. Looked at Alice—half shocked, half duh. Weird hearing deep shit from a peer, but hey, it's Alice!
"So, buy that?" Alice asked.
Pansy pondered, then dodged. "I'm no genius, so I tail smart folks. After hanging with you? I'm all in. Right or wrong, I'm ride-or-die."
If Pansy's words to Alice were a surprise twist, Alice's reaction to this? Pure shock. Pansy didn't seem the loyal-to-the-grave type.
"You sure? Once you're in, no outs. Bail? I handle you as a traitor. Or you die pushing forward."
Alice locked eyes.
Pansy nodded, fierce. Her plain face? Glowed with that grit.
Sold. Alice finally folded Pansy into her inner circle. Extended a hand: "Deal. First op: Avenge Theo."
She shooed Stardust out the window—hang with the school owls awhile. Bird looked pissed, like ew, peasants, but flew off.
Alice grabbed Pansy. Time to recruit muscle.
...
In a hidden Hogwarts nook, Hermione gawked at Alice like she'd grown horns. "You're plotting to take down upperclassmen from your own house? And make it look like an accident?"
"Impossible!"
Ron nodded hard. He thought Alice was nuts too. Trap two seniors without profs sniffing it out? Yeah, right.
Alice ignored 'em, laser-focused on silent Harry. Hermione and Ron? Their call hinged on his.
Harry met her gaze. "Three questions."
"One: What's the beef?"
"Two: Who're the targets?"
"Three: Why us—me, Ron, Hermione?"
Alice grinned. Hook, line, sinker.