Chapter 14

3 0 1
                                    

'My Dear Alice,
I realize today how much my silence may have hurt you, and I sincerely wish to apologize for my behavior. I've been clumsy with my words and actions at times, and I regret causing you pain.

If you're willing, I'd like for us to meet and talk, and hopefully clear the air between us. Nothing would make me happier than to rebuild the precious bond we share. Let's meet at the manor. I'll wait for you, no matter how late it gets.

With all my affection,
Your brother.'

This was the letter delivered to her by a large owl just as she had stepped through the gates of Hogwarts. She had read it, reread it, her expression darkened with a mixture of confusion and anger. Her brows furrowed, her mind spiraling—Why now? Why was he doing this? Why...?

In the deep darkness of the night, Alice found herself unable to move. The letter in her hands, crumpled under the sheer force with which she held the fragile piece of parchment. She had recognized the owl, the paper, the handwriting—nothing had changed after all this time. He hadn't changed. So why? Why did this letter, these words, suggest otherwise?

A wave of frustration surged within her. That simmering anger she had tried to bury for so long was now ablaze. She wanted to crush the letter in her hand and throw it to the ground, a gesture of defiance. She wanted to say aloud that this changed nothing, that no apology could erase what she had endured. Her heart pounded, her thoughts torn between tenderness and distrust.

She shouldn't go. Every instinct screamed at her to keep walking, to return to the castle, to ignore this foolish letter and act as if it had never existed. But she didn't listen.

Her hands trembled slightly as she tucked the letter into her pocket, her heart steeling itself for whatever awaited her.

With a sharp movement, she Disapparated, determined to confront the memories and perhaps, at last, close this painful chapter of her life. Tonight, she would go to the manor—not for her brother, but for herself, to find the answers she sought and maybe, just maybe, the inner peace she had been searching for all these years.

Over at Grimmauld Place, its occupants were deep in heated discord.

"Sirius! Alice hasn't spoken about it, and she must have her reasons! Why insist on forcing the issue?" exclaimed Molly Weasley, visibly exasperated by her host's obstinate attitude.

"Alice this, Alice that, but we're talking about Harry! He has the right to know!" Sirius snapped back, his voice sharp with frustration.

Harry, standing in the middle of the scene, turned to them with wide eyes. "What do I have the right to know?" he asked, caught between curiosity and unease. The argument unfolding before him clearly involved him, yet no one seemed willing to explain.

Molly shot a reproachful glare at Sirius. "You're using Harry as an excuse, Sirius!" she scolded, her tone growing accusatory. "I've seen how you act around her. Nothing's changed since those days!"

Sirius straightened his posture as though stung by her words, but before he could retort, Arthur Weasley, standing beside his wife, hesitantly intervened. "Molly, dear... Sirius may have a point. Well, yes, the subject has come up a bit abruptly, but now that it's out in the open..."

Molly spun toward him, scandalized. "Arthur! You worked with Alice; you know how much effort she's put into burying all this!" she exclaimed indignantly.

"Bury what?" Harry interjected, desperately scanning the room for someone willing to provide an answer. But no one addressed him directly, each too wrapped up in their own concerns.

One of the twins piped up with mock innocence, "Is she a criminal?" His brother, wearing a mischievous grin, added, "Intriguing..."

"No! That's not what I meant!" Molly shot back, horrified by the insinuation.

Shadow and Light {Severus Snape x OC}Where stories live. Discover now