Maledictus

Ch.19 - The Argument

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''UNFORTUANTLY
YES"

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Alice fell to the ground, trying to get back up but her legs didn't want to stop shaking.
The twins offered to help, but she was terrified, so refused all help until she really couldn't get up.

"Need help?" asked Fred.

"Unfortunatly yes" she muttered, taking both there arms.
But she didn't feel well, and she still managed to fall backwards and Fred grabbed her arm, and she cried out in pain, kicking his shins.

"OW!" he cried, holding his right shin.

George helped her up, as clung to his arm like a teddy bear.

"Come on Freddy, she's tiny and weak!" laughed George, but this offended Alice and kicked George in his left shin.

"Watch who you call weak!" she threatened, but it wasn't effective as she was still talking only a bit louder than a whisper.

Fred shot a look at Alice, and her heart began pounding again, and she began shaking.

"Are you-" began George before he was interjected by Draco.

"Alice"

Alice's face went white, and again, no one noticed.
She turned around and followed Draco, her knees banging together in fear.

"This is the third time Alice, third time!" he shouted once they reached a  deserted corridor.

"I ran into them!" she protested.

"Show me your arm" he said, taking out his wand.

Alice grabbed her arm, taking a step back.

"No" she said as bravely as possible, her voice shaking.

"What did you say?"

"No!" she shouted.

Draco was fuming and smacked her, grabbing her arm and pointing his wand at the long scar.

He muttered the words again and pain pierced her arm.
She bit her lip to prevent her crying out.
He stopped sooner than later, hearing a teacher a distance away, again leaving Alice on her knees, holding her arm.

She too heard the footsteps and started running the opposite direction.

But by doing so, she ran into the twins again.

"What's wrong?" asked Fred, looking at the pain stricken girl. "Can I go get Hermione?"

"I'm fine, no need to tell Ms. Granger" she lied, scooting past them. Heading to the library, where she would hide until the bleeding stopped.

"Alice, I need to close the library" said Madam Pince.
Alice smiled a very weak smile and left without a word.

She didn't want to go back.
She wanted to turn back time to when  Henry and her brother were together.
All she wanted to do was to see him again, even if it was only for a second, she wanted proof that he was alive.

Finally, Harry, Hermione and Ron, learnt their lesson, and they left her alone, but it didn't stop them from whispering about her.

"Somethings up" said Harry.

"Took you long enough to come around!" laughed Ron and Harry shot him a death look.

"No I mean, something more, she won't let go of her arm" sighed Harry, not making eye contact with Ron.
Hermione looked over when she was sure Alice couldn't see her and she was still holding her arm.

"Hence my earlier comment about Draco!" said Hermione, bewitching her knitting needles to knit pink hats with green baubles.

"Well what are we going to do?" asked  Ron, leaving his potions essay which he really shouldn't do.

"Would you like it if I started going around telling people that your own brother was hurting you?" shouted Alice. "No, I don't think you would! So why do it to me? Why am I so different?"

Hermione's face had gone bright red.
This time it really was her fault.

"Alice-" began Harry.

"Shut it, and listen!" tears were brimming her eyes at this point. "I can fend for myself-"

Harry scoffed.

"No you can't" he laughed.

A tear fell and Hermione and Ron looked worried for they feared Alice would be the target for his next outburst.

"And why do you say that Mr. Potter?" she asked wearily.

"You fall over every two seconds, you jump five feet in the air when we say hello and you think that Draco is your brother!"

Harry had gone too far.
Alice's face had gone bright red with anger and embarrassment.
If he had gone what she's been through, he would be the same.

"Mr. Malfoy is my brother" she said calmly.

"Then why do you call him Mr. Malfoy" asked Harry, pushing yet another one of her buttons.

"Why do you call Ms. Granger Hermione?" she asked.

"Because it's her bloody name" he shouted, making her step back. "You call him Mr. Malfoy because he isn't your family, your a fake and don't deserve any family!"

Harry immediately regretted what he had said.
Alice fell silent and the tears fell as she fell to her knees.

She did have family.
It just wasn't Draco.
It was Henry and even if he killed twelve million people today, he would still be family and still her brother.

"Alice-" began Harry, still lost for words. "I didn't mean it"

"How can you not mean it, when you know you were meant to say it. And you're right anyway, I don't deserve a family" she sobbed.

"Alice thats not true" said Hermione, fuming at Harry.

"How do you know? You never met a monster, you never met one you couldn't love like a sister or brother" she croaked, trying to sound brave.

Without another word from anyone, she ran to the dorm and within seconds, her pillow was covered in tears.