The whole Nicolas Flamel thing could wait.
What the heck was in the Forbidden Forest?
Alice stood on the little path, staring into the trees. She couldn't shake the feeling that something in there was staring right back.
And it wasn't just any stare. It felt like it could see straight through her. The wild part? There was no malice in it. If anything, it felt… desperate. Like a plea for help.
What are you?
Alice didn't move. She locked eyes with the darkness, knowing whatever it was could tell she was looking.
"I'll come find you tonight, okay?" she mouthed, no sound.
The gaze vanished.
Yup. Something alive in there was definitely watching her.
Alice chewed her lip. What could it be?
"Alice? You waiting for us?"
Hermione's voice snapped her out of it. She turned—Hermione was jogging over, grinning ear to ear.
"Uh, yeah! Totally waiting for you guys," Alice said, scrambling for an excuse.
Hermione looped her arm through Alice's like it was second nature now. Girl was getting good at it.
Alice shifted, trying to play it cool. "So, how'd you guys get back from Hagrid's so fast? Any Flamel intel?"
Ron groaned. "Hagrid didn't say squat. Just told us to focus on school and stop worrying about 'nonsense.'"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "And he's wrong how? Tell me, Ron—can you turn a match into a needle yet?"
"Or levitate a feather the way Professor Flitwick wants?"
Ron opened his mouth, then shut it. She had him dead to rights. He kicked a pebble, grumpy. "But come on. You know how dangerous that thing is! We're just trying to get to the truth."
He froze, realizing he'd put his foot in it again.
Even Harry rolled his eyes this time. Alice knew why—her.
She'd already pieced some of it together. That three-headed dog she'd glimpsed in ghost form with Harry and the others? Yeah. Flamel was probably tied to whatever it was guarding.
After her chat with Dumbledore, she was pretty sure he was playing 4D chess. She wasn't exactly itching to mess with his game plan.
But Harry and the gang had no clue what she was thinking. They were still sweating bullets, hoping she wouldn't get suspicious.
Still… she was curious about what the dog was hiding.
Helping directly? Nah. Dropping a tiny breadcrumb? That wouldn't wreck Dumbledore's scheme. Guy had to have factored her in by now.
She held out for about ten seconds before caving. "If you just want Flamel info, I've got a hint."
Harry's eyes lit up. "Spill."
"You guys got Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card, right?"
Ron snorted. "Duh. I've got like twenty of those."
"Exactly," Alice said, smirking. "So how'd you miss this? Back of the card—his achievements. 'Made groundbreaking advances in alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel.'"
The three of them swapped looks. Hermione frowned. "We figured Flamel had to be a big deal if he's on the card with Dumbledore."
"But we checked Modern Magical Developments and he's not in there."
"Even knowing he worked with Dumbledore didn't give us anything else to go on."
Alice shrugged. "So… why not look further back?"
Further back?
Hermione blinked. "You mean… like, centuries back? He'd have to be hundreds of years old."
Then again—this was the wizarding world.
Seeing the gears turning, Alice nudged: "What in magic lets people live crazy long?"
Hermione's eyes went wide. She spun in a circle like a cartoon lightbulb went off. "I think I know!"
And poof—she bolted for the library.
Alice looked at Harry and Ron, still frozen. She sighed. "You guys gonna chase her or what?"
They took off like rockets.
Alice chuckled. What a trio. Then she went to find the Bloody Baron and pick up "her" owl.
She spotted him on the Astronomy Tower, bent over trying to sweet-talk the bird. The owl looked straight-up offended.
The Baron crooned, "Come on, you little beast—why do you like her and not me? My possession game is way better than Alice's."
"I taught her, you know."
The owl side-eyed him, then turned its back.
Ahem.
Alice cleared her throat before he could combust.
The Baron shot upright, all dignified and stern. "You're back?"
"Talk to Hagrid go okay?"
Alice bit back a grin, remembering him cooing at the owl two seconds ago. She nodded solemnly.
After a quick chat, she left the tower with the owl in tow.
Time for a heart-to-heart.
"You understand me, don't you?"
The owl glanced at her, then went back to preening.
"No answer? Cool, I'll take that as a yes. Need a name."
"Your feathers are all singed—how about Burnt Bean?"
"Krrk!" A sharp, indignant squawk.
"See? Told you you get me. Kidding. How about Stardust? Light, magical, got that starry-night vibe."
The owl chirped—"tweet-tweet!"—and bobbed its head like crazy. Much better than Burnt Bean.
Alice carried Stardust back to the dorm. Pansy and the girls were out—place was empty.
She set the cage on the desk and stared into Stardust's eyes.
"So… why are you so special?"