Alice then entered the Great Hall, leaving behind the somewhat tense exchange with Umbridge. Although she had been involved in the event's preparation, the hall seemed even more beautiful and enchanting now that it was filled with guests. The sparkling garlands, the elegantly set tables, and the floating candles created a warm, festive atmosphere.
Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd until she spotted a trio she knew well: Harry, Hermione, and Ron. They were gathered by one of the tables, laughing heartily. Harry was the first to notice her and gave her a cheerful wave.
Alice returned the gesture with a quick wave of her hand and a warm smile but chose not to approach further. She didn’t want to interrupt their moment, preferring to let them enjoy the evening with their friends.
The evening had only just begun, yet a gentle euphoria filled the room. Alice initially made her way toward the buffet, her serene smile blending with the festive mood. Yet, deep down, she was searching for one particular person: Severus Snape. She wanted to thank him for his rare compliments, an unusual kindness coming from him, and she hoped to return the favor. She had found him particularly elegant tonight, a detail she couldn’t ignore.
But despite her efforts to spot him among the guests, he seemed to have mysteriously vanished. Alice suspected he was deliberately avoiding her, true to his habit of preferring the shadows to the spotlight. Resigned and somewhat frustrated, she returned to the buffet, hoping some hors d'oeuvres would help her push past her disappointment.
Just as she was about to sample a canapé, a familiar voice called out to her dramatically:
"Alice McGarden, the little prodigy!"
Alice jumped, hastily swallowing her snack before turning around.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt, the great incorruptible!" she responded with a burst of laughter, her face lighting up with happiness.
Kingsley opened his arms wide, and Alice didn’t hesitate for a moment, throwing herself into his embrace, a radiant smile on her lips.
"I thought I was going to be bored at this teen ball!" Kingsley joked in his deep, warm voice. "I’d heard you took a position here, but I didn’t expect to run into you tonight!"
"This is a most pleasant surprise, Kingsley!" she replied enthusiastically. "You’re here with the Minister, I presume?"
Kingsley leaned in slightly, closing the distance between them with a conspiratorial air.
"He refuses to go anywhere without a bodyguard," Kingsley said, his tone playful. "But honestly, I can’t complain—it counts as overtime!"
Alice burst into laughter, her crystal-clear laugh cutting through the noise of the hall. "We’re a far cry from Millicent’s time, aren’t we?"
Kingsley nodded, a glint of nostalgia in his eyes. "For sure. So, tell me everything, Alice. How have you been?"
She shrugged, a sincere smile on her lips. "I’d say I’m getting better. I think I’ll eventually get back to full strength. I don’t have as much time to train as I used to, but it’s slowly coming back."
Kingsley nodded in agreement. "That’s good. Do you think you’ll join us again?"
Alice paused for a fraction of a second before answering, crossing her arms with calculated nonchalance. "I’m not sure yet… I want to see how things evolve here. And what about you? What have you been up to these past ten years?"
Kingsley took a deep breath before answering with a slightly mischievous smile. "Well... I got a promotion, I got married..."
Alice’s eyes widened in surprise and joy. "Oh wow! Who is Mrs. Shacklebolt?" she exclaimed, genuinely delighted by the news.
"Sereny El Amrani, do you remember her? She had just transferred to our office when you left us."
Alice gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, laughing softly. "Of course I remember her! I would have bet there was something going on between you two back then."
Kingsley laughed too, tipping his head slightly. "Ah, so you had an eye for it, as always."
From a distance, Severus Snape, who had found a discreet spot out of sight, watched them with quiet attention. He had seen Alice earlier, scanning the room as though looking for something—or more precisely, someone. He had guessed it was him she was searching for, before she gave up and headed towards the buffet. When Kingsley Shacklebolt had appeared, Snape had deduced they were colleagues from before the accident. That explained their easy camaraderie.
Still, a part of him—one he’d rather ignore—felt an uncomfortable twinge as he watched them exchange smiles and laughter.
The background music changed, turning into a more rhythmic, upbeat melody, one that invited people to dance. The conversations in the Great Hall grew quieter as the first couples moved onto the dance floor. In the center of the room, Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore opened the ball with an elegance full of mischief, drawing warm applause.
Alice, still standing by the buffet, couldn’t help but smile as she watched the two headmasters take center stage.
"I hear it's time to dance," she murmured.
Kingsley, all smiles, extended a hand toward her.
"In honor of the good old days?" he suggested lightly.
Alice couldn’t suppress a genuine laugh. "With pleasure!"
The duo moved onto the dance floor, attracting a few curious glances. From the very first notes, they found a natural rhythm. The dance, though simple, was punctuated by genuine laughter and knowing smiles. In low voices, they exchanged jokes that made them smile even more, strengthening the sense of deep and unbreakable camaraderie.
Still in the background, Severus continued to watch them, motionless in the shadows. His gaze darkened as their laughter rang out—soft and sincere, like a melody he couldn’t ignore. Each smile exchanged, every natural gesture of their sincere friendship, stirred a twinge of jealousy within him, one that he struggled to hide even from himself. It wasn’t their closeness that troubled him, but the lightness and joy they shared—two things he had lost and thought would forever be absent from his own relationship with the witch.
When the music stopped, and the dancers thanked their partners, Severus felt an inexplicable impulse to move forward. He headed toward them, his steps almost mechanical, as though guided by a desire he refused to analyze.
Kingsley, still cheerful, spoke before Severus could reach them.
"I need to get back to Cornelius. Alice, it was a pleasure. I truly hope to see you among us again soon. And I absolutely must introduce you to Sereny properly."
"We could organize a dinner with the old team," Alice suggested, clearly delighted by the idea. "I'd love to see what they’ve become."
Kingsley nodded enthusiastically, but his attention was drawn to the dark figure of Severus Snape, who was approaching them.
"Severus Snape," the Auror said with a slight incline of his head, cordial. "How are you?"
"Fine, thank you," Severus replied in a neutral tone, but his gaze remained fixed on Alice. "I've come to borrow Miss McGarden."
Kingsley smiled. "Of course, but there's no need to return her after. I’ve got work waiting for me," he joked, prompting a small, knowing laugh from Alice.
"Good evening, Alice. Professor Snape," Kingsley concluded before gracefully moving away to rejoin Minister Fudge.
Alice then turned to Severus, slightly surprised but curious about what he wanted to say. He, true to form, seemed to be struggling with a thought that refused to fully form. The music changed again, and the dance floor began to fill with new couples.
"What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? And where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere," she asked.
Severus crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as if amused by the accusation.
"You’re not looking very well. For a former Auror, it’s hard to believe you managed to catch so many criminals..." he replied.
Alice lowered her eyes, stung but not truly surprised.
"You’re always so talkative when it comes to mocking me," she sighed, crossing her arms. After a brief silence, she added, "I wanted to thank you for the compliments earlier... On that note..."
She took a step to walk away, but he gently grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"Wait. It doesn’t usually bother you when I tease you. What’s changed?" he asked, his tone fluctuating between curiosity and suspicion.
Alice lifted her chin, a hurt glimmer in her eyes.
"Hearing you be kind... it reminded me that you can be, if you want to. Maybe I’ve gotten too used to the Severus who only says cruel things."
Severus slightly furrowed his brows, feigning confusion.
"I don’t understand what you mean..."
Alice rolled her eyes in frustration, pulling her arm from his grip.
"Oh, yes, you understand perfectly," she retorted before turning on her heel, striding quickly towards the outside.
For a moment, he stood there, fighting with himself. Then, unable to hold back, he followed her. She walked without looking back, crossing the corridor to a balcony overlooking Hogwarts' snowy gardens. The light of the candles and the stars illuminated the chilly night.
Alice stopped abruptly, taking a deep breath to calm her swirling thoughts. But Severus didn’t give her the time to regain her composure.
"And what?" he said, his tone betraying barely contained anger. "Everything's better in your life now, so suddenly my cynical remarks don't please you anymore? You dance with an Auror, and suddenly, my compliments aren't enough?"
Alice slowly turned to face him, a mixture of frustration and pain in her eyes.
"It was YOU, Severus. You I wanted to see first when I woke up. Not my family, not my colleagues, not even my mentor! It was you. And the one I found was so different from the one I left. But despite that, I held on. I held on to you and to what little you still let me see of you."
Alice's words hit Severus like a blow, but he remained still, his face almost expressionless despite the emotions swirling within him.
"People change, Alice," he finally said, his voice low and hoarse, almost a whisper.
Alice stared at him intensely, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "People change, yes, they evolve, grow, get older, marry..." She paused, as if the words were catching in her throat. "People around me have changed, I saw that, after all this time I wasn’t here. But the relationships I had built... they’re still the same. None of them have changed... none, except ours!"
Severus opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He stood there, frozen, not knowing what to say. He lowered his gaze, unable to find an answer that wouldn't sound like a lie.
Alice stepped closer. "You barely even look me in the eye." Silent tears now streamed down her cheeks. "And I’m not even talking about that pathetic excuse. You’re hiding something from me, I know it. I’m not as stupid as you think I am."
Severus looked away, uncomfortable, as if Alice's words were hitting him squarely.
She shook her head, almost in desperation. "And yet I can't understand, Severus... You push me away constantly, you literally shut me out every time you get the chance, and yet, you always come back. You give me compliments and get upset when I dare think you'll say something cruel again." She paused for a moment, as though those words were burning her lips, before continuing. "Why do you do this, huh?"
"Alice, I..." he started, but she didn’t let him finish. She raised her hand as if to stop him.
"No, Severus. Don't start with your excuses. Not this time."
She took a step back, her gaze still fixed on him, her breath quickening. "We learned what friendship was together, remember? The confessions, the arguments, the competitions, and the victories. The bickering, and the tenderness..." She closed her eyes for a moment, as if reliving everything they'd shared. "What’s left of all that, huh?"
"Al..." he murmured, his voice rough.
She interrupted him again. "Be honest, or leave."
The words echoed like an ultimatum, a challenge he could not ignore. Severus, frozen in place, felt the pressure of the moment intensify. This was it. He could no longer run. He knew that what he said—or didn’t say—would change everything.
But all he could do was remember. He saw himself months ago, standing before her, intent on telling her everything, confessing it all. But in that moment, everything had fallen apart. He hadn’t found the courage to break the silence, to put into words what he felt. No, he remembered another time, another, even older memory, when he had looked at Alice with the same uncertain eyes.
His stomach twisted again, just like it had so many times in the past, each time he faced her, each time he felt it was time to speak, to share everything... But he could never do it. His heart was pounding so loudly it resonated in his head, painfully.
He wouldn’t do it, he knew. He couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t break the silence. Not now, not like this.
This was the chance, the perfect opportunity for her to leave him, for her to hate him enough that he would no longer matter to her. So that he could finally disappear from her life, without her holding any more expectations of him. He slowly stepped back, turning away from Alice.
"Sev…" she implored, her voice broken.
He stopped for a moment, a shudder running through his body, but he quickly regained his composure. "Good night, Alice." The words left his mouth with a coldness he hadn’t intended to control. He turned on his heel and walked away.
His heart was heavy, his stomach twisted, every step away from her felt more unbearable than the last. But he couldn’t turn back. Not this time.
"You're really leaving? Coward! Idiot!" Alice shouted these words into the empty space, but Severus didn’t turn around. Her insults, however full of pain, no longer echoed within him. He barely heard them, focusing only on walking, on fleeing.
When his shadow disappeared into the gloom of the castle, Alice collapsed against the balcony’s stone wall, leaning with a nearly desperate gesture. The tears now streamed down her cheeks with an intensity she hadn’t known in a long time. Abundant, bitter, they seemed to carry everything away with them—the frustration, the anger, the sadness, and most of all, the emptiness, like a chasm between her and him. She wanted him near her now, not in some uncertain future. She wanted answers, explanations. She couldn’t wait any longer.
She had been patient, maybe too patient, but everything had changed so suddenly, and she could no longer accept that everything was lost between them. Things had to go back to how they were, as quickly as they had been altered. She wanted to piece everything back together, to fix what was broken, but deep inside her, a bitter truth was growing.
She had largely pushed herself into this situation, forcing Severus against this wall, giving him the ultimatum. But deep down, she knew—the final choice had been his. And that choice… it seemed irrevocable.
The tears kept flowing, but the words refused to come. All that remained was the pain.