Continued Yoga Lessons
Alice tried to enjoy the rest of her time at Aunt Luna's, but it was difficult when she was consistently haunted by Lorcan and Josie's trysts at every turn. She tried to focus on just spending time with Aunt Luna or Lysander, but every night their giggles and whispers would return. Then whenever they were around they were always canoodling and kissing.
Lorcan only acknowledged her appearance twice, once to pass the salt and second to ask if she'd seen Lysander.
Alice regretted ever expressing her crush on him, now he refused to talk to her. He saw her as just a little girl and nothing else. She was just annoying, obnoxious Alice.
Alice hoped going to Uncle Jack's would be better, it wasn't much better. It was as if Lorcan and Josie were simply traded out for Minnie and Cas. Albeit, Minnie was her actual sister and she was of course kinder. However, seeing Cas have his arms wrapped around her sister at every waking moment, made Alice sick.
Seeing Uncle Jack and his giant Pygmy Puff, Blossom of course made the day better. They talked Quidditch while Dusty and Blossom became acquainted.
Alice was ready for school when she boarded the Hogwart's Express. While at Aunt Luna's, she received a letter from the Headmistress and thankfully it had distracted her brain a bit.
Miss Alice Longbottom,
Your mother has informed me that you have recently acquired a genetically modified dragon. She insists this is an educational pursuit, but wishes to keep things as safe as possible. She has requested that you work with our Care Of Magical Creatures Teacher to create a safe environment for your new companion and to possibly begin breeding the dragon. During appropriate times, such as certain classes and activities, she must be left in Professor Hagrid's care. I will send a list of the activities and classes she is prohibited from engaging in.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts Headmistress
She was excited to begin with Hagrid at least, she'd have Quidditch and the Gazette to look forward to as well. She was the sports editor and she'd been training Jeanie, a girl a few years below her, to take over the job during her Quidditch matches.
She was sorely disappointed to learn from her sister that the Gazette's meeting on the train had been postponed due to the recent Editor-in-Chief having dragon pox. Alice looked for her friends to sit with but Ruby was sitting with her boyfriend and Beatrice had a Prefect's meeting.
This left Alice alone in a compartment with just Dusty. Dusty had been stuck in Alice's dress pocket until she got onto the train so it was good she'd be able to fly around.
Alice laid her head back against the train and watched her little dragon play and watch the rain outside.
Jonah Reynolds, one of her teammates from the year before tilted his head into the compartment after the train left the station. He had always been kind to her, being one of her few teammates to rarely poke fun at her. He had initially made fun of her at school, but once she beat him out for Keeper, he started being kind to her. He'd join her in morning yoga stretches, which had always been funny because his flexibility was lacking due to his size. He had joined the team as a Beater officially the year before.
"Hey Alice." Jonah called into Alice.
Alice smiled and waved back, "Hi Jonah."
"I was hoping to run into you actually." Jonah revealed with a dopey smile.
"Have you seen the rest of the team yet?" Alice asked.
"Yeah, Hector, Ellen and Ozzy are a few compartments down." Jonah revealed leaning against the door, she assumed mostly to not hit his head upon entry. "And Josie, well, she's with your sister and all of them. I was shocked you weren't with either group."
"I didn't want to be a bother." Alice admitted, mostly just wanting a break from anyone who was being romantic. "I have a way of over talking people you know?"
Jonah shrugged, "Oh."
"Yeah, Minnie technically invited me, but I always feel out of place." Alice looked down to Dusty who was twirling in her hands.
"Mind if I sit with you then?" Jonah asked, leaning his head in. "I don't mind if you over talk me."
Alice looked up from Dusty, "Of course."
"Who's that?" Jonah asked as he sat across from her.
"Dusty," Alice held her up, "Short for Stardust."
"Is she your mum's dragon's baby or something?" Jonah asked tilting his head.
"No, she's his mate." Alice explained, "Duke hasn't ever had a mate before."
"Cool." Jonah nodded at Dusty. "She's pretty."
"Thanks." Alice said as Dusty climbed onto her shoulder.
"You're pretty too." Jonah blurted scaring Alice slightly. "You know, like your dragon."
Alice felt herself giggle a little, shocked by his admission. Alice looked back to Jonah and noticed his cheeks were red. She'd been so used to boys avoiding her existence that it shocked her to see him or anyone be interested.
"Thanks." Alice said with a small smile back. Jonah wasn't a bad looking fellow, a little burly, but he had lovely eyelashes with chocolate brown eyes.
"You know, if you wanted to do that Yogi stuff again, I'd like to join you." He nodded nervously before clasping his hands.
"Good." Alice nodded, trying to decide if she fancied him back or not. "It really gave me the necessary flexibility for the sloth grip roll."
"It really helped and I heard Josie is making nearly everyone try out again." Jonah said with a glance away from her. "I expect she won't ask you though."
"No, she said I wouldn't be trying out. She wants me to help at the tryout." Alice admitted nervously. Maybe his beautiful compliment was just to make conversation.
"I doubted she'd make you try out. You are the best player Hogwarts has seen in years." Jonah complimented with a cough.
Before Alice could say anything against his compliment, she heard a familiar laugh that had plagued her nights. Josie was coming up the train.
Freya's advice passed through her mind like the fire of a dragon. If Josie saw Alice with someone else, she'd tell Lorcan that Alice had moved on. Maybe it'd work, like Freya had done. She could pretend to be disinterested and into someone else. Then maybe Lorcan would see her as a real grown up woman and not as some little girl, maybe other people would see that too.
Alice stood up from her seat and sat herself beside Jonah. She fixed her skirt slightly as she sat down.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" She asked Jonah.
"Not at all." He said, a smile spreading across his face.
"But I can certainly still help you with the yoga." Alice said crossing her legs onto the seat.
"I can join you, in the common room." He smiled even wider. "Like last year and the year before."
"Sounds like a plan." Alice said as she noticed Josie and Cody walking by. She felt herself move slightly closer to Jonah, "I hope you make the team again."
"Really?" Jonah asked, looking her over.
"Of course I do." Alice wasn't sure how flirting worked, but she assumed smiling had something to do with it. "It's so much more fun with you there. I enjoy having someone else around who appreciates the arts of yoga, and last year you really perfected the happy baby pose, which should really help you with your ability to grip a broomstick."
"I mean it helped last year." He said, his eyes lingering on her hands.
Josie's eyes did slightly linger on the two of them, her eyes widening slightly before she ran up the train. Cody raised an amused eyebrow at her as he followed Josie.
"Well of course it helped." Alice giggled taking a breath of relief, she moved herself back slightly.
"So is the dragon going to be with you at practice?" Jonah asked looking at Dusty.
"Oh no, it's much too dangerous." Alice said excitedly, "And technically it could be considered an unfair advantage."
Alice found the rest of the ride rather enjoyable. Jonah would occasionally ask her a question or two, and she would carry most of the conversation.
Beatrice joined them after her Prefect's meeting, nervously slipping in and seating herself across from them.
Beatrice greeted waving her hand atop her incredibly thin wrist. Alice often likened Beatrice to a scarecrow. Beatrice was also a quiet type soul, she joined Jonah in only slightly adding to the conversation. Alice and Beatrice left Jonah behind to join their roommates for the feast.
Nora, Lavender and Marjorie were all very kind girls, but Alice noticed she had a tendency to overwhelm them. However, they did always invite her and Beatrice to sit with them. Beatrice always seemed more eager to be her friend, with kind words and attentive listening.
They all had their questions regarding Dusty.
"She's not going to burn the common room down right?" Marjorie asked with her lip pouted.
"No, she's too mature for that." Alice responded.
Lavender weighed in flipping her short brown hair, "Does she make much noise?"
"Not a sound when she sleeps." Alice answered before giving Dusty a little sip of water.
"Is she your cousin?" Jeanie Hime asked as she sat down next to Alice.
Jeanie was a pretty little third year who had been convinced by Cody that Alice and her family were all part Dragon.
"No." Alice rolled her eyes. "You know I'm not actually part dragon right? Cody's just a twit."
"I heard that!" Cody yelled down to her from across the table.
The Headmistress stood and instructed everyone to be silent before the sorting ceremony.
The sorting was a normal spectacle, with little first years following her mother and Duke up to the podium. Her mother, had taken the previous year off from her duty during sorting, but this year she regained her traditional position. She seemed very watered down from her normally elegant attire, her traditionally long flowing black gown with silver stars had been replaced by maroon robes with golden trim. Her hat wasn't the one with dangling stars, but instead a simple golden hat with no extra frill. She took her strides with power for someone who was dependent upon a cane though.
"Is your mum feeling better?" Beatrice whispered.
"I think so."
"Good. Last year was a disaster." Nora whispered. "She's much more lenient when she feels good."
"Your grades would have been a disaster whether she was better or not." Alice said curtly.
"Shhhhh." One of the boys from their year, James, hushed.
This year, Duke seemed distracted as he passed by with Alice's mother. He stared at Dusty who was still perched upon Alice's shoulder. Dusty flipped her head away from him immediately.
Her mother began the sorting ceremony, but Alice noticed her mother's eyes drifting to both her and Minnie. Alice wondered if her mother was thinking about the days when they were sorted.
Alice remembered when she sat beneath the hat's brim.
"Ah." The hat sat silently, "You have a lot up here don't you?"
Alice giggled, "I suppose so."
"And it seems you have it all figured out." The hat laughed back, "This shall be quite interesting, considering you are the last of many magical families."
"I'm confused."
"The Longbottom's, the Flumes, and even the Fyre family, however short." The hat laughed, "The Brenna's may be strong but I see no essence of their line continuing in you."
"I'm not a Brenna." Alice snapped back.
"You have the determination of one and slivers of deceit." The hat laughed, "If you hadn't made up your mind, I'd be tempted to place you in Slytherin."
"Oh please no." Alice began to feel tears fall. "I can't be in Slytherin, I just can't. I just know I'm a Gryffindor, I've never been more sure of anything."
"Of course you are." The hat laughed, "I'm sure we can expect great things from you."
The hat announced Gryffindor and Alice breathed a sigh of relief.
After the current sorting ceremony the Headmistress announced that there was a new teacher.
"Taking over as our new Arithmancy teacher is Professor Chester Humboldt." McGonagall said motioning to a man near the end.
"I hate Arithmancy." Nora groaned.
"Who cares, the new Professor is a dreamboat." Lavender whispered.
"Yeah he's got muscles." Beatrice exclaimed looking over to the head table and leaning her head on her hand.
Alice looked at the new professor, he was a very fine looking man with tan skin and a generous smile. "I mean, I hope he teaches it well. Arithmancy is an impossibly hard subject, I mean I like it, but it's still difficult. "
"Come on Alice, he is a dreamboat." Nora agreed.
"You three sure are thick, Alice probably won't think a Professor is fine looking." Jeanie said before stuffing her face with pie. "Considering her parents are both Professors."
"Ew." Lavender's nose turned up.
Alice shuddered a little, "That is rather disgusting honestly. Thank you Jeanie for that insight no one asked for."
"Speaking of fancies, rumor on the train is you both sat with Jonah Reynolds." Jeanie leaned closer. "I know you two do that yogi stuff together, but I didn't know you were interested. He never seemed your type."
"We're friends. He's a fine person." Alice said, but remembered Jeanie was slowly becoming a real school gossip, she could tell everyone. "But I'm not saying I wouldn't be interested. He's got very nice eyelashes."
"Eyelashes!" Beatrice giggled softly.
"Yes, his eyelashes are very nice." Alice rolled her eyes. "And a very handsome smile."
"Oh Alice, wouldn't it be rich if you were the first one in our dormitory to have a real boyfriend?" Nora giggled.
"No one said I was getting a boyfriend." Alice giggled along. "Just that he's a fine person."
"He's looking over here." Beatrice said nodding over to Jonah who was at the end of the table.
Jonah gave her a little wave.
Alice did briefly feel a little jump in her stomach. She didn't before when they'd spent time together, but now the idea she could have a boyfriend before everyone else did seem intriguing.
After the feast she greeted her parents in the traditional manner they always did after being apart for weeks.
Alice noticed as her parents hugged Minnie that there were tears in their eyes. Her mother held Minnie's face in her palms, as Alice came closer she could hear the words exchanged.
"Oh Minerva." Her mother whispered, "Your last welcoming feast. I wish I'd appreciated my last one."
"Sam, you can't cry at her every last this year, I'm sure Min will be sick of it by her NEWTs." Her dad said rolling his eyes, but Alice could see the water in the ducts of his eyes too.
"I don't mind dad." Minnie insisted. "I really don't."
Her dad looked over to Alice with his arms outstretched. She ran into them while Dusty avoided Duke's gazes. "There's my Little Terror. Aunt Luna told me at the Gazette party that she had a wonderful time while you visited. Lysander told me to say hello to you and Dusty."
"It will never become a common feeling to see my friend's children now attending the alumni parties." Her mother said before pulling Alice for a hug, "There's my Alice. How is Dusty?"
"She's just fine momma." Alice said as she watched Dusty nudge her nose against her mother's cheek.
"Hagrid and I were talking about the potential their mating could have." Her mother said with a big smile.
"Well, you know it's illegal to sell them right?" Alice asked nervously.
"Oh I haven't spent much of my time or life being the companion of one of them. I haven't read every law or bi-law." Her mother said sarcastically.
"Ok mum." Alice said feeling embarrassed.
"We aren't talking mass distribution or anything." Her mother said before kissing Alice's cheek, "Mostly that Duke has saved my life many times, keeping an eye on my heart. Maybe more of them could do the same, and protect other damaged hearts."
Alice loved the idea, "So I'd be helping people like you?"
"Yes." Her mother said with a different smile forming. She looked between her daughters. "Oh Nev, what did we ever do to have such loving daughters?"
Her dad just smiled and laughed as they left the Great Hall together.