After The War (Romione & Hinny fan fiction)

Never Fall for the Enemy

Rumors of how the fifth years had been to a Haunted Hause traveled fast within the walls of Hogwarts.

Rumor had it that James Potter had fainted at the sight of a werewolf and that Sasha Kenn had been crashed by a moving wall.

James, thankfully, was alive and well after only one night in the hospital wing.

The same couldn't be said about Sasha, though. She hadn't been seen in the Great Hall for meals at her usual spot at the end of the Slytherin table, nor in the hospital wing or her dormitory. That only made rumors go wilder.

James was sure that if she didn't show for another three days people would start saying she had been eaten by crocodiles and Professor Niversk was trying to hide the evidence.

James sighed, subconciously moving his porridge from one side of his bowl to the other.

"Can you stop doing that? It's annoying." Noah, who was sitting on his left, said as he elbowed him in his bicep.

"Oi!" James said, dropping his spoon, "And you can try being gentler."

"And you should --"

A hand was waving in front of their faces.

"Hey! Earth calls James and Noah."

Their heads snapped up. James wanted to crawl under the table when his eyes met Alice Longbottom's.

"You really should stop bickering like children. Half the Gryffindor table is staring at you." With that, Alice sat down on James's right. He couldn't help but notice her arm brushing his as she reached for a plate of eggs.

"Thanks." James mumbled under his breath.

"No problem." Alice shrugged nonchalantly, "We don't want any more rumors on the Gryffindor Prefect, right?"

"Right." James looked down at his porridge. He didn't feel very hungry anymore. "So. Your Boggart is a... hamster?"

"It is." Alice said simply.

James frowned. "But... why?"

"You know, it's not polite to ask people about their fears."

"Oh Merlin. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. You... you don't have to tell me anything if--"

Alice chuckled. "It's fine. Besides, we really should start getting to know each other a little - Prefect bonding, you know?"

James didn't know at all, but he nodded anyway.

"When I was seven, I had this hamster called Sam. Once, I stated I hated Sam because it ate my favourite socks. But I didn't really mean it. The next day I was about to eat breakfast when I saw something terrifying. Sam's dead body on the kitchen table. A cat had probably left it there. Sam was nearly headless, surrounded by a pool of blood. I didn't eat for two whole days afterwards."

Alice shook her head and chuckled at her memory, "I know Boggarts are supposed to take the form of some big trauma or bad memory one has, but honestly, I think I have never cried as much as I did the day I found my headless hamster on the table."

"That's... very sad." James said.

"Laaaaames." Noah called loudly, laughing at the nickname as if he'd just come up with it. We have to go pick up our books before Tranfiguration."

"Right." James sighed, turning back to Alice, "I have to look after the child right there. See you in class, then."

For the first time in her life, Alice didn't want him to go.

***

Alice replayed her conversation with James in her head the whole morning during classes, which was why she'd barely taken notes and when Professor Swirtch had asked a question on Vanishing Spells she hadn't raised her hand. Everyone had been surprised, and even Professor Swirtch raised an eyebrow when she'd noticed that Alice was staring straight ahead.