In soul form, Alice glided through Hogwarts like the walls were just for show. She could phase right through them.
Suddenly, she got curious about the professors' offices. First stop: the headmaster's office on the eighth floor. Just as she was about to try slipping through the wall, a sharp jolt shot through her wrist.
It was the All-Souls Banner warning her—if she tried to enter, something bad was gonna happen.
"Fine, I won't go in," she muttered to herself. Alice knew when to back off. No point in being stubborn.
Guess that's why they call Dumbledore the greatest wizard alive.
Since Dumbledore's office was a no-go, the other professors' rooms lost their appeal too. Anyone teaching at Hogwarts was no pushover, and if Dumbledore had wards, the rest probably did too. Better not risk it.
As for the secret passages and hidden tunnels that every student dreamed of finding? Alice wasn't interested. She could already leave Hogwarts in soul form—she'd done it the first week and snagged her first ghost for the banner.
Thinking about it, she actually felt a little bummed. She was missing out on the classic Hogwarts adventure vibe.
But Hogwarts wasn't as simple as it looked. Soon enough, Alice spotted something that did catch her eye.
What the—?
It was a little guy, legs crossed, swinging from the ceiling on the fourth floor like it was a playground. Evil black eyes, huge grinning mouth—total creep.
So that's Peeves?
Alice had heard the stories: Hogwarts' resident prankster ghost. He tormented Filch, messed with students, even gave professors a hard time. She'd never seen him before—supposedly he avoided Slytherin common room because he was scared of the Bloody Baron.
Peeves froze mid-swing, ears perked up like a dog. After a second, he shot off in a blur.
Alice's curiosity kicked in. She followed at a distance, wondering what had the little chaos gremlin so excited.
As she got closer, her face twisted.
Why do I always run into these four?
Yep—Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville. Sneaking out of Gryffindor common room in the middle of the night.
Hogwarts midnight adventure club?
She thought that was the Weasley twins' thing. Hermione too?
Whatever Alice was thinking, the second Peeves spotted the quartet, their hearts stopped. Harry reacted first, trying to shush him—but too late.
Peeves bellowed at the top of his lungs: "LITTLE BRATS UP PAST BEDTIME, NIGHT-CRAWLING HOGWARTS!"
"FILCH, YOU BIG IDIOT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"THE LITTLE BRATS ARE IN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR—WHERE ARE YOU, FILCH?!"
Neville—Neville—did something no one expected. He whipped out his wand and pointed it at Peeves. That just made the ghost yell louder.
Neville went pale. Harry yanked them all away. They bolted, disappearing around a corner. Filch finally wheezed into view after they were gone.
Peeves looked genuinely disappointed. "Stupid caretaker—can't even catch kids out past curfew!"
Filch's face turned beet red. "Tell me where they went."
Peeves opened his mouth—then spotted a girl floating behind Filch. Another ghost?
He rubbed his eyes, sure he wasn't seeing things, and drifted closer.
But the second he got near Alice, he recoiled like he'd been burned. He felt the Bloody Baron's aura on her.
Then he heard Alice's voice, calm and cold:
"Don't rat out those four students. Or the Bloody Baron will come for you himself."
She didn't even glance back—just floated off after Harry and the others.
She had to move fast. The fake Bloody Baron vibe wouldn't last long.
But it worked. Peeves clammed up and turned on Filch instead.
"You didn't say please. And you gotta call me Sir Peeves. Haha!"
Filch looked ready to explode but choked it out: "Sir Peeves, please tell me where the students went."
"Nothing to tell! HAHAHA!"
Peeves vanished through the ceiling. He'd been about to follow Alice, but nah—no way he was messing with the Bloody Baron.
Meanwhile, Alice finally caught up. She slipped into a room and overheard Ron, still stunned:
"Neville, you pointed your wand at Peeves?!"
"I was worried about Alice. Didn't want to waste time with that ghost."
Wait—Alice? Me?
She was confused—until Harry turned to Hermione:
"You sure Alice got dragged out by older Slytherins to be bullied?"
Hermione hesitated, then pulled a note from her pocket.
"A third-year Slytherin gave me this. He's Muggle-born, says he respects Alice. Heard some older Slytherins were planning to jump her tonight. He couldn't step in himself, so he asked us to help. Here—read it."
Harry waved it off. He'd already read it—that's why he rallied the crew.
Neville? The second he heard, he insisted on coming. He owed Alice big time for saving him earlier.
Alice's mind raced. Third-year, Muggle-born… Was it that guy who ambushed me—Dilyxati Bode?
If it was him, what's his game?
Just then, Neville tugged Harry's sleeve.
Harry turned, sucked in a breath, and held it.
Alice looked—and froze.
She'd never seen a creature like this before.