Alice Norton was realizing she couldn't just live at Hogwarts anymore.
Not because of the older kids picking on her—between the head of house, the prefects, and her own rep, they'd all agreed to pretend she didn't exist. Live and let live.
And it wasn't her dorm-mates, either. Once the whole house decided to ignore the first-year, Alice actually started getting along with Pansy and the girls.
They're just eleven-year-old kids. Compared to Alice—who'd been running the family business with Taylor the butler since she was eight or nine—they were babies.
She earned their respect without breaking a sweat. Slytherin still worshipped strength.
Nope. The real problem? The Bloody Baron—Slytherin's one and only ghost.
Ever since Halloween night, when he caught her talking to Peeves while she was in ghost form, he'd been acting weird.
Here we go again—that creepy stare!
Right there at dinner, every kid in the Great Hall turned to watch something you didn't see every day.
The Bloody Baron had Peeves by the collar, dragging the poltergeist into the hall like a misbehaving cat.
Gryffindor erupted first—thunderous applause. Then Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, even Filch started clapping.
Peeves getting owned? The whole school was living.
At the Gryffindor table, George Weasley grinned at Fred while clapping. "Gotta hand it to Slytherin—they finally did something useful!"
Fred rubbed his chin. "I'm asking that ghost for tips. How'd he catch Peeves?"
"Genius plan!" George agreed.
While the school cheered, Alice just sat there, face like a storm cloud.
She knew the Baron was doing this for her.
Sure enough—his eyes kept flicking to her, then away the second they locked.
Once he was sure she'd seen, he let Peeves go.
Peeves bolted, cursing the whole way. Every table let out a collective groan—Why'd he stop? Give him another round!
For once, all four houses were united: More Peeves punishment, please.
Alice's face darkened. The Baron definitely knew she was the "ghost" Peeves had been hanging with.
Damn it! Should've used the Soul Banner to disguise myself before saving Harry and Ron that night.
She wasn't panicking, though. If the Baron was gonna rat her out to the professors, he wouldn't be pulling these stunts to force her hand.
Looked like it was time to talk.
---
The day flew by. After dinner, Alice finally cornered the Bloody Baron alone.
"Sir," she said, cutting straight to it, "you looking for something from me?"
The Baron stared at the bloodstains on his silver chains. "Shouldn't you be explaining something to me?"
Alice laughed, shaking her head. "Nah. We're not there yet. You don't get answers just because you want them."
Then she switched gears. "But yeah, there's clearly a misunderstanding."
"You know I can turn into a ghost, right?"
The Baron froze—clearly not expecting her to just say it. After a beat, he nodded.
"I can't explain it," Alice went on. "It started after I got to Hogwarts. I thought if I kept asking you about ghosts and souls, you'd figure it out."
There was a tiny edge of complaint in her voice—like, Why'd it take you so long?
It threw the Baron off even more.
"Are you mad I didn't tell you?" she asked.
"I was scared, sir. No parents, no family in the wizarding world. Slytherin's already draining me dry. I had no idea what this power could bring down on me."
"You know… You-Know-Who was obsessed with souls too. If the professors found out, they'd flip. Even if they kept quiet, the Board of Governors wouldn't."
"I can't tell anyone."
Her voice cracked—just enough. She let the loneliness, the fear of Slytherin, all of it show.
For a second, even the Bloody Baron looked like he felt bad.
"Can you just… turn into a ghost whenever?" he asked.
Alice nodded. "Yeah. At night, when it's quiet. Is that… a thing? In the wizarding world?"
The Baron thought hard. "I've lived a long time. Seen snake-speech, Metamorphmagi, crazy magic affinity… but never someone who could become a ghost. Doesn't mean it's impossible. It's magic."
"My brain's not big enough to figure this out. Would you let me tell one person? Someone smart."
Alice's face went pale—just the right amount of scared. "Dumbledore?"
Perfect reaction. Every kid knew Dumbledore was the smartest guy in the castle.
The Baron shook his head fast. "Not Dumbledore. I respect that you don't want the professors involved. Soul stuff… it'd freak out the whole magical UK."
"It's another ghost. Go rest. If she wants to meet you, I'll come get you tonight. After dark. Use your ghost form."
He floated off in a hurry.
Alice "obeyed," heading back to the dorms.
The second he was gone, her face went stone-cold.
She had to play this perfectly.
Whoever this "smart ghost" was… Alice was ready.
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