A long silence stretched between them after Sloane stopped talking. Alice understood and respected boundaries, only she had never thought them to exist between the Gryffindor girls. They were a tight knit unit, each with their unique personalities and yet fitting well together. Whatever the change was, whatever Sisse had witnessed, was a new boundary, one none of them could have anticipated.

She nodded, first once then twice. The ground shook beneath their foundations, the first of what would likely be many cracks seemingly slicing across Sloane's plot. A permanent mark on what Alice used to consider a solid friendship. What, if any, boundaries was she meant to maintain with Sloane? What details could be so personal that a best friend couldn't know it? Alice had always been an open book, but perhaps that was meant to change now.

"Okay," she agreed without commenting upon any of the speech. Too torn between pressing further and sliding back to pretend as though everything was normal, Alice stood abruptly, not caring an ounce for the dirt stains on her dress. Dirt removal was a common enough charm for a lowly farm girl. "I'm going to head back to the castle. Are you coming?"