Alexandra Weasley: Book 6

28

"See? Ginny was okay with it." Hermione smirked. "You should listen to me more. I'm never wrong."

"Yes you are."

"Nope. Never. I'm always right."

"I'm not telling Pedro. He literally told us he doesn't want to know."

"But what if he does? We presented him with a hypothetical. The real thing's different."

"We should talk about you. I'm going to nag you for a change."

"Do your best."

"Okay, fine. I can't because you don't have anything going on except Ron and even I know that needs to happen on its own time. Why can't you have the secret cousin?" Hermione smirked.

"Because I don't have the evil grandfather."

"Why couldn't you have that either?" Alex pouted.

"It's just the way of the world." Hermione said. Alex rolled her eyes.

"We should switch lives for a day. You can have the evil grandfather and the secret cousin and the self-sacrificial uncle and I'll have the nice, normal, muggle parents."

"We can't do that, because then you'd have to like Ron and he's your brother so that's disgusting."

"That's true. You should set your sights on someone else. Someone not related to me."

"Are you setting your sights on anyone?"

"No, not really. Apparently Nott likes me." Hermione gagged, reflexively. "I know, that was my reaction!"

"That's disgusting." Hermione groaned. "But really, is there no one?"

"Why are you saying it like that?" Alex frowned.

"It's okay to admit it, you know."

"Admit what?" Alex sounded confused. "What are you talking about?"

"It's just there's a certain Slytherin you spend a lot of time with." Alex frowned.

"The only boys I spend time with are Draco and Blaise." Hermione just continued to smirk. "I don't like either of them, you know. They're good friends but that is all."

"Face it, you can't lie to me. You look at one like a brother and you look at the other like... not a brother." Alex still looked dubious. "I don't blame you. Blaise is quite attractive, I suppose. Objectively, that is."

"You think I like Blaise? Zabini?" Alex shook her head and changed the subject.

Hermione didn't bring him up again and they just ignored the conversation. Instead they busied themselves with anything else until Artemii sent them a collection of books and they went through them. Soon enough, Alex was called to Dumbledore's office. It was becoming too common an occurrence for her liking.

"I doubt the only reason I'm here is so you can check up on me." Alex shrugged. "If this is about my mail, I'm curious. Is that so wrong?"

"Your mail?"

"Horcruxes." She said. "I reached out to a friend who sent me some books."

"Harry's task of finding out what Professor Slughorn told Tom isn't about finding out what a horcrux is." Dumbledore said.

"I figured you'd already know what a horcrux is. I don't know why you've set Harry that particular task, but I'm curious as to what a horcrux is. So I'm doing my own research."

"How accessible is this information?"

"With the right friends, not too difficult. Koldovstoretz deals with a lot of the dark arts. The books I've got are all in Russian, so it'll take Hermione and I a few days to decipher the texts."

"I don't believe your grandfather knows much of the language, nor do I believe he has your kind of reach."

"I should go." Alex turned to leave. She knew what was coming next.

"I'd like you to think about it." He said.

"I can't. I'm not a Gryffindor. I'm not brave enough to overcome my fear. Maybe once upon a time I might have agreed. Once upon a time, I would have done anything for my family. I did do anything for my family. I let Griffiths take me away from everything I knew to protect my brother. I'm not that person anymore. I can't be."

"Your uncle will need all the help he can get."

"Does he know you're trying to recruit me as a spy? Because I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be happy about that. Like you said, he's doing all of this to protect me. To keep me out of it. I don't like it, but I'm not going to spit in his face by belittling his sacrifice." She said, and left.

She found her way to Hermione and they both sat out in the forest with Kichiro. Alex's head was on Hermione's shoulder as the latter comforted her.
"Next time I have to go to Dumbledore's office, you're coming with me." Alex said.

"Absolutely." Hermione agreed.

"If he guilt trips me or asks me one more time, I'm either going to give in or yell at him. I'd rather not do either."

"I'm in your corner." Hermione promised. "If he asks you, I will decline for you. You're actually healing. Shay's good for you. I'm not going to let anything ruin that."

"What if he's right? What if I'm being selfish?"

"It's not selfish."

"If I can help our world, if I can do something to stop people from dying and to stop him from gaining power, shouldn't I try?"

"Wow. I see what you mean. If he asks you again, you really will say yes, won't you?" Hermione held her a little tighter.

"I'm thinking about it, but I'm scared. I'm scared I'm not cut out to be a spy or that he'll find a way to get me under his control. I'm scared of losing myself again."

"You're going to stick right beside me." Hermione said. "All the time, whatever happens, you and I are going to get through this together."

"I'd like that." Alex said softly.

"And, you know, whatever happens, we can always get Ginny and go to Australia."

"Or New Zealand."

"We should really pick one."

"I don't mind. There are lots of forests in Australia right?"

"I think there are some in New Zealand too."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Hmm. Australia." Hermione chose.

"Australia it is."

"There are beaches too."

"It's settled. We'll take Ginny and run away to Australia and live near a forest and a beach."

A/N- So, um, Blaise? ☺️☺️

Favourite line is "We should switch lives for a day. You can have the evil grandfather and the secret cousin and the self-sacrificial uncle and I'll have the nice, normal, muggle parents."