Alexandra Weasley book 7

32

Alex decided to make Ginny, Ernie and Neville harvest potion ingredients from the forest. Just until she could think of something more inventive.

Ginny was not happy about the activity. She made her displeasure known privately.

"Look, I don't totally know if your new allegiance is real or not, but I'm not harvesting ingredients so your uncle can make potions for your evil grandfather. I'm not contributing to that."

"Oh relax. We're doing this for Slughorn. So he can make stuff for the hospital wing."

"Oh." Ginny said.

"Any ingredients my grandfather needs isn't going to come from the Hogwarts forest." Alex rolled her eyes, and conjured her hammock. "So, get to work. This is your list of ingredients. You can split it accordingly with your playmates."

The paper unfolded.

"You're kidding?"

"Not at all." Alex grinned. "Everything you need should be nearby, so don't fret. And if any of you get lost, you know how to send up red sparks."

"You should come hang out with us." Draco said randomly one day as he joined her on her solo patrols.

"Right. Because I never spend time with you." She answered sarcastically.

"I mean, in the Slytherin common room."

"I don't know."

"It'll be like when you walked around the manor when you arrived. Just check out how annoyed people will be. Especially Nott."

"Why does everyone think Nott is my motivation in life? I don't do things purely to annoy him. I hardly even think about him. It's just a bonus, sometimes."

"Then just come along and hang out with us."

"Sure." She said. "Why not?"

"Really?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

"I can always say no if you want."

"No no. You said yes. Can't take it back."

"I could."

"No." He refused. "You already said yes. To go back on your word would be unfair and very un-Hufflepuff."

"I didn't promise."

"But you already said you would."

"Yeah, and I never lie." She teased.

"Alex!" He said, a little whine to his voice.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I'm only winding you up." He glared at her, and she grinned.

"So this is the famed Slytherin common room. It looks exactly the way it was described."

"By who?"

"Oh, you've had some intruders in the past. Ron and Harry decided to use polyjuice potion in second year to figure out whether Draco was the heir of Slytherin." Alex shrugged. "I was already in Japan."

"Where did they get polyjuice?" Daphne asked.

"Hermione stole the ingredients from Snape's stores and made it."

"That's impossible." Draco scoffed.

"It was over Christmas break. They ambushed Crabbe and Goyle and knocked them out with a sleeping draught in cupcakes."

"Granger couldn't have made a polyjuice potion in second year." Draco shook his head.

"There's a reason she's referred to as the brightest witch of our age."

"It's clearly a lie. You're smarter."

"Okay, but I just remember everything I've ever seen. It's not hard so it doesn't count."

"It's more than that." Draco told her.

"And the rest of us really don't care about this conversation, so let's move on." Pansy said. "Fire, sofas and chairs- basically living area here. Study tables and stuff back there, window over there, and the esteemed Salazar Slytherin up here." She pointed around the room and stopped at the large painting hanging above the mantle.

Sal seemed to awaken right at that moment. He peered at the group assembled before him and stopped at Alex.

"Wow. This is an honour." Alex said, half exaggerating. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Slytherin."

Sal looked like he was ready to call her bluff but she sent him a pleading look.

"Who are you?" He said eventually. "You aren't wearing my colours. I wasn't aware other houses could visit other common rooms."

"Well, there's no explicit rule." Alex said. "Though, not many students fraternise with other houses much. I'm Alex."

"Alex? Sounds familiar." He said and she sighed. Apparently no Slytherin could keep a secret.

"My friends discovered you." Alex shrugged. "You might have heard about me through them."

"That's right. The boy talked about you a lot." Immediately everyone looked away, and Sal seemed to realize his mistake. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks." She said.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep now. Come visit anytime." He said and then closed his eyes. They all crept away.

"Yeah, he's like that a lot." Pansy said. "Don't take it personally."

"Do you guys talk to him much?"

"I mean, he can be a little weird." Daphne said.

"I don't know. Other than the first years who are so interested, no one really wants to talk to him."

"That's sad." Alex said. "You have to talk to him! He was literally stuck with no one up until the explorers came across him."

"We would, but he doesn't like people. It kind of makes you give up after a couple failed conversations."

"How comes when I tried that, I made friends, but when he does it, he scares you all away?" Alex pouted. "Maybe I should ask him for advice."

"Go for it."

"You're all kidding, right? Okay, I've gotten a look at some of his journals in the library, and you wouldn't believe all the information that's in there. And you could pick his brain and stuff- first hand, and ask him questions because he's literally one of the first ever teachers at this school, but you won't because his people skills are a little rusty?"

"Well, when you put it like that..." Draco shrugged.

A/N- Favourite line is "How comes when I tried that, I made friends, but when he does it, he scares you all away?" Alex pouted. "Maybe I should ask him for advice."