Alexandra Weasley

45

Alexandra waited for the rest of the class to disperse before moving over to Snape's desk. The girls were waiting for her outside.
"How refreshing that you're making friends, now." He said.

"Hermione said I had to." She crossed her arms.

"And you're just doing as you're told?"

"It's a dare. I have to do anything anyone asks me to do."

"Anything?"

"As long as it's not totally unreasonable. And by that, I mean Hermione has to agree that it's unreasonable."

"Well, okay."

"As fascinating as you must find my life, I'm sure that's not the reason you asked me to stay behind."

"Come by tomorrow, I have a task for you."

"Let me do it today? Please." She begged.

"Go, I'll see you tomorrow." He said and she huffed and walked out.

She met Susan, Charlotte, Hannah and Megan at the end of the corridor, and caught up to them.
"Everything okay?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah."

"What did he want?"

"I don't know." Alexandra shrugged. "Something about a task he wanted me to try, but when I told him about the dare, he insisted I go see him tomorrow instead."

"He did?"

"Don't you guys have to get to DADA?"

"Yes, but you're walking us halfway." Hannah said firmly.

"Well, it's not like I can say no."

"That's the spirit."

Alexandra had gone out to the castle grounds for some fresh air. She was walking by the black lake when she saw Cedric with his broom. She stormed over to him.
"Why?" She demanded.

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you ask me to do something? Anything? That's all everybody wants." He shrugged. "Really? You've been following me around for months and now that you can quite literally make me hang out with you, you're not going to?"

"Do you want to hang out with me?" He asked.

"What?"

"I know you have to say yes if I ask you to. But how you feel is all you. So do you want to hang out with me?"

"No."

"Then I won't ask you to. Not today, at least. I might ask you another day, but only when I know you'll give me an honest answer." He said and walked away. She stared after him, puzzled. She turned to the lake, hoping it would just erupt and wash her away. It's where her dorm mates found her, after their DADA class.

"Alex!" She turned around at her name and saw the girls a few yards away. She huffed and stood up, walking over to them.

"Hey, it's lunch. And since you never eat, I'm afraid we're going to have to insist that you do."

"That's what you're going to force me to do?"

"Yep." Charlotte looped arms with her and led her to the great hall.

"Why are you walking so slow? Food at Hogwarts is the best."

"Even better than my mum's." Hannah said. "And she's a really good cook."

"I'm not very hungry." Alexandra said.

"Are you sure you're a Weasley? I've seen your brothers shovel more food than they could possibly fit into their mouths." Charlotte said.

"I'm just dignified." She replied and quickened her pace. She didn't like the line of question Charlotte could possibly go down. "Let's have a look at your charms homework then. We have class after lunch don't we?"

"Oh great. More of you and Hermione messing with each other."

"She makes it so easy to annoy her." Alexandra shrugged. "Plus it really annoys Ron."

"Why do you hate your brothers so much?"

"I don't hate them. I'd just rather not be near them."

"That makes no sense." Hannah grumbled as they took a seat.

"It does to me." She defended. "Can we just eat and not talk about my family?"

"Okay. Who do you maybe fancy?"

"I don't have to answer that."

"You do."

"No I don't. That was last night's truth. And this dare is its alternative. You can't have it both ways. It's cheating. And I can say no if you're being unreasonable."

"Fine." Charlotte grumbled. She shovelled some food onto her plate as the rest of their house did the same. Alexandra piled on a little, and Hannah nudged her.

"More."

"More what."

"Your plate is half empty."

"I'm not very hungry."

"You had a slice of toast this morning, and even that's generous. You didn't finish it."

"I'm not a big eater."

"If you don't eat properly and healthily, you'll faint again." Alexandra rolled her eyes. She'd almost forgotten about her trip to the hospital wing after the unicorn book.

"I'll be fine."

"You say that now but what if you're alone the next time you faint?" Alexandra huffed and piled more food onto her plate.

"Better?"

"Much." Susan agreed. Alexandra really wasn't planning on eating everything on her plate. Just enough to make her housemates believe she was properly eating.

"Where's your charms paper, Charlie?"

"Right here." Charlotte pulled out a folded piece of parchment. Alexandra grabbed it and began reading as slowly as she could. She brought out a quill and some ink of her own, quickly crossing out little bits and pieces before using her wand to vanish the phrases or sentences she crossed out. In the empty spaces, she used her wand to move her own writing into the slots and handed Charlotte back her essay.

"It's pretty good." She praised. "I changed some bits and pieces, like over here, with the mending charm. You were right in saying it can only be used with inanimate objects, but sometimes magical objects or subjects to magical curses cannot be repaired with the spell."

"Thanks." Charlotte grinned and looked over the adjustments Alexandra had made.