Alexandra Weasley

48

Alexandra heard the next morning that Gryffindor had lost a hundred and fifty points putting Slytherin in the lead. Everyone blamed Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. She sought out her friend, taking her to Snuffles's corridor for privacy.
"So what did you do?" Alexandra asked.

"Hagrid had a dragon. We were trying to get it out so he wouldn't get in trouble. Ron got in contact with your brother Charlie and he was going to meet us up in the Ravenclaw tower. But Malfoy found out and it was too late to change the plans and Filch caught us. McGonagall took fifty points each from us."

"You, Harry, and Neville?"

"Yes."

"How come you get fussy when I ask you to break rules with me but you're fine with smuggling an illegal dragon out of Hogwarts?"

"It was better than the alternative of Hagrid getting in trouble for having an illegal dragon!"

"I'm going to remember this next time you don't want to visit Snuffles with me."

"I always visit Snuffles with you."

"Only when I force you."

"Oh alright. I'll come see Snuffles with you more often."

"Good." Alexandra grinned. "I have to go or I'll be late for my DADA class."

"I can't believe you won't tell me what you're doing in class anymore."

"Snape says I need to be responsible and that means not blabbing to the entire school."

"I wouldn't tell."

"No, but it's unfair of me to make you keep so many secrets for me."

"It's okay. I can manage."

"No, it's not." She grinned, knowing full well how curious Hermione was.

"I don't like you anymore."

"Maybe now you'll think twice before you break about a dozen school rules without telling me."

"I wanted to. But Harry doesn't really know you. Except that you're my best friend and Ron's sister."

"Snape's teaching me legilimency."

"What?!"

"Shh." Alexandra said as Hermione startled the dog.

"You're learning legilimency? That's not fair!"

"Well it's not like he had much to teach me. I've kind of read ahead in every grade book so I know a lot of spells, and I know how to do them, too."

"You can't use it on me."

"I won't. I promise." Alexandra stood up. "I would never do that to you. Not unless it was an emergency."

"Good."

"Although you probably have to worry about what constitutes an emergency to me." She didn't give Hermione the chance to protest, sweeping out of the room. Hermione looked at the Cerberus with wide eyes. She'd never been alone with him. She followed Alexandra's lead and rushed out of the corridor, but the other girl had disappeared.

"Legilimency!" Was Alexandra's first word to Snape.

"I've spoken to Dumbledore. He's okay with it too."

"Yes!"

"You're far too excited for this."

"I am the right amount of excited."

"How are your studies going? Have you been getting ready for exam season?"

"No, I've been reading up on legilimency more." She replied truthfully. She handed over the last assignment, and he skimmed through it.

"There is an art to legilimency. It takes more than skill. You must be able to keep aware of yourself otherwise you will get lost in your target's mind. We're going to start simple. I want you to focus on me. Focus on scratching the surface of my mind. It's entirely too easy to go too deep, but a good legilimens can control herself."

"Your mind?"

"Yes. There is more to legilimency than is on paper. You need practice." She nodded slowly. "Okay, I'm thinking of a number between one and ten. You know the incantation. Give it three seconds and then try." She raised her wand, pointing it at him carefully.

"Legilimens!" She focused on her professor. She saw him push a number at her, practically yelling it at her. It had to be a trick, she thought. Maybe a little deeper. No. She couldn't let herself find an excuse to dig deeper. She had to get out of there. She reached back to her own mind, settling down, and dropping her wand. "Four."

"Yes. And that was relatively fast."

"How long was I in your mind?"

"Five minutes. Most need at least ten on their first try." He nodded encouragingly at her. "Again."

Alexandra didn't bother going to the dorms that evening. She was feeling restless. The way she used to back when Voldemort would use her. She couldn't be around her roommates. She couldn't risk bumping into anyone really- not the centaurs in the forest, not Cedric in the astronomy tower. She headed to the vanishing room, and sure enough a room opened up to suit her needs. There was a bed there. She sat down on the edge of it, holding out her hand. Her skin rippled as though something was fighting to get out. Her eyes turned yellow as she clenched her fist, gritting her teeth. She lay down on the bed, curling into a ball. She stayed like that most of the night, shaking and looking terrified. It wasn't until dawn until she began to slowly relax. She sat up, sighing in relief before straightening her clothes and putting on her robes. She hadn't bothered to change out of her school clothes. She opened the little nightstand beside her bed and found a hairbrush in it. She brushed out her hair, and read through some texts until quarter to nine when she began to make her way to class. She had transfiguration, which was quite far and with the moving staircases- it was always better to leave early enough.