d o v e

n i n e

Alex laid alone in the Room of Requirement, unable to sleep despite the extremely cozy bed the room provided for her. She felt uneasy, and she knew exactly why. Standing up and closing her eyes, she hoped she'd be led to the person she needed to talk to.

"Tom," she said, barely being able to recognize him as he sat a few feet away from her. He was much skinnier, and his skin was so pale it was almost grey. He looked like he was dying, but he hid it rather well. If Alex didn't know what he would be turning into, he would have simply looked like he came down with a cold.

"I split my soul to stop feeling, yet I still find myself awaiting your return," he admitted bluntly. She felt almost guilty.

"You're mad," she glared, knowing very well he was mocking her. He laughed.

"Don't you understand, love?" He asked, standing up and walking towards her. "You're my past, present, and future. You've forced yourself into my life, and now I can't let you go."

If Alexandra had to admit one thing, it's that she definitely preferred this Tom over the man he has become. At least this Tom had a heart, although he had a strange way of showing it.

"I don't have to see you, you know. I can keep you waiting as long as I please," Alex told him.

"Yes, but I'm sure you've considered the possibility that your visits correlate with how I treat you and your friends in the future," he smirked. "I take it you've received my message?"

Alexandra became frustrated, regretting her decision to check up on the bastard. He was using Draco to get to her, and she wasn't having any of it.

"I have no reason to be here," Alexandra said to herself, closing her eyes.

"Then why did you come?" Tom asked. She opened her eyes and stared directly into his. "You wanted to see me. Why?"

"Because I'm scared for you, Tom," she admitted. "For the man you're destined to become. I suppose I long for the man I used to know."

"That part of me is dead along with the lives I've taken," he told her. "Because of you. Because you left."

"You sent me back!" She argued, knowing very well this wasn't her fault. "It was your decision to send me back here! You used the turner, not me!"

"You didn't belong here," he said softly. She watched as he stood up, exiting the room without saying another word. Sighing, she fell flat on the bed and cried herself to sleep once again.

Morning arrived quickly, much to Alexandra's dismay. Rather than joining her friends for breakfast, she had eaten the green apple Draco had given her the night before. Unfortunately, though, she couldn't avoid her friends in class.

"I'm sorry about last night," Harry apologized, standing next to Alex in their Advanced Herbology class. "I tend to always assume the worst, and I shouldn't have."

"You're right, you shouldn't have," Alex said sternly, playing with the equipment in front of her.

"I just still don't understand why you would leave the castle," he admitted, needing his question answered before he went mad. Alexandra rolled her eyes.

"We met in the Room of Requirement, which doesn't show up on the map," she explained. She only admitted it because she thought it would make Harry think Draco was simply looking for Alexandra in the room the next time he disappeared on the map, and vice versa. "How do you think I knew about it last year when you were looking for places to hide DA? We discovered it our third year. Now we use it to meet, or sometimes when we need to escape from our nosy friends."

"I didn't-"

"You should've asked before you started accusing me of being a rat."

"You would have lied," Harry pointed out.

"I know I would have, but it's the gesture that counts," Alex shrugged. The two friends looked at each other before beginning to laugh. "I've wanted to tell you all, but it's not the easiest thing to bring up. It's not like you're on good terms with him."

"I suppose if you trust him, so do we. The minute he acts suspicious, though-"

"You don't have to trust him," she told him. "You just have to trust me."

"I do trust you," he assured. "I'm sorry I didn't, even if it was only for a moment."

"It's alright," she smiled. "I would appreciate it, though, if you didn't say anything. I can't have anyone else knowing. It's bad enough having to hide that you three know."

"And Ginny," Harry added.

"Brilliant. I reckon she's already turning it into a romance," Alex scoffed.

"Romeo and Juliet, as a matter of fact," Harry laughed, laughing harder when Alex threw her head in her hands. "If it ever does become a romance... you shouldn't be afraid to tell us. We're your friends, and we should support your decisions."

Alex laughed to herself, noticing how much difficulty Harry was having getting those words out of his mouth. He has a strong hatred for Malfoy, but his friend's happiness was always more important. Love and friendship was something Harry valued more than anything being as he thought it was something Voldemort would never understand.

"I'll be sure to withhold the details for your sake," she smiled. "Please-"

"I won't say a word. I promise."

"Thank you, Harry," she smiled, genuinely shocked with how well the conversation went. She was almost positive it was going to end with her losing a friend.

"Don't mention it."