Alexandra Weasley

54

Alexandra let Snape take Harry off her hands and went to the hospital wing to get checked out. She didn't really want to but it didn't seem as though she had any choice. She was glad she did, because she saw her brother lying on one of the hospital beds.
"Ron!" She rushed forwards. Hermione was sat by his side, looked up.

"Alex?" He looked up. "What are you doing here?"

"She was with Harry. Pulled him out herself." McGonagall said. Alex couldn't tell if she sounded impressed or annoyed.

"What?"

"Get into bed, Miss Weasley." Snape snapped at her and she shrugged.

"I'm fine."

"Then let madam Pomfrey look you over." Hermione said. "How did you even know to be in the dungeons?"

"I am starting to feel a headache. I should probably just sleep." She tried to avoid the conversation.

"Don't!" Madam Pomfrey interrupted. "Just wait for me to look you over."

"I didn't get hurt. I promise. Harry was the one who burned Quirrel's face off."

"He did what?" McGonagall raised a brow.

"He can tell you about it." She shrugged. Hermione led her to the bed on the other side of Ron.

"You'll tell me later?" She whispered and Alexandra smiled back.

"Do I have a choice?" Hermione grinned back. Snape came over to her next.

"Why am I not surprised to have seen you?"

"It was an accident." She shrugged. She pulled the philosopher's stone out of her pocket and held it out to Snape. "Here."

"Thank you. I'll take good care of it. Now get some rest." She nodded, and he walked away.

Alexandra didn't get much, if any, sleep that night. Actually seeing Voldemort brought back the horrors she'd tried to keep locked away since the previous summer. The next morning, as soon as she got the okay from madam Pomfrey, she left the room. She headed to her own dorm sneaking in. It didn't really work because she saw Cedric in the common room, getting ready to leave to practice.
"So you never really gave me an answer." He said. She looked at him in confusion. "About quidditch practice. You kind of ran out on me."

"Fine, I'll practice with you." She agreed, needing to keep her mind busy. "Right now?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. And don't worry, it isn't a dare." He smiled so widely, she almost regretted it.

"Okay, let's go." He said excitedly, leading her to the pitch, making a pit stop to borrow the school brooms. They spent a few hours playing against each other. She had to admit, he was pretty good. There was a reason he was the Hufflepuff seeker and team captain.

"Thanks." He said, once they'd finished practice.

"Honestly, I was using you. Using this. I just needed to not think. But I did have fun."

"I figured. But you have to admit, maybe having friends isn't such a bad thing."

"It means more people to lose."

"You won't lose me." He stepped closer to her.

"I might not come back to school next year." She said.

"I know." He said. "I saw the leaflet. Japan?"

"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked.

"I thought you'd tell people when you were ready. I guess you're ready now. You've made up your mind."

"Not entirely."

"When you're ready to share your answer, I'll be here." He smiled. "And even if you do go, there are such things as letters."

"Are you saying you'd write to me?"

"Yeah. I mean you probably wouldn't answer them back until months of my pestering but you would eventually." She scoffed.

"So sure of yourself."

"Got you to willingly hang out with me, didn't I?"

"That had nothing to do with you." He just shrugged and she shoved her broom at him. "I'm going to go see Hermione. Thanks for offering to put away the broom for me." She smiled sweetly and walked away. He laughed and watched until she disappeared.

She met Hermione at the library and the girls headed to moaning Myrtle's bathroom for privacy.
"So what happened?" Hermione asked. Alexandra found herself telling Hermione every detail, even if she had planned to omit some parts. It was quite the tale, and some parts Hermione had to wait for Alexandra to compose herself.

"And that's everything." She said.

"No wonder you look so exhausted. That must've been quite the ordeal. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Not much. I just- I know he couldn't hurt me, but I just remembered what it used to be like. Whenever he got angry at me, he'd let his healers test on me, claiming to try to help me control the beast inside."

"It's only natural to be scared, Alex. He scarred you. You can't expect to go through that much trauma and walk away unscathed. I know you like to pretend like nothing can touch you, but it doesn't mean you're weak."

"He would kill you just to spite me."

"He'd probably kill me just because I'm a muggleborn. Or because Harry is my friend."

"He didn't tell Harry he was my grandfather. I'm scared he didn't because he has a plan."

"Well, he's gone now."

"Quirrel's gone. Voldemort is just without a body. He's not gone."

"Still, must be pretty hard to kill without a body."

"He has people for that."

"Don't worry about me. Anyone comes for us and I'll hex them into oblivion. Deal?"

"Deal."