A/N- I do not know any Japanese nor do I know anyone who knows Japanese. I hope I'm not offending anyone with my attempt but I tried to use the internet for some guidance and hopefully it's accurate. This goes for the rest of the story. Any instances in which I use Japanese phrases or words are simply my attempt at accuracy. Hope you guys enjoy, xx.
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"Okay, what's wrong?" Alexandra asked. Hermione was unusually distracted, and had barely written three inches in a half hour.
"Nothing." Hermione lied.
"Something is clearly upsetting you. Is it Ron? Did he get his head up his arse and say something stupid again? I'll go hex him for you." Hermione shook her head, but stayed silent. "Tell me or I'll assume it was him."
"It wasn't Ron. He's a good friend. And this is why I won't tell you. You'll get all protective."
"So there is something. Come on, H. You know you can always talk to me."
"Promise you won't overreact?"
"Promise." Alexandra said, crossing her fingers behind her back.
"It was Malfoy. He called me a- he called me the m-word." Alexandra's eyes narrowed in anger as they flashed yellow. "Alex? Alex, please. This is why I didn't want to tell you. Please don't do anything."
"That stuck-up, snobbish prejudiced git."
"Calm down. Please?"
"I'm going to snap his brand new broomstick into pieces and set his arse on fire."
"Slightly less violent?"
"I'll snap him into pieces?"
"I said less violent."
"Lure him into the forest and leave him out there?"
"Even less violent."
"Hex him." Hermione paused thoughtfully.
"What spell?" Alexandra thought for a moment.
"I saw one once, where the target would get the urge to sneeze but never be able to."
"Is there a lower setting I can set you to?"
"No."
"Alex, please don't do anything. I know you have my back, but please. I don't want you to get into trouble. His father will make a big deal about you hexing his son."
"Oh, please. His father would tremble at my feet if he knew who I was." Hermione raised a brow.
"You're Alex Weasley." Alexandra looked somewhat surprised at her friend and smiled.
"Yeah, I am."
"So, you'll back down?"
"I'm going to Japan in a matter of months. Even if Malfoy senior could get me expelled, it's not like it's going to matter."
"You're still stuck with two Slytherins in charms. Don't do anything you'll regret."
"I won't regret anything."
"Guess what?" Cedric interrupted, practically jumping into a chair opposite Hermione and Alexandra in the library.
"Shh!" Madam Pince scolded and he shrinked a little. He put his essay in front of them; excitedly. A red 96 was circled on the top right corner of the page.
"Well done! This is great!" Alexandra's eyes slightly glinted with pride.
"Professor Vector didn't believe that I did it and almost gave me a zero for plagiarism."
"But it's your work."
"I told her I had a tutor, and she let me off. And now I've got a 96, which is basically equivalent to an O." He grinned.
"Congratulations." Hermione praised.
"Yeah, congratulations." Alexandra echoed.
"I just wanted to thank you personally. I don't know what I would have done."
"Anytime. It's a fascinating subject." She told him.
"What are you two doing?" Hermione held up a book.
"We spelled it so it's written in Japanese. We're attempting to translate it together."
"That's cool."
"We have an exchange student coming after Christmas. Dumbledore says I'll be their buddy or whatever, so that we can learn about each other's cultures and schools. Hermione's just along for the ride."
"There's no way I'm missing out on Alex actually learning something new."
"You two are nerds."
"According to this, so are you." Alexandra said, picking up his essay.
"Touché." He grinned. Alexandra suddenly rolled her eyes as a scowl took over her face.
"Alex? What's wrong?"
"Malfoy." She glared daggers at the boys who walked in. "And Zabini. You two should save yourselves while you still can."
"Class project." Hermione filled Cedric in. "She's partnered with Malfoy and Zabini. At the end of the year, we have to work on concealment charms with our partners and Flitwick thought we should get to know our partners for our homework."
"Oh, the concealment charm. That's when I actually met the twins for the first time. I was partnered with George."
"Hello, Weaslette." Draco sneered. Zabini snickered.
"Malfoy." She nodded back in greeting.
"What are you reading? Loser's guide to losing?"
"Isn't that your area of expertise?"
"Let's just get this assignment over with." Blaise cut in.
"See you guys later?" Alexandra looked at her friends. Hermione looked pointedly at her friend.
"Yaranaide." Don't do it, Hermione told her friend.
"Yakusoku wa dekimasen." No promises, Alexandra had replied.
"What, now you're talking in made up languages?" Malfoy scoffed.
"It's called Japanese." Alexandra snapped back. Hermione looked hesitant at the thought of leaving Alexandra with Malfoy.
"See you." Hermione smiled sympathetically and Alexandra left.
"Three things we like and dislike and one thing we've each noticed about each other. And then we can get back to not having to interact. Deal?" She said.
"Fine with us." Malfoy said.
"We don't trust each other. Since there's two of you and one of me, I'm going second. That way if you screw me over I'll at least have something to say about one of you. If I screw you over, I've only got half of my assignment done and I don't do anything halfway, so it's really going to annoy me."
"Freak." Draco scoffed.
"I prefer to call it being thorough."
Alexandra hexed Malfoy at the end of their study session. She waited right until he and Zabini were leaving and hexed him without his notice. She was sorely tempted to set him on fire, and it was difficult to restrain herself, but she did promise Hermione and that was something she took seriously. Besides, she was already feeling quite weak and drained, almost as if another fit was coming. She headed up to the vanishing room, just in case, and spent some time alone in there. It didn't come. She was just tired, so she slept there that night, twisting and turning in her sleep. She only managed two hours of sleep and ended up spending the rest of the morning- until breakfast, writing in her small journal.
