Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 63 - Furious Revelations

So I've just changed the cover - do you guys like it? Or did you prefer the other one?

 Al looked at George's freckled face, relief filling her from her head to her toes. He was there, right in front of her. She stepped forward, not believing it, but when her hand collided with his chest, she knew. He was there.

 George pulled her into a hug, squeezing her as though he was scared she'd disappear. "I thought..." he whispered into her hair, "I thought you were dead..."

 "I'm here," Al whispered back, practically on the verge of tears, "I'm not leaving you again."

 There was a cough from behind them and Al turned to see the plump ginger witch looking at them with her hands on her hips. This, it seemed, was George's Ma. "Fred," George called nervously into the hall, "Fred, Al's awake!"

 There was a thundering down the stairs during which time Al and George avoided Mrs Weasley's gaze. And then George's double flew into the room, looking around. "Uh-Al! My bro!" Fred said awkwardly, "Our," he plonked his arm around George's shoulders, "Very good friend from school. We're practically besties, us three. And Lee."

 "Yep," George said, ruffling her hair, "Al here's practically one of the lads."

 "Uh-huh," Al said, leaning into the awkward group hug, "That us. The super-cool-prankster-quartet of Hogwarts."

 "Then," Mrs Weasley said, "I suppose you'll know all about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?"

 "Oh yeah," Al lied, overly enthusiastically, "Yeah! That's all me that!"

 "Is it really?" Mrs Weasley said, "Then you should know that I've banned it, and that it's entirely your fault!" Mrs Weasley seemed very angry and Al just forced a grimace-smile.

 "Alright Molly," a ginger man said, also standing up, "Let the girl breathe. She's been through quite the ordeal."

 "Perhaps you two can take Al upstairs," Sirius suggested, raising his eyebrows warningly.

 "Oh, uh yeah," Fred said catching on, and Lupin began to smirk, "We can give her the grand tour, right George?"

 "Um, I guess..." George said, clearly not thinking it was a great idea.

 "That'll take quite a lot of time though, George," Al warned with an elbow digging into his waist, "Are you sure you want to spend all that time with me?"

 Finally, George caught on. "Oh-ohh," he said, "I mean, I guess we could give it a go..."

 "Excellent," Fred said clapping his hands together, "Off we go then." And the two boys grabbed her arms. For a second, Al thought she was going through a Portkey and she panicked, but then her feet slammed into the floor again and she was back in the room she'd woken up in.

 "We're not actually giving her the tour, right?" George asked nervously, and Al's face split into a smile. It was the first time she'd smiled in what seemed like forever.

 "No, George," Al said, wrapping her arms round him and resting her head on his chest.

 "I'll leave you two to it," Fred said quietly, edging out the room.

 Once he was gone, George looked down at her, "I've really missed you," he said, "Thought about you every day. I-I love you."

 Al was slightly taken aback by this, as she hadn't been expecting it. "I love you too," she said, smiling. There was a short pause. "I saw you at the leaving feast," Al said, "Who'd have thought you were such a big softie?"

 "Yeah, well..." George said dismissively, "Hold on - how'd you know about that?" Al unwrapped her arms and sat on the bed. George followed suit, looking at her with concern.

 "Be careful who you repeat this to," Al said and George leaned in interested, "Harry and I...we have this connection. Like, with our souls."

 George nodded, "OK..." he said, "How?" So Al told him everything, as she had with Draco, Daphne and Theo the year before. She even told him about the horcruxes and the bit inside Harry. By the time she was done, George looked serious and solemn. He swallowed, then said, "Does Harry know?"

 Al shook her head, "No. I'm going to tell him as soon as..." She jumped up, realising she hadn't seen him at all since she arrived. "Where is he?" she asked, panicking, "Is he OK?"

 George jumped up too and put his hands on her shoulders, "Calm down, Love," he said, looking into her eyes, "He's not here-" Al made to open her mouth but he carried in talking, "-but he's safe. He's at your parents'."

 If Al hadn't lost her mind being tortured, she had now. She stormed over to the door, throwing it open and hurrying down the stairs, "Al!" George shouted desperately following her down the stairs, "He's safe!"

 "You don't understand, George!" she shouted, ignoring the screaming portrait as she burst into the kitchen. The Order members were stood around talking amongst themselves, some of them fastening their cloaks. Most of them looked up at her as she walked in. "Someone needs to get Harry!" she demanded.

 "Al," Dumbledore said warningly, "Harry is safe where he is."

 "Just because no ones trying to kill him doesn't make him safe!" Al shouted, "D'you think I was safe - hanging out with You-Know-Who?"

 "Al," Lupin said calmly, "You-Know-Who was torturing you. Your parents-"

 "They will be!" Al shouted, "You've left an unprotected fifteen year old boy in an abusive environment after he watched a tyrannical terrorist murder his classmate!"

 "Abusive environment?" Mr Weasley asked, and Al noticed Sirius looked at bit sick, "Dumbledore?"

 "Miss Dursley," Dumbledore said coldly, "You are clearly stressed from your ordeal. I suggest-"

 "You can't be implying that I'm lying!" Al shouted, astounded.

 "I suggest," Dumbledore said loudly, "You stop meddling with things you don't know the whole of, and return to your room."

 Everyone was silent. Al had never seen Dumbledore like this - he was almost angry. "Now," he said calmly, "If you'll excuse me." And he swept past Al into the hall and out the front door.

 "Abusive environment?" Mr Weasley repeated, now turning to Al, "What do you mean?"

 "I was wondering that," Lupin said, as most of the Order slowly trickled out.

 Al sighed and sat down at the table. She paused, looking down, her hair knitted in her hands. Harry wasn't here. He was alone. She took a deep breath and looked up. "My parents have always mistreated Harry. Hitting him, starving him. He used to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. I've always done my best to help him...but now he's there, and I'm not, and I dread to think what's happening.

 "I mean, they're scared. They don't know what's happened to me. And people do dangerous things when they're scared."

 Lupin swallowed, "It comes down to whether you trust Dumbledore-" he decided.

 "That's the problem, Professor," Al said, "I don't."