Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 92 - The Burrow

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 Al and Harry had to trot quite fast to keep up with Dumbledore's long strides. "Very well done, both of you," Dumbledore told them as they walked.

 "We didn't do anything, Professor," Harry said, confused.

 "Of course you did. You showed him how much he has to gain by coming to Hogwarts. Did you like him?" Dumbledore asked them.

 Harry was clearly not sure what to say, so Al answered. "Very Slytherin," she commented.

 "So, did you like him?" Dumbledore asked.

 "I haven't decided," Al replied and Dumbledore chuckled.

 "Very well," he said, "If you could take my arm. I suppose you are both quite tired." They obliged and apparated to a new place. Al looked around a dry yard and saw a house. Well, it looked more like lots of rooms stacked on top of each other. "I would like to have a private word with you Harry? Before we go in. Al I ask that you wait out here - but please do not go wandering. I wouldn't want to give Molly a fright." Molly? As in Mrs Weasley?

 She waited impatiently for ten minutes, feeling very tired and hungry, and wondering what could be taking so long. Finally, Al heard a laugh and the two of them emerged from the broom shed. "Thank you for your patience, Al," Dumbledore said warmly, "And now, we shan't keep Molly waiting any longer."

 They walked up to the door and Dumbledore knocked. Moments later it swung open to reveal Mrs Weasley and Tonks, who now had mousy brown hair and looked a bit ill. "Albus! I wasn't expecting you until morning!" she said warmly. "And Harry and...Al..." her voice trailed off. "I wasn't expecting you at all," she said jovially.

 "Oh, no worries, Mrs Weasley," Al said with a smile, semi-relieved, "I can just head home."

 "I've got room," Mrs Weasley insisted.

 "I wouldn't want to cause any bother," Al said.

 "I'm afraid," Dumbledore said, "I must insist that Al stays here until term time."

 "That's no problem at all," Mrs Weasley promised.

 "Well," Dumbledore explained, "We were quite lucky. Horace was much easier persuaded than expected. Ah - hello Nymphadora." Al had never heard anyone call her that before, and suppressed a giggle.

 "Hi, Professor," Tonks said, "Wotcher, Harry, Al. Well, I'd better be off," and declining the dinner invitation from Mrs Weasley, she hurried away, apparating a few steps away.

 "I too, must depart," Dumbledore said, "I shall see you at Hogwarts, Harry, Al." And then Dumbledore had apparated too. Mrs Weasley ushered them inside and began fussing over Harry while Al sat down. She poured them some onion soup and sliced them some bread.

 "Mrs Weasley?" Al asked, gripping her wand, "I'm sorry to ask, but when did we first meet you?"

 Mrs Weasley looked taken aback, but then relaxed and smiled, "That would be the first of September, nineteen-ninety-one, at King's Cross Station," she said.

 Al returned the smile and tried the soup. "This is delicious," Al said, "Thank you."

 "Bless you, dear," Mrs Weasley said warmly, "I'll go and get Percy's old room set up for you." Harry and Al sat in silence, eating their soup, until there came a knock at the door and Mrs Weasley came hurrying back down the stairs.

 "Who is it?" she called through the door.

 "Arthur," came the reply, and Al assumed that meant Mr Weasley. Mrs Weasley made to open the door, but Mr Weasley's voice came again. "No you have to ask the question. I need to set an example."

 "Oh, all right," Mrs Weasley said, exasperated, "What is your greatest ambition?"

 "To learn how planes stay up," came the reply and Al was delighted that she knew the answer. Mrs Weasley tried to open the door, but Mr Weasley stopped her again. "No, no, you could be an impostor," he said, "What do you like me to call you when we're alone?"

 Mrs Weasley paused, as if she didn't want to say anything, but then, "Mollywobbles." Al took a bite of bread to keep from snorting.

 Mr Weasley came in and saw Al and Harry, "Harry!" he exclaimed, "It's so good to see both of you!" Al got the impression that he'd forgotten her name. Mrs Weasley began fussing over Mr Weasley and telling Harry all about his promotion while Al finished her soup. Then, Harry yawned and Mrs Weasley hurried them off to bed.

 "Harry, you're in Fred and George's old room and Al I've set you up in Percy's," she told them as they pulled their trunks up as quietly as possible, "Second floor for both of you." Al trooped upstairs and Harry pointed to a room opposite the stairs.

 Al opened the door and smelt the fresh smell of cleaning products, tapping the nearby lamp that promptly lit up the room. Everything was very neat, but also bare. There was no signs that anyone lived here, all personal possessions having been stripped away. Al quickly got changed and settled comfortably in bed, falling asleep within minutes.

*****

 Al was reading the newspaper at the kitchen table at the Burrow, and skim read the front page. WANTED: AL DURSLEY FOR THE MURDER OF SIRIUS BLACK. She swallowed and stood up, shaking with fear. She headed out into the front yard and saw a pile of bodies, each of them red-headed.

 Al tried to look away, letting out a faint squeal of pain when she saw George. She wanted to turn around, but she stared, transfixed. "You did this," Lucius Malfoy's voice said softly, "You've killed all these people. And the Chosen One too." Al looked across the yard, and there they were. Harry and his friends, lying lifeless alongside Sirius, Remus and Cedric, who lay next to her parents and Daphne and Theo.

 Al turned again and was in some woods. Draco walked out from behind a tree and had something in his hand, but when he spoke it was Voldemort's voice. "All this could have been avoided if you'd joined me."

 And then he poured a potion with an acidic feel and a metallic taste down her throat. Al looked up and saw Snape's face. "I'm going to kill you," he said, "All this suffering, for nothing." There was a loud bang.

 Al's eyes snapped open. She was breathing heavily, and covered in sweat, the sheets sticking to her and tangled around her legs. She looked around the sunlit room and saw a crowd of people around her door. The pale faces of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fleur and Mrs Weasley stared at her horrified. Harry stood next to her bed, staring down at her with his eyes wide.

 "What's going on?" she asked wearily.

 "I-we...we heard screams," Harry said, "It sounded like...like you were being tortured." His voice shook a little bit and Al's face went hot. She'd had another nightmare, having forgotten to take her dreamless sleep potion that Pomfrey had given her at the end of last year.

 "Oh...right," Al said, feeling very embarrassed, "S-sorry. I didn't mean to wake everyone."

 "Don't be silly," Mrs Weasley scolded, pushing her way into the room, "We've been up for hours." She placed a breakfast tray on the bedside table, and shooed everyone out the room.

 "You might want to come downstairs soon," Harry said, as he reached the door, "We've got OWL results coming today."