Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 96 - The Slug Club

Thanks for reading :)

 Al liked the Burrow. She really did. But it was so full of people she was awkward around, and she really just couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. Thankfully, the first of September soon arrived, and Al was loading her trunk and Hedwig into the expanded boot of a Ministry car. She was sat next to Ginny in the car, who Al didn't have that much in common with, so the journey was quite a long one.

 Finally, though, they were on the Hogwarts Express, and Al followed Ron and Hermione to the prefect carriage, where they had their annual meeting. The first thing she noticed was that Draco wasn't there, to Al's great relief.

 It was most of the usual stuff - look after first years, set an example, etc. But then they addressed the return of Voldemort. "There are new security measures all over the castle and Hogsmeade this year. No doubt many students will be or have already been pulled out," the new Head Girl told them. "It will be your job and responsibility to put on a strong front for those students in particular need. People are going missing every day, and we hope we can offer some comfort of hope to those affected. Are there any questions?" One of the fifth years asked about taking first-years to dorms and then they were all dismissed.

 Al made her way down the train, and found Daphne and Theo looking particularly cosy as they usually did on the train, so she decided not to interrupt them and find somewhere else. She'd just passed Harry's compartment, and found an empty one, when a very nervous-looking third-year Slytherin opened the door, carrying an armful of scrolls and looking breathless. "Are you alright?" Al asked, slightly concerned as she put her Potions book down.

 "Yes," she gasped, "I'm supposed to deliver this to you." Al hesitantly took the violet-ribbon bound parchment from her, opened it up, and skim read.

 "An invitation to lunch?" Al asked the third-year, who shrugged. Al read further down, "Ah, Slughorn."

 "That's who he was, was he?" the third-year asked.

 "Yeah - look, do you want some help?" Al offered, thinking it absurd that she should have to give up her time with her friends.

 "No, it's fine," she said, shaking her head, "Slughorn said to get you there as soon as I could."

 "Right," Al said, nodding, "Thanks then." Al didn't know how long this meeting would take, so she was glad she'd dressed into her uniform that morning and only had to put her robe on over the top for the feast. She got up and locked her compartment door behind her ("Colloportus."), heading to compartment C as slowly as she could. Unfortunately, she was quite close already, and was the second one to arrive, after Ginny.

 "Al!" Slughorn greeted her enthusiastically, standing up to shake her hand, "So good to see you again! I trust you enjoyed your holidays?"

 "Er, yes, thank you, Sir," Al said, still not quite sure what was going on, "As a matter of fact I spent it with Ginny."

 Slughorn clapped his hands together in delight, as Al took a seat opposite Ginny. "Excellent, excellent. And-oh," he spied the prefect badge and Duelling Captain badge on Al's jumper, "A Duelling Captain! Dumbledore never told me that! I saw Ginny here perform the most marvellous bat-bogey hex-" but he was cut short by the arrival of two seventh years Al didn't know.

 "Cormac McLaggen," Slughorn said, but not quiet as enthusiastically as before, "And Marcus Belby, too." He turned to face Al and Ginny, "Well this is Ginny Weasley and Al Dursley, in case you haven't met before?"

 "No, I don't think we have," McLaggen said, taking a seat next to Al and smiling suggestively, while Belby sat on Slughorn's other side.

 "Well, of course, I met Al, here over the summer when she came with Dumbledore to hire me," Slughorn said fondly, and McLaggen raised his eyebrows, while Belby looked around the compartment, which was significantly bigger than the others, much like the prefect one.

 "Very inquisitive mind," Slughorn said, and Al smiled politely, "I do hope your taking Potions this year?"

 "Yes, Sir," Al said.

 "Fabulous!" Slughorn said, and Al thought that if he continued at this rate he may have a heart attack from excitement, "You've just the right mind for it - it's not all just following instructions, you know." Al nodded, thinking back to her first Potions lesson, where she adjusted almost every instruction there was, resulting in a much better-made potion.

 "So you will be teaching Potions then?" Al asked, "And not Defence Against the Dark Arts?" This, as expected, was news to everyone in the compartment including Slughorn, who looked surprised, but then his smile resumed.

 He laughed and then said, "How'd you figure that one out, eh?"

 "The dragon blood that you had," Al explained, "Excellent in potion making and household uses, not so good for defence." Slughorn looked elated, and opened his mouth to speak, but then the door opened again, and in walked Zabini. Al produced a faint smile of recognition, which he returned before sitting on Belby's other side.

 "Blaise Zabini too," Slughorn said, and Al felt relieved that the attention had been taken away from her, "You must know Al here, she's in your year, and house I believe..." Al tuned out, turning to Ginny who was doing fantastic impressions of Slughorn while his attention was diverted. She focused on trying not to laugh until the door opened and in stepped a very uncertain Harry and Neville.

 Harry caught her eye and raised an eyebrow and she just shrugged and smiled faintly. "Harry, my boy!" Slughorn said, standing up to greet him, "And you've brought Mr Longbottom too!" Neville and Harry put on very forced smiles and sat down next to McLaggen. "Well, I've packed my own lunch," he informed a very uninterested group, after introducing everyone to Harry and Neville. "Pheasant, Belby?" Slughorn asked, and Belby accepted the chunk of cold meat. Slughorn began talking about Belby's uncle, but upon discovering they weren't in contact, moved onto McLaggen, who happily boasted about knowing the Minister for Magic, and started to sound a lot like first-year Draco Malfoy. Al was disliking him by the second. She ate a pie and a cauldron cake, not feeling too hungry, having had a large breakfast.

 Next was Zabini, who had a famous mother with seven mysteriously dead husbands, and then Neville. An uncomfortable ten minutes followed, in which Slughorn interrogated him about his parents who had been aurors tortured to insanity by Death Eaters. Al only knew this from the article that followed Bellatrix Lestrange's break-out from Azkaban.

 Lastly, Slughorn turned to Harry, having no-doubt saved him until last. "The Chosen One they're calling you now." Al swallowed a lump in her throat - she hated when people used that nickname. He began talking about James and Lily Potter's deaths and Harry having special powers or something and Al got the distinct impression that Harry was very uncomfortable. "You were there then?" Slughorn said, pulling Al out of her daze, "So many stories too - this fabled prophecy-"

 "We never heard a prophecy," Neville said, turning pink.

 "Yeah, we were there too, Neville, Al and me," Ginny said, "This prophecy lark is just the Prophet making things up."

 "Of course," Slughorn said, and turned back to Al, "Dumbledore did say! Such bravery...and a Slytherin too!" Al grinned falsely, hoping it made her look like she found it funny. Slughorn seemed to find himself hilarious, because he only turned back to Al once he'd dabbed the tears out of his eyes. "So, tell me about your duelling capabilities - an excellent skill for an auror of course..." so Al spent the next ten minutes answering questions about the Duelling Club, and what her favourite spells to use were.

 The afternoon wore on, and soon they were almost at Hogwarts, and Slughorn allowed them all to leave and go and get changed. Harry, Neville and Ginny were the first three out, and Al lingered behind so she wouldn't get followed by McLaggen, who had slowly been moving closer to her until she was sat up against the window.

 Although Slughorn was extravagant and annoying, he was fairly normal. He wasn't going to enforce a dictatorship, be a Death Eater, turn into a werewolf with an escaped convict best friend, wipe his own memory, or have Voldemort in the back of his head.

 And that meant Hogwarts was finally in for a normal year.