Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 120 - Eyebrows

Happy reading :)

 The next week passed by in what could only be described as a flurry of revision as April threatened to turn to May, to turn to June. Al spent every spare minute she could in the library revising for Alchemy, much to Hermione's delight and Harry and Ron's dismay, the only exception being when Hermione and Ron did extra apparation lessons, and Al agreed to spend time with Harry. Mostly just chilling in their usual alcove, but sometimes having awkward Malfoy's-a-Death-Eater discussions.

 The free period before the apparation test, the four of them were sat in said alcove, when suddenly Hermione brought up something the three of them had never discussed in front of Al. "What you should be doing is trying to get that memory from Slughorn!" she snapped from behind her apparation leaflet. Her hand flew to her mouth, shocked at what she just said, but Al just smiled and put A Beginner's Guide to Alchemy down.

 "It's alright, Hermione, I know," Al said, unsure and uncaring about what Dumbledore would think.

 "You do?" the trio asked her, eyes wide.

 "Yeah, the horcrux memory," Al said, "I literally spend five hours a week alone with Dumbledore. Sometimes he asks me for updates," she lied casually.

 "About me?" Harry asked, surprised.

 "Well, he knows we're closer than we used to be," Al explained, "So yeah, I guess." The bell went and Hermione flapped around like a trapped pigeon, frantically panicking about failing. "You'll be fine," Al assured her, giving her a quick hug.

 "Good luck," Harry said, patting them both on the back.

 "Luck!" Ron said suddenly, "That's it Harry - you can use your lucky potion!"

 "That's brilliant, Ron!" Hermione said, "I can't believe I didn't think of it before."

 Al and Harry set off for double Potions in high and hopeful spirits. Only Ernie Macmillan was there when they arrived, so they set up their cauldrons on the desk with his. Slughorn came just before the bell, and a frowning Malfoy came in after that, thankfully content in taking a seat at the other side of the room.

 "Just the four of you today, is it?" Slughorn said, as happily as ever, "Well, we'll have to have some fun then. I want you to brew me something...amusing." Several potions instantly sprang to mind, what with Al having read Advanced Potion Making from cover to cover twice now. She dug around in her bag and noted them all down while Malfoy questioned Slughorn and Harry flicked through his book.

1. Alihotsy draught or laugh inducing potion - induces (hysterical) laughter

2. Babbling Beverage - causes the drinker to spew nonsense

3. Pumpkin potion - turns the drinker's head into a pumpkin

 Although number three would be funny, the other two were definitely more amusing. Number two was the most difficult of the lot, so deciding to challenge herself, she prepared for that one, flicking to the correct page in her textbook.

 She followed the instructions almost religiously, but altered her method to add six drops of dittany instead of the recommended five, turning the potion a brighter red instead of the burgundy that would have appeared. She also added ten millilitres extra of water and stirred it once clockwise and once counter-clockwise, bringing it to the ideal viscosity that was described in the textbook. She finished it with a babbling curse that made silvery sparks shoot from the cauldron like fireworks, before bottling it up while Slughorn headed over.

 "Is that a babbling beverage I see?" he asked her, bending down so he was eye-level with the rim of the cauldron.

 "Yes, Sir," Al said happily, while Ernie and Malfoy scowled at her before carrying on with their own work.

 "Yes, yes, you've got the colour and the thickness right - they're particularly tricky to do, and you've got the straight columns of steam pouring out," Slughorn said. "You have your vial for analysis?"

 "Right here, Sir," Al said, handing him the full bottle with a smile.

 "Excellent, excellent," Slughorn said, taking it from her and walking over to his own desk. Al tidied up and still had ten minutes to go, so she annotated her textbook until the bell went and they were dismissed.

 "Ron and Hermione said they'd meet me in the common room when they got back," Harry said.

 "Oh that's fine," Al said, "I want to finish my Magical Theory homework before dinner anyway. Shall I meet you by the alcove at seven?"

 "I can't sorry, I'm doing the Felix thing," Harry said, lowering his voice "I'll let Ron and Hermione know though?"

 "Oh, yeah, alright then," Al said as they reached the corner where they'd depart, "See you tomorrow, then?"

 "Yeah," Harry said, "Bye." Al headed to the dorms to put her Potions stuff away and grab her Magical Theory and Alchemy things, smiling from ear to ear. She hadn't spoken to Harry this much since first year. She sighed, thinking about how different things used to be then. Ron and Draco used to put up with each other - she couldn't imagine what life would be like now if they hadn't fallen out.

 Al settled in her usual place in the library, working until she finished her diagrams for Magical Theory, and then going over the Philosopher's laws until six-thirty, when she decided she best go down for dinner if she was going to meet Ron and Hermione on time.

 Al had a quick meal of chicken curry and pumpkin juice, before she met the pair of them in the alcove right on time. "How'd it go?" she asked with a grin, which soon faded when Ron frowned at her.

 "I splinched half an eyebrow," he said angrily, "Half an eyebrow! Like that even matters! I don't mind losing eyebrows."

 "Yeah but then how would you tell people you were judging them?" Al asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or that you were grumpy-" she furrowed her brows, "or that you were suggesting something rude," she wiggled them, making Ron smile faintly, and Hermione laugh.

 "I guess," he sighed.

 "I can do the Mexican wave with my eyebrows!" Al said, only just remembering. It was a trick she'd learned to do when she was nine because her muggle teacher had been able to do it and she'd taught her.

 "What a load of dragon dung!" Ron said sceptically.

 "No, I can!" Al insisted, "Look!" She twitched her forehead to make them move, not realising she'd stuck her tongue out in concentration. There was a click and a flash and Al stopped to see Hermione lowering the camera that had been poking out her bag and laughing so much she was shaking, and Ron rolling around on the floor, clutching at his sides, with tears falling down his face. Reluctantly, Al laughed too, and they didn't stop until Ron got bored of doing impressions of her.

 "Why weren't we friends before?" Ron asked with a sigh and a smile.

 "Malfoy," was all Al said.

 "Oh Merlin yes!" Hermione said, suddenly realising, "that was before I was friends with you and Harry!"

 "Blimey," Ron said, "That's ages ago. Can't believe you ditched us for him."

 "I didn't-" Al began, but stopped when she saw their raised eyebrows. She grinned at how stupid they looked with matching expressions. "Alright, I guess I did."

 "We forgive you now though," Ron said, getting up to pat her on the head.

 "Thanks, Ron," she said sarcastically. They chatted for a little while longer, before leaving at quarter to nine so Al could put her things in her dorm before she did prefect rounds. Probably by herself since Draco was constantly neglecting to show up. But Al didn't mind; she had better friends now.