Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 132 - Golden Flames

Have a nice day :)

 Despite the happiness that followed George's proposal, the mood remained sombre, but Al didn't mind. She was going to spend the rest of her life with George. She could sacrifice one night. Her glass of firewhiskey was empty, having drained it faster than perhaps she should have. Bill refilled it and she gave him a look of thanks before taking another burning sip. "What happened to you, Al?" he asked tentatively.

 Al gripped her glass with both hands, which continued to shake slightly. "I stunned one of them in the circle and he fell," Al recalled, the image burning in her mind. "Me, Mad-Eye and Dung all escaped through the gap, were pursued by six initially. Voldemort came along, took a shot at Dung who disapparated, and it hit Mad-Eye instead. He was dead before he'd begun to fall." Al drew a shaky breath and took another sip.

 "Voldemort left us," she continued, "Two more joined the others trying to get at me. Three below, one above, the rest around the sides. I sent a confringo down at the lower three, and two of the others went and filled their places. I stunned the top one, he took out another on his way down. Stunned the two in front and behind me. Exploded the last one. That's what the blood is. Then I landed and disapparated from there." She took another sip.

 Lupin and Bill left to retrieve Mad-Eye's body. "I've got to go too," Harry said suddenly.

 "Fuck off, Harry," Al said, putting her glass down as she realised she had no food in her system to balance it out.

 "You're all in danger while I'm here," he continued in the same manner he had with the polyjuice potion.

 "Don't be silly," Mrs Weasley scolded, "the whole point of tonight was to get you here." Al could see Harry getting more frustrated.

 "If Voldemort finds out-" Harry protested.

 "Why should he?" Mrs Weasley asked.

 "There are about a dozen places you could be right now," Mr Weasley reasoned.

 "After all we wen' through to get yer 'ere," Hagrid said from his half of the room, "Yer not goin' anywhere."

 "Mad-Eye wouldn't have-" Ron began.

 "I KNOW!" Harry shouted, slumping back down in his chair. In that moment, Al knew exactly how he felt. It was almost like he was tapping into their connection, except she knew he wasn't. She stood up, walked over, and sat back down next to him, putting an arm round his shoulders and pulling him in. She stared down at the table in front of her. He resisted at first, but then leaned into her side, knowing he was as much a comfort to her as she was to him.

 "Where's Hedwig, Harry?" Mrs Weasley asked, and Al realised she hadn't seen the owl Sirius bought Harry since they'd left Privet Drive, "He can go upstairs with Dill and Pigwidegeon." Harry didn't answer. Hedwig was dead. Al knew that was his last bit of Sirius that he had, and she pulled her arm tighter when she felt him tense up.

 "Wait until they find out yer did it again 'Arry," Hagrid said, "Defeated You-Know-Who-"

 "It wasn't me," Harry said, "It was my wand. It acted by itself."

 After a pause, Hermione said, "But that's impossible, Harry."

 "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Hermione," Al snapped, keeping her eyes on the edge of the table. When no one spoke, Al looked up in surprise. "Until sixteen years ago, it was impossible to survive the Killing Curse, except Harry's done it twice." And I lived without a soul for thirteen years.

 "No-" Harry began.

 "You survived it once at Godric's Hollow," Al argued, "And once in the graveyard. You shouldn't be able to deflect Killing Curses. You did. You've gone beyond what we would consider possible."

 She looked back down at the table for a moment, regret filling her up inside. "I'm sorry, Hermione," she said, looking up into her hurt face, "That was too harsh of me. I just-"

 "I know," Hermione said, "It's okay." Al nodded and stood up, downing her firewhiskey (much to Mr Weasley's obvious astonishment) and then dismissing herself for bed.

 "You're up in Ginny's room, dear," Mrs Weasley called after her, "First door on the first floor."

 "Thanks, Mrs Weasley," Al said, before trudging upstairs with her trunk and owl cage and crawling straight into the first camp bed she saw, exhausted and drowsy.

*****

 Mad-Eye was alive. He was stood right there on Privet Drive, with his back to her. He turned, slowly and Al saw that his face was covered in blood.

 Al turned away, terrified, only to find herself at the top of the astronomy tower looking at Dumbledore. But the front of his robes were patched with crimson.

 She turned. There was Sirius, stepping towards her though the veil, blood pouring down him from a slit in his neck. She resisted turning again, but was forced to even though she knew what was coming.

 Cedric was stood there, blood pouring in tears down his face. Al squeezed her eyes shut, but they were forced open again. Harry was stood there, smiling at her warmly. Al relaxed. Then, she raised her wand. "Avada Kedavra," came her voice. Harry dropped, revealing George behind him. "Avada Kedavra," George dropped, revealing Remus. Hermione. Ron. Ginny. Her Ma. Her Pa. Fred. Mrs Weasley. Fleur. Tonks. Mr Weasley. Kingsley. Bill. Daphne. Theo. And then, there was Draco.

 He raised his wand, pointing it at her. "Avada Kedavra." A flash of green.

 Al woke up on the carpet, screaming so loud her voice was hoarse, with tears pouring down her face. The light was on. Ginny and Hermione stood over her, with Mrs Weasley in the doorway. Bill and Fleur stood behind her, then Fred and Mr Weasley, then Harry and Ron. "Thank Merlin," Mrs Weasley said, as Al stopped screaming and panted for breath instead, pushing herself up.

 Al looked to the window, seeing it was still dark. "I'm sorry," she said, standing up, wobbling slightly, and dabbing at her face with her sleeve. "I forgot to take my potion...I didn't mean to wake you...I'm sorry."

 "No worries, dear," Mrs Weasley said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "I've got a calming draught and a dreamless sleep right here you can take." Al nodded her thanks and tipped both the vials back into her mouth, feeling better with every second.

 "We couldn't wake you," Ginny blurted out. Al didn't respond.

 "It was quite scary," Hermione admitted, "You were just rolling around, and screaming, and..." she shuddered.

 "I wasn't exactly having the time of my life either," Al admitted, sitting herself on her bed. Everyone chuckled sleepily and moved back to their own rooms, much to Al's relief.

 Harry hovered in the doorway, staring at her. "Alright?"

 Al nodded. "Yeah," she said, "Fine."