Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 144 - Apparation

:)

 Soon it was the eighteenth of October, and Al, Neville, Ernie and Malfoy headed into Hogsmeade village. Neville seemed quite nervous, Ernie a little over-confident, and Malfoy a grumpy git. Al was just calm - she knew she was good at apparating, and the lessons had gone well, so she didn't need to worry about anything. "OK," the instructor said, clapping his hands together. "Your long-awaited test! First up, Miss Alexandra Dursley?" he looked up at Al, who was the only obvious 'Miss' there.

 She stepped forward, smiling. "Excellent, if you could just stand right here for me-" he indicated the space right next to him. "And apparate over to me when I say so." He walked a few hundred yards to Gladrag's Wizard Wear. "Three, two, one, go!" Al turned on the spot, felt a light compression, and arrived almost effortlessly right next to him.

 He ticked a box on his clipboard, grinning. "And now to the Three Broomsticks, where my colleague is waiting. Three, two, one, go!" Al apparated again, landing a few feet away from a friendly looking witch.

 "Miss Alexandra Dursley?" she asked.

 "Yes." She ticked a box on her own clipboard.

 "Fab," she said, "If you could walk back please?" Al nodded and headed back, grinning before standing with Ernie and Neville.

 "Mr Neville Longbottom?" Neville stepped forward. He did his first apparation fine, but looked really nervous on his way back.

 "I was a few yards out, but still in front of the Three Broomsticks," he said.

 "I'm sure you've done fine," Al assured him.

 "Mr Ernie Macmillan?" did the same as Neville, saying he'd apparated a few yards out. And, "Finally, Mr Draco Malfoy!" came back looking slightly less grumpy. "You'll have your results in a few days time," the instructor explained, "Shall we go for a drink at the Three Broomsticks before we head back?"

 "We don't have time," said Amycus sternly, and Al rolled her eyes. He hadn't said a word this whole time, and now he decided to speak? They headed back to the castle chattering among themselves, and pleased that it hadn't gone horribly wrong.

*****

 Al got a large letter from a handsome owl the following Wednesday, with a very stiff cardboard envelope.

 To Miss Alexandra Rosalind Dursley,

 Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have passed your apparation test. Enclosed is your apparation licence. Yours Sincerely,

 Jimmy Roberts,

 Department for Magical Transportation

 Grinning, Al pulled out a thick piece of card, which was just a certificate saying that she'd passed. She looked across the hall to where Ernie was sat at the Hufflepuff table and gave her a thumbs up, and Neville was grinning at her right from the other side of the room. The bell went and she hurriedly shoved it in her bag before heading to charms with Neville and Daphne.

 After that, Al spent her free period in the room of requirement, stocking up the bruise paste and then making a start on the essay she'd been set, before heading to arithmancy, which was the same as always except they were tying in with Magical Theory a bit now. This was great for everyone except Theo, who didn't study it.

 By lunch though, Al knew something was wrong. Most of the students kept glancing at each other nervously, and most of them weren't eating. "What's going on?" Al hissed as Daphne sat down opposite her. She just shook her head, not meeting her eyes.

 Al abandoned her soup and gave looks to Neville and Ernie, who followed her out the hall. "What's going on?" she asked them.

 "We were told to practice the Cruciatus Curse on students who had detention for the Dark Arts," Neville explained, "I refused, but they're getting first years to do it too."

 "Bloody hell," Al whispered. She wasn't sure how she was going to solve this one. "How would a first year even manage that?"

 "What's going on here?" someone asked, and Al whipped round to see Alecto stood there, her usual sneer decorating her face.

 Al felt like telling her to piss off. "Just discussing the ethics of animal transfiguration."

 "Mind your tone, Dursley," Alecto said, smiling falsely and reminding Al of Dolores Umbitch, "Or I'll see you in detention."

 Al shrugged and turned back to Neville and Ernie, "I'll see you guys in Transfiguration?" They nodded, and Al began to walk away.

 "And where do you think you're going?" Alecto asked, grabbing her upper arm. Neville and Ernie had their wands out straight away, but after one look from Al they were lowered.

 "The library," Al responded simply, "Professor."

 "If you have time to go to the library, you have time to come with me. For a talk." She tried tugging on Al's arm, and she was surprised at how strong she was. Al wasn't having any of it though. She used her soul magic, and blasted Alecto through the doors to the Great Hall, where she landed with a thud between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses. Everyone turned to look directly at Al.

 "Whoops," Al called after her.

 "Crucio!" the spell hit her from behind, and she cried out in surprise. But it wasn't that bad. She'd endured much, much worse. Shaking, she reached for her wand, and fired one back at her attacker.

 Amycus crumpled to the ground, screaming in pain, and Al put her hand towards where Alecto had scrambled to her feet. She released the spell, turning back to Alecto. "Don't even think about it." Another curse flew towards her from Amycus's direction, which she blocked with ease.

 "That's enough," Snape said. Whispers flew around the hall; he was hardly ever seen outside his office. "You-" he pointed at Al, "With me."

 Al followed him out and back into the Entrance Hall, where they took a brisk stroll to the abandoned part of the castle. "I thought I told you to stay out of trouble?"

 "It was self-defence, sir," Al replied, frowning.

 "Fine," Snape said, "Don't be so extravagant next time." And then he was gone, and the bell went, so she headed off to Transfiguration, trying to figure out why Snape wanted her out of trouble so badly. What had it got to do with him?

*****

 The following morning, the Hogsmeade trip was pinned to the noticeboard for that Saturday. "We going then?" Neville asked her, Ginny, Daphne and Luna when they'd read it.

 "I mean, I might sneak off and see George," Al confessed, and Daphne wriggled her eyebrows while Ginny fake wretched.

 "Didn't need to know that, Al," Ginny said.

 "Oh get your minds out the gutter!" she scoffed, but secretly knew they'd hit the nail on the head.

 "I'm not allowed to go anyway," Ginny said pitifully, "The Carrows told me in my last detention. They think my family will come and visit."

 "Well, they probably will," Luna said, "I'd want to." Ginny clearly didn't know what she meant by that, and neither did Al, so she waved them goodbye and headed over to the Slytherin table with Daphne.