Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 155 - Obligation and Responsibility

New Blood of the Moon chapter up :)

  Al flopped down onto George's bed, completely breathless, and slightly less angry at the world. "That was amazing," George said. Al stayed quiet. She could've achieved the same cathartic feeling with duelling practice, but this had been more fun. She stood up and dressed quickly. "Wait - where are you going?" George asked quickly, sitting up.

"Back to Hogwarts," she said bitterly.

"Can you not stay like you normally do?" George pushed, sitting up in bed.

"I have to go, George," she said angrily, now lacing her boots up. She grabbed her cloak and stormed out the room.

"Are you alright, Love?" he asked, coming into the hall with her.

"What just because I don't want to stay with you, you think something's wrong?" Al asked, tears now pouring down her face. The door opposite George's opened and Fred and Angelina's faces poked out.

"Everything alright?" Fred asked.

"Fine," Al said, "I was just leaving."

"You're not going anywhere until we sort this out," George said firmly. "Let's get you a cup of tea, and sit down."

Al sighed. She did really want a cup of tea. And a bit more time with George wouldn't go amiss either. "You can't just-"

"Yes, I can," George said, steering her into the kitchen and pushing her into a chair. A few minutes later, a cup of tea was plonked down in front of her. "What's up, Love?"

"I can't-" Al stopped herself. She was about to say she couldn't tell him, but that would look suspicious. "I think I'm just tired. And stressed. I can't help everyone, but I want to." It was a load of rubbish - she was helping everyone. But she needed to get him off her trail until Ron and Hermione tracked down the horcruxes.

"Well I think you're doing a bloody good job," George said, placing a soft hand on hers. "And I'm proud that soon I'll be able to call you my wife."

Al sniffed. She wanted to tell him about Harry so badly, she really did. But there wasn't anything he could do, so why bother? "You're so cute sometimes," she said with a sad smile.

"I'll have you know that I'm adorable all the time!" George protested with his usual grin. He had a beautiful smile, and Al loved the way his eyes lit up when he did. She drained her tea and stood up.

"I really do have to go now," she said quietly.

"I know," George said, still holding her hand as he bent down and kissed her.

Al dropped to the floor at the sudden pain in her chest. It felt like her whole heart was on fire as black spots appeared in her vision. She was stood on a tall tower, looking at a man with sunken eyes who was talking to her. "...I never had it."

"You lie." Voldemort's cold hissing voice came out her mouth. The sound of it echoing on her ears made her want to scream. But someone had pressed their Dark Mark, and the room swam before her. Bellatrix and the Malfoys, in the room with Potter's mudblood friend and the Weasley blood traitor who was supposed to be ill with spattergroit. Did this mean then that they had found Potter? If not those two would surely know where he was...

Al gasped, drenched in a cold sweat, and her heart searing and pounding in her chest. George's face was hovering over hers, and Fred and Angelina were stood in the doorway. "He-he knows!" she said quickly, fighting to sit up. "Vol-"

"NO!" three voices shouted.

"-You-Know-Who knows Ron's with Harry and Hermione. You have to go - both of you - to your parents'. I'll look after Ginny-"

"What about Angelina?" Fred said, his eyes wide.

"I'll be fine," she said reassuringly.

"You will if you leave now," Al warned. Angelina nodded, kissed Fred goodbye, and rushed downstairs. "You have to go!" she half-shouted at George.

"How d'you know?" he asked, his eyes wider than Fred's.

"My connection," Al lied quickly, fastening her own cloak, "With Harry. Please, just go." George frowned at her, but she kissed him anyway. "Goodbye," she said, "I love you."

"I love you too," George told her. She took one last look at him, before disappearing down the steps and out the front door.

*****

The door to Al's office was thrown open and in stormed Daphne, slamming it behind her. Al sighed. It was half eleven, she'd just finished patching up two second years from detention, and she still had a Transfiguration essay to do for tomorrow. To top it all off, she'd been working tirelessly in the practice room for most of the day, and was exhausted. "Ever heard of knocking?" she asked bitterly.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Daphne half-shouted at her. Al stood up in protest but Daphne stopped her. "No - I'm talking and you're going to listen! There are people out there - children - who are looking to you for help. They need support, and they need a role model, and that's you, and you're not doing it! I don't know what you're playing at, but you are not the Al I made friends with third year. We're scared - terrified - and you're the person that we thought could solve it! So get out there, and fucking smile."

"Why don't you fucking do it, Daphne? Why don't you lose everything and smile afterwards? I will never see my parents again, my oldest ally was murdered in front of me, I've been kidnapped and tortured by a fucking warlord - it's a miracle I'm sane enough to have this conversation with you. At least you don't have your professors hunting you down every second of the day, trying to hand you over to magical nazis and have you killed. You know, you all think you're so great, parading around with your spray paint and acting up in Muggle Studies - try doing something that's actually hard and makes a difference. Try making some sacrifices instead of just shitting on me."

Daphne looked taken aback, and for a moment Al thought she was going to apologise. But then she said, "If you don't want this, why are you still here?"

"Obligation," Al seethed.

"Then do your fucking job properly," Daphne said calmly. "Despite what you might think, you're not alone here, or in this fight. It's like you said: you've got most of the student body and faculty on your side. So let them fight with you. I'll help - we all want to help. We wouldn't be here with you otherwise. But stop pushing us away."

Al sighed and sat back in her chair, placing her head in her hands and taking deep breaths. When she looked back up, Daphne was looking at her with a warm and kind smile. "I'm sorry," Al said, "It's just been getting to me."

"No shit," Daphne said, and the two girls laughed a little. "Are you coming?"

Al thought for a minute, then packed up her things and said, "Yeah."