Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 163

"Alexandra?" Sirius repeated the name under his breath as he looked away with a frown, thinking.

     "Maybe she was at school with you?" I suggested. "Maybe a Slytherin girl who was in my dad's House?"

       "Hmm... dunno." Sirius shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't know a lot of girls back then."

       I gave him a knowing look.

       "Okay, let me rephrase that," he said, smirking. "I didn't know their names, if you know what I mean."

      I crossed my arms at that, raising a brow at him grimly as Sirius chuckled.

     Having noticed what he had just said, Sirius cleared his throat awkwardly. "Don't tell Jenna I said that," he muttered.

     "Can you ask Lupin if he knew anyone with that name?" I asked. "She could've been a year younger than you lot; the same age as my dad."

     "Sure, I'll ask." Sirius nodded. "But why do you want to know? What does this 'Alexandra' person have to do with Regulus?"

     "Look, the moment I told Dumbledore that my father was alive, he asked for my name origin and when I told him that Dad wanted to name me 'Alexandra' in the first place, I could swear that Dumbledore realized something which I didn't."

     "Like what?"

      "I don't know," I said earnestly. "Besides, Dumbledore started talking to himself about two people, saying that 'no wonder their bodies were never found'. So I thought that maybe Dad wasn't alone in the cave that night. Maybe this Alexandra person went with him. Maybe she meant so much to him that he wanted to name me after her."

     "Lexi, these are all good theories, but you have no proof as to what had really happened that night, other than two sentences that Dumbledore had said," Sirius tried to reason. "There's no way you can find out about it; because Dumbledore is dead and Kreacher was ordered by Regulus not to tell anyone anything."

     "There's one other way to find out," I said, throwing my gaze down as I thought of something. "It's the easiest way, actually."

      "What?" Sirius asked, sounding slightly worried.

     "I can ask my dad."

      Sirius's eyes widened. "Woah, woah, woah! You can't just go ask him!"

       "Why not?"

      "Because your parents already have a four-year-old daughter named Lexi at the moment! They won't believe you if you say you've come form the future!"

       "How would you know that?" I argued stubbornly. "He's a wizard. He'll understand!"

     "Look here, Lexi," Sirius started firmly, "Regulus was so scared of being tracked down by Death Eaters that he actually went through the measures of changing his name, giving up his magic, and living all his life in the Muggle world, and to take away your magic, so then not even the Ministry could put the Trace on you. He'll be on his guard and he won't be trusting anyone. If you go there claiming that you're his daughter from the future, he'd think that you're a Death Eater undercover and will probably kill you."

       I shook my head at that miserably. "Well... can't you go? Don't you want to see your brother after around two decades?"

       Sirius gaped at me, before he finally sighed. "I do, Lexi. I really want to see him. But it's reckless to track him down in this situation, specially now that he's probably already ran to America with Lisa and child-version-of-you, because of the war. If I go after Regulus, it might blow his covers. The Death Eaters are having a close watch on all the Order members, even you, Fred, and George. We have to be more careful."

     "Since when have you become so responsible?" I grinned, causing him to laugh. "So, anyway... what happened next at Grimmauld Place, when you visited Harry today?"

      "Well, we found out that Mundugus had stolen Regulus's locket when he was nicking my stuff," said Sirius grimly. "So I ordered Kreacher to go find him and bring him to us. Although... we did realize something."

     "What?"

     "That maybe I should've been gentler with Kreacher all along," Sirius said in a small voice, sounding rather guilty.

     "What gave it away?" I said sarcastically, smiling.

     "Well, it was no wonder how Kreacher took orders from Regulus and my parents so well; it was because they were good to him." But then Sirius grimaced. "Mother probably treated Kreacher better than she treated me."

       I pursed my lips together and looked away awkwardly, not knowing what I was supposed to say to that. But thankfully, Sirius broke the uncomfortable silence himself.

      "Anyway," he started, shaking his head, "Harry gave Regulus's fake locket to Kreacher. It was a nice gesture. Kreacher wouldn't stop crying when he realized that he now had a Black heirloom for his own. He even seemed to take our orders better from then on."

       "Good." I nodded, relieved that things were going as they were supposed to.

     But even so, my mind was now on many things;

      Firstly Kathrine, who I figured that was J.K Rowling all along, and had looked in my head and seen everything that I knew of Harry Potter.

     Second, Alexandra. I didn't know if she even existed or not, but I still had this weird feeling that she had something to do with my father and Tom Riddle's cave.

     And at last, the Wizarding World. The school year was going to start soon, yet everyone thought I was a Muggleborn and therefore I could not return to the castle.

     Or at least, not until the Battle of Hogwarts.

***

When Sirius left, I went downstairs to help Fred and George around the shop, even though no costumer came. People only took Owl Delivery these days, ordering shielding hats or cloaks.

     Fred wanted to ask me what Sirius wanted to talk about, but I couldn't tell him this time, seeing as he wasn't supposed to know about the Horcruxes.

     After a long day, Fred, George, and I closed the Joke Shop for the night and went upstairs to the flat. Fred went to take a quick shower before sleep and I got inside our shared bedroom to change into something more comfortable.

     I was so lost in my own thoughts that I almost forgot what had happened between Fred and I last night, and was only reminded of it when I walked into the bedroom. Yesterday seemed like such a long time ago, when we had gathered around for Bill and Fleur's wedding.

      But I was snapped out of my thoughts when I walked into the room and saw a letter laying on the bed.

     An owl must've swooped in from the bedroom's open window while we were downstairs in the shop.

     My heartbeat slightly picking up, I approached the bed and shakily took off the letter, wondering who had sent it.

       So I started opening it, but my eyes widened at what I read inside,

The Muggleborn registration will be passed tomorrow at the Ministry. Go into hiding. They'll be looking for you soon.

D.M.