Months had passed without incident when suddenly Ginny Weasley became another victim. She'd been taken into the chamber by Slytherins monster. While Harry and Ron ventured underground to save her, Snape worked on brewing the potions with the matured mandrakes. He made enough doses, with a few extra on standby in case any other attacks occurred.
He and Poppy quickly set about administering a dose to each student. Alex was the first to reanimate.
"-tch out!" She yelled startled, before pausing and noting her surroundings. Her eyes darted around the hospital wing, looking at the mirror in her hand to Snape, and then at the bed beside her where Hermione lay. "The monster's a basilisk. It's been getting around the school through the pipes. I think one of the entrances is in a bathroom." Snape nodded.
"Rest, we can talk later." She nodded.
"Can I sit next to Hermione?"
"If you feel up to it." He replied and she slowly got out of the bed, reaching for the chair beside Hermione. She sat down and reached out to touch her arm. It wasn't long before Hermione woke up with a gasp. She saw Alex beside her.
"This is new. Usually, I'm sitting over you." Hermione grinned.
"I beat you to it. If you woke up five minutes ago, our situation would probably be reversed." Alex said in reply as Hermione sat up. Alex shivered.
"Get back into bed. You look dreadful."
"I don't think you're supposed to say that." She said, but hobbled into her bed. "But I feel a little off." Hermione sat up, worriedly.
"Really?"
"Feels like something's missing." Alex confided. "I don't know."
"Alex, can you-" she stopped, realizing the other students had woken up. "Just stay in bed."
"Yeah, okay." Alex nodded. "I don't think I could get out again."
"Maybe we should tell Madam Pomfrey? I feel perfectly fine."
"No, I'm okay. I probably just need to rest a little."
"I don't think you're supposed to be ill." Hermione padded out of her bed moving to stand beside her friend's bed. Alex shivered and burrowed into her blanket. "Okay, I don't think this is normal." She said and turned to look for Madam Pomfrey. She was checking on Colin, who was yet to wake up. "Madam Pomfrey?" The matron looked up.
"Be there in a second, dear." She said.
"Alex, can you do your eye thing?" Hermione asked. Alex just shrugged tiredly. "Give it a go. Please." Alex closed her eyes and opened them, but there was no change. "It didn't work." Hermione said and Alex seemed to perk up a little. She tried harder, but her eyes stayed its normal brown.
"I can't- I can't feel it anymore." Alex said, a small smile on her face. "It's gone."
"But you're still sick." Hermione turned to look at Madam Pomfrey and caught the eye of Snape who was beside her. She raised her hand and he walked over to the girls.
"What is it?" He asked and saw Alex. "What happened?"
"I don't know. She feels ill. It didn't seem normal. And she can't- I think the mandrake restorative potion restored her to her original original state." She lowered her voice. "To a human."
"My shoulder. The bite." Alex said. "It hurts." Snape closed the curtains around her bed for privacy and took a hold of her arm, inspecting it. Some sort of fluid seemed to be leaking out.
"What is that?" Hermione asked.
"Her body's fighting to purge out all unnatural." Snape said.
"Is she going to be okay?"
"This has never happened before."
"She said she's not exactly a wolf. Is that why the mandrake is curing her?" Snape gave her a small nod.
"Stay with her. I'll grab some washcloths. She seems to have a fever." He walked away. Hermione sat down on the chair beside Alex's bed, reaching out to grab her hand.
"I think Snape's shooing everyone out. Colin woke up." Hermione peered out behind the curtain, before yelling and moving away from the curtain. "And Madam Pomfrey is on her way here." Alex, feeling too weak to reply, just gently squeezed Hermione's hand. The curtains around Alex's bed opened.
"Oh, dear." She said, before bustling around and grabbing potions. "How long has she been like this?"
"Since I woke up. Professor Snape's gone to get washcloths."
"She must have had an adverse reaction to the potion. You should go back to your dorm, Miss Granger."
"No." Alex spoke up, her hand tightening around Hermione's. "No, stay."
"I'll stay out of the way, I promise. I just can't leave her." Hermione pleaded and the matron nodded sympathetically.
"I'll cast some cooling charms-"
"They won't work." Snape returned carrying a small bucket with washcloths.
"Why not?" He set down the bucket and murmured something to her quietly. Hermione turned back to face Alex who looked paler than usual, and she could get pretty pale. Especially when she went with hardly any sleep.
"You'll be okay, or I swear I'm going to ignore you all summer." Alex managed the tiniest of smiles before her hand loosened slightly. "Hey, look at me."
"Basilisk. Diary." Alex managed and Hermione looked up at Snape.
"I'll go inform the headmaster, and I think you'd better come with me, Miss Granger. I'm evidently missing part of the story." He trailed off as Alex's parents and Ginny entered.
"Alex!" Molly Weasley said, her hand going to her mouth. Snape looked at Ginny who was pressed to her mother's side.
