Alex Weasley: Book 3

46

"I think I'm more okay with the beast." Alex confided to Hermione.

"Yeah?"

"I mean, maybe not totally. I'm not sure I'll ever be okay with the fact that I hurt people, innocent or not. But it happened, and I know there's nothing I can do to change it. And I know it doesn't mean I'm evil. People can change, I know that too. My biological mother changed her views of muggles. She went from the radical belief that they were all beneath us, to falling in love with one and seeing muggles and witches in an equal light. And I have my friends to remind me of who I want to be, to stop me from ever becoming evil." Hermione grinned widely.

"That's a good step, Alex. I'm proud of you."

"I think it helped that even after everything Dumbledore told my parents, they don't hate me. They don't mourn the old me either. They know I've done awful things, and they knew who I used to be. They still love me."

"Of course they do. Because you're not an awful person."

"Anyways, now that I've come to terms with all that, I feel like I can move on from it. And that's why my patronus changed. I mean, I don't know if I would ever have been able to hold my patronus if it continued being a wolf. It's always going to be a reminder of the bad times. That's never going to change, and I don't think I could hold a happy memory if I saw the wolf. But I can accept it was a part of me and learn more about myself and who I want to be."

"Wait a second, your patronus changed?"

"It's a dragon now."

"I'm surprised it's not a unicorn."

"I already have unicorn blessing looking out for me. To have a unicorn be my spiritual guide would be asking too much, I think."

"So your patronus is a bloody dragon now?"

"Yes." Hermione blinked and shook her head.

"Why not? I'm proud of you, though, Alex. And I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks." Alex smiled, and moved on. "I got these books from the restricted section of the library. On the politics shelf."

"That's just what we need." Hermione said. "How'd you get into the restricted section? Your old pass from Snape can't still work."

"No, I asked him for a new one. I told him we needed it to help Buckbeak."

"Oh, cool." Hermione said, before delving into the pile of books.

"And, you know. I'm getting to know the forest pretty well. If this doesn't pan out, I can totally help smuggle Buckbeak someplace they won't find him." Hermione barely smiled at that and Alex frowned. "Buckbeak will be fine. We'll make sure of it."

"I know." Hermione said.

"So what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Hermione mumbled, staring at the pages before her.

"I'm insulted you think I'll just let it go. Is it Draco? Did he say something? Do I need to hex him?"

"I mean, Buckbeak's his fault, but no hexing. You're better than that."

"So what has you so upset?"

"Ron thinks Crookshanks ate Scabbers."

"Crookshanks wouldn't do that. Scabbers is dead?"

"Scabbers went missing and Ron thinks it was Crookshanks. I told him it wasn't, but he's adamant."

"Maybe I should hex some sense into him."

"I know you're kidding, but please don't."

"I mean, if you asked me to, I definitely would."

"No you wouldn't."

"No questions asked, I would absolutely hex someone for you, even if that turned out to be my idiot brother."

"Alex." Hermione plead.

"Alright, I'm joking." Alex said. "Kind of. If they deserved it, I would hex someone for you. But I wouldn't do it for no reason, and I wouldn't be unnecessarily cruel."

"I don't ever want you to hex anyone for me."

"What if Draco calls you the m-word again?"

"Not even then."

"What if we come up against Voldemort?"

"Okay, no one innocent. If it's a case of you defending yourself or someone and not doing something might get them killed, then of course you can use magic to defend yourself. But not against stupid squabbles and Ron or Malfoy being mean."

"Sometimes you're no fun."

"And sometimes you scare me." Alex pouted at that.

"I'm harmless." Hermione snorted.

"You're a young genius, Alex, with the means and power to do anything you want. You just decide not to because you're a good person."

"What means and power?"

"You've got the power of unicorns and dragons on your side. You know spells most seventh years don't. And you've got friends all over the school, in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and Slytherin. You have the personal journals of Salazar Slytherin. And when we share those contents with the whole school, share the discovery of the grove and the hall and the chamber and the study, you're going to go down in history as the witch who uncovered areas of the castle that have been lost for a thousand years. You'll probably get a place in the next edition of Hogwarts: a history."

"It was a team effort, and I don't want any of that."

"We probably will get mentions too, but all this wouldn't have been possible without you. You're the one who brought Laila, Luna and I all together."

"You're the one who wanted to share it with the world."

"So did you. You just wanted to catalogue it first." Alex frowned.

"Just focus on helping Buckbeak." She said, uncomfortable with the new thoughts running around her mind.