Life's a Riddle
Summary: Only three people in the world know Alexis Taylor's real lineage , and that's her, her adopted muggle father,and Dumbledore. She has four successful years of lying low under her belt. Things are going well...until loony Potter claims that the Dark Lord is back.
Chapter One: Back to School
" Alexis Riddle Taylor!" Called Dr. Taylor from the bottom of a rather ornate, barouqe-style staircase. He was a tall man, with large glasses that exaggerated his bright blue eyes and bulbous nose. He wore his usual red pinstipe suit and fedora. He looked down at his watch with a panic-stricken look. " Dear dear me, we shall be late, it's already 6:30! We'll miss our flight!"
Stomping down the stairs and nearly tripping over her her suitcases, Alexis descended the stairs. She was a short, petite girl with mounds of curly black hair. She glared at him with sleepy blue eyes. The teen already had changed into her Hogwarts robes that bore the symbol of Slytherin house, though they were untucked and messy.
" Dad, why must we live so far out in the country anyways? " She snapped.
" Watch your tone, lady. Besides, I'm a herpeologist. Best place for reptile study, don't you think? By the way, have your...well...special friends told you anything useful to me? You know I have that book on the Coronella austriaca..."
"Dad. Train. Me. School. Fooo-aw-cus?" She said with a loud yawn. She rubbed her eyes and continued. " Besides, not a lot of them out this morning."
" Oh, yes of course. Of course. Off we go then!"
He grabbed her suitcases and lept out the front french doors. She shook her head and followed him out to his lime-green Mercedes.
...
The train whistle howled it's final warnings.
" Dad, really, I have to go now." She said urgently as he brusdhed invisible dirt form her now pristine robes.
He looked at her and stepped away, his large eyes teary. She blushed as big tears rolled down his bulbous nose. Did he have to do this in front of everyone? It was bad enough that all the others stared at him because of his eccentric muggle clothing.
" My grown-up girl." He sniffed and wiped his nose on his red sleeve. She braced herself for impact, and right on cue, he smothered her with a hug and multiple kisses. She gave him a tight squeeze and quickest peck on the cheek she could muster, very sure she heard someone sniggering behind her.
She (finally) boarded the train, but as she looked behind her, to her horror, her father shouted.
" I LOVE YOU, LITTLE EGG!"
Her tounge dried and her face felt like the top off an oven. She waved slightly and used the "I love you" in sign langauge to answer, then bolted inside.
" OOF!"
" Owuch!"
She bolted right into another student and onto the floor on top of him. She opened her eyes and saw a lightning bolt-shaped scar.
" Do you mind?"
She threw herself off as if he were on fire. Well, he couldn't have been on fire metaphorically as much as her reddened face was.
" Harry Potter, huh?"
" Yeah, so?"
She shrugged. " Just...never seen you up close." She pointed to her robe. " Slytherin. Usually cheering for you to fall off your broom. "
" Yeah, great thanks." he said without lack of sarcasm.
" Joke much? Gryffindors." She sneered with an annoyed eye-roll and carried on to her compartment. There she found the one person she could stand in the entire school. Well, tolerate to the extent of friendship.
"Naudia Welsha Slughorn." She announced.
The blonde, plain girl who had been previously reading looked up and smiled widely. " Oh! Alex! EE!" Again, Alexis braced herself for a tight hug. The much taller and wider girl lifted her up the ground in a remarkable hug.
" How grand! I had worried you'd gotten tied up somewhere else. Sad, really, me sittting here all alone, but I just can't abide all of these pure-blood snobs. Uncle Horace says I need to branch out from my small group of friends, but really, OH! Oh. I simply must show you this book. Muggle fairy tales. Perfectly dark some of these, but good lessons and positively stimulating! I can see why they are dark though, written by some German brothers called Grimm. Why, if my name were "grimm" I would write depressing yet fascinating stories to. Of course, my stories are much more adventerous and modern. Full of romance! Why in my latest addition, our heroine discovers a deadly secret...oh, look at me , rambling on and on. So, how was your summer dearie?"
" As per usual."
" Good, good! You...well...didn't do the thing I was advising against?"
" I did."
Naudia gasped loudly, causign heads to turn. She continued in a hushed whisper. "But you know they aren't allowed..."
" Like I said in the letter, this one is...well." Alex looked around and sighed. " I'll tell you later, but...let's just say he will prove quite useful."
" Oh, I see...I think." She titled her head to the side in though, and sprang into a one-sided conversation again. " Oh, and are you nervous about your OWLs? I am. Very much so. You know I want to become the Minister of Magic someday. Wouldn't that be grand! I was nearly a prefect this year, but perfect Pansy, got it first. I tell you she drives me bonkers. Just bonkers! Calls me a "Cow" and " Fatty". So unoriginal. If your going to hurt one's feelings you may as well try to be creative about it, but she hasn't got enough wit to ...well...measure up to something that doesn't have a lot of wit! that's what. Oh, a gnat! A gnat..."
" Hmm-mm. Yes, uh-huh." Alexis answered as she stared out the window as her friend blathered on. She didn't mind, Naudia couldn't survive if her mouth was not constantly running as much as her heart beat.
" ...really is a shame you were ill end of last year. Oh, poor cedric..."
" Cedric? Whose he?"
Naudia gasped again. " Oh I forgot! You don't have a subscription to the Prophet and no Owl, so you wouldn't know, would you? Oh dear, oh dear..."
" Know what? I know Cred...oh, whats-his-name. the hufflepuff kid, and that Potter boy were tied or something..."
" Cedric died." Naudia said grimly. The news made Alexis's stomach roll over. She had hoped he would win, and he once helped her find a book in the library when she was a first-year. It was very unfortunate.
" What happened?"
" It's...not clear. You see, the only person to see it happen was Potter. He said...and well, Dumbledore believes him..."
" Beileves what?"
Naudia leaned over and whispered. " Apparently, Cedric was murdered by You-Know-Who. And...well...You-Know-Who is back!"
Alexis paled and found herself wringing her hands. It couldn't be. He was dead, gone, out of her life. And...only one witness said differently.
" Then Mr. Potter is a complete and utter imbecile and a lunatic, that's what."