AN: As always I don't own Harry Potter or the characters and world created By J.K. Rowling, the only things I own are they story they are playing in and Alexis my character and her family.
The darkness of the dorm greeted her as she opened her eyes, the visions of the dream she had just awoken from still fresh in her mind. Looking about she found that most of her dorm mates were still asleep except for those that had classes early in the morning that would take them to their future careers. With a sigh, she slipped to the edge of the bed and stood, shivering slightly from the chill in the air.
Alexis had always hated the chill of the dungeons, something that despite her love of her house she had never been able to really learn to enjoy or desire. As she proceeded to the bathroom to shower before the days events took place, her mind wandered back to the nightmare she had just had. Her family already had their stance in the War, placing their loyalties to their master once again, something she was quite proud of them for. She herself would have followed the dark lord any time, not just because of her family and their wishes, but also because of his beliefs and intentions of making the magical world the supreme and dominating existence on this earth.
Stepping into the shower, she tossed her night dress across the floor and set her wand and school uniform on a stool just outside of the door. The tap immediately sprang to life at the touch of her hand, the warm water reaching into her muscles and relaxing them from the cares and worries she would soon have to face again. As she bathed, she let her mind wander to places she often wished she could be, exploring options that in her life she could never have. In another life she could have been happy in any other house, lived anyway she wanted and never been expected to act, think or want only certain things or ways. She could have been friends with people that she could never even interact with or approach in reality and could have even chosen a lover from among any number of people.
With the ways that the pure-blood society thought and placed their expectations upon their children it was hard to be daring and dream of another way. It was drilled into her from birth how to act, what to think, which ideals were best left for those of the lesser populace. She was raised in grace and beauty, pampered and given only the best of educations, governesses and nannies. She was trained from the time she could walk as to how to act, when to reveal her inner self to others and what ways to portray herself to the general public at large.
Her family was second in wealth and power only to the Malfoys and any who wished to think that they had a chance of challenging that would soon find themselves beaten down or subtly destroyed. Her father had worked long and hard to obtain the life that they had, rising through the ranks of the pure-bloods and becoming one of the most trusted in Voldemort's inner circle during his first rise to power and since his return her father had gone even further with his ambitions. Her mother on the other hand had supported her husband but had stayed out of the war to raise the children, her and her twin sister and younger brother. Keeping them safe and away from the world and it's cruelty.
Smiling to herself at the thought of all that her parents had ever done for them, she shut off the tap and stepped out into the larger area of the bathroom to dry off and dress. As she pulled on her skirt, zipping it up in the back and tucking her shirt into it before slipping the jumper over her head, she heard the sounds of another girl entering the room to set up for the day. Looking out from under to see who it was she saw Pansy staring sleepily at her.
"M-morning Lexi." She said as she stifled a yawn, setting her own stack of clothing on a bench to undress for the shower.
"Hey Pans." She greeted politely as she adjusted her tie and tapped her hair with her wand, setting it into the style she wanted for the day.
Tucking it into the inner pocket of her robes she adjusted the last minute details of her appearance and then flicked her wand at her bed garments which disappeared back to her area in the dorm room. Waving to the only half naked Pansy who was still trying not to fall asleep on her feet, she exited the room and headed down the stairs towards the common room. As she entered, she was surprised to find the area so empty, normally at least a few people were here waiting on friends before heading up to breakfast. Not bothering to see if anyone was interested in her company, she headed through the entrance hole and out into the hall.
Up ahead she could see a few small, black-clad figures making their way up the hall towards the exit to the entrance hall. From their size she figured that they were either first years or small second years, though she could not really determine their genders from how far away she was. Taking a moment to yawn, she proceeded up the hall towards breakfast and the overly loud Great Hall.
As she took her seat at the table, she was surprised to find that she was the only sixth year there as most of the rest were still in bed. With a smirk, she began to pile some food onto her plate and then frowned as she realized she had chosen a spot that didn't have any coffee near enough to grab. Standing, she moved along the table until she found a pot that wasn't being used and then proceeded back to her seat and was joined by Blaise and Draco who were both yawning loudly.
"Are you both Gryffindors now?" She asked, giving them a look of disapproval as they glared at her for being so awake.
"You go stay up all damn night and come have breakfast." Draco said, pointing irritatedly at the coffee pot she was still holding.
"Your task is not my problem, nor am I supposed to hear you speaking of it." She hissed, as Pansy and her twin Marie joined them at the table.
"Hey now, watch the hostility Lex." Marie said, smiling at Draco coldly, "If he wants to divulge and get killed that is his choice." She continued, pouring a cup of tea as she cut up a muffin and began to eat it in small bits.
Draco gave her a glare and then poured a cup of coffee, slamming the pot back onto the table as he realized it was brimming over the cup. "SHIT!" He exclaimed, letting the spill settle before using his wand to clean it up.
Pansy crooned over him, trying to help him as he continued to clean up the mess and fend her off. "My poor Draco." She said, summoning a new cup and another pot from further up the table. "here." She continued as the cup slid towards him, just the right amount of coffee in it as the pot settled down on the table beside of her.
Alexis frowned, "Could ya save it for after breakfast Pans, I do want to eat today." She said with a playful tone, though really it did bother her just how much Pansy fawned over Draco, not to mention her stories of their intimate moments together were enough to clear the dorm room in a matter of mere nanoseconds.
Pansy pouted, "But my baby is not doing well at all." She cooed, "Look at him." She said indicating how bedraggled and dragged out Draco looked.
Alexis sighed in defeat, "Fine." She said, grabbing her plat and a cup of coffee, "I'm going to eat out in the grounds away from the sickening sight of you two." She continued as she proceeded from the table, Marie and her brother rising to follow her carrying plates of their own.
As she lead the way across the lawn towards the green houses, she could hear them whispering their disapproval of Pansy and Draco to each other. She smiled, knowing that this was probably the only time that they ever let their facades fall and their true selves shine. As she pushed open the doors to the green house, she was surprised to find that there was a student in one of the green houses that housed some of the plants that the older students worked with. However, as soon as she saw him, he seemed to vanish and she shrugged, leading her siblings into an abandoned green house that seemed to have a table and benches perfectly set up for a family meal.
Once they were settled, Marie turned her opinions back to where she had kept them the night before, bringing up the subject that was constantly on their mind.
"I really hope that they don't accept that marriage proposal for us." She said, reminding the three of them that the Malfoys were trying to make an alliance with them for the hand of either Marie or Alexis.
"Well, I have already given them my opinions on the matter." Alexis said, a tone that meant she would not be crossed clearly evident as she cut up a piece of sausage and took a bite.
"As have I." Marie said, "Though this deal has been hovering since you, Draco and I were all born, Lucius wants to join our family to his so that he has even more power and wealth than he already has."
Nicolas frowned, "I believe that mom and dad have everything in their grasp and will make the decision based upon what you both want as well as what is best for the family."
Alexis and Marie both turned to him, a look of incredulity on their faces. "The union would be what is best for our family Nic." Marie said with a frown, "But neither of us want him as a husband." She continued as she paused to take a bite.
"Like I said." He said with a nod, "I think that they will take your wishes and concerns into consideration."
Alexis smirked, "They know just how far the Malfoy's have fallen with Lucius' imprisonment in Azkaban." She said with a nod, "The power and wealth still is something that could greatly help the family and would make it harder for people to oppose or harm us."
Marie held up a hand and frowned, "You forget that if Draco doesn't finish his task he and his family will die." She said, reminding them of what their father had said a few weeks before the term started. "And if we were married to him or pledged to him that could also put our family in danger."
Alexis frowned and then a sudden movement caught her attention as she saw a figure in the corner of her eye. Turning to look out the window she saw a tall, sandy-haired boy in the green house beside of theirs, watering the venomous tentacula with an expression of pure joy and sense of belonging on his face and in his air.
"Longbottom?" She said, pointing out the window.
Marie and Nicolas both turned to follow her gaze and frowned at the sight of the boy. They had never followed lead and tormented him like the rest of their house, but they didn't stand up or associate with him either. Blood Traitors were very much frowned upon even by their family and his family were some of the most infamous traitors in the world aside from the Weasleys. With a frown the three of them returned to their meals and a silence fell over the table, keeping with them even after they saw the boy exit the green house and head towards the castle.
Finally just before the bells rang for classes and Nicolas had to run to make it to his first class, Alexis broke the silence. "I guess we have lots to think about with the way the ambition of the Malfoy family and the ambitions of our parents are concerned."
The other two nodded and then departed as Alexis proceeded towards Green House 9 where the day's class was to be held. As she entered she took her normal seat though she knew she was going to be the only Slytherin in the class, the rest had all abandoned the Herbology classes since they were going into jobs that didn't require the growing of plants. A few moments after she was seated, Longbottom and his friend's Granger and Abbot entered, along with several other mixes from the three other houses and each of them seemed determined to avoid sitting anywhere near her. She didn't really care though, none of them were of her station and it would have been beneath her to even consider speaking to any of them. She was just contemplating whether to bother trying to find a work station as far from any of them as possible when Professor Sprout entered and announced that she would be paring them all up with someone else that they would work with for the rest of the year.
The rest of the class prepared for what they figured was going to be a fun and eventful partnership while she panicked slightly inside. Partnering with a student from another house would be tricky enough if other Slytherins had been in the class, but partnering with another student whose family she did not know or whose station in life may be below her's was another mater entirely. As she awaited with bated breath for the person who would be informed that they were her partner she listened intently to who was being put with whom. As the last few names were called she realized that only her and Longbottom were the last remaining of the students and she shuddered at the thought that the star Herbology student would be her partner, not to mention the most clumsy and witless person she had ever had the misfortune to observe and now here she was watching as he approached her table without the professor even bothering to tell him who his partner was. With a forced complacency she scooted to the far side of the table as he took his seat and waited for further instructions.
It only took Professor Sprout a few more moments to sort through the day's plans and then she left them to their work as she proceeded to start on her own plant. Alexis eyed Longbottom for a moment before standing and proceeding to the cabinets to collect tools and other various things that would be needed for the project of the week. As she returned she noticed that he still had not moved and was slightly agitated that he was seeming to be made of rock which was rather unlike him.
"Do you want to get the plant or shall I?" She offered as she set the tools gingerly down upon the table and stood waiting for his answer.
He shook his head as if clearing his thoughts and stared up at her. "Oh, I'll get them" he said with a small frown and headed off towards the benches that held the Membulous Mimbletonia.
She watched him for a second before settling back down and opening her books to the appropriate pages and beginning to glance over what they needed to do to re-pot them. She was a little thankful that she at least was working with another pure-blood but her gratitude stopped there. This was not good, he was a blood traitor and one of the helping factors that put the Patron of the most powerful pure-blood family into Azkaban. She had seen this foolish boy grow from stumbling, stuttering first year idiot to blundering fool over the past five years and now here she was alone in a class full of Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, and Ravenclaws and she was the only Slytherin in their midst. This would not bode well when others in her house found out who she was partnered with and she knew that even though she was a Yates and her family was very respected and powerful, this could lead to many bad and dangerous suspicions if she didn't play her cards right.
As he returned to the table, he set two potted plats down on the wooden surface and prepared to begin working on his plant without a word to her. She shrugged slightly at his preference not to talk and proceeded to follow his example. She was just beginning to prune the leaves with her shears when he spoke in a low whisper.
"We may as well at least try to be civil." He said, not glancing at her.
She blinked, be civil. That was a bit rich coming from one of the houses that persecuted her's more than any of the others. "Civil?" She said, reflecting upon the word as she let it roll across her tongue.
"Yeah." He said, sounding very much on his guard. "You know, try to talk and get along so that this project isn't a waste of time and harder than our pairing has to be."
She smirked, "You want us to be civil with each other Longbottom?" She said, crossing her arms before her.
He turned to her. "It will make the year easier on us both." He said, a frown on his comely face.
She let the thought roll around in her head for a moment. "I can see your point." She said, her face returning to its porcelain expression. "But we can't allow others to see us getting friendly."
He raised an eyebrow. "I never said for us to be friends." He said, his tone clearly indicating his thoughts on the idea of being friends with a Slytherin.
She nodded, "Good, getting that out of the way fast is a good way to ensure you don't get any crazy ideas in your head Longbottom. I for one am still respectable in our society and as such I can't be seen as being friends with a blood-traitor."
He grimaced and looked as though she had backhanded him across the face but then nodded. She was glad he took the hint and didn't try to progress the topic further. The rest of the class they spent in silence, only speaking if they needed to until the bell rang to signal that the class was over. As she packed up her belongings and proceeded to take the tools back he turned to her and she raised an eyebrow.
"Shall we...you know, meet this evening to work on the project." He asked with a wary expression on his face.
She frowned, "Sure, though I don't think it will mater if we work on it together as long as we work on it."
he shook his head. "Professor Sprout wants us to do a collaborative effort on this and she will expect to see us working together just like the rest of the class will be."
She sighed, this was just great for a Monday and especially the beginning of the school term. With a sigh she made plans to meet him after their combined Charms class at three to work on the plants until dinner. As she made her way towards the transfiguration classroom she knew that this partnership was going to be much more complicated than the idiot of a Professor had obviously anticipated or planned.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Neville entered the common room and dropped his bags on the floor with a loud huff. Today had gone unpleasantly and unexpectedly as soon as he had entered the Great Hall for Breakfast. He had nearly been plowed over by Malfoy who was making it a new goal to humiliate or kill him for his part in Lucius's arrest last June and now he was partnered with the Yates girl in Herbology. Not only was this a double dose of Slytherin abuse, but it was almost more than he could take in a day. As he flopped onto the nearest arm chair her heard Hermione and Parvati enter through the portrait hole.
"There you are Neville." Hermione called with a wave as she proceeded to join him by the fire.
Neville smiled up at her, "Hey Hermione." He said with a nod to her.
She frowned at him for a moment, "So, Yates?" She asked clearly interested in his new Herbology partner.
He frowned, "Yeah, not sure what Professor Sprout was thinking."
She nodded but didn't pursue the question any further for the moment which he was glad of. He was still reeling from the fact that he had not only been partnered with a Slytherin but by the fact that she had not tried to hex, insult or otherwise harm him in any manner. It had really been an interestingly civil two hours of class. As he returned to the present he noticed that Hermione was watching him with a strange expression on her face which he had not seen in a long time.
"What's that look for?" He asked with a frown.
She shook herself as if returning from a daydream. "Sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts." She said, letting the matter hang in the air without further explanation.
"I see." He said with a nod that clearly stated he believed her.
"The two of you seemed to have gotten along well enough." She commented with a raised eyebrow.
"You mean for a Slytherin and a Gryffindor?" He said with a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess so."
She joined him in laughter, "Well at least you are still in one piece, normally when you have to work or have a run in with a Slytherin you end up hexed into next week for no bloody reason other than who you are."
He winced at the reminder but didn't bother to remark on the subject. His past experiences with Slytherins usually lead to violence or other various forms of abuse simply because of his being a clumsy, forgetful and sometimes rather ridiculous being. He often tried to avoid them, going far beyond the norms of just going the opposite direction or avoiding detection, he would literally go all the way around the castle just to get to class without problems. However, since his being involved with the Dumbledore's Army and Ministry fiasco last year he had found a courage more suitable to standing up to the Slytherins and had even seen some of his fellow Gryffindors smiling proudly the few times he had told Malfoy off this year.
"I wonder what will be for lunch today." Came a familiar voice as the redhead it belonged to lumbered into the room from the direction of the dormitories.
"Oh good." Hermione said with a wave to Harry and Ron who had just appeared in a sleepy haze. "Professor McGonagall was looking for you two earlier."
Harry froze in mid-yawn. "Eh?" He said with a frown, clearly misunderstanding her meaning.
"Yeah Harry." Said Parvati with a smile, "She came up to us asking if we had seen either of you."
"Oh boy." Said Ron whose face already seemed to be taking on a look of 'What did we do now?' as he turned to Harry and waited to see what his reaction would be.
"I guess we should go and see what she wants." Harry said as the others stood and prepared to head off to lunch.
"I am sure it's not anything bad." Said Hermione with a smile, "She didn't seem upset or anything."
Ron relaxed immensely at that statement and even harry seemed more at ease. Though neither of them spoke as the party headed towards the Great Hall for lunch. It was going to be an interesting day for everyone it seemed and Neville just hoped that he had already had his fill for the week if not the semester. He tagged along behind the rest of the party, loosing himself in his thoughts again and didn't notice that they were in the Hall until the noise burst through his wondering like a train through a tunnel at top speed. He shook his head and returned to his surroundings with a profound determination to not get sucked into his stupor again.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Alexis entered the Green House compound at precisely four and looked about to see if Longbottom had arrived yet. She was surprised to find that he was not here as he had been exceptionally early to class this morning. She decided not to waste time waiting for him and proceeded on towards the building where they would be occupying their next few hours and set to work before he got there. She was just entering the building when the door at the far end of the room opened and the sandy-haired boy entered with a huff and slumped onto the floor, his bag skidding along until it banged into a desk. Unsure what had happened she rushed towards him and knelt down beside of him.
"Are you alright?" She asked, worry surprising her as it appeared in her tone.
He moaned a response and then fell further onto the floor. As she looked him over she noticed that he had several bruises and marks all across him and he looked as if he had been hurled headlong across a flight of stairs. Unsure what exactly had happened but knowing that she needed to get help, she quickly levitated him and began to lead his prone, floating body towards the Hospital Wing. In the Halls she got several stares but ignored them in her hurry to get him help. She only stopped when she had reached the Infirmary corridor and found Granger outside staring her down with a look that could have killed with its fury.
"Cool it Granger, he tumbled into the Green House this way." She said, flicking her wand at the doors which opened wide admitting her and her injured partner and passed without another word.
Inside she levitated him onto one of the empty beds and then began to search for a poultice for his bruises as she banged loudly on Madame Pomfrey's office door. Which rewarded her with a rather rude look from the older lady who emerged and then ran to Neville as soon as she saw him on the bed. Barking orders for her to bring the poultice in her hands on the double as she began to run diagnostics with her wand to see what exactly had happened to him.
"Where did this happen?" She demanded as she took the jar and began to spread it over his bruises, leaving a gleaming sheen of green goop on each one.
"I am not sure where Madame, I only know that he toppled into the Green House we were meeting in to work on a class project together looking as if he had been flung down a flight of stairs." Alexis said with a frown as she awaited more orders from her boss.
She had taken an internship with Madame Pomfrey for the year, a good way to help her later on with her plans to become a Healer at St. Mungo's though she sometimes wondered why she had bothered to sign up for the nearly useless few hours in the first place. It had thus far only been a waste of her time as the Healer treated her like a baby that needed to be told repeatedly what to do and how to do it. She had not even been allowed to properly treat even a minor cut yet, something that irked her to no end.
"I see, that is why you asked for the evening off I remember you sending me note of this earlier today." She said, remembering the girl's note with a brief nod before returning to the prone boy. "Well he definitely had a meeting with something rather hard." She said with a frown. "Three broken ribs and a cracked wrist."
Alexis frowned, "Any suggestions on who did it?" She asked, but the older woman shook her head and began to perform the charms that would heal his broken and wounded bones, several of his cuts also seemed to mend on their own. As the woman finished with a flourish of her wand his eyes flicked open in surprise.
"M-Madame Pomfrey?" He said, his eyes wide with shock.
"Yes?" She asked softly, worry on her face at his reaction to seeing her.
"I..w-what happened?"
Alexis frowned, clearly this was not something normal for the boy based on the look on the Healer's face.
"Miss Yates brought you in, you had been attacked and she found you when she went to meet with you for your study session in the Green Houses." The older woman explained softly.
"I...yes, I remember walking towards the paddock and seeing Draco Malfoy outside. I decided to turn and go in the back way before he could see me but something hit me from behind." Neville said, trying to remember what had happened. "I remember a flash of purple and then..." He cringed as if remembering something unpleasant.
"Yes?" Alexis asked, gently nodding for him to go on.
"I remember the floor of the entrance hall and smashing into it." He said, with a frown. "And then Malfoy was standing over me a look of victory and something else upon his face."
Madame Pomfrey frowned and jotted something down on her note book which had just landed neatly and quietly in her hand. She made a few noises as she ensured that she had written down the statement and then tucked the pad under her arm.
"I will speak with the Head Master of this immediately." She said with a frown. "I will not tolerate students smashing each other into the ground."
Alexis was surprised at how she felt about hearing that Draco had harmed the boy before her, she had never had any relationship with Longbottom, avoided him really. She had teased him along with the rest of her house, though not as mercilessly as the rest, but she felt that Draco needed to pay for this. The feeling surprised her but also made her feel more assured in her feelings of the boy that had her skin crawling just because he wanted to marry her or her sister. As she sat there, her mind racing from her actions and the last few minutes she became aware that she was being watched by someone near the door and her eyes turned to see Granger standing there, shock and anger etched upon her already ugly face.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Not sure how well this story is going to turn out, I just hope that you all enjoyed it thus far. I will try to have a new chapter up as soon as I can. Let me know what you think and don't forget to review, comment or what have you!
-Until next time!