5 Chapter 1: The Granger's Guest
This is the fifth book to the Alexis Lestrange series. If you have not read the first four you really should before reading this one. My belief is that the books get better the farther you read into the series but that's the writers opinion. You can form your own.
Disclaimer: I'm own going to say this once so listen up! I own nothing but the characters you are unfamiliar with and the personalities that are OOC. Everything else is J.K. Rowling.
Now without further delay, I give you the first chapter to Alexis Lestrange and Dumbledore's Army!
Ms. Bean was your typical gossiping neighbor. Her husband had died twelve years prior and to fill in the gap because of her dear Jim's absence Ms. Bean had taken it upon herself to know every little detail about her neighbors' lives. She knew who was having an affair or when the young West couple was fighting again. She knew that the Douglas's oldest son, Jackson, was secretly dating all three of the O'Shay daughters and their second eldest son. She even knew when Mrs. Gibbin was pregnant with her third child before anyone else, and she even knew that Old Man Hester had started taking old shoes from everyones' trash cans late at night and why.
Yes, if anyone wanted to know anything about their neighbors they simply had to ask Ms. Bean because she knew everything about everyone... except for the Granger's two houseguest, more specifically the one they called Hex Lee-Strange.
Hermione Granger, Doctor and Doctor Granger's only daughter, had brought her friend home from the prestigious boarding school she went to in Scotland called Hogwarts and along with her had come the girl's bubblegum pink haired cousin Tonks. Hex, as that was the only name Ms. Bean ever heard the girl called other than perhaps the most bizarre nickname of Padfoot, was a rather fair looking girl - in Ms. Bean's opinion - with long, wavy black hair and piercing green eyes that went perfectly with her aristocratic facial features on her ivory skin. The looking as if she belonged in an upperclass society, however, the girl spoke with a sailor's mouth half the time and a strong Yank accent.
"The way that girl speaks her mind will make it impossible for her to get married," said the elderly Mrs. Baker, who, like several other older women in the neighborhood, had taken her usual spot on Ms. Bean's front porch with an ice tea in her hands. The six had started a book club several years ago but hadn't read a book since 1983 and instead used their time to gossip. "What's the girl's name again? Hex? Hex Lee-Strange?"
"I believe it's pronounced La-strange, Missy," said Ms. Warnke matter-a-factly. "And I heard from Mrs. Roads who heard from Mrs. Grey that Dr. Granger said her real name was Alexis and that Hex was just a nickname."
"What a dreadful nickname," said Mrs. Smith, fanning her face. "You know, the other day, I saw the William's third son, Randy, trying to tease Hermione while she was showing her friend around and the girl went off on him. She had the boy close to tears!"
"No!" said Ms. Warnke, sipping on her tea.
"It's true!" confirmed Mrs. MacKenzie with a strong nod. "I saw it as well! And afterwards, when the boy called her a mean witch, the girl turn to him and said, 'And proud of it, Muggle.' I've never heard such an insult!"
Mrs. Baker shook her head.
"Never going to get married," she repeated. "And neither is Hermione if she doesn't get her head out of those books! She finally has straight teeth and somewhat tamed hair but she still won't win a man if she doesn't stop learning and start focusing on proper edict!"
"Well she's always talking to her friends about these boys at their school," said Mrs. Graves. "Usually about this Harry boy, though. Potter I think, and a Ronald Weasel."
"Weasley," corrected Ms. Warnke. "I hear it from Mrs. Andrew who heard it from Mrs. Williams who heard it from Mrs. Quinn that Dr. Granger said his daughter's best friends at school are Harry Potter, Alexis McPherson and a Ron Weasley who passed away not so long ago."
"Pity," said Mrs. Baker perhaps a little too emotionlessly after having outlived four husbands going on five at this rate. "But McPherson you say?"
"Oh yes," said Ms. Bean, taking over everyone's attention the moment she used her I-know-something-you-all-don't tone. "As it would turn out, Hermione's guest, this Alexis Lee-Strange-"
"Lestrange," corrected Ms. Warnke. "You pounce the first e like an a."
"That's what I did," said Ms. Bean, waving Ms. Warnke off before continuing. "Anyways, she is the same person as Alexis McPherson."
"No!" said Ms. Warnke as if Ms. Bean had revealed an unbelievable secret.
"Nonsense, Greta," said Mrs. Smith.
"It's true!" said Mrs. MacKenzie with another fierce nod but before she could add anymore Ms. Bean continued.
"I heard it from the horse's mouth!" she said rather proudly. "As it would turn out the girl's parents are famous murders!"
"No!" cried Ms. Warnke again.
"It's true!" retorted Mrs. MacKenzie almost habitually.
"Yes, it's true," continued Ms. Bean. "The girl's parents were locked up about fifteen years ago and only a few months into their sentence out popped the girl!"
"The girl was born a jailbird!" stated Mrs. Graves for everyone else.
"Than why the two different last names?" asked Mrs. Smith.
"Because the girl was raised in America by her late guardian under his last name and didn't discover her until about a year ago," stated Ms. Bean matter-a-factly. "Kept the whole thing hush-hush until she was told by, and you'll never believe this, her uncle Serious Black!"
"No!" cried Ms. Warnke along with Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Graves.
"What dreadful heritage!" exclaimed Mrs. Baker. "The poor girl will never get married if knowledge like that is known. How ever did the girl escape that madman's presence with her life?"
"Yes, Greta," said Mrs. MacKenzie, nodding her head once again, "how did she escape?"
"All I know for certain is that her escape cost the Weasel-"
"Weasley," corrected Ms. Warnke.
"That's what I said," said Ms. Bean. "Anyways, it cost the boy his life."
"How dreadful!" cried Mrs. Smith. All of the other woman nodded solemnly in agreement.
Suddenly loud music escaped from the Granger's open living room window.
"This is how we do it!"
"Hex, turn that down!" called the voice of Hermione Granger from another room. "The neighbors will hear it!"
"So what?" said Alexis Lestrange with a laugh in her throat at her friend's worry. "It's Muggle music!"
"But it's-"
"This is how we do it!" shouted Alexis over her friend along to the radio.
"Hex!"
"Moony!" Alexis called back. Ms. Bean could see, while craning her neck, that the green eye girl was now dancing with a crazy smile on her face- a crazy smile that seemed to be contagious as it slowly appeared on Hermione's face as well.
Suddenly a third figure with bubblegum pink hair entered the room tripping over the sofa.
"I love this song!" exclaimed the older girl Ms. Bean remembered being called Tonks.
"Then dance with us!" laughed Alexis, grabbing hold of both her friends hands and pulling them towards the center of the living room.
Hermione seemed to be giggling up a storm as both Alexis and Tonks seemed to be attempting to rap with the song and although they did so rather poorly, Ms. Bean found them entertaining. Her guest, however, did not.
"Let's go inside, Greta," said Mrs. Smith, fanning herself again. "It's hot and those children are being so rude playing that noise loud enough that the whole neighborhood can hear it."
Ms. Bean would have argued that the reason it was so loud is the fact that they were sitting directly next to the Granger's living room window and that Mrs. Smith always had her hearing aid on full so that she could hear everyone's secrets, but decided against it in the end. Instead, she sent one last look towards the strange girls before leading her party inside her home.
What Ms. Bean didn't know, however, is that had she had stayed just a bit longer she would have heard perhaps the greatest gossip in her life time for the school Alexis and Hermione attended was not just any school. It was in fact a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry and both Alexis and Hermione along with their friend Tonks were witches.
"Alright," said Alexis, turning off the radio when the song ended. "What is it you wanted to talk about Hermione?"
Hermione, out of breath from dancing so much flopped down on her couch next to Tonks who's hair was now a bright purple. Alexis smiled down at her bushy haired, bookworm friend before nodding towards her Metamorphmagus cousin.
"Do you know what she wants to talk about?" she asked Tonks who nodded.
"It's about Harry," she replied.
"And the Order," Hermione added before turning towards Tonks. "Would you-"
"Got it," said Tonk. She withdrew a long wooden stick that was undoubtedly her wand before pointing it at the window. It suddenly closed. "Continue."
"Right," said Hermione. "Hex, we don't think you should be there when we go pick up Harry."
Suddenly the living room filled with a loud laughter that escaped Alexis's lips. Her eyes were filling with tears she was laughing so hard.
'Err, Hex,' said the voice of Ron Weasley inside Alexis's mind. He, along with Cedric Diggory and Alexis's late guardian Tomas McPherson were all able to communicate with her even after their deaths. 'I don't think Moony was joking.'
'Me either, girly,' added Cedric, cutting off Alexis's laughter.
"You can't be serious," said Alexis almost asking Hermione not to be. Neither Hermione nor Tonks made any attempt at a reply. "Hermione, he's my best friend!"
"And Voldemort is after both of you," retorted Tonks who since Hermione's mother had made perhaps the most sound argument as to why she shouldn't be afraid to call the Dark Lord - the same Dark Lord that attacked Harry when he was a baby and killed Harry's parents before somehow failing to kill Harry with the killing curse - by his name, though only Alexis and Harry called him by his real name of Tom Riddle. "Having the two of you in the same place at the same time outside of Hogwarts is an incident waiting to happen."
Alexis huffed, crossing her arms.
"And who is this we," she asked angrily, "that thinks this?"
"The Order," said Hermione. "We'll be joining them today so you can ask them-"
"And what did Remus and Sirius say about this?" Alexis growled.
The fireplace in front of the three girls suddenly roared to life with bright green flames, scaring Mrs. Granger, who had only just been walking into the living room from the kitchen with cookies, and causing her to throw the tray into the air in surprise. Mr. Granger, who had unfortunately been walking in the room behind her, was hit by the falling tray on the top of his head. He let out a loud 'oof' before falling on his bum. He let out another 'oof' when he's wife screamed and fell backwards in surprise as two men stepped out of the flames.
"Personally, I told the Order they were crazy if they thought you'd listen to them," said the scruffier man with shoulder length black hair, a small amount of stubble, and coal color eyes. He was wearing a grin almost identical to the one Alexis had been wearing as she was dancing only minutes ago and it was directed right towards the green eyed witch. "Miss me, pup?"
"Sirius!" said Alexis, becoming temporarily distracted by her uncle's presence. She practically tackled him with her embrace.
The man named Sirius, or rather, the man named Sirius Black who was both Alexis and Tonks' cousin and an escape prisoner from the Wizard prison Azkaban where he had been wrongly sentenced to for murder, chuckled into his more niece-than-cousin's hair.
"I'll take that as a yes, then," he said with a smirk. He tossed a look over his shoulder at the man who had arrived with him through the Floo Network's newest fireplace. "Beat that, Remus."
But if Sirius had thought Alexis would hug the man by the name of Remus with any less mirth than she had hugged him then he had been sorely mistaken. Alexis embraced the slowly greying brown haired man with eyes an almost perfect match to her's in an almost bone crushing hug which Remus returned in full force.
"Hello, Alexis," said Remus squeezing Alexis one last time before releasing her.
"Hello?" said Alexis in mock hurt. "Remus Lupin, you old wolf! I haven't seen you since June and all I get is a hello?"
"It's only July," said Remus.
"Fourteenth," added Hermione.
"You saw me on the twenty-eighth," Remus stated.
"That's over two weeks!" said Alexis. "At least Sirius asked if I had missed him!"
Remus rolled his eyes in a manner Alexis found familiar because it was the same as her own. She wasn't sure if he had picked it up from her or if she had inherited it from him. It depended on whether or not Remus was her father and that was not something either of them knew for a fact quite yet. Alexis's father could also be Lord Voldemort, an insane lunatic by the name of Barty Crouch, or perhaps even her mother's husband Rodolphus Lestrange. She didn't know and it wasn't as if Alexis could ask her mother who was currently serving a life sentence in Azkaban for countless murder and the torturing of Alexis's friend from school Neville Longbottom's parents with the help of her husband, brother-in-law, and Barty Crouch Jr.
"Did you miss me?" Remus asked, his lip twitching towards a smile.
Alexis grinned and said, "Absolutely not but do you know who I did miss? My best friend Harry Potter, which is why I'm coming with you to pick him up."
"Told you," chuckled Sirius.
Remus rolled his eyes again.
"We'll discuss this later," he said before looking over at Tonks. "Have they finished packing?"
"Of course, Remmy," said Tonks in mock insult. "I'm not a child, you know?"
Everyone except for Alexis and Sirius seemed to miss Remus tense up at the nickname Tonks had taken to calling him. It was the same nickname Alexis remembered her mother using for him before... before her mother had changed.
"But you all aren't leaving until tonight," said Mrs. Granger, who had finally returned to her feet along with her husband.
"Did plans change?" asked Mr. Granger who discretely ate one of the many cookies that had fallen on him.
"Yes," said Sirius. "Sorry, cousin but we're leaving with your charges immediately."
Tonks nodded her head understandingly before hurrying up the stairs to grab Alexis and Hermione's trunks without another word. Alexis and Hermione, however, had a few words of their own.
"But we were told we weren't going to be leaving until tonight," said Hermione. "At nine!"
"The sun hasn't even gone down!" Alexis pointed out.
"Exactly," said Remus. He pulled an old button up shirt out of his pocket and tossed it to Alexis. "I know it's last minute but plans have changed greatly. We need to get you two out of here before the sun goes down. Now, Alexis, put that shirt on."
Alexis did as she was told and pulled the adult male shirt on over her clothes. It smelt exactly like chocolate and dog.
"Is this your shirt?" Alexis asked, sniffing the shirt again while Sirius walked the Grangers into the kitchen to mostly explain what was going on.
"Yes," said Remus absentmindedly before looking towards Hermione. "Now, Hermione, you should be fine without my scent. Forgive me if I offend, but I can smell the wolf in you so that should musk your natural sent."
"Thanks?" Hermione said awkwardly before her eyes widened considerably. "He already has them on his side?"
Remus nodded grimly while Alexis tilted her head in confusion.
"He has what on his side?" asked Alexis, already knowing he was Voldemort.
"Werewolves," said Remus but he said nothing else as Tonks returned to the room with two trunks, a small bird cage with Alexis's tiny owl Guy inside it, and Hermione's basket for her cat Crookshanks floating in front of her.
"That's everything," said Tonks. "I'll go watch the Grangers before Sirius scares them to death."
"Good idea," said Remus. However, he grabbed Tonks' arm gently before she could fully leave. "Be careful, Nymphadora."
Tonks, who had at first looked as if she was going to blush when Remus had grabbed her arm, scowled when he said her first name.
"I'm a big girl, Remus," she said, her scowl slowly fading. Alexis smirked, knowing full well that Remus was one of the only people besides Alexis and Alastor 'Madeye' Moody Tonks couldn't stay mad at for long. "You watch yourself out there."
Remus nodded before pointing his wand at Alexis and Hermione's trunks. The two trunks shrunk considerably before becoming the size a wallet which each witch pocketed wordlessly.
"Werewolves?" Alexis asked quietly as Remus disappeared into the kitchen to grab Sirius.
"Yes," said Hermione. "Remember what Professor Dumbledore said at the end of the school year? Voldemort has been recruiting all kinds of dark creatures."
"Yeah," said Alexis, thinking back only briefly to her and Harry's meeting with the newly reborn Dark Lord, "I remember him saying something on those lines but what do werewolves have to do with us leaving early?"
"Everything," said Sirius, reentering the living room with glamour charm on him now. His hair had sprouted grays and his beard had lengthened considerably. He also seemed to have aged at least ten years with the amount of wrinkles that now covered his face. "We can explain when we get back to... Well, you'll see."
"We have to leave now," said Remus, looking down at his old wristwatch. "The sun sets in eight minutes and then Greyback will send out his pack."
"But-" started Alexis only to be cut off by Hermione elbowing her.
'Later,' Hermione thought with a stern look at her friend.
Reluctantly Alexis nodded. She grabbed Guy's cage and turned towards the fireplace.
"No, we're apperating," said Sirius. "The Floo Network connection was only for emergencies. Not that this isn't an emergency but it was a one way thing. Come on, pup. We need to get outside."
"Right," said Alexis. She walked past Hermione, who was quickly saying her goodbyes to her parents while Sirius put Crookshanks in his basket, and over to Remus. He took her by the shoulder and led her outside.
"You need to stay as close to me as possible, Alexis," Remus said quietly as Sirius and Hermione hurried after them. "They have your sent so as long as I'm near by it should be mostly covered, especially with how close we are to a full moon."
Alexis nodded her head even though she didn't understand what Remus was saying had to do with anything. Why were werewolves a problem? She knew that they would probably side with Voldemort in the war but what did that have to do with her? Were they tracking her? Why?
"What about Harry?" she asked suddenly as Remus directed her hastily towards the apperation point. "Are there werewolves after him as well?"
"Harry's safe," said Remus with a small smile before it fell from his face completely. "It's only you that Greyback is after."
"Who the hell is-"
"Hold on tight, Hex," ordered Sirius suddenly. Instinctively Alexis tightened her grip on Remus's arm. Her eyes caught sight of two shimmering blue eyes and she heard a rather frightening growl before the feeling of side-along apperation hit her full on.
Landing along with a loud clapping noise similar to thunder, Alexis suddenly appeared on a dark, London street in the middle of a rain storm. She was only standing still for five seconds and was already drenched as the rain poured mercilessly from the dark clouds above.
"Everyone alright?" yelled Remus over the loud, howling wind.
Alexis nodded her head in the rain, very glad she had on an extra layer despite it did nothing to keep her dry. She wasn't sure if Remus saw her nod, however, considering Alexis could barely make out Hermione and Sirius standing next to her.
"Both of you read this quickly and memorize it," shouted Sirius, sticking a piece of paper in front of them.
The ink was smearing on the paper fast but Alexis read:
The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.
'Grimmauld Place?' Alexis thought to herself. 'Well doesn't that sound cheery?'
McPherson chuckled, "Wait 'till you see the inside.'
Alexis shook her head.
"When on earth have you-" Alexis started before stopping suddenly when she not only remembered that she was talking out loud but when another large street house started to appear between eleven and thirteen. Despite being hard to see through the buckets of rain pouring down on them, Alexis could see the dreary house fully appear just as they ran up its stone steps to its black door. The door looked as if a big dog had tried to claw it down. It had no mail slot and no key, leaving its only decorations to be a silver doorknob and a silver door knocker shaped like a twisted serpent.
"Get them inside, Remus," said Sirius as they all huddle as close as they could to the door in a vain attempt to get out of the rain. "They're shivering like leaves!"
"And all of you smell like wet dogs," Alexis muttered.
"You currently smell like me," said Remus casually as he raised his wand to the door. His blatantly ignored Alexis's scowl, though his lip did twitch towards a smile, in favor of tapping his wand once on the door leading to a series of lock turning sounds coming from inside.
Suddenly the door swung open and Remus and Sirius quickly ushered both girls inside, who were, in fact, shivering like leaves.
"Where the hell are we?" Alexis asked the moment the door closed behind them. She had only taken one look around the dark, gloomy house and already decided she liked it. "And what's that smell? It smells like mold and soap."
"Hex!" reprimanded Hermione while both Remus and Sirius smiled.
"We're in the Headquarters of Order of the Phoenix," answered Remus. "And that smell is the house and Molly's attempt at cleaning it."
Alexis nodded her head, still looking around.
"The same Order Hermione and Tonks have been getting letters from all summer but haven't told me anything about except Dumbledore is in charge?" Alexis asked unsure if her frustration had stayed out of her voice or not. She hadn't liked how Hermione and Tonks had been keeping secrets from her when she had asked them about the constant owls they had been receiving outside as the usual ones from friends. Alexis tilted her head at the sight of the dark drapes covering the center of one side of the hall. "Isn't this place a little... dark?"
"But safe," said Sirius, stopping Alexis from moving the drapes on the wall by grabbing her hand. "Mostly. It's the old Black family home. No ones lived here in years and I inherited it so I offered it to Dumbledore as headquarters."
"So this is the house you two and Arthur were cleaning out last year," said Alexis, slowly drifting down the hall without the others.
"Hex, where are you going?" Hermione called as Alexis began off.
"I don't know!" Alexis called over her shoulder suddenly feeling devious.
"Alexis!" Remus and Sirius called together when the green eyed girl suddenly took off in a run.
Alexis for some reason suddenly felt like exploring. She didn't care that she was still soaking wet from the rain nor did she care that she had no idea where anything was in this place. Alexis just wanted to explore.
And she would have... if something hadn't collided with her before wrapping itself around her legs.
"What the h-"
"Mistress has returned!" cried what Alexis could only hope was a house elf.
Having only met a handful of house elves, the creature that had fastened its boney arms around Alexis's legs, was perhaps the strangest house elf Alexis had ever seen. Covered in wrinkly skin from head to toe and with long bat ears that had white hair sticking out of them even Alexis was having trouble seeing the beauty in the thing until it looked up at her with its bloodshot sky blue eyes filled with tears.
"Kreacher has missed mistress! Kreacher has missed mistress so much!"
Alexis blinked down at the house elf before wrapping her arms around it and squeezing it tightly.
"Oh my god!" she shrieked spinning the house elf enthusiastically. "Sirius! Tell me we get to keep it!"
Paying no mind to the sudden shrieking that filled the air as if Alexis's raised voice had woken someone - or something - up, Alexis waited patiently for Sirius or Remus to catch up to her while she squeezed the life out of the house elf in her arms.
"Kreacher is not worthy of affection!" shrieked the house elf that called itself Kreacher, "Mistress should not waste emotions on Kreacher!"
"But you're adorable!" said Alexis. Her odd taste in what was cute or adorable had not changed since she had started attending Hogwarts. Dragons, which were normally seen as terrifying were cute to her while giant, three headed dogs were adorable despite their desire to eat her and her friends. Even Crookshanks, who was perhaps the ugliest ginger cat in the world in- Ron's opinion- thanks to his smushed in face, was the cutest thing Alexis had ever seen.
"Mistress Bellatrix!" cried Kreacher, torn between embracing Alexis in her hug and pulling away in fear of shaming her. Alexis, however, upon hearing her mother's name, froze.
"You know my mother?" she asked in more of a whisper. The shrieking coming from down the hall had ceased and now all Alexis could hear was footsteps heading her way from both ends of the corridor but Alexis's eyes stayed glued on the house elf. That is, they did until a surprisingly familiar voice filled the air.
"Of course he does. Kreacher has been serving the Black family for over forty years and your mother is a Black."
Looking up, Alexis's eyes fell on perhaps the last person she had been expecting to see. With his brown hair once again long enough for it to be worn in a ponytail and his eyes only slightly duller than their usual silvery-grey, Alexis didn't know whether to frown or sneer at the man leaning on the doorway in front of her, the same man that had been her late guardian's best friend and murderer.
She decided to keep a blank expression before saying his name:
"Swine."
And the fifth book of the Alexis Lestrange story has begun! Werewolves after Hex, and both Swine and Kreacher have made their first appearances all in one chapter!
I want to know how many people noticed that Ms. Bean's husband's name was Jim Bean. I did that for my dad because I'm pretty sure my sister and my constant bantering about Harry Potter has drove him to drinking.
Please review!
DCF