The Serpens Order
Chapter 2
The past collides
Alexis rolled out of bed about a month later, landing with a thump on the floor as usual. That was how she woke up, which had bean a real pain with all those bruises. But they where gone now, and James and Fred had finally stopped trying to get her to tell them how she got them.
She was glad of it, since she had other things spinning around in her mind. She was still unsure whether or not Preston had been lying about that 'The dark is rising again' stuff he had said, and to be totally honest, and 11-year-old girl like herself didn't really want to know.
She hauled herself up from the floor and walked over to the bathroom, taking a quick look in the mirror she was perfectly glad to see that the bruise was totally gone. She was happy not to have to put on loads of makeup every day to cover it up.
She'd been avoiding Preston ever since, and only seen him in the great hall a few times, but then they where surrounded by people, so there was really nothing he could do then. She could hear moans and yawns from the room, apparently her roommates where waking up. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and joined them down for breakfast.
"Its bullshit" James exclaimed to anyone that wanted to listen. Meaning all the girls around the table.
"C'mon man, you can join the team next year" Fred hammered his friend in the back.
"Yeah" All the girls beamed at James, who seemed slightly oblivious to it, maybe he was just to upset.
"What makes you think you'd make the quidditch team in the first place?" Alexis muttered into her plate.
"Why wouldn't I, It's in my blood?" James head snapped up, and he actually pierced her with a glare.
"Everything isn't heritage" She answered with a lazy smile, effectively ending the conversation. James rolled his eyes, and Fred tried to hide a laugh as he gave her the thumbs up.
But her good mood was gone in a heartbeat when she saw Preston at the other table, he was fixing her with a menacing stare. And mouthed at her 'You'll regret that you ever hit me'
She gulped loudly, and quickly turned away when she saw that James turned around to see what she was looking at. And kept her eyes on her plate for the rest of the breakfast. Not noticing the exchange of gazes that James and Fred had, before nodding and gesturing towards Megan.
"Alex!" Megan came rushing into Herbology before James and Fred had arrived, panting loudly.
"I'm so sorry…."
"About what?" Alexis asked bewildered.
"They cornered me…"
"Who cornered you?"
"They made me tell them…"
"Tell them what?"
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"Megan!" Alexis grabbed her arm to make the shorter girl stop babbling. "You're not making any sense"
"I…" Megan took a deep breath. But just when she opened her mouth, Professor Longbottom came into the greenhouse, tightly followed by James and Fred.
"Today we're going to take about underwater plants…" He started, but Alexis tuned him out. She looked at the two boys, they looked furious and where almost jumping off their seats. She leaned over to Megan.
"Megan, what's with them?" She hissed in the other girls ear.
"I told them" Megan looked down at her shoes.
"Told them what?"
"That it was Preston Flint who gave you those bruises" Megan didn't look up, and Alexis could see she was truly sorry for having told them. "I'm really, really sorry, I didn't mean to" Tears where starting to show in in her eyes.
"It's okay"
"Miss Malfoy and Miss Smith, if your conversation is that interesting please share it with the rest of the class" Professor Longbottom interrupted them with a stern glance. They fell silent, not wanting to upset the head of their house, and also their favorite teacher. Instead she fell silent, trying to get eye contact with one of the boys, but they both refused to look at her during the whole lesson.
When it ended she had to sprint out the door to catch up with them, leaving Megan behind with Aaron.
"Wait!" She yelled after them.
"What?" They both boys spun around.
"What are you going to do?" She panted slightly, her bag cutting into her shoulder.
"Beat him up" Fred stated with an harsh voice, and started to turn around again. She caught his arm.
"Don't!"
"Why not? You know he deserves it!" James spoke through gritted teeth, sounding oddly serious.
"Yes I know, but you'll get in trouble"
"But we can't just let it be" Fred looked truly bewildered at her statement, but both the boys had stopped in their tracks.
"I didn't just let him go, don't you remember his bruised nose, I did that!" She rolled her eyes.
"You did that?" James sounded disbelieving.
"Yeah" She made a 'duh' kind of noise.
"Really?" Fred raised an eyebrow.
"Yes!" She reached out to hit both of them on the arm. "Don't be so surprised"
Fred actually grinned a little, but James still didn't seem to think is was fun.
"He still got you worse"
"I know… but he won't do it again. Look just promise me you won't go after him, okay?"
Silence.
"Please?" She put on her puppydog face.
"Okay" Fred breathed in defeat and shot out his arms in a dramatic gesture. She looked at James, who just nodded solemnly.
"Thank you" She smiled, but none of them answered it. Instead she followed them up to the castle again, no one speaking a word the whole time.
The day rolled by in a similar matter, Fred and James had gone a bit protective of her, and she always found herself between the two boys as they walked somewhere. She almost felt bad for them when she went of to have charms without them, they looked incredibly worried, and she just waved them off with a slight laugh. Who would have thought that those guys had a side like that?
She met up with Estelle, Ash and Isidore outside the classroom. Estelle and she had a hushed conversation under the lesson, receiving both looks from Gryffindor´s and Slytherin's. Alexis sighed, the rivalry between the two houses was still big, since all people didn't seem to get that all slytherin didn't care about blood purity and that kind of stuff.
When she walked out of the classroom, Ash arm slouched over her shoulder as usual. She found James and Fred waiting for her, and she couldn't help notice the killing glances the Ash and Isidore sent Fred and James, and how they answered them with the same hostility in their eyes. She sighed and rolled her eyes, gave Estelle a glance and departed from them, joining up beside James and Fred.
"What's between you and that slytherin guy anyway?" James asked in an annoyed voice.
"He has a name you know, and it's Ash, and we're friends. Grown up together you know" She waved it away, and the three of them went down to have a flying lesson. Megan who they met up on the way looked nervous, since she really hated flying.
"You'll do great" She said to her friend as they mounted their brooms.
"I hope so" Megan answered, looking down in the grass. And jumping high when James shot away high up into the air beside her, shortly followed by Fred.
"Everyone listen!" The teacher screamed, and people hovered in the air or on the ground to listen to her. "Today we are going to have a friendly game of quidditch. And I'd like to point out that those of you who already know how to fly, will take it easy considering that many here are still learning" The teacher eyed Megan for a second. And Alexis could hear sniggering from the slytherin. It was Stanley Goyle who was sniggering the highest. She knew that their fathers had been friends back when they where at Hogwarts, but they barely talked to each other anymore. Therefore she didn't know Stanley, so she only scowled at him. He eyed her back, whispering something to his friend who grinned ugly.
"To make it easy, Its slytherin against Gryffindor" The teacher continued, not having heard the laughing. "We will play with softer bludgers then real games, so that no one will get hurt" The teacher placed them out on the field after having explained the game to those who didn't know how it worked. To her horror, James and Scorpius became seekers on their teams. She gulped as she took her position as a chaser.
"Remember, fair play, this is only for practice" The teacher reminded them, giving them stern looks. "AND GO!"
She threw the quaffle into the air, and it was seized immediately by Brian, who passed it onto Shannon Brown, another Gryffindor first year. She gave Alexis a quick nod, before throwing it up into the air, and she leapt down hit it right though the goal. Fred high fived her and she grinned broadly. Megan clapped wildly down on the grass, where she and the rest where waiting to switch. Then she ducked just in time for a bludgers that Ash sent at her, she pouted at him and he looped around her, and grinned mockingly. She rolled her eyes at him and zoomed away after a slytherin chaser that had the quaffle for the moment.
She caught a glimpse of Scorpius soaring past her I the air, tightly followed by James. Looking at them she knew they where going all out, this was an opportunity for them to fight without getting punished for it. And sure enough, James knocked right into Scorpius side, on purpose. She held her breath, knowing that wouldn't go unnoticed by her brother as he wiggled on his broom. Her brother looped, and stopped right in front of James, making them collide and James almost falling off his broom. Scorpius swiftly turned away when the teacher yelled at them.
She looked down and saw that Megan was holding the quaffle for the moment, looking scared her friend passed it onto Brian, who shouted at her encouragingly. She flew up beside her friend.
"Looking good Meg!" She smiled. Megan only looked up for a moment, not seeming to want to take her concentration off the broom.
"Stupid Mudblood" Stanley soared past them in the air, muttering the insult as he passed, only loud enough for her and Megan to hear. Megan eyes became tearstained immediately, and she clutched her broom to stay on.
Alexis was so angry, she went after Stanley (playing beater) and went up beside him with ease.
"Leave her alone will you!" She shouted at the boy.
"Why would I?" He sneered back.
"Because I say so!"
"And you're so incredible scary" He snorted and hit a bludgers in the direction of Shannon, who ducked in the last minute, and Fred hit the bludgers away against Scorpius.
She felt incredible angry, and somewhere deep down also ashamed. It was people like Stanley and Preston that gave all the other Slytherin's a bad name. And she hated them!
Without thinking she tackled him in the side with all the force she could, knocking him off his tracks.
"FAIR PLAY!" She heard the teacher scream down from the grass. When Stanley gave her an angry glance and knocked her back, harder. She lost balance and flopped through the air several meters down before being able to straighten her broom way to close to the ground then she would have liked. She did a loop up in no time, so the teacher wouldn't notice.
"Ey man, If you touch Scorpius sister one more time he'll kill you" She heard Ash mutter to Stanley as he flew past. "Concentrate on the damn game instead" Stanley sent Ash an angry glance, but did however leave Megan alone for the rest of the lesson.
She and James stayed and helped the teacher clean up after the lesson, because the two of them needed the extra points since none of them hadn't exactly played fair. And the corridors where almost empty when they where walking through the castle, slightly muddy after the lesson. James was just going on about what a great seeker he would make when Alexis took a deep breath. Down the corridor Preston was emerging, and she felt James stiffen beside her.
Please… please…please…don't do anything… she thought as they closed in on each other.
To late.
Preston had dumped into her shoulder walking past her and wheezed 'Muddy as a Mudblood, eh' in her ear he walked past them.
For about one second she thought James would let it go, because he didn't do anything. Then he exploded beside her and turned around on one heal. Leaping at a very surprised Preston, who held his arms out in front of him when James knocked him over. Preston was about a head taller then James, and even if she knew James where perfectly capable of taking care of himself, she didn't think he would be the winner in this fight.
"JAMES! STOP IT!" She yelled, the two boys now rolling around on the floor, fists flowing. She couldn't see which on of them that had the advantage.
She ran forward, trying to push them away from each other, but where roughly pushed away.
"HE'S NOT WORTH IT JAMES!" She shouted even louder, but he didn't seem to care. By now she could se that Preston had the advantage, pressing James down against the floor with one hand around his neck.
"You Potters… you are so…" Preston spat out.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" A bellowing voice called behind them. And Alexis spun around to come face to face with Professor Longbottom.
"I…I can explain" She started but he walked right past her, to the two boy, who jumped apart.
"Your parents will be very disappointed James" He said to him with a stern look, James however did not look away until Longbottom turned to Preston.
"Miss Malfoy, Mr. Potter and Mr. Flint, follow me to the headmistress office immediately" He said in an authority voice and started walking off. Alexis reluctantly followed him, James limping behind her. Preston and James sending each other killing glances the whole time behind the professors back. Finally she couldn't stand it so she placed herself in between them, cutting of their gazes.
Preston looked pretty beaten up, but James looked even worse, he was limping on one leg, clutching his ribs and was surely to get a black eye. She silently wrapped one arm around him to help him walk easier, and Preston muttered something in front of them. She was sure that James was about to retort when they reached a door, and Longbottom mumbled something to it, it opened with a loud noise to reveal a staircase formed as a golden eagle. She couldn't help but admire the beautiful eagle as she stepped onto it with the others. Hoping that the loud bumps of her heart wouldn't be heard by the them.
The eagle stopped and the doors slid open to reveal a beautiful room, where she could see Headmistress McGonagall sitting, her head snapping up when they entered and somehow fixing upon her. Alexis gulped for what seemed like the millionth time the last hour.
"I'm sorry to disturb you McGonagall, but I ran into these kids in the hall" Longbottom excused himself.
"What did they do Neville?" She sighed loudly, eyeing the boys. Like it wasn't obvious.
"Well, Mr. Potter and Mr. Flint was fighting, and Miss Malfoy tried to tear them apart"
"Is that so?" McGonagall fixed her piercing glare upon all of them, and Alexis got the feeling that she could see right through her. The old severe woman in front of her had fierce and clear eyes. And she knew she couldn't fool this woman with simple lies.
"I think I will have to call upon their parents for this Neville, will you take them to the hospital wing at the meantime, and then return them here"
"Yes of course"
"Good" McGonagall turned around returning to the papers in front of her, while Longbottom ushered them towards the door. And once again they went down the eagle. She threw James a worried glance, and could see that he was wearing a similar expression of worry on his face. None of them had told their parents about the fact that they where friends, and it would probably come like a bit of a chock to them. They both know that Harry and Draco had been enemies back when they where at school, and Alexis was well aware that her father hadn't been the kindest when he was young.
They followed Longbottom to the hospital wing, where ancient Madam Pomfrey fussed over James and Preston. She took a quick look at Alexis to see that she was okay, and then mumbled to herself shaking her head the whole time she nursed the boys. Alexis felt herself trembling at the thought of James being in trouble because of her. This is just what she feared would happen, she knew it would happen. This was so stupid! She cast an angry glance at Preston who looked rather lazy, not seeming to care to much about the fact that his parents where coming. But of course, they would probably award him for beating up a Potter.
When Pomfrey left James she hurried over and jumped up on the hospital bed beside him.
"Feeling better?"
"Much" He sounded sour.
"What?" She asked.
"I could have taken him, if Longbottom wouldn't have stopped us!" He hissed to her under his breath, not loud enough for anyone else to hear. She just stared at him, that was what he was thinking about a moment like this? She scuffed him lightly, since he still seemed to be in pain and he grimaced back at her.
"He's a third year, and like… twice your size"
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Look we have more important things to worry about"
"Yeah, sure" He muttered darkly.
"Our fathers hate each other, and they don't know we… are friends" She finished, when Longbottom came forward to them.
"Ready to leave?" He looked tired and were giving James a disappointed frown. Somehow he didn't seem to keen on reassuring her that she would be okay. Alexis was pretty sure that her father hadn't been nice to him in school. Because even though he tried not to show it, he seemed to hold a grudge against her. She frowned and leapt an arm around James again, but he just looked at her.
"My leg is healed now Alex" He muttered.
"So sorry Mr. touchy" She snarled and withdrew her arm and jumped off the bed. He jumped off after her, and instead put his arm around her shoulders.
"Sorry" He murmured, smirking slightly. Damn him, he knew she couldn't resist that smile. She pouted at him, and he rolled his eyes. Preston swept past them on the way out of the door, successfully knocking James aside. Alexis had to tug his arm hard so that he wouldn't go after him. And then Longbottom turned around and gave them a suspicious glance.
They walked back to the headmistress office in silence, both James and Alex nervous. When they reached the eagle they let go of each other, just before the doors opened before them. The air inside the office was thick, Alexis was pretty sure she could have cut it with a knife if she wanted to. It looked like everyone had just arrived, because McGonagall where greeting all the parents, and placing out three chairs in front of her desk.
James parents where standing at the fireplace, apparently the last ones to arrive with floo-powder. Her parents was standing closest to McGonagall, and Flint's father where standing closest to the door, and Preston had already joined him in the corner.
"Would the children please sit down" McGonagall spoke before the parents started talking to their children. And she and James, walked over to the chairs, followed by Preston, and sank down reluctantly. She felt her mothers hand on her shoulder as she where standing behind the chair, looking down at her daughter in worry. But her father where eyeing Flint beside him, looking at him with pure hatred.
What was that about? She knew they weren't exactly friends but they always kept formal with each other, and now they showed open disgust for each other. She looked over at James, and behind him she recognized the man from the platform. He looked between the two other men, while his wife was having a hushed conversation with their son.
"Now, Neville will you please tell us what happened" McGonagall asked sternly and sank down behind her desk. Longbottom had just shaken hands with Mr. Potter when he turned around. He gave the Potters and apologetic look before talking.
"I found Mr. Potter and Mr. Flint fighting, and Miss Malfoy here was trying to break them apart. Both of the boys came off without serious injuries, but they did have to receive care from Madame Pomfrey"
Alexis didn't meet her parents gaze. She knew they where wondering, all parents in the room did. She could see by the way Mrs. Potter looked at her that she though that Alexis had been on Preston's side. None of the parents spoke, still looking at each other suspiciously. Her father raised en questioning eyebrow at her but she just shrugged.
"He started it professor!" Preston suddenly exclaimed next to her, and she had to resist the urge to smack him.
"I had a god reason!" James shot back hastily. Leaning over to see the older boy, and she was suddenly glad that she was sitting in the middle, in other case they might have jumped each other.
"Quiet!" McGonagall shouted. "Why did you fight?"
"I told you he just jumped me" Preston muttered.
"I didn't, I had a reason" James repeated. And his father had put an hand on his shoulder.
"You can't prove it" Preston shot back.
"Maybe not, but she can!" James turned towards her. And so did everyone else in the room.
"Er…"
"Miss Malfoy, do you know what caused this fight?" McGonagall's eyes pierced through her.
"Uhm…" She started nervously, she didn't like to tattle, but if she didn't say anything, then James might get in trouble. "Me and Preston had a slight…misunderstanding" She finished, choosing her words carefully. And she saw her father edge behind her, it was strange. By taking one step he had moved so that he was standing closer to the Potters, making it look like they where united against Mr. Flint.
"Headmistress, they didn't just have an misunderstanding" James sighed next to her "He hit her"
"WHAT?" Her father roared as he took two fast steps against Preston and stood face to face with Mr. Flint who had stepped in front of his son.
"She hit me first!" Preston exclaimed with a slightly scared look at her father.
"Well If you would have let me go I wouldn't have" She snarled angrily.
"I didn't do anything against her headmistress, she's lying"
"I am NOT lying" she exclaimed, trying not to sound like a little girl.
"She isn't, I saw the bruises, she had one at the side of her face, and on her arms" James stated almost calmly to the headmistress "You can ask Fred or Megan, they saw them too"
"You tell your son to keep his hands off my daughter!" Her father hissed to Mr. Flint, who didn't back away. Her mother stepped up beside her father and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Draco…" She said in a warning voice.
"I'm not done with you yet" Her father hissed before turning back.
"Miss Malfoy would you please explain from the beginning" McGonagall sighed with a stern look at Draco and Mr. Flint.
"Well, we don't exactly like each other, and then about a month ago he jumped me in the corridor, he pushed me up against the wall, and I told him to let go and when he didn't I hit him, then he hit me back" She explained, leaving out the part where he threatened her, and said that the dark would rise.
"And how did young Mr. Potter get involved in this?" McGonagall turned to James, who twitched a little under her stare.
"Alex wouldn't tell us where she'd gotten the bruises…"
"Us?" McGonagall looked slightly confused.
"Me and Fred" James answered hastily "So we got Meg to tell us, and then today he walked straight into her after we had a flying lesson. Then I hit him" James finished, looking straight back at McGonagall, who narrowed her eyebrows. James parents eyes widened, and so did hers, when they finally seemed to understand how it all happened. And probably understood that she and James was friends. She saw her father and James father look at each other, both of them so surprised that they seemed to forget to glare.
"This was unusual… I'd never thought I'd see a Potter defending a Malfoy" McGonagall muttered, eyeing the parents. And James blushed slightly.
"Well, Preston you will receive two weeks of detention, and 20 points will be taken from slytherin. James and Alexis will receive one week of detention each, and 10 points will be taken from Gryffindor"
"But…" James started to protest. And she reached over to poke him in the ribs to shut him up, and he glared at her.
"Great" He muttered so that only she could hear.
"And I suggest that you take a serious talk to your son Mr. Flint" McGonagall said to the man, who nodded dismissively. Alexis was pretty sure he didn't care.
"I'd like a word with my daughter before leaving" Her father said to McGonagall, who nodded solemnly. As she walked over to a corner of the room, while James parents attacked him with questions she saw Mr. Flint say something quick to Preston and then Floo-powdering himself out of there.
"Alexis, I need you to stay away from Flint, don't give him any reason to hurt you" Her father said in a low voice, while her mother nodded frantically beside her.
"I know but…I don't understand, what's between you and Mr. Flint?" She asked her father.
"Well you see…"
"Draco don't, she's too young" Her mother interrupted.
"She might deserve to know"
"No, not yet" Her mother hushed back.
"What?" She looked up at both of her parents.
"Not yet honey, just, stay close to your brother okay?"
"But…"
"No buts, do as we tell you, and don't pick any fights"
"I don't pick fights" She pouted.
"No, but you're the most stubborn child I know" Her father stated, and swept her into hug before straightening up.
"Now excuse me I have to go talk to the… erhm…Potters, because it seems like their son stuck up for you. How did that happen anyway?" Her father's face went bewildered.
"If its any consolation Scorpius and James hate each other" She said.
"It is… actually" He father tried to hide a smirk as he walked over to Mr. Potter. Alexis edged closer to hear what they said. And locked eyes with James who looked just as surprised as her.
"Well, I can't say I'm not surprised but… I guess I have to thank your son" Her father said, not with a warm voice, but not with a cold one either. It was kind of, impassive.
"I'm just as surprised as you Draco" Mr. Potter answered truthfully "We haven't heard a word about our son being friends with your daughter"
She saw James roll his eyes.
"Likewise, well I have to go now, I hope we won't se each other again under these circumstances then"
Her father said a quick goodbye and only Alexis and her mother heard the end of the sentence as he swept towards the fireplace 'or ever'. She grinned a little, at least they seemed to accept each other.
"Bye dad, mum"
"Remember what we told you" They shouted before disappearing with the fire. She let out a sigh, and the moment after that James parents stepped into the fireplace, and his mother actually smiled slightly at her before they too disappeared.
"That could have gone worse" James stated beside her.
"You kidding, I thought they would kill each other! That was like, good" She exclaimed in relief.
"And you still have detentions" Longbottom ushered them out of them room, and almost pushed them into the golden eagle, and closed the door behind them. And both James and Alexis breathed out as they went down, and out through the door.
"Well, I think it feels kind of nice that they know, you know" She said softly as they walked together down to dinner, where the other surely would be waiting for them.
"Ey…?" James looked a bit bewildered so she laughed.
"You know, that we're friends, what did your parents say?"
"That, well they know me and Scorpius don't get along, so they where surprised but they think I can judge people on my own, or something like that" He grinned a little, and she couldn't help but grin back. They didn't say anything on the rest of the way down, and when they reached the great hall, they immediately collided with Ted.
"James! Where have you been?"
"Well, headmistress office…" James grinned slightly. Ted's eyes widened.
"Does your parents know?"
"They where there" James explained.
"Oh, well go on then, the others have been annoyingly worried about you two" Ted patted him in the back and went out through the door.
"ALEX, JAMIE!" Fred exclaimed and embraced her in a tight hug. James narrowed his eyes at the use of his nickname that he wasn't particularly found of.
"We've only been away for a few hours Freddy" Alexis giggled when he let her go.
"Yeah, but Preston showed up little before you did and told us he'd beaten you both into pieces"
"Tss, I won" James snorted. She raised her eyebrow, but did however not say anything. They sank down at the table, and she and James explained the whole thing to Fred and Megan, who listened at the whole story with big eyes. But Alexis couldn't help but think about what her father had tried to tell her before her mother stopped him. She was sure know, something was up, she just didn't know what.
What do you think? I can't see my story stats so I don't know if anyone is reading this so I would love it if you could review so that I know? And thanks to angel2 who did review the previous chapter. Do you want me to keep writing? Then review! :D
