Chapter 1
5 years later
"Get up!" Hermione shouted, bouncing the end of Allegra's bed vigorously, trying to get her to stir. Allegra rolled over to look at Hermione, shielding her eyes with her forearm.
"What time is it?"
"6.30," Hermione snapped. Allegra gasped but Hermione ignored it, "barely enough time for you to get up and get ready for your first day of lessons."
"Hermione," Allegra growled a little, but nothing was going to stop her. Hermione started tugging at her duvet.
"Get up, get up, get - in the shower!"
Allegra got up, albeit reluctantly. Hermione was always psychopathic on the first real day back at school, but she didn't normally attempt to physically pull Allegra from her bed. Once Allegra was ready Hermione herded her down the stairs into the common room. Unsurprisingly, the only people in the common room were a handful of first years as excited as Hermione to be starting lessons. The difference was they could be forgiven: they couldn't do magic yet.
Hermione dragged Allegra all the way to the doors of the Great Hall and then released her from her clutches and made off towards Professor McGonagall with a determined expression. Allegra stood for a moment, trying to wake up.
"We thought you'd already be here," Ron said sympathetically, patting Allegra on the shoulder as he and Harry caught up. Allegra, Ron and Harry made for the Gryffindor table. Hermione had already taken her seat, timetable in hand. Harry sat down next to her and Ron and Allegra sat opposite. Allegra began nibbling on a slice of jam toast and looked at the sprinkling of other students already in the hall. Soon, Professor McGonagall had come down to give Harry, Ron and Allegra their timetables.
"Oh no," Allegra moaned.
"D'you have double potions first thing, too?" Ron asked.
"Yes," Allegra nodded, somewhat brightening, although neither looked pleased about the two hour lesson they were soon to endure with Professor Snape.
"Line up against the wall," Snape ordered as the students entered the classroom. "This year I have been informed that we are trying to improve inter-house relationships, so unfortunately for you," a small smile appeared, "I am to put you in mixed house pairs."
There were audible groans from the students, whom Allegra noticed were mostly Gryffindor and Slytherin. Perhaps not a good mix. Snape however, thought it was, and began pairing people so they could take their seats.
"Weasley and Parkinson," Ron's worried expression turned to one of disgust.
"Boone and ..." he scanned the Slytherin students, "Malfoy."
"Oh man," Allegra mumbled, Snape glaring at her. The other students looked on with sympathy and relief that that was the worst one out of the way. Malfoy had already chosen the back right corner of the classroom before Allegra had moved, and so she followed slowly. Once she sat down, she noticed Malfoy smirking out of the corner of her eye. She purposely turned her back to him and watched the other unhappy pairs.
"No, for goodness sake, Malfoy, I'm no good at potions but at least I can read the book!" Allegra said, pointing down at the ingredients.
"I am reading it!" he snapped back.
"No - look, dove ashes go in after the newt eyes!"
Allegra and Draco had begun their work in silence, cautiously working around each other, but a clear clash in ego had broken out and was growing louder and louder. Draco, seeing that Allegra was right, threw in whatever he could reach causing a purple mushroom cloud of smoke reaching to the ceiling. Immediately Professor Snape was upon them.
"Get out of my classroom now," Allegra picked up her things and angrily turned to the door, "and you, Draco."
"What?"
"Both of you. I will not tolerate irresponsible actions from fifth years." Draco grabbed his books and was hot on Allegra's heels in leaving. Allegra stormed her way towards the staircase and up the first two flights of stairs.
"This is all your fault," Malfoy spat, following her up the stairs, "if you'd just let me do the potion my way we wouldn't have gotten in trouble."
"If I?" Allegra rounded on him, narrowing her eyes, "if you hadn't had a temper-tantrum and thrown everything in the cauldron -" Allegra noticed that Draco was not looking at her but past her to the next landing. She looked over her shoulder; Professor Dumbledore was watching. "Look, just keep your toys inside the pram next time," Allegra said, keeping her voice low.
"Remember that I'm the one with a good grade in potions, not you." Malfoy turned back down the stairs.
Allegra turned, the Headmaster was still there. Shit, she thought. She composed herself and walked towards him, as she passed she nodded, "Professor."
"Allegra," he said with a small smile.
The next day they had their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson of the year. As always, they were to meet their new teacher.
"She's from the ministry," Hermione said as they turned a corner, "there's something strange about that."
"They want to keep an eye on us," Harry said lightly, but they had all caught the seriousness of what he said. Inside they took their seats without any interference from Professor Umbridge. Allegra was suspicious of Professor Snape's motives, in only one other class had they been asked to sit with someone from another house, and the Professor had not tried to control the seating arrangement.
Professor Umbridge began to take the register.
"Allegra ... Boone?"
"Yes, Professor," Allegra did not look up from browsing through their new textbook.
"Is your father the England Quidditch Team coach?"
"Err, yes?" Allegra answered, the few classmates who were oblivious to this fact began whispering. Umbridge looked at Allegra with distaste.
"No doubt you play quidditch, too?"
"Yes."
Professor Umbridge smiled sweetly and looked down at the register, "such a waste."
"I'm sorry?"
Umbridge looked up at Allegra, seemingly pleased to have been answered back to.
"It's just such a waste of time," she smiled and shrugged, "there's not much point in what your father does, is there?"
"He may not be saving the world, but our quidditch team is one of the top three in the world, so he's doing a pretty good job."
"Perhaps. Is he away a lot?" Allegra stared at her. "Must be lonely at home; without your mum or dad." Umbridge smiled and returned to doing the register.
Allegra squeezed into the tiny gap between the wall and the back of the couch.
"Stay here, sweetheart, don't come out until everything is okay," her mother knelt down in front of her. Allegra's heart raced, something was happening but she didn't know what.
"I'm scared, mummy."
"I know, honey, just stay there. I love you."
"I love you."
"Don't make a sound," Allegra's mother stood up and went to stand in the middle of the room. Allegra crept forwards just enough so that she could see the lower half of her mother. Allegra jumped and retreated a little as the living room door bust open. Allegra's mother tightened her grip on her wand.
"Samantha," the voice scratched Allegra's ears, "we think it's time that you stopped putting our Death Eaters in Azkaban ... AVARDA KADAVRA!"
Samantha flinched to defend herself but the distance between them was too small, the room glowed green and Samantha fell. Allegra wanted to scream but her throat was dry, she buried face in her arms and slid further back behind the sofa.
Allegra shot bolt upright in bed, her breathing was heavy and a mist of sweat had broken out over her skin. Hermione was sat up in her bed with a book, worry written all over her face.
"I tried to wake you up, Ali, I really did, are you okay?"
"Yeah," Allegra breathed, "just a bit dazed ... what's the time?"
"Just after six," she smiled and her eyes drifted back to her book. Allegra let out a shuddering sigh. "Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione asked her softly.
Allegra shook her head, "it was that dream about mum, the memory."
"I thought you'd grown out of it?"
"I had," Allegra frowned, then shrugged, "maybe I'm stressed."
When it was time for her next Potions lesson, Allegra resolved to be on her best behaviour. She had not spoken a word once she entered the classroom and not even looked at Malfoy since he had come in.
"You will each be assigned a paired project on an everyday potion," Snape said, standing at the front of the dark classroom, his greasy hair hung down over his face, "as a pair, you must write an essay including; what it does, good and bad effects, when you would use it, and how to make it." Allegra made notes in her work book. "On Friday you will give in your essays and make the potion ... Pairs will be as they are now, no exceptions."
Great, Allegra thought. Ron glanced at her with longing. Snape started to give tables their assignment. Some pairs started to make arrangement to meet and do the essay, so Allegra decided to wait for Malfoy to talk to her. Snape swept up beside their desk.
"You two will be making Black-Fire Potion," Allegra put her head down and wrote it down.
"We'll have to meet up and do this," Malfoy said finally.
"Yep," Allegra turned to look at him, "when and where?"
"Library, tomorrow, 4pm?"
"Okay," she nodded curtly.
"Love Potion, I think he's done it on purpose. You should have seen the look she gave me, she's going to spike my drink with it, I know it," Ron ranted as Allegra took a seat next to Harry for lunch.
"I'd watch out, Ron, if I were you. Next thing'll be you'll wake up in Pansy's bed," Harry grinned.
"Don't Harry," Ron squeaked, "it doesn't bare thinking about," Ron turned slightly green. "I finally feel sorry for Malfoy, having that thing hanging onto you wherever you go."
"He probably likes it," Allegra said as she put food onto her plate, "having someone worship him, I doubt he notices the creepy."
Draco Malfoy was waiting outside the library for Allegra, his hands were shoved into his pockets and his blonde hair had fallen down over his eyes.
"Hey," Allegra said when Draco hadn't noticed her.
"Hey," he said instinctively, and then looked a little confused at how it had happened.
Allegra and Draco walked into the library to find a table, other students noticed the odd pair and watched.
"Everyone's looking at us," Allegra said through gritted teeth, glancing at Draco.
"It's just because we're hot: keep walking." He pushed her forwards a little, hurrying her to towards the rows of bookshelves. Once out of the foyer, they could relax a little and found a table in a corner near the Potions section. Allegra got her notes out while Draco went to find a book they could use. Draco found the information while Allegra wrote. It took them under an hour to have the essay done and ready for Friday.
"Thanks," Allegra smiled lightly as they left the library. Draco frowned, so she added, "for not being a douche and just getting the work done.
"Oh," he shrugged, "I'm good at potions and want it to stay that way."
She nodded and thought, "fair enough."
"Bye," he mumbled as he walked away, Allegra didn't bother.
"Now I have all of your essays, I would like you to make your potions from your textbook," Snape told the class. Ron turned to look at Allegra and grimaced, glancing at Pansy's back, Allegra smiled and stood to get on with their work. She let Draco take the lead on making the potion, not because she wanted to appease him or get along with him, but because she was just horrible at Potions and he could actually help her. If he read the book properly. After about an hour Draco had successfully made the potion. He had occasionally asked her to add or prepare ingredients so that she was doing something.
"It's got to simmer for ten minutes and then it's pretty much ready," Draco said. He sat down in his seat and Allegra followed suit. The silence between them was instantly awkward, so Allegra decided to break it - even if it eventually led to an argument.
"So, you're pretty good at this Potions thing, huh?"
He nodded, picking at the edge of the desk without looking at her, "that's what I said before."
Allegra looked away and rolled her eyes, he was so obnoxious.
"You're not," he looked at her as though it was a question but had stated it when he spoke.
"Nope, I can't cook either," Draco raised an eyebrow, as if the two weren't linked.
"Probably hasn't had to cook anything his whole life," she thought.
"Just quidditch, then?"
"What?"
"Just quidditch that you're good at." It was both a complement and an insult, she didn't know how to respond.
"And History of Magic," she said belatedly.
Draco snorted, "what?"
"I don't know, I just always get an O." He snorted again, and when a more comfortable silence fell, they both let it settle.
"Well done ... that's an O level potion." Snape looked surprised and nodded at Draco. Allegra turned to him and smiled.
"What?"
"I've never gotten an O for Potions before."
"Never?" Draco looked at her in disbelief.
"I've never gotten more than an A," she smiled to herself. Draco didn't say anything.
The next morning Allegra met Hermione in the common room and left together for breakfast.
"Allegra," Fred called as he followed them down the stairs, "what are you doing today?"
"Homework with Hermione and then nothing," she smiled to leave the door open for him to continue.
"Do you want to do something later?" It wasn't a strange request, Fred and Allegra often saw each other, but there was something odd about the way he said it.
"Sure," she smiled.
"Great, meet you in the common room at ..?"
"Two?"
"Great, see you then," Fred grinned and stopped to let some friends behind him catch up. Hermione frowned.
"I think he's got an agenda."
"So do I," Allegra nodded, furrowing her brows. Later that day Allegra found Fred sat in an armchair talking to a number of first and second years who were looking up at him with admiration. His fame far proceeded him, just the way he liked it. He was funny and he knew it.
"Hey," he smiled seeing Allegra, "you ready to go?"
"Where are we going?"
"Flying."
Allegra smiled, "I'll get my broom."
Allegra and Fred spent most of the afternoon messing around on their brooms, racing each other and generally showing off. Allegra, unsurprisingly, was a complete natural and always a pleasure to watch fly. Her dad had sat her on a broom with him as soon as she could stand on her own two feet.
Fred and Allegra were comfortable together, there was no effort needed to make conversation and no worrying if someone would be hurt by the others teasing. When they eventually decided to come down, Allegra stood up on her broom and jumped off.
"Allegra!" She caught the broom as she fell and landed on her feet.
"What?"
Fred laughed and shook his head.
"I saw Luna today," Harry said one evening as they sat by the fire in the common room.
"Yeah?"
"She was in the forest feeding the thestrals."
The obvious question that appeared to Allegra was, what were you doing in the woods? but she refrained.
"Thestrals?" she asked, unfamiliar with the word.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Thestrals are the horses that pull the carriages when we get to school."
Allegra smirked, "our imaginary horses."
Harry laughed, "yes, but there's a reason the others can't see them. Only people who have seen someone die can see them."
There was a dark pause in the conversation and then Allegra cheered, "we're not insane!"
"No, fortunately or unfortunately." A tapping on the window caught their attention. She opened the window and a small brown owl dropped a letter at her feet.
"It's for Ron," she said.
"What's for me?" Ron had just returned with Hermione, who was looking a little flushed.
"This," she handed him the letter. They sat down around the fire and watched as Ron began reading the letter. After a few minutes Ron looked up at Harry who had been reading the letter with him over his shoulder.
"Well, if you want to - err, what was it? - oh yeah, 'sever ties' with me I promise I won't be violent."
"What?" Hermione laughed.
"Percy, the fucker," Ron's eyes were wide and he waved the letter in the air, "he doesn't think I should be associating myself with Harry."
"What a load of shit," Allegra said.
Hermione quickly read the letter herself and then handed the letter back to Ron with an expression that was a mix of anger and stunned.
"He is -" Ron said through gritted teeth, tearing Percy's letter in half, "the world's -" he tore it into quarters, "biggest -" he tore it into eighths, "dick." He threw the pieces into the fireplace.
"I wasn't going to be rebellious this year, but now I think I will," Allegra grinned. "There's just something about Percy that makes me want to smash things."
Harry had been watching the pieces of the letter curl and burn, but he suddenly slid off his chair onto the floor.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, watching him search the fire with his eyes.
"I thought I saw Sirius's head in the fire," he said. This could have been quite alarming had it not been form of communication they had previously used. They both looked on for a few minutes but then dismissed it as a coincidence. They were talking to Hermione when she broke mid-sentence.
"Sirius!" she said in a loud whisper. Allegra spun around and there was Sirius's face.
"I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else had disappeared, I've been checking in every hour."
"You've been appearing every hour?" Harry asked.
"Yes, but just for a few seconds to see if it was just you four."
"Are you sure you weren't seen?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"Well, I think a first year may have got a glimpse of me, but by the time she looked back I had gone; she probably thought it was an oddly shaped log or something."
"Sirius you're taking an awful big risk -"
"You know you sound just like Molly," Sirius said. Hermione didn't know what to think of that. "This is the only way I could reply to Harry's letter without resorting to code, and codes are breakable." At the mention of Harry's letter, his three friends looked at him.
"You didn't tell us you wrote to Sirius!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry just shrugged.
"Anyway, we better get a move on, Harry - you scar. I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but I don't think that it's anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn't it?" Harry and Sirius continued talking and Ron, Allegra and Hermione listened while keeping an eye on the doors. "Apparently she loathes part humans."
"And quidditch, too," Allegra added.
"So what are her lessons like?" Sirius asked, "training you to kill half-breeds?" he said with a slight chuckle.
"She's not letting us use magic at all!" Hermione told him.
"That figures, our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."
"What does he think we're doing, forming some kind of wizard army?" Ron said.
"That's exactly what he thinks you're doing."
A little while later Sirius left and Hermione and Allegra took the stairs up to their dorm.
"We need to learn defensive spells," Hermione whispered, glancing at Pavarti and Lavender's beds.
"I know," Allegra nodded seriously. "I haven't done anything defensive since last year. If the feeling in the pit of my stomach is right, we're going to need to."
Hermione nodded, "I have it too."
"Things are changing, and we can't defend ourselves."
Allegra's face was lined with worry. "If only we had a proper teacher."
"Wait!" Hermione said, her face lighting up. "What if we start a club?"
"What, a defense club?"
"Yes, and people can join if they want to learn these types of spells. Better than a dueling club."
"Harry could teach us ..." Allegra suggested.
"Yes!" Hermione agreed. "He knows these spells better than anyone. He would give us what we need."
"He doesn't need to fight alone anymore," Allegra said, "now this is about everyone."
