On Dudley's birthday; his friends, Piers and Douglass were invited to the zoo with the Dursleys and Alexis. They were the only people who could be trusted to protect Alexis safely.
"Mum! That stupid tiger won't move!" complained Dudley to his mother.
"Dudley, that species is known as Bengal Tiger, known for being white, and sun baking which is why the tiger has not moved" said Alexis gently, not in a know-it-all voice. She knew that Dudley simply did not have her intelligence and he knew it as well. Dudley had a nasty temper when it was ignited; just like Uncle Vernon, it was capable of leading to a heart attack.
"Hmmm…" said Dudley, staring at the tiger "well, you're the animal expert here"
He moved on to the exhibition of the monkeys.
'Fat little boy' Alexis heard a voice in her mind. She jumped then looked around to see if anyone was watching. Her gaze switched back to the tiger on display.
Is it you?" thought Alexis, silently in her mind, at the tiger.
'Of course, it is me!' The tiger was very indignant.
'Excuse me? I know a normal tiger wouldn't know how to mind-speak, so are you magical?"
'I am one of the Tailts, a species of the magical tigers' the tiger said with pride.
'Are you really? The Tailts are supposed to be extinct...If you are here, then where are the others?' Alexis eagerly asked.
'I am the last of my kind in Great Britain' the feelings that came through the link were loneliness and sadness.
'Where do the others live?'
'Where I was originally from, Asia'
Alexis bit her lips in thought. 'At the end of this day, when I leave, I'll release you from your cage'
'Thank you, kind lady. Only a true Ravenclaw will think of such a wise plan' thought the tiger, delightedly.
Alexis nodded her head only having no idea at all about what the tiger had said, 'A true Ravenclaw?'
"Alexis? Alexis!' shouted Petunia 'Where are you?'
She walked towards the Dursleys' who were in the Reptile House.
"Hey Dud! The Dolphin show is about to start" Alexis excitedly said
They ran quickly to the water creature's arena where the Dolphins and the Seals will perform tricks for the audience. For some reason, whenever she was within hearing distance of a dolphin, she started hearing 'moans' in her mind. Both Dudley and she figured it was to do with Alexis's natural understanding of animals.
For the whole afternoon, they stayed at the zoo watching various animal shows and in general, having fun. At the end, Alexis, as promised, set up a distraction, and released the tiger from its exhibition. Everyone screamed with fear and shock as the tiger roared its excitement at the prospect of freedom. Sprinting after a security guard; he turned and exited through the front gate.
"It's alright" she nodded
"That was way cool! What did you do, Lexi?" asked Dudley, awed.
"What makes you think I even did anything?" an innocent sparkle in her emerald green eyes.
"Who are you kidding, Lexi? We know you love all animals and you'd release all animals in the zoo if you could, to the wilderness" laughed Dudley.
"Oh, I simply caused a little distraction and 'accidentally' opened the gate" said Alexis, airily.
They were driving back to no. 4 Privet Drive after an interrogation by the police. The police had questioned everyone within close proximity to the tiger exhibit.
"Sorry about that, Madam"
"The gate keepers are usually very carefully about the locks on the bigger, and violent animals" said a security guard
Petunia and Vernon were not pleased by Alexis's actions and so very incensed at the poor organization of the zoo! Alexis was grounded in her room for 3 days, only let out to use the bathroom. During those three days, Alexis re-read her chemistry, advanced mathematics, psychology and sociology textbooks. She was entering high school in September at Oxford High. It held a reputation for being one of England's best schools; committed to excellence, turning out respectable students more than eligible for university.