Disclaimer: I am Never, ever, ever going to own Harry Potter
Chapter Summary: Trying hard to reach out, but when I tried to reach out felt like no one could hear me. Wanted to belong here, but something felt so wrong here, so I prayed I could breakaway.
Last Chapter Recap: So Rose and Scorpius are really mad because they found out that Lester cheated on Ali with Kensy but Ali just wants everyone to drop it so that it doesn't get out at school and her parents tried to make her feel better by taking her out for the day where they ran into the Potter's which led to a really awkward conversation because everyone assumed Ali knew the Potter kids when really she never talks to them. When they got back to Hogwarts Ali found out that her roommate, Sierra Welsh, was dating a Slytherin, Burdock Montague, which surprised everyone because Sisi is a Muggleborne and Burdock is a year below them which Sisi had always preached against. And that's what you missed if you didn't read last chapter! (This Last Chapter Recap was inspired by "Glee!")
Miracle Magic
"Ugh, we have potions first period," Ali said, making a face at her schedule.
"Why did you take it if you hate it so much?" Scorpius asked. Looking up he saw both Rose and Ali's incredulous faces and quickly amended, "Right, stupid question. Sorry."
"I barely get by with making potions that already have directions. How am I supposed to be able to create my own?" Ali moaned, letting her head drop onto her arms. "I'm going to cause everyone to die if I follow mum and dad. I'm going to be the reason for new diseases and acne problems and everyone's going to hate me and I'm going to be brutally murdered when people decide to retaliate and chain me to a wall."
"I call your supply of Sugar Quills," Scorpius said, smirking at her as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice. "But don't worry; I'll say something really nice about you during my speech at the funeral in return." Ali just glared; he could talk because he had dropped potions. It so wasn't fair.
"Well maybe you'll be better at making up potions than you think," Rose said optimistically. "After all, you already memorized all the properties last year and this year we get to put it to use. It could be fun."
"Yeah. Fun." Ali agreed, stabbing her eggs moodily.
"Well you girls enjoy potions while I enjoy my free period," Scorpius said happily. "I'll save you seats in Charms."
"Thanks," Ali said grudgingly as she pushed her plate away and stood up. "I'm going to the dungeons now. Maybe Professor MacMillan will have the doors open early."
"See you in a few?" Rose asked cautiously. Ali nodded and made her way to the dungeons by herself, waving to the other Raveclaw's in her year as she passed and smiling at Kensy though she was pretty sure it was more of a grimace.
It wasn't that Ali didn't like potions, or even that she wasn't good at potions. She was one of the few who had made it to the NEWT class! She just wasn't as good as her parents. It should have come naturally as she was supposed to be a potions prodigy but it didn't and this year was bound to be worse. Improvising had never work well for her—she liked plans.
The potions classroom was still closed so Ali let her bag drop off her shoulder and slid to the floor, running her hands through her long hair absentmindedly until the rest of the class showed up. Rose slid down beside her and took Ali's silence as a cue not to talk. When Professor MacMillan showed up and opened the door everyone rushed in to choose their table. Ali and Rose took seats beside each other and Albus sat across from Rose just as he had the year before—ignoring Ali as per usual.
"Welcome to NEWT year," Professor MacMillan said enthusiastically. "This year is going to be the most exciting year yet and I am fully confident in each and every one of you. We're lucky the class is so small because it will ensure that you each get the individual attention you need as we continue to work on more complex aspects of potion making. However, because I am sure that some of you are a little rusty we will be reviewing last years work for the first two weeks so find a partner and get started on the Draught of Living Death."
Rose looked nervously between Ali and Albus, caught in the middle as always.
"Don't worry about it," Ali waved it off immediately, grabbing her book and cauldron. "I can find a new partner."
Despite her calm appearance, Ali was internally freaking out. She hated having to find partners. It seemed as though everyone was able to pair off easily in classes but she, Rose, and Scorpius were always the threesome that had to split up. For some subjects, such as Charms, they were able to all work together and when they couldn't Rose would often pair with Albus, Scorpius would pair with one of his roommates, or Ali would be grabbed by someone in the class who needed a good grade but potions was unusually small. She searched frantically as she started away from Rose and her eyes landed on the only person not yet paired up, Edric Smith.
"Hey," Ali said brightly as she set her things down beside Edric. "Want to be partners for the day?"
"Are you good at potions?" Edric asked and Ali was taken aback by his bluntness.
"Well I made it to NEWT's so I'd say I'm decent," Ali said, taking a seat without waiting for an invitation. They had to have partners and everyone else was taken so really, asking was merely a courtesy.
"Well I'm great at potions," Edric said snootily. "So just stay out of my way."
"Nice talking to you to," Ali muttered to herself as the blonde boy stood up abruptly and walked to the cupboard.
Edric was extremely short for his age, a full head shorter than Ali herself, and he was constantly sick. His hair was always perfectly parted and combed back with what Ali strongly suspected was some of her parents Hair-Stick gel and his clothes were perfectly pressed. He carried a bit of tissue up his sleeve that he took out periodically to blow his nose before sticking it back up his sleeve. He was a Hufflepuff but, Ali knew from numerous experiences, as unfriendly as he could possibly be.
"Do you want—?"
"Just stay out of my way," Edric repeated, cutting Ali off and Ali held her hands up in surrender, doodling mindlessly on her piece of parchment while Edric worked on his own.
"Can you hand me the Sopophorus Bean?" Edric asked randomly and Ali started out of her daze. "It's—"
"I know what a Sopophorus bean is, Edric," Ali said testily, grabbing the plant and handing it to him obediently.
"Ed," Edric said randomly a few minutes later. "Call me Ed."
"Okay then Ed," Ali shrugged. "Do you want me to do anything?"
"I'm fine," Ed said and Ali shrugged again. "Although, maybe you could get some more wormwood from the supply closet, I didn't get enough."
"Sure thing," Ali agreed, jumping off the stool and opening the supply cabinet that held every ingredient they could possibly need.
The rest of potions passed uneventfully though Edric was marginally friendlier than he had been in the beginning. Just as he had alluded, they both received full marks for the potion and were free to go with only an encouraging smile from Professor MacMillan who was pleased to see that at least two of his students were able to repeat the previous years work without an issue.
Edric hurriedly stuffed his things into his bag and rushed out of the room without another word. Ali watched him in surprise, wondering briefly how someone with such unnaturally short legs could run so quickly. She tried desperately to come up with a comparison but wasn't able to come up with anything other than a mouse skittering out of a room which just didn't seem to do the situation justice.
Ali packed her things up more slowly and allowed the majority of the class to leave before her—including Albus Potter who never stuck around after class having, Ali was sure, far more important matters that required his attention. Rose, on the other hand, stood patiently by her table until Ali was fully packed and ready to leave.
"You know I don't always have to be partners with Albus," Rose told her, nibbling on her bottom lip. "He can find another partner if you want us to be paired or I could even find someone else if you wanted—"
"Rose," Ali cut her off patiently. "Don't take this the wrong way because I know how much you love Albus but I would be partners with Edric over Albus any day. And besides, it would be cruel of me to force you to spend every hour of the day with me. As hard as it may be, I have come to the realization that I have to share your friendship."
Rose smiled back at Ali but still looked unsure. "Alright but if you change your mind—"
"I will tell you immediately," Ali promised her. "But seriously, you only get a few hours to spend with Albus in part because Scorpius and I don't like being around him. We share a dorm; you can spend a few lessons with Albus, okay? Besides, after we stop reviewing we won't have partners anymore. Professor MacMillan just doesn't want to review as a whole class so he pairs us up in the hopes that at least one of us will know what we're doing."
"Alright, but my offer still stands," Rose told her as they reached their charms classroom and she pulled the door open.
"I know," Ali agreed. "And I appreciate that."
Charms was considerably more crowded than potions. Some called it a soft subject but Ali rather enjoyed it. It required discipline of your mind but not an unyielding amount of magical capability. It was relaxing to merely wave your wand and say an incantation. So long as your emotions were in control you couldn't mess up much. But if you had issues with mind control (like Kevin Jordan), Charms became far more troublesome.
"Oh dear, another class already," Professor Blueberry exclaimed, waking up from the loud slam of the door that had been caused when Rose and Ali both let go, each expecting the other to still have hold of it. They both turned around as the sound reverberated around the room and shrugged, ignoring the looks from their classmates.
"That door gets me every time," Scorpius said conversationally as he picked up his charms book and bag, each of which had been saving their seats. Because Charms was such a large class seats needed to be held unless you were okay with being separated from your friends. Nearly everyone in their year had passed the exam, most had opted to take it at the NEWT level, and when you combined all four houses…that was quite a lot of people.
"Well," Professor Blueberry said again, blinking rapidly as she tried to catch up with the loud class. "If you would all just quiet down please…"
"OI! EVERYONE! SHUT UP!" Albus hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth to yell over the noise.
"Ah, yes, thank you Mr. Potter," Professor Blueberry said, now brushing crumbs from her blueberry muffin off of her face and robes. "Welcome back everyone! As I'm sure you are well aware, this year brings your NEWT exams at the end of the year and I should warn you now that they will be much harder than your OWL's. Our goal, of course, is to get you all to a level which will allow you to succeed brilliantly, hopefully surpassing even your own expectations.
"Of course," she went on. "For some of you, it may not be practical for us to assume that you can excel to uncharted territories," Ali could have sworn the professors eyes snapped to the back of the room where the Gryffindor boys (and more importantly, Kevin Jordan,) were sitting. "So we shall give it our best effort and I expect each of you to give it your all. We are going to, as most of your other classes have, I am sure, start with a week of review before learning new theories and spells, and then return to review the month before exams. In the meantime I would like you all to practice the bird conjuring spell. If you are able to conjure a nice flock of birds then, and only then, you may move on to the Aguamenti Charm. Off you go now."
"Should we take turns or all go at once?" Rose asked.
"I'll start," Scorpius offered before directing his wand in front of him and speaking clearly as he stated. "Avis."
A single, singing bird showed up and fluttered around the room.
"Very good start, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Blueberry said approvingly. "Five points to Ravenclaw though I would like to remind you all that you need a full flock before you move on to Aguamenti. It can take a bit before your mind is back in the right state to—"
She was cut off quite suddenly as a swarm of little orange butterflies flew towards her, attacking her head and pecking at her everywhere. Ali stared in shock as she watched and couldn't think of anything to do in order to stop the attack.
"Jordan, you idiot!" Rose shrieked, panicking as she watched the professor.
Soon enough she was hyperventilating and Scorpius set to work trying to calm her down. Ali, still in a state of shock, could think of nothing to do and the boys in the back were of no help as they all guffawed at the boy who had cast the spell and now looked gob smacked by the forceful magic that had come out unexpectedly.
"I'm sorry!" Kevin exclaimed his eyes wide as he looked from his wand to their Professor.
Luckily, Ali's new potions buddy was calm enough to take control of the situation and ran with small and quick steps towards the Professor. All eyes were on the little blonde boy as he took out his wand and pointed it directly at the butterflies, his gaze unwavering as he muttered some sort of counter curse that no one could hear. The butterflies vanished immediately to reveal a very irritated Professor with red welts all over her face and plump neck.
"Thank you, Mr. Smith," she said shortly to the blonde boy. "Twenty points to Hufflepuff. And for you, Mr. Jordan, how do fifty lines of 'I will learn how to control myself before waving my wand' sound?"
"Yes, professor," Kevin muttered, glaring at his friends who were still having trouble as they tried to control their laughter.
"Now sounds like a nice time, Mr. Finnegan," Professor Blueberry said when he turned back to his friends, intending to practice some more. "I have no wish to spend my night watching you write and I'm sure your friends will have no issue helping you practice over the next few nights as they seem to find your incompetence so very amusing, am I right boys?"
"Yes Professor Blueberry," the boys recited, their grins slowly fading into moody frowns.
"Excellent, then I expect to see Mr. Jordan perform the charm perfectly by the end of the week. With your very capable help I'm sure that will not be an issue, right boys?"
"Yes ma'am," they all muttered and Professor Blueberry smiled, turning her back on them as she made her way back to her desk. Albus took advantage of her turned back to chuck something round at the back of Kevin's head who rubbed his neck and glared back at his friends who were laughing again.
For all of Professor Blueberry's seeming incompetence she was an extremely strict teacher who commanded respect. Every year she got tested by each of the years within Hogwarts and each time she shut the students down. She didn't look like she was stern but she took teaching seriously and it was something that Ali had always respected, no matter the Professor's appearance or the unfortunate event that always caused Ali to chuckle to herself.
Fifteen minutes into the class Scorpius, Rose, and Ali had all managed to conjure full flocks of birds and were allowed to attempt the Aguamenti Charm which they mastered easily for a second time. By the time the class ended Professor Blueberry had Okayed them to move on to nearly half of the spells they had been taught the year before such as turning vinegar into wine and the Bubble-Head Charm. When they were dismissed Ravenclaw had been allotted nearly fifty extra points.
"I love that class so much," Ali sighed as they left. "It's so relaxing."
"I don't think it was relaxing for Jordan," Scorpius snickered, indicating the tall boy with dread-locks who looked rather disheveled. He saw Scorpius' point and the girls' subsequent giggles and turned slightly red before turning his back on them. Albus glanced over and gave them a dirty look before turning his back as well.
"I didn't even do anything to him this time," Ali said, shaking her head in exasperation. "Come to think of it, I haven't done anything to him for years."
"Don't worry about it, he hates me as well," Scorpius said, swinging his arm around her shoulders. "Best to just ignore it."
"Ignoring is one of Ali's specialties," Rose said with a teasing grin, laughing when Ali shoved her half-heartedly into the stone wall. "What do you say we grab a quick lunch and review in the library for a few minutes before we have to hit Defense?"
"Sounds good to me," Ali agreed. "But I'm not all that hungry. I really need to work out every day at Hogwarts. I'm stuffing my face at home and here the food's ten times better but I never eat it because I don't do much."
"You could run with me in the mornings," Rose offered but Ali wrinkled her nose.
"It's a bit early," she said. "I think I'll go tonight though. The grounds are big, I'm sure I can find some sort of route I like."
"That's the spirit."
True to her words Ali ate an early dinner at five and let her food settle for half-an-hour before changing into a black running shirt and shorts. She took one of Rose's fleece jackets as well, knowing that it would get cooler as she ran with the temperatures already dropping significantly.
She was intercepted on her way outside by Kensy.
"The bottle just broke!" she explained in distress. "I saved most of my books and such but there's a silk top! You have to help me Ali."
"Alright," Ali sighed, sending a last look towards the large front doors before following Kensy up multiple flights of stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
The Fat Lady gave Ali an annoyed look, most likely due to her Ravenclaw robes, but let them in just the same.
"Merlin Kensy, you have to start packing better," Ali sighed as she surveyed the trunk that had not one, but three broken bottles inside. Two were perfumes and the third was a Shampoo bottle that had gotten all over the bottom of the trunk.
"I know, I know," Kensy fretted. "Can you fix it?"
"I think so," Ali sighed. "Just…" She reached into her coat pocket and froze when she realized, "I don't have my wand. Can I use yours?"
Kensy handed it over but it didn't work very well, much less flexible than Ali's own. She managed a bit of damage control but it wasn't enough.
"What's your wand made of?" Lily asked. "Maybe if we can get one close to your own it will work better."
"Ivy, Unicorn hair," Ali sighed, knowing it was an unusual combination, "Flexible, 8 ¾ inches."
"Al's is Unicorn hair flexible," Lily said, scrambling up from her bed. "I think it's longer than yours and it has different wood but it might work. Give me a second."
Ali and Kensy sat in silence while Lily ran out. Ali had a feeling that Kensy wanted to say something, always liking to talk about their quarrels at least a bit, but knew that she wouldn't since her other two roommates were in the room as well—one in the bathroom and one reading a book by the window. Being overheard wouldn't have been a good idea for either of their reputations.
"Here it is," Lily said, holding it out for Ali to take.
"Damnit Lily!" A voice, most likely Al's, yelled up the stairs. Ali had forgotten that boys in Gryffindor weren't allowed up the girls' staircase. She figured that the founder was smart enough to know that the brave boys he chose were a bit too daring and immature to be allowed access. Since Helena chose smart boys, she had no such trepidations and both genders used the same set of stairs thought it turned into a slide between midnight and four a.m.
"I'll give it back in a minute!" Lily yelled back. "Take it," she added to Ali. "I really think it will work better. I want to go into Wandlore so I've been studying a lot about them."
Ali shrugged and took the wand. Sure enough, it fit her much better and the simple spells she was casting worked perfectly. It felt a bit thicker than her own but aside from the feel of holding it she noticed no difference between this wand and her usual wand though she would guess that it had something to do with the simplicity. The more complex, the easier it would be to identify the differences Lily said when Ali mentioned it.
"All done," Ali said, holding up Kensy's silk items for examination. One last flick and the trunk was clean, the bottles mended. "I can't salvage the materials, sorry Kensy. Next time get help packing, yeah? I won't be here next year after all."
"Oh, could you give that back to him for me?" Lily asked, chewing on her nail when Ali held the wand out. "He kind of said no when I asked for it so I had to steal it."
"Your brother already hates me," Ali said. "I don't think stealing his wand will really do me any favors in his eyes."
"Al doesn't hate you," Lily said, looking surprised.
"Fine, hate might be a little strong but he definitely doesn't like me."
Lily still looked confused but it was Kensy who pointed out,
"If he already doesn't like you, what's the harm? Lily's his sister, you don't want to break up a family, do you A?" She and Lily put their heads together and both made their best puppy-dog faces.
"Don't do that, you look demented," Ali said but she relented and placed Al's wand in her jacket pocket. Downstairs he was sulking on the couch.
"Your sister took this," Ali said unnecessarily as she handed it back to him. He looked up, surprised to see her in the common room. "Sorry, I had to fix Kensy's stuff and I didn't have mine on me."
"Uh, yeah, no problem," Al said, looking distracted. Ali raised her eyebrows in surprise but didn't comment on his unusually agreeable reply.
"Are you going to take it?" she asked, indicating the wand she was holding out for him.
When he still didn't answer Ali sighed and put it on the table, turning to leave without another word.
"I told you," Lily whispered to Kensy as they both sat on the steps and watched the scene. "He never shuts up about her. Half the time it's about how annoying she is, half the time it's about how stupid she is to be friends with Scorpius, and half the time it's wondering what Rose is doing whenever he knows she's with Ali."
"You do realize you just split it into three halves, right? And half means two?" Kensy teased.
"Oh shut up," Lily rolled her eyes. "But you have to admit I'm right, don't you?"
"He's into her," Kensy agreed. "But does he actually like her? I mean, Ali has enough blokes who want to get into her pants."
"That's debatable," Lily admitted. "But if she did get together with Albus she would definitely be over the fact that you hooked up with Lester."
"She still thinks it was only one time," Kensy said, looking incredibly guilty. "I just don't want her to hate me. I know I screwed up."
"It'll be okay Kens," Lily tried to reassure her. "But don't you think a new romance would be good for her?"
"You don't think she'll get over it on her own?" Kensy asked hopefully.
"Hun, you hooked up with her boyfriend three times. She may only know about one but she's not going to get over it like she usually does."
"I guess your right," Kensy sighed. "But before we do anything we have to make sure Al has good intentions."
"No, we have to give him good intentions," Lily countered. "At the moment he has no intentions."
Kensy nodded and they both scurried upstairs to get ready for dinner.
"Natalie?" A little first year said hesitantly as Ali trouped back into the castle later that night.
"Yeah?" Ali asked, wiping her brow from the sweat and praying that no one saw her like this. It was ironic how you had to look like a mess in order to look good and yet if people saw you look like a mess, they would never look at you the same way they had before. Hopefully the first year wasn't at that stage yet.
"P-Professor Larsen w-wanted me to give you this," she squeaked out, holding a scroll out and running away as soon as Ali had touched it. The scroll clattered to the ground because Ali didn't have a grip on it yet and the first year turned around at the noise before quickly scampering away again, looking even more scared than she had before.
"Thanks," Ali muttered half-heartedly as she bent down to pick up the scroll. The girl had long since disappeared around the corner so Ali knew she hadn't heard but with parents who constantly lectured her on social graces she felt better at least knowing she had said it.
Natalie Boot,
I would like to request your presence in my office tonight, 8:00 PM.
The password is "Bowtruckle"
Sincerely,
Professor Larson.
Ali raised her eyebrows at the note but rolled the scroll back up and headed to her common room, needing to shower before making herself look presentable for her Professor.
"Good run?" Rose asked when she entered the Girls Dormitory that was empty aside from the red head.
"Yeah," Ali muttered and tossed the scroll onto Rose's bed. "A first year just gave that to me."
"Reckon you know what it's about?" Rose asked, frowning slightly.
"Not a clue. If it was business I would have heard something from my parents or Parvarti. I just hope I'm not in trouble."
"When are you ever in trouble?" Rose asked, rolling her eyes at Ali's unfounded fear of detentions, getting yelled at, or in anyway disappointing her parents. It wasn't as though she was perfect (far from it, she openly admitted) but rather that she had to live a very private, seemingly perfect life. Others had to see her as an enigma, someone to look up to. She, in turn, had to make sure that she was always pretty, smart, and, ultimately, a 'good girl.'
"I don't know," Ali sighed, walking into the bathroom. "But I guess I'll know in an hour."
She closed the door and quickly stripped out of her sweaty clothes, letting her long hair out of its elastic band and feeling the icky touch of it on her sweaty neck. She started the water and stepped in before it had a chance to warm up, desperate to get the sweat and grime off.
When she got out, the dormitory was filled with all of her roommates who looked up when she left the bathroom before immediately going back to their homework and conversations.
"Good luck," Rose called out as Ali left.
Cassandra Larson was young and had only been the headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for three years but she had already made a name for herself. She was vastly intimidating with her dark, sleek hair that was currently in a high ponytail, brown eyes that held no mercy, and a body that could rival any twenty-year-olds though, to be fair to the twenty-year-olds in the world, she was only thirty.
She oozed confidence and made it quite clear that she wasn't to be messed with, with her sharp tongue and unyielding sense of discipline. Students were terrified to be called to her office and Ali was no different except that she wasn't a seventeen-year-old boy who loved the thrill (and Cassandra Larson), nor was she a stranger to the office because of her busy schedule that required flooing out of Hogwarts. But this was the first time that she had ever been called to the office without knowing the precise reason why and that in itself was enough to put her on edge.
She knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before trying it again. She heard voices after her second knock and stood outside while she waited for someone to open it.
"So this is why I'm being kicked out," Albus said, leaning against the door he had just opened, effectively stopping Ali from being able to enter.
"Mr. Potter our meeting has concluded and I would appreciate it if you let Ms. Boot enter without any of your unnecessary comments," Ali heard Professor Larson say lightly.
"Unnecessary?" Albus asked. "I hardly think that's fair. I only talk when I have something to say."
"Albus, can you please move?" Ali asked him, her patience already at its edge with the long day.
"I have to admit Professor, I wasn't expecting you to pick her," Albus said over his shoulder. "She doesn't really seem like the daring type. Perhaps Rose would be a better choice; at least she doesn't mind breaking the rules. Natalie here doesn't seem like a very viable candidate."
"Well I suppose there's a reason why I make the decisions about this and not you," Professor Larson's voice sounded again, sharper this time.
"What about Annalisa MacDougal?" Albus suggested again. "She's smart and I would certainly rather spend time with her than with Boot here."
"Okay, what are you talking about?" Ali asked, completely lost both as to what she was doing here and what Albus was trying to say.
"Mr. Potter," Professor Larson snapped, her tone sharper than it had been before. "I have a meeting with Ms. Boot and I would like to see her alone. You may excuse yourself from my office."
"Sure, sure," Albus said, smirking as he opened the door wider, quickly sidestepping Ali and forcing her to grab the door before it hit her in the face.
"And people say Chivalry is dead," she muttered as she pushed it all the way open, ignoring Albus' unapologetic call of sorry.
If Ali was uneasy before she saw Albus, now she was panicking. Being the occasional pessimist she was, her mind immediately went to all the things she could have been framed for. Murder, vandalism, sneaking out after hours, tattle-tailing…the last one was the most plausible as it would be the easiest to believe. But sneaking out would make more sense with all of Albus' cryptic comments. Plus she would surely get detention for it and Albus was in and out of detention relatively often, from what she had heard.
He was always up to something, Albus Potter. Not in the same way as his brother who was more of the easy-going, whatever-floats-your-boat type. Albus' schemes had more planning to them and were more extravagant. He also got caught less often which Rose often attributed to the fact that he was a beater and therefore rarely got hit in the head with bludgers. James, being a Chaser, had, had many a concussion and many a bad grade.
Albus was more responsible in the traditional sense. While his grades didn't match Ali's (or even come close) he did care about them and didn't try to hide his studying the way Rose said James used to. Ali had seen Albus in the library on multiple occasions and had even had the unfortunate experience of studying with him and Rose. Well, it wasn't strictly unfortunate—she got a lot done since there was no conversation—but it was certainly a bit on the awkward side.
Still, Albus had this darker vibe about him. More mysterious. James was happy in a boyish way. Albus was smug and had mood swings like he was a twelve-year-old girl. One minute he was perfectly happy and joking around with his friends and the next he was glaring at everyone who dared look at him. Perhaps it was anger management issues, Ali mused now, and being a beater gave him an outlet.
Still, Quidditch was the common denominator between the two brothers as it seemed to be with many of the people who surrounded Ali—it was what originally created Rose and Scorpius' friendship. Albus had captained the Gryffindor team for two years and led his team to victory the year before. With James gone Ali had a feeling that Gryffindor wouldn't be so lucky this year. And it was luck, mind you; it had nothing to do with a spectacular bludger from Albus that hit the Ravenclaw seeker and gave Alyssa Bell the extra split-second she needed to catch the snitch.
Ali may not have known a lot about Quidditch but she knew that when Rose didn't speak to her favorite cousin for two weeks it was best to agree with Rose's rant and remember enough of it to act as though she understood the grievances of the lost match.
"So Ali," Professor Larson said once Ali was situated in front of her. "Because I'm sure you've been worrying about it, I thought you should know that you are not in trouble."
Ali smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. She thought, for a second, that she saw the flicker of a smile flit over Professor Larson's face but dismissed it almost immediately. She had only seen Professor Larson smile twice—the first was when she was greeting the examiners before the OWL examinations and the second was when she was talking to Ali's parents and she had to smile out of courtesy.
"I called you here because I have a proposition for you—a proposition that you should feel in no way obligated to accept and that I suggest you think over unless you know immediately that you are not interested. Do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am," Ali nodded, trying to decide whether she should be nervous or not.
Professor Larson nodded and flicked her wand at the door causing the bolts to lock themselves. Ali immediately decided that nerves at this moment were fully appropriate.
"Ali, how much do you know about the Department of Mysteries?" Professor Larson asked, crossing her legs and placing her hands on the desk as she faced the girl.
"Well it's very mysterious," Ali said with a half-hearted laugh. "Unspeakables work in there and they can't talk about what they do because it's all top-secret. Um, that's where they keep time-turners my dad said."
"And have you ever heard of Horcruxes?" She asked, obviously expecting Ali's answer of,
"No ma'am."
"Horcruxes," Professor Larson said, sitting back in her chair now. "Are what Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger-Weasley spent a year looking for. The year in which people say Harry Potter was searching and gaining the resources he needed to defeat Voldemort was really the three of them tracking down every one of Voldemort's Horcruxes—each and every part of his soul."
"His soul?" Ali repeated and Professor Larson nodded.
"Horcruxes are the darkest form of magic, Ali. They are used to cut your soul into pieces. Every time you kill someone, a part of your soul is momentarily disconnected and can, should you so chose, be stored in some sort of object. Voldemort split his soul into eight parts in the end and it turned out to be one too many times because he was left without a body. You know that he disappeared when he tried to kill Harry the first time? It was because he had broken his soul into too many parts. But if you do it sparingly and stop after three or four times then you don't run that risk.
"Before Voldemort made Horcruxes, very few Wizards had ever dared to try such dangerous magic but after word got out—unintentionally—that this was how Voldemort managed to stay alive it has become an immensely popular form of dark magic—one that the Department of Mysteries is now trying to eliminate. Are you following me so far?"
"I think so," Ali said, her brow furrowed as she tried to understand. "I'm just confused…what does this have to do with me? You're not asking me to split my soul, are you? Because I really don't think I could kill someone."
"No, I am most certainly not suggesting that," Professor Larson said as the portraits around her chuckled appreciatively. "The thing is, Ali, they look for the best, most capable Witches and Wizards to accept into the department but it takes many years of experience to be a very good operative and they decided a few years ago that the best way to look out for possible candidates and to move the training along faster was to start looking at students while they were still in Hogwarts. That's one of the reasons they sent me here."
"To recruit people," Ali stated and the professor nodded. "So you want to recruit me?"
"I do," Professor Larson nodded. "You are one of the most capable Witches I have seen and I've been watching you closely. You have thicker skin than people give you credit for and you have a magical ability that many adult Wizards never accomplish. I know that you are a prodigy of sorts and if you choose to follow in the path your parents have lain for you I would never fault you or think less of you. In fact, if you would like to forget this entire conversation I can give you tea right now that will eliminate your memory and we will never re-visit it. But should you choose to accept you would have extra lessons with me once a week and it would be hard work."
"Can I have a bit of time to think about it?" Ali asked, feeling extremely overwhelmed.
"Of course," Professor Larson nodded. "I will need your answer by the end of the week. But fair warning right now Ms. Boot—this is a dangerous and demanding career choice. There's no going back after you have started on it and while I will do my best to prepare you, I cannot emphasize the danger enough."
"Yes ma'am," Ali nodded seriously. "I understand. And I'm assuming I shouldn't mention this to anyone, right?"
"Yes," Professor Larson nodded. "This cannot, under any circumstance, get out. Should you choose to accept, we will re-visit the subject but for the moment, you were called here to discuss your schedule and how it will affect your NEWT's. Do you understand?"
"Yes ma'am," Ali nodded again.
"In that case I suggest you get back to your dormitory before curfew and get a good night sleep for you classes."
Taking this as her dismissal Ali stood up and headed to the door but hesitated as she held it half open.
"Professor Larson? Is Albus Potter being recruited also? Is that what he meant by his comments earlier?"
"He too has been given the option, yes," Professor Larson nodded.
"Just one more thing," Ali said. "Are we the only two or will there be more people in our year?"
"It's just the two of you," Professor Larson nodded. "In fact, I have only referred one other person to the program and he is doing quite well there. You may know him, Cedric Jordan?"
"Thanks Professor," Ali said and the headmistress nodded her head in recognition.
Cedric Jordan was a graduated Gryffindor, two years older than Ali. She had, had a huge crush on him in her third year. As far as she knew he was unaware but he may well have merely ignored it to be polite. Widely popular, Gryffindor, friends with the Wotter's, and an old Quidditch commentator to boot he had made quite a name for himself.
Ali had met him for the first time in her third year when she dropped her books and the gorgeous fifth year had helped her pick them up. Since then they had been something that closely resembled friends. He had shown her the kitchens when she ran into him late after a shoot in her fourth year and had taught both her and Kensy how to ride a broom since neither had learned a thing from few weeks spent on it in first year. Kensy had taken to it after that but Ali had decided to keep her feet on the ground as much as possible.
As she got older it was more of a two-way street and they studied together for their exams. He was one of her only friends outside of Rose, Scorpius, and Kensy but he had never tried to make her more social or given her a hard time when she didn't want to watch matches, teasing her only about missing his commentary.
Ali got over him in the beginning of fifth year, knowing that he was graduating, but they had stayed in contact to that day. He was her contact with a world outside of modeling and cosmetics. Now she knew what he was really doing. And she was going to kill him for lying. Though first she had to make sure Rose didn't kill her.
"WHAT?" Rose demanded when Ali fed her the feeble lie. "You were gone for almost an hour just so that Professor Larson could talk to you about your schedule? Don't bullshit me A."
"Well first of all, thank you for getting the entire hallways attention on us," Ali said sarcastically and Rose rolled her eyes. They were walking to breakfast as Rose had been gone when Ali got up to the dorms and Ali was asleep when Rose finally got back. "And secondly, yes. I have a photo shoot at the end of the month, an appearance at the beginning of November, two interviews lined up between the appearance and break, we need new advertisement for Christmas, and we'll be shooting over Christmas break so that we have something ready for after the holiday season. And that's just for the fall and first half of winter. We have NEWT's coming up; she wanted to make sure I wasn't going to mess up my marks."
"But why does she care?" Rose pressed and Ali shrugged, which, unfortunately, Rose took as a cue to keep thinking about the situation. "You know what's even weirder?"
"What?" Ali asked sounding resigned as she tried to hide her apprehension.
"I was talking to Al last night and he had gotten called to her office as well. Something about a Quidditch stunt he had pulled but he didn't get punishment for it. This is so uncharacteristic of her. If it was Sprout I could understand—she was always pretty lenient and involved with students. But Professor Larson has been more of the military-type discipline with a 'figure it out on your own' strategy. Why would she change her philosophy now, three years into her position?"
"I was just as surprised by the meeting as you are," Ali said, relieved that at least part of what she said throughout this entire conversation was true. She didn't like lying to Rose.
"Well alright then," Rose said, giving into defeat with a sigh. "But there's something else going on here. I'm just trying to figure out if you know what it is or not."
Ignoring the uncomfortable twisting of her stomach Ali held her hands up in surrender but didn't say anything—not sure what she would have, had she really not known anything. She just felt better not voluntarily lying when she could get away with being mute.
The week passed in a bit of a haze—she went to her classes, did her homework on autopilot, and followed her own nutrition plan and exercise routine in near complete silence. Rose and Scorpius both noticed but didn't say anything, waiting for her to come to them. Kensy noticed too and became more and more concerned as her waves went unnoticed and her attempts at conversation unreciprocated. Finally, six days after her meeting, Ali had a decision. She walked to the headmistress's office, repeated the password, and opened the door upon invitations.
Professor Larson looked at her questioningly and Ali gave her answer without allowing her mind to start second-guessing as it had been for the last five nights since the situation had been explained to her.
"I'm in."
Miracle Magic
A/N: And so the plot begins. What do you think about the twist? Who hates Kensy? Who feels bad for her? Loads more Al in this chapter: Like him or hate him? I'm still a bit mixed at the moment, to be completely honest. Please review!