Chapter 12

Summer chewed on her quill thoughtfully as she sat near the back of the Library with Hermione, Ron and Harry.

"So, you're saying you want me to tell people that Alex switched with me, and she's staying in America as some sort of transfer project?"

The three nodded.

Summer smiled. "Well I guess that's the only alibi you really have isn't it?"

"You're in?" Hermione asked with a smile.

Summer nodded her head, sending a strand of blonde hair into her face.

"You know," She said, pulling the hair behind her ear. "I just realized something."

"What would that be?" Ron was the first to ask.

"My mother was here at Hogwarts when your parents were Harry. I think they were about the same age."

Harry's head went up in a flash. "What?"

He said it so suddenly Summer jumped. "Yes, why is that surprising?"

"I thought you said you were from America." Harry said slowly.

Summer smiled. "Of course I did, because I am. That doesn't mean my mother wasn't from here." She looked at the three of them. "Well, how do you think I was a witch?"

Ron shrugged. "I thought you just got lucky."

Summer laughed. "My mom went here at Hogwarts. I don't know who my dad is though. My mom says he went here too, but she doesn't like to talk about it."

Hermione looked puzzled. "Your mum went here? Why haven't you said anything before?"

Summer shrugged. "Nobody asked."

Ron chuckled. "Well who knows? I hope you're not related to anybody like Draco though. That would suck."

Summer swallowed hard. She looked over to see Hermione staring at her with wide eyes, an obvious sign that Ron and Harry had no idea she liked Draco. She laughed nervously. "Yea…that would suck."

Alex was sitting alone on a large stone windowsill in a corridor not far from the Great Hall. She leaned her head against the window, looking out at the drifting snowflakes that began to flutter to the ground.

"Lily I have to talk to you." A rushed voice and quick footsteps landed right behind Alex, she jumped and looked at the person standing behind her as a hand went to her shoulder. It was Severus.

"Lily please don't be angry with me anymore." His eyes were pleading, almost heartbroken. "I know I've said some horrible things, but we'll always be friends? Won't we?"

Alex looked around with her eyes, almost frightened. This was not happening. Alex forgot she was supposed to breathe.

"Lily?" Severus grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Um, yes, I'm…I'm not…." Alex thought for a split second. "I'm not feeling well today Severus, um, I forgive you, of course we'll still be friends." Alex faked a smile and wondered what on Earth she could possibly be on to possess her to do such a thing.

He sighed in relief. "That's all I wanted to know." He kissed her forehead and walked off.

"Oh God. Ew. Ew. Ew." Alex frantically wiped at her forehead. She pulled her legs up onto the windowsill and hugged her knees. "That was so gross." She whispered to herself.

"OY!" James ran up to Alex with a smile. "Where did you go? We've been looking for you."

Alex didn't respond. Her face was white and she continued to hug her knees.

"Alex?"

She looked up. "Severus thought I was Lily. And it was disturbing."

James broke into laughter. "What an idiot. He thought you were Evans?"

Alex's cheeks filled with a little more color.

He looked at Alex thoughtfully, and then frowned. "You know, you do look a lot like her. You're sure you aren't related?"

Alex froze. "Not that I know of." She was forgetting to breathe again.

"Well I know she has a sister, but your name isn't Petunia so that rules that out. Maybe you're like a distant cousin she never knew about or something. It's pretty creepy. You have the same eyes and everything."

James sat down next to her.

Alex began to feel a little awkward. "Um, James, what if….what if I told you I was related to Lily?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised."

Alex's chest clutched a little; her stomach began to feel queasy. Was this it? Should she tell him?

"Alex are you alright?" James laid a hand on her shoulder as her face drained whatever color she had in it.

He nudged her a little.

Alex gasped for air and coughed a little. Panicking she looked into James' eyes fearfully.

"James…I want to tell you something, but I can't. I can't tell you." Alex tried desperately to find the words.

James grabbed her by the shoulders; with his right hand he brushed the hair out of her face, holding it to the back of her head. "You can tell me anything."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "I…I'm…-"

"Uh should I come back?" James and Alex jumped simultaneously.

Sirius stood behind them, with a very questioning look.

"Padfoot, you scared me!" James said, a little too loudly. "Don't do that!"

Alex scooted away, trying to hide her pale face. She dragged her knees to her chest and didn't look up.

"Alex are you alright?" Sirius asked, concerned.

She nodded.

Sirius looked at James and nodded to Alex with a 'what's going on' kind of look.

James shrugged and looked over to Alex.

Sirius smiled with two thumbs up. Alex looked up as James began to blush. Alex lifted her head, wiped the lone tear off her cheek and took a deep breath.

"You sure you're ok?" Sirius asked again.

Alex smiled. "Yea, I'm just…I don't know. I'm really confused right now."

James and Sirius looked at each other. She looked between the two boys and sighed. She almost told him. How would he even react?

Later that night Alex sat on the couch across from the fire in the Gryffindor Common room. James and Remus were deep into wizard's chess and Sirius sat on the floor, watching closely. Peter tried doing his Divination homework with much frustration. Alex laughed. She didn't miss that at all.

She looked over to Sirius, he was staring at her. Alex looked away and down at the wizard's chessboard. James was winning. She looked back at Sirius; he was still staring at her.

'What?' She mouthed to him quietly. He looked over to the far corner of the room and nodded in its direction. She slipped off the couch quietly, following him over there. No one had noticed.

"What's the deal?" He asked seriously.

"What do you mean?"

He smiled. "I saw you two talking today."

Alex looked over at James and then to Sirius. "You think….you think I like him?"

Sirius' smile got wider. "You do don't you?"

She sighed and laughed. "Merlin no!"

Sirius' face fell. "You don't?"

"No, he likes…" She stopped, remembering what she had promised. "James likes someone else, we're just friends."

Sirius nodded. "What were you going to tell him then?"

Alex shuffled her feet. "Sirius I wasn't going to tell him anything. I can't tell anybody."

"What do you mean?"

"Sirius, I want to tell you why I'm here, but I don't know if I should."

"Why you're here?" Sirius looked at her carefully.

Alex looked over to James. "Why any of us are here."