So this is the last chapter of Jelly Slugs and Acid Pops. I had a great time writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Could you please tell me why chapter 10 was your favorite, receiving even more views than the first chapter?
Oh, and there's a Draco/Hermione fanfic on the way.
Thank you Icarus for being my most loyal reader, and Cecilia for beta reading and reviewing and all the others that comment and make me smile. You're amazing!
Chapter 21 - Goodbye
Battle of Hogwarts.
Years later, people would talk about it with awe, praise the heroes, mourn the dead; at that moment it did not seem to Alexa it was too glorious.
Years Later, she would think of that battle, praise the heroes, mourn the dead, and know in absolute certainty that it was anything but glorious.
While Potter, Weasley and Hermione went in search for the fifth Horcrux, Alexa and Draco stayed behind, joining McGonagall as a human shield, to block the Death Eaters and allow the trio to accomplish their mission. It was what she had been preparing herself to for nearly two years, it was the climax of her bloody, twisted fairy tale, and when she woke up that moment she knew, without any doubt, that she would live through that day. It was not a happy thought, far from it, because it meant she would live to remember what she had done, to struggle with the demons inside of her. But it was a feeling of warm confidence, combined with the comforting thought that that day it might be over; she felt like dressing up for the event.
It was the first time since she had joined the Order that she wore something other than black robes. Instead she put on a deep green robe that had sparkles of silver when the sun beams reflected from it, and even wore some of her mother's jewelry. It did not occur to her how sick it was; she was not so pretty and well groomed even in the Yule Ball. Everyone stared when she came down for breakfast but not one said a word, there was a silent acknowledgement that she was a raving lunatic. A few of them really worried about her, like that time she heard low voices talking in the kitchen.
"She's not well." Hermione said.
"Quite an understatement." Draco replied cynically.
"You should take care of her." Hermione told him in an authoritative voice, "She needs help."
"She can't be helped now," Draco stated gloomily, "Not until the war is over."
"But you would take care of her afterwards, right?" Hermione questioned.
"Are we really having this conversation, Granger?" Draco drawled.
"It seems so, and not for the first time." Hermione remarked.
There was a silence. Then Draco said, "Of course I will." And then another silence.
However, that morning she felt exquisite, or at least as exquisite as you can feel when you know you have a long day of fighting for your life and taking others lives. And she continued to feel that way even when swarm of Death Eaters flowed to the castle, a massive bloc of blankness, ruthlessness and bloodlust. She wished she could say she had been scared, but she really was not, she only worried for Draco and he seemed to do pretty well.
Obviously, she drove a sick pleasure in killing like she had the previous times, but she thought this time was different, that it would also bring her some sort of peacefulness, a cure for a revengeful heart. It did nothing of that sort, it was purely technical. Sure, the thrill of the fight was overwhelming and combined with the overdose of drugs she had abused she felt alive like never before. But being alive was not so great, as she sadly discovered.
She noticed her fellow members at the Order had always tried to avoid the use of the Killing Curse, or even slightly less lethal spells; she had never thought about wasting her breath just to stupefy someone. Especially not when she hexed Dolohov, and grinned widely as he started to bleed, unable to stop the blood loss, and just slowly died in front of her. Nor did she forsaken Nott when she Aveda'd him without a blink. She received extra pleasure from Cruciating Macnair and then casting a spell that caused him to tardily suffocate; she particularly hated people that were cruel to animals.
But nothing, absolutely nothing felt more satisfying than killing Bellatrix Lestrange. Alexa had wanted to kill Bellatrix since the day she discovered Bellatrix was directly responsible for her parents' death. She wanted that it even more when she heard that filthy old vixen was after Draco. And it was only magnified when she saw her kill Tonks. In her way, Alexa really did like Tonks.
She shoved Molly forcefully, taking her place in the duel, Bellatrix was hers to finish. Stories would tell their duel was epic, legendry, and for once they were correct. It seemed like everything stopped around them when they fought each other.
"Missing your parents, little girl?" Bellatrix taunted, "Want me to repeat with to you what I did to them?"
Alexa was too enraged to answer, and she was panting too. Instead, she casted a well aimed curse at the blubbering Bellatrix, leaving a nasty cut at her side; the woman shrieked. "A wise man said once; when you have to shot- shot, don't talk." Alexa said with a devilish smirk. Hermione did get her into Muggle movies.
It was a bright mixture of reds and greens and purples, deadly curses and shielding charms, psychological warfare and a match of physical endurance; dueling was sickly exhausting. Their exchange of hexes was so fast Alexa found herself only thinking of a continuous list of defensive and offensive charms, in a chanting like rhythm. Bur for a one tiny moment she was distracted by an explosion behind her, and she had to glance over to see Draco was alright; it was all Bellatrix needed to break through Alexa's defenses with her infamous Cruciatus.
It took Alexa a moment to understand was hit her; she heard Bellatrix scream the word, but the pain never came. Well, he did, but in a much subtle way than it used to, when Snape had tortured her. Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline, maybe it was the analgesic effect of the drugs, maybe it was the fact that she had been Crucio'd during the war more times than she could remembered. But the fact was, Bellatrix was putting everything she had in her curse and Alexa was still standing.
Alexa looked up to meet Bellatrix's eyes, who usually held pure madness, but now also contained fear. With a swift slash of her wand Alexa blocked the pain away, smirking in a diabolic way that only matched Bellatrix's psychotic expressions. "I heard, Bella, that you had a thing for Draco." Alexa teased and they returned to exchange curses.
She saw Bellatrix grimace her face. "I thought you'd like to know," Alexa said slowly, mockingly, "That I fucked him every single night, and god, was that heavenly." Alexa provoked her and Bellatrix fell for it.
A moment of distraction was all Alexa needed to break through Bellatrix's defenses. She conjured a silvery hand to close tightly around Bellatrix's neck, choking her so she could not fight back, but not enough to kill her. Alexa walked over to her, deliberately slowly, pointing her wand at her neck, controlling the strength of the grip. Alexa tore Bellatrix's wand from her weak hand and kicked her hard in the stomach, throwing her at the floor.
She straddled the drooling, shaking Bellatrix, staring right into those haunted eyes of hers, holding Bellatrix wand over her head. And with a forcefully stab, she stuck it right into her right eye, going all the way in. Blood was splashed at Alexa's face; she could not care less about it. "That's for my parents, you traitorous whore."
When she rose to her feet the battle was over. People was torn between cheering for the victorious Potter or crying their hearts out over the ones they've lost, they were confused and unable to digest that it was all over. Sound of broken sobs and joyful singing mixed in her ears, families united in a loving hug, couples sharing a passionate kiss; she felt rather out of place.
She felt someone tug at her arm and turned to see a very bloody Draco smiling at her weakly. "Can you believe it's really over?" he asked her in a quiet voice.
"Yes. I knew it would when I woke up this morning." Alexa replying calmly.
He gave her a long stare. "You're really strange, you know that?" he inquired, raising and eyebrow. She simply nodded and pointed her wand at his face, cleaning some of the mess, and then gently tacked a strand of hair behind his ear; he was beautiful. Maybe she did not have to leave after all. She cupped his cheek with her hand and stood on her toes, placing a soft kiss on his lips; they have never kissed in public before, and she was worried of his reaction. Worrying seemed to be unnecessary as he welcomed the gesture, wrapping his arms around her and kissing back passionately.
"Give me the money, Harry." They heard Hermione said, and broke the kiss to see the living members of the Order watching them.
"I just lost ten Galleons because of you, Malfoy." Potter said bitterly, handing Hermione the golden coins.
Draco grinned, satisfied. "And why would that be?"
"Hermione insisted there was something going on between you to," Potter explained, "I claimed Alexa would not touch you with laser marker."
"I'm pleased to inform you Alexa had been touching me in a very not innocent way for a few months now." Draco said smugly, and Alexa elbowed him meanly in the ribs. "You're not very observant, Potter."
"This is just disgusting." Ron Weasley commented, pretending to puke.
"I guess I shouldn't ask why you had not participated in this bet, Weasel," Draco said maliciously, "Losing ten Galleons would mean you'll be forever enslaved to Potter."
Alexa chuckled, that was the Draco she knew. While the members of the Order consider what to do, if they should celebrate the victory or grieve for their dead friends, Alexa and Draco elegantly and discreetly left the conversation and the school grounds, returning to Grimmuald place. They collapsed on the sofa near the fireplace the second they arrived, fatigue taking over.
"What now Alexa?" Draco asked faintly, while she was snuggling against his chest, in his lap.
"I don't know." She replied honestly, "I don't want to think about it now. Tomorrow, maybe." But she did think about it, she did not want to, but she could not refrain from doing so. She knew she had to leave, she had to start fresh like she had told herself she would do, yet she really did not want to, because it felt so good being held by him.
They fell asleep on the sofa, in front of the fireplace, cuddled together like on their very first night together on Grimmuald place. And when they woke up in the morning it was nothing like their first morning there, months ago. Alexa stretched with a yawn and lazily opened her eyes, seeing a sleepy Draco gazing down at her with his enchanting grey eyes. She could get used to it.
An owl arrived for her and it was strange, no one ever Owled her except from her grandparents and she told them not to, until the war was over. Draco mumbled something about going to his room and Alexa curiously opened the envelope reading the letter. And then read it again.
The room had started to fill up with people in want for one of Molly's fabulous breakfasts and Alexa was still staring at the letter. "What is it about?" Draco asked casually when he returned, all clean and well groomed.
"My grandparents died." Alexa said emotionlessly. And then she crumpled the paper in her palm, a blank expression on her face. "I should go to Germany."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Draco offered kindly, placing his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"No!" she almost screamed, shaking his hand of her.
Draco sighed, knowing Alexa was a difficult person. "Fine, talk to me when you return."
There was a silence. "I'm not coming back." Alexa said quietly.
"What?" Draco cried out, wondering if his hearing had deteriorated that much.
"I need to get away from all of this, I need to forget." Alexa said in a broken voice.
"So do I," Draco said in an agonized voice, "We can go together."
"No, you are part of it," Alexa told him flatly, "I need to forget you too."
"So you're just going to leave?" his tone rose, unable to control his temper anymore. And that was saying a lot, because Draco was inhumanly stoic.
"I have nothing left here. I have nothing left at all." Alexa said, feeling as empty and lonely as she never felt in her life. "Everyone's dead."
"And what about me?" Draco challenged her, practically in her face. She could count every lash around his bloodshot eyes, and feel his warm breath hitting her face.
She could not stay with him. It was wrong for her to have a happy ending after all she had done, and he deserved better than a maniac mass murderer. She had to do it. "Just as dead." She said coldly, "I suggest you start thinking about me the same way."
And with that she left the conversation, and went to her room to gather her few belongings. Ten minutes later she was back down with a small backpack, saying her goodbyes to everyone. He approached her when she placed her hand on the doorknob, "It's final?" he asked in a desperate voice.
"It is, Malfoy," she said without turning to look at him, but she knew he cringed when she called him by his surname. And then she left.
Alexa did not know he slowly dragged his feet to the sofa, and collapsed, defeated, hiding his face in his palms. Or that Hermione came to sit beside him, placing a soothing hand on his back.
"You love her, don't you?" she asked in a soft voice.
"What do you think, Granger?" Draco retorted angrily.
"For how long?" she inquired, biting her lip.
"All these years." He replied honestly.
"It's terrible. I'm sorry." Hermione for once, had no words.
"No." Draco said furiously, "That is terrible." He pulled a small velvety box out of his pocket, handing it to Hermione. She gasped when she opened it; inside was a beautiful ring.
Alexa would never imagine that Hermione threw her hands around Draco and hugged him and that he would return the hug. "Hermione Granger is comforting me over my romantic failures." Draco mumbled, puzzled and broken and depressed all at once.
She gave him a weak smile and said, "Stranger than fiction, isn't it?"
Alexa did not know all of that.
The end
Or is it?