The Enchanter's Princess

Chapter 25: Love's Test

"She knows who Gryffindor's Heir is," James said. "Which of course means she is Gryffindor's Heir. And right now, she's having a happy little chat with Slytherin."

Fauna took quite a while to return to them. The wait was quite tense too. After James' revelation that she knew Gryffindor's Heir, Albus was positive Fauna meant herself. Due to the rivalry and bad blood between the two houses and even their founders, would Seth and Fauna duel? Just how far would things go? Simon was blissfully silent but he seemed easy, not worried in the slightest. Since the subject was in the open, James and Albus felt no qualms about discussing things further.

Albus caught James up on the exam papers and brought him up to date on who Seth was and what he knew, including their talk over the Christmas holidays. Albus just kept his killing of Ridge silent, still not willing to reveal himself as the murderer yet. He told James about the papers Louis had and told him of his suspicions concerning Aries and Proxima and of the exam papers Seth stole from Rojer. And the talk was done in front of Simon who was mostly quiet but knew everything as a Hogwarts Guard member.

"It's not Proxima," Simon said confidently. "If it was, Rojer would know and the fact she's his daughter wouldn't stop him. Plus, she's supposed to come from abroad. Proxy is Pure British."

"So, the best student is Aries," James got straight. "And with Mark's defensive attitude this year and Aries staying in her dormitory all Christmas, I'm beginning to think it's her."

"But didn't Dumbledore say the Heir would be sorted into Slytherin?" Albus asked.

James nodded, "Yeah… and the Heir would also be able to use the Amulet freely. Know where it is?"

"The Amulet?" Albus did know. If it had returned to the last place it was before use, it was in the Room of Requirement. "Yeah, I know."

"Ok, we show the Amulet to her," James said quietly. "Gaze her reaction. Afterwards, we have her resorted. Like they did with you."

"If Phoenix is after her too, though…"

"You heard what Dumbledore said," James shrugged. "We'll just have to trust him this time."

"What about Hufflepuff?" Simon asked.

James and Albus were silent. Truth was, though they had suspects for the Princess, they knew Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor was coming into the open with Slytherin, Hufflepuff was another matter. No one knew about them. Then, James sighed, "Well, we'll call a meeting of the Hogwarts Guard. We'll reveal Slytherin and Gryffindor and insist the Princess is out there somewhere and rely on Hufflepuff to feel it's safe to come on out then."

"Isn't that a bit simple, though?" Albus asked. "What if the Heir doesn't know who he or she is?"

"Unlikely," James shrugged. "There are two different kinds of secrets. The active kind and the passive kind. The active kind is when you consciously keep the secret and try very hard to keep it so. You can tell that's sort of what Aries is doing when she's insisting that the Princess doesn't even exist. She's trying to be clever. And she damn well nearly succeeded until Seth came into the picture. The passive kind is when you keep the secret only because you don't know it's there in the first place. You can tell that this is not the case with Hufflepuff's Heir."

"How do you know?" Albus gaped. Simon and Albus were sitting down now, listening very closely to James' lecture on secrets.

"Remember when we first talked about Heirs in the room?" James asked them. "Aries actively kept it hidden, went to such lengths to deny her own existence. But I tried looking for clues in people's faces for Hufflepuff's Heir but what you're forgetting is we only have two Hufflepuffs in the group."

"How do you know she'd be in the group?" Simon asked.

"Knack for trouble," James said simply. "That's why Al was genius for starting this group. It would be the perfect lure for students who want to do something and keep it secret. Heirs like Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and even the Princess would take part."

"Wait… so then the Heir of Gryffindor…"

"Is in the group," James said happily. "It'll be Fauna. And Samuel. And thankfully, they're more willing to reveal it. Seth, his sister, and Alexis are clear."

"Then the Hufflepuffs," Albus thought aloud. "Are Molly and Hugo's friend Fora."

"And we know Molly's ancestry, she is definitely not it which leaves…"

Albus and Simon knew it at once, "Fora Vulneroman."

"The Daughter of her Head of House," James finished. "Perfect."

Just as the final conclusion made itself known, James broke the Muffliato Charm cast and Seth reappeared beside Fauna. He said nothing though. He just sat against a tree and Simon rushed to his side. Fauna ignored him and turned to James and Albus, "Seth and I had a talk."

"And…"

Fauna was watching them, her watery green eyes boring into his. She had the permanent look of someone who had been crying. "I'm going to tell you who Gryffidor's Heir is. I'm going to put my trust into you. You tell no one what I tell you."

"It's not possible to," James reminded her, eyes alight with curiosity.

"No doubt," Albus sighed, heart beating frantically again. Was he seriously about to find out Gryffindor's Heir? Maybe James eavesdropping was a blessing in disguise. He found he was holding his breath as Fauna fixed his eyes with hers once again and opened her mouth. Albus knew the answer, somehow before she even said it. She knew. All this time, even when Nott revealed the letter she knew. And if she knew the significance of the Heir, and stayed quiet when everyone was openly wondering, it could only mean one thing. Fauna knew because…

"Gryffindor's Heir is me," Fauna said. "But no one will know until we know who the damned Princess is. And if Aries is right and she doesn't exist, this conversation never happened. How do those silencing Jinxes work?"

"Not sure," James shrugged. "I'm not the one who Jinxed. But… it's very specific. If you don't want someone to know, they won't. Trust me I've tried."

"Ok, find the Princess," Fauna told him. "And we'll call a Hogwarts Guard meeting and… well, I'll come out then. The deal is nobody comes out until the Princess does."

It was incredible. Fauna had come out so easily. All it took was a talk with Seth. It felt strange talking about this openly in front of Simon and even Seth but the Guard did know. Seth's identity, despite what had happened was still secret. Fauna could not tell anyone and Simon's lips were sealed. Even James could not tell and Albus was true to his word.

March was drawing to a close. Of course, before it could, a Hogsmeade weekend was scheduled for the last Saturday and Albus, exhausted from the workload the teachers had set him and the recent talk with Seth Lean, was looking forward to it. And once again, he hoped he would ask Alexis out. This time, he made sure to do so two days before the actual weekend. Albus walked up to the Ravenclaw table and tapped her shoulder. One look at him, she smiled and got up to walk a ways off and out of earshot. "Yes?"

"Well… tomorrow is"-

"Hogsmeade weekend," she finished for him.

"Yeah, and, I thought I'd"-

"Ask me out again?"

He sighed. Crap, she's finishing my sentences. "Yes."

"Yes," she answered.

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"Great."

"Oh, and Al?" she called back. "This is bar-none the most times I have heard 'yes' from anyone all year."

"For me?" Albus added. "All my life."

And the two walked over. It became clear as they passed the Gryffindor table that neither of them wanted to part from the other. Then, Alexis nudged Albus. He flinched and looked to the side but Alexis pointed Albus to Mark and Aries, two who kept staring at each other. Aries had not stopped giving Mark that look all dinner and now Mark was staring back, questioningly, quietly and silently demanding to know what was bothering her. "Mark," Aries said in her usual stern voice. "Mark, look at me. And be honest, Mark. I'll know if you're lying." Mark kept his eyes off hers, on the ground, on his own sneakers, at any passerby, even Albus and Alexis, anyone or anything but Aries' face, her eyes waiting to pierce into his own. He went red, apple red and Aries had a small smirk on her face as she continued, "Mark, tell me the truth. Do you- do you love me?"

After what seemed like half a minute, he gulped and looked up, finally meeting Aries' eyes. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Aries repeated, folding her arms. Albus knew instantly that Mark said the wrong thing. Aries widened her grey eyes, as if shocked at his refusal to answer her. Albus could almost sense the fiery anger in her. He thought their friendship, let alone their so-called engagement would end there. "Fine. Take Hogsmeade for yourself, then."

"Can I at least think about it?"

"Mark, if it requires thought, I really don't want to know the answer," Aries said in what was clearly intended to be a strong, angry voice. Albus could sense her sorrow. He almost felt sorry for her.

Aries left and Mark just stared down, not knowing what to say. Albus and Alexis just stared until Alex pat Mark on the shoulder. Then, Mark's head snapped up and fixed his stare on Albus, "What the hell are you guys staring at?"

"Let's go," Alexis said quickly.

Just as he predicted, Aries and Mark seemed to have stopped talking to each other and the effects were clear. Mark was silent on the last Friday of March during classes and Aries did not even bother answering revision questions. Transfiguration ended on a dull note because of that and Albus could not wait for Charms where he would partner up with Alexis like he always did. Alas, he had to endure History of Magic first and that time was spent with Mark and Aries at the very back of the class arguing in low voice. Albus thought that if they had not been in classes, the two may have just started yelling.

The arguing could still be heard as inaudible whispering and Albus was sorely tempted to whim the Extendable Ears James had given him out. But he did not anticipate a conversation in History of Magic call and kept them in his trunk in the dungeon dormitories. Once they left for Charms, their arguing became more audible.

"'could've at least said yes if that was going to be your end answer," Aries told him.

"What kind of question is that?" Mark demanded. "We're fifth year!"

"Exactly!"

"Are you crazy?"

"Guys!" Riley said in a loud but bored and tired voice. "I don't think anyone in Hogwarts gives a damn about your relationship. Please, do us the pleasure of shutting up or skip class and argue in your dormitories. Some of us have OWL's to work for."

Aries opened her mouth in retort but Mark just took her by the arm and dragged her away into an unused classroom, slammed the door behind them, and silence. Riley said nothing else but Walter took amusement at the whole thing. "For the record… those two make a fantastic couple."

"With all that arguing, I'm not surprised," Scorpius said tiredly, having slept through the class.

"But trust me, I'm Mark's friend," Walter grinned. "I know he loves her. He just doesn't want to admit it."

Walter was just speaking words Albus already believed himself for him to want to take part. He stayed silent and exhaled a sigh of relief when they stepped into the Charm's classroom. He picked a seat next to Alexis Ackerly and rested his head on his palm. Alexis was staring at him, probably sensing something wrong but once again, Albus' mind had taken its detour into the realm of murder. How he killed Ridge and how he actually felt good doing so. How he did not regret what he did. He wondered if that made him evil.

Should he tell someone? Nobody but Seth, Mark, Hugo and Lily knew and somehow, all four had kept it silent. Hugo had not talked to Albus directly for a time but he did not hold it against him it seemed. Mark hated Albus ever since and Seth was just amused. If he had any feeling at all. Albus had to tell someone. Someone who would sit and listen… and tell him straight out if what he did was murder or not. If Alexis told him it was murder, if she told him that what he did was evil, how would he feel? Would he feel hurt? Relieved?

"Al," Alexis tapped his shoulder gently.

The class had divided up into pairs. Albus just snapped out of his mental detour and tried to feign ease but Alexis knew better. "Ok, when we get to Hogsmeade, we're gonna have truth-time." Albus just nodded and shook himself out of his own misery to practice Cheering Charms which definitely had an effect at bringing his mood up for the rest of the day.

The next day was Saturday and with it, the Hogsmeade weekend. Alexis stayed true to her word and interrogated him the minute they reached the Three Broomsticks. "What's been bothering you this year?" Alexis asked him calmly, taking a sip of Butterbeer. "Don't be afraid, Al. Tell me. Please. Do you want to talk outside?"

Alexis' pleas sealed the deal. Albus knew it. There was no way he could lie to her. He could probably make something up but he'd never get away with it. Albus just loved Alexis so much, he felt bad even thinking about telling her a lie. But the truth would hurt her and she would never look at him the same way again. If she ever smiled, it would be with the knowledge of what Albus did and the fact that till then, Albus was not sorry he did it. He was, if anything sorry that eventually, people will find out and hold it against him like Mark did.

A simple Charm repelled water from their bodies and they took a seat in a corner by the countryside to talk. The rain was not too bad. It was just a drizzle and it was almost enjoyable when it did not get them wet. As Alexis looked over at him, Albus still debated it with himself. Should he lie? Would she be able to tell? Her eyes certainly said so. Albus never knew if Alexis was good at Occlumency but when her eyes bore into his, it certainly gave him the impression that she could tell either way. It was best to tell the truth… to both their perils.

Albus had already felt at the end of the previous year that his relationship with Alexis could not last. Since their Hogsmeade weekend together earlier in the year, Albus had managed to convince himself that he was worrying and fretting over nothing. But since he had killed Ridge- not only killed but done so with Dark Magic of the worst kind- he had started believing once again that he and Alexis were on different sides of the spectrum completely. And this day, this talk would prove it.

Slowly, Albus opened his mouth, feeling pangs and jolts in his stomach as he said so, his mind reminding him that there would be no turning back after this. "Alexis… remember how I went to the Malfoy Manor last Christmas?" When she nodded, he went on, still beating around the bush, "Remember how the Ministry made alliance with the Goblins afterwards?"

"They're connected?"

"Truth is, they attacked the Malfoy Manor," Albus told her, knowing the time of truth was drawing near. "Ridge led the Goblins in it."

As Albus suspected, Alexis started showing concern, "You're all ok, of course? So, is that where Ridge is? Is he prisoner or did the Malfoys kill him?"

I killed him. Albus so desperately wanted to say. Alexis fixed him with a suddenly knowing look. He had a sneaking suspicion she knew what he did. Alexis was very perceptive, she could deduce things from a mile away. Why was she questioning him like this when she knew full well what he must have done to warrant such a guilty, forbidden expression? Instead of saying it calmly though, he flared up, saying in a hard, constricted voice, "I did it!"

There it was. The look. She was shocked, shocked that Albus Potter, the boy she took the time for since second year, killed someone. Albus actually had blood on his hands. Next thing he knew, she pulled him in and embraced him. The drizzle stopped briefly and Albus felt the sudden urge to scream into her chest. All the pain, the mixture of emotions he had felt after Christmas bubbling to the surface. Seeing Hugo and Lily seemingly get killed, Ridge stabbing Lily, him torturing a Goblin for it, killing Ridge for it, Mark screaming at him, Hugo even avoiding him save for a few words here and there.

But still he did not. She just told him quietly, almost whispered, "Tell me what happened."

Slowly, Albus told her the story, told her with every detail, making certain to put in how Hugo was struck down and how Ridge had stabbed Lily. He even threw in how he took control of the Chief Goblin, forced him to walk into getting tortured and ultimately killing Ridge once Lily was stabbed. And he spoke of the pain, the pain he felt after doing it, what Seth had told him to do because of what was inside him, and how he walked right into it. Alexis did not look at him once as he spoke. She just stared down, taking in everything he said with a grim expression.

For five minutes, she listened to him talk about what he did and how bad he felt knowing that if put in the situation again, whatever was inside him at the time, he would do it again. When he finally finished, he took a deep breath and covered his eyes, not wanting to look her in the eyes when she said what he thought she would say. That he truly did wrong. So, his shoulder tensed up when she touched it tentatively. "Al…"

Slowly, he lowered his hands, hating himself. He knew what she would say. She would not berate him. She just wanted to see him stable. Albus was always a wreck around her. He could not stand it. Would he ever be the strong one? Would he ever be the one who gave Alexis what she might have wanted? Would he ever be the one to help her up instead of the other way around? The thought overwhelmed him with so much grief, so much irritation at being the weak one, he made to get up, to leave and just sort his feelings out, maybe wallow in self pity.

But before he could even get on his feet, Alexis reached out and kept him down. He could feel himself breathing, chest going up and down. She just kept looking at him, staring intently until his breathing calmed down and he relaxed. He had let out all his anger. But whatever grief he felt, he could never take it out on Alexis. So, she let go of him and turned so they were staring at each other straight.

Finally, she started speaking, "Would it make you feel better if I told you that I might do the exact"-

"Don't," he interrupted. "Don't say that, Alexis. I know you, you would never"-

"Oh, you do, do you?" Alexis retorted calmly. "What do you know about me? Did you know that I nearly killed my own younger brother when I was ten? Do you know how defensive I am about him, how badly I would Curse anyone who tries touching him? Al, if there's anything we have in common, it's our capacity to love. And love will drive us to do crazy, sometimes cruel things. God knows what I do to Soto if I ever have to see him again and he's lucky I haven't Cursed his son into oblivion yet. You thought your cousin was killed, let alone your sister. Who is Mark to tell you not to?"

"It's the manner of it," Albus told her. "That's what bothers me. How does Mark feel about it? He has a bad history with the Dark Arts, of course he hates me now. And what's worst is I'm glad I did it."

"He doesn't hate you, Al," Alexis told him frankly. "But yes, he's disappointed."

"Are you?" Albus asked, almost demanded. "At all?"

Alexis sighed, looking down, "I'll be honest, I'm not sorry he's gone. But… I wish you picked another way to off him."

"You see?"

"Of course I see," Alexis said resignedly. "You used Dark Magic and you're a horrible person for doing it. Happy now?" Albus was silent, mouth zipped shut and Alexis challenged him, "Think about it, Al. You've already accepted the fact that even if you hadn't used the Unforgivable Curses, you still would've killed him. How would you have done it then? Huh?"

"A… curse, maybe?"

"Exactly," Alexis told him quietly, and he realized she was holding his hands. The sun was shining now despite a couple of droplets they could barely feel. "You would've cursed him, which let's face it would probably have been dirtier and more gruesome than the clean death you gave him already. You were probably more merciful truth be told."

Albus stopped, well aware that his breathing had stopped. He had never thought of it that way. He and Alexis had gotten up and walked on their way towards the Shrieking Shack's hill. The shack was of course gone and very little of it stood now. Splinters of wood were scattered around the area like a tornado hit it and pieces of glass were still around the place so that the Hogsmeade Mayor had cordoned off the area and put up signs warning to keep off the area. The two stared at what was once the Shrieking Shack for a good five minutes, as if mourning in silence what it once was.

"Do you know where it is?" she asked silently.

Albus knew she was talking about the Amulet. He knew it supposedly belonged to Mark, he knew it was Merlin's Amulet, and he knew it was important. Since it had disappeared, neither Albus nor Mark ventured or even spoke of the place where it had to be afterwards. It appeared in the place it was before use, the Room of Requirement. Albus knew where it was but he did not say anything.

"Wherever it is, keep it hidden," she said in that same quiet voice. "You want to know what Soto told me to make me cooperate with him?"

"Did he blackmail you too?" Albus asked her.

"I don't think he knows of other ways to force negotiations and deals," she said seriously. "See, he knew of my ancestry and he decided to threaten my brother if I did not do what he said."

"Can I ask you something?" Albus asked as they turned and walked back down the hill. The mood between the two was a lot more sullen now Albus had stopped mourning over himself and what he did three months ago. As their steps took them back up High Street and towards Hogwarts, Albus asked, "Whatever happened to your brother?"

The question seemed to draw an intake of breath from Alexis as they walked side-by-side, hands clasped around each other. "Al… what happened… you'll probably never look at me the same way again."

"Come on, can it be any worst than what I did?" Albus asked.

"Yes," she nodded. Her story was told very solemnly. Albus could tell that she was feigning calmness, like she was trying to explain the story casually but could not. He could hear her sadness. "Five years ago, the winter before I was supposed to start Hogwarts, my brother and I were building a- snowwoman and just playing in the snow. Well, I was. He was playing a foot away from me and when he saw my snowwoman, he ruined it. No reason why. He was five. He acted like all five year-olds and ruined it. Like all underage witches and wizards, I got a little emotional…" Albus could hear in her voice an attempt at justifying what had happened, like she was trying, even then to calm herself. "I got really angry and he collapsed."

"So, what?"

"So, he almost died, that's what," Alexis said, voice breaking suddenly. They stopped halfway across the street and stopped at a point a little off the road, in a field of daffodils just growing. "Alexander got an illness known only to witches and wizards. Feverish. If you get it as a child, you could die if not treated but he got it. And when he recovered it drained him of a lot of his powers. He's like… half a squib or something. He's perfectly fine for Hogwarts but…"

"Wait," Albus said, looking at her. "You- you think you did that to him?"

"Of course I did that to him," she said miserably, starting the walk again. "Al, this kind of illness comes with warning signs, symptoms, ways to tell before it hits. My anger… my"-

"So, you got angry, like you said everyone"-

"No one did what I did," she interrupted frankly. "Look, let's not argue whether it's my fault or not. If an illness comes with warnings and this one did not and he collapsed right after I got angry which does not happen when it first starts, then it stands to reason I did it." She stopped, as if knowing that if she continued, she would cry without wanting to. After a minute of calming herself and Albus staying silent for her, she said, "He's fine now. He's just like anyone else. He just needs help learning spells. We even practiced with my mother's wand. He can if he practices hard enough. Three times as hard as anyone else his age. And he's my job. He's my mission in life."

They reached Hogwarts. Just as they walked inside the grounds, he turned to her, having finally found the perfect words for her, "Do you know what I really like about you? You're always thinking about someone else. Half the people- no, all the people in my house think of themselves first. I still don't even know why you chose to help me in second year."

"Do you really want to know?" she asked. "You remind me of him. He has your look when you're angry, he has your way of folding your arms when you're expecting something, and he is always a victim of unfortunate circumstances." The two were silent for a time, and then she cleared her throat, "Do you know what I like about you? You've probably gone through more hell than your father has at your age and you somehow manage to keep your cool. I'm surprised you haven't killed anyone a long time ago."

"I like how you always seem to know how to lighten the mood," Albus told her back.

"I like how even when your friends are complete bastards, you still see the best in them," she mused.

Reminding him of Mark, which reminded Albus of Mark's currently shaky relationship with Aries, a sudden idea struck Albus. Overcome with stupid desire, Albus turned to her, a sudden, stupid idea coming to mind. Yet, he knew the admitting was overdue. He knew that what he said next should have been said three years ago, and he knew he was being smarter and more honest than Mark in saying it. "You know what, enough about the liking. I love you."

A/N: Response to Cal's review: You asked a very good question and to be completely honest, I am not sure if I am capable of answering it. Not because it's a secret, but because I'm not sure I know the answer to that. Truth is, Seth is a confusing character, even for me. He might be, he might not be. In all honesty, I did not create Seth for him to have any sexual orientation. Unlike with other character, it is not part of the package. It is far likelier that he is asexual. This does not mean he will never fall in love (because it is distinctly possible) but it does mean that he is just not interested as of now. In the end, he is only twelve and though he is very mature for his age, he is still just a child (I feel so weird acknowledging this but it's true. He's preteen.)