It took almost a full week for me to reach my destination. I was cold and exhausted and starving. The food that Camille had packed for me had ran out two days ago and I had been surviving on water from streams and whatever vegetables I could steal from gardens along the way.
It was all worthwhile when I finally reached the small village I had been flying towards. I hoped and prayed that Gizmo had reached his destination before I did.
I was in luck when I knocked on the door Professor Snape answered. He looked right and left and grabbed me by the arm to drag me inside.
"Why would return expressly against orders?" He hissed at me.
"I had to Professor as soon as I saw the newspaper I had to get back to Draco." I gripped the sleeve of his robes "Surely you can understand that?"
He sighed and walked over to the fireplace. "Yes, Miss Weasley, that I can understand."
"As can I." I had missed the presence of the other two people in the room. One was…. Mrs. Malfoy! She was the one who had spoken, The other woman I did not know, but she frightened me. I wanted to move closer to Professor Snape, but I would not show weakness in front of these people.
"Mrs. Malfoy! I came as soon as I could… I had some … difficulties… in reaching here." I kneeled at her feet wishing to take her hands but not quite daring.
"Yes, I am certain you did." She reached out to take my hands in hers, allowing me to give and receive comfort.
"How… how is Draco?" I was so worried about him that all thoughts of food and comfort fled my mind.
"He is much better… now." She smiled up at Professor Snape but I could not miss the tears in her eyes.
"I never would have left him if I had any choice in the matter." I assured her.
"See Cissy?" I ould not miss the sneer and sarcasm in her voice "Draco should be very honored this young lady, a child of the Black and Weasley family if I am not mistaken, has taken it upon herself to prtect him, as if the favor of…."
"I am certain you must be hungry, Alya. I will feed you and then you will return immediately." Professor Snape cut the woman off.
"Bellatrix and I will take her for something to eat and then send her to her parents." Mrs. Malfoy offered.
The other woman sneered "You may do so, Cissy, I am not playing nurse maid to some blood traitor whelp."
I sighed. I knew some people felt that way about my family. I knew the Malfoys felt that way about the rest of my family.
"That is unnecessary, Narcissa" Professor Snape refused on my behalf "I am quite capable of feeding a young lady and returning her to her home."
I was startled when Mrs. Malfoy stood up and hugged me. She whispered "I knew we made the right choice. I knew you were the one."
Before I could ponder her strange words she left, taking the awful woman with her.
"Come along then." I got the distinct impression he did not want me to stay in his house.
We apparated to the Leaky Cauldron where I ate my fish and chips and drank my fill of butterbeer.
"I have no authority to permit you to stay, Miss Weasley" he held a hand up and my downcast face "but neither will I argue for your return. I have no desire to see you racing about two countries unattended."
I would have hugged him if I thought he would have permitted it.
"But you will have to be the one to convince your parents, and if I am not mistaken you will have the opportunity to do so sooner than you expect." I looked up to see my father bearing down on us.
"I am guessing that seeking asylum from my father is a no-go?" I looked up at him pleadingly.
"10 points to Slytherin for guessing correctly." He almost smiled.
My father did not almost smile. "Thank you Professor Snape for corralling my wayward daughter. I have it in hand now." The handshake they shared was stiff.
"As for you, young lady, gone for a week, no owl, no word of warning. The professors at your school are beside themselves! This was not going to go well.
"The professors at my school know where I am!" I protested.
My father sighed and almost looked defeated. I was sorry about that. "Come along your mother is worried."
My father apparated us to the Burrow. He did hug me tightly to him as he did so. I guess he was more worried than I thought.
My mother did a fair bit of yelling and hugging. "Alya Cedrella Elladora Alexia Weasley, how dare you take off like that?! Do you have any idea how worried we have been? Anything could have happened to you! We have had the Aurors of two countries searching every floo for you!"
"Why would they search the floo's?" It was not until that moment I realized I could have flooed home.
"If you did not floo then how..." for the first time she noticed the broom on my back "do you mean to say you flew that ruddy broom all the way here?"
I nodded. "Mummy, I had to come home, Draco…"
"Oh that boy! All of this over some schoolgirl crush!" she looked ready to spit flames.
"Now Mollywobbles, we were not much older than Alya when we got married." There was my Daddy! I knew he had been hiding somewhere!
"Arthur Weasley you are not suggesting…" Mum started sputtering.
"I am only suggesting we not dismiss her feelings so easily." I turned to him in shock. "Oh don't give me that look, even your dear old father can recognize when he has not built the most open relationship with his teenage daughter."
I hugged him make Mum roll her eyes. "Oh you two, that child has had you wrapped around her finger from birth, Arthur Weasley."
I don't know that I agreed with that, we certainly had spent the last few years at logger heads, but I was glad he was on my side in this.
"You may have dinner and sleep in your own bed Alya, but tomorrow it is straight back to Beauxbatons with you!" Mum looked determined, but I was far more so.
"I won't go back. I am going to Hogwarts or no where this year!" I did not exactly shout this, I refused to act like a stubborn child, but she needed to know the way of things. "I will drop out. I have enough money to last me as long as I wish. I won't work. I will just be a very wealthy lay about!"
Mum opened and closed her mouth a few times "Now see here young lady as long as you live under this roof…"
"Then I won't live under this roof. I will find a small flat and live there." She and I glared at each other.
"Molly… even if we force her to go back, do you really want to risk her running about unescorted in times like this?" I stared at my father in shock.
More so at my mother when she gave in "Very well, but if you stick one toe out of line I will petition the Ministry to hand over control of your funds to your father and I until you are of age!"
I was so happy I hugged them both.
"I will take you to Hogwarts tomorrow, Alya, for tonight, eat and sleep." My father gently pushed me in to the chair.
I was too happy to argue about anything, I would eat liver and bile to be allowed to go back to Hogwarts and see Draco!
The next day Dad and I appeared in Professor Dumbledore's office. "I must say young lady, I know how loyal students are to their school, but You may be the first one I have ever heard of who crossed two countries and the English Channel on a broom to return!"
I blushed "Yes Professor… I just really needed to come home." His twinkling eyes made me feel much better, like he understood.
"Well, I shall leave you to it then." Dad nodded to Professor Dumbeldore on his way out.
"Professor…" I began not knowing why I thought he would understand. "Have you ever really truly cared about someone who everyone else thought was a bad idea? Maybe even a bad person, but you just couldn't stop caring about them?"
He had a really far off look in his eyes "Indeed I have Miss Weasley, indeed I have."
I nodded and smiled him, off to find my boyfriend.
And indeed I did. With Pansy wrapped around his arm and him looking happy about it. He looked at me in shock when I walked into the Great Hall.