A/N: Double chapter update!
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Death's Welcome
She was floating again. The last time she experienced such a sensation had been, well, at the beginning of her new life. Was it already time for her to move on?
"Mm, not quite," hummed an amused voice.
There was the distinct sound of a bubble bursting. Alex opened her eyes and found herself sitting on the bench of a bus stop not two miles from her house. Seated on the other end was her grandmother.
"You sure I'm not dead?" Alex asked flatly.
Her mum's mum smiled. The expression was devoid of any real emotion. "Well, you're definitely not alive," she mused. "But you're not quite dead either."
Alex surveyed the scene around her. Other than herself and her supposedly deceased grandmother, there was no one around, which was a bit unusual considering it looked like it was midday. There were no teens loitering, no children playing, no cats dozing, not even a single bird chirping in the trees shadowing them.
"Welcome," said the being wearing her grandmother's face, "to the in-between."
Alex blinked rapidly as she adjusted to that world-shifting revelation. "It looks a lot like Surrey," she replied. "Who are you, by the way? I refuse to believe you're my grandmother." According to Mum, her mother never really smiled, especially in her later years.
"I am not she, nor am I mortal. I am merely borrowing the visage of your grandmother."
"Let me guess," drawled Alex. "My pathetic mortal mind can't comprehend your true form?"
The being wearing her grandmother's face nodded. "I've yet to come across a mortal who's glimpsed my image without losing their mind."
"Cool. So, again, who are you?"
The smile she received this time was much larger and all the more empty. "You can call me Death."
Alex was thoroughly unimpressed. Her life was already so bizarre she couldn't summon the wherewithal to actually react in an appropriate manner. "This meeting is overdue," she noted, recalling all the times the Hogwarts ghosts had mentioned her brush with the afterlife.
Death shook their head. "We've met once. You should've remembered, but I wiped the wrong parts of your memory."
Alex rolled her eyes. Fat lot of good that confession did for her now. "Why am I here?" she wondered instead. "I wasn't hit by the Killing Curse, was I?"
"No, but you did fall through my archway. It's the barrier separating this world from that of the living." Death lifted their arm, using the sleeve of their loose black robes to mimic the idea of the veil. "Any other mortal would've died the moment they passed through the veil. But as my chosen, you were able to slip through the cracks instead."
Chosen. The lone word rang in her head like the clamour of the school bell. "I'm your chosen?" she repeated slowly, sceptically. "What does that mean?"
Death pried their gaze away from Alex and peered up at the unmoving sky. "Do you know why Tom Marvolo Riddle chose the epithet Lord Voldemort?"
"Because he thought it was badass?"
"It means flight of death, or to steal death. And he calls himself a lord, while his followers supposedly eat death. He is an abomination who seeks to evade my grasp permanently through his search for immortality. I simply cannot allow that. The balance of the universe would never be recovered if he were to succeed."
"That's why Harry becomes Master of Death," concluded Alex.
"No," snarled Death. The hem of their dark robes shifted, ruffled by a non-existent breeze. "I have no master. And in your world, Harry Potter would have died years ago."
Alex flinched so horribly she almost leapt out of her seat on the bus bench. "My world?"
Death nodded. "The world where Alexandra Fortescue exists. The world in which your spirit was reincarnated. There are many worlds where the Potter child lives, just as there are many where he dies. In those worlds, Longbottom is destined to defeat Tom Riddle.
"You were chosen for a reason," continued Death, brushing invisible lint off their black cloak. "Your previous lives always ended as sacrifices for another. Your soul was the right one for this task."
Alex scrunched up her nose. I sound like an utter buffoon. "Full offense, but how am I supposed to do that?" she scoffed. "I'm not exactly AK-proof like Harry."
"You are more fortunate than you believe," Death said cryptically.
A faint rumbling noise filled the air.
"Your bus is here," noted Death, peeking down the road as one turned the corner. "Will you catch it?"
"Where's it headed?"
"The place you desire most."
Alex didn't hesitate to board the bus. As enlightening as her time here had been, she was mildly disappointed she hadn't been bequeathed with a weapon powerful enough to shape the world. Then again, this was probably all a hallucination produced by her over-active imagination while she laid comatose at a ward in Mungo's.
She turned back to her not-grandmother. "Will we meet again?" she wondered.
Death smiled slightly. "Soon," they promised her.
Alex watched as the bus doors hissed closed, blocking her view of the figure responsible for her existence. She collapsed into the seat closest to her and leaned back into it as the bus rumbled down the street. It seemed to stretch on and on and on. Tempted as she was to discover whether or not the in-between was truly as stark as she believed it to be, Alex found it difficult to keep her eyes open for long. Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy. Before she knew it, she lost consciousness.
When she came to again, she expected to find herself as a newborn once more – either that or back on the bus going nowhere. Fortunately, she was wrong. Alex was back in the Department of Mysteries, crumpled up against the cold floor of the atrium. The room was deathly silent.
Groaning softly, Alex picked herself up off the floor, surveying the room as she did so. Bodies littered the area, unconscious but (hopefully) alive. Their torsos rose and fell with each breath they took in, even the Death Eaters. Something icy snaked around her heart as she peered down at them, her wand still in her hand.
Kill them, the snake seemed to whisper to her. Kill them and Voldemort will be weakened.
Was this Bellatrix? Death again? Or was this Alex's own voice urging her to take the lives of her Housemates' fathers?
Don't think of them like that, she reprimanded herself, leaning against the thick arch as her legs threatened to give out beneath her. They're Death Eaters. Blood supremacists. Voldemort's loyal followers. If you don't kill them now, they'll hurt countless innocents.
The logic was sound. So why was she crying? Why did her wand suddenly feel so heavy?
Furious, Alex wiped at her moist cheeks with the back of her hand. "Coward," she murmured to herself.
The sound of multiple apparitions reached her ears before several wizards and witches in auror robes materialised around the room. Alex disillusioned herself and watched as the aurors took in the situation. It was only when she spotted her mum among the throng of newcomers that Alex relaxed – before she recalled the existence and accessibility of Polyjuice.
Alex kept her guard even as she cancelled the Disillusionment Charm and approached her mum, who was patching up the heavily bleeding gash across Alastor's forehead. She paused in her work when she spotted her daughter in her periphery.
"Alex!" she gasped, her black eyes wide and fearful. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"
"What quip did Dad make when I was born?" Alex asked, her body tense.
Her mum's expression turned briefly hurt then mournful. "He joked that you were beautiful because you looked just like him."
Alex nodded stoically despite the wave of relief that threatened to drown her. If she released hold of her emotions even just a smidge, her dam would've come crumbling down and she'd been a sobbing heap by her mum's side.
"What can I do to help?" she asked instead.
"We were warned there would be several other students down here. Can you lead another auror to them?"
"Of course."
Mum waved over said auror and returned her attention to Alastor. Similarly, Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Kingsley were being tended to, while the comatose Death Eaters had their wrists bound with cuffs that were resistant to most forms of magic.
The auror who followed Alex appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties and was strangely tranquil considering their circumstances. Then again, he hadn't just spent the past half-hour fighting alongside his teenage friends against the Dark Lord and his inner circle; besides, this was probably routine for him now.
What she couldn't let slide were his attempts at making small talk with her as they left the room with the veil.
"So, you're the boss's kid?" he asked conversationally.
"Boss?" Alex echoed, brow furrowed.
"Oh, I was her intern when I first started out, and the nickname stuck. Y'know, she doesn't really mention you much."
Alex rolled her eyes. "I'm glad my mother respects my privacy."
If Felix was put off by her snappishness, he wasn't making it obvious. "You gonna be an auror too when you graduate in a few years?"
"I graduate much sooner than that, and no, I'm not aiming to become an auror."
Now he was offended. "What? Why not? Don't you wanna make your mum proud?"
"My mum's already proud of me," she hissed. "But the same probably can't be said of you and your mum, not with the way you're so desperately projecting onto me and based on your borderline obsessive behaviour with my own mum. Now shut up and do your fucking job!"
"Sheesh," Felix muttered as they entered the Brain Room. "Uptight bitch."
All thoughts of beating the shit out of magical Britain's most annoying auror were pushed out of her mind when she spotted her friends. They were in the same state Alex had left them in, if more visibly anxious.
The first person she locked eyes with was Cedric. He was sitting on the floor, nursing his head, but appeared relieved to see her.
Before she could move to him, Ginny embraced her tearfully. "Where's Harry?" she asked, sniffling.
Alex hung her head in shame. "I dunno. I got knocked out."
"What?" yelped Ginny. She shifted her hands so that they were gripping Alex's forearms almost painfully. "We need to find him!"
"Relax," Felix said as he healed the Weasley twins. "Dumbledore went straight for Potter. He's the one who made Minister Fudge summon us in the first place."
"I have so many questions," declared Ron as he rubbed his head. He was no longer being attacked by a sentient brain, so Alex considered the night a success already.
Ha. What a joke. Sirius had never been here, had only stepped foot in the Department of Mysteries because Harry skydived straight into Voldemort's trap. They had sacrificed their lives over nothing.
"Are you all right, Alex?" Neville asked from where he was propped up against the wall.
She shook her head wordlessly.
"You have a concussion," Felix noted as he kneeled by Cedric. He pressed his fingers lightly against Cedric's scalp. "And a small bump forming. All of you need to be taken to Mungo's for a thorough check-up."
"How?" asked one of the twins. "If we apparate or even floo, we're gonna end up worse for wear."
"We're not gonna use the knight bus, are we?" groaned Ron.
"Of course not," scoffed Felix. He dug out a pouch full of brooches with the Mungo's logo emblazoned on them. "You'll be using these."
"Portkeys?" said Alex, frowning at the brooch. "Those aren't exactly stable methods of transportation either."
"Most portkeys aren't," admitted Felix, shrugging. "These were designed especially for the transportation of unwell patients. They're reusable and will deposit you in designated arrival sites within Mungo's. You'll barely even notice the instantaneous travel."
Cedric stood up and moved to Alex's side. "You trust him?" he asked quietly.
Alex nodded. "I've seen my mum with these brooches before," she said, inspecting the portkeys. "I always assumed it was merch."
"How do we activate 'em?" wondered Ginny.
"Just tap it with your wand," instructed Felix.
After confirming with everyone that they still had their own wands and did not need a replacement (Alex had plenty stolen wands on her person), they did as told and found themselves inside a clean and open space half a second later. The abrupt change in environment had them reeling, and they spent a few seconds adjusting to the sudden brightness assaulting their vision before a team of healers hurried over to them.
The next hour was painfully boring. Though the preliminary diagnostic spells claimed Alex hadn't suffered any permanent damage, the healers at Mungo's wanted her to stay overnight in case any complications arose. On the bright side, everyone else was stuck in the same ward as her. Unfortunately, the lack of soundproof curtains meant she was forced to hear every single word they exchanged and their noises of discomfort. She resorted to hexing herself into deafness when their parents and guardians dropped by for a visit-slash-lecture, pausing momentarily to listen to Mr and Mrs Weasley as they informed everyone Harry was safe and with Dumbledore back at Hogwarts.
Alex heard Amos Diggory a handful of seconds before she even saw him. She provided the Diggorys with the illusion of privacy by feigning sleep like she had with the others, only this time she also cancelled her self-inflicted Deafening Hex.
"Cedric, m'boy, how are you feeling?" Amos asked as he walked past Alex's gurney. He was awfully loud for someone in a ward filled with dozing patients.
"I'm fine, Dad, just a little concussed. The healer said I'll be fully healed in a few days," Cedric assured him.
There was a creak as his parents settled into the uncomfortable chairs beside Cedric's gurney. "I thought I wouldn't start seeing you in here until after you started your quidditch career," Leah Diggory joked, her voice a touch watery.
"Really, son! What were you thinking, storming the Ministry of Magic like that?" huffed Amos.
"My friends needed me," Cedric replied stiffly.
"I don't recall you being friends with any of these people…" murmured Leah. "Besides Alex, of course."
"You mean my girlfriend Alex?"
On the other side of the room, Alex stiffened as she felt several pairs of eyes lock in on her. She was so accustomed to the sensation to the point where even with her own eyes closed she could tell when she was being watched.
"You know, not everyone stays with their sweetheart from the schoolboy days," Leah said gently. "She seems like a nice girl, Cedric, but after the Triwizard Tournament last year and, well, the incident tonight, she strikes me as the type to soar head-first into danger."
Alex fought the urge to arch an eyebrow. I thought you wanted me to be less Slytherin?
She could practically hear Cedric roll his eyes when he said, "You two were ecstatic when I said I wanted to play quidditch professionally, and that career isn't exactly a safe one."
"You're deflecting," huffed Amos, "and I noticed you didn't disagree that Alex is responsible for your hospitalisation."
Alex never liked Amos; he was like a human with the personality of a peacock. But she couldn't help but acknowledge that in this instance he was right. Cedric was thrown in harm's way because of her. Bellatrix Lestrange had even laid hands on him, threatening to unleash hell on him without batting an eyelash.
"You two need to leave," Cedric said, his voice flat. "You're making my head ache."
Whatever objections Mr and Mrs Diggory had to their son's dismissal of them took a backseat for their concern of him. They left the ward much more quietly than they had arrived, leaving behind them a silence that was almost suffocating.
The tension was broken moments later when Alex's parents walked in.
"I brought ice cream," was the first thing her dad said when he popped into the room.
"Yes!" cheered Ron. Then he winced as he agitated his sores.
Everyone thanked her dad while he went around to each of them with a cup of gelato and a spoon. They were still cold thanks to the charm he applied to the bag he carried them in. There were still a few servings left when Alex peered inside. She smirked at what she saw.
"Aren't these expiring soon?" she noted in amusement.
"That doesn't mean they aren't delicious," sniffed Dad. His face grew serious when he gave her a once-over. "Alex. I spoke with Professor Dumbledore. Why in Merlin's name are you involved in a secret society?"
"None of us are part of that," she replied unrepentantly. "Only those who fought and lived through the war is allowed to participate." Her expression went slack when she put two and two together. "You guys aren't part of it, are you?"
"Well, we are now," scoffed Mum. "You really didn't give us much of a choice, Alexandra, and frankly, I'm rather annoyed you didn't tell us about this before."
"Why, so you can give her a sword this time?" drawled Dad.
"Florean!" snapped Mum.
"Dad!" laughed Alex. She peered at her mum expectantly. "Do you have a sword?"
"Of course not," claimed Mum. "I have a katana."
"You really shouldn't encourage stereotypes like that," said Alex, calling her bluff. She bit her lip, thinking of the Diggorys. "You're not angry?"
Her dad reached for her hand and encased it with his own. "Angry? No. Terrified? Yes. We're proud and definitely not surprised; you are our daughter, after all. We'd be more upset if you didn't help your friends when they needed you."
Alex wiped away the teardrops sliding down her cheeks.
Her mum held her other hand. "Promise me something," she whispered, her dark eyes—so much like Alex's—shining with unshed tears. "Promise that you'll outlive us."
As much as Alex would've loved to communicate with Death again in hopes of explaining to her parents how, as a puny mortal, she couldn't dictate when and where someone died (well, technically she could, but that was known as murder), she knew very well what her mum was asking of her.
"I'll try," she said, voice cracking with the strain of her emotional overhaul. "But you guys have to live to see your seventies at least."
Smiling, Mum squeezed her hand but otherwise didn't reply.
"How's Harry?" Alex asked, changing the subject.
"He's severely traumatised, but otherwise okay," answered her mum.
Story of his life, Alex thought dryly. "And the others? Sirius and Alastor and stuff?"
Her parents exchanged a look. Already Alex found herself bracing for the bad news.
"They were taken to Hogwarts," Dad began slowly. "Dumbledore figured they were safer there than here."
Alex nodded. Alastor himself had plenty of enemies, let alone the others.
"They're all alive," continued Mum. She bit her lip, as if debating whether to continue speaking. Finally, she spat it out: "Remus Lupin is in a coma. We're not sure who did it or how, but Dumbledore if confident he'll be back to normal sooner or later."
"Never realised Dumbledore was a Seer," Alex muttered.
Her mum admonished her with a click of her tongue.
Sighing, Alex released the tension roiling in her system and fell back onto her gurney. Sirius and Harry are gonna be a wreck after tonight.
Sensing her inner turmoil, Dad pressed a light kiss on her forehead. "Everything will work out. We just need to have faith."
"We can stay as long as you need us to," offered Mum.
Alex glanced at their gross chairs and raised her eyebrows. "It's bad enough I have to remain here, I'm not gonna make you suffer as well. You guys can go – but please bring me my books and pasta tomorrow."
"Okay, Your Majesty," huffed Mum, but she was grinning. "We'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Love you, sweetpea," Dad told her as they stood up.
Alex did her best to smile for them. "Love you too."
Everyone save for Ron and Hermione were discharged the following day. A few pulled strings from Dumbledore's end enabled the two Gryffindors to finish their hospitalisation at Hogwarts rather than Mungo's. While some of the healers doubted the school and its lone healer, many of them were relieved to have a lighter workload.
Like the self-preserving coward that she was, Alex refused to remain in the common areas at school. She didn't want to deal with the fallout from her Housemates; she couldn't even think of them without remembering their parents and how eagerly they wanted to hurt her and her friends. Her roommates understood, even if they didn't approve of her decision to linger in the shadows.
Truthfully, Alex thought they should've considered themselves lucky. Katherine and Agatha were really the only two people Alex interacted with anymore. She resented Harry, and didn't want to watch as he lashed out at himself and his friends for his poor decision-making. Her relationship with Cedric was rockier than ever.
For the last few weeks of school, Alex pushed everything out of her mind save for her exams. She was pleasantly surprised to discover how easy it was to fall back into the routine of studying. It was nice, pretending to be an ordinary student again, despite the occasional moments when her mind wandered and she found herself idly drawing a sketch of the veiled arch. Alex made sure to erase those doodles from her parchment, and when she couldn't, she tore the section off and set it ablaze.
Katherine frowned at her from across the table they reserved at the library. "You're going to set this place on fire one day."
"Hogwarts has survived worse," Alex replied, rolling her eyes.
Agatha frowned, bemused. "Like what?"
"Like Snape." Alex's smirk died before it could even bloom. Normally she had no compunctions taking the piss when it came to their Head of House, but he had technically saved her arse that night at the Department of Mysteries.
After she and her mates had left for the Ministry, members of the Inquisitorial Squad had discovered Umbridge in the state Alex put her in. They quickly alerted Snape, who chased the students away and flicked through Umbridge's mind using legilimency. Using the witch's memories, he'd witnessed the confrontation between her and Alex, and when he couldn't locate the trio, the Weasleys, or Alex herself, he had assumed the worst and contacted the Order of the Phoenix.
The Order were just as clueless regarding their whereabouts as Snape. It was only when Kreacher started cackling did they realise what had went down. Harry had spoken to the house-elf, who had misled him into believing Sirius was at the Ministry. For the past year now, Kreacher had been going behind Sirius's back—as much as he could, anyway—and had been funnelling information to his cousins, Narcissa and Bellatrix.
Alex had heard of this from Dumbledore himself when he welcomed them back the day after. The old man had the gall to use the incident as a learning experience wherein they needed to be kinder to everyone around them, Kreacher included. Alex barely heard him over the sneering voice in her head that told her she should've killed Kreacher when she had the chance last year. She would've rectified her mistakes by smothering Umbridge in her sleep, but unfortunately the Ministry plant was booted from Hogwarts the second Dumbledore was reinstated.
On the day of her last exam, Cedric ambushed her outside the Great Hall. Successfully cornered, Alex could only stand in place, wide-eyed as Cedric approached her with a frown.
"You've been avoiding me," he noted, cutting straight to the point.
Alex winced. "Not just you," she said, as if that would help.
Judging by his deepening frown, it didn't. "I'm guessing you overheard what my parents said in the hospital?"
"Yeah," she admitted, glancing downwards. "And I agree with them."
Cedric's attempt to comfort her with a hug were shot down when she shrugged him off. The pain in his eyes was almost too great to bear, but Alex forced herself to meet his gaze.
"You're graduating next week," she reminded him, voice soft but firm. "You'll be starting your new job, which will drain you and eat up all your time. You can't afford to distract yourself with me, and frankly, I don't know if I even want to be part of a long-distance relationship."
"We can try," he insisted, his defence sounding weak to them both. "We can't know unless we try."
Alex shook her head. "My mind's been made." It had been for a while now. "I probably would've reached this conclusion even without your parents' less than subtle conversation."
Cedric grimaced. "I can't promise I won't wait for you."
Alex shuddered. That was possibly the worst thing he could've said in this moment. "With a face like yours?" she scoffed, trying to lighten the mood. "People will be throwing themselves at you even when you're not after a snitch."
"That was a pretty awful quidditch joke," he quipped, smiling slightly.
Alex suppressed the wave of affection that surged at his response. She mightn't ever find anyone else who understood her like Cedric did. But if he stayed by her side, he was going to get himself killed. Alex would rather take another Cruciatus to the chest than allow that to happen.
"Thank you," she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes, "for being a great first love."
This time, when Cedric moved to hug her, she let it happen, well aware that this was the last time he'd ever be able to do this for her. He placed one final kiss on her cheek and walked off, his heart undoubtedly as heavy as hers, if not more so.
By the time night fell, everyone had heard of the shift in her relationship status. That was okay, though. Alex didn't plan on giving anyone the opportunity to accost her for the rest of the term. She took her meals in the kitchen and spent her time either reading or being with her non-complicated friends – that basically meant those who were dead or not in Gryffindor.
"What was it like?" Myrtle asked when Alex went to visit her in the bathroom that night after dinner. "Dying again?"
"I didn't die," Alex said for the umpteenth time. "I was at death's door. Clearly I'm still alive."
"Yes, but you've already died once," Myrtle explained impatiently. "Who's to say you haven't died again?"
"Me. Because if I really did die again and come back as myself, the least Death could do is give me, like, Robes of Invincibility. Or a spell that would allow me to freeze time."
Myrtle stared at her. "I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what the concept of 'death' signifies."
Alex sighed. "One would assume I'd be an expert on that by now."
One thing was for certain: Alex positively reeked of death. The four House ghosts paid her a visit over the course of the next few days, attracted by some otherworldly trace that lingered on her. They didn't pester her for long, to her relief. If anything, they were more invested in the return of Voldemort. The ghosts didn't remember much, since time was basically a blur to the undead, but Voldemort's initial rise to power was something they couldn't forget even if they wanted to.
"It began with the deaths of random muggles," the Bloody Baron informed her. "At first, it was explained via non-magical means. Muggles often get themselves in all sorts of trouble, and are so blind to the existence of magic that they would never consider the prospect as a suitable justification. The Death Eaters grew bolder, more reckless. Sometimes the Dark Mark was cast over muggle households. What fools!" he seethed. "Exposing us like that, just to frighten the muggles!"
"Then what happened?" prompted Alex before the Baron could settle himself further into his rant.
"Notable witches and wizards disappeared next. They were taken in the dead of the night. Tortured and killed, most of them were. While his disciples terrorised the people, Voldemort himself took to currying the favour of giants and dementors and other creatures who could be swayed by his illicit promises. Many ghosts came into existence during that time," the Baron mused. "I daresay we'll be starting to see some more over the next few years. Of course, it's better to be a ghost than an inferi."
Alex rummaged through her mind for the word. "They're like zombies, right?"
"Similar, but vastly different," he told her unhelpfully. "Zombies can only be found over the pond and are created through an intricate ritual that is more or less voluntary to the victim. Inferi are abominations, corpses defiled by sorcerers and forced to do their bidding. One of the ghouls here had their body used by Voldemort for such a fashion, and maintains a bitter grudge against him as a result."
"That's terrifying," she said frankly. Idly, she wondered if Death cared for such creatures.
The Baron dipped his head into a shallow nod, acknowledging her remark. "All the more reason to revere Voldemort. They say even Grindelwald was incapable of creating an army of inferi, let alone control them."
A chunk of ice slid down into Alex's stomach. "Thank you for your time, Baron. If you'll excuse me, I need to see what the library says about killing the undead."
"Hopefully nothing about ghosts," he called after her.
Now that exams were over, the library was abandoned. Other than several overzealous Ravenclaws, Alex was the only student there. She made a beeline to her favourite overzealous Ravenclaw when she spotted him.
For the first time in years, he wasn't buried behind a mountain of books. His table was relatively empty save for a rolled-up piece of parchment in front of him.
He grinned at her as she sat across him. "Guess what?"
"You're getting another dog," said Alex.
"No. Well, yes. But that's not what I want to talk about," he replied, dismissing that tangent with a wave of his hand. "My book is getting published!"
"Nice!" cheered Alex. She winced when Madam Pince shushed her.
"This is the contract I signed with the publishers," said Stephen, unfurling the parchment between them.
Alex skimmed it. "Not bad," she hummed. "When will your book hit the shelves?"
"Next week at the earliest. Finally, a muggleborn protagonist on the shelves of Burgin and Borkes' bookshop." Stephen sighed dreamily.
"Isn't it Borgin and Burkes?" she asked, bemused.
"Whatever. Stop getting worked up over the little details."
Alex kicked his shin beneath the table. "Git," she said, grinning.
"Wow. I'm definitely purging you from my memory as soon as I hit it big."
She shook her head disparagingly. "Fame has already gotten to your big head."
"The size of my head is average, I'll have you know."
Alex laughed. "Of course you checked."
"Noughts and Crosses?" he suggested, pulling out some spare parchment. He drew up the grid when Alex nodded. "Is what they're saying true? Did Harry really have a showdown with Voldemort?"
"Mm." Alex marked an X onto the middle square. "Dumbledore intervened before anything serious could happen."
"Right, because facing the most powerful Dark wizard of all time isn't serious whatsoever."
She rolled her eyes. "Careful, now. With phrasing like that people will think you're on his side."
"Can you imagine? A muggleborn supporting that genocidal maniac?"
Shrugging, Alex seized her victory with one final X. "Oppressed people defend their oppressors sometimes. It's not unheard of."
"That's messed up."
"Tell me about it."
"Round two?"
"Sure."
The last week of school passed by uneventfully. After packing her things, Alex waited outside with Katherine and Agatha for their thestral-pulled wagons. They, along with the rest of the first- to sixth-years, waved goodbye and cheered for the seventh-years as they rode the self-rowing boats across the lake towards the platform.
"Strange to think that'll be us next year," commented Agatha.
"If Alexandra is still alive to see that day," drawled Katherine.
To anyone else, it might've sounded like a threat. Alex knew Katherine, though. She—and Agatha, to an extent—were annoyed that Alex had jeopardised herself for Harry. Alex didn't bother explaining things to them, well aware that they would never make the same choice as her were they in her shoes.
"Do you guys have any plans for the holidays?" Alex asked as they climbed into the trailer.
Katherine nodded. "My family and I intend to visit our relatives in Tanzania."
"Souvenirs please."
Katherine snorted. "Sure."
"I'll be spending some time with Richard," said Agatha, reddening.
"Richard?" echoed Alex. "As in Richard Parkinson?"
Agatha's blush spread from her cheeks all the way to the tip of her ears. "We decided to start seeing each other."
Alex directed a bug-eyed look at Katherine. "When did this happen?" she asked, trying to keep as much judgement from her tone as possible.
"When you were busy hiding from the rest of the world," said Katherine, her gaze pinned to the cloudless sky.
Disheartened, Alex placed a hand on Agatha's knee. "If he tries any funny business, tell me and I'll end him."
"Um, sure," Agatha replied hesitantly.
Frowning, Alex retracted her hand. "Is something wrong?"
"Well," said Agatha, "it's just that, before this month, you could've gotten away with making threats like that. Now, though, people will take you seriously."
"A few Death Eaters did die that night," Katherine reminded them neutrally.
Alex hummed noncommittally. Sure, she never said the words avada kadavra, but she hadn't exactly pulled any punches with her offensive spells in the heat of the moment. She was fairly certain she had been responsible for the death of one of those men, even if she couldn't tell who.
Well, it was no real loss, was it?
"And you, Alexandra?" prompted Agatha. "Do you have any plans for the break?"
"Hm? Oh, the usual. Working at the shop, visiting my mates…" She was also going to sharpen her duelling skills with Alastor and the others. "I might take some more self-defence lessons."
"Find a new boyfriend?" teased Agatha.
"Maybe. I'm more interested in finding a girlfriend, to be honest."
Agatha's eyes widened dramatically while Katherine perked up, visibly interested.
"Do you have a type?" wondered Katherine.
"Someone completely out of my league," Alex answered frankly. "And preferably no one I've grown up with."
Katherine deflated. The sight would be almost comical if it wasn't so dispiriting.
Alex silently apologised to her roommate. It was best to nip it in the bud now before Katherine did something ridiculous like fall for someone as bad for her as Alex was.
…Maybe I shouldn't have dumped Cedric.
A sharp slap to her cheeks effectively derailed that train of thought. Breaking things off with Cedric had been for his benefit, not hers. Alex would do well to remember that, painful though it was.
She parted ways with her roommates after spotting Duncan and Grant at the platform. Her luggage and cat were stored in their compartment while she completed her final patrol of the year. Nothing noteworthy occurred, although several people did stop to stare at when she strolled past them. More than one Slytherin glared at her outright, which was sort of hurtful, if she was being honest. As soon as her job was done, Alex flopped back into the empty seat across from Grant and beside Luna, who had joined them in the time she was gone.
"Wake me up when we get to London," she murmured, already drifting off to sleep.
Grant acquiesced by slapping her thigh the second the train parked itself at Platform Nine and Three Quarters.
"Man, fuck you," growled Alex as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Hey, I was only doing as you asked," he said, holding his hands up defensively.
"Your boyfriend is an arse," she informed Duncan.
He appeared speculative. "He does have a nice arse, doesn't he?"
"That is not what I said."
Luna patted her arm in consolation. "That's just the wrackspurts getting to him."
"Possibly."
When Alex stepped foot onto the platform, she was met with the peculiar but not unwanted sight of Alastor, Tonks, Sirius and Kingsley intimidating the hell out of the Dursleys, who all but wrestled Harry away from everyone else. He usually left the station with the Fortescues, but Alex supposed things were different this year.
Her parents were waving at her further down the platform. As she closed the distance between them, she passed by Draco, who was doing his best to remain unaffected while his mother hugged him almost desperately. His father was noticeably absent, having been arrested by the aurors that night in the Department of Mysteries.
Justice at last, Alex thought viciously, even as a seed of sympathy towards Draco and Narcissa threatened to sprout within her.
Alex's parents embraced her as vivaciously as Narcissa had with Draco. Her mum grabbed her trunk while her dad took hold of Spitfire's carrier.
"Ready, honeydew?" asked Dad.
She tried for a smile. "Ready as I'll ever be."
As Alex followed her parents out of Platform 9 ¾, she recalled the previous time she'd been in this position. It was exactly a year ago, right after the nightmare that was the Triwizard Tournament, and she'd been quaking in the boots at the thought of what was to come. Now, all she could feel was a permeating sense of dread.
She wondered what sort of person she would become in a year's time.