Alexa had either been gone or unconscious when the Death Eater reached the end of the train. From what Blaise had whispered in her ear when she woke up at the Hogsmeade station, he had come back through the train ranting and raving, before disapparating without another word.
News of the flight of the muggle borns spread fast. Thankfully, she had gone largely unnoticed. She was far less well known than Neville Longbottom. But it was as if they had all been sworn to secrecy. Not a single soul mentioned it, from the tiniest first year to the smarmiest seventh, no one revealed their escape.
For perhaps the first time ever, the carriages were completely silent. Except, of course, the ones containing the Slytherins. Those were absolutely buzzing.
Alessandra was in one such carriage, sandwiched between Draco and Blaise, with Pansy and Crabbe across from them. These were not Alexa's favorite people by any means. But at least the thestrals liked her.
She and Draco had been especially awkward since she punched him in fifth year.
"Can you believe it!" Pansy hissed, arms crossed across her chest, "The mudbloods! All of them! Just gone. Bloody awful." She was positively steaming. Alexa had to work to keep the grin off her face. She didn't like Pansy, and being the cause in something that got her so tightly wound was always nice.
"They were here," Crabbe grumbled, his beady eyes trained on Alexa. She didn't like him. Out of all the nastier Slytherins, she liked him the least. He always seemed to know, in his own very slow way, that she was behind whatever was going on. Which, to be fair, she usually had a hand in whatever it was. But she didn't like that he always knew.
"We all know that!" Pansy rolled her eyes, "But how did they escape?"
Crabbe just continued to stare at her.
"Di Angelo missed most of it, of course," Pansy continued.
Alexa rolled her eyes, "Do you even know what time it is in America?" she snapped. That had been the excuse she'd been throwing around.
"That's your excuse for everything," Blaise snorted, "Don't know how to measure in pints-American. Blabbering on about miles? American. Doing everything backwards? American. Doing everything with the wrong hand? American!" he snorted.
"Blaise, I'm left handed," Alexa said dryly. Her head was still foggy.
Pansy had quite lost interest in their conversation, and turned her attention to the otherwise silent Draco.
"What do you think happened?" she demanded. Draco blinked, as if coming out of a daze.
"Somebody got them off," he sat up straighter, his expression going cold. There was something in his eyes that didn't quite match this sneer on his lips. "They certainly couldn't have done it themselves. Might have been a portkey or something. Who knows. Probably one of Potter's little friends."
"You don't think it was Longbottom?" Pansy whispered, leaning in. Alexa's eyes narrowed.
"Might've been, daft blood traitor," Draco sneered.
"I mean, Hermione Granger was a mudblood," Alexa pointed out, "It would be foolish to underestimate them." She didn't like the term but to call them by anything else would give her away.
Draco colored slightly, and Pansy huffed.
"Yes, yes," Pansy waved her hand, "But Granger never showed up. And somehow I doubt Creevy could have pulled this off."
Alessandra just shrugged and tuned the rest of the conversation out. She spent the rest of the carriage ride sitting silently.
She separated from the Slytherin's as soon as the carriage stopped. Alone, she trudged up to the castle, through the security measures that were now pointless. The Dark Lord was already in control. There was nothing left to keep out.
"Di Angelo," a voice hissed to her left. She glanced without turning her head. The student body of Hogwarts was all crammed in the entrance hall now, waiting for the great oak doors of the Great Hall to be opened.
Ginny Weasley, in all her redheaded glory, was standing next to her. She was looking straight ahead, her body language casual. But Alexa saw her wand clenched tight in a white knuckled grip that said something very different than what her posture indicated. A glance right found Luna Lovegood with unusually sharp eyes.
"Filch took Neville. He was waiting right on the platform. We don't know where he is-they know, they have to," Ginny said quickly and quietly. "And since you helped before-since you have some kind of power-"
"Shut it," Alexa hissed, "Not here. Don't do anything stupid. I'll keep an eye out. Just keep your head down." If they knew about Neville, they might know about her. But they hadn't grabbed her yet. If they found out what Alexa was she would be in more trouble than even Weasley could imagine. To most of the purebloods she was nothing more than a dangerous, super powered halfbreed. Worse than a muggleborn. If they found out, she would have to run.
But what about Longbottom? She wasn't his friend by any means, but he was against Voldemort and so was she. And he was Potter's friend.
This was a war, even within the walls of the school. There was the light side and the dark side and Alexa knew which side she wanted to be on. But with the house she was in, it would take some convincing for others to believe she was truly against the dark. Especially after her bloodline was discovered. Even after what she had done today.
If she could help Neville, she absolutely would. There was more to it than just the morality. It would be to her advantage to help him.
And she was in his debt. If she hadn't been taken in now, she wasn't going to be. Neville hadn't ratted her out.
"I'll do what I can," She decided, looking between the two girls, "Just keep your head down and don't try anything." Ginny and Luna nodded, fading away into the crowd.
The doors opened.
Alexa sat at the Slytherin table, wedged between Blaise and Theodore. This time she was sure they had positioned themselves to keep her contained. She kept her eyes fixed on the staff table. Snape sat in the headmaster's seat, and her blood boiled.
Dumbledore, for all his mysteries and oddities, had let her into school. And even in his death she owed him that. McGonagall sat to Snape's left. Flitwick after. Hagrid was nowhere to be seen. Most of the faces were familiar. Except for two nasty looking characters sitting to the right of Snape. The man and women were similar, with the same bright blue eyes and pallid skin. The woman had startling red hair, but the man's was jet black. They were proud, noses upturned over crooked teeth. Thick and coiling and black, the dark mark writhed over their left forearms.
They must be new staff. Four Death Eaters in the castle now. With more to come surely.
No sign of Neville though. Or Filch for that matter. Her leg bounced up and down as she scanned the room. The school seemed colder. Emptier. There were many familiar faces missing. The sorting was shorter than usual. Quieter. No one was excited for the new first years to be here. Not with what the year surely promised.
Snape rose, "Welcome back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," his voice was the same quiet breeze it had always been. Laced with menace and something dark. "There are some changes in staff this year. Professor Amycus Carrow will be serving as our Dark Arts professor. Professor Alecto Carrow will be serving as our muggle studies professor. They will be sharing the duty of deputy headmaster." He paused, and surveyed the room like a vulture, "As you are all aware our previous headmaster has passed. His time has gone. A new era is upon us... An era where those deserving, where those who have a natural born right to magic and all of entails will succeed and prosper. An era where those who are dirty and impure will not be tolerated. This is a dawning. The Dark Lord's time has come." The Slytherin table cheered, save a few quiet individuals. He waited for the cheers to die down, and spoke once again, "Rebellion will not be tolerated...Anyone who opposes the Dark Lord will be handled most severely. Our newest staff members, Amycus and Alecto Carrow will be in charge of not only our Dark Arts class, but discipline." He said and nodded towards the nasty looking twins.
"Thank you, Severus," he grinned wickedly, "My sister and I are here to be the eyes and ears of our Dark Lord. Before we begin the feast we have a demonstration..."
With a great clanking of chains, Filch emerged, dragging a bloodied Neville behind him. Neville stumbled, struggling to stay on his feet to match Filch's lurching but brisk face. His nose was broken, she was sure. There was something wrong with his leg. His eye was swollen shut. Alexa felt a violent surge of hatred towards the man. He'd worked at the school with the students for years, and he seemed to gain a sick sort of delight in dragging Neville behind him.
"This," he paused dramatically, licking his lips, "is what happens when you go against the might of the Dark Lord! Your classmate is only suspected of helping the mudbloods escape from the train today...just imagine what we'll do to you if we actually catch you." Neville was dragged away and Alexa closed her eyes briefly, memorizing his energy. She could see his life force flickering behind her eyelids and kept track of it as it was pulled out of the room and down the hall. She would be able to find it again.
"Let the feast begin," Snape called. The food appeared on the table, as magical as always. The conversation around her was nothing but a buzz for the most part. She stayed out of it unless someone asked her a direct question. She could get to her dorm, pretend to go to bed, and then sneak out to get him. Of course, there was always a chance he might be let go after being held. Either way, she needed to at least go talk to him. Dinner finished and the students rose, making their way to their common rooms. Luna appeared by her side, the Ravenclaw table was next to the Slytherin one.
"I'll get him once I'm back in my dorm. People can't notice I'm gone," Alexa murmured, before Luna could even speak. Luna nodded and faded back, presumably to Ginny.
She avoided Blaise and Theo on the walk back, making a b-line for the girls dormitory. She would tell Tracey and Daphne that she was tired and was just going to bed. Pansy and Millicent wouldn't care what she did.
But when she got to the dormitory something was off.
"Where's Tracey?" Alexa asked. Daphne was alone in the room, sitting, unblinking, cross legged on her bed.
"Oh haven't you heard?" Pansy came through the door, "Davis never showed. She's a halfblood. Can you believe that? A halfblood, in Slytherin!" Pansy sat down with a huff, looking scandalized. Alexa and Daphne were silent. Pansy scoffed at their lack of reaction, and turned back down the stairs to the common room.
"Is that true?" Alexa asked Daphne. Daphne nodded miserably.
"I couldn't understand why she wasn't responding to my letters," Daphne pulled her knees to her chest, "She's on the run. I can't believe it-" she sniffed, "She never told me. Astoria and I almost didn't come back this year. We're purebloods, but still..."
"Wherever she is, she's probably safer there than she would be here," Alexa said, sitting down next to Daphne.
"I hope so," Daphne leaned against her shoulder, "I don't know what to do. I have to protect Astoria but…" Daphne was barely whispering now, as if the walls themselves had ears.
"I know," Alexa sighed.
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut and Alexa wrapped her arm around the other girl's shoulders.
"Being in Slytherin will protect us, if we keep quiet," Alexa murmured. Daphne only nodded. "And we'll watch out for each other, I'll keep an eye on your sister too. We have to protect the younger kids."
"Thank you," Daphne said, "I'm going to go to bed now, I think," she added quietly. Alexa nodded, and moved away.
"I think I am too," she agreed. The two girls changed in silence, and Alexa pulled on a t-shirt and sweatpants. She tucked her sneakers under the covers of her bed where Daphne couldn't see, to be pulled on later.
"Goodnight," Daphne called miserably, pulling her curtains shut.
"Goodnight," Alexa responded.
She closed the curtains around her bed, and pulled out her wand. Murmuring quietly, she ensured no one could pull her curtains apart and yanked on her shoes. Sitting there in the darkness, she closed her eyes and sat cross-legged. She had to find Neville. Slowly she scanned the castle, examining each bit of light that popped up. He wasn't in a tower. He wasn't in the main body of the castle. He was down, down in the dungeon not far from where she sat.
Her eyes flicked open and she dropped into the shadows. The world was black and grey and soft. There wasn't a hard edge in sight as the forms and figured around her blended together. She could sense where Neville was though, and she pushed through the swirling grey mud to reach him.
Neville jumped when she appeared from the darkness. He was in a small stone cell-a real, proper dungeon cell with bars and everything-with no one else around. He was sat in the corner, eyes open and ears perked, although surely he couldn't see much in the dim torch light.
"Ready for a prison break?" Alexa whispered.
Neville grinned, and leapt to his feet, only to stumble. She lunged to catch him, pulling his arm over his shoulders.
"You're brilliant, you know that?" he said, beaming.
She chuckled, "I've been told. Are they letting you go soon? Or am I busting you out of here?" she asked, easing him so he was leaning against the wall.
Neville ran his tongue over the slice in his lip, "I overheard them talking, I'm only here for the night." He exhaled, slowly sliding down the wall so he could sit. She mirrored him, sitting cross legged at his side.
"You look terrible," she said, not knowing what else to say.
Neville laughed, "I'm sure...So you're a demigod?" he asked. She nodded, absentmindedly scratching at an ink spot on her shoe.
"I am," she shrugged, looking at him, "My dad is Pluto."
"What does that mean?" he asked, brows furrowing, "My mythology is a little rusty."
"It means," she paused, "My dad is the Roman god of the Underworld. Lots of dead people. He's a real hoot at parties. I grew up in New Rome, it's out in California. I learned how to fight and build things and be a good soldier."
"And you have powers?" he probed, eyes bright.
"I do. I can shadow travel-that's how we got here. And I can sense where people are by feeling their life force. And I can talk to the dead, and summon them. That's the long and short of it. Dementors react weirdly to me. They're basically shadow monsters. I'm not sure how that worked. I wasn't as affected by them. I don't know," she shrugged.
He nodded, "A lot of people are afraid of demigods, is that why nobody knows?"
"The purebloods are afraid," she sighed, "Dumbledore let me into the school, none of the ones in America would take me. Mostly we're regarded as extra dangerous halfbreeds. He assured me that if I was found out I would be killed or thrown in Azkaban. " She shifted uncomfortably "I had better get back," she stood up, "My roommates think I'm in there. If you're not out tomorrow I'll come back alright?"
He smiled, "Yeah, you should get going. Thank you, Alexa. I have a feeling this is just the beginning."
Alexa sighed, "I think you're right. Goodnight Neville."
He smiled, "Goodnight."
Alexa vanished into the darkness and passed out the moment her head hit her pillow.
