Arc II: part II
In 1650, a boy and his sister born in the village where Alexa had recently moved disappeared into the forest. However, unlike all the other unfortunate souls who gave no sign of life since, they returned after two months spent in the woods. Their return was welcomed as a sign of hope to see the others who had disappeared come back. As if another one would reappear each day, or at least find out the truth about the phenomenon surrounding the place. Unfortunately, they could not get anything out of them but silence when asked about it. However, their father, who part of the few to stay late at the local tavern, helping the owners to employ their beer barrels, liked to tell the story of how an evil witch had captured his kids, held them captive, and how they escaped after pushing her into her own cauldron. But, of course, nobody believed his story, even if nobody went missing again since the return of the man's kids.
A few years later, at the age of eleven, the boy and the girl left the village to return only fifteen years later. During their absence, stories spread about them; if the reasonable ones said they've only been sent away to help on a farm, others claimed they were responsible for the disappearances as these had stopped with their departure. Moreover, villagers claimed to have seen them performing rituals and magic in their yard, accusing their mother of being a witch herself. So, when they returned to the village, they were met quite coldly by the villagers.
However, the general opinion gradually improved as the villagers realized the positive impact they had on improving the living conditions in the town. During their fifteen years away, they were trained in various fields, such as medicine, agriculture, carpentry, and astrology. So much as their small forgotten town attracted new habitants coming from all over Prussia...The stories told are merely what has been faithfully passed over the generations in the families pejoratively called "muggles" by the newcomers in the valley. As time went by, the newcomers mingled with the locals, new families were formed, and a peaceful life took its root. In the past, mistakes had been made and the warnings ignored. Perhaps, the villagers should have listened.
Alexa first learned about her powers and the wizarding world from the German ministry of magic employee during the meeting. The emissary also revealed the existence of the different institutes and schools that teach magic to the young wizards and witches.
In Europe, there were three prestigious schools, Hogwarts in Scotland, open only to English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh students. Then, Beauxbatons in France offered to students from France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg. As for the third school, Durmstrang did admit Germans. However, the school required that at least one of the parents be a wizard or a witch, categorically refusing kids such as Alexa, whose both parents were non-magical. Fortunately, other less prestigious options exist, as small academies and institutes had been created all over Europe during the centuries to repair that injustice. Although, in Germany, three schools operated, only none of them offered any housing. The largest of the three was located near Leipzig in the german democratic republic, on the other side of the iron curtain, making it impossible for her parents to move with her. The second was located in Bonn; only its tuitions were too expensive for her family. However, the third option offered the same curriculum as all the other European schools at an affordable fee, with the inconvenience of leaving everything non-essential behind and moving to the country's other extremity.
The origins of the Academy's take root in the story of the two children. After escaping from the Dark witch's lair, they followed a star in the darkest hour of the night to arrive in front of a lake they could not cross swimming. So, at a moment of despair, a great swan appeared on the shore and carried them on his back to the other side from where they ran and didn't stop until they found their mother's arms. Two decades later, they opened the Academy, choosing as a crest, a large white swan mounted by a boy and a girl, both pointing their wands towards a luminous star above them.
On a valley about fifteen minutes from the village, the edifice built to house the Academy did not derogate to the region's architectural standards, only in size. It was a four-story stone building with a hipped gable roof. The ground floor was reserved for the first and second-year students, the first for the third and fourth-year classes, the second for the fifth and sixth years, and the third was reserved for the seventh-year classes while the fourth hosted the teachers' offices and the headmaster's office.
On the building's right were the greenhouses where herbology classes were held, and a little further away in the valley, near the edge of a forest, was an enclosure where the care of magical creatures' class was held. Between the main building, the greenhouses and the enclosure, a large circular park extended, surrounding a fountain, enchanted to stay always green, warm, or cool depending on the season, so the students could have the lunch break or recreation in the park.
Arrived at the Academy, the bus stopped at the door, and Alexa, followed by her new companion, jumped out on the pavement. As her new friend made to follow her inside, she knelt next to him and patted him on the head.
"Sorry...But pets are not allowed in class or anywhere inside the building..." Alexa whispered to the dog before pointing at the enclosure. " You can go play with the other animals or go for a walk while I'm in class, then meet me at lunch break. If your Hungry professor Strauss will give something!" The dog let out a small moan.
"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do about it...So behave!" Alexa added, hugging him quickly before hurrying to the entrance at the sound of the bell announcing the start of the classes.
Alexa walked inside the building and followed the other first-year students to Transfiguration class when she felt something ticketing her foot before suddenly crashing loudly forward on the floor; taken by surprise, she didn't even get the time to cushion her fall with her hand. The other first-year turned to enquire about the origin of the noise. Among them, some laughed loudly before turning their backs, while others seemed to want to offer her a hand but preferred to look the other way.
Alexa got up slowly, blushing, avoiding the amused looks her classmate gave her and heard some giggling coming from the stairs leading to the first floor. On top of the stairs were the usual girl's gang, the same who had chased her through the forest the day before; only one of them was missing. They waved their hands at her, blowing kisses before hurrying to the second floor, where the fourth-year class were about to start too. Alexa shook her head before joining her class apologized to the professor, who gave her an annoyed look before she went to settle at a free table at the back, where soon after, she started to work on the day's assignment.
After two hours of Transfiguration and another two of History, Alexa headed with her lunch bag to the park. She sat down on a bench in a remote area, looking for some quiet, away from the other kids who had witnessed her fall in the hall and were happily narrating it to the second and third years.
Anyway, her mood improved as soon as she opened her lunch bag and saw what her mom had prepared. Once her meal finished, she laid on her back, on the grass and closed her eyes, enjoying the sun's warmth before having to go inside the building again for potion's classes. Only a few seconds after closing her eyes, she gasped when something grabbed her by the ankle. She opened her eyes and saw how everything was upside down all around her while the four girls in front of her were smiling at her, one of them aiming at her with her wand.
Alexa tried to grad her wand from her robe's pocket, only another girl was faster and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" then her wand flew towards her, and the girl grabbed her.
"Hey, Alexitita! We've been looking for you for at least...5 seconds, or is it seven Yuna?" Janna Asked.
"Five...Alexa, we thought you'd like to have lunch with us!" Yuna said, smiling at her, as Alexa was vainly trying to free herself from the spell, waving her arms in every direction while blushing even more as she felt her skirt fall on her belt. Alexa tried to call for help, only another girl took out her wand and shouted at her, "Silencio!" then, as hard she tried to scream, not a single sound came out of her mouth.
"Why would you scream? We are just friends having fun...I mean the four of us, not you." Kaia said.
Helpless, muted, Alexa started to cry. At first, it was only teasing she ignored, then jostled her in the hallways, then started to follow her after school. She feared reporting them to the headmaster, as it would be her word against the five of them. What if she was the one to get in trouble, expelled? What would her parents do, who already risked everything they had for her.
"Anyway, did you eat well?" Yuna asked while Kaia started searching her bag, pulling out an apple from it.
"Someone is eating healthy! Are you tired of looking like a piglet?" Kaia asked, showing the apple to the other girls.
"I also hear she's been industrious in class...So, who thinks Alexa deserves some chocolate for dessert?" Janna asked the other girls, who raised their hands.
"Motion voted unanimously!" Kaia said.
Then, Alexa felt the spell holding her upside-down brake, and she fell on the ground; she tried to make a run for it to reach the building or the greenhouses, only Janna had grabbed by the hair and crushed her face in the mud, twisting her right arm behind her back. The more she struggled to fight back, the more her arm hurt her, and Janna kneeling on Alexa's back crushed her even more, making it harder for Alexa to breathe. Despite her moaning and begging Janna to stop, she only received the laughs of the group of girls as an answer. Then, suddenly, Janna let go of her arm, the pain on her wrist and shoulder vanished, and Alexa felt Janna fall on her.
Alexa crawled out from Janna's body, wiped her tears and cleaned as much as she could the mud from her face, then looked around her to find the four girls unconscious on the ground while the German Shepard was sitting on Kaia's back, looking at Alexa. The dog stared at her quietly as she broke into tears, hiding her face in her hands, sitting on the grass. Then, he approached her and started sniffing her, licking her hands and didn't growl or try to escape when Alexa hugged him tightly, crying on his head until she heard the bell announcing the end of lunch break.
"Thank you! It's the second time you help me!" Alexa said, kissing his head.
She sighed as she saw her clothes covered in mud again. She had her dose of embarrassment for the day, if not the entire week, so she didn't want to have to go to class like this. All she wanted was to go back home and take a shower. She could think of a story to tell her mother on the way back; a teacher was absent or whatever else. She picked her bags and made to leave when her eyes landed on the four unconscious girls. They didn't seem to be bleeding, and it happened so fast, and she didn't hear them scream, so she doubted he had bitten them.
"Are they going to be fine?" Alexa asked.
The dog turned at them and hit Yuna's head with his back leg, making her moan in her sleep.
"So, I guess we could go back home...Follow me! We'll have to walk for a while." Alexa said to him.
After leaving the Academy's campus for the village, while walking on the side of the road, Alexa couldn't believe that the bus only took fifteen minutes to make the transfer from the village...They walked for at least a good hour before arriving at the town and her home. Once in front of the front door, she paused before introducing the key to open it. Her eyes followed the dog who had walked the entire time next to her. How could things have ended if he hadn't intervened for the second time? And how did he do it? He only showed them his fang the first time, and they ran away. But today, he knocked them out apparently without even touching them. Did they faint at his sight?... Anyway, she pushed the door open and went inside, walking on her toes not to alert her mother about her early return, so she could first change and clean herself. Only arriving at the stair, she remembered not seeing her mother's car in front of the house, nor did she hear any sound in the house and the fireplace was turned off. She went to look in the kitchen; she found it empty with a note stuck on the fridge's door.
I got a call from the city, and I had to go. I'll probably be back before you're back, but just in case, your snack and dinner are in the fridge. I also bought some dog food for your friend. BE CAREFUL WITH THE GAS, AND MAKE SURE YOU TURN IT OFF WHEN YOU ARE DONE!
I love you!
Alexa sighed in relief; hopefully, she would be back a little bit late and wouldn't notice she had skipped the afternoon classes, and Alexa wouldn't explain why she did nor why her clothes were a mess again. She left the kitchen and followed the dog to the living room, where he curled up near the fireplace. Alexa lit a fire for him before going upstairs to take a bath. After finally getting rid of the mud that had encrusted in her long brown hair, she put on her pyjamas, took her potions book and went downstairs to lie down on the large living room's sofa. The warmth coming from the fireplace, coupled with the slow breath the dog made sleeping got the better of her, making her slowly close her eyes before even finning the first chapter of her book.
When Sirius woke up from his nap near the fireplace, shivering as the fire had weakened, letting the temperature inside the house dramatically drop. He changed to his human form and stared at the girl sleeping on the couch. Sirius approached the window and peeked discreetly a look outside and noticed that night had already fallen, since some time. He did not see any car parked on the alleyway, so the mother must not have returned yet. Sirius looked again at the girl sleeping peacefully, her arms curled around her chest. He approached her and carefully lifted her. She didn't wake up but wrapped her arms around his neck. He slowly carried her to her room and tucked her in her bed. Then as he was about to transform back to his dog form, he heard her getting agitated in her bed.
"No...Please...Stop..." She whispered.
Sirius hesitated a moment, then he took a chair near her desk and sat at her bedside, remembering the scene he had witnessed earlier.
Earlier that day.
Padfoot was wandering around the Academy, exploring the place. In Britain, young wizards and witches didn't have to worry about school...Hogwarts covered all the costs and gave scholarships to the students who couldn't afford their school supplies. The kids only had to show up on September the first in kings' cross station, take the train, and behave once at the castle. Unlike the girl sleeping, he never had to worry about gold, whatever stormy his relationship with his parent could have been. Now he thought about it; all he cared about at her age was having fun, even at the expense of others.
When he heard the bell ringing for Lunchtime, he went back to the Academy to look for Alexa. As he got near the park, he saw four girls laughing while another girl, much shorter, hung upside down. At that moment, his mind time-travelled back in time, to an event that took place just after his DADA OWL exam, when James was the first to spot him...
"All right, Snivellus?" James said.
Unlike Alexa, Snape was a skilled duelist, so his reaction was swift, but unfortunately, James was quicker to disarm him, sending him flying a little further across the grass, making Sirius laugh. Snape tried to jump on his wand only Sirius cast an impediment jinx at him. If fate had been clement enough with Alexa to save her from public humiliation, that hadn't been the case for snape, who became the main attraction for all the students enjoying the lakeside. Lying on the ground. Confused by the jinxes he had just received, snape was powerless in front of James and Sirius, who was walking towards him, a big smile on their faces, wands pointed at him, Peter behind them.
"How did your exam go, Snivellus?" said James. "Levicorpus" then Snape found himself hanging up upside down, just as Alexa had.
'I was watching him. His nose was touching the parchment,' Sirius viciously said." There'll be quite some grease marks all over it; they won't be able to read a word." Making the students who were watching the show burst out laughing.
"You...wait,' Snape panted.
"Wait for what?' Sirius said. 'What are you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?'
Snape let out a stream of mixed swear words and hexes, but with his wand ten feet away...Nothing happened.
"Wash out your mouth," said James coldly. "Scourgify!" and pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him…
Sirius regained his human appearance, grabbed the wand he had stolen from Ryan, and sent four stunning spell gaming at the girls who were tormenting Alexa, stupefying them, before regaining his animal form and running to meet Alexa.
Until that moment, he thought his only Sinn had been arrogance and believing himself to be the smartest; only today he realized how little he knew about himself. Whenever before the war, at the order's meeting, he had never hesitated one second before sentencing others, deciding who was trustworthy and who should be watched over. But today, Sirius saw himself in those girls; if Sirius hadn't given it any importance back then, now he did. His arrogance led to his best friend's death, and he could add being a Bully to his list. How did the treatment Sirius imposed on others affect them? How many lives he had turned to hell for his entrainment. Did Snape also have nightmares because of him?
Thinking about it, why did they hate Snape so much? He tried to recall what could have started their little war but found nothing. At least, Snape had done nothing to Sirius. Originally it was James who hated Snape; what for? He never asked... The first time they met was when Snape and Lily entered their compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Snape had joked about James wanting to be sorted in Gryffindor. That would have been enough to start a feud that would extend for the rest of their lives. However, if James and Sirius became quickly popular in the castle and always surrounded by friends, Snape was more withdrawn and disliked in his own house. During the four first years, Lily had been his only friend, as they spent their entire day together and only split for meals or when it was time to get back to their common rooms.
James couldn't shut up about it. Was it jealousy? James would have hated Snape only because he was friends with Lily? And why did Lily and Severus were friends in the first place? How could anyone be friends with Lily and sit between Bellatrix and Lucius for meals? Sirius shook his head, thinking about how stupid and evil he could have been a few years ago, only that was in the past, and there was nothing he could do to change it, as much as we wanted to...However, he could try and be a better man in the future. No, he had to do better; there was no trying, so he could be the godfather Harry deserved.
Suddenly, the room was enlightened when he heard the roar of the car's engine outside. Alexa's mother was finally back home. Sirius heard the front door open, shortly after followed by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Sirius transformed again and curled up on the carpet at the end of Alexa's bed, faking to be sleeping. Then, he slightly opened an eye and watched Alexa's mother tiptoeing towards her daughter's bed and kissing her on the forehead. She briefly glanced at Sirius before carefully closing the room's door behind her.