Arc II: part V
January 15th of 1983:
"STUPEFY!" Alexa shouted, aiming at a soda can a few meters away. A jet of red light flashed from her wand and travelled to knock down the can on the snow, sparking a round of cheers behind her back.
"Great job! One shot! One hit! ยป
Alexa turned around, beaming, raising her fist before She aimed her wand at the picnic basket next to him and shouted. "Accio chocolate!" and immediately after, a chocolate bar flew out of the basket to crash on her forehead instead of her hand. Making her only spectator burst into laughter.
"I guess this time something went wrong, am I right?" he said.
Alexa winced, massaging her forehead before picking up the chocolate bar from the ground, mischievously smiling at him before quickly ripping its wrap and biting at it, chewing loudly.
"Hey! We are supposed to share that!" The man said, rushing toward her, struggling to advance in the snow, as his boots kept sinking in it.
He eventually reached her and threw himself on her to pin her on the ground, fighting her to steal the chocolate bar from her hands, but only succeeded in maker giggle even louder. He finally let it go and laid down next to her on the snow, pouting. Alexa, seized by an uncontrollable laugh, finally agreed to share some with him, stuffing it in his mouth. The girl laid down next to him, resting her head on his chest, while he stroked her hair's curls with his finger.
"That was amazing! Did you learn all that in only four months?"
"Yes! But I didn't learn everything at the Academy; I come here every afternoon to practice after school." Alexa said.
"I'm proud of you and relieved." He said.
"Relieved from what?" Alexa asked.
"You'll understand when you become a mother yourself. Your mother and I were always sure you were a special child, a gifted child." He said, holding her closer to him. "You know, all the times you came back from school to lock yourself and cry in your room..."
"That's in the past. Anyway, you and mom always made me happy! So, I don't care if people are stupid!" Alexa said. "You always found the words to cheer me up."
"To be honest, sweetie, we started to run out of words. So, when that man from the ministry of magic came knocking at our door, it was the second-best moment of my life after the day you were born. Your mom and I were so happy you finally had some answers that you wouldn't have to hide and that there were millions of people like you around the world." Her father said.
"I don't care if there are millions. All that matters to me is you and mom." Alexa said, snuggling closer to her father.
"And your happiness is all that matters to us too. However, even if only God knows how much we love you, there are things we will never understand. Magic is so fascinating but it's part of your world, a world you should make your place in." He said.
"I know, but, what I find interesting is the ''magic'' and finally have answered to what I thought was wrong with me. I'll be more than happy to live in the muggle world with you and mom." Alexa said.
"Do you like that Academy? Mom says you hardly talk about it," He said gently before adding." Have you made any friends?"
Alexa stayed silent. Before learning she was a witch, she thought that if she was always alone and had never made any friends, something was wrong with her. Only, now the situation should have changed, as everyone else in the Academy was magic, only by September, history repeated itself.
But, since she met Sirius, her life had progressively improved, as now, she threw back the punches. She had petrified Yuna twice and stupefied Rea in the hall once, so, as Sirius said, they ended up backing off. She was still a loner, but at least she found some peace and spent all her lunch breaks eating quietly while Sirius preferred staying at home, napping near the fireplace or laying on the sofa, looking at the snowfall outside.
"Alexa?" her father asked.
"Sorry, not really. I'm friendly with a few I work in pair with during classes, but that's as far as it goes." Alexa said.
"Why don't we throw a party at home during the Christmas holidays? Your mom and I will help organize everything and stay in our rooms; we promise not to embarrass you!" He said.
"Why would I be friends with someone who doesn't like my parents?" Alexa asked, getting a kiss on the head from her father. "To be honest, it was complicated in the beginning. I felt lonely and afraid I had made a bad decision. But, I found something I like, and now everything is fine, and you are here!"
"I felt like dying in Hamburg. I couldn't stand being so far from you and your mom. I thought I was turning crazy. Don't tell your mom, but once, in October, I didn't realize I was on the highway heading south on my way back from work. It took me two hours to get back home. I can't wait for my transfer to be approved!" He said.
"We miss you too, dad! Mom is great, but I like it better when the three of us are together." Alexa said.
It's only temporary...Sooner or later, they'll have to tear down that wall, and everything will be much easier." Mr Acker said.
"Why hasn't it been done yet?" Alexa asked, angry." The war ended more than three decades ago!"
"Unfortunately, war never really ends; it only moves to another part of the world or keeps burning differently." Mr Acker said.
"But why?" Alexa asked.
"It depends. Sometimes, people take advantage of it for themselves. Nowadays, the world is stuck between two giants, each wanting to impose its vision onto the world. But I also think that people just like to beat each other up." Mr Acker said.
"Well, people better calm down! Otherwise, I..." Alexa said before her father suggested.
"Go to Berlin with your wand and fire spells at every soda can you find?" Mr Acker said, tickling her.
"NO...STOP!" Alexa begged him, choking in her laughs, before bitting his arm through his coat.
"Okay! I surrender!" Mr Acker said, laughing.
"Truce then," Alexa said, laying back next to him. "I don't want to throw a party, dad. All I want is to spend as much time with you guys before you leave again."
"You trying to make your dad cry?" Mr Acker asked.
"Don't! Otherwise, I'll cry too, and we came here to have fun!" Alexa said, jumping on her feet looking around her for a new target. " I'm going to show other spells; look, this one is for..." She said before getting interrupted by a loud bark coming from a little further, from where Sirius had just appeared.
"I guess it will have to wait for tomorrow; your mom wants us back home." Mr Acker said, looking at the German Shepard.
"Yeah..." Alexa said, helping up her father before passing an arm around her waist, and headed back silently to the village, following Sirius, until her father broke their silence.
"That dog is fascinating?" Mr Acker said.
"It's a German Shepard after all", Alexa replied.
"Yes, but I have the impression he understands everything I say. Last night I thought he opened his mouth to answer me." Mr Acker said.
"Mom thinks the same," Alexa said," But it's only the beginning; when you get to know him, you'll find out how dumb he is," Alexa said, earning a growl from Sirius.
"This morning, I threw a ball for him to fetch. He didn't move; he sat and stared at me as if I had done something stupid. I swear, I think I saw him roll his eyes." Mr Acker said.
"He's just a dog, but who knows? He could also have some magic in him," Alexa said.
"He could be a magic dog?" Mr Acker asked.
"It wouldn't surprise me. After all, there are a lot of magical beasts I thought were only legends! Like Unicorns and Dragons!" Alexa said.
"DRAGONS?!" Her father asked.
"Yes! But they are not like the one in The Hobbit. They are untamable and very dangerous!" Alexa said.
"What about hobbits? Do they exist?" Mr Acker asked.
"NO! Although, elves do exist, even if they're very different from the ones we see in movies!" Alexa said.
"I wish I could ride a Dragon! We could keep it in the garden; space is not a problem here." Mr Acker said.
"Dad...Very dangerous and untamable!" Alexa said, chuckling.
"Sure...A simple dream. Only, if you get to see one, take a picture for your dad." Mr Acker said.
"You got it!" Alexa said.
"If it's a baby dragon, steal it! Then, hide it in your room, and don't say a word to your mom until I negotiate his adoption with her" he said.
"NO!" Alexa said.
After a long walk, they finally arrived home to find Mrs Acker sitting inside, next to the living room's window, waiting for them with a mug in her hands. As soon she saw them, she waved at them and ran to open the door for them, dragging them inside. As they got rid of their coats, Alexa saw Sirius climb the stairs when he usually headed straight to the living room to lay near the fireplace.
"Where did you guys disappear all this time? You left after lunch!" Mrs Acker asked, her arms wrapped around her husband's neck
"We went for a walk in the forest to catch up on all that we did since the last time," Alexa said.
"All this time?" Her mother asked before raising an eyebrow at her husband," Benjamin! You do know she's not allowed to do any magic outside the Academy!"
"And she didn't! We just talked and didn't see the time fly!" Benjamin said before kissing her.
"Hey! Innocent little girl around!" Alexa said, waving her arms above her head.
"So don't stand there! Go upstairs, wash your hands and come down for dinner! GO!" Her mother said, waving a hand towards the stairs before kissing her husband.
Alexa smiled at them; her dad, benjamin and her mother, Lea, met very young. Her mom liked to joke about how he proposed to her in the back of a police van after getting arrested in a protest...They got married while they were only freshmen, and two years later, Alexa was born. Once in her bedroom, Alexa closed the door behind her; Sirius took back his human form and sat on her bed, his face dark.
"Is there any problem?" Alexa asked, anxious.
"I'm fine," Sirius asked sharply.
"Does your face know you're 'fine'?" Alexa asked.
Sirius glared at her." Why wouldn't everything be okay? Your father is finally here, I still haven't been captured or killed, and your bullies backed off. Am I missing anything?"
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be funny." Alexa said, until this moment, she had been used to seeing Sirius smiling from the moment she woke up until she closed her eyes to sleep at night, while he stood guard beside her bed, as watching over her during her sleep. In the last four months, she surprised herself to see him as an older brother more than a friend.
"No. It's me; you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just frustrated." Sirius said, looking toward the window.
Alexa stared at him silently. Sirius didn't seem angry but sad. Since he revealed himself to her that day in the kitchen, she had never dared ask about his past, as she felt it would be crossing a line, or maybe she was still too shy. So, she just followed his teaching and laughed at his jokes, as he did just the same. But, she had spent enough time around him to recognize the mask she wore when she was around her parents.
"I would like to talk about it. I promise you'll feel better as soon as you open up." Alexa said softly.
Sirius kept staring at the window as if he expected an owl to arrive, nodded, then said quietly, " I'm wondering, Alexa. About my life. I mean about what led me to prison and to escape from it. After I escaped, I directly found myself in the middle of a shit-storm in France; a dark wizard wanted to steal my body, a girl...Short story, big things happened so quickly, and I only start to process it."
"I see...I can only imagine how hard it must have been, I wanted to ask you more about it, but I also didn't want you to feel forced to talk," Alexa said.
"Thank you. Yes, I wasn't ready, or maybe I didn't want to remember, so I thought it would be easier to pretend nothing happened," Sirius said." Anyway, in the last four months, thanks to you, I have been able to rebuild my magic slowly, only with Christmas eve in a week, then new years eve...Alexa, what if I'm forced to stay hidden all my life? As a dog." Sirius said.
"No! I believe that sooner or later, the truth will come out! Bad people can win at first, but they all end up making a wrong step someday! You have to stay strong, and you can count on me!" Alexa said, sitting next to him.
"Thank you, but what if Peter didn't escape but killed himself in that explosion? After all, he wasn't a skilled wizard. He would be the only one to know the truth. So, if he's dead, there is no way I could prove I'm innocent as his confession is vital. And after what happened in France, my case has probably gotten worst! And many people distrusted me even back when I was still in school." Sirius said.
"Why would they?" Alexa asked.
"My family is one of the so-called twenty-eight sacred families. A completely retarded man named Nott wrote a book where he listed what he considered pure-blood families and houses of Great Britain, And even if my relatives didn't publicly endorse Voldemort's movement, you could be sure they agreed with them. My own little brother and two cousins were death eaters! My parents wanted me to join, too even while I was still in school! Sirius said, his face displaying a disgusted expression. "However, I joined the other side where perhaps only James, Lily and Hagrid trusted me...And I can't blame them considering my origins."
"James and Lily were your best friends, right? You said they have a son, Harry?" Alexa asked.
"Well, more than family than just friends. The family I have chosen. You remind me of Lily sometimes, you know?" Sirius said, his face softening.
"Really?" Alexa asked, smiling.
"Yes, just like you, she was muggle-born, a talented witch and with uncommon kindness," Sirius said.
"Oh, It means a lot to be compared to her then. I wish I could have met her." Alexa said.
"It might be possible," Sirius said.
"I thought she was dead," Alexa said.
"Yes, she is. But Harry is still alive, and I swear, Alexa, you can see Lily in his eyes. I'm sure they are still alive inside him." Sirius said.
"Oh, and where is Harry now?" Alexa asked.
"He has been placed at her aunt and uncle. I know Petunia has been horrible towards Lily in the past, only she must have been devastated to hear about Lily's death, as they never had the opportunity to make up. I'm sure she will take good care of her nephew and be a good mother to him." Sirius said.
"I'm sure he's happy, and it's only a matter of time you guys reunite. Then you'll bring him on vacation here! I would love to meet him! He's your godson, right?" Alexa asked.
"More than a nephew than a son. Do you know what is killing me? It's not that the entire world believes me guilty. It's that maybe I won't see him grow up and that he is going to grow up believing me guilty of killing his parents, my brother and sister, while the real responsible is praised as a hero!" Sirius said." That he will bring flowers to his grave!"
"No, he won't!" Alexa said. "Because I'll find a way to tell him! I'll find a way to bring him to the truth!"
"Thank you, but I don't want you to get into any trouble. But maybe there is something you could do, and I'm embarrassed when you already did and risk so much for me." Sirius said.
"I will !" Alexa said.
"I still haven't told you," Sirius said.
"I don't care! That's who I am now, I know you'll ask me to do what is right, so my mind is made!" Alexa said.
"Thank you. So, listen...If I ever get killed, don't interrupt me." Sirius said, landing a hand on her shoulder."...Or get sent back to Azkaban. When you finish school and become on age, please keep an eye on him. I would never ask you to put yourself in danger. But one day, he will need someone to advise him. Someone without any secret plans like Dumbledore or with a political agenda like the ministry of magic. Someone who would have his best interest at heart, as believe me he will face a great deal of challenges, and he will need a friend." Sirius said.
"I will! I promise! And I won't wait until I'm seventeen! I'll start sending him letters when he's older, and maybe if someday I'm in England, I'll go visit him!" Alexa said."Only, promise me you won't do anything stupid!"
"Stupid is my middle name. Actually, it's Orion, but it's the same," Sirius said.
"Not funny at all!" Alexa scolded him, punching his arm.
At that moment, they heard her mother call her from downstairs. "ALEXA! Come down; your dad has already started!"
Alexa answered her mother before rushing to her bedroom before turning toward Sirius " By the way, why did you come looking for us in the forest? I thought you hated leaving the fireplace."
"I had to get out of here," Sirius said.
"Why?" Aleska asked.
"Your mom tried to make me take a bath," Sirius said.
"Oh, she's right! You stink!" Alexa said before rushing out of the room as Sirius threw a pillow at her.
Earlier that day:
"We've been waiting here like idiots for half an hour!" Janna said, exhaling the smoke.
"She's annoying...She always makes us freeze outside." Rea said, accepting the joint from Janna, looking towards the trees.
Janna sat on a large rock, wrapping he arms tightly around her chest to warm herself. Even if Yuna had pissed her off, she would rather spend the night in the forest than go back to her parent's bickering. The weather channel had predicted storm, although several large azure spaces still separated some black clouds above them, slowly advancing toward them, spreading a light greyish curtain from west to east. Janna kept looking at the trees, along with Rea, silent, while the forest seemed to look back at them, silent, thirsty.
Her eyes landed back on Rea. Even if Janna complained about Yuna's delay, she liked spending time alone with Rea, always finding an excuse to do so. She couldn't find any defect in her; she liked her brown falling on her shoulders, her cheekbones, her brown eyes, the form of her lips...She was beautiful. Janna kept looking at her, deep in her thought, before glancing away as her eyes met Yuna's, handing her joint instead.
"She's completely obsessed with her." Rea said." The moment she heard her voice, she rushed to the woods."
"I didn't hear anything," Janna replied, coughing.
"Neither did I" Rea said." That's why I say she's obsessed with her. Anyway, if she got her, what do you think she would be doing to her right now?"
"I don't know, and I don't I care. After Kaia's mom talked to mines after she bailed, my parents have been such a pain in the ass about Alexa. Adding to that, Schrader wrote them, telling them I fight in the Academy. So I'm done with that midget; Yuna can bury her if she wants." Janna said, angry, inhaling the smoke too fast and starting to loudly cough.
Rea stood up and sat next to her, patting Janna's back. "Be careful; you could hurt your throat."
"Thanks," Janna said, breathing again.
"I know. My parents did do same with me. At first, it was fun; now it's just boring. Only Yuna won't drop it. Especially now that the goblin fights back...Yuna hates her even more now, I wonder why? Why did we even pick on her at first again?" Rea said.
"Do you really think she hates her?" Janna asked.
"You don't want to shove the head of someone you like in the toilet" Rea said.
"I know, but...The way she is always talking about her as if she was the only girl in that Academy." Janna said.
"Wait! Do you mean Yuna would have...a crush...On a GIRL?!" Rea asked, wincing in disgust. Janna didn't immediately answer. Instead, she stared at her knees, twisting her beenie between her hands, before finally raising her head to look at Rea straight in her eyes. "Would...Would that be such a bad thing?" Janna asked, glancing furtively at Rea's lips before Rea stood up, laughing, while Janna felt her heart suddenly start racing in her chest.
"Whatever...Do you think we should go look for her?" Rea asked, looking towards the trees, her hands on her hips.
"No way! She's the one who ditched us!" Janna said before raising her head to look at the sky." It's getting cloudy, and I'm freezing."
"Yeah...You're right; let's go back home!" Rea said, throwing the joint on the snow. "My parents won't be back before 11 pm. They land me some money to order if you feel like..."
Janna stood up, stared for a moment at the trees, hoping to see Yuna appear at any moment before she joined Rea, and both walked back to the village.
At the same moment, a little further in the forest, Yuna ran in the snow as fast as she could, screaming for help. She was sliding between the trees, casting spells behind her back, hoping to slow down her pursuer while blood ran on her face from a cut on her forehead. Then, finally, she could see the light a little further. Only she felt something firmly close around her ankle and drag her back on the ground as she desperately tried to reach for her wand. She kept screaming until she couldn't make a sound anymore.