Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters or the world of Harry Potter. I am not making any profit out of writing this story and am only doing so for the purpose of entertainment.

TW: Mention of physical assault


Alyssa groaned, painfully aware of the raging headache she had been nursing since the moment she woke up the next morning. She along with Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting at the Gryffindor table, trying to hydrate themselves and shove food down their throats. Hermione was lying with her head down on the table, her curls tied in a loose bun over her head, occasionally whimpering. Harry had his head in his hands, trying the massage the pain away with his fingers. Ron was the only one out of them who had managed to finish his breakfast and was currently on his seventh glass of water.

Alyssa stared at him, looking horrified and impressed. Almost half the Gryffindor table was empty; only a few scattered fifth, sixth and seventh years had been able to make it for breakfast along with the younger students. Others chose to nurse their hangovers in the comfort of their beds. Alyssa looked around the Great Hall to find that several of the sixth and seventh years from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were missing too. She huffed; only the Slytherins were in full attendance, except for Malfoy. She frowned as she recalled the events of last night. Everything was very blurry but she remembered hurrying out of the common room and falling asleep in the library. And then there was Malfoy, poking her awake. She was still shaky about that part, not sure if it was some hallucination or it had really happened.

Just when she was about to convince herself that it was all just a very, very vivid dream, Malfoy walked into the Great Hall. He was still wearing what she had seen him in last night. She looked at his face and found his eyes already on her. Her heart skipped a beat and for a moment, her headache dulled. She stared at him intently, waiting for a reaction, for a ghost of memory, and then he smirked, pinched his nose and took a seat at the Slytherin table. Alyssa's cheeks colored. Of course, of course it all happened and it all came rushing back to her. She had been drunk out of her wits, whining about Unell, crying for the love of Merlin and he had heard her. She had fallen asleep and snored apparently which is why he had woken her up. Because it annoyed him. She didn't buy it for a second; not the annoyed part, she could be breathing anywhere in his five-mile radius and he would be annoyed, the part about snoring. She never snored, no matter how deep her sleep was. He was lying. What was he even doing in library after midnight? He had been skipping classes of late, it couldn't be classwork that kept him awake. What did he do in the morning when he wasn't in class? The heavy bags under his eyes suggested that it wasn't sleep that made him miss lectures.

Alyssa groaned, her headache coming back in full force. She muttered curses under her breath, wishing she hadn't topped those seven shots of Firewhiskey with countless mugs of Butterbeer. As if on cue, Ginny sat down beside her, smiling mischievously.

"Looks like someone had too much to drink." She said, loudly. Or it sounded loud to the rest of them, because she heard her brother and Hermione groan.

"My head is going to combust." Alyssa muttered, rubbing her temple. "I am never drinking again."

"Well, I am here to save the day." Ginny said happily, pulling out four vials of a concoction. "And of course you are."

"Is that what I think it is?" she heard Hermione whispered hopefully.

Ginny grinned.

"Willow bark and dried billywig." Ginny said. "The cure to your misery."

"Oh, thank you," Hermione said, grabbing a vial and swallowing the potion in under a second, "bless you, Ginny."

Alyssa and Harry followed her lead and instantly released sighs of relief. The potion did not waste time to take effect and in a few minutes, Alyssa could have wept out of relief that swept her body. Ron just took the vial and put it in robes, smiling as his friends devoured the food in front of them.

"I don't think bacon has ever tasted this good." Harry muttered, staring reverently at his plate.

Ginny chuckled.

"So," she said, leaning on the table, "where'd you run off to last night?" her eyes trained on Alyssa.

"I just needed some air," she replied casually, "it was getting stuffy in there."

"Why didn't you take Jamie with you?" Ginny asked, smiling suggestively.

Alyssa rolled her eyes.

"What did he say to you?" she asked.

"That you were about to make out!" Ginny said, nudging her in the ribs. Harry made a face but didn't deign to speak. "Why didn't you? I saw you two, there was something going on!"

"That something, was my stomach trying make my dinner reappear." Alyssa lied. Harry and Ron shot her a glare.

"Is this about Christopher?" Ginny asked, anger and a hint of pity in her eyes. "Because I can make him disappear."

"Now it's on record so, no you can't."

"I swear, that guy-" Ginny started.

"Ginny, it's okay." Alyssa said, already starting to feel exhausted. "Yes, it's still a little difficult for me right now but I am fine. I just need some time to deal with it, that's all." At Ginny's concerned look, she added, "If I need your help, I will ask you, you know that."

Ginny sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, okay." She said. She got up from her seat.

"Well, I'm off. I've got a date." She winked and strutted out of the entrance.

"It's weird." Ron said, grimacing.

"I know!" Hermione said frowning at her food. "The eggs taste tangy."

"No, Ginny and Dean!" Ron said. "I've known him for five years and I can't even look him in eye anymore."

"Ron, let it go." Alyssa said. "She a big girl now. She can date whomsoever she wants."

"Yeah, but does it have to be my roommate?" Ron scowled.

"There are a sum total of five dateable boys in Gryffindor." Hermione said. "It's not exactly a crowd."

"Wait," Harry said, "Five? Who are they?"

Hermione and Alyssa pretended not to hear them.

"Who?" Ron asked, frowning. His eyes skimmed briefly over Hermione.

"Finish your breakfast, Ronald." Alyssa said sternly, hiding a smile.


It had been three days since the Gryffindor party and the topic of where Alyssa had run off to didn't appear. She knew she was lying by omission but didn't really feel any guilt over it. The only thing that could happen if she told her brother and friends about her little excursion to the library and her interaction with Malfoy was Harry would start hounding Malfoy again. He was finally doing well. He was excited to hold the quidditch try-outs for Gryffindor and he and Ron had been discussing strategy for matches. She didn't want her brother pursuing Malfoy just out of the hate he held for the Slytherin.

Alyssa had finally managed to complete her training module and she was extremely proud of it. It detailed every spell she intended to teach them, its purpose, how and when can it be used and if needed, the modifications it can endure. She had done a lot of research and had spells prepared for any and every situation she could possibly come up with. She sincerely hoped that it would be enough. She had been in the library since the moment she had finished dinner and had been adding the finishing touches to her module, checking and rechecking if she had missed out on anything. She looked at the candles and lanterns starting to go out and she stretched; Madam Pince could pounce on her any minute to bodily throw her out of the library. She collected all of her stray parchments, inkbottles, quills and her finished module and tried to carefully arrange them in her bag. From the corner of her eye, she saw the feared Librarian approaching and flew out of the library.

She rounded the corner of the corridor outside the library, busy arranging the parchments in her bag, and collided into someone solid and almost fell back on her ass. She felt a hand grab her arm and save her from a rather embarrassing fall. She looked up ready to thank and apologize to the person but stopped short.

"Christopher." She said blankly. Her heart was beating uncommonly fast and she willed it to calm down. The sight of her ex-boyfriend so close to her, having a vice like grip on her arm was entirely unhelpful.

She quickly shuffled back, pulling the strap of her bag on her shoulder, trying to look anywhere but at his handsome face. That was a task in itself. Christopher smiled at her, the same smile that made her stomach flip.

"Are you okay?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Fine, yes." Alyssa replied quickly.

"Were you heading back to the common room?" he asked hesitantly. Alarm bells started going off in her head. She was going to head back to the common room but not anymore. If she said yes, he would ask if he could accompany her and she would have no way of getting out of that and would probably end up throwing herself at him and humiliating herself. She knew she shouldn't dare spend another minute in his presence. It was intoxicating, to say the least. She was certain she would end up doing something she'd later regret.

"No." she lied swiftly. "I was actually going down to ground floor." 'Ground floor?' she screamed internally, 'why the fuck would go to the ground floor?'

Christopher looked just as confused as she felt. For a moment she felt like dropping the act and falling into his arms and kissing him till she couldn't breathe anymore. His hazel eyes stared into hers and she felt herself inching closer, as if instinctively. He drew closer too and immediately she backed away.

"I'm a little hungry." She said, starting to walk back. "Um, I was going to the kitchens. I had a small dinner."

"Oh." He said, taking a step forward. "I actually wanted to talk to you."

She stopped in her tracks, heart beating fast.

"Now is not a good time, Chris." She replied slowly.

"No, yeah- I know." He said, stumbling over his words. "I just- when? I mean, uh, when can we talk?"

She took in a deep breath.

"Do we have to?" she asked, stoning herself.

Christopher's eyes widened a fraction but he recovered quickly.

"No. We don't, if you don't want to." He said, the hurt clearly visible in his eyes.

She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself for what he put her through for the past four months but she couldn't. She knew she still had feelings for him and watching him hurt over something that came out of her mouth was not exactly something she was good at. Alyssa sighed in resignation.

"Meet me at old Astronomy tower in the east wing. Tomorrow, after dinner." She said and watched his face brighten up. "It's usually haunted by the bloody baron so it should be safe from those stupid busybodies."

"Yes!" he said, smiling brightly. "I'll see you there."

Alyssa turned on her heel and left before she could somehow make it worse. She stormed towards the kitchen, cursing herself. She couldn't believe her utter stupidity. One look and he had her hands tied. Was she that easy to manipulate? After crying over him for months, when she was finally experiencing some semblance of normalcy, she had gone and fucked herself over. Royally. She shook her head, feeling disgusted with herself, yet excited. What did he want to talk about? Was he going to ask her to get back together? No, absolutely not. Even if he did, she would never agree to that. She had lost all trust in him when he had broken her heart without a warning or a reason. She would never be willing to put herself through something like that again. She wouldn't, right? She wouldn't. All she agreed to was hearing him out. Maybe he'd finally give her a reason to why he broke up with her. It'll certainly help her get some closure, or it'll make things worse.

She reached the ground floor and saw the portrait of the pear lounging on the stone wall. She tickled the pear and the portrait swung open and inside was an almost empty kitchen, filled with food of every kind. She stepped inside and not a second later, heard a loud squeal.

"Miss Dursley!" Dobby the house elf popped in front of her, a wide smile on his face. "Dobby is very happy to see you! What is miss doing here at such late night? Is Harry Potter in trouble?" he asked, looking scared.

"No, Dobby, nothing like that." she said, kneeling down to sit on a small stool, reaching his eye level. "Harry is doing just fine. I came in for myself." She said, blushing. "You wouldn't have something lying around to eat, would you?" Dobby, was gone before she could even finish the sentence. Her stomach growled loudly at the fragrance wafting from the kitchen. "I really did have a small dinner." She muttered to herself.

"You didn't have to come down here, miss." Dobby said, returning with a plate of warm steak. "Dobby was happy to bring it to you."

"Oh, my goodness! Dobby, you didn't make this right now, did you?" she asked, feeling immensely guilty at having the little elf make a second dinner for her.

"No, miss. This was leftover from today's dinner. Dobby made it hot for miss to eat." He said, his expression morphing into that of worry. "Did miss want something else? Dobby can get her something else."

"Oh no, Dobby, this is perfect!" She gushed. "You are my savior, truly."

Dobby smiled looking very proud of himself.

"It is Dobby's pleasure, miss!" he squeaked.

"You don't have to wait for me, Dobby." She said, seeing him lingering around, looking at the clock on the mantel of the fireplace. "I'll finish up on my own."

He looked skeptical.

"It's alright, really." She said and gave him a smile. "You must have had a long day. Go on, get some rest."

Dobby smiled gratefully at her.

"Good night, miss." He said and disappeared with a loud crack.

Alyssa smiled. She really loved that elf. He was the sweetest thing ever. He had helped them find the room of requirement and repeatedly tried to save Harry's life in the second year, despite the fact that he was doing anything but. She still remembered that day when he dropped a whole cake on top of her father's business associates in the hopes that the blame would be pushed on Harry and he wouldn't be allowed to return to Hogwarts. His plan hadn't exactly worked out the way he wanted, but Alyssa and Harry had been grounded for a week when her parents had refused to buy the story of a magical elf floating cakes around in their living room.

She chuckled at the memory. Almost finished with her food, she stood up to wash her dish when all of a sudden, she heard the portrait swing open and in rushed Daphne Greengrass, panting heavily and looking positively scared. She quickly shut the portrait behind her, looking completely out of breath. The plate in Alyssa's hand cleaned itself with a motion of her wrist and placed itself back in its shelf, without a sound. Alyssa eyes were trained on the unbelievably beautiful blonde, who had her back to the portrait with her eyes closed, breathing heavily. She had no idea Alyssa was standing a little ahead of her.

"Greengrass?" as soon as the name left her mouth, the Slytherin's eyes flew open and her wand was pointed straight at Alyssa's chest.

Alyssa threw her hands up in surrender and slowly approached the girl, worried. Greengrass's wand arm was shaking, and so was she. She relaxed greatly after seeing Alyssa but didn't lower her wand.

"Daphne?" Alyssa called again. "Are you okay?"

Greengrass breathed out once, then twice and looked at Alyssa, calm and collected, as if she hadn't been scared for her life just a few seconds ago. She lowered her wand.

"What are you doing here?" she asked Alyssa, her amber eyes trained on her. Her voice was beautiful, albeit a little shaky, Alyssa noticed. She had seldom heard Greengrass speak and only in class. It was pleasant to the ears but the authority they held was not lost on anyone.

"I was hungry." She replied honestly. "I just came in here to eat. How do you know where the kitchens are?"

"How do you know where the kitchens are?" Greengrass countered.

Alyssa sighed.

"Are you okay?" she asked again. The blonde's limbs were still shaking, Alyssa noticed. She was still in her school robes. Her tie was gone and the upper half of her shirt was missing buttons. Her neck was covered in bruises that looked horrifyingly like fingers prints. Alyssa's eyes immediately hardened.

"Did some hurt you?" she asked quietly, the anger barely restrained in her voice.

Greengrass's eyes became glassy but then her expression hardened.

"I am fine, Dursley." She bit out.

Alyssa relaxed her demeanor.

"Greengrass, listen to me," Alyssa said calmly, although she felt anything but. "This is not an interrogation. I am simply concerned. If you don't want to answer any questions, that's fine." She paused for effect. "Sit down." She said softly.

Greengrass didn't obey immediately but realizing that her legs weren't going to support her for long, she walked further into the kitchen and dropped heavily on the stool Alyssa had previously occupied. She shakily combed a hand through her hair while Alyssa conjured a glass of water and vial of calming draught from her personal stores. She handed the glass to Greengrass and watched her swallow the water, a painful grimace covering her face. Alyssa's eyes shifted to the bruises on her neck.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

Greengrass shot her a withering glare but didn't answer.

"I can fix it." that got her attention. "It'll hurt for a few hours but I know a charm that'll make them go away. You'll be fine by the morning."

Greengrass paused, looked at the vial of calming draught in Alyssa's palm and then at her face. Her eyes became glassy again. Alyssa wanted to reach out and comfort her but she didn't want to cross any boundaries and make her uncomfortable.

Greengrass nodded to show her assent and shakily pulled her hair back. Alyssa's kneeled in front of her and checked the damage. Her anger renewed and she fought to keep her hand steady. The bruises were deep, like someone had really squeezed her neck with the intent to cut off air circulation in her lungs. They were quickly turning black and Alyssa knew she had to do the spell before it got any worse. She pulled out her wand and performed the spell, watching as one by one the bruises disappeared and soon her neck was clean. She conjured a mirror and handed it to Greengrass, still kneeling in front of her. The Slytherin checked her neck for any remainder of what Alyssa thought was an assault and handed the mirror back. Alyssa gave her the calming draught and she looked at it suspiciously.

"It'll help you calm down." Alyssa said and pressed it in palm. "Bottoms up, Greengrass." She encouraged.

Greengrass sighed heavily and swallowed the draught in one go. Her shoulders visibly relaxed and her limbs stopped shaking. She pulled her hair down and stood up.

"Did they follow you?" Alyssa asked, keeping her wand at ready.

"Nobody followed me, Dursley." She replied calmly. She fixed her shirt with a wave of her wand and opened the portrait.

"Thank you." She muttered, almost too quietly for Alyssa to catch.

Alyssa nodded.

"And not a word." She added, in a slightly threatening tone.

Alyssa didn't deter.

"I'll be watching over you." She said softly.

Greengrass immediately scowled.

"I am not some helpless-" she started dangerously but Alyssa didn't let her finish.

"I will be watching over you." She repeated calmly. "And I won't say a word to anyone unless you want me to."

Something shifted in the Slytherin's eyes and she almost looked relieved, but before Alyssa could tell she thrust her chin up and closed the portrait behind her.

Alyssa almost collapsed on the floor. What the hell was that? Had someone actually assaulted Daphne Greengrass? That was a stupid question; someone clearly had and she had been scared out of her wits. Alyssa was terrified to think of the nature of the assault. She was so stupid! Why had she agreed that she wouldn't tell anyone? Someone needed to know! She needed to tell McGonagall! Hell, even Snape would do. But she knew that Greengrass would deny that anything of the nature had occurred and then she wouldn't let Alyssa near her, let alone help her, ever again. Who the hell had dared hurt Daphne Greengrass and walked away alive? Alyssa's blood boiled as she thought of what she had seen.

She shook her head, trying not to jump to any conclusions, but failed miserably. She slowly made her way back to the Gryffindor tower, head filled with anger and disturbing thoughts. Without stopping to greet Harry, Ron and Hermione, she went up straight to her dormitory and stripped out of her clothes. Too tired to change into her pajamas, she climbed under her covers in her bra and knickers. With a wave of her wrist, the curtains closed around her bed. Her fingers sub consciously caressed the scar on her right hip where it dipped in her knickers. She recalled that moment when Lucius Malfoy had hit her with a deadly curse in the Department of Mysteries. She had been fighting three death eaters at a time when she had been stupid enough to leave her right side wide open. She remembered the pain and the helplessness and her brother's screams. Alyssa closed her eyes, trying to remove the nightmare fodder from her memory.

The door to their room cracked open and she heard Hermione's voice.

"Lyss? Are you okay?"

She didn't reply.

"Alyssa?"

She didn't utter a word and instead tried to focus on trying to even her breathing. If she talked to Hermione right now, she knew she'd break and tell her everything. But she had promised Greengrass: not a word.

"Is she asleep?" She heard Harry's voice echo up the stairs. "Should I come up?"

"She's asleep, I think." Hermione replied.

"Are you sure? She does that thing when she pretends to be asleep when she doesn't want to talk about something." Alyssa scowled in her pillow.

"Well then we shouldn't force her to." Hermione said and Alyssa thanked heavens for her thoughtful friend. "I'll get it out of her tomorrow, anyway." She scoffed lightly; Hermione probably will.

She heard the door close and the room was enveloped in darkness once again. Alyssa's eyes shuttered on their own accord, and she readied herself for nightmares her brain was going to inflict on her and fell asleep.


The next day at breakfast, Alyssa's eyes never left Greengrass. She had been looking at her since the moment the blonde entered the Great Hall. She could tell that Greengrass knew that she had eyes on her, but she didn't pay Alyssa any heed. Alyssa didn't care. She wanted to find out who's fingers had been around Greengrass's throat last night, practically choking the life out of her. She didn't pay attention to Harry recounting what he had seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve, she didn't even respond for several seconds when Hermione had asked her what had happened last night. She told them about what had happened outside the library and her meeting with Christopher. They were extremely against it, to put it lightly. She had just told them that there was nothing to worry about and that she was just going to hear him out. Christopher was second on her list of worries. She needed to figure out who Greengrass's assaulter was because she knew Greengrass would never willingly disclose the identity to her.

Malfoy was sitting right beside Greengrass and they looked like they were fighting quietly. Alyssa's eyes narrowed. Could it be Malfoy? But Greengrass didn't look scared, she looked like she was trying to reason with him and slowly loosing patience. A group of seventh year Slytherins entered the Great Hall, laughing and creating a right ruckus. Greengrass immediately quietened, she looked downright terrified. Alyssa took note of every boy who had just walked in and promised herself to look into them. She saw Malfoy scowling heavily towards them and decided that he wasn't the enemy, for the moment. Greengrass met her eyes and swallowed heavily. Alyssa nodded her head subtly, reassuring her that she was watching and Greengrass looked away. To an outsider, it would look like nothing was out of place. If Alyssa hadn't known, she wouldn't have looked twice at Greengrass. But she knew, and on a closer look, she could see the slight trembling of fingers, the way she almost incessantly adjusted her shirt's collar and her terrified eyes shooting glances at the seventh year Slytherin boys sitting opposite her.

"Alyssa why the hell do you keep staring at Malfoy?" Harry asked, sounding irritated.

"What! No. I am not staring at him." She said, looking mildly disgusted.

"What's going on?" he asked. Hermione and Ron stared at her.

"I wasn't staring at anyone," she said, "I was just… thinking."

"About what?" Hermione asked.

"I-I have to meet Christopher today." She covered. "I'm just thinking if it was the right decision.""

"It wasn't!" Ron insisted. "Don't go."

"I have to." she said, shrugging. "I can't just not go."

"Why not? Is there a pull you can't resist? Do we need to tie you up?" Harry said, exasperated.

"Shut up, and no." Alyssa said, rolling her eyes. "I told him I'll meet him and I will. I just need to hear him out."

"Need to?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I am curious." She replied.

"Curious or horny?" Ron asked, smirking.

"Ron!" Harry and Alyssa hissed.

Ron just shrugged.

The rest of the day went by way too fast. Every moment of Alyssa's time was spent eyeing the corridors for a sight of Greengrass. She couldn't get those bruises on her neck out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried. And as if that wasn't enough, she had dug a grave for herself by agreeing to meet Christopher Unell. Her brother and friends were right; she should have said no. Why was it so difficult to say no to Christopher? It's not like she had a problem being assertive. She had been head over heels for him the moment they had started dating. Everything about him had slowly made her fall in love. But it had been almost four months since they had broken up, she should have been able to move on by now, she should have been able to say no. What if what he had to say would dig up old wounds and open new ones too?

With her heart beating fast, she finished her dinner and walked up to the sixth floor. The east wing of the castle was relatively smaller than all the other wings in Hogwarts. It previously held the old astronomy tower that had been out of use for a couple of centuries since the bloody baron had started haunting it. He may have been just a ghost, but he scared the living daylights out of most of the student body and professors. The east wing was now mostly functional as storage unit for all kinds of equipment all over the castle.

Alyssa carefully made her way across the objects strewn over the floor. She grimaced; Filch was scared of the Bloody Baron too apparently. She saw moonlight streaming in the tower of the east wing and took the stairs to it. She reached up, her heart pounding, and was relieved to find it empty, she was early. The old astronomy tower was truly beautiful. It was more ornately designed than the one that was in use and although it was on a lower level, the view it offered was spectacular. She could see the moonlight glistening over the eerily calm surface of the black lake. She looked up at the cloudless sky and saw the stars shining bright, twinkling as if they had life of their own. She smiled as the gentle wind caressed her face and brushed her hair. There were a few things in nature that brought out the poet in her, and one of them was the moon. Alyssa and Harry had long felt that they were a little different from children their age. They didn't feel like this world was for them anymore than it accepted them. She remembered climbing up on the roof of her suburban house since she was old enough and staring at the moon longingly, wishing that the hollowness she felt be filled up by her light. Even today, she looked up at the beautiful celestial and wished for the same, longing to feel whole.

A small paper plane flew over her head and dropped at her feet. She frowned and picked it up. It was a note, she realized. She unfolded the plane and read.

I'm sorry, Lyss. I was selfish to have asked you to come. If I hurt you any more than I already have, I will never be able to forgive myself. Forget I ever asked.

-C

Alyssa stared at the note long and hard. It was his handwriting, there was no doubt. She would recognize it anywhere. It was this handwriting that wrote all those dirty notes to her, telling her all the things he wanted to do to her when no one was watching. It was this handwriting that had told her countless times that he loved her, that she was the one with the power to break his heart.

She calmly folded the note and sighed. She felt relieved that he wasn't coming. She couldn't believe it. There was no anger or hurt or betrayal clouding her mind, only relief. All this time she had been thinking that she needed closure or that she wasn't over him. Turned out, she wasn't allowing herself to be over him. There was comfort in holding on to the past, those feelings were that for her. She held on to it because hurting over a broken heart was better to deal with than death and destruction. She had let him go for a while now, and this was the wake up call she needed, to move forward and to stop holding on. She smiled to herself and made her way to the Gryffindor tower, finally having the courage to tell her brother and friends what had truly happened between herself and Christopher.


"That's it?!" Hermione hissed. Alyssa's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Yes." She confirmed.

"That was how he broke up with you?" Hermione raged. With all honesty, this is what she had expected from Harry. The flared nostrils, the reddening cheeks and hand twitching towards the wand were her expectations from Harry when she told them about how Unell broke up with her, not Hermione.

Alyssa nodded affirmative.

"That mother-fucker." Hermione spat. Alyssa, Harry and Ron gasped genuine disbelief.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, scandalized.

" 'I'm sorry. We can't do this anymore.'! That's it!? No reason!?" She all but screamed. "I am going to strangle that boy in his sleep."

"Hermione, calm down." Alyssa said, slightly frightened. "It's okay. Like I said, I am really over him."

"But look how long it took you!" She insisted.

"I mean, that's partly my fault-"

"I am going to make him give you a reason." She said, sounding terrifyingly determined.

"NO! No, Hermione," Alyssa sighed, "I really don't want that."

"I can brew some Veristaserum, tie him up to a chair-" she began slowly.

"Okay, stop. You're scary." Harry said, looking genuinely concerned. He turned to Alyssa. "But she has a point. He owes you an explanation."

"The only thing that is going to do is push me back." Alyssa shrugged. "I don't want to go back. It's for the best. I don't want to know."

Harry nodded in understanding. Hermione fumed silently and Ron looked ready to run away from her. They all talked for a while before Hermione and Ron bade Harry and Alyssa good night and went up their respective dorms.

"Is that all?" Harry asked abruptly.

"Hm?"

"Is that all that's bothering you?" He elaborated. Alyssa's body went rigid. She was neither used to it nor did she like lying to her brother, especially when she didn't want to hide something.

"Yeah. Why… do you ask?" she said, not even trying to sound convincing.

"Because I think you're hiding something." He said, eyes narrowed. She decided to give him the truth, in a way.

"Well, yes and no. Yes, because I am hiding something and no, because you're not supposed to know because it not my secret to tell." She replied diplomatically and gave her brother a winning smile. The dimple under her eye crinkled. She had a small crater under her left eye which opened up when her smile was big; and she was smiling, to cover a big fat secret.

"Alyssa." Her brother said. "You're annoying, and I will break you."

"Uh, no you will not." She scoffed. "I am an excellent secret keeper."

"Not from me." He smiled devilishly.

'I am now' she thought miserably and stuck her tongue out at her brother.


It was their first Hogsmeade outing of their sixth and it could not have gone more wrong. It was a terrible Saturday morning with weather so cold, Alyssa, Harry, Ron and Hermione had bundled themselves up in three layers of jumpers, cloaks and scarves. On top of that they had a run in with Mundungus Fletcher, who had been nicking stuff out of Sirius's house, 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry had practically turned red and Tonks had to appear and bodily stop Harry from hexing the shit out of Mundungus and give him time to disapparate. Alyssa had to drag him towards Three Broomsticks and remind him that Sirius didn't care about any of that stuff and he hated Grimmauld Place. And the worst part, Katie Bell touched a cursed necklace and almost died because of it. McGonagall and Snape believed she was imperiused to deliver the necklace to someone in the castle. Harry had been quick to blame Malfoy, surprising Alyssa.

"I thought you were over this!" she said, as the four of them trooped out of McGonagall's office.

"I kept a tab on him through the map." Harry replied, walking fast and ahead of them all.

"Oh, for the- Harry slow down!" Alyssa had to jog to keep up with him. "Where are you going!"

"Nowhere! Just stop following me." He snapped.

"What the fuck is up with you? Will just stop and talk to me?" she snapped back and stopped in her tracks, Ron and Hermione right behind them, looking very uncomfortable.

"What the fuck do you want to talk about?" he shouted. "About how you didn't have my back in there?" he pointed towards McGonagall's office.

"What- I didn't even know you were still spying on him!" she seethed, suddenly feeling very angry.

"And what would you have said if I had told you? Huh?" he said, glaring intensely at him.

"I would have told you to stop acting crazy!" she scowled. "I said it back then and I am telling you now, you could be right, but you need stop hounding him at every corner. You are starting to scare me."

Harry looked at her and then at Ron and Hermione.

"You are my sister. You're supposed to have my back." He said, suddenly looking very hurt, and stormed off.

"Harry…" Alyssa trailed off, feeling guiltier by the second. She turned around to look at her friends.

"I'll go talk to him." She said. They nodded in understanding and took the corridor to the Gryffindor tower.

Alyssa sighed and followed after Harry. He had disappeared around the corner but she knew where he'd gone. She climbed the stairs to the fourth floor and followed a memorized path to an abandoned classroom near the library. The door was shut; she breathed in and knocked twice. There was no answer. She pushed the door open and sure enough, there he was, sitting in the middle of the classroom with his legs folded, staring reverently at the wall ahead. Alyssa looked around and smiled softly; this was the classroom where Dumbledore had kept the Mirror of Erised in their first year. Harry came here often, especially when he was upset. She recalled being brought here for the first time in the middle of the night along with Ron, and Harry had tried to show her his parents. All she had seen was her own reflection and Harry and Ron's. She had thought it an ordinary mirror and would have continued to believe so if Ron hadn't said that he was the quidditch captain and head boy and wondered if it foretold the future. The Mirror had only shown her the true reflection, instead of what she wanted to see because she had everything she wanted. She had finally begun feeling accepted and had started making friends and truly enjoying her life. She wondered what the mirror would show her now.

She went up to her brother and sat down, staring at the wall alongside him.

"I hate it when you're mad at me." She said.

"I hate it when I'm mad at you." He said.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I should have had your back." She said, nudging his shoulder with hers.

"I should have told you I was still after Malfoy." He said, giving her a side glance.

"It's just horrible to imagine, you know." She said. He looked at her. "he's sixteen, Harry. We're sixteen. If he truly is a death eater, then I feel bad for him. I just… I can't imagine him or anyone we know to be evil. And to be at the mercy of a monster like Voldemort, it must be terrifying."

There was a long pause.

"I… I never thought of it that way." Harry admitted.

"I didn't want to either." She shrugged. "Everything is happening so fast. We heard this stupid prophecy just about two months ago and Dumbledore has officially started preparing you for defeating Voldemort, and I can't piece any of it together." Her voice wavered and immediately her brother's hand found hers. "The possibility of Malfoy being a death eater… it just makes it all so real. That your life is truly in danger and Hogwarts can't protect us. A crazy, power hungry, cold-blooded murderer is after you. I can't even imagine anything happening to you, Harry. I can never let anything happen to you." A tear escaped her eye.

Harry pulled her in his side and held her against his chest.

"You won't let anything happen to me. Just like I wouldn't let anything hurt you." He said, his voice heavy with emotion. "We stick together, right? For all of it."

She nodded in and his chest and sat up.

"You have to know I will always have your back." She said, tears streaking down her face. "Even when I disagree with you."

"I know." he said, smiling. "It was a stupid thing to say. Of course, you have my back."

She smiled and hugged her brother, feeling a little stupid for getting all emotional and possibly scaring Harry.

"I'm sorry." She said, sniffling. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You didn't." he said, shaking his head.

"Do you think Katie will be okay?" she asked, worried about what she saw today.

"She's a Gryffindor." Harry said. "She'll pull through."

Alyssa sincerely hoped so.


Despite the cold air of the night, Alyssa found herself huddled up in a corner of the Astronomy tower, recasting a warming charm on her every fifteen minutes. The chill of the night helped her think better. She was in her pajamas and a thick robe, her hair covering her back. She stared intently at the piece of parchment in her left hand and a muggle ink pen in her right. She found the quills and ink bottle exhausting to carry around everywhere so when it wasn't schoolwork, she used her pen to write things down.

There were names of six boys written on the parchment, all of them from Slytherin seventh year. Alyssa had mentally taken a note of all the boys who had walked into the Great Hall and Greengrass's expression had morphed into that of terror. Alyssa had no clue why she was so intent on helping Greengrass. She had talked to that girl once in all their years at Hogwarts and she clearly didn't want her help. Greengrass had the option to talk to Snape or even Dumbledore, but she was choosing not to. Was she so thick headed and proud to prioritize her ego over her well-being? Alyssa shook her head. Daphne Greengrass was a clever girl; Alyssa was positive it was something else entirely that had kept her silent. Did this happen for the first time? Had this happened before? Is that how she knew where the Kitchens were? Was that her hiding spot? Alyssa almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice speak behind her?

"Is that a hit list, Dursley?" Draco Malfoy drawled, frowning at the parchment in her hand.

"Malfoy!" Alyssa said, clutching. "What is the matter with you, you fucking dolt!"

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"You truly are a troll." He said, smirking.

Alyssa's cheeks colored.

"I do not snore." She muttered, hiding the parchment from his view.

"Yes, and I love Potter." He said distastefully.

"Well, that is actually a theory-" She started but was quickly shut down.

"So do you plan to kill those boys?" he asked loudly.

She smirked.

"If it were a hit list, Malfoy, your name would be on it." she said sweetly.

"Then what is it?" he asked, sitting down a few feet away from her, making himself comfortable against a wall. She frowned. What the hell was he doing? He doesn't want to sit with her and chat, does he? She stared at him suspiciously, taking into account his tired eyes and pale complexion. He looked like a wraith.

"It's none of your business now, is it?" she frowned at him.

"They are my housemates, Dursley. I am honor-bound to protect them." He said and smirked, as if it were a joke.

Alyssa saw an opportunity and she took it.

"You don't like them?" she asked casually, wondering if it looks as odd as feels that she was sitting in an empty astronomy tower with Draco Malfoy, having a conversation with him and he hadn't called her a Mudblood once.

"It's none of your business now, is it?" he drawled, smirking.

Alyssa gave him her best poker face.

"Fine. Don't tell me." She said. "You're the one who came in here… to make small talk, was it?"

"I come here every night, Dursley." He emphasized. "You're the one hogging the space today."

"Sorry to disappoint Malfoy, but this isn't private property." She scowled.

"I know." He said, tilting his head, taunting her.

Alyssa cursed herself for falling into that one. There was a long silence and Malfoy stared at the stone floor, frowning. She didn't want to stare, but it was impossible not to. She hated herself but had to admit that he was maddeningly attractive. His features had looked pointy when he was young but he had gracefully grown into them. Everything about his face was beautifully symmetrical; the sharpness of his jaw, the panes of his cheeks, the shape of his eyes. It was almost unfair how perfect his face was. But Alyssa had met Narcissa Malfoy so she knew it was a genetic lottery. His body though, that was his own. He was at least a head taller than her with an athletic build. She would see the curves and angles of his muscles through his shirt.

She frowned. It was practically freezing out there, no warming charm could keep the cold away with that flimsy shirt. She mentally berated herself. Openly gawking at him and then feeling concerned for his well-being? She must be the one catching a cold. Being a relatively good-looking wizard did not excuse his behaviour towards her since the moment they'd met. The first time she'd met him was in Diagon Alley, it was her second visit to the town and her parents were in Gringotts converting muggle currency; Harry had been looking at owls with Hagrid and she had been waiting outside, staring at her brand-new wand with awe. It would have been the happiest day of her life had that measly little ferret not approached her.

"Never seen a wand before?" he said, smirking at her.

"I have." She replied defensively. "But this one is my own." She said in admiration.

"My father says that the wand chooses the wizard. I bet my wand will be the best there is." He said haughtily.

"I don't think there's any such thing as the 'best wand'." She said, not liking the pointy faced boy.

"There is the Elder wand of course, but father says it is only a children's bedtime story." He said, as if he agreed.

She wanted to ask him what an elder wand was but something told her he would take a personal offence to that.

"Did you get your wand?" she asked him.

"My mother is looking at them." He said.

"But didn't you say that the wand chooses the wizard?" she asked, confused.

"Of course it does, silly. My mother is selecting the best out of them so I won't have to wave all of them around like an idiot." He said, frowning at her as if she asked the dumbest questions in the world.

Alyssa glared at him. She didn't like the way he talked. Just then, her parents came back with a pouch full of galleons, sickles and knuts, looking excited at the chance of handling new currency. She smiled happily at them.

"Mummy look!" she cried happily. "My wand! Isn't it so pretty!"

"Oh dear, it's gorgeous." Her mother said, smiling at her daughter. "Isn't it, Vernon?"

Her father kissed the top of her head.

"Just like you, Lyssie." He said proudly.

"And who is this young man?" her mother asked kindly, smiling at the blonde boy.

The boy's face had gone sour, like he had eaten something he didn't like.

"Are you muggles?" he spat. Alyssa narrowed her eyes at his tone. Did he have a problem with non-magic people?

"Are we what, dear?" her mother asked, confused.

The boy threw them a look of pure loathing and glared at Alyssa.

"You don't belong here." He sneered and walked away, leaving Alyssa hurt and angry.

"What an odd boy." Her father commented, clearly confused. "Well, we must get going, dear. Where's Harry? Wait a minute, is that him waving with an owl on his shoulder?"

She smiled bitterly at the memory. He had been the first one to make her feel unwelcome in the wizarding world. After him, many had followed and she had learned that this world, just like hers back home, had prejudices of its own.

"What're you smiling at?" he asked, snapping her out of her daze. She met his eyes, his thunder grey orbs piercing into her soul. Her heart skipped a beat. Merlin, he had gorgeous eyes.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" she asked, and instantly regretted it. She waited for his laughter, or the M-word. To her surprise, he scowled but quickly recovered.

"Reminiscing, are we?" he sneered.

"You told me I didn't belong." She said bitterly.

"I know." He said, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Do you still think that?" she asked, curious.

He paused and looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Since when does my opinion matter to you?" he asked, frowning.

"It doesn't." she said honestly. "I'm just curious."

He chuckled humorlessly.

"I was a child, Dursley." He said, his eyes darkened. "I'm not anymore."

Her heart was beating faster than usual. Did he just accept that he doesn't believe in blood supremacy anymore? No, that was too much to wish for. Wish? Why would she wish it? His opinion didn't matter to her back then and didn't matter today.

"So, you don't think I'm a Mudblood?" this time, he winced visibly. He looked into her eyes, as if searching her soul for an answer. His jaw clenched and a muscle ticked in his neck. Alyssa's mouth went dry. That was oddly…hot. She tried to keep her eyes on his face, but his Adam's apple was bobbing up and down and boy was it a sight to behold. She exhaled sharply and forced herself to look at his face.

"I'm not saying another word until you tell me what do you plan to with those jackasses." He said, nodding towards the list. She looked down at it and her determination renewed.

"I'll tell you if you answer a few of my questions." She said, giving him a smirk of her own. Something shifted in his eyes and he leaned forward.

"I don't think you understand how this work." He said quietly and Alyssa swallowed heavily. She wasn't sure if it was the wind that was no longer frigid or was it her own body temperature that had begun to rise.

"Forget what I asked before." She said shakily.

Malfoy tilted his head to the side and gazed at her thoughtfully.

"Go on then." He said and leaned back.

Alyssa released a sigh she didn't know she was holding.

"Simon Dawson, Peter Farley, Samuel Broadmoor, Aaron Mulciber and Anthony Tripe." She recited the names from her list. "do any of them have certain, aggressive tendencies?" she asked, her face carefully blank. Whatever he had expected her to ask, it wasn't this.

"What?" he asked, looking honestly confused.

"Well, it's a simple question." She said, raising her brows expectantly.

Malfoy gave her a strange look.

"They're all brutes with less than half a brain. All of them have aggressive tendencies." He replied, grimacing.

"I see." Alyssa said, disappointed. "Does any of them display it openly? With little to no fear of repercussions?"

"Are you trying to narrow the list or add more names to it?" he drawled, still looking confused upon the line of her questioning.

Alyssa sighed.

"Well then you tell me." She said, throwing up her hands. "Is any of them psychotic?"

"You need to tell me why you're asking these absurd questions." He said seriously. Was that concern she heard? Alyssa cursed herself inwardly. She was becoming delusional.

"My questions first." She said, leaving no room for argument.

"What do you want me to say, Dursley?" he asked, frustrated. "There're all fucking losers with nothing other than a little muscle to show. Other than Mulciber, of course. I have no clue what has gotten into that spineless piece of shit."

"What do you mean?" Alyssa asked immediately.

"He used to be a fucking weirdo, he still is mind you. But back then all he did was sit in the corners and stare at girls or stalk them." Malfoy shook his head in disgust. "All of a sudden, he's thinks he's some god and lords over the entire house."

"What do think happened to cause such a sudden change?" she asked.

"He got engaged to Daphne Greengrass is what happened." Malfoy spat, his expression souring. There was actual rage in his eyes. "It was well know that he had been after her for a long time."

Alyssa's eyes widened and her breath choked in her lungs.

"Dursley?"

Her eyes snapped back at him and there it was again, that concern. She hadn't been imagining it. She swallowed heavily. It was him. Aaron Mulciber, Daphne's fiancé. He was the one who had assaulted her. It all made sense. Mulciber's father was one of the death eaters who had been apprehended at the department of mysteries. Voldemort must have offered Mulciber junior a position in his ranks. With his influence, the Greengrasses must have been in no position to refuse his proposal. If Greengrass spoke of the abuse, someone or the other would figure out what was happening and Mulciber would be incarcerated along with his father and they would come after Daphne and her family. It's why she was so hell bent on keeping the abuse under wraps. Alyssa felt sick to her core. It must have shown on her face because when she looked at Malfoy, he was inching closer cautiously.

"I-I have to go." she said ran down the stairs and didn't stop until she reached the Gryffindor common room. It was when she was safely in the comfort of her four-poster did she realise that she had just had a civil conversation with Draco Malfoy without a single argument breaking out. 14th September 1996 was officially the weirdest day of her life.


A/N: Hello! It was so wonderful to see you guys respond to the first chapter! And I am so sorry for the typos, I don't have an beta readers :( But anyway, I'll try to keep them to a minimum! Looking forward to hearing more from you!

PS: Queen Daphne is here! Don't worry, this is just the beginning ;)