By Ola
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Chapter 11: Going home
Back in their secret little room, Alex was waking up, and the first thing she saw was Sirius, sleeping, sitting on the cold ground with his head propped up on the edge of the sofa on which she was lying. She sighed. He was so nice for her… He won't fall in love with Lily, James will do that…eventually, she thought ruefully. And he won't marry. It's really weird knowing the future. But why won't he? She thought for some time and had to clap her hands on her mouth lest she wake him up, laughing as she was. But she was laughing because she had just figured out why Sirius wasn't going to get married, even if there were lots of nice and beautiful magical girls. Because he loves me! Is that really why? She was very happy, almost jumping up an down like her sleeping friend always did. Then, suddenly, she stopped, as she realized something else: they lived in two very different worlds, and very far apart. And they were not old enough to just go on their own. Damn! This is going to be problematic. What am I supposed to do? Then she remembered Dumbledore's invitation. She could stay at Hogwarts for another year! But would she? On one hand, there was Sirius, and the new and fascinating world of magic. On the other, there was her mom and dad, her friends, her old but comfortable world, CD players, TV's… sigh. I hate those types of choices! Tears were welling up in her gray eyes. Chose between family love an my own love? It's like choosing between breathing clean air and drinking clean water! And I won't cry! I'm not a baby! She though vehemently, as she felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Oh, Sirius, what did you do to me? Why did you have to be so nice, so funny, so cute, so considerate…?why did I have to fall in love with you? And as she thought that, she realized that it was true, but as much as she loved him, it made the situation that more difficult. Torn between that choice, she slowly sat up and put her head into her hands, hot tears rolling down from her eyes.
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Sirius woke up with his habitual grin, but it vanished as soon as he saw the girl sobbing softly into her hands. What the? What happened? Did I do something wrong? And he asked her, but she only shook her head.
"Please, Alex, tell me," he said softly, as if talking to a hurt child. Taking her in his arms, he held her tenderly until her sobs subsided.
"Sirius, no, please, you're only making this worse," she whispered. Hurt, he released her, wondering what had happened when he was asleep. But he soon found out. Taking a death breath, she told him what she had been thinking about, slightly blushing at the part about how she felt toward him. But if he was to know, he should know all of it. When she finished, she was startled that Sirius only chuckled, and then, she became angry.
"How can you dismiss this so offhandedly?!" Sirius stopped laughing at once and put his hands up in mock protection.
"Wow, Al… I was only happy because I had thought that something really bad had happened… like me hurting you or something."
Sirius stayed quiet for a moment, then softly said, "it is, but we will find something. I just didn't want to think about it too much. I want to have a great time until we either find a solution, or have to go away."
After a time, Alex nodded, a strand of red hair falling into her eyes, and smiled as Sirius tucked it away behind her ear. "All right, we should go check up on James and Lily. I haven't seen them since that night we set Dumbledore free, and I heard that they got into an awful lot of trouble."
"Can you walk there, or do you want me to carry you?"
"Sirius, it has been four days! And please stop patronizing me! Although it would be nice if you would carry me," she said with a mischievous smile. "But if you hold my hand, it will be all right too."
No one saw them as they made their way into the Hospital Wing, Alex stumbling a few times, and Sirius finally deciding to carry her the last few hallways. But when they got there, their eyes grew wide open, their jaws slack. In the corner further away from the door, lying on the same narrow bed, were two teenagers, sleeping in each other's arms. One was a girl with fiery red hair, and the other was a boy, his messy hair a blob of black on the stark white pillow. Alex and Sirius looked at each other, and smiled, a mischievous glint in their eyes.
"Should we wake up the two love birds?"
"No… I think they look very cute that way. I wish I had a camera with me… do you realize how long it took them to notice that they were made for each other?" she finally asked.
"Yep. It took us far less time," said Sirius, a hint of a laugh in his voice, and as soon as he finished saying that, he drew Alex into his arms and gave her a long kiss.
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"This is it."
"Yes," said Alex. Today was the last day of the month, and she had to choose whether to stay or go home. Today at midnight.
Lily, Alex, and the marauders, in the company of Dumbledore were taking in Dumbledore's old room. Remus was sitting right in the middle of the sofa, a wild grin splitting his face, as two of the cutest girls sat next to him. Of course, on the girls' other side were their boyfriends, and his friends. Dumbledore was standing up, majestic as always in his maroon robe with golden embroidery at the hem and cuffs.
"You have to make the choice. You can either stay here, and complete your last year, learning how to control your magic, or you can come back home," said Dumbledore calmly.
"W…what do you all suggest?" asked Alex, looking at each of her friends in turn. Lily, Remus and James turned toward Sirius, who heaved a sigh, and said, "you know what we want. You are our friend, and we would like you to stay. Especially me," he added, his cheeks coloring slightly. "But as prof. Dumbledore said, it is your decision, and I…we, we wouldn't want you to stay if you didn't want to. You have to think of the consequences of your actions and act accordingly," he finished.
"Wow, that was really profound," said James, trying to lighten the mood by making a joke out of it, but not really succeeding.
Sirius only said, "that's what my grandmother always said," sullenly, while Alex mumbled sarcastically: "very helpful." She looked at Dumbledore for some help, but he only said," it is possible for you to go back home, but I doubt that the Ministry of Magic will let you perform magic in the muggle world. Of course, no one in the Ministry knows about you being able to do magic without a wand. They can only track students disobeying the rule of performing magic during the summer because they can "feel" whether wands are active or not. So you could probably do small spells if you are careful not to be too obvious about it, but you do not know any spells as of yet, and would have to learn them by yourself by trial and error, which could be dangerous, and would surely bring the Ministry at your doorstep. That would be the end of your magical career." "Or," he said after a silence to let the words sink in "you can stay here, as a new students, and study as much as you can." He then smiled a sad smile, knowing how difficult Alex's decision was, but also knowing that she was the one who had to make it.
"What if I go home now," said Alex, surprised at how calm she sounded. "Could I come back in ten days?" her voice broke at the last word, betraying her emotions.
Dumbledore's smile widened as he said, "yes, I do not see why you couldn't. But first, we need to do something." He pulled out his wand and touched Alex's head with its tip. And as soon as he did so, Alex became herself. A black-haired, gray-eyed girl, passing a hand through her boy-short hair in surprise. Instead of Lily's Hogwarts robe, she was wearing blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt. She looked at Sirius anxiously, wondering what he would think of her now that she wasn't looking like Lily anymore. As he caught her looking at him, he grinned, squeezing her hand, and if nothing, his eyes seem to twinkle even more than they always did.
"Now," said Dumbledore, continuing as if he talked to teenagers about traveling in space and time everyday, "I will ask you to keep your month here a secret. I trust that I will not have to put a spell on you. All right, in ten days, at 6 o'clock pm in your time, could you be at the same place you came through? Without being seen?" At Alex's nod, he continued, "Okay, you can take a few things with you, but try not to look too obvious. I do not think anyone would take it well if they saw you disappearing into a narrow box with a huge suitcase." He smiled. "Don't worry, we will know if it's you, and we will be there. And if you happen to change your mind, or if there is a problem. Send us an owl."
"But I d…"
"We will send you one the day before."
"All right."
"Ready? Say your goodbyes then. This won't take as long as the first time."
Everyone stood up, and there
was an awkward silence, as no one knew how to act. Finally, Alex hugged Lily,
shook Dumbledore's hand, then gave the guys a quick hug, and Sirius a kiss.
Then, putting on a valiant smile. She nodded. On the wall next to the couch,
there was an arch drawn in chalk, with fancy white symbols glimmering all over
its length. Where the stonewall should have been, in the boundaries of the
arch, there was…nothing. A black swirling cloud. Dumbledore began chanting an
incantation in a deep voice, and Alex could feel the magic gathering in the
small room. Finally, the blackness in the arch began swirling around, becoming
clearer, until she could see a sunny hallway on the other side. She glanced at
Dumbledore, and as he nodded, she smiled feebly, and heaving a sigh, she
crossed between thousand of miles. In the blink of an eye, she was through,
only a reminiscent tingling in her arms and legs. Again standing in the narrow
hallway, with its row of blue, metal lockers and old gray carpets, she felt at
home. Dust was gently falling in a ray of sunshine, and the silence had a
presence of its own. Her green backpack still laid half open on the ground, the
psychology book peaking from under the hem of her gray winter coat. She
shivered slightly, remembering the snow and the bitter cold that would welcome
her as soon as she braved the weather. Ten days. She had only ten days to get
ready, and then, she would go back to Hogwarts and begin her magical learning.
But now, she had more important things to think about. As she turned to face
her locker, she noticed that the arch was gone. Only the backside of the metal
box could be seen, slightly rusty on one of the corners. As she began packing
her school bag, her eyes fell on a folded yellowish piece of paper, and as she
recognized parchment, she knelt down and opened it with curious fingers.
As she finished reading it, a smile appeared on her face. "I won't," she whispered to the paper, as she carefully refolded it and out it in her bag. Shrugging her coat onto her slight shoulders, she picked up her book bag and closed her locker, the click of the lock resounding loudly in the empty hallway. Sigh. Then, fingering her pendant, she walked away into the gently falling snow of a February evening.
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"Mom, I'm home," said Alex as she opened the door, glad for the welcoming warmth. A month was a long time to be away. Especially being away from mom's cooking, thought Alex, as her nose caught a very tantalizing scent coming from the kitchen.
"Hello honey, how was your day? Did your tests go well?" asked Mrs. Westwood as she came to meet her daughter. She was a tall, middle-aged lady with short black hair, and sparkling gray eyes not unlike her daughter. She was always smiling. In short, she was an awfully nice person to be with. Tests? Oh, the midterms! I completely forgot about those! How did I do in those?
"It went okay, math was
easy…bio was harder. But my hand hurts from all that writing, and I'm tired." Sorry
mom. I really don't like lying to you, but I don't think you would understand
if I told you I went to England for a month, thought Alex, hanging her coat
and taking off her shoes. "Wow, it's finally Friday. No homework, no studying…"
she said aloud, with a satisfied sigh, as her mom went back to stirring a pot
on the stove. Shouldering her backpack again, she walked up the wooden stairs,
hearing their satisfying creak as she put her weight on the fifth step, and
entered her smallish room, lighting her computer on as she changed into some
more comfortable clothes: sweat pants and a large t-shirt. Home sweet home,
she thought, smiling at the cliché, as she sat behind her large desk and
clicked on the Microsoft word icon. This is really wired. I was here
yesterday, but I wasn't. she smiled, as she opened a new document. Click,
click, went the keys under her fast fingers, as words began to appear on the
screen. Well, no one will believe me and I can't talk about it anyway. And I
understand. But no one said I couldn't write about it!
~END~
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A/N: This is the end of this series. Aren't you happy? It is
very probable that I will write a sequel…sometime in the future. First, I will
type another story about Lily cause I already wrote it in my notebook. Tanks
for all who reviewed my chapters. I'm still a little new at all this stuff, so
reviews are really great. Youpi, it's finally summer vacations! I'll be gone
for 10 days to Pennsylvania, so you won't hear from me. Read lots of fanfics,
and review them all! All right, and now, I have a little surprise for you, just
toggle down the page. Enjoy, and please review to tell me what you think~
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Well, that's it. And now, enjoy your vacations (or, if you
are still in school, think fondly of them)
AND please review!
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Oh, oh… the surprise was supposed to be four pictures about the story. I uploaded it, but then, when I checked if they had come out in the fanfic site, they didn't. Only the titles remained. If you know how to upload pictures inserted into a story, please let me know! Thank a bunch if you could.