"Harry I'm sorry but I can not allow you to go down to the dungeons. You are just as much a part of this as Alex…a, Alexa is and I'm not going to knowingly put you in harms way."
When Ron had returned to Dumbledore's office, he was not only accompanied by Professor McGonagall, but Professors' Sprout and Flitwick. With the help of professor Vector, Ron and Hermione were off gathering all the students and sending them to the Great Hall where they were to stay until the danger subsided.
After quickly owling the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore and the professors decided to head down to the dungeons as quickly as possible before anyone got hurt. When Harry had insisted upon going, he was quickly denied the "pleasure" of confronting the evil that lied beneath the stone floors of the castle.
"Professor, you have to let me go! I might be able to stop this! I have defeated Voldemort five times before, why not now?! I'm in the least harm out of all of you!"
Dumbledore sadly shook his head and he and the other professors backed out the door.
"I'm sorry Harry; this is for your own good."
Harry waited five minutes after the professors had left before trying to get out of the door. It was no use; the door had been magicked shut. An investigation of his pockets turned up no wand.
"Damn," he muttered under his breath.
******
"If I'm Alexa, why don't I remember anything?"
When Draco had finished collecting some of Alexa's blood, he'd cleaned up the scar with a swish of his wand and was looking into her eyes, searching for her soul. Her question had startled him and he didn't answer for a while.
"I don't know."
Alex smirked, "I thought you killed me."
As Draco looked at her he could see her eyes flashing, dancing… taunting him. Seeing this, Snape intervened.
"Well my dear, the killing curse only works if the person casting the curse truly wants to kill. If not, the curse only succeeds in knocking the person out for days, months, weeks, even years. Obviously, Mr. Malfoy, Granger, and Weasley didn't really want to kill you. I don't see why not but, they didn't. So when Lucius found you, you were merely knocked out."
Lucius.
At that name, Draco and Narcissa looked at each other and then at Snape. Draco narrowed his eyes.
"I thought he was dead."
As if in answer to his question a grey tom cat jumped neatly onto the table in front of Alex. Alex couldn't believe her eyes.
"Shadow?"
Snape laughed.
"My my, aren't we a little on the slow side? Ms. Williams, may I introduce you to Mr. Lucius Malfoy."
When Alex looked upon the man that had once so much resembled her cat, all the memories she that had been locked inside her came back as if a floodgate had been released.
She saw herself in Draco's arms weeping. The scene changed and she was plunging a knife into the chest of Lucius. She saw herself stabbing him over and over, his warm blood washing her hands in a spray of red. Even though the man in her vision looked like Lucius, Alex knew that it wasn't really him. Lucius Malfoy was standing right in front of her, hands placed on his son's shoulders.
AS she closed her eyes in disbelief, she heard Harry's voice calling that name over and over. Alexa. That's when the realization hit her. She was Alexa. Her mother, her friends, her home…it was all a farce. She recoiled at the now painful memories of her artificial life and one tear slipped silently down her cheek.
Lucius reached over and gently brushed the tear away.
"Now Now, you've been such a brave little girl, don't start crying now."
He stepped over to the table where Draco had set the goblet of Alexa's blood. He shook his head with a smile.
"Draco, Draco, Draco, not nearly enough blood."
He slowly picked up the dagger and plunged it deep in Alexa's side. As Alexa cried out in pain, Eliza screamed in anguish and a terrified Dean Thomas stepped from the shadows.
Through her tears, Alexa saw Dean tackle Draco to the ground and Snape rushing to help Draco. Amidst the confusion, no one had thought to use a wand. She saw Narcissa grabbing a large black object off of the table…a cauldron. As loud as she could muster she screamed. Her shouts filled the air, alive with hurt, uncertainty, and panic.
"Dean no!"
As Dean looked up to meet Alexa's eyes, Narcissa slammed the cauldron down over top Dean's head; snapping his neck instantly.
"No!"
The pain boiling up her side forgotten, Alex tilted her head back and began to weep. Tears racked her body, causing the blood to flow from her side even more, as the wound began to stretch. Regaining composure, Draco stood up and fixed his hair. As Snape pulled Dean's body to a dark corner of the dungeon, Draco waked up to Alexa.
"Don't you dare cry for him."
Alexa ceased her crying for the fallen boy and was about to spit into Draco's face when she stopped. Something about his eyes… Where there was once just cold grayness there was now a small glimmer of something there…emotion maybe? Yes. Emotion. Alexa didn't say anything…they had understood each other. Snape, came into Alexa's view smearing the blood from his hands on the front of his robes disgustedly.
"Lucius I do believe it's time."
Lucius, who had sat down to enjoy the spectacle, rose and began to disrobe. When he was completely nude, he handed Draco the dagger. Draco took it and looked upon it with disgust.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"
Lucius, who was sitting cross legged on the floor, said nothing, just began to rock back and forth. Draco looked at Snape, who rolled his eyes.
"Right at the first light of the full moon I will anoint your father's head with the girl's blood and say the incantation and then Draco, you will slit Alexa's throat."
Hearing his words, Eliza whimpered softly. Draco looked over at Alexa who had her eyes closed, silent tears running down her face.
"What will that accomplish?"
"You foolish boy! I already told you. If the Chosen One does not wish to be Chosen, it can be passed on through ritual. We are going to bring Voldemort out of the girl and put it in Lucius who will then sacrifice himself to bring about our Lord. I told you this a week ago! Now do as I say but remember…the first light of the full moon. Oh yes, do try not to be too mess-"
Snape was cut off by a green spark flying through the air, hitting him square in the eye, causing him to knock over the goblet of blood. Draco quickly pulled his wand out of his pocket, pointing at his father.
"Avada Kedavra."
As the body ceased its rocking, Draco knew that this time, Lucius Malfoy did not escape.
He turned to look at Alexa.
"I do hope you still trust me...I knew you would believe me."
He muttered a counter curse and the bonds holding her and Eliza were broken, leaving them both on the floor. Alexa gasped at the pain, she knew she had lost a ton of blood.
"Draco…"
As the room got farther away she could see Draco and….Dumbledore? Green sparks she reminded herself. Green sparks. As Alexa slowly slipped into unconsciousness, she heard Draco cry out, she tried to look up …but she was to far...