Alex yawned and poked listlessly at her fried eggs. McGonagall had taken her to the headmaster's office, where they'd spent the next hour with Albus Dumbledore, extracting her memories of Voldemort's meeting with his followers and viewing them in the pensieve. The experience had been exhausting, but the British mages had been excited by the information they'd managed to get. Before Alex had even left the office, the two were huddled in front of the fireplace, preparing to use the floo network. She'd managed to catch a couple more hours of sleep before the alarm rang. Its persistent jangle had interrupted a confused dream where she seemed to have returned to the suite in Knockturn Alley.
Dumbledore, looking tired but triumphant, had handed her a slender plan book when she'd sat down to breakfast. "Severus won't be in today. Don't worry," he hastened to reassure her, "he's all right. I hope you can take over his classes ?" Alex nodded. "Fortunately, our potions master is always conscientious. Here are his emergency lesson plans." The headmaster's blue eyes twinkled.
After breakfast, Alex hurried to the dungeon laboratory. Flipping open the plan book, she rolled her eyes. Page after page was filled with notes for the students to copy, all written in Snape's cramped hand. Poor kids. What a sadist, she grinned. She tapped a piece of chalk with her wand, reciting a spell. The chalk obediently flew to the blackboard and began to copy Snape's extensive notes on the harvesting and preparation of mistletoe. The magicked chalk was still busily writing when the first class, sixth-year Slytherins and Gryffindors, filed in.
Several of the boys were jostling, muttering insults at one another as they took their seats. "Settle down, gentlemen." Alex sighed. The Slytherins were touchy, the Gryffindors hot-tempered. Why they always put these two groups together is beyond me. I'd team the Slytherins up with Hufflepuff if I had my choice. Those kids are pretty mellow. The students groaned as she indicated the blackboards, then fell to work. The room was silent except for the scratching of quill pens. And snickering from the back of the lab. Alex sighed again and rolled her eyes. Quill pens were being dropped, magic spit-balls were flying through the air. One of the Gryffindors jumped as a loud farting sound erupted from under his chair. A pug-nosed girl laughed loudly, slipping her wand back into her pocket. The usual tricks to torture the substitute teacher. "Miss Parkinson ? Care to share the joke with the rest of the class ?"
She giggled, unintimidated. "Oh, no, Miss Rose. Sorry, Miss Rose."
At the front of the room, the Potter kid raised his head from his notes long enough to give her a shy, sympathetic smile. Cute kid. He's probably thrilled to have a sub. Severus sure seems to have it in for him. Alex hadn't been able to figure that one out; the 'boy who lived' seemed pleasant enough to her. The little witch's attention was again drawn to the back of the room. Ungh. That Malfoy kid is pushing it.
She strode to the back of the lab, stationing herself behind the desk Malfoy was sharing with a hulking Slytherin. What's-his-name, Goyle ? Grabbe ? Whatever. She tapped her foot and did her best Snape-like glower. Heads bent over parchment once more.
"Miss Rose ? I have a question..." A brown-haired Gryffindor was waving her hand frantically at the front of the room.
Alex started up the aisle, then froze momentarily as she caught a muttered comment from Draco Malfoy. "Yeah. Private flying lessons...I'd like to have her on my broomstick."
She kept walking, ignoring the snickers. Her shoulder blades itched; she could feel the eyes of Malfoy and his buddies, waiting for her reaction. "Yes, Miss Granger ?" she replied. Alex's mind raced as she answered the girl's question. Can't lose my temper, that's what he's hoping for. Detention ? Nah, that would backfire for sure; the kid's one of Snape's favorites. Why, is beyond me. Slipping her hand into the pocket of her robes, she strolled casually back to Malfoy's desk. "Mr. Malfoy," she purred. "Flying's a hobby of yours ? Seeker for Slytherin, aren't you ?"
"That's right," he smirked.
"You might want to save discussion of your hobbies for after class," she smiled pleasantly at him, "doesn't look like you've made much progress with those notes." She tapped the parchment with an index finger. The scribbled lines of ink disappeared. Draco blinked at the blank page. Alex slipped her wand back up her sleeve. He glared.
At the front of the room, the chalk swooped and hovered nervously. "Mr. Potter, erase the first blackboard, if you please. I think everyone's finished with it." It took a bit of self-control to keep from smirking at Malfoy. No need to rub it in. The class groaned as the magicked chalk resumed writing across the freshly-cleaned blackboard. Casually patrolling the classroom, Alex hid her tension. I know he's going to try something. Come on kid, take your best shot. She was enjoying the conflict, she realized. Draco didn't disappoint her for long. The Slytherins snickered as Pansy Parkinson and the other girls launched a fresh attack, sending spit-balls flying towards the Gryffindors. One or two came her way; Alex deflected them. She ignored the Gryffindor counter-attack, still waiting for Draco Malfoy to make his move.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the blond-haired prefect launch a spit-ball at her. Heh, never try to kid a kidder. I was torturing teachers when you were still in diapers. "Waddiwasi," she murmured, flicking her wand. His eyes widened as the tiny missile abruptly changed course and shot back at him. Before he could react further, the spit-ball lodged in his left nostril. Draco's bulky desk-mate pounded his back helpfully. It only made matters worse; Malfoy coughed and sputtered. The Gryffindors erupted in giggles. Alex managed to look stern. "Ten points each from Slytherin and Gryffindor," she snapped. "And I will take an additional five points from anyone who hasn't finished these notes by the end of class." There was some muttering but the students settled down to work. Draco shot her a murderous glare before bending to his notes once more. She smiled sweetly at him. The judge awards that glare a six-point-oh. Keep practicing, kid, maybe someday you'll be a contender.
-----
The headmaster and Argus Filch entered the laboratory midway through the last class of the day. "Miss Rose, I'd like you to accompany me to London. Mr. Filch will take over the class," Dumbledore told her.
"Sure, Professor. What's up ?" Alex gave the first-year students a sympathetic look as she followed Dumbledore into the corridor; they looked terrified of the new substitute.
"Your presence is required at a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix," he told her formally. "The events of last night must be explained." Alex swallowed, feeling suddenly nervous. "And if we leave now," he added, his eyes twinkling, "we'll just have time to stop off for dinner. Fish and chips ?" he suggested. Alex nodded, grateful for the way the kindly old wizard put her at ease. "Excellent. Important top-secret meetings tend to drag on terribly; it's best not to go in on an empty stomach," he chuckled.
-----
Alex's nervousness returned as Dumbledore led her through a seedy neighborhood in Muggle London. He stopped in front of a run-down shop. A moment later, she blinked around her at a narrow entrance hallway. A haughty, grey-haired old witch glowered at her from a large portrait on the wall. "My apologies, Miss Rose," the headmaster said. "I do hope that wasn't too abrupt." Soon they were sitting around a large table with a motley collection of witches and wizards. Dumbledore made introductions as people came in. Alex tried to pay attention; after a while the names blurred together. Remus Lupin was there, along with the Weasley kids' mother and a stunningly beautiful young witch with a French accent.
Severus Snape entered and sat down on Alex's left, leaving an empty seat between them. He looked drawn and tired. "Did you have any trouble with young Malfoy today ?" he asked her in lieu of a greeting.
She rolled her eyes. "Not too much. How'd you guess ?"
He smiled his coyote smile. "I've known Draco since he was an infant. High-spirited lad," he said indulgently.
Their conversation was interrupted as another young witch with bright pink, spiked hair sprawled into the seat between them. "'Scuse me," she said brightly, sloshing tea onto the table as she set her cup down clumsily. "Hullo, I'm Tonks," she greeted Alex.
"Alex. Pleased to meet you," Alex replied, liking her instantly.
"Ahem." Dumbledore drew everyone's attention. "You have all been briefed on the events of last night and this morning," he began.
"I 'aven't been briefed," the gorgeous French witch complained, echoing Alex's thought. "Why was I not allowed to go to work today ? And where is Bill ?"
"Bill Weasley is safe, Fleur," Dumbledore reassured her. "A team of aurors was dispatched to Gringott's Bank this morning – Bill and Fleur work there, Alex – to apprehend one Nicholas Quid. He's a Death Eater," Dumbledore told Fleur gently. "He's been using Bill to get information about the bank for Voldemort. Account information, even access to the vaults. He's used the Imperious Curse on Bill, several times, apparently, then covered it up with Memory Charms..."
Fleur gasped. "'E was Bill's friend, from their school days at 'Ogwarts," she cried. "We felt sorry for 'im. 'E didn't 'ave any uzzer friends. We used to invite 'im out after work sometimes, 'e seemed so lonely." The witch frowned, looking suddenly fierce. "We trusted 'im."
"Well, he's in custody, now," said a tall Black wizard, with an air of satisfaction.
"Bill's going to be all right," Molly Weasley stated firmly. "Arthur is with him now. The Medi-wizard said his memories will come back over the next few weeks-"
"So he can testify at Quid's trial," grated a horribly scarred wizard with a glass eye. "Alastor Moody," he re-introduced himself to Alex. "Albus tells us we owe the little bastard's capture to you." Mrs. Weasley tutted disapprovingly. "Sorry, Molly." He peered at Alex suspiciously out of his normal eye. "Got the information to Albus in the middle of the night, while Snape, here, was still chatting with Voldemort." Moody paused to sneer at Severus, who sneered back. "Quite a clever trick. So, Miss Rose, care to tell us how you managed it ?"
Alex met Moody's gaze challengingly. Just focus on the normal eye, she told herself. The glass eye kept glowing and rolling around in its socket disconcertingly. "I had a vision," she said simply. Don't let him get a rise out of you.
"Do you make a habit of that ? Having visions ?"
"Not very often." For cryin' out loud, what a jerk. Paranoid. Compared to this guy, Severus is a babe in the woods.
"Miss Rose saw most of last night's meeting with the Death Eaters," McGonagall supplied. "It was a genuine vision. Albus and I both observed it in his pensieve."
"And Severus has independently confirmed that every detail was accurate," Dumbledore added quietly.
"We owe you our thanks, Miss Rose," Molly Weasley told her sincerely. "But I am curious too. You saw what Professor Snape saw ? How did you come to have such a vision ?"
Alex shrugged. "I really don't know. Nothing like it has ever happened before." Except for the dreams I've been having lately, she thought. Shit. This isn't going to be a one-time thing, she realized. She kept her face blank.
"We know that Harry Potter has had the same kind of visions, because of his link to Voldemort," McGonagall mused aloud. "Severus and Alex have apparently formed a similar link, somehow."
"Isn't it obvious ?" Remus Lupin said quietly. "They're lovers."