Note: This chapter and the next chapter are kind of one chapter split into two parts. This chapter is titled, "Even in Death," and the next will be, "Our L.o.v.e. Goes O.n." Get it? "Evan in Death our Love Goes On."
Chapter 7: Even in D.e.a.t.h.
It was Potions. The Gryffindors were paired with the Slytherins and this, this was her chance.
Some people might say that Alexandria Veronica Sparrow was an odd person. In truth, she wasn't completely convinced herself that she wasn't. When she was around seven or eight, she remembered not really fitting in. Caught in blissful ignorance the seven-year-old with raven black hair and piercingly beautiful blue eyes had been like any other girl her agesweet, sincere, and ultimately very pure. She never had once even thought of taking someone else's life, and would be ashamed to even make a mess. Seven-year-old Alexandria had always tried to do what was right. And then, an interesting thing happened.
Her father had been murdered, brutally murdered.
Vividly, so vividly it hurt, Alex remembered
It was the day when her teary eyed mother had knelt down, putting her long, fair hands on Alex's shoulders and had spoken clearly, "Alex, your Daddy...your Daddy...well, he's gone. And he'll never be back. But understand, he's in a better place now."
Seven-Year-Old Alex had not understood, "What do you mean?"
"Oh,
sweetie," Her mother cooed, pulling her close, she whispered,
"Alex..you're Daddy's dead."
Alex blinked away
the blood-tears that were fulling her eyes.
Alex had wondered away from her house that night on a walk. Stopping at the end of her backyard she had noticed something moving. It was her Daddy! It had to be. But he was different...so different...His skin was white, and his hair was different, and even the way he moved to embrace her was different. "Daddy!" She had squealed with delight, clutching her father close to her. He was cold...so cold. But it didn't matter then, what mattered to her then was that he was alive.
"Don't worry Alex," He told her, "Your Dad's gonna be here forever and ever and ever."
It was tearful meeting, as her mother embraced her husband, crying and muttering unintelligable things.
Over the days her father had
changed. Seven-year-old Alex had thought that her father hadn't loved
her anymore...he had changed, he was always gone, and he was so
different! Sometimes she had wondered whether or not this really was
her Dad. But when he looked at her, she knew. But she hadn't
understood one bit of it. Not one bit.
Alex brushed away a
single tear with her finger...why did this, after so many years of
being a vampire, hurt her? Why was she still experiancing human
emotion?
In years to come, Alex had brushed off her fathers changes. No one else minded, until she was 11. She had become angry with her parents, that they had never told her what happened. She had remembered the day when he had come back to her, but never had they told her why.
"People don't just come back from the dead!" She had shouted one evening. This hurt her father, but he didn't show it. "People don't just reappear after they die. They can't. It's impossible. And, he's my dad! Don't I deserve an explaination? Don't I deserve something?" She had burst out into tears.
She had walked out that evening, to the same place where she had found her father four years before. She closed her eyes and thought. Tomorrow she was leaving for Hogwarts, where, her parents said, she was excell, and learn things she had never thought possible. She felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, she saw a tall, slender woman, who looked kind of like her dad.
"Poor child," The woman said, she had a sharp accent, "Tainted innocence. That's what you are."
She paused, "Alexandria, what a pretty name. Well, Alex, you have asked for an explaination, haven't you?"
"How do you know?" Alex spat back.
The woman laughed, and crouched down beside her. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her neck, "Ow!" She gasped. It became harder and harder to breath...she was almost losing conscienceness...it hurt to breath...hurt to move...hurt to fight for her life. Then the woman let her go. She fell gently to the ground on her back, having not the strength to open her eyes.
"Drink," the woman told her.
Droplets of warm liquid fell on her lips. Sweet, it was. Better then anything she had ever tasted...She grabbed the womans wrist and sucked eagerly for more. Yes, more. Always more. The sweet nectur of beauty, of peace. Suddenly, it was if she was alive, in a new way, in a better way. Yes, she was alive. Like never before.
"More," Alex whispered to herself, "More. More of the blood. Why? Because blood is the very escence of life."
She looked around the dark dungeon, and noticed there was instructions written on the chalkboard.
"Why, I'll be damned," she said with a cold smile, "It's a Sleeping Draught!"
She carefully followed each instruction, going out of her way to make sure everything was set precisely right. One mistake and it would cost her everything...She couldn't go another day without feeding, she had to make this right. She read the last line, "After five minutes of stirring clockwise, your potion will be a deep violet red and will be steaming cooly. You may turn off the fire if your potion is completed correctly. Grab a vile and fill it with your concoction." She looked down at her potionperfect. She turned off the fire and walked to Snape's desk.
"I'm finished," She said, "And, it's done correctly."
"10 points to Slytherin," He said, "And go on. Take your vile."
"Gladly," She said, reaching her hand down. She grabbed two, and hid them in the palm of her hand.
As she walked back to her seat, she walked by Harry and Ron, who's potions looked ghastly. She slid a note to Harry and smiled.
Harry looked up from his potion and realized that Alex had placed a note to the right of his hand. He opened it.
"Meet me where we met the other night at lunchI need to talk to you."
Harry nodded.
