AN: This program is giving me sht and I'm getting frustrated. So where there would normally be a single return, there is now a line until I can figure out how to use the single return bc I could before but.. grrr w/e. Read please!n More AN at the bottom

Chapter Three: Going on With Life

Alex was gone. She had slipped back into the darkness that had created her, and disappeared, her job done. Draco leaned his head back onto the floor and groaned. He knew he was going to die, and he knew that he wouldn't get to see Alex again.

As if she read his last thought, Alex's face appeared above him, and he pressed his palms to him eyes.

"Leave me alone!"

"Draco…"

"Uhg… just leave me here."

"Now you know I'm not going to do that."

Draco opened his eyes and looked up. Alex was kneeling next to him, the real Alex. Behind her were Harry, Ron, and Remus.

"Sit up," she said softly. With her help he found he could.

"What is going on?" he asked.

Alex shook her head. "Not here. Let's go up to your room." Draco stared at her. Her smile was ironic. "Draco, don't be perverted. Remus and Dumbledore set up a portal at Grimmauld Place that opens up into your room. We can get back and forth from there."

Draco nodded, feeling slightly sheepish.

"But I want to know why I can move… They burst open my cuts and…" He paused and felt where the Shadow-Alex had stabbed him. No hole; not even a cut in the fabric.

"…I'm confused."

"No more than we are," Harry said. He reached out a hand and helped to pull Draco to his feet. Draco stared at him.

"Am I in some Alternate Universe or something? Why are you being nice and why… why aren't I dead?" Draco felt his forehead as the others exchanged troubled looks.

Draco helped Alex to her feet and she held on tightly to his hand. "Come on," she said gently, "I think you have a concussion."

Draco shook his head. "No… I didn't fall down. I was attacked… by Them. They tried to kill me!"

"Who tried to kill you? Who is Them?" Remus asked. Alex shot him a look.

"Draco, lets go up to your room. You can explain everything to us there," Alex said, giving him a meaningful look that clearly said, 'I know what I'm doing'.

Draco nodded. "Fine."

He let her lead the rest of them up to his room, and when they got there Remus closed the door behind them. He muttered a spell over the doorknob, and turned it again. Instead of opening into the Malfoy Manor, the door led to the dingy hallway of Grimmauld Place.

Draco sat down on his bed. "I am very confused."

Remus exited the room, leaving Harry, Ron, Alex and Draco together. Alex sat next to Draco on his bed while Ron and Harry remained standing.

"Potter," Draco said, looking at him and Ron. "Ron, you two are in my bedroom. That unnerves me. Leave."

"Draco," Alex said, resting her hand on his shoulder, "play nice."

Harry spoke in response. "Trust me Malfoy, I'd rather be anywhere than in your bedroom. Unfortunately, Remus wants us to deal with these Ballroom-Shadows of yours."

"They can't be 'dealt with', dipstick," Draco snapped, glaring at him. "If they could do you think we would be in this situation?"

Harry shrugged.

"Merlin's beard Potter, could you be any more stupid?"

"Draco," Alex said sharply, giving his shoulder a painful squeeze. "That's enough." Draco grimaced but obliged.

"Now, if you would tell us about the 'Ballroom Shadows'…?" Alex went on, letting go of him.

"They're real name isn't 'Ballroom Shadows'; that's some stupid nickname my mother gave them when she first came to the Manor. It's Latin, but we don't say it; it would call them into this house." Draco shuddered. "They're sort of like Dementors in that they feed off of fear. But their powers are different. They can't do anything to you unless you speak to them, or until they are ordered to do something to you. But they can't do anything unless you open your mouth. Cheesy, I know, but true.

"They take a hold of your soul, and when they speak to you, they speak with you; it's like a toned-down version of the Crutatius Curse. They speak through your own mouth, forcing out words and making you spout their bullshit."

"And how do you know that?" Ron demanded, glaring at Draco. "He could be making this all up for all we know."

Draco stood up. "Weasley, they've nearly killed my brother and sister. Do you really think I would make them up?"

Ron glared back at him, then suddenly understood what he had said. "What do you mean, your brother and sister? You mean there's more than one spawn of evil?"

Draco sighed, feeling the urge to roll his eyes but refraining from it. "Yes Weasley, my parent's had to do something all those winter nights to keep warm."

Ron suddenly had a mental image of a bed with handcuffs, and two heaving forms under the covers. One came out, looking like an older version of Draco. He shook his head before the woman could come out. "Yahh! Bad mental image!"

"Urgh! Come on Weasley; that's disgusting." Draco glared fiercely at Ron. Then a thoughtful smile crept onto his face. "Although, I can't image what your parents looked like when they shagged."

Alex stepped in before the conversation went down the wrong lane. "Alright, off that topic. Draco, why are they after you?"

"They want Potter."

Harry snorted. "Them and the rest of the Dark Forces."

"Yes, but they're willing to kill everyone around you just to get to you. The Dark Lord has taken Them… never mind, that doesn't make any sense. He's taken their soul, even though they don't have a soul. Their life force I suppose. They can function with out it, but they can be controlled by whoever has their soul… thing.

"Since he wants Potter, they are the perfect minions." Draco paused, and gave Harry a hard look. "They can only be kept out by barriers specifically tuned to them; that's how they killed Sean, and brought him inside."

Here he looked at Alex, who seemed to sink lower into the bed.

"The only thing that we can do about Them is to place wards around Grimmauld Place, and we should do that before school starts so we can protect anyone who is here."

Alex spoke now, her voice resigned. "That would include me."

They all stared at her.

"Albus has suddenly decided that it would be better if I didn't go to Hogwarts and learned magic from the Order instead," she explained.

"What are you talking about?" Draco stood up and all three of them stared in shock at her.

Alex didn't look at Ron as Ron cried, "We had counted on you keeping Malfoy in line!" Draco shot him a contemptuous look and Ron cringed slightly.

"I'm not going to be taking classes. I'm still going to be living here but I'll be popping in at Hogwarts to do stuff for the Order."

"You're going to be in the Order?" Harry demanded. His heart was thumping as he processed the news. Remus wouldn't let him join, and he was the one who had experienced the most! How dare they? "And they're not letting me in?"

Alex's outward expression seemed to lighten slightly. "No. I'm experimenting with some new magic methods as part of my initiation, which won't be until I'm 17." She held up her hand as Harry opened his mouth. "And I'll be initiated then because I won't be in school. The Order is for over-age and out of school witches and wizards. I'll be their youngest member."

Alex stood back as they loaded the last of the luggage into the two cars. The Weasleys were taking Ron, Harry, Hermione, Draco and Ginny to Kings Cross Station.

Dumbledore had obviously had a talk with Ron and Draco about civility and being nice. She could sense it in the way that they had stowed their luggage; calmly, smoothly, and with as little talking as possible while the Ministry provided cars slowly filled. Dumbledore had clearly had a talk with the Ministry as well; after their actions towards Harry and himself, they needed to prove that they thought that Harry's safety was an issue. So providing cars for their transportation to Hogwarts was the perfect solution.

Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione were taking one car, and Mr. Weasley, Ron, Harry, and Draco were taking the other. It was about 10 o'clock and everyone was hurrying not to miss the train.

Draco stopped next to Alex as he set down his last item, the caged falcon that his father had given to him when he had been accepted into Hogwarts. He turned to her. "I wish that you were coming with us; it's different leaving this time. Then," he smirked, "You just hung out and waited for me to come home. I knew where you were so I didn't miss you, but now... I don't know. I suck at good-byes." He shrugged, his smirk gone. "Well, yeah. I'll miss you, goodbye, and come see us when you get the chance." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. She muttered, "Goodbye," as he picked up the cage and got into the car.

Ron stepped next to her as she watched Draco go into the car. "I don't know why you like him... he's a bugger and you know it."

"Yeah, he is," Alex said. "But he's my childhood friend, I guess. I don't really know how, exactly, but he is. And anyways, I bet you money that if we hadn't grown up together, you wouldn't come near me."

Ron looked down at her short yet daunting figure. Her forest green eyes, artfully ringed in black kohl, were trained on the car, and her arms were crossed over her chest. She was relatively slim, and she wouldn't take shit from anybody.

"Probably not."

She looked up at him, her eyes twinkling. "See? Listen, have fun at school-if that's possible-and owl me when you have some free time."

He nodded and hugged her. "Yeah, you too." She watched him as he disappeared into the same car that Draco had, making a face at the prospect of spending time with the Slytherin.

Harry came to stand next to her. "Hey there." She looked up at him, and smiled.

The talk that they had had brought them from galaxies to just an ocean apart. But they still had a lot to talk about concerning Sirius, and the both of them being orphans.

Harry felt that he finally had someone who could relate to him, instead of just sympathizing; she actually understood what he had gone through, and what he was going through in certain areas.

Alex had someone her own age that could listen to her about her magical problems, and could relate with her about Sirius and being orphaned.

It was a tentative bond, but a bond all the same.

"Owl me, okay?" Harry said, breaking the silence and feeling nervous about it. "And if you can save me from the terrors of dealing with 3 Malfoys, I would appreciate it."

Alex laughed. "Yeah, I'll try. Gabriel and Gabriella are much better than Draco though; they didn't really listen to their father, so they might not end up in Slytherin. But I'm not quite sure what happened to them. Albus brought them to their break house on the coast and I don't know if they'll make it to the train on time. They're sweethearts, really."

Harry smothered a laugh. "Malfoys? Sweethearts? I don't think so. Those two words should never be used in the same sentence. It's wrong... it's immoral."

"I know," Alex shrugged. "Well, go have fun."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, you too. And..." he paused, fighting with himself for a moment. "Would you try to convince Remus and Dumbledore to let me into the Order?"

Alex smirked. "I'll try."

With that, Harry follow Ron's suit into the car. After a moment or so and a shout of 'BOYS!' by Mr. Weasley, the car leapt forward.

Hermione and Ginny came up to Alex at once. Ginny spoke first.

"Listen, it was wicked that you finally came out into the open. I've been telling you for years that it's an awesome place and I was right, no?"

Alex smiled and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, stop boasting."

Ginny laughed. "Anyways, it sucks that you can't come with us but owl me as soon as you can, okay? Love you; I have to go before mum blows a gasket."

Alex nodded, and smirk twitching on her lips as Ginny left Hermione and her alone. The two of them were the same height, so they could look each other in the eyes as Hermione finally spoke. "It was nice meeting you, even though we really haven't had a chance to get to know each other very well. This is for you." She handed Alex a rather thick envelope and hurried off, not allowing Alex to get a word in.

As the car raced away, Remus came to stand next to her and asked, "So, what are you going to do now that all your new friends are gone?"

She looked up at him. "The same thing I always do when someone leaves."

"I threw all your cigarettes in the sink."

"No, I'm going to read."

"I don't know why she likes you," Ron said, sandwiched between Draco and Harry. "I mean, you have the personality of an iceberg and a rat mixed together."

"Ronald," came Mr. Weasley's sharp voice.

Draco disregarded Mr. Wealsey's warning as he adjusted the cover on the falcon cage. "Like yours is any better? Your little sister can probably fight better than you, Weasley."

They continued bickering as Harry put his forehead against the window glass. He was thinking.

The summer had gone by so fast.

Everything had gone by so fast.

"Rat-faced moron!"

"Two-faced redhead!"

Alex's appearance hadn't given him any time to continue mourning Sirius' death; it had merely pushed him along, saying, "There's nothing you can do about it. He wouldn't want you to mourn."

"Racist!"

"Muggle-lover!"

It also hadn't given him any time to question why Dumbledore suddenly wanted her to go to Hogwarts.

Was she in some way connected with him and Voldemort?

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself, jerk-off."

No, she couldn't be, or else the prophecy would have said something. The prophecy... everything came rushing back. He should have been practicing Occlumency over the summer. Well, he had tried; there was no doubt he had tried. And Remus had said that he was going to be talking with Professor Snape about teaching him again... he hoped that the former teacher had kept his word.

"Pureblooded trash."

"Did you get your insult from Granger? And by the way, you're a pureblood too, Weasley. Does that make you garbage as well?"

"Boys, that's it! Not another word out of any of you. If I hear so much as a peep I will personally cast Silencing Charms on all three of you!"

Harry snorted as he was jerked out of his daydreaming.

"What are you laughing at Potter? Did you look in a mirror?"

"SILENCIO!"

Alex snuggled deep into her chair as the small house-elf set a tray onto the table.

Dumbledore had had a talk with Kreacher after he had betrayed the Order, and the House-elf's head was now on the wall. He had since employed a new house-elf, who had nearly died at the filth that still remained. She had started working the moment she had stepped into the house, and the Headquarter was starting to look like a proper Headquarters.

She and Alex had gotten along beautifully, and the house-elf had taken to calling Alex 'Mistress.' Alex had dubbed her 'Sweets.'

"Thank you Sweets, I'm going to be fine for now." Sweets nodded, and bowed low before scurrying off.

Alex pulled the letter Hermione had given her out of her pocket, and pried it open. Out fell what looked like a galleon. Alex set it aside, and pulled out the letter.

Alex,

What fell out is not a real Galleon; it's false. You have no doubt heard from either your father or Remus what it stands for, but I shall tell you anyways. It is an indicator for the meeting date of the D.A. meetings. D.A. stands for Defense Association, or to us, Dumbledore's Army. You have probably heard about that too. I have spoken with Professor Dumbledore, and he agrees that it would be a good idea for the D.A. to continue, even though Professor Umbridge has since... retired. He had requested, though, that there be a healer on site at all times, and suggested that I talk to you about that responsibility.

Of course Albus would do something like that. After Voldemorts reincarnation, he had wanted to get her as involved as possible within the Magical Community. And since he had realized that it would not be such a good idea to send her to Hogwarts, it was only natural that he would suggest her to be a healer for the D.A.; it got her involved and close to him.

The healer's duty would merely be to stand by and make sure if anything dangerous should happen it is dealt with in the correct manner. Professor Dumbledore said that you are particularly adept with healings spells and potions, and another branch of magic he wouldn't tell me about, but said would be useful.

I am asking you to be the healer that we need. However, since you are not going to be attending Hogwarts as I had hoped, I would understand fully if you declined. However, the D.A. would appreciate it immensely if you said yes. You would, of course, be a full D.A. member, and if you chose to, would be able to participate in learning the spells. However, it is your choice.

Alex paused in reading, thinking as she sipped the hot chocolate Sweets had set down. It was a grand idea; that was sure. She did want to get involved, but she wasn't sure if this was the right way. She was relatively good at Healing Spells, but not as good as Hermione probably thought she was.

I also would also like your help in another area. It does concern the D.A., but also myself. First, I know that Harry is going to need help coming up with defense spells to teach the others, and I know that the Headquarters has an impressive array of books, even if I haven't actually seen the library. I would appreciate it if you would look through the books, and find some spells that would be useful.

The second part, concerning myself, is rather personal. I know that you have been brought up in the muggle world, just as I have. However, my parents refuse to let me to anything to myself that would... change me. So I'm asking for your help in controlling my hair. Be it the muggle style or the magical style, I feel confident that you can come up with something that will be permanent and long-lasting. Please.

Alex laughed aloud at the last part. She hadn't realized that she gave off the aurora that she knew what she was doing with cosmetics! It was interesting that Hermione had come to her, though. Maybe she had someone special in mind. Harry? No. He had the potential to be very handsome, but he just hadn't hit it yet. And besides, they were very good friends, but the vibes they gave off were purely amicable. Maybe it was Ron. It was probable. They did seem to fight a lot, an almost sure sign that there was some affection between the two of them. But you never knew.

If you choose not to participate in the D.A., thank you for considering it. If you could send back the false Galleon it would tell me so. However, if you do choose to participate, you should keep the Galleon with you. It will grow hot when the date and time of the next meeting is decided upon, and it'll give you a chance to be able to get to Hogwarts by that time. If you could tell me exactly what your choice is within a week, I would appreciate it.

I haven't exactly spoken to Ron and Harry about continuing the D.A., although I think that they would like to have the meetings continued; I know Harry seems to like seeing everyone improve. I'm sure that you'll benefit from this too.

Also enclosed is a sheet that will not appear until you have made your decision. I'm not going to tell you what it is, but I'm sure you will appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Hermione Granger

Alex set down the letter, her mind whirling. She had heard about the D.A. from Sirius, and he had though it was a beautiful idea. He had loved it. He had even selected several books from the wide array that he had planned on showing to Harry when he came over that summer.

"This is absolutely brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed, pulling down several books from the shelves and handing them to Alex. The two of them stood in the library, and Sirius was rummaging through the books in hopes to find some that would be useful to the D.A. in their mutiny against Umbrigde.

Alex put the books on the table and sat down. "Sirius..." she looked at the cover. "They'll never be able to do these spells. These are spells the Aurors use to defend themselves... fifth years can't do this kind of stuff."

Sirius turned to her. "Then how come you can?"

She felt a flush of pride for her abilities. "Because I was raised by Albus. He didn't teach me normal spells. Hell, I bet I couldn't manage the Expelliarmus Charm if I tried!"

"All you need is practice," Sirius said as he sat down next to her. "Trust me. And all they'll need is practice as well. I mean... look at Harry. He did the Patronus Charm after a couple lessons and look at where he is now."

Alex sighed. "Whatever."

Alex stood up, and went over to the table that still had the pile of books on it, taking Hermione's letter and the cup of hot-chocolate with her. She looked at the one closest to her, and read the cover: Aurors Handbook of Handy Spells. She sat down, placing the paper and cup on the table, and began to read.

As soon as she opened the book, the other paper inside the envelope developed writing on it and a list began to form.

Ginny looked over at Hermione as she opened a rather large book. "Hermione, it's a ten minute ride," she pointed out.

Hermione kept her eyes on the page. "I know."

Ginny rolled her eyes and looked out the window.

As they pulled up to the station, a sudden thought struck her. "Herm, did you ask Alex about the Healer position?"

Hermione carefully marked her page and put the book back in her bag. "Yes," she said as they all got out of the car.

Mrs. Weasley went to get trolleys while Ginny and Hermione unloaded their luggage with the help of the driver. "I wrote her a letter," Hermione informed Ginny as they heaved out one of the trunks together. "I should get a reply soon."

They each pulled out a bag. "Did you talk to Harry and Ron about it?" Ginny asked. Hermione was about to reply when Mrs. Weasley showed up. "Did you talk to Harry and Ron about what?" she asked.

Hermione lied smoothly. "The OWLS." She glowed suddenly, smiling. "I got 13."

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her. "That's very nice dear."

They loaded all their luggage onto the trolleys and headed off, the remaining boys trailing behind them. Malfoy had disappeared as soon as he had gotten his luggage onto a trolley, and was nowhere to be found.

They stopped in front of the barrier, and Mr. Weasley spoke to them softly. "I'll go with Harry first, and then the rest of you can follow. Molly, you come last, please." Mr. Weasley turned smartly, and led Harry through the barrier.

Harry had a sudden feeling of euphoria at the sight of the Hogwarts Express. He was going home, finally. Home was a place where he could do magic; a place where he was away from the Dursleys and the muggle world.

He smiled as Ron shoved him aside. "Watch it! You're blocking up the barrier!"

"Oh shut up."

The four of them made their way to the train. Mrs. Weasley caught them all with hugs and kisses, and then let them go, smiling tearfully.

As they made their way into one of the last empty compartments, Harry's elation was deflated as he remembered the previous year. Sirius had come in dog form, along with many other of the Order. And when the train was moving, he had run along the side of it until he couldn't anymore, and was left behind.

Harry shook his head, trying to clear out the thoughts of his dead godfather.

Why hadn't any from the Order come with him this time? Last year they had created a ring around them, and this time... it was just Mr. And Mrs. Weasley. Not that he minded being dropped off by his self-appointed magical guardians, but he had felt a slight sense of security at the presence of the Order.

In fact, he hadn't seen any of them this summer. The meetings had taken place, and then everyone had left immediately. It seemed as though they had become busier since the incident in the Department of Mysteries.

He didn't want to think about that either. Every memory of that place brought him back to Sirius.

"Oy, Harry?" Someone's fingers snapped under his nose. "Are you alive? Hermione's talking to you."

Harry sat up and looked around. The train was moving, and there were more than four people in the car with them. Luna Lovegood was sitting in the corner reading the Quibbler and Neville Longbottom was carefully tending to his Mimbulus Mimbletonia.

"Sorry. What?"

Hermione rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Never mind. Ron and I have to go check in at the prefects carriage, and we'll be back later." With that, she dragged Ron out of the compartment, leaving Harry with Ginny, Luna, and Neville.

Harry looked around again. It was going to be a long ride.

The list had grown longer, Alex noticed as she picked it up. She had been reading since the others had left, and was now looking at the list that had seemingly suddenly appeared. She hadn't realized that she had made her decision to help them when she began searching through the books. In the end, though, it probably would be a good thing. She would get to hang out at Hogwarts. She would have to talk with Albus to work out the details of getting her to Hogwarts, but she was sure that he would find a way; he had suggested her, after all.

She looked at the stack of books. She had finished the slim volume of The Aurors Handbook of Handy Spells, and had moved on to The Aurors Handbook of Intermediate Spells and Charms. She hoped that they would be able to do the spells.

"Alex! Alex!"

She stood up as her name was called and two redheaded blurs came to meet her. She smiled as Fred and George pulled her up in a bear hug. When they pulled away, they grinned at her and said together, "I guess we missed it, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry. Their departure wasn't anything spectacular, but... whatever. Where did you two disappear to?"

Fred grinned mischievously. "George, if you'll do the honors."

George nodded, and they both became very solemn. George pulled out a small package and handed it to her. They both clasped their hands, and bowed to her, Japanese style. She took the package hesitantly, looking at their solemn faces. She knew they couldn't maintain that expression for long.

"What is this?"

"It's something we've been working on," Fred said, a smile quirking at the edges of his mouth.

"It's a tribute sorta thing," George offered, his expression mirroring Fred's.

"A tribute to... who?"

"To you," they said together.

She smirked, and opened it up. Out popped a small bouquet of roses. They were three colors: deep red, deep violet, and black.

"And what's the surprise here?"

"Well... we dunno yet," Fred said, suddenly going slightly pink. "We were hoping you'd be able to come up with something," George added, smiling hopefully.

"I dunno... water is too traditional... y'know, maybe you guys should open up a flower shop or something. These are beautiful." She took one of the red roses in her fingers, and smelled it.

"Hey! I can't smell anything!" She touched her nose gingerly. "And it's not like it's plugged up or something like that. It's as if my sensors are gone!"

The two of them burst into laughter as Alex glared at them. "Sorry, we couldn't resist!"

She looked at them warily. "How is this a tribute to me?"

"Well," Fred said, backing away. "We figured... you're pretty like a rose..."

"But when you try to get more information," George said, "There's no luck!"

She glared at them and threw the flowers down. "You two are mean." The two of them stopped backing away from her as she sat down.

"Hey, aren't you going to curse us?" Fred demanded.

"Or chase us?" George added.

Alex shook her head. "No, I really don't feel like it." Warily, they took two seats next to her, demanding to know why not.

"Because I don't feel like it... how long is this going to last?"

"A couple of hours. Is Malfoy hitting on you?"

"No... and shut up Fred."

"Are you... going through that time of the month?"

"I'm not a werewolf."

George cringed. "That other time of the month."

She shot him a vexing look. "No. If I was, you'd know it. Don't you have someone else to bug?"

"Er... no. Technically, we're your babysitters right now." Fred said.

"Ah..." Alex said. "Now it makes sense. Remus goes off and does something for the Order and one of the Weasleys comes in and checks up on me to make sure I haven't gone off and killed myself?"

"Well, kind of," George said. "We're over age, we're out of school, and it's Sunday. Our shop is closed on Sunday. So we get the duty of keeping an eye on you because you're not of age and you aren't allowed to live by yourself."

Fred took over. "So we'll probably be here for the next week, popping in and out and such. Mum would blow something if she thought one of us weren't here all the time, keeping an eye on you, but let's just keep this our little secret."

Alex rolled her eyes. "I'm not 10. I can take care of myself."

Fred shrugged. "Well then, suit yourself. You can spend the next week alone."

Alex glared at them, then relaxed. "Where did your brothers go off to after barging in on Sean and me?"

They shrugged in unison. "We had to clean up the mess you made in the front hall, and then we left," Fred explained.

"We just dropped by to make sure that you were still alive after last year, and mum wrangled us into cleaning up the hallway," George added, wrinkling his nose at the memory.

"Nice job in there by the way," Fred said. "I don't think the members of the Order could have done it the way you did."

"Well," she explained, "they didn't know about the promise dear old grandma made on her death bed." She mimicked the woman's screechy voice. "I swear! I will haunt you, you traitor, until your death!" She sighed. "It was just Sirius' luck that he happened to be standing there."

Alex was interrupted by a tugging on her elbow, and Fred said, "It looks like you're got a straggler."

Alex shook her head and turned to Sweets. "What can I help you with?"

The house-elf was holding a letter. "This is for you, Mistress."

Alex took the letter from her, and Sweets hurried away.

"What is it?" Fred demanded.

Alex shot him an irritated look. "I don't know. Would you let me open it first?"

Fred nodded. "Sure."

Alex rolled her eyes, opened the letter, and read aloud:

"Dear Miss Bordeaux-Black,

It has come to our attention that there has been repeated issues of smoking in the bathrooms during the previous school year... blah blah blah, As you know, smoking is not allowed... blah blah blah... and we would like to have a meeting about this issue with your parent/guardian before the school year starts. You can contact us at... blah blah blah... Sincerely, Principal Lovestones."

Alex grimaced. "Perfect. Albus thought that I had quit... which I did, recently. But he will positively freak out that I was caught at the Muggle School." She looked over at Fred and George who were looking at each other, pure mischief on their faces.

"Fred... George? Are you two okay?" she asked.

They turned slowly to her, and grinned. She could see the wheels turning. She shook her head. "No. N.O."

They looked disappointed. "Oh come on!"

She shook her head again. "No. We've tried a Weasley masquerading as my "guardian" and they told me that if I did it again I'd get expelled."

"Oh come on!" George said. "It was Bill and you were in seventh grade!"

"They wouldn't remember it!" Fred added.

She shook her head. "No. I'll talk to Remus because we cannot let Albus know about this... he would ground me for eternity. We'll make up something about him being away on business or something. No... don't look at me like that!"

They were giving her the puppy dog eyes only people with brown eyes could pull off.

"No... listen, I know you want to help but it's wrong, and it's against the rules and... and..."

"So?" Fred demanded.

"That's never stopped us before!" George finished.

She looked at them, and felt her defenses crumbling. She would have let in had the doorbell not rung.

Ron and Hermione fell onto the seats, and Ron snatched up one of Harry's Chocolate Frogs. "Mmm..." he said, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the chocolate.

Harry stared at him. "Help yourself."

Ron stuffed the rest of the frog into his mouth. "Fanks. Dey 'tarved us." He grabbed a andful, and leaned back into his seat.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "They didn't starve us. We missed the trolley. And he was being sarcastic Ron."

"Gkuh?"

Hermione sighed. "Never mind."

Harry smiled, glad to have the two of them back.

Luna had fallen asleep and was now sitting with The Quibbler over her head, soft snoring noises coming from beneath it. Ginny had pulled out a book the size of the ones Hermione used for 'light reading', and Neville was looking at his plant with desperation.

Hermione opened her mouth and was about to speak when the compartment door opened, and a drawling voice said, "The Potter Gang. One big, happy family, I see."

They all looked up at Draco Malfoy, who stood with his arms crossed in the doorway. Ron swallowed his mouthful of chocolate frog with slight difficulty. "What do you want Malfoy?"

The Slytherin gave them a smirk. His cronies cracked their knuckles.

"Your theatrics don't scare us," Hermione said irritably. "Just say what you want to and leave."

"Fine Granger. Longbottom, do you mind excusing us for a while? If you leave I'll give you a cookie."

Neville turned very pink, and picked up his plant as he left. As he skirted past Goyle, the large boy grunted at him, and Neville let out a little 'eep' and ran for it.

Draco turned to Goyle. "That's not funny anymore. Can't you come up with something else?" He turned back, took a step inside the compartment, and shut the door in the face of his cronies.

"It looks like you're the one with two faces Malfoy," Ron snapped.

Draco shrugged and leaned against the compartment door. "I'm gifted. Listen." He looked sharply at the four of them, and his eyes strayed to Luna. He shook his head, and said finally looking back at them all, "Keep your mouths shut about Alex. If anyone suspects anything about me acting differently than I normally do around a girl..." He grimaced. "My reputation is completely tarnished. But I think you get the picture."

"Malfoy," Harry said as he stood up. "All you had to do was ask."

The concept seemed new to Draco. "Oh shut up Potter."

Harry reached behind Draco, and opened the compartment door. The lip hit the two thugs' noses and they both jumped back, howling.

"Oh suck it up," Draco snarled, turning to the two of them.

"Would you leave now Malfoy? You're starting to stink up the compartment," Harry commented, crossing his arms.

Draco looked at him. Harry had grown, and they were now eyelevel.

A wry smile twisted onto Draco's face as they continued their staring game. "All you had to do was ask Potter."

Draco turned and left, dragging his whimpering bodyguards behind him.

Harry shut the compartment door, and Hermione said softly, "Well, I think that went better than the other times."

Harry nodded and sat back down.

Ron stuffed a Pumpkin Pastry in his mouth and nodded fiercely. Hermione shot him an exasperated look. "You're still hungry."

He nodded again. "Yesh." He swallowed. "I'm a growing boy."

"You're always growing."

"I know. It's a beautiful thing."

AN: Er, yeah. So I got a complaint about there not being enough Harry... so I hope this rectifies that problem. There wasn't a lot of Harry in the first two chapters because you needed to get to know Alex before we could get back to the real story. And I had to kill off a couple characters... lol jk. But I hope this is enough Harry for you! And the story will continue along this style: a little Harry, a little Alex, and in the future, their paths will cross!

Anyways, I'm sorry about changing the name so much but I finally figured it out, and I promise it won't change! I'm also sorry that the format is a little bit different (I don't know if you care but w/e), I'm having a bit of trouble with the program is using and we'll.... it's playing havoc with the paragraphs. That's why I was so late in getting this out. Sorry!

I hope you like it!–Alex