Soul of the Enemy
By Willow Spirit
Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. This one was a bit of a cliff-hanger, wasn't it? Hope you enjoy the rest!
Chapter 8 – Introducing Alex Reid
Harry, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape all were waiting patiently for the sorting hat to make up its mind. It seemed to be taking forever! The sorting hat usually didn't take this long to sort a person. Maybe it had finally met its match and found a person it couldn't sort. It was very mysterious, whatever was going on. Harry even swore he saw Alex smile and frown while she was wearing the hat.
What was it saying to her?
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The hat's sudden shout caught everyone by surprise. Alex instantly ripped the hat off her head in frustration.
"Of course I'm sure you cheeky, little bas--," Alex started mumbling to herself before she realized she was mumbling out loud. She quickly gave them a false smile. "So…I'm sorry that took so long. You have quite a talkative sorting hat here. I could barely get him to shut up."
"You talked with the sorting hat?" Harry looked surprised. While he had inadvertently told the sorting hat about his desire to not be in Slytherin, Harry wouldn't have called it a conversation. He hadn't heard of anyone actually talking with the hat.
"Well, it was just a few words," Alex shrugged. "So I assume I'll be joining Gryffindor. That's your house, isn't it Potter?" Harry could only manage a small nod.
"Wonderful, wonderful," Dumbledore smiled happily. "Now then, Miss Reid, I was hoping that you might tell us your age so that we can put you in an appropriate year."
"I'm seventeen years old," Alex replied.
"Splendid! We could place you in the seventh year, which is our oldest and most advanced class. Do you think you could handle that level?"
"I think I can manage," Alex tried to sound very casual.
"Then it's all settled," Dumbledore clasped his hands together. "Harry, if you could please escort Miss Reid to Gryffindor tower, that would be lovely. It won't take long to figure out where to put you, Miss Reid. Miss Granger has her own private bedroom since she is Head Girl. I have a feeling she would rather you stay with her than with a room full of strangers."
"Thank you…for everything," Alex said as she and Harry stood to leave. "This means so much to me."
"We are glad to have you, Miss Reid," McGonagall replied matter-of-factly. "I hope you will be a strong addition to Gryffindor."
"I will be."
With her broom in hand, Alex followed Harry towards the door. As she passed Professor Snape, the two of them caught each others' eyes. In that split second of eye contact, time seemed to slow to a stand still. Snape could only stare into those seemingly young eyes. He knew he could see and sense something about this girl…something that seemed oddly and disturbingly familiar.
But before he could pinpoint exactly what it was, the moment was over. Alex coolly turned her head away from him and proceeded out the door.
"I'm still not sure about this," Snape warned his fellow professors.
"I understand Severus," once more Dumbledore became very sober. "But for now I fear there is nothing we can do."
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"So what happens now?" Alex asked as she and Harry strolled through the halls of Hogwarts.
"Well I reckon we should go to Gryffindor tower like Dumbledore said," Harry reasoned. "We've already missed supper. Ron and Hermione will be wondering where I am."
"Do they do that often?"
"Sometimes," Harry admitted. "They worry about me from time to time. It's not an ordinary week if they don't stop to consider what's bothering poor Harry."
"Sounds like they really care about you," Alex said softly.
"Yeah, they do," Harry's tone was particularly strange, like there was much more hidden behind his simple answer. Alex decided to play it smart and not question him about it.
"So…" Alex tried to think of something else to say as they soon came to a stop in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. "I guess we're here."
"You guess correctly," for a moment, the two students just stood there in the hallway being eyed by the Fat Lady ("Are you coming in or not!") "Oh!" Harry suddenly thought of something as he started digging through his robes' pockets. "I almost forgot. Here's your wand."
"Gee, thanks Potter," Alex accepted her wand from him this time. "I was wondering when you were going to hand it over. Planning on keeping it for a while?"
"Hey, you were the one who insisted I hold onto it," Harry wanted to take the wand back and whack Alex over her head with it. By now, the two of them were face-to-face arguing with each other. "So don't go accusing me of withholding your things from you!"
"Fine, then, I won't!" Alex abruptly turned to face the Fat Lady again. "So shall we go in now?"
"Sure, why not," and just like that it was over, like nothing had ever happened.
Harry gave the password to the Fat Lady before the door to the common room swung open. "I wonder where Ron and Hermione are."
Harry's question was instantly answered as soon as they walked through the hole. They found Ron and Hermione, as well as Ginny, sitting around the fireplace. Ron and Hermione were both hunched over, deep in what looked like a very serious conversation. Ginny was also listening in, but she wasn't joined in their little huddle. Since she wasn't so immersed in their talk, Ginny turned her attention to the new comers in the common room.
"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed in surprise, causing Ron and Hermione to whip their heads towards the doorway.
"Oh, Harry!" Hermione cried. "We were…" The rest of Hermione's sentence died off as she noticed that Harry was very much not alone.
"Harry…" Ron couldn't help but stare at Alex. "You STOLE Jane from the hospital wing! Is that what you were up to all this time?"
"No!" Hermione gasped. "What's Madam Pomfrey going to say about this? She'll have a fit once she finds out. We have get Jane back to the hospital wing immediately."
"Relax guys, everything's alright," Harry tried his best to calm them down.
Ginny, who had never met Alex before, wasn't nearly as concerned as the others. She was way more curious than anything else. She had heard all the stories from the boys and Hermione and had wondered what the new girl would be like. Now Ginny found herself staring right at her. The funniest thing was that the girl was staring right back at Ginny, with a very surprised look on her face.
"Hello," Ginny greeted her instinctively.
"Hello," Alex nearly whispered in return. Ron and Hermione were instantly on their feet.
"Oh my God."
"Bloody hell!" Ron cried in a squeaky voice. "She can talk! Jane can talk!"
"Er…yeah," Alex winced and glanced nervously around the common room. "About this whole Jane business. My name's Alex. Alex Reid."
"I'm Ginny Weasley," Ginny, still not realizing the magnitude of the situation, extended her hand for Alex to shake. Alex seemed like she was frozen for a moment, until she finally reached out and cautiously shook Ginny's hand. "Ron here's my brother. You'll have to excuse him. His social skills are a bit off."
"Hey, I resent that!"
"I can't believe this," Hermione looked like she had been stunned. "When did this all happen? Is this why you missed supper, Harry? What's going on here?"
"Er…Hermione?" Harry couldn't help but notice how uneasy Alex was. They really needed to get out of the common room. "Maybe we can answer questions later, say in a more private area?"
"Right," Ron appeared to have an idea. "Let's go to my room."
"Your room," Hermione raised her eyebrows. "And why would we want to go to your room of all places?"
"'Cause it's just upstairs," Ron said like it was so completely obvious. "And because it's really private, seeing as how I'm Head Boy and I'm the only one living there. I know your room would probably be cleaner, but how would you expect me and Harry to get up the girl's stairs?"
"Oh," so maybe Ron wasn't being such an idiot after all. "I'm surprised you even considered that."
"Well, thank you so much for your confidence, Hermione. I really appreciate it."
"Alright," Harry stepped in before another rumble broke out. "Let's all just go to Ron's room before we attract too much attention."
"Fine," Hermione spun around and stomped off towards the boy's staircase. "Well, what are waiting for?"
-----
A minute later, after many clothes and other items were shoved to the corners, the five teenagers were sitting comfortably around the Head Boy's room. It looked exactly like the other rooms in Gryffindor Tower, except that there was only one bed instead of several and a cozy, red couch occupied most of the extra space. The three girls had taken over that piece of furniture, while the two boys sat on the edge of Ron's bed.
Ron, meanwhile, was examining Alex's broom like it was some kind of lost treasure. "This broom is amazing!" he couldn't hide the awe in his voice even if he wanted to. "Look at the shape. You don't see this kind of broom around here, that's for sure. And…Solar Flare, is that the name of this model?" Ron noticed the intricate engraving on the handle.
"Uh, yeah," Alex shifted nervously on the edge of the couch. "Actually you wouldn't find this broom anywhere else, it's custom made."
"Whoa!"
"So now can we know what's going on?" Hermione was starting to get a bit impatient.
"That depends on how Alex feels," Harry said.
"It's alright Potter," Alex nearly rolled her eyes at how protective Harry was acting. "I can answer questions about what happened this afternoon. Well…at least to a certain point."
"Huh?" Ron looked considerably confused.
"I'm exercising my right to remain silent," Alex explained.
"No," Ron tried to clarify. "Why'd you call him Potter and not Harry?"
"These are your friends, aren't they," Alex asked Harry. "Please tell me they know what your last name is."
"Of course we know his last name!" Hermione bristled.
"It's just that everyone around here calls him Harry," Ron said.
"Except for Snape," Harry grumbled at the thought of his most despised professor.
"And Malfoy," Ginny added. "But they don't count because they're a pair of nasty gits."
"Ginny!" Hermione looked positively horrified.
"Well they are."
"Ah…" Alex nodded in understanding. "Professor Snape, I see. Yeah, he's a real pain in the ass. He was completely against the whole deal we came up with. You should have seen the way he glared at me. He tried to pull off an 'I'm so vicious' look, but it just made him look like a cranky old goblin."
Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all stared at Alex. Ginny looked she had just met her biggest idol, Hermione was a cross between wonder and indignation, and Ron…well, Ron still looked confused.
"Hang on there," Ron said. "You've already met Snape? Snape, as in the grumpiest Head of Slytherin House you would ever meet? How did this all happen?"
"Fine!" Alex threw back her head and let out a huge sigh. "I suppose I'll tell you the story. It all started when Harry came to visit me this afternoon. He basically gave me an ultimatum, saying that if I didn't start talking then he wouldn't come to visit me anymore."
That earned Harry glares from the others in the room.
"Anyway, I called my name out to him as he was leaving. After a big discussion about how I couldn't discuss anything yet, we went to see Dumbledore. Snape and McGonagall were already there. In a nutshell, it was decided that I would stay here at Hogwarts. I put on the Sorting Hat and it put me into Gryffindor. So now I'm here and, surprise, I'm one of you now."
"I can't believe it," Ron said. "You get to stay! So, what, are you going to take classes with us and everything?"
"And everything," Alex nodded. Ron seemed to be very pleased. Hermione, on the other hand, was slightly confused and even a bit suspicious. She couldn't help the way her eyes narrowed as she carefully observed the other girl.
"So what made you start talking, besides Harry's ultimatum?" Hermione asked with caution. "You haven't spoken to anyone in weeks. Why the sudden change of mind?"
"Hermione!" Harry admonished.
"It's all right, Potter, she has every right to ask," Alex evenly returned Hermione's glare without batting an eye. She was well prepared for a battle of wits. "Of course, staying in the hospital wing was about to drive me mad. God only knows how long I'd have to stay around here. I came to the conclusion that talking again was an easy way to get out of there. As for why I stopped talking, well, that's another story. Let's just say I'm just trying to keep myself alive right now."
"Oh!" Hermione blinked in surprise. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to imply…"
"What do you mean!" Ron cried to Alex. "Keeping yourself alive? Who are you running from? You can't just leave it at that!"
"Oh, yeah," Alex arched an eyebrow. "Watch me."
"But…"
"Ron!" Harry hissed. "Let it go."
"But…"
"Oh, come off it!" Ginny threw a cushion at her brother's head…and it connected beautifully. "Leave poor Alex alone. She doesn't need you asking her a million questions right now, so stop being such a prat."
"Can't help being curious," Ron muttered as he tried miserably to throw the cushion back.
"Yeah, well, you know what killed the cat," Alex warned.
"Something killed a cat?" Ginny looked slightly worried.
"'Curiosity killed the cat'," Alex explained patiently. "Muggle expression."
"Oh."
"Anyway," Hermione tried to get the conversation back on track. "So you'll be joining us in our classes? That should be interesting."
"Oh really interesting," Alex sounded anything but pleased.
"Hey," Harry asked, taking a closer look at Alex's troubled face. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong!" Alex barked out a sarcastic laugh. "What's wrong is that I'm expected to go to classes on Monday and I have nothing."
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.
"I mean, what you see is what I have! I have the clothes that I'm wearing and a broomstick and…and…well that's pretty much all I have. How am I supposed to make this work? First of all, I have nothing to write on, and secondly, I have nothing to write with. I won't be able to read the lessons because I don't have any bloody books! How am I supposed to make this work!"
"Alex," Harry said in a soothing voice. "It'll be alright, you'll see. There's no need to panic."
Alex, who did seem to be on the verge of a panic attack, instantly realized this and tried to change her demeanour. "Who's panicking?" she snapped. "I don't know what you're going on about, Potter."
"Harry's right," Ron said casually. "You're at Hogwarts now. It's the best place in the world. You won't have to worry about anything here."
"Absolutely," Hermione agreed. "And you know, Alex, if you are worried about a uniform or clothes, I'm sure I have plenty of extras in my wardrobe. God knows I have too many. You and I look to be the same size too, so that shouldn't be a problem either."
"And you can borrow all my books," Ron added quickly, before Hermione shot him an icy glare. "What? You know I hardly read them anyway. And besides, Harry and I can share. We usually do our work together anyhow."
"And I have an extra quill or two somewhere in my trunk," Ginny offered, not wanting to be left out. "And some ink and parchment. You'll need those."
Alex could only stare at the others in amazement. They had only known her for a few weeks, Ginny only for a few moments, and yet they were still willing to offer anything she needed. They were more than kind. They were saints. "Thank you," Alex breathed. "I feel like I don't deserve this. You're all being so nice."
"Well, what else did you expect?" Ginny looked amused. "Like we'd really let you go without any supplies."
"Hey, Harry," Ron suddenly realized something. "We're all donating something. What are you going to give Alex?"
Apparently, Ron didn't hear his own words the way the others did. Ginny and Hermione chose to glare at him some more, and Harry managed to look politely confused. If Alex caught the unintentional second meaning, she did a fine job of hiding her reaction. "That's okay," Alex shrugged. "He doesn't have to give me anything."
"Maybe he can tutor you if you need help. Harry's the best at Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary."
"But you're new to the school. Maybe we've covered things that…"
"God, Weasley, can't you take a hint," Alex exclaimed while rolling her eyes. "Honestly. Can someone please change the subject here?"
"Oh," Ron looked slightly rejected. "Sorry. Didn't mean to be nosy."
Alex took a deep breath to calm herself down. "No, Weasley, I should say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I know you're all just trying to help. This is me, letting my good humour take control."
"Alright then," Ron said, while clearly questioning Alex's sanity.
"I suppose we'll have to find you a place to stay," Harry suddenly remembered that Alex was currently without a room. If she was going to be a full time student, one of those would definitely be handy.
"What, Dumbledore didn't assign you to the 7th Year girl's dorm?" Hermione couldn't quite understand how he could overlook something so important.
Alex knew that this subject was bound to come up eventually, but she was really hoping to avoid it. Asking to share books, clothes, and parchment was one thing, but asking to share a room was completely different. It was halfway through the school year and everyone was already set in his or her ways. How would Alex fit into these daily routines without turning everything upside down?
"Well, he thought it would be best to leave it undecided for now," Alex said carefully. She could see the wheels turning in everyone's minds, trying to figure out a solution to this latest problem. It didn't take long for Hermione to finally think of something. Alex could see the change in her face as the idea came.
"You know, you could always stay in my room if you'd like," Hermione suggested.
"Really?" Alex glanced at Harry, who gave her a slight 'Dumbledore told you so' smile.
"Yeah, I don't think any of us here would hand you over to the likes of Lavender Brown and Parvarti Patil. That would be like feeding you to the wolves."
"Or lions."
"Or hyenas."
"Or vampires!"
"You people are absolutely insane," Alex smiled at her newfound friends. "I think I'm really going to like it here."
"Well, you'd better like it here because you'll be stuck with us from now on," Harry warned her while trying to keep a straight face. "Consider this your unofficial welcoming party."
"Wonderful," then unnoticed by the others, Alex's smile softly turned into a satisfied smirk.
"I'm in."
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A/N: Alright, so maybe it wasn't a big surprise that Alex was sorted into Gryffindor, but I did try to make it a bit suspenseful. Please let me know what you think. Review, please!
Next Chapter: Alex meets Dobby and Crookshanks...