Alex sighed softly in the corner of her room, reading. It was a small room, dusty and full of ancient cobwebs. Her room was located on the second floor on the east side of the small apartment. She watched the sun as it rose each morning; it's deep purples and soft reds reaching towards her, its warm glow caressing her face.
The room itself was tiny and had a distinctively cramped feel about it. Besides a broken mirror behind the door, the grey room contained a small bed that squeaked horribly and was much lower to the ground than anyone would wish to be. (Alex half-expected to wake up to find rats crawling over her.)
There was a small desk that stood next to the bed, with a cracked lamp on it. The only thing that Alex really liked was the window. Large and set deep in the east wall, it was big enough to sit in. She had been reading in it for the past two weeks, taking comfort in her books and the solitude that surrounded her so completely.
The only time she had actually gone downstairs was to eat the crusty —and somewhat stale— bread and thin soup that was made for her.
Her uncle wasn't much in the way of company. He had barely spoken a word to her and when he did, it was to criticize or command. Alex had taken to studying him during their meals; she had concluded that he was a cold sort of man, obsessed with secrecy, who fairly worshiped the Dark Arts. His house was evidence enough of that; the bookshelves in the sitting room were filled with huge tomes that had sinister looking titles. His kitchen was far from warm and cheerful as Alex's had been, quite the contrary: there were always at least three large cauldrons bubbling away on the countertops, their contents occasionally threatening to boil over and put out the fire.
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The man, Snape, invited them inside his house with a curt nod and gesture. Alex surveyed the house while they walked through it. Four words described it all: dismal, dark, dreary, and damp.
Snape pulled out a chair for John, obviously trying to ignore Alex.
"Odd," John said in disgust, "it reminds me of your teaching quarters."
Snape glared openly at him.
"Get down to business, Weiss."
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"Downstairs now." a sharp voice echoed in her room. Alex turned her head just in time to see her uncle's billowing black robes whip around the corner of her door.
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Alex sat still in her chair. It was a day since she had been there. She didn't bother trying to hide how frightened she was. This man with the eternal sneer scared her quite a lot.
He had laid down the rules almost immediately, "You will call me Professor Snape or simply Professor. Not Uncle Snape; not Uncle Severus; not Severus; and not Uncle. Do not make me describe what will happen to you if you call me any of these things. Personally I find them too distasteful to mention in mixed company." He finished, smirking as the girl in front of him squirmed in her seat.
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Alex got up swiftly and walked down the stairs. She entered the small kitchen and took a seat on the rickety wooden chair opposite Snape. She suddenly wished she had changed out of her pajama pants.
"You're going to Diagon Alley today."
"I'd rather not." She said flatly, refusing to look up and meet her Uncle's gaze.
"It's not a choice. You've been upstairs for two weeks. You're going out and that's final." He looked at her coldly, his eyes taking in her state of dress, "Now get upstairs and change!" he snapped.
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Alex trudged down an un-familiar cobblestone road, her right hand shoved into the pocket of her black denim jeans. Her red-blonde hair was tied up in a messy ponytail so as to keep it out of her eyes, but even being pinned back wouldn't keep all the unruly curls out of her face.
She looked down at the shirt she had thrown on in the process of getting yelled at. She wished she had paid more attention to what she had pulled out of her trunk. This was the type of shirt she'd worn when she was carefree and her parents were... alive. It was a pretty, silver number. It was a tank top, with a halter shirt that went over it, in the same shimmery silver material. It was modest, which she was thankful for, but it screamed, 'I'm confident and outgoing. You wish were me' while she currently felt the exact opposite. At least she hadn't grabbed her old shorts that proclaimed "Juicy" on the bottom.
As she entered the busy main road, lined on the sides by shops and stores, she wracked her brain for the name her uncle given it. Dragon Avenue? N-o...Diagon Alley! That's what it was.
She avoided eye contact with all those she passed on the sidewalks, opting instead to carefully examine the pavement beneath her feet. Her left hand hung stiffly by her side, wrapped in the soft bandage Healer Thomas had given her when Alex had left the hospital ward. She had bound it clumsily by herself this morning, knowing that her Uncle wouldn't lift a finger to help her.
It was rather depressing to think that he had successfully convinced himself to hate his only living relative. Unfortunately, this revelation only heightened the feeling of resentment she harbored for her Uncle. To realize that she meant nothing to him, that he thought of her as simply an obligation, was unsettling and, in Alex's opinion, rather disheartening.
I can't believe Snape made me do this, she thought bitterly to herself, kicking a pebble down the road in front of her, what did I ever do to him? I haven't a clue where these shops and things are; how dare he just dump me here and then leave!
Alex stopped short when she saw she was about to pass a library. She sighed moodily.
Maybe I can just stay here for a while. Maybe it has a map of Diagon Alley. Why can't they have those boards like in Muggle zoos that have a map and the words You Are Here in bold? She asked herself. I don't see Snape's bloody problem. Just because I've been reading books since I've arrived there... I mean, why is reading a problem? It's not like he wants to spend time with me. Besides, I love books. They're the only things keeping me...alive.
Alex entered the library and found her way to an aisle where she thought she might find some interesting facts on this school Uncle John had mentioned, Hogwarts. She grabbed a book titled Hogwarts: A History, and opened it up to the first page.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded by Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. At Hogwarts, students are divided into four houses, usually decided by a student's defining characteristics. Each house is named in memory of one of the founding four, and it is by the ancients' preferred character traits that new students are sorted.
Animal representation was deemed important and so the House banners each carry an icon of a specific creature. Historians believe that these animals symbolize the Founders' Animagus forms while others believe that they took on the appearance of their Patronus. Ravenclaw is represented by a raven; Gryffindor, a lion; Hufflepuff, a badger; and Slytherin, a serpent.
Alex was about to sit down and continue when she heard something to her left. She dropped the book and drew her wand in a fraction of a second and twirled on her heel.
In front of her was a boy, who seemed to be her age, leaning against the bookshelf with an amused look in his eyes. He had platinum blonde hair that fell casually into his eyes, and his hands stuck carelessly in the pockets of his dark jeans. He seemed the kind of boy who could easily achieve something close to absolute flawlessness; the kind of person who knew he was attractive and was not afraid to flaunt it.
"Didn't mean to alarm you," he said in a soft, deep voice. Alex mistakenly made eye contact with him. His eyes were intense and mysterious pools of silver-grey, daring anyone to hold his gaze. Alex examined him quickly, looking him up and down. Her eyes drank in every detail; from the way his mouth was quirked in a half-smile to how his deep green t-shirt showed off his toned physique to complete perfection.
Quidditch player, she thought decisively, and quite the ladies man by the look of it.
The boy smirked suddenly, as if knowing exactly what she was thinking.
Alex felt her cheeks flame, embarrassed that she had been caught staring.
"Sorry," she muttered quickly, putting her wand back into her jeans pocket. She bent to pick up the book she had so thoughtlessly let fall, but the boy beat her to it. Stooping beside her, he grabbed the book, carefully making sure there had been no damage done.
Surprised at the care he exercised, she again looked up into his captivating silver eyes.
"I'm Draco Malfoy, pureblood," he said, smiling ever so slightly. He held his other hand out to her, still crouching in front of her.
"I'm Alex Peltier... pureblood," she said, hesitating momentarily before clasping his warm hand in her mildly cold one.
He nodded in casual greeting and then pulled Alex to her feet.
Noticing both the title of the book in his hand and his companion's unwillingness to speak, he said conversationally, "Hogwarts: A History? I've read this. Do you go there?"
"I will be this year," Alex replied softly, pulling her hand out of his, noticing suddenly that it was still there. She carefully took the book from him and deftly placed it back on the shelf.
"I go there too. I'll be in my fifth year. You?"
"Fifth." Alex said. She paused briefly. "That's really why I was reading it, I've never been there. I have no idea how anything works; and I guess, being naturally inquisitive, I had find out now."
Draco cocked his head to the side, looking at her curiously, "You're certainly a change from the girls at Hogwarts; half of them don't even know what 'inquisitive' means, much less how to use it in a conversation."
"I've always used words like that. I used to get teased about this time when I was five; I told the ambassador that he seemed highly imperturbable," Alex smiled shyly, looking at Draco under her eyelashes.
He laughed. Her smile grew larger; she had made him laugh. It sounded low and melodious, like his voice.
"What else don't you know?" Draco asked a moment later, "You look like the kind of person who knows things just by looking at them."
She snorted and rolled her eyes, "That I'm definitely not. Before this morning I'd never heard of Diagon Alley. Believe it or not, I have no idea where I'm supposed to go. My uncle—" her tone soured, "—in his eminent wisdom, decided to leave me here for the day, to fend for myself and get all my shopping done."
"Well it's your lucky day then, I can help you with whatever you need in Diagon Alley," he said, taking her hand once more and leading her out of the library. "We'll go find robes right now."
"Thanks very much." Alex said, thinking to herself how nice it felt to have her hand in his.
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Draco navigated the streets of Diagon Alley like he had been doing it all his life. He deftly steered Alex around the many groups of witches and wizards who crowded the main avenue. Finally they entered a small shop, the sign above the door proclaiming Madam Malkin's Robes. He let go of her hand as an elderly woman stepped out of a back room, wiping her hands on her apron. She smiled in welcome, walking forward to assist them, but stopped short as soon as she saw Draco.
"Why Mr. Malfoy!" she exclaimed, "You've already been in; was something wrong with your robes?"
"No, ma'am," Draco said edgily, "I'm showing a friend around. She'll need school robes, and we're in something of a hurry, so if you could take her measurements that would be… shall we say, appreciated?"
The woman looked reprovingly at him before leading Alex to a low stool. Reaching into an apron pocket, she pulled out a measuring tape, which immediately set about measuring the length of Alex's arm. The seamstress bustled around the shop, gathering a bolt of black fabric and a small red pincushion bursting with needles and (of course) pins.
"Out of curiosity," Draco drawled in a bored tone as he slouched in the faded burgundy chair Madame Malkin had provided, "Who is your uncle?"
"Severus Snape." Alex said. She watched as a look of surprise flashed over his face. "Have you heard of him?"
"Isn't Snape a half-blood?" Draco asked, ignoring her question. He sat up and leaned forward, obviously eagerly awaiting her answer.
"Yeah. His parents adopted my mum when she was young, around the year Snape was graduating. My uncle doesn't like to talk about it much," Alex replied, wincing as a pin poked her.
"So Snape is your uncle…"
"Yeah." Alex said, squirming underneath Draco's gaze.
"Miss...?"
"Peltier," Draco supplied, the French rolling pleasantly off his tongue.
"Miss Peltier," Madame Malkin nodded, "I have your measurements. What colors and how many robes do you want?"
"Um, one dark green I think—"
"I think green would suit you," Draco said thoughtfully, leaning back once more in the chair.
"All right, one green, one navy, I've been told navy looks good. And then one of whatever I'll need at Hogwarts. That'll be it," Alex finished.
"And one silver set." Draco called out. Madam Malkin nodded her head and walked out to fetch them so Alex could try them on.
"What?" Alex asked.
"I'm buying you robes," he said in a casual voice, like he was announcing what he was having for breakfast. Then seeing the look on Alex's face, he added, "It's just a present."
Alex opened her mouth to object, but was cut off by the elderly seamstress stepping back into the room and thrusting a bundle of robes into her arms.
"Miss Peltier, try the silver on. If it fits you so will the rest." Madam Malkin said, pointing her in the direction of a fitting room.
Alex walked into the changing room and muttered a spell to put on the robes. She came out slightly uncomfortable at the stares she was getting.
"I think the silver clashes with my hair," she said, eager to change out of the robes.
"No," Draco replied confidently, "That's what makes it attractive. You look rather striking in it. Besides it's the same color as the shirt you were wearing; I don't see what the problem is."
"But—"
"No buts. It looks good and I'm buying. Now go get changed," he told her firmly.
"Thank you," Alex said rather timidly once she returned from the fitting room.
"Right, I'll go and put them in a bag then. If you would step up to the counter, I'll be right with you," Madam Malkin said.
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"Okay, we have all my books, my robes, you made me get a broom, now I need an owl and er... clothes." Alex listed.
"Clothes?" Draco raised his eyebrow in a very attractive way as he guided her to the Owl Emporium.
"Yeah." Alex paused. "Clothes."
In one way, Alex thought to herself, I have complete faith in him. He just seems trustworthy. But on the other hand, my parents were just murdered by You-Know-Who; this guy could be a rapist, or a murderer. He could be in league with You-Know-Who. But he's very nice. I don't think he's bad, per se.
"Hey, Alex!" Draco waved a hand in front of her face, "Hope I'm not interrupting your important inner battle with your alter ego—" Boy, did he get that right. "—But we're at the owl shop."
Alex stepped in after Draco and browsed. She was looking at a Saw Whet owl when something pecked her from behind.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed, her hand flying up to cover the top of her head. Turning around she saw an owl, stretching its wings, its beak open in some sort of grin. It hooted at her and ruffled its feathers, as if saying 'Pick me, I'm the best.'
It was an attractive bird, its feathers a delightful mix of black, brown, and white. Its pinions appeared to be a delicate cream color while its belly was speckled with brown and beige. Its eyes were what fascinated her the most. They were of brilliant yellow, the pupils large and black, with a hooded look to them.
"Well look at that," Draco said, coming up behind her. "I think he likes you."
"He's magnificent." Alex said, stroking his feathers through the wired cage.
"Do you like him, miss?" the store manager came over to them, in hopes of gaining a sale. "He's a beauty, isn't he? It's a Northern Hawk Owl."
"I'll take him," Alex replied, completely enchanted.
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"So about the clothes…" Draco said, shifting two of the bags he was carrying for her, "I doubt it's anything I want to be involved with. However, I do know someone who might be able to help you. Come on, she's bound to be here in this mess somewhere."
Alex grabbed onto Draco's hand (for safety whilst being dragged through the crowd) and thought she imagined a slight squeeze come from him. Oddly exhilarated (if not confused), she was finally pulled over in front of a female's clothing store, which stood next to a small café.
"Stay right here." Draco said, setting her stuff on the ground and walking in. She waited for a moment before he came out with another girl. She had long blonde hair and sparkling cerulean eyes, she smiled cheerfully and extended her hand in greeting.
"Daphne Greengrass, Slytherin, pureblood. "
"Alex Peltier... pureblood." What is with these Slytherins? Does it really matter what blood type you are?
"I understand you need some help, according to Dazzling Draco." Daphne smirked playfully at Draco before jabbing him in the stomach with her elbow when he glared at her.
"Daphne Greengrass, just get your bloody arse into that store and help her," Draco snarled, massaging his ribs slightly.
Alex jumped slightly at Draco's strange behavior.
"Oh Draco, you know you love me," Daphne said, "Where would you be without my sense of humor every day?"
"In heaven," Draco scowled.
"Oh I highly doubt that— you're not good enough to get into heaven," she replied cheekily.
"Anywhere could be considered heaven so long as it was far away from you, Daphne," Draco retorted grinning at her.
Daphne giggled, "That was a good one! You should use it on Pansy, though I'm not sure she'd get it. Besides you should know better than to insult me, I enjoy our little sparring matches. It's so much fun to challenge you."
"I never give you my best, though. Girls don't know how to match my caliber of scintillating wit," he countered, faking a huge sigh.
"Really? Well Draco, we're off, because despite your slightly pessimistic views, I will not be scared off by you, nor by your atrocious attitude directed toward refined ladies like myself."
Draco rolled his eyes, "and I was so hoping you'd just give up."
Daphne laughed once more and dragged Alex into the boutique; calling over her shoulder to Draco, "Meet you at the library later!"
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"So what's up with you and the self-proclaimed Mighty Dragon?" Daphne asked Alex.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex said innocently, holding up a green blouse, "Draco was just helping me out since I've never been here before."
"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Draco never helps anyone out without seeing some personal gain...unless of course there is something about you that... draws his attention."
"Well, what about you? You two seem like quite the cozy couple," Alex said, trying to change the subject.
"Who, Draco and me? Sure, we know each other. But that's about where it stops. Our parents attend loads of parties together; they socialize together— everything. So Draco and I have ended up being co-conspirators of sorts, making sure that something, even just one crucial thing goes wrong at said socialite festivities. So, yeah, we're just friends... ish. Draco typically takes 'friendship' to mean cagey and only occasionally coming out of his shell to offer insults. I'm not used to seeing him this... social and responding. It's bloody unnatural, now that I think of it," Daphne continued, picking up a sheer blue top and putting it in their 'try on' pile.
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Draco was standing in front of library, as he had been for the past hour and a half. What is taking them so long? He thought impatiently.
"Draco, dahling!" he heard a voice shout. He groaned at the sound of the nickname that only Daphne used.
"Sorry about us being late. There was a sale going on for lacy things." Daphne smiled knowing that he was thinking dirty thoughts. Thoughts about the new girl Alex wearing a black lacy—
"Daphne!" Draco heard Alex hiss. "Shut up!"
"Oh don't be such a wart. He wanted to hear that." Daphne told her, elbowing Draco again. Draco elbowed her back harder and glared.
"Anyways, I must be going." Daphne said, shoving all the shopping bags into Draco's hands. She gave them a little wave of her hand and walked off, throwing a sassy "Ta ta!" over her shoulder.
They stood in the middle of the street for a moment, Alex catching her breath and Draco waiting in would-be patience to hear where they were headed next.
As if she could read his thoughts, Alex said, "My uncle will be at the gate to pick me up."
Draco nodded at her and started to follow her. Looking down, he noticed that Alex's hands were also full of parcels. His eyes widened when he realized that Daphne hadn't been wrong about black and lacy stuffs.
"So, you have an accent and your last name is definitely French…where are you originally from?" He asked, trying to start a conversation that would keep his mind off anything that would otherwise lure him away from his thoughts.
"I've lived everywhere. I mainly lived in France though."
"Your mum French?" Draco said, tossing his head back to get his hair out of his face.
"No. My dad was a Frenchman," she said with a slight edge.
Okay, parents are something of a touchy subject. He thought, noting the past tense verb. I know how that is.
"So, why do you live with your uncle?" Draco asked, strolling along next to her.
Suddenly he watched an all too familiar icy facade replace her small smile.
"I just do." she said, coldly. "I have to go now. I'll talk to you later."
She grabbed the bags from his hands, leaving him standing there.
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Snape watched as his niece walked up to him with about ten large shopping bags.
"How on earth did you get all that?" Snape said in disbelief.
"I had help," Alex said shortly, "Let's just go back to the house. Please."
Snape nodded at her change of behavior. Before, she had been quiet and secluded. Now she retained her taciturn nature, but there was an added spark in her eyes that reminded him of the look Miranda has so often given him.
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