Author's Note: Sorry it took me ages to post this chapter, not only have I been having writer's block galore, I also didn't have access to the internet :(
So here it is, the fifth chapter... it's not that long and not my best chapter (it seems a bit too cheesy for me, but it kind of works.) In this chapter, Alex finally gets to see her dear friends. Enjoy and review, hopefully I'll get over my writer's block and have a new chapter for you all to read soon.
Chapter Five
She woke up an hour before her alarm was set to go off. She was feeling refreshed and energetic. Her morning went on as normally as it had the past three days and it wasn't until after lunch that Dewy had announced that she had visitors.
She closed her eyes and inhaled. She smelled parchment and peppermint; it was Hermione with Harry and Ron in tow. She opened her eyes and smiled as she saw her friends for the first time. She stood up and hugged each of them.
"So how was the treatment?" Hermione smiled eager to hear all the details.
"The first twenty-four hours were the worst. Every thirty minutes they put drops in my eyes and made me have a warm compress on them. It was worth it though since I can see now." Alex shrugged.
"We can't stay long though." Ron stated.
"Dumbledore dropped us off on his way to see the minister and he'll be picking us up on his way back to Hogwarts." Harry added.
Alex smiled faintly. "That's alright. It's not like I'll be in here for that much longer anyway." She nodded and grinned mischievously, "Now let's talk business."
Her three friends stared at her blankly. She laughed and moved closer to them before speaking, a trick to make them nervous and anxious.
She looked around, "So, who do you all have crushes on at school?" She whispered.
The boys were taken aback while she and Hermione laughed. The four of them sat down around the bed.
She stared at them, "Well? Spit it out. I want to know crushes, I already know Hermione's crush, now I just need to know who you two like. I'll keep it a secret, I promise."
Ron wasn't shy about it. "Well I do like Lavender Brown, but I don't think she likes me like that."
Alex smiled, "Your turn Harry. Who do you like?"
Harry got up and walked over to her and whispered very softly. "Hermione, but please don't tell her."
Alex giggled, "The three of you should really tell the person who you like that you like them, and you would probably be surprised at the results."
"What about you?" Ron asked hastily.
"I'm sure the guy that I like knows that I like him, since he likes me back. We've already talked about it." She said smugly.
Hermione casually changed the subject and they talked for about three hours. The conversation was about anything they could think of. They talked about Alex relearning the castle layout, lessons and even talked about Quidditch. Not that long after they started talking about Quidditch, Dewy walked in an announced that Dumbledore was there to pick up Harry, Ron and Hermione. Alex sighed but didn't mind too much that they were leaving already.
She hugged Harry, "See you guys in a few days." Then she hugged Ron, "And my favorite color is still green Ron."
Hermione hugged her tight and whispered very softly, "I think Draco will be coming to see you tomorrow."
Alex beamed at the thought. The trio said their goodbyes and walked out to meet up with the headmaster. She sat down on her bed and wondered what Draco would look like.
Dewy brought in her supper and sat to talk with her. "So I have a few things to say, first, you'll be going back to Hogwarts tomorrow." Dewy watched a look of confusion on Alex's face, "You've recovered quickly so we don't actually need you to stay the full week. You would have gone back today, but Dumbledore requested you stay till tomorrow since you'll have a guest. It's another student, so when he comes to pick up the other student, you'll be going with. The second thing I wanted to say was… well I was going to ask if either of those boys were the non-boyfriend boyfriend."
"No," she smirked, "neither one of those boys are him. Those two were my mates from my house at school. My non-boyfriend boyfriend is probably the student who is coming tomorrow."
Dewy nodded and then left so that she could eat her meal. When she was finished eating, she took a long hot shower and then got ready for bed. She laid propped up on her bed reading. It was a bit harder for her to read words instead of Braille, but she was getting used to it and it was getting easier the more she read. She closed the book when she finished it and lay down fully to go to sleep. She dreamed yet again of Draco Malfoy.
She must have been having a really intense dream with Draco in it. She swore she could smell raspberries and mint very strongly. She opened her eyes a little and thought she saw an angel. He had blonde hair and cool gray eyes. He looked lithe yet still muscled, like an Olympic swimmer, lean muscle as her mum called it. He was wearing a white dress shirt, black dress slacks and a green vest. He was more handsome that she had expected.
He smiled at her, walked over to the side of her bed and sat on the edge. "Going to sleep in the whole time I'm here?" He joked with his honey velvet voice.
She sat up and stared at him, "No, I don't plan on sleeping the whole time. How come no one let me know you were here?"
He kissed her on the cheek, "I asked your nurse if I could just come in and surprise you. I guess it worked."
She nodded as she got out of bed, "Let me go get dressed and then we can finish this conversation over breakfast."
"Alright, that sounds good to me. I haven't eaten anything yet today."
She went into the bathroom and got dressed in the outfit she wore when she first arrived at St. Mungo's. It was a pair of black jeans, a dark green miniskirt, a black tank top, dark green Chucks and black lace arm warmers. It was the same outfit she wore on her way to school for the first time. She looked in the mirror and smiled. She really liked the way the green complimented her hair and complexion. She brushed her hair, pulled it up into a half ponytail and tied it up with a dark green ribbon. She walked out of the bathroom and saw Draco's jaw drop slightly.
"Didn't your parents ever teach you that it's rude to stare?" She said jokingly as she walked over to him.
He smiled and stood up, "Yes, but I don't think they took into account of someone like you. I must say, you look great in green and I'm glad to see you're still wearing the necklace I gave you." He took her hand and kissed it softly.
"Green is my favorite color. Also, I never take the necklace off." She smiled, "So Draco, what exactly is the relationship we have? Are we just friends or what?"
"I forgot to explain it, didn't I?" He watched a confused look appear on her face, "See, its family tradition. When a male in my family gives a necklace to the girl he's interested in, he's asking her to be with him. He gets his answer when the girl either accepts or declines the necklace. I should have explained this to you before but I just was excited to see you wearing it that I forgot."
She smiled at him, took his hand and started walking towards the cafeteria. They got their breakfast and went to sit down. She resumed the conversation very casually.
"So if it is tradition, then does your mum have a necklace like mine?"
"Well, each male picks a different symbol that they like for the female of their choice and the inscription is different as well, but generally yes, the concept is the same. My mum has a star since she's named after one." He smiled at her in between bites of his omelet.
They finished their breakfast with random bits of conversation during the meal. They decided to go for a walk around the courtyard since it was fairly nice outside. They had been wandering around for about half an hour when they saw Professor Dumbledore. The Professor was sitting on a bench eating some small yellow orbs.
"What is he eating?" Draco whispered as they moved closer to their headmaster.
Alex giggled and smelled the air. "I'm going to guess that he's eating lemon drops. They're a Muggle candy."
Dumbledore looked up at them when they were about three steps away from him. "Lemon drop?" He lifted the package up to offer the candy.
Alex took two pieces and handed one to Draco while popping the other piece into her mouth. Draco stared at it for a few seconds before putting it in his mouth. Both Alex and Dumbledore laughed when they saw Draco make a very sour face. It was a few seconds before Draco's face relaxed.
"This isn't too bad once you get past the really sour part." Draco half admitted to himself as well as out loud.
Dumbledore smiled and nodded, "Are you two ready to go back to Hogwarts yet or would you like to meander around a little while longer?"
She and Draco looked at each other, knowing that they would eventually have to tell their friends about their relationship and they knew that the sooner it was out there the better it would be for everyone.
"Well Professor, I think we're ready to go back now. No sense in delaying the inevitable." Alex sighed.
Dumbledore stood up and they all walked back inside St. Mungo's to head to the main fireplace. They used the Floo network to get back to Dumbledore's office. When they got back to Hogwarts, it was almost time for lunch. Alex decided that she should probably go back to the common room and change out of her green ensemble.
She and Draco headed out of Dumbledore's office together. "I should probably go change. I don't think many of the other Gryffindor students would appreciate seeing someone in their house wearing Slytherin colors."
"I wish you wouldn't, but I understand the reasoning behind it. I'll see you at lunch." He sighed and then pulled her close for a kiss.
They parted ways and she felt suddenly very lonely. She walked up to the common room, trudging along slowly and then barely mumbling the password to the Fat Lady. Once she was inside, she walked up to her dorm and was surprised to see Hermione waiting for her. She smiled slightly as she reached down to pet Crookshanks, who purred loudly.