"Easy does it with the marigold dew, Ms. Dursley," Professor Slughorn commented as he walked around the dungeon, looking at everyone's Glimmering Potion. "Too much and your potion will produce a glow that would blind any poor onlooker."

Alexandra attempted to spoon some of the dew out of her cauldron.

"Very good work, Mr. Weasley," Slughorn said, peering into Fred's cauldron. "I do reckon you get you skill with potions from your father. I imagine he has to be quite crafty in the field to create some of those novelties he sells at his shop. I must say, though, I've yet to have a student that's outperformed the infamous Harry Potter, though I daresay Ms. Brooklyn is going to give him a fair run for his money. Excellent potion there, my girl, best I've seen in years!"

He looked back over at Alexandra's feeble attempt. "No use trying to spoon it out, dear," he said. "No, I'm afraid the only way you're going get that dew out is with a bit of Evaposeptum. I believe there's some in the store cupboard-oh, no, the fourth years used the last bit of it the period before you. Let's see…ah-hah! I have a fresh bottle of the stuff sitting on my shelf across from my window. I'll just run and-"

Suddenly there was a loud crash, and Grace's cauldron spilled over, its contents flooding the floor as it began to glisten.

"Don't panic, don't panic," Slughorn said as the students jumped out of the way of the liquid. "The stuff's harmless! I'll have it cleaned up in no time." He turned back to Alexandra. "Perhaps it would be quicker for you to run up to my office yourself. You know the way, correct?"

"Yes," she nodded.

As Slughorn drew out his wand and headed over to the spill, Alexandra left the dungeon and headed upstairs to his office.

His office was just like she remembered it; cluttered with pictures of past students that had gone on to successful lives. There was a large basket of crystallized pineapple on his desk next to a fresh bottle of German brandy. She spotted the bottle of Evaposeptum on his shelf right away. She pocketed it and was about to head back to the dungeon when her eyes fell to a box next to the fireplace.

She remembered seeing the box last year when she was in here without Slughorn and finding a picture of her mother (although at the time she had not know of her relation). Without much thought to getting caught, Alexandra knelt down and looked through the box until she found her mother's picture at the bottom. She was wearing a scowl, and her long, blonde hair was thrown over her shoulders. Why would Slughorn have this picture though? She knew he would've had to have thought she would go onto be a noteworthy person to even bothering to have the picture, but seeing as she never went to Hogwarts and she couldn't exactly see her mother approaching Slughorn on the street to chat, she wondered how he could know her.

"There you are, Ms. Dursley," Slughorn said, stepping into his office. "I thought you lost your way; you were taking so long. Have you found the Ev-" he stopped talking when he saw the picture in her hand that she had not had enough time to hide.

"I-I-what are you doing?" he whispered.

"Nothing," Alexandra said quickly. "I was just-just putting it back and-"

"You cannot judge me because I have that picture," Slughorn said, his eyes growing wide with fright. "She-I-she tricked me. I thought she was going to be something extraordinary, but she's just become a monster."

"She never went to Hogwarts, though," Alexandra said, standing up. "How did you meet her, Professor?"

Professor Slughorn didn't answer. He just stared at her with a glassy look.

"I'm sorry," Alexandra said. "It's-it's none of my business. I just-"

"She was a student," Slughorn said softly, sinking down into an armchair. "Not here, you're right. She went to Durmstrang, but she approached me one day in the Hogshead…it was the year I had just started up here again after Dumbledore had asked me…she said she had heard of me from one of her own professors at school…said he said I was best with potions since Jigger himself…she-she asked me to help her with her own potion making, and of course I agreed. I would meet with her three times a week in a room at the Three Broomsticks and-and I taught her everything I knew. Everything. But-but she was brilliant. I would teach her something and she would be able to make it ten times stronger. Her Sleeping Draughts were so strong that one drop could cause you to never wake up again. And then she started creating her own concoctions and I still helped her. She didn't make anything that could help anyone, though. She made potions that could leave scars so terrible; leave a man in worse shape than if he had had one of the Unforgivable Curses put on him. I asked her what she planned to do with these potions but-but she never told me. All she would do is thank me for all my help. And now here she is, using some of the very potions I helped her create against us all!"

Alexandra didn't know what to say as she watched the man bury his face into his hands and sob heavily.

"You-you didn't know," she said softly. "You didn't know what she was doing."

"No," he nodded. He looked up at Alexandra. "You must promise me that you will never tell anyone this."

"I-"

He seized the front of her robes and looked at her with an expression of desperation. "You must promise! Never tell anyone! I still cannot forgive myself for my first blunder, and I know I cannot forgive this one! My only comfort is knowing that only I know of this one! You must swear to me that you will never utter a word of what I have told you!"

"I-I swear," Alexandra answered shakily. "I'll never tell."

"Good," Slughorn said, relieved, releasing her robes. " Good…good."

He got to his feet and straightened his robes. "Very well, Ms. Dursley. We must be getting back to class. People will begin to wonder where we are."