Disclaimer: If I owned anything below, I'd be rich. I'm not rich. Carry on.
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"What was Aly talking about last night?" Remus asked Lily in the library the next day. Aly was in between rows of books looking for a book to assist her with her transfiguration essay.
"What do you mean?" she heard Lily ask.
"About me having enough to worry about this week." He sounded upset.
"I don't know," Lily said sounding completely honest. Remus would never be able to guess that she knew what Aly had been mentioning.
"Ok," he sounded relieved.
"Why?"
"I was just curious." Yes, he had played it off well.
Aly felt the guilt of her outburst the night before wash over her as she heard Lily whisper, "She won't go to the nurse." She completely underestimated Aly's hearing abilities.
When she heard Remus' response, she could tell that he was frowning, "I'm working on that."
Once she was sure he was gone, Aly returned to her spot next to Lily, who showed no sign of informing her of the conversation that had just taken place.
Just what Remus was "working on" kept her from really focusing on her essay.
XxXxX
Aly had really put consideration into going to the hospital wing. Two things stopped her though. One, she had made such a fuss about it to begin with, she couldn't hurt her pride and bend now. And two, she was sure she'd have to give up working with her plants and as strange as it was, she had grown to love them, each individual one. She knew it was crazy to become emotionally attached to potted plants, especially ones who were growing to have very potent poison, but she couldn't bring herself to stop going to see them.
In class, she kept her hair pulled around her face as much as possible. It didn't seem that any of the teachers noticed. The cuts refused to heal though and Aly worried they soon would. She had allowed Lily to try different concoctions and potions on them, but they all just gave Aly temporary relief from the constant stinging. None of them actually helped heal the wounds.
Aly finally decided to take it upon herself to get them looked at when on the Thursday after the incident occurred she awoke to find that the cuts had taken on a disgusting yellow color.
She refused to be seen like that and huddled in her bed, not even allowing Lily to take a look. After Lily finally left for class, putting up quite a fight to convince Aly to join her, Aly jumped out of bed, plan already constructed.
She knew her father usually took the first class time to stroll around various parts of the school property, whether for enjoyment or state of mind that all was well within his school grounds. He would then lock himself in his office until dinner time came around, occasionally being seen for lunch, depending on how stressful his morning had been. So, Aly knew she had that one window of opportunity to make her escape.
She reached her father's office, backpack stowed over her shoulder, and paused. She didn't know the password since she hadn't been coming to see him. It had to be something having to do with sweets. Aly stood and went over all the previous passwords she could remember. She whispered as many candy names she could think of, but there was no avail. The gargoyle merely stared at her.
She stomped her foot and loudly exclaimed, "Oh, fudgesicle!" filling in the more mild cry for the more vulgar one she would've preferred to use.
The gargoyle stepped aside and the staircase appeared. Aly let out a single laugh of astonishment and made a mental note to thank Lily later on for insisting she clean up her language.
She sprinted up to the office and peaked in. With no sign of her father, she slipped in, closing the door behind her. His fireplace was the only one in the castle open to the Floo Network, but she had no idea where to go using that. So she turned to her trusty phoenix.
He cooed quietly on his perch as she came over to him.
"Listen, Fawkesie," she told him, petting his magnificent head, "I need you to get me to a muggle hospital. Can you do that?"
The bird let out a brief cry and Aly smiled. She knew she could count on him.
She remembered when she had claimed him as her own. She had been about three and she had been in that very same office. She had demanded her father let her play with the bird who always sat so high out of reach. He always insisted no. Not because he hadn't wanted her to see Fawkes, but because he worried what would happen if a unary toddler got her hands on the bird. Or worse, how the bird would react to being allowed into the clutches of such a child.
She had cried and cried and finally he had allowed her to see the bird, if and only if the bird stayed perched on his arm. With a gentle hand even at three, Aly touched the bird's neck and they were instantly bonded.
It would be two years later when Aly would walk up to her father's desk, look at him with such determination, and announce, "I want Fawkes."
Not completely understanding the sediment, the headmaster had merely motioned his hand towards where the bird sat.
"No, I want him to be mine. I want him to come live in my room."
The look of determination was set so hard upon the small face, becoming more and more like her mother's every day, that Dumbledore had to try hard not to laugh.
"Oh, alright," he caved and called after quickly as she bounded for the bird, "But be careful with him."
She had given him a small smirk and what could've been an eye roll before telling her new pet, "Home." She grasped his tail and was gone in a flash of flames.
And that was how she stood now, ready to take leave in the best sort of fashion. In a flash, they were gone and Aly landed gently on her feet in front of a rather large, rather busy building.
The bird made a chirp and Aly released his tail. He flew up and landed gracefully on a nearby tree branch. He settled himself as if telling Aly that there is where he would stay until she returned.
She entered the building and made her way to the front desk. The lady behind it wore a nice pant suit and was busy talking on the phone and looking something up in a large binder. Aly stood happily waiting til her attention would turn to her.
"Yes," her voice was very deep and rusty. She was obviously a smoker. Aly had heard the same kind of rasp come from some of the cigar smoking ministry friends her father had.
It took her but a moment to realize why Aly stood before her. "What'd ya do, honey?" she looked puzzled by the young girl covered in deep yellow cuts that was stand quite happily in front of her.
"I got cut by a plant."
"A plant?"
Aly realized that she had to make something up. Her real story wouldn't fly here. "A bush. A rather large bush. I went through it and it cut me." She smiled largely at the woman, who seemed to be extremely put off by her attitude towards the situation.
"Here," she told Aly, in her husky voice, handing her a small card. "Go up to the third floor and give this to the person at the front desk."
"Ok, thank you!" she nearly skipped away.
Once on the elevator, it became apparent to her just why she was so giddy. This was not only her first trip to a muggle hospital (an adventure on its own), it was her first trip without any sort of supervision. No father, no Mr. or Mrs. Evans, no Lily. She beamed as she stepped out of the elevator onto the freshly waxed third floor.
She got the same facial reaction from the nurse who helped her there and was instructed to take a seat. She sat, happy to just observe the people around her, and waited. She hadn't noticed how much time had passed until she realized that she was watching the muggle noon news. Had she really been there that long?
She pondered about going to ask the nurse if it usually took this long, but waited until after the news went off. At 12:30, she addressed a different nurse who promptly took her back to a room. They passed many of what Aly assumed was the standard hospital rooms with beds and chairs. Her room was more of a smaller cubby. She settled onto the examining table and waited as the nurse fumbled around with her taking her blood pressure and temperature. She promised a physician would be in soon.
And again, she waited. Aly tried to keep from going stir crazy, she wished she had grabbed a magazine from the waiting room, but there was little avail. She was pacing when the doctor, a young, dark haired man, entered the room. He looked over her face and neck looking quite duped on what had caused it. Aly relayed the bush story as he pulled out a small glass tray and some silver instruments.
He informed her that he was going to take a sample of whatever was inside her cuts and promised that it shouldn't hurt too bad. He tore through her skin and she felt such a deep burning she let out a harsh gasp. She settled herself by biting down on her lower lip. She wasn't one to let on about any pain she was experiencing.
He left her to take the sample to the labs. He returned with two other doctors, an old looking male and a very unattractive, fierce looking female. They too looked on confused and curious. As they whispered and grunted at each other, poking and shining lights on Aly as they did, another doctor appeared. He informed her that he was a dermatologist. What that was Aly wasn't sure, but she realized what was finally dawning on her: her cuts were magical. Those plants were unknown to the muggle world. Aly knew now that she should've realized that before making the trip.
She began to freak out. What if they refused to let her leave? What if they turned her into some kind of science project? As she sat and seriously considered bolting, the door opened again.
A fairly decent looking doctor entered. He was middle aged with dirty blonde hair and glasses. He carried an air of familiarity that Aly couldn't place. He was holding a clipboard and looking over Aly cautiously.
"Good evening, doctors," he said, his voice soft and comforting. They all looked at him oddly. "It seems that this is a case I'm going to have to take care of."
They all nodded, understanding that that was their cue to leave.
"Poor thing," she heard the oldest doctor say as the door closed. Aly's eyes widened with fear.
"Hello, Alyson," the doctor said taking a seat. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," she mumbled tightly, her back rigid.
"You can relax, dear. Everything's going to be fine." She didn't though.
"Why did those other doctors look at me like I was going to die?" she asked, not breathing.
"Oh," he waved his clipboard to motion her to ignore the notion. "It's because I only take on special cases. Most patients don't go on file."
Aly didn't blink, but felt a new quiver of fear.
"So," he eyed her again, curiously, "Do you go to Hogwarts?"
Aly's jaw dropped. "How--" she was too shocked to finish her question.
"I work for the ministry," he said, a gentle smile coming across his face, "It's my job to watch for muggles with magical ailments. I treat them, report it, and remove all traces of the case. So what year are you?" He was so calm Aly was sure her was used to this type of response.
"Third," she responded automatically.
"And your here alone?" His eyebrows went up and his forehead creased. He flipped to her file again. "You're related to the headmaster?"
Aly grumbled a "yes" and folded her arms in defense.
"Grandfather?" the doctor ventured.
Aly felt shock move through her yet again. "No!" she shrieked. The doctor looked shocked by her outburst. "Father."
"My apologies." He looked thrown off. "I spend most of my time in the muggle world. And, of course, I know who your father is and have heard of his child, I just wasn't aware that you were so young."
Aly sniffed, but said nothing.
"Again, my apologies. But shall we move on to what brought you here."
Aly unfolded her arms and sat ready for the worse.
"It won't be difficult to heal the wounds," he told her.
"Really?!" she was excited.
"But it will be painful."
"But they'll be gone, right?" She just wanted to get rid of these yellow marks.
"Yes," he nodded.
"Let's do it!" she beamed.
He disappeared and returned with a thick purple paste and more of the same silver instruments.
"Ready?"
Aly took a deep breathe, "Yes."
She closed her eyes as he ripped each wound open, scoped out all of the yellow fluid (some he had to dig for), and smeared the purple paste on it. Aly never let on to the fact that it hurt. She merely held her breathe, exhaling deeply as the doctor turned to clean his instruments.
He finally finished and asked, "How are you feeling?"
"They still burn," she said sounding disappointed. She had hoped that the pain would be alleviated quickly.
"The paste is cleaning the cuts and keeping them from refilling. It'll probably hurt for quite a while. You can put a cold compress on them to help soothe the pain."
She nodded to show that she had heard. He began to clean up the area and Aly ventured a question, "Do you know what the spikes from the plant that caused this are used for?"
He turned to look at her, his grey eyes sparkling. He smiled and said simply, "Many things."
He turned back to his work and Aly's eyes narrowed slightly. She hated when adults wouldn't tell her the straight facts of a situation.
"You're good to go, Miss Dumbledore."
She jumped down and headed toward the door. He followed her out.
"What will you do with my lab work?" she asked curiously.
He smiled and reached into his pocket and pulled it out. He winked and bid her a good night. "And try to be careful, Aly."
It took her a moment to realize that he had called her by her nickname. How had he known that she went by Aly?
She watched him move down the hall. Another doctor passed by him and the two nodded in each others direction.
"Dr. Russell."
"Dr. Lupin."
Aly's smiled realizing that she had just met Remus' father. No wonder he looked familiar. Aly was surprised that he was blondish, but then again, Remus' hair was prematurely gray.
XxXxX
Aly was starving, but decided she was too tired to deal with the looks her purple plastered face was bound to cause. She wanted to go lie down in her own bed, but Lily found her before she could and refused to let her go. So Aly settled for sinking down on their usual couch. She crossed her arms across her chest as she stretched out and closed her eyes.
Lily grabbed a chair from somewhere and sat down by Aly's head. She immediately began to interrogate her, but Aly merely ignored her. Lily eventually gave up and took it upon herself to fill Aly in on what she had missed in classes that day. That was a lot easier for Aly block out and she began to doze off. In her stream of semi-consciousness, she could still hear Lily, and it comforted her.
She had missed Lily. She seemed to be disappearing more and more these days. She had spent a lot of time out of the common room in their first year at Hogwarts, especially in the evenings. Second year, though, she had started spending more time in the common room. But she had picked up the same routine again recently. Aly never bothered herself with asking where she went. She just assumed she was doing something studious. It didn't make Aly feel any less abandoned though. She had no one else to talk to (besides her plants).
Aly was waken by an argument. She pulled herself up, her body stiffened by sleep. She looked over at who was causing the commotion. She wasn't surprised at all to see that it was James and Lily. Aly peered over the arm of the couch and observed the situation. Apparently, the chair Lily had taken had been James' usual seat.
Remus stood behind James looking angry that there was an argument going on at all. Peter stood to James' left, bouncing with excitement, James' own personal cheerleader. Not that he needed it. He had six or so (depending on the day) first and second years, who were standing behind Lily, who had taken to following him around. Sirius was in his normal seat, leaning back on the back two legs, ignoring everyone and everything around him. It appeared that he had found a muggle comic book and was reading it with a look of mild interest on his face. Aly looked back at Lily. She was definitely mad. Her face was as red as her hair.
Aly felt the tightness in her chest start.
Oh no, she thought taking in a very deep breathe.
This was always how her visions started. She pulled herself up into a more upright position and grabbed her chest. She had to stop this. She didn't want this to happen.
But it did.
She had closed her eyes to focus on her breathing and suddenly she was being sucked into the usual tunnel with the flash of green light at the end. She heard a woman scream which was followed by a fit of laughter.
Aly's eyes sprung open. She had a dull feeling on the left side of her head. She looked to her right and realized the coffee table had been shoved forward. She must've rolled off the couch and then (after the coffee table had been moved out of the way) had been flipped onto her back. Sirius, Remus, and Lily were all crouched down around her. They all looked worried.
Remus was the one who ventured to speak first, "Are you okay?" He whispered this.
Aly nodded, but grabbed at her head. Lily explained why the pain ran through it, "You hit your head on the table."
"Figured that," Aly replied adding a loud huff of a sigh after.
She went to pull herself up and all three of her audience members looked concerned by this movement. Remus put his hand on her shoulder to hold her in place. If she hadn't been so tired, she would've insisted more, but, as it was, she was happy on the ground and settled with her defeat.
"Do you need anything?" Remus asked. Aly thought but a second and asked, "A cold compress?" He smiled, much like his dad, and was gone.
"I'll get her pillow," Lily added.
Sirius was the only one left with her. He came and sat on the floor by her head. He hadn't said anything to her yet and what he choose both did and didn't surprise her.
"Hey."
She smiled at him. It was so like him to no show his concern, but Aly thought maybe he really just wasn't concerned.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Not much," Aly said jokingly.
"What's with the splotches?"
"I went to the hospital today." If he was surprised, he hid it well. "The purple stuff is healing my cuts."
"Well, it's a good thing purple's your color," he joked as Remus and Lily both reappeared.
Sirius reached up and took the cold compress and the pillow. Lily looked taken aback as he tenderly placed the pillow under Aly's head.
"May I?" he asked motioning to the wet clothe. Aly barely nodded when he put it on her forehead. She inwardly laughed as she rearranged it. He had obviously misunderstood the need for it. She moved it down to her collarbone since those cuts still stung the worse.
The four of them were all silent. Aly on the floor, Sirius sitting next to her, and Remus and Lily standing behind the couch looking down on her. Aly closed her eyes and realized that she was very comfortable on the floor. The rug was warmed from the fire and her pillow was much softer than the couch.
Remus and Lily decided to get started on their homework, but only after Lily whispered to Sirius, "Is she gonna be okay?" Sirius must've nodded because Aly heard Lily grab her books. After that, the only sound Aly heard was the gentle crackling of the fire.
The portrait hole creaked open and shut. The next noise made Aly's hands fly up and cover her ears and caused her teeth to grit together.
"Pick it up!" she heard Lily screech over the noise. It was followed by a defiant, "Make me."
James had apparently disappeared and reappeared, claiming his chair back, and dragging it with unbearable noise. Once it slammed down, Aly knew the noise was over and relinquished her ears. She heard Lily call over from the same direction James had moved into in a weak voice, "Is she still sleeping?"
Aly opened her eyes to see Sirius nod at Lily, but then winked at Aly. A comfortable quite fell upon the whole common room.
After some time, Aly asked Sirius in a whisper, "Don't you have to do your homework?"
He looked surprised. "Me?"
Aly realized that it was Sirius Black that she was talking to. "Oh right."
He smiled, but not at her, more at the couch. He looked over at the table where everyone else sat and his smile slide right off his face. He looked scolded as he turned back to look at her.
"Ohh, James," Aly breathed. His eyebrows came together, questioning her without words. "He's why you haven't talked to me."
Sirius merely lowered his gaze, confirming her statement. Aly sighed and closed her eyes. She needn't ask or know anything else at the moment.
"I won't be forced to make a choice again," he whispered.
She looked at him, he had closed his eyes as well. "Why?" Aly was confused. James was to Sirius what Lily was to her. Granted, Lily would never force her to pick her over someone, though.
Sirius turned tortured eyes upon her. "I let this happen to you."
"What?!" She tried to sit up, but he held her down by placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Dream?" he asked quickly, staring at her weird.
Aly realized he was trying to keep Lily where she was and said, "Yes."
"She's fine," he told Lily.
"Maybe we should move her upstairs. Or to the nurse--"
"She's already gone back to sleep," Sirius said simply.
He waited a few minutes before turning back to Aly and whispered, "You heard me."
Aly couldn't understand how he thought this was his fault. She laid there for a while, thinking.
Sirius finally sighed and explained in a hushed tone, "As soon as I started to ignore you you started working with those stupid plants."
She flicked her eyes to him quizzically and he looked upset as he said, "I've been following you."
"When? How many times?" Aly felt annoyed and slightly excited.
"Every night," he mumbled. Aly propped herself up on her elbow, not saying anything, her mouth hanging open. "Aly," he started, but suddenly snapped, "Shut your mouth. It's not becoming." She closed it and turned her mouth into a pout.
"As I was saying," he sent her a sideways glance and Aly saw the sparkle in his eye. He was laughing at her. "You, my dear, are so stubborn. I was worried that letting you wonder alone would lead you into trouble. But I couldn't tell you."
She pushed her eyebrows up and together.
"Alyson, Alyson, Alyson." He shook his head in mock disappointment. "What would you have done if you heard me tell you not to do something?"
She suddenly smiled, realizing that he was right.
"It wasn't easy," he said as he put his hand on her shoulder and made her lay down again. She rolled onto her side though so she could look at him. "I couldn't let you see me. I had find a way to get away from the other three, usually I told them I had detention, but then I had to find time during the day away from them so it would seem like I had actually done something."
Aly watched him talk. It amazed her to actually be hearing him say all this.
He feigned exasperation as he said, "And you insisted on going every night.
"I didn't want to stop talking to you, just so you know." She held his gaze as he said, "James has got issues with --" he struggled.
"Me," she supplied.
"No, well, kinda. With me and you."
"Huh?"
Sirius looked thrown off be her expression. "Us," he said simply as if that was enough explanation. The way he said the word shot tingles up her spine.
"Us." She tested the word on her tongue.
"Yeah. I don't think he has a real problem with you, as a person. It's just us as a unit."
Aly nodded slowly, but she still didn't understand. When had they ever been a unit?
"You still looked confused."
"I just never realized that we were an 'us,'" she explained bashfully.
He smiled. "They know we were an 'us' or that that was what I wanted, anyways."
Aly's heart stopped for a second. He said this all so calmly. "James thought you were leading me on," he continued, "Playing with my heart, sort to speak."
"I never--" she whispered in a rush, trying to move up again, outraged. He stopped her and held her in place. "I know that. I tried to explain to him that you had nothing to do with how I feel. He figured that that's why I've been messing around with all these other girls. Because you were leading me on and not following through. I've tried to explain that there was something much more than hooking up with you that kept me coming back, kept me around."
He smiled a weak smile as told her, "We have a special connection, Aly. But besides that, if I were to ever have a girlfriend, I would want it to be someone just like you, or, well, you. But, I'm not boyfriend material. James is just protective and couldn't get why we were still together, in proximity, if we weren't hooking up or forming a relationship. Plus, spending time with you and Lils made me respect women more and kept me from more … promiscuous escapades. So he thought for a while, we were actually together."
Aly felt moved enough by this statement to not correct his use of Lily's nickname on Lily's behalf.
"Aly, I can't be your boyfriend," he told her. "Even if you wanted me to be, but I want to be your friend." His eyes were bright with sincerity. His voice thickened, "I need to be friends with you. You get me and everything I deal with. I need that cause I have nothing else like that in my life."
"Neither do I," Aly said, understanding this need for their connection. "We can be friends," she said simply, "But you need to make sure that James knows that we aren't together in any non-platonic way and that I'm not interested in changing that fact."
He beamed.
"How's your head?" he changed the subject easily.
"Fine," she said and rolled back onto her back.
"What'd you see?" he asked cautiously.
"Green lights again."
He nodded, but said nothing more. She smiled, just happy to bask in the glow of their friendship. She must've dozed off and been carried up to her bed because her dreams consisted of Sirius' arms wrapped around her.
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