Author's Note: So...I'm not dead guys! Yay? Maybe you guys wish I was dead because you're so upset with me for not updating... :'( I could go on and on with excuses but I figure that won't make up for the lost time and I'm sure my readers just want to read what happens next. Because I've been gone so long, here's a recap in case you all have forgotten what's happened:

Alexandria Ratcliff/Black is in her fifth year of Hogwarts. Since her night in the graveyard where she was forced to watch the rebirth of Lord Voldemort, Alex has had nightmares in which she sees the dementors suck out the soul of her father, Sirius Black. At Hogwarts, Professor Dolores Umbridge has acquired a strong hatred towards Alex because of the young girl's hot temper. During her numerous detentions with the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Alex has had to write the line "I must respect my superiors" in her own blood, causing the words to be cut into the back of her hand. Umbridge has also made it her mission to remove Professor Nellie, Alex's Arithmancy professor, from the school. Because Umbridge refuses to teach anything practical in her classes, Hermione suggested that Alex and Harry teach the D.A meetings. While Harry was reluctant at first, he eventually came around and the two of them work together to lead their fellow students. There is a new fifth year Gryffindor named Stevie Jackson, who is in the D.A and lives in Alex's dormitory. She's originally from California and had an older sister who died in a car accident. She normally hangs out with Parvati and Lavender but has recently begun to become friends with Neville.

Since Harry is a fifteen-year-old boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders, he is not only hormonally irritable but also extremely moody. His constant belief that he's the only one with problems has caused a bit of a strain on his and Alex's friendship. However, since Alex never lets Harry forget it when he gets this way, he always apologizes and she hopes that it will eventually get through his thick head.

Alex continues to excel in her schoolwork and has her Potions lessons with Draco, her meetings with Snape, and visits Dumbledore too. With Snape, he is teaching her non-verbal magic as well as Occlumency and Legilimency (both of which she despises). Dumbledore's visits are more to help Alex deal with everything she went through last year with Nick attacking her at the Yule Ball as well as the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Now that Hagrid is back from his trip in the mountains, she is also working with him and trying to keep Umbridge from firing him. Also, because Fred, George, and Harry are off the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Alex is now a Beater.

Finally, Alex's love life! Anthony Goldstein, a Ravenclaw Quidditch player, asked Alex out after a D.A. meeting and, unknowingly to Alex, they planned on going out during the Hogsmede trip that was on Valentine's Day. She's looking forward to getting to know Anthony outside of the D.A. Meanwhile, Alex has been spending more time with Draco. There was one incident when she believed Draco to have created the song "Weasley is Our King" that caused her to stop speaking to him for a while. However, he told her that he had no part in it and they are back to being good friends.

That should be everything of importance! If you have any questions or forget something, just send me a PM and I'll be happy to explain it all to you! Enjoy this chapter! :D

Chapter 20 Home for the Holidays

Alex awoke to find the sun setting outside the window. Thankfully, her sleep had been dream-free and she felt much more refreshed. Alex stretched and looked over to see Ginny still fast asleep. Quietly as she could, Alex changed out of her pajamas and into some Muggle clothes she found in her trunk at the end of her bed. Dumbledore must have had them sent over while they were sleeping.

Going over to her bedside table, Alex grabbed the letter she had written last night and went over to Monty's cage. The bird was excited at the prospect of going outside and barely stood still as Alex tied the letter to his leg.

Hurry home now, she said when she finished and gave Monty a treat, I'll miss you if you're gone too long.

I'll be sure to bring you a mouse! Monty called while Alex rolled her eyes and continued getting ready.

She had just finished pulled her hair up when Ginny stirred and sat up. Alex waited for her to get ready and they both went down to the dinning room where Sirius, Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Harry were sitting. Harry looked like he hadn't slept at all and she gave him a questioning look. He ignored her. Alex just sighed and figured that she would question him later.

When Fred and George came down, Mrs. Weasley said they could go and see Mr. Weasley. As they were getting ready, the door opened and Tonks and Moody came in, worry etched in their faces, followed by Hermione. Hermione ran to her friends and embraced them all, lastly Ron and she gave him an extra pat on the arm.

"How's your dad doing?" she asked worriedly.

"Mum says he'll be fine," said Ron with a shrug, "We're going to see him now if you want to come." Hermione nodded at that.

"Oh Molly," said Tonks, coming over and hugging Mrs. Weasley, "We were just able to get away, but we heard everything. How are you?"

"I'm fine now and thank you, Tonks," said Mrs. Weasley, "The Healers said he'll make a full recovery."

"Healers?" Alex asked quietly to Ginny, "Is that a fancy name for doctors?"

"You mean those people who cut others up?" asked Ginny, wrinkling her nose in disgust, "No way, they're Healers because they use magic to heal the wounded."

"I gathered that from the name," muttered Alex while rolling her eyes in a joking manner, "And it's surgeons who cut people up."

So everyone, minus Sirius who had to stay indoors, went out into the streets of London and took the Underground to St. Mungo's. They walked down the streets with Moody in the lead. He had on his hat that was cocked over his zooming blue eye. Even Tonks subdued her hair to a dark, almost black, blue color.

They stopped at the front of a very old clothing store. In fact, Alex would have walked right past it if not for the fact that Moody stopped so suddenly that she almost ran into him. The window of the store had some very old-fashioned clothing. Something from Victorian times was hanging loosely on one of the models. And they were ugly models too. Their hair was unkempt and knotted while their eyelashes were falling off. The paint was peeling from their faces too. Tonks went up to the window and leaned very close.

"Wotcher," she whispered, her breath fogging on the glass as people passed them by without even giving them a second look, "We're visitors for Arthur Weasley."

Alex wondered who she was talking to. She was looking at the ugliest of the models but Alex knew that, even though they were made of plastic and couldn't hear anyway, Tonks had spoken too quietly to be heard through the glass. Then, to her immense surprise, the ugly dummy gave a jerk of a nod and moved her wrist upwards, inviting them in.

"How are we supposed to-?" started Alex but Tonks grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the glass.

Alex expected to feel the cool glass against her face but she felt as though she had stepped through a waterfall. When Alex opened her eyes, she was in a waiting room area. It was exactly like a Muggle hospital, except there were men and women with injuries that would make even the most seasoned Muggle doctor do a double-take.

One man was holding a box that was breathing fire while he cawed like a rooster. A woman next to him had furry paws where her hands were supposed to be and was snarling at the person behind the desk. Another person's head was getting steadily larger like a balloon slowly filling up with helium. Alex walked past all these people behind Mrs. Weasley as they approached the desk where a bored-looking woman sat.

"Name?" she asked with a sigh. Alex gave her a raised eyebrow look. How could this woman be bored when all these strange diseases were around her?

"Molly Weasley. I'm here to see my husband, Arthur Weasley."

"Ah right, the snake bite victim," the woman said, flipping though some files, "Go over to the elevator and look up animal bite, I believe it's on the third floor."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Weasley and they went over to a series of elevators where men and women in white robes were getting on and off. Alex assumed these were the Healers. The elevator climbed and Alex glanced warily at the people around her. The man with the fire-breathing box was standing to her right. When it breathed fire, Alex backed away so as not to get burned.

"Terribly sorry, miss," the box said in a posh voice.

"N-No problem," stuttered Alex as the man let out another caw.

"This is our floor," said Harry and he pulled Alex away from the man and the talking box.

They walked down the corridor and Alex could smell the sterile beds, curtains, and everything. She never enjoyed hospitals that much because of this. Everything was so clean, with good reason though. She had read enough about old-fashioned hospitals' lack of cleanliness and how it cost hundreds of lives. Even still, she always felt that it was too clean, too perfect, to be real.

"Here we are!" said Mrs. Weasley and they entered a room. Tonks and Moody said they would stay outside so the family could visit first. Alex and Harry stepped back too, but Mrs. Weasley grabbed their arms and led them in. "He wants to see you both too."

Mr. Weasley was reading the Daily Prophet while he sat up in his bed. His arms were bandaged heavily and Alex knew there were even more under his covers. There were two beds next to him. One had a woman with orange fur all over her body and the other had a very pale man who just stared up at the ceiling, looking depressed. Mr. Weasley smiled warmly as they all entered and put down the paper.

"My goodness," he said with a laugh, "I do seem to get a lot of visitors, don't I?"

"How are you feeling, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked gently.

"Perfectly fine," he said happily, "I'd leave right now but they need to take the bandages off first and they can't do that yet."

"Why not, Dad?" Ginny asked as he gave her a one-armed hug, since his other one was too heavily bandaged to move much.

"I'd bleed all over the place again." Mr. Weasley said, as though this was nothing to fret about, "It must be something in the snake's venom that won't let my skin close. They even tried using stitches too…"

His voice drifted off as Mrs. Weasley's eyes widened with rage. He apparently hadn't meant to say that.

"Who wants some tea?" Alex asked quickly.

Everyone but Mrs. Weasley left in a hurry. They rushed past Tonks and Moody just as Mrs. Weasley shouted, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY TRIED TO SEW YOUR SKIN BACK TOGETHER?"

"That's Dad for you," said Fred with a roll of his eyes.

"Stitches? Come on!" said George as they reached the stairs, "Now where's the tea room?"

"Why don't we separate?" suggested Ginny, "Fred and George go down and we'll go up. We'll meet back here in ten minutes whether or not we've found it."

They agreed and Alex, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny climbed up the stairs. They had reached the fourth floor, where Ron was arguing with one of the pictures about his freckles, when Hermione gasped. There was a man with his face pressed against the glass with bright blue eyes and wavy blonde hair.

"Is that…Professor Lockhart?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide.

Gilderoy Lockhart, their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from their second year, opened the door with his old charismatic smile and a pen in his hand.

"Hello!" he said with his toothy grin, "I bet you all came up here for the signed photos, didn't you?"

"Wow," said Alex in a hushed voice, "He still has that large ego."

Just then, a matronly Healer came into the stairway and took Lockhart kindly, but firmly, by the arm.

"There you are, Gilderoy. Wondering off again, are you?" she asked with a motherly smile.

"They wanted signed photos!" Lockhart said, looking at the Healer like a two-year-old would his mother.

"Well come this way then," the Healer said to the students, "You know, Gilderoy doesn't get many visitors, though I can't imagine why. He's a good boy, but one of his Memory Charms backfired on him and he can barely remember a thing. He used to be famous, you know."

"Yeah, we do," said Ron, looking guilty since it was his old wand that had backfired on Lockhart.

They went into the hallway lined with rooms. These were single bed rooms, not like Mr. Weasley's multi-bed room. Some of the rooms had posters of Wizarding bands or photos of family members. Lockhart's room, however, had signed photos of himself everywhere.

"These are the permanent living quarters," the woman explained as Lockhart got out his pictures and began signing his name flamboyantly, "For those who wouldn't be able to function outside these walls. I have to finish delivering the Christmas presents, so have fun children!"

Alex leaned against a wall and watched as Lockhart signed the papers. She looked around and saw a man mumbling to himself as the matron woman left him a potted plant. It looked slightly familiar but Alex couldn't place where she had seen it before.

"Neville?" Ron asked and Alex turned around.

Neville Longbottom had frozen, his foot still risen to take another step. Behind him was a tall and graceful looking woman. She had on a vulture hat and a long green dress with a red handbag. Alex remembered seeing a boggart Snape wearing the same attire and knew it was Neville's grandmother.

"Hi Neville," said Alex warmly, coming up to him and giving him a hug, "How are you?"

"Fine," he mumbled and looked like he wished to be anywhere else.

"Friends of yours, Neville?" the woman asked in a brisk voice that reminded Alex of Professor McGonagall. Neville nodded and the woman extended her hand, "I'm Neville's grandmother. Let me guess, you two are Weasleys. I'd recognize that hair anywhere." Ron and Ginny smiled at this. "And you're Hermione Granger, Neville's told me all about you helping him out with homework. So that leaves you two."

The woman stared at Alex and Harry with interest. Alex wondered if she remembered hers and Harry's parents.

"Yes, you're Harry Potter and Alex Ratcliff," the woman said with a twitch of a smile, "I remember your parents well, they were friends with my son and daughter-in-law." She jerked her head towards the ward where they had just left from and Alex realized who Neville had been visiting.

"You're visiting your parents?" Ron asked and Alex wished she could have stomped on his foot, but he was too far away.

"You didn't tell them, Neville?" his grandmother asked sharply and turned to the others, "My son and his wife were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange."

A woman came out of the ward. Her hair was mostly white or grey with some auburn strands and her face was long and haggard. When Neville's grandmother asked, "What is it, Alice dear?" to the woman, Alex's eyes widened with shock. She had seen the pictures of Alice and Frank Longbottom when they were in school. But to see Alice, who was once so pretty and full of life, the way she was now was rather frightening. Alex had read her mother's diary about how Alice had always been so kind towards others. She was always keeping the peace if the other girls got angry with each other and used her humor and wit to get everyone on speaking terms again.

Alice Longbottom gestured towards her son and held out her hand. In it was a wrapper of Druble's Best Blowing Gum. Neville took the wrapper and mumbled, "Thanks Mum" quietly as he pocketed it.

"Yes, thank you Alice," his grandmother said in a falsely cheery voice, "Now run along back to bed and try to get some rest."

Alice nodded and went back to her room, shuffling her feet. Neville turned to each of them in turn, as if daring any of them to laugh. However, Alex could not think of anything less amusing. She decided that, as soon as she got back to Hogwarts, she would give Neville her pictures of his parents to him. He deserved it after all he had been through.

...

"Come in!" Alex called when she heard knocking on her door.

Harry entered and closed the door behind him before sitting on Alex's bed. She flashed him a welcoming smile before waiting patiently for him to speak.

"I figured this time around, I would come to you first before you had a chance to hunt me down for answers," said Harry lightly before sighing and becoming serious, "You saw something in your dream, didn't you? Something that you didn't tell Dumbledore. What was it, Alex?"

"When...When I looked at the snake," said Alex slowly, "I saw that its eyes were a combination of your green ones and Voldemort's red ones. Also, the voice in which it spoke was a mix of yours and Voldemort's too. It was as if...well, as if the two of you were combined into one body."

Harry was silent for a few moments, letting this information sink in. Finally, he ran a hand roughly through his messy hair and groaned in frustration.

"I was the snake in my dream. I mean, I've always been able to talk to snakes and all but for the first time, I thought like one of them. I wanted to kill Mr. Weasley, wanted to taste blood..."

"It was a dream, Harry," Alex said sympathetically, "Yes, it was a vision too but you were sleeping. It's possible that dream-like ideas were mixed in there as well."

"No Alex, everything was real. I just don't understand how I got into the snake's mind in the first place. I've had dreams when I'm in Voldemort's mind but this was different. And why were you not in the snake too? It doesn't make any sense."

Alex sighed heavily as she placed a hand on Harry's arm and said, "I wish I knew why these things were happening, I really do. I don't understand how I never have dreams about Voldemort and you do. Maybe Dumbledore knows and he'll explain it to us."

"Dumbledore!" Harry snapped angrily, rising to his feet and pacing the room in fury, "Did you see how he reacted when we were in his office? He won't even look at me, Alex! He's terrified of what I'm becoming! I can go into Voldemort's mind, I see how his evil brain works! He's afraid that I'm going to become like Voldemort!"

"That's not true and you know it!" cried Alex, standing up and grabbing Harry's shoulders so that he was facing her, "Whatever Dumbledore's reasoning is, he can't think that you will become like Voldemort. You have too much goodness in you to be like that monster; you understand that blood-status means nothing when it comes to intelligence and magical power. And you have something that Voldemort can never have: true friends who genuinely care about you. If, Merlin forbid, we feel like you are becoming Voldemort, believe me when I tell you that we will knock some sense into you...literally."

That made Harry smile slightly and Alex returned it encouragingly. She pulled him into a tight hug which he returned just as eagerly.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Alex," he whispered, causing her to chuckle and step back so that she could see him properly.

"Probably be even more emotional and angry than you are now because you kept all these feelings bottled up inside," she replied smoothly and raised her eyebrows as she continued, "So it's a good thing that you don't have to worry about living without me. We're in this together, remember?"

"To the very end," said Harry, looking as though a heavy burden had been lifted, "Thank you, Alex."

She merely grinned and watched as her best friend leave, closing the door behind him. Sighing, Alex pulled out the book she had been reading and escaped from the world around her. Her last thought before diving into her book was that she hoped that Dumbledore knew what he was doing.

...

After a week in St. Mungo's, Mr. Weasley was released and was able to return home in time for Christmas Eve dinner. That evening, after the plates had been cleared away and everyone was talking since they were unable to move due to excessive eating, Alex knew she couldn't wait to give Mr. Weasley his gift so she asked if he would open it now. As he tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box, his expression went from joyful curiosity to confusion.

"What is it exactly?" he asked, taking his gift out of the box.

"It's a guitar," said Alex happily, "I included a learning book for you. Now you'll have something to do while you're waiting to get well enough to go back to work."

It was true, the Healers let Mr. Weasley return home for the holidays on the condition he waited at least another week before returning to work. Mr. Weasley thanked Alex and tried to figure out how to work it. Alex smiled and shook her head.

"Here, let me show you how to play," said Alex. She took the guitar and held it on top of her knee, "Any requests?" she asked.

"Play a Christmas carol!" said Hermione.

"I don't know any Wizarding ones," said Alex, "But I have a good Muggle one."

Everyone nodded eagerly and Alex began to strum a tune, Oh Holy Night. She eventually began singing the carol and heard a few voices joining her. She strummed the last note and looked up. Everyone was grinning and clapping, glad for the beautiful music to help raise the Christmas spirit. Alex saw that her father, who had been standing by the door, had disappeared. Instead, she saw her Uncle Monty watching her with a smile on his face. Her eyes found Professor Lupin, who had seen that Sirius had left, and he just shrugged, shaking his head.

Alex felt her stomach drop and her shoulders slumped. She handed the guitar back to Mr. Weasley and left the room, much to the dismay of those who wanted to hear another song. Her father had obviously not liked her song and that made her feel horrible inside. Sure it was an old Muggle tune, but it had a lot of meaning behind it and a message they all could take from it. As she walked the hallways in her sadness, she saw a light flickering from a door that was ajar. Curiosity ignited, she poked her head in and saw a candle that had been forgotten to be blown out. She entered and was about to put it out when she actually looked about the room.

It was a gigantic family tree that lined all four walls. Each person had a picture of their face with a scroll underneath with their name and dates of living. Alex could see some family resemblances between her ancestors and herself. Almost all of them had the stormy grey eyes she had, but hers did not carry haughtiness in them. She went down the centuries until she came to her grandmother. Beside her was her husband and it branched out in two. One name had Regulus Black with a picture of an almost identical face of her father. However, where Sirius' face should have been was a burn mark.

"I see you found our family tree."

Alex looked behind her to see Sirius watching her from the doorway. She nodded and he came forward, glaring at the pictures on the walls.

"My mother burned my name off there when I ran away. I was sixteen and wanted out. So I went to the Potters, who took me in without a question." Sirius' eyes went distant for a moment and he sighed, "It's a Black family tradition to burn off the names of those members who are not up to the "pure-blood standard" the Black's wish to uphold."

"Why am I not on here?" Alex asked, pointing to where her name and her mother's name should have been.

"The spell my family put on this room did not recognize my marriage as good enough," said Sirius darkly, "I could have you two up there, but why tarnish a reputation? You'd be on a tree next to Death Eaters and Muggle-haters."

Alex nodded as she looked at the names. Suddenly, her heart beat faster in her chest.

"I'm related to the Malfoys?" she asked, pointing to where Narcissa Black was connected to Lucius Malfoy by two gold threads.

"Yes, unfortunately for us," said Sirius darkly, "Narcissa is my third cousin, I think anyway. So that makes their son your fourth cousin with some removals. You're distant cousins anyway."

Alex nodded and looked at the two other names next to Narcissa. There was one burn and a Bellatrix Black. She was connected to Rodolphus Lestrange with two gold threads too.

"Bellatrix Lestrange is my third cousin?" said Alex in shock. How could she be related to that crazy woman?

"Yes, she and Narcissa had nice, agreeable marriages to well-to-do pure-bloods. Unfortunately my favorite cousin, Andromeda, was seen as not worthy after she married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks. I see her lineage isn't on here either."

"So I'm related to Tonks too?" asked Alex, a little overwhelmed at all the distant cousins she had.

Sirius nodded as he looked at all of his family. Alex noticed his expression was dark and full of loathing.

"I hated the whole lot of them," he said scathingly, "They were horrible to all my friends, including your mother, and they never accepted me for who I was. When they found out I was a Gryffindor, well…you can imagine I think. I don't consider any of them my family, except for those who got blown off like me."

Alex didn't say anything. She had never seen her father look as furious as he did then. She left his side and walked over to the opposite wall where her family went back to the medieval ages, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You were really good in there, Alex," said Sirius quietly, "With the guitar."

"Funny," said Alex before she could stop herself, "You seemed to get out of there pretty fast."

He sighed and there was a pause. Then he said, "Your mother used to sing just like you, did you know that?" Alex didn't answer or turn to face him so he continued, "You sounded just like her in there and I…I didn't want to ruin the song with my emotions. If you thought I left because I didn't like it, that's the total opposite. You were absolutely amazing."

Alex finally turned around and managed a smile at her father. He came over and gave her a big hug.

"Now let's go back in there so everyone can enjoy more carols from your magical voice and guitar."

Alex and her father arrived back in the room and she was pestered continuously until she agreed to play another song. Soon, everyone was singing merrily as Alex played. As she was strumming "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs" while everyone else sang the words, she caught eyes with her father. He smiled proudly and gave her a wink.

Alex felt warmth throughout her body as she saw everyone singing happily together. This was just one example of how, even in the darkest of times, people could come together in a place and make their own peace and love. She realized that this was her home and everyone around her in that room was her family. It may not have been the normal thing, but it felt right to her. And, although some of the members were missing in her life at that moment, she knew they were with her either in spirit, like her mother, or thinking of her, like Erin and Draco. Just thinking of that made Alex feel ready to take on the world. She had all these people around her and knew they would help her when she needed it.

Author's Note: I really hope that I haven't lost all my readers because of my long absence. If you guys are still out there, could you all send me a review? For old time's sake? I miss you guys and am dying to know what you all think! :D