Alexandra Potter
Chapter Eleven: Firsts and Lasts
Scene 6/6
Alex was more than ready for the start of term when the holidays ended on January 5th. The castle had been empty for too long, and, though Alex could read about magic forever, it didn't make it any less lonely. She missed the noise of Hufflepuff. She missed Draco.
So, when the Hogwarts Express rolled into Hogsmeade, Alex was there to meet him and whisk him away to the privacy of the boathouse, where she intended to kiss him thoroughly.
"Where are we going?" Draco asked as she led him by the hand, pausing to steal chaste kisses whenever she was sure they were alone.
"You'll see," was all she replied, enjoying his confusion.
"We're going to the boathouse?" he said a couple of minutes later, when she turned to go down the long, damp steps leading to the lake.
"Maybe," she said, but the steps led nowhere else. She was quite pleased with her idea: she'd thought for a time about where they could hang out in private. The owlery was one choice, but all the owl crap limited its romantic potential. Nor did she like the idea of using some empty classroom, where a teacher could walk in at any time. The boathouse worked well: it was romantic, remote, and rarely used.
After a long walk the steps led outside, far beneath the castle at the bottom of the cliff. The boathouse wasn't much - a wooden shack covering some piers, with a watergate leading to the lake - but it was enough. Once they were inside the kissing started in earnest. Chaste pecks gave way to a battle of the lips, and Alex let Draco lead her to a wall. And then his hands slid down to her bum, and Alex stiffened.
"Sorry," said Draco, removing his hands.
"No, it's okay," said Alex, looking Draco in the eye. She wanted him to know she wasn't angry or anything. "Just... not yet, okay?" she said, and Draco nodded.
The mood changed, and they moved to sit on a bench.
"I saw the article in the paper about your ball," said Alex, smoothing imaginary creases in her robes. The House Elves were very good at ironing.
"It wasn'tmyball," said Draco, frustrated, "but I guess it wasn't so bad. The Minister wished me happy birthday. Professor Dumbledore, too."
"Dumbledore was there?" said Alex, surprised. She'd thought he was at Hogwarts.
"Of course!" said Draco. "My father might disagree with him about stuff, but he's still Dumbledore."
"I suppose," said Alex, "thanks for your present, by the way. I was going to send you a thank you letter, but then I thought it would be better face to face."
"I'm glad you like it," he said, "it was Father's idea. He was the one who sponsored me, of course." He paused, and took Alex's hand. "And thank you foryourpresent. I know what it means to you... Father's had a case commissioned to hold them."
Alex beamed. "I thought you'd like them," she said, certain now that it was the right thing. He'd treat them well. "I have something else to show you," she added, "something of my father's." She pulled the invisibility cloak out of her bag and put it on.
Draco sat up in surprise.
"An invisibility cloak!" he said, his eyes wide. Alex reappeared.
"Pretty cool, isn't it?" she said.
Draco was so distracted he didn't comment on the Muggle slang. "I've never seen one before," he said, rubbing the material between his fingers. "It's so light! You know, if Father knew you had that, he'd give you five thousand for it, no question."
Alex knew invisibility cloaks were rare, but she had no idea they were that valuable. It was worth twice all the gold she had.
"The cellars," said Draco.
"Huh?"
"The cellars," he repeated, "that's where Slytherin is. There's an engraving of a snake on the wall between the grain cellar and the spice cellar. You tell the snake the password and it lets you in."
Alex sat down. "Why're you telling me this now?" she said, "not that I'm not happy you're telling me."
Draco shrugged - something his father would no doubt disapprove of. "You trusted me. So I'm trusting you. Plus," - he grinned - "you still need the password."
Alex laughed. "You Slytherin you," she said, teasingly. "Your cunning and scheming ways have earned you a kiss."
"Speaking of scheming..." Draco said, after.
Alex bit her lip. "It's over," she said, "Daphne... she's changed. I think she's going to be nice now."
"A troll never drops his club," he said. Alex could guess the meaning - people didn't change.
"Well, this troll has," she said, "seriously, we sat together for Christmas and she was so nice."
"So she wants something," said Draco, "or is planning something."
Alex's eyes narrowed. "What did she do to you?" she asked, "you said in your letter you owed her - what did she do that's so bad?"
Draco's cheeks turned a light pink. "That's not the issue now, is it?" he said. "The point is that Daphne's an actress. I'm sure she charmed your socks off -that's what she does. But it won't last."
"I don't know why it's so hard for you to believe that she might genuinely like me," said Alex, getting frustrated. "We had a great time. She couldn't-"
"You're a Half-Blood," said Draco, bringing her up short.
"What?" Alex asked.
"Look, I didn't want to say it, but it's true," he said, holding his hands up in protest, "you're a Half-Blood.That'swhy Daphne can't like you."
Alex was stunned. She thought Draco'd given up all that stuff, after he stopped giving her books. Had he been thinking of her like that all along? "Half-Blood Alex"? Did he think he wasbetterthan her?
"I'll see you later, Draco," she said, and she turned to leave.
"Alex, wait!" he said, getting up.
She slammed the door on her way out.