~Everything's Not What It Seems~
Alex and Justin are siblings sent to Hogwarts to learn about magic just like their father. There they meet new friends, fall in love, and find out that truly everything is not what it seems.
Disclaimer: J.K Rowling and Disney Channel own the right to all these character. I am only borrowing them :)
"Have you talked to Alex at all?" Harry asked Justin as they descended the stairs from the Gryffindor Dormitories.
Justin shook his head. "She seems to have gotten better at avoiding me. Even the twins can't seem to catch her for a moment to talk." Justin sighed. "I got on a call with my dad and Remus... they're pissed about what happened to you and Alex. They've been trying to get in touch with her since we got to school but have also had no luck."
"Where do you think she's been?" Harry asked as they reached the end of the stairs and entered a hallways.
"Probably her secret hiding spot slash make-out spot that she and Cedric would disappear off to. I think Max knows where it is, but he'd never betray Alex and tell me where."
"Doesn't the current situation warrant it? She's either hiding who-knows-where or spending time with Draco Malfoy." Harry said with a disturbed expression on his face. Justin had been worried about Alex's new friendship. He wondered if her recent behavior has anything to do with this new friendship of hers. "Justin... I've been wondering... you don't think Alex told Draco that they're related, do you?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "Maybe he's blackmailing her into spending time with him and that's why she is avoiding us."
As they continued to walk, Justin realized Harry hadn't reacted to his last comment. He looked to Harry questioningly. "What am I missing?"
"I've been rather unsure how to bring this up... I know why Alex has been avoiding us. I'd been meaning to tell you but there just hasn't been an appropriate time..."
"This sounds serious..." Justin said as he stopped walking. He folded his arms in front of him and looked at Harry expectantly.
"Ron found out from Fred that Alex blames us for Cedric's death." Harry admitted.
"What?!? What are you talking about?!" Justin sputtered. That was about the last thing he expected to hear. "Why would she think that?!"
"I don't actually know. Apparently she demanded that Remus and Sirius let her join the Order. When they denied her, she made a comment about how it's unfair that we were allowed to join, despite being at fault for Cedric's death."
Justin ran a hand down his face. "Damnit Alex, this is not a good time for us to be divided."
"Maybe we give her some space until she's ready to come to us." He suggested. "Losing Cedric hasn't exactly been easy on her. And if it's any consolation, the distance the past few days helped me open my eyes."
"Maybe. I just hope it doesn't further push her away..." Justin sighed. "Come on, we better get to Ron and Hermione.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Alex, do you have a moment?"
Alex looked up and frowned when she saw George approaching her in her newfound hiding place in the outer wall of the courtyard. She was seated on the floor, her potions textbook on her lap.
"Oh, so now you want to talk to me?" She said mockingly as she stared at her best friend. The sting she felt when Fred and George abandoned her the other day was still fresh. Who needs them?
"Come on, Alex." He said, rolling his eyes as he stopped in front of her. "You can't blame me for being less than pleased with your company."
"Draco is a jerk, but he's been a good friend to me. And he's promised to dial it down." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at her friend in indifference.
George's expression softened. He crouched down beside Alex so he could be down to her level. "I haven't exactly been the best mate, have I?"
"I don't blame you for not knowing how to deal with a mourning Alex. I don't even know how to deal with myself half the time..." She said, her voice slightly cracking. She tried to compose herself before looking at her friend again. "George, I don't know if I can get past this."
"You will." George replied as he placed his hand over hers and squeezed it gently. Alex bit down on her lip as a stinging pain erupted on her hand from the contact. Before she could compose herself again, George pulled his hand away, his eyes shooting to her hand in concern. "So it's true?!"
"It's nothing-" She started. George ignored her and picked up her hand gently, bringing it up between them to inspect. "How'd you know?"
"Max said he saw you leaving defense against the dark arts... and then Hermione and Ron told us about what happened to Harry. We put two and two together." He trailed off, a disturbed look coming over his face as he studied her hand.
"Please tell me Justin doesn't know." When George didn't say anything she groaned. "That means he told my dad and Lupin, doesn't it?"
"I might have heard Harry mention to Ron and Hermione that Justin got in touch with them..."
"Ughhhhhh!" She groaned again, throwing her head back in frustration. Just her luck. "I guess it's a good thing I lost my phone charger. An excuse not to answer my phone and be bombarded with their questions."
She closed her eyes as she felt George trace the words carved on the back of her hand gently, ignoring the unfamiliar feeling of the scab. "Does it hurt?" He asked.
"Not as much as it did before."
"Were you ever going to tell me about it?" He asked her, his voice nearly a whisper.
"I don't know." She shrugged. "I wanted to forget it happened." She wanted to forget everything.
"Alex." She heard George's pained expression beside her. She bit her lip as she tried to hold back the tears. This was exactly why she didn't want anyone to know.
"Don't." She warned him. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. "If you start, I'll get emotional. If I get emotional, I'll cry."
"Would that be so bad?"
"Yes. If I start, I won't stop. And I refuse to start. It'll be like splitting a dam wide open."
"Maybe that's not so much a bad thing, Alex." George said quietly as she shot him an annoyed look. "All I'm sayin' is that you need to mourn the right way. That's the only way you'll be able to get back to a sense of normal."
"Normal?" Alex released a bitter laugh. "I'll never be normal."
"That we can both agree on." He joked. "But that's not what I meant, and you know it. You can't live like this forever. You need to heal, live again... and maybe forgive."
Alex looked at George. "Not the last one." She said, giving him a knowing look. "I warned them all, Cedric included. They thought I was overreacting. I'm the irresponsible one, the one ready for danger and adventure. And this was too much for me. They should have listened to me from the start, then none of this would have ever happened."
George sighed, dropping his head back in frustration. "Alex, they all knew what they were signing up for. There were risks even without the involvement of Voldemort. And you knew your boyfriend better than anyone else... he was determined to do this whether you approved or not. He would have won... if it wasn't for-"
"Harry and Justin." Alex cut him off.
"That's not what I was going to say and you know it, Alex. You can't blame them for something they had no control of." George said.
"People die when they associate with Harry and Justin."
"Alex-"
"As they do when they associate with me. Maybe the best thing for everyone is that they stay away from all of us." Alex said, pulling her hand away from George.
"Alex-" George started to protest but Alex had already stood up and was reaching for her things. "Come on, Alex." He pleaded, but she quickly packed up her things into her bag, ignoring him. As she reached for her Potions textbook, George reached for her wrist and stood up, pulling Alex with him. He turned her to face him. "If you're angry, you yell and scream. If you're sad, you cry. But what you don't do is run away and keep it all bottled up!"
"I'm not-"
George gently placed his hands on both sides of Alex's head and titled her face up. "Please stop running away. I know you're hurting, and it's okay to feel that way. But you need to take your time to mourn and grieve. You can't just bottle it in. You can let it out and break down, and I'll be here for you, every time, and every step of the way."
"But what if I let it out and you find out I am broken beyond repair? What if there is no way to fix me?" Alex asked as she stared up at George fearfully.
George smiled at her. "You're my best friend, Alex. You'll never be broken to me. And even if that's true, it doesn't change anything. You got me, no matter what. You're stuck with me as much as I'm stuck with you."
Alex looked at George, tears welling up in her eyes. She finally let herself break down in his arms, finding comfort and solace in the arms of her best friend.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Where have you been?" Fred asked his brother as George dropped into the seat beside him. Their younger siblings were seated around them with Harry, Justin, and Hermione. The group all turned their attention on George.
"I just dropped Alex to the dormitories. She had a headache so she decided to turn in for the night." He shrugged as he started loading food onto his plate.
"Is she okay?" Hermione asked.
"Depends on your definition of okay." George replied as he stopped loading his plate. He looked around to see his friends all looking at him expectantly. He sighed. "She'a been crying... finally. I hadn't seen her this hysterical since she saw Cedric's body."
"And you left her alone?" Justin asked in disbelief. He stood up from his seat but George waved him off dismissively.
"She asked to be left alone. I don't blame her... she cried... a lot. That's why she's got the headache. I figure she wants some time to herself to process... this."
"Look at you being supportive and logical." Ron said, earning himself a glare from Justin.
"Very supportive." Fred added, beside him, with a skeptical expression. Justin seemed to notice their exchange, as he looked between the two strangely. George however, ignored his twin entirely. Justin lowered back into his seat and opened his mouth to question Fred, but was cut off by Hermione.
"Maybe I should bring her something to eat?" She offered. "I hadn't seen her at lunch either. Likely she hasn't eaten since breakfast."
"You could try... but she said she didn't have much of an appetite." He shrugged. "As I mentioned, best to leave her alone."
"How did this all even come up?" Harry asked, speaking for the first time.
"I'd been trying to catch Alex since we found out about her detention from Professor Umbridge. I found her hiding outside the courtyard a few hours ago and we talked a bit. She was ready to make a run for it again but I pleaded with her to just let it out and she did... for several hours." George explained.
Justin sighed. "I keep forgetting that the loss I feel is nowhere near the loss Alex feels. I always liked Cedric. He and I weren't close... not in the way it mattered anyway. But he would always make the effort to talk to me and Max because of Alex."
"I think we all forget that." Harry agreed, a guilty expression on his face. "I regret not knowing Cedric more."
"Last year when we had the service for Cedric in the Great Hall, the day after his death... it just felt like that was it. He was gone. Don't get me wrong, I think about Cedric and his death. I have nightmares all the time. But this whole summer I was traveling and training with Dumbledore, preparing for the worst now that Voldemort is back. I didn't stop to think that for Alex, that sadness we all felt at the service is every day since his death."
"She's not going to forgive us so easily, is she?" Harry asked, looking at Justin doubtfully.
"She's not being rational-" Hermione started but was cut off by Justin.
"She's not... but rightfully so. I don't think I'd be rational right now if it was Ginny." Justin sighed. "Harry and George are right. Maybe we give her some space for now. Let her come to us." He turned and looked at George. "She seems to be okay with you... maybe you can continue to check in on her and give us updates?"
George nodded. "I can do that."
~~~~~~~~~~
Alex stood at the window, staring out into the street she'd become familiar with the few days leading up to the school year. She still didn't know how, but she'd managed to use the Room of Requirements to take her home again. She wasn't entirely sure, but she suspected that what she required was a portal to her father. The portal came in the form of her bedroom. If what she thought was true, she wasn't sure that telling anyone else about this was a good idea. She could only imagine how this could be misused. If her uncle knew about this, he wouldn't hesitate to get rid of the Room of Requirements. Alex couldn't lose her chance at going home to see her dad.
"Be rational, Remus!" Alex turned her attention from the quiet street as her dad's voice could be heard from downstairs. She moved to the doorway, opening it slowly so not to make any noise.
"You don't think I am devastated by this news? That awful excuse for a woman hurt my daughter and my godson!"
"I was with Alex all summer, Sirius. She is going through enough as it is without being no less than tortured at school. I say we speak with Dumbledore about bringing her home. I am positive I can teach her everything she needs for the time being."
"My friend, you are brilliant but I cannot ask you to spend every moment watching over my daughter."
"She's also my god daughter! She means a whole lot to me and I'd give anything to protect her, and you know it. I didn't keep her with me all summer as a favor to you, I did it because I care for her. If it wasn't for my curse, you know I would have raised her and Justin as my own!"
"I am sure of it." Sirius sighed. "I just think Hogwarts is the safest place for Alex right now. Not to mention Alex, Justin and Harry should not be separated in a time like this."
"Unfortunately my friend, separated they are. Alex blames them for Diggory's death. Not to mention Harr-"
"Dad! Lupin!" Alex quickly yelled out as she sped out of her room bounded down the stairs. She suspected she knew the words that were about to come out of Remus' mouth next. If Alex had anything to do with it, he wouldn't say anything.
The two looked up in confusion as Alex arrived at the bottom of the stairs where her father and godfather were standing. She opened her arms up. "Hey guys."
"Alex?" Sirius said her name in surprise. "Alex!" He repeated again as a smile appeared on his face. He opened his arms to her, allowing for Alex to dive into them. "Darling, not that I'm not thrilled, but what are you doing here?" He asked as he pulled away.
"I thought I'd try and see if I could make it through the Room of Requirements again." She shrugged before turning to Remus. "Lupin."
"Come here, you troublemaker." Remus said as he pulled Alex into a hug. Alex gave in to her godfather, even though she was sure he was about to tell her dad about the kiss with Harry last year.
"Come, come." Sirius urged his daughter to follow him to the kitchen. "Come sit so I can see you. I'm so glad you're here."
Alex nodded, linking arms with Remus as they followed her dad to the kitchen. Sirius took a seat first on the other side of the table as Alex took the seat across from him and Remus settle on the chair between the two, at the head of the table. Sirius reached for his daughter's hand as soon as she was situated.
"How are you, my dear." He asked. She noticed him and Remus eyeing her hand in that moment.
She sighed. "It's the other hand. And I'm fine, I promise."
"You don't look fine, honestly." Remus replied. "Your eyes are swollen like you've been crying."
"I might have cried a bit." She shrugged, avoiding eye contact with them both. "It's been a long week."
"Can I see it?" Remus asked from beside her. Alex looked at him as he motioned to her lap, where she hid her other hand. He held out his hand for her. "Please, Alex."
Alex sighed before nodding and placing her hand in his, palm up. Remus flipped her hand over with his free hand. As soon as her hand was in view, he saw the look of surprise and almost immediate anger go through his eyes. He turned to Sirius, exchanging a look with him.
"You truly believe being around that insufferable woman is safe for her?" He asked.
"You believe leaving Hogwarts protection is safer for her?" Sirius countered.
"The 'her' you both are referring to is right here and would like this conversation to stop..." The two turned their attention back to Alex. "I hate being at Hogwarts after what happened and I can't stand Umbridge, but I can't leave. I'll go insane holed up in this house all day. At least at Hogwarts I have my friends and school to distract me. And I do pretty well in school, especially Potions. I need all of those distraction otherwise I'll go insane."
"We'd never make you leave Hogwarts without your consent." Sirius looked a Remus pointedly. "And despite your godfather being a brilliant wizard, Albus would never let his only niece be homeschooled."
"I'd just feel more at ease knowing Alex is safe under our watchful eye." Remus sighed. "But I agree that the distractions at Hogwarts would help." He said, looking at her in adoration. "Now tell me why you were upset."
Alex released a hysterical laugh. "When am I not upset? My boyfriend is dead. The dark wizard who murdered my mom is back and caused my boyfriend's death. My friends are mad at me because I befriended their arch nemesis. My best friend is pissed at me again for going awol all summer and not returning to New York. Oh, and don't get me started on the crazy new defense against the arts professor who is obviously out to get me. Honestly, I don't know what there is to not be upset about at the moment."
"Let's start with why you were crying." Sirius said as he squeezed his daughter's hand from over the table.
"It's just everything. And I was with George and he just said to let it out and I did. For a long time."
"You finally let yourself mourn." Remus asked as a relieved smiled came over him. "How did that go?"
"I absolutely hated it." Alex deadpanned. "That was worse than holding it in all this time."
"Do you feel a little better?"
Alex stared at him with a grimace. She didn't want to admit it, but she did. Crying, letting it all out, it did make her feel better. "A little." She admitted. "But isn't that wrong? My boyfriend died. I shouldn't feel better, right?"
Remus and Sirius exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between them. Her dad nodded towards Remus, who stood up from his seat. He gently squeezed Alex's hand. "I am going to check in with Tonks to see when she'll be arriving. Maybe she can say hello before you leave."
Alex gave him a suspicious look, which he responded to with an amused smile before walking out of the kitchen. She turned back at her dad with a raised eyebrow. "What was that about?"
"He just wanted to give us a moment to talk about your mother." Sirius said with a sad smile. "I haven't really spoken to you about how I felt when I lost your mother, have I. I guess hiding your pain to not in convenience others runs in the family. Well... when I heard about her death, I can't even explain the pain I went through. It still hurts to this day when I think about her, though it's lessened over time. I certainly didn't get enough time with her. She was so, so young. I lost her and two of my closest friends all in one night. Not to mention being separated from my children and my godson."
"I know all of this dad... you've mentioned it before."
"What I am trying to say is that, loss will always exist. It will always happen. There will be a day that I will be gone and Remus as well. We all cope with loss. But life goes on. There will be days where you'll drown in the pain of their loss, but there will also be days where you will be enveloped with joyous memories you had spent with them. And believe it or not, there will be days where you don't think of them at all."
"Are there days where you don't think of mom?" Alex asked in confusion.
"No." Sirius replied with a smile. "But I will admit, there are days where I don't think of James and Lily. Arianna was my wife and the mother of my children. I will never not think about her. I think of her every time I look or even think of you and Justin. I know you loved that boy, but there will be a day where you will find love again and while he'll always be in your heart, your first love, the pain won't engulf your life. He'll be in your thoughts forever, but it'll be manageable because you will have other happy things in your life."
"Do you have that dad?" Alex asked nervously. She never considered how hard it was for her dad to lose her mom.
"I have you and Justin and Harry. I have the company of my closest friend Remus. I absolutely have that. And it's helps my dear, so, so much." Sirius assured her, patting her hand.
"I'm glad." Alex responded with a smile.
"Promise me one thing." Sirius started as he took ahold of Alex's other hand in both of his. "Promise me that when the opportunity to love again presents itself, you won't run away from it. Accept it, because while they may not be your first love, they could be your true love. And that matters."
"I'm not sure I can love anyone more than C-Cedric, but sure." Alex replied. Smiling to herself as she realized she'd said his name aloud for the first time since she woke up in the hospital wing.
"You will, I promise. And he'll make you the happiest you've ever been."
Four in a day! Wooo