Alex Weasley: Book 3

40

Madam Pomfrey sent Alex off with a few potions and told her she was expected in the hospital wing the next morning for breakfast. Alex returned to her dorm room. Emiko was still replying to her letters, so Alex sat down to annoy her.
"What are you doing?" Alex smirked.

"Replying to my letters. I'm offended that Haru's only writing to me to ask you to write back to him." She said, switching to Japanese.

"Need a break from English?" Alex asked and Emiko nodded.

"It's making my head hurt."

"How are your classes? I only get to see you in care of magical creatures."

"It's a little boring, I won't lie. But the school's pretty, and I like your friends."

"I like them too." Alex grinned. "They grow on you."

"They're actually easy to click with. You're the one that needs time to grow on people." Emiko denied. Alex stuck out her tongue. "Okay, would you really be upset if I went out with your brother?"

"Which one?"

"George." Emiko said. Alex grimaced.

"George? That's gross."

"He's sweet."

"Okay, whatever. It's gross, but he's just my brother. I'm not his keeper. If you like him, you should go for it. Maybe you can convince him to get off my back. Yeah, you can make him leave me alone."

"Leave you alone?"

"Just keep his attention on you. You know what, I really like this idea of you and George now."

"You make it sound like he's around all day every day."

"No, but he and Fred often show up when I don't want them around. Sometimes when Cedric and I go to visit Kichiro, I see them try to follow."

"You know, you could always tell them you and Cedric are in the woods for privacy." Emiko smirked mischievously.

"That would mean telling them Cedric and I are together." Emiko looked surprised.

"They don't know?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because." Alex couldn't think of an answer.

"That's not an answer." Emiko said in her matter of fact you're-an-idiot tone.

"I don't want them in my business. Besides we don't talk. I'm supposed to come out with it randomly?"

"So who does know?"

"Ginny, you girls, Hermione. Anyone observant. Cedric."

"You really aren't planning on telling your brothers?"

"We don't really talk. And they know Cedric, so it would be weird."

"That's what you find weird?"

"Emiko, please leave it."

"I'm not leaving it. How do your brothers not know?"

"Because I don't like them, and I don't want them involved in my life." Emiko frowned, staring at her.

"Why don't you like them?" Alex glared at her, unimpressed.

"I have to go." She stood up, and walked out of the common room. Emiko watched after her, somewhat annoyed.

The next day, Alex woke earlier than usual to go to the grove. She thought maybe if the dragon got used to her presence, it might be easier to help her. Sort of like Cedric and Venus. Luna was the first to show up. She took a seat next to Alex, and said nothing. It was one of the things she liked most about Luna. She understood sometimes it was nice to sit without conversation. It wasn't awkward. Laila was the third to show up half an hour after Luna.
"Boy, you two must be the life of the party." She plopped down on Alex's other side. The dragon flew away from them, and Alex shook her head.

"I don't party." Alex said.

"I like dancing." Luna added.

"Huh, are you any good?" Alex asked.

"I have fun." Luna said as an answer. "That's good, right?"

"Yeah, it's the best." Alex grinned at her younger friend.

"I don't know how either of you have friends." Laila scoffed. "Pair of weirdos."

"Everyone's strange. If we were all alike, there'd be no excitement." Luna defended.

"She has a point, Laila. No such thing as normal." Laila scoffed.

Hermione was the last to arrive an hour before breakfast. Laila took that as her cue and stood up to leave.
"Bye!" Alex waved after her and got flipped off in return.

"You gotta get up for breakfast too."

"You should go eat in the Great Hall." Alex told them.

"Nice try, I'm not leaving you. We've got a system in place."

"Hermione, I'm serious. I will eat, I just..." maybe she should tell Hermione she'd be going to Madam Pomfrey, but it was embarrassing. It was bad enough when Hermione treated her like a kid, but the matron getting involved was a whole other story. "I just want to be alone."

"And I just want to make sure you're okay, and sometimes you lie, Alex. So you're stuck with me." Alex saw Luna slipping away from her side and leaving the two girls alone.

"I promise I'm going to eat. I'll swear on whatever you want me to swear on."

"Why don't you want me with you?"

"Because you're always around and sometimes a girl needs some time alone."

"I'll avoid you for the rest of the day. Mealtimes are not optional." Hermione didn't even sound offended.

"Just leave me alone."

"You don't have the other side of you anymore. You could actually die if you don't take care of yourself a lot more than you did last year. I'm not losing you, I don't care if you hate me. Until I'm satisfied that you're eating okay, and are healthy, I'm not going to leave your side." Alex huffed.

"I'm going to Madam Pomfrey." She said, after a pause. There was no getting out of this. "I saw her yesterday for a check up. Snape insisted. She says she'll be regulating my meals. If I don't show up, she'll haul me out of class."

"I'll walk you to the hospital wing."

"Fine." Alex said and they stood up and began to walk back to the school.

"What made you actually listen to Snape yesterday?" Hermione asked.

"I thought I was right, that it would show that I'm okay. I've been eating with you for the past two and a half months."

"Not much. I just didn't say anything because it's better than it's been for last two years."

"I didn't mean it when I said I don't want you around."

"I haven't taken anything you said seriously since our fight first year."