Alex Weasley: Book 3

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*Slytherin common room*

Laila was at a table beside her sister, the two of them practicing for their upcoming exams, when she slammed her quill onto the table.

"Laila, don't." Alia warned. "You pick and choose your battles."

"Trust me this is a battle I want." She said.

"I know you like the Hufflepuff girl, but do not blow off our associations."

"Don't dismiss her like that. You don't know what kind of connections she can bring us."

"And you do?"

"Yes, actually. We're working on something big and important. This project is important and could bring glory to our name once again. So I'd place my bets on her before any of these idiots." Laila said.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing? If this backfires, baba won't be pleased."

"It won't backfire. It's something that affects all of Hogwarts and it's history. It's amazing. And baba will be proud." Laila told her sister and Alia nodded.

"It doesn't mean you have to burn bridges now."

"I'm not going to sit idly by as he blames her for his own mistakes. Besides most of this common room would side with us before him, so what bridges are we burning really?"

Laila stood up and walked over to where the fourth year stood jeering with his friends. She crossed her arms and cleared her throat. He looked momentarily surprised before masking his expression with a smug smile. He ran a hand through his hair and jerked his head slightly. "Hey." He said, leaning back against the wall.

"No." She said. "To all of that, just no."

"Then what? Are we being too loud for you?" He pouted condescendingly.

"No, you're being too much of a dickhead." She said, before addressing the common room. "Alright everybody, listen up. Some of you may have heard one of our snakes got beat up by a Hufflepuff girl. And some of you may have been rude and intolerable towards her. That stops now. I don't care if you have personal grudges against her. That's fine. I don't expect everyone to get along. But demonstrating ill manners simply because she was a girl defending herself is not acceptable. You do not get the attention of a girl in a lonely corridor by grabbing her from behind. I promise if I were in her place, broken ribs would have been the least of your problems." She said the last part to the boy in front of her. "She did not fight unprovoked. House loyalty is not an excuse to behave as you'd like, without decorum and without propriety. So you'll stop being discourteous and petty and you will all behave in a manner befitting a Slytherin. Am I clear?" She glared at Danny who gulped and nodded.

"Yeah, alright. Whatever." He said and she turned away and moved to sit beside her sister.

"Oh you don't just like her, you identify with her." Alia said. Laila nodded. Alia smiled at her. "I got your back, and you're okay."

"I know."

Alex noted the difference in the way the Slytherins were treating her and asked Draco what it was all about.
"Oh, Laila Shafiq did this whole speech about how no one's allowed to be rude to you anymore or risk facing her wrath."

"What?"

"I don't get it. How are you so easily friends with her but not me?"

"Well, she doesn't get innocent animals killed." Draco's face dropped at that.

"I didn't mean for that to happen, you know?"

"No, I don't know. You seemed pretty happy about it and about Hagrid's pain."

"What? That huge oaf? What's he matter?"

"See that? You write him off so easily. He was cheated out of magic by a megalomaniac who controlled a basilisk and killed a girl and framed him."

"He was framed?"

"Yeah, fifty years ago, Hagrid was framed by another student. He missed out on an education because of it, because no one was willing to look past the fact that he was an easy target. We can't choose our parents, Draco."

"I didn't want Buckbeak killed. I just- I don't know. I was making a fuss." He said. "It did hurt at first, but it got better by the end of the day. I really did need the hospital wing. But then I was laying it on thick and madam Pomfrey realised and decided my father should know about such a serious injury. Guess, she was making fun of me. And then he made a fuss because he hates Dumbledore and it all turned into this circus."

"Oh. I can't really blame you for that, I suppose." She sighed. "I guess I should apologise for Hermione punching you. And for laughing, though you did half deserve it for laughing at Hagrid like that."

"I did not." He protested.

"We are friends, you know. You and I, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"I'm not saying it." She said. "You might as well give up." He rolled his but began packing away as Professor Babbling set their homework. Alex waited behind, not making a move.

"Class is over, you know?" Draco told her.

"I have a question to ask her." She replied. "I'll see you around." Hermione joined the edge of her desk, and glared at Draco. He slinked away.

"For someone who claims to be unfriendly, you sure seem to get along with everyone." Hermione didn't bother to hide the disdain in her tone.

"I blame you. Before you came along, I had no friends. And then you came and you chipped away and turned me into someone people talk to, so if you really think about it, it's all your fault that Draco and I are friends." Hermione looked irritated. "Okay, no. It's Snape's fault- all those detentions, and technically we're friends-ish. He's not so bad, you know. Or we could just not talk about it."

"Let's just ask Professor Babbling about the hieroglyphs." She changed the topic and Alex took the piece of parchment where she'd copied out the glyphs on Saphira's chain.

"Professor, I was wondering if you could interpret ancient hieroglyphs. I know it's not really part of our curriculum, but I found this book that had a line of hieroglyphs." Alex held out the paper.

"Let me take a look." Professor Babbling looked over the hieroglyphs. It was only a line, but it had to be important. She pulled her glasses on from where it hung around her neck on a chain. "It's a warning." She said, peering closely. "See this bit here? This is control." She said. "Ah this is fascinating. This is all that was written in your book?"

"Yes, ma'am." Babbling studied the parchment a little while longer before handing it back.

"It's a warning. It says without a rider, there is no hope for control." She took off her glasses. "What was your book about? It sounds positively exciting! Why, I never much get a chance to use my full BATs in runes, anymore."

"Oh, um, care of magical creatures. I'm reading up on dragons."

"Oh dear, Hagrid has you studying dragons?"

"No no! I just think it's a fascinating topic and wanted to know more. I'm thinking about maybe becoming a dragon tamer like my brother Charlie." She said innocently. She heard Hermione let out a half cough, half snort, but ignored her.

"Well I wish you the best of luck." Professor Babbling smiled and Alex and Hermione took their cue to leave.

"I might want to work with dragons in the future." Alex defended when they were out of earshot.

"I thought you wanted to work with unicorns."

"Maybe I want both. Maybe I'll open my own reserve and take in both unicorns and dragons."

"Part of me is afraid because you really would do that."

"I will." Alex agreed. "And I think I'll keep my care of magical creatures class. I'll probably need an actual degree to make the future I want possible."

A/N- only ten more parts to go 😶