Alexandra Weasley: Book 4

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Mari had been acting strangely. Alex was used to seeing the unicorn from a distance after Rani was born. Mari preferred to keep her and her daughter to herself, unless Alex's help was needed. Which was rare. Once, in fact, when Rani fell into a ditch when Mari was teaching her to run. Which would have been fine, had there not been a troll. So it was odd for Mari to be so insistent.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Alex asked. Mari just trotted over behind her and began to push her forth. "Okay. Where are we going?" She stood up and Mari seemed satisfied. Mari laid down and Alex frowned. "Is it safe for me to ride you?" Mari shook her head dismissively. "Okay I guess you know best." Alex mounted the horse and Mari stood up.

Riding Mari was a lot different to riding Mars. Mars went slow and carefully. Alex had to hold on tight to Mari's coat so as not to fall off. When they reached the destination, Alex practically jumped off.

"I'm not getting on you again. Thanks, but no thanks. I'm good." Mari looked somewhat disapproving. Alex looked around the creepy enclosure. "Why am I here?" Mari just walked forward and Alex followed having nowhere to go. They didn't walk long and Alex gasped as she saw what Mari had brought her to. "Mari, this is- woah." She didn't make a move though. Mari moved behind her and nudged her. Alex almost tripped over the glittering floor. Mari had brought her to an enclosure full of treasure. She bent down and picked up a ruby. "Wow." She turned to Mari. "Why are you showing me this?" Mari let out a snort of frustration. "You want me to take something?" Mari looked as though wondering if all humans were so stupid or if Alex was the exception. "I can't." Mari stomped her feet. "What if it's cursed?" Mari nudged Alex's hand and she realised she was holding the ruby. She dropped it. "It feels like stealing." Mari just stared. "You're not going to take us back until I take something, are you?" Mari didn't move, so Alex bent down to pick up the ruby. She studied it, and then slipped it in her pocket. Mari still didn't move, so Alex moved to properly look at the trove of treasure.

It was tempting, she had to admit. Growing up without luxuries, without real money of her own- all this was amazing. She could put an end to her family's financial trouble. She could buy the land of her dreams, and raise all the animals she wished as soon as she left Hogwarts. There were a number of spells, a number of wards and runes that she could think of, a number of potions that would benefit the addition of any one of these gems. There was no doubt that she wanted it. But it felt a little like stealing. The forest was bountiful, but only if she respected it. Taking more than she needed out of greed, seemed wrong. Though, Mari had led her out here, and if that wasn't an invitation, then what was? Mari beat her hooves on the ground impatiently.

"Okay." Alex said, and picked up a diamond, an emerald and a circlet that drew her eyes. The circlet glittered prettily and hypnotically. Putting the two gems in her bag, she rested the circlet on her head and a breeze rushed around her. "Mari, I swear if I've put on something cursed..." she let the threat hang. There wasn't anything she could or would do to the unicorn, of course. Alex tried to take off the circlet but it didn't budge. "Oh no." She said. She tried taking it off more frantically, only succeeding in ripping a little of her hair out. "Ow." She stopped. She frowned at Mari. "Can we go now, please?" Mari sat down so Alex could get on her back. "No." Alex disagreed.

The sky got darker and Mari nickered nervously. Her tail swished and Alex got on her back. "Fine, let's get out of here." Mari went slower this time much to Alex's pleasure. Instead of taking her to the field, she deposited Alex at the edge of the forest. Not forgetting the circlet on her head, Alex headed straight to Snape's office. Dinner was over, she was sure, but it wasn't quite curfew. She ran into Moody as she passed the entrance hall and his magical eye zoned in on the circlet on her head.

"Miss Weasley." He said as she tried to walk past him. She froze.

"Good evening, sir." She said.

"Nice trinket on your head." He said.

"Thanks."

"Where did you get it?"

"I transfigured it."

"Really?" His magic eye whirred around. "There's no transfiguration magic on it." She gasped dramatically.

"Oh no, I must've taken the wrong one! I was transfiguring it to look like my friend's. If you'll excuse me, I have to go return this." She said and darted away. She headed to the dungeons, and wandered to Snape's office. She knocked on his door and heard him tell her to come in.

"Evening." He said. His eyes fell on her circlet.

"I need your help." She said, and closed the door. She fell into the seat. "I did something dumb and it's a unicorn's fault."

"Would I be right in assuming it's got something to do with the jewellery sitting atop your head?"

"Yep." She huffed. "Stupid circlet of doom."

"Interesting name. Official, or you?"

"I don't know if it has an official name. I just can't take it off."

"I think you'd better start from the beginning."

A/N- I'm gonna start something. I'm going to start adding my favourite quote or line of the chapter at the end. I'm not sure if I'm going to have one in every chapter, but we shall see. In this one, it's "I did something dumb and it's a unicorn's fault". Anyways hope you enjoyy x