Alexandra Weasley: Book 4

16

"Is this it?" Alex asked Hermione, collapsing onto the chair the vanishing room provided. "With me and Cedric. We haven't spoken in two weeks."

"It's not it." Hermione said. "It can't be. You two need to... I don't know, talk."

"Why does he care so much about being part of such an antiquated ritual?"

"Have you asked him?" Alex thought for a moment.

"No." She eventually admitted.

"Maybe ask him? Maybe there's a reason he wants to be a part of this."

"Logical." Alex scowled.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Fine." She stood up and left the room only to bump into Cedric outside. "Oh. Hi."

"Hey."

"I was just coming to find you."

"Can we talk?" He asked and she nodded.

"One second." She walked back into the room and looked pleadingly at Hermione. "He's outside. Can we use this room?"

"Yeah. I have to go meet Hagrid anyway." Hermione edged past Alex. "Hi, Cedric. Bye, Cedric."

"Um, h-" Hermione was gone before he could answer. Alex invited him into the room. They sat beside each other on a sofa and he turned to her. "I don't like us not talking."

"Me neither." She frowned. "I shouldn't have gotten so annoyed."

"Or I should've eased you into it, knowing how you felt about it."

"Can I ask why? Why do you want to take part in it so badly? I mean you're already a hero to everyone who knows you."

"Exactly. But I haven't earned it. Everyone thinks I was part of this great adventure, and my dad drops it into every conversation we have." He said. "But all I did was take your place, take your achievement. And I know why you wanted me to. I get it. But I still feel like a fraud every time someone congratulates me."

"Ced... why didn't you tell me this?"

"You didn't ask, and I know you and your guilt complex. I don't want you to feel bad."

"I would have liked to know if it was bothering you. I'm sorry I put you in that position."

"I care about you. Of course I'd help you."

"From now on, no more secrets?" She asked and he nodded.

"Okay." He agreed. He held out his arms for a hug and she moved into them.

"And no more fighting either. I don't want to lose you."

"That's fine by me. No more fighting." She smiled into the hug. "I love you."

"Love you too." She rested her head on his chest. "For the record, I still hate the tournament because I hate its history. It was originally a misogynistic, chauvinistic battle for the hand of a woman and she was hardly given a choice and she was so miserable she ended up killing herself." She said.

"I didn't know that."

"I don't think anyone really does, and I know that's not what you want to be a part of, but people have died in those tournaments too. And I just couldn't understand why you were willing to risk so much for such stupid- sorry, not stupid- risk so much for it. Because maybe there are guidelines in place, and you won't die, but that doesn't mean you won't get hurt. There are bloody dragons involved." Alex said and Cedric's eyes widened. "Yeah, Saphira came with them and I saw her."

"I'll be careful, if I even get in." He said. "And the only girl I want to impress hates everything the tournament stands for."

"I hope you get it and I hope you win." She told him. "Because I think you're doing it for a valid reason and because this means a lot to you."

"Thanks." She sat up, shifting so she was half sitting in his lap. She put her hand in his hair, brushing it back.

Alex and Cedric didn't leave the room until dinner, before emerging in the great hall. Megan smirked at her and Alex rolled her eyes, flipping her off.
"Ten points from Hufflepuff, Miss Weasley." Snape drawled as he passed her to sit at the teacher's table.

"You better win those back." Susan said.

"I'll win them back tenfold." Alex said. "By Sunday."

"We don't have any classes this week." Charlie said. Alex smirked.

"I take it as a challenge."

"Tell me you have a plan?" Cedric asked beside her. She turned to him with a smile.

"I have the beginnings of one. Just gotta get a bunch of the teachers who like me."

"Isn't there just one?" Megan asked and Alex rolled her eyes.

"There's at least three. Babbling thinks I'm absolutely fascinating now, and Hagrid counts as a teacher."

"Who's the third?" Amélie's friend, Valerie, asked.

"Snape." What seemed like half the table chorused.

"He was the one who took avay the points, yes?"

"Yeah, him. He's not as scary as he looks." There was a collective eye roll around the table.

"It's sad that you don't count your head of house as a teacher who likes you." Megan remarked, taking a bite of her corn cob.

"Sprout likes me, but it's not so easy to get points from her." Alex said. "Hey if one of you would be willing to fall off the stairs tonight, I could probably get, like, fifty points from Trelawney."

"I'll do it!" Charlie said brightly.

"Charlotte!" Megan scolded.

"Sorry. Mama Megan won't let."

"I would but I have no desire to break my neck." Amélie offered.

"You wouldn't. There's a spell to slow your fall. At most, you'll get bruises, maybe a broken leg but Madam Pomfrey can heal that in seconds."

"Really?" Susan asked. Looking at the blank looks around her, Alex raised her brow disbelievingly.

"Am I the only one who's read Hogwarts: A history?"

"You're the only one who reads for purposes other than homework." Cedric said. She pouted and he leaned over to peck her cheek.

"So you two have kissed and made up?" Megan said, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Megan..." Hannah groaned, and the former raised her hands in surrender.

"Never mind."

"I still don't know how you're going to get your teachers to give you points outside of class, short of doing something heroic."

"She'll probably find a wounded dragon and nurse it back to health." Megan teased, and Cedric covered his laugh with a cough. Alex jabbed him with her elbow, though gently. Megan turned to the French students. "Alex really likes helping wounded animals."

"Actually, I was thinking of looking for really obscure runes to ask Babbling's help on. She says she never gets much of a chance to use her BATs in runes anymore so she finds it delighting when she sees stuff past NEWTs level."

"And where are you going to find that?"

"Library." Alex shrugged. "Where else?"

A/N- So, the thing about the triwizard tournament originally being a pissing contest so that the headmasters could compete for the hand of a woman who was driven to suicide, using students as their champion is not canon. Totally made up. But to be fair, I make up a lot of things in here so 🤷🏿‍♀️. Anyways that's just a lil explanation. Second, Charlie- I love her. She is my spirit animal. I love her energy. Anyways hope you guys enjoy Alex's small moment of bliss, cos things are about to heat up again 😳