Chapter Text
If anyone were to walk into the Potions classroom at that moment, they’d see Alexandra gliding around setting up the cauldrons while humming to herself. The soft melody filled the room's silence, echoing off the walls and into the hallway through the open door.
There was still ten minutes until the class began. Sharp had gone off to prepare the ingredients shelves in the storage room, no doubt double-checking to see if anything had been stolen. She didn’t put it past him, after all now two Weasley boys were roaming the castle.
Alexandra felt a small bubbly feeling in her stomach, akin to nerves. Even though she’d only be assisting in watching the students, it was exciting to work alongside a professor. Wiggenweld was a potion she could brew up blindfolded, after all of last year's excursions, she’d grown used to carrying a vial with her at all times.
A small knock made her stop humming. Turning towards the doorway her gaze settled on a small lad peering in curiously. Atop his head was an absolute rats rest of ginger curls, the frizzy strands poking out in some areas. He had the required textbook clutches in his hands, holding it close to his chest.
“Come in, class will start shortly,” Alexandra called out to him, the boy quickly nodded and stepped inside. He strolled up to the table closest to the front of the class. ‘An overachiever perhaps?...’ She finished preparing the rest of the tables as more first years began to filter into the room. A couple of them began to whisper excitedly amongst themselves when they spotted Alexandra. She pretended not to hear their commotion, simply waiting for Sharp to come start the class.
“Silence!” On cue, the man emerged from the storage room. His usual scowl etched on his face, hardened gaze making many of the students flinch. Alexandra stood a little straighter, watching the Professor limp over to where she stood at the front. “Welcome, to first-year potions. Throughout the next year, you will be honing your brewing abilities and broadening your knowledge about many different types of potions.” Professor Sharp stood beside Alexandra at the front of the class. "Miss Griffiths will be aiding in teaching your first three potions, to ensure everyone is able to grasp the basic materials." Alexandra gave them all a friendly wave and smile. He pulled out his wand, pulling the chalkboard over towards them.
Alexandra walked up to the board, wandlessly commanding the chalk to write out the word ‘Wiggenweld’. She missed the brief impressive smile Sharp threw her way. “Can anyone tell me, what are the effects of the wiggenweld potion?” All of the students were silent, many averting their gaze to either the floor or ceiling. “No one? How disappointing.” Professor Sharp turned to Alexandra, giving her a nod.
“Wiggenweld is an incredibly useful healing potion, great for healing minor cuts and scrapes. You may find the list of ingredients and procedure steps on page 112.” The sound of flipping pages filled the room. “Shall we begin the demonstration, Professor?” She asked quietly to the man on her left.
“We shall,” He looked out at the first years. “Gather round! And pay attention.” Alexandra stood in front of the cauldron and began to begin the brew while Sharp stood to the side, talking through the steps out loud to the younger years.
Brewing was something that came like second nature to Alexandra. Just like baking and cooking. Waiting for the water to boil, she began to finely chop up a bundle of dittany leaves. The rapid chopping of the blade against the chopping board drew out a few ‘oohs and aahs’.
Once the water had come to a boil, she scraped in all the chopped-up leaves. Quickly the water turned into a light yellow hue, turning less transparent the more she muddled the leaves inside with the ladle. Wandlessly commanding the ladle to keep stirring, she turned towards the horklumps placed in a nearby bowl.
Grabbing one, she held it down firmly on the chopping board. “Careful for the spikes.” Severing the cap off the horklump, she used the side of the knife to crush the root, slicing it open almost surgically. Holding it above the cauldron, she used the knife to scrap out the insides of the horklump root. As soon as the juices mixed into the boiling dittany leaves, the potion turned its iconic forest green.
“Wonderfully done. Now, I expect a perfectly brewed potion from each of you by the end of class. If you have any questions you may ask myself or Miss Griffiths here.” Sharp was done speaking, but the students were still standing around them staring. “Get to it then!” Sharp shooed them off, the first years quickly scrambling back to their stations.
Alexandra snickered at the sight of the students scrambling around like mice who got spooked. Professor Sharp and her began to walk around the classroom, observing the way the first years brewed. Alexandra hung around the table the redhead stood at, briefly casting her gaze over to the familiar blonde boy at the next table over.
‘I think Garreth said his name was…Charlie?’ The boy in question was chopping up the dittany leaves in quite an aggressive manner. “Careful you don't chop off a finger mate.” She joked from behind him, the ginger jumping at the sudden voice. He stared up at her for a moment, not speaking. Alexandra wondered if he was going to say anything or if he’d keep staring.
“You’re Garreth’s friend.” Those were his first words directed towards her. Alexandra snorted, nodding at the first year while crossing her arms over her chest.
“Bingo, and you’re Charlie?” The kid nodded, turning back to this potion. He was certainly not like Garreth, being a lot quieter and solemn. Shocking for an eleven-year-old. He awkwardly chopped off the cap of the horklump, but was still successful. “Keep up the good work kiddo.” She encouraged, walking away to watch over a different table, missing the tiny proud smile on Charlie’s face.
Striding over to the next table of students, Alexandra’s eyes gazed over the several cauldrons. The one belonging to the blonde Slytherin sticking out like a sore thumb. Instead of the yellow hue most of the others had, his potion glowed light blue. Peering over the kid's shoulder, she frowned, trying to rack her mind to think about what could’ve gone wrong.
A sniffle made her tense, looking down at the kid in front of her. Knowing she was behind him, he turned to look up at her. Tears began to gather in his eyes, making Alexandra panic. A crying child was not something she had anticipated for. “I don't know what I did wrong…” He whispered, not wanting the nearby children to hear.
Alexandra’s face softened, giving his back a small pat. “Let’s work it out together,” She took a step aside to stand beside the kid. “Show me what you put in so far.” His small hands reached out to grab a few leaves from the pile. Immediately she clocked what had happened. “Ah, I see. Hun this isn’t dittany.” She correctly him gently, not wanting any tears to be shed.
He looked shocked, and moreso embarrassed. The two other first years at the table, a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw snickered at him. They shut up fast and returned to their own potions when Alexandra narrowed her eyes at them. “T-They aren't?”
“This is knotgrass, looks similar but,” She reached over, snatching a dittany leaf from the Gryffindor student who let out a small ‘hey’. “See the difference?” She held the two leaves in each hand to the fellow Slytherin. “Dittany has smooth edges, knotgrass is sharper. Why don't you fetch some new leaves from the storage room, I’ll clear out your cauldron.”
“Will there be enough time?” He asked her nervously, though not looking like he’d cry anymore.
Alexandra shrugged, “We’ll figure it out.” The blonde kid smiled like an angel up at her before rushing off to the storage room. “Walk please!” He slowed down, still speed walking. Alexandra snorted a small laugh, taking out her wand and giving it a small flick.
Like a toilet flushing, the cauldron drained of all its liquid. With her other hand, she placed it above the now-empty cauldron. “Auguamenti.” A small stream of water fell out of her palm, instantly refilling the cauldron. The two other students at the table watched with large eyes, mouths open. “Wandless magic,” She twirled her empty hand at the two, grinning. “You’ll learn how to do this in the fifth year.”
Surprisingly enough the rest of class went by without issue. The small Slytherin successfully brewed up the wiggenweld with Alexandra’s aid, who let him do the work, only butting in when necessary. Like when he nearly took off a finger slicing the horklump.
At the end of the period, Sharp made his way around the classroom, grading everyone’s brew. Nobody had ended up failing, which seemed to put Professor Sharp in a much brighter mood than before. He assigned them a small essay for homework, to write about the benefits of wiggenweld and its many versatile uses.
Alexandra had been going around to each of the tables, clearing out the cauldrons when the Slytherin boy she had helped ran up to her. Before she could greet him and ask why he’d return when class was over, he held out a small paper crane to her. “Oh?” She gently took the crane so as to not crumple it. It was made by hand, and not magic by the small imperfections in the folds. Though it was still impressive for a child. “What’s this for?” She asked him, still examining the crane.
“Momma always said to befriend nice people in my house.” Her heart melted at the comment. “Thank you!” He squeaked out before dashing out of the classroom. Alexandra blinked at the door he had just sprinted out of.
“Seems like you’ve got a knack for teaching.” She jumped hearing Professor Sharp’s voice behind her. Turning around, Alexandra held her hand out, showing the man the crane she had been gifted. The man quirked a brow, looking almost shocked. “Interesting, unexpected from a Malfoy.”
Alexandra frowned, carefully placing the crane into her robe pocket. “I’m not sure I follow.” Sharp and Alex continued to clean up the classroom while chatting.
“That child was Arthur Malfoy, he comes from one of the most infamous pure-blood Slytherin families in the wizarding world.” Professor Sharp’s irritated tone made it clear he wasn’t too fond of the family. She knew about the prejudice these purist families held for wizards and witches like herself. Hearing all about their ties to dark magic crimes and unimaginable power from Ominis.
She had an idea that the kid was from a pure-blood family after seeing his parents at the station. Though his personality was the furthest thing from what she was expecting. ‘Maybe he’s like Ominis…’ She thought as she cleared out the last cauldron.
“Thank you again for your assistance.” Sharp glanced at his wristwatch. “Though you should probably run off now.” Alexandra rolled up her sleeve, quickly looking at the watch Ominis had bought her.
There was five minutes left to get to Herbology. “Shit!” Scrambling to her bag, she threw it over her shoulder before realizing she had sworn again in front of a professor. “Fuc– sorry!” She hissed out before quickly bowing to the man. “See you, Professor!” Without another second wasted, Alexandra sprinted out of the classroom just like Arthur had earlier.
Sharp watched the whole debacle, incredibly amused. Glancing over the fact his star student had such a sailor’s mouth. Shaking his head, Sharp returned to his desk to have lunch before his next lesson.
People’s heads turned to watch curiously as Alexandra dashed through the halls of the castle like her life depended on it. Some were shocked by her athleticism, though it made sense to them that she was physically fit from all of the battles.
A few students gasped as Alexandra lept down the last seven steps, tucking and rolling to break her fall at the bottom. Not sparing any of them a second though, she all but threw herself into the heavy doors to open them.
With the greenhouse in sight, she relaxed into a small jog. “Flooing would have been faster.”
Alexandra yelped when Ignatia spoke suddenly. She blinked at the enchanted stone of the woman’s head, hating that she was right. In her fit of panic and rush, she had completely forgotten about the floo system. “Oh shut it.” Alexandra huffed, stomping over to the greenhouse where Herbology was taught. She could hear Ignatia complain about ‘kids these days’ from behind her.
Professor Garlick’s voice could be heard through the door, meaning class had already started. ‘Dammit’. Sighing, Alexandra pushed the door open, heading inside.
Professor Garlick paused her introduction when she heard the door. Turning around to see who had just entered, her face brightened seeing Alexandra. “My little daffodil! I was beginning to worry where you were.” Smiling at the Professor, Alexandra walked down the metal steps, acutely aware of the stares she was receiving. There were a few snickers at the nickname, but Alexandra paid them no mind.
“My apologies got caught up helping with Professor Sharp’s lesson.” Garlick’s smile grew even larger, if possible.
“Not to worry, there’s an open table at the end.” Alexandra looked to where the Professor was pointing, brightening up when she spotted Poppy. Quickly heading over to the table Poppy stood at, Alexandra glanced around to see who else she recognized in their class.
There was Leander, who was busying himself with adjusting the perfect pin on his robes. As well as Duncan Hobhouse, a timid Ravenclaw whose new haircut made his face look even longer than before. A crude thought Alexandra couldn’t help but snicker at. Then she caught sight of a few students she had been hoping to avoid year-round.
Stella Richardson and Jackson Letcher. Every fiber of her being hated the two Hufflepuffs. Which was a strong opinion for someone like Alexandra who’s often indifferent about her feelings towards anyone that's not in her inner circle. Something about those two, however, boiled her blood. Sometimes her anger was irrational, just the way they breathed annoyed her beyond belief. The way Stella's voice was so pitchy and laced with insincerity. She was a bitch, through and through.
Seeing the scowl on Alexandra’s face, and where she was looking, Poppy giggled. She grabbed Alex’s arm when she was near, pulling her into a quick hug. “Thank Merlin we have this class together. I doubt I could get through them without you.” Alexandra snorted, ruffling up Poppy’s hair a tad. “Hey!”
“Shhh.” Alexandra smirked, mocking placing a finger over her lips. “Professor’s speaking.” Poppy grew bright red, sheepishly nodding her head and turning her attention to Professor Garlick. Alexandra lowered her hand, turning and doing the same.
Herbology turned out to be far for eventful than initially expected. Professor Garlick surprised them when she announced they were beginning a term project. Growing a venomous tarantula from a seedling. It was quite the task, so they were paired up for the project. As soon as she said they’d be working in pairs, Alexandra reached over under the table, grabbing Poppy’s hand.
That portion of the lesson had been pleasant, the other…not so much. Poppy was busy preparing the pot they were to grow the dangerous plant in, while Alexandra grabbed the seedling from the other greenhouse.
Of course with her luck, she stumbled right into Jackson. She had tripped on the last step, falling forward into the Hufflepuff’s back. “Whoa,” He helped her steady on the ground, chuckling when she quickly stepped back from him. “You okay there sweets?”
Alexandra’s frown deepened at the pet name, “Don't call me that. And I’m fine, thanks.” Turning on her heels she strod off to grab the seedling, not wanting to spend another second in the Hufflepuff’s presence. But he obviously didn’t catch the hint, quickly jogging to catch up.
“What about honey? Or darling?” She felt a vein pop in her neck from the way she clenched her jaw so tight. “Oh! I know!” He leaned closer to her ear. “Sugar tits.” Alexandra froze mid-step, her annoyed expression twisting into one of rage. Without warning she raised her hand, about to slap the taller male across the face for such a comment.
Jackson caught her wrist before she could make contact with his cheek. She tried to jerk her hand back, but he only held on tighter. The pinch on her skin made her hiss out in pain. “Let go.”
“What if I don't wanna?” He tried to pull her closer but was met with a swift punch to his stomach. Coughing out the air in his lungs, Jackson let go of her wrist, keeling over from the hit. Alexandra stepped back from him, flicking her wrist as to shake off his touch.
“Piss off and leave me alone if you know what’s good for you.” Grabbing her seedling carefully, Alexandra strolled out of the greenhouse leaving behind a still wheezing Jackson. She nearly bumped into Leander when exiting. “Oh, hey mate.”
“Sup.” Leander looked over at Jackson who meekly waved. Knowing of the Hufflepuff’s tendencies, he frowned. “Fucked around?”
“And found out.” Alexandra smirked, slipping past Leander to head back to Poppy who was no doubt wondering what was taking her so long. Leander watched her leave, only looking away when she disappeared around the corner. He turned to Jackson, an unamused expression on his face.
“Don't even try anything with Griffiths, she could legitimately kill you, yaknow.”
Jackson scoffed but still rubbed his sore stomach. “I know.” Leander threw him a look of disgust. Before pondering a thought, and then shrugging.
“To each their own.”
Luckily for Alexandra’s patience, her last class of the day went by in a breeze. Poppy and her shared Care of Magical Creatures, as well as Imelda Reyes and Samantha Dale. The four girls share a table, ranting about Stella’s last snake behavior between Professor Howin’s teachings.
Their first day hadn’t even finished yet and Stella had somehow managed to start drama. The target of her vicious words and manipulation being a Ravenclaw on the Quidditch team. Alexandra’s missed her name when Samantha had been explaining the situation. She still wasn’t too sure what was happening exactly, but her hatred of Stella fueled the tiny gossip demon inside her.
After class, she managed to slip away from Poppy with the excuse that she had to visit Professor Hecat. Was it a lie, yes, but she had something more serious to attend to than dinner. Besides if she was hungry after her secret outing, she could always cook up something in the Room of Requirement.
With everyone down at dinner, Alexandra quickly changed into some darker clothing. She was taking no chance on being caught tonight, dawning black slacks and a stolen turtleneck from Ominis. Stapped on her thigh was her wand holster, as well as a small sacket that held a couple of vials of wiggenweld. Usually, she’d pack more, but this was a scouting mission so going lightweight would be far more beneficial.
Tying her hair back into a low ponytail, she cast disillusionment on herself before exiting the dorm room. There were a few stranglers who seemed far too exhausted from their day of studies, returning from dinner early. She slipped past a student who had just entered the common room and out the closing door without being detected.
The sound of mass chatter in the great hall could be heard muffled through the walls, echoing in the dungeons. Wanting to finish the scouting mission early to sleep at least five hours before class, Alexandra sped walk as quietly as she could. There were some moments when she had to hold her breath and press up against a wall to avoid being found. Still, she was able to make it outside the castle.
It was quite chilly outside, the brisk winds solidifying the fact that bringing a cloak might have been a good idea. From where she stood outside in the clock tower courtyard, two servailing Aurors in the skies were spotted. All she had to do was make it to the cover of trees to transform, and she’d be home free.
As soon as the pair flew out of sight, around a tower headed towards the opposite side of the castle, Alexandra made a break for it. It was quite relaxing knowing that even if the Aurors had set up detection charms around the castle, her ancient magic allowed her to fly under the radar. Unless they were specifically detecting for her trace.
Once she set foot into the forest, Alexandra used a fallen log to leap higher into the air, squeezing her eyes shut. Her stomach whirled and twisted as her physical body transformed. The deer landed on the grass silently. It tilted its head back towards the castle, checking if she had been followed or spotted somehow. When she was met with nothing in return, the deer turned and trotted into the forest. The objective was simple, scope out the camp she found Sebastian at, and improvise from there forward.
Most adventures were go-with-the-flow situations. Especially the ones with Sebastian. The deer ran faster through the forest with grace and agility, darting around trees and over any large obstructions and shrubbery. Recognizing certain landmarks, she knew she was growing nearer to the campsite.
There was no crackling of a fireplace, the darkness casting over the empty clearing. Nothing had been disturbed, every tent remained standing. Part of her had been expecting the camp to be blown to smithereens like the others. ‘So those Americans are likely the ones behind it…’. The deer stayed in the safety of the tree line for about ten minutes before finally it stepped into the clearing.
Trotting over to a tent, the deer shifted and Alexandra transformed back into her body. Glancing outside the tent once again to see if anyone had heard her, she then focused on the inside. There were several cots lined up in the center of the tent, bedding neatly folded and tucked. Other than the beds, the rest of the tent was empty. An eerie sight indeed.
Heading out, Alexandra walked into the slightly larger tent across from the barren one. There was a desk, a chair, and a letter. The way the desk was positioned, it was as if someone left it like that for her to stumble across. Warning signs blarred in her mind, senses were on high alert for any sound.
She cautiously grabbed the letter, flipping the folded paper open to read its contents.
Daniel Griffiths
Beth Griffiths
Andrew Griffiths
Natsai Onai
Sebastian Sallow
Poppy Sweetings
Garreth Weasley
After reading the first name on the list, her heart dropped to her stomach. They knew about her family. They had his name, and crossed it out. This must have been planted here to scare her, taunt her. Through her off her game, keep her distracted long enough to set up the trap outside. As if she hadn’t heard them the second they apparated into the clearing. Alexandra scowled, stuffing the letter into her pocket to deal with later.
Knowing that they were planning an ambush, she caught them off guard by dashing out of the tent. The ancient magic gushes through her veins like blood, her body turning misty as she increases speed inhumanly possible. With her figure a blur, Alexandra dug her heels into the earth, sliding to a halt just behind one of the men.
“Petrificus totalus!” The man’s arms and legs glued together like magnets, and he fell over soon after. The other two cloaked figures turned towards her, wands drawn and pointed.
“Come’er gir–”, She didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence, sending a blast of ancient magic directly into his chest. The man flew several feet through the air before his body slammed into a tree with such force the crack of his spine could be heard. The man fell limp to the ground, no doubt paralyzed.
“You bitch!” The woman shrieked, whipping her wand around above her head. “Max-bombarda!” The explosion was cast out in a circle from where the witch stood. The fiery blaze lit up the entire clearing, causing a few nearby trees to catch fire. Alexandra had been barely quick enough to cast protego, stumbling back a few paces from the intensity of the blast. The intense heat washed over her until the flames slowly dissipated.
Lowering the shield, she pointed the wand at the woman before her. “Aguamenti!” When she cast the spell wandless, the stream of water would always be small and gentle, like a calm stream. With a wand, however, the result was drastically different.
The highly pressurized water shot out of the tip of her wand, the recoil making Alexandra’s shoulder tense from the sudden pain. With the amount of speed the water traveled at, the blast would’ve thrown the woman far into the forest. Instead, the stream began to circle around her, encasing her in a sphere of moving water. The current caused her to be swept off her feet, spinning and twisting to toss her around inside.
Alexandra waited a few seconds after she saw the last few air bubbles leave the witch’s mouth before releasing the spell. The witch coughed violently from where she kneeled on the muddy ground. She looked up when Alexandra walked over, wand pointed at her forehead. The cold and emotionless expression on her face made the older woman freeze up.
“Imperio.” A small green bullet of magic shot out of her wand, colliding with the woman’s forehead. It swirled around on the surface before sinking deeper inside. Her once brown eyes now have a ghoulish hue. Seeing them triggered the memory of when she cast the Unforgivable on Ominis, an action she deeply regrets to this day.
This time was different.
“You will report my message back to whoever’s in charge. Word for word. Understood?” The woman nodded sluggishly. Alexandra stood a little straighter, her gaze narrowing. “Your threats don't intimidate me. Dig into my past all you want, I have nothing to hide. Bring my friends into this, and I promise you this. I will find you. It might take weeks, months, years even. I don't give a shit. I will kill you.”
When Alexandra didn’t continue speaking, the woman slowly rose to her feet, still heavily under the imperio spell. She stared blankly at Alexandra before apparating away, no doubt to their leader as per her instruction. Not wanting to get jumped by more people that night, Alexandra transformed back into her animagus form, innocently bouncing back into the forbidden forest.
A pair of eyes watched as the deer grew further and further away. Till she was out of sight.