Insomnia | Fred Weasley |

10. Boggarts and trauma go hand in hand

The next few days seemed to pass by in a blur for Alex as she attended classes, meals, and was getting little sleep.  On nights where she did wake up, she chose not to venture down to the common room, worrying about being along with Fred again.

Ever since his comment about her wearing her hair down, she seemed keen to just keep it up and out of her face. She could try to deny it all she wanted, but she was developing a crush on the eldest Weasley twin and she didn't want to let her imagination run wild and assume things were happening between them when they really weren't.

Thursday morning came, which meant potions with the Slytherins, which Alex was dreading immensely. Malfoy had yet to return to classes since the incident with Buckbeak. However, half way through the class, he strode in, his arm covered in bandages and in a sling. Alex was ready to chuck her cauldron at his head, potion and all.

She did her best to ignore him, but he had conveniently chosen a spot right next to her. The shrinking solution she was working diligently on seemed to be turning out well as it turned green after adding the minced daisy roots. Unfortunately, Harry and Ron were forced to help Malfoy with his solution as his "injury" prevented him from working to the best of his abilities.

Glancing up from her brew, she spotted Neville a few cauldrons from hers, who was panicking because while his potion was supposed to be a bright green, it had turned orange. Severus made a point to walk over and ridicule his work, as well as inform him that they would be testing the solution on his toad at the end of class, despite Hermione offering to help him out.

"Hey, Harry," Seamus spoke, "have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning - they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted-"

"Where?" Alex asked quickly, a hot flash running through her body at the mention of her father.

"Not too far from here," Seamus told them before explaining that it was a muggle woman that had seen him.  Alex tuned out as she quickly turned back to her cauldron, adding the five drops of leech juice.  Her stomach began to turn over as Malfoy looked in Harry's direction with a twisted smile.

"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?" He teased.

"Yeah, that's right," Harry replied offensively.

"Of course, if it was me, I'd have done something before now.  I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him," Malfoy spoke quietly.

Alex's breathing became rapid as she added a sliced caterpillar, trying to maintain her composure because Malfoy would use it as an opportunity to expose her if he noticed.  She lowered the fire down, allowing her solution to simmer as Ron was just as confused to what Malfoy was talking about.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Ron challenged.

"Don't you know, Potter?" He taunted, glancing slightly in Alex's direction again as the young girl paled and felt herself becoming physically sick.  He couldn't possibly know that she was related to him, Alex hadn't told anyone who was a student. The only people who knew about her parentage were adults. If he so much as took another breath in her direction, she was going to give him a reason for his father to hear about it.