Insomnia | Fred Weasley |

10. Boggarts and trauma go hand in hand

"Know what?"

Malfoy laughed lowly. "Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck, want to leave it to the dementors, do you?  But if it was me, I'd want revenge.  I'd hunt him down myself."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, anger dripping in his tone but Alex couldn't take another moment of it. 

Without warning, she burst from her seat, grabbing Malfoy by the front of his robes, pulling him so close, their noses were practically touching.  Everyone in the class had stopped what they were doing and watched the scene unfold, silence engulfing the space.  The Gryffindors were beaming with pride while the Slytherins were terrified.  Malfoy paled over how roughly Alex was holding his robes.

"Malfoy, I swear to Merlin, if you don't stop with whatever nonsense you are spouting, I will hex you into oblivion that your own mother won't be able to recognize your prat face," Alex spat, her face burning with anger.  "Do you honestly think anyone in here enjoys hearing you drone on and on about nonsense?  No!  Just you and your idiotic cronies.  So shut up!"

She released his robes with a slight shove, causing him to fall back in his seat.  He banged his arm against the table and a smirk made its way onto his face. He wasn't about to let Alex treat him that way without paying for it. 

"AGH!" He cried out as he grabbed his supposedly injured arm.  "Professor, my arm!"

Severus looked over as Malfoy coddled his "injured" arm while Pansy rushed over to help and pointed accusingly in Alex's direction. 

"Miss Selwyn, detention," Severus spoke, causing Alex to scoff as she plopped back down into own her chair, not even bothering to fight it. 

"Whatever," she grumbled.

"And twenty points from Gryffindor!" Severus exclaimed, causing Alex to roll her eyes even harder.

"That's not fair!" Harry exclaimed, but Alex quickly shook her head at his attempts to help her.

"Don't even bother, Harry," she told him.  "We both know he's deaf to your pleas and he just wants an excuse to make Gryffindor lose points. Besides, I don't think he'll give me a detention too hard."

After finishing her solution, she packed up her remaining supplies and walked to the back to wash her hands.  Tiredly, she rubbed her forehead because she hadn't been getting the best of sleep the past few days.  Either she was plagued with nightmares or she simply couldn't fall asleep and stayed awake the entire night.  It was a never ending cycle.

"Everyone gather 'round," Severus called for all the students, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad.  If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole.  If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned."

Alex felt her stomach turning as she watched Severus pick up Trevor and trickle a few drops down his throat.  Everyone held their breath for a moment before a small pop sounded and Trevor was now wriggling in Snape's palm as a tadpole.  The Gryffindors burst into applause immediately, unable to contain their happiness.

"Five points from Gryffindor!" Severus stated.  "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger.  Class dismissed."

With a scoff, Alex stormed out of the classroom, not bothering to wait for her friends as she made her what to the Great Hall for lunch.  She spotted Fred and George down the way and quickly stomped over, completely forgetting that she had been avoiding Fred.

"If Malfoy so much as looks in my direction, I'll make sure his arm has to be in a sling until we graduate," she growled as she plopped down across from them. Fred and George looked up from what they were discussing to see her rub her forehead in frustration, amusement written across their faces.