Raven | 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 13

For the next few weeks, the news about Alexandra's parents had spread throughout the castle and it seemed to be the only thing that everyone at Hogwarts was capable of talking about.

      Alexandra was used to everyone pointing at her and sniggering in the halls in past, but now it had gotten so much worse to the point that she'd rather spend all her time shut up in her dorm.

      Mike had tried to be there for her throughout that time, trying to lighten up her mood by making little jokes and trying to get her to laugh, but it was pointless.

     Alexandra had told Mike everything that Dumbledore had told her, but she left out the part concerning her grandfather and her doubts.

       She even tried to make herself forget all about her grandfather, fearing that if she thought too much about it, she might even go crazy at some point.

      Because it was maddening enough to go all your life believing one thing, and then learning another. But it was a whole lot worse when you start to think that the person raising you had been feeding you all those lies.

       But Alexandra didn't want to think rashly. She still had to reason to herself that perhaps her grandfather didn't know about this news as well. That he, just like her, had thought that his son and daughter-in-law had died of Dragon Pox. Maybe he had been Confunded. Maybe he was just as messed up as she was at that moment. She had to consider all the possibilities.

      But despite all these rumors flying around about her, all the whispers in the halls, and all her doubts about her family, Alexandra had a few ways of distracting herself from everything that was going on.

      Usually having tea with Hagrid in his hut after her classes on evenings and talking with him made her feel more comforted. Hagrid somehow always had the right words to say to her, and even when he didn't, he would take her to the Forest to amuse her with different creatures to take her mind off everything.

      But on top of them all, there was the pregnant Hippogriff, Witherwings. Her belly was getting rather big, she was growing slightly moody, and she slept the majority of the day and flew around less. But with the help of Hagrid, they knew exactly how to take care of her.

      Although a few weeks before Christmas break — which Alexandra truthfully dreaded — she one day found something that could temporarily take her mind off the news about her parents.

      It was a cold and snowy day when Alexandra was getting ready in her dorm. The other girls were already gone, but Alexandra was in no rush because it was a Saturday and they didn't have classes. Mike wasn't there that day either, having Quidditch practice despite the horrible weather.

       It was just then as Alexandra was putting on her cloak when she noticed something outside the dorm's window.

      Blinking a few times in confusion as if to make sure she wasn't imagining it, Alexandra walked toward the window and opened it, letting in the bitter cold. And right there on the frozen and snow-covered windowsill outside, there was a little black bird.

      "Wow... a baby crow..." Alexandra gasped, reaching to pick up the tiny bird in her hands, who was shivering from the cold. "What are you doing here, little guy? You must be freezing!"

      She quickly closed the window and got the black baby crow inside, taking out a small piece of cloth and wrapping it around the tiny bird.

It looked like it had been only a few days since he was born, though Alexandra had no idea how the baby bird had managed to fly so high and ended up there.

       "You need some food... and water!" she exclaimed, smiling admirably down at the little black bird. "I don't have anything on me at the moment, I'm afraid. But I can take you to the Owlery. There would be enough bird food for you."

      And so with the cloth wrapped around the little crow like a blanket, Alexandra left the dormitory and made her way out of the castle, walking toward the Owlery through the blistering cold and snow.

When she got up to the tower, the owls were mostly all asleep. So with that, Alexandra walked toward one of the small houses carved inside the wall which was empty and placed the baby crow down in the nest with the cloth still wrapped around him.

"What?" said Alexandra when she caught an owl staring at her. She then giggled. "Oh, c'mon, don't give me that look. He's just a baby, and he's hungry and cold. He'll be gone soon." The owl hooted and looked away.

Alexandra then went to get some sunflower seed, feeding the little bird off her fingers. But she jumped out of her skin when a voice suddenly said behind her,

"Hey."

Gasping, Alexandra jerked around to look behind her, placing a hand on her fast-beating heart and sighing in relief when she saw Regulus Black.

"You scared me." She smiled.

"Sorry." Regulus grinned, but Alexandra wasn't sure if he meant it.

"You've got a letter to send?" Alexandra mused, turning back to feed the baby crow again. "The weather's terrible for the owls to fly."

"Er... no, I'm not here to send a letter." Regulus gulped uneasily. "I... um... I actually saw you walking out of the castle and so I followed you up here."

"Followed me?" Alexandra repeated and then giggled in amusement, glancing back at him from over her shoulder. "So you're stalking me now?" she joked, giving him a playful look.

"Hey! Stalking would've been if I didn't tell you that I was following you!" Regulus retorted jokingly. "I showed myself to you in the end, didn't I?"

"Then why didn't you just walk up to me sooner?"

"Because you were talking to your hands, weirdo! I didn't want to intrude," said Regulus, his lips twitched up into a light smirk.

"I wasn't talking to my hands! I was talking to this little crow that I found!" Alexandra reasoned, chuckling.

"Yes, cause that makes you less weird," Regulus said flatly.

"Exactly!" Alexandra nodded, his sarcasm going unnoticed by her again.

Regulus shook his head at her in disbelief when Alexandra turned her back on him again and then let a small smile creep through his face.

But he then cleared his throat, saying, "So where did you find this crow, anyway?"

"Oh, just outside my dorm's window. Poor thing, he was shivering so bad."

"So it came to you!" Regulus said excitedly, his expression suddenly changing as he realized something. "You said you were a Pureblood, right?"

Alexandra's smile faded at those words and she looked away, reminded again of her grandfather.

"Yeah, and what about it?" she asked bitterly, caressing the baby crow with one finger.

"Well... are you related to the Lestranges, by any chance?"