Pranks {Fred Weasley}

11. WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP OVER HERE, GIRL

| CHAPTER ELEVEN |

WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP OVER HERE, GIRL.

THE STRESS OF THE UPCOMING exams seemed to be affecting Alexia more than she showed; on the outside, she seemed cool and collective yet on the inside she was freaking out, especially with the fact that O.W.L.s were the hardest exams (at least, according to Dora). 

So, a few days before her final exams were going to be taking place, Alexia decided that instead of going to sleep, she was going to take a stroll around the castle (something that usually helped her anxiety). She threw a black jumper over her tank top and some sweats over her shorts before wrapping her rope around her and slipping on some slippers. As quietly as she could, she grabbed her wand from her bedside table and snook out of the dormitory, making sure not to wake up her best friends.

"Lumos," She whispered, watching as a bright light began to shine from the end of her wand, guiding her way down the stairs. She walked slowly, enjoying the quietness of the common room before fully exiting it and finding herself in the completely pitch black corridors of the dungeon. 

As soon as she made her way out of the dungeons, the portraits hanging around the corridors began shushing her and ordering her to turn off her light, whisper-yelling 'we're trying to sleep over here, girl'. 

Alexia rolled her eyes, "You're not even alive, it's not like you actually need sleep," She told them bitterly whilst walking past, not wanting to stand around them any longer when suddenly, footsteps were heard from behind her. Panicking, the girl turned off her light before hiding against the wall, discreetly trying to see who was there and just hoping that it wasn't a professor (more specifically, that it wasn't Snape).

"Alexia?" A small feminine voice called out.

The Slytherin peeked her head over and noticed a silhouette of someone. She couldn't figure out who it was due to the fact that they had their wand illuminating the hallways, but she did make out the parchment in their hand. 

"Alexia?" The voice called out again, this time slightly louder, "It's me, Hermione. Hermione Granger."

Alexia finally stepped forwards, glad that it wasn't a professor, "What's going on?" The black haired girl questioned, looking confused.

Hermione shoved the parchment into her robes and lowered her wand slightly, "I need you to come with me," She told her.

"Because...?"

Hermione looked around frantically, "There's no time to explain," She said in a rushed voice, "Please, just trust me and come with me."

Alexia bit her lip, weighing out the options in her head before agreeing to follow the younger girl, well, it's not like she had anything else to do and she still didn't feel tired. It was kind of hard keeping up with the Gryffindor girl due to the fact that she began to run and Alexia wasn't very skilled in doing so whilst wearing slippers. They ran through what felt like the whole school, up hundreds of stairs before finally coming out into the courtyard.

Alexia looked around confused until they rounded a corner and she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Standing up ahead of them was Harry Potter, Buckbeak (Hagrid's Hippogriff) and Sirius Black. 

The man (she had seen on countless of photographs shown to her by her Godmother) looked almost unrecognisable. His dirty and ripped Azkaban uniform hung off his frame, showing just how much weight he must've lost since he was sentenced. His eyes were bloodshot and the bags underneath them were visible even from where Alexia was standing. His cheekbones were prodding out from under his skin. He looked more like a corpse than an actual human.

"What in Merlin's fresh hell is going on?" The Slytherin breathed out, staring at her uncle wide eyed.

His eyes finally snapped to her and a small smile graced his sickly pale face, "Alexia? I can't believe I'm actually seeing you," He said, taking a step forwards whilst Alexia just stood there, still completely shell shocked. 

"What are you doing here?"

"I didn't do it, I didn't kill all those Muggles," Sirius confessed to her, frantically looking over towards Harry (who had walked over to stand besides his friend).

"He's telling the truth," Harry nodded, catching Alexia's attention by surprise, "It was Peter Pettigrew. Sirius was framed."

"How do you know that?" She interrogated, tilting her head, "Isn't Pettigrew dead?"

Harry shook his head but before he could reply Sirius spoke up, "He framed me, Alexia. I-I can't stay, but we will see each other again and I will explain everything," He promised her.

Alexia slowly nodded her head, she didn't know why (maybe sleep deprivation or the exam stress), but a large part of her believed him. There was just something in his eyes that made her feel at ease; plus, if he really was a murderer, why hadn't he killed anyone during his time out on the run?

"I-I believe you," Alexia called out to him as she watched him run back over to Buckbeak, ready to jump onto the Hippogriff's back, "I think."

Sirius grinned, his yellow teeth on show, "That's good enough for me."