Raven | 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 54

Throughout the rest of the Christmas break, Alexandra would every once in a while find herself humming the song to which her and Regulus had danced to at the Malfoys' Ball. She kept dazing off, her mind carrying her off to the moment he had an arm wrapped around her, softly leading the dance.

     After the Ball, Alexandra had taken the dress and tiara off and given it back to Edna, so she could place it her grandmother's wooden chest. Alexandra hardly cared about others staring at her at the Ball, now that her mind kept wandering elsewhere.

      That night, Alexandra spent hours talking to Edna, telling her all that had happened on that magical evening, because Edna was the only one who always listened to her stories with all her heart, her smile never fading off her lips.

     But soon, the Christmas break came to an end and Alexandra got ready to leave for Hogwarts early in the morning after breakfast, with her trunk already prepared for departure.

     "Ready to go, Miss Starling?" Edna asked as she was awaiting Alexandra at the entrance door to the mansion.

     "Yes, Mamma," said Alexandra, wearing her cloak more tightly around herself to keep her warm against the winter's bitter cold.

     But she came to a stop when she suddenly heard her grandfather calling her out from upstairs, as he was walking down the stairs with his cane in his hands.

     "Alexandra," said Mr. Starling, approaching her as she awaited him down the staircase.

     "Yes, Grandpa?" said Alexandra, trying to prevent her voice from coming out in shock.

     She was rather surprised that after years of never showing up to see her off to school, her grandfather had decided to come to her today. This made her wonder what he could possible want that was so important.

     But once he reached the last stair and stepped down, Alexandra realized that he looked rather pallid on the face and was as pale as a ghost. For some reason, he looked older and more worn out than ever before.

     "Grandpa? Are you okay?" she questioned with concern, looking up at him. A part of her feared that he might've been sick, seeing as illnesses such as the Dragon Pox was common among elder people.

     "Yes, quite all right." Mr. Starling nodded briefly, though he avoided her gaze, as if his mind was far away.

     "Is — is something bothering you?"

     Mr. Starling finally glanced back at her, worry shimmering in his eyes. "You'll be of age soon... seventeen..."

     "Yes," said Alexandra, unsure of where this conversation was going and what her grandfather was trying to get at. "And...?"

     "And I — I think I need to tell you something," he said briskly, slightly stammering. "Something that perhaps I should've told you long ago."

     Alexandra's heart leaped in her chest as she stared up at him. For a second she thought that her grandfather was finally going to tell her about her parents and their mysterious murder which had occurred around sixteen years ago.

But to her disappointment, Mr. Starling suddenly shook his head, as if just coming back to his senses.

     "Just — just be careful," he said, throwing his gaze down.

     "Okay..." Alexandra muttered, unable to hide the look of disappointment on her face.

     But then she was caught off guard when suddenly her grandfather moved forward, bringing her into a hug.

    Alexandra took aback at first, freezing on the spot with her eyes widened. In all those sixteen years that she had lived with him, this was the first time her grandfather had ever embraced her in his arms.

     It took her a few seconds, but at last, she hesitantly wrapped her arms around his old figure, hugging him back with a smile on her face.

    Although as soon as it had happened, Mr. Starling cleared his throat and pulled apart, trying to look as stern as he always did. But he still could not suppress the anxious expression on his face.

    "You're a strong girl, Alexandra," he whispered feebly, taking a step back. "If there's one thing that I'm proud of... is how you've turned out to be. With or without my help."

     And so, without saying another word, Mr. Starling gave her a curt nod before turning around and retreating upstairs, closing his office's door behind him.

***

Alexandra's mind was racing so much that she didn't even realize when she had arrived at King's Cross station with Edna and had entered platform 9 3/4. She certainly didn't pay attention as she walked onto the train, while she thought back at how odd her grandfather had been acting.

     But she was finally snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone calling her from inside a compartment which she had just passed. Looking back, she saw Mike peering his head outside and into the train's corridor, waving her over.

    "Hey, Alex." He greeted her, gesturing her to get inside with his head. "I've saved you a seat."

    Alexandra nodded weakly, walking inside the compartment which Mike was in. But the moment she closed the door and sat down before him, she realized that Mike looked just as bothered with something as her, if not more.

     "You okay?" she asked him.

     "I don't know..." Mike sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. "We've been having problems at home..."

    "What?" Alexandra let out a small gasp. "What's wrong?"

     "Well, given the state of things in the Wizarding world, even my parents who are Muggles can tell that something horrible is going on," he explained. "Deaths in the news on a daily basis, mysterious disappearance, odd behaviors from people as if they're not under their own control... my parents asked me what was going on, and I couldn't hide the truth from them anymore."

     "What did you tell them?" Alexander mused, sounding sympathetic.

     "What else?" He scoffed miserably. "I told them all about You-Know-Who. I had to tell them that my kind, Muggle-borns, are all in danger because of the Purebloods' stupid prejudice and this war that's going on. And I told them that last Christmas when you had come to stay with us, we were attacked by Death Eaters."

     "Oh, no..." Alexandra pursed her lips together anxiously. "And what did they say?"

     Mike gulped nervously, throwing his gaze down. "They — they want us to move away, Alex."