"Come in." Alex said to a knock at her door. She didn't look up from her notepad.
"Hello." Her grip on her pen tightened and her gaze hardened, though she still didn't look up.
"Get out." Sirius didn't leave.
"You know all this is technically my house?" He said.
"Please, do me a favour and kick me out. I will leave happily as soon as I have an excuse."
"No." He said. "Of course not." He let out a sharp breath through his nose. "You know Buckbeak's upstairs. I know how hard you worked on saving him." Her pen snapped, a piece flying across the room. "I got the memo. Never mind." He left, closing the door.
Hermione slipped in a few moments later. "Are you ever going to forgive him?"
"It takes a special kind of messed up mind to befriend a person by pretending to be an ordinary dog and letting them trust you."
"Alex..."
"It's also really creepy." She said. "He was a forty year old man masquerading as a dog to a teenage girl."
"Fair enough." Hermione shrugged, as Crookshanks ran into the room and jumped on Alex's bed, putting himself firmly on top of her notebook.
"Hey, boy." Alex scratched the back of his head.
"I think he likes you more than me." Alex looked up with a sad smile.
"Impossible. Nobody likes me more than you." She stated, no envy in her tone. Just a simple fact.
"Don't say that." Hermione said appalled. "That's not true."
"To be fair though, I've been trying hard to be very unlikeable for years."
"And you failed. Miserably." Hermione pointed out. "You've got your family, you've got the Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins and Luna and Snape."
"Snape doesn't count." She shrugged. "Half the Slytherins literally like everyone over me, which includes you, because of the whole Danny problem. The other half just dislike you because you're best friends with Harry. And everyone knows he has a bias against Slytherins. Luna likes us equally and the girls definitely prefer you over me. Less hassle. And I'm pretty sure the twins want to induct you as a Weasley."
"I know you don't always think much of yourself, but really Alex? You're beloved. You make friends even when you try not to. You might be frustrating sometimes but you're loved. Cedric definitely preferred you over me."
"Yeah, well Cedric ended up dead. Not exactly a prime example." Hermione quietened, and Alex sighed. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."
"Yeah, it was. I'm gonna go see what the boys are up to." She stormed out of the room and Alex looked down at Crookshanks.
"I know, I screwed up." She told him.
Molly entered the room later that evening. Alex glanced up once, before turning back to her book.
"I wrote to Andromeda." Molly said softly and Alex frowned.
"Why?"
"I thought you might have questions. She's agreed to a meet up tomorrow morning. You and I will go visit her."
"What?" Alex shut her book with a slam. "Mum, no!"
"It's okay to be curious. You can ask her whatever you need to, or just see her and not ask her a thing if you want. Alright?"
"Dad?"
"He knows." Molly told her. Alex nodded.
"Can Hermione come?" Alex could see her mother try to find a way to say no and pushed on. "Please? It's just, it'll be easier with Hermione."
"You can ask her."
"Thank you." Alex said and Molly nodded. After a moment of silence, she turned and left.
Ginny came up to bed without Hermione. Alex realised then that she'd have to make the first move and actually get up and go see her friend.
She found Hermione with the boys. She knocked on the door and peered through. "H? Can you come out for a sec?" Hermione stood up and followed her out. Alex led her to an empty room.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I was out of line earlier. I shouldn't have said that."
"No, you shouldn't have."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Hermione said empathetically. "I know you well enough by now to know you're different when you're upset."
"Fancy a trip with me tomorrow?" Hermione frowned.
"Where to?" Alex leaned forward to whisper the location. "What? When? How did-? Did you?"
"No. Mum did."
"Yeah, of course I'll come."
"Thanks. Don't think I can do it without you there. I think maybe I do want to know. You can ask questions if I chicken out."
"Deal." Hermione said. "But only if you promise to dine with us downstairs at least three times a week."
"Once." Alex negotiated.
"Twice and you talk to Snape the next time he's over."
"That's never happening. Leave it at dinner twice a week." Hermione conceded.
"Fine, deal."
"I'm gonna go back to bed. You should go to the boys. I'll see you later?"
"Yeah, okay."
A/N- favourite line is "Please, do me a favour and kick me out. I will leave happily as soon as I have an excuse." Also, Andromeda. We get to meet her soon 😁