"Did you hear what happened?"
"I heard there was a fight."
"I heard the girl showed up uninvited and trashed the place."
"Hush, here she comes."
The four girls stopped their excited whispering to wave to their boss as she strutted down the hallway, her expensive heels clicking against the marble flooring as she gave a curt nod to the four women.
"Morning, Miss," the four chorused in unison.
"Morning, in my office now please," Eloise Desmond said with a curt nod, motioning her hand for them to follow suit.
The girls followed their boss into a large office that over looked the city, Eloise put her files on her desk as she sat in her high back chair. Her staff standing before her, nervously twitching.
"Any questions you care to ask me?" Eloise raised an eyebrow at them.
There was a minute where the girls looked between each other nervously, Eloise never asked them questions--it was a task based job, she only demanded results, not questions.
"Are the rumors true?" A girl with raven black hair pulled into a bun piped up, the other three looked at her with wonder and fear. "Did your daughter really--"
"I will not answer those questions," Eloise snapped, her eyes sparking with fire, "get to work. There will be files on each of your desks, I want them by lunch."
"Yes, Miss," the four said in unison before hurrying off.
"Close the door!" Eloise snapped, the door was closed quickly and Eloise let her head hang low. She had taken off for an entire week after her encounter with her daughter and she wasn't surprised that there were rumors flying around the office. Everywhere she walked she heard the hushed conversations that were cut short as she passed. What else would happen?
Eloise leaned back into her chair, moving it around so she could look outside, that night had not ended on a happy note. Everyone who had witnessed what happened had distanced themselves from the Desmonds, and her husband blamed her for him having loss a close friend. Eloise twisted her wedding band on her finger with a sigh, Claus still held the pleasantries of asking how her day was and caring about her well-being, but that was where their communication stopped. She didn't blame Claus for his cold demeanor, it was expected after how she reacted to seeing their daughter unexpectedly. She hadn't been prepared for that moment.
A knock on the door forced Eloise to take a deep breath and close her eyes, "come in," her voice was strained as she turned her chair back to her desk. She looked down at her paperwork before meeting the eyes of the newcomer.
"Hello," Alexandria whispered, she was wringing her hands together as she stood beside the chair before her mother's desk.
"Is there an issue you would like to discuss with our department?" Eloise said officially, shuffling her paperwork around her desk nervously, trying not to notice her daughter's hurt expression, "you will have to fill out--"
"Mum," Alexandria interrupted, taking a step forward.
"Of course you'll have to wait a few days until its--"
"Mum!" Alexandria shouted, she placed her hands on the edge of the wooden desk and leaned forward. Tears falling onto the paperwork that scattered the desk, Eloise averted her gaze. "Mum, please look at me."
Eloise worried her bottom lip, slowly meeting her daughter's gaze, "I'm at work, Alexandria. Unless you have an important issue you'd like to discuss, then you may leave."
There was a pause, "you know, I didn't believe dad when he told me that you missed me...I knew he was just saying that to make me feel better at the time. He was always the better parent, mummy was always too busy to pay attention to me," Alexandria spat the words with venom, trying to sound strong but Eloise saw right through, saw the shaking of her daughter's hands.
"You may leave now," Eloise said calmly.
"I'm not a bloodsucker anymore, I found the cure," Alexandria shook her head with a sad laugh, "I thought that when I got that invitation it was a fluke, a mistake at first....But then I started thinking that you would want to know that. Would want to know that the papers had lied about me, so that Voldemort could capture me and torture me until I was his pet. It almost worked. But here I was thinking maybe dad was right, maybe we could start fresh."
"That was your father's doing, I had no knowledge that he would do that. "
"I know it was now. But I really thought that you had a change of heart, that you missed me, just like dad said. Especially after the Battle of Hogwarts...."
Eloise dropped her gaze, "I've missed you everyday but when the papers started talking about you and how you--"
"You believed them?!"
"You killed--"
Alexandria screamed, red tinting her vision slightly. "I did things I had to do to survive, and while a portion of time was erased from my mind. I know I'm still a good person at the end of the day. Many people did dark things they aren't proud of, don't think that just because I was a vampire makes me different than the ordinary person who used the killing curse fighting for their life at Hogwarts last May."
Eloise was quiet for a few moments, "you may leave, Alexandria."
"You're telling me. That you would rather listen to a paper than me? A paper that was writing lies because it was taken over by a person who wanted to purge the wizarding society of muggleborns. You're a horrible mother," Alexandria spat. "How could my father ever love you?"
"Leave my office now, and never return," Eloise snapped.
Alexandria glared, her eyes sparking with anger, "I pictured this differently. I pictured you being happy to know everything, that you would have more common sense to not believe the prophet at all, that you would welcome me back. Yes there would've been some resistance at first, but I thought....I thought we could start over again. I thought you would at least listen to me speak."
Eloise looked at her hands, "I made my choice the day I let you go."
"You're heartless," Alexandria hissed, tears falling down her face.
"Lexi, I think it's--" Eloise watched as Alexandria turned away from her and fell into the arms of the boy that had shot the spell at her, "what...." He looked confused for a second before wrapping his arms securely around Alexandria and turning his gaze on Eloise. He looked like one of Weasley's sons, Eloise thought to herself, as his face set in a hard expression. "You know it was hard for her to come here, all she wants is her mother back," he said coldly. "It could've gone a different way. You didn't have to hurt her like this."
Alexandria sobbed slightly, the boy's features softened slightly as he held her tighter to him- protectively, "this is the last time you'll see her, I hope you're satisfied with yourself."
"Wait," Eloise stood quickly, her heart rate was quickening and she felt sweat forming at the nape of her neck, Alexandria lifted her head from the boy's chest watching her mother curiously. "I....Alexandria...." she paused, "you've grown so....you're....so beautiful....I....I'm....I'm..." she fell silent.
"You're what?" Alexandria demanded as the silence continued, but Eloise's throat closed and the words never left her mouth as they stared at each other. "Can we go please?" Alexandria whispered, her voice cracking at the end as she pressed her cheek into the boy's jumper.
"Let's stop by dad's office, love, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a quick visit," the boy whispered, Alexandria nodded, her eyes never leaving her mother's before the door shut between them, like a wall being built.
Eloise collasped back into her chair and sighed heavily, holding her head in her hands and letting the tears fall freely.
****
"I love you....hush now....it's alright....I'm here..." Fred continued to whisper this as Alexandria clung to his jumper as they sat beside the fireplace.
Fred looked helplessly at his mother as she passed by, she gave a warm smile and walked over, gently pulling Alexandria away from Fred's chest and moving close to the shaking girl. "Thanks, mum," Fred whispered, kissing his mother's head and hurrying off.
"Oh dearie, it's alright," Molly Weasley soothed, Alexandria shook her head harshly. "Oh sweetheart..."
"My mother..she....she doesn't want me...she...I've known for so long....it still hurts.....so much," Alexandria sobbed harder.
Molly pulled away from Alexandria lifting her chin so that Molly could look into the young girl's eyes, "deep down she does. But....people say things out of fear....and you have so many people who love you right here. People who don't want to see you cry anymore," Molly whispered as she wiped away Alexandria's tears.
"What do I do now?" Alexandria sniffed.
"How about we get you a cup of tea and you go up to bed? I'll make sure a bed is made for you," Molly smiled.
Alexandria nodded, "I'd love that," she whispered.
Molly gave Alexandria a tight hug and helped her to her feet, Fred was leaning against the stairway as the two walked through the kitchen. Fred smiled slightly, pulling Alexandria toward him and slipping a small band around her ring finger.
"Everytime you look at this, I want you to remember that you have a family," Fred smiled, lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles, "because I love you."
Alexandria looked at the gold band and smiled, "I love you."
Molly appeared with a cup of warm tea for Alexandria, noticing the ring as she stepped back, "Freddie, that's not how you--"
"It's not an engagement ring, mum!" Fred groaned, "it's only a promise ring." Molly gave a relieved smile and walked over to the stove, pouring herself a cup of tea.
Alexandria kissed his cheek and smiled, "either way it's sweet, thank you, Freddie."
"Anything that makes my girl smile," Fred winked.
"Oi, that's a horrible ring, please tell me you said no until you get a better one!" Vic appeared over Fred's shoulder, taking Alexandria's hand in his and looking over the ring.
"It's not that kind of ring," Fred said darkly.
"Then what is it for?" Vic demanded.
Fred rolled his eyes, "let's get you to bed, yeah?"
"I'll take her home," Vic said seriously.
"I want to stay with Fred," Alexandria looked between the two.
Vic snorted slightly, shaking his head as he walked away, "course you do, kid."
Alexandria drained her tea, the heat burning her throat as it went down, looking at Fred expectantly, "well my bed is always available, you can sleep there," Fred silently led the way upstairs to his room.
"Why did my father lie?" Alexandria said quietly when she sat down on the bed, she pulled her knees up under her chin, her gaze traveling to the window across the room, "why would he tell me that my mother missed me?"
Fred closed the door and wrapped his arms securely around her shoulders, pulling her securely into his side, "because deep down she does.....She just can't say it aloud."
"You should've heard her, she believed the Prophet--"
"A lot of people did, sweetheart," Fred whispered. "You think Ginny was bad when you were around? You should've heard her the night we all came back from the memorial...."
"My dad didn't," Alexandria shook her head.
Fred was quiet for a moment, "I don't know, Lexi," he shifted so that he took Alexandria's hands in his. "It's alright though, you have me and I'm always going to believe you."
Alexandria kissed his cheek softly, "thanks, Freddie."
Fred gave a wiry smile, nudging her shoulder slightly, "you don't want to try that again, do you?"
Alexandria's cheeks flushed as she gave a slight shake of her head, causing Fred to chuckle slightly, moving so that they were leaning against his pillows. Alexandria rested her head against his chest and gently traced patterns on his shirt as he securely wrapped his arms around her.
"I'll be right here when you wake up," Fred whispered. "I love you, Alexandria."
"I love you," Alexandria grinned, curling closer into Fred's side and taking in the soft scent of honey.