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May the people who lost their lives in terrorist attacks in India and New Zealand rest in peace. Life is too precious.
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Sitting on a soft bed, her back resting against the headboard, Alexa squinted at the object in her hands. With both of her hands holding the ends, her eyes skimmed over its details. Delicately. Curiously. Carefully.
Would it hurt? Would it really? But this is wrong. So wrong. Her mind boggled with her inner voice. Her finger traced the curve of an hour-glass attached in the middle. A sigh escaped her lips as the smoothness of the glass teased the tips of her petite, pale fingers. She was not supposed to have it. The artefact that turned time was dangerous. Powerful. Something that might even be destructive. Manipulating the time like that was never a good sign.
After waiting for an hour with Logan, for Mrs Booth to show up in her own damn office, she had come back to her dorm. Apparently, the caretaker was taking care of her business outside the school and no one thought to inform the two waiting teens in her office sooner than that. After all, what was the worth of their time? Nothing. How convenient! Alexa thought sarcastically. To be honest, she was happy, relieved even, that her supposed punishment was postponed. Who doesn't like procrastination when it comes to punishments? However, nothing prepared her for the surprise that she got after coming back to her dorm. The artefact in her palms was the cause of it all. For one short moment, she was delighted, surprised and excited. But then it got over. The next moment when her brain actually processed that she wasn't supposed to have it, shattered it all. And then came the last stingy moment which turned her bitterness to complete horror when the small processing unit in her body actually contemplated how she was going to place that back in its original place, that is Mrs Booth's office without being seen. She might not be that lucky to have the room for herself during the next visit which she was praying not to happen just a few moments prior.
Would that really, really hurt? Her mind question again. She knew that it was the right thing to do, to return it that is, but a small part, a minute but the most desirable part of her mind at that moment was actually hoping that she could have it longer. Not just to see, but to experiment. An artefact like that was costly, yet one couldn't have it unless they had the permission of the ministry or being handed over. Both these things were not in her favour at that point in her life. To every professor in the castle, she was not an exactly promising student who they could favour. This wasn't the case with Dumbledore, of course. The old man had a soft spot for the girl and the girl knew as well, but she also knew that he won't exactly be excited at the thought of her doing the experiments on a time turner. The great wizard knew how suicidal that would be. And so, there was no one to help her with her situation.
But isn't it really worth it? Isn't it what she always wanted to do? To be an alchemist. This could be her first step in that direction. Her mind added again. Alexa sighed as she laid back with her head hitting a soft pillow. Yeah! That could be it. She could actually start working on something practical. She has had her hands on theory from the start. This could actually mean taking a step forward. And well this would be her first step, real first step because, despite everything that she had done, which included all the tutoring session with the best student in their school, she wasn't able to take Alchemy as an official subject in her school. Thanks to no one being interested in taking one of the toughest subjects except some outliers, prompting the school to not start the subject at all.
Five years. Five years did she wait to study it and what did she get? Nothing but the words. The words from the books of a few lucky folks who could do some hands-on. Something that the time-turner could grant her as well. One could clearly see that she was being a little desperate, but could anyone really blame her?
Alexa hid the turner back in the second last drawer of her bedside table. Securely. Cautiously. And delicately. She muttered some incoherent words under her breath to lock the drawer so that no one could discover her treasure with or without magic. She threw a glance on the other beds in her room. They were empty. Other girls were enjoying their weekend. She stood up from her place and went to the door. She unlatched it in case they decided to come back. Then she took her glasses off and placed them on the table. Neatly. She laid on her back. The softness of the cotton mattress elicited a soft sigh from her lips. Both of her hands folded in front, waiting for the sleep to envelop her conscious just the way her comforter did to her small human form.
Won't that be too risky? Her mind boggled up again. So much for a peaceful slumber. Yeah! That would be risky but nothing ever appealed her as much as Alchemy. She had limited interests, so Alexa wasn't sure she wanted to abandon whatever a few that she had. She huffed as she folded her left hand and nestled her head against an elbow. A groan escaped her lips when she found no comfort in it. What would it take to shut itself right now, her mind contemplated again. However, she had no time to complain since she now unlatched door opened and the accompanied footsteps forced her to open her eyes. She looked up to see that it was Avanti Rathi. Great! Two awkward persons in a room. Nothing can be merrier.
Shifting from one foot to another the other badger rubbed the back of her neck. It always took her some time to warm up to other people anyway. In the end, her mind decided to shatter the sudden awkwardness.
"This scarf is Olivia's." Avanti showed a neatly folded pink embroidered scarf. "I just came to give it back."
"Oh!" Alexa replied intelligently. After a few moments, she kicked herself mentally. "She isn't in the room right now. You can place it on her bed if you want." The hybrid girl pointed to the cutely decorated canopy four-poster in the opposite corner.
"Thank you." Came a soft reply.
Nodding her head, Alexa leaned back leaving the other girl to her business. Her eyes staring blankly at a glass window in her line of sight.
Her momentary peace broke again when someone cleared their throat. Alexa looked in the direction to see the other girl holding the door, about to step out. "Uh, I am sorry for barging in. I, uh, had told Olivia that I will return her scarf today, so I thought she was expecting me, besides the door was open."
Alexa nodded her head good-naturedly. A soft smile running across her lips. "I understand. She is somewhere with Johnsson, I guess."
Avanti smiled back. Her earlier awkwardness wavered slightly. "Okay."
Though Alexa tried her best to hide it, it appeared her earlier monologue had taken its toll. The sweat on her forehead revealed her worries.
"Is everything, uh, alright?"
"Yes. Yes, it is." Alexa spoke soon. Too soon for her liking.
"Well! Okay then." Avanti gave a tight smile. Both the girls knew that the hybrid girl was lying.
Avanti was about to go outside and shut the door when Alexa cut the movement.
"Wait, Avanti!" Maybe she could use some advice. Avanti was conservative, shy and awkward. Three things that made her less prone to be a gossiper. Alexa licked her bottom lip. Her throat suddenly felt dry, as her mind tried to fish the correct sequence of words. Swallowing the non-existent liquid in her mouth, she added to the conversation, "I have a situation. My friend, uh, something happened. It was an accident, I - uh - she swears. The consequence of the action is in her favour but it isn't the right thing. And she is actually a little desperate. What should she do?"
Classic. Wasn't it? Extremely original. When someone says their friend, they think they are the only person who knows there is no friend involved. And apparently both the girls knew this as well. Still, they pretended to play along. Avanti closed the door again and come to stand in front of the petite girl.
"Well, Professor Dumbledore once told me that we must make a choice between what is right and what is easy. I would say he wanted to tell me to choose right always." Her dark brown eyes looked at the sudden crestfallen expression on the girl's face. "But I do not believe him on this matter." Alexa's ears perked up as Avanti continued, "I always believed that we must do what our heart tells us to because it might be neither easy nor right, but it is always the best thing that you could do because it will have your full effort."
A gentle smile graced the dusky beauty's lips as she looked kindly at the pale-skinned girl who mirrored her expressions. The sudden calmness enveloped the room. Alexa couldn't believe that her mind had finally stopped its constant contemplation. She was about to open her mouth and thank the other girl when the door opened again. This time with a loud band and hurried footsteps.
"Avanti!" Olivia panted. Her panicked voice indicated that she was out of her breath. Like she had just taken a flight of an astronomy tower. Her hairs looked a mess. Her clothes dishevelled and for the girl who cared about her appearance more than her intellectual, she looked the least bothered. "You have to come with me. Yoshi... We found her on the second floor. Something is wrong with her. She is not responding. It... It is like something froze her."
~
A man stood outside the room. His hands folded behind him as he held his stature straight. His eyes raked around the room. His brownish lips turned downward. The perfectly groomed brows furrowed. His face was marred with the repulsion and distaste the place radiated for him. It was cosy and homey. Two things a wizard of his status did not expect from the woman that was tied to the chair in front of him. The woman who failed to gather his undivided attention for the first time. The woman who once he referred to as his daughter. The daughter whom he hadn't seen in last - what? Was it a decade?
His daughter had dodged him long enough. A decade was a long time. It was enough to change anybody. And looking at the choices that she had made, it was clear that she had changed. A lot. Who would believe that once a spirited and ambitious teen would prefer to live in a small cottage, that attracted no attention, in the middle of nowhere? The fact brought his attention back to the woman.
"Good evening, Gemmalynn!" He greeted. The boredom in his voice gave away the amount of thrill, or rather the lack of it he felt for the reunion.
The woman in her thirties, Gemmalynn, looked up. Her eyes turned red and so did her hairs as the rage built up inside her when her vision landed on an elder man.
"What do you want? Why are you here?" She spat.
"That is no way to greet your father, now is it?" He gestured to the brown-headed woman beside him, who nodded her head in understanding.
The ropes around Gemmalynn's body tightened. Not to the degree to strangle her alive, but enough to make her feel dizzy. Still, she gritted her teeth, stubborn to not show any sign of weakness. To deprive the man in front of her a sense of victory.
"I am not coming back with you," she announced. The determination clear in her firm voice.
The man smirked. "Oh! You thought I was here to take you back home. That's cute." The smirk got replaced with a cold, menacing snide. "And foolish. Not the things that I expected of you. The world doesn't revolve around you, you know?"
"Then why are you here?" She asked darkly.
"For your daughter. My grand-daughter."
A chill ran through her body. How? How in the world did he know about her Alexa? Composing herself sooner she spoke again. "What are you talking about? I have no daughter."
Grindelwald tilted his head to the side. His eyes not leaving her face even for the thousandth part of a second. He snapped his fingers and the man that stood beside him stepped forward placing a copy of what appeared to be a not so recent photograph before resuming his initial position.
Gemmalynn threw a suspicious gaze at her so-called father and looked at the image. The sweat gathered across her skin. The horror marred her features. The confidence abandoned from her body.
"Words speak loud. Actions speak louder. A picture, however, speaks the loudest. Don't you agree, Gem?" Grindelwald mocked. The softness in his voice did not hide the harshness of its meaning.
"W-what do you want from me?" Gemmalynn's voice quivered.
Grindelwald stood straight again. Folding his hands in front, he mocked the look of disbelief. "YOU? Why would I want an old toy when I can have a new one?"
"Stay away from her," Gemmalynn demanded as she thrashed against the rope. Her fists were bound so she couldn't do the essential hand movements to cast a nonverbal spell so that she could use to untie herself.
"This is for the greater good."
Even in her situation, Gemmalynn Goldstein could never help but a throwback. "From where I am sitting all I see is bad."
Her remark stung the dark wizard. It was like she was questioning his beliefs. The beliefs that he had followed since long. And that riled him up. He clenched his teeth. "Still the sharp-tongued, aren't you?"
He wasn't the only one who felt insulted. The woman beside him took a step forward with her wand clutched tightly among her fingers. Ready to strike but was stopped by Grindelwald. "Not this dear. The British ministry of magic records every spell done on their land. We can't risk getting documented for anything suspicious and alert them. I have a more creative solution for my insolent daughter."
He looked at the tall man stood by his side. The pale man with beady eyes was standing knowing fully well what was coming up. One doesn't need to be a wizard to decipher the actions of a man they knew for years.
"Sition," Grindelwald nodded his head confirming his suspicions. "I believe you are hungry. You won't waste anything, will you?"
It was not a question, but a command. Grindelwald never dirtied his hands unnecessarily. And he had no intention of starting then when he had others.
The vampire smirked. "Oh! Rest assured sir."
Gemmalynn sat clueless, yet suspicious, in her seat. She had no idea who this other man was, for she had never seen him in her life before. But before she could decipher or ask, the unnamed woman and Grindelwald left the room and she was left alone with him without even a second glance.
Grindelwald leaned back in his chair. It had been more than eight years since that day. He still remembered the day clearly. The day when he ordered one of his soldiers to kill his so-called daughter in one of the most painful ways. The screams that he heard from a distance did nothing to his stone heart. All he did was for the greater good. He remembered how satisfied Sition looked that day. The way he had confirmed how he didn't leave even a drop in her body had affirmed the successful execution of his command.
A sigh escaped his lips. "What do we know?"
"Apparently she has got the detention with the care-taker of the castle. We have been informed that this might be the golden opportunity for us to retrieve her sir," the woman spoke softly.
Grindelwald closed his eyes as his mind processed the information. Yeah! They could snatch the girl from right under Albus' nose. It would not only mean getting Alexa but will also slap Dumbledore's ego and other people's confidence in that man. It could be used as a two-way weapon.
"What should we do, sir?" The woman asked again.
"We strike."
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I hope you liked the chapter. The longest I ever wrote to compensate. God! I love shorter but quicker updates, do you? You won't believe that I wrote it three times and then took it down and started all over again. Between being unsure of the quality and not having time because of my mid-term exams, I was delayed. Excuse me for that.
Clarification # 1: In this chapter, Yoshi Yamada (mentioned in chapter 64) is attacked by Ahina (the basilisk). So yes, the chamber of secrets has been opened truly and the first victim is bubbly Yoshi.
Clarification # 2: Gemmalynn is the mother of Alexa. In this chapter, I tried to show that she was killed by Sition (the vampire, mentioned in chapter 62) who sucked all her blood on Grindelwald's order. I tried to come up with something creative since after the events of chapter 17 most of you wanted to know. I hope I justified your expectations.
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