TAINTED BLOOD!
quidditch horror story.
𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐘 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆. The sun had barely risen at all, yet Alexandra and the others had already left the Burrow, its silhouette no longer visible due to the trees that surrounded the Weasley's party as they trekked through the nearby forest.
While others had found it harder to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, leaving the comfort of their assigned beds at what many found fit to call 'an ungodly hour', Alexandra had been the first to rise from bed and get ready for the day. The blonde was currently walking beside Blaise Zabini, the pair of friends being the only ones who did not pester Mr. Weasley in regards their whereabouts or the distance between their current location and the planned destination.
Mr. Weasley, just like some of his sons, was tired, that much was as clear as it was visible; the bags underneath his eyes were rather prominent and his posture was rather slouched, a drastic contrast to his usual carefree demeanour. Alexandra knew that the journey alone mustn't have been the sole reason for all his tension; the poor man had been working longer lately, for, according to Molly Weasley, the Ministry of Magic had been requesting his services more often than normal.
A soft breeze caused Alexandra's hair to blow in the wind, the ends tickling the already shivering Blaise. The blonde girl couldn't help but smile, welcoming the cold morning air that brought chills throughout her body while tilting her head toward the sky, inhaling deeply and sighing in relief as the smell of wet grass reached her nostrils.
There was something about nature that had always fascinated Alexandra, for nature was both chaos and order, a perfect balance of opposites that did not require any additional help in order to coexist. Many times in her life, Alexandra had found herself envying such beauty, for she had never found complete peace within herself. The blonde often sought refuge among trees and creatures, for she had found that whenever she felt the storm within her brew stronger, the mere presence of greenery alone could brighten her spirit.
The corners of Alexandra's lips tugged upward as soon as she felt an additional presence beside her, an arm draping around her shoulders as Blaise stepped back, yet not without sparing the blonde a teasing smirk to which she simply replied by rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Being rather chipper, aren't we?" Fred mused, his hand resting on the blonde's opposite shoulder.
Alexandra wasn't given the chance to reply, for a grey-haired man, who was standing a few feet before them, bellowed, "Arthur! It's about time, son!".
"Sorry, Amos. Some of us had a bit of a sleepy start." The blonde couldn't help but smirk due to Mr. Weasley's jab at Ron's refusal to leave his bed for breakfast. "This, is Amos Diggory, everyone. He works with me, at the Ministry." Suddenly, a rather tall looking teen jumped off the large tree above them landing as gracefully as a phoenix would. "And this strapping young lad must be Cedric, am I right?".
Alexandra's lips spread into a toothy smile upon seeing the boy she considered to be one of her friends; the older Hufflepuff had always stood up for her brother even when the latter did not, for Aron always despised confrontation even when there was no mean of escaping it. Without any hesitation whatsoever, the blonde girl broke apart from Fred's side hug and marched forward, her arms circling around Cedric's waist as the boy laughed and returned the hug.
Once the two had greeted one another, Alexandra stepped back, taking her previous spot beside a rather flustered looking Fred Weasley, who was uncharacteristically going out of his ways in order not to look at the blonde in the eyes. The blonde teen simply shook her head at Fred's behaviour, a sigh escaping her lips as she turned around to face the two adults who now stood beside Cedric.
Oddly enough, the Grindelwald family was rather close to the Diggory's, their friendship dating back to the first Wizarding War that saw Alene Grindelwald deflecting a curse that could have killed Amos in an instant. While Amos Diggory wasn't known for being one of the most open-minded wizards out there, the man had always had a soft spot for the two Grindelwald children, praising them at all times and showering them with attention whenever the two families gathered together.
"Alexandra, it's wonderful to see you." The smile on Amos' lips was a genuine one, a stark difference from the ones Alexandra had seen the man sport whenever he ran across a fellow colleague from the Ministry that wasn't Arthur Weasley. "Where is - oh! There you are, Aron. Come, come." The grey-haired man motioned for Alexandra's twin to come forward, only to put an arm on his shoulder before patting the silent looking boy on the back.
"Shall we get going? Wouldn't want to be late, would we?" Arthur pointed out just before Cedric motioned for the group to follow him down a path covered in dried up leaves.
The walk was brief, for in a matter of minutes they'd reached the top of a hill upon which rested a manky old boot that someone must have charmed in order for the object to become a portkey.
Alexandra groaned, her eyes finding Aron's who'd paled upon realising how they were going to be reaching the location where the Quidditch World Cup was to be held. The blonde couldn't fault her twin for his reaction; the very first, and coincidentally also last time, they'd ever used a portkey with their parents, Aron ended up feeling queasy for two straight days after which he swore he would never touch another one of those blasted objects in his entire life. Alexandra sent her twin a comforting smile before lowering herself to the ground beside Blaise, whose right hand was already resting on the boot.
"It just had to be a portkey, didn't it?" Alexandra muttered under her breath, causing both Cedric and Blaise to try and hide their laughter only to receive a fake-glare on behalf of the blonde.
"Time to go!" Arthur bellowed, causing almost everyone to tighten their grip on the small object in order not to get lost or injured while travelling.
If anyone was to walk by at that very moment, they would have probably thought the group to be mental, for everyone was now squeezed against one another in order to get to what Alexandra considered to be an object too small for such a large group.
Alexandra heard someone utter a question, yet she struggled to make out whom the voice belonged to, for she decided to close her eyes in anticipation.
"Ready? After three!" Amos announced. "One - two - three!"
Just as promised, the portkey started spinning on the count of three, causing most of them to cry out in fear for they probably hadn't expected anything like that to happen. After all, there is only so much a book can teach you about portkeys; interesting as they may be, using them as a mean of transport always resulted in a rather unpleasant journey for most. No scream whatsoever left Alexandra's lips, nor her best friend's beside her, yet the blonde could still hear her twin brother cry out like a banshee in distress as they were all sent spinning through the air.
As soon as she felt a loud noise signalling the crossing to their final destination, the voice of Arthur Weasley caused her to wince, for the man was screaming in order to be heard by everyone and Alexandra found herself to be right beside the red-head man. "Let go, kids!"
"What?!" Hermione squeaked, sounding rather shocked by the man's order.
"Let go!" Mr. Weasley repeated once more.
Alexandra inhaled deeply, knowing that the fall would have probably knocked the wind out of her lungs; the blonde quickly unclasped her hand from the front of the boot, a scream leaving her lips as she found herself free-falling towards the ground.
The moment her back came in contact with the grass, Alexandra groaned rather loudly, her right hand checking her shirt's front pocket that she had closed rather hastily before coming in contact with the portkey, for she didn't want Oaksett to get lost or hurt. She smiled, relief flashing across her features when she heard the familiar clicking sound, the small bowtruckle complaining about the close quarters she'd forced him into.
"Fancy laying on the ground till the end of the match?" Fred mused, a playful smirk dancing across his features as he kept his right hand outstretched for Alexandra to take.
"Oh, sod off, Fred." Alexandra scoffed, feigning annoyance while grabbing the Weasley twin's hand and allowing him to hoist her up. "Shall we?" She raised her brow in a playful manner while gesturing toward most of their party who seemed to still be recovering from their unceremonious fall.
"After you." Fred added, his tone rather mischievous and eyes never leaving hers as he faked a bow.
The two quickly parted, Fred joining his twin and Alexandra her best friend, who looked rather amused for some reason to the blonde completely unknown.
"What?" Alexandra queried, a look of utter confusion gracing her features as the two started following Arthur and Amos who were leading the way along with Cedric.
Blaise scoffed from beside her, shaking his head as he ran a hand down his face. "For someone who's rather intelligent, you can be so oblivious sometimes." He replied while straightening his posture and placing both hands in the pockets of his trousers.
As much as Alexandra wished to further question her best friend, the two were rushed forward by a group of wizards that stood at the entrance of the camping grounds, each one of them scowling at the two teens and doing their best to avoid even brushing their hands by accident against one of their pieces of clothing.
Anger bubbled within the blonde, yet it washed away just as quickly when her eyes landed on the view before her. Witches and wizards from all around the world chatted among themselves, most of them either wearing a scarf or a hat that represented the team they came to support. Some witches and wizards walked among the many attendees, trays full of merchandise displayed in a neat manner regardless of the ruckus around them. Tents were scattered all around, people milling about outside while they waited for their lunch to be ready.
The place was filled with laughter and cheers, so much so that it would have lifted anyone's dampened spirits. Not even the whispers and comments uttered by fellow wizards, as Alexandra and Aron walked by, managed to enrage the blonde, for just being surrounded by so many fellow Quidditch enthusiasts and the prospect of actually witnessing such an important match was something that apparently rendered her unable to give in to her bubbling anger.
The Diggory's had left them to go and find their own tent, the Weasley's one being rather easy to find thanks to the aid of whoever worked at the entrance and had informed Arthur of its whereabouts.
"Ah! Home sweet home." Alexandra smiled at the man that held open the tent, yet she was yanked away from where she stood before she could thank Mr. Weasley for the umpteenth time that day, a flurry of red hair brushing against her face.
Suddenly, the blonde was no longer surrounded by a crowd of celebrating wizards, but found herself inside a charmed tent. Alexandra didn't hesitate to follow Ginny to their side of the tent, where a couple of bunk beds had been placed for the girls to sleep in, along with a candle that would have been their source of light during the night.
Having carefully placed her backpack at the end of her bed, Alexandra swung her legs on top of the mattress and exhaled in relief as soon as her head hit the pillow. "Would you wake me up fifteen minutes before we have to leave?" She asked Hermione and Ginny, who were both in the midst of unpacking their belongings, before opening her breast-pocket and letting Oaksett out. The last thing Alexandra heard was both girls agreeing to her request, for, right after, she shut her eyelids and fell into a deep slumber.
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The group of teens followed Arthur Weasley up a never-ending set of wooden stairs; somehow, the young Grindelwald girl had managed to find herself at the end of the line formed by the group, her twin and Blaise having rushed toward the front upon their entrance in the stadium.
Aron had bought her a scarf to represent the team she rooted for, Ireland. Alexandra couldn't have been more grateful, for it was already getting rather windy outside and the more they climbed, the colder it got. Even Oaksett had decided to snuggle inside her breast-pocket, the tiny beast letting out a sarcastic comment every now and then in regards to the height, for, apparently, he wasn't used to such things.
"Blimey, dad. How far up are we?" Alexandra heard Ron ask in disbelief.
While Arthur did not answer, another voice reached the teen's ears, this one much closer to where she stood. It was a voice she loathed, for it belonged to an obnoxious and nasty wizard Alexandra despised with every fiber of her being.
"Well, put it this way. If it rains, you'll be the first to know." Alexandra turned around, her eyes landing on a rather bemused Lucius Malfoy.
Alexandra said nothing in response, for she didn't want to lose control of the brewing anger within her; her stoic features giving no suggestion of how she felt, while her cold eyes bore into those of Lucius Malfoy who quickly averted his glance as if unnerved by the blonde's cold look. If it wasn't for her observing nature, Alexandra wouldn't have noticed how Malfoy seemed to pale for a split second, as if he was staring at a ghost from the past instead of a teen. The blonde girl was anything but stupid; she did indeed notice that many people reacted in a very similar manner, especially adults or elder wizards, whenever she simply sent them one of her icy-cold glares in response to a comment that was meant to go unheard from her.
"Father and I are in the Minister's box." Draco boasted while Mr. Weasley's and the others kept on climbing the stairs. "By personal invitation of Cornelius Fudge himself." He added by raising his voice in an attempt to be heard by as many members of Weasley's party as possible.
As Harry halted in his steps, Alexandra found herself stopping right behind him. "Don't boast, Draco." Lucius bitterly added, using the handle of his cane to hit his son in the stomach and causing him to flinch. "There is no need with these people.," the platinum-haired man continued, earning a glare from Harry while Alexandra's face still remained void of any emotion whatsoever. Suddenly, Lucius brought his cane on top of Harry's hand, causing everyone to halt in their steps while Alexandra took a step forward instead. "Do enjoy yourself, won't you? While you can."
"I'd be careful if I were you." Alexandra's usual fruity tone was replaced by a rather lower, yet still charismatic one. "Threatening a teen surrounded by so many wizards? One might think your intentions are not as noble as you claim them to be. Which wouldn't be shocking due to your history, would it?" With one last step toward the railing, Alexandra yanked Lucius' cane off Harry's hand keeping a firm grip on it, her eyes finding Lucius' once again, her stare unwavering. "And just so you know; 'these people' are great wizards and witches, better than you lot by far." The blonde concluded while letting go of the cane and pushing it down with so much rage it hit the ground with a loud 'thump'.
Her actions had taken the older wizard by surprise, that much was evident as his body seemed to tense and his face drain of all the colour it previously held, his son reflecting his father's reaction as he stepped back in surprise. Alexandra's outburst was nothing compared to the anger she felt within her, yet controlling her anger was much easier than controlling her constant fear to become like Gellert Grindelwald himself, for she'd somewhat became really good in the art of reigning over the thundering emotion.
Her stance did not waver when someone behind her rested a hand upon her shoulder, yet her saviour forced her to turn around, his face soon coming into view; Blaise Zabini held a knowing look as he motioned for his best friends to follow him.
The two best friends were the last to reach their seats, joining the others in their cheers while making their way in between the twins and Ron. Alexandra tilted her head in order to locate her twin brother, only to see him standing beside Cedric Diggory, the two deep in conversation in regards to the upcoming Quidditch season and sharing theories in regards to who was to win the World Cup.
All the anger had dissipated from the blonde's body the moment the Irish team flew over their heads, heading toward the Quidditch field. Alexandra cheered loudly, her hand gripping onto the railing for dear life as she had no intention to fall to her death during such an exciting event.
Soon after, fireworks were released in the air by the Irish team, white and green sparks creating a perfect replica of an actual leprechaun that started dancing at the beat of an Irish song.
Green and white were quickly replaced by red, the Bulgarian team having made their entrance by flying through the dancing leprechaun, therefore disrupting it. While most of the players seem to stop once they had dismantled the line formed by the Irish team, one of their players started flying around the field while performing tricks of all kind. Alexandra found herself completely entranced by such a performance, for she'd never seen someone as skilled as Viktor Krum, also known as one of Ron's biggest idols.
"Good evening!" The booming voice of the Minister of Magic, enhanced by one of the many spells Albus Dumbledore himself had always been rather fond of, caused everyone to break into an applause, everyone but Blaise, who had grown rather upset upon hearing the voice that belonged to the man his mother had often manipulated over the years. "As Minister of Magic, it gives me great pleasure to welcome each and every one of you to the final of the 422nd Quidditch World Cup! Let the match - begin!" A bright spark flew towards the center of the field and everyone, Alexandra included, returned to cheer for their preferred team.
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The game had been rather eventful; injuries and squabbles aside, Bulgaria and Ireland had played a rather fair game. Viktor Krum, Bulgaria's seeker, had caught the snitch, but alas it was Ireland that won the World Cup, for the points they had previously scored still placed them ahead of the opposing team.
The group had long retreated back to their tent, Alexandra and Blaise having sat on the wooden table in order to be able to witness Ron's excitement while having a conversation of their own.
"I honestly don't understand all the fuss. I mean, sure, Krum is a good player, but you could see how smug he truly is even from where we were standing." Alexandra mused, her head resting on Blaise's right shoulder while she absentmindedly played with the handle of her wand.
"Let's give Ron the chance revel in his crush a tad more." Blaise chuckled from beside her, his body shaking along due to his laughter. "Plus, his siblings and Harry are already taking the mick out of him."
The blonde couldn't exactly explain the reason why, yet she felt as if her wand itself was trying to warn her about something, warmth spreading all throughout the wood and reaching the handle that rested in her hand.
She still remembered Ollivander's shocked expression when the wand chose her, a look akin to awe and panic altogether clearly visible on the aging wizard's face; the wandmaker had informed her that the wand she possessed was one of a kind, the only one he'd ever created on one of his travels to America. Alexandra's wand was made of Cedar, twelve and three quarters inches long, solid, and it contained a thunderbird tail feather; the latter was what truly amazed the wandmaker, for according to the wizard, wands with such core were not only difficult to master - although he never thought Alexandra to be incapable to perform such feat, for he was sure she would have done great things with said wand - but they were also able to sense danger and act on it, much like the beast the feather was taken from.
Sure, Alexandra found it rather peculiar how, back in her second year, she'd stopped the snake Draco had conjured during his duel against Harry from attacking a fellow student; the blonde wasn't aware of the spell she used back then, it was her wand that seemed to act on its own as soon as she raised it in a protective manner, for in a blink of an eye the animal had sizzled away. The wand must have sensed danger back then, yet this was something different; it was as if the wand was trying to warn her about something, the warm sensation forcing the blonde to concentrate on the source of said feeling instead of the banter between her friends.
Loud noises brought Alexandra back to reality, the ruckus coming from outside having exponentially increased, causing the blonde to scrunch her brows in confusion as the previous cheers had now morphed into louder screams.
"Sounds like the Irish have got their pride on," Fred commented.
Alexandra quickly jumped off the wooden table, only to speak while trying to sound unconcerned. "I don't think -"
Before the blonde could even finish her sentence, Mr. Wasley had marched inside the tent with a dreadful look on his face. "Stop, stop it!" The man exclaimed while pulling Ron and George apart from one another. "It's not the Irish." Alexandra tightened her grip on the handle of her wand, only to notice Aron mimic her actions from across the tent. No one, aside from the Grindelwald twins, who'd been dealing with odd dreams for the entire summer, seemed to take the man seriously until he ran towards Ginny and grasped her wrist. "We've gotta get out of here, now!"
No one bothered to go after their belongings, for the panicked look of Arthur Weasley was enough to convey that the situation was indeed dire.
Alexandra's eyes widened the moment she stepped outside their tent, for people were running amok while screaming at the top of their lungs. Tents were being set on fire by people dressed in black; their dark cloaks covered every inch of their body and their masks made it impossible to distinguish any of their actual features.
"Get out! It's the Death Eaters!" Someone screamed from not too far away. Alexandra's body tensed the moment she learned the identity of the culprits.
"Get back to the portkey everybody, and stick together!" Mr. Weasley barked. "Fred, George, Ginny is your responsibility. Go, Go!"
They all sprinted into a frantic run in the direction they'd come from in the morning. Staying together proved to be the hardest part, for people were too afraid to be careful not to trample someone by mistake.
Somewhere along the way, Alexandra had lost sight of her friends, yet she never stopped running toward where they'd last seen the portkey. A strangled scream caused the blonde to halt, her heart and her mind suddenly at war with one another as the former told her to check upon the source of the cries, while the latter urged her to keep on running in order to get to safety.
The teen quickly veered left, her footsteps muffled as she ran through the endless number of tents set up by fellow wizards and witches who only wished to celebrate such an amazing event with their families. It didn't take her long to notice a family huddled together and crying out as a cloaked figure was in the middle of torturing the father.
Simply running out there would have been idiotic, therefore Alexandra swirled her wand around herself, hoping not to fail at casting the charm she'd only read about in one of her mother's books. In a matter of seconds, her body was no longer visible, for all one could see was whatever stood right behind her. She felt like a chameleon as she snuck through the tents and behind the cloaked figure.
Slowly raising her wand mid-air, Alexandra made her presence known. "Petrificus Totalus!" Her spell had caught the perpetrator by surprise, his body growing rigid and falling to the side as his wand clattered to the ground. Noticing the terrified look on every single person before her, the blonde muttered the countercharm, making herself once more visible to the naked eye and causing the woman to let out a shriek upon having taken in her features, especially her distinctive eyes. "Come on, we've got to get out of here." She encouraged, her eyes trailing to the man who was clearly in pain. "Can you carry your husband?" She queried to the woman who now looked as scared as perplexed.
"Y - Yes." The woman stuttered. "But the kids -" She trailed on.
"I'll keep them safe. Come on, before they see any of us." While Alexandra's apprehension was understandable, people were still running towards the forest not far from where they stood, giving them the advantage to mix in with the panicked crowd as they escaped from other Death Eaters.
They were all quick to act, the woman hoisting her husband up - albeit not without a struggle - while Alexandra grabbed the girl's hand and hoisted up the little boy, who quickly hid his face in the crook of her neck.
Once they finally reached the place where everyone seemed to have gathered, Alexandra motioned for the family to follow her where she knew her friends would be waiting for Mr. Weasley, for she would have felt a lot better if someone more knowledgeable than an 'almost' Hogwarts fourth year student could have checked on the battered man.
"Alexandra!" Fred's voice was the first to reach her ears, causing the blonde girl to let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. She had just set the little kid on the ground when Fred came crashing into her, his arms curling around her waist as he pulled her into a warm embrace. She could feel how tense he was, yet his shaking hands seem to calm down the longer he kept her close to himself.
"Can I hug my best friend? You're not the only one who assumed the worst." Alexandra couldn't help but chuckle as Blaise shoot Fred a playful glare before sharing a quick embrace with the blonde girl, only to let Aron do the same quickly after.
The blonde sighed before taking in the rest of the people who had gathered before her, only to notice that two of them seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
"Where, in the name of Rowena Ravenclaw, are Ron and Hermione?" She queried in a rather exasperated manner. When no one answered, Alexandra raised a brow and scrunched her nose. "They were just -" That's when realization dawned on her; she thought to be mistaken, or simply tired, when she didn't see Harry upon her arrival, yet she now realised that it was no mistake at all; Harry was nowhere to be seen, which only meant he was still back at the camp and his two best friends must have gone back to look for him. "Bugger!"
She wanted nothing more than to run back and find the three people who seemed to attract trouble wherever they went, yet the collective gasp that came from the large group of witches and wizards of all ages and nationalities caused her to turn toward where one of them was pointing at.
Up in the sky, a large green hue surrounded an equally green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. No one among her friends uttered a word, for they all heard about that symbol, even if this was the first time they've ever seen it in their life; it was Voldemort's, it was the same symbol every Death Eater had tattooed on them.
Alexandra's hands started trembling, only for her to curl them into fists in order to smother her fear with anger. The blonde's mouth was slightly agape as she stared at the large symbol that had been conjured in the sky with even more apprehension than many.
All of a sudden, many of the things the voice had told her in her dreams started to make sense. Was this person, whoever they were, trying to warn her about the impending return of Voldemort's followers? Did they try to warn her about the attack? Could she have done anything to prevent it?
The blonde's head started pounding, an endless loop of questions running through her mind as she questioned every last dream she'd had and all of the things Aron had told her over the summer in regards to what he felt.
She could only hope this would wind up being an isolated accident, that she was wrong about the voice and that everything would have gone back to normal.
But, as a muggle fishmonger her family used to see twice a week loved to say, 'hope breeds eternal misery', and this was only the start of the struggles life had in store for Alexandra Grindelwald, for misery had latched onto the teen, even if unbeknown to her.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
welp! not one of my best works, but still... i hope it's not rubbish!
less original interactions here, but many easter eggs and hints to what's to come *winks, let the search and guessing game begin*. don't worry, this book is going to have more original than canon interactions, as it's alexandra's story, not a simple follow-up to harry's.
don't fret if some things mentioned here feels like they might be misplaced or leave you with more questions than answers; i didn't type them by accident, there's a reason behind it all. let me know all the questions that have surfaced while reading this chapter!
also, let's talk about the track that inspired me the most while writing this chapter, james newton howard's 'irma and the obscurus'. a masterpiece.
any kind of constructive feedback is always welcome! let me know if you like the chapter, leave a comment, vote, share, all the shebang!