Halloween came and Alex laid awake that morning. Her nerves were buzzing because she would be seeing Velkan for the first time in a few years and she was hoping that he would have any news regarding her mum. Most likely, he wouldn't, but one could hope.

There was also the lingering fear her dad would make an appearance in Hogsmeade. She'd barely slept the night before in fear of any nightmares that were brewing in her head, just waiting to be released so she would wake up screaming in bed.

Harry had attempted and failed to talk Professor McGonagall into letting him go to Hogsmeade, but the professor was stern in saying he needed his permission slip signed, which wasn't. It made Alex felt better knowing he'd be safe in the castle. It also seemed to make Ron and Hermione forget about their little dispute with Crookshanks attacking Scabbers.

Slowly, all the girls in the dorm woke up and began to get ready for the trip. Alex sighed before getting up and beginning to get ready herself. The morning was a cold one, so she grabbed the dragon sweater that the people at the dragon sanctuary had gifted her to wear that day.

After splashing some cold water in her face to wake her up, she got changed into the sweater, along with some light jeans and brown boots. She left her hair down in its natural waves and even out on a little mascara to make her eyes pop more than they already did. Grabbing her wand, along with her money pouch, she left Gryffindor tower to get some breakfast for energy.

Upon entering into the Great Hall, all of the third years were buzzing with excitement over the prospect of going to Hogsmeade. Alex made her way over to where Ron, Harry, and Hermione were sat, both still trying to console Harry for not being able to go.

"We'll bring you lots of sweets back from Honeydukes," Hermione told him with a sad smile.

"Yeah, loads," Ron agreed.

"Don't worry about me," Harry assured them. "I'll see you at the feast. Have a good time."

Alex could hear the disappointment in his voice and she gave his back a slight rub to comfort him, causing him to smile softly at her but the dismay was still clear on his face. After grabbing another piece of toast for herself, Alex followed the group to the entrance hall where Filch was checking off names of people going.

"Staying here, Potter?" Malfoy called tauntingly. "Scared of passing the dementors? I'm sure you and Selwyn can hold each other for comfort or one of you can break the fall for the other when you both pass out!"

Alex gritted her teeth and went to reach for her wand up her sleeve but Hermione quickly grabbed her hand, shaking her head as Filch was glancing in their direction. She begrudgingly let go of her wand and did her best to ignore Malfoy making fun of her and Harry.

Pretty soon, the three of them had made it through the line and were walking along the trail to Hogsmeade. In the distance, Alex was able to see the dementors and a chill ran down her spine, making her regret not grabbing a coat. She was reminded of Andrei's mangled body and the shouts of panic and closed her eyes.  Hermione seemed to notice Alex's sudden mood change and grabbed her hand.

"You okay?" She asked.

Alex opened her eyes and gave her a nod with small smile.  Hermione returned the soft smile before both of their attention was averted as they looked to see the village coming into view.  Alex smiled at the familiarity.  It wasn't new to her because she had spent time there before she came to Hogwarts. She felt safe here, or at least, she used to. There was still that underlying fear that Sirius Black was just around the corner, waiting to pop out at any second. She kept her guard up.

Checking her watch, she had five minutes before her and Velkan had decided to meet up in the Three Broomsticks.  After bidding goodbye to Ron and Hermione, she made her way to the inn to find that it was fairly packed with many occupants, some from school and some who were just older wizards passing through or who lived in the village itself.  As soon as she entered, she heard someone yelling her name.

"Alex!" The familiar voice yelled and she turned to see Madam Rosmerta making her way to the younger girl.  Alex couldn't help but smile and walk up to hug the innkeeper.

From the time Alex had been placed in the custody of Severus, she would spend most of the school years before she attended Hogwarts with many of the permanent residents of Hogsmeade, more particularly, Madam Rosmerta.

"Oh it's been far too long, I was so excited when I realized this was your third year and was hoping you'd come and visit," the innkeeper gushed.

Alex couldn't help but laugh as they pulled away. "Of course I'd come visit, no one has better butterbeer than you do."

Madam Rosmerta shrugged. "What can I say? It's my specialty. Is that what you'll have to drink then?"

"Two of them, please," Alex replied. "I'm meeting someone here."

"Alrighty, deary, you go and find a seat and I'll bring you your drinks."

Giving a brief nod, Alex crossed the room to a booth that had a clear view of the door so she could see when Velkan walked in. As she settled into the booth, the door opened again and a tall figure walked in. Though it had been a few years, Alex instantly recognized him and smiled.

"Velkan!" She called, catching his attention.

He turned to see Alex sitting in the booth and made his way over. As he got closer, Alex quickly stood and he pulled her into a hug. It was fairly awkward, considering he was quite taller than her and more muscley while she was short and had little muscles from playing quidditch.

After pulling away, they both sat down in the booth across from each other and the awkwardness finally settled in, causing them both to sit in silence until one of the servers came over with two butterbeers.

"I hope you don't mind, I ordered you a butterbeer because I wasn't entirely sure what you liked," Alex replied as she took the drink into her hands, her cold fingers instantly warming up.

"That's just fine, I've never had before but it looks delicious," he told her with a smile, his Romanian accent showing slightly. A sigh of relief left her and she went back to enjoying her butterbeer.

"So how's your mother?" Velkan asked.  "I haven't heard from her in a very long time."

"I was actually hoping you'd be able to tell me, because I haven't heard from her as well," she confessed.

Velkan's brow furrowed.  "What do you mean?" He asked.  "You don't live with her anymore?"

Alex shook her head.  "After we left the sanctuary, she was in such a rush to get back to England, for fear of who or what could've been following us.  We got back eventually and she immediately took me to live with my godfather, Severus Snape.  That night after we got there, she left and I haven't seen or really heard from her since."

Tears began forming in her eyes at the memory. "It was hard adjusting to living with Severus because he's not one to really show emotion but he occasionally shares concern if I'm hurt or something along those lines.  I've lived with him since. Before I began attending Hogwarts, during the school year, I would spend my time here in Hogsmeade with the many inhabitants of it, mostly Madam Rosmerta.  Then I began at school, being sorted into Gryffindor and I've been attending ever since."

"Anything exciting happen to you in the first few years?" He asked with a curious smile.

Alex looked down at her butterbeer as the thought of fighting a mountain troll in first year came to mind; plus helping Hagrid with Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback, when he had the dragon in his possession; as well as going to retrieve the Philosopher's stone with the trio and all that they had endured during that; and then drinking the Polyjuice Potion, turning into Pansy Parkison to find out if Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin; not to mention when she went with Harry and Ron to talk to Aragog in the Forbidden Forest; and going into the Chamber of Secrets with Ron and Harry to save Ginny during the previous school year. 

"No, nothing really," she replied as she took a sip of her butterbeer.

About a half hour later, Fred and George walked into the Three Broomsticks to get out of the cold autumn air after buying enough supplies to prank the entire student body for the remainder of the year. They also were craving some butterbeer and the best place to get it was at the Three Broomsticks.

"Two butterbeers," George told the man behind the bar.

Fred glanced around the room and instantly spotted Alex in one of the booths.  He smiled and went to join her when he realized she wasn't alone.  A man who looked a few years older than her sat across from her, drinking a butterbeer as they both laughed. 

Immediately, Fred felt his stomach tighten as he examined the two laughing over something the mystery man had said.  George turned back to Fred, holding his butterbeer to see his twin staring, or rather glaring, at the mystery man sitting with Alex.

Fred couldn't help but wonder why were all these guys suddenly paying more attention to Alex? Yes, she had matured looks wise over the summer but that didn't mean all the boys had to come flocking to her. Fred didn't want to see her get hurt. Or rather, that's the reasoning he was telling himself about all the new attention.

"Freddie, you okay?" George asked, nudging him.

Snapping out his slight trance, he looked to his twin before grabbing his butterbeer and getting a seat across the room but where they were able to still see where Alex sat. 

"Do you know who Alex is sitting with?" He asked George as they settled into their booth.

George glanced over at the guy.  "He looks familiar but I can't place my finger on it. Plus, he looks like he's quite a bit older than her anyway," George replied as he looked at Fred, who was still holding the same glare at the guy. "Is little Freddie jealous?"

Immediately, Fred looked to his twin and began scoffing. "Jealous? What-What do you mean? Alex is like a little sister to me, I'm just making sure that she's being kept safe!" He defended before chugging half his butterbeer.

"Well, looks like they're pretty cozy because they are kissing," George told him, causing Fred to spit out his butterbeer and immediately turn to see that they most certainly were not kissing. 

In fact, Fred's spit take had caused most of the Inn to go quiet and look over in their direction, including Alex and the mystery guy she was with.

"Sorry," Fred called to all the occupants.  "Butterbeer was a bit hot and I chugged too much at once."

A few people laughed while others just went back to their own business.  Fred watched as Alex and the mystery guy stood and he pulled her into a hug, causing his stomach to tighten even more.  What made it worse was that the guy kissed Alex's cheek, bringing a smile to her face. 

After a quick goodbye, he walked out of the Inn, leaving Alex there with a soft smile on her face.  She then looked over at Fred and George and made her way over.

"What can we do for you, Alex dear?" George asked as Fred kept quiet, afraid he would make a snarky comment.

"You've got butterbeer all over your chin," Alex told Fred as she grabbed a napkin, wiping it off for him.

"If you wanted to touch my face, you could've just asked," Fred told her with a wink.

Alex couldn't help but roll her eyes before throwing the napkin in his face.  "You know, Fred, they've got some really good humble pie here, you should try a slice," she joked before walking out of the Inn to find her friends, Fred's eyes following her.

"Blimey," George murmured as he looked at his twin.

"What?" Fred asked curiously, finally looking away from Alex.

"You fancy Alex!"

Fred's eyes widened in a slight panic.  "Bollocks!  I do not!"

"Admit it, Fred!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"You want me to spit the rest of my butterbeer all over you?"

☽

Alex walked along the road of Hogsmeade, smiling as she walked into a few shops, trying to find Ron and Hermione but not being successful yet. She just enjoyed the quiet chatter of the streets and students running by before the sound of her name being called caused her to turn and see Cedric running up to her, bidding his friends goodbye.

"Hey," she greeted as they began to walk side by side. "Ditching your friends?"

He shrugged. "I see them everyday," he told her with a laugh. "Plus, you were alone, so I just wanted to make sure you had someone to at least accompany you back to the castle."

Alex laughed. "Well, aren't you a gentleman," she teased, causing him to laugh.

They fell silent for a bit as they continued walking before coming up to Zonko's as Alex needed sugar quills desperately.

"So what's going on between you and Fred?" He asked after she finished her purchase.

Her eyes widened at the question.  "What makes you think there's something going on between us?" She asked with a laugh.

Cedric shrugged.  "He just seems very protective of you," he told her.  "Anytime we've been studying or hanging out, he just always glares at me like I'm going to hurt you."

Alex couldn't help but roll her eyes.  "I don't know what his problem is honestly," she told him.  "But I can tell you that we are just friends."

"Do you like him?" Cedric asked, causing Alex to nearly drop the pack of sugar quills she had been holding.

"I-I don't know," she admitted. "I thought there was something there but I'm not sure honestly."

Nodding, Cedric acknowledged her words.  "So it wouldn't be a problem if another boy asked you on a date or anything like that?"

"No," she told him before seeing the look on his face.  "Why, do you know someone who wants to ask me out?"

Cedric laughed and shook his head.  "No one personally, but I know that you have been turning heads this year for sure," he told her, causing her to roll her eyes again.

"I'm not disagreeing or saying I'm ugly but I do know that there are prettier girls than me, so I don't know why I would catch any boys attention," she told him with a shrug.

She wasn't trying to seek a compliment or anything like that, she was being genuine.  Alex did know she was pretty, but she never thought she'd be the type of girl that boys looked at. Though she did notice how heads turned more when she walked the halls, she just thought it was because of her father escaping and people were beginning to piece together that they had a resemblance, even though her father looked mad in the wanted posters.

"Well, don't sell yourself short," Cedric told her.  "You're a very pretty girl, Alex."

The compliment made Alex blush, especially coming from such a handsome boy as Cedric Diggory. "Well, thank you," she responded. "You're not so bad yourself, I suppose."

Cedric laughed before they made it out of the shop and continued walking, going into the shops to look around for a minute before continuing on. Eventually, Cedric suggested they go and look at the Shrieking Shack, which Alex hesitated to before giving in.

Walking up the path to the old rickety house, an ominous feeling came over them as they came up to the building. A shudder left Alex as she pulled her coat tighter, which Cedric noticed.

"Are you cold?" He asked, going to take off his jacket.

"Oh no, I'm okay-" she barely got to finish the statement before slipped off a yellow jumper he had underneath the coat and handed it to her, causing her to blush. It smelled of a musky cologne that she didn't recognize but it wasn't suffocating her, just subtle enough to not overpower but enough to notice it.  She pulled it on over her head, instantly warming up.  It luckily was bigger than the sweater she wore.

"There, keep you warm," he told her with a smile.  "Next time I'd recommend bringing a jacket."

Alex laughed.  "To be fair, I thought it would be warmer than is today."

"And how'd that work out for you?"

She nudged his arm in a teasing manner before they looked back up at the boarded up house, Alex trying to fight the blush that was forming on her face. "Do you think anyone would be brave or crazy enough to actually try and go in there?" She asked, trying to hide the redness of her face.

"Well, I know that the Weasley twins tried to," he responded, which caused Alex to shake her head.

"Why am I not surprised by that?"

Cedric laughed before something caught Alex's eye. She furrowed her brow in confusion and took a step closer. "Is that a dog?" She questioned aloud, causing Cedric to look where she was looking.

"It appears so," Cedric agreed.

Walking by the field next to the house was a rather larger black dog that appeared to be malnourished. It broke Alex's heart to see it so thin and she was ready to run back to the village to get some food for it when the dog stopped in its step, having spotted the students. It seemed to inch a little closer, watching them carefully before taking off running in the opposite direction before either of them could try to coax it over.

"Well, that was odd," Cedric voiced, to which Alex nodded in agreement.

"Completely."

Then her mind went back to when Professor Trelawney talked about the Grim looming over Harry. She felt her stomach tighten as she also realized how similar the dog looked like the one she had seen in Spinner's End the night of her walk. Surely the dog wouldn't have followed her all the way from Spinner's End.  But if it did, did that mean she was going to die soon as well?

"Are you okay?" Cedric's voice broke her out of her thoughts as she continued staring at the retreating dog.

"Yeah," she mumbled with a wave of her hand. "Just worried about that dog."

☽

Eventually, the time to head back to the castle had come. Cedric and Alex walked up the path to the castle, still talking and laughing together as they went.

Passing the gates, Alex watched the dementors floating nearby and felt herself become cold, despite wearing his jumper.  Swaying slightly, she stumbled into Cedric, who caught her as her vision blurred slightly.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded before they continued walking.  When she stumbled slightly, Cedric put his arm around her to make sure she didn't fall face first, which she was grateful for.

"The dementors freak you out too?" He asked.

She nodded.  "I'm sure you heard I fainted the night they search the train?"

It was Cedric's turn to nod.  "Yeah, I remember hearing that. I'm sorry that happened."

All Alex could do was shrug. "It's not like you set them on me or anything."

That caused the both of them to laugh loudly. Not far behind them, Fred and George were making their own way back up to the castle as well. The sound of Alex's laugh caught Fred's attention and he looked up to see her with Cedric again. The sight made him stop what he was saying to George.

"You gonna finish that thought, Freddie?" George asked before following his twin's line of sight. When he saw Alex with Cedric, he smirked. "Will you just tell her how you feel before Diggory swoops in?"

Fred looked at George. "I don't feel anyway about her!" He argued, though he knew that he was laying terribly.

"Sure you don't, Fred," George told him before they continued walking up.

Upon entering the Entrance Hall, Alex turned to Cedric, who still had his arm around her. She smiled as she gently pulled away from him. "Thanks for hanging out with me in Hogsmeade today," she told him.  "We should definitely do it again sometime."

Cedric smiled.  "Is that your way of asking me out on a date, Alex?"

Immediately, Alex's face turned red as she began sputtering.  Meanwhile, Fred and George had walked back in as well, having heard most of the interaction between them and while George was amused, Fred could feel his blood boiling as he watched. But what could he say in that moment? It wasn't his place because he and Alex were just friends.

But now, even Fred had to admit to himself that he was beginning to think about Alex differently than he had previously. What irked him was the fact that others were as well before he even had the chance to address it with her because he wanted to see if it was reciprocated. But he also knew that it would bother Ron if his older brother made a move on one of his friends.

Yet, that almost made him want to do it more.

"I-I mean," Alex stuttered, "we-we don't have to l-label it as that, if-if you don't want to."

Again, Cedric smiled. "No worries," he reassured her.  "We'll talk about as it gets closer to what we want to label it as. I'd better head back to my common room, I'll see you at the feast."

"Yeah, see ya later," she responded before turning on her heel and heading for Gryffindor Tower.

Fred and George followed close behind her, yet she had yet to notice either of them. As they rounded the corner to make it to the corridor for the common room, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing them.

"Hello boys," she called over her shoulder.

"So you and Diggory, hey?" George asked, coming up beside her.

"Oh yes," she teased with an eye roll.  "We're planning a June wedding, don't you think I'd make a lovely summer bride?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder dramatically to sell the joke.

Her tone was completely sarcastic and George laughed loudly but Fred, who was standing on the other side of her was silent.  He knew she was joking but the thought of Alex dating Cedric Diggory made him worry more.  If he wanted to make a move, it had to be soon.

And it didn't help that Alex didn't really confirm or deny if anything was going between her and Cedric.  She just kept walking towards the portrait.

They came up to the common room entrance and after giving the password, entered.  Alex spotted Harry sitting by the fire with Ron and Hermione, discussing something somewhat quietly before Harry spoke, "Wait, where's Alex?"

"Right here," she responded, plopping down on the ground right in front of his chair.

"How was Hogsmeade?" He asked, sounding somewhat envious.

"Nothing I haven't seen before truthfully," she told him with a shrug as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against his legs.

They all fell silent before Harry leaned towards where Alex was sitting in front of him. "Alex, do you know if Snape is brewing a specific potion for Lupin?"

That caused her to open her eyes and turn her back to look at him. "Potion for Lupin?" She asked. "What are you talking about?"

Harry then delved into telling Alex about how he had been in Professor Lupin's office and how Snape came in with a potion. Professor Lupin only claimed it was because he was feeling under the weather.

"Smoking goblet, you say?" She asked, thinking back on her potion knowledge. "Nothing comes straight to mind, but I can look in some books and get back to you. In the meantime, we can keep an eye on Professor Lupin for signs of poisoning. I'd recommend everyone keeping a bezoar on you in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"A what?" Harry and Ron questioned together.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Do you boys ever pay attention in potions class?"

☽

They began to follow the crowd down to the Great Hall for the annual Halloween feast. Alex walked just ahead of the group as they continued talking about their theories regarding what potion Severus had given to Professor Lupin. She didn't know what she could say unless she got a sniff of the potion itself.

Often times over the summer, Severus would work on potions to know how to better them when it came to teaching them. It left Alex with plenty of experience outside of the normal classroom when it came to potions, it was why she was good at the subject.  She would sit in when he was brewing and she even helped a little bit.

Making their way into the Great Hall, she admired all the decorations, like the bats flying about, the pumpkins floating, and all of the orange streamers.  The four of them settled in and ate, despite Alex feeling full from all the sweets she had eaten, she wasn't about to not eat at least one of the many dishes in front of her. It was, by far, her favorite feast of the year.

The evening itself was quite pleasant and Alex couldn't help but let the worry flow out of her about all the stresses of life and she was simply enjoying the moments with her friends.  After a quick show by the Hogwarts ghosts, they left the Great Hall and made their way up to Gryffindor tower.  But when they reach the corridor where it was, they found it jammed with students.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" Ron asked.

The four of them tried looking around to get a glimpse of what was causing the jammed hallway but no such luck.  Percy quickly pushed his way through the crowd, claiming that he was Head Boy.  It all went silent as he made his way to the front and he called for someone to get Professor Dumbledore quickly.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked as she arrived on the scene from the feast.

Dumbledore came sweeping through towards the portrait.  The Gryffindors did their best to squeeze and let him through.  Alex couldn't help but follow to see what was going on.  The sight made her stomach tighten with anxiety and she severely regretted eating all the food and sweets that day.

The Fat Lady was gone from her portrait, which was slashed so violently that strips of the canvas were scattered all over the floor.  Alex felt her hands begin shaking as she looked at it before Dumbledore turned to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying towards him.

"We need to find her," he told them. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" A cackling voice called.

Everyone looked up to see Peeves the Poltergeist bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted over the wreckage of the painting, as always did in all situations like this.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

Peeves knew to respect Dumbledore because he was headmaster.  "Ashamed, Your Headship, sir.  Doesn't want to be seen.  She's a horrible mess.  Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between trees.  Crying something dreadful," he replied in a joyful tone. "Poor thing," he added, though everyone could hear the sarcasm.

"Did she say who did it?" Dumbledore asked.

"Oh yes, Professorhead," Peeves replied. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see."  He flipped over, grinning at Dumbledore.  "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

Upon hearing his name, Alex's stomach upheaved so quickly, she barely had time to push students around her aside before vomiting all over the corridor floor.

☽
Appreciate this meme that I made in honor of how Fred feels about Cedric lol

This is the kind of thing I'll post on the Instagram I have connected to this account lol

Go follow it!  Sunflower_squid

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Love you guys!

-Squid☽