A sharp gasp escaped Alex as she sat up straight in her bed, her heart pounding out of her chest as the nightmare replayed in her head. It was her version of what had happened like Fudge described when her dad was cornered and killed all those muggles.

Only, instead of Peter Pettigrew, it was Harry who had confronted him. And Alex had to watch as he was blown to smithereens.  The sight in her mind was gruesome and brought tears to her eyes. Even if Harry hated her now, she would not wish that fate on him or anyone.

The sound of people moving about and chatting excitedly broke her train of thought and she opened the curtains to find the other girls in her dorm packing the last of their belongings to go home for the holidays. A heavy sigh left her as she climbed out of the bed and began to get ready for the day.

Grabbing her bag and coat so she didn't have to come back, she walked out of the common room. Almost everybody she saw was sharing last minute goodbyes and promises to write before heading down to get breakfast before departing for the train. She didn't bother to try looking for her old friends in the faces of the crowd.  They wouldn't want to talk to her anyway.

Alex followed the crowd, trying to keep her head down as she made it into the Great Hall. There was more excited chatter from everybody but she was grateful none of them seemed to look at her. The secret of her father remained that, a secret.

For now.

She plopped down at the Gryffindor table but didn't reach for any of the food in front of her. The entire night, her stomach was in a tight knot and it hadn't let up that morning. The thought of eating made her nauseous.

"Alex," a voice spoke, causing her to jump before turning to see Cedric walking up to her with a smile before he saw how exhausted and sick she looked.  It was a complete one eighty from how he had seen her the previous day at Hogsmeade.

"Cedric," she greeted dryly. "Heading home for the holidays?"

He ignored her question and her tone as he sat next to her. "What happened?" He asked. "Are you okay?"

Sniffling, she shook her head. Cedric gave her a sad smile before wrapping his arm around her to try and comfort her. She leaned into his touch, appreciating that he didn't care if she was breaking down.  He seemed to always find her when she was in the middle of a mental breakdown.

"I really appreciate you coming over to check on me, but I would like to be alone right now, Cedric," she told him through sniffles.

Cedric nodded in understanding with a sad smile before checking his watch.  "I've got to head to the station anyway but I'll write to you, okay?"

She only nodded, giving him one last hug before he rushed to catch up with his friends to catch the train.  Alex stood from the table to find somewhere to be alone when she spotted Fred and George with Lee Jordan by the Entrance Hall, heading for the station as well.

"George!" Alex called out, causing him to turn and see her.

He excused himself from his companions and walked over to where she stood by a pillar.  "Hey, are you doing okay?" He asked with a soft smile.

Alex nodded, though he could clearly see it was a lie.  She looked like an absolute wreck but she brushed whatever he wanted to say off.  "I have something for you," she told him.  "It's your's and Fred's Christmas presents, so don't open it until then, okay?"

He smiled and nodded as she pulled two identically wrapped packages from her bag and handed them to him.  "Have a good Christmas," she told him before walking down a corridor to avoid talking to Fred.

The action didn't go unnoticed by Fred, whose chest tightened as he watched her walk away.  He wanted to talk to her but after hearing from George just how upset she was the night before, he decided it would be best to wait until after the holidays.

Eventually, all the students who were leaving had left and the corridors had never felt more empty.  Alex found herself walking along the grounds, not caring if she got into trouble.  The snow from the day before had settled and she walked along, allowing the crunch of the snow to distract her thoughts as she walked.

"Alex?" A voice called.

She turned to see Hagrid outside his hut, which she had been walking by.  "Hi Hagrid," she greeted, trying to hide the puffiness in her face.

"Are ye okay?" He asked.

She wanted to say yes, but she knew Hagrid would see right through her lie, especially with how red and puffy her face was.  A shaky breath left her and she shook her head before breaking down into sobs for the dozenth time since she woke up it felt like.  Hagrid was slightly taken aback before walking over and guiding her into the hut.  She collapsed onto one of his chairs and buried her face into her hands.

"What's happen'd?" Hagrid asked softly, sitting next to her.

"He knows," she sobbed.  "Harry knows the truth and he hates me for it."

Hagrid could only gasp softly.  "So ye finally told him?"

Alex froze.  She couldn't reveal to Hagrid about Harry being in Hogsmeade and overhearing the conversation that Hagrid was apart of.  So she nodded, keeping her gaze on the ground and her lips in a tight line.

"The three of them have been avoiding me," she told him, "not that I blame them.  I shouldn't have waited as long as I did."

Hagrid put his giant arm around Alex, who immediately clung to the front of his furry vest as she sobbed.  After a good ten minutes of crying, Alex only sniffled before pulling away, wiping her tear stained face.

"I'm sorry to be such a mess in front of you, Hagrid," she told him.

He opened his mouth to respond but then an unrecognizable owl landed at his window.  He furrowed his brow in confusion before walking over and collecting the letter it held.  The seal on it was a Ministry one and Alex suddenly remembered everything that was going on with Hagrid and Buckbeak.

"What's it say, Hagrid?" She asked as she walked over, forgetting about how upset she was at the moment.

Hagrid quickly ripped the envelope open and his eyes scanned over the words, at first looking relieved before he continued reading then a loud sob escaped his lips.

"What?" She asked, trying to look at the letter.  "What's it say?"

He only shook his head as he passed the letter to her before plopping down on his chair, sobbing loudly.  Alex quickly looked down at the letter and read aloud:

"'Dear Mr. Hagrid,

Further to our inquiry into the attack by a hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident.'"

She looked up at Hagrid.  "That's good!" She reassured with a smile.  "It means you get to keep your job!"

"Keep readin'," Hagrid sobbed.

Alex looked back down at the letter:

"'However, we must register our concern about the hippogriff in question.  We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will be therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.  The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your hippogriff in at the Committee's offices in London on that date.  In the meantime, the hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated-'"

Alex scoffed at the letter and didn't even bother to finish reading the rest.  "They can't be serious!" She exclaimed before looking to Hagrid.  "Buckbeak did nothing wrong!  It was Malfoy who provoked him!  I'll help you set up your case, Hagrid!  I'll get written witness accounts of what he said and I'm sure I can talk to a hippogriff expert who lives back in Romania at the dragon sanctuary!"

Hagrid wiped his tears as he shook his head.  "It's no use, Alex," he sobbed.  "They're out fer blood."

"No," Alex exclaimed as she grabbed one of his giant hands.  "We can fight this, Hagrid.  I'm going to help you, okay?  We're not going down without-"

Her sentence was cut short when there was a loud knock on the door to his hut.  Alex froze as she heard familiar voices outside and felt her blood run cold when she registered who they belonged to.  She was hoping they would go away but judging by how loud Hagrid's sobs were, they had to know they were in there.

"Hagrid, please quiet down," she begged as quietly as she could but that only made him sob louder and the trio outside was sure to have heard it.

"Hagrid!" Harry's muffled voice yelled as he continued to pound on the door.  "Hagrid, are you in there?"

Without waiting for Alex to stop him, Hagrid walked over to the door and opened it to find the three familiar faces on the other side.

"Yeh've heard?" He cried before almost collapsing into Harry.

Alex rushed forward and with the help of Ron and Hermione, they were able to steer Hagrid to sit in his chair by the table before he continued sobbing.  Then Harry registered that Alex was there.

"What are you doing here?" He snapped, causing her chest to tighten at his hostile tone.

"I was keeping Hagrid company-" she began but Harry cut her off.

"Well, you can leave now," he growled, which brought more tears to Alex's eyes.

"Harry, please let me explain-"

"I don't want to hear whatever you have to say!" He snapped.  "You are not my friend anymore."

Looking to Ron and Hermione for some kind of help, they both looked down at their shoes, neither trying to talk Harry down.  Alex could only nod softly to herself before grabbing her coat and bag and running out of the hut.  She could hear Hagrid calling for her to come back, but she kept running up the hill back to the castle, more tears flowing down her cheeks.

One thing was for sure.  She didn't want to spend her holiday at Hogwarts anymore.

☽

"Hi, Al," Alex greeted as she entered the Owlery later that day.

Her trusty eagle owl flew down from his perch and greeted her with an affectionate peck. She smiled before tying the letter she had in hand to his leg.

"Take it to Madam Rosmerta," she told him, giving him a treat before he soared off towards Hogsmeade.

After the confrontation with Harry earlier, Alex wanted to get out of Hogwarts. She went and talked to both Severus and McGonagall, who both agreed that if it was okay with the older woman, Alex could spend the remainder of the holidays with Madam Rosmerta. She had done it before.

Sitting on the window seat, she watched all the owls soaring through the sky every once in awhile. She wished she could, too, transform into a bird and go soaring through the sky to get far away from there. Movement caught her eye as a brown tawny owl flew up to sit beside her, watching her curiously.

Alex smiled as she stroked the owl softly. "Hello," she greeted before offering a treat.

The owl ruffled their feathers, as if to say no thank you. Alex laughed before deciding on heading down to the library to get books on Hippogriffs so she could help Hagrid's case for Buckbeak. She stood from her seat and walked out of the Owlery, not knowing the presence of who was in there with her.

☽

Alex sat on the far end of the small table for dinner, avoiding the harsh glares from Harry. The action didn't go unnoticed by several professors, who wondered what had suddenly changed in their friend group dynamic.

She had barely been able to eat only two bites of her food before she stood and left the Great Hall quickly. The sound of footsteps behind her caught her attention and she looked to see Professor Lupin walking up to her.

"Alex, what's happened with Harry?" He asked with concern, not beating around the bush.

She closed her eyes in defeat as she leaned against the wall. "He knows the truth about my father," she simply stated. "And he hates me for not telling him sooner."

Lupin sighed. And he was suddenly reminded of when he had quarreled with Alliana and Sirius during the last wizarding war. How upset Alex was, he was reminded of when he had gotten into a particularly nasty argument with Alliana that left her in tears. It was right before Harry's parents had died.

"I'm so sorry," he told her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.  "Is there anyway I can help?"

She shook her head.  "I'm just going to go back up to my dorm and avoid people for now," she responded truthfully.  "Good night, professor."

Without waiting for his response, Alex took off running up back to Gryffindor Tower. Wiping the tears that had fallen, she willed herself to stop crying since she hadn't stopped from the time they were in Hogsmeade it felt like.

As soon as Alex was back in her dorm, a tap at her window caught her attention and she looked to see Al holding a letter. She immediately opened up the window and allowed him to fly in and land on her desk next to the bed. She took the letter to see Madam Rosmerta's handwriting:

'Alex,
I would love for you to come and spend the rest of the holidays with me! You can floo to my flat tomorrow afternoon after you've opened presents and we can do whatever you would like to do! I've already sent an owl to Professor McGonagall, who will allow you to floo from her office. I'm excited to see you!
-Rosmerta'

A heavy sigh of relief left Alex. Even though it hurt that her friends weren't speaking to her anymore, she had a small ray of hope to have a good rest of her holiday.

She grabbed her bag and began to pack clothes she would need to stay at Rosmerta's, as well as books to study while staying there. When her bag was ready, Alex laid down in her bed, counting down the minutes until she was out of Hogwarts and with Rosmerta.

☽

"Harry!" Alex gasped as she awoke from her nightmare, a small layer of sweat covering her body.  It was the same nightmare she'd been having since learning the truth at the Three Broomsticks.

She glanced over to see Hermione still asleep, Alex's sudden outburst not having woken her luckily.  A heavy sigh left her before she looked at the end of her bed to see a pile of presents for her, which made her smile as she realized it was Christmas.

Remembering she had presents for Ron and Harry but not wanting them to know they were from her, she grabbed them from her trunk and quietly snuck into their dorm.  She placed their presents on their respective piles since both boys were still sleeping before heading back to her dorm.

Hermione began to stir awake as Alex began to open her presents from a few of the habitants of Hogsmeade.  Ambrosius Flume had sent her an entire case of different candy from Honeydukes, Madam Puddifoot had sent her a few boxes of chamomile tea, and Madam Rosmerta had sent her famous fudge bars with a pair of gold earrings, which Alex was grateful for.

Then she saw that Velkan had sent her another present, which was a miniature replica of a real life Hebridean Black Dragon, which happened to be her favorite dragon.  It flew around her head twice before landing on her shoulder, which made her smile.  He had remembered her favorite dragon. He also sent her scales from an actual Hebridean Black, which made her gasp loudly in awe.

"What is it?!" Hermione asked, suddenly sitting up at Alex's outburst.

"Sorry," Alex mumbled.  "Just got dragon scales for Christmas, that's all."

Hermione only nodded before sitting up to begin opening her own presents.  Both girls were silent as they continued to open their separate presents until they were all opened.  Alex had received a new pair of mittens and matching hat from Mrs. Weasley, along with many homemade treats, which she loved.  Cedric had even sent her a necklace with a pendant that was a miniature potion vial which glowed blue. She smiled over how thoughtful the gift was as it paid homage to how good she was at potions. And Severus had given her a different book on potion making. However, one present in her pile stumped her.

It was a golden chain bracelet with several charms on it, which confused her.  There was a dog, an owl, as well as a heart and a feather.  There wasn't a letter with it or anything to signify who it was from, but she thought it was still thoughtful and put on her wrist.

Then she grabbed the last present from her trunk and walked over to the other girl in her room. Hermione looked up as Alex held out a present for her with a smile.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione," Alex told her as the older girl grabbed the present.

She ripped the present open before looking down at the several books Alex had bought for her, books Hermione had been wanting to read but hadn't had the chance to buy them yet. Hermione looked at Alex before engulfing her into a tight hug, which caught her off guard. 

"Whoa, nearly suffocating me, 'Mione," Alex wheezed.

"I hate how we've been ignoring you and I don't even have a good enough excuse for it," she gushed.

"Don't worry," Alex told her.  "I understand because I should have told him sooner but it's not like he could understand, I don't even understand, myself."

Hermione sniffled.  "So you're not angry with me?"

Alex shook her head.  "No, I'm glad you're at least acknowledging my existence, unlike Harry and Ron, though I don't expect them to change their minds anytime soon."

"I'll talk to Harry," Hermione suddenly gasped.  "If you just have the chance to explain-"

"Hermione," Alex cut her off, "he doesn't want to listen right now.  I'll give him the rest of the holiday to cool down before I try to talk to him again."

"But how will you avoid seeing him?" Hermione's wondered.  "We're the only Gryffindors here."

Alex awkwardly scratched her neck.  "I'm actually going to spend the rest of the holiday with Madam Rosmerta," she told her.  "I leave today after lunch."

"What?!" Hermione gasped.  "Alex, you can't!  I'll talk to Harry and get him to talk to you-"

"No, you don't need to do that," Alex cut her off.  "I'll talk to him after the holidays are over."

☽

Alex ate her food silently. McGonagall had told her that after she finished lunch, she would go and grab her bags and head for McGonagall's office to floo to Madam Rosmerta's.

Part way through the meal, the three other Gryffindors walked in and unfortunately the only spots open were the ones across from Alex. She kept her head down until Dumbledore offered a Severus a noisemaker, which made her look up. When he pulled it, the cracker flew to reveal a large witch hat with a vulture on top that was stuffed.

Remembering the boggart lesson, Alex sputtered her pumpkin juice as she tried not to laugh and instead began to violently cough as she choked slightly. Severus didn't look too pleased over it and gave it to Dumbledore.  Across from her, Harry and Ron shared an amused look over the situation as well and Harry had even spared a glanced at Alex before she looked down, not wanting to give herself false hope that things were getting better between them.

After finishing her meal, she stood and McGonagall called to her as she walked away, "Miss Selwyn, gather your belongings and I will be up to escort you when I'm done."

"Yes, professor," Alex told her, noting the confused look on Harry and Ron's face but she quickly left.

As she rounded the corner running to head back to the tower, she bumped into someone, falling to the ground. "Ow!" Alex mumbled, pushing herself up before looking up at the figure before her.

"I'm so sorry, my dear," a voice spoke in a soft voice as they helped her stand up.

"S'alright," Alex mumbled before looking up at the figure, not recognizing her.

A sharp gasp sounded from the woman as soon as she made direct eye contact with Alex through large thick glasses. She immediately went rigid and gripped Alex's arms so tight, it was sure to leave a bruise.

"Professor?" Alex squeaked, fearing what was going on and ready to yell for help, especially as the older woman's grip tightened on her arms.

The professor didn't respond to her inquiry and suddenly began to speak in a raspy voice, "Utterly betrayed by those who were thought to be in full confidence, Death's grasp need not be everlasting over them. For they shall acquire the ability to modify the destiny of many yet to come to pass. The ability to modify the destiny..."

The older woman then collapsed against Alex, who grunted as she did her best to hold her up. A few seconds later, the professor grunted before looking up at Alex, who struggling to keep the older woman upright.

"I'm terribly sorry, dear," she spoke. "I must've dozed off as I tried to listen to the speaking's of my Inner Eye."

Alex's brow furrowed before she walked past the professor, not bothering to look back or respond. She had to guess that was Professor Trelawney and she really was as nutty as Harry, Ron, and Hermione described her. Yet her words rung in Alex's mind on an endless cycle.

Betrayed? Death's grasp? Modify destinies? Alex thought to herself as she made it back into Gryffindor Tower. Professor Trelawney has been staring into that crystal ball for far too long.

She flopped down onto her bed and closed her eyes, dozing off for what felt like few minutes, only to be woken up from the sounds of protest coming from the common room area. Rubbing the tiredness from her eyes, she rushed out to see McGonagall holding a Firebolt, which made her gasp.

Had Hermione found it under her bed?

"What's going on?" She asked from where stood on the balcony.

The four looked up at her but McGonagall spoke, "Harry here received this Firebolt for Christmas without any sort of message attached to it," she told Alex, much to Harry's annoyance. "I am confiscating it to have it checked for jinxes to make sure it is safe fly. If you would gather your belongings and follow me, we can get you to Madam Rosmerta's."

Alex swallowed hard before nodding. "Be down in a second, Professor."

She rushed back in and grabbed the Firebolt from under her bed, along with the note that was still attached to the handle. Heaving a heavy sigh, she knew she was about to get an earful but it needed to be done. And since McGonagall was already taking Harry's, she might as well grab Alex's while she was at it.

Alex walked down the stairs, holding the broomstick behind her back slightly, along with her rucksack and small suitcase in the other hand.

"Professor," Alex mumbled, her face already turning red with embarrassment, "you may want to check this one out as well."

Slowly, she pulled the Firebolt from behind her back and everyone gasped loudly at the sight of it. The three other students exchanged bewildered looks with each other because Alex had made no mention of having the broomstick in her possession.

Yet here she was with it, in her possession.

"Miss Selwyn, where did you get that?" McGonagall gasped as she marched over and grabbed it from Alex's outstretched hand.

"I've had it since my birthday," she admitted shamefully as her gaze dropped. "But I've never flown it once. Because I still had my Comet at the time, but seeing as Harry received his broomstick under mysterious circumstances like me, it'd be best to have them both checked for jinxes, considering our situation."  She didn't want to say it out loud but she was obviously referring to Sirius Black being after the both of them.

"And you didn't purchase this yourself?" McGonagall asked.

Alex shook her head. "There's a note attached to the handle saying who it's from when I got it," she told the professor, ignoring the shocked looks from Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Very well, come along, Miss Selwyn," McGonagall spoke somewhat sharply.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Alex followed McGonagall towards the common room entrance. She knew she'd be getting an earful on the way to McGonagall's office, but she was grateful that the knowledge of her Firebolt was out in the open now.

She turned back at the three people still standing in the common room watching her exit. "Have a good holiday," she told them before fully exiting the common room.

☽

Guys, I'm on the biggest high I have ever been on since yesterday because....

I MET THEM!  I MET OLIVER AND JAMES PHELPS AND THEY WERE SO NICE!!!!  Oliver asked if I was okay because I was crying and then he hugged me afterwards and I just about died!!!!!!

Anyways... enjoy the chapter lol

Don't forget to vote and comment!

Love you guys!

-Squid☽