The walk to McGonagall's office was very awkward. She had received quite the earful from the professor about how reckless she was for not bringing the broomstick to her sooner. Alex kept her mouth shut the entire time, knowing she deserved every second of it.

Luckily, they made it to her office in no time and Alex took a handful of Floo powder before stepping into the fireplace. She gave McGonagall one last smile.

"Have a safe holiday, professor," she told her before releasing the powder and yelling out, "The Three Broomsticks!"

Stumbling into the Inn, Madam Rosmerta was standing at the bar, doing some inventory when she heard Alex enter. A large smile spread across her face as she walked over and engulfed Alex into a hug.

"I'm happy you decided to come and spend the rest of the holiday with me," she told Alex. "It can get quite lonely."

Rosmerta was an only child and her parents had died a few years prior. Yes, she had cousins, aunts, and uncles, but no one she was really close with. And she had yet to find a man who could keep up with her, or so she liked to joke with Alex.

"I'm just grateful you said yes," Alex laughed as they walked up the stairs that led to Rosmerta's flat.

Upon entering, Alex smiled at the familiarity of it. It smelled of a burning log fire, fresh butterbeer, and Rosmerta's flowery perfume. The flat was a simple set up with a kitchen, a living room and a dining area. Down the hall was four doors; two bedrooms, the bathroom, and a linen closet. It was a comfort to Alex to be back there.

"You can take the spare bedroom like you used to when you were younger," Rosmerta told Alex with a smile. "I'm working on cooking dinner, so you can relax."

"I can help you cook," the young girl offered, walking to the room to set her belongings down.

"If you'd like," Rosmerta responded before heading to the kitchen.

Alex did help Rosmerta, but they ended up making more of a mess as they cooked, chucking bits of food at each other as a joke.  Eventually, they did managed to make a nice Christmas ham, along with mashed potatoes, and an array of vegetables and rolls.

"So Alex," Rosmerta began as they sat at the table, "how come you never told me who your father was?"

Alex had been expecting this topic to come up, but she still felt her stomach tighten.  "It's not exactly something I'd want to broadcast to the world," she responded, "would you?"

Rosmerta smiled softly.  "I s'ppose not." Then the topic was dropped.

They went back to eating their meal silently but Alex knew it would probably be brought up again.  After finishing their meal with two glasses of butterbeer, they settled into a game of Exploding Snap in the living room.

However, playing the game made her think of Fred and her chest tightened at the thought of him.  She hoped that he liked his Christmas present.  Even if they weren't friends, according to him, she had already bought him the present when she was in Hogsmeade before their fight.

"What's on your mind?" Rosmerta asked. "You're not on top of your game like normal."

Alex offered half a smile. "It's nothing."

Rosmerta quirked her eyebrow. "So it's a boy?"

The younger girl couldn't help but scoff with a smile at how on point Rosmerta always managed to be when it came to her. "How do you do that?"

"Sweetheart, when you reach your later years, as I have, you can see what people need to talk about just by looking in their eyes."

Alex shook her head before looking at the cards before her. "Yes, it's a boy," she admitted. "And I'm certain you know him."

"Who?"

"Fred Weasley."

Rosmerta gasped. "A fifth year?! Alexandria Selwyn, you little minx!"

A loud laugh escaped Alex. "Nothing has happened between us like that!" She quickly reassured. "I'm only fourteen, after all."

"Oh, sweetheart, I had my first kiss by the time I was twelve," Rosmerta teased with a wink.

"I haven't had my first kiss," Alex told her. "I mean, a guy pecked my lips, but it was to get rid of some mistletoe that would have followed us around until we kissed someone, but we both agreed it didn't count as our first kiss."

"Who was this?" Rosmerta asked with a suspicious look.

Alex blushed as she let her gaze fall because she knew she'd get teased. "Cedric Diggory."

Rosmerta gasped again. "Alex!"

"We're just friends!" She quickly clarified. "We've been helping each other study in subjects we both struggle in."

"Sure," Rosmerta continued to tease. "I did plenty of studying in my time at Hogwarts as well."

Alex laughed and chucked a flavored bean at the older woman, who laughed as well. "I'm serious!" She told her.

"Alright, alright," Rosmerta spoke, looking at Alex with a soft smile. "You're only friends with Cedric and there's something with Fred going on?"

A heavy sigh left Alex. "Well, nothing's going on with Fred because he said he doesn't want to be my friend anymore," she admitted, tears welling in her eyes over their argument just a few days prior.

"What happened?" Rosmerta asked softly.

Alex then told her everything, starting with before the school year started and how flirty they had been. Then how she had befriended Cedric and that annoyed Fred for some reason and how he was still flirtatious with her and how they had almost kissed a couple times. And then she ended with the argument they had in Hogsmeade, though she left out how it was about the twins giving Harry the Marauder's Map.

"Wow," Rosmerta stated. "Sounds like he's fighting his feelings."

"So what does that mean for me?" Alex asked.

Rosmerta grabbed the young girl's hand. "It means that you need to talk to him, clear the air of hostility between you two, and go from there."

With a small nod, Alex agreed. When the holidays were over and everyone was back at school, Alex would seek Fred out and talk to him.

After turning in that night, Alex laid in bed, smiling over how much better the day had gone, even the conversation at the end of the night about her boy troubles.  She couldn't help but wonder what Harry, Ron, and Hermione were doing but she missed them, even if the boys weren't speaking to her.  Drifting off to sleep, she thought of what she would say to Harry and Fred next time she saw them.

☽

The break went by way too quickly. Alex spent her days down in the Three Broomsticks, helping Rosmerta out as a server or doing any tasks that were needed. At night, they would return to the flat and end the night playing some sort of game or simply talking. It was comforting to Alex to be back with Rosmerta.

Part of her did think that she saw Rosmerta as a motherly figure, though no one could replace her actual mother, regardless of the situation she was in.  In fact, spending so much time with Rosmerta made Alex miss her mum even more. And she thought of what Fudge had told her, about her mother being spotted with Sirius Black and that made her worry more for her safety. But there wasn't much Alex could do.

During the New Years celebration at the Inn, Alex had never seen a more rambunctious group of witches, wizards, and so many more magical beings.  She had fun that night, drinking butterbeer, and celebrating the new year with those around.

When the time came to head back to Hogwarts, she dreaded it slightly because she knew she'd be questioned about the Firebolt by Harry. Yes, they had gotten them mysteriously but Alex's had come with a note and she knew Harry would want to know what that note said.

"Alright, you've got everything?" Madam Rosmerta asked as Alex gathered her belongings to walk into the fireplace.

"Yes, I'm sure," the younger girl laughed before wrapping her arms around Rosmerta with a grunt. "Even if I forget something, I can grab anything I forgot during the next Hogsmeade weekend."

Rosmerta smiled before pulling away. "Alright, well, you'd better hurry back, McGonagall is expecting you. And don't forget to talk to Fred!"

"I will!" Alex laughed with a blush.

Taking a handful of Floo powder into her hand and stepping into the green flames, Alex waved goodbye to Rosmerta before calling out, "Professor McGonagall's office!"

The feeling of being sucked down overcame Alex and then she stumbled forward right into McGonagall's desk. She was able to steady herself before looking up to see McGonagall walking into her office with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you alright, Miss Selwyn?"

"Yeah," Alex told her. "I just always stumble when traveling by Floo Powder."

McGonagall only shook her head with a smile before excusing Alex to go back to Gryffindor Tower. Just before walking out of the office, she turned back to look at the professor.

"Has there been any progress on mine and Harry's Firebolts?" She asked.

Without looking up, McGonagall shook her head.  "Not yet, but I guarantee that when I ensure they are both safe, you will both get them back."

"And did the note attached to mine reveal anything?"

Again, McGonagall shook her head. "I know I've heard the names before," she told her truthfully. "I just can't remember from where."

"That's okay," Alex told her. "Just let me know if you ever do recall it."

"I will, Miss Selwyn. Now go on back to Gryffindor Tower."

Alex bid the professor goodbye before exiting her office and heading back to the common room.  Everyone had returned back from their holidays that morning, so the corridors were filled with more students now. Alex couldn't help but keep her eyes peeled for the familiar red head, but she couldn't see him.

Eventually, she made it back to the common room to find it busy with people showing off the things they had received for Christmas. She still didn't see Fred and decided she'd find him later. Quietly, she made her way back up to the her dorm room to find Parvati and Lavender gushing over some kind of make-up they both had gotten for Christmas. Hermione was on the bed, thoroughly reading through a book about Hippogriffs but looked up when the door opened.

"You're back!" She gushed with excitement before throwing her arms around Alex, who hugged her back with just as much enthusiasm. "I've been so lonely this whole break, the boys aren't speaking to me."

"Why?" Alex asked with concern.

"Because I told McGonagall about Harry's Firebolt," Hermione responded. "They're both very cross with me."

Alex scoffed. "You were just trying to protect Harry," she reassured her. "There is nothing wrong with that!"

Hermione only shrugged. "It won't make much of a difference."

Before Alex could respond, she heard her name being yelled at from down in the common room.  She set her bags down before running to ledge overlooking the common room with Hermione to see Oliver Wood standing there with Harry and Ron.

"You've had a Firebolt since your birthday?!" He exclaimed with his hands on his hips, one would've thought he was scolding his child.

Alex's eyes widened as she meekly nodded, grabbing Hermione's hand for support.  "I didn't think it was safe to use and I still had my Comet that was working perfectly."

"But we could have won that game against Hufflepuff!" Wood argued.

"How?" She asked. "If I was the one flying the Firebolt, it wouldn't have made much of a difference because Harry wouldn't be the one flying it - Why am I defending myself?! It was a personal decision and I don't have to explain myself!"

Wood reeled back when she yelled at him from the balcony, causing everyone in the common room to quiet down at her outburst. She stomped back into the room with Hermione following her but Alex was angry.

"The nerve he has to question my decision!" Alex grumbled as she began to unpack her bags from the trip. "And Ron is probably the one who told him!"

"Don't worry, Alex," Hermione told her with a hand on her shoulder. "At least we'll have each other to defend, right?"

With a smile, Alex nodded. If Harry and Ron were going to continue being prats to Hermione, Alex wouldn't sit by and let her be alone. It just wasn't in her nature.

☽

The next morning, Alex and Hermione walked into the Great Hall, ready for the first day back of classes. They sat at the Gryffindor table together, ignoring the glances that Harry and Ron were giving them. Alex could see that Harry wanted to talk to her but hadn't worked up the courage to yet.

"Alex!" A voice called and she looked up from her breakfast to see the twins walking up to where they sat.

"Hello boys," she greeted, giving a somewhat forced smile to Fred, which he returned. She could hear Rosmerta's words on her mind about how she needed to talk to Fred. "Good holiday?"

"Yeah!" George told her with a smile. "Thank you for the presents, we really appreciate it!"

Alex smiled.  "Of course, hopefully it helps with your future endeavors."

"Oh, they will," Fred teased with a wink before pulling out the leatherback notebook that you could tie with a strap with Fred's initials in the corner, George's was matching with his own initials.

"What's the big deal about a notebook?" Hermione asked curiously.

Fred and George smirked while Alex tried to hide the smile on her lips as she sipped her pumpkin juice. "Why don't you find out?" Fred set his notebook down and slid it across the table. "Open it."

Hermione looked at Alex questioningly, but she only smirked as she watched Hermione grab the notebook. Carefully, Hermione pulled the string and went to open the actual notebook, but the second she did, screams of profanity began yelling at her about how it wasn't her notebook and to keep her prying eyes out of it.

Immediately, Hermione chucked the notebook back at Fred while he, George, and Alex were in stitches of laughter. Eventually, Hermione cracked a smile and shook her head.

"You would get them something like that," she teased Alex.

She shrugged. "I remember Fred mentioning once about how he hated the prying eyes from his family over his and George's plans, so I thought they could help."

Fred perked up. "You remembered that conversation?"

Alex looked up from her breakfast to see him looking at her with soft eyes that made her blush slightly. "Yeah," she told him. "I've been researching the charms to set on the notebooks since then when I thought to get you them for Christmas."

Hermione smirked from beside Alex as she watched the older twin offer the dark-haired girl a sincere smile. George, too, smirked as he watched the interaction before the bell rang, signaling the start of lessons.

"We'll see you later!" Alex called to them before following Hermione outside to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures. The blush on her face was luckily masked by the cold wind, which made her pale cheeks a rosy color. Hermione glanced back at the castle before looking at Alex, who tugged her scarf tighter around her neck.

"It's monkey's outside, wouldn't you say so, 'Mione?" Alex asked, trying to make Hermione forget the interaction she saw between her and Fred.

"Save the distractions, Alex," Hermione responded. "Do you have feelings for Fred?"

Alex's eyes widened at how blunt Hermione could be. Not only that, but she was spot on for how she was feeling but she didn't want to admit that.  Talking to Rosmerta about was hard enough.

"No," she began sputtering, very obviously lying.

Hermione gave her a pointed look as they made it to Hagrid's hut for class. "You do remember that we've been friends since first year, right?" Alex gulped and nodded. "So I think we can tell when the other is lying, yes?"

Alex let out a groan, earning a few glances from the students around, including Ron and Harry, who were still keeping their distance. "Hermione, I love you, but please keep your mouth shut," Alex told her. "The last thing I should be worried about right now is boys, especially with someone like my father on the loose," she whispered that last part to her.

With a shake of her head, Hermione let the subject go as they huddled closer because of the cold January weather. It was clear that none of them wanted to be out there for the class, but Hagrid walked out, holding a metal box with a big smile on his face.

"Got a real treat ter keep ye all warm," he told them before walking over to a fire pit just to the side of his hut.

All of the students followed right behind before he dumped what looked like slugs at first glance but when they began to scramble around the logs, Alex immediately recognized them. She had seen them plenty when living in Romania on cold nights when the workers would make a bonfire to keep warm.

"Fire salamanders," she spoke with a smile as she came to stand right by Hagrid.

He nodded happily before instructing the class to gather dry wood and leaves to keep that fire alive. Before she could join the other students, Hagrid called her name and she walked back over to where he stood.

"Are ye doin' okay?" he asked with a sincere smile.

"As well as can be expected, Hagrid," she told him with a shrug. "Hermione's talking to me again and we're working together on the case for Buckbeak. I should be hearing back from that expert in Romania soon."

Hagrid got a little teary-eyed at her words. "Thank ye so much, Alex," he told her. "Now go join the others."

After the lesson was over, Alex and Hermione trekked back up to the castle before Hermione quickly excused herself just as they were about to head to Muggle Studies. Alex watched her walk off with a curious look before she felt someone tap her shoulder and turned to see Harry standing there, Ron not too far behind him.

"Harry," she spoke breathlessly before clearing her throat. "What do you want?"

"There was a letter attached to your broomstick," he stated. Slowly, Alex nodded. "What did it say?"

She didn't know why, but his tone annoyed her. He hadn't spoken to her in a few weeks and now that he was, it was just to get information. She knew that he had a right to be upset but if he let her explain, they wouldn't be in this mess.

"Really?" She snapped. "Is that all you care about? Just what some stupid note said?"

"Well, mine didn't come with one-"

"But why should it make a difference if mine did?"

"Because maybe we could find who sent us those broomsticks and get them back for the upcoming match!" Harry exclaimed.

"Well, I can't give you any identifying names, so sorry to get your hopes up," she responded. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

She went to walk towards Muggle Studies when Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Why didn't you tell me?!" He demanded.

A heavy sigh left her. She knew this was coming and he obviously didn't want to put it off any longer. "How do you explain something like that to your friend?" She asked, neither of them noticing the small crowd forming around them. "We have known each other for a few years. Now ask yourself, have I ever betrayed you once in all that time? When we lost all those house points in first year? When people believed you to be the Heir of Slytherin last year? Did I ever turn my back on you once?  I certainly had the opportunity to several times, but did I?"

When Harry was silent as he thought back on it, she continued, "You have been hurt enough, Harry. Whether you believe it or not, I am not like my father."

"But by not telling me about him, you only made things worse!" He exclaimed.

"I know that now, Harry!" She responded, tears welling in her eyes.

"If you had just been honest from the beginning and told me your dad was Sirius Black, we wouldn't be in this mess!" He yelled, causing several people around her to gasp.

Both Harry and Alex suddenly realized how big the crowd around them had gotten. And they had all heard what Harry had said. The whispers began as people looked at Alex with caution and she felt her stomach tighten with anxiety.

"Thanks a lot," she spat before running away, not bothering to head to her Muggle Studies classroom.  She didn't want to go to any of her classes for the rest of the day.

She found an empty corridor where no one would bother her as she collapsed against the wall. It was only a matter of time before everyone else found out about her parentage but the fact that it was so widely announced made it that much more humiliating.

"Alex?"

A soft gasp escaped her lips as she looked up to see Fred walking up to her, his brow furrowed when he saw her crying. She quickly wiped her tears as he came and sat next to her. They remained silent before Fred looked at her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Her gaze fell. He'd be finding out that everyone knew sooner or later, so it didn't hurt to talk about it. "Harry just announced to half the student body who my dad is," she told him. "By this time tomorrow, I will most likely be an outcast."

Fred looked at her with a sad smile. He didn't know what he could say at that moment to comfort her. But remembering their fight before Christmas, he knew where to start. "I'm sorry," he spoke. "Not just about Harry announcing to the school about your dad, but our fight in Hogsmeade."

She looked up at him and sniffled. "I'm sorry too," she responded. "We both said harsh things, I think we can admit that."

He sighed, his gaze on the floor.  "You didn't say anything harsh, Alex," he spoke.  "It was all me and I was a complete and utter arse for saying all those things."

"Why did you?" She asked looking up at him.  She knew they needed to talk about it, so this was her taking the initiative to talk about it.

Fred felt his throat tighten for a second.  He could admit right there that he was developing feelings for her and they could see where it went.  But with how her day was going, it seemed like the last thing she needed, just more to dump on her emotional plate.

"I just didn't want you to get hurt," he told her.  "You're one of my friends and I'd hate for you to be hurt by someone like Diggory."

Alex chuckled softly.  "Cedric and I decided that were better off as friends anyway," she responded.  "And that kiss that you saw was to get rid of some enchanted mistletoe that would have followed us around until we both kissed another person.  It didn't mean anything."

Fred let out a sigh of relief internally before looking at Alex.  "So you're not together?"

She shook her head.  "In fact, boys are the last thing on my mind right now with this whole situation with my dad."

At her words, Fred's chest tightened.  She wasn't going to pursue any boys at the moment because of her dad and he couldn't blame her.  In that moment, Fred pushed his feelings to the back of his mind because what Alex needed was a friend and he would be that for her.

"That makes sense," he told her.  "So are we okay?  Friends again?"  He offered her his hand to shake.

Even though her chest tightened at his words, she grabbed his hand and shook it.  "Yeah, we're friends."

"Good," he smiled before realization crossed his face. "I got you something - well, made you something for Christmas."

"Oh yeah?" Alex asked as he dug out the leather bound notebook she had got him from his bag and pulled a piece of paper from it.

She looked at the drawing before her and smiled. It was a very well done drawing of a Hebridean Black dragon and it flew around the paper, breathing fire every once in awhile.  Running her fingers down the paper, she looked up Fred, who was watching her.

"This picture is beautiful, thank you," she told him.  "But how did you know a Hebridean Black dragon was my favorite?"

"Oh, I wrote to Charlie, who talked to Velkan, who knew," he told her with a shrug.

The thought made her chest tighten with anticipation over how much effort he had put into not only drawing the dragon for her, but finding out her favorite dragon.

"Thank you," she repeated before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek, causing them both to flush a deep red color and avoid eye contact.

☽

Margot Robbie as Madam Rosmerta

Because it's my birthday, I decided to be nice and post a new chapter! Fred's cute little gift to Alex, my heart for these two ugh!!!

Guys, I'm 25 now, what the heck????? Anyways, hope y'all have a good day!

Don't forget to vote and comment!

Love you guys!

-Squid☽