Feel free to check out my other book "Dating Blindly". I will be grateful if you do.
~*~*~

A knock on the door broke Alexa's trance. The bluish-white light emerging from the tip of her wooden stick dispersed in the air around her. She turned around to look at Anthony who was still smiling at her. She smiled back and motioned him inside.

Anthony pushed the door slightly and entered her room for the summer.

"Hey!" He greeted. Dressed in traditional black robes, he was looking dashing. The green shirt beneath his robe was announcing his Slytherin pride.

"Hi!" Alexa replied. Her smile was still present on her lips. "I see that you are ready to greet the guests tonight." She observed.

"Yeah." His icy blue eyes glowed. "Graybacks are coming along with McLaggens. Are you sure you don't want to meet Logan?"

"I would rather not."Alexa's smile faltered a little before her smile blown fully. "Besides, I know he will be busy trying his best to get away from you and Rebekah."

Anthony looked flushed. Damn! Everyone knew about him and Rebekah. He mentally cursed himself as he took a seat on the chair, in front of her twin-sized bed.

"Don't let her know that I told this, but I think you two are really cute together," Alexa whispered as she sat across from him. Her tone was so small as if she was afraid of being caught.

Anthony grinned. "I know that, but thanks for letting me know that we have your blessings. I know my father will appreciate your support."

"Speaking of Mr Avery, do you know why did he let me stay at your place?" Alexa hushed again. "Don't take me wrong, I am just curious." She added immediately.

"I don't know the whole story, but from what I was told, it was Professor Dumbledore who requested my father for this arrangement."

"Why does he listen to Professor this sincerely?"

"As you know dad is an Auror. In fact, has been before I was even born. Professor had helped him in very critical cases many times. And thus, like all of us, he never questioned Professor Dumbledore's knowledge and abilities. He once told me that we must stick to our kind if we want to survive in this muggle-dominated world, especially when they are creating weapons to destroy their own kind." Anthony shivered as he spoke his last sentence.

Alexa hesitated before she spoke her next sentence, " Mr Avery doesn't discriminate against people based on their blood, does he?"

Anthony looked into her eyes. His eyes shone the amusement he felt at her directness. "No, he doesn't. Not at least to the extent usually pure-bloods do. He says magic is too precious to be discriminated."

"Then why did he accept Rebekah for you when you two were so young?"

"What I meant is that he supports education to all, as far as his bloodline stays pure," Anthony laughed. There was no hint of bitterness in his laughter. "I know this is hypocritical, but hey, at least he doesn't insult half-bloods and muggle-borns. You can't expect a guy to magically abandon his ancient beliefs instantly. It takes generations to accept the change like that. Besides I get to marry the girl I like."

"Well, that's true. It's like a Win-Win situation for you and him." Alexa added. "I am sure Ares will agree with you when he grows up."

Ares was Anthony's younger brother. He turned eleven a few weeks back and was going to start his education this year at Hogwarts. And from what Alexa had seen he was not as free-minded as his elder brother. Though she was never going to spell it out loud, she thought of him as a typical spoilt rich pureblood snob, just like his mother Mrs Rebony Avery. Alexa thanked her stars when she realized Anthony was a replica of his father. Maybe that was the reason why he was his daddy's boy.

"Yeah," Anthony replied. Like before, his tone held no shallowness. It made it clear that the boy did love his younger sibling dearly.

"What about you? Do you have a sibling or cousin?" Anthony asked.

"No and no. At least I know none. I have been an only child since forever and I met my aunt for the first time when I was eight, so I have no idea about her life before that." Alexa shivered as she recalled their first meet. The one which was followed by her last interaction with her mother.

"The one whom you faked as your mum?" His bluntness never allowed him to be discrete.

Alexa narrowed her eyes at the boy and folded her hands in front of her chest. Anthony was sure she was trying to look intimidating but was failing because even while sitting he was towering her petite form by good four inches. By her posture, she reminded him of his best friend, but it was nowhere near as effective as that one of the latter.

"Yeah, the same one." Her voice turned serious. "How do you know my aunt Sienna?"

"I might have done a little background checking on you," Anthony replied. If he felt some shame, he hid it perfectly.

"And what did you find?" She demanded. The darkness that now clouded her almost violet eyes gained the complete attention of the boy in front of her. The latter found himself unable to lying, the skill that he found handy against his younger brother.

"That she was a squib and died sometime back."

Alexa closed her eyes and exhaled heavily. He knew. He knew about her aunt. That meant he-who-she-shall-not-name also knew. After all, this boy and the one who claimed her last year were best buddies. How long will it take for him to read all her family secrets? There is nothing she could do than confessing what she knew was safe.

"My aunt wanted a life which was filled with love and family, but what she desired the most was magic. She was jealous of my mum. For her, living with my parents was a continuous reminder of what she could have had. That was the reason why she never contacted us on her own. And to be honest with you, I don't blame her. She was a pure-blood squib. How unfortunate could she be! In her shoe, I would have done the same, maybe even worse."

Alexa's eyes were still closed. It was like she was actually imagining the faces of her family members.

"My father never talked about her, because he loved her so much that it hurt him to remember their childhood. In addition, he didn't want to be a cause of her pain. That was one of the reasons, he never reached out for her. It was my mum who contacted her on my fifth birthday. When my aunt saw my photo for the first time, I knew she loved me, because I looked just like her when she was young. The only physical difference was her trademarked red hairs. She was beyond ecstatic to see I was magical and even metamorphmagus. However, we never met until I was eight. She had her reasons, and we had ours."

"What reasons?" Anthony asked. He was intrigued by the story of her aunt.

"I can't tell you." Alexa opened her eyes and looked at him directly. "It is not because I love to hide them from you. It is for your own good. Secrets are supposed to be hidden, Anthony. Don't go looking for them, because I don't want to lose another soul."

~

Anthony turned on his right side. Then he turned to his left. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips. He sat up in his bed and ran a hand in his already messy hairs hastily. He looked to his left to see it was one in the morning. It was unusual for a heavy sleeper like him to not have a peaceful slumber.

I don't want to lose another soul.

The end of his conversation with Alexa was ringing through his head.

What did she mean by that, he wondered.

"Forgive me, Alexa."

Muttering to himself, he grabbed his robe, put on his shoes and left his room.

~

"Goldstein... "

"Goldstein... "

"Damn! Where is it?"

Anthony ran his hand through his hairs. His left hand was holding his wand out which was his only source of light in the dark place that his father called his old office. It was a place where his father placed stuff that he considered outdated.

"Ah! Here it is."

He finally found the folder he was looking for. The dark red folder had a tag of name "Goldstein" dangling across its spine. He hoped it contained the information he sought.

After thinking long, Anthony decided to take a look at the records of pureblood wizards. Ministry of magic always believed in the documentation. They made records about every magical child that born in England. It included basic information like the name of a person, date of birth, marital status, spouse if the person in concern had one, everything that might be needed for an emergency. It was an old method of keeping track. Now, since they had different means, they considered these documents useless. However, his father had a different idea. Since Averys were one of the richest and reputed magical families ministry gave them permission to keep those records in their household library. The use restricted only for official purposes. Since he was his father's favourite, he had this privileged access.

If she looks just like her aunt, that means she resembles her father. Why didn't he think of this before? Anthony cursed.

Goldstein was not an unusual surname. One could find it both in the muggle and magical world. Maybe that was the reason why he missed this fact before. Or maybe it was because he never felt intrigued enough to notice it.

He turned the first page.

It read Travis Goldstein.

No, Anthony concluded, since the man had different facial features. 

He turned the page.

Roger Goldstein.

Anthony drew the same conclusion.

He turned the page again.

Silvia Goldstein.

Salazar! He was looking for a man. Not a woman.

He turned the page once more.

Adrian Goldstein.

Not thinking twice, he turned another page.

Wait! He reverted back. He looked at the picture. The resemblance was there. It looked like the man was in his teen years. He had black hairs and the same chocolate eyes. A deep scar was running across his face did not ruin his handsomeness. He was looking at the camera flashing an uneasy smile, clearly showing his awkward personality. His posture was showing that he lacked self-confidence. Merlin! From what he could see, this man had to be Alex's father. His personality was the same as that of the said girl.

Anthony read the basic information section.

Name: Adrian Goldstein

DOB: 18th January 1897

Sibling: Sienna Winters (née Goldstein).

Marital status: married.

Spouse: Gemmalynn Goldstein (née Grindelwald)

What?

Anthony did a double-take.

What the hell! Was Alexa related to the infamous dark wizard? Was this the reason for her hiding herself? Is this why she didn't use her actual surname. The folder left unattended as these thoughts consumed Anthony's mind.

~*~*~

I hope you liked this chapter. I decided to finally give the backstory of Alexa.

#Fact: Adrian Winters (Cousin of Alexa) is named after Adrian Goldstein (Father of Alexa) to indicate that Alexa's aunt loved her brother despite their conflicts.

Anyway, I hope the chapter makes up for everything. Please let me know what do you think Anthony should do, now that he knows Alexa's background. Do you think he should tell Tom everything? Well, there is still more in the store, but your suggestions matter a lot.

If you want to read more, please vote and share this story with your friends. Your support motivates me.

Thank you all!!!