TAINTED BLOOD!
traditions.

        IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS, ALEXANDRA FELT LIKE AN UNSUSPECTING EXPLORER WHO'D FALLEN PREY TO AN UNFORGIVING PIT OF QUICKSAND. Several hands kept on reaching for her, struggling to grasp one of the witch's limbs to free her from her prison, yet, no matter how hard she thrashed and pulled, each attempt to reach firm land proved fruitless. Such was Alexandra's anxiety, an all-consuming emotion that threatened to swallow her whole.

Thoughts ran rampant as different scenarios regarding her upcoming visit to Nurmengard plagued Alexandra's mind, preventing the witch from focusing on everyday tasks. There was no need for coffee or potions, for sleep often evaded the Grindelwald girl no matter how much she willed herself to get caught in its smothering embrace.

Already perceived as cold by many, the weeks that followed the meeting in the Headmaster's office had seen a progressive distancing and detachment of Alexandra from all those she did not know well. Smiles and chatter in public settings ( even if in the presence of her friends ) had become rare occurrences, the stony demeanour she'd become infamous for throughout the Wizarding World ( as a result of an article written by Rita Skeeter ) gracing her features more often than not.

People often found solace in the presence of others, craving human contact above all else. However, Alexandra sought loneliness when in need of quelling her emotions, silence drowning out the witch's thoughts, and quieting the voice within her head.

The Forbidden Forest had become her sanctuary, long showers a soothing balm, tidying her sleeping quarters a welcomed distraction. When all else failed, Alexandra sought comfort in a steaming hot cup of chamomile tea.

While days seemed to blur by, nights dragged on – inescapable nightmares haunting the witch each time sleep managed to overtake her.

Alexandra had stopped relying on the Dreamless Sleep potion, unwilling to become enslaved to it. Her decision had been a wise one, yet regret lingered, for she'd soon discovered that the absence of the veil carried consequences of its own. Her nightmares had become less cryptic, and soon enough, she'd realised that what she'd been forced to bear witness to were none other than Gellert's memories. Each time sleep overpowered her tired mind, Alexandra was forced to live through a different event; and while those present failed to sense her presence, the same couldn't be said for the witch's wicked grandfather.

Luckily, gone were the days Alexandra had to carry the burden of her predicament on her own. Those Alexandra had trusted with the truth did not judge her, nor did they look at the witch any differently; their support was unparalleled.

A muggle writer had once stated that 'every cloud has a silver lining', and, while Alexandra happened to be quite the realist, even the girl couldn't help but agree with that woman.

By the 8th of March, Hogwarts had seen its fair share of excitement and drama; from the Second Task to Hermione's appearance in Witch Weekly, one couldn't deny that the current school year was far from mundane.

However, it wasn't the general buzzing excitement that had led Alexandra to seek peace and comfort on the Forbidden Forest's outskirts, but rather the fact that the following day she would have had to go to Nurmengard to meet with her grandfather.

Anxiety had morphed into dread, and, upon exiting the Great Hall, the witch's senses had gone into overdrive. The castle's walls had begun to feel constricting, robbing Alexandra of oxygen as they started to close in on her. She could only faintly recall her fists shaking, her laboured breathing having alerted her friends.

Alexandra had fled in haste, her feet carrying her where she now sat on the cold, damp grass.

So far, no one had sought her out, allowing the teen to steady her breathing as she buried both hands in the soft ground.

She knew her peace wouldn't have lasted long, yet Alexandra was taken aback when Aron approached her with a sense of urgency.

Her lips remained parted, words failing the witch as Aron lifted her in a hurry. "You've got to come with me. Now!" Panic laced the boy's tone, wide eyes conveying both fear and shock.

Aron's long and quick strides caused Alexandra to stumble, her short legs putting her at a disadvantage as her twin dragged her towards the school.

"What happened?" She queried, her shoulder roughly connecting with that of a younger wizard as they moved through the halls. "Aron, talk to me! Is anyone hurt? What is this all about?" But, no matter how much she pried, the boy never offered her an explanation.

Focused on her twin's rushed movements, Alexandra had failed to recognise the familiar room she was being guided to. Just as she readied herself to demand an explanation, the door in front of the Grindelwald siblings swung open, revealing an uncharacteristically silent kitchen.

"Surprise!" Freya and Blaise chorused as they stepped out from their hiding spots, halting behind a large wooden table covered by several objects and ingredients.

Confused, Alexandra sent her twin a questioning glance. "What in Rowena Ravenclaw's name is going on here?" She queried, eyes quickly darting to the other two occupants of the room.

A proud smile lit up Freya's features as she finally addressed the puzzled and hesitant witch ( she was not to blame for such reaction; after all, the trio of friends were known for often pranking one another ). "Since you pulled a 'Helena Ravenclaw' on your birthday, being all broody and skipping it for the first time in years, we all decided to throw you a belated party." Pointing an accusatory finger at Alexandra, the curly girl's features turned stern, her tone commanding. "And before you try to weasel yourself out of this to go and be all miserable somewhere else, know that we had to bribe every last elf to get the kitchens to ourselves."

The corners of Alexandra's lips twitched upwards into a ghost of a smile, the image of her best friend and brother's attempting to sweet-talk the moody elves forcing her to bite back a chuckle. What a sight for sore eyes it must have been!

"You," Alexandra whirled around, a dimpled beaming smile ( one that her friends had feared they'd never see again ) gracing her features, her tone loving as she addressed her taller twin. "Come here."

Aron Grindelwald didn't need to be told twice; resting his hands on Alexandra's back and popping his chin onto her shoulder, he pulled his twin in a tender embrace. Their significant gap in height had forced him to hunch over, the slight discomfort long-forgotten the moment the witch returned his hug.

A sudden long and whirring sound caused the Grindelwald twins to pull apart, their smiles unwavering as a loud laugh tumbled from both their lips.

"I had to capture the moment," Blaise explained in his usual nonchalant tone before placing the wizarding camera Alexandra had received for her birthday on a small counter to the side.

"Well, since we're all here now, why don't we start on this cake?" Aron's tone resembled that of a child on Christmas, his eagerness and excitement clear as the summer's sky as he squeezed his twin's shoulder before detaching himself from the witch.

Alexandra's eyebrows shot up immediately, eyes wider than they'd ever been. "You can't be serious," She gasped, shocked that her twin had agreed to such a plan. "The last time the two of us tried to bake something, we almost set our house on fire." She could still recall her mother's dejected expression as she put out the flames while her father chortled loudly at the sight of the siblings covered in soot. To this day, if one was to inspect the wall behind their stove, they would have noticed a couple of faint black streaks courtesy of the twins' mishap.

"Keyword, almost." Forefinger raised, Aron smiled at his exasperated twin who rolled her eyes and shook her head in response. "Come on, it'll all be fine." His optimism was unwavering, hands clasping the witch's shoulders before he proceeded to guide her to the other side of the wooden table. "Freya knows how to bake the muggle-way."

"The muggle-way?" Blaise repeated in utter shock as he took a step backwards and away from the cluttered surface. "Oh, no, no, no. I didn't sign up for this." With both hands raised in surrender, the Slytherin boy shook his head vehemently. "I'd rather sit through two hours of Divination, drowning in those fumes, than taking part in this torture."

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the vainest of them all?" Alexandra mockingly sang the rhyme she often used on the boy, her amused expression a stark contrast to Blaise's annoyed one. "Come on, getting your hands a little dirty is not going to ruin your looks forever." She jested while readying herself to follow Freya's instructions.

He should have been unfazed by his twin's behaviour by now, yet, to that day, Aron still wondered how Alexandra could appear so detached and unfeeling around others, but drop the mask the moment she was around her friends.

How much self-control could one possess to act like that?

A smile slowly crept onto Aron's lips as he observed Alexandra playfully run her hand across Blaise's head, laughter spilling from her lips as their adoptive brother swatted at her arm. Moments like this reminded him of the utterly carefree kid Alexandra had once been, one who had no use for masks nor jars to lock and protect her emotions in. Aron often blamed himself for the partial death of her innocence; the accident that had occurred when they were both far too young still fresh in his mind.

At times, the Grindelwald boy envied his sister; she radiated confidence even if she lacked self-acceptance, never cowering from those who dared cross her or those she loved. While Alexandra was strength personified in his eyes, Aron considered himself far too weak at times, often relying on his twin for protection.

Pushing his never-ending ( and pointless ) guilt aside, Aron joined the others behind the wooden table.

"Daydreaming again?" Alexandra asked, her soft smile causing his heart to clench as he pictured a younger version of his twin uttering those same words.

The Grindelwald boy quickly averted his eyes, biting his lip out of habit as he lied to his sister. "Something like that." He whispered. "We better listen to Freya before she decides to take a page out of your book and hex us both."

"Let's just hope we don't set another kitchen on fire. I doubt Dumbledore would be as amused as dad was." Alexandra remarked with an amused snort. "Besides, how hard can this be?"

As it turned out, the white-haired witch had severely underestimated the complexity of baking a sponge cake. Many would have found the task easy to accomplish, but the same couldn't be said for the three pureblood wizards who tackled the baking process as if it were one of their O.W.L.'s exams. It was hard to fathom how muggles could consider baking a relaxing pastime, especially considering the level of precision such task required and the ache that spread throughout each of their limbs the moment they allowed themselves to take a breather.

Finally sat at the once clattered table, each teen clung to a hot beverage, their uniforms back to their pristine conditions after they'd all used their wands to cast quick cleaning spells on each other.

It had been Freya who broke the silence. "Okay, I've gotta ask, why is Professor Moody always staring at you? Merlin, if he wasn't a professor, I'd think he was a creep... or worse. Although considering the Defence Against the Dark Arts' professors we've had over the years, I wouldn't rule that possibility out."

"Quirrell the thief, Lockhart the fraud, and now a former Auror who seems to enjoy casting the Imperius Curse on us, students." Blaise shook his head. "All of this thanks to those stupid twats in my House who decided to out Professor Lupin. Who cares if he is a werewolf – he was the best professor we've ever had, and he never hurt anyone. Now we're stuck with a drunken nut-job."

Guilt was a terrible emotion, for it clawed at your insides, its grey hands reaching for your heart and squeezing it painfully to remind you of your failures.

Alexandra was well acquainted with guilt, for it resided within her on the daily. Amongst the sources of her guilt were the secrets she'd been keeping since the end of her third year; Sirius Black's innocence and current freedom, Peter Pettigrew's survival and betrayal, and, last but not least, the close encounter with the beast that lurked within Remus Lupin.

With no intention of addressing or correcting Blaise's statement in regards to their previous Defence Against the Dark Arts' professor, Alexandra indulged in a long sip of hot coffee before parting her lips to speak. "I don't know what Moody's deal is," She truthfully admitted. "What I do know is that I don't trust the man. There's something off about him, and his interest in both Harry and myself doesn't really help his case. Back when I was avoiding you, I found him following me more than once. I tried to tell Harry not to trust him, but he thought I was just paranoid."

"To be fair, if it was up to you, you wouldn't even trust your own shadow," Blaise argued, a ghost of a smirk betraying his bored tone.

Eyes narrowed, Alexandra whacked her adoptive brother in the chest, his disgruntled gasp causing both Freya and Aron to laugh at his expense.

Much to everyone's amusement ( even the target's himself ), Oaksett, who'd been sitting on the table enjoying a sugar cube, wasted no time to mimic his saviour's actions, thin wooden arms hitting Blaise's hands multiple times.

"Bad Blaise, bad, bad, bad. No offending my best friend. Bad, bad, bad." The tiny creature jeered, his quick clicks translating into words only Alexandra could understand. Feisty and protective, the bowtruckle prevented a guffawing Blaise from avoiding the onslaught of his hits.

"Oaks, hey, that was Blaise's poor attempt at a joke." Alexandra snickered, offering her outstretched hand for the bowtruckle to climb on.

"No fun." Oaksett crossed his arms, childishly blowing raspberries at the Slytherin boy.

Attempting ( and failing ) to reign his laughter in, Aron shook his head at his twin. "And here I thought bowtruckles were peaceful beasts. I think you're rubbing off on him, Alexandra."

"I can be peaceful." The Grindelwald girl argued, only for Freya, who'd been cooling the two halves of the cake, to chuckle.

"And I am the Queen of bloody England." The curly-haired witch countered as she began to spread jam on one side of the cake. "The only peaceful one in this room is our favourite, optimistic Hufflepuff."

"And what about me?"

"Passive-aggressive." Both Freya and Alexandra deadpanned, eyeing Blaise. The wizard raised both brows while pondering their answer before, eventually, nodding in acceptance.

As they waited for Freya to finish spreading a thick layer of whipped cream on top of the jelly, Alexandra bit her tongue nervously as she glanced at those who'd surprised her. Ever since she'd first stepped inside the kitchens, the teen had found herself wrestling with a nagging question that simply wouldn't let her be, one she could no longer avoid.

"Why did you guys decide to bake a cake of all things?" Upon noticing the confused glances sent her way, the white-haired witch proceeded to elaborate even further. "I know I skipped our birthday," Still ashamed of her own behaviour, Alexandra sought comfort in the family heirloom, fingers fiddling with the pendant. "But why did you decide to bake a cake to make up for it?"

Puzzled by her best friend's query, Freya turned around and gently placed the aforementioned cake on the table as she locked eyes with the Grindelwald witch. "There's one tradition we've all been sharing for the past three years," She reminded her as she shifted her gaze from one twin to the other.

Her siblings and best friend's thoughtfulness caused Alexandra's heart to flutter, a sincere and wide dimpled smile lighting up her features. "Blowing the candles on our birthday cake."

"How could I've forgotten that?" Alexandra mentally chided herself. "Now it all makes sense; Aron ditching his friends to spend time with mine, Freya insisting on baking my favourite cake, and Blaise sneaking into Ravenclaw Tower to grab my new camera."

No one but Blaise noticed the white-haired witch's smile wavering. Flinging his arm around her shoulders, the Slytherin boy scooted closer to his adoptive sister, pressing a brotherly kiss on her temple. "Even if one of us had to humiliate himself by begging his mother's latest husband for a ride just to be there." He chuckled while squeezing Alexandra's bicep reassuringly.

"Not to be rude," Freya piped up, only for the three other occupants of the room to tilt their heads in her direction and raise a brow challengingly. "Oh, sod off." She scoffed, rolling her eyes at the amused trio sitting at the table.

"I am sorry," Alexandra bit her lip in a vain attempt to stifle a laugh. "But you, worrying about the possibility of coming across as rude?" A loud snort was all it took for the three sitting teens to burst into laughter.

Arms crossed against her chest, Freya exhaled slowly. "Yeah, yeah. Keep going. Let it all out." She drawled, only to kick Aron in the leg upon noticing that the trio showed no intention to stop making fun of her anytime soon. The golden-haired boy hissed lowly, raising his hands in mock surrender and motioning for the duo sitting across from him to mimic his actions. "Are you done now? Good. What I was trying to say is that I am glad that that spiteful hag of your mother is no longer in your life, Blaise."

The Slytherin boy raised his empty mug in the air, Alexandra immediately following suit. "Hear hear!" They chorused as if Blaise had been a member of the Grindelwald family all along – part of a triplet instead of an adoptive brother.

Ever the kind one, Aron refused to badmouth the woman who'd birthed the boy sitting across from him, no matter how much she deserved it. Opting to change the subject at hand, the blonde boy focused on his twin. "There was no way we were gonna let you break the tradition this year."

"We would have invited your boyfriend," Freya added with a teasing smile curling at the corners of her lips. "But, unfortunately, Peeves had already recruited him."

Alexandra's face might have remained impassive, but there was no denying the panic that suddenly surged through her veins. "What boyfriend?" She asked calmly, her nerves going undetected due to years of controlling and hiding her emotions.

"Oh, don't play dumb," Blaise scolded her. "It doesn't suit you. Just admit it; you fancy Fred Weasley."

"Blaise..." Aron sighed as he shook his head in warning.

While she might have realised that she fancied Fred, Alexandra had no intention of admitting it out loud, for the moment she'd done so, there'd been no coming back. In a way, the Grindelwald witch was simply guarding her heart – shielding such fragile organ from the pain Fred's lack of romantic feelings towards her would have undoubtedly inflicted.

"I don't know what you're on about," Alexandra stated nonchalantly, brow raised and head shaking ever so slightly. "Besides, Fred and I are just friends."

The opinionated bowtruckle briefly glared at the Grindelwald witch, yet his accusing speech came to an immediate halt when Alexandra set a sugar cube before him.

She was beyond grateful that she was the only one who could understand Oaksett's ramblings, for the small beast happened to be the only one aware of the truth.

Her brothers and best friend's piercing stares caused Alexandra to grow oddly uncomfortable ( although, having mastered the talent of deception, the white-haired witch found it easy to disguise such a feeling ). They were waiting for her body to betray her, for her mask of indifference to slip and fall beyond her reach, for only then could they have read her real emotions.

"'Just friends'," Freya mockingly repeated, her stare unfaltering. "Ever since I met you, the two of you have been a lot of things, but 'just friends' has never been one of them."

Tilting her head to the side, Alexandra quirked a brow as she sarcastically addressed her best friend. "Do you need a bin for all the rubbish that's coming out of your mouth?"

"I swear, your stubbornness is one of the few constants in my life," Blaise shook his head, a hint of a smile betraying his otherwise annoyed tone.

Suddenly, much to Aron's relief, a loud popping sound interrupted their conversation.

"Dobby hopes he's not interrupting," The new addition to the group stated, his high-pitched voice successfully gaining everyone's attention.

Standing on top of the counter in front of Alexandra was a skinny elf with big, kind eyes and both feet and ears covered by several mismatched socks. As he stumbled forward, his eyes followed Freya's quick movements as the teen forced Blaise to stand up and Aron to sit next to his twin.

"Actually, you're right on time," Freya smiled reassuringly, handing him Alexandra's camera as Blaise lit two candles on the cake. "Make a wish!"

Like every other year, Blaise and Freya stood at either side of the twins, their hands lightly squeezing the teens' shoulders in a loving and supportive manner. Alexandra was utterly speechless, a wide dimpled smile curling at the corners of her lips as she squeezed Aron's hand on the table.

The whirring noise of the camera echoed in the kitchens as both twins blew the candles, the mechanic sound soon intermingling with the laughter that followed.

Thoughts of what was to come the following day momentarily faded as the Grindelwald witch relished in her siblings and best friend's company.

Fear might have been a worthy adversary, but happiness was a kind ally.

🙤 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🙦

AUTHOR'S NOTE

happy 1st of september and welcome back to hogwarts, everyone!

when someone tries to get alexandra to admit that she fancies fred:

this chapter contains a lot of subtle hints to what's to come!

remember! in this story, blaise is indeed different from canon. the reason is quite obvious; ever since his first year, he's surrounded himself with people who are the opposite to his canon 'gang'. alexandra's influence ( along with the others ) has helped him grow into a more open-minded person, one who doesn't judge others for being different ( see his true appreciation for remus lupin ). he's still our vain, loyal and nonchalant slytherin, but since his circumstances have changed, so has he.

also, as a slytherclaw myself, please do refrain from insulting slytherin house. this story doesn't aim to portray slytherin as an 'evil' house, but to give it the same respect and recognition as the others.

don't be shy and don't be a silent reader!

till next time!