Spellbound → Hermione Granger [1] ✔

I 08 I A Troll Mishap

~*~

Alexander was not able to get sufficient sleep and woke up the next morning tired. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of the three-headed dog, slobbering and growling, haunted his thoughts. Sometimes, during the scene, the dog bit the heads of his friends; his limbs were frozen, and no matter how much wanted he wanted to move, he stood horrified and screaming. Other times, the dog would lunge at him, or Hermione, and he'd wake up from the nightmare, sweating and disorientated.

Yet, the knowledge of the dog guarding something tickled Alexander's mind constantly. Someone had almost stolen whatever it was from Gringotts, according to the newspaper Harry showed him. How valuable was the thing the dog was guarding? Was it even an object? He quickly ruled out money or jewels. Those objects would have been hidden in a Gringotts vault – much tighter security than Hogwarts. Which meant the treasure must have some sort of magical properties, desirable ones that were worth braving a dragon, not to mention the goblins, at the bank. The thief must either be very desperate and clever or stupid.

Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. Alexander longed to tell Hermione his theories about the treasure, except for the tiny fact that she was ignoring him. Not to say that he didn't deserve it after his recklessness, but he couldn't help feeling disheartened. But it wasn't just him; Hermione steadfastly refused to talk to the three boys after the incident. She disregarded Alexander's attempts to speak to her in the common room, and when she did acknowledge him, it was through a mixture of stiff glances and fierce glares. Harry and Ron, meanwhile, were altogether pleased for Hermione's lack of communication. They thought because she was such a bossy know-it-all, her behaviour was a bonus after her lectures and nagging; Alexander thought it as a torment. At least when she was angry with him, she spoke to him.

The next morning, when he walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, Malfoy's face appeared shocked. Alexander scowled and promised that the blonde ferret would get what was coming to him.

He spotted Fred and George at the breakfast table, and an idea occurred to him. Alexander made his way over to them and took a seat next to George with a serious expression on his face. Fred and George were surprised, their eyebrows raised.

'Morning, Alexi-boy, how are you on this fine morning?' asked Fred cheekily.

'Fancy a bit of toast?' George continued.

Alexander waved a hand. 'In a minute. I want to talk to you guys about something.'

'Well, you know us –'

'Yeah, we're as serious as they come – '

Fred and George crossed their arms on the table and leaned forward to signal that they were all ears.

'Good, because I wanted to ask if you do targeted pranks?'

The twins' eyes lit up mischievously.