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Cedric was smart. Alex knew this. When he applied himself, he could be really smart. But sometimes he made her want to rip her hair out. He wanted to give Harry a clue about the egg, which Alex understood. After all, Harry did try to warn him about the dragons despite the fact that Hermione had been the one to tell him and he should have known she and Alex told each other everything. Still, according to Cedric, it was the thought that counted so he wanted to give Harry a clue about the egg. And since Hermione wasn't talking to the boys, direct contact was required.

That wasn't the problem. The problem was Cedric had no idea how to give Harry a clue. They bumped into Ron and Harry on the staircase in the entrance hall and Cedric called after them.
"Harry- er, I owe you one for trying to warn me about the dragons. So, er, you know that golden egg? Does yours wail when you open it?"

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"Well, take a bath, okay?" Alex coughed to hide a laugh.

"What?"

"Take a bath, and, er, take the egg with you, and just... mull things over in the hot water. It'll help you think. Trust me." He offered. "Tell you what," Cedric said, "use the prefects' bathroom. Fourth-"

"No." Alex clapped her hand over Cedric's mouth. "Not that one." Harry looked totally befuddled, and she elaborated. "Go to a bathroom and open the egg under water is what he's trying to say. You have to be submerged too." She removed her hand from Cedric's face. "Come on, we gotta go meet Hermione."

"Okay. Er, bye." He waved at the Gryffindors awkwardly and they left. "Why couldn't I tell him about the prefect's bathroom?"

"Because it's a prefect's bathroom. You can't just show anyone."

"I showed you."

"Well, I'm not just anyone, now am I? I'm your girlfriend, and I go there with you and I'm pretty sure it's basically a Hogwarts tradition that prefects take their significant others to make out in that very large, very comfortable and very private bathroom before. Plus, I like that bathroom as another place that's ours."

"It is pretty comfortable and private." He agreed.

"We're also not meant to meet Hermione until later." She smirked. "And we're already on the stairs."

"Going up does seem logical." He agreed. She laughed and pulled him along by their joined hands.

The more time Alex spent out in the clearing alone, the more work she seemed to get done. She was used to having stuff to do. Extra credit, homework assignments, even research on looking after mares and young foals after birth, but that had passed. She still kept an eye on Mari and Rani- the foal had turned out to be female, but she had significantly less to do. So it wasn't much of a surprise that the one thing she'd been trying to avoid thinking about for weeks managed to edge its way to the forefront of her mind. Her mother.

"Wish I could just talk to Andromeda." Alex muttered to Kichiro. "Like, hi. I'm the daughter of your dead ex-friend. Can we chat about her?" Kichiro looked at her earnestly. "Exactly. And if Andromeda isn't on the dark side, then imagine her very dark friend's daughter appearing out of nowhere. She likes muggles. Her husband is a muggle. What if she thinks I'm team evil too?" Kichiro nudged his head against hers. "I'm not saying I am. I'm saying what if she thinks I am." Alex sighed. "I could ask Draco if he could ask his mom about her old friends but that might raise alarms and she might not even talk about Morgana because Morgana was her sister's friend not hers. You know, maybe I don't need to know. Maybe it's a sign. I have a mother. I have a father. What more could a girl need?" Kichiro stood up straight, hoofing his feet on the ground in indignation. "And you, I know. I've got you too." Kichiro settled slightly and Alex smiled, shaking her head. "You're a bit of a diva, aren't you?"

Alexandra Weasley: Book 4Where stories live. Discover now