Alexandra Weasley: Book 4

14

The teachers sectioned off groups via years and house. Seventh years were the first to visit the founders areas. Each head of house was in charge of their groups of students and took them to visit their respective founders' domain. They'd then spend half an hour in each place before rotating to the next section. For example, the seventh year Hufflepuffs started out in Helga's hall, while the Slytherins were in the chamber and the Gryffindors were out in the grove and the Ravenclaw were in the study. Half an hour later, the Ravenclaws switched to the chamber, the Slytherins to the hall , the Hufflepuffs to the grove and the Gryffindors to the study. And so on and so on until they all got a chance in each domain. Portkeys were used since the tunnels were too narrow for groups of students of their sizes.

Alex was excited for her turn. She lined up with her house in the great hall. The 'explorers' as they'd been dubbed were each assigned to their houses to take care of any questions there might be.
"This is so exciting!" Hannah said giddily.

"Isn't it just?!" Alex matched her tone.

"So you really had no idea about all this?" Megan asked and Alex rolled her eyes.

"Why would I?"

"Because your best friend, your boyfriend and two more of your friends were involved."

"I was busy trying to save Buckbeak. Most of my time was spent poring over books in the library or out by Kichiro."

"So you had no idea?"

"No. Why would I lie about that?"

"I don't know, you're weird. Same reason you don't like to tell people you're a unicorn tamer."

"I'm not! And besides, if two Hufflepuffs were involved, don't you think it'd only be fair if two members of each house were involved? Don't you think the other group members would care?"

"Hmm." Megan just looked at her suspiciously.

"You do remember I was also studying for the potions contest?"

"She's only trying to rile you up, Alex." Susan laughed. Alex crossed her arms.

"Do I wanna know?" Cedric looked at her as he joined the group.

"No." She said, and smiled. "Hi."

"Hey, you ready?"

"Yep."

"And just like that, she's magically happy." Megan said sarcastically. "Turned that frown upside down."

"Can we lose her in the grove or something?" Alex asked her boyfriend.

"You'd want her back soon enough." He said. "There'd be no point."

"Ha! Diggory's got jokes." Megan raised a brow. He grinned in reply, slinging an arm over his girlfriend's shoulder.

They started out in the hall. Alex didn't have to fake her look of awe. It was truly breathtaking, no matter how much she'd gone there.
"Helga's hall was a place of comfort. A point of contact for her and her friends." Cedric explained. "That's what she cared about most. A designated safe space in which she and the people she cared about would always be welcome. Salazar, Godric, Rowena- all of them spent time here."

"How'd you find this place?" Someone asked raising their hand.

"I didn't." He said. Alex tensed, staring at him, unsure of where he was going with his line of speech. "Laila did." He continued and she relaxed.

"But she's a Slytherin."

"She came across the hall and realised just how powerful the bond between the founders were. It would have been disrespectful not to honor them so she brought us into this project. Together we found our way to the other domains."

"How?"

"Not sure I'm allowed to say how exactly, but the areas are all connected. It was a matter of detecting and finding the entrances." He said.

"Why did Shafiq pick you, Hermione and Lovegood?"

"She and I are friends. She brought me on board first because she could trust me. I convinced her to bring on Hermione. She's smart and more than reliable. And Hermione made a good point detailing why Luna would be the best choice out of all Ravenclaws- points I will not get into right now."

"Why only one person from each house?"

"Because the less people who knew, the more surprising the discovery would be." He shrugged.

"How comes there's enough beanbags for everyone?" Alex took pity on him and changed the topic.

"We believe that's Helga's magic coming into effect. It provides comfort to anyone here, so there are seats for everyone in case you get tired."

"Wicked!" Ernie muttered.

Suddenly the group of Slytherins flashed into the room.
"Oh, good heavens. It's time to move on already?" Professor Sprout asked. Alex looked at the Slytherins- Laila who stood in the centre. She spied Blaise and Draco chuckling together. They must have come from talking to Sal. "Alright, badgers! Over here. Everyone got a nice firm grip?" After a chorus of yes, she tapped her wand on the chain, muttering the activation of the portkey and they all ended up in the grove. Sprout did a quick headcount before letting Cedric take over explanations.

They went through the same process half an hour later, landing in the study. Alex wandered over to the window that overlooked the grove. It was high in the sky and invisible from the ground, which was probably how no one ever found the study. The trapdoor that led down to the chamber of secrets was hidden under a rug, and no other exit except the large floor to ceiling window was visible. Not that any of the other students would know, but the window led to a staircase invisible to the naked eye. Most of Rowena's books and journals had been spelled for protection but the scrolls in plain sight were still pretty amazing.

Eventually they reached the chamber. Alex kept to the back, and away from Sal. Instead, she explored the books on the shelves, until Cedric walked over to her.
"Avoiding Sal?" He asked. She shrugged.

"Slytherins are unpredictable. I know we told him I can't be linked to this, but I don't want to risk it." She slipped her hand into his and he squeezed it comfortingly.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." He said, gently resting his chin on her head.

"I miss Saph. It looked empty out there without her." Alex looked wistful.

"But, on the bright side, she's not chained up anymore."

"True."

"Come on. It's time to leave, I think."