Alexandra Weasley: Book 4

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Alex was made to part from the Diggorys and Cedric. She was left in the care of her family, as she stared numbly at nothing. Her parents were permitted to take her home and she didn't protest.
"Hi." Bill sat next to her on the chair in the living room. He held out a cup of hot chocolate but she didn't take it, not moving from where she was hugging her knees. "I guess hot cocoa won't really make any of this better." He said and she still didn't answer. "I sort of wish I'd gotten to know him now. I don't think I got a chance to really meet him before."

"I want to be alone."

"I figured, but I'm not sure it's what you need."

"It's my fault." She said. "It's all my fault."

"None of it is your fault." He said. She scoffed. "It was an accident. A terrible accident, tragic, but an accident. It's no one's fault."

"I could have stopped him, and I chose to encourage him." She stood up and walked up to her room. Bill walked back into the kitchen.

"She's wrecked." He told his mother.

"They were incredibly close." Molly sighed.

"She blames herself for letting him take part."

"That girl has a habit of blaming herself for things out of her control. Thanks for trying, but maybe I'd better go see her." Molly left to go check on her daughter.

Alex returned to Hogwarts the next day. She went to go see Harry in the hospital wing, wanting some sort of explanation. He looked at her, distrust in her eyes.
"What happened?" She managed to ask.

"Your grandfather happened." He threw back at her and she started.

"What?"

"Yeah, I know now. You can drop the charade."

"How-?"

"He killed Cedric in front of me. I said it wasn't the best move if he wanted you on his side and he asked if his granddaughter had actually told me everything." Her face scrunched up and tears began to well up in her eyes. "Did you even care about Cedric or was he part of your scam?"

"How dare you?" She hissed. "How dare you assume anything?"

"You've done nothing but lie for years."

"I've told the truth to a few people. Dumbledore knows the entire story. Snape knows the entire story. My parents, Hermione, Ce-" she cut off. "They know everything. I've told people that I trust."

"Snape was a death eater, you know?"

"I know. I also know he was a spy for Dumbledore. You don't have the full picture so you don't get to judge. I loved Cedric, loved him more than you could imagine. Voldemort isn't my grandfather in any more than blood. If I were truly on his side, then I would have had countless opportunities to let you die, or to leave you at his mercy, so don't you dare accuse me of siding with that monster." Harry had the decency to look sorry. "I was adopted from birth and my parents are all I've ever known. And I'm glad for it. I am no less a Weasley just because I don't share their blood."

"Sorry." He said. "I just didn't know. Moody was a death eater, and not Moody and I didn't know who to trust."

"Moody? What?"

"Cedric, he said he loved you. He asked me to tell you that." Alex came to sit on a bed near him, wiping away the tears in her eyes. "And I know he did. I've seen the way the two of you were with each other. He wanted to share his winnings with you." Harry said. He picked up the bag of galleons on the table and held it out to her. "He should have won, and I know he would have wanted to give it to you."

"He didn't win." She stood up. "He's dead. That disqualifies him, which means you are the winner. It's yours to do as you please." She whirled on her feet and left, running out and heading out to the forest.

Alex tried to sit with Kichiro and Venus, but she was reminded of all the times she sat there with Cedric. So she tried searching for an area in the forest she hadn't gone to before. She'd spent a lot of time with Cedric in all of her usual spots. She wasn't sure there was any part of Hogwarts that she hadn't shown him, so she needed someplace new.
"You're heading into manticore territory." She turned and saw Magorian. She looked up and saw that she was, in fact, near the manticore lair and stopped. "Your beloved's loss is a great one for many."

"You're, like, the last person I would ever want to talk about it with."

"Fair enough." He said. "Need help finding your way?"

"No, I know where I am. I was just distracted and didn't realise how far I'd gotten."

"Company, then." He offered. She looked at him and shrugged.

"As long as you don't ask me for my secrets or talk to me about Voldemort and how I'm destined for his side."

"I won't make that mistake again."

"Good because the only way I'm ever going to be by his side is if I'm sticking my katana through him."

"I don't doubt it."

"Do I need to update Hogwarts's centaur lore? I'm sure I've offended you ten times over by now, well deserved or not, and I'm still alive."

"I'm not in the habit of killing children over slights." He said. "Especially not when they've earned the right to bitterness."

"You're supposed to be annoying. I hate you, you know. Don't be nice, please. My world's imploded enough already." He let out a deep, gutteral chuckle and she glared sharply at him, crossing her arms and walked back out of the forest. "Goodbye, Magorian."

Snape found her by the black lake, far from the school and the forest. She looked up at him once, and stared back at the water.
"I'll be going to see him now." He said. She didn't react. "After today, you and I will have to limit our interactions. Even in school."

"Is there really no other way?"

"I promised to always protect you. This is the only way I know how." She stood up and lunged at him, hugging him. He pat her back comfortingly.

A/N- Okay so back to the story now with Cedric's death. I'm sorry. I know, I'm messing with the Snape and Alex dynamic. Always has a different meaning to Snape now. Favourite line is 'I promised to always protect you' 😭😭