Cold Beauty (Harry Potter)

Sidus's Nasty Trick

Alexandra's eyes slowly fluttered open as she let out a weak groan. Her body felt weak. She didn't have enough strength to stand up yet which meant that the effects of the anaesthesia hadn't fully worn off yet. She still felt groggy but still made an effort to observe her surroundings. 

She was in the same room as she had passed out in. But this time, she felt tight ropes binding her arms and legs. The Medeis was nowhere to be seen. She bit her lower lip in frustration. Of course, it was all just a trick. Sidus would have never let anyone find the Medeis so quickly. She was foolish to think so. 

"Ah, you're finally awake," Alexandra heard someone speak. It was a girl's voice. The door of the room opened as a blonde girl entered. She spoke to Alexandra in French and had the Sidus logo on her cloak. She was no doubt sent as an obstacle from Sidus. "Sorry about the anaesthesia and everything. Just trying to do my job."

"And I'm assuming your job is to make my quest as miserable as possible?" Alexandra looked up at the blonde girl. 

The blonde girl chuckled, "In a way, yes."

"I'm supposed to set you free now though."

Alexandra furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. Was the Auror letting her go so easily? It didn't make sense. Nonetheless, she didn't protest as the Auror untied her. Once the ropes were off, Alexandra grabbed the wall beside her as she stood up. Her legs felt like they were about to give up as she stood up. She gritted her teeth as she tried to stay upright. 

"The anaesthesia still hasn't fully worn off, huh?" The Auror observed. 

"Yeah, no shit," Alexandra retorted. 

"Language!" The Auror snapped. 

Proper language was at the bottom of the list of things Alexandra cared about right now. "All that effort you put into sabotaging me, it was just to trick me, wasn't it? You wanted to make me think I found the Medeis."

"Ah, you're clever. But yes, you're right. That is what the academy instructed me to do to add some angst into the quest."

"Well, what was I expecting?" Alexandra sighed. "I'm getting out of here."

Weakly, she limped out of the room and found a cart in front of her. She guessed it was supposed to escort her back. She got into the cart and sat down as the cart began moving upwards.

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"Oh, good, you're okay," Louis said once they were back at the Leaky Cauldron. "What even happened back there?"  

Alexandra explained everything to him and by the time she was done, Louis seemed like he wanted to throw a fit. "God," he ran his fingers through his hair. "Even hearing it is annoying. That was such a dirty trick."

"I know," Alexandra nodded in agreement with a sigh. She was equally frustrated, if not more. "But I suspect they're testing our perseverance so we can't give up just yet."

After their conversation ended, Alexandra headed back to her room and took a rest. The anaesthesia had worn off but the whole day's events had taken a toll on her energy. She desperately wanted a nap. 

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Dear Alexandra,

I hope you are doing well on that quest of yours. I know you are not allowed to tell me much about it but I would just like to know whether you are overexerting yourself. I hope not. As for me, things are alright here at home. The Headmaster has been hinting at another change for the Defence Against The Dark Arts teaching position. This is not much of a surprise considering what happened a month or so ago.