a n c h o r

n i n e t e e n

Alexandra watched as everybody began exiting the Great Hall in a hurry, feeling dizzy as she began thinking of what she needed to do. She felt like something was missing, and she was sure it had to do with that diadem. She knew the only way to retrieve lost memories was through torture, so she began thinking of the worst moments of her life. It wasn't physical torture, but it was enough to trick her already weak mind.

Her mind specifically wandered to the night at the Astronomy Tower, when she confronted Dumbledore moments before his death.

"Is it true?" Her voice echoed. Was what true?

It took her a moment, but she remembered the piece of parchment. She remembered it folded around a page from a book, and placed neatly underneath the piece of jewelry. She remembered it clearly now; the diadem sitting in the room Tom and Alexandra once shared.

"I know where it is," Alexandra said to herself. "Bloody hell, I know where it is. I'll be right back!"

"Where are you going?" Fred asked once again.

"To change fate!" Alexandra answered, exactly as she had moments ago. Helping Harry find the diadem faster than he would have on his own gave Alexandra hope that things could change. "Stick together, and watch your backs!"

"Got it, Captain!" Fred called back with a small smile on his face.

"Harry! Harry!" Alexandra called, frantically running after her friend.

"I haven't got time to-"

"The diadem! I know where it is!" Alexandra told him. He stopped in his tracks, rushing to follow her when she quickly changed direction. He struggled to keep up with her, and was surprised with how she had so much energy all of the sudden. Only days ago, she was falling weak from exhaustion.

"How can you be sure?" Harry asked, knowing very well that a gut feeling isn't always the answer.

"Tom left it for me, in the room we shared," Alexandra explained as she continued running. "He thought we were the only two people in the world who knew about the room. I suppose that's why he tried to wipe my memory of it."

"How do you know it's still there?"

"It's not," she answered, reaching the seventh floor. "Before the wedding, I told Ginny about the diadem. Made her promise to hide it if anything happened to me. That way, only we would know where it is. If I know Ginny as well as I think I do, she would hide it where she hid your book."

"In the room of hidden things!" Harry yelled happily.

"Exactly!" Alexandra cheered, catching her breath as she approached the room. "I would have never figured that out if my life wasn't so horrible. Well, it's not horrible, I just mean-"

"Trust me, I know exactly what you mean," Harry assured her, rushing to enter the room when the door appeared.

"There were some knickknacks in the back that Ginny enjoyed. I suppose she hid it there!" Alexandra yelled, retreating into piles of clutter as she ran for the diadem. Harry stayed behind, looking around the front in case Alexandra was wrong.

"Good thinking, Crabbe. We've got him cornered! And the mudblood, too!" Goyle cheered, approaching Harry with his wand raised. Next to him stood Crabbe, and Malfoy followed behind. Harry could tell by what Goyle said that they mistook Alexandra for Hermione. They did sound similar when they got excited about something. Both of their voices went up an octave and they would both sometimes forget to breathe.

"Whose wand is that?" Harry asked Malfoy in an attempt to distract them.

"My mother's. Can't exactly curse you with a broken one," Malfoy glared, obviously coming up with a fake story about where his wand had gone.

"I see it!" Alexandra cheered in the distance.

"So, how did you get in here?" Harry asked, attempting to talk over her voice. He could tell by a slight falter in Malfoy's demeanor that he heard her.

"I practically lived in this room last year," Draco explained, looking around for any sight of the girl. "I know how to get in."

"We were hiding just outside. Heard you and the mudblood talking about a die-dum. Arrived much quicker than we expected. What the hell is a die-dum anyway?" Goyle asked. Harry rolled his eyes.

"I've got it!" Alexandra yelled, her voice growing louder as she ran closer to the group. "Harry, I-"

"Avada Kedavra!" Crabbe yelled, sending the curse straight towards Alexandra. She quickly ducked, and the spell missed. Harry's fists closed it his sides before he shot a stunning spell towards Crabbe and missed.

"Don't kill them!" Draco yelled, stepping in front of Crabbe. "The Dark Lord wants them alive."

"Not the girl," Crabbe argued. "Only Potter. Either way, he wants them both dead in the end."

"But she has the diadem!" Draco excused. "It must be important if they've got it, yeah?"

"Well then let's get the bloody thing and kill her, yeah?" Crabbe mocked, pulling his wand out again. Harry beat him to it, casting the stunning spell and narrowly missing once more. Alexandra watched as Draco lost his wand, and it rolled away under a pile of rubbish. The two made eye contact, only lasting a moment before another spell was shot towards Alexandra. She was thrown back into a nearby cupboard, holding onto the diadem as she fell to the ground.

"Don't kill them! Don't kill them!" Draco called once again, causing Crabbe and Goyle to hesitate and giving Harry the second he needed to disarm at least one of them.

"Get out of here!" Harry yelled towards Alexandra. She was distracted, however, by the flames enlarging ahead of her.

"Harry!" She yelled, backing away from the flames. "Run!"

Crabbe, having started the fire, ran ahead of them all. Draco dragged a stunned Goyle along behind him, while Harry rushed to get Alexandra out of the room. They were too slow, and ended up surrounded by flames.

"Aguamenti!" Both of them yelled, watching as the water erupting from their wands dissolved into thin air.

"What do we do?" Alexandra asked, looking around for anything that could help them. "Wait, look!"

Alexandra pointed to a nearby pile of broomsticks that haven't yet fallen victim to the fire, grabbing two and throwing one to Harry. They were both quick to head towards the exit, but Alexandra stopped when she remembered who else was in the room.

"Alexandra!"

"Draco is still in there. I'm not leaving him," Alexandra stated, looking around for any sign of Draco and his friends. Harry looked around with her. Draco attempted to save both of their lives on multiple occasions. Even if he hadn't, Harry wouldn't wish death upon him or his friends, as horrible as they are.

"Over there!" Harry called, flying ahead of Alexandra. Alexandra quickly followed, avoiding the flames but not making it her number one priority. "I'll grab Goyle. You get Malfoy, and don't let go of that diadem!"

Alexandra held the diadem and her broomstick in one hand as she stuck her other hand out to pull Draco onto her broomstick. It faltered, causing her to drop the diadem, but she caught it quickly. She was so focused on getting out of the room that she hadn't noticed the burning sensation shooting through her hand.

"This way!" Harry called, guiding Alexandra towards the exit. The four of them flew through the doors, falling to the ground as the room closed quickly behind them. Alexandra looked at her hand, noticing dark burn marks.

"The diadem," Harry stated, running to her side. Both of them watched as the jewelry seemed to bleed before breaking into pieces. It was that moment that Harry noticed Alexandra's burnt hand. "Your hand."

"I'll be alright. It's my left, so I can still hold a wand," Alexandra stated, brushing it off. "I suppose the diadem is destroyed, then."

"Yeah, I suppose it is."

"Go find Hermione, Ron and Ginny. I'll be right behind you," Alexandra told him, practically begging him to leave her alone for just one moment.

"If I don't see you-"

"You'll see me," Alexandra told him, trying to convince herself he'd be okay more so than him. "Go find them."