Alexandra managed to discover a shortcut from the Slytherin Dungeons to the Hufflepuff dorms. She'd usually had to go all the way upstairs to the ground floor, walk over to the other side of the castle, and go back down to her dorm. But, she'd accidentally found a tunnel that would require no stairs, just a simple, slightly slanted walk. She was also never going to tell anyone of it. She loved having secret areas that were just hers all over the castle.
"Hi." She greeted her roommates, and walking into the room.
"Is this a trick?" Megan spoke first.
"Funny."
"Hey, Alex." Susan greeted.
"Any of you guys seen Hannah?" Alexandra asked. Susan shrugged.
"She missed morning mail so she went to the owlery to see if she got any letters." Megan said, turning back to her work.
"Hey, Alex. What do you think? Blue or green?" Susan held up two tops.
"Blue. What's the occasion?"
"Nothing." She blushed. "I'm just going to go sit by the lake and I don't want to wear the uniform."
"Okay." Alexandra laid on her bed. She looked over at the empty bed beside hers. Dumbledore had put an extra bed in their room this year for the exchange student from Japan.
"Why are we getting the exchange student?" Susan wondered aloud.
"Why not? I mean, there's only four of us. There's space for one more."
"We're not the only quadruple in the dorm. And why not the ravenclaws or any of the other houses?" Susan presses. Alexandra rolled her eyes.
"We're Hufflepuffs. We're sugar and spice and all things nice." She remarked sarcastically. Megan pulled a face, just as Hannah walked in.
"Hi." She greeted.
"Hey." They replied back simultaneously, before exploding into a fit of giggles.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"The new exchange student."
"Oh."
"Well, actually, there is a real reason she's going to be in our room." Alexandra said. "She's taking part in an exchange program, which means she's going to be here for a term, and then an exchange student from Hogwarts will go to Mahoutokoro for a term."
"You?" Megan asked and she nodded.
"Wait, you're leaving? How long have you known?"
"Dumbledore told me last year, after I did those exams, that if it was something I wanted, I could go to Mahoutokoro."
"Last year?"
"But I didn't know if I was going to go. I didn't really want to leave Hogwarts. Then, right before we left for the summer, professor Snape thought that since I couldn't choose, maybe I could do an exchange program. See what it's like for a semester."
"When do you leave?" Hannah asked.
"April."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Megan's tone was accusing.
"I just did." Megan scoffed.
"Is it just going to be for a term or are you gonna move there?"
"It depends on how this term goes. If it goes well, I'll probably stay at Mahoutokoro. If not I'm going to come back here."
"Why Japan?"
"It's more advanced than other wizarding schools."
"Oh. Well, that's not surprising." Hannah smiled kindly.
"I'm going to miss you guys." Alexandra offered. Megan rolled her eyes, but eventually let out a small smile of her own.
"We'll miss you too."
"You know what this calls for?" Susan grinned. Alexandra looked horrified, recognising the smile.
"No."
"Yes!" Megan caught on.
"Sleepover!" Susan exclaimed.
"We can do it in the common room, and let anyone join. We can have fun."
"The last time we did this, I was humiliated for a whole day."
"We won't humiliate you. We won't even play truth or dare." Hannah pleaded. Alexandra glanced at her and huffed.
"Okay, fine." Hannah could probably use a slumber party. "But no truth or dare at all."
"We promise." Susan nodded before rushing out to the common room. "Hey, who wants to join us for a sleepover tonight?!" There were cheers and Susan closed the door.
"Now you can't back out." Megan said.
"I won't."
"Forgive us if we don't take your word for it." She shot back.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. Susan ducked behind a partition to change her clothes and soon came out wearing the blue top, jeans and a sparkly blue hairband around her wrist. She reached for her robes and put it on on top of her outfit.
"Right, I'm off." Susan said, no doubt wearing the robes for appearances sake.
"I'm going for a walk." Hannah said and rushed after her.
"Maybe it's a good idea if the exchange student roomed with someone else." Alexandra said, reaching into her bedside drawer for another vial of the draught of peace. She walked over and placed it gently on Hannah's pillow.
"Maybe it's not the extra bed. Maybe it's the idea of a soon to be empty one." Megan said.
"What, me?"
"God, you're daft aren't you?" Megan huffed. "For someone so smart. You're our friend, Alex. Of course we're sad you're leaving and you know Hannah's sensitive."
"It might not be forever."
"But it might."
"I didn't realise."
"Didn't realise what? That the rest of us have emotions or that we're friends?"
"I can teach you how to make the potion for Hannah. I know she doesn't like going to the hospital wing." Alexandra said, not answering the question. "And I'll brew a batch to leave with you, but don't give it to her too often. A dependency on any type of potion is never good. I'll write you up a schedule too." Megan stood in front of her, catching her gaze. She crossed her arms.
"We are friends."
"I didn't think you wanted to be." Alexandra muttered.
"I know I'm a little harder on you than anyone else, but they're just afraid to make you mad sometimes."
"You're not."
"I think maybe getting mad might be good for you every once in a while. Instead of locking up all those emotions."
"I think sometimes you just don't want to deal with me."
"That might be true, too. But you're one of us. Even when you're at your new school, you'll always be a Hufflepuff through and through." Alexandra smiled and wrapped her arms around Megan in a hug.
