Chapter 7
Talking to Alanna
Alanna woke in the middle of night and try as she might, she could not manage to go back to sleep, so she decided to just get up. She washed her face and cleaned her teeth, then pulled on an old white dress from the back of her closet.
As she did all this, she couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened yesterday, with Potter and Draco.
What was he doing here? What reason could he possibly have to follow Draco? she wondered as she chose shoes from her extensive collection. Like, there’s no reason, unless he thought Draco was up to something. But Draco wouldn’t do anything like that “ would he?
An involuntary shiver came over her, but she shrugged it off. Must be a draft, she thought and sat down in her armchair with a book, as she had nothing else to do. She was still on house arrest.
Later that morning, after she had read for a while, a knock came at the door, and Alanna rose to answer it. As she hurried across the room, her thoughts turned back to the Potter boy, and she slammed her knee into the sharp corner of her four poster bed.
“Ow! Dammit!” she growled. Clutching her knee, she hobbled across the room to open the door.
“Good morning, Alanna,” her mother said as she handed her a steaming plate. “May I talk to you for a minute?” She walked in as she talked and Alanna raised her eyebrow.
“Of course, Mum, why don’t you come in?” she asked wryly as she closed the door again.
Alanna gestured to her chair and sat down at her desk to eat. Her mother sat in the squishy green chair.
“Alanna, I’ve decided to take you off grounding,” her mother said, and Alanna stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth. She stared at her mother, speechless, for a full two minutes.
“Alanna? Hello?” her mother finally asked. “Are you quite all right?”
Alanna shook herself and smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. It’s just, I was surprised that you decided to take me off so early.”
Madam Rosmerta smiled. “Yes, well, I’d decided since you were so very good, and you didn’t do anything “ “ At this Alanna grimaced; thank goodness her mother didn’t know about Draco or she’d be in for it!
“- And you did your chores without complaining, that you’d learned your lesson,” Madam Rosmerta finished. Then a stern look came over her face. “But you are on probation. If you come home late one more time, you will be confined to your room again. Do you understand?”
Alanna nodded eagerly, then threw herself at her mother and hugged her tightly, with a squeal of delight. “Oh, thank you, thank you!” she cried.
Her mother stiffened at first, then relaxed and hugged her daughter closer. She had missed her so much in the two years past. Alanna felt her arms tighten and hugged her fiercely.
Before they knew it, they were crying. Alanna, because she felt guilty for betraying her mother and because she had missed her so much, and Madam, because she had missed Alanna, and just from pure emotion.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Alanna and her mother sniffed, and pulled away. Alanna rose to answer it, smoothing her crumpled skirts, as her mother rose also from the chair, smoothing her skirts as well.
“Yes?” Alanna asked briskly of the maid standing there. “What is it?”
The maid bowed nervously. “There is someone here to see you, milady,” she said timidly. “He says his name is Potter, and that you knew him.”
Alanna’s face whitened. She turned to her mother, who’s face was also somewhat paler than usual. Alanna shook her head and opened her mouth, but her mother held up a hand.
“I trust you now, Alanna, and I trust that you have not been seeing this boy behind my back,” Madam Rosmerta said softly. “Go. I will not interrogate you later.”
Alanna nodded. “Thank you. Could you tell him I’ll be right down?” The maid nodded and scurried away. Her mother followed, touching Alanna’s shoulder as she passed.
Alanna checked her face in the mirror, and gave it a quick rinse. She ran a comb through her hair, then descended the stairs. She didn’t hurry “ she needed time to think.
Why would Potter come here? He knows that I’m with Draco, and he knows how Draco feels about him, Alanna thought, biting her lip as she walked through the hallway. Didn’t yesterday show him anything? I don’t exactly want to see him.
Alanna sighed. “I guess I can’t exactly say go away “ that would be rude,” she murmured to herself. “I’ll just have to tell Draco.”
She entered the barroom and looked around for Potter. Harry was sitting at a small, discreet table in the corner. He spotted her and waved. She rolled her eyes, and strode over to the table, bringing along two bottles of Butterbeer.
“Hi,” he said when she arrived and sat down. “Thanks.” He took the bottle and opened it. She left her own untouched.
She broke the silence after a few minutes. “Well?” she demanded impatiently. “Why are you here? Don’t you have school?”
“Uh, yeah,” he replied. “But I wanted to talk to you.”
“About what?” she snapped. “Didn’t you get the feeling I don’t really like you, from yesterday?”
“Yeah,” he said slowly. “But I needed to talk to you “ about Malfoy.”
She grimaced. “What, you’re going to tell me he’s like, a Voldemort supporter or something? Please.”
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Listen to me, Alanna. He’s dangerous “ I’m really not kidding. No, don’t roll your eyes,” he said as she did just that. “Look at me “ you have to believe me. Have you ever heard of Lucius Malfoy?”
“No. Should I have?” she asked. “Okay, what is this all about? Get to the point, Potter.”
He held up a hand. “I’m getting there, I’m getting there. Alright. Well, Lucius Malfoy is Draco’s father.”
“Duh,” Alanna replied. “So?” What is he talking about?
“Well, he is also a dangerous Death Eater, and one of Voldemort’s closest supporters. I just wanted to warn you.”
“Are you done?” Harry nodded. “So that’s all you came down to tell me? That my boyfriend’s father is a Death Eater?” Harry nodded again and she held her rage in with an effort. “Ok. I really think you should go, before I punch you. I seriously don’t care, as long as Draco isn’t one.”
Harry said quickly, “Well, you see, that’s the problem. We think he might be one.”
“Who’s WE?” Alanna demanded. “God, Potter, you are seriously getting on my nerves.”
“Well, if you’d let me talk! Anyway, WE means me, Ron and Hermione. They’re my friends.” Alanna’s eyes widened at the mention of Ron and Hermione.
“They’re “ they’re YOUR friends?” she exclaimed.
“Yeah. What’s it to you?” Harry asked quizzically.
“Uh, nothing. It’s just, well, I know them,” she said in a rush. “I sort of hit Ron in the head with an apple core. Didn’t they tell you?”
“No, I guess they forgot,” Harry said. “Well, it’s a small world, isn’t it? Anyway, if you hadn’t been screaming at me yesterday, I would think you were very nice. So I just wanted to warn you. Don’t dump him, whatever you do “ he might not take it well.”
Alanna, taken aback at what he had said, finally cooled down. “Thanks. I had no idea, but I’m not planning on dumping him “ I love him. And I won’t take it well either if he dumps me “ I am a redhead!” She laughed and Harry chuckled.
She smiled at him, and he felt like the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. “I would say, Let’s be friends, but I don’t think Draco would appreciate it. Thanks again, but I think you should go now “ my mother will be wondering and I have to go to the post office. Bye.” She rose and turned away.
She looked back at the door, but there was no one there. He must have brought the Invisibility cloak. She turned again and hurried to the post office to send Draco an owl, telling him she was ungrounded.
Meanwhile, Harry hurried back to Hogwarts. He had only skipped Charms, it was better than skipping Potions. He had already explained to Ron what he was doing, so left Ron to explain to Hermione. He would no doubt get a lecture when he got back, but somehow he didn’t care. All he could think about was Alanna.
I think I like her, Harry thought to himself. He sighed. How stupid am I, to fall in love with Draco Malfoy’s girlfriend? I can never have her, as long as he does. He’s a Death Eater “ she deserves better! She deserves me. He stopped and shook his head.
“But she’ll never want me as long as she’s with Draco. I could kill him, but then she’d hate me,” he said later to Ron in their dormitory, having managed to escape Hermione’s lecture for now.
“Mate, I wish you luck. Malfoy will kill you if you take her away from him. Too bad she didn’t care about his dad,” Ron answered lazily. “Or else this would’ve worked out perfectly.”
Harry nodded, then turned over and thought about Alanna for the rest of the time it took him to get to sleep. In the next bed, he heard Ron say, “Picked a good girl, though “ she is hot.” Harry smiled “ Ron would be thinking about that.
“What are you guys talking about?” asked Neville’s sleepy voice “ they had apparently woken him up.
“Nothing, Neville “ go back to sleep,” they chorused.
“Alright, then,” he said and Harry heard him and Ron start snoring.
It’s a hopeless crush, but I can still like her. I’ve just got to keep Malfoy from finding out, Harry thought with a smile. Then he finally drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Please read and review “ your reviews mean a lot!