The smiles at the Gryffindor table died almost instantly. The Potions Master's march to the table of the Lions was marked by a silence which usually was reserved for when Alexandra made an appearance somewhere.
"Thought it was funny to use your miserable attempts at making a Boil Cure for a prank on a student, Black, Longbottom, Weasley?" said Snape, with a cold voice which could have made a bear cower in fear.
Alexandra, much like the rest of the witnesses, felt her jaw dropping. She had seen what a failed Boil Cure potion could do first hand when Hopkins had rolled in pain during Potions class. Surely even Gryffindors weren't that stupid. Or, she thought looking at the pleased face of Leo Black, maybe they were. While Neville and Ronald were not smiling anymore, their partner-in-crime looked completely unaware to the anger of Professor Snape. It was also possible he didn't care, she figured.
"Yes, very funny," answered Leo Black in a sarcastic tone, he didn't seem to understand that the question posed had been rhetorical. "My father did the same thing to you for your hair, didn't he, Snivellus?"
The students in the hall stopped breathing after this. Snape himself began to smile in a way promising endless torment, as if he couldn't believe a Gryffindor boy would have been that stupid.
"Let's see, fifty points from Gryffindor for insulting a professor, Black. Ten points from Gryffindor each for your prank which sent Mr Vaisey to the hospital, Black, Longbottom and Weasley. Longbottom, Weasley, you will have a week of detentions with me. Black, one month of detention, and if I hear you disrespecting me again, I will ask for your expulsion," Snape enounced in a slow, frigid, and calm voice, barely hiding the fury he felt.
The rest of the discussion Alexandra didn't hear as the Potions Master lowered his voice and now spoke in a whisper, but seeing the faces of the Gryffindors, it wasn't to congratulate them for their prank. After a few seconds, Snape left the hall again, and conversations resumed, most of them centred on what had just happened. The three Gryffindors stayed immobile at their table, still in shock from meeting with the vengeful Head of Slytherin.
Ten minutes later, the Slytherin first-years came in for lunch, all harbouring stone faces. Even a look at the now empty hourglass of Gryffindor wasn't enough to sooth them, and seeing them eating and speaking in low tones, it was not hard to guess that they were planning their revenge. Herbology only confirmed Alexandra's opinion. The Ravenclaws, including herself, were busy taking drawing and taking notes on the fungi on one side of the greenhouse, while the Slytherins were on the other side, whispering between themselves and writing things down on parchments that hadn't a chance to have even the slightest importance in the field of Herbology. Draco Malfoy was in the middle of his housemates, of course, and the arrogant blond was neither particularly discreet nor subtle. With Crabbe and Goyle at his side, Malfoy was trying and succeeding to bring the Slytherins in order for battle. Apart from Daphne Greengrass, who seemed to stay out of it and showed an icy expression, the first-year snakes were about to follow Malfoy against Neville Longbottom.
As the class ended and the week-end started, Alexandra wondered how the Slytherins were going to attack the Gryffindors. If one thing had been evident this week, it was that her level in magic was equal to, if not superior to those who had lived in the magical world all their lives. For all their pretensions about magic and the purity of the blood, the magic-raised students didn't seem to have much of a head-start. And Alexandra knew exactly four spells right now, one of them (the match-to-needle Transfiguration) useless for a battle between witches and wizards.
Entering the castle, she went on her way to the Common Room to take a shower before dinner. She had her first "private lesson" this evening with her Head of House, and she refused to go there all dirty and sweaty. As it happened, she lost a bit of time reading her Charms book and had to run to get dinner on time. Passing a corridor badly lit with only one or two torches, Alexandra saw the first-years Gryffindors descending the stairs on her left.
And then the attack came.
A loud, shrieking voice that Alexandra's voice identified as Draco Malfoy's shouted "GO, GET THEM!" and the Slytherins emerged from the extremities of the stairs, throwing coloured sparks at the surprised Gryffindors. Unfortunately for Malfoy and his goons, the moment of surprise didn't last, and not one of the Snakes ambushing the Lions seemed to have much knowledge of useful offensive magic. They just knew to send sparks. Pretty colours, yes, but not something painful or dangerous for something bigger than a hamster. On the other side, Neville Longbottom and Leo Black knew how to perform real spells... and they didn't hold back. Crabbe went down first, his nose covered in mucus and his legs tied. Goyle took three or four spells before going down. Then Nott. Parkinson. Malfoy was hit by seven or eight 'prank spells' and was looking like an alien of science fiction seen in Dudley's comic books when Longbottom was finished with him. Realising the battle was lost, Zabini, Davis, Bulstrode, and the Carrow twins fled the stairs, or tried in Bulstrode's case, as the large girl was hit by what looked like to be a hex which made the victim vomit. A blue tornado spell looking like the Flipendo Jinx Alexandra had read about in her books finished Bulstrode. Except Nigel Wolpert who had been trampled by Crabbe and Goyle at the start of the skirmish, no one in Gryffindor was hurt.
Singularly unimpressed by the Slytherin's attempted method of retaliation, Alexandra turned back and walked away from the scene of the battle, as the screams of victory shouted by the Gryffindors were sure to attract a Professor or a Prefect. She promised herself to ask Professor Flitwick about some of the spells that had just been employed.
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