20th December 1991, Hogwarts, Scotland
Winter in Hogwarts was a nightmare by all accounts. At least that was Alexandra's honest opinion. By the beginning of December there was enough snow around and on Hogwarts to make any walk outside a very difficult proposition, if not an impossible one. And the temperatures were downright hellishly cold. The corridors were icier and icier as the season advanced, the wind was rattling and howling against the windows of the castles. Flying lessons had been cancelled until the return of spring. Thankfully, places like the Great Hall, the Library and the Common Rooms were warm and comfortable, but magic was showing its limits in the cold season. A Scottish winter was really bad in the dungeons, and classes like Potions where you had to touch your cauldron to find a moment of warmth had become hated by all the first-years. Even the avian carrying the courier were affected by the climate: her white owl Atalanta had taken refuge in Alexandra's bedroom, forcing the Potter Heiress to install a perch for her companion. The few birds courageous enough to brave the cold weather reigning at Hogwarts had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid after having delivered their letters and packages.
It was now the last day before the winter holidays, and most of the students waited impatiently for the occasion to return at home. Alexandra had just finished the morning with the Defence Against the Dark Arts class and was now looking for Hermione and Nigel. Quirell's stuttering had risen to extraordinary frequency this morning with his teeth clacking, and the raven-haired Ravenclaw was happy to have something change her thoughts.
Alexandra was passing the painting of a green archer scoring perfect hits on wooden posts when she heard the snobbish voice of Draco Malfoy behind her.
"I do feel so sorry," said the blonde pure-blood in a tone where no commiseration was present, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."
Alexandra turned and sent a dark glare to the Slytherin. Surprisingly, it went ignored. Sure enough Draco Malfoy was behind her, but she had not been the intended recipient of this new provocation. The Malfoy Heir was looking over at Ron Weasley, Leo Black, and Neville Longbottom, sporting his now infamous smirk. The one making the light blonde-haired Slytherin to look annoying, pompous and mentally retarded at the same time.
Judging by the frayed temper of the three Lions and the small holes on their dark robes, the Gryffindor and the Slytherin had come out minutes ago from a Potions Lesson with Professor Snape. Crabbe and Goyle, siding along Malfoy as usual, grunted in a sound that could have passed for a chuckle. This was going to get ugly.
Alexandra turned back, deciding the best to do in this situation was to ignore the Malfoy Heir. The green-eyed Ravenclaw had thought the blond boy was unpleasant in his words and his acts before the Quidditch match, but the Heir of the Malfoy Family had reached new levels of insufferable and unpleasantness after the defeat of the Slytherin Quidditch team. While it was not exactly common knowledge, Alexandra knew Draco Malfoy had bet and lost forty Galleons on his House's victory. Even if it was only pocket money for a family as wealthy as the Malfoys, it had to hurt Draco and his ego in the short term.
In consequence, Draco Malfoy had passed the rest of November and December provoking and insulting the Gryffindors, especially the ones Hogwarts students had unofficially labelled the Golden Trio: Neville Longbottom, Leo Black and Ronald Weasley. As these three Lions were prompt in drawing their wands first and thinking later, both Slytherin and Gryffindor had lost a lot of points for the House Cup, being locked in their respective fourth and third place by a wide margin.
Too bad Malfoy was too much of an idiot to stop this circus of idiocy and arrogance, Alexandra thought. Neville Longbottom, by playing a critical role in Gryffindor Quidditch victory had all but ensured the admiration and the loyalty of the first-year Gryffindors. Well, except Hermione Granger, who he constantly nicknamed "the bookworm" or "beaver", and Nigel, called "the disaster" or "coward".
The Malfoy Heir, by comparison, had done nothing to quell the whispers of rebellion and discontent in his own ranks. To be honest, Alexandra felt it was long-time overdue. From the moment Draco Malfoy had stepped a foot inside Hogwarts, the young blonde-haired pure-blood had relied on the wealth and the reputation of his family to gain influence inside Slytherin House. It worked more or less with his fellow first-years, but the older students scorned him behind his back, not wanting to make an enemy of Draco's father, but not wanting to openly support such an arrogant specimen.
After the Quidditch match, even this hold over the boys and girls was slowly destroying itself. By now, Theodore Nott was openly challenging Draco, and the black-haired boy had rallied the Carrow twins and Byron Vaisey to his side. With Tracey Davis passing more and more time in company of Daphne Greengrass, and Zabini staying alone, that left Draco Malfoy with Crabble, Goyle, Bulstrode and Parkinson. A relative majority, but not an absolute one. The sad part was that Draco hadn't appeared to have even noticed this challenge.
Arriving in the main corridor before the Great Hall, Alexandra jumped aside, avoiding from being struck by a massive fir tree advancing from a corridor to the right. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told her that the Keeper of Keys and Grounds Hagrid was behind it. She stopped her walk, letting Hagrid push the tree in her section of the corridor.
"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ronald Weasley asked behind her, sticking his head through the branches.
"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."
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