There was also the problem of Quirell. The man was apparently after the Stone himself, posing himself as a coward to divert attention to more terrifying professors like Snape. The troll evidence was compelling, and it implied Junior Professor Devkins of Defence Against the Dark Arts was probably Quirell's subordinate in this little operation to divert attention from themselves. To aggravate things, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher had also tried to assassinate Neville Longbottom.
Also concerning was the character of Nicolas Flamel. Alexandra had sent Atalanta to the famous alchemist home in January, with a letter in which she proposed to give back his Stone. Her owl returned back in March, the letter still unopened and disappointed hoots marking her inability to achieve her task. So either Flamel's home was so well protected a magical owl had no chance to find it, or the Flamel couple was dead.
This was the last thing going wrong from a long list at Hogwarts. In the world she had just left, Alexandra was sure it would be enough to alert the police and the authorities. Placing students in danger of death. Murder attempts. Murder: Alex Sykes for certain, Nicolas Flamel possibly. But it was Albus Dumbledore, the most powerful man of Magical England she was speaking about. By the little bits of information heard in the corridor and the boast coming from the Gryffindor table during the meals, the man was seen as Merlin-reborn, the only rampart England had against the forces of Darkness. Headmaster of Hogwarts, magical equivalent of the Lord Chancellor and the lord Speaker of the House of Lords at the same time, Dumbledore was presiding the only international magical organisation of the world. Any accusation a first-year could make would be swept under the carpet, true or false.
Heading towards the section of history books she read for fun, Alexandra thought again about her decision to not inform Hermione of this minefield. While it pained her to not reveal everything to one of the only friends she had, the danger was simply too great. Hermione's tendency to venerate the professors had faded, but there was a felling of righteousness in her friend which would drive her as sure as the sun rose to butt heads with the Hogwarts establishment, in particular Professor McGonagall. The Head of House Gryffindor drinking the words of the headmaster as divine truth, Hermione and Alexandra would be expulsed from Hogwarts by the next day at the very least in the best of cases. That was, if most of the clues and conclusions she had gathered were false. If not, she would not leave the castle alive.
Taking English History of the Twelfth Century from a row, the raven-haired Ravenclaw marched back to her seat and began to read. Absorbed in her lecture, she didn't notice a person sitting in the seat in front of her.
"Forgot anything Hermione?" Alexandra demanded absently.
"I'm not a girl, Potter." Affirmed an elegant, cultured voice she had heard once before in a red train.
Alexandra groaned internally. First, Longbottom, Black and Weasley. Secondly, a time of 'revelations' with Hermione on one of her least favourite subjects. And now him.
"What do you want, Zabini?" Alexandra livid green eyes ceased to read and fixed the boy sitting before her.
The dark-skinned pureblood had not changed much from the only time they had met and spoken in the Hogwarts Express. His robes were still looking meticulously perfect, every single clothe which could be seen was in the correct position. His nails were polished and his hairs looked like he had passed four times Alexandra's time in a bathroom to accomplish the perfect appearance of the arrogant pureblood in all his glory. Sometimes she wondered if the members of House Slytherin took the time off their revisions and their homework to pass their time in front of mirror, tracking the little imperfections of bodies. The depressing answer was 'probably'. Crabble and Goyle being the exceptions, of course.
"I'm hurt Potter. You sound like you aren't happy to see me. Don't tell me you are becoming like the Gryffindors in believing "All Slytherins are evil!" ?"
"No, I am firmly on the side "Gryffindors and Slytherins are stupid, let's them kill each other!" She replied in a trait of black humour.
Zabini winced at that, whispering something which sounded like "Bloody Malfoy..." Interesting in her opinion that he didn't tried to defend the behaviour of Draco and his followers.
"As funny as your point was, I'm afraid I'm not here for that."
"And what are you here for? Your stash of poisons ran out of ingredients? There is a curse you don't know how to locate in the library?" Alexandra paused an instant. "The condolences for the next husband of your mother?"
"I want you to give me private lessons."
That was a sentence Alexandra had not classed in her top ten for a request coming from a Slytherin.
"Repeat that again?" She said in an incredulous voice.
"You understood me correctly the first time." Zabini smirked, sounding really amused by her perplexity.
"Why? You are well, a pureblood and..."
"Yes, I'm a pureblood." Zabini looked testy at that."And as my mother liked to remind me at the Christmas holidays, I'm at the bottom of the class like the rest of my fellow housemates." The last two words were pronounced was full of venom. "If I do not want to pass all my summer with private tutors like my mother promised me, I must raise my notes and climb up in the rankings."
"That does not explain why you came to me. There are older students in Slytherin who could teach you much better than me, I'm sure."
"You do not know Slytherin very well, do you, Potter?" Zabini replied. "In our House, everything is about favours, wealth and influence. Having an older student for tutor would cost me a lot of money, and if knowledge came out I searched one, my standing inside the House would be destroyed by Malfoy and his goons."
✨ Want to read the next chapters early?
Unlock 20+ advance chapters and get exclusive perks by joining my Patreon!
🔗Join here: Patreon.com/Makimafic
---
💎 Patreon Tiers
🥉 Tier 1 — $10
📖 Access to 20 advance chapters
🥈 Tier 2 — $20
📚 Access to 30 advance chapters
🎁 Extra exclusive benefits
---
🔥 Patreon Benefits
📚 Read 40+ advance chapters early
👥 Join a private fan community
📝 Access exclusive unreleased novels
[ ] 🚫 Enjoy a 100% ad-free reading experience