Harry Potter and the Students of the School of the Sphinx

Harry Potter and the Students of the School of the Sphinx (14/?)

By Angelina Johnson

Chapter 14

Sirius and Melissa's Wedding

    The next month passed very quickly. Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff in the beginning of November, and Slytherin lost to the School of the Sphinx. It was a very close game, with the School of the Sphinx winning 150-140. Their Keeper was terrible, and so were the Chasers. The Beaters had no aim, and Alex at Seeker was the only hope for the team. Harry was not surprised, he had watched Alex practice. Harry could find her on the Quidditch pitch nearly every night, working long after the rest of the team had gone back to the dorms, and training on nights that she had off. Harry noticed that not only did she practice Quidditch, but she conditioned herself, training to make sure that she was always in top shape. Harry respected her abilities and her dedication, but he felt that she might be working herself too hard. Since her mother's death, she had been working at least twice as hard, pushing herself to exhaustion. She was always working hard on something lately, whether it was Quidditch or school. Harry couldn't blame her, she just wanted to take her mind off of things. Harry himself remembered how awful the month he had thought Sirius was dead was, and he wished there was some way for Alex's mum to still be alive, just like Sirius. It didn't work like that, though, Sirius had been lucky, and nothing was bringing Mrs. Evans back. They had seen her body, Alex had left school briefly for her funeral. She had had nothing to say when she returned, in fact, lately she had had nothing to say anyway. She seemed so distant, and so upset. Finally one night right before break Harry got her to break her silence. She still wouldn't speak about any topic close to Voldemort, or her mum's death, but at least she talked at all.

    "So, what are your plans for the holidays?" Alex asked.

    "Going back to Order Headquarters. Normally I would stay at Hogwarts, but I have to go to Sirius and Melissa's wedding," Harry said.

    "Oh, how sweet," Alex said, but all of her usual enthusiasm was gone. Her voice sounded monotone and lacked any emotion, and Harry could not blame her. Harry was about to ask her if she was staying at school, and then he changed his mind. He didn't want to bring it up, he was afraid that it would remind her of the fact that she didn't have a home to go to. He was trying to find a change of subject when Alex spoke.

    "Aunt Kristin wants me to come to her house over the holidays, but I told her that I would rather stay here. I don't think that she liked that, but it's true. I never want to go back to the School of the Sphinx. They're rebuilding it, you know, so I'll have to go back eventually," she said. She looked unhappy.

    "So you're staying here?" Harry asked her.

    "Yeah, I don't exactly have a home to go to. But I shouldn't feel sorry for myself-you've never really had a home where people love you, have you?" Alex asked.

    "I've gotten used to it. You deserve better than that, though. Are you going to have to live with your aunt?" Harry asked. Now that they were on the subject, he realized there was so much he and Alex had in common now, so much that he wanted to know. He knew he was probably being insensitive and nosy, but he wasn't sure that he cared.

    "I deserve better? You mean to say that you think you don't? Harry, I had my mum for fifteen years, and you've never had anyone! You're a hero, and one of the most wonderful, brave, loyal people I know, and you think you don't deserve to have grown up with a family that loves you? Oh, Harry," Alex said, and she buried her face in her hands.

    "Alex, I'm sorry, please don't cry," Harry said, worried. He wasn't sure how to treat her, he wasn't used to comforting people when they were like this. He was usually the one who was upset about things, after all, most of the bad stuff happened to him.

    "I'm not crying, I'm just-tired. REALLY tired," Alex added, "I haven't had any fun lately, and I've been working so hard to try and get my mind off of things, and I'm just worn out. It's too much, and Ron's been telling me that I need to slow down, take it easy, but I don't listen. I just push him away-I know he's just been trying to help, and I should've listened to him. I've exhausted myself by working too hard."

    "I've noticed," Harry said, and Alex looked like she was trying to grin. It was the first time in over a month.

    "Mum would have wanted to die like this. She always feared growing old. It was the only thing she was ever afraid of, aside from thinking that she failed me as a mother. She knows that I'd be proud if she died for such a cause, even though I'd miss her," Alex said.

    "I think I know what you mean. Well, I never knew my parents, but still, I'm proud of them for believing so strongly in what was right that they would die for it," Harry said.

    "At least now you'll have your godparents, though. Better late than never," Alex said.

    "Yeah. Say, you should come to their wedding," Harry said.

    "Oh, I couldn't. I don't know them well enough, and it wouldn't be right for me to impose! Besides, I wouldn't have a way to get there," Alex said.

    "You could stay at Headquarters! Come on, you know you're one of Melissa's favorite students, and you've talked to her often enough. Besides, Ron and Ginny and Hermione will be there for a while, and they all like you," Harry said.

    "Are Ron's brothers going to be there?" Alex asked.

    "I think so. Well, I dunno about Percy, he apologized for being a jerk, and his mum forgave him, but his dad still isn't happy with him, not to mention Sirius isn't exactly Percy's favorite person. Percy thinks Sirius ought to set a better example. But Bill, Charlie, Fred and George should all be there," Harry said.

    "I've been wanting to meet them. Ron's told me a lot about them. But I just don't know if I'd be welcome there," Alex said.

    "Of course you would be. If it'll make you feel better, though, I'll talk to Melissa," Harry said.

    "No, you won't, I know you too well. All right, I'll come, but you're sure it's okay?" she asked.

    "Yes, Alex, it's fine," Harry promised her again.

    "Good. I'm looking forward to it," Alex said.

    "Yeah. You know, I bet my parents would have loved to have been at Sirius and Melissa's wedding," Harry said. Alex looked at him through sad eyes.

    "Harry? Are you afraid of death?" Alex asked him.

    "I can't be. There's a fifty-fifty chance I've got to die, and I'm finally coming to accept that," Harry said.

    "Are you afraid of it?" he asked her. She nodded.

    "Some people see it as the beginning, but I see it as the end. You never really know what it's like, because the ghosts are only half dead, they chose to stay as shadows, so they can't really tell you what it's like to be truly dead," Alex said.

    "You shouldn't think of it like that," Harry said.

    "I try not to, I only scare myself like this. I don't want to lose all that I have here, though! I know that someday I have to go, but I just hope that it's later and not sooner," Alex said.

    "I hope you get your wish," Harry said to her.

    "So it doesn't scare you at all? Not in the least bit?" she asked.

    "I'll be with my parents," Harry said, "and that's reassuring to me."

    "I'll be with my parents, too, but it's still scary to me. You have nothing in death. You can't breath, think, feel, anything!" Alex said.

    "You don't know that for sure. You've never died, have you?" Harry asked.

    "I see death as ceasing to exist, as being nothing," Alex said.

    "Dumbledore once told me something like 'to the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.' Whenever I start to see it the way you do, I just remember that," Harry said. Alex nodded.

    "I don't want to die," Alex said.

    "I don't either," Harry finally admitted, "but you're so young, and you don't need to be worrying about it."

    "But you do," Alex whispered. Her face was pale.

    "Just try not to think about things like that, Alex. Come on, you need to go up to sleep, you're tired," Harry said. Alex stood up, and they walked together for a while in silence. Finally, Harry headed off towards Gryffindor tower, and Alex headed for the Room of Requirement.

    "Where've you been, Harry?" Ron asked as Harry came into the portrait hole.

    "Talking to Alex. She's exhausting. Talking to her made me tired. I'm going up to bed," Harry said. Ron stared after him.

    "He certainly is acting odd," he heard Ron mutter to Ginny.

    "Should I go talk to him?" Ginny asked.

    "No, I don't think there's any reason to. We should just let him sleep it off. Alex has some pretty exhausting things to say sometimes," Ron said.

    "Has she ever had anything to say about you liking her?" Ginny asked with a grin.

    "She doesn't know that I like her," Ron said, "and I'd like to keep it that way." Ginny shook her head in disappointment.

    The next day, Harry sat in a chair by the fire, talking to Ron and Ginny. He had talked to Ron about Alex's fears the night before, when he had come up to the dormitory.

    "I think it'll be good for Alex to come to the wedding. She really does have some heavy stuff on her mind that she needs to stop worrying about," Ron said.

    "She misses her mum. Can you blame her? How would you react if you were an orphan?" Ginny asked, and then she looked at Harry.

    "I mean, no, that's not what I meant!" Ginny exclaimed in horror.

    "Yes, it is what you meant. Don't worry about it, Gin. I'm used to having no parents. I can't even remember them, not really," he said.

    "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it!" Ginny said.

    "It's okay. I mean, why shouldn't I be? In a couple of weeks the closest things I have to parents are getting married, and all of my friends are going to be there with me," Harry said. Ginny still looked upset.

    "What exactly is Alex worried about that she's so exhausting?" Ginny asked.

    "Just stuff," Harry said, seeing Ron's eyes. Was Ginny afraid of death too?

    "Well, I have to go pack a few things that I'm going to need when I'm at home," Ginny said, and she fled up to her room.

    "Ginny's almost as afraid of death as Alex is," Ron said once she was out of sight.

    "Are you?" Harry asked him.

    "Not really," Ron replied, "are you?"

    "I dunno anymore," Harry replied honestly.

    The next day, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Alex rode in their own compartment on the Hogwarts Express back to King's Cross. Hermione was going to be staying at Grimmauld Place with Harry and Alex until the wedding, while Ginny and Ron would return to the Burrow for a week or so. They would spend the remainder of the break at Headquarters.

    Harry, Alex, and Hermione got off the train and headed to where Sirius was standing with Lupin.

    "Melissa came back by Floo Powder last night, and now she and Julie are out shopping," Sirius said, with a mock horrified look on his face.

    "We'll take the three of you back to Headquarters," Lupin said.

    "And then I need to talk to you about something, Harry," Sirius said. Harry nodded. They were back at Headquarters in no time. Hermione took Alex up to the spare bedroom where the two of them would be sleeping, and Lupin went up to him room as well. Sirius led Harry into the kitchen.

    "I have good news, Harry. Dumbledore's said that you can live with Melissa and me," Sirius said. Harry stared at him.

    "But how did the two of you manage that? Dumbledore has always gone on and on about how I need to be with the Dursleys because there's some kind of protection there that I can't get anywhere else. He's always seemed so set in his ways, and I've tried so many times to convince him to let me leave there. Why would he change his mind now, when things are finally starting to get dangerous?" Harry asked.

    "You never stay at the Dursleys long anyway. And he figures after last summer that Headquarters is just as safe, Dementors attacking you, really, if someone as stupid as Umbridge can get an attack in on you while you're there, then just think what Voldemort could do. Besides, he understands that you'll be happier here, and after what almost happened in the Department of Mysteries, he feels like he can't take it for granted that I'll always be around for you once Voldemort is gone. What's wrong, do you not want to live with us?" Sirius asked.

    "No, it's not that at all! All I've ever wanted is to come live with you! I was just thinking about Alex, though. I know exactly how she feels, to have nothing and nowhere to go. I think she's going to have to go live with her aunt," Harry said. Sirius met Harry's eyes.

    "Harry, how would you feel about having a sister of sorts?" Sirius asked him. Harry saw that his godfather looked serious and thoughtful, which was not how he usually was at all.

    "What do you mean?" Harry asked.

    "Melissa and I want to 'adopt' Alex," Sirius said.

    "You mean you've talked about this before?" Harry asked.

    "Indeed we have. Melissa really likes her, and she says that the two of you get along. I knew Alex's father, and he was a good man. Her mother was a very nice woman, she worked with Melissa for a while, and Alex seems like the kind of person who needs to be around people like you and Melissa and I. Living with Kristin would be the worst thing for her, and Dumbledore agrees. In fact, this whole thing is up to you and Alex," Sirius said.

    "Dumbledore wants you to take Alex in?" Harry asked in disbelief.

    "Indeed he does. He says the best thing for you and Alex both is to have each other, and to be good friends. Dumbledore says that you will need Alex's help, and that she'll need your guidance. So what do you say?" Sirius asked.

    "I think it's a great idea," Harry said, "I know how upset Alex has been about things. But-what about her going to school?"

    "Well, he hasn't said anything to her or her aunt yet, but he wants her to stay at Hogwarts for her last year. But don't mention any of this to her yet! Melissa and I are going to talk to her about taking her in after the wedding, and Dumbledore will talk to her about schools sometime when you go back to school. So for now just keep all of this quiet and enjoy yourselves while you still can," Sirius said.

    "All right," Harry said, and he left, his mind reeling. They wanted to adopt Alex? It was a good idea, and living with his godparents and Alex would definitely be better than living with his aunt, uncle, and cousin.

    It was hard for Harry not to say anything to Alex. Even though she seemed to be having fun at Grimmauld Place with Harry and Hermione, she still seemed unhappy about the situation she was in. Hermione said that at night Alex talked in her sleep, always talking about not wanting to leave Hogwarts and not wanting to go live with her aunt. Harry was glad that Hermione and Alex were getting along well-they hadn't really gotten to know each other before now, and Harry had been afraid that they wouldn't get along well. They sat up together every night, talking and laughing, playing wizard chess, Gobstones, and Exploding Snap. Some nights Sirius, Lupin, Julie and Melissa would join them, other nights it would just be the three of them. Christmas Eve was no exception, they were all gathered together around the fire. Harry and Hermione were wrapped in a game of chess, while Alex sat reading a book about Quidditch.

    "The Weasleys'll be here in two days," Alex said cheerfully.

    "Yeah, and the wedding's in three," Harry said.

    "Tomorrow's Christmas," Hermione pointed out.

    "Yeah, I s'pose it is," Harry said.

    "I want my parents for Christmas," Alex said sadly. Hermione turned from Alex to Harry, who had a look on his face that told her he was up to something.

    "I need to go talk to Sirius and Melissa about something before bed," Harry said, and he got up quickly. Alex and Hermione both stared after him.

    "Sirius, I think you should adopt Alex for Christmas," Harry said when he found them upstairs.

    "What?" Melissa asked, "We were going to wait until after the wedding, Harry."

    "I think that's a great idea, though," Sirius said, "she could use a good Christmas present, and we really didn't know what to get her that she would like."

    "Do you think we should talk to her about it tomorrow, then?" Melissa asked.

    "Have you no creativity? I think we should wrap up a picture of this house, and make it so that you, Harry, Alex and I are in front of it, and then talk to her about it," Sirius said.

    "You're crazy," Harry said.

    "That's brilliant," Melissa said, grinning.

    "Well, then, let's get to it," Sirius said.

    "Good night," Harry said, laughing at them as he walked back to his room. He was about to change into his pajamas when he noticed that there was someone else in his room.

    "Hermione, why aren't you in bed? Is Alex already asleep?" Harry asked her.

    "Yes, she's already asleep, but I want to know what's going on," Hermione said.

    "Nothing's going on," Harry told her.

    "Don't lie to me, I know you better than that, you had some idea or another," Hermione said.

    "It's nothing, Hermione," he said.

    "Harry, you've always told Ron and I everything, and lately you've been SO distant from me especially. Now's the time when you need your friends more than ever, Harry, and you need to be able to trust us," Hermione said. Harry stared at her. For some reason, though she meant well, she was making him angry.

    "It's really none of your business, Hermione," Harry snapped at her.

    "Harry, please don't get mad at me," she begged. Harry met her eyes, which were pleading.

    "Fine. You'll find out tomorrow anyway, but if you must know, Sirius and Melissa want to take Alex in. They're going to be her guardians as well. They were going to wait to tell her about it until after the wedding, but I decided that it might be nice for them to do it on Christmas. I figured Alex would think it was a great present," Harry said.

    "Are you sure? I mean, Alex is a little bit sensitive about having no family still, do you really think that she'd like it if they just told her, 'hey, we're going to adopt you?' It might upset her," Hermione said.

    "No, it won't. She always tells me how jealous she is of Harry having Sirius and Melissa. She told me that since she can't have her own parents, she wishes she could have someone like them," said a new voice.

    "RON?" Hermione asked, turning around. Ron was now standing in the doorway, with Ginny, Fred, and George all behind him.

    "Mum decided we should come early. She says she wants us to be able to spend Christmas altogether. We just arrived," Ron said.

    "Do Sirius and Melissa know that you're here?" Harry asked them.

    "Well, they knew we were coming earlier. Mum wrote to them earlier and asked if it was okay with them," Ginny said.

    "Well, it's been a long day, Ron, we're going to go up to bed. We'll catch up tomorrow, Harry," the twins said. They closed the door behind them.

    "I still don't think that Alex is going to like this as much as you think," Hermione said.

    "Oh, shut up. You're not always right, you know. Just because you think you know everything doesn't meant that you do," Ron said.

    "What are you talking about, Ron?" Hermione asked.

    "Well, you were wrong about Harry and Ginny, and I'm positive that you're wrong about this, too," Ron said.

    "What do you mean, I was wrong about Harry and Ginny?" Hermione asked. She looked from one of them to the other, and they both blushed.

    "Well, you were," Ron said. Hermione just stared.

    "I was more right than I though about you being distant from me, Harry. What else are you not telling me?" she asked angrily.

    "Um, I never told you about the fight that Sirius and Melissa got in because of Alex's aunt. I think I mentioned that to Ron and Ginny at some point, though. Oh, and there was that huge argument that Melissa had with Snape after Malfoy insulted Ali. But that's all," Harry said.

    "That's all?" Hermione said.

    "I think so. Wait, no, there was the time that Malfoy was in the Restricted Section getting something, and that thing he said about tomorrow or whatever it was. But that really is it," Harry said.

    "Why didn't you ever tell me any of this?" Hermione demanded.

    "I didn't want to bother you with it. You've just been so busy helping McGonagall. And you haven't said anything to us about what's been going on with that, now have you?" he asked her.

    "No, but that's because there isn't really anything to tell, and I'm not allowed to tell, anyway. And besides, it's not like I've told everyone but you, Harry. What happened that made you think I didn't care about what goes on in your life?" Hermione asked.

    "I never said that I didn't think you cared," Harry protested.

    "Then why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

    "Look, Hermione, I'm sorry, it was a mistake not to tell you any of this, and I wish there was some way to make it up to you, but please, don't take it personally," he said.

    "How can I not take it personally? You trust Ron more than me, even though I've been there for you always, just like he has. You trust Ginny more than me, even though the two of you have never really been close until last summer, and you trust Alex more than me, even though you've only just met her!" Hermione said.

    "I said I was sorry," Harry said. Hermione shook her head.

    "Fine. It's okay. Just please, let me know what's going on from now on," she begged.

    "I will, I promise," Harry said.

    "Thank you," Hermione said.

    "Well, I dunno about you, but I'm tired," Ron said. Ginny nodded, and she and Hermione headed off to the room that they now shared with Alex as well.

    "Night, Ron," Harry said as the two of them lay down on their beds.

    The next morning Harry and Ron woke up to find a pile of presents at the foot of their beds.

    "Oh, great, another maroon sweater," Ron said as he pulled it out, "when is Mum going to realize that I don't like maroon?" Harry laughed as he pulled out his own sweater from Mrs. Weasley. His was emerald green. Also inside of the package was a tin of homemade fudge. The next present he unwrapped was from Ron. It was a ticket to a Chudley Cannon's Quidditch game at the beginning of the summer.

    "Wow, Ron, thanks!" Harry said.

    "Dad used his connections to get tickets for all of us, so we'll be there with you," Ron explained.

    The next package was from Hermione. Harry unwrapped it to find 'Hogwarts, A History.' He groaned as he pulled out a note that went with it.

    'I know you'll never sit down and read the entire thing, but as many times as we've had to refer to it in the last five years, I figured you might need it,' the note read.

    "Oh, I see she gave you 'Hogwarts, A History' as well. Can you believe her? Oh, well, I suppose there might be some more interesting legends in there about the nutty Slytherin clan," Ron said, and Harry grinned. The next package was from Ginny, who had given him a large stash of Fred and George's creations.

    "These'll definitely come in handy," Harry said, showing them to Ron.

    "That is so unfair, Fred and George won't even give me a discount on their creations, and they give Ginny heaps of their stuff for free," Ron complained as he picked up another of his presents.

    Harry pulled out a photo album from Julie and Lupin. The note that went with it said 'I know Hagrid has already given you something like this, with pictures of your parents, but we figured it couldn't hurt for you to have more. Also, we had quite a few pictures of you and your friends that we put in there as well.' Harry opened the book, and on the first page was a picture of his dad, Lupin, and Sirius. They looked no older than eleven or twelve in this picture. Below it was a picture of Melissa, his mum, and Julie. They looked to be the same age. Harry closed it and set it aside for later.

    Alex had given Harry a new clock for his room. It was similar to the one that the Weasleys had, instead of telling the time, it said things like 'Time to eat breakfast,' 'Time to go to bed,' and 'You're late.'

    The final package was a very large box with holes in it from Sirius and Melissa. Harry unwrapped it slowly, and inside was something gold and hairy. He pulled it out of the blankets, and saw that it was a golden-retriever puppy. Harry had never had a dog (unless you counted Sirius), and he had always thought they were very friendly. He had wanted one, but of course the Dursleys would never have given him a dog. It was hard enough for them to give him the time of day.

    "Oh, wow, Harry, a dog! Mum and Dad always said there were too many of us to be able to take care of a dog, too," Ron said.

    "What should I name him?" Harry asked.

    "Dunno. Just call him 'Dog' until you come up with a name for him," Ron said.

    "I'm sure he'll love being called 'Dog,' Ron," Harry said sarcastically. Ron shrugged, and they went downstairs to find Ginny and Hermione in the kitchen.

    "Where's Alex?" Ron asked.

    "Talking to Sirius and Melissa. I reckon they're telling her that they want to take her in," Ginny said. Sure enough, Alex appeared in the kitchen a moment later, looking very excited.

    "They want to adopt me!" Alex exclaimed. Harry grinned.

    "I told you so," Ron hissed to Hermione. Hermione just shrugged.

    The day passed quickly. Alex took to Fred and George quickly. Harry had never seen her laugh so much. Fred and George showed her all of the inventions they had ever made, starting with the Canary Creams and ending with their newest inventions.

    Harry and Ginny played with the puppy most of the day. Harry had decided to name is Godric, after Godric Gryffindor. After that, Fred and George set off a fireworks display inside the house, and then they all ate dinner. Everyone talked loudly and cheerfully throughout the whole meal, and after dinner, Dumbledore showed up and gave Sirius and Melissa some papers to sign. They were now officially Harry and Alex's guardian.

    To Harry, though, the best part of the day was when Ginny kissed him, right before they headed off to bed.

    Two days later, it was finally time for the wedding. There was a small wizarding church tucked away in a small community nearby. It was white, and it looked very small. However, once they went inside, it appeared to be very large. The rows were packed full of people, a few that Harry recognized, many that he did not. He sat in the front row with Alex, Lupin and Julie. All of the Weasleys were in the row behind them. Harry glanced around, and inside the church he spotted Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley, and Cornelius Fudge. The church was very noisy, but once the music began the noise died down. Harry looked at Sirius, up by the altar. He looked very handsome in black, and he was grinning broadly. His black hair was neat, and his eyes were twinkling. He was staring at the aisle, where Melissa was walking towards him. She looked lovely as well. She was wearing a long white gown, and a veil covered her face. Despite the veil, Harry could still see that she was beaming. Her eyes were crystal and sparkling, just like Sirius's.

    Harry didn't pay much attention to the ceremony. The whole time he just watched his godparents, watched the love in their eyes and the happiness on their faces. An hour later, when the ceremony ended, Harry was more convinced than ever that Sirius and Melissa were absolutely perfect for each other.

    After the wedding, Sirius and Melissa left to go to Ireland for a week, while Harry, Alex, and Hermione joined the Weasley's at the Burrow.

    Harry spent the evening with Ginny. He was relieved to be alone with her for a change. He wondered if, a few years from now, he and Ginny could be the way that Sirius and Melissa were.

    Whether there was a future for them or not, Harry found that he was quite enjoying right now.