Dark Come Soon

Alexandra moved through the dimly lit corridors in silence, desperately trying to make sense of the afternoon’s happenings. One minute she’d been laughing alongside Ron and his friends, the next she was watching in horror as Katie was lifted into the air by an invisible force which seemed to torture her. Katie yelled at the top of her lungs, her cries pierced deep into the heart of Alexandra who was so terrified that she was rendered immobile. It wasn’t until Katie hit the ground that she and the others regained their senses. They ran towards her, hoping to find what it was that had harmed Katie, but all they found was a necklace, a beautiful opal necklace. From the moment she saw it, she knew there was no way that it could’ve belonged to Katie. It was too fine, jewelry like that was only seen by the wealthiest and oldest of the pureblood families, and Katie was nothing more than a working class half-blood. It couldn’t possibly have been hers. Someone must’ve given it to her. But the question was, who?

The first person that came to mind was Draco. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all seemed to agree on that point. They told Alexandra that Draco wasn’t too be trusted, his father was a Death Eater that was locked away in Azkaban, but they each suspected that Draco had taken after his father and was now working for Voldemort. If that was true, Alexandra feared for Ramona. Her friend had expressed a like for the kiss she had with Draco. There was something about him that drew her towards him, and Alexandra worried that maybe Draco would try to hurt Ramona. She was, after all, the granddaughter of Albus Dumbledore. If he was a Death Eater, if he worked for Voldemort, then it was only natural he try to harm Ramona.

“This is so fucked,” whispered Alexandra softly.

“What’s fucked up?” asked a voice from behind.

Alexandra recognized the voice. It was Ramona’s. She wasted no time in turning around. Relieved to see her friend, she ran towards her and took her into a strong embrace, the strongest that she had ever given the Slytherin.

“You’re okay!” exclaimed Alexandra, stepping away. “I was freaking out! I thought something happened to you and I was just –”

“Calm down,” ordered Ramona in a soft voice. “Why would you be worried about me?”

“Because of what happened to Katie,” answered Alexandra. “I don’t know it just . . . I think Draco’s the one that gave her the necklace somehow and I'm afraid he might do something to you.”

“Alex . . .”

“I’ve been worrying over that since I read your tea leaves. I’ve been . . . been freaking out, because . . . well, you know.”

“You shouldn’t be stressing over that.”

“But I can’t help it,” she mumbled. “What if he does something to you?”

“He’d had to be thick to try to have a go at me.” Ramona paused before adding. “Let’s be honest, if old Voldie couldn’t get rid of me, then I'm sure as hell that Draco’s not even a threat. Now wipe off that grim. Or am I gonna have to drag Ron over here to get ya to smile?”

Alexandra smiled sheepishly.

“Is that a blush? Bloody hell!” exclaimed Ramona, overdramatically. “It is! You’re blushing. Awe, look at my little Alex, blushing over her ginger.”

“He’s not my ginger,” she muttered.

“No offense mate, but you’re not a good liar.”

“I'm not lying.”

“Ron’s taking you on broom rides and late night walks, I'm pretty sure that means he’s your ginger. And that blush sure as hell says you want him to be.”

“That doesn’t matter though.”

“Why not?” asked Ramona.

“Because I'm not normal,” she blurted. “And even if he liked me, and I'm not saying I think he does, I don’t think he’d like me after he knew about my abilities.”

Ramona began laughing.

“Why you laughing?” asked Alexandra, staring at Ramona in confusion. “This isn’t funny! I'm being fucking serious over here.”

“I know you are that’s what makes it so funny.”

“What? I don’t – how’s this funny?”

“You’re freaking out over Ron not liking you because you’re not normal, no offense, but nothing in Ron’s life is normal. His best mate is Harry fucking Potter! That alone tells you that there is no semblance of normality in his life. And you . . . you might be a little off, but Ron would still fancy ya. He’s fancied you since he first saw you at the shop.” Ramona eyes widened when she realized she broke her promise.

“W-what’d you say?”

“Nothing, I didn’t say anything.”

“Mona, you just said that he –”

“I said he’d still fancy ya,” interjected Ramona. “That reminds me. I need to get going. Are you alright, though? With the whole Katie thing?” she asked.

“I guess I'm fine. I mean, I'm just trying to make sense of it, but I'm alright.”

“Good,” Ramona muttered. “Uh, well, I need to get going. Keep yourself out of trouble, alright?”

“Only if you do,” replied Alexandra.

Ramona chuckled, but didn’t say anything. Instead she walked away, leaving Alexandra there to ponder what she’d just said. She couldn’t believe that Ron had fancied her since the shop. To be honest, she didn’t really even notice him all that much then. He was just Ramona’s friend, nothing more. But slowly he had become her friend, and in the last few weeks, she’d developed a sort of crush on him. He was awkward as hell, he had a habit of saying the wrong thing, but there were moments when he was incredibly sweet and endearing . . . and she liked him, she really liked him. Whenever he smiled at her, her insides fluttered and she was left a grinning fool that didn’t have control over her face. He was, oh, he was brilliant.

And she was afraid that if he were to find out about her or who her mother was, he wouldn’t want to spend time with her anymore. Ron wasn’t a believer of divination, and for years neither had she, so she understood where he was coming from, but he also wasn’t a fan of Sybil. He thought her mother was crazy. Hell, so did she, but if she were to ever be with someone, she’d want them to be on alright terms with her mother. Ah. She was getting ahead of herself. She should just stay friends, see if anything happened between then, but a part of her told her to go for it. She had denied herself of friends and a boyfriend after her abilities had manifested themselves, now she had friends and her life was at a stable enough place for her to possibly have a boyfriend. Plus, there was a war raging outside the castle walls, and if she doesn’t live how she wants today, there might not be a tomorrow.

It was those thoughts she pondered for the following week. Whenever she had a moment alone, she’d think about the possibility of maybe telling Ron more about her, just to see what he’d do, but then she’d always end up shying away. It was stupid, she’d tell herself. There was no point in telling him, because nothing was going to ever happen between them. But then he’d smile. Oh! He’d give her one of those smiles that left her dazed, and she’d want to tell him about her abilities, just so she could make sure that smile would be hers.

Not knowing what to do or how to deal with her emotions, she decided to consult the only person in the entire world that she trusted completely; her father. Most people wouldn’t have gone to a parent for relationship advise, but Andrés was so much more than a dad to her, he was her best friend, her confidant, and it was his opinion she valued above all else. And so on the Friday night before the first Gryffindor Quidditch match of the season, she paid her father a visit in his office.

Andrés was surprised by her visit. She’d been spending the weekend nights with her friends instead of him. He saw her regularly during the weekdays, but when the weekend hit, she’d run off with Ramona or that Ron, and only show up in the early afternoon for an hour or so to hang out.

“Are you alright, little bird?” he asked her.

“I'm fine dad. I just, uh, wanted to spend some time with you, but if you’re busy, I’ll just head out. It’s fine.”

“Don’t be crazy, you can stay. Come on, I was just about to watch a movie.”

“You figured out how to make the electronics work?” she asked.

Andrés shook his head. “No, I actually asked Dumbledore if he could charm them for me. You know I'm not good with technology, but Dumbledore did it and I have movies now! I was going to tell you about it tomorrow when you came over for coffee and pan dulce (sweet bread), but since you’re here, we can watch a movie right now.”

“Can I pick which one, please?” she gave him puppy dog eyes.

“Let me guess . . . Braveheart?”

She grinned at him and nodded enthusiastically.

“I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve seen that movie.”

“It’s one of the best movies ever! And we’re in Scotland so it makes sense to watch it.”

“Well, I guess it’s better than sitting through six hours of Pride and Prejudice. Oh no! No me mires asi (don’t look at me like that)! We’re not watching it. I’ve sat through it enough times this year. We can start again in January, but I’ve reached my Jane Austen limit.”

“Fine, but as soon as its new years, we’re gonna have ourselves an Austen marathon.” She told him. “And we’re even going to wear our outfits.”

Andrés groaned loudly. “I’ll never forgive myself for throwing you an Austen Quinceañera.”

The party in question had been Alexandra’s fifteenth birthday, which was a very big deal in Mexican culture. Her father, wanting to throw her a party that she would truly love, had gone so far as to have custom made period clothes made for her and her friends, and at her insistence, he’d even had a suit made for himself. It was an embarrassing article of clothing that he kept locked away. In a perfect world, he would’ve only had to use it that once, but Alexandra was an odd child, and whenever she was extremely bored, she demanded that he have tea with her in their Austen era clothing. And Andrés, being the indulging father that he was, always changed into the suit and donned the persona.

They eventually stopped talking about Austen, and as Alexandra put the movie into the VCR, Andrés grabbed them some snacks that he kept in his chambers. What ensued was three hours of movie watching that ended with Alexandra in tears. She’d seen the movie countless times, but she always cried, even if she knew exactly what was going to happen. That was just how she was. She got emotional during movies and books.

“I think its past curfew,” said Andrés when the movie ended. He glanced back to check on the clock mounted on the wall. “It is past curfew. You’re going to have to spend the night Alex.”

Alexandra was tempted to tell him that she snuck around the castle after hours all the time, but she knew better than to admit to her father that she snuck around in the dark with Ron. Her father wouldn’t be happy if he found that out. He was protective of her. She was his only child, and no, he wouldn’t want her sneaking about with a boy. That just wouldn’t do.

“That’s fine. I mean, I don’t have class tomorrow so it’s alright.” Alexandra wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Well, you know where your clothes are and the sheets on your bed were washed a few days ago, so everything’s fresh. I'm going to go get changed for bed.” He began to walk away.

“Wait!” she blurted out.

“Yes?” he turned to look at her.

“I . . . uh . . . well, you see I wanted to ask you something, dad. And I know if I don’t ask you right now I'm gonna chicken out and not ask you at all. So can I ask you? Please?”

Andrés nodded. “Is this about your abilities?”

“Yeah, but not entirely,” she replied.

“What’s going on with them? Have you gotten hurt during a vision or –”

She shook her head. “That hasn’t happened since I fell down the stairs. The thing is I was wondering . . . damn it. Okay. So you know Ron, right?”

“Ah, this is about boys.” Andrés sighed and returned to his seat. “What’s going on with him? Have you told him?”

“No, but I was thinking about telling him.”

“Because you like him,” stated Andrés, knowingly.

“How’d you know? I didn’t even really know until today.”

“You smile more when he’s around.” He told her. “I’ve seen you two during meals. You seem to be more at ease when he’s around, and I'm glad for that. He seems like he’s a good boy.”

“He is,” she broke out into a grin. “He’s so nice and funny and awkward . . . and I probably shouldn’t be telling you this because you’re my dad, but I just I wanted to know, since you were in a similar situation, if you would’ve wanted mom to have told you about her abilities before you started going out. Because I don’t know what to do,” she said the last bit in a voice barely above a whisper.

“I think . . .” he didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t know if he would’ve wanted Sybil to have been upfront with him. He didn’t know if he would’ve been scared off or if he would’ve stayed. “I think . . . I don’t know.”

“What?” she said in disbelief.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I . . . I know I would’ve wanted her to tell me, but the thing is I don’t know when I would’ve wanted her to tell me. Does that make sense? It probably doesn’t make sense, and I should have an answer to this since I’ve thought about it ever since we got divorced, but I don’t know. I just don’t know.” Andrés rested his head on the couch.

“Would you have been with mom if you knew from the start?” she asked quietly, watching him for a reaction.

“I . . .” That woman had put him through hell. It was because of her that he’d been a single parent that stayed up at night with a wailing infant, the one that did the runs to the emergency room whenever there was a fever, it was because of her that he’d never been able to have the family he’d always imagined himself having, but despite her instability in the later years, he’d loved the ones they’d had in the beginning and he loved the child they’d made together. “She made me happy. I would’ve stayed with her.”

“Then why didn’t you stay after?” she asked, in an even softer voice.

He moved his head so he could see her. “After you were born, you became the most important person in my life, more important than me. And when you got hurt . . . I just . . . I couldn’t risk you getting hurt again. Your mother had messed up a few other times, but I didn’t think much of it, but when I saw you in the hospital room, I knew I had to put you first and do right by you.” His voice faltered towards the end and his gaze returned to the ceiling.

Knowing that words were pointless, Alexandra placed a kiss on his cheek and then rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for awhile, not talking, just taking in each other’s company.

Alexandra didn’t sleep much that night. She kept thinking about what she should do, whether or not she should tell Ron. If she was going to pursue anything then he deserved to know, but she didn’t know when she should tell him. Maybe it was alright to see if they could get date, and if things were to get serious then she’d tell him. Or would he get mad that she wasn’t upfront about it? She didn’t know. The only thing she did know was that she had a massive crush on him, that she liked spending time with him, and that when he stared at her with that soft smile, he sent her heart racing.

Eventually, she left the Hospital Wing and made her way back to Ravenclaw Tower, where she showered and got ready for the day. She’d promised Ron that she’d have breakfast with him. So she hurried in order to be ready by the time he showed up at the tower. She’d thought it weird that he wanted to walk with her, but ever since Ramona told her that Ron had fancied her since they met, everything he did made more and more sense.

“Morning Ron,” she greeted him when she stepped out. “Your Quidditch uniform’s really rad.”

“Thank you,” he said, nervously. He hadn’t slept at all last night. He’d been too nervous. “You’re wearing the scarf.”

“Yeah, I told you I would.” Alexandra smiled at him, her lips parting to reveal her teeth. “I'm totally rooting for Gryffindor."

“What if we lose? I'm rubbish.”

“No, you’re not. I believe in you, Ron.”

“You do?”

“I do.”

She stared at him with such fondness that for that moment, Ron forgot all about the Quidditch match. All he could focus on was the way her lips curled into a small little smile that had absolute control over him. She was beautiful, not in one of those obvious ways, but in a subtle one. And he was in awe of her, of the way she made him feel, and before he could register what he was doing, he lowered his lips onto hers and captured them in a delicate kiss. A jolt of electricity rushed through him when he first felt her lips. He couldn’t even think. It wasn’t until her hands rested on his hips that he realized what was going on. He slowly pulled away, eyes half closed out of fear that there’d be a disapproving look on her face, but she was grinning at him. She was grinning.