Death by Innocence
Chapter Nine
A few days later, Alex was walking with Neville down to the Great Hall for breakfast. An awkward tension passed between the two. Neville looked like someone had just told him he failed school, so Alex was compelled to discover what was wrong.
“Is something wrong?” Alex asked skeptically.
“Uh…no,” he sighed sadly.
Alex puckered her lips and scowled.
“Why? Why must you do this to me!? It vexes me so!”
“Do what to you?”
“You are the only person who can ever put me in such a mood. I mean, you are one of my best friends and I love you like a puppy, or a pet goldfish. You can tell me your most dastardly deed, yet you can’t tell me what’s wrong with you? What you’re thinking!? C’mon mate!”
Neville stopped walking and looked at her.
“Put you in a mood?”
“YES!,” Alex wailed, “every time I think I’ve got you figured out, you find a way to turn the page on a whole new story!”
“No need to get poetic about it…”
Alex glowered at him.
“Why are you being so…so mean?”
“Mean? Mean? Who said I was being mean? I’m just peachy! I mean besides you being utterly dorky and keeping things all bottled up I’m just peachy!”
“Now you just sound like Helena…”
Slowly, Alex turned and glared at him.
“Now I sound like Helena!? She doesn’t have a funny bone in her body, and she study’s like there’s no tomorrow! And then there’s me! The chipper, happy bunny…!” she was cut off by Neville.
“Okay, okay just calm down Alex!”
Alex shrunk back a little and took three long, deep breaths, regaining her proper posture.
“Speak of the devil,” said Neville.
“What? Who’s talking about the devil?”
Neville turned her around to face Helena, Hermione, Ron, Seamus, and Harry all staring at Alex.
“Helllllo mates,” smiled Alex.
“Hello Alex, Neville,” said Seamus.
Alex shot him a beautiful smile And his eyes lit up.
“Where were you two this morning?” asked Harry.
“Here,” Alex grinned.
“Be serious for once,” chided Helena, “we’ve been looking all over for you this morning.”
“Hmmm…I never knew you to worry about me,” sneered Alex.
“Ladies, ladies, lets not fight on such a lovely day,” said that o-so familiar voice sang.
Everyone wheeled around to see Draco Malfoy and his gang standing there, all of them looking lost.
“What do you want?” Alex asked, bouncing over to him.
“Move,” Draco instructed her.
“Make me!” she retorted folding her arms defensively across her chest.
Goyle walked up to her and she shrunk back a little, but remained calm. He picked her up and carried her over by Neville and Harry. He dropped her with a thud on Neville’s shoe. Harry helped her up.
“You…you big meanie! Never come near me…or my buttons again!” She shouted.
Everyone looked at her with curiosity in their eyes. Helena knew exactly what Alex was talking about.
“My buttons,” she said, removing her top hat and showing them her small jar off buttons.
They all turned back to Draco.
“So now you’re ganging up on the innocent?” Helena asked making the first move.
“Maybe I am what are you going to do about it?”
“You sound like a five year old Malfoy. Don’t you think it’s time to grow up?”
“See. All you do is study…and it’s probably why that dumb ass is your only friend.”
Alex was oblivious to the fact that Draco was talking about her.
“Alex is not a dumb ass…of course she’s a little slow at times, but she definitely is no dumb ass. She probably has a higher IQ than you do.”
“And,” chimed Hermione, “Alex isn’t her only friend…all of us here are her friends.”
A chorus of “yeas” was heard.
“The only friends you’ll ever have.”
Draco’s gang began laughing hysterically.
“Leave Helena alone!” shouted Alex.
Helena turned and glared at her.
“I can take car of myself Alex, thank you very much.”
“Apparently not…”
Helena turned to her.
“Listen Alex I really don’t want to fight with you mate…so lets not start now.”
“Why wont you let me help you out, I mean, it will take more than one person to go up against weasel boy here.”
“For the last time, I don’t need your help, Alexia!”
Everyone froze.
“How many times did I have to tell you when we were little? Don’t call me Alexia!”
“Alexia! Alexia Anne-dane Martin-Dussle! Alexia Alexia Alexia!”
Alex was mad now. A coating of tears glossed her eyes. She turned and ran. Everyone was now fighting with each other. Ron and Hermione, Seamus and Harry, Helena and Draco, and Draco’s gang just began fighting with each other over nothing. Neville quietly slipped away to go after Alex.
She ran all the way down to the Black Lake and just sat on the edge. She began thinking about her parents and how she missed them so. A twig cracked and Alex looked up. Neville was looking at her from behind the tree.
“Hey mate,” she sighed sadly.”
Neville walked up and sat beside her.
“I know you probably don’t want to talk right now, and I’m probably the last person you would want to talk to but…” Alex cut him off, kissing his cheek.
“Thank you Neville, for everything.”
“Is something wrong?” Alex asked skeptically.
“Uh…no,” he sighed sadly.
Alex puckered her lips and scowled.
“Why? Why must you do this to me!? It vexes me so!”
“Do what to you?”
“You are the only person who can ever put me in such a mood. I mean, you are one of my best friends and I love you like a puppy, or a pet goldfish. You can tell me your most dastardly deed, yet you can’t tell me what’s wrong with you? What you’re thinking!? C’mon mate!”
Neville stopped walking and looked at her.
“Put you in a mood?”
“YES!,” Alex wailed, “every time I think I’ve got you figured out, you find a way to turn the page on a whole new story!”
“No need to get poetic about it…”
Alex glowered at him.
“Why are you being so…so mean?”
“Mean? Mean? Who said I was being mean? I’m just peachy! I mean besides you being utterly dorky and keeping things all bottled up I’m just peachy!”
“Now you just sound like Helena…”
Slowly, Alex turned and glared at him.
“Now I sound like Helena!? She doesn’t have a funny bone in her body, and she study’s like there’s no tomorrow! And then there’s me! The chipper, happy bunny…!” she was cut off by Neville.
“Okay, okay just calm down Alex!”
Alex shrunk back a little and took three long, deep breaths, regaining her proper posture.
“Speak of the devil,” said Neville.
“What? Who’s talking about the devil?”
Neville turned her around to face Helena, Hermione, Ron, Seamus, and Harry all staring at Alex.
“Helllllo mates,” smiled Alex.
“Hello Alex, Neville,” said Seamus.
Alex shot him a beautiful smile And his eyes lit up.
“Where were you two this morning?” asked Harry.
“Here,” Alex grinned.
“Be serious for once,” chided Helena, “we’ve been looking all over for you this morning.”
“Hmmm…I never knew you to worry about me,” sneered Alex.
“Ladies, ladies, lets not fight on such a lovely day,” said that o-so familiar voice sang.
Everyone wheeled around to see Draco Malfoy and his gang standing there, all of them looking lost.
“What do you want?” Alex asked, bouncing over to him.
“Move,” Draco instructed her.
“Make me!” she retorted folding her arms defensively across her chest.
Goyle walked up to her and she shrunk back a little, but remained calm. He picked her up and carried her over by Neville and Harry. He dropped her with a thud on Neville’s shoe. Harry helped her up.
“You…you big meanie! Never come near me…or my buttons again!” She shouted.
Everyone looked at her with curiosity in their eyes. Helena knew exactly what Alex was talking about.
“My buttons,” she said, removing her top hat and showing them her small jar off buttons.
They all turned back to Draco.
“So now you’re ganging up on the innocent?” Helena asked making the first move.
“Maybe I am what are you going to do about it?”
“You sound like a five year old Malfoy. Don’t you think it’s time to grow up?”
“See. All you do is study…and it’s probably why that dumb ass is your only friend.”
Alex was oblivious to the fact that Draco was talking about her.
“Alex is not a dumb ass…of course she’s a little slow at times, but she definitely is no dumb ass. She probably has a higher IQ than you do.”
“And,” chimed Hermione, “Alex isn’t her only friend…all of us here are her friends.”
A chorus of “yeas” was heard.
“The only friends you’ll ever have.”
Draco’s gang began laughing hysterically.
“Leave Helena alone!” shouted Alex.
Helena turned and glared at her.
“I can take car of myself Alex, thank you very much.”
“Apparently not…”
Helena turned to her.
“Listen Alex I really don’t want to fight with you mate…so lets not start now.”
“Why wont you let me help you out, I mean, it will take more than one person to go up against weasel boy here.”
“For the last time, I don’t need your help, Alexia!”
Everyone froze.
“How many times did I have to tell you when we were little? Don’t call me Alexia!”
“Alexia! Alexia Anne-dane Martin-Dussle! Alexia Alexia Alexia!”
Alex was mad now. A coating of tears glossed her eyes. She turned and ran. Everyone was now fighting with each other. Ron and Hermione, Seamus and Harry, Helena and Draco, and Draco’s gang just began fighting with each other over nothing. Neville quietly slipped away to go after Alex.
She ran all the way down to the Black Lake and just sat on the edge. She began thinking about her parents and how she missed them so. A twig cracked and Alex looked up. Neville was looking at her from behind the tree.
“Hey mate,” she sighed sadly.”
Neville walked up and sat beside her.
“I know you probably don’t want to talk right now, and I’m probably the last person you would want to talk to but…” Alex cut him off, kissing his cheek.
“Thank you Neville, for everything.”