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"I know Neville got a Nimbus 2000 by his family last September, but are they other players who have such expensive brooms?" Alexandra asked to her auburn-haired friend, leaving Quality Quidditch Supplies behind them.
"Not that I know of from last year, but Malfoy or Nott are surely going to enter the competition on September." Replied Nigel after a few seconds of reflexion.
"Maybe the Slytherins will kill each other on the pitch." Joked Alexandra with a large smile, as the entire group gathered at Fortescue. Last year had seen a deep rivalry develop between the two first-year Slytherin for the leadership of the youngest Snakes, and somehow Alexandra was sure the rivalry hadn't ended with the holidays.
Nigel smiled with her, before his expression turned to a grimace when he saw the grumping and snarling expression of his grandfather waiting for them at Fortescue. Needless to say, an afternoon sitting alone on the terrace's pavement area had really not improved his mood.
"See you on September 1st," Alexandra said to the Gryffindor boy. "I will take a compartment at the rear of the Express."
In the mean time, she had a violet bus with infernal speed to catch. Taking in her arms the large pile of books Mary Granger gave her, she vacillated under the weight and groaned.
"There better be a good deal of useful information in these books." Alexandra said in a prayer, already half-discouraged by the need to carry this plus the rest of her purchases through Diagon Alley. But as the large show made by Lockhart in the afternoon came back in her memory, she was fearing the worst.
One thing was sure, this new school year promised to be several things, but certainly not boring.
1st September 1992, Hogwarts Express
Alexandra snarled under the sheer weight of her trunk, trying without success to push it inside the compartment and failing utterly. Finally, out of breath, she stopped her effort and let the bag containing all her clothes, books and various objects she owned descend on the ground of platform nine and three quarters of King's Cross Station.
Defeated by a trunk, thought Alexandra. That was a new low, even for her.
Drawing her wand out of her wand holster, she quickly casted a Wingardium Leviosa on the recalcitrant luggage, praying the interdiction of practising magic during the holidays had already ended when she had crossed the magical barrier.
Opening again the door in front of her, she levitated the heavy trunk inside and quickly walked inside the train.
Sure enough, Hermione and Nigel were already awaiting her in the first compartment she opened.
"You're late." Remarked Nigel in an ironic tone.
"A witch is never really late, Nigel. She arrives when she means to, not before, and wizards must accept it." Joked Alexandra. "In the unlikely event a witch would be late, though, she would accuse her trunk to be too heavy to transport. Well the trunk and these useless Lockhart books."
She wasn't kidding. Her wandless magic was too unreliable to levitate a big object in plain day without all the inhabitants of Privet of Drive seeing it, so she had had to use the normal method to move it, until the point she had called the Knight Bus. Arriving at King's Cross, descending the trunk and reaching the magical platform had been even more difficult thanks to the crowd. Fortunately Atalanta made the travel to Hogwarts on her own. Carrying an owl on her shoulder would have made the task an impossible one.
"Lockhart books are not useless!" Protested Hermione, on the seat facing Nigel.
Alexandra threw her a surprised look, before sitting on the seat to Nigel's left.
"Strange. Have you read the same books as I have? Because there was not a single spell taught in all these books."
"But all the things he's done..." Said Hermione in a vehement voice.
"Whether our new Professor has done all the things he says having accomplished doesn't really matter, Hermione. I paid each of these books three Galleons, and they were seven of them. So, twenty-one Galleons for all, and I can't say any of them is worth the price. The Standard Book of Spells was half the price of a Lockhart book and has much more interesting information about the theory and practise of magic."
"Alexandra's right. My father read one of this book, and he wasn't really happy we were forced to buy all the Lockhart collection." Nigel intervened. "My grandfather said it was proof how deep Hogwarts had fallen, but you know how he is..."
Alexandra and Hermione looked at each other, their debate about Lockhart books forgotten. Seeing Nigel's grandfather at Diagon Alley had been a brutal reminder how bad Nigel's view of himself had suffered under this hard and bitter old man. In fact, Alexandra suspected it had been worse for Hermione. Living with the Dursleys for eleven years was difficult to beat, while the Gryffindor girl had loving parents who had accepted to send their only child to a secret world they ignored the existence two years ago. Watching someone treat his grandchild like dirt was not a pleasing experience.
"So what happened really to you at Brise-Roc?" Demanded Nigel. "The sum-up you sent us by letter wasn't very encouraging..."
"I saw the destruction it wrecked in the newspapers. How did you survive that, Alex?" Added the bushy-haired Gryffindor witch.
"Luck, Hermione. Luck and running as fast as I could away from the danger." Alexandra was forced to admit with bitterness. "Do you want the short or the long version? I saw a salamander-shaped demon from the deepest parts of Hell massacre a goblin army, and I abandoned them to save my skin."
Seeing the expectant regards of her two friends, the green-eyed Ravenclaw had to tell them the full story, which took her over half an hour. The silver sword kept in one of the lower compartments of her trunk was shown to add weight to the whole adventure.