Not Dead Yet

1991 December

There was something deeply disturbing about the Weasley residence. Its appearance spoke volumes of its inhabitants. Several stories high, the structure looked like it was the insane love child of Tim Burton and Dr Seuss. What might have once been a humble stone house had been burdened with a ridiculous number of crookedly stacked rooms. Five chimneys sprouted from the roof like weeds and a crooked sign near the entrance read 'The Burrow'.

Anxiety prickled Alana's mind as she calculated the probability of the funeral pyre house collapsing on her if she entered. The disgrace to magical architecture stuck out like a sore thumb in the otherwise pleasant scenery. Idly, the young witch wondered what sort of creatures would willingly inhabit such a residence. Clearly, they had to be insane or suicidal.

A pair of cackling twins fleeing out the front door assured her that it was an unfortunate mixture of both qualities.

"Fred! George! What have I said about pranks in the kitchen! How are you even at home?! You're supposed to be at Hogwarts for Yule!" A distinctly feminine voice shouted loud enough to pierce the veil.

There was nothing that could have stopped Alana from shielding her ears with a wince. To her relief, she received no such verbal acknowledgement from the woman. The Weasley miscreants passed her without so much as a glance. Their swift, and dare she say wise, escape was not a second too soon as a short, plump, flaming-haired demoness exited the door with a growl.

No really, her hair was literally flaming.

Alana was rendered speechless at the deliciously realistic enchanted flames shrouding the woman's hair. She had never seen magical flames of such high quality and was hit with the sudden urge to hunt her down some twins. Whether the exquisite work was the product of potions or spellwork was a mystery, but it was clear that the subject of the magic did not share her appreciation of the art.

Mrs Weasley seemed content to fume at her absent sons for a few more minutes before she noticed her guest. Alana was shaken from her thoughts by a fiery, brown gaze that soon settled down to a gentle warmth.

"You must be Alana," She exclaimed with sudden joy overtaking her features. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, dear. Those boys! Well, come in! Come in," The mother invited enthusiastically. Alana found herself unable to react as she was hustled into the house of doom.

The inside of the home - and it was most definitely a home - was a stark contrast to the outside. Any signs of structural instability vanished and gave way to a welcoming if cluttered family space. As soon as the cultural shock wore off, Alana was overtaken by curiosity. Her eyes flicked with unconcealed interest from object to object. There was much to look at in the living room. An assortment of muggle trinkets filled a weathered cabinet and on one wall hung graduation certificates that must have belonged to the elder Weasley sons now Hogwarts alumnae. A clock depicting not the time but the welfare of each family member took the central stage on the fireplace mantel. It was all very foreign to her.

It was also very distracting.

Alana finally tore her gaze away from the room and back to the Weasley matriarch. The woman was unsurprisingly observing her strange behaviour. She was, however, surprised to see the mischievously indulgent smile on her ageing features. Alana let a smile of her own flit across her features. She was both pleased and relieved to note that no excessive faux politeness would be required for tea. She already had one concerned mother dissecting her on a semi-regular basis and didn't need a Malfoy and a Weasley against her.

"You have a lovely home, Mrs Weasley. I don't think I've ever been seen a place more welcoming."

She realised how true the compliment was as the words left her lips.

"I'm glad you like it. Make yourself at home, dear. I'll get some tea and biscuits. You must be starving. Honestly, you were more than welcome to use the home floo to get here."

"I enjoy a scenic route now and then, and with the area, it was a temptation I couldn't pass up. I'm sorry my guardian couldn't come along for tea, Mrs Weasley, he doesn't much care for socialising. I hope you won't think ill of him for it."

"Not at all and please call me Molly. Mrs Weasley just makes me feel old," The woman playfully grinned as she set a tray laden with treats on the table.

"As long as you don't call me Miss Vincent," Alana quipped, "It makes me feel as though I'm about to get detention." Molly nodded in understanding.

"I can't imagine you get much of that though. You seem a nice enough girl. A Ravenclaw too! Ron has talked about you a fair lot in his letters home, and Minerva has been singing your praises."

Alana's eyebrows shot up at the mention of her Transfiguration professor. She was sure the woman was exaggerating. However, the fact that Molly had asked after her, and she had to have because Mrs McGonagall wasn't one to speak of students without cause, was telling.

"I'm sure she exaggerated. I enjoy learning but, truth be told, I don't think any student gets out of Hogwarts without at least one detention. With Professor Snape giving them out like candy, it's nearly impossible."

"No need to be so modest, dear. It's comforting to know Percy has such a charming girlfriend."

Alana would deny any claim that she choked on her tea at the comment. Fortunately for her, there were no witnesses to her slip because a shrill exclamation garnered both female's attention. To his credit, Percy had not fainted in the doorway but instead settled for the appearance of a blobfish. The blood had drained from his face, and he seemed to be gasping for air - or perhaps he was trying to inhale his lost dignity.

"Actually, I'm not his girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!"

Mrs Weasley looked somewhat at a loss but quickly recollected herself. "Then what-"

"Friends, mum! Bloody Merlin, we're just friends! You said you wouldn't make assumptions last time. Can I not breathe next to a girl without you inviting them over for tea?!" Percy's voice reached an impressive level of shrillness before he slumped against the door frame. The action was so unusual to witness that Alana had to stifle an amused laugh. Even after being beaten seventy times in fencing, he had never looked so utterly defeated.

How was I supposed to know she wasn't the one you'd been pining over last holidays?! And don't you dare deny it either! I raised you well enough to tell when you're smitten. Hmph!"

"I certainly don't have a crush on the person who beats me up every week! Not that it's any of your business who I date anyways! There is a word for what you are doing, mum; it's called stalking. What do I have to do to get some privacy around here?!"

"You're dating?" Suddenly, the daggers Mrs Weasley had been glaring at her son turned into love hearts. Percy's groan could be felt on a spiritual level.

"That's all you got from that?"

1991 December

Notification: Quest Progress!

Main Quest: Drink from the skulls of your enemies (8/500)

Request: Chaos and Pain Reward: Wandless Crucio Pack (5/5)

"This is wrong on so many levels," Alana muttered. The Notification glinted mockingly as she took a sip of lemonade from another skull goblet. She set the cup down and returned to her perusal of the newest legislation passed through Wizengamot. It wasn't of much concern to her underground following, but it was still prudent to stay informed. Grooming Draco was no walk in the park after all. However, as dedicated to her role as she was, she couldn't read through decades of records herself, so she had left it to her newly acquired Matthews to read through and summarise the rest of the legal doc.u.ments. It turned out Jake was just as competent in his studies as he'd been in primary, so she had little to fret when it came to finding him work for the holidays.

Creation: Capricorn V

Species: Library System

Level: 31

Capable of mind defence, complex thought and processing 19,100 words per hour. New Skill: Legilimency (Active)

Creation: Aquarius IV

Species: Inventory System

Level: 38

Capable of storing 34 objects. Summoning cost decrease tripled.

Creation: Pisces IV

Species: Healing System

Level: 5

Magic focus increased x2 Dexterity increased x2 Precision increased x2 Cost of summoning decreased.

Reading aside, she had several things to take care of during Yule. While the Greengrass ball that evening was of natural concern, it was not the event which occupied her thoughts.

She was getting an instructor in the mind arts.

It wasn't that she was failing in the form of magic. On the contrary, she was quite capable in the mind arts. Unfortunately, being capable was not enough. She was dealing with information she couldn't risk anyone getting wind off. Sensing mental intrusions may not have been a problem, but blocking a competent wizard was another story, and she had seen plenty of those as of late. Thus, she required a tutor.

Proficiency in the mind arts was not something people advertised. Most would not even speak of the topic outside of family discussions. It wasn't an open magical practice and was generally taught by a parent to their child. The main factors in this decision being the level of trust required to let someone frolic through your mind and secondly, the heavily debated ethicality of the magic itself and certain negative associations of the skill. It was a system that had long left muggle-borns at a disadvantage in the magical world. None of these facts was something she would let deter her.

That Lilith knew her way around wizarding society was no secret. Therefore, it was no surprise that the witch was more than able to lend Alana a hand in her search, for the right price. Two people died that day. Eventually, the shortlist had been narrowed down to one candidate. She was an Iranian woman with credentials from the Persepolis University of Magical Studies. It was a well-reputed institution with a long history of producing competent students. It gave her some confidence in the woman's abilities.

A meeting was set quickly and several binding doc.u.ments laid out in Alana's fine penmanship for the occasion. The contracts were strict, fatally so. One which insured confidentiality had many similarities to the oaths taken by healers, but even then, the consequences were far direr. Sara Rostami was predictably thorough in reading the agreements before signing them. Alana was also quick to learn the woman was a formidable teacher. Indeed, Miss Rostami was unfailingly polite with a stern countenance that spoke volumes of her work ethic. Two lessons in, Alana had been given a new exercise called rattling which, as the name suggested, involved 'rattling' or shaking someone's train of thoughts enough to discomfit them. It was entertaining, dangerous, but ultimately entertaining. The muggles she practised on probably wouldn't agree with her.

1991 December

The Greengrass Ball was easily the quietest event of her Yule break. Without the company of Draco, she wasn't expected to stay the entire duration of the event, so she was able to leave early without offending her hosts at all. Lord and Lady Greengrass were astute political players. Anyone could tell from the united front they set in Wizengamot with each taking control of one of their two house seats. To call them a power couple would be a vast understatement. She had met them at the Malfoy's ball of course, but that was little preparation to meet them within their own domain. Lady Greengrass's gown paid homage to the goddess Athena in all her strategic glory. Meanwhile, her husband drew inspiration from Ares, her counterpart in war, representing its more physical aspects. Alana had poetically opted woven symbols of Persephone into her chiton's design. According to myth, the Greek goddess of spring and rebirth was stolen by Hades of the underworld to be his wife. While Hades was not Death, the similarities were still rather uncanny.

The two heads of the Malfoy family were predictably present and no less extravagant than usual with their Eros and Psyche interpretation. The magically conjured wings adorning their backs were intricately designed to mirror a dragonfly for the Lady and doves for the Lord. If anyone had entertained the thought of dissecting Alana at the Greengrass ball, they were sorely disappointed when Lord Malfoy greeted her with silent approval that spoke louder than anything he might have vocalised. Lady Malfoy was more reserved, but that was to be expected. Alana was free to wander and eavesdrop with little to hinder her. Few were inclined to invite a child into their circle of conversation, but she made do. Daphne Greengrass was present with her younger sibling, Astoria, and more than willing to engage in a verbal tennis match without Draco there to interrupt either of them. Alana rather enjoyed it, and the pleased glint in the eyes of both young Greengrass' assured her the feeling was mutual.