Alex let the magic swirl through her, trying to feel what Luna called the 'intent' of the spell. It was supposed to feel like water running through her, condensing at a point about half way from her navel to her chest. No matter how much she tried she just wasn't getting it, but she swore if it was the last thing she did, she was going to figure this out.
Luna smiled at her from the opposite chair. "You're doing a lot better now that you've collected some kerfuffling scribblebugs."
Alex unclenched her determined fists, un-scrunched her face, and smirked at Luna. "Naturally, now that I've found some annoying pests to swat."
Alexandra watched suspiciously as Ginny Weasley, the chief worshipper of John Potter, the boy who lived, walked up to the front of the classroom, picked up the dark magic detection device that the Lady Potter, who was not her god-mother, despite her father being John Potter's god-father, had left there, and waved it over herself.
Odd.
The red-headed witch then proceeded to just stand there with her back facing the class, holding the ring-topped black rod up to her face. She stood there, unmoving, for a whole minute. Alex timed it on the wall clock.
Weasley then spun around, face aglow with satisfaction and happiness and almost danced back to her seat.
Alex narrowed her eyes. What was Weasley up to? "Your fingers are glowing red, Alex. That's a good sign." Luna's calm voice washed over her.
Alex focused and felt the spell reach the very tips of her fingers. She opened her eyes, looked straight into Luna's, raised her hand, and loosed the stunner.
Luna instantly shielded, serenely smiling.
Alex's heart leapt. "I did it! Hah! Yes! No one can stop me now!" She jumped up, pumped her fists in the air, almost lost her balance, and jerkily spun on one leg to keep it. She reddened. "Err, you didn't see that."
Luna continued to smile. "It's okay, Alex, you don't have to feel embarrassed around me." She stood up and swung wildly on one foot before loosing her balance and falling back over on her bum. She pouted. "Owie."
Alex couldn't help it. She giggled.
Alex approached the Black magic section of the Black Library holding a box. In this box were two dozen unbreakable jars, bought from Diagon alley the other day. This time, she was ready.
She put the box down, placed her hand on the correct book, and waited as the library's magic recognised her as a previously accepted daughter of the house of Black. The bookcase resolved itself in a swirling of books and wood into the door. She opened it a crack, brought a stunner to her fingers, and crept over the threshold.
Something angry rocketed out of one of the shelves and towards her in a blur. Without even thinking, she released her stunner, and, by sheer luck, hit the thing before it reached her face. It fell to the ground and she snatched it up.
Her movement seemed to alert all its fellows. They took to the air to defend their downed comrade in a small swarm of scowling blue wings and bodies.
Alex leapt back through the door, slammed it behind her, dumped the unconscious doxy into one of the jars, and screwed one of the air-hole ready lids on tightly.
There. She nodded, grim faced and sweating. Test subject number one.
Alex brought another stunner to her fingers, opened the door another crack, and caught another bolting doxy clear in the chest with her second stunner. She slammed the door, dumped the second doxy into another jar and again screwed one of the lids on tightly.
Test subject number two.
The sun was bright and the day was young.
Alexandra stepped out of the Diagon alley public floo point, furtively eyed the early morning shoppers, and darted towards the nearest public toilet, careful not to jostle the contents of her shoulder bag.
Once safely ensconced, she pulled a green coloured potion out of her bag.
'Next time, use one of these.' Lord Slytherin had said.
Alex faced the bathroom mirror, popped the bottle's cork, swigged the complete small dose, and watched with awe as her whole body changed. She grew taller, her face matured, her hips widened, and a sudden weight on her chest alerted her to the fact that, well, she now had one.
"Magical Merlin," she whispered, eyes wide, hands lightly tracing the lines of her new grown-up face. She tore her gaze away from her reflection and looked around. Everything suddenly felt smaller. It was disconcerting. Alex reached for the bathroom door, opened it, pulled up the hood on her robes to hide her face, stepped outside, and started walking down the alley.
She shifted uncomfortably as she walked, and it wasn't just her getting used to her new body anatomy. All the grown-ups around her suddenly seemed… less grown-up? It was difficult to put her finger on what had changed, but the change was there. People were looking at her differently, too. No one was paying her any attention. Or rather, people were paying her attention, but the attention felt different. Not so much, 'what are you doing and will I to have to do something about it?' so much as 'I see you and acknowledge you, but won't do anything unless you do something first.'
It all felt very different, while at the same time, being very similar. That was, until she passed a tall wizard in his twenties, whose eyes fixed on her half hidden face and didn't leave until she'd passed, and even then she swore she could feel his lingering gaze as she continued on.
Alex self-consciously adjusted her self-adjusting robes and ducked into Flourish and Blotts, where she proceeded to buy a book to be sold only to those of age, and felt a little thrill of forbidden triumph as she left. It had worked. She grinned. Now she could go buy stuff she needed for her experiments. Experiments that it was critical stayed secret. She was almost certain Lord Slytherin wouldn't mind what she was doing, in fact, she hoped he'd be impressed, but she wasn't so sure about Luna. She liked Luna — it was difficult not too, but the girl had been raised in a then light family, and felt… too innocent? Yes, that was it — too innocent — too naive. She could still remember years ago when she and Luna had occasionally played 'light vs dark' with John Potter and Ronald and Ginny Weasley. It had always been a four on one affair. Luna wouldn't understand and Alex really didn't want to lose her as a friend. As for her father, Lord Black, the chief auror, the 'hammer of the light'… she shuddered, the less thought about what he'd think, the better.
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