Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Web of Lies II.
Alec leaned his head against the window, watching as the students were slowly arriving at the train station. Professor Snape had brought him to the train early that morning since one of the many changes Dumbledore had installed involved a few teachers going with the students on the train to make sure they would be safe. The tall man had brought him to the nearest compartment to the one the teachers stayed would be staying in and had remained with him playing chess until the other students started to arrive. Now, ten minutes before the train left, the train station was packed and the children were starting to board the train.
Alec had been watching them intently, but when he noticed a group of redhead crossing the barrier, he had looked away. He would have to stay away from them. Even if Dumbledore had assured him that he wasn't going to get sorted into Gryffindor, he would have to be careful and avoid them. At that thought Alec couldn't help but snort softly. It wasn't as if it was going to be that hard. After all, he was going to be in his first year... again. He still didn't feel comfortable with that thought, but Dumbledore, being even more stubborn than he was, hadn't wanted to listen to his arguments.
Sighing, Harry looked up when he heard the door to his compartment open. When he noticed the girl standing at the door, he cursed loudly in his head. The girl blinked when she saw him, but then smiled gently back at him.
"Hello there, do you mind if my friends and I come and sit here? The other compartments are starting to get rather full."
Crap, he hardly could tell her that he didn't want her to sit there. Silently, the boy moved to one of the corners of the compartment and nodded lightly. The girl frowned slightly at his shy behaviour, but assuming he was just nervous, she turned to look outside.
"Hey, Ron, Ginny, we can sit here!"
The two redheads came into the compartment, carrying their trunks into the small room. Both noticed the small teen sitting in the corner and smiled at him.
Ginny sat next to him. "Hey, my name's Ginny, what's yours?"
The boy fingered nervously at the phoenix necklace before answering in a soft voice. "Alec."
Ron went to sit in front of him after putting the trunks in their proper place. "Hey, no need to be nervous, Kid, we don't bite... much."
His comment was rewarded by a slap on his shoulder from Hermione. "Don't mind him, Alec, he's an idiot. By the way, my name's Hermione and this is Ron."
Alec nodded lightly at them and returned his gaze to the window, noticing they had started to move. Form time to time he glanced back to his friends, who had gone quiet after their initial banter. Hermione was leaning against Ron's shoulder, a sad look in her brown eyes. She seemed to be lost in memories and barely noticed Ron gently stroking her hand. The red-haired boy was looking out of the window, his head propped up by the hand not holding Hermione's. There was none of the usual happiness he was used to, and he knew it was all his fault. He should tell them, he should let them know he was safe and unharmed, but he couldn't. It wasn't only that he would go against his headmaster... his grandfather's wishes, it was also the fact that he would put his safety in jeopardy, and Dumbledore would kill him himself for it. Besides, telling them would just put Ron and Hermione in more danger; if they didn't know who he was, then they wouldn't act differently around him, and they wouldn't draw attention to them. No, it was better that everyone believed that Harry Potter had gone away and that his best friends were as puzzled by his disappearance as everyone else.
Sighing slightly, he turned to look at the last member of the trio. She was sitting in the other corner of the bench, with a book propped up on her lap, but he could tell she wasn't reading; she hadn't turned a page for the last twenty minutes. Finally, getting fed up with the silence, Alec picked up his bag, making enough noise to draw everyone's attention to him. While he knew the other teens were now looking curiously at him, he ignored them and drew out the Game Boy© Sirius and Remus had given him for his birthday. He felt like playing a game of chess since he had become rather addicted to the game.
He had just started when Ron's voice filled the compartment. "What's that?"
Alec looked up just in time to see Hermione's curious look while she answered her friend. "It's a Game Boy©." Glancing at the redheads bewildered look she elaborated. "It's a muggle game; you can put different kind of games in it and play against the machine." Turning towards the younger boy, she looked at him intently. "How is it possible that it works here? You can't use muggle things at Hogwarts."
Harry shrugged lightly, looking uncomfortable. "It's charmed."
Hermione nodded, but before she could inquire anymore, Ginny joined the conversation. "So, what are you playing?"
Alec turned to face her. "Chess."
Ron's surprised voice forced Harry to turn back again, he really was starting to feel uncomfortable under all the attention; he just had wanted to entertain himself for a bit. "You can play chess with that? Are you any good?"
Harry swallowed a bit, noticing the gleam that had entered the other boy's eyes. "Yeah, I can play, but I don't think I'm very good, Uncle Sev always beats me."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Harry knew he had made an error; he hadn't wanted for them to know of his relationship with the Hogwarts teachers. Luckily, none of them seemed to connect the name with their feared Potions Master. Either they didn't really know the man's name, or they were too busy watching as Ron dove into his own bag, only to come out a minute later with a chess set clutched in his hands.
"Care for a game?"
Harry hesitated, but after a few seconds, nodded in acceptance. He really didn't have any valid reason for not playing. Besides, he knew he had learned a lot during the summer, and as soon as his friends started to draw differences between himself as Alec and Harry Potter, the safer he would be.
The game lasted a long while, and in the end, Ron won, even if only barely. Grinning like a loon, the redhead shook Alec's hand firmly. "Never again say that you're not good, you're bloody brilliant. We'll have to play again soon; I haven't had such fun in ages."
Harry smiled a little smile but his heart went out to the sad edge that had entered the other teen's eyes. It seemed they all were remembering better times. Silently, Harry retreated into his corner, nervously looking at the other teens.
They were all startled from their musings when the door to their compartment slammed open and Malfoy entered followed by his two goons.
To be continued...
A/N: As promised, here it starts again, I hope you like it as much, if not more, than the first part. Thank you all for the reviews and special thanks to Vinnie for her wonderful work as a beta and to Leena for her support (even if the: write!, gets annoying at times ^.^)
Web of Lies II.
Alec leaned his head against the window, watching as the students were slowly arriving at the train station. Professor Snape had brought him to the train early that morning since one of the many changes Dumbledore had installed involved a few teachers going with the students on the train to make sure they would be safe. The tall man had brought him to the nearest compartment to the one the teachers stayed would be staying in and had remained with him playing chess until the other students started to arrive. Now, ten minutes before the train left, the train station was packed and the children were starting to board the train.
Alec had been watching them intently, but when he noticed a group of redhead crossing the barrier, he had looked away. He would have to stay away from them. Even if Dumbledore had assured him that he wasn't going to get sorted into Gryffindor, he would have to be careful and avoid them. At that thought Alec couldn't help but snort softly. It wasn't as if it was going to be that hard. After all, he was going to be in his first year... again. He still didn't feel comfortable with that thought, but Dumbledore, being even more stubborn than he was, hadn't wanted to listen to his arguments.
Sighing, Harry looked up when he heard the door to his compartment open. When he noticed the girl standing at the door, he cursed loudly in his head. The girl blinked when she saw him, but then smiled gently back at him.
"Hello there, do you mind if my friends and I come and sit here? The other compartments are starting to get rather full."
Crap, he hardly could tell her that he didn't want her to sit there. Silently, the boy moved to one of the corners of the compartment and nodded lightly. The girl frowned slightly at his shy behaviour, but assuming he was just nervous, she turned to look outside.
"Hey, Ron, Ginny, we can sit here!"
The two redheads came into the compartment, carrying their trunks into the small room. Both noticed the small teen sitting in the corner and smiled at him.
Ginny sat next to him. "Hey, my name's Ginny, what's yours?"
The boy fingered nervously at the phoenix necklace before answering in a soft voice. "Alec."
Ron went to sit in front of him after putting the trunks in their proper place. "Hey, no need to be nervous, Kid, we don't bite... much."
His comment was rewarded by a slap on his shoulder from Hermione. "Don't mind him, Alec, he's an idiot. By the way, my name's Hermione and this is Ron."
Alec nodded lightly at them and returned his gaze to the window, noticing they had started to move. Form time to time he glanced back to his friends, who had gone quiet after their initial banter. Hermione was leaning against Ron's shoulder, a sad look in her brown eyes. She seemed to be lost in memories and barely noticed Ron gently stroking her hand. The red-haired boy was looking out of the window, his head propped up by the hand not holding Hermione's. There was none of the usual happiness he was used to, and he knew it was all his fault. He should tell them, he should let them know he was safe and unharmed, but he couldn't. It wasn't only that he would go against his headmaster... his grandfather's wishes, it was also the fact that he would put his safety in jeopardy, and Dumbledore would kill him himself for it. Besides, telling them would just put Ron and Hermione in more danger; if they didn't know who he was, then they wouldn't act differently around him, and they wouldn't draw attention to them. No, it was better that everyone believed that Harry Potter had gone away and that his best friends were as puzzled by his disappearance as everyone else.
Sighing slightly, he turned to look at the last member of the trio. She was sitting in the other corner of the bench, with a book propped up on her lap, but he could tell she wasn't reading; she hadn't turned a page for the last twenty minutes. Finally, getting fed up with the silence, Alec picked up his bag, making enough noise to draw everyone's attention to him. While he knew the other teens were now looking curiously at him, he ignored them and drew out the Game Boy© Sirius and Remus had given him for his birthday. He felt like playing a game of chess since he had become rather addicted to the game.
He had just started when Ron's voice filled the compartment. "What's that?"
Alec looked up just in time to see Hermione's curious look while she answered her friend. "It's a Game Boy©." Glancing at the redheads bewildered look she elaborated. "It's a muggle game; you can put different kind of games in it and play against the machine." Turning towards the younger boy, she looked at him intently. "How is it possible that it works here? You can't use muggle things at Hogwarts."
Harry shrugged lightly, looking uncomfortable. "It's charmed."
Hermione nodded, but before she could inquire anymore, Ginny joined the conversation. "So, what are you playing?"
Alec turned to face her. "Chess."
Ron's surprised voice forced Harry to turn back again, he really was starting to feel uncomfortable under all the attention; he just had wanted to entertain himself for a bit. "You can play chess with that? Are you any good?"
Harry swallowed a bit, noticing the gleam that had entered the other boy's eyes. "Yeah, I can play, but I don't think I'm very good, Uncle Sev always beats me."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Harry knew he had made an error; he hadn't wanted for them to know of his relationship with the Hogwarts teachers. Luckily, none of them seemed to connect the name with their feared Potions Master. Either they didn't really know the man's name, or they were too busy watching as Ron dove into his own bag, only to come out a minute later with a chess set clutched in his hands.
"Care for a game?"
Harry hesitated, but after a few seconds, nodded in acceptance. He really didn't have any valid reason for not playing. Besides, he knew he had learned a lot during the summer, and as soon as his friends started to draw differences between himself as Alec and Harry Potter, the safer he would be.
The game lasted a long while, and in the end, Ron won, even if only barely. Grinning like a loon, the redhead shook Alec's hand firmly. "Never again say that you're not good, you're bloody brilliant. We'll have to play again soon; I haven't had such fun in ages."
Harry smiled a little smile but his heart went out to the sad edge that had entered the other teen's eyes. It seemed they all were remembering better times. Silently, Harry retreated into his corner, nervously looking at the other teens.
They were all startled from their musings when the door to their compartment slammed open and Malfoy entered followed by his two goons.
To be continued...
A/N: As promised, here it starts again, I hope you like it as much, if not more, than the first part. Thank you all for the reviews and special thanks to Vinnie for her wonderful work as a beta and to Leena for her support (even if the: write!, gets annoying at times ^.^)