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January 10th, late afternoon

"McGee!" Someone shouted, running up the stairs to the dormitory. The third year pounded on the door, "There's a Hufflepuff lookin' for you!" They yelled before going back down to join their friends by the fire once more.

Inside the room, Lexi blinked her eyes open, rubbing out the sleep in them. After she'd gotten the last of the work she'd missed done, she'd collapsed into bed for a nap. A really long one too, nobody had bothered to wake her up until now. She was still exhausted as she attempted to smooth down her skirt, casting a mumbled charm to flatten out the wrinkles. Before heading out, she redid the french braid holding her hair back.

Wand in hand, Lexi walked through the common room, half-conscious and red-eyed from recent lack of sleep. Her nap had been helpful in her fight for rest, but these days nightmares hid in every corner, in every dream. She wrote home about them constantly to her Daddy, who would write back as soon as he got her letters. Sometimes even sending pictures of Joshua and Lucas, which she had pinned to the inside of her trunk.

She pushed open the door to the common room and spotted her cousin, waiting impatiently it looked like. And even seeming to be a bit threatened, after all; she was on the seventh floor in front of the Gryffindor common room. It was a good place for a Hufflepuff to feel threatened. "Alice," Lexi said. "What do you want?" She walked towards the empty corridor, hoping Alice would follow so that they could talk in private.

Alice stood nervously in the hall. She didn't like being anywhere in the castle that she was unfamiliar with, and Alice never had any reason to be on the seventh floor near the Gryffindor commonroom. She was happy when Lexi was sent out, but her happiness was quickly diminished when Lexi somewhat snapped at her and when she remembered why she was there. They started walking down a quiet corridor.

"I- I didn't know who else to turn to. I'm worried. Really really worried." She explained, stopping when she thought they were far enough. "With the whole history thing, I don't want to get in trouble, and I don't wand Professor Jowd to think I'm being delinquent like. I'm not a bad kid, I always follow the rules, but Jack just set me up."

"And at the same time, I don't want to blame him. He just lost both parents, I mean, I feel bad, and I put myself in his shoes, and I know that he can't handle a detention right now!"

Lexi stopped to listen to Alice ramble, and leaned back onto the cold wall behind her as she listened patiently. Or a little less than patiently. She had a reason to snap at her cousin. Mainly because she couldn't afford to act all-forgiving and all-loving to Alice right now. Or anyone from Oulton Broad for that matter. The closer to home, the more it hurt when you lost them. If Lexi could just stop being friends with them now, then she couldn't ever be hurt again.

"It's Jack's fault, Alice." Lexi said bluntly. "I don't know why he bothered coming back to school after his mom died, he's obviously not okay." She said, resisting the urge to yawn at the end of her sentence. It was true, there was no point in Jack returning to school so soon after losing his parents. At this point, he was basically an orphan; what with his father in jail and his mother dead.

But Lexi didn't care. She felt no sympathy towards her neighbor. Jack was careless and did stupid, childish things. Besides, sometimes he didn't even act like he was still grieving. His mood swings were worse than her's before a full moon. And that's saying something.

"You shouldn't be worried, everyone know that you're a goody two-shoes." Lexi said flatly, "I don't really think that the Professor is going to start thinking that you're a delinquent when you always have the right answer to his stupid questions."

She balled up her hands in agitation, thinking back to how Jack's actions had basically reduced Alice to tears. The kid was lucky she didn't break his face in multiple places.

Alice took a step back from her harsh cousin. Her words stung. The lack of caring about her own neighbor was what hurt the most from her. “He’s doing the best he can, Lexi. Jack has no where to go. No one to go to. The last thing he has is his friends. Sure, he’s a little temperamental, but regardless, he’s trying his best.” Alice explained, in her squeaky voice. She wasn't ever the strongest at standing up against people, but it felt right to do this time. She wanted to let Lexi know that she was out of line.

"You shouldn't be worried, everyone know that you're a goody two-shoes... don't really think that the Professor is going to start thinking that you're a delinquent when you always have the right answer to his stupid questions."

Alice took another step back. Who was this, and what did they do to Lexi? She had just insulted Alice, even if it was true. It was still an unwelcome insult. "I understand I strive to be kind and to do well, but I would really like you not to take out your sleep-deprivision -based-anger out on me." Alice explained, trying to phrase it nicely.

Lexi rolled her eyes and sneered, yes that's right, sneered at her lovable, sensitive cousin. What did Alice think she was doing? Was she really trying to tell Lexi off? Her voice was squeaky, she was defending Jack, and she was stepping away. Yep, she was not okay with Lexi's behavior. But for some reason, Lexi didn't care. She wanted to scream at Alice and tell her that she was stupid. She wasn't that childish though, so she resisted the urge to throw a full-out temper tantrum right here and right now.

"You would really like it, wouldn't you?" Lexi retorted, only slightly amused at how hard Alice was trying to sound nice while also telling Lexi that she was not appreciating her tone. "My sleep deprivation based anger? Really? That's the best you can come up with, Hunter?" She threw back, narrowing her golden eyes at her cousin.

"And what's the point in turning to me when you obviously have Jack to rely on? He's already got you wrapped around his little finger, why don't you go cry to him instead of coming to cry to me, like you always do?" She snapped back. Something inside Lexi was not clicking, she felt broken. And with that feeling of brokenness came the inability for her to filter every word that she said.

Lexi's short, young life was spent bending over backwards to protect Alice's feelings. And for some reason, she was suddenly sick of it. How was she benefiting herself every time she soothed Alice? What was the point in her wiping away every single glistening tear? What drove her to throw herself in harms way to protect Alice?

In that moment, she didn't have an answer to her own question, but she waited patiently for Alice to answer her questions. Or as patiently as a pint-sized, Gryffindor werewolf could get.

"You would really like it, wouldn't you?...My sleep deprivation based anger? Really? That's the best you can come up with, Hunter?"

Alice felt her chin begin to quiver. This was the problem with standing up against someone with Alice. She was great in the start but always weakened by the end. "Lexi, you're, you're, you're not being very nice." She said, backing away. "I, I don't know what came over you, but, I, I'm tired. I think I'm going to bed." Lexi was hurtful. Unnecessarily hurtful. She was just trying to go to her cousin for advice.

"And what's the point in turning to me when you obviously have Jack to rely on? He's already got you wrapped around his little finger, why don't you go cry to him instead of coming to cry to me, like you always do?"

She started to take steps away. "You're, you're changed. I've been there for you when you needed me. My family's been there when your's hasn't. And I don't like you treating me like this. I come to you because you're the closest family I have. You're my best friend." She sniffed up a tear. "And if you're going to be not nice, then I am going to walk away before I get hurt." She explained, crossing her arms.

Something inside Lexi broke. She felt it resonate through all this mean, all this hate that she was directing towards Alice. Slowly, her defenses crumbled. She was being mean, she was being absolutely terrible, to Alice. Her cousin who had really done nothing but support her and do everything for her. They did everything for each other. She was always there for her, she was more than a cousin; they were sisters.

Her lip quivered and she balled up her fists before letting them go in a release of tension. She sighed, she was really hurting Alice. She was hurting someone who she had vowed to protect, always. "Wait!" Lexi said with a hand outstretched before Alice could turn and walk away.

She was at a loss for words, but the tears shining in her eyes betrayed how awful she felt right at the moment. Without warning, she lunged and wrapped her arms around Alice, burying her head into the Hufflepuff's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she blubbered, "I'm terrible. I'm a terrible friend and a terrible person. You're right. I've changed, and I don't want to. I'm sorry, Alice. Don't hate me, please."

And with that, the tables had turned. Normally Alice came to Lexi, sobbing and whatnot. But it was Lexi this time who had been diminished to tears in a matter of seconds.

Alice pulled Lexi into a hug, with a smile, and a tear. "You're my best friend. I could never hate you. Even if I tried." She said, holding her cousin close. "I'm sorry I'm annoying sometimes. I'm sorry I cry a lot. I love you Lex!" She said. "I'm sorry for making you cry. You're not a terrible person. You're a nice person. You're always there for me, and you are not a terrible person." How would Alice live with herself with the thought that she made Lexi cry.

"I take back everything I said! I take it all back! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She said, letting go of her friend. "You're really cool, okay? Never forget that." She smiled a little, wiping at her eyes. "You're right. I shouldn't come crying to you as much as I do. I'm working on getting better at that, okay?" She said.

Lexi didn't deserve Alice. Simple as that. She was such a negative person now, and she was so different. She was so mean and awful to her friends, and just kept pushing them away. If she could keep all of the ties, all of the relationships, all of them severed... she wouldn't get hurt again. Right? Take away the things that hurt so that she won't hurt again.

"It's okay, it's okay." Lexi said suddenly. "It's okay, you're okay. We're okay. Everything is fine and it's okay." She said, repeating the same thing over and over in her little high-pitched eleven year old voice. Squeaky and broken up with the tears, she nodded her head curtly. This was good. Sort of. But she needed to stop before she made Alice cry too.