A number of days went by, and there were still no answer as to where Alexandra was. It wasn't until Dumbledore's funeral that the students of Hogwarts were finally told the truth: Alexandra River is alive and safe.

Alexandra didn't attend the funeral, not because she didn't want to, but because the Order advised against it. They took their orders to protect the girl very seriously, so much so that Alexandra hasn't been able to leave the Burrow since she arrived. The Order even went to far as to confiscate her owl and therefore ban all communications outside the Burrow.

Ginny and Ron, eager to see their friend alive and well, rushed into the Burrow upon returning from Hogwarts. Ginny was excited to see Alexandra, but Ron was quite angry.

"How could she not think to mention that she had this grand escape plan?" Ron ranted angrily. Nobody other than Ginny truly knew how Alexandra escaped the Death Eaters, and Ginny decided it was best if everyone else found out on their own.

"She didn't," Fred answered, entering the room and handing Ron the note he had taken from Alexandra's pocket. Ron read it, deciding to hand it to his sister when he couldn't figure out what exactly the short note meant. He watched his sister as she seemed completely unbothered.

"It was Malfoy," Ginny stated, coming up with an excuse to explain how she deciphered the note so quickly. "I recognize the handwriting. He must have brought her here somehow."

"Mum said she heard someone apparate. It couldn't have been him. He never attended the classes," Ron argued, referring to the apparation class the ministry offered that year at Hogwarts.

"I thought you couldn't apparate in or out of Hogwarts," George stated.

"We think Dumbledore took the barrier down when he and Harry left the castle. It would have given anyone enough time to leave and return without being noticed," Ginny explained, continuing to act like she was as clueless as the rest of her family.

"Why would Draco Malfoy help Alexandra in the first place?" Fred asked. "He's a downright git, yet you expect me to believe he's some hero because of a bloody note?"

"Is anyone going to explain what exactly we're meant to protect her from?" George asked, bringing up what he thought was the most important question.

"You-Know-Who. We suppose it has to do with her task," Ginny answered.

"Ron!" Alexandra smiled, running down the stairs in an attempt to quickly end the current conversation before any more questions were asked. "Ginny!"

"Alex!" Ginny grinned, running to hug her friend. "We thought we lost you."

"You gave us quite a scare," Ron chuckled, joining the embrace. Out of all of Alexandra's friends, he seemed the most broken over her supposed disappearance. The only other time he had felt so hopeless was when Ginny had been taken to the Chamber of Secrets.

"You should've seen her when we found her," George pointed out.

"Talk about a scare," Fred added.

"We thought she was dead," George continued.

"Then came the screaming."

"And the kicking."

"Don't forget the crying."

"Yelling about how someone was going to die."

"We thought she'd gone mad!" The twins concluded.

Later that night when everybody had finally calmed down, Ron decided he would ask Alexandra what she remembered about that night. She explained the note, and how she confronted Dumbledore only moments before his death.

"Did you know? That he was going to die?" Ron asked. To both of their surprise, she nodded.

"Dumbledore warned me about it. Fifty three years ago, actually," she chuckled lightly, realizing how odd that would've sounded to anyone else. "He knew it was going to happen. There was no stopping it."

"I think you should know that Malfoy was supposed to do it. Kill Dumbledore, I mean," Ron told her, not knowing that she already knew this information.

"Supposed to?" Alexandra asked.

"Harry saw it all happen. He said Malfoy lowered his wand. It was Snape that killed him."

Alexandra let out a quiet sigh of relief, relaxing for the first moment in weeks. Now that it was all over, though, she couldn't help but drown in the guilt of hiding her knowledge from her friends all this time, especially when most of them have done nothing but support her all year.

"I knew he was a Death Eater," Alexandra admitted, refusing to look at Ron as she held back her tears. "All those nightmares I had last summer. They were real. I saw it happen, and I didn't say a word. I lied to all of you."

"I know," Ron smiled lightly, remembering the exact moment he put the pieces of the puzzle together. "I saw the look in your eyes the first time Harry brought it up. It told me everything."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't my secret to tell," he explained. "I trusted that if there was something we needed to worry about, you would let us know. Gin and Hermione knew, too. They heard you mention it in your sleep."

"And nobody told Harry?" Alexandra asked, not understanding why they would keep this secret for her.

"We all decided it would be best to let him figure it out on his own."

"I suppose he's happy to know he was right all along."

"He's definitely not happy about it. He told us he never wanted to be right, for your sake. Deep down, he always wanted the best for you. We all do," Ron assured.

"I appreciate that," Alexandra smiled. "I suppose I did get in over my head. I was wrong to trust him as much as I did."

"You know him better than any of us ever will. You have every right to trust him."

After spending almost the entire day arguing with Ginny, Ron had finally been convinced that it was definitely Malfoy who brought Alex to the Burrow that night. Maybe it's the bloke's relationship with Alex, saving her life or sparing Dumbledore's, but Ron began to think that Draco Malfoy isn't the monster he always believed him to be.

"He saved your life, you know," Ron told her. She nodded.

"I told him not to. He could be killed if anyone finds out."

"They won't. According to dad, they're currently under the impression that it was Dumbledore who did it. They think he's too smart to bring you right back here. You haven't got the trace on you anymore, so, as far as they know, you could be on the other side of the world right now."

"I suppose you've got a point," Alexandra sighed, now understanding why the Order wouldn't let her write. If her letter had been intercepted, they'd know for sure where she was hiding.

"You're safe," Ron smiled, placing his hand on Alexandra's shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to my room before Ginny returns from her bath and starts crying again."

"Why would she start crying?"

"She hasn't told you? Harry broke up with her. Said it was too dangerous for them to be together," Ron explained. "I suppose it makes sense, but I still feel like I should punch him or something. I mean, she's my sister."

"I'd like to see that," Alexandra laughed, causing Ron to frown.

"You don't think I'll do it?" He asked, crossing his arms. "I will, then. Next time I see Harry, I'll get him right on the jaw. That'll show him not to mess with my sister."

"Go to bed, Ron," Alexandra smiled. Ron began heading to his room, continuing to mumble about Harry.

"You don't think I can do it. Of course I can. I'm a lion. I'll get him."

"Did he just call himself a lion?" Ginny laughed, entering the room.

"I think he did."

————
Note and Announcement!

Welcome to book 3! Although it is the final book for this storyline, it will not be the final book of the series. Once this book is concluded, I'll be releasing another book or two outlining what would have happened if Alexandra never returned to her time. So, Tom lovers, don't fret! Your time will come! Follow or stay tuned for more information!

Until then, please enjoy Anchor as it takes you through the events of Deathly Hallows and how they affect Alexandra and her friends. This has been my favorite book to write so far, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated.  Lots of love xx