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Alex mindlessly taps the end of her quill against the blank piece of parchment she has laid out in front of her. She is too lost in her mind to realise that she is creating dark spots of ink that are staining the page and she takes no notice of Winn and Kara complaining about the essays that they are supposed to be writing. Alex is supposed to be studying for her OWLS but she can't stop thinking about breakfast this morning.
Kara was the first there, as usual, waving happily as Alex and Lucy sat down and started piling food onto their plates. The other students barely even take notice of the two Slytherins sitting at the Hufflepuff table anymore. James sat down next, still adjusting his Gryffindor tie as he said good morning. Winn and Lena were the last to arrive, both still out of breath from the quick descent of the Ravenclaw tower. They all carried on with their usual banter, but Alex noticed that Lena seemed more withdrawn than usual and her smile looked brittle and forced. She tried to talk to the brunette as they were leaving the Great Hall but Lena waved away her concern before losing herself in the steady stream of students heading to class.
Alex has tried and failed all day at finding Lena and she is worried that something is upsetting her friend. She knows that Lena is under a lot of pressure from her mother and that most of the students treat her poorly because of her brother’s actions. Alex knows better though. She knows that Lena has a kind heart and that she is one of the most generous people that Alex has ever met. She even came out to Lena before she told Kara and the brunette supported her every step of the way. Alex knew that Lena had dated Veronica Sinclair for a short time during their fourth year, so she was pretty confident that the brunette wouldn't judge her about her sexuality. Lena even snuck Alex up to the astronomy tower when her relationship with Maggie ended and she held onto her all night as she cried her heart out. Lena did this every night for a week and never told anyone else about Alex’s heartbreak, not even Kara. Alex didn't want to worry her sister and Lena respected her wishes.
Lena wasn't at dinner and now she is missing their study group and Alex just wants to know that her friend is okay. She knows that she isn't going to get any work done while she is thinking about Lena so she packs up her quill and parchment and tells Kara and Winn that she's going to bed. She hugs her sister before leaving the library and walking in the direction of the astronomy tower.
It's nearing curfew and she is not anywhere close to the dungeons so she treads carefully as she makes her way up the stairs. She can hear the soft cries before she even makes it through the doorway and her heart breaks for the other girl. Lena is huddled on the floor with her hair hanging forward, obscuring her face and her body is shaking with the force of her sobs. Alex rushes forward and pulls Lena into a crushing hug. The brunette tangles her fingers into Alex’s robes and holds on tightly. Alex ignores the pain in her knees from kneeling on the stone floor and gently runs her fingers through soft raven hair until Lena’s sobs turn into sniffles.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Alex shifts to sit next to Lena and her knees ache in protest.
Lena shakes her head in the negative and does her best to wipe some of the wetness off her cheeks. Alex’s heart clenches at the sight of her red, swollen eyes and the tremble in her lip. Somehow, even with sorrow painted across her features, Lena is still one of the most beautiful girls that Alex has ever seen.
“You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but I want you to know that I am here for you no matter what.” Alex wraps an arm around Lena and pulls her in close, gently kissing the top of her head as she settles in against her body.
“I promise that I'll tell you one day.” Lena whispers quietly as Alex's hand trails gently through her hair.
“There's no rush.” Alex’s free hand grasps one of Lena’s and she squeezes it reassuringly.
“Please don't leave me.” Lena looks up at the redhead with watery green eyes and Alex knows that she would sit here until her bones turn to ash if it would make her happy.
“I'm not going anywhere.” Alex says resolutely as Lena snuggles into her side and they both sit quietly looking at the stars.
The next morning Alex waits at the bottom of the stairs so that she can walk Lena to breakfast. She only got around three hours of sleep by the time she got back to the dungeon and she knows that Lena will be as exhausted as she is. She is starting to worry that Lena isn't coming when she finally hears Winn’s voice echoing down the stairs. He is talking excitedly about his latest project when they come into view and Lena is doing her best to muster some enthusiasm for the boy.
Winn cheers in surprise at the sight of Alex and she quickly sends him off to meet Kara in the Great Hall, giving her a chance to walk with Lena alone. The brunette walks quietly alongside Alex and she yelps in surprise when the redhead suddenly pulls her down a random hallway. Once Alex is sure that they are alone she pulls Lena in for a gentle hug.
“How are you feeling today?” Alex whispers into her dark hair.
“Much better actually, thank you for last night.” Lena grins sheepishly as Alex takes her by the hand and starts dragging her back towards breakfast.
“I'm really glad to hear that. I don't like it when you're sad.” Alex kisses Lena on the cheek and winks at her when the brunette blushes in surprise.
They make their way into the Great Hall and neither of them realise that their fingers are still intertwined until they sit down and Lucy grins wickedly at them.
Its two weeks later when Lena tracks down Alex and tells her that she is ready to talk to her. They agree to meet at the astronomy tower after curfew and Lena leaves Alex with a kiss on the cheek and a beaming smile.
That's a new thing that they have been doing; kissing each other on the cheek. They don't do it all the time, but Alex has started to notice butterflies stirring in her stomach when Lena’s soft lips are pressed against her skin. They hold hands more often now too and Alex's heart flutters every time Lena’s fingers lace through her own.
Alex is sitting in her potions class stirring the sludge brewing in her cauldron when it hits her. She likes Lena. She has feelings for Lena. She is probably in love with her best friend Lena.
The force of her sudden clarity causes Alex's hand to spasm in surprise and she accidentally drops her ladle onto an open jar of sulphur. The resulting explosion sends Alex and the three students sitting near her to the Hospital Wing.
Madam Pomfrey efficiently heals their burns and the other students rush off to their next class, but there is nothing that she can do about Alex’s bright purple eyebrows. The Slytherin grumbles miserably as she pulls her beanie down enough to cover her eyebrows and she hopes that they go back to normal quickly.
Alex decides to skip the rest of her classes for the day and she hides out down in the dungeons until after dinner. She puts her beanie back on and makes her way up to the astronomy tower; because even if she feels stupid she would never willingly stand up Lena.
“Hey, I heard what happened, are you okay?” Lena rushes over to Alex as soon as she walks through the door. “You weren't at dinner and I got worried.”
“I'm fine, I promise. I was a bit too embarrassed to go to the Great Hall though.” Alex laughs and accepts Lena’s cautious hug.
“Why were you embarrassed?” Lena asks curiously.
Alex sighs in defeat because she could never lie to Lena. She slowly pulls the beanie off her head and blushes furiously as the brunette fails at choking back her laughter. She immediately puts the beanie back on to cover her ridiculous eyebrows and she takes a step away from the laughing girl.
“This is why I couldn't go to dinner.” She grumbles miserably as she thinks about how hungry she is.
“It's not that bad.” Lena steps forward and lifts Alex’s beanie until it sits where it usually would. They both pretend not to notice Lena’s eye twitching in amusement.
“Enough about my stupid accident; you wanted to talk to me.” Alex takes Lena’s hand and walks them over to a bench that they can sit on.
Lena clutches Alex's hand for support as she takes a deep breath. “Yeah.”
“You can tell me anything.” Alex kisses Lena’s hair and the brunette can't help but smile.
“It's my Mother. She found out about Veronica.” Lena says through gritted teeth as Alex flinches sympathetically.
“But how? You dumped her ages ago.” Alex frets at the look of defeat spreading across Lena’s face.
“Apparently she wanted to set me up with Maxwell Lord and he told his father that it wouldn't be an option because I'm not interested in men and that it would be a waste of everyone's time.” Lena avoids eye contact with Alex as she does her best to keep her tears at bay.
“What did Lillian say?” Alex asks hesitantly; afraid of the answer after witnessing the state that she had found Lena in a couple of weeks ago.
“She disowned me, called me an embarrassment and a disgrace to the family name. Apparently she’s burned everything that was in my room at home and I'm not allowed to ever go back.” Lena’s voice wobbles as her tears break free.
“Lena your mother is wrong about you. You are the most amazing person I have ever met and she is an idiot for not seeing it.” Alex wraps her arms around Lena in an attempt to fight off the negative thoughts through sheer force of will.
“Do you really believe that?” Lena looks at the redhead with tear-filled eyes and Alex wants to punch Lillian in the face for ever hurting this perfect girl.
“Of course I do! Lena you are the smartest, kindest, most beautiful person I have ever met.” Alex gently cradles Lena’s jaw in her hands as she speaks.
“You're just saying that because we're friends.” Lena laughs bitterly and pulls away from the redhead.
“No, I'm saying that because I love you.” Alex says fiercely causing Lena to gasp in surprise.
“What?” Lena stares wide eyed as Alex takes a deep breath.
“Lena, I'm in love with you. I don't know when it happened, but you are my absolute favourite person and I hate Lillian for the pain she has made you feel. You deserve so much happiness and I wish that I could give the world to you.” Alex’s heart is thundering in her chest and she wonders if she has said too much.
Lena sits frozen with her mouth open in surprise for long enough that Alex can feel tendrils of panic wrapping around her chest.
“You're in love with me?” Lena whispers vulnerably.
“How could I not be?” Alex breathes out as Lena watches her in wonder.
“I love you too.” Lena smiles fondly at Alex and runs her thumb delicately over the redhead’s jawline.
A beaming smile breaks across Alex's face at the revelation and her heart beats so hard it makes her wonder if she is too young for a heart attack. “Can I kiss you?”
“Only if you agree to be my girlfriend.” Lena pokes Alex in the stomach playfully.
“Absolutely.” Alex weaves her fingers into Lena’s raven hair before leaning forward and catching her lips in a gentle kiss. Lena only hesitates for a second before responding and Alex groans as her tongue traces against her lip. They kiss each other until they are breathless and are forced to stop because they are both smiling too wide to continue. Eventually they move to sit on a cushioned chair with Lena resting against Alex’s front and the redhead’s arms wrapped around her waist. They sit up all night talking and watching the stars.
They have been dating for a month before Alex works up the courage to send a letter to her mother. It's not that she's worried that Eliza won't like Lena or even that she's dating a girl. Eliza has known Lena as Alex and Kara’s friend for years and the oldest Danvers absolutely adores her. Alex is mostly nervous about telling Eliza about Lena’s situation with her mother and how her girlfriend has nowhere to go once the school year ends. It's only three weeks until Christmas break and Alex is desperately hoping that Eliza agrees to let Lena come home with them.
Alex doesn't tell Lena about the letter because she doesn't want to get her hopes up, but there is no way that she will let her stay at Hogwarts by herself for the holidays. She gets more and more nervous as the days go by and still no response comes from Eliza. She finally receives her reply at breakfast over a week later and she pockets the letter to read once she is alone.
She opens the letter during her study period and her eyes fill with tears as she quickly scans the words on the page. Eliza is absolutely over the moon about the news of their relationship and she is furious at Lillian for her treatment of Lena. Apparently her mother called in some favours at the Ministry of Magic to give her guardianship of Lena while she is still underage and Lillian didn’t even fight her on it. She was waiting to hear back from the Ministry before she wrote back to Alex which is why her reply was so late.
Alex wipes away her happy tears as Kara joins her at her study table. She wordlessly passes her sister the letter as she composes herself and her heart warms at the excitement radiating from Kara.
“Lena gets to have Christmas with us! This is so exciting.” Kara beams as she bounces excitedly in her seat.
“I know! I can’t wait to see the look on her face.” Alex smiles happily as she takes the letter back from Kara.
“Can I please be there when you tell her?” Kara pouts at Alex as she unrolls a piece of parchment.
“Of course you can. We should make it a surprise so it’s even more special.” Alex sits up straighter in excitement and watches as Kara’s face lights up in unbridled glee.
“I love surprises!” Kara shouts causing the librarian to shush at them viciously. They get no work done as they sit there and draft out fun ways to tell Lena that she’s coming home with them for Christmas.
So coming up with the plan and putting it in motion is a lot more difficult than either sister could have ever anticipated and they are now down to the day before they are supposed to go home and they still haven’t told Lena the news. They have both nearly broken and told her multiple times over the last couple of weeks because every time someone mentions Christmas she just looks so damn sad.
Lena was incredibly quiet at dinner and Alex and Kara both know that they have to follow through with it now, regardless of the consequences because they will have let the brunette hold onto this sadness for too long otherwise. Lena went straight to bed after dinner once she told them that she would see them off in the morning. Alex and Kara rushed back to their own rooms to pack their bags and about an hour after curfew Alex sneaks over to the kitchens to collect Kara.
They sneak their way through the castle dodging teachers and prefects, until they reach the Ravenclaw tower. Winn meets them at the door and he lets them inside. He threatens them both multiple times that no-one is ever allowed to know that he let them into his common room before showing them to Lena’s room and rushing off to bed.
Alex slowly pushes the door open and they both pause in surprise. Lena’s room is tiny and only has one bed pushed up against the wall. There is a small desk beneath a window and Lena’s trunk sitting next to it. Aside from that there is nothing else in the room and Lena is sleeping peacefully facing away from them. Kara closes the door and they walk over and sit on the bed with the brunette. Alex gently shakes her awake and Lena flinches before she realises that it’s her friends.
“What are you guys doing here?” Lena mumbles sleepily.
“We have a surprise for you!” Kara squeals excitedly.
“A surprise?” Lena looks to Alex in confusion as Kara vibrates with a nearly inhuman energy.
“Here; it will be easier if you just read this.” Alex passes Lena the note before kissing her girlfriend on the cheek. “It’s good, I promise.”
Lena’s eyes fill with tears as she reads the letter and Alex tucks herself behind the brunette so that she can wrap her arms around her waist in support. “I don’t have to stay here by myself?”
“Nope!” Kara jumps into Lena’s lap and squeezes her tightly. “But you have to pack now, so that you are ready for in the morning.”
Lena jumps up out of bed and quickly gathers what she needs in her trunk. Once she is satisfied she crawls back into her bed with the sisters and listens to Kara regale her with stories about all of the things that they are going to do over the break. Alex holds her tightly to her chest and she watches as Lena smiles more than she has seen over the last few days.
“It’s cool that Ravenclaw’s get their own rooms, otherwise this would have been a lot harder to do.” Kara waves a hand indicating the small space that is just for Lena.
“They don’t.” Lena whispers quietly, the happy smile from moments before slipping from her face.
“What do you mean?” Alex asks as something dark twists painfully in her chest, almost afraid of the answer.
“Ravenclaws, Slytherins, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors all have the same dormitory style sleeping arrangements.” Lena admits as she picks at the hem of her blue blanket.
“Then why are you sleeping in a room by yourself?” Kara asks somberly.
“Because no-one felt safe sleeping in a room with a Luthor, so they arranged this room for me to keep the peace with the School Board.” Lena folds in on herself at the admission and Alex’s heart breaks.
Alex has been rooming with Lucy Lane, Leslie Willis and Siobhan Smythe since her first year at Hogwarts and as much as she has considered smothering them all in their sleep at some point, they have been a fundamental part of her time at school. She can’t help but feel like Lena has missed out on a special bonding experience with other girls her age and she wants to punch out every single person that has made her girlfriend feel isolated because of her name.
Lena has never had the opportunity to stay up late gossiping about other students, or assignments, or different events that she is excited about and Alex is absolutely crushed. She may not have the power to make up for all of the lost years but she knows that she can do something tonight.
“Kara, wait here. I’m going to grab some stuff and we’re having a sleepover with Lena tonight.” Alex rises off the bed in determination and Kara bounces in excitement.
“I love sleepovers!” Kara cheers before throwing her arms around Lena.
“I don’t want you guys to get in trouble for me.” Lena says fearfully.
“So we won’t get caught.” Alex kisses Lena reassuringly causing Kara to blush. “I’ll be back soon.”
Alex returns an hour later with an armload of snacks and Lucy, Leslie and Siobhan trailing sleepily behind her. Lucy immediately sprawls herself across Lena and Kara and pretends to be asleep.
“Sup’ Luthor?” Leslie winks at Lena as Alex pulls out her wand and conjures a bunch of mattresses covered in pillows and blankets.
“Sweet digs Lena.” Siobhan says as she claims a mattress and an emerald green blanket.
“Alex, what’s going on?” Lena asks in amazement at the sight of all of the girls crammed into her tiny room. Before tonight she was the only person that had ever been in here and she doesn’t know how she will cope once she is forced to be alone in here again.
“It’s not a proper sleepover unless you’ve got a group.” Alex smiles as Kara rolls herself into a golden blanket and Lucy tackles Leslie over a pillow.
Everyone settles down onto a mattress and snuggles under their blankets. Alex slides into the bed between Lena and the wall and wraps her arms around her girlfriend. “Is this okay, because if you’re not comfortable I can sleep on the floor with everyone else?” Alex whispers.
Lena kisses Alex’s cheek and snuggles further into her embrace before whispering back, “This is perfect.”
“If you two have sex tonight I’m gonna be pissed.” Lucy announces from her spot on the floor and the other girls howl with laughter as the two girls on the bed cringe in mortification.
“Fuck off Lucy!” Alex flings a pillow in the direction of her friend.
“Every goddamn night with you two.” Siobhan grumbles as Leslie kicks out at Lucy.
Once they settle down again Lucy starts them off with a game of never have I ever. They play using a point system and it starts out innocently enough but the Slytherin girls play to win and soon enough Kara and Lena are blushing furiously as Lucy and Leslie go for the kill. Alex is used to their nonsense at this point so she isn’t as affected as her sister and girlfriend.
It’s Lucy’s turn again and Leslie is already out. Alex, Siobhan and Lucy have one point left, Lena has two and Kara has four, much to Leslie’s horror. Lucy chuckles as she decides and Alex is already cringing in anticipation. “Never have I ever had sex with another person in this room.”
“God damn it, it was one time.” Siobhan grumbles as she loses her last point. At Kara’s surprised choking noise she points at Leslie who raises her eyebrows suggestively.
“Ha! So it’s down to me, Sunshine Danvers and Little Luthor.” Lucy crows in amusement. “So I think that puts me and Lena at one point and Supergirl over there still on four.”
“Hold on a second, I’m still in too.” Alex declares causing Lucy to sit up in surprise.
“The fuck? You guys have been dating for like two months and your girl looks like that, what are you doing Danvers?” Lucy stares at her friend aghast as Leslie and Siobhan burst into laughter.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but when the hell are we supposed to fit that kind of thing in? We are in different houses and Lena deserves better than some quickie in the prefects bathroom.” Alex stares pointedly at Leslie and Siobhan.
“There is nothing wrong with the prefect’s bathroom.” Siobhan winks at Leslie and Kara covers her face with a pillow.
“And besides, Lena has a private room which you can obviously get access to after hours, so what’s the deal?” Leslie chimes in with a high-five from Lucy.
“This is the first night I’ve ever been in this room.” Alex admits.
There is a beat where the entire room is silent before Leslie screeches, “Then why the fuck did you invite us over?”
Lucy and Siobhan cackle as Kara pulls her blanket up over the pillow that she is already attempting to smother herself with.
“Oh my God, are they always like this?” Lena asks Alex with a bright red face.
“Pretty much.” Alex shrugs as the other girls burst into laughter again.
Alex has always been a light sleeper so when the bedroom door opens the next morning it drags her back into consciousness. She sits up and blearily wipes at her eyes. She almost has a heart attack at the sight of Professor Cat Grant and Professor Jonn Jones frowning at the sight of four Slytherin students and a Hufflepuff camped out in a Ravenclaw dorm that is clearly off limits. Alex quickly rolls out of bed without disturbing Lena and rushes over to the Professors. Once they make it into the hallway she closes the door behind her and prays that no-one wakes up yet.
“What is the meaning of this Miss Danvers? Did you think that I wouldn’t notice that four of my students were missing from their room last night?” Professor Grant crosses her arms and stares down her student.
Alex fidgets under the glare of her Head of House but she doesn’t break eye contact with the woman. “I found out yesterday that Lena has been forced to sleep in that tiny room by herself for the entire time she’s been at Hogwarts and I thought it was unfair that she never got the chance to fall asleep surrounded by friends.”
“As noble as your intentions may be, we can’t allow students to be out of their own common rooms past curfew.” Professor Jones says curtly.
“Don’t punish anyone else, it was my fault. Lena had no idea and I talked the other girls into coming. Lena was so happy last night, please don’t tell them.” Alex pleads with the Ravenclaw Head of House, hoping that he will have some sympathy for his student.
Professor Grant and Professor Jones seem to have a silent conversation before turning their attention back to Alex. “This is your only chance Miss Danvers; if you or any of the other girls are caught in here again you will be taken to Headmaster Marsdin and punished accordingly.” Professor Grant declares.
“Thank you, Professors.” Alex sighs in relief and feels some of the tension recede from her spine.
“Just one thing Miss Danvers, how did you get in here?” Professor Jones asks curiously.
“The riddle on the door was easy; I didn’t even have to work for it.” Alex admits, carefully omitting Winn’s involvement from the first time she came in last night.
“Get your friends and get out of here Miss Danvers, I believe you all have a train to catch.” Professor Jones chuckles in amusement as Professor Grant attempts to hide her smirk behind her hand.
“Yes Professor.” Alex grins before heading back into Lena’s bedroom.
She picks up her pillow and launches it at Lucy who wakes up sputtering in outrage. “Wake up, losers! It’s time to go if we don’t want to get caught sneaking back to our rooms.”
That gets everyone up and moving and Alex quickly casts a disenchantment causing the extra bedding to disappear. They all say goodbye to Lena and Alex gives her a quick kiss causing Lucy and Leslie to whistle suggestively.
“I’ll see you at the train.” Alex pecks Lena’s lips again before running from the room with the other girls.
Kara breaks away from the group at the bottom of the stairs after promising her sister that she will be fine to get back to her room undetected. The four Slytherin girls make it back to the dungeons unseen but when they go inside Lucy yelps in surprise at the sight of Professor Grant lounging in the Common Room.
“Out for an early walk girls?” Professor Grant eyes their pyjamas with a smirk and her gaze lingers on Alex’s panicked face.
“Yes, Professor.” Siobhan elbows Leslie as the blonde giggles.
“You’d better get ready if you want to get to the train on time.” Professor Grant dismisses her students with a chuckle.
Alex shakes her head in surprise as she follows the other girls to their room. Who knew Cat Grant liked messing with her students so much?
They find Lena waiting with Kara at the train and they all pack themselves into a carriage together with Winn and James. It’s still very early and after their late night it doesn’t take long for the girls to fall asleep to the rocking of the train. Alex is resting against Lena as she reads a book, her girlfriend quietly staring out the window.
“I had a lot of fun last night.” Lena whispers.
“I’m glad. The girls can be a bit much sometimes, but they’re good people.” Alex admits with a small smile.
“You’re a good person too.” Lena kisses Alex’s cheek causing the redhead to squirm in embarrassment.
The train pulls up to the platform and Alex can see Eliza standing outside talking to some of the other parents. Kara is buzzing with excitement and runs from the compartment the second the train stops moving. Everyone else follows behind the younger Danvers at a more reasonable pace and soon enough they are all saying their goodbyes on the platform outside. Lucy and Leslie both take the opportunity to whisper inappropriate things in Alex’s ear causing her to blush a deep scarlet.
They collect their trunks and work their way through the crowd towards Eliza and once she is in sight Kara barrels forward to hug her. Eliza is clearly used to this behaviour as she easily braces herself for the impact and chuckles at her youngest daughter’s happy enthusiasm. Once Kara finally lets her go she pulls Alex into a tight hug, which the redhead gently returns.
“Hey Mom.” Alex smiles once Eliza stops squeezing her.
“It’s so good to finally have my girls at home again. Now where is Lena?” Eliza grins happily and looks over Alex’s shoulder towards the nervous brunette.
“Thank you for letting me stay with you for the break Mrs Danvers.” Lena says politely, extending her hand for a formal handshake like she has been trained to do.
“None of that now dear.” Eliza says as she wraps her arms around the girl. “You’re part of the family now and I insist that you call me Eliza.”
“Yes Mrs… Eliza.” Lena stutters as the tall blonde releases her from her grip. No one mentions the light sheen of tears in her eyes as Alex steps forward to take her hand.
“Now let’s get moving girls. I have a few things I need to get for dinner tonight before we get home.” Eliza announces as she starts herding her girls off the platform.