Admiring the Supplies

"That," Alex paused as she struck a pose, "I am." Alex wasn't that unusual, and she knew it. Whether she liked it or not, she always seemed so confident but in the moments when it mattered, she was prone to self doubt. The counselor her mother forced her to meet up with when she had almost set fire to the gym, had told her it was because she felt she wasn't good enough. To which she had replied 'Genius!" sarcastically, but he told her it was because of abandonment issues. She hated shrinks, they could fit anything in their version of personal tragedies. Alex didn't mind living with her fosters, she loved them, more than she could ever love her own family.

"Derrek? Derrek is my brother! He is turning eight next to next week, I want to make sure I am ready with a gift, or I'll forget, and he'll kill me!" She answered in a matter of fact tone, carefully dropping the foster from brother.

"Like the green house symbol on the letter?" Alex asked as she furrowed her brows, trying to remember, something she wasn't great at.

Stella smiled at Alex. The girl was so different from Stella, yet so much the same. They both were abandoned before they even knew they were important to this world. Stella has chosen to take the dark path, while Alex seemed to be a ray of sunshine. Yet, Stella guessed that there was a pain that Alex was feeling that she didn't show. Stella understood her. She felt empathy. Which, what her mother thought, was the highest evolution of man.

"Oh, is he your actual brother? Or his he the son of your adoptive parents?" Stella wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. Someone who you always knew was there for you that wasn't your parents. Stella wished for a sibling, but at the same time, she didn't want one in the least.

Stella felt a jolt run through her like she was being shocked. "You mean the Slytherin house? The house that is known for being sly, cunning, and ambitious?" Stella had done her reading of the Slytherin house, which interested her the most. "Yeah, it looks quite a bit like that." Stella didn't want to say that it looked exactly like that, because it would've been too odd. "What do you think that means?"

Alex felt a connection to the other girl, like she knew what Alex was going through. Not that it was much, Alex knew it could have been worse, a lot worse, and that there were some children who never find a home or family, but that didn't stop her from wondering what was wrong with her, that her parents had left her before even knowing her.

"Son of my adoptive parents, but he is a brother to me!" Alex said as she put the kit back, maybe she was going to search around some more before choosing?

"Well, it would mean that either you are related in someway to that House's history, or that your parents just loved it!" Alex said lightly, finding a way to induce laughter even in serious situations such as these.

"That's awesome. Are you super close to him? Do you fight a lot?" Stella wondered. Alex must've been close to her brother. At least, Stella hoped Alex was close to her brother.l She had witnessed stories of people who were returned to the orphanage because they got into fights with the children of their adoptive parents. Stella was always worried that, that might happen to her.

Stella half-smiled. "Do you have any idea of a family that was in the Slytherin house? Because, I've read up on it, and I don't remember an R name." Stella felt a tugging feeling in the back of her brain like she did know. Like she did read a name that started with an R. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say the word.

"Oh it is! I mean, its even more so, because, yes, we do fight a lot, and its mainly due to both of us teaming up to do something, and then when we get caught, me trying to get out of punishment by blaming it on him!" Alex answered happily, her mind going back to all the awesome times they had had together. Suddenly though, her smile dropped as she realized who could be Stella's family.

Dragging the girl out into the street, Alex muttered all the way, "How could I not see it, it all makes so much sense!"

Stopping in a corner where people didn't look twice at them, Alex turned to Stella and asked, in a barely controlled voice, "Can you speak to snakes?"

"Sounds like loads of fun. I would love an ally to team up with at my house. My parents are super strict and I never get to have much fun. Except when I read and when I play my piano." Stella said, looking over at a very smiling Alex. but, then suddenly, the smile on Alex's face dropped.

The girl then grabbed her and pulled her out into the street. "What makes so much sense? Alex what are you talking about?" Stella wondered as they stopped in a corner.

A confused expression etched itself across her face. "Yes, I can." Stella replied suspiciously. "But can't ever wizard?" Stella hadn't done much reading on talking to snakes, since she thought everyone could. Yet, Alex was acting to oddly for that to be true. Her heart sped up as she became increasingly nervous.

Alex frowned slightly, Stella's childhood didn't seem to be filled with too much fun, but then..............wait till she hear about who her real family was.

Turning away from the girl, Alex punched into her outstretched palm excitedly, "Bingo! I knew it! It all makes so much sense now!"

Turning back to Stella, she asked in a more serious voice, "I know who your family is Stella, but I can't be sure, its just a guess, do really you want to know what I think?"

By this time, Stella was becoming seriously worried. Alex was becoming far too excited and Stella was starting to freak out. When Alex punched her hand, Stella gave her a half smile. "Care to tell me what you figured out?" Stella questioned, trying very hard to keep her voice calm.

Stella's jaw dlacked open. "You know who my family is?" Stella repeated incredulously. "Of course I want to know!" Stella cried.

"You might not be so enthusiastic later." Alex warned leaning on the wall. "You know, if you were me, I would have asked you to sit down, in case you had an aneurysm, but you're not me, and I think you'll get by without medical attention!" she was stalling, and the worst part was, she knew she was stalling.

Taking a deep breath, she rushed out, "You are a Riddle Stella! Well, literally, aaaand figuratively, but that's beside the point."

Closing her eyes, she asked, "You do know who they are, right?"

Stella barely heard what Alex had said due to the fact that she knew the girl was stalling. Stella was much to scared to even process the girl's warnings about Stella being shocked. She heard them, but barely understood them. Stella was just waiting for Alex to deliver the fateful news about which family she belonged to.

Stella's green eyes widened when Alex said she was a Riddle. "A Riddle? As in the Dark Lord; Tom Riddle?" Stella stated, almost hysterically.

Sitting down on the ground, leaning against the wall, Stella looked up at Alex with scared eyes. "Of course I know who the Riddles are. They're ancestor is Salazar Slytherin! Alex, the first Riddle that is a wizard is Tom Riddle! He was the darkest lord of our history! Voldemort!" Stella exclaimed, running her hand through her hair.

Alex couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "I told you so!" Then quickly face palming, she bent down to Stella's level. "Maybe I should have asked you to sit down." she added worriedly.

"Stella, I know who the Riddles are, and I know their dark history, but that doesn't make you a bad person.......... necessarily." Alex paused, this was not her angle of things, she was definitely uncomfortable with the way this whole situation was going. Sighing, she stood up, pulling Stella up with her. Now she was going to do things, the Alex way.

"Pull yourself together! You don't even know your family! Who your family really are....." she paused as she remembered, Stella hadn't told her, "Well you didn't tell me the name., but your foster parents are! Your choices make you who you are, not the family you never knew! I know this sounds cheesy, but you don't always turn up like family.......there was this guy who didn't! Some......Black guy! You don't have to be the typical Riddle Stella, you just be yourself, and it'll get you through!" Alex said as she pulled up Stella's chin, she wasn't good at comforting people, and this was the best she could do.

Stella felt completely overwhelmed. Everything made sense know. She could talk to snakes because her ancestor is Salazar Slytherin. She had the fatal flaws that Voldemort had. The S on her blanket is for Slytherin and Stella was a Riddle.

As Alex comforted her, Stella calmed down a bit. Stella had never been comforted before and it felt nice. "Thanks Alex. I needed that. I know that I'm not going to turn out evil just because my family was. It's just a little worrisome knowing that my grandfather most likely was a cold hearted killer. Most people won't accept me when they figure out. I'm in a dangerous position. Especially if my parents are still alive. Who knows what they are capable of! I just... Need to tell my parents and try to contact my biological parents. Especially if I might be a Riddle." Stella said, even thought she actually had no clue of how she was going to do it.

"Yeah well, like I said, I am the best!" Alex brushed the thanks away, making a ridiculous pose as she tried to lighten the atmosphere.

"You know, though I have no clue as to how I am going to help you! Rest assured, help you, I will! Girl Scout Honor!" Alex said as she raised up her hand in a mock pledge. "And your grandfather couldn't have been cold blooded, he was human, we're warm blooded. With a four chambered heart, that we need because we need more energy than fish, who have a one chambered heart."

Stella laughed at Alex's personality. She made everything seem much less horrible than it actually was. Stella was extremely grateful that she met her.

"I'll help you figure out your family too. Because, the name Black, is a Pureblood name. I know that for a fact. I just can't name any Blacks that you might know." Stella gelt bad that at the moment she couldn't help Alex as much as Alex had helped her. "Well, in that case, let's just say he was really messed up in the head." Stella said with a humorless laugh. She knew that her greed to learn more was going to push her to do crazy things. She just hoped she was stronger than her grandfather.

Alex smiled, glad that she had made Stella laugh. "Yeah, well after your family revelation, I don't really want to know what might turn up!" Alex answered as she got a thoughtful look upon her face. It was a lie though, and she knew it, she would always want to know who her Biological parents were, and why did they leave her.

Stella smiled. "I won't be nearly as bad as mine Alex. You can't beat figuring out the Dar Lord was your grandfather and your ancestor is Salazar Slytherin." Stella joked. "Your going to be happy when you figurenout your past I hope." Stella truthfully said.

"Merlin, this has been an interesting day, hasn't it?" Stella commented with a smirk.

"Well, I feel relieved and at the same time like I am coming second in something, so a little unhappy." Alex answered truthfully, her mouth pouting a little at the end.

"You make me wonder how you can say that, with a smirk on your face, but yes it has been an interesting day. A day fit enough for Alex to live!"

Stella wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Don't worry about not being the granddaughter of a mass murderer. You're family is a great, Pureblood family." Stella told Alex. Alex should be relieved.

"I say everything with a smirk. It's just how I control my emotions." Stella said with a shrug.

"You know you're creeping me out a little, by your continual references to them coming Purblood family. The truth is, I don't care which 'blood' they come from, I just want them to be dead!" Alex answered emphatically, but truthfully. Deep in her heart, that's what she wanted as the truth, so that she could make sense of their abandonment.

"Yeah well, I am incessantly happy and don't take anything seriously to hide my non existing emotions, so I can't complain!"

Stella laughed. "Well, Blacks are Purebloods. I'm not like Salazar Slytherin who was totally against Muggles and Muggleborns. Alex, I've lived with Muggles for so long. I'm just stating that the Black family are Purebloods for sure." Stella said with another laugh. She felt a little sad that Alex might be scared that Stella was like Voldemort in that way. She knew that many people were going to be like that and she would have to deal with it.

"So, do you want to start finding out about your family? I know that there is bound to be someplace in Diagon Alley where we can find records of some kinds."

"Cheer up! I was kidding!" Alex said with a light punch on Stella's arm, when she saw Stella's smile drop a little due to her creeping out comment. Alex had never been good with feeling, or delicate stuff of any kind.

"Sure, we could go............I have no idea." she ended in a thoughtful tone, looking around as if she expected signs to burst up, 'LOOK HERE!'

Stella's smile grew back to its original size when Alex said she was kidding. Stella wasn't usually this emotional. It was just that she was worried about being a Riddle. It wasn't something to be taken lightly and she knew that. "Alright! I'm cheery!" Stella shot back with a laugh.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait till Hogwarts then." Stella said with a frown. Suddenly, she had a thought. "You know what an Anamigus is, right?"

"That's better!" Alex added as she too joined in Stella's laughter. She liked hanging out with Stella, it was fun, and a little bit more sensible than the times she hung out with Resa, it was a whole lot less argumentative anyways, than the times she was with Stonewell.

"I guess we'll have to." Alex agreed, slightly disappointed. Upon hearing the use of the word Animagi, she put up a slight guard around herself. "Yeah why?" She was planning to learn how to be one, but she didn't want to tell it to anyone before she actually did it. That, and she din't know if she would get enough time, what with her starting to learn pick-pocketing this year too.

Stella knew that Alex didn't have to hang out with her, especially after they discovered Stella's family. But, they were still were hanging out. It was fun and Stella didn't experience much fun. She supposed that when she met new people, she would enjoy hanging out with them too. But, she was perfectly happy with hanging out with her new friend.

Noticing how Alex seemed wary of Stella's question, Stella grinned to let her know she was letting her in on a secret. "Well, I've been practicing it since I found out about it last week. I haven't tried to transform yet and the practice has been very difficult. I was wondering if you wanted to try to figure it out with me. It's highly illegal of course, but I still want to try."

Alex's mouth fell open. Not many things surprised her, mainly due to the fact that she was the most unpredictable thing anyone knew, but boy, did this surprise her or what?

"OMG! Me too! I mean, I have going all out and reading the theory section, going all ballistic but never tried it out, mainly because it being so difficult, and highly illegal, that I don't want to get stuck and having to call the Ministry for help." Alex answered in a whispered voice, glad to find more common ground with her new friend.

She had meant to try it out, but didn't want to risk getting caught, that, was sure to mess up her future.