Disclaimer: The voices inside my head are screaming something at me…oh, it's "You don't own Harry Potter!" sigh Alas, I do not.

A/N: 'Sup? It's BlindingPinkObsession here with Chapter 2!!!

Chapter Two: Breaking the News

Patrick didn't sleep well that night. After 12:30 am he lost track of how many times he had tossed, turned, or thrown his covers off. While his body begged for sleep, his mind raced and strayed to his anxiety of breaking the news to his friends. It was like he was going to disappear off the face of the planet. The part that irked him the most though, was the small feeling of happiness and curiosity of leaving that resided in his heart. He felt as if he were betraying his best friends. He squeezed his eyes shut and started to count backwards from fifty. This action brought another pant to his heart as he realized that counting backwards had been an old trick of his mother's. He felt so many different emotions which mad him all the more confused. Patrick finally dozed off in the early hours of the morning.

The next morning Patrick woke up to the sound of his next-door-neighbor mowing their lawn. He groggily glanced at the clock and realized that it was already 10:17. "Bloody alarm clock," he mumbled as he quickly threw on his swimming shorts and a t-shirt. He ran a hand through his medium-length brown hair as he scrambled down the stairs. "Going to Kevin's," he shouted at his father, who was sitting in front of the television, as he ran through the kitchen. He didn't even wait for a reply, not that he expected one, before thrusting the door open and starting to run to Kevin's.

As he pushed open the gate to the pool he found his friends already in the water; the hot summer sun reflected in its surface.

"Patrick!" Kevin called, noticing his arrival. Soon the other boys were greeting Patrick as well.

"What took you so long Pat?" questioned Martin, sliding over to the edge of the pool.

"Overslept," mumbled Patrick.

"Something bothering you, Pat?" Kevin asked. "Why the long face?"

"Oh, nothing," he answered casually, shrugging his shoulders. He plastered a grin on his face and soon joined the others for a morning of fun.

oOoOoOo

After a late lunch, the boys could be seen lying in the grass behind Kevin's house. "So," started Edward, striking up a conversation, "starting to think about secondary school?"

A couple of "yeah"s or "not much"s circulated throughout the group.

"What about you Patrick?" said Edward, sitting up to face the said boy. Patrick was lying on his back; his eyes closed.

"Er…" he muttered, "what was the question?"

"Something you'd like to share with the class there Patrick?" interjected Kevin. "You've been distracted all day."

"I'm just not feeling that well, guys," he responded, hoping they would believe him. "I think I'll go home." He picked himself off the ground, ignoring the protests. "Bye guys," he said as he raised a hand in farewell. With that, he started him walk home.

When he returned, he wasn't surprised to see his father still sitting in front of the television. Letting the slam of the front screen door be his notice that he was home, Patrick trudged up to his room and sat down on his bed. Sighing, he picked up a random book off of the floor and started to read.

oOoOoOo

"Patrick!"

Patrick opened his eyes and stretched. He had fallen asleep while reading. Rubbing his eyes, he stood and made his way downstairs to see what his father wanted.

"Patrick, you have a visitor," his father said quietly once Patrick had appeared, gesturing to the back porch over his shoulder. His current position was at the kitchen table reading the journal.

As Patrick approached the back screen door he recognized the head of black hair to belong to Kevin.

"Hey," greeted Patrick, shutting the door gently behind him.

"Hey yourself," said Kevin. Gesturing to the spot next to him on the step he said, "sit down." Patrick obeyed. "So, are you gonna tell me what's wrong, or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?" asked Kevin.

"Is that why you're here?" asked Patrick bluntly.

"Well, actually…I drew the short straw between me and Ed, so…aww just kidding." Kevin replied. Patrick could tell that Kevin was trying to cheer him up. "But something's bugging you, and it's my duty as a friend and as a nosy guy to find out what it is."

"Well…" Patrick started, not sure if now was the best time to break the news that he was leaving. He decided against his own wishes though, and told Kevin. He told him that he would not be returning to school with their group of friends; that he would be going away to a boarding school in Ireland.

"My dad wants me to go. It was also my mother's old school." Patrick concluded. He turned to look at Kevin and did not see the face of anger like he had envisioned before. It was one of the few times that Patrick had spoken about his mother, and Kevin was surprised.

"So…" said Kevin, breaking the silence, "you thought we would be angry, correct?" Patrick wondered if he was really that predictable.

"You're not angry?" questioned Patrick anxiously.

"No, of course not," replied Kevin. "Sad, yes, but not angry. Tell me one thing though, do you want to go?" Patrick hadn't been expecting this question.

"Er…yes, actually. I'm curious about it," he said quietly. "I just didn't know how to tell you guys."

"I can understand that," replied Kevin. "D'you want me to tell the others?" he offered.

"Really?" asked Patrick, sounding relieved. "It might make things easier. I'll owe you big time."

"You betcha!" said Kevin, cracking a grin. "Now, how about you come back with me and we enjoy the rest of the holiday! Let's just forget about this for now."

"All right," agreed Patrick. "You're a really great friend Kevin, you know that right?"

"I've been told…" replied Kevin with a smirk.

"Let me rephrase that," said Patrick, laughing as they started to walk. "You're a great friend…when you're not being a git!"