Chapter 12 - Return

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Once the Christmas holiday had passed and the new year had begun, I felt time began to move very quickly. Easter was soon upon us, but no one went home this time—we were all too busy finishing homework and studying for final exams.

At least, everyone but Tom. He seemed back in his old spirits. They must have returned some time in January. I watched as the boys in our year returned from their homes and eagerly surrounded him, anticipating tales of how his holidays passed. I remembered what Tom had said about those boys and felt an urge to break through the barrier and shoo them away each time I saw them form their ring around him.

I contented myself most days to go down to the lake and sit under the big willow tree there. Now that the weather was better, the common room, though cozy as ever at night, gave off a sense of suffocation in the day. Thus, I usually took my study sessions to the outdoors, accompanied by Tom. (As much as I enjoyed Diana's company, she wasn't the best study partner.)

"Name three reasons the Goblin Wars started," Tom prompted.

"No more history," I groaned. "Let's take a break, Tom."

"You're the one who said History of Magic was your worst class," Tom said testily.

"It is," I agreed. "Because it's so boring."

"Fine." Tom set aside the book and leaned his head against the tree trunk, eyes shut. I rolled onto my side in the grass and found a caterpillar munching its way through a leaf.

"Hey Evelyn?"

"Yeah?"

Tom paused before continuing. "Are you ready?"

"As soon as I get this history down—"

"No—I didn't mean that," Tom said. "I meant about ready to go back to Wool's."

I was silent. The knowledge that our stay at Hogwarts would be cut off when summer arrived had always been in the back of my mind, but I hadn't given it any real thought until now. Was it wrong to say I wasn't dreading it? No, the bed wouldn't be as comfortable and the food wouldn't be as good, but a sense of normalcy would be there. And most importantly, couples would come by in the summer often. Three-quarters of my other opportunities were beyond my control, but the summer visits—I would be there for those.

I couldn't relay this information to Tom, though, not when I knew his opinion of the orphanage was nothing short of loathing. It would be even more bitter, now that we knew what we were missing at Hogwarts.

"It'll be nice to Mrs. Cole again," I said instead.

"You'd rather see her than stay here?" Tom scoffed. "Sorry," he muttered a minute later, knowing his words had stung. "I just...I don't want to go back. At all."

"It'll only be for two months," I said. "And even if we can't use magic, we have all our books to read." This was of little comfort to him, though.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "People like us shouldn't be locked up in places like that.

"We'll just have to make the best of it," I said. "Besides, it won't be like before. We'll have each other, won't we?"

Tom looked at me like he was a bit surprised and I suddenly felt that perhaps I had defined our relationship in a manner he didn't agree with. But then he smiled a little. "Of course. I guess that will make a difference. Now should we get back to those Goblin Wars?"

I had never sat final exams, not real ones, so the prospect of them was slightly daunting.

"Forget about them!" Eleanor the painted lady said, two days before the big day. "It's summer!"

"I don't know if that's the best advice, Eleanor," I said, carefully putting my notes away and wiping her frame. "I want to do well on these."

"Oh, they aren't such hard things," Eleanor said impatiently. "Drivel, most like. I'll bet that history class you're always going on about will be a breeze. Even a simpleton like me could probably take it."

"Almost everything happened after you-existed," I finally decided on, after searching for the right word.

"My point is, dear Evelyn, is that you worry too much. A test is just a test, after all. Think of it like this. Freedom is nearly in your grasp. Do you want it to be spoiled by the idea that you might have not done so great? Of course not. All that tension is just going to wind you up. So relax!"

Easier said than done, though. The night before, I stayed by the common room fire with a blanket wrapped around me, frantically rereading my notes until Diana and Rachel had to come and physically drag me into bed. I wasn't much better at breakfast the next morning either, managing only a small bowl of porridge down my parched throat.

First was Potions. I swept through the theoretical exam easily, but I realized too late that I hadn't cut my ginger finely enough during the practical portion. There was no time to dwell that, though. Next up was Charms.

The day slowly ticked by. We were granted a brief reprieve at noon to eat lunch, during which we rehashed our experiences. I was comforted to hear Diana joking about accidentally turning her pincushion into a full blown porcupine, instead of the hedgehog we were supposed to be conjuring. In between laughs, I glanced down the table to where Tom sat, surrounded by his fans. They seemed to be clinging to him more closely today than they normally did, hanging onto his every word in hope that it would come up in one of their next exams.

Predictably, History of Magic was the one I ended up detesting the most. As there was no practical application that could be tested, the written portion was about triple the length compared to our other classes. My head was swimming with names and dates when I left the classroom, but I was also relieved-no Goblin Wars questions had appeared.

With classes now over and the late afternoon just approaching, I decided to go back to the dorms to begin packing. The Hogwarts Express would be leaving the next morning at eleven, and I didn't want my final hours at school to be spent tearing the room apart for one of my books. Most of my belongings had just been stowed in my trunk for the year, but as the months had passed, the organization of such belongings had become rather haphazard, leaving the daunting task of trying to fit everything nicely enough so the lid would shut completely.

I was at the task for a few hours before I finished. I had set aside my pajamas for tonight and a pale blue dress for the train ride, but other than these, everything else was nearly packed away, sitting on top of my stacks of books. The common room sounded full now; every once in a while I'd hear some shouts. Taking a break before the feast, I thought. The giant squid was currently giving us a final show of its tricks, accompanied by some of the merpeople. The view would be better in the common room, but I was happy enough to just watch from the dorm window.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived back at Wool's. What excuse had Mrs. Cole give to the others to explain our absence? Hopefully nothing too damaging, but there weren't many options to choose from to begin with.

The more I thought about the inevitable return, the more I started to dread it. I felt almost...a little scared. I hadn't seen the others in months. It would be like I was meeting them for the first time all over again. Would they treat me the same way they had before? I suddenly jumped up and ran to look at myself in the mirror. I thought back to September. I had been thin then. Maybe a tad pallid and perpetually sickly-looking. There was always an appearance of dullness that infected all the Wool's orphans. Such was not the case now. My face was healthy, my frame a little stronger from the months of good eating. My hair boasted a healthy golden brightness, my blue eyes shone a touch brighter. No doubt Hogwarts had provided me with some much needed nourishment. I found it difficult to believe that the others would not view me with a certain degree of resentment, but I couldn't blame them, either. I knew I would have felt the same if I were in their position.

I returned to my bed slowly. It isn't about the other children, I told myself. It doesn't matter what they think. Only the adults...

The idea of being taken in...it was still my dream. It made my stomach lurch when I thought about it now, though.

I was growing older.

It was common knowledge that older children were rarely ever even considered. The likelihood of me finding a family was becoming smaller and smaller, a fact that I hated to face. And now, on top of that was the obvious. There were twice as many hurdles now. A couple would have to be willing to adopt a near-teenager (a rarity already) who was also a practitioner of magic.

Not exactly a perfect child.

Before I knew it, we were back in the carriages and being transported to the train station. Despite the circumstances, nearly everyone was talkative and excitedly bragging to their friends what they would be doing over the summer holidays. I wasn't asked about my plans by many. I wondered if it was out of tact, if people knew an orphan probably wouldn't have any grand adventures in the works, but I didn't care either way. I was glad I had spent the last night thinking about today, so my moroseness could be passed off as not wanting to leave Hogwarts.

When the train pulled into the station, I peered out of the window. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was just as full now as it had been on the first day. Crowds of parents and siblings were lined up, eagerly waiting for us to disembark.

"Evelyn! Follow me!" We had only just managed to carry our luggage down to the platform when she grabbed my hand. She led me through the throng, a slow process with us both dragging our things behind us. I had no idea where we were going, only that it seemed the opposite direction of the exit.

"Mum! Dad!" Diana shouted. A huge grin on her face, she leaped into the arms of her parents and hugged them.

"Hey there, kid!" her father said after a moment, loosening his tight grasp to lett her go. "Long time no see! How was it?"

"So amazing!" Diana exclaimed. "Just like you said, Mum."

I hung awkwardly back while they spoke. My face felt inflamed and I looked away, thinking I probably looked like an eavesdropper. It was only when I heard my name that I faced them again.

"...This is Evelyn," Diana said, reaching backward and urging me forward. "Evelyn, these are my parents."

I smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"And you," Mr. Hunter said. "We've heard quite a bit about you."

"Did you enjoy your first year?" her mother asked.

"Oh—yes. It was wonderful," I said. "I can't wait to go back."

"Of course," Mrs. Hunter said. "What about the holidays? Will you be very busy?"

I suddenly wondered if Diana had told her parents about my situation. As I hesitated, however, Diana squeezed my hand in encouragement.

"Ah—no. Just staying in London."

"Oh, Evelyn, then you must come visit," Diana said. "We live in London too; we could see each other every day! Mum, please?"

"Every day may be a bit much," Mrs. Hunter said, "but yes, of course. We'd be happy to have you, Evelyn."

"Then I'm looking forward to it," I agreed. "Do you have a telephone number I could call?"

"Here you are," Mr. Hunter said, passing me a card with the number written on it.

"Here's mine," I said, tearing a corner off the card and returning the gesture. "Just ask for me to whoever picks up."

"Perfect," Mr. Hunter said. "Now then, we'd better be off; Grandmum is waiting. Do you have your luggage?"

"Right here!" Diana said, patting the handle. "Looks like I have to go, Evelyn," she said, turning to me. Her face was a little sad. "But I was serious about coming over, all right? If you don't call, I will."

"Okay," I said. "I'll ask Mrs. Cole when we get back."

Diana beamed and gave me a hug, tight and warm.

"Thanks for everything," I said, meaning it. I probably wouldn't have survived the year without Diana.

"You too," she said. Then she pulled back and smiled. "I'll see you soon, all right? Call me whenever you want."

"Okay," I repeated. "See you soon."

With that, she was walking away. I stood in the middle of the platform watching her in between her parents until they had been lost in the sea of people. Suddenly I blinked, and the world came rushing back to me. I heard the soft hum of the activity around me and looked around. Mrs. Cole wouldn't be anywhere here; she wasn't able to get onto this platform. Would Tom have already left or was he somewhere waiting for me? I hoped the latter. I doubted that he would want to spend any time alone with Mrs. Cole anyway.

Sure enough, as I neared the exit, I saw him leaning against one of the brick walls. Almost all who passed him shouted out to him. Have a great summer, Tom. See you next year, Tom. Take it easy, Tom. He acknowledged each one slightly, with that small nod or smirk of his. Then he saw me approaching and straightened up.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded, and after a final look around the platform, we found ourselves back in the Muggle world.

...

END PART I

A/N: And that's it for Part I of The Invisible Girl! I haven't been asking for reviews too often, but now that the first part of the story is completed, I'd really love to hear some feedback about what you thought about it. There's going to be a small interlude (about two or three chapters) between Parts I and II to cover how Evelyn's first summer back from Hogwarts goes down, which I've already started, and then we'll start back up with Part II, which will begin in Evelyn and Tom's third year beginning 1940. Thanks for reading!