Chapter Twenty-Six: Not Really Goodbye
I should be happy. I should be excited at the prospect of seeing Grandma, and her house, and the Grangers, and home. No classes, no rules, more freedom. But as I sit here, packing things in my trunk, Lightning sitting on my bed, ever watchful…
…I don't feel it.
The First Year Girl's Dormitory has been stripped clean of all posters, trinkets and hangings that made it lively, that reminded us of home—that made it ours. And as much as I know we'll be returning to it in September and start all over on this very set of four-poster beds, in this very room…I haven't the desire to leave it.
Because despite the fact that my sheets were known for strangling me, and my floor was occasionally filled with slime, and poor Lightning was sit on and bullied by that monstrosity, Pudge…
It is still home.
As I closed my trunk, and plucked Lightning's cage from beneath my bed, ushering her inside, I cast a look around the room. I felt as though in mourning of a lost friend, which was silly, because in two months, I'd be standing exactly on this spot, letting Lightning out to curl up on my pillow, joking with Tracey, trying to ignore the other three occupants of the room.
But the trouble is, I don't know what will be different. We're still young, and despite what we've been through this year, there is no telling what is to come. What will change. What will remain. It's frightening, from my small, twelve-year-old stature, to think of these thinks, to imagine where I'll be in my Seventh Year. To imagine what I'll look like, standing in this spot for the last time, having graduated. It's silly for my mind to wander there now, but I think of all the things I discovered this year that I remain relatively in the dark about, and Merlin it scares me. It—
"Elena?" the soft voice drifted my way from the doorway, and I turned to see Tracey peeking into the room, a timid smile on. "Everything all right?"
I thought of the summer to come. Thought of the promise to see one another. Of the things Hermione and I have planned to do. Of the freedom that lies before me. I found myself returning the grin.
"Yeah. Ready to go?"
"Definitely," she nodded. "Summer's my favorite. And a summer with magic? Much better."
"Hermione would tell you we're not allowed." My smiled quirked, and she giggled.
"Well, I s'pose it's a good thing she's not rubbing off on us, then."
"A good thing indeed." More grinning.
"Come on," she extended her hand to me, nodding towards the stairs. "Let's get going before Professor Sinistra has a fit."
Did I mention she's been a tad...on edge since the potions riddle thing? No? Oh, well, now I did.
"Wouldn't that be a pity," I snorted, grabbing Lightning and making chase.
The Hogsmeade station was packed. I thought it had been a zoo at Christmas when Mum and Hermione and I had headed home for the holidays. Bloody hell had I been wrong. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I dead what King's Cross will look like once we arrive.
I lost Tracey early on. I s'pose a part of me expected her to come find the others with me, share a compartment, ride the way back. But we'd barely made it out of the carriage when she grabbed her things and turned to hug me with her goodbyes. What?
"I'm going to find Padma, I told her I'd ride back with her. Her sister's likely going to be off with Brown."
My brain conveniently kicked in then as I tried to place these two names. I seemed to remember Hermione telling me something about one of her roommates, some Lavender girl, who was loud, had an obnoxious laugh that was somewhere between a squeal and a pig dying, and snored just as infuriatingly. Hadn't her last name been Brown?
But the other name… "Who's Padma?" I frowned, and Tracey all but laughed at me.
"She's a Ravenclaw, our year. Her sister's a Gryffindor, like Brown." She crossed her arms, her grin widening. "Did you think you were my only friend, Elena? I do need someone to spend time with when you're off saving the world, you know."
I chuckled. "What? Our lovely housemates not an option?"
"I wanted someone human, Elena. Jeez."
She hugged me then, tight enough to tell me this was her goodbye. I wished her a good summer; she made me promise that Hermione and I would come rescue her from her parents, and then she was off, disappearing in seconds through the throng of students milling about.
And now I was alone, clinging to Lightning's cage in desperation, fiddling with the bracelet around my wrist to calm my nerves, hoping to catch a flash of red hair, or bushy hair, or—
"Oi, Sinistra!"
I whirled, searching for the speaker, and coming face-to-face with two rather tall, red-headed boys. I remembered them from the train, that first day at King's Cross. I also remembered them because I was best friends with their brother. "Fred! George!"
"Ronald sent us to find you," one winked, while the other barely contained his laughter.
"Or rather, Granger made him."
"He may as well marry the bird now, if he's already started taking orders."
"Try tellin' him that, he'll get as red as his hair. Didn't you see when Ginny asked about over the holidays?"
"Uh, guys?" I spoke up, and they seemed to remember what they were here for: me.
And just like that, Lightning's cage left my grasp with one twin, while the other took my hand, dragging me through the crowd. I should've complained. I really should've. But they were so good-natured about coming to get me (I was well aware what they said about Slytherins when asked, thank you), and they'd just given me brilliant ammunition against Ron should the opportunity arise, that I simply couldn't.
Besides, they found my friends in a matter of seconds after taking off. As the twin dragging me along stuffed some kind of parchment into his trouser pockets, and the other handed Lightning back to me, I grinned, ear-to-ear, watching as Ron and Hermione argued, while Harry stood nearby, saying his goodbyes to Hagrid.
"You know, Hermione practically threw herself at the whole escort-the-injured-chess-player-to-the-infirmary thing that day Ron got hurt," I spoke up, and the twins looked down at me, exchanged sly smiles, and then focused back on me. I was well aware they'd forced out some details of that night from their brother already, so even if we'd agreed not to tell anyone anything, I figured it was okay, if it was them. And besides, it was my way of saying thanks. "He hasn't a clue." I added, just for good measure, and saw the light go on in their eyes.
"You know," one said, leaning down to be eye-level with me. "You're alright, Sinistra."
"Not bad at all," the other chuckled, winking.
And just like that, they were gone. As fast as Tracey had been. Through the crowd and off to their destinations, newfound ammunition sitting happily in their minds. And I didn't feel bad about it. Not one bit. Because Ron hadn't let me hear the end of the whole didn't-drink-the-whole-bottle fiasco, I figured it was just fair game.
"Elena! There you are!" Hermione exclaimed, bringing my attention back to them. "We were getting worried, so we—"
"You," Ron interjected, and she threw him a look.
"I know," I chuckled, gripping Lightning's cage tighter as Harry joined us, and Hagrid gave us all a big wave before turning to tend to the crowd of students. At least him I could see as he left. "So, everyone all ready?"
"I've already put our things in a compartment," Hermione explained, before getting aboard the train. As I passed Ron, he sent me an exasperated look, and then followed with Harry. We wound our way down the train only a bit before Hermione stopped at a door, sliding it open and ushering me inside. Hedwig was already there, sitting still and pretty in her cage above Harry's seat—because apparently the luggage had made it here before me. The trunk beneath his seat had his initials, and across from him was mine, where I took my seat.
As soon as we were all inside and begun settling in, I unlatched Lightning's cage, letting her roam free. She made a beeline for Hermione, where she settled down, curling up on the seat between us. "I s'pose I'm not the only one who suffers from being in a different house."
Hermione waved me off. "Don't complain. I seem to recall you being a full-on Slytherin now, Miss I can't believe you won the House Cup."
"I can't!" I threw my arms up. "It was ours!"
"The Quidditch Cup, yeah," Ron said, smugly. "But not the House Cup."
"The Hogwarts Quidditch Cup, or the national one? Which win are we discussing here?"
"She's got you there," Harry laughed.
"Shut it. Both of you," Ron grumbled, bitter Cannons fan that he was.
"What are you both doing with your summers, then?" Hermione asked, tactfully changing subjects. When she got a response from neither of the boys, she ploughed on. "Elena and I were planning on doing some traveling, if our parents will take us. Nothing too far, but we were thinking of making it to Stonehenge, maybe, if Professor Sinistra—"
"You can call her Aurora, you know. You always have," I snorted, and watched her cheeks redden.
"I know, but after actually having her as a teacher, it just feels…different."
"Stonehenge?" Ron frowned. "What the hell's that?"
"It's a prehistoric monument, located in Wiltshire, and it's—"
"Hey, Elena," Harry's voice drifted over to me through Hermione's lengthy explanation that was causing Ron's eyes to bug out awkwardly. Whether out of interest, or contempt, I hadn't the foggiest. So I focused my eyes on Harry, who wasn't staring my way at all. "What's your cat doing?" As I followed his gaze, I found him staring beneath my seat, to where Lightning was playing with something sticking out of my trunk. Frowning, I leaned down to investigate…
…and found a silver chain loosely dangling between her paws. Oh, bugger. Bloody buggering hell.
I knew that chain. And what was attached to it. And the journal buried in my trunk alongside it.
And suddenly, it was back in the depths of the clothes and books and other belongings stuffed inside. Lost. Forgotten. Ignored.
As I sat back up, Harry mirrored the frown I'd worn moments ago. "What was it? The thing she was playing with?"
"N-Nothing," I stammered, smiling in a way I knew was too shaky. Suspicious. Thankfully, he wasn't Hermione, and didn't catch it. "Just a bit of string. From my scarf." I turned back to Hermione and Ron. "What part is she lecturing about now?"
Hermione, dutifully, answered me instead of Harry. "How we might visit Cardiff for the festival there, after Stonehenge, and—"
I leaned back in my seat, folding my arms behind my head, and listened to my best friend drone on about the wonderful things we'd see this summer.
Happy Summer.
THE END. (TECHNICALLY IT'S 11:59 AND THEREFORE STILL MONDAY!)
…until Friday, when I will HOPEFULLY start posting Year Two (provided I start before then, that is)
Do excuse the fact that the beginning is rather melodramatic. I know I'll never write a goodbye dorm room in seven the way Elena thinks about, and despite it being a tad early for the "oh-god-things-are-changing" routine, I felt it was fitting. The other years will be filled with so much more, and this is only the beginning. Anyway, lame, my apologies.
Side note: Lightning? Elena had a cat? Why yes, she did. She was mentioned in the very beginning, and once or twice in the first few chapters. Where did she go? She was there the whole time, I'm merely a thoughtless prat who fails to remember the little furball's existence. I'M SORRY LIGHTNING, I PROMISE I'LL BE NICER STARTING IN SECOND YEAR!
Side side note: Yes, Padma's in Ravenclaw, like in the books, where she belongs. NOT IN BLOODY GRYFFINDOR. Silly movie-makers. Bunch of tarts you are. Anyway, I needed someone for Tracey, because she's not a loner, as I've portrayed her to be, and her house options are… limited. Cough. And writing Fred's name anywhere in context with George immediately afterwards makes me sob, if only a little. Boo.
Lastly, for those who've asked, worry not, I've had, since before any of you saw the first chapter of this posted, all seven years of Elena's school life planned out. I know where it starts, where it ends, who her father is, who she ends up with, who she becomes, her future job, even her children's names. Woot. Anywhooo. Hope you enjoyed, all!