Samantha hid her face, roughly wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry," she got out, standing up quickly. She hated how weak her voice sounded. She hated the way her eyes felt bloated.
Looking up for less than a second, Samantha saw that Ron and Harry were muttering to themselves, Percy looked like he had no idea how to handle this situation, but the twins. They knew what to do. They knew how to make her feel better.
And that made her want to cry even more because they wouldn't make her feel better. She pushed them away. She told them she would never want to be their friend.
They all stood there for a good five minutes, awkward tension so thick Samantha wasn't sure if it would ever disappear. The five minutes felt like five hours and with each passing moment it got longer and longer.
"Harry and I will be in our dorm," Ron said, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him away from the older boys.
"As will I," Percy said, scratching behind his ear. "I need to finish an essay."
Then it was just Samantha and the twins.
She groaned loudly before plopping down on the sofa and rubbing her eyes. "Should've gone to my dorm," she muttered, glaring at the fireplace.
The twins sat down on either side of her. Fred wrapped an arm around her and George held her hand. They didn't say a word. And Samantha realized that was what she needed. Just comfort. Comfort without words. Comfort without pity. Just plain old affectionate comfort. Like the kind her mother used to give her.
Closing her eyes, Samantha took a deep breath. All that was to be heard was the wind outside and the crackling of the fire. At that moment it was Christmas eve and she was with her mother and father. And they were just enjoying each other's presence. A soft smile crept on her face.
"Thank you," she whispered.
George's hand tightened around hers. "You're welcome," he whispered back.
A/N: Hey, guys! I know this chapter is pretty short but I felt like it was a good place to stop it. I wanted to say that after this book (I really should be waiting until the last couple of chapters to put it, but whatever) I am going to post the first chapter of a few books. I'm thinking The Cursed Gryffindor (the sequel to this one), I Swear, NINE, Lost and The Strongest Avenger. I have the summaries on my profile page. When I publish the first chapters, I will start a poll and you guys can choose which ones you want me to focus on! And if you see any stories that spark your interest, send me a PM or post it in a review and I will think about writing that one as well!