"God I love Christmas break." Will said, stretching his legs as the
train sped along the countryside.
"Oh I don't know." Moira said, fretfully. "We could be accomplishing so much if we stayed at the school-"
"Anders is staying at the school isn't he?" Anna said.
Moira blushed but didn't falter. "So what if he is? He's my boyfriend and if I want to holiday with him that shouldn't concern you."
"Yeah Anna. God you're such a bitch." Will said getting in Anna's face.
"Screw off Will." Anna said sourly.
"Aw, what's the matter? Cedric Chang being too mean to you?"
Lily felt a stab of guilt when Anna's eyes filled with tears, but she turned away, ignoring it. "Christmas is going to be weird this year, without Draco there."
"I know. I can't believe he's been dead a month already. I never thought he could go." Caroline said.
"Where do you think he is?" Lily asked.
"Manchester."
"No, I mean theologically. His soul? Do you think he's gone anywhere?"
Anna shook her head. "Heaven isn't a place for people like us. If it even does exist. There is no place for people like us. Unless you're a ghost, you're dead."
"That's depressing."
Anna shrugged. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live and all that nonsense. We're outsiders. But that's okay. It's a blessing sometimes."
"Personally I'm surprised he didn't become a ghost. He's pretty miserable."
"Maybe he is." Daniel said, shrugging. "Maybe he doesn't want to be here though, maybe he just isn't showing himself. You never know I guess."
Lily nodded and they lapsed back into silence for a moment. "So what's going on with you and Kris?" Anna asked.
"Nothing, I guess. He graduates next year. I saved his life, I'm not dating him."
"Why not?"
"Because he hasn't asked me." Lily said truthfully.
"You think that means he doesn't want to go out with you because he hasn't asked you? As if. That guy would probably go mad if you went out with him." Moira said.
"He's mad already." Will and Daniel grumbled.
"Do you think so Moira?"
"For sure. Maybe you should go talk to him."
"What do I do though? Walk up to him and say, hey, I know you haven't asked me out, but I like you. What if he laughs at me?"
"Then your dad will kill him."
"He'll have to dig him up first, because I'll kill him before he can wipe that smile off hi face." Will said darkly.
Lily rolled her eyes and got up. "I'm going to go talk to him." She smoothed her hair back and made sure her clothes had no dirt on them, then she walked down the corridor to where Kris was.
"Hey." He said, his face brightening when he saw her.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Oh nothing. Just getting some homework out of the way."
"Um I just wanted-"
"Lily I thought-" They both began to speak at the same time, then Lily smiled.
"Go on."
"I just wanted to thank you, for saving me back there. I owe you my life."
Lily nodded. "You're welcome. I just wanted to see how you're getting along."
"Thank you. For everything." Lily nodded and left the compartment. She walked back to her own and sat down.
"Well?" Everyone said.
"Well what?"
"Well did he ask you to be his girlfriend?"
"It's not that important, really." Lily said.
Daniel smiled to himself as the girls bombarded Lily with questions. In the whole scheme of things, it really wasn't that important.
!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!!!!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~! ~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
The adults sat on the chesterfield, sipping rum and eggnog, arms around each others shoulders, watching their children trim the tree. Sirius, Fred and George sat on the floor as well, shaking their gifts and making ornaments sprout from their wands. Harry got up and went to front door, letting Alicia Spinnet in.
"Oh hey Alicia. How are you doing? Honestly."
"Some days are better than others. My parents have gone on a cruise, and I didn't want to stay home alone. Is it alright if-"
"You're always welcome." Harry said so warmly that Alicia burst into tears, and dropped into his arms. They went out to the kitchen, where Harry sat down in across from her and put a box of tissues in the middle of the table. "Cry your self out."
Alicia snivled and sobbed for a while, and then began to speak. "O- oh, H-harry! I th-thought I f-finally f-found the p-perfect man. I th- thought th-that we would g-get m-m-m-married-" She burst into full-fledged sobs again, and Harry pushed the tissues closer to her.
She blew her nose and looked up at Harry. "Oh Harry. I'm sorry, you have guests and here I am, just taking you away from them, crying in your kitchen and I hardly knew him." She laughed a little but Harry shook his head.
"He really loved you Alicia, he did. But he had to let go. He was sick."
"But if he loved me, don't you think he would have found a way to stay alive?"
"He did love you. Draco spent his entire life, waiting for the bottom to fall out, and so very often it did. And now, when everything was going well, he just couldn't stand to see it fall apart again. So he fell apart instead. I think it was his heart as much as anything. The coroner said his heart was as strained as a ninety-year olds. He just didn't have it in him to hold on any more. But don't ever think he didn't love you."
Alicia nodded dumbly. "Thank you Harry. You're a truer friend than I've ever had."
"We all need friends at times like these. And there are six of them out there waiting in the front room."
"Oh I don't know." Moira said, fretfully. "We could be accomplishing so much if we stayed at the school-"
"Anders is staying at the school isn't he?" Anna said.
Moira blushed but didn't falter. "So what if he is? He's my boyfriend and if I want to holiday with him that shouldn't concern you."
"Yeah Anna. God you're such a bitch." Will said getting in Anna's face.
"Screw off Will." Anna said sourly.
"Aw, what's the matter? Cedric Chang being too mean to you?"
Lily felt a stab of guilt when Anna's eyes filled with tears, but she turned away, ignoring it. "Christmas is going to be weird this year, without Draco there."
"I know. I can't believe he's been dead a month already. I never thought he could go." Caroline said.
"Where do you think he is?" Lily asked.
"Manchester."
"No, I mean theologically. His soul? Do you think he's gone anywhere?"
Anna shook her head. "Heaven isn't a place for people like us. If it even does exist. There is no place for people like us. Unless you're a ghost, you're dead."
"That's depressing."
Anna shrugged. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live and all that nonsense. We're outsiders. But that's okay. It's a blessing sometimes."
"Personally I'm surprised he didn't become a ghost. He's pretty miserable."
"Maybe he is." Daniel said, shrugging. "Maybe he doesn't want to be here though, maybe he just isn't showing himself. You never know I guess."
Lily nodded and they lapsed back into silence for a moment. "So what's going on with you and Kris?" Anna asked.
"Nothing, I guess. He graduates next year. I saved his life, I'm not dating him."
"Why not?"
"Because he hasn't asked me." Lily said truthfully.
"You think that means he doesn't want to go out with you because he hasn't asked you? As if. That guy would probably go mad if you went out with him." Moira said.
"He's mad already." Will and Daniel grumbled.
"Do you think so Moira?"
"For sure. Maybe you should go talk to him."
"What do I do though? Walk up to him and say, hey, I know you haven't asked me out, but I like you. What if he laughs at me?"
"Then your dad will kill him."
"He'll have to dig him up first, because I'll kill him before he can wipe that smile off hi face." Will said darkly.
Lily rolled her eyes and got up. "I'm going to go talk to him." She smoothed her hair back and made sure her clothes had no dirt on them, then she walked down the corridor to where Kris was.
"Hey." He said, his face brightening when he saw her.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Oh nothing. Just getting some homework out of the way."
"Um I just wanted-"
"Lily I thought-" They both began to speak at the same time, then Lily smiled.
"Go on."
"I just wanted to thank you, for saving me back there. I owe you my life."
Lily nodded. "You're welcome. I just wanted to see how you're getting along."
"Thank you. For everything." Lily nodded and left the compartment. She walked back to her own and sat down.
"Well?" Everyone said.
"Well what?"
"Well did he ask you to be his girlfriend?"
"It's not that important, really." Lily said.
Daniel smiled to himself as the girls bombarded Lily with questions. In the whole scheme of things, it really wasn't that important.
!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!!!!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~! ~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
The adults sat on the chesterfield, sipping rum and eggnog, arms around each others shoulders, watching their children trim the tree. Sirius, Fred and George sat on the floor as well, shaking their gifts and making ornaments sprout from their wands. Harry got up and went to front door, letting Alicia Spinnet in.
"Oh hey Alicia. How are you doing? Honestly."
"Some days are better than others. My parents have gone on a cruise, and I didn't want to stay home alone. Is it alright if-"
"You're always welcome." Harry said so warmly that Alicia burst into tears, and dropped into his arms. They went out to the kitchen, where Harry sat down in across from her and put a box of tissues in the middle of the table. "Cry your self out."
Alicia snivled and sobbed for a while, and then began to speak. "O- oh, H-harry! I th-thought I f-finally f-found the p-perfect man. I th- thought th-that we would g-get m-m-m-married-" She burst into full-fledged sobs again, and Harry pushed the tissues closer to her.
She blew her nose and looked up at Harry. "Oh Harry. I'm sorry, you have guests and here I am, just taking you away from them, crying in your kitchen and I hardly knew him." She laughed a little but Harry shook his head.
"He really loved you Alicia, he did. But he had to let go. He was sick."
"But if he loved me, don't you think he would have found a way to stay alive?"
"He did love you. Draco spent his entire life, waiting for the bottom to fall out, and so very often it did. And now, when everything was going well, he just couldn't stand to see it fall apart again. So he fell apart instead. I think it was his heart as much as anything. The coroner said his heart was as strained as a ninety-year olds. He just didn't have it in him to hold on any more. But don't ever think he didn't love you."
Alicia nodded dumbly. "Thank you Harry. You're a truer friend than I've ever had."
"We all need friends at times like these. And there are six of them out there waiting in the front room."