As the Hogwarts Express raced back to London, Eric sat with his friends in an odd atmosphere of quiet. Eric had finally relented to bringing Evelyn out again so that she could see the group of them together. Perhaps then she'd accept Eric's friends, and they could be on speaking terms again.
They were halfway through the trip when Dorian finally broke the silence. "Do you think it's all real? I mean, his being back and all?"
Eric looked up. "Dumbledore seemed convinced. Thankfully, that's not our problem."
Tylena looked over to them. "But won't it be? I mean, if he gains strength again, it threatens us all."
Naomi's voice chimed in. "That's for the Headmaster to work out. We're being trained to defend the other fronts. Hopefully, they won't be so dangerous. Besides, it's not like we have to destroy the Draconians. We just need to keep them weak enough that they don't challenge the system."
Dorian looked back at her. "What if he wins?"
Eric chose to answer him. "Then it'd be good to keep the Draconians near – we'll need allies to overthrow him."
As the train pulled into the station, the group gathered their belongings. Getting off of the train, Eric turned to Naomi. "See you soon?"
She drew him aside. "I have to check into a few things. If I'm right, this is going to be the best summer I've had in years."
They stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. They knew what was going to happen next, but neither of them were sure what to do. Eventually they fumbled their way into kissing. It was brief and awkward, and hardly the magical moment that movies and books made it out to be. However, what they felt more than anything was what they felt for each other. That made it right.
Eric made his way to a deserted part of the platform, there turning to Evelyn. "Well?"
She shook her head. "I can't approve, Eric. She's been raised as a muggle, and she's got way too many problems. You deserve so much more than that."
He felt his jaw tighten. "Evelyn, I love her."
She looked about, then seemed to sigh. "Well, we'll see. Maybe it is for the best."
He repressed a smile, not wishing to hurt her feelings by celebrating. "You'll see. She really is special." He shared a quiet moment with her, gathering his wits before going after his belongings.