Author's Note: Here is a quick chapter. I am experiencing a touch of writer's block so updates may become infrequent.
Please let me know what you think!
"Here, let me help you with that." Albus said as I struggled to lift my trunk onto the train. I refused his help as I had done every time we had ever boarded the Hogwarts Express together, but the decision was taken out my hands as Mark rushed forward eagerly saying,
"No I've got it, Albus."
"It's really alright." I said. I pulled out my wand, preparing to levitate it out of Mark's hands, but as I began saying the spell, another pair of hands descended upon my trunk.
"I can take it from here, Mark." Donovan said, trying to tug the trunk lightly from his grasp. Mark held on and said,
"Really, I can handle it."
"So can I." I interjected. "It is MY trunk after all."
The two of them were too busy staring each other down to pay any attention to me.
"I think it's really more my job to handle my girlfriend's luggage." Don said, emphasizing the word 'girlfriend.'
"A girlfriend who is perfectly able to carry her own things." I said. Once again they both ignored me.
"This is possibly the stupidest argument I've ever heard." Janie muttered to Alex and Albus behind me.
"I think the one at breakfast this morning involving who was more entitled to cut her pancakes could give this argument a run for its money." Alex replied to her. The three of them began to place bets on what Don and Mark would row about next when the matter of who would carry my trunk was settled. Much like this morning, Mark's shoulders finally sagged and he loosened his hold on my trunk. He climbed onto the train and strode off down the corridor without glancing back.
Looking much too pleased with himself, Donovan took both my trunk and my hand and effortlessly pulled both it and myself onto the scarlet train.
"Fancy trying to find a compartment with me?" Don said as my friends followed Mark down the corridor.
"I'd love to but… I promised Alex a game of chess." I invented.
Irritation furrowed Don's brow as he looked at me. "Don't you want to spend some time together before the break? We aren't going to see each other for weeks."
"I would." I lied. "I really would. But I did promise."
"Alright then." He sighed, and we followed my friends into compartment L. I sat down between Albus and Janie upon entering, a seat that was conveniently located across from Alex. Albus shot me a mischievous look as I sat down and vacated his seat in favor of one beside Mark. I glared at him as Don took his place beside me, making a mental note to murder Albus Potter later.
"Ready for that chess match?" I asked Alex, staring at him pointedly. Catching on quickly, Alex reached into his trunk and pulled out his black and gold chess set. We played five games, each lasting a good half hour. I thanked my lucky stars for such a wonderful and obliging friend as Alexander Longbottom, and then for Janie Pulizzano, who insisted I help her fill out all of the quizzes in the most recent edition of Witch Weekly after my chess marathon with Alex. This effectively ensured that I only had to experience an hour of utter confusion in the arms of my boyfriend. I felt guilty for initiating this ploy, but knew that I needed the lengthy weeks of separation from Donovan to figure out just exactly how I felt about – well everything. Only then could I be fair to him. Sitting with him now…I couldn't help but feel that I was deceiving him into believing I had no reservations about the two of us being together, which was, of course, untrue.
At last the Hogwarts' Express pulled into Platform 9 ¾. Mark won the battle of wills over whom would carry my trunk, but Donovan didn't seem to mind, as he was using the extra seconds to give me a lengthy good-bye kiss. We went our separate ways upon exiting the train. I procured my trunk from Mark and we shared a mildly awkward good-bye hug before I went to find Albus. He, Lily, and Alex were standing together near a pillar laughing. They stopped upon catching sight of me. From what I picked up before they spotted me, however, they were having a laugh at Mark's expense.
"Ready to go?" Al asked me as I joined the circle.
"Yep." I replied. Alex reached forward and hugged me tightly.
"Seeya, V." He said. He hugged Lily and then turned to shake Albus' hand.
"See you in a couple of days for the Christmas party, aye?"
"The what?" I demanded.
"'Course you will." Said Albus, ignoring me.
"What did he mean?" I rounded on Albus as Alex walked away.
"Oh the annual Weasley/Potter Christmas party. The Longbottoms and the Lovegoods always come." He said as we began walking toward Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Around them stood Rose, Fred, Lucy, Roxanne, and Hugo Weasley and a whole slew of redheaded people whom I did not recognize.
"Why didn't you tell me about that?"
"Because I knew you would say – "
"I'm NOT going."
"Yeah that." He finished.
"You are too going." Lily informed me.
"But…your family already hates me."
"They do not, Vera." Lily assured me. "Sure there are a few specific members of the family who might not fancy the idea of you joining us, but they'll keep quiet. If they don't mum will kick them out. It's at our house this year anyways."
I was about to argue further, but Mr. and Mrs. Potter had rushed up to us and enveloped their children in hugs. When they had all greeted each other, Mr. Potter turned to me and said,
"You must be Vera. We've heard so much about you." He held out his hand and I shook it.
"Oh yes of course." Said Mrs. Potter, freeing Lily. "It's so nice to meet you." She held out her hand as well.
"It's an honor, Mr. and Mrs. Potter."
The two of them looked at each other and laughed.
"I prefer Harry, actually."
"Yes and I generally go by Ginny. No need to be so formal, love."
I smiled, thinking inwardly that I would never be able to call them by their first names. Formality towards adults was so engrained within my mind the idea of addressing the Potters so casually was frankly laughable.
"Can I call you Harry, dad?" Asked Albus, grinning.
"When hell freezes over, son." Mr. Potter said lightly, clapping Albus on the back. "Now where's your brother? Ah, there he is."
I turned to see James striding toward us. As he spotted his parents, I saw his expression change into the first genuine smile I had ever seen him make. It looked very attractive on his handsome features. He rushed forward and threw his arms around his mother and then his father. They laughed and hugged him back.
"Shall we get going then?" Albus asked, obviously eager to get home.
"Yes of course." Said Mr. Potter. We began to pull our trunks towards the crowded barrier. As we passed the large group of Weasleys, Mr. Potter bid good-bye to a tall red-haired man and a woman with bushy brown hair before ushering his own family through the barrier.
Despite the fact that the back seat of the Potter's compact car had been enchanted to accommodate a good seven people, the car ride to the Potter house was extremely uncomfortable. Albus and Lily, seemingly trying to annoy both their brother and myself simultaneously, had managed to situate themselves so that throughout the duration of the drive I was squished between James and the bottom of Lily's trainers. In the awkward silence that ensued, I plotted my revenge against the two of them.
At last we pulled up in front of a large white house with a set of evergreen colored double-doors. I was stung when James jumped out of the car before it had even come to a complete stop. Did I really disgust him that much?
I extracted my trunk from the car and pulled it into the foray of the Potter's house.
"You'll be staying in the guest room, Vera. Albus, show her where it is." Said Mr. Potter as he wrapped an arm around Mrs. Potter's waist and led her off to the sitting room. James pulled his trunk up the stairs and I heard the slamming of a door several moments later. Lily followed him, rolling her eyes.
"Would you mind?" Albus asked politely. I turned back to see him gesturing at our trunks.
"Oh, yeah. Just a mo'. Wingardium Leviosa!" I waved my wand and directed the levitating trunks up to the top of the stairs. Albus showed me to a neat room at the end of the hallway and then departed for his own.
The room was small but warm and smelled pleasantly of lavender. In the center was a queen-sized bed with a polished oak headboard and matching bedside tables. I set down my trunk in the corner of the room and opened it. I was about to begin the long and laborious task of unpacking when I gleefully remembered I was seventeen. Grinning, I waved my wand and my clothes instantly hung themselves neatly in the closet. I left my spellbooks and cauldron be, but grabbed my bag of toiletries and brushed through my blonde curls in front of the floor length mirror hanging on the wall.
Finally, I settled down with the novel The Vanishing Cabinet, which I had recently started. I had only read five pages when Albus wandered back into the room. He stretched out on the bed beside me and said,
"So I need another hint."
"About what?" I asked, turning a page idly.
"About what's bothering you."
"Alright I'll give you a hint. It rhymes with Shalbus Shmotter."
He rolled his eyes at me. "Oh come off it. Now I know it has to do with Donovan and James, but I need another clue."
"Albus, I really don't want to talk about it. It's not even important anyway."
"If it's not important then why can't you tell me?" He asked, sounding exasperated.
"I don't know." I said, thoughtfully. "I just can't."
"Argh, alright. Let's see. I guess it started around the time that we won the Quidditch match…hmmm…do you not like Delilah?"
"No, of course I do. I think she's lovely. Why would you even guess that?"
"I don't know. I'm just trying to think of something in particular that happened around then that might upset you."
"Why would Delilah upset me?"
"I don't know. You're my best friend and that's the night I first kissed her and if you didn't like her you'd be upset about that."
"Well no. I'm very happy for you. How are you two doing by the way?" I said, trying to move the conversation to a different topic.
"Great. I just wrote her. But don't change the subject." Evidently, he knew me too well to fall for my attempt to start a different discussion. "What else could have bothered you? Did James say something mean to you while he was telling you off in the changing rooms?"
"Of course he did. But what does that have to do with Don?" I asked mischievously.
"Oh stop messing around. I'm really curious about this. Hey, hold on. You never did tell me what he said to you during the match."
My heart sped up as the memory of my encounter with James invaded my thoughts. I was saved the trouble of mustering a response (or a lie) by Lily, who chose that moment to flounce into the room. She was already decked out in Christmas garb, wearing a bright red sweater that displayed a skiing reindeer (Skiing is this thing muggles do where they strap bits of wood to their feet and push themselves down hills. At least that's how Janie explained it to me).
"Dad told me to tell you that dinner is ready." She turned and left. I hopped up and sped after her so that Albus could not resume his interrogation.
Dinner with the Potter's was a very strange affair. They did this weird thing where they…well laughed. They told stories and inquired about the well being of their family members, seeming to actually seek a response beyond just 'good' or 'very well, thank you.'
After dinner, the six of us retired to the sitting room to watch the Mexico vs. China match on WBN (Wizarding Broadcast Network). Janie told me that muggles had been using televisions for a good fifty, sixty years now, but wizards didn't really embrace them until about a decade ago. I had no idea why this would be as I watched the colorful moving pictures flash across bright screen. I supposed wizards were just a people of tradition.
James, Mr. Potter, and I were cheering for Mexico, while Mrs. Potter, Albus, and Lily were siding with China. The game lasted a good three hours, as the two teams seemed to be almost perfectly matched. At last, the Mexican seeker managed to snatch the snitch after a long stint in which she and the Chinese seeker were neck and neck in the chase. James, Mr. Potter, and I cheered, and Mrs. Potter begrudgingly handed her husband five galleons.
After the game, I headed upstairs for a bath and changed into a pair of cream-colored silk pajamas that my mother had sent me for my birthday. They weren't my preferred brand of sleeping attire, especially with this weather, but unfortunately I had left my thick cotton ones at Hogwarts to be washed. I was sitting on my bed brushing through my wet hair when there was a soft knock on the door.
"Come in!" I called. I jumped to my feet in shock as James trudged into the room.
"Hey you left – " He stopped in the doorway and stared at me open mouthed. His eyes moved from my face and travelled down my body and back up again, taking in my ridiculous silk and lace pajamas. I expected him to laugh at my silly attire, but he simply shook himself and said, "You left this in the bathroom."
He held out my golden Gryffindor lion necklace.
"Oh…thank you." I rushed forward and took it from his hand. Heat erupted up my arm as my skin accidently brushed his.
I expected him to leave then, but he continued to stand there, appraising me with his eyes. After what seemed like a century he shook himself again muttering,
"Good night, then." He exited quickly, closing the door behind him.
"Night." I said to the closed door.