Chapter 20

The compartment was silent except for the sound of icy drops of rain pounding against the glass windowpane. I sat alone. My forehead resting against the glass staring out at the blurred dead winter landscape that passed by as the train moved steadily north to school. With every passing mile dread slowly settled into the pit of my stomach. I was not ready to go back to school. For the first time in my whole Hogwarts career I was not looking forward to going back. It meant facing people I had been avoiding for the past few days.

I stayed at the beach for some time collecting my thoughts. Al had tried to kiss me. I was unsure if he did it because it was because it was midnight. That idea was quickly thrown out when I reminded myself that he leaned in to kiss me before it was midnight. That would have solved everything. Kissing at midnight was tradition and as far as I was concerned often had no strings attached to it. If only he had waited thirty more seconds. Nothing can ever be perfect can it? By that point my finger tips and toes were starting to go numb so I headed back up to James's flat. Luckily no one else was back and I was able to quickly shower and slip into bed without being noticed. The next day everyone was, for the most part, wickedly hungover. It was quite easy for me to remain in bed reading without being questioned. Even Rose left me alone for the most part. We left early the next morning by port key. I felt a sense a relief when I arrived at the Weasleys home. No Al. Rose I could handle. I just wouldn't tell her. But Al was a whole different story. Rose and I spent the day packing for school, sleeping, and on her part gushing about how excited she was to see Scorpious. But now the hard part was about to begin. Not only was I going to have to face Al, but Claire and Morgan too.

I wasn't ready. Part of me felt like I needed another week of alone time just to sort everything out. The other part, the Gryffindor part told me to buck up, put on a brave face, and pretend that nothing had happened. After all Al didn't kiss me. Hell, he could easily not remember it. He was pretty drunk. I chose to give into both parts. Hiding myself away in an abandoned compartment avoiding the situation until they found me… and they would find me. It was only a matter of time before they did.

I sat with my head against the pane just staring out at the landscape watching the rain quickly turn to snow for what felt like half the journey when the glass door banged open. Startled I turned to see who had finally found me. Morgan. I felt my stomach drop again. I had been hoping it would have been Rose. It seemed like the gods had other plans.

"There you are! I've been looking all over the place for you." Moran said as she shut the door and sat in the seat across from me. " I assumed you were with Rose at first, but when I went to her compartment you weren't there. What are you doing all alone?"

I knew I had to step up and pretend like everything was fine or she would get suspicious. Morgan senses things extremely easily. I usually can never hide something from her because she knows that something is off and pesters me and pesters me until I finally cave and tell her. Like the time Jack Calhoon kissed me in fourth year. He fancied me. I did not fancy him. It was not something worth sharing, and frankly I was embarrassed about it. I was grateful when he graduated last year. I still couldn't look at him with out feeling the same rush of heat to my face that I had felt when he pulled away with a confused look in his eyes that quickly changed to hurt when I stammered though the we're just friends speech. Needless to say we were not friends after that. But this wasn't something I could share with her. I needed my best poker face.

"I just needed some time by myself. I haven't been in a room alone since before we left for the states. The quiet was peaceful."

Morgan nodded her head and I breathed a sigh of quite relief. So far her suspicions were not aroused.

I sat quietly as she launched into the stories of what she had done over holiday. Barley registering what she told me. It seemed like a normal Christmas holiday. Time with her extend family whom she gets along with just fine and was relived that they didn't care she was a witch. She went into London with some of her muggle friends for New Years Eve where she snogged a boy at midnight. She got made out like a bandit at Christmas where her parents got her loads of technology, all of which would be unusable at Hogwarts, much to her disappointment. Like any good N.E.W.T student she didn't do any of the assigned optional work over break.

"Hello? Are you even listening to me?" Morgan asked waving her hand in front of my face.

"Of course I am. You and Annie almost got a tattoo over break but your mum found out." I parroted back to her. Annie is her older sister. Works in an add agency and is quite cool. Has been trying to get Morgan to get matching tattoos since she turned seventeen. Their mum has blocked them every time they've tried. "I don't know why you guys don't just wait until you're eighteen. You know she won't let you."

Morgan rolled her eyes.

" Because who knows where Annie could in a year. She could move at any time. The agency has been talking about promoting her. Besides why not? I've known I wanted one for a long time and it would make her happy."

There we go. That's the reason she wants it. Ever since she found out that she was a witch there has been a part of her that thinks her family will disown her, like so many family's have in the past. Even though years have past and they have been nothing but supportive I know she still worries about it and does her best to keep them happy as well as doing things to keep herself connected to them. Like getting matching tattoos with her sister.

"You hardly wrote to me during holiday. How were things in the States?" She asked as she unwrapped a chocolate frog. I glanced at the card she received and my stomach dropped as I saw Al staring back at me. It's not Al I chastised myself. Just his father, whom he looks very much alike.

"They were good. Spent a majority of it with Ryan. She ended up joining us at James's for the match where she found a boy. A Quidditch boy. Other then that it was just quite a bit of downtimes and parties. Nothing fancy." I purposely left out the New Years Eve party. She would ask for to many details and the devil is in the details. I've learned that the best way to not get caught is to not lie in the first place… just don't tell them.

"Did you get to spend any time with Al?"

I shrugged my shoulders

"Some. Hardly any without someone else. We were in a group most of the time." We were in a group on New Years Eve. Other people were outside with us. Just because I didn't know them doesn't mean they weren't there. Ha. Winning.

"Did he write to anyone?"

"You mean did he write to Claire."

"Yes."

Morgan was not someone who beat around the bush. I'm surprised she didn't just ask in the first place.

"I don't know. I never saw him write or receive an owl, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. No one saw when your owls were delivered."

She nodded her head slowly. I could see the wheals in her head turning.

"How are things going getting him to see Boobs for who she is?"

I paused for a moment trying to think of something to tell her that would apse her and make her leave me alone about the subject. Just thinking about him made my stomach tighten.

"I don't know. You can't just make someone stop fancying someone. They have to come to it on their own terms. I think you should just chat with him. See if you two have anything in common before you decide he's the one for you. You know for a fact that he's really into Quidditch and you could care less. That's a major stressor for him and Claire as well." I told her. I didn't want to do this in the first place and now my feelings for him complicated everything even further.

" I could care about Quidditch." She told me.

"That's my point Morgan. You're changing who you are to fit what you think he wants. What are you going to do if he buys season passes for you and he wants to go to every match? You hate going to the few games we have a year at Hogwarts let alone going to the professional matches, which have up to 150 games a year. Be yourself and youll find someone who fancies you for you. You'll most likely enjoy it more because you'll be doing stuff your interested in."

She stared at me. I could tell she was trying to think of something but it just wasn't coming to her. I couldn't tell if she was mad or sad or confused or maybe all of the above It's never nice hearing someone tell you no but more often then not it's what you need to hear. And Morgan never reacted well to someone telling her no. She was very stubborn and when she wanted something she went for it. All in no questions asked. For now she set her sights on Al and was not going to let something like conflicting interests stand in her way.

"We're getting close." She began "I'm going to go change into my robes." And with that she was gone. Leaving behind her an air of tension simply because I told her something she didn't want to hear. I didn't expect her to come back.

She was right though. We were very close. I quickly changed into my robes. Making sure to double up on my socks and shirts. It could be a cold journey back to the castle and I had learned to come prepared. I even had boots incase the path to the carriages wasn't cleared. Nothing is worse the wet shoes.

In what seemed like no time I felt the train slowly coming to a stop. I quickly gathered my things into my trunk and did one last sweep around the compartment for anything I might have forgotten. I learned early on that if you leave something on the train you're not likely to see it again. I still morn for the blue cashmere scarf I lost fourth year. When we came to a complete stop I set out into the crowded hall to join the end of the seaming never ending line to get off the train and out into the carriages. Being in one of the last compartments I knew I was going to be one of the last off.

A short while later I made my way out onto the platform. The crisp cold night air hit me quickly and I breathed in a deep breath of mountain air. I slowly blew it out and watched as the dark vapor floated away with the slight breeze that was blowing as I walked down the wooden platform in the direction of the school.

"Riley!" I heard someone shout.

I quickly lifted my head to see who had called my name.

Rose was standing at the end of the platform next to a carriage waiting for me.

"Where were you the whole trip?" she asked as I walked up to her.

"Just needed a bit of a rest. I took a nap in an empty compartment. I'm still a little jet lagged." Rose nodded in understanding as she closed the door to the carriage behind her.

It was just the two of us.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked. Normally we road in with an assortment of people and I was surprised that she had left Scorpious's side.

"I told them to all go ahead." She stopped. I felt as if she wanted to say something else.

We road up to the school in silence.

"Riley?" Rose asked

"Hmm?"

Another pause. Now I was interested. Rose wanted something. I knew it.

"Did anything happen between you and Al over holiday?"

I froze. I was not expecting that. We had over twenty-four hours alone together and she says nothing and now, as we're about to go into school, she brings it up.

"No. Why?" I stammered out. Knowing that if I reacted to shocked or to confused she would know something happened between us.

"Because he and Claire broke up on the way up to school."

Hooray there's a new chapter! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favored, and followed this story. It's you guys who keep me going. I hope that this chapter is worth the wait. Let me know what you think.