Summer Holidays
Helena was alone with her very annoying and lazy black cat named Anna. It made her slightly relieved and worried when she saw an owl tapping on her window with its beak.
Oh, by just the writing on the envelope she knew it was from Katie.
Dear Helena,
My holiday is going very terrible indeed.
My parents keep on shouting at me and my brother is very confused indeed to why he cannot go to Hogwarts too.
They keep on telling him that he's a Muggle and that he's a massive disappointment just like me.
I've just hade enough.
If it's ok with you, can I come to your house since you have no one and you hate being alone.
Also I bet that Anna is getting annoying for you already. It'd be a change you know.
Write me back as soon as you can.
Lots of love,
Katie.
Helena stared at the letter for a split second, then her heart leapt with glee. She was so excited that she was shaking so much when she came to reply to her.
Dear Katie,
YES.
Love,
Helena.
x
When Katie got to her house, she hugged Helena very tightly, so that Helena got the impression that she was being crushed to death.
"Okay. You can stop hugging me now, thanks," Helena said, coughing.
"Sorry, It's just I'm so glad to have gotten out of there, you know?"
"I don't know, I haven't had a person living with me for almost eight years."
"Sounds like fun," Katie remarked.
"It really isn't," she replied darkly.
"Anyway, I just," she sighed.
"What?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Is your brother a Squib?" Helena asked.
"Not exactly," Katie shifted her feet.
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't really matter, does it?"
"No, I suppose not."
x
The Holidays got a lot more amusing with Katie around, as she gave Helena comfort to be in her own home for once. She no longer felt that the walls were closing in on her any more.
"Katie?"
"Yeah?"
They were in the living room, with the hot fire burning away the coal slowly, and it was flickering orange particles that illuminated the black, fluffy cat, that was crawled underneath it.
"I want another cat," stated Helena, dreamily.
"No way," said Katie firmly, as she was not fond of cats. It was bad enough being with one.
"But I -"
"No," she repeated. "You can get something more respectable next time, like an owl."
Helena's smile that was across her face faded and she turned cold.
"I didn't mean -" Katie said quickly.
"Stop," Helena interrupted bitterly.
Katie subdued immediately.
Anna shifted uncomfortably as she sensed the tension between the two.
"Helena." No response. "Helena!"
"What?" she replied gruffly.
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're not."
"I am."
"Tell me, when are you ever sorry?"
"Right now," she stated, very stroppy.
"You're such a liar, Katie."
"Well, you're just as bad as the Dark Lord."
Helena laughed coldly.
"Ha, I wish. One, I don't kill people. Two, I'm not a self-hating racist who's also a Muggle hater. Three, I am not a psychotic, manipulative, inhumane being."
"Sure you're not," Katie muttered to herself.
"Hey, you're welcome to leave anytime you want. I'm happy with Anna. I'm also sure that your parents will be more than happy to welcome you back home, after you came storming out."
Katie hung her head, ashamed and was slightly frightened of her girlfriend.
"Helena, please..."
"No."
"Seriously, I didn't me to offend you -"
"Well, you did," she snapped. "Just stop apologising. Please."
Katie got up and went upstairs without another word.
Anna trotted over to Helena, and her warm body snuggled up against her.
"At least I always have you, Anna," she cooed.
She purred whilst Helena stroked her.
x
"Helena."
"Yes?"
"I need to go to Diagon Alley," Katie stated.
"Ok. Have fun."
"You need to come too," she said scowling.
"Why?" asked Helena, raising her eyebrow.
"Your robes are like an inch shorter than they should be, come on."
"Can't I just use an enlargement charm?" she said tirelessly.
"No."
"Why not?" she whined.
"Because they're all tatty."
"No they're not."
"Yes they are," Katie said firmly. "Come on."
She practically dragged her out of her bed.
Helena groaned.
"Ten in the morning is not a suitable time to wake me up," said Helena coldly.
"Stop complaining. I could've woken you up at eight."
"If you did, then I would've murdered you."
"Not a morning person?" asked Katie.
"Not one bit," she stated dryly.
"Ugh, you."
"Ugh, life."
"Come on, hurry up," she pestered her.
"Alright, I'm coming!" Helena insisted.
x
They were in Diagon Alley and it was empty apart from a few rushing families, determined not to be slowed down.
"Happy now?" Helena asked Katie.
"Yes," she seemed satisfied.
"Just hurry up, will you?"
"Not scared are you?" she teased.
"No, I just want to go to bed."
"How about this, the less you complain, the quicker we'll get back. How's that?"
"No. How about I go home whilst you stay here. How does that sound? Because I think it sounds wonderful."
"Or you can complain all you like and we'll stay here forever until you stop," she continued cruelly.
"Not fair, because you get the advantage each time since you actually want to be here."
"Life isn't fair, Helena."
She glared at her resentfully.
"Can we just go in and go home?"
"Fine," agreed Katie.
So they went into a shop and Katie wanted at least 5000 versions of her robe fittings. She also made Helena get hers done, which was around five sets of black robes.
"This isn't the correct shade of black," Katie told Helena, addressing Helena's black robes.
"What the hell? The correct shade of black?"
"Yeah. It's more white-black than black-black."
"Sorry, can you repeat that in English?" said Helena blankly.
"Honestly, don't you know your way around clothes?" she replied, rolling her eyes, tutting a little.
"I obviously do, it's you who's complaining that my robes are not the correct shade of black. Like, how can they be a different shade of black? Black is black."
"Oh Helena, if only the World was that simple," she said, shaking her head.
"What? It's black?"
"Maybe to you, but everyone knows that's not black."
"Oh, dear, do you really want that colour?" asked the shop owner. "It's not exactly black, is it?"
"I am so out of here," said Helena, leaving.
She went out into the street, frustrated. She waited for Katie for five minutes before heading back down to the Pub.
"Wait up," said Katie, coming out of the shop, with a bag on her arm.
"Seriously?"
"I paid for your robes you know, eight Galleons! The correct shade of black, too." She flashed her the contents of the bag.
"That is exactly the same shade!" Helena claimed.
"No, this is black."
"The others were black, too!"
"No, those were white-black. These are black-black."
"Can we just go home? My head hurts."
"Sure," said Katie's lip curling.
And they left Diagon Alley.