Heart-shaped Box

yellow hearts

"She put my name with yellow hearts, uh
Her favorite color like the stars
I didn't listen very hard, uh
When she told me she was crazy from the start
She put my name with yellow hearts, uh (yeah, she did)
I said she was a work of art (work of art)
I didn't listen very hard (very hard, no no)
When she told me she was crazy from the start"

Yellow Hearts - Ant Saunders

Christmas break ended quickly. On the one hand, I wished the break would last even longer, so I could spend more time with my family, but on the other hand, I quite missed my friends and Niklaus. I spend my way to Hogwarts with Draco, claiming a compartment of our own to get some much needed quality time. We talk about what we did during our break, and just have a good time, laughing and smiling until we arrive at Hogwarts. I say goodbye to him as I enter the castle, his friends calling for him, and when I enter the Great Hall by myself I barely realize what's going on when someone lifts me up, spinning me around.

"Cam, I missed you!" Niklaus exclaims, and I smile widely when my eyes land upon his Royal Handsomeness, quickly pulling him into a hug when he puts me down. When I look up at him, and see the look of happiness in his eyes, my heart bursts with joy, and I quickly press a sweet kiss to his lips, taking him by surprise. He smiles, and then tells me to go see my friends first during dinner. He also sneakily slips a piece of paper in my hand, and I stuff it into my pocket with a blush on my cheeks.

When I make my way over to Gryffindor's table, I'm immediately surrounded by Fred and George, who drag me along to where everyone's seated.

"Thanks for the present, princess! We love it." Fred whispers, flashing me a big grin.

"Sorry we didn't think of getting you one, it's a little tight at home..." George adds, apologizing.

"That's fine, guys, I didn't expect anything in return. I'm glad you like it." I say to them with a smile, making them smile back in relief. I sit down next to Harry, who gives me a smile.

"Hey, Ali! How was your vacation?" He asks, making me smile back at him.

"It was great! I mostly spent time with my family, which was nice. How was it here?" I answer.

"It was nice, a lot better than spending my vacations with the Dursleys." He explains, seeming genuinely relieved.

"Are they the people you live with?" I ask, never having heard of them before. Obviously, I knew his parents were killed by Voldemort, but I never actually wondered where he lived. It made me feel quite ignorant, if I was being honest.

"Yeah, Petunia is my Aunt, and Vernon is her husband. They have a son who's my age, Dudley." He explains.

"And they're Muggles, then?" I ask, looking around the table to find that everyone else is having their own conversations.

"Yeah, the most stereotypical Muggles you've ever seen." He mutters, rolling his eyes at me, which makes me laugh.

"I have some Muggle friends, you know! They're actually rather cool, you should meet them sometime." I explain eagerly, only to find him pulling a face.

"My uncle never lets me out of the house in the summer, not further than our village, at least." He explains, a little sad.

"I'll call your uncle, and invite you to stay with me for a week, how about that? I'm sure he won't mind." I say, trying to assure him.

"Last time someone called, Ron was screaming into the phone and my Uncle nearly had a heart attack. I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Ali." Harry explains, and I snort at that.