Delicate | James Potter

2.01

~

Despite it's new length, Alice still found herself nervously playing with her hair. Just a week ago she'd cut it to her shoulders in an attempt to contain the frizz and bring out the curls. So far it was working. Her mum had straightened it for her that morning, however, and so Alice was feeling very cool with her slight summer tan and explosion of freckles, like one of those girls out of Mary's magazines.

But that wasn't really the main thing on her mind, she was more using the hair thing as a distraction from the fact that she'd most likely be seeing James for the first time in six weeks in the next hour or so. It might not happen, she may have to wait till tomorrow, but the chances of that were unlikely. Alice was torn between seeking him out and leaving him be: she wanted to say hi to everyone anyway, but she didn't want to be weird and June was waiting down the train for her somewhere anyway (Dorcas was on prefect duty).

"Hi!" Juniper's voice reached Alice's ear before she was even in sight. "I saved you a seat!"

Alice shuffled past a large clump of second years to where June had somehow managed to find an empty compartment. She was grinning excitedly. "Ah! Your hair looks so pretty!"

Alice smiled and sat down. "You already saw it when I showed you on the mirror."

"I know." June shrugged. "But I couldn't really see very well."

"Well there you go." The blonde did a small hair flip over her shoulder before melting down into her seat.

There was a comfortable silence as both stared out the window and at the fields flying past. They'd only left the station a few minutes ago yet somehow already seemed to be deep into the countryside, it was a little odd but nice scenery nonetheless.

"Did you sign up for the Prophet in the end?" Juniper suddenly asked.

"No," Alice shook her head, "i didn't want to spend all my summer money on it."

The girl nodded. "So you didn't see all that stuff about that dark wizard? Voldermort, I think.

"There's been more?"

It was a heavy subject, one that smudged the happy atmosphere into streaks of fear. Of course Alice had heard about the rise in Wizarding attacks recently, who hadn't, but the Minister had put out a statement last year saying it would all be resolved soon. Though, she was then removed from her position for 'incompetence' so perhaps her word wasn't to be trusted.

June nodded darkly. "Almost double last year just over the past three months."

"Oh." That was more than a lot. Some were calling it a war, maybe they were right to do so. Suddenly Alice missed the comfort and security of her own home.