𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 | 𝐡. 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝟒𝟐 - 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞?

𝙊𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙜𝙤 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮'𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙬, and she had no intention of letting him go until they were forced to separate at King's Cross, Harry appreciated her insistence, at least this way he knew he didn't have to be alone with his thoughts, every time his mind drifted to being somewhere dark, she would squeeze his hand gently and run her thumb over his knuckles until it went away, almost as if she could read his mind.

The two of them were sat on the train home, Ophelia by the window looking out at the landscape as it changed, she hadn't smiled properly in a few days now and would only offer one to someone politely, pulling the sleeves over the top of her hands as she chewed on the end of them, Hermione knew that something was deeply troubling her and for Harry's sake she wasn't opening her mouth to tell her best-friends.

Ron, ever the glue of their friendship, offered hers pumpkin pasty from the trolley witch, she smiled thankfully and began nibbling on it.

"Have you any idea what your plans are this summer?" Asked Ron, cracking open one of the cans of pop Ophelia had given him.

Ophelia turned her head away from the window, looking between her friends and said
"Aside from defending Sirius in trial, it's Harry's birthday so I've got to do something for that... then it's our anniversary and we have all summer to do whatever we want... or at least I hope."

Harry furrowed his brows.
"What do you mean hope?"

Ophelia frowned and said
"Well, he's back now... I very much doubt that they're going to let us go wandering the streets of London on our own, seems a bit irresponsible really, well at least to them, maybe we'll have to get people to spy on us to make sure we're safe, I don't like the sound of it either Harry, but let's face it things aren't going to be the same now that he is here, we best start... I don't know? Making preparations? Carrying our wands on us constantly, using mirrors around corners, salt on the door that sort of thing."

"I don't think think you-know-who is a vampire." Said Ron doubtfully

"Well he might not be but he'll try recruiting them." Said Ophelia, fidgeting with her sleeves, it was evident now that this is what had been on her mind these past few days, preparing for what she imagined to be the inevitable.

"And Ophelia," said Hermione delicately "I don't think they're going to expect us to fight in a war just yet, we're fourteen-"

"Well the war came for Harry and he's only fourteen, what makes you think that Voldemort won't stop with him? I don't think he will, it would be naive for me to even start thinking like that." Said Ophelia, chewing on her lip. "I don't think his followers lose sleep if they murder a couple of students."

She was stating to make everyone feel uneasy now, her leg bouncing carefully as she continued to steamroll what had been preoccupying her thoughts.

"I think he's going to be doing a lot in the shadows, the last thing he wants is the public knowing he's back... if Fudge listens to Dumbledore then it'll make things a lot harder for Voldemort to recruit anyone." Explained Ophelia, taking a bite out of her almost forgotten pumpkin pasty

Harry looked at her, swallowing the hard lump in his throat.
"And if he doesn't?"

"Then we'll have to work just as quietly too, working in the shadows means that you can't see people's intentions properly until they come into the light, and well... we can't do that." Said Ophelia, slumping back in her seat, her hand covering over her eyes

"I've been thinking of casting protection charms over privet drive." Said Ophelia quietly, before quickly adding "Just as a precaution."

Harry stared at her.
He'd never seen Ophelia be so... strategic before.
It was almost unnerving how much she made sense, but then again, given how hard she studied for Sirius' trial... to pass the exam and to convince Barry Crouch... he knew just exactly how driven she was, she would persevere through anything, even if it did almost terrify him.