𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐝𝐞 || 𝐃.𝐌

Chapter 24 - In the back of my mind

*Few months later*

Ivory's POV:

Dinner was being served in the Great Hall when I quietly remarked, "I'll truly miss this.", absentmindedly dropping my knife onto the table. My friends exchanged confused glances.

"What do you mean, Ivory?", Fred asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Is she going insane again?", Ron asked, taking a bite of chicken, though his tone was more casual.

"Don't be an ass, Ronald Weasley!", Hermione hushed, casting him a sharp look.

I shrugged, my gaze drifting across the familiar scene. "I just meant... all of this.'', I muttered, my voice soft.

Harry, his expression clouded with concern, asked, "Are you leaving school early?"

"No, I'm not leaving.", I replied, though my voice was tinged with uncertainty. "But I do spend a lot of time thinking about my future, and how things will change once this chapter of our lives is over."

"Right. I have a hard time deciding what I want to be as well.", Harry said thoughtfully, nodding as he processed my words.

I lowered my gaze, suddenly aware of the weight of their stares. A thick silence settled over the table, an unusual tension hanging in the air. The rest of the meal passed in quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Afterward, we left the Great Hall and made our way to our dorms. Ginny set up her record player, and soon enough, we were dancing, our energy a welcome distraction until exhaustion set in.

Hermoine's POV:

Ivory walked ahead of us toward our dorm, giving me a brief moment to speak with Ginny in private. "Ginny, do you think Rory is okay?", I asked, my concern growing.

Ginny met my gaze, her expression uncertain. "Honestly, Hermione, I'm not sure. During dinner it felt like she was hinting that she might be leaving Hogwarts."

''We need to ask her right now what's going on.'', I said, frustration creeping into my voice. "She's hiding something from us."

Ginny sighed, her tone more measured. "Hermione, you know how this goes. Whenever we confront Rory about acting secretive or strange, it always ends in a fight. I don't want to risk our friendship over something like this again. Let's give her some space. She'll open up when she's ready."

Ginny's words were hard to argue with. She was right. We'd been through so many fights with Rory over the past year, especially since 4th year when she started dating Malfoy. Everything had changed, and so had she. Maybe it's because we are growing up or maybe it was just me, struggling to accept that people change, that friends change. But I couldn't shake the nagging curiosity, the feeling that there was more going on with her than she was letting on.

"Yeah, you're right, Ginny.", I finally said, exhaling a slow breath. "We'll just keep an eye on her. For now, anyway."

''Don't worry too much, okay? Everything will be fine in the end.'', Ginny reassured me, lightly squeezing my hand.

"Perhaps I'm overreacting, as usual.'', I replied.

Ivory's POV:

Hermione sat down on her bed and said, "Rory can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go on.", I replied, still catching my breath.

She muttered something, but I couldn't quite make it out. "Could you repeat that, please?"

Hermione shook her head. "Never mind."

"Please, Hermione, tell me."

After a brief pause, she finally asked, "Alright, you're not hiding anything from us, are you?"