RUN - James Potter

Chapter 22

When Antonella usually spent the Christmas holiday's with Asterin, it was always the six of them: Matilda, Asterin, Elsie, Erika, Taylor and herself. This year was beyond different, as the house was flooded to the brim, Ravenclaw boy's she had never interacted with, and Gryffindor's she knew was in the year above them... overall she knew that this was beyond overwhelming. 

Taking her spot on the warm porch next to Elsie and Erika, the two were whispering to one another and it wasn't difficult for Antonella to hear, 'I hate Gryffindor boys', 'Can we just ditch?', and 'What will the three of them think... if we just left?'

And as the day progressed to the afternoon, the sky growing darker. Erika and Elsie had already managed to corner Matilda and Asterin, with Antonella following the two Ravenclaw's, as they spoke their peace. She watched Matilda's eyes furrow as she became confused by Erika's statements, and Asterin's lips tighten from Elise's accusations. But Antonella did not speak.

Taylor had already left with some of the Ravenclaw boys, making the six a five. But what the two Ravenclaw's were suggesting...

'A split up?', Matilda whispered, her eyes still furrowed as she stared down to her feet, Antonella did not move as she watched a snow flake slowly fall to the ground, crumpled by Asterin's foot slamming down.

Erika slowly nodded her head, 'We will still be friends, but we think-'

'You don't want to be a group anymore?', Asterin hissed slightly too aggressively, and in the corner of Antonella's eye, she knew Elsie flinched by her aggression.

'It's not like that-'

'-You literally just said that Erika-'

'-Do you ever shu-'

The two girls kept interrupting one another, and it went on for minutes, until Antonella snapped back into reality, 'Can both of you shut up?'

Her harsh words stopped both Erika and Asterin from continuing their silver tongues from stabbing the other, something Antonella did not want to witness... ever.

Sighing deeply as she glanced into Asterin's eyes, scared of the ferociousness, 'They are just suggesting we seperate, imagine if Matilda dragged us all to be friendly with her Slytherin friends-'

'Hey!', Matilda exclaimed, 'Not all Slytherin's are bad'.

The small outburst from Matilda seemed to ease the tension, and Antonella intently watched Asterin unclench her fist, her cheeks no longer rosy from fury and her eyes became kinder, 'I suppose you're correct, never been a big fan of loud Gryffindor's have you?', she joked as she nodded at Elsie.

The smaller Ravenclaw giggled in response, 'Just as you've never been a big fan of studying for important potion quizzes.'

A sense of rest fell among the girls, a small mutter of, '27% isn't a bad grade', mixed with, 'See you in the Ravenclaw common room', before the girls hugged one another. Antonella walked the girls to the fireplace with Asterin, with Matilda staying behind in the backyard. Erika and Elsie said their thank you's, their trunks all ready for their floo travel. In a second they stood smiling, and the next it was all flames.

Neither girls spoke a word, well until Asterin barked out a laugh, 'Why doesn't this hurt?', she whispered, 'We were friends with them for close to seven years?'

Antonella wrapped one hand around Asterin as she whispered, 'We were always going to drift apart.'

And it was in the silence that Asterin's icy hands grabbed ahold of Antonella's hands, the cold not bothering either girls. The word around them vanished, there was no luxurious black leather couch to their right, or green and red glowing fireplace to their left. It was just them. Asterin all decked out in a red and green Christmas themed sweater, and Antonella wearing one of favourite grey jacket.