Clara Potter has always been much more serious than her mischievous younger brother and his unruly band of friends. For much of their youth, the Marauders would do anything in their power to get under the Potter girl's skin, but none more so than Si...
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GIVEN EVERYTHING, CLARA THOUGHT she did alright on her N.E.W.T. exams. Taking her anxiety over The Order as well as the near panic attack she had in the middle of the practical portion of her Herbology exam into consideration, her performance didn't meet her own expectations.
But there was no use in worrying about it now, it would be another four weeks before the owl arrived at Potter Manor clutching her results in its talons.
It felt unfair that the end of her final year at Hogwarts had been soured in her last month within these castle walls. Even the end of year feast didn't feel nearly as festive as it should have, given the fact that Gryffindor had just won the House Cup for the first time in at least six years.
But none of it mattered to Clara anymore. It all seemed so trivial and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. How was she meant to be thrilled over a silly house competition when she was mere moments from entering the real world – from fighting in a war.
Having barely touched her food, both Fabian and James expressed their concern but she brushed them both off saying it was just left over nerves from her exams. It seemed, at least for the time being, that the excuse was sufficient enough as neither pressed any further.
But that was the previous night. Now, Clara found herself making that same familiar trek from the castle back to the train station at Hogsmeade for one final time. It was a bittersweet feeling – more bitter than sweet, admittedly.
Once on the train, Clara found herself in a compartment with Marlene, Lily, and Lily's friend Mary. Although conversation within the group was minimal. The two younger girls were the only ones who carried on any form of discussion while Clara and Marlene merely sat by and listened.
After that fateful day in Dumbledore's office, she and Marlene hadn't really discussed The Order any further. It was like the elephant in the room that they both desperately wanted to ignore, and ignore they did.
"Hey Lara, I've been looking for you!" Fabian smiled brightly from the doorway of the compartment.
For a moment, she contemplated ignoring her boyfriend. As cruel as it sounded, Clara had become quite talented at pretending The Order didn't exist. Which included refusing to discuss with Fabian that she was almost certain he and Gideon had been recruited by Dumbledore as well. But she knew she couldn't avoid it for much longer. The shock that would be on Fabian's face when they saw each other at their first Order meeting wasn't something she wanted to endure.
"I was actually just about to come and find you. I wanted to have a word with you," she paused for a moment, "alone."
Fabian's brows knit together, concern twisting his freckled features. Clara moved out of the compartment she'd been sharing with the girls, ignoring Lily and Mary's murmurings as she passed. She knew they likely thought she'd decided to breakup with Fabian, but at least Marlene would know that wasn't the truth. The blonde had been urging Clara to talk with Fabian for weeks, after all.
