If I May Be So Bold (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

28.

December 2034

ELLA

The train ride back home was particularly boisterous and that meant that Ella's prefect duties weren't quite as uneventful as they had been on the train ride to school in the fall.

First, she had to stop a group of second years from filling their entire compartment up with unpoppable blue bubbles from their Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. They sent the already formed bubbles out the window of the train, icy December air rushing in, and then Ella had to try a charm to get the sticky residue off the fabric seats, but she hadn't really mastered it yet and it only worked halfway.

Then, she came across a couple of fourth year boys trying to round up enough people for a dueling competition. They swore up and down that they weren't going to use actual curses, just bubbles and jets of light and things like that, but Ella had had just about enough of bubbles for the day and she managed to talk them out of it.

Next, she heard Juni positively railing into someone in her compartment, her voice so loud it sounded as though the next six or seven compartments would be able to hear every word. Ella couldn't tell who she was talking about, but whoever it was, she was doing a pretty good job of defending their honor.

There were many, many swear words involved. It made Ella blush to even think of saying some of the things she said, let alone yell them for everyone to hear.

But when Ella appeared in the doorway to see what the problem was, they all quieted down pretty quickly and Juni stood up huffily, looked at someone in the front corner who Ella couldn't see from her vantage point and said, "You're a piece of shit, you know that?" and then stomped out, right past Ella without acknowledging her. She found another compartment to enter moments later.

Ella didn't even know how to begin addressing whatever argument had been going on, so she went on her way without saying anything.

She was relieved when her final shift was over and she was looking forward to going back to her friends to enjoy the last hour of the journey. She'd bought a cauldron cake with the pocket money her dad had given her that morning before she'd left the school and she'd been too busy to eat it.

Halfway there, however, the door to another compartment slid open just after she passed it.

"Ella."

Ella turned. It was Logan.

He shut the door of his compartment.

"I have something for you," he said. "For Christmas."

"Oh," said Ella in surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"You didn't have to. I just made it while we've been on the train. It's not anything special."

He held a piece of paper out to her. "I had to get creative and use lyrics, because I didn't have the letters I needed, so just pretend I composed this," he said. "I have no idea what it sounds like."

Ella looked at the note. He had drawn several lines of music staff, just like when they'd first written coded letters to each other in music notes, and underneath the notes, he had written a funny little Christmas song.

Ella smiled. "I'll learn it on the piano when I get home and let you know how it sounds," she said.

"Hopefully it's not a funeral march."

"I doubt it," Ella said. "It's written in C major."

Logan laughed. "You're funny," he said.

Ella wasn't used to being told this. She hadn't meant it as a joke really. It was written in C major. He hadn't put in any flats or sharps.