The Next Generation: The Mysterious Past of Izabella Diggory

Chapter Twenty-Five: How Gemi Returned to Hogwarts

Gemi

It had been a very boring Christmas. Of course, Gemi was happy to see her Mum again, who she had missed while she was at Hogwarts, she also missed her friends at home. She couldn't have both at once. Gemi saw her friends once over the holidays, and they went Christmas carolling together. Gemi made cookies with her Mum and Emory, and Emory was her usual mean self. She got some nice presents, including an owl, which she was very happy about. It must have cost her Mum a fortune. But the owl was brown and soft, with velvety dark eyes that Gemi loved. She named her Celeste.

But Gemi still wasn't very sad to go back to Hogwarts two weeks later, laden with gingerbread cookies to share with Mellie, Ellie, and Izzy on the train. Plus four friendship bracelets for the group that she had made with her new bracelet-making kit.

She hugged her Mum in front of the station this time, not feeling afraid as she skipped over to the platforms. She had made her Mum leave earlier this time, so she wasn't in any danger of being late.

Gemi pretended to waltz through the platform, still amazed when she found herself at platform 9 ¾. She hopped onto the train and searched all of the compartments, finding Mellie and Ellie sitting in one with a new girl, who Gemi recognized to be Mellie's friend from Ravenclaw.

She walked into the compartment and sat down next to Ellie, grinning from ear to ear. "I have cookies!"

"Gemi!" Mellie and Ellie said in unison.

The other girl smiled at her, showing off perfect white teeth and tucking her ginger hair behind her ears. "I'm Peach."

"Gemi," Gemi said. "I like your hair. And I have gingerbread cookies!"

The other three girls took the cookies eagerly, then Ellie, after she finished chewing, said, "Where's Izzy?"

Gemi shrugged. "She'll probably be here soon."

"She better!" Mellie said. "The train is leaving in five minutes."

"Izzy wouldn't miss this," Gemi reasoned. "She'll make it."

But five minutes passed, and Izzy still didn't show. The train whistled and set off, and the four girls looked at each other worriedly.

"She's probably sick or something. Maybe she'll just come in the next few days. She's not just gone," Ellie reassured the others. They nodded, but something was bothering Gemi. Izzy hadn't written at all for the entire holiday, except once to Ellie at the beginning. Was she really just sick, or did something else happen?

Gemi pushed the thought to the back of her head. "Any news on Slytherin's escape?" she asked.

"Nope. They realised the America thing was a fake tip so Slytherin got two weeks to go into hiding while they were busy with the Magical Congress," Mellie said glumly.

"They're never going to find him," Peach said pessimistically.

"And Daddy never got to come home for Christmas break," Ellie sighed. "And it was all for nothing."

Gemi stared at her feet. Nothing good seemed to be happening today. Gemi had hoped for fun, but it was all turning into politics and sad stuff. If only Izzy were here. 

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" the old lady opened the compartment door.

Ellie looked at the others. Peach had a little bit of money, but Gemi was empty-handed, and Mellie and Ellie usually shared snack money.

"I'll take a sugar quill, please," Peach said, handing her money to the lady.

"I'll buy," Ellie said to Gemi, who grinned and shrugged. "Three boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and three chocolate frogs, please."

Gemi unwrapped her chocolate frog card. "I got Harry Potter again," she groaned.

"I got Dumbledore," Ellie sighed.

"I got Hengist of Woodcroft," Mellie said happily.

Gemi perked up. "Who's that? I'll trade you." She owed Logan three chocolate frog cards, and he didn't want any of the common ones.

"He founded Hogsmeade," Mellie explained. "And I don't want another Harry Potter! I have about fifty of him!"

Gemi bit into her chocolate and sighed. She looked at the bracelets at the top of her bag, and shoved them to the bottom. She would give them to her friends later. When Izzy was back.

But until then, nothing was the same. Gemi took her AirPods out of her bag, popping them in and unpausing Ivy from the drive to the station. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep.