The Speaker and His Wraiths

Easter Break

Chapter 38

The Grangers
Harry wasn't embarrassed, really, he wasn't. Honestly, he hid his mess of a trunk that barely shut and didn't have a single thing folded in it from his roommates because he wanted to. That was all. No other reason.

"Harry-" He did not shriek in surprise as Ron slid his curtain open very suddenly, and he most certainly did not step in front of his trunk to hide it.

"Yes?" Harry grinned, leaning on his bed with false casualness. "What's up, Ron?"

"I thought you said you'd packed." Ron was unfairly taller than Harry, and he peeked over his shoulder to catch a glance at his trunk, still open on Harry's bed.

"I have packed." Harry said, but he did wince. "... I'm just having trouble closing my trunk."

"I'll get Hermione." Ron sighed, and he walked out of the boy's dorm. He didn't shut the curtain behind him, which was rude. That meant every boy still left in their room could see Harry's disaster of a packing job.

"You'd think The-Boy-Who-Lived would know how to pack a suitcase." Dean grinned, and Harry shot him a glare with no heat.

"I just can't be bothered to fold everything, it's tedious." Harry huffed, "Also, in my defense, I've never been taught how to fold a shirt. I just ball it up and throw it in. Oh, and don't even get me started on robes! How the everloving bloody hell am I meant to fold those things!?"

"With magic." Hermione strode into the room, and she smirked at Harry as she pulled her wand from her robe. "Honestly, for someone so magically talented you'd think you'd know how to, at the very least, pack a trunk the Wizarding way."

Hermione reached his bed, and then proceeded to unceremoniously dump the contents of Harry's trunk right onto the floor in a massive heap. Harry just raised an eyebrow, remaining silent as Hermione pointed her wand at the mess and swished her wand up and down in a complex movement. No sooner than she had finished, Harry's belongings slowly floated up and off the floor, folding themselves as they made their way into his trunk.

His inkwell corks screwed themselves on tighter to their bottles, quills slotted into their correct placements in the quill casing Harry didn't even know he owned, and all his books' pages unbent as they closed neatly and nestled among his clothes. Harry was again reminded that despite his natural gifts, Hermione put in the study time and hard work that allowed her to accomplish a lot more, and access a much broader spectrum of spells than him. It made him smile. Brightest witch her age indeed.

"Packing Charm." Harry hummed as the last of his possessions were stored safely and neatly in his trunk. "You know, I've never really paid much attention to Household Charms. Maybe I should."

"Yes, you should. Alright, now it's perfect." Hermione turned to give Harry a very pointed look. "Magic can't help you pack this all back up at the end of Easter Holiday, so don't mess up my hard work."

"My dear Hermione, I'd never dream of it." Harry said with a grin, and she sighed with a fond smile because she knew he was a lying liar who lies.

"We'd better be off now." Ron cut in, "The train leaves in thirty minutes."

"Yes, right." Hermione nodded, "Harry, grab your trunk. Mine's already in the Common Room." She gave him a smug look, and he stuck his tongue out at her.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way out of the castle with their trunks in hand, waving or nodding to the many people bidding them a good Easter Holiday. It was nice, Harry hadn't ever had so many friends, and he was reminded of the difference so randomly it often caught him by surprise.