Love Potion #9-3/4

The Christmas Spirit

On a late-December morning I stood waiting to board the Hogwarts Express, gazing around at the shuffling crowd. I held my suitcase in one hand and clutched Carter in the other, who purred and tucked himself into me, sheltering from the cold.

"It won't be long now," I assured him, and he gave a little chirp in reply.

At last I spotted Phil in the crowd, his pitch black fringe weaving through the sea of people. He smiled at me when we locked eyes, and we met in the middle. At last, I felt like I was free.

Every winter break I had been welcomed into the Lester house, as my mom was too far away in the States. I had come to regard Mr. and Mrs. Lester almost as a second set of parents. I had even packed gifts for them, as well as Phil's older brother Martyn, who often stopped by on Christmas Eve.

"Let's go find a compartment," I suggested excitedly, but my smile fell as Phil hesitated.

"I was looking for Heather and Dan actually," he told me. "It'll be easier to leave together in London if we find each other now."

I furrowed my brow at this. "Leave together? Like, with Heather and Dan?"

Phil sighed. "Yes, remember? I told you they're spending their holiday with us."

"You never told me that!"

Phil stopped searching for a second to throw me an annoyed glance. "Yes I did, in Ancient Runes last week. Do you not remember?"

"I must have not been listening," I grumbled.

"Shocker."

We spotted Howell in a cluster of Slytherins across the station. It wasn't particularly difficult, given that he was freakishly tall. Beside him, contrastingly short, I could just spot the top of Heather's long brunette hair. As if he could sense my gaze, Dan glanced up at me, and a rosy glow spread across his cheeks. For once he didn't seem to be talking. Heather chatted away as Dan stood awkwardly, arms folded and looking around as if searching for an escape route from the crowd. It was enough to almost make me feel sorry for him.

As we drew nearer, Howell seemed to perk up. His coffee colored eyes stared fixedly into mine, and I felt a now familiar flutter in my stomach. He walked closer. I could have sworn I could smell the cologne on his robes as he approached, brushing against my arm. I imagined for a moment his arms wrapping tightly around mine, pulling me towards his chest. I could almost feel his enveloping gaze, his breath fluttering against my lips as he would lean in. But then he turned towards Phil. The image quickly left my mind, a sinking feeling settling into my chest. The spell was broken, and once again I loathed the sight of him.

I couldn't quite hear what Phil said to Dan through the shuffle of the crowd, as most students began to excitedly board the train. I waved at Heather as best as I could with my arms full, and she beamed at me. We got in line to board.

Phil, in the lead, found an empty compartment within a few minutes. I was the last to climb in, and I could practically feel my blood pressure elevate as I realized the only seat left was next to Howell. I sat on the far side and pulled my legs up onto the bench, creating as much distance between us as possible. Carter, happy to be out of the cold, nestled comfortably into my lap. And then we were off.

Phil, Heather, and Dan chatted happily away as I sat silently in the corner. I stroked Carter's head, picturing the holidays ahead with dread and loathing for nearly an hour. With a big yawn, Carter finally stood and stretched, looking bleary-eyed around the compartment. His gaze finally rested on Howell, who smiled widely at his stare.

"Hello!" he cooed, and Carter strolled to his lap, purring and rubbing his face against Howell's chest.

"Looks like Carter's got a new friend!" Phil said, glancing at me with a sick grin. He knew exactly what was going through my mind as I stared back at Carter: "Traitor."