'𝐀𝐦 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐬?'

'i see you brought a friend this time'-(40)

When I used to get sick of hogwarts over the holidays, the leaky cauldron became the first place I would go instead. Home only ever felt like home when my dad was still here. Now that he's gone, it doesn't feel like a home anymore. Just some walls with a roof and some windows. I probably shouldn't talk about it that way, after all, I spent every happy memory I can remember in that house. Hopefully this Christmas would different. I missed my brother and I hoped he'd approve of Mattheo.

We stood before the front doors and a wave of anxiety flooded my body. I felt frozen. That's when Mattheo grabbed my hand and said "it's okay, we'll do it together."

I loved that about him, I never felt like I was on my own in the world after I met him. Before we became familiar, he was just another face in the halls, now he's so much more than that.

I smiled at him faintly. I didn't want him to worry about me, that's the one thing I didn't want this Christmas. I wanted a good Christmas, one that I didn't have to stay up until early hours in the morning scared to sleep.

We both knocked on the front door. There was no sound of sudden movement until little footsteps came closer to the door.

Teddy:"Marcy's here!" He leapt into my arms and I wrapped my arms around him tightly.

Marcy:"I'm here."

Teddy:"I missed you." I missed him more than he could ever know. So much had happened recently that just being in his presence made me forget it all.

Marcy:"I missed you too." I placed him down and smiled at him.

Teddy:"who's this?" He asked inquisitively.

Marcy:"this is Mattheo, hes my....friend." we still hadn't discussed anything further than friends, therefore that's the only way I could think to introduce him as. I could see a slight frown on his face in the corner of my eye, but he had to put on a friendly face for my brother's sake.

Teddy:"hi" he said confidently. He was nowhere near what you'd consider shy. He was so forward that he had no trouble with making friends. He was my polar opposite, but that was a good thing, that way I knew he wouldn't struggle how I do. "I'll get your bag Marcy."

Marcy:"are you sure you can handle it?" I smirked. He took my duffel bag that I'd been carrying on my shoulder and walked off with it. "Jesus teddy, when did you get so strong?" I giggled, Mattheo followed behind with a grin on his face and shut the door after himself.

Mattheo:"is there anywhere I can put these so they aren't just gathered by the door?"

Teddy:"can I show him?" He said eagerly.

Mattheo:"lead the way little man." He laughed and whispered to me "I love him already."

Those words made my heart melt. Two people I cared about a lot were starting to get along. Maybe this Christmas wouldn't be so bad after all.

I headed up to my room where Teddy had put my bag by the door. Mattheo had to stay in the spare room next to mine, it wasn't too bad knowing he was only on the other side of the wall. It made me feel at ease.

I opened the door to my younger selves decorated wall and childhood toys. The colour of the walls were washed out now, almost completely gone. The bed covers still left in the state they were when I packed for Hogwarts. Photos of me and my dad stuck on my dresser mirror. It was like stepping into a horror movie. The nostalgia pulled me back to being the innocent child I once was, and that feeling left me feeling empty.

I couldn't bear to unpack yet. So I put my bag onto my bed and left everything as it was, untouched. And headed to check on Mattheo in the next room.

Marcy:"knock knock."

Mattheo:"I believe you stole that from me." He smiled. Whilst taking out pieces of clothing and placing them into drawers.

Marcy:"I believe you'll find it's mine now."

Mattheo:"fine."

Marcy:"need any help?"

Mattheo:"don't you have your stuff to unpack?" I did but I didn't want to, it didn't feel right. I felt like a ghost haunting a place I once called home.

Marcy:"I'll just do it later." I shrugged off his suggestion and stood there staring at him.

Mattheo:"you could keep me company though." He implied.

Marcy:"that I can do." I said proudly, perching on the end of the spare room bed. This was the one room in the house that actually was untouched. Not once since I'd lived here had it been used.

Teddy:"I'm gonna go find mom and tell her you're here."

Marcy:"okay teddy." Nerves ran up and down my body. Mattheo could see the change of tone in my voice. So he stopped unpacking and sat beside me.

Mattheo:"I know it's a lot right now, but I'm here. Besides you have your brother too, he seems happy to see you."

Marcy:"I know he does. It just makes me feel bad being here because of all the times I've avoided coming back." With the leaky cauldron being so close, it meant I risked running into both my mom and brother, but I couldn't stay locked up at Hogwarts all the time. It was beautiful but every now and again I needed a change of scenery.

Mattheo:"family is one of the most important things there are, but you know what's best for you. If that means having time to yourself away from here and away from Hogwarts then you shouldn't feel bad about that."

Marcy:"I just feel like since I've gone to
Hogwarts, I've missed watching Teddy grow up. I can't get that kind of time back."

Mattheo:"but looks how excited he still gets to see you, that counts for something doesn't it?" What he was saying made sense, I couldn't get back missed time, but I could be around as much as I could to make up for the times I wasn't here.

Marcy:"I just don't want him going through life thinking I didn't want to be there for him." I always feared that someday he wouldn't get the same excitement he does when he sees me, that someday he'll forget all about me. It was unlikely, but the idea of it sickened me. I'll be damned if I let him turn out anything like my mother.

As that thought processed itself, a slow creaking sound made it's way closer and closer to us. Me and Mattheo both looked up at the doorway and there she was.

Mom:"Teddy told me you were back, I see you brought a friend this time. He seemed to miss out the part where you've brought a boy home."

I was silenced. I felt as though my vocal chords had been cut letting no way for words to escape my mouth.

Mom:"I take it you've unpacked both of you?" I nodded and so did Mattheo. "Very well then."

In the past few years, that's the most my mother has spoken to me. Maybe she wanted to impress the guest I'd invited or maybe she'd had a change of heart. The second idea was unlikely but it was nice to imagine it was possible.