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

49.

March 2035

The Hogwarts Express arrived back at school on Sunday just in time for dinner. Ella was already in the great hall when her friends appeared in the doorway. The very moment they spotted her, they went running down the aisle between the house tables, nearly taking out a first year trying to clamber over the bench, and they pulled Ella into a big group hug as if it had been months rather than days since they had all seen each other.

"Soooo," Kyrie said, eyes gleaming as they all took their seats at the table. "How was your week with Logan?"

Ella wanted to be embarrassed, but she was so relieved by this behavior that she couldn't even really manage it. She had been so worried Kyrie would come back still in a funk, still a little standoffish with Ella, but here she was, her usual bubbly self, eager to know all the details.

Ella couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. "It was really good," she said. "I don't know what I was nervous about."

She told them a little, mostly about choir, but then turned her attention to her friends, asking about Iris's birthday and their weeks at home. She didn't want it to be all about her.

That, and she didn't really want to give them every detail of her week. Some of it — a lot of it — she wanted to keep to herself.

They talked all through dinner without a single pause, a whole week's worth of updates to catch up on.

Back in the common room, Iris went up to shower before bed and Kyrie remained with Ella downstairs. The good seats had been taken, but they managed to find a little table in the corner. Ella sat with her knees tucked up and Kyrie sat cross legged in her chair, resting her chin atop her arms folded on the table.

"El, I'm really sorry," she said suddenly. "For how I was acting before."

Ella straightened up a little, dropped one leg to the floor.

"Oh," she said. "It's okay. I wasn't upset with you or anything."

"No, but you should've been," Kyrie said. "Or could have been at least and it would have made sense. I was being really immature."

Ella didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected an apology. She hadn't even brought it up to Kyrie.

"Did Iris say something to you?" she asked carefully.

Kyrie nodded. "I was just a little jealous," she said, her voice soft. "But I'm really happy for you, honestly. And I still want you to tell me about him and stuff. I just... I want that. And I feel really stupid saying it, because I know we're fifteen and there's plenty of time and I don't need to rush into something just for the sake of it, but I really, really want it, and I just kind of took it out on you. But it isn't your fault. And you've still been a really good friend. And I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ella said immediately. "Honestly, it is. I get it. I want you to have something like this, too."

"Is it everything you imagined it would be?" Kyrie asked. "Having a boyfriend?"

Ella pressed her lips together and smiled. She nodded, then said, "Better."

Kyrie smiled back at her. A real one.

Ella felt a little piece of tension she had been carrying around release.

—-

On Tuesday at choir, lots and lots of music was collected from the Easter Break performances and lots and lots more was handed out.

Professor Whitby collected all the group pieces first, asking everyone who had particular pieces to hold them up. He would summon them all at once and clip the pile together, then move onto the next. When he got around to Ella and Logan's duet, he started to ask for it then said, "On second thought, hang onto that one for a minute."