Play the Game ✔️

You Were Always On My Mind

The fourth week of the summer hols and Liesel was sitting on her back porch while her neighbor Brenda sunned herself on a large towel on the bit of grass of the rear garden as they watched the children playing in the park across the street. Liesel's mind was on receiving her letter letter her know the results of her exams, and more importantly, where her ranking was with her charms studies. Seventh year was but a few short weeks away...along with new responsibilities; she had expressed her interest in becoming the seventh-year female Hufflepuff prefect.

"I'm bored," Brenda said.

"Me too," Liesel said with a sigh.

"Do you know anyone with a car?"

"No. You?"

"No."

"I do know someone with a motorbike though," she mused.

Brenda's face lit up. "Oooh! Ring him up then!" The look on Liesel's face was no and Brenda rolled over onto her back. "What are we going to do today then?"

"We can catch the bus and go to the shopping mall?"

Brenda sighed. "Alright. It's better than watching a bunch of kids playing in the park."

"Fine. Put some decent clothes on though. I don't want to have the cops picking you up for solicitation."

Brenda rolled her eyes as she stood up and collected her towel then joined her on the porch. Liesel opened the door and ushered her friend inside the stately townhouse and walked past Mister Moody who was reading his paper. The television was on, yet no one had been watching it...it merely provided background noise.

"Dad, we're bored so we're going to catch the bus and go to the mall."

"Mmm," he replied and Liesel shrugged her shoulders, knowing that was an affirmative response. "Might spend the night at Brenda's house too."

"Mmm. Ring me and let me know."

"Okay."

Liesel raced up the stairs to the top floor of the townhouse where Brenda was getting dressed.

"How's this," Brenda asked as she slipped into a pair of jeans and one of Liesel's tee shirts.

"Not that shirt," she said.

"Why not? You don't wear it."

"It's one of Sirius' old shirts."

"So?"

Liesel stared at her friend.

"Fine." She pulled it off and tossed it to on the bed, missed and watched as it fell to the floor and Liesel rolled her eyes. She opened the drawer again and pulled out another tee shirt. "How about this?"

"Don't you have clothes of your own?"

"Of course I do. Yours are cooler though."

Liesel sighed and picked up the shirt, folded it and put it in her underwear drawer, which meant it was off limits.

"Did you want to spend the night at my house?"

"Sure. It beats staying here," Liesel replied.

"I was hoping to stay here."

"But it's your turn to host," Liesel whined.

"Is it? I've lost track."

"Yes." She opened the transfigured closet and reached up and pulled down an overnight bag and pulled out drawers to gather clothes for the next day. Then she reached into her underwear drawer and withdrew a fresh pair of underpants and a bra and then closed the drawer. She packed her bag and then as an after thought, she opened the drawer again and withdrew the old tee shirt then placed it carefully in the bag.

The girls walked down the two flights of stairs and as Brenda headed for the front door, Liesel stopped and stood before her father. "I've packed a bag," she said.

"Alright," he said. "Have fun."

She sighed and headed toward the door.

"Bobbie?"

Liesel stopped in her tracks and turned to face her father, who'd finally let the paper rest on his lap. "Yeah?"

"Not too much fun."

Liesel rolled her eyes and sighed. "Right. See you tomorrow then?"

"I'll be here."

"Yeah, I know."

"Hey..." He was reaching into his pocket. "Here, let me give you some money for supper?"

Liesel nodded and approached her father. She thanked him and turned to leave the house. "Tell Mom that I love her when she wakes up and that I hope she's feeling better today, okay?"

"Will do, Sweetheart." John looked toward his daughter, hoping that he knew exactly where she was headed. And he smiled hoping visiting with the boy would brighten her disposition and make her a tad bit easier to live with.

The girls walked down the street, around the corner and to the next street and waited at the bus stop for the bus that stopped to pick them up about ten minutes later.

"Hey how bored are you," Liesel asked.

"Terribly."

"Extremely?"

"Definitely," Brenda replied.

"Are you absolutely going to die if we don't go somewhere and do something fun?"

Brenda glared at her friend and huffed.

Liesel smiled. "How much money do you have?"

"A few quid, why?"

"Lets go as far as we can and hail a taxi. I've got a place in mind."

"Oh? Where," Brenda asked excitedly.

"You'll see."

The girls rode the bus, then hailed a taxi, then went as far as their money would take them and walked the rest of the way. Liesel led Brenda through a quaint neighborhood and stopped in front of a fairly pleasant-looking house and placed her hand on the garden gate. She inhaled deeply and unlatched the lock and opened the gate and stepped onto the property.

"Who's house is this," Brenda asked.

"You'll see."