Empty Gold • d.meadowes

-07-

The Christmas holiday was joyously spent, with the three girls going out to roam the surrounding area, entering the woods that were present a few distance away from the Saunders household, and collecting interesting looking stones or shells for Silver's pleasure. Of course, the vacation ended quickly, and before they knew it, they were standing at King's Cross Station, watching the scarlet Hogwarts Express with teary eyes, as it belched black puffs of smoke into the air, knowing that this was the last time that they would board the train at this time, at this station. The next time they would get on this train, it would be the very last.

Jenna seemed to be much more affected by this than anyone else, and Dorcas felt her body rocking with sobs as she hugged her tightly. She buried her face into her mother's shoulder and rubbed her back comfortingly. "Mum, please don't cry," she said in a soft tone as she pulled away and looked down at Jenna. "This is supposed to be a happy time, isn't it? I'm going to graduate in six months, have a bright future, make you happy. I'm going to officially start adulting."

"I am happy, darling," Jenna replied, choking back a sob. "I'm just thinking about how fast you've grown up. I feel like I've missed so much of your childhood with all the time I spent making sure you're taken well care of, and now look at you, you're an adult. Muggles are so much better, they come of age at eighteen."

Dorcas laughed and gave her mother one last hug, a kiss, and then followed her best friends into the train, her trunk dragging along behind her. They found an empty compartment where they settled down. Well, at least Silver did, for Maeve immediately hustled away for prefect duties, while Dorcas, after a short apology to Silver, left to say hi to Leigh. Silver merely nodded, muttering, rather angrily, about how this would allow her to spend some alone time with her boyfriend, Benjy.

As she peered into each compartment she passed, Dorcas was suddenly pushed aside and pulled into a tight hug. She gasped loudly, startled out of her wits, before she realised that it was Leigh who had hugged her. She laughed softly, and hugged him back.

"You've grown stronger, Leigh," she commented with a laugh after they had pulled away. "You nearly swept me off my feet."

Leigh immediately stood straight and gave a very aristocratic bow. "It is a great honour, my Lady."

Dorcas attempted to put up a haughty, ladylike posture, but burst into a fit of laughter. She slapped him lightly on the back, and as they began to walk down the aisle, Leigh trailing along behind her slightly in order to let others pass, she asked, "Well, how was your Christmas?"

He shrugged, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "As usual. My parents tried to convince me that wizarding jobs are shit and that I should become a doctor."

Dorcas smiled sympathetically. "They'll understand, don't worry."

Just then, the door to the compartment they were standing in front of slid open, and Juliet Dearborn walked out. She smiled at and greeted both of them. Dorcas was stunned at her sudden appearance for a solid minute, but she recovered herself quickly.

"We were planning on performing a show," said Juliet, getting right down to business. "For our graduation ceremony. We were thinking we'd sing in front of the whole school, before the closing feast. Would you like to join?"

"Gra–graduation?" Dorcas muttered, as though she'd never heard the word before. The bright blue scarf that Juliet had wrapped around her neck, providing a perfect match with her eyes, had suddenly caught her attention, and she couldn't tear them away. Leigh came to the rescue of his lady.

"Of course," he answered, moving to step forward. "It's going to be fun." A frown suddenly appeared on his face and he asked, "I'm allowed to perform, right? Or is it only for seventh years?"

A smile took over Juliet's red lips, making Dorcas's heart flutter inside her chest. "Anyone can join. What about you, Dorcas? Do you want to perform?"

When their eyes met, Dorcas felt her cheeks growing warm, and she quickly averted her eyes and instead chose to stare at the inside of the compartment, where she saw the Ravenclaw boy she had found Juliet kissing at Hogsmeade, looking at them. A feeling of annoyance crept up her spine, and she turned to Juliet once again. "Yes, I'd love to."

"Okay," Juliet said, sounding satisfied, "the first rehearsal is going to be held tomorrow, after lunch. Try to come, okay?"

Dorcas nodded as the blonde reentered her compartment and joined her friends. She turned and moved a few steps away in order to get out of their sight, and when she was a sufficient distance away from them, she found Leigh smiling mischievously at her. "So, how long are you going to ignore your feelings?"

"What do you mean?" she snapped as her head wheeled around to stare at him. Leigh seemed surprised at her reaction, and he immediately raised his hands in a surrendering motion, taking a few steps back. Dorcas rarely raised her voice, and she herself was surprised at this.

"Sorry, but it's hard not to notice the way you stare at her during choir practices."

"Well, you noticed wrong," she hissed and stomped away from him, before entering the compartment where Silver sat reading the Daily Prophet, and slammed the door shut. The other girl jumped up and stared at her with horrified eyes, and Dorcas immediately began to feel guilty.

"What happened?" Silver asked as she sank down on the seat, leaning back against the wall. She wasn't sure why she'd reacted that way, but the abrupt manner in which he'd broken the news that he knew about her feelings had startled her. She had only admitted to her best friends about Juliet, and the fact that she might be too obvious about what she felt terrified her. She didn't want to be judged for something she had no choice over.

"Nothing," she replied, her voice hollow. "Don't worry."

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this is such a short chapter, sorry