Empty Gold • d.meadowes

-08-

Leigh was determinedly avoiding Dorcas, and she could see it quite well. Whether it was during meals at the Great Hall, or during their choir rehearsals, the Hufflepuff stayed by himself, not glancing in her direction, nor acknowledging her existence, and it felt to Dorcas as though she would crumble sooner than later, what with the added pressure of the NEWTs, and more so because she had never had a fight with her friends. Though, what happened between her and Leigh couldn't technically be called a fight, she felt that she was at fault for reacting negatively. She wasn't sure whether Leigh was mad at her or was simply avoiding her in order to not make her feel uncomfortable, but she continued her attempts to approach him and apologise.

It was one weekend afternoon, after her choir practice that Dorcas skipped through the corridors and climbed up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower, humming a soft tune to herself. She was unsure about joining into the singing team of the choir, but Professor Flitwick was kind and encouraging enough to let her see her own talents, and had persuaded her to join in, though, had also allowed her to play the flute on occasions, upon seeing her reluctance to let go of her childhood habit and love. Her decision to sing for the choir also brought the added benefit of gaining praise from Juliet, which was the sole reason her heart was soaring, allowing her to keep Leigh out of her mind for a while.

The Fat Lady gave her a quizzical look as she sang the password, and she entered the common room and sat down by her friends, who were bent over several rolls of parchment strewn around, inkpots lying empty on the ground and quills lying everywhere, broken and bitten at the ends. Silver raised her head up and sent a threatening glare to Dorcas, who ignored her and flopped down beside them on the ground, pulling her legs closer to her and letting out a contented sigh.

"Anyone who dares to look so calm and happy during exams should stuff themselves in their beds and stay there until exams are over." Silver's menacing words produced no effect on Dorcas, and she simply bent her head to rest it on Maeve's shoulder, who was scratching busily at a parchment piece. Her hair was tied into a bun, from which unruly strands of dark hair were spilling out and falling on her books, and she kept shoving them away irritably every now and then.

With a repressed laugh, Dorcas reached out and pulled her hair back, taking a few of her own hair clips to fasten it firmly. Maeve thanked her briskly, not taking her eyes off her homework, and she continued to hum the song they were practising for their graduation.

"Why are you so happy, Dork?" Silver asked with a suspicious frown, chewing on the end of her quill, and a steady drip of ink fell on her book. Dorcas smiled demurely at her.

"Juliet said I have a beautiful voice."

Despite the irritable mood she was in, Silver managed a smile and straightened herself up to look at her best friend. Keeping her quill aside, she reached a hand out and squeezed hers. "So you decided to sing for the choir?"

Dorcas nodded. "Professor Flitwick insisted that I should at least try when I told him that I was considering to join as a singer."

"Well, I bet Juliet will finally see how amazing you are."

"Oh, please," Maeve spoke up suddenly, bringing both Dorcas and Silver to look at her in surprise. "When are you going to drop the act, Silver?"

"Act?" Dorcas asked sharply, looking alternately between her two friends. "What do you mean act?"

Maeve pressed her lips together, as though regretting having opened her mouth at all. Dorcas leaned toward her, grasping her hands, fearing that she might run away. "What do you mean by act, Maeve?"

She chewed on her lips for a moment, not meeting Dorcas's eyes, but she remained adamant and refused to let her go that easily. Finally, she sighed and spoke, keeping her eyes anywhere but on Dorcas's face.