Empty Gold • d.meadowes

-13-

Dorcas sat with an amused smile on her face as she watched Juliet struggling with her Potions homework. She kept flipping through a large book, eyes scrunched in concentration, and a few strands of her blonde hair spilling out from the knot that was kept in place with her wand at the top of her head. Despite the messy hair and the dishevelled look on her face, she still somehow managed to look flawless, and Dorcas had to remind herself again and again that she was there to help Juliet with Potions, and nothing else. Nevertheless, her incessant tapping of the quill on the table and the way she ran her fingers through her hair, distracted her, and she was unable to focus on her own homework.

"You're not really familiar with the library, are you?" she asked with a short laugh as she eyed the piles of books that Juliet had brought from the shelves. "There are separate columns for different types of Potions books, and since your job is to write an essay on medicinal potions, you needn't have brought all of these."

Juliet looked up from her work with an infinitely exhausted look on her face. "All of these rows of books scare me. I prefer the library in the Ravenclaw common room."

"There's a library in your common room?" Dorcas asked, intrigued. "That's amazing."

"Well, it isn't really a library per se," she answered, straightening up and looking positively relieved at having the break from her studies, "but there are a few shelves, with nice, colourful books, definitely not like these large, heavy ones. It's quite fun to read them while sitting on a fluffy pouffe."

"Sounds fun, but I'll listen more about it when you finish your homework."

Juliet groaned loudly, pouting and turning back to the piece of parchment lying in front of her. She inhaled a large puff of breath, as though preparing herself for an exceptionally difficult task, and immersed herself in her homework. Dorcas returned to her own work, a small smile playing in the corners of her lips as she watched the Ravenclaw busily scratching away on the parchment with her quill, occasionally bringing the quill to scratch at her head.

After about an hour, they were both walking down the corridors to the Great Hall for lunch, Juliet dragging her feet on the ground. No one spoke, but Dorcas didn't mind the silence. Once they were near the Hall, Juliet stopped suddenly and looked at her.

"Dorcas, I just realised I never thanked you –" she began, but Dorcas was quick to interrupt her.

"No, you don't have to thank me," she said with a smile. "I'm happy to help you."

She was suddenly pulled into a hug, and she remained stock still, unable to believe what had just happened. Her breath was caught in her throat and it was only when Juliet had pulled away that she was able to inhale deeply to draw air into her lungs, opening up her airways.

"See you tomorrow then," said Juliet, and Dorcas could only nod in response. When she disappeared into the Great Hall, the Gryffindor stood by the entrance for a few for minutes, gathering her bearings, and then trotted inside, heading straight for the Gryffindor table where she found Maeve sitting on her own.

"Hi," she greeted quietly, grateful that her voice didn't come out as breathless as she felt. "Where's Silver?"

"Somewhere off to snog Benjy," she answered nonchalantly as Dorcas filled up her plate with food. "I hardly ever see her anymore, except in classes. And you too, Dorcas. You both have abandoned me."

She pursed her lips together and smiled apologetically, before beginning to eat. She kept her eyes downcast, not daring to look at Maeve, who had an odd way of knowing what people were thinking just by looking at their faces. When questioned, she waved it off as 'observing carefully and looking at features people usually ignore,' but try as they might, neither Silver nor Dorcas had managed to read people's faces.

Dorcas was suddenly shoved sideways, and she looked up from her lunch with a yelp to see Maeve giving her a suspicious look.

"Why would you shove me?" she asked in disbelief, rubbing the side of her arm where Maeve had elbowed her hard. "What's wrong?"

"I've been calling your name for the past five minutes," she answered as she turned back to her food. "I should be the one to ask what's wrong."

Dorcas blushed furiously, and mumbled something that sounded like Potions Juliet, and turned away from her best friend, lowering her head so that she wouldn't see her face. "Why were you calling my name?" she asked after a while.

Maeve placed a letter in front of her, and Dorcas took it in her hands and began to rip the envelope open.

"I found that on your bed when I went to the dorms to drop my bag," Maeve explained. "What happened in the library, by the way? Did you ask Juliet out?" she asked half mockingly.

Dorcas rolled her eyes, though her attention was focused more on the letter in her hands. It was from her mother, she knew even before she had opened it, given that it was written in paper rather than in parchment. When she unfolded it, she was met with the familiar, neat handwriting of Jenna Meadowes.

Dorcas –

I know you like to spend Easter with your friends at Hogwarts, but could you maybe come home this year? I have something to talk to you about, and it isn't anything I can, or want to, write in a letter. I'll be there at King's Cross to pick you up.

With love,

Mum.

A frown appeared on Dorcas's face as she stared at the unusually small letter. Jenna wasn't one to write a letter that didn't ask Dorcas to take care of herself at least three times, and she didn't like the tone with which it was written. It sounded wrong, somehow, and it didn't sound like her mother. There was no greeting, no goodbye, and suddenly a feeling of unease crept up her spine and gripped her heart.

Maeve, of course, noticed that something was wrong, and without a word, she gently pried the letter out of her fingers and began to read it. Dorcas didn't refuse – the three have been sharing their letters with each other since first year – even the most personal ones – and when she had finished reading it, she placed it on the table and looked at Dorcas with her kind, dark eyes.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," she said softly, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "If something had gone wrong, I'm sure she would tell you so that you won't lose your mind in worry. She is probably just stressed or tired, so she didn't feel like writing a full letter." When Dorcas didn't answer, she sighed and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. "Listen. Easter is only two weeks away. Why don't we go to Hogsmeade the coming weekend and buy your mother something? It'll make her happy."

Dorcas finally responded and looked up at her friend. Giving her a grateful smile, she nodded before saying, "Yeah, that sounds good."

She wasn't fully convinced though, and the sense of fear was still crawling inside her. She made a mental note to write and send a letter to her mother the first thing after lunch, but for now, she decided to not think about it.

"Where the hell is Silver now?" Maeve exclaimed suddenly, craning her neck to look around the Hall. "I mean if she is snogging Benjy, it's totally fine, but I didn't know that Benjy was capable of quenching her hunger with his lips."

Dorcas snorted, though managed to tone it down so as not to spit out her food all over the plate. "Maybe they're eating in the kitchen."

Maeve nodded her agreement.

"Well, I hope they don't traumatise the poor house elves."

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i took a sleeping pill and I'm so sleepy right now, i'll probably pass out in a few minutes. good night guys, have a great day