Empty Gold • d.meadowes

-15-

The common room was unusually quiet when Dorcas climbed in through the portrait hole. The fire was burning in the grate and casting a warm orange glow that complemented the bright scarlet and gold tapestries of the Gryffindor common room. She passed across the wide room, offering a small smile to those who glanced in her direction, and climbed up the stairs to reach the seventh year girls' dormitory.

It was the last day before Easter holiday, and the aura was quite obvious in the environment. With only a few weeks left for exams, most students have opted to stay back, as they do every year, and very few were seen inside the common rooms, choosing instead to venture outside and take a breath of fresh air before they would be forced to indulge themselves in their studies. Dorcas was no different, for she had spent the last half an hour simply walking through the corridors and observing her surroundings, though, unlike the other students, she would be boarding the Hogwarts Express the first thing next morning and would journey home. Her mother's letter was still in her pocket, and she looked at it every few minutes, hoping to find any signs of anything being wrong. Maeve's words had reassured her, but she still couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.

Three of the four fourposter beds in their dormitory had the curtains drawn, the fourth one being Dorcas's herself. She could sense movement inside Maeve's bed, and in the other one that belonged to Heather, another fellow Gryffindor who had friends in Hufflepuff. Dropping her bag in her bed, she strode over to Maeve's bed and pushed the curtains aside. Maeve, who had been leaning against the headboard and reading a book, smiled upon seeing her, and scooted over to allow her to sit.

"Where have you been?" she asked as she put her book aside and rested her head over her palm, which was balanced above her elbow.

Dorcas fidgeted absently with her skirt. "Walking around."

"Are you worried about your mother?" Maeve, as always, knew what bothered the girls and knew exactly what to say. Dorcas couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah," she said in a quiet mutter. "But don't worry about me. I'll see her tomorrow, and I'm sure she's going to be fine. She would've sent me a letter if otherwise. Wouldn't she?"

Maeve nodded understandingly, looking much like a parent trying to reassure a child.

A silence ensued between them that wasn't like the silence they usually shared. It didn't follow by hours of endless laughter, which usually caused their stomachs and cheeks to hurt so much that they had to resort to a few minutes of silence in order to rest their bodies. It wasn't a silence that was comfortable, that was needed, that was filled with silent words said through their minds, with silent laughter they shared without having to open their mouths, with messages shared by a gentle pat on the shoulder or a light twirling of one's hair. The silence they had shared before was something they always enjoyed, because it showed that they didn't need to talk to enjoy each other's company, and their mere presence was enough for them.

But now, it was different. They weren't talking, not because they had laughed for hours, nor because they felt they didn't need words. They weren't talking because they didn't know what to talk about.

Dorcas had felt the change days ago. Silver was spending less and less time with them, and she couldn't remember the last time they had spoken for more than three minutes. Dorcas, herself, was spending more time with herself, if not with Juliet, for loneliness seemed to be much more appealing to her nowadays.

She remembered when they had first become friends, they used to talk about their futures all the time. They made fantastical plans – never getting married and living with each other in their old age, in a large house with ten adopted cats; visiting the pyramids in Egypt and locking Silver in there so that she could spend the remainder of her life surrounded by the ancient objects she was so in love with; going to beach and playing in the seawater like little children. Their heads were full of dreams, but now Dorcas could see what fools they were.

Never had they imagined that the three friends would ever be separated, that the bond between them could even be frayed in the slightest. They had thought they would be together till the end of time, but now Dorcas doubted they could even leave Hogwarts with each other by their sides.

Maeve was lying on her back, hands placed over her stomach, and Dorcas lay down beside her.

"Have you spoken to Silver lately?" Maeve asked, and Dorcas knew they were thinking the same thing.

"No."

"I miss her," said Maeve ruefully, playing with her fingers that rested over her lap. "I miss you too, Dorcas."

Dorcas didn't reply, and she said nothing more.

The door to the dormitory opened and Silver walked in, carrying a few letters in her hands. She looked different, Dorcas noticed. Her long, silvery blonde hair was left free, and it flowed past her shoulders and down to her waist. Wavy bangs covered much of her forehead and her eyes, which were lined with heavy mascara. Her fingernails were painted a bright blue.

At least she isn't concealing the fact that she is changing, Dorcas thought.

Silver put the letters on the desk beside her bed, just as Maeve sat up and called to her. Seeing them, she smiled brightly and walked over, before sitting down at the end. Dorcas sat up as well.

"Hey," she greeted them cheerfully, and Dorcas wondered if she had ever been this oblivious. "We haven't spoken in ages. What's up?"

Maeve and Dorcas both stared at their friend as though she has lost her mind. And Dorcas thought that maybe she really has. This isn't something you say to your best friends after ignoring them for days, and it wasn't something they had expected from Silver. Dorcas peeked a glance sideways, expecting some sort of negative reaction from Maeve, for she was the mother of the group, and she was normally very protective of them. If anything should happen to one of them, she would be the first one to stand up and take the first step.

She was taken by surprise however, when the black haired girl merely smiled, though in the depths of her facial features she could see something forced. Dorcas didn't say anything however, and allowed her to speak.

"Yeah, it's been long, hasn't it?" she said in a falsely cheerful tone, her voice unusually high pitched. "Where were you? You disappeared after lunch today."

Silver averted her eyes and frowned up at the ceiling. "I've been busy."

Another awkward silence was about to blanket over them, Dorcas could tell, but Maeve quickly brought on the topic that could make the girls talk for hours. She turned to look at Dorcas.

"What's going on with you and Juliet, by the way? Is she getting better in Potions?"

For the first time, Dorcas felt no enthusiasm in talking about her. After the time when Juliet had angered the librarian by slamming her book, she hasn't scheduled any class for them, giving excuses and backing out every time she asked her. She wasn't sure why she was doing it, considering that she was being selfish and that Juliet needed the extra Potions classes, but she couldn't get herself to look at the Ravenclaw when she wasn't exactly what she had thought she was. Just like Silver did, she broke eye contact with Maeve and began to play with her curls, registering in her mind that they have become rather rough.

"Yeah, I guess so," she answered. She didn't want to tell them what really was going through her mind.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the other two exchange looks, so in order to avoid any further interrogation, she rolled out of the bed and pretended to fix her trunk. As she folded one of her robes, she looked at Silver, who was still staring up at the ceiling.

"What were those letters you were carrying?" she asked conversationally.

Silver stood up as well. "It's nothing, don't bother." As she strode over to her own bed and hid herself behind the curtains that only provided a blurry silhouette of the girl, Dorcas knew that she wasn't the only one keeping a secret from her friends.

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i added a playlist for this book, if anyone's interested