The Art of Friendship

Chapter Eighteen: Heading Home

What followed Erica's waking was a blur of activity, people coming and going, questions pouring in and lies and half-answers rewarding them, a mess of people and things happening until she collapsed from exhaustion sometime past midnight, woke up twelve hours later and started it all again.

Madam Pomfrey hadn't allowed anyone in to visit her aside from staff members, the Headmaster, and, at one point, much to her bemusement, the Minister, who tittered around until Erica had enough and feigned sleep until he left. She's barely been cleared in time for the feast at all, and when she did make it down to the Great Hall she was beginning to wish she hadn't. Of course, she had to have been late, on top of everything.

Everyone was already gathered in the Great Hall as she made her way to Slytherin table, fully aware of the eyes that followed her and the whispers that broke out, and she was mid-way contemplating just turning back around and putting off a reunion for another night, when she didn't feel so enclosed and jumpy, when Draco stood up, broke out in a massive grin, and ran straight at her.

She barely had time to hold her arms out before he barrelled into her, and then his arms were around her and she was stumbling under his weight, laughing into his shoulder as he squeezed her way too tight. Then all of her friends were there with them, Blaise smirking at her as Pansy wrapped an arm around her shoulders, Neville smiling softly with Ron, whose grin was wide and vicious, eyes sparkling, and Hermione who joined Pansy with an arm around her shoulder and a face resting on it, whispering furiously about how she should never do anything like that again.

There were others too, when she managed to break away from her friends enough to start heading to the table once more, Fred tugging on a lock of her hair as George smirked and looked on, and Adrian punching her shoulder lightly before pulling her into yet another crushing hug, laughing into her hair. Even Gemma and the older Slytherins looked happy to see her again, smiling, clapping, laughing as she sat down with them, Draco on one side and Pansy on the other, Blaise and Harry sitting across from them as Hermione, Ron and Neville squeezed themselves onto the bench as well, uncaring about house divisions for the moment and just happy to see their friend again.

"Reminds me a little of the first Quidditch match," she eventually managed to gasp out, cheeks hurting from smiling too wide as Draco piled her plate high with food and Harry poured everyone drinks, the Hall once more falling into a quiet rumble of chatter as everyone resumed eating, "Remember?"

"Of course we remember, idiot," Draco rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling too wide, too happy, for it to have the effect he was going for, knocking his shoulder against hers playfully, "That's when we all became friends as a group."

"Oh, those were the simpler days," Pansy lamented, throwing herself over Erica dramatically as she grinned up at her, "Did you miss us?"

"'Course I did, stupid," she shoved her away, laughing at the pout-out expression she received in return, but she was uncaring. She was back with her friends, back where she belonged, and that was all that mattered.

"We missed you too, prat," Harry grinned at her, kicking her under the table, "So don't you ever go disappearing like that again."

"Trust me, it wasn't a choice," she grumbled. Not a lie, Nicolas hadn't really given her a choice in the matter, though in the end she was grateful for the out he had given her. She hadn't been prepared to face her father, and especially not in a situation such as that, though she was beginning to wonder whether all of these repercussions had been worth it. "But I'll try not to, I promise."

"Here, here," Draco raised his goblet, and then they were all clinking them together like fools, spilling pumpkin juice everywhere as they burst into laughter once more.