Pragma // s.b.

6

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I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. I never really came to this part of the castle, and was feeling quite out of my element. Students decked in their Gryffindor robes brushed past me without a second glance as they made their way though the large portrait into their common room. Glancing at the clock, I bit my lip. Ronan, my little brother, had sent his large brown barn owl down to the Hufflepuff common room earlier that morning, a untidy note haphazardly tied onto its leg, which read, "Meet me at 7:00 tonight outside my common room, let's catch up!".

It was no surprise to me that he was late in meeting me, he was infamous in the family for never having a full grasp on what time it was. I reached up and pulled my ponytail so it was tight against my scalp. Loud laughter and conversation echoed down the hall, and I felt even more uncomfortable, as if I was somehow intruding on something. I glanced around once more, I had been glued to this spot on the wall for almost 20 minutes. I let out a sigh and pushed myself forward, a spot on my shoulder sore from the hard wall it had been pressed against.

I took one step towards the shifting staircase when, "Oi! Bri, where you going?". My ponytail swished over my shoulder as I looked behind my back to see who had called my name. "Ro, I thought that by this point in your magical education, you would at least be able to read a clock", I reached over hitting him on the arm. Although my brother was two years younger than me, he still towered over me. "Shut up", he said, pulling me into a warm hug. I reached up and pinched his cheeks, "Let's walk". Ronan waved goodbye to the gaggle of other 4th year Gryffindors he had been strutting around with, and we started down the hall.

"They treating you alright?", I smiled up at him. His sandy blonde mop of curls framed his face, and his emerald green eyes shone with the same excitement and zeal for life they always did. Ever since I was little, I had always been jealous of his eyes. They were bright, pure green. Mine, on the other hand, were hazel. I always felt as if they were the watered down, discount version of his.

The pair of us turned a corner and continued on our mindless walk around the castle. "This year has been amazing so far!", he said happily, "Landon and the guys are insane, but they're still the best friends I could ask for. Parker even convinced me to try out for the Quidditch team with him! It's a long shot, but hey! Who knows? And, Greg said that he thinks Katey might like me". I let out a laugh and rolled my eyes. "Is that all you guys think about? Girls and Quidditch?", I snorted.

"Pretty much", he shoved me jokingly and I tripped over my feet, stumbling into the wall. When I finally collected myself, Ronan was bright red in the face with laughter. "I'll get you back for that", I muttered, but found myself laughing along with him. Ro and I were like all siblings, of course we fought and somedays wanted to kill each other, but there was nothing I wouldn't do for him in the end.

"So, on a more serious note", Ronan raised both his eyebrows. I sighed, what could he possibly be accusing me of now? Once, he swore that Poppy had eaten his owl, Billy, even though Billy is three times her size. Turns out he had just forgotten he had sent Billy to deliver a letter to Mom. "Yeah?", I looked up at him. "Landon's cousin is a 6th year, who is dating a girl named Marleen, who is friends with Lily Evans, who says that you have been causing trouble with the Marauders". He said all of this very quickly, with a very intense expression on his face.

I let out a laugh so loud that several people sharing the hall with us glanced in our direction. "It's not funny, Bri", he said, stopping and holding onto my arms, "I know most of their pranks seem funny, but I've heard...things about them". My heart began to beat faster and I bit my lip, moving out of his grasp. "What kind of things?", my voice was barely above a whisper. He shook his head, his curls falling over his forehead.

"It doesn't matter", he said, and began to walk again, "Just, I know how you can get when you really care about something, Bri". I opened my mouth to retort, but he continued to speak over me, "Be careful. Don't run around pissing people off just because you can". He stopped walking and I realized we had come full circle, and were now back outside the Gryffindor common room.

I wanted to push him for more information. I wanted to punch him and tell him it wasn't his responsibility to protect me or warn me or whatever he was doing, that I was the big sister and I was supposed to be the one looking out for him. But, I didn't say any of that. I just exhaled and reached up, placing my arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. He sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"I will keep my mouth shut if it will make you feel better", I said, letting go. "Promise?", he asked, sincerity falling from every word. I nodded slowly, my insides burning with the need to know more. "Okay, good", he smiled, his dimples that matched mine poking out, "I gotta go, Parker wants to practice for tryouts". I nodded and gave him one more hug, "I'll talk to you later, Ro! Send me a note of when the tryouts are and I'll be there, I promise!", I winked. His face lit up and he nodded, "Love you, Bri!", and with that, he disappeared behind the portrait.

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