Wildfire • D.M

Thirty-six

The steam of the engine brushed against the foggy compartment windows as hermione and alora slid open the rustic door with a creak.
Ron looked up at the girls with and uncomfortable smile across his lips as he perched himself across from Harry who had a sullen look on his face.
The two girls shared a hesitant look before stepping in.

"We brought snacks." Alora piped up, hoping to slice through the thick atmosphere of the room.
"Oh harry, Ginny told me to pass these to you. She said they're your favourites." She smiles as she tossed him a packet of fizzing whizzbees.

"What?" Ron gasped. "And my own sister didn't even consider sending her dear brother anything?" He scoffed, feigning a dramatic heartbreak.

Hermione shoved his side, staring daggers.
"You numpty, she was only concerned about Harry.. given .. certain circumstances ."
All three simultaneously looked at Harry since he hadn't said anything yet, sharing the same stale expression.

"I'm fine guys, really." He forced a smile. As if he was tired of everyone tip-toeing around him all the time like he was about to break.
His expression wasn't convincing at all. It had been days since cedric's death but it was still hard to swallow for Harry.

It was going to be a long bumpy ride back to London.

Alora sighed as she kicked her feet up on the bed post. Empty envelopes and handwritten letters toppled off the edge, mostly from Draco. Just staring at his perfectly messy cursive handwriting itself made her heart shake excitedly. The thought of him kissing her goodbye at the platform two weeks ago made her arms go weak and her cheeks warm.

On the other hand, Harry still hadn't written her back. Ron and hermione hadn't heard from him either for that matter. She'd been worried after the first weeks he hadn't responded but after the second she assumed he wasn't ready to talk to anyone else but Sirius.