Mundane - Book Two

Chapter Eleven

Dahlia and Stheno stayed on the couch and talked until both of them fell asleep. It wasn't until after dinner that they awoke to a loud slamming sound coming from the entrance.

Dahlia shot up and instinctively put an arm around Stheno. "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Harry snapped, booking it towards the boys' dorm.

"Oh." Dahlia looked to Hermione who gave her a sympathetic smile.

"It's all okay, don't worry," she said. "He's just... sick."

"You're a bad liar, you know," Stheno said drowsily.

"Well, I don't see very much reason to lie usually." Hermione crossed her arms. "He's really fine, Dahlia, don't worry."

Dahlia and Stheno, still drowsy from their nap, walked into the girl's dormitory and laid down on Dahlia's bed.

"D'you think dementors showed up at Hogsmeade?" Stheno asked.

"No, he wouldn't be angry. He'd just be sad. Something's up." Dahlia sighed. "Of course, Ron and Hermione won't tell, and clearly I shouldn't ask him."

"Clearly," Stheno agreed. "Who knows? He might tell you himself later."

Sleep came to them soon enough as they talked on Dahlia's bed. They woke early to the shuffling of the other girls in the room. Ginny was standing over Dahlia.

"I'm going now, Dahl," she said. "Wanted to say goodbye."

Dahlia stood up and hugged Ginny. "I'll see you after the break. Give Mum a kiss for me."

"Of course," Ginny giggled. She kissed Dahlia's cheek and left after Peggy and Lavinia.

"What, no kiss for me?" Stheno said quietly.

Dahlia laughed and fell back on the bed. "If they're all leaving, then it's just us!"

"Granger's staying too," said Stheno. "Or else she's left her cat."

Hermione's large orange cat walked in through the open door and jumped onto the bed with Stheno and Dahlia.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione called.

"In here!" Dahlia called back.

"Oh! I didn't know you two were staying. Well, it will be nice to have other girls around."

"None of the other girls are staying?" Stheno asked.

"Just us. I was just about to head down to breakfast. Care to join me?"

Dahlia smiled. "Of course!"

The three of them walked through the deserted halls to the Great Hall, which was mostly empty.

The holidays seemed to fly by as Christmas approached. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were buried deep in research of some kind, so Stheno and Dahlia made themselves busy by wandering around the castle.

Christmas morning arrived and Stheno shook Dahlia awake. "Look!" she said with a giggle.

"Merry Christmas," Dahlia said, stretching. She glanced at the foot of her bed where a pile of presents lay.

"Wonder what this could be." Dahlia laughed as she unwrapped a light pink sweater with a golden D on it. Stheno opened a similar package with a green sweater with a silver S on it. Along with the sweater came a bunch of chocolates from Dahlia's mum.

Stheno had one other package with a letter attached to it. She sat on the bed and read it silently while Dahlia opened a neatly wrapped box to find an old worn book titled, The Secret Language of Flowers. There was no note, but each page seemed to be annotated thoroughly. She put it down and picked up a small envelope which seemed too heavy to hold only a letter. Inside was a short letter and a necklace that seemed vaguely familiar to her. It was gold with a small crescent moon charm. She opened the letter.