All I Have Left

Chapter Sixteen

Summer was a bore. Mother and Father worked all summer long, which left me with nothing to do. My days usually consisted of hanging out with Smiley, but Father would yell at me for socializing with the house elf.

I would go out and take walks in the garden sometimes, read in the library for hours, or play the piano all day. I wrote to all of my friends constantly, and only receiving responses by some.

Hermione and I kept in constant contact. We wrote paragraphs and paragraphs to each other as much as we could. Her and I were becoming really close friends, and I was proud of it.

Blaise and I wrote to each other as well, just not so much. We wrote almost every week, him telling me stories about his time in Italy. I wrote to Daphne a lot, but she only responded sometimes.

I wrote to Ronald almost everyday, but he hated responding, but he did anyways. I wrote to Harry all the time, but never got a response. Ronald and Hermione said it was the same thing for them, that he was ghosting them as well.

Malfoy wrote to me as well, a lot actually. I felt bad not responding, so I did most of the time. It was awkward, and most of the time I didn't know what to write.

I asked Father multiple times if I could visit the Weasleys, but he always said the same thing.

"Maybe later in the summer."

I think he knew the Weasley's, but he doesn't talk to them anymore.

Mother promised to take me to Diagon Alley today, but she said she was unavailable, so now Father is taking me instead.

~

I put on my Slytherin robe with a black dress underneath. I decide to keep my hair down today, but brought a hair tie just in case. I put on my dress shoes and look at myself in the mirror.

It's obvious I've grown. I look much different than I did last year. I look taller, and my face is ridden of all the baby skin. I no longer look like a baby like last year, I look older.

"Lila, hurry up I do not have all day." Father announces from the first floor. I roll my eyes and make my way down the two flights of stairs, my room being on the third floor. When Father sees me he gives me a stern look.

"Finally, you decided it's time to leave. Grab my arm, come on." Father orders. I nod and link my arm with his and we apparate to Diagon Alley.

When I look ahead of me I see the large giant known as Hagrid with my two friends, Harry and Hermione. I unlink myself from Father's arm and run over towards my friends. I hear Father call after me but I ignore it.

"Harry! Hermione!" I yell, finally reaching them.

They smile when they see me. Hermione quickly pulls me into a hug and I immediately hug her back. She looks different than she did last year. Her hair is flatter and less frizzy, unlike mine, and she is taller.

She doesn't look as young as she did last year, and honestly, she is so pretty. I pull away from her and hug Harry, who immediately hugs back.

"Lila! I missed you!" Hermione says after I pull away from Harry. I smile at her, nodding in agreement. I face Harry.

"How come you didn't respond to any of my letters? I was starting to think you were dead!" I ask him, more like yelling. He gives me an annoyed look, but one signaling that I wasn't the cause of it.

"A house elf named Dobby intercepted all of my letters, I didn't get to read any of them. I thought that you guys didn't even write." He explains. I sigh of relief, calmer knowing he wasn't annoyed.