anchor || fred weasley

chapter two- pristine

~ song of the chapter: As the World caves in: Matt Maltese ~

The 8-hour ride was exciting. Lively chatter and occasional laughter filled the cabin of the five fourth-years. As everyone told the others what they've done in their holidays, Blaire couldn't help but feel a pinch of sadness. Harry stayed with the Weasleys, and everyone seemed to have experienced one of the best summers of their lives whereas she stayed home the majority of her summer, mostly doing nothing. The most exciting part of her summer was writing songs.

She considered showing the songs to her mother, but then quickly disposed that thought. Her mother wouldn't care. She never did. In fact, every time she presented her mother anything she was proud of, she would make her feel bad about it. She had replayed the situation in her head, and there was no scenario in which it would have benefited her. So she kept the songs to herself, swearing to never show anyone, as they were her way of coping with everything and she wasn't ready to show the world such a vulnerable part of her life.

Luna must have noticed Blaire's mind trailing off and whispered "How was your summer, love, you haven't said anything in forever!" Blaire pulled herself together, faked a quick smile and replied "Yeah, it was pretty cool. I did a lot of ... stuff" "Stuff?"

Now everyone was looking at her. "Yeah, my parents and I went to a few Quidditch games and I enjoyed some time alone." She hoped that was enough to satisfy them and for them to stop asking. Harry raised an eyebrow, and Hermione examined her precisely while crossing her arms. There suddenly was an uncomfortable silence for the first time this day as no one really knew what to say.

"Don't crucify me, but that sounds bloody boring." Ron was the one speaking everyone's mind.
"Yeah, didn't you have plans to spend more time with your parents?", Hermione asked concerned.

They didn't know about her situation at home. Blaire never felt the need to tell them as she didn't even care herself. Or at least, that's what she told herself. The group quickly disposed the topic as they realized that Blaire was uncomfortable talking about it. The remaining train ride wasn't uncomfortable, but nobody could deny the tension that built up the moment they talked about the holidays.

As they finally arrived at the Wizarding school, everyone stopped for a moment. It was like as if time was frozen. The beautiful castle would always be breathtaking, no matter how many times you would return. The place had something magical, something you couldn't quite put your finger on. And there were so many memories in this castle. Blaire took a deep breath, stunned by the astonishing beauty and said "We're home. Finally."

As everyone was walking towards the Great Hall, Ron pulled her back. He looked nervous, anxious almost. "Hey, uh are you alright? What happened in the train was kind of... weird. And I don't wanna make you uncomfortable or say something that makes you sad but just so you know, I'm always here for you. And if you don't wanna talk, we can also sit in silence if that's what you want. Please don't be mad" Blaire smiled. He has always been the one she was closest to. She didn't think someone noticed that something was wrong because she played it off pretty well. "Yeah, everything is fine. It's just-"

Her sentence was cut off by Neville and Seamus, who were eager to hug her and hear about her summer.
Great, she thought. That was the first time she was ready to talk to anyone about her relationship to her parents. Ron shot her a look of sympathy as if he were to say "Don't worry. we'll talk about it later!"

As they entered the Great Hall, it was like they were first-years all over again. Everyone was amazed by the life this room radiated. Here was the faith of everyone to be decided.

Hufflepuff? Ravenclaw? Gryffindor? or maybe Slytherin? That decision was a life-changing one for many. They had to represent their families, or try to show that they would follow in their footsteps. Blaire and Luna quickly said goodbye to their Gryffindor friends and sat down at the Ravenclaw table.