the girl in blue and bronze

chapter twenty two.

December 30th, 1994

"Al, we need some milk!"

The sleep ridden voice of her dad echoed through the house and Alleta grimaced, burying her head in her pillow. She had been home for just over a day and they were already in desperate need of a food shop. It always happened like this. Her parents would forget to stock up on enough food or drink for more than 2 people before she came back from school, and then were surprised when what they currently had would run out. "Why can't you go?" Lifting her head, she yelled back; her words travelling down the stairs. It was far too early to have to get out of bed, let along to be going to the shop.

"Because if you're living under my roof then you have to earn your stay." His jesting tone was evident, yet she groaned, sitting up and rubbing her head. "Twat." Her words were muttered, followed closely with a string continuous complaints while she wandered around her bedroom, grabbing some clothes. Within moments Alleta was dressed in grey joggers, a black hoodie, her Ravenclaw scarf and trainers. A very minimal effort, unbothered outfit. Pulling a rain jacket on over the top, she trudged downstairs and glared at her dad. "Lazy arse." He simply shrugged, kissed her on the top of the head and handed her some money. "Milk, bread and then get yourself a treat." Alleta raised her brows, grinning in surprise. "But don't tell your mother."

"Of course I wouldn't. She'd have your skin." Chuckling as she made her way to the door, the cold air taking her by surprise the moment the opened it. "Fuck.

"Language!" His voice called after her, while Alleta simply rolled her eyes, grinning as she zipped up her jacket and did a momentary jog on the spot. Within minutes, she was traipsing down the street at a leisurely pace, burying her chin into her navy scarf and pulling the hood of her hoodie over her hair. The money was tucked into her pocket, clutched between her fingers. Humming 'Heroes' by David Bowie under her breath in an attempt to entertain herself and to distract from her own thoughts. It was unsuccessful.

It had been 4 days since she last saw Fred; the longest the two had gone without any form of contact since September. It was odd and unwelcome, and yet a sense of freedom came with it. Alleta felt lighter, at least for the first time after the events at the Yule Ball. "Distance does that, I suppose." She mused aloud, her brow furrowing. It was always an offputting feeling, returning home after months away at a boarding school, especially having her own room. It felt empty and lonely without the incessant chatter of her roommates; Isla in particular. But more than that, to go from being surrounded by her peers all day every day, constantly in bustling common areas and having her friends there whenever she needed them, to a semi-detached house in Worplesdon with nobody but her parents; well, it was isolating. 

Despite this, she certainly was not taking for granted her time at home. It gave her the space she needed to try and get over the freckled Gryffindor. Not that it was all too effective as of yet. As she pictured his face in her mind; the apologetic, unsure smile he had cast at her the morning of Boxing Day, in contrast with the vile things he had said and the detached look in his eyes, it became increasingly difficult to focus anything other than how she would act around him upon her return. She didn't want to confide in either of her parents, as they had little time together as it was, so she didn't feel it fair to burden them with her own problems. And yet, Alleta could feel her emotions gradually building up, the need to talk to somebody was overwhelming.

Lifting her gaze, she could see the small Londis in the distance and immediately picked up her pace, moving to a light jog, desperate to get out of the cold. She didn't want to get her hope up, but it certainly felt cold enough to snow. It was the limbo type of weather; where it wasn't snowing but was cold to the point where your fingers would numb and the harshness of the temperature left your nose and ears stinging.

"Thank fuck." The words left her almost immediately as she opened the door to the little newsagents, the warmth engulfing her. Sniffling, Alleta pulled her hood down and ran a hand through her wind tangled hair, taking a moment to untuck it from her scarf. She yawned briefly and headed directly over to the milk, grabbing the green lidded one for herself and the dodgy blue one her parents preferred. Grimacing as the cold of the bottles stung her fingertips, she grabbed a loaf of bread and a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate. Alleta also found her way to the sweets, grabbing some strawberry pencils and flying saucers for Cedric, along with a couple of bounty chocolate bars for Isla. Making her way to the counter, she fished out the money from her coat pocket and addressed the counter clerk, without glancing up."Could I get a bag please?"