Snakes and Sanguine

Year 3: Apologetics

CW: Vomit

Kauri handed me a muffin before Atticus apparated me to King's Cross Station. A warm cinnamon and banana muffin to accompany me on my journey back to Hogwarts.

I smiled and gave Atticus a nod, thanking him for an incredible Christmas, before I boarded the express.

"Have a safe trip kid." he smiled.

I walked through the aisles to my usual compartment where Lucien and Al were already seated and surprisingly, not ripping each other's hair out. They weren't talking but they weren't bantering either.

Al had his legs stretched across one of the seats, taking up the entirety of it, a book in his hands, his lips moving slightly as he read. Lucien glanced over at him for a moment, almost like he wanted to say something, but turned his attention towards me once he heard me slide the compartment door open.

"Hey." I greeted with a smile, causing Al to look up and shut his book.

"Hey." they both said simultaneously, their accents merging with one another. Al glared at Lucien as though he had offended him in some way. But as usual, Lucien paid no mind to it.

"How was your Christmas?" Lucien asked, sliding towards the window to make room for me to sit.

"It was great actually. I-" I started before I was interrupted by the slide of the compartment door.

Scorpius stood still, eyeing Al's stretched-out legs with aggravation.

"Can you not be an arse and move your legs so I can sit." Scorpius huffed.

Al looked up at him in a glare, then turned his body so he could move his legs in front of him. Scorpius took his seat, keeping as much distance between him and Al as the seat allowed.

"How was your-" I began to ask, to break up the obvious tension.

"Don't." he interrupted, looking me dead in the eye, his voice flat.

The tension grew thicker, circulating the compartment. I felt as though I could taste it. Al leaned his head against the window, a misty fog spreading throughout the glass each time a breath escaped his lips. Scorpius looked down at his shoes, staring at the untied laces and not bothering to retie them.

Lucien let out an awkward cough before he began to speak. "Delancey was just about to tell us about her Christmas."

I looked at the two boys who prompted no reaction.

"I don't have to talk about it. If you don't want me to." I said cautiously, choosing every word carefully so I wouldn't say anything that might provoke them. Sometimes it felt as though I was walking on eggshells when I spoke to them.

There was silence for a moment before one of them decided to speak up.

"Oh!" Scorpius exclaimed, his demeanor altering completely. "You met your uncle! How was that?!"

"I-it was good," I responded, slightly taken aback by his sudden change in attitude. "He's really nice. Extremely different from my father. He has this friend that he lives with and they go on adventures or something together. His name's Kauri and he's from New Zealand which I think is pretty cool. Never met anyone from there."

"Your uncle lives with a guy?" Lucien asked. I could tell he was thinking something but I couldn't really tell what.

"Ya, they're roommates," I replied.

Al turned his head from the window, now suddenly interested in the conversation. He looked at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"Are any of them married?" he asked.