Almost

Chapter 42: Bone

When Katherine and Ezra finally made it home that night after ten o'clock, she could barely pick up her feet.

"I think you were right about the flatbreads," Ezra said as he held the door open for her, Chris driving away behind them. "And the barbeque."

"I told you you'd make a mess on your shirt," she answered, rubbing at her neck and shoulder.

He watched her, worry crinkling his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Just sore. And I feel bad for that beater—he looked so scared and ended up losing."

"He almost hit you with a bludger!"

"Yeah, but still..." she mused, wandering upstairs to find Smithwick.

Ezra followed behind her, flopping onto her bed and leaning against the wall. He looked at the bedside table, at the snow globe he'd given her, and gave a small wave to the tiny version of her inside.

Katherine rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but laugh.

"I liked your friends," she said as she wandered into her bathroom, finding Smithwick on his stomach, pawing at the clawed feet of the bathtub. She took the moment to look in the mirror, peeling away her shirt and sweater.

"It was good to see them. I didn't realize how much I missed all of that excitement. Maybe we could find a way to go to some of the professional games—I'm sure Ginny gets great tickets for the Harpies."

As he spoke, she inspected the garish bruise spread across her shoulder. She could feel her magic coursing around it, noticed the blue-green tinge of the mark that sizzled across her skin, and assured herself it would be easily patched by morning. Magic and nerves, she thought as she let her shirt straighten, who thought that was a good idea?

She came back out of the bathroom, Smithwick in hand, and smiled at him. His hair was a mess from the time outside, and though he'd tried to straighten it in the bathroom of the bar they'd found, it hadn't quite returned to its normal polish. It made him look younger, at ease. She'd been amazed that he'd agreed to go to the tasting with their Wampus gear still on.

"I'd like that," she said, glancing at the balcony. She opened the doors and stood, watching the city below. She wanted to just watch this world a little bit longer, the world that didn't have to fill their days with worry about dark wizards and magical politics and staying hidden unless it was advantageous. It had been nice to just sit in a bar, even if her and Crawley knew better than to drink anything and risk being off guard. But the chatter, the stories, they'd been a welcome distraction. Still, the melancholy tinge of not being able to offer any of her own...

She'd wanted to tell Flo that the color of her hair reminded her of her childhood friend Abby, whose bedroom had been entirely decorated in that color, down to the painted bedframe. She wanted to tell Orion that something in his build reminded her of Charlie. She'd wanted to tell them, when they'd started prattling on about the trouble younger students would find themselves in just while trying to find a place to hang out in the castle, that Illvermorny could really use a playground.

But she'd sat quietly and pretended, most adamantly to herself, that it didn't matter. That this glimpse of normalcy was enough.

She heard the bed creak as Ezra came to stand by her side, an arm flung lazily around her waist, and she savored the warmth of him.

"Flo told me Ross has been trying to be an auror," she said absentmindedly. "Maybe there's some way you can help him."

"I'm surprised he didn't mention it."