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Track Fourteen: She Lit a Fire, Lord Huron
The Gryffindor celebrations were in full swing not even half an hour after the tournament. Harry seemed to have re-entered his house's good graces immediately following his win. Although he presumed this was just an excuse to throw a party. Nevertheless, he had people coming up to him all night patting him on the back, and reaching to offer him congratulations. Fred and George seemed to have a knack for last-minute parties, as the common room was mysteriously flooded with drinks, snacks, and a magically amplified muggle turntable almost instantaneously.
He couldn't stop looking over his shoulder for the bright-eyed Hufflepuff he had grown so accustomed to. He eyed the portrait hole each time someone new entered, feeling a bit discouraged each time he saw the Gryffindor insignia walk through the portrait hole.
He'd sent Circe an owl, inviting her to the Gryffindor celebrations, he did owe it to her after all. He told himself that she probably wouldn't come and that she'd obviously be attending the Hufflepuff celebrations with her friends. But, he found himself hoping that she would. This is why for the last hour, he'd been making conversation with Hermione and Ron (The latter had come to his senses earlier in the day, owning up to his idiocy. Harry was glad to have his friend back), hoping to distract himself from the Hufflepuff girl's absence.
He'd grown accustomed to her presence the last few weeks, he hadn't realized how much time they had begun to spend together until now. They'd always wake up early to meet in the library, grab breakfast from the kitchens and walk to classes together before meeting for their afternoon practice sessions, occasionally grabbing a midnight snack from the kitchens. Without her there, it felt as though he was missing a vital part of the small bit of consistency he'd found since the start of the tournament. She was a new constant in his ever-changing life.
He was just beginning to engage in a Quidditch conversation with Ron when he saw Circe enter the room, out of the corner of his eye.
She looked different like something had shifted inside of her, during the few hours it had been since he last saw her. She had a slight glow to her features like something otherwordly had possessed her. He also noticed she seemed to have a mark under the left side of her jaw. Upon examining closer, he noticed it appeared to be a burn. She caught his line of sight, her eyes sparkling brightly. But she shifted her hair slightly, noticing where he was staring.
Circe felt the warmth of the full common room enclosing in on her, the music thumped through her ears and she noticed a raven-haired boy waving her over. She smiled broadly, upon noticing him.
Circe immediately engulfed Harry in a hug. She felt hot to the touch, her skin lightly glowing in the dimmed light of the common room. She smiled widely at him, "I told you that you'd make it!" the brightness in her eyes looked as though they were reflecting a brilliant blaze.
