Imperceptible

1. beginning of the fourth year

Celeste woke up to a wet autumn day outside her window. She groaned inwardly as she sat up in her bed; today was the day she returned to Hogwarts. Her last year had been spent at Ilvermony after her father had received a year-long contract to work in North America. Celeste had begged to stay with family so she wouldn't have to leave Hogwarts to return a year later - her prayers never were answered. Nevertheless, she was excited to return today; she had missed the atmosphere and craziness of Hogwarts. This past year had been one of the quietest periods of her life. She struggled to make friends, and her workload wasn't exactly challenging: she constantly craved more. Rolling out of bed, she examined the bird nest that sat on top of her head. 

"Today is going to be a long day." 

Celeste pulled her Hogwarts uniform out of her wardrobe; it had been sitting in there collecting dust for months on end. Attempting to make somewhat of an effort, she curled the ends of her hair and applied a very small amount of makeup to her face. It's not something she would have usually done, having only learned the proper way to apply it at Ilvermony. She checked herself over in the mirror, straightening out any creases in her uniform before heading downstairs for breakfast. Within the next hour, Celeste and her mum were on the motorway, headed towards King's Cross Station. She stared aimlessly out the window, taking in all the sights on the drive she so badly missed during her year away. As much as she hated thinking about it, she was really mad at her parents for tearing her away from her friends. It was hard enough for her to make friends during her first year, and then her parents just had to take her to a completely different continent. Although Harry, Hermione, and Ron had frequently written to her, it was still never the same as sharing those laughs over a warm meal in the Great Hall. 

"Are you excited to see your friends again?" Her mother chirped up, as though she had been reading her thoughts. 

"Yeah, I can't wait. We've got a lot to catch up on." 

Celeste thought back to the letters she received from the trio whilst she was in America. So much had happened since she had left. The return of Sirius Black - only to discover he is Harry's godfather. The revelation that Scabbers was actually Peter Pettigrew. Harry was able to cast a patronus charm, and not to mention Hermione using a time machine! Yes, she certainly had a lot to talk about once she finally saw her friends again. Her eyes drifted shut as the trees blurred by. 

As her mum parked the car outside King's Cross, she shook Celeste lightly, attempting to coax her out of her slumber. Celeste hummed senselessly as she awoke, adjusting to the light and scenery around her. 

"Come on, Celly, we're here now." Her mum cooed.

Celeste cringed at her mother's nickname for her. She had been given the name since she was a child, yet could never come to love it. Exiting the car, she grabbed her trunk and headed for the platform. She waved goodbye to her mum and headed through the wall at 9 and 3/4. Inspecting the platform, she realised nothing had changed from when she had left. She was hoping the same could be said for all of her friendships. 

"Celeste!"

Her head swung in the direction her name was called to find her curly-haired friend with a huge grin on her face. Celeste ran up to her and engulfed her in a suffocating hug.

"Hermione! I've missed you so much," She declared, pulling away to take in Hermione's face. "God, you haven't changed a bit."

The two girls giggled as they headed towards the boys, who were waiting for the train. Both of them swamped Celeste in a hug, mumbling about how much they had missed her. All at once, she felt okay with the world again. She wouldn't want to admit to anyone how awful her year away was and how hard it was for her to make friends. Part of her didn't mind, though, as any friends she made would never compare to her friends she had at Hogwarts. The four of them boarded the train, settling in the carriage; the trio caught Celeste up with all she had missed in their third year. She sat there in awe at what all three of them had taken on last year; they handled Hogwarts' chaos with such grace for wizards their age.