Scratches (Fred Weasley)

(16) Back To Reality

The rest of their holiday break went by with flying colors. They spent the rest of their days just enjoying each other's company. Adrianna had pushed all of them to play Quidditch for exercise during early mornings, to get rid of the excess weight that they had accumulated from all the cookies and cocoa that they consumed.

New Year with the Haddlowes and Clearwaters was loud. Mr. Haddlowe always found it as a family tradition to set up fireworks during the countdown. So all of them went and bought a load of fireworks from Diagon Alley, and a few sparklers from a muggle shop.

Jane and Florence definitely had a much better New Year with them.

Soon they found themselves preparing to go back to Hogwarts, not sad in the slightest, knowing that they made most of their time together. Their parents had woken them up early morning to prepare.

"Mum, Miss Mimsy isn't giving me back my sock!" Florence hollered as she glared at the cat, who stared up innocently at her before tugging on the white sock. Mrs. Price's head popped from right around the corner, sticking out her wand as she levitated the sock back to her daughter, the white cat meowing in the process.

"It's got holes on it now—" Mrs. Price flicked her wand again, and the holes mended on it's own. "...Thanks" she said, putting it on hastily before slipping into her shoes. Nicolai and Alexander were waiting downstairs, Nicolai carrying her Blowing Gum vending machine as she insisted that she brought it to Hogwarts.

As soon as everyone was ready, Jane, Mrs. Clearwater and Adrianna had disapparated their children to King's Cross station, bustling their way through the crowd. Nicolai and Florence bade their parents goodbye, while Alexander gave her sister a tight hug. With that, they went through the border between platforms nine and ten.

"People are so judgmental these days..." Nicolai mumbled as a second year student eyed her vending machine curiously, making Florence laugh. "I'm sure she's just wondering why a sixteen year old is carrying a candy machine."

"Well these things don't have age limits, do they?"

They boarded the train instantly finding a vacant compartment, settling in as Alexander went with Penelope to check on the other students. Moments later, the engine roared to life, and began pulling them away from King's Cross.

"Name one thing in Hogwarts that's better than home, go." said Nicolai, Florence pondering for a brief moment.

"We get to use magic."

"No Adrianna to force us up so that we could play Quiddith."

"Good one," said Florence thoughtfully, "Although I still have Roger Davies... And that's still pretty much the same as having an Adrianna, except you know, she didn't use a standard sized Quidditch pitch. I'd prefer Adrianna's training any day."

"Speaking of Quidditch... You're going to play first game when we get back, right?" Nicolai asked, taking a blowing gum and popping it into her mouth. Florence's brows knitted together, "Yeah... We're playing Slytherin, I think. Oh no..."

"Cheating snakes."

"We'll be fine, I guess. But it would be a miracle if we won this... They're dirty players, very very dirty. We'll be able to pull through if Roger makes us practice first thing after class—which I'm sure he would do."

"Poor you and Alexander... Quidditch practice and Prefect duties. Whereas I," she leaned back into her seat, "Have nothing to worry about besides homework."

"Yeah... And even then you think that's too much work." said Xander as he slipped into the compartment. "Didn't take too long... The only trouble we had was with Longbottom. I think his frog's had it with it's life. It tried to jump out of the window, the poor thing."