Iniquity Approaches Book 2 of Iniquity Series~Complete~

Ch. 58

How is it possible for a second to change the entirety of your life?

Nothing seemed to make sense for me anymore.

I felt confusion begin to wane on my patience as the days passed.

Dueling practice was going well, as was potion brewing, well except for Jannie Finnigan, she blew her eyebrows right off her face one day while helping Lily and Alice brew a healing potion.

By the end of summer, I was beyond tired, but I had managed to reach my goal. Which was for everyone to be proficient at dueling, potion brewing, and offensive and defensive spells.

The stress was exhausting me.  Which was causing me to eat more, sleep more, and be moodier than usual.

Even so, I was still losing weight, which was now more noticeable. To everyone.

Lily and Grisha had managed to convince me to go get out supplies for the beginning of the school year at Diagon Alley a week before school began.

We were currently catching a bite to eat at a small diner right across the street from the Leaky Cauldron.

"Come on Sophie, how bad can it be? Won't you do it? For me?" Lily asked, as she bit into a potato chip.

"Just because James and you have begun going out, and are all happy and stuff doesn't mean that the rest of the world lives in the same state you do. In both worlds there is war, poverty, and pain going around, Lily. Why add more to my misery?" I wondered as the waitress set down my cheese burger and cheesy fries before me.

My stomach grumbling as the smell of melted cheese and grease hit my nose.

"Seriously, Sophia, quit the dramatics, she just asked you to be her matron of honor and you pull that sorry excuse?" Grisha asked amused as she bit into her chicken half sandwich.

"Ugh. Alright. I'll do it. But no pink, that's where I draw the line." I complained, digging into my food.

"Fine. It'll just be Grisha, and Alice, since Molly said she didn't want to..." She said, looking down at her food distractedly.

"You can refuse to do that?" I asked, swallowing a mouthful of food.

"No, stop it, Sophia." Grisha said, rolling her eyes. "You know why Molly said no. So, stop being a baby, you already agreed to do it." She said.

"I was joking." I said, rolling my eyes at her.

"Why are you getting married after we all graduate? Aren't you two a bit young to be getting married?" I asked, thinking back to Andromeda and Ted, who had eloped as soon as they graduated at the beginning of this past summer.

"Because we realized that this coming year may be our last with us all together, with the people we know. We just want everyone we care about to be there for us on one of the most important days of our lives." Lily explained as she finished her food.

I nodded in understanding, suddenly feeling hunger evade me, even though I was a few bites and chips away from clearing out my plate.

"What about Tom and you?" Lily asked curiously.

"We're doing fine where we are, for now." I answered frankly, as we all finished our meals, and left back to the manor.

"Did you girls know that Sirius has been secretly seeing Evangeline Monteiro?" Grisha asked, changing the subject.

I watched as both of the girls gapped in shock, and looked over at me, waiting for me to answer.

"Yes." I said, suddenly finding the diner extremely interesting.

***

King's Cross Station looked rather busy this morning as the group and I slowly made it towards the entrance to platform 9 ¾.

When I boarded the train, I quietly went to sit in an empty compartment, trying to calm the nerves I felt forming knots in my stomach.

Not having Andi here was going to be incredibly difficult for me, seeing as she was the only one who knew what I felt, and could call me out on my bollocks on the spot.

Bellatrix and Narcissa stepped into the compartment slowly, after I had changed into my school uniform and school issued cloak.

Sitting down with their head together as they whispered quietly to each other.

"What's going on?" I asked, staring at them before going back to staring out the window tiredly.

"Andi is pregnant." Bellatrix said. "Not only that but mother has gone into a deep depression and father has become a mute." she scoffed.

"Not surprised there, seeing as she is married and all. I am sure they go at it like a pair of wild animals fighting for a shiny object." I replied deadpanned, holding on back a yawn. "As for the latter, well let's just say that could be a miracle in disguise." I said , sleepily.

"What a brilliant mind you have there, Sophie, what a brilliant mind indeed." Bellatrix commented dryly.

"Why thank you." I replied just as dryly, as I closed my eyes drifting to sleep.

***

When we finally reached Hogsmeade, Tom was sitting with my head on his lap, as he spoke with Rod, Bastan, Lucius and the girls.

"And... Sleeping beauty finally awakens! Oh, hey, everybody...we didn't have to wait a thousand years like in the muggle book you showed us!" Bastian said, as his eyes landed on me.

I looked back at him tiredly, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes before sitting down slowly.

"When did you lot get here?" I asked, groggily, looking around before sitting up.

"While all three of you were conversing about Andi and the Tonks boy expecting. I got to say I didn't know you had such a mouth on you." Bastan said, teasingly.

Tom snickered at his comment, as I elbowed him hard in the ribs.

'Seriously, Tom?' I asked through the link with an eyebrow raised.

'What? It's not my fault, the way he worded that last sentence was hilarious, and you know it.' He thought back, his lips twitching.

I shook my head at him, rolling my eyes as I felt the express pull to a stop.

We slowly exited the train and made our way onto the waiting carriages, where we all squeezed into one, enjoying the small, quiet ride to the castle as it heavily rained.

Once we arrived, and the first years were sorted, and dinner was done with.

Tom had to go to a meeting, seeing as he was Head Boy, which didn't surprise me at all.

I chose to decline being Head Girl, allowing someone else to take to role while I focused on the important matters at hand.

Later that night, while I was laying in my bed, watching the flames from the hearth dance, and cast quick moving shadows onto the ceiling, worried, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

Knowing fully well that the academic year had only just begun, and I wasn't entirely sure what obstacles waited for me to get through.