101 Ways to ditch the Date | SIRIUS BLACK

No. 57

It was an odd mix of people that stood on the platform with Ora as they waited for the Hogwarts Express. Not everyone was coming home for a start, such as Emmeline who claimed knuckling down over Easter was essential and couldn't be done at home but Sirius had assured her he was staying at James and yet he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Ora found herself waiting with Dexter, Mary and Lily which was a mixture she had never considered.

Even though she hadn't said anything, Ora couldn't help but feel slightly sad about the fact that her best friend wasn't coming home over the holidays, mainly because she loved going down to Brighton to see her. Since ending her friendship with Marlene, Emmeline had seemed somehow better and worse, not quite like she had been before but happy at least. Perhaps staying at school might be good for Emmeline although Ora did worry that she might get lonely at Hogwarts by herself for so long.

Still, there was nothing that could be done now and Ora turned her attention to the people she would be spending the six-hour journey to London with. Lily and Mary were arguing about something so she chose to go to her fellow Law student, Dexter.

"Dexter, will you get in trouble for sitting with two Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw?"

With a start, Dexter's eye widened as if he'd been in another galaxy entirely before replying, "Shouldn't think so, nobody dares mess with a Warrington."

"What would you do to them? Use complex law lingo to confuse them?" She laughed.

"It's not what I would do, it's what my family can do," Dexter replied before sighing, "Which is probably also nothing because I feel terrible if I snitch on people unless they really deserve it."

"What counts a really deserving it?"

"When I find out, I'll tell you."

The two began to move as the train arrived, dragging their trunks behind them to the edge of the platform. Even though the train took hardly any time to come in, Dexter seemed to be impatient and sat down on his trunk next, his chin resting on his hand, making Ora feel like the pair of them belonged on the cover of an artistic record. 

When they got on, Ora had intended for the four of them to sit together so was a little dismayed when Lily and Mary, caught up in conversation, began to walk sharply down the corridor in the opposite direction.

"Hey, are you leaving?!" She called after them only to be coldly blanked, her lips curving down in displeasure.

For a few moments, she stood there, before Dexter gently rested his hand on her shoulder, guiding her towards the luggage rack, "I'm sure they'll come back, Ora, they probably just got distracted. Let's go find a carriage before they all fill up."

"Are you sure you won't get into trouble for sitting with me?" She asked nervously, "It's just in Fourth Year, apparently this girl in Hufflepuff sat with some Slytherin boy and then later that night, they beat him up."

Even though they were walking, Dexter glanced over his shoulder just to raise his eyebrow, "Ora, that's not true, simply a Hogwarts myth ... they only chided him a little. I could go sit with other Slytherins, I have friends in my house of which I am very fond of but Ora, I don't like any of them half as much as I like you," He stopped outside a compartment, opening it up for them, "Perhaps don't tell them I said that, I could end up in a little bit of an unfortunate situation for saying it."

The two sat down in their carriage, both of them instantly taking up a whole bench, stretching their equally long legs up so they rested against the wall. Ora carefully chose to sit with her face towards the glass window just in case her strangely missing boyfriend wandered past. Part of her wanted to go looking but Dexter had given her the privilege of his company and it would be rude to leave.