|Harry Potter| Ride Or Die

Chapter 15: I'm Fine

🌼Holly🌼

I open my eyes as the early morning light hits me and I sit up. I get dressed and pull on my robes, I grab my bag and say a quick goodbye to my ferret. I enter the common room and sit down on one of the couches as breakfast won't be served for another hour or so.

"Uh, hey, Holly." I freeze at the sound of his voice and glance over to see him walking towards me. "Oh, hi, Harry," I say bringing my knees up and hugging them to my chest. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. My ribs are fine. Why?"

"That's not what I meant. I mean that you've seemed sad ever since we got off the train. What's wrong?" I look away from his pretty blue eyes and down at my hands. I wanted to tell him so badly but I just couldn't bring myself to say the words.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. I just realized something while on the train. And it put me in a bad mood."

"Mind telling me what it was?" I sigh and to get him off my back I decide to tell a half truth. "Fine. If you really must know, I've liked this boy for awhile now, and he's...in another house so we don't interact as much as I'd like. And I realized on the train that he'll never like me in the way that I like him. Happy?" I ask getting up as Ron and Hermione come out of their dorms.

We head downstairs with the other Gryffindors and sit down at our table for breakfast, going over our new timetables. A few seats down Fred and George are discussing magical methods of aging themselves and bluffing their way into the Triwizard Tournament. I push the food on my plate around with my fork.

Ron skims his timetable, "Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures...damn it, we're still with the Slytherins."

"Double Divination this afternoon," Harry groans looking down. Harry gets extra annoyed with Professor Trelawney because she keeps predicting his death. "You should have given it up like me, shouldn't you?" Hermione asks briskly, buttering herself some toast. "Then you'd be doing something sensible like Arithmancy."

I smile at Hermione and she sticks her tongue out at me, playfully tousles my hair and I swat her hand away. There's a sudden rustling noise above us, and a hundred owls come soaring through the open windows, carrying the morning mail. I watch Harry looking up expectantly only to not spot Hedwig.

I exhale slowly and decide to shove my feelings down. "No response from Sirius?" I ask him and he shakes his head sadly. The owls circle the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soars down to Neville and deposits a parcel in his lap. Neville almost always forgets to pack something.

On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy's eagle owl lands on his shoulder, carrying what looks like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. Then I see Malfoy glance over and his eyes connect with mine. And for once they didn't suddenly fill with distain and he didn't looked disgusted. In fact if I didn't know any better I'd say he just nodded slightly in greeting.

I look away quickly and see Harry gazing at me with confusion. I duck my head down and tuck a loose strand of dark brown hair behind my ear. "Don't worry, Harry, I'm sure you'll hear from Sirius soon."

I enter the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and instantly miss my uncle. I take my seat beside Hermione, she gives me a raised brow and I shake my head. Normally, I take an chance I can to sit with Harry, but I just choose to be with Hermione today. Harry sits down in his seat and I can feel his eyes on me as Ron sits beside him. I take out my copy of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection.

Distinctive clunking footsteps come down the corridor, and he enters the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. He stumps over to his desk and looking at us.