𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑

the one with the weasley sweater

"the basis of optimism is sheer terror."

•

DINNER WAS AWKWARD. And that was the understatement of the century. Draco was dressed in the same outfit, and Harry was still singing under his breath to annoy him across the table. I was next to Ron who pretended he couldn't hear Draco's angry scraping against the plate with his knife, or Harry's horrible singing. Hermione looked helplessly between me and Sirius, and Sirius seemed to enjoy it too much.

"Sirius," I asked loudly. "Isn't Moony coming tonight?"

"No, Merlin," he chuckled. "Not tonight."

"Why?" Hermione asked curiously. I met Harry's eyes across the table and smirked lightly. Draco raised his eyebrows turning towards Hermione.

"I forgot about Granger," he muttered, gracefully after swallowing his food, unlike Harry, who laughed with a mouthful of food.

"Sirius is initiating us to the adult life today, 'Mione," Harry said. Ron turned towards me, confusion in his bright blue eyes.

"He got mead and firewhiskey," I said. "We're drinking today."

"Skylar!" Hermione gasped.

"Aren't you going to?" I asked. I never truly believed Hermione was a prude.

"Of course I'm going to, but," she sighed. "I needed a little more time to prepare."

"Well," Sirius laughed. "You have a few hours. You don't want to drink on a full stomach."

"Why are we drinking?" Ron asked. "Suddenly? In the middle of all this?"

"That's exactly why we're drinking, Weasley," Draco said. "Because it's the middle of all this."

"A distraction," Harry said. "It's only a matter of days till I turn seventeen and we set out for the last Horcrux."

Silence set on the table for just a split second and then Hermione told me, "I read your journal."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you scared?"

"Terrified," she sighed. "But I also believe most of it won't happen. For instance-"

"Not now, Hermione," I paused her. "Today, we don't talk about all that."

"To the last few days of freedom," Sirius said standing up.

We all held up an imaginary toast.

-

"If you had a drink," Draco said pouring mead into glasses, with accurately measured sparkling water and liquor, skillfully, "for every bad decision you made, how drunk would you be?"

He handed the glasses of fowl-smelling Irish blend to all off us, and held one himself, against the light, observing the brown liquid.

"I'd be a little tipsy," Hermione said, making a face at the smell. "Sober enough to drive back home."

"Drunk," Ron said. "Severely drunk but probably in my senses."