Choice's Curse {d.m.}

Return

But not the worst I've ever looked, so I decided it was not the end of the world.

Mostly, I was angry because my father's drunken rage had left a visible mark, which meant an endless barrage of questions from friends and teachers alike. And...

I groaned. Malfoy . I just knew he would give me shit for it; yes, even though I had saved him from his father, he would still torment me about mine. I was certain about that. That was the only thing that set my nerves alight as I thought about returning today, otherwise I could hardly wait for the smell of the pine trees lining the Great Hall and the drafty breeze that floated through the stone castle and the food . My mouth was practically watering just at the thought. I never ate well at home, and most of that was really my fault; I had never bothered to learn to cook, surviving off of microwave meals and snacks instead.

Decided that the bruise was what it was and that there was no use in fussing about something unchangeable, I exited the bathroom and changed into a heavy dark blue sweater and worn black pants with a black scarf wrapped around my neck to keep some of the chilly January air from gnawing at my skin. My hair was far too unruly to gather it into anything but a low messy bun, so I made do, bits of hair slipping out to brush my face as I tried futilely to get them to stay back. Giving up, I gathered my things, the small amount of what was now my only possessions aside from my things at Hogwarts making my heart prick with sadness, but I could always get new things. Things that were part of whatever new life I was going to scrounge up for myself.

The motel hallway was empty thankfully, and the red-eyed clerk merely grunted as I placed my metal key on the counter and made my way out the doors into the freezing morning air. Thanking myself for grabbing enough money for a taxi, I found one and told the driver to go to King's Cross before resting my head against the chilled window and letting out a small sigh. The cab driver had barely spared me a second glance, and I was sure I was not the worst-looking individual he'd ever picked up from this establishment, which shouldn't have been comforting but oddly was.

Dirty, slushy snow covered the roads and sprayed onto the sidewalk as I rode in the taxi, the winter now fully in swing. I was sad that I had missed Christmas this year, but there were always other times to celebrate with my friends, even as the lack of warm holiday food and the excitement of presents made me feel rather down. I was grateful that the driver didn't seem to be one for conversation, as I was in no mood to answer any prying questions, quite content to stare out of the hazy window for the remainder of the journey.

Once the cab arrived at the station, I hauled my things out of the car, paid the driver who barely acknowledged me, and trudged into King's Cross, hunching my shoulders to fight off some of the icy wind that was swirling through the misty morning air. The station was rather empty, which was a relief; it made ducking through the brick wall much easier due to the absence of prying eyes. Shining in all her burgundy and black glory, the Hogwarts Express sat still on the tracks, the slow bustle of its operators the only movement besides one or two other students milling about that had arrived even earlier than I had.

I plopped down on a bench lining one of the brick columns, gladly shoving off my rather heavy packs and sighing. The clock that was attached to the column to my left read that I still had another two or so hours before the train was set to depart, so I decided to pull out a book to read while waiting, hoping that the time passed fast.

As the minutes went on, more and more students entered through the wall, some chattering excitedly, some sitting silently, like me. There weren't many people, as I expected, because classes didn't resume until Monday, and many of Hogwart's occupants wanted to spend as much time as possible at home with their families. I suspected that many of the people here though, like myself, wanted the exact opposite. I said hello to a few students I knew, though none were really more than acquaintances, and finally, the call came to begin loading onto the train to return to school. Picking up my bags, I made my way onto the train along with the rest of the crowd, selecting an empty compartment to sit in, hoping to catch up on some sleep that evaded my grasp last night.