𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 - 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿

iii.

It was safe to say that Zara hadn't slept her first night back at Hogwarts.

When they finished the feast, disgusted by the figure of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, what she wanted most was to return to her room and rest. However, McGonagall was waiting for her in the Common Room, a folded parchment in her hands and a soft gaze as she settled on the young Markey. It turned out that her belongings had been moved to another room, to girls in her fifth grade, instead of returning to the usual room with Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet. She frowned for a moment, but she didn't want her new roommates to be offended either, so her face changed.

A smile crossed her face when she saw that her new roommates were already waiting for her in her room, ready to help her with her luggage. They introduced themselves as Lavender Brown, a girl with a somewhat high-pitched voice but a gentle smile, and Parvati Patil, whom she knew because her twin, Padma, was friends with Cho. They offered her the bed closest to the window —Zara thought it was because they felt sorry for her, but she wasn't going to turn down that opportunity either, so she dropped onto her.

"Well, ladies, thanks for the warm welcome. Don't hesitate to hit me up if you need gossip of any kind —I mean any kind."

She took a magazine out of her suitcase, leaned back on the pillow, and cleared her throat, crossing her feet. "What are you reading?" Lavender asked raising her head, curious to know who the boy on the cover of the book was.

"It's a muggle magazine. There's a new movie coming up soon and Brad Pitt is starring in it."

"Who's Brad Pitt?" Parvati asked this time.

Zara's eyes almost popped out of their sockets and she quickly sat up on the bed, which slightly startled the two Gryffindors. "You don't know who's Brad Pitt? I can't believe this. Us purebloods can be very ignorant sometimes. Here, read it," Zara tossed the paper in the girls' direction, then signaled with her head the last empty bed. "Who sleeps there?"

Before the two girls could respond, the door swung open, revealing a harassed Hermione Granger, who was visibly surprised to see Zara lying on the free bed. "Zara? What are you doing here?"

"You don't seem very happy to see me." Zara taunted.

Hermione opened her mouth. "Oh no, I don't care about—"

Zara feigned offense, looking at the other girls, who repressed laughter. "Now she doesn't care!" Hermione became flustered, not used to Zara's personality, but she laughed. "I'm kidding, Hermione. I'm your new roommate. McGonagall thought it was the most appropiate thing since I won't be graduating with the rest of students my age. I was just telling the girls the can call for me if they need anything, and most importantly, introducing Brad Pitt to them. Because you know who that is, right?"

The second, third and fourth days passed slowly for Zara. The quality of her sleep hadn't improved much compared to the first day, but at least she managed to close her eyes, which was already progress. She would wake up late at night, trying not to make too much noise so as not to wake her companions, and would sit on the windowsill, watching the Quidditch pitch from the window. Only the moonlight illuminated the grass, the hoops and the bleachers.

It was amazing how much anything could conjure up a memory of Cedric. She remembered a thousand times the first time she played a game, which coincidentally was against Hufflepuff, with Cedric as seeker and captain. She was only a child, but felt as if the warmth had passed through her body yesterday when the Hufflepuff gave her a proud smile, raising his arm, congratulating her, when the game ended and Harry had caught the snitch. Zara knew they hadn't won because of her, but for Cedric to take his own failure as a victory still shook her heart in the best of ways.