Fragile

Chapter 9

The wind howls around me as I make my way over to an abandoned pub, the Hog's Head, near Hogsmeade. It was only a week ago that I left Sage and the other three, but it has felt like an eternity. Nearly every night I starve and can't go get food because my face is all over the Daily Prophet. I feel lonely again, and it hasn't been until my absence that I have realized how much they all meant to me. I also have been deep in my thoughts, wondering in every second of the day if I do have feelings for Sage. I step into the Hog's head and see mice scamper across the wooden floor boards. The wind sweeps in the soft snow and sticks to the dust floor. I fix my bag over my shoulder, and stare into space; still lost in thought.

When I take another step forward the door shuts behind me. The small, ripped armchair in the corner by a window indicates the amount of time people haven't stepped foot by this place, so I go over to it and drop my bag down next to it. I sink down into the gray chair, and lay my head on the cool window. The wind outside creates a flurry of white snow, so I can barely see the other shops across the street. The snow dancing in the air reminds me of how my mom used to make the snow float around in front of me with her wand. Remembering this makes me homesick and I feel the need to vomit. I clench my stomach and curl up in a ball, shutting my eyes tightly to keep any tears from escaping. Do I dare go home? No I can't, but maybe I should at least go back to the tent. I have to...

Still clenching my stomach, I get up and seem to have found a new feeling; a feeling of determination to go back. I quickly pick up my bag and open the door back up. The wind whips around even harder, trying to make it even more difficult to get back to my friends. I walk until I get to London, hoping to get somewhere closer to them, and to get Sage the dress she had loved so much. The bells ring when I walk into the dress store. A feeling of warmth overwhelms me, and the smell of gingerbread and pine needles hits my nose. There is garland, bows, and lights strung in every corner and direction. It feels very welcoming, and Christmas surrounds me.

"Hello! What are you looking for today?" A cheery witch walks in from the right side of the store where the dressing rooms are hidden beneath all of the Christmas decor. She has blond hair that is in a ponytail with a scarlet ribbon tied around it. Her smile seems to lighten up the room even more, aa she stands there with her hands behind her back waiting for my answer.

"Oh...er...hello. I would like to buy a dress for a friend," I turn around to see if the black dress is still there. It sits on it's stand unmoving as I try to imagine how Sage and I looked through the glass on the outside all of those weeks ago. "Yes, that black one right there," I point my finger to it and look back at her to see if she understands. She nods her head and goes over to the stand and takes off the dress with care. It streams down to the floor with grace when she lifts it off.

"And do you know what size your friend will need?"

"Er...I suppose she's about the same size as you," I shrug.

"Okay, so this should fit well," she walks towards the back of the store to the counter that sits in the back. When she lays the dress down on the counter, she seems to lift a cloth cover up, and puts it over the dress. Then, she knots the bottom. I pay for the dress and walk out of the warmth of the store. I take the dress with me to an empty alleyway, and disapparate to where Sage might still be. The sun is already gone and replaced by the moon, when I see the same pond me and Hermione had sat by just a week before, but now iced over. Then, when I look closer I see someone under the water. It's Harry, but why?

"Potter?!" My voice cracks a bit as I scream nervously. What am I supposed to do? I do the first thing that comes to mind; I drop the dress, and see an arm struggling to come out of the water. Harry's arm grips the ice, but then slips. I catch his arm just in time to wrestle him out of the freezing pond water. The water splashes out everywhere when Harry finally returns onto the top of the ice; his limp body holding a sword while shivering.