Claire made her way onto the Hogwarts Express quickly, looking for a compartment. Oliver had dropped her off at the station, and she was a minute away from being late. She slid the door open to a compartment, revealing Arabella and Asterio. They both greeted her with huge smiles.
"Claire!" Arabella exclaimed, jumping up to pull her into a hug.
"How was your break?" Asterio asked, throwing his arm around Claire as she took a seat next to him. She grinned at him. "It was amazing. Oliver and I spent lots of time together," she said. Asterio grinned right back, knowing how much it meant to her to have her brother talking to her again. He had stepped in as her brother figure, much to his dismay. He loved being there for Claire, but craved attention from her in another way.
"What'd you get for Christmas?" Arabella asked, leaning back in her seat. Asterio launched into an explanation of everything he got, from tickets to see a professional quidditch match to a pair of fuzzy socks. Arabella raised an eyebrow at him. "Alright, now that you've finished your one-hour explanation, let's hear what Claire got," she said sarcastically. Asterio rolled his eyes, but chuckled. Claire let out a loud laugh.
"I got a ring from Harry," she said. Arabella's jaw dropped, her eyes moving to Claire's finger. Asterio shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Arabella grabbed Claire's hand, admiring her ring.
"It's gorgeous!" she exclaimed. Claire nodded, a smile spreading across her face. They were interrupted by a knock at their compartment door. All three of the friends turned their heads towards the door as it slid open slowly, revealing Harry.
"Hey, guys. Erm, Claire, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. Claire nodded, standing up. She slipped out of the compartment, walking alongside Harry.
"Did you like the ring?" he asked. Claire nodded, playing with her finger. "Thank you, Harry. You really didn't have to get me anything," she said. Harry grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"And everything with Oliver went alright?"
Claire nodded again, looking into his green eyes. "I'm happy for you. And I was also wondering if you wanted to erm... go to Hogsmeade with me again?" he asked.
"I'd love to," Claire answered. Harry nodded. "Brilliant. I'll see you later," he said. Claire shot him a smile before making her way back into her compartment.
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If you couldn't tell already, I love when Harry is awkward :)
Thank you so much for 2K read on this book!
Stay cool, Anika<3