8 November 2012
'What's wrong?' James muttered in my ear. We were sat in the Gryffindor common room listening (or, in my case, not) to our friends talk about anything and everything. I was kinda shell shocked about the Imperius and I was trying to comfort myself by snuggling up to James as much as was suitable for public consumption. 'It's the war,' not technically a lie, 'I think- well- is it changing us? I feel so old and... Not innocent.' I mumbled into his shoulder. I didn't think I could lie to James so I told him how I felt without telling him the exact reason. If that made sense. 'I know.' I could tell that he wanted desperately to contradict me but he couldn't. I looked up at my friends and saw Alice staring at us glumly. She didn't seem like she was seeing us but I knew what she was thinking of. I immediately disentangled myself from James and sat more casually next to him; Alice must have found it excruciating not knowing if Frank was safe all the time. I woke up feeling uncharacteristically sad. The reason became apparent when Melissa jumped on my bed and screamed 'Happy Christmas.' 'Melissa? How did you even get in here?' 'James told Sirius the password an he told me.' she said casually. Figures. I know it seems weird to be sad at Christmas but up until this year I'd always spent it with my family. 'Anyway, here's your present. Where's mine?' I had to laugh at my friend's antics. Sometimes a girl needed to let her hair down right? We tripped down to the Gryffindor common room, laughing at trivial things as we did, where the boys had already unwrapped all their presents and left out all the paper, making it look like a rogue niffler had found its way in. Before we realised what was happening, Sirius had jumped on us and dragged us over to the centre of destruction. I opened James' present first and was amazed. It was a single lily but he must have magically enhanced it because it seemed to glow slightly and one whiff was enough to send my spirit soaring. 'It's enchanted so that if you're feeling down then you can sniff it and you'll feel better.' I really didn't need that lily to make me feel better. You know when you get those ohmygodiheartmyfriendssomuchtheymakemelolandilovethem feelings? That was me right then. My heart felt like it was going to swell right out of my chest. And then I opened Sirius's present.
Sorry it's so short but I just love that little cliffhanger.
23. Thefanficthefanficyesitisafanfic • Opuss № I