Feelings that Won't Settle
TOM WOKE HARRY THE NEXT morning with his usual toothless grin and a cup of tea. Harry thanked him as he left, getting up tiredly. He was in the middle of trying to persuade a disgruntled Hedwig back into her cage when there was a rapt knock on his door. “Come in.”
Will came purposely into the room and Harry raised his brows as Will was not only looking refreshed but was already changed into clothes as he looked at Harry’s still half-asleep state disapprovingly.
“The sooner we get on the train the better, I’m just incredibly excited to start the new classes I signed up for this year,” Will told Harry as Harry pulled on a sweatshirt, yawning. “Besides, the Weasleys seem a bit grumpy. Percy was yelling at the twins about his badge.”
Harry grinned, remembering the twin's tampering's from the night prior before he remembered what else had happened last night. “Oh, that’s right, there’s something I need to tell you and Freya…”
They headed down to breakfast, where Mr. Weasley was reading the front page of the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brow and Mrs. Weasley was telling Freya about a love potion she made as a young girl, Freya looking incredibly amused.
“Ah, we always thought Percy would be subjected to making a love potion,” Fred said as they sat down with plates of toast.
“Yes yes, but turns out that we were wrong,” George said, sounding positively shocked as he sat down next to Fred.
“I don’t see why you’re so surprised,” Percy said stiffly, coming into the room.
“What, you don’t see what’s so surprising about you not needing a love potion to get a girl?” Fred inquired.
“No, I don’t see what’s so surprising about the fact you two were wrong about something. I would have thought looking through your grades you’d be used to not getting the right answer by now.”
Freya snorted into her cup of hot chocolate as Fred and George looked outstandingly shocked. For a moment Percy stood taller, seeming proud to have one up'd his younger brothers when Fred and George suddenly went to him and started clapping him on the back.
“Look at that, he dissed us, George, he really did!”
“Yes, Fred! Being in love really does change a man!”
“The power of love!" They cried out together in mock jubilation, wringing arms as they skipped, circling around a red-faced Percy, "The power of Love!"
“MUM!” Percy complained.
“TWINS.” Mrs. Weasley scolded.
“FREYA!” the twins cried, spinning on their heels and pointing at their sister.
“Dad!” Freya exclaimed, splaying her hands out to her father who was startled from his reading, looking perplexed.
“Family?” Mr. Weasley questioned, confused when he saw everyone staring at him.
“CUSTOMERS OF MINE.”
They all jumped as Tom waved for attention and gestured for them to shush.
All the Weasleys turned sheepish as Freya left the stool beside her mother to go to Will and Harry, her brows raised as she stuffed her hands into her own sweatshirt pocket and gestured to her red-faced parents at the bar.
“Good thing for my mum and dad we’re all going to Hogwarts, eh?”
***
“I need to tell you guys something in private.”
Freya and Will looked at him with raised brows. They had just got onto the Hogwarts express after Mr. Weasley had talked to him seriously about what he and Mrs. Weasley were discussing last night.
“You heard the Incredibly Famous One,” Freya said with a shooting gesture to her older brothers. “Let us be.”
Fred and George stuck out their tongues and left, following Percy who began hissing at them to leave. The remaining three of them with Crookshanks and Scabbers went down the train trying to find an empty compartment, but all seemed to be full except for one at the very end of the train, who was occupied by a sleeping adult.
“Hey, look at the old man’s robes,” said Freya, gesturing towards the sleeping man’s shabby set of robes before picking up the sleeve of her own ratty second hands. “We’re comrades!”
“Do not say it like that,” Will said hastily, his brows furrowing as they took a seat at the far end from where the man was sleeping.
“Yeah,” agreed Harry, “I mean, it sounds sort of sad when you say it like that.”
Freya rolled her eyes, untying her hair to fix the ponytail. Harry was half tempted as she began bunching it back up to tell her that it looked rather pretty when she let her hair fall down her shoulders but was stopped by the sudden wave of embarrassment he felt at the prospect of saying the words out loud. Besides, who was he to tell her how to wear her hair? Plus, she was pretty regardless.
He blinked at the thought, flushing as it occured to him that he thought that his best friend was pretty. And it was because she was, she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Because she was pretty...it was a fact, not an opinion, and even if it was it didn't mean anything...
But doesn't it?
He was sure that by now he was thinking as hard as Will and he didn't know how Will did it if he was, having his head racing a mile a minute.
But it didn't help when your heart was also racing - competing with his thoughts on who could kill Harry faster.
It was all too much so instead, he glanced over at the sleeping man quickly, frowning. “I wonder who he is?”
“Professor R.J. Lupin,” whispered Will at once.
“How d’you know that?” asked Freya surprised.
“It’s on his suitcase.”
At a quick glance, Harry saw that indeed his name was stamped on the battered-looking suitcase. Freya let out a low whistle. “Well, hope the chaps up for the Defense job. Anyway, what did you need to tell us, Harry?”
After he told them about what he had learned about Sirius Black and they had muffled the Sneak-O-Scope that had gone off unexpectedly, Freya and Will began contributing their opinions, seeming to be more alarmed by this Sirius Black business than Harry.
“With all this Sirius Black stuff at least we have Hogsmeade to look forward to, right?” Freya finally said after discussing the high likelihood of Black being caught before he got anywhere close to Harry.
“Yes,” said Will looking more cheerful at the subject change, “The amount of history in that small place is fascinating.”
“Mmm, I was thinking more on the lines of the more exciting things-”
“The foundation of the place is exciting!”
“-Like the sweets shop and the joke shop and of course the Three Broomsticks-”
“The first store built in Hogsmeade wasn’t any of those actually but the-”
“-Oh, I’m just dying to try butterbeer.” Freya continued, looking like she was trying not to laugh as Will looked at her unamused.
Shaking his head, Will turned to Harry with a smile. “It’ll be nice to go around the place, no?”
“Spect it will,” said Harry heavily. “You’ll have to tell me when you find out.”
“What d’you mean?”
“I can’t go. The Dursleys didn’t sign my permission slip.”
“RUB-” Freya stopped mid-shout, glancing a nervous look at Lupin before lowering her voice to a hissing whisper. “Rubbish. Who cares? We’ll just find a way to get you out of the school.”
“Freya,” Will chastised, “As much as I’d like Harry to come, I don’t believe it’s smart for Harry to be sneaking out of the school while Black’s on the loose.”
“Yeah, that’s what I expect McGonagall to say if I ask for permission,” said Harry bitterly.
“But if we’re with you, Black wouldn’t dare-”
“Freya, I highly doubt that Black, who murdered many people on a crowded street, would cease his attack just because you and I are there,” Will said, fumbling with the straps of Crookshanks basket as he spoke.
“Don’t let that thing out!” Freya said, but too late; Crookshanks leaped lightly from the basket, stretched, yawned, and sprang onto Freya’s knees; the lump in Freya’s pocket trembled and she shoved the cat angrily away. “Get out of here, squashed face!”
“Oh, Freya, don’t!” said Will angrily, reaching for his cat.
Freya would have answered back if Professor Lupin hadn’t stirred. They watched cautiously, but he simply turned his head the other way and slept on.
The Hogwarts express continued steadily on as Will and Freya managed to be able to settle the matter peacefully as she kept her hand protectively over her pocket and Will held Crookshanks beside him, though Freya still managed to exchange glares with the cat throughout the ride, much to Harry’s amusement.
They were having a fine time conversing as Freya showed them pictures of the three of them that Colina-a new penpal of Freya’s, Harry was surprised to find out-had sent her and they laughed about the prospect of this ‘Mirabella’ character with Percy, both Harry and Will shutting down Freya’s idea of finding Percy too see if they were together. They enjoyed the sweets that they bought at one when the trolley lady came over, Harry buying an extra pumpkin pastry unless their less talkative companion on the ride was hungry when he woke up. Though silent, Lupin proved to have his uses when they heard footsteps in the corridors again and their three least favorite people appeared at the door; Draco Malfoy flanked by his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.
To Harry’s surprise, Malfoy had also changed from the second year he was last year. He had grown taller just as Will and he himself had and his face much more angular, his hair no longer in the slicked back look that he had but was cut into a messy bowl cut hairstyle. It irritated Harry that to others with less biased attitudes, they could say Draco Malfoy looked good.
“Well, if it isn’t Famous Potter, Miss Hissy Fit-" Hissy fit? Harry thought confused, “-and the muggleborn know it all.”
Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly as the three glared, less amused.
“I heard, Weasley- '' Malfoy blinked looking at Freya completely for the first time as he stiffened then recoiled as if he saw something he didn’t like, shaking his head, before continuing. “Wow Weasel, look at you. Not only did you get gold this summer, but you look close to passable this year. What, did they spend the remaining amount of charity money that you all got on plastic surgery? Did they come to the conclusion that their only daughter would have to marry rich in order to get by?”
“Ha, very funny, Malfoy. I noticed that you’ve changed too-you’re mummy not doing your hair anymore? Good call.” Malfoy frowned as Freya gave an overly bright smile, “You may have fixed yourself up a bit this year Malfoy, but to us, you’ll always be an ugly-faced git.”
“Hmm, and here I thought you fancied ugly-faced gits. I mean, speaking you hang around these two-”
Freya stood up so quickly she knocked over Crookshanks basket, her eyes blazing, but before she or Harry who was reaching for his wand could do anything, Lupin gave a great snort.
“New teacher,” said Harry as he stood up, in case he’d have to hold Freya back as he stared at Malfoy coldly. “So, you were saying, Malfoy?”
Malfoy wasn’t dumb enough to stay to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose. Shooting a disgusted look at Harry, he turned beckoning Crabbe and Goyle to follow as they stalked off.
“Honestly,” Will said as Freya sat down angrily and they stared at where Malfoy and they had left. “They have got to be the worst things to ever be in this train.”
Harry wholeheartedly agreed.
But that was before the Dementor came.
***
Percy Weasley was polishing over his new head boy badge, trying to calm himself after the unsettling arrival of the Dementor, when there was a knock on the door and a familiar face appeared, her dark hair flowing down her shoulder.
“There you are, I was going to look for you later but then the Dementor came, and I realized you’d be alone,” said Mirabella bluntly as the back of Percy’s neck heated up at the uncalled-for statement. “Oh, is that your head boy badge?”
Percy swelled with pride that she noticed and also winced inwardly in embarrassment as he realized that another reason that he’d taken his head boy badge out is that, yes, he knew she would most likely come, and, yes, he was hoping she noticed.
But it’s no different than showing it off to anybody else, Percy told himself hastily, I mean, I’m prideful whenever anyone notices my achieve-
“Percy?”
“Yes, yes this is my Headboy badge,” he replied quickly, realizing that he hadn’t responded yet as he remembered something and frowned at her. “By the way, thank you so much for sending me that letter. Fred, George, and Freya had a field day about it, driving me up the wall asking questions about you.”
“Did they bother you about me all day then?”
“All summer.”
“Oh,” Mirabella looked extremely pleased, “So that means I was on your mind all summer?”
He gaped at her, knowing for sure his whole face was reddening by this point as she grinned.
“They were all bad thoughts!”
“Ooo, very bad thoughts?”
“You’re repulsive!” Percy sputtered as Mirabella erupted into a fit of laughter, wiping her eyes. “You’re weird!”
“Freya says that I seem quite brilliant,” at his surprised look, Mirabella nodded, “Yes, I am corresponding with your sister. And, yes, I am corrupting her. If that's what you want to ask next.”
“I wasn’t going to ask that! I wasn't going to ask you anything at all!” Percy said hastily, looking down at his badge. “I was going to ignore you until you left!”
“Like you do with everyone else?”
“Yes!”
“Oh, well I’m not like everyone else.” Mirabella smiled as she tilted her head at him, “When are you going to learn that, Percy?”
He opened his mouth to say something, he didn’t know what, but he hoped it would be witty and brilliant sounding, but suddenly her wristwatch beeped, and she looked at it, frowning.
“Ah, we’re almost there so I’ve gotta go. My friends are waiting for me, you see.” she looked up at him and raised her brows hopefully, “Do you want to join me?”
“No.”
Mirabella sighed. “Stubborn. But I like that about you, Percy Weasley.” she laughed as he turned scarlet all over again, tipping an imaginary hat his way. “See you at Hogwarts.”
She closed the door and Percy stared at it, his lips pressed together.
She really did… Percy thought as he sat back in his seat warily, looking out his window, come to visit.