Goodbyes
Holly sat on her bed with her wand, wrapping the hair around it and slowly brushing small amounts of candle wax over it to hold in place a little more permanently than the sticking charm could. It wasn’t perfect, but it was all she could think of for the time being. She was very near the end of her project when Tracey burst into the room, sobbing.
Holly set aside her tools and went to her friend, steering her to sit on her bed and drawing the curtains closed for privacy just in case anyone else came in. “Hey, Tracey, what’s wrong?” Holly had never really seen Tracey sad before. She was always either happy, or angry for other people’s sakes, or unbothered entirely by the troubles of the world around them.
Tracey curled into a ball, dropping an open letter on the bed between them and crashing sideways. Hesitantly, Holly picked up the letter and read. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all.
“Oh Tracey…” she murmured. “I’m so sorry…”
For a while, Tracey cried and Holly sat with her. Eventually though, she fell off to sleep and Holly was left to wonder what exactly Dragon Pox was and if it had a cure. She got her chance to ask when Tracey refused to eat and Holly went to bring Harry up some dinner later that evening.
“Oh it’s nasty stuff, that. Wiped out a large number of witches and wizards during the war - on both sides…” Madam Pomfry explained when Holly dared to ask. “Heard there was a small out-break in Wales recently… those poor souls.”
Holly felt a little sick hearing that.
“Why are you asking about that, Holls? Is everything okay?” Harry wondered, having finished one chicken leg already. He held another in his hand, but he looked more interested in Holly’s questions than his food.
“It’s… nothing. We can talk about it when you’re out of hospital, I promise. Eat.” She told him, and he did. She knew it was important they ate as much as they could before leaving Hogwarts for the summer.
She did bring Tracey some food too, though she wasn’t at all surprised when it wasn’t even touched. The same was true the next day, but by the final feast, she did manage to drag Tracey up to the Great Hall for dinner.
The next morning, as they packed up the last of their things, Holly asked her who she’d stay with, and Tracey almost started sobbing again as she answered, “my muggle grandparents. They just think I go to a fancy private school in Wales…” she looked lost. Holly really felt for her, but it wasn’t like she could do anything. She had her own hell to go back to.
“I’ll write you every week,” Holly promised, “and we’ll see each other again before you know it!”
Tracey nodded along.
“Keep… Keep me updated?” Holly asked, afraid to make Tracey start crying again, but also, afraid for the first adults to have ever truly shown Holly affection. The couldn’t die too… could they?
“Of course I’ll keep you updated, Holly.” Tracey promised around a sniffle.
The train ride back was subdued. Ron and Hermione seemed to just be sad to see their friends go, but the rest of them were dreading their homecomings for one reason or another. They didn’t even bother with trolly snacks when it came around. They just tried to enjoy the last fleeting moments they had together.
When, eventually, the train did stop, and they were let off, they said their goodbye with hugs and tears and more promises to write to each other. Then, when their friends' parents came to collect them, Holly, Harry, and Tracey passed back through the barrier, said one final goodbye, and went their separate ways.
“It’s only three months,” said Harry, reassuringly.
“Yeah, I know.” Holly agreed.
School would be back in session before they knew it.