Friendships are Like Plants, They Flourish with Care
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said what I did and I shouldn’t be tormenting you, Harry, but you rejected my offer of friendship before the start of term, and with people always around I can’t act any other way without my father hearing about it and punishing me through my mother.” Draco gasped out in one breath and I watch as my friends relax a bit at his words.
“As long as you don’t mean it and never bring Eva into it again,” Harry finally said and I noticed Pansy slouching a bit at his answer.
“He has the same views I do, our parents are wrong about muggles.” Pansy offered.
“Does he know about-” Hermione trailed off, not wanting to say it in front of the people who didn’t know.
“Her muggle-born soulmate? Yeah, I know. Just like she knows about my muggle-born soulmate,” Draco offered her a small smile at her incredulous look before sweeping his gaze across our group.
“I won’t be able to be friends with you. Maybe Cedric, but never so many Gryffindors.” Draco looked defeated and I feel bad for the boy Dora talked highly of.
“You can as long as no one finds out,” I shrug. The attention was now on me and I start to think of a solution to our problem.
“Like what we are doing,” Pansy points between Hermione and herself. I nod and grab a notebook from my bag much to the curiosity of the two Slytherins and Harry
“We can set up a schedule for times when we can meet without people being suspicious. We can work on your homework and other things that need to be done,” I start scribbling away, making a table from what I remember everyone’s schedules being.
“We should meet twice a week,” Neville put in and I stop and look up at him, taking note of the faint bush on his face, “Once to do homework and the other to just spend time together and relax.”
“I second that idea,” Pansy was quick to agree as she gives Hermione a look, “We all need a break from homework every once in a while.”
“Sorry Mione, but I agree with them,” Harry sheepishly rubs the back of his neck at Hermione’s imploring expression.
“Fine!” Hermione slumps in her seat when everyone else agrees and I just watch the exchange with a fond smile, glad everyone was getting along.
“What about Ron?” Harry questioned and the two Slytherins tense at the mention of his name.
“Ronikins will tell Mum who will then confront Lord Malfoy. He can’t know,” Fred shakes his head and the other redheads agree with him.
“His mother hates my father with all her might and he has taken her views on the matter. That hate extends down to me,” Draco hesitantly puts in.
“But that isn’t fair,” Harry protested, “He should make his own opinion about you. Maybe if he got to know you he would change his mind.”
“We shouldn’t risk it,” Pansy shook her head, “Draco would be put in danger and I would rather my best friend stay alive.”
Harry looked a bit sad at that but he nodded in agreement with them. Pansy clears a space next to her for the blond and he joins us, pulling out his transfiguration assignment to work on with Harry and Cedric. I glance at my watch after we finish and hurriedly shove everything into my bag much to everyone’s surprise.
“I’m gonna be late to meet Mamaidh, I will see you guys later!” I quickly bid them goodbye and rush off, Madame Pince shaking her head as I wave to her. I make it just in time to walk into the teacher’s lounge with Minnie.
“How has our little lion been? Making friends with the first-years?” Professor Sprout asked as she gave me a big hug.
“It's been great! We have gained more Gryffindors and a couple of Slytherins in the group.” I gush to the gathered teachers.
“That’s great, those snakes need people from other houses on their side,” Professor Sinistra runs her hand over my hair with a smile.
“Do you want to continue with your quidditch training this year?” Madame Hooch asked and I was quick to nod.
“You spoil the girl too much,” Snape drawled as he entered the room, tussling my hair as he passed.
“Oh sure, we spoil her too much. Says the man giving her potions lessons every once in a while.” Flitwick rolls his eyes at the potions master as he hands me a few papers to go over. I wiggle a bit to get more comfortable in my seat as I start reading through the stack of parchment.
“As if you all aren't as bad as Uncle Sev. Isn't that what Aunts and Uncles are supposed to do? Spoil their niece?” I throw at them without thinking. At their silence, I look up to see them all giving me fond looks.
“If you come down early tomorrow, you can help me set up the new plants we got in,” Sprout mentions, wiping tears from her eyes, and I spend the rest of the evening with a big grin on my face.
Pansy, Draco, and Harry all assimilate into our group with no problem, though the Gryffindor still makes time to hang out with Ron. I was slightly surprised at how familiar Harry already was with Hermione, I don’t remember them interacting very often. They had met before, and I was determined to get an answer during one of our meet-ups.
“How do you know Harry?” I bounce into the space between Pansy and Hermione, surprising the bookworm.
“Where did you come from?” She clutched her chest as Pansy snickered on my other side.
“The bookshelves, I have gained their trust and am now one of them,” I stare her dead in the eye as the Slytherin tries to muffle her laughter.
“Good to know,” Hermione finally gets over her shock, “What was your question?”
“Did you meet Harry before our first get-together?” I repeatedly poke her arm as I wait for her answer.
“We meet at the train station. He didn’t know where to go, so Professor McGonagall and I helped him through the barrier.” Hermione shrugged.
“They let the Boy-Who-Lived, someone who grew up in the muggle world, with no instructions on how to get into a magically hidden train platform?” Pansy and I stared at her in disbelief.
“I don’t get it either, Harry had said that Hagrid had just told him to follow his ticket before leaving him there,” Hermione recalls.
“That makes a bit more sense,” I settle in further between the two witches, “Hagrid has so many things going on at once that he can forget some things.”
“You told them about the platform?” Harry says as he places his things on the table.
“What happened at the platform?” Draco came in a second later, having heard Harry.
“We were wondering about that as well,” Percy mentioned as he appeared, Neville looking confused behind him.
“Who is we,”
“And what were they wondering?” Fred and George pop up out of nowhere, scaring all the first-years except Pansy. Neville clutched his chest, Hermione jumped a bit, Harry flinched, and Draco drew his wand.
“They’re trying to kill me,” Neville said through a shaky breath.
“You get used to it,” I reach across Pansy to pat his shoulder.
“We need a bigger table,” Cedric comments as he was the last to join us. Percy mutters a spell and the table stretches to comfortably seat all of us.
“What were you saying, Perc?” Cedric sat down and started organizing his things.
“Dumbledore had told Mum to watch out for Harry on the platform. Said we were to help him get through,” Percy explained, and the twins both hum.
“We remember that,”
“Bloody weird it was,”
“Why not just have a professor help him?” They finished together.
“But we never helped Harry, Ron met him on the train.” Percy finished as he looked over to the bespectacled boy.
“Professor McGonagall and Hermione found me,” Harry shrugged as Hermione nodded.
“He looked so lost I pointed him out to her. She looked so startled when she saw you,” Hermione directed the last part to the boy.
“I think we all were,” Cedric placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder, a fragile smile at his confusion.
“Why?” I avoided Harry’s gaze as he looked around the table.
“You’re the boy who defeated You Know Who, one would think Dumbledore would put you in a home that took care of you,” George gave him a look when Harry went to protest.
“Don’t deny it, we know what it looks like.” The light in Fred’s eyes dim, an expression I had only seen on him once before. I feel my muscles stiffen in anticipation as Hermione’s breath hitches.
“What happened in the two years before you met McGonagall?” Hermione’s gaze bore into the side of my head.
“Nothing,” I deny.
“Eva,” Percy leaned forward on the table and I advert my eyes, “Do you want me to tell them?” I shake my head, needing it to come from me. I tell them about my experience with foster care, not able to muster any emotion into my voice as I listen to their reactions.
“I still can’t believe it,” Neville muttered once I had finished.
“Draco, we have some business that needs attending.” Pansy growls, the two Slytherins pushing their chairs back and standing. Harry and Hermione each latch onto their arms to keep them in place.
“We cannot kill people, as much as they deserve it,” Hermione said as their voice of reason no matter the murderous look on her face.
“Sadly, we are not able to use magic on muggles,” Fred sighs.
“But, we are planning gifts for each of the families!” George had a dangerous grin on his face.
“Still working out some of the kinks,” Cedric’s smile matched George’s and the others were starting to smile as well, throwing out ideas of things they could do. Hermione offers her hand and I hesitate to take it, drawing comfort from her.
“Are you doing okay? Professor McGonagall treats you right?” Pansy leaned a bit closer, lowering her voice so she didn’t disturb the others from their scheming.
“Mamaidh is the best Mum I could ask for,” I reassure her. She nods, and I grab her hand, squeezing it as I lean against Hermione’s shoulder. Our study session had turned into brainstorming different ways to get revenge on my terrible foster families. No matter how often I get reminded, I will never stop being surprised by having people who love me.
I was shocked out of my thoughts with a pang in my chest. I bet it’s Flower. I didn’t want to pull up my sleeve to see who it was with so many people here. I didn’t know how the first years of our group would react to my three soulmates. Hermione’s hand tightens around mine and I glance at her to see her face scrunched up in pain.
“You okay Mia?” I whisper, not wanting to bring their attention to her.
“Fine, I just have a headache.” The Gryffindor gives me a reassuring smile.
“If you have a headache put the book away. Reading the fine print isn’t going to help,” I give the book a pointed look. I feel her shoulders quickly go up and down as she sighs but she closes the book anyway. I turn so my legs were resting in Pansy’s lap, ignoring the raised brow I get, and close my eyes as I get comfortable. I doze on and off as I listen to the voices of my friends, their conversation providing white noise that allows me to shut my mind off.
Throughout the next two months, our group got together as often as we could. The schedule that I had made fell apart quickly, and people met up in the library whenever they could. We still met as a whole group twice a week, but there was usually a smaller group of people in the library at random points during the day.
Neville had taken to Herbology, something that I was ecstatic about. We would get lost in his textbook for hours at a time, someone having to drag us out of the library. I would partake in the quidditch talk as Hermione scrunched her nose whenever the sport was brought up. Pansy would just smile at the muggle-born and remind her that no one had died during a game in decades and that magic was able to heal injuries almost immediately. Not only did the group get closer as the days went on, but I also got closer to my new friends individually as well. I would take to rotating who I would sit with during their classes, ignoring the first-year Slytherin gazes that burned into the side of my head. But with nothing against the boys, my favorite time was when Hermione and Pansy were able to hang out just us girls.
There was something about hanging out with Hermione when we were younger that soothed me in a way no one else could, and it turns out that Pansy had the same effect. We could sit in silence as we each worked on something different or we could be having an engaging conversation about the most random of things. My mind would try to overanalyze why this could be but I shoved these thoughts as far back as I could, not wanting to overthink and ruin whatever was going on.
Who knew how long it would be before something happened? There had to be a reason that Fluffy was in the castle instead of the forest. If Hermione was right about the trap door, and she almost always is, then he was guarding something important. I had no idea why that something was at Hogwarts, but it shouldn’t matter as long as no one was in danger.