Chapter eight
The next morning, I had the hangover of the century. I guess no one thought to put Hangover Draught in the drinks, because my head was pounding once I finally woke up. It was enough to make me want to murder anyone who dared look in my direction. Thankfully, both my parents let me sleep in.
By the time I wandered downstairs to attempt breakfast, and quench my achingly dry mouth, they were both in the living room minding their own business.
As I took the smallest bites possible of my toast, I tried to remember what all happened the previous night. Some details were as clear as day. Being inside Big Ben, a sickly pink drink that made me gag at the memory, Ginny Weasley hovering in midair doing death-defying stunts, among other random details. But it seemed like the more important details were hazier. How I got home being one of them.
Maybe a shower will clear my head. I abandoned the uneaten toast and headed back towards the stairs. I took one step onto the stairs when my mother’s voice called out.
“Heather? Come tell us about last night,” she said from the living room.
I took a deep breath and turned back around.
“Good morning, sleepy head!” My father said cheerily as I walked into the living room.
My head pounded.
“Morning,” I mumbled.
“How was it last night? Did you have fun?” My mother asked innocently. She really had no clue.
“Oh, yeah, it was fun. I got to see all the interns. It was great.”
“You get home okay?”
“Yeah. I just took the floo,” I said, which I believed to be true.
“I’m glad you had fun,” dad said with a smile. “You deserve it.”
I swallowed back bile as it rose in my throat.
“What’s your plan for today?” Mom asked. She didn’t have her usual judgmental tone. It sounded like a normal question with no hidden motives or agendas
“Uh, probably just relax. I might go to the library.” I had no intention of going to the library. But if I told them I planned on lying in bed all day staring at the ceiling, they might get suspicious.
After a few more grueling minutes of forced interaction, I trudged back upstairs to finally shower.
I noticed grime underneath my fingernails, which could either be from the tunnel into Big Ben or Floo powder. A small bruise on my wrist caught my eye. That was different.
Matt. And Malfoy.
The memory came back in bits and pieces. Oh, Merlin, I thought with an ache.
At some point, Malfoy had rescued me from Matt’s grabby hands. I remember being embarrassed, and probably overreacting. I couldn’t remember being around Matt for the rest of the night. But I remembered Malfoy, and Big Ben, and the sound of the clock striking midnight. ‘
I couldn’t think about this for too much longer or else I would get sick. I quickly finished my shower and got dressed.
To my surprise, there was something waiting for me at my window as I entered my room. An enormous owl with tawny feathers, bright orange eyes, and the sharpest talons I have ever seen was perched on my windowsill glaring at me.
My first instinct was to run and hide, until I saw something clutched in its frightening talons. A brown package with a piece of parchment attached.
“H-hello, there,” I said as I tentatively opened the window.
The owl hopped inside my room, dropped my package on my floor, then landed on my desk. The orange eyes followed me as I slowly bent down to grab the parcel.
The note had a familiar crest on the front. I slid my finger underneath the seal and opened the letter.
Winters—
You may want to keep better track of your belongings. You’re lucky I don’t forget things easily.
- DM
My mouth dropped open. I looked up at the bird, who was still watching me closet. So, this terrifying creature is Malfoy’s owl, then.
My belongings? I tore open the parcel and found my jean jacket within. Of course, I didn’t even realize I came home without it. I must have forgotten it somewhere at some point in the night. Is that what he meant when he said he doesn't forget things easily?
I brought the jacket to my face slowly and breathed in the denim. It still smelled like my usual perfume, but there was another scent mixed in, something like sandalwood. A scent I couldn't forget, even if I tried.
I caught the eyes of the owl and quickly set the jacket down.
“Well, thank you, creepy owl. I don’t think I’ll be sending a response. Unless you think I should?”
The owl continued to stare at me.
“I don’t think this warrants a response…right?”
The owl tilted its head 90 degrees.
“Yeah, I’m not going to write back. It’s fine. You can go on your way then.” I moved towards the window hoping the owl would follow. He continued to watch me, his head turning to the side at an angle that made me uncomfortable.
“I’m not giving you anything, you can go!”
Not a single feather moved.
Why did Malfoy’s owl have to be just as stubborn as him?
“Fine, just, wait here.” I moved past the owl and went downstairs to the kitchen.
“Mom, where do we keep the owl treats? I thought we had some.” I called out as I rifled through one of the drawers.
“Why do you need owl treats?” she asked as she joined me in the kitchen.
“Can you just tell me where they are?”
“They should be in that bottom cabinet,” she pointed to the other side of the island.
I opened the cabinet and pulled out the bag. There were crumbs left.
“This will have to do,” I huffed.
“What do you need them for?” my mother asked again. She was staring at me suspiciously.
“I got a letter, why else?”
“From whom?”
“Does that matter?” I started to walk out of the kitchen and my mother followed.
“Yes, Heather. I am asking out of curiosity, is that so wrong?”
I do not have the patience for this right now, I thought as I tried not to act drastically.
“It was just someone from the event last night. I forgot my jacket and he sent it to me.”
“That’s nice of them. Does this person have a name?”
I was now at the stairs. This was a chance for me to either tell my mom the truth and risk her giving me a lecture or continue to pile on the many lies I had told her within the last 24 hours.
“His name is Matt,” I decided to say.
“I don’t think I’ve heard of him. Is he nice?”
“Mom, can I please just give this owl a treat and let it go?”
“Well, I’m so sorry for trying to connect with my daughter,” she said with her hands raised as though surrendering. I rolled my eyes and continued to climb the stairs.
“Yes, he’s nice, no I don’t like him, so don’t even ask. We are just friends. Happy?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I closed my bedroom door behind me. Malfoy’s owl was in the same spot as before. At least he’s well behaved , I thought.
“Alright, is this enough to get you to leave?” I held out the bag, stretching out my arm full length while I kept my distance.
The owl inspected the bag. Then, in one quick movement, he plucked it with his beak, flapped his wings, and swooped out the window, bag of treats and all.
“Bye, I guess?”
I closed my window and laid on top of my bed.
My headache was still going in full force, and all this movement wasn’t good for my stomach.
I closed my eyes and before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep.
The week went by in a blur of sleeping past noon, eating leftovers in my room, and re-reading the note from Malfoy.
I still hadn’t decided if a response was necessary.
My mom asked if I had any plans for the days ahead, and I continued to evade the question. Without the internship to keep me busy during the day, I had slipped back into old habits of doing absolutely nothing. And part of me hated it.
I laid outside in the sun until the sweat was too much to bear. I walked to the library and pulled out an armful of books, hoping to find one that would keep my attention for a few hours. I couldn’t make it past the first few pages of any of them.
When a barn owl brought my Hogwarts letter, my stomach sank. Summer was ending and I felt like it had just begun.
“Looks like we’ll be heading to Diagon Alley this weekend!” My mom said when she laid eyes on the letter.
“Can’t we just mail order this stuff? I don’t want to deal with the crowds.”
“Heather, you haven’t left this house all week. I think a trip to the shops is in order.”
I groaned.
“Maybe if you behave, I’ll get you some new robes, too.”
“Yay,” I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster. I was still waking up after staying up until 3 a.m. the night before. It wasn’t even as if I was doing anything interesting, I just couldn’t sleep.
My mind never shuts up these days.
When the weekend came and my mother insisted we go to the shops together, I had no choice but to relent.
And just as I feared, it was packed with Hogwarts students and their parents stocking up on their last-minute school supplies. We decided to split up in order to get more done. I pushed my way towards Flourish and Blotts while my mom went into Wiseacres.
I was to find only a few books and fresh parchment. The rest, I was to get at the secondhand shops down the way. I slipped through a gaggle of first years gushing over their new stationary and tried to reach the back of the store where the textbooks were located.
Since my OWLS weren’t as great as they could have been, my subjects were limited this year. It was normal to not have a full schedule your seventh year, but mine was looking particularly thin. Astronomy, Transfiguration, and Ghoul Studies. I didn’t even remember signing up for Ghoul Studies.
With my textbooks purchased, as well as a few other items that caught my eye, I headed back outside to find my mom. It was then that a flash of white and a black cloak caught my eye.
Malfoy and his father were walking down the street, the spitting image of one another, both holding their heads high and proud, their noses turned up at those around them. I noticed the way people moved out of their path. But this was unlike the enchanting way I had found Malfoy’s entrance to the party in Big Ben. People cowered away, avoiding eye contact in fear.
The sight was strange to behold. I studied Malfoy’s face as he looked into a shop window, the way his lips barely moved as he spoke to his father from the side. It was if I was seeing him again for the first time, no longer the boy I had spent an entire summer getting to know, but a stranger. A cold, aloof, slightly intimidating, stranger.
“There you are, Heather. You got your books?” My mother appeared at my side, her arms laden with parcels and bags of all sizes.
“Uh, yeah. Can we go home now?” I pried my eyes away from the Malfoys.
“You don’t want to get a bite to eat? Maybe some ice cream?”
In any other scenario, I would be more caught off-guard by my mother’s sudden cheery disposition than the appearance of Lucius and Draco Malfoy. But something in me had changed.
“No, I’m tired and just want to go home.”
“Okay, sweetie, if you say so.” My mother began walking away and I followed behind. We were nothing like the Malfoys. No one cleared the way for our arrival, no eyes were averted, faces twisted in shock and fear. I couldn’t even imagine what that must be like, to look around you and only see terrified faces.
Back home, I began to pack my trunk with my books, quills, and parchment. I tried on the new robes my mom had purchased and packed what clothes I could spare. By the time I was done, it was dinner. My parents coordinated who would take me to the train station, both of them more excited than I felt about the first day of school. Once we were done eating, I laid in bed for hours, my mind reeling with thoughts I couldn’t organize. It wasn’t until early in the morning did I finally fall asleep. Only one more day and I'll be back at Hogwarts. And everything will return to normal. I hope.