Screams Into Dreams // d.m.

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  Maeve hugged her mother for the up-tenth time as they stood at platform 9¾. She was so excited to go back to school but nothing beats a home cooked meal and your mothers comfort. Eli was already somewhere inside the train, probably lounging at the front cabin along with his friends. Nasty little bugger left her once again.

"You write to me every week, okay? Merlin knows Eli won't." Her mother had always been sentimental with goodbyes.

"You would write to her everyday anyways, Leanne." Her father patted her shoulder, "Now let the poor girl go. A friend of hers is waiting inside."

She looked up to see Esmeralda waving cheerfully with Orange, her 12 pound heavy tabby cat, clutched closed to her chest. A smile lit up Maeve's face as she waved back.

"Okay, okay... Just one more time." Her mother clutched her tight one last time and Maeve hugged her back with equal force. When they pulled apart, she saw Tessa had joined Esmeralda and was using Orange's paw to wave at her.

"Oh Mae, I almost forgot." Her father reached into his coat pockets and produced brown bags. The clicking sound of the golden galleons was unmistakable. "Here you go. Give one to Eli on the train."

This time it was her father that pulled her closely. Her heart raced a little at his touch. He was never really fond of affection. Maeve indulged it nonetheless. "Have fun and be careful. Promise?"

"I promise." With a final wave she grabbed her bags and entered the train.

------

"So tell me. How was the ball?" Esmeralda was a step behind her as they walked through the train in search of Eli and Tessa's pet mouse who somehow escaped his cage.

"Was it glamorous? Did you dance? Did someone make you swoon?" Tessa asked while she was overturning seats and searching under tables at the same time.

Her friends bombarded her with questions as soon as she saw her since she wrote tens of letters to them over the holidays. No matter how hard she tried to steer away from the subject of Slytherin parties and their stuck up pimps, it was all Esmeralda and Tessa wanted to hear about. It scared her at first, thinking her friends would leave her for being acquaintances with the Malfoys. But then again, they welcomed her even though she was placed in Slytherin.

"Mae, common tell us! You went to a ball held by one of the richest wizards in the world." Esmeralda whined, poking her shoulder in the process.

"Not a ball, but two balls." Tessa manages to point out.

Maeve wanted so badly to pretend it all never happened. Especially the part where she was grounded and couldn't practice mounting her broom. Or the part where it was all Draco Malfoy's fault. Yes, that was the worst part of it all.

"It was okay, I guess. Mostly it was a bore." She helped look for the bloody mouse, while keeping her eye out for Eli as they made their way to the front cabins. "Nothing interesting happened. Just my feet aching the whole night in my mother's ridiculously uncomfortable shoes."

Tessa eyes her suspiciously, "Why do I get the feeling that you're hiding something."

"I am not!" Her first mistake, her response was too quick and an octave too high.

"No no. Something happened alright." Esmeralda kept poking her shoulder with one hand, the other holding a sleeping Orange tightly in her arms. "Tell me, did you somehow have any contact with ponds or cold water?"

"I... what?" Maeve feign ignorance. She couldn't possibly know. Then again, Esmeralda Davies came from a long line of expert Mind readers and Divination wizards. She told her that her mother could read someone's future when the moon is just right, just by a single touch of her finger or even a glance at peoples antics. Maeve wonders if Esmeralda was gifted with the same abilities.