Wren was waiting for us in Hogsmeade, which drove all thoughts of my family out of my mind. I darted off the train as soon as it stopped and flew across the platform to greet my friend.
I threw my arms around her, but Wren stiffened and pulled away.
"You ok?" I asked, glancing up into her face. There was a paranoid look in her eyes, but even as I noticed that it faded away and she was the bright and smiling girl I was used to.
"Sorry," she said quickly, and hugged me. "I'm fine."
Somehow, I didn't believe her. She looked thinner than she had, which was saying a lot because Wren was, by nature, tiny and thin. Almost as if she hadn't had enough to eat over the holidays. But surely her grandparents could afford food...if they could afford an airplane ticket...
And why did she looked so terrified when I tried to hug her?
Part of me wondered if I'd just imagined that. As our other friends joined us, I saw no hint of the girl who had pushed me away. Wren was smiling and laughing and talking, just like normal.
No one else seemed to notice anything unusual, so I decided it was nothing. Probably I'd just hugged her too tight and she couldn't breathe. Yeah, that was it. Somehow, though, part of me wasn't convinced.
I was about to suggest we go get into one of the carriages, pulled by nothing, apparently, when Al nudged James in the ribs. "Look, it's your girlfriend!"
We all turned in the direction that Al was pointing to catch a glimpse of bouncing brown curls that could only belong to Mackenzie Walker floating away towards the carriages. James flushed a deep red and mumbled something before taking off after her. I watched him until he climbed into the carriage behind her. Was I really feeling sad? Why? It was just James. Just my friend. Nothing more.
Al was in the middle of recounting the extent of James's crush on Mackenzie to Luna, so no one except Wren noticed my lingering gaze. She gave me a look of mingled pity and encouragement, and patted my shoulder. Somehow, that only made me annoyed. There was nothing to pity me about. Nothing happened! Instead of taking it out on Wren, though, I shrugged and tried to listen to Albus's excited chatter.
"Let's go find a carriage, ok?" Wren suggested.
Soon, the four of us were piled into a carriage that could probably seat six, but the rest of my friends appeared to have found seats elsewhere. Silently, I prayed that no one would notice our unfilled carriage. The last thing I wanted was some uncomfortable older kids listening to our conversation.
What we got might have qualified as worse, actually. Victoire Weasley and Teddy Lupin clambered into our carriage just before it set off. I'd seen enough of them eating each other's faces over Christmas. No way was I going to sit for the twenty minutes it would take to reach the school and try to ignore them snogging each other.
Albus seemed to share my logic, because he quickly said, "If you two start snogging, I promise I'll throw up all over you."
Victoire raised her eyebrows. "You think I wouldn't just enchant your puke and make it fall on you?"
"Y-you can do that...?" Albus asked hesitantly.
Victoire rolled her eyes. "Of course. But don't worry, we're not going to kiss, all right? Kind of awkward to do that here. It's way too bumpy."
YOU ARE READING
Star of Gryffindor - Book 1
FanfictionAstra Lewis is not normal. In fact, some would go as far as to say she's a freak. Strange things happen around her, things that no one can explain. But maybe she's not a freak. Maybe she's just different. When a woman with flaming red hair arrives...
