Elysia Dumbledore [A Harry Potter Fan Fiction]

Chapter Eight ~ A New Year

"Wake up, darling." called out the voice of Drew, like two cold arms wrenching me out of peace.

For a brief moment, I allowed the emotions to catch in my throat, before swallowing my tears and plastering a smile on to my face. Sitting bolt upright, I saw him sitting on the bed beside mine, the bed that he had slept on all weekend because he wouldn't leave 'Lady Luck' alone.

"Hey." I said simply, folding my hands in to his.

"The Hogwarts Express is coming in this morning." he said slowly, his eyes saying a sentence with a wary caution.

'Neville's coming, please stay in love with me.' they screamed, begging with a voice that was so bloodcurdlingly loud, yet so deathly silent at the same time that I conformed to the role of acting once more. His eyes loved me, his heart loved me... he loved me, right?

No! It was wrong, we were too young, he was too naive, too foolish! This would never last, why pretend for any amount of time? Rage boiled within me as I saw his face, pitifully innocent and clueless. In that instance, I could have bitterly broken him, and left him to lament; but I didn't.

He didn't love me, it was apparent. It was a foolish infatuation, and infatuation that I just as foolishly allowed to blossom into whatever the hell we were doing right now. And, as these ideas formed, and the words grew on to my tongue, then I'd see his face and fall silent.

"What's wrong?" he said, but his voice was tight.

He knew something was wrong, and I could imagine what he thought of me. Smiling, I wrapped my arms around him and giggled like the foolish child I had never been in my life. The day moved like mud drying in to clay, slow and burning.

The masquerade continues.

My heart leaped in to my throat when the Crimson Train burst through the pale green landscape, promising a hive of activity once more within the school, education recommencing, friends returning and Neville... Neville seeing me by Drew's side...

I wanted to bury my head in to a burning pit and never return. How many people was I going to hurt, just for someone to love me? Ignoring the indignant voice of reason in my heart and mind, I smiled at Drew and followed him down to the thestral docking area.

Perhaps the strange thing was the fact that, with Drew's wary eyes following, I had to cut short my beeline to Neville, and half-heartedly seek out Sarah and Jane. Drew's eyes followed me, like a hawk eying a mouse, until I was safe with anybody but him.

My own eyes followed Drew as he entered his circle of friends, and declared in a booming voice that he 'got' Elysia. Whistles, cheers and pats on the back followed, as well as Sarah's eyes widening with shock and excitement.

"You finally got over Neville? And for Drew!" she squeaked, jumping up and down beside me.

"Yeah, I suppose I did..." I breathed, staring at Neville standing with Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione.

"You simply must set me up with one of his friends!" hissed Jane, her eyes narrowing bitterly with jealousy.

"Yeah, of course I will..." I mumbled, struggling to drag my eyes away from the clumsy boy standing in my direct line of vision.

"Are you crying?" said Paige with a concerned voice.

I knew that I could count on Paige to actually look past my new social standing with my popular boyfriend (who is now, apparently, a shoe-in for Quidditch captain) and in the emotions clumsily splayed across my face, embedded in my eyes.

"DREW! ELLE'S CRYING, BETTER CHEER HER UP!" cried Jane viciously before I could address the issue.

Immediately, I was swarmed by the cluster of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff boys alike as they called out for a kiss between the two of us. Drew smiled ruefully, shrugging to me as if to say 'What the hell, let's do it?'. Smiling weakly, I leaned in and listened as half of the year group screamed in joy.