Toujours Pur | Euphemia Black

Chapter 44 | Walpurgis

Seeing as this book just hit 10K reads (!!!) I decided I would update quickly for you all! Thank you all for this, it means so much to me that so many people have read my book. Thank you, thank you, thank you - I love all of you readers xo

The Christmas holidays soon drew to a close and it was eventually time for all the students that had gone home for Christmas to return to school, which some people liked and some did not.

Mia was incredibly happy to go back to school as the last week of her Christmas holidays had comprised of her hiding up in her room, making no noise and pretending she didn't exist.

Her parents had been ever so generous (note the sarcasm) to not allow her to die and they let her eat food, with Tibet bringing her daily meals which Euphemia was eternally grateful for.

She spent the majority of her time sending letters to all of her friends and getting responses as well as using Minerva's book to keep up a contestant correspondence with her best friend.

Because of the message book, Minnie was well informed of Mia's situation and the Scottish girl had been enraged to find out that Euphemia had been hurt but Mia had assured her that she was used to it and that it didn't matter.

She also got her best friend to promise not to tell anyone as she didn't want the group feeling sorry for her - pity was something that she absolutely detested with a passion.

"How are you?" was the hesitant question that Minerva breached on the first day back to school, when Euphemia and Minnie had gone to the Hogwarts Express bathroom to get changed into the robes, ready for the new term.

"As fine as I'll ever be," Mia replied with a weak smile and Minerva gave her a tight hug before Euphemia had to gently push her away as the girl had accidentally aggravated some of her wounds and her bruises were aching now.

"Sorry!" Minnie exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth and Mia assured her that it was okay through gritted teeth as she tried to ignore the pain surging through her body.

"Can we just not talk about it anymore? From now on?" Euphemia suggested and Minerva nodded before giving her another hug - a much more gentler one this time that almost made Mia tear up at the realisation that her best friend really did care.

And, as Minnie promised, the two did not speak of the ordeal that Euphemia had been put through during the Christmas holidays and the girls got on with their everyday lives that hadn't really changed since the previous term.

Except for Mia, there was one thing that did change. Or more specifically, one person.

Charlus had begun to become extremely pally with Euphemia and she wasn't really complaining as she was just happy that they were friends now and not fighting over the divide between their two families. But Mia had to admit that it was strange.

Mia hadn't told anyone but Minerva about Arcturus beating her up and torturing her but Charlus seemed to twig that there was something going on with her family and, though he was suspicious, he made sure to be there for Euphemia if and when she needed him.

Florean kept dropping hints whenever they were together about Charlus which always made the boy in question blush or glare at Florean, who would just smile innocently in reply.

Every single person in Mia's friendship group seemed to be waiting for something to happen between the two of them, though Lyall and Eugenia were both a little less enthusiastic than the rest of them.

January went by in a blur of assignments, lessons and pranks and Euphemia was rather surprised that neither Orion nor Druella came near her whatsoever during the entire month. Weird. Not that she was complaining.