Irrefutable Certainties

Chapter 8~ Last Night

Selene POV

            I stare down at the breakfast in front of me, and part of me wished I had just skipped and slept in. I knew that going into Hogsmead last night was a bad idea. I knew I was going to be exhausted this morning, but I couldn't resist going out and doing something daring for one. My whole time at Hogwarts I have followed the rules to a fault. No matter what, I did everything that was asked of me and I didn't even think about leaving the dorms after quiet hours. I was always worried that if I did anything wrong then I would be suspended from the quidditch team, which was my biggest fear. I always needed to be the best on the team, so I kept my grades up and followed the rules.

            Something changed when I decided I didn't care about playing anymore. I no longer had to follow the rules. Hell, Uncle Harry and mom broke every Hogwarts rule religiously and they still managed to graduate. Plus, it was Uncle Harry's misbehaving that got him a spot on the Gryffindor quidditch team to begin with. What would one late night trip to Hogsmead hurt?

            "Where did you go last night?" Scorpius asks as he takes a bite of his toast.

            I glance up from my plate, "I was just down in the common room. I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to keep my roommates awake. So, I just sat and watched the lake creatures until I finally felt tired enough to go back to sleep."

            Scorpius give Neville a sideways glance, "Did anyone join you in the common room?"

            "No, why?" I give them a quizzical look.

            "No reason." Scorpius clears his throat and goes back to his breakfast.

            I drop my fork, "No, what did you two hear? You wouldn't ask me if you hadn't heard something. So, spill."

            "It's just," Neville awkwardly chimes in, "there are some roomers going around that Gallucio snuck out last night with a girl that apparently matched your description, and sense you weren't in your dorm last night, we were just wondering. That's all."

            "So now you guys suddenly believe every stupid roomer you hear?" I roll my eyes, "Fantastic, well how about this one, you guys are complete arses."

            "Hey now," Rose comes over, "What's going on this morning? It's a little early to be fighting already, isn't it?"

            I stand up, "I'm headed back to my room to get my books before class. I'll just see you guys there."

            "Umm," Neville points towards the flock of owls coming in, "You may want to hold on a moment before you leave. It looks like your parents have sent you something."

            I scan the flock of magnificent birds as they fly around the great hall looking for who they are supposed to give their mail to. Sure enough, I see dad's beautiful red owl, Binx. "Why did they use dad's owl instead of the family owl," I wonder out loud.

            "Maybe mom was using Gatsby for something else. Or Binx just needed to stretch her wings a bit. Dad doesn't use her very often," Scorpius offers.

            "Why does dad have his own owl when we have a family owl?" Rose asks.

            I shrug, "Dad got Binx from Grandmother Malfoy before she passed. She was a gift." I gesture to the beautiful red owl as it lands in front of Scorpius, "Plus, just look at her. She's gorgeous."

            Scorpius reaches into his rucksack and pulls out an owl treat and unties the envelope from Binx's leg, "This thing is thick. There must be a letter in here for all of us." Scorpius tears open the envelope and finds four smaller envelopes inside. Each one addressed to one of us, including Lyra.