If Only... (Harry Potter Next Generation)

~December, 2 Years Ago~

"What are you doing here!?" Lizzy yelled at me when I suddenly appeared on her doorstep. "I thought you weren't coming home this Christmas." She said as I hugged her.

"Well, I'm only here for the night. The alternative was spending the evening listening to sad speeches about how grateful we are to be alive blah blah blah."

Lizzie laughed at me, shaking her head. "So, what? You just left?"

"Yes. But they don't know that. I used this spell Aunt Hermione taught me years ago, they won't even notice I'm gone."

"Interesting. Well when you're aloud to use magic I'd love to see it."

"Lizzy!" Her father's voice echoed from inside, slurred and angry. "Who's at the bloody door?!"

Lizzy gritted her teeth and looked away from me. "Just a friend. I'm going out; be back soon." And she closed the door before her dad could protest. "Where to?"

"Um... the den?" I said uncertainly.

"Oh yeah we haven't been their in years!" The enthusiasm was clearly for show and I hated it.

We didn't say anything until we reached the forest. Our den was the same as it had always been, if not a little wet and cold, but it was too small for us now. Regardless we squeezed in, pulling our legs up to our chests and holding our heads down.

"So how's school?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Really?"

"What?"

"Your dad's still drinking isn't he?"

"Jamie-"

"No, we need to talk about this!" I threw my arms up hitting the sides of the den. "You can't just avoid it cause it's not nice to talk about-"

"You want to talk Jamie? Alright fine, let's talk. Tell me about Tommy." My mouth dropped open yet I couldn't speak. I wanted to fight to defend myself but what good would that be against her? "He hasn't come back to school has he?"

"No."

"I knew he was lying to me." She mumbled almost too quietly.

"Wait, you're talking to him?"

"Of course I am, he's my friend!" She yelled. "And you hurt him. A lot."

"He-"

"I know, Jamie. But I don't care. You drove someone out of school!"

"It wasn't just me-"

"Oh my god, he was right about you." She shook her head. "Why can't you just take responsibility for what you did? I get it okay. I get not wanting to be seen as a coward but hurting your friend - your only friend besides me, let's be honest - is not the way to go about it!"

We were both crying at that point. The big, ugly, silent kind of tears. I didn't know what to say to her. How to tell her she was right. It had been two years since the news about Tommy's dad got out and everything had spiralled out of control. The Gryffindor's hated him, saw him as bad luck and the next Voldemort and the rest of the school was afraid of him. Even teachers started avoiding him in our fourth year. Then in September of our fifth year, he wasn't on the train. He just disappeared off the face of the earth. And his dad still hadn't been found.

"You are kind and funny and brave." Lizzy continues. "I know you are. Everyone who's important knows how brave you are. So please. If he comes back - even if he doesn't - please just apologise, because you are better than - than a bully." I flinched at the word but nod. She crawled closer to me and lay her head on my shoulder. "He's still drinking." She whispered. "And my mum's getting remarried." She chocked up and her lips quivered "And I miss my brother."

***

It was dark by the time I took Lizzy back home. I wanted to take her back to my house but she insisted that her father would be passed out by now.

"Hey it's almost midnight." Lizzy noted, glancing at her phone. "Almost Christmas."

I stopped and looked down at my feet. She turned to look at me, "what's up?"

"I, um... have something for you. A Christmas present." I pulled the gift out of my pocket, nothing too big or extravagant but I hoped she'd like it.

"No! Really? I didn't get you anything though." She said, smiling.

"I know, it's fine. I just really wanted you to have this." I passed it too her. She held it up to her ear and shook it gently. After hearing nothing she asked "can I open it now?"

I nodded and she shredded into the wrapping. Her smile fell when she saw what was inside. Then she began crying again.

"Are you okay? Is it not good? Do you not like it?"

"No." She sobs. "No, it's not that. I-I love it." I got her a picture frame with a picture of her and her brother in it. From before he left for the army. Lizzy was only four in the photo, her brother nineteen. Over the summer, when I'd first found the photo, I had my dad enchant it, to make it move like our own photos. Originally, Lizzy was crying in the picture cradling a teddy bear while Mark looked into the camera completely confused as to what he was supposed to do with a crying little girl. Now, it showed the build up - the truly important part. The siblings sat down next to each other, Mark leaned over and kissed Lizzy on the cheek before handing her a new teddy. That's when she burst into tears. Happy tears.

"Thank you, Jamie." She said and pushed up onto her toes to plant a kiss on my very shocked lips.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she turned and went inside with a simply "Merry Christmas, Jamie!"

I kinda don't like this chapter...

Have a good weekend, see you next week with the Second Task and a chapter completely from Lily's point of view.

Words: 966