Miss Quinn

152 ~ The Train Ride Home

Ron and Hermione left the hospital wing completely cured three days before the end of term. Hermione kept showing signs of wanting to talk about Sirius, but Ron tended to make 'hushing' noises every time she mentioned his name. Professor Umbridge left Hogwarts the day before the end of term. It seemed she had crept out of the hospital wing during dinnertime, evidently hoping to depart undetected, but unfortunately for her, she met Peeves on the way, who seized his last chance to do as Fred had instructed, and chased her gleefully from the premises whacking her alternately with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk. Many students ran out into the Entrance Hall to watch her running away down the path and the Heads of Houses tried only half-heartedly to restrain them. Indeed, Professor McGonagall sank back into her chair at the staff table after a few feeble remonstrances and was clearly heard to express a regret that she could not run cheering after Umbridge herself, because Peeves had borrowed her walking stick.

Their last evening at school arrived; most people had finished packing and were already heading down to the end-of-term leaving feast, but Emma had not even started.

"You coming?" Venus asked her, standing in the doorway.

"I'll be down later. I'm going to at least pack up my clothes before eating."

"Okay. See you." The blonde left Emma alone in their dormitory, and she immediately sunk onto her four-poster. It had been five days since Draco professed his love for her. Since she stared at him in shock for two full minutes and then walked out of the room with an excuse about needing to process his words. She hadn't spoken to him since then, and whenever they spotted each other, she turned in the opposite direction and found a different way to go.

It wasn't that she was disgusted by his feelings for her. She didn't hate him, and was honestly honored that he felt the way he did about her. But knowing how he felt brought up new questions. Was his meddling in her and Dean's relationship less about him thinking Dean wasn't special enough and more about him being jealous? Did he strike the deal with her in the first place just to get her to -- in some twisted way -- fall in love with him? And, speaking of, how did she feel about him anyway? That day was the first time she'd ever realized she might have fancied him. But she needed time to mull it all over. Was he even worth falling in love with? She wasn't sure.

But whenever she turned away from him those five days after, she found that she immediately wanted to turn back around and run straight into his arms, and apologize for walking away, and tell him she -- What would she tell him?

"I don't love you yet, but I'm beginning to?"

"I think I fancy you, but I'm not sure?"

"I'm scared to start anything with you?"

They all sounded stupid as Hell.

Emma heaved a sigh and waved her wand, directing all her clothes to fold themselves neatly in her trunk. Then she did the same for her books and leftover school supplies, being careful not to put her cauldron on top of anything breakable. She snapped the locks shut and stood up. The end-of-term feast awaited.

The journey home on the Hogwarts Express next day was eventful in several ways. Firstly, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle, who had clearly been waiting all week for the opportunity to strike without teacher witnesses, attempted to ambush Harry halfway down the train as he made his way back from the toilet. The attack might have succeeded had it not been for the fact that they unwittingly chose to stage the attack right outside a compartment full of DA members, who saw what was happening through the glass and rose as one to rush to Harry's aid. By the time Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot had finished using a wide variety of the hexes and jinxes Harry had taught them, the three Slytherins resembled nothing so much as three gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniforms as Harry, Ernie and Justin hoisted them into the luggage rack and left them there to ooze.