Curiousity Killed the Cat

We boarded the train, me being left by myself seeing as everyone else ran off to their other things. I glared at their memories before searching for a compartment with someone I knew. I looked down at my outfit, which consisted of a pair of ripped jeans, a grey t-shirt under a leather jacket and a pair of Converses. All in all, I looked good. After fifteen tries and annoying quite a number of students, I finally found a familiar face in the crowd.

“Neville! You are my savior,” I said, sitting down in the empty compartment next to him.

“Oh, hey Elyse,” he said, looking up from the floor. “How was your summer?”

I rolled my eyes. “Lame, I did nothing. What about you?”

“Nothing too special, like always,” he said, muttering the last part.

I frowned. “So, how did you do on your O.W.L. exams?”

“I got an Outstanding in Herbology,” Neville said, beaming at the thought.

“Way to go, Neville,” I said, not wanting to hear the rest of his grades. I’m pretty sure that he didn’t do as well as Ron, which truly is saying something.

“Thanks, how did you do?” he asked, although it sounded half-forced. I’m sure he knew I was best in the year, out of all houses, not that I was going to brag about it.

“I did fine, better than I expected,” I said, not telling him my grades. Did he really need to know that I got all Outstandings? No, he didn’t.

“So where is everyone else?” he asked, looking around the empty compartment.

I sighed. “Hermione and Ron are with the Prefects, but I know you already knew. Harry is at some sort of meeting, I don’t know. Ginny went to find her friends and I haven’t seen Luna.”

“Here I am,” a soft, voice said from the door. I turned my head and smiled at the dirty blond who was wearing some strange glasses.

“Hiya Luna,” I said as she took a seat opposite of me and Neville. “How was your summer?”

“Good,” she said simply, pulling out The Quibbler, her favorite magazine.

“How’s Ryland?” I asked, a small smile playing on my face.
She blushed. “Oh, we are kind of in an expedition to find Nargles and Moon Frogs.”

I guess to Luna that translated to “we are dating”.

“That’s… wonderful, Luna,” I said, nearly laughing at her explanation.

“Ryland? From Hufflepuff?” Neville said, talking for the first time since Luna came into the picture.

“Yes,” she said, not looking up from her magazine. I heard Neville mumbled something but I couldn’t catch it.

We sat there, Luna reading her magazine while I talked to Neville. It wasn’t until half way though the ride, Hermione and Ron joined us, sitting on Luna’s side of the compartment.

“Hey guys,” Hermione said, exhausted.

“God, I’m starving,” Ron muttered, his stomach grumbling on cue.

“When aren’t you hungry, Ronald?” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. I guess this is the stress of being a Prefect.

I am dying on the inside.

Rather than listening to them bicker, I leaned back in my seat, trying to drowned out their loud arguments. I wonder where Ginny is? She usually sits with us. Oh, maybe she’s off with one of her boyfriends. That makes more sense, I guess.

“Elyse? Are you listening?” Neville said, snapping me out of my thoughts,

“What? Sorry, zoned out for a second,” I said, stretching a bit.

“The train has stopped, we are getting out now,” Hermione said, standing up.

“Really? That was quick,” I said, getting out of my seat. I followed Luna out of the compartment, occasionally pushing a three year or a fourth year who called her Looney Lovegood, and grinned when I saw Ginny with her boyfriend.

“Oh! There’s Ryland!” Luna said, tugging on my arm. Sure enough, there he was in all his glory, staring back at her though a pair of strange glasses.

I kid you not, this was just like some sort of romance film.

“Er, I guess I’ll be going then…” I said, awkwardly as Luna threw herself in his arms. I turned away and followed Ron into a carriage, followed by Hermione and Neville. I nearly died from laughing when Ron saw Luna and Ryland, his face a mix of genuine shock and embarrassment.

We arrived at the Hogwarts gate, that’s when it clicked in my small mind. Where was Harry? Surely this ‘Slug Club’ could not be taking this long unless they were all in their own carriage. What the hell is the ‘Slug Club’ anyways? Better yet, why is Harry in it?

I’m dating a Slug… not my greatest of jokes.

Anyways, I tried to look around for him though the crowd of people but it was too thick. I figured that I’d just look for him in the Great Hall when the Sorting is going on. I followed Luna, who I almost had to pry off of Ryland, to the Ravenclaw table, saying the occasional “hellos” and “nice to see you” when they noticed me.

I glanced over at the Gryffindor table, raising an eyebrow as I realized that I still couldn’t find Harry. Where in God’s green Earth was this boy? I saw him right before he headed for whatever the hell it was, so he didn’t miss the train. Perhaps he got sick? No, he looked fine before. God if only there was a way I could find him without leaving!

I am a moron.

I slapped my hand to my head, ignoring the stares I got. Of course, why not use my powers? You know, the ones that allow me to find people perhaps?

I focused on Harry, slightly confused when I just saw the inside of a compartment. Where was he? I’m never wrong, so he was there but where?

“Welcome back students!” Professor Dumbledore said, breaking me from my focus. I figured that I might as well appear to be listening. It was his annual speech or something like that. From what I’ve heard, some of them are quite strange. I watched somewhat bored as the hat began to sing, yes, sing a song that I think he had been working on ever since the last Sorting.

It must be boring being a hat.

I suddenly remembered Harry and focused on him, only to see him following what appeared to be Tonks to the front gate. I am confused but at least he was alright, which meant alive.

“Aren’t you hungry, Elyse?” Luna asked, helping herself to some mash potatoes.

I realized that I was hungry and began to help myself to some of the food that appeared in front of us. It was amazing, as Hogwart’s food usually was, and seemed to fill you up instantly. I heard someone say Harry’s name, causing me to lift my head up and follow the stares. I saw Harry walking down the aisle, taking a seat next to Hermione and Ron as usual.

I suddenly found myself more curious than hungry, and pushed my food away, too full. I waited another twenty minutes, listening to Luna ramble on and on about her summer, before we were aloud to leave and go to our houses. I watched Harry rise out from his seat, which was cue for me to also rise up. I followed him out of the Great Hall, grabbing his arm before he was going to turn the corner.

“What?” he said, sighing.

I raised an eyebrow and pulled him into an empty hallway. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Truth was, he looked like hell. His face was all bloody, yet there was no cut on his face so I assumed it was already healed by Tonks.

“Nothing,” he grumbled, not looking me in the eyes.

“Harry,” I said, rolling my eyes at his stubbornness.

He sighed, frustrated with me. “Malfoy. Malfoy did this to me. There, happy?”

“I am going to hurt him,” I said, my eyes hardening.

“Elyse, don’t,” he warned, his voice harsh.

“Why not? Did you see what he did to you!”

“Just leave it alone!”

“What the hell is your problem?” I demanded, glaring at him.

“What’s my problem? What’s my problem? My problem is my girlfriend.”

Bad move.

“What is that suppose to mean?” I hissed, returning the glare that he started.

“I don’t need you to beat people up for me!” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I don’t beat people up for you!” I shot back.

“Yes you do! I can win my own fights!” he said, shaking his head.

I scoffed. “You clearly showed that tonight.”

“Shut up, I don’t want a girlfriend who is more like a guy than a girl!” Harry said, spitting out what he had tried to be saying in the first place.

I froze. “Really? Is that what you really want?”

Harry realized his mistake, his eyes softening. “Elyse, I-I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Fine, Harry. If I disgust you so much, then I guess I’ll go,” I said, blinking back a few tears.

“Elyse, no. Wait!” Harry called as I hurried off to my house, wipping away a few stray tears that managed to escape when I turned around.

Way to blow it, Elyse.