Dark Come Soon

“Why wasn’t I bloody born Mexican?” Ramona moaned as she tried another kind of ice cream Alexandra suggested after running away from the handsome guy who had come up to them earlier. It was a softer kind of ice cream. She got the lemon flavored one, and it was so soft she could eat it quickly, but she knew she could get a brain freeze.

“Maybe in another life you were,” Alexandra joked as the girl sat in a park together. “I hope tomorrow we can go to that ice cream shop and get the other kind.”

“Oh, you mean the one where you ran away from that handsome bloke?” Ramona meant it as a light joke, but she could see that Alexandra was still embarrassed about that. “I’m joking with yah. Look, I’ve done what you’ve done. So when did you break up with him?”

“How do you know I broke up with him?”

“Because of the way he was looking at you. He wasn’t looking at you like he regretted breaking up. He was wondering why you broke up,” Ramona said. “You broke up with him because of your visions, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I was so scared to hurt him like my mom had done to my dad. I didn’t know much about my powers back then.”

Ramona could see that her friend was hurting, so she decided to make sure she laughed. She made a dirty joke about ice cream, and it made Alexandra laugh. She was happy she accomplished to make her friend forget her worries for a second. The girls then went a pawn shop. Ramona had spotted a beautiful guitar in the window. They girls were underage, but they still went inside.

It looked like something she had seen Johnny Cash use. It was completely black, and she could tell it was in perfect condition. The muggle world fascinated her. She looked around the store to see other things. She was amazed by some of the things they had. She got along perfectly with Ron’s dad because of their amazement for the things muggles invented. Alexandra explained some of the things some electronics did. There was a tape player that could also record music from the radio.

There was a VHS which played movies. Movies were just a big cassette. Ramona owned one because she loved the movies muggles made. Ramona finally had the nerve to ask the guy behind the thick glass how much the guitar cost.

“It’s 200 bucks, cutie,” the man winked at her. “You British? You got a nice accent.”

“You know, to me, you’re the one with the ‘nice accent’,” she smiled. “Do you think you can reserve the guitar and I can come back later to purchase it?”

“For a pretty thing like you, yeah I’ll do that. You have two weeks though because that’s all I’m allowed to do,” he said.

“I’ll be back before then,” she smiled.

The girls left the store after Ramona left her information. She used Alexandra’s home as contact information because obviously they didn’t know where Hogwarts was. Ramona was happy about purchasing an all-black guitar. They went back to Alexandra’s grandparents’ home. There was a smile on Ramona’s face that no one could take away. She truly had a wonderful day and it was all thanks to Alexandra.

Aurelia, Alexandra’s lovely grandmother, made mole. Again, Ramona wished more than anything she had been born Mexican because the food was so delicious. She had seconds and thirds. The dessert was even better. It was flan, and it was so good. She had it before, but it wasn’t the same. Aurelia had made it from scratch, and it was one of the best desserts Ramona has ever had. She needed the recipe so she could make it at Hogwarts.

Ramona and Alexandra then sat down around the living room and her grandparents told stories about Alexandra when she was younger. They were funny stories that really made Ramona laugh. There were also embarrassing pictures. She could tell her grandparents were happy that Alexandra was making friends instead of shutting everyone out. She was happy she was the one who helped Alexandra come out of her shell.

At the end of the night, they went to Alexandra’s room. Alexandra’s grandfather brought a cot, so Ramona didn’t have to sleep on the floor.

“My first real sleepover,” Ramona said when they were alone.

“What? Really?” Alexandra asked.

“Yeah, I mean, I was invited to others, but all they wanted was the glory to say they had Dumbledore’s granddaughter with them. Hated the lot. I never really had true friends until I met Ron. His family was so warm, and… well… I really liked them.”

“You know Ron for a long time?”

“Yeah, since before Hogwarts. When my granddad had to do some big business trip, I used to stay with the Weasley’s. I’d like to say I’m practically one of them.”

“All you need is ginger hair,” Alexandra joked.

The girls laughed, and they spent most of the night talking. The subject of boys came up, and Alexandra had to ask about Draco.

“So, what’s with Malfoy? Why do you kiss him if you hate him so much?” Alexandra asked.

Ramona sighed. “I wish I knew why suddenly we’re kissing. I never thought about it… okay, I have. But I never thought it would happen. We’ve hated each other’s guts since we were kids. I always taunted him about how his dad was a coward.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he’s dad was a deatheater. So when Voldemort fell, his dad was a coward who gave up names of other deatheater so he wouldn’t have to go to Azkaban,” Ramona explained. “We’ve said mean things to each other since we were children.”

“So naturally you’re meant to be,” Alexandra smirked and Ramona smacked her arm. “Ow! It’s true, think about it. All that anger you have towards each other could be used very wisely in the bedroom.”

Ramona pressed her lips together and tried to imagine what Alexandra just suggested.

“You’re horrible!” Ramona muttered. “Now I can’t get the image out of my head! What about you and that guy from the ice cream shop, eh? Do you still like him?”

“I did like him. He was really cool, but I don’t think it can ever be the same.”

“Why not? He obviously wants answers.”

“What do I tell him? Hey, Anthony I broke up with you because I’m a seer and I was afraid I’d hurt you.”

“That would have worked,” Ramona pointed out. “You ought to think about what you do to others. I’m sure your family was worried sick about you becoming a hermit.”

“I did what I thought was the best.”

Ramona gave her a small smile. “And do you think it was? Maybe you should give the bloke an explanation before we leave, yeah?”

Ramona wanted Alexandra to have a clear conscience and the only way to do that was to come clean with Anthony.

“You don’t even have to tell him about your visions. All you gotta do is say that you were going through an emotional time. That your mother wanted to contact you and you were just a mess.”

“I was a mess,” Alexandra muttered. “I might just write a letter. I do write lengthy letters.”

Ramona chuckled. “Oh, I bet you’ll go all Jane Austen on him.”

The next morning was really busy because Alexandra’s family was there to see her. Ramona was introduced and some of them recognized her last name, and they asked about her grandfather. She didn’t mind answering their questions because they didn’t continue with it. They asked a couple of questions and then let it drop. They admired her lip ring, and then they talked about music. She told Alexandra’s cousins that she played the guitar that she planned to start a band with muggles.

Alexandra was happy to see that her friend was fitting perfectly with her family.

Ramona was a bit envious that Alexandra had so many people to count on. Even if one of them tragically passed away, she would have others to rely on. Ramona only truly had one family member left, and her worst fear was to lose her grandfather. She knew deep in her gut she might have already lost him.