Dandelions

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM AMONG THE FIZZLERS AND FIREFLIES

With exam season officially over and results passed out among the student body, a collective sigh of relief was echoed around the halls of Hogwarts now that the end of term was just around the bend. Upperclassmen were reveling in the calm before the storm of finding apprenticeships and jobs, while underclassmen took the opportunity to enjoy the magic of Hogwarts until it was time to return home for the summer holiday.

Two months of relaxation was definitely something the majority of everyone was looking forward to, as well as getting out of the cold, dreary castle for a bit. And now that there was only a day left until the Leaving Feast, it was slowly beginning to set in that Rory would have to say goodbye to all his friends, and return to his little grey bedroom in London.

He sat in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory on one of the last mornings of the year, eyes darting between the three boys he'd met only a handful of months ago--but now couldn't imagine not waking up to.

"Are you gonna be a lazy bump on a log or are you going to get ready?" George fussed, throwing an odd shoe at the boy.

"Yeah, yeah," Rory rolled his eyes, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, "I'm going, alright?"

"Mm," George grumbled in response, going back to getting dressed as soon as he saw Rory physically stand up to root around in his dresser.

His dresser was still rather empty, only the few amounts of casual clothes he'd brought taking up one half of the top drawer. Rory imagined that by the end of his time at Hogwarts, the dresser would be all filled up with so many clothes he'd hardly have the space to pack them away. For now, though, all he could do was grab a shirt and jeans, along with a jacket.

The other three boys chatted idly as they waited on him to get dressed so they could all go brush their teeth in the bathroom. Since it was nearing noon, there was hardly anyone in the huge, tiled room when they entered carrying their toiletries.

"D'you think the professors go home, as well?" Lee asked, hunching over a sink, "Or do they just...live here all the time?"

"I think they're just here," Fred responded, "They don't really have homes."

"Well they do," Rory pointed out, "It's here, Hogwarts."

He wondered what it felt like to live here, in a place where you could always do magic. Living in the wizarding world was just so much better compared to the muggle world, and specifically at Hogwarts seemed too good to be true. Exploring the quiet hallways and peering into empty classrooms, it sounded like some sort of dream.

"Is Mags meeting us down by the bridge?" George asked, a toothbrush stuck in his mouth and muffling his words. "Or the pitch?"

"Mm," Rory hummed, washing his mouth out before responding, "I think she said she'd wait just before the bridge, but I don't really remember."

"Terrible memory, Rory," Lee scoffed, "Barely remember what your mum says at all?"

"Problem child," Fred tutted, shaking his head.

"Troublemaker," Lee leaned over and muttered, before going back to finish washing up.

Rory decided to just roll his eyes and accept defeat in order to keep the peace, looking back down into the sink as he rinsed off his toothbrush and washed his hands. The walk back up to Gryffindor Tower was slow, like they finally weren't afraid of simply wasting some time.

"Do you think the weather's nice?" George absentmindedly asked, staring out the windows in their bedroom as everyone packed their toiletries back up.

"I sure hope so," Rory shivered just thinking about the frigid winter months he'd managed to survive, "If not I'm coming right back up here and curling up by the fire."