The Ballad Of Books And Matches

✧.* 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜 ✧.*

It's 5:00 a.m. on a Wednesday, September first, and I find myself back on the familiar Hogwarts Express, filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Aedan, my best friend, has made a surprising choice to sit with me today, breaking our usual routine of sitting with our respective groups. It's a small change, but it feels significant. Especially since I don't sit with... never mind.

The one thing that has me anxious and worried is my dad. My dad is the closest to me, my best friend really, he's the best and he's always there for me. I just wish I was there with him, helping him through this awful sickness which we know nothing of, which makes my stress worse.

"Robin, hello?" Aedan's voice breaks through my reverie, jolting me back to the present moment. I snap out of my thoughts and manage to muster a faint smile. "Yes? I'm here," I reply, grateful for the interruption.

Aedan's concerned expression prompts me to reassure him. "Oh no, I'm fine. I was just lost in thoughts about the incredible experiences we'll have this year. The magic, the classes, the friendships... it's all so exciting." I reach for my headphones, intending to drown out my racing thoughts, but Aedan stops me. His words remind me that I can confide in him, that he's more than just a friend – he's like a sibling to me.

I let out a sigh, torn between the desire to share my worries and the fear of burdening him. Should I open up about my anxieties, or should I keep them to myself for now? The internal debate only adds fuel to my restless mind, and I find myself caught in a whirlwind of anxious thoughts once again.

"Okay Aedan, if I tell you this you must not tell absolutely anyone, you hear me?" I say still looking down at my fidgeting hands. "I promise not to tell. On Dumbledore's beard" He held his pinky finger at me and I knew it was sincere. "Fine so, as you know my father hasn't shown up to any of our family meetings in a while right?" Finally our eyes meet and he nods, signaling for me to continue. "He has caught a really bad unknown sickness and we don't know what his fate will be." I fight the urge to cry and to let that sinking feeling take over me. I need to control myself. Aedan hugs me and reassures me that everything will be okay, and I believe him until a familiar face pops up, Henry Hawke. He's the golden boy, a Hufflepuff and the beater in his quidditch team. He opens our compartment and is about to say something until he sees me, he places a sympathetic look. And I've seen those looks a lot, all of them last year when Finnick left me. Is he looking at me because of that? Maybe it's the fact that Aedan is hugging me - something he never does to anyone, and the fact that my face looks like it's gonna cry. I wipe my non existent tears and straighten my position, to look more confident you know?

"What's up puffs?" Aedan speaks with an amusing tone, the boy looks at him and opens his mouth to say something but fails to get the words out. He tries again and succeeds, "Well Dee, I was going to ask you why you weren't sitting with us but I see you've reached new company," he comes closer to Aedan and whispers "Isn't that the girl the Ravenclaw quidditch captain left?" Aidan"s eyes widen before angrily whispering, "she's my best friend you idiot!" I sit there uncomfortable at the given moment, I wish I could just sink in this seat and disappear. Henry's eyes widen and whispers an apology I cannot quite hear, he leaves and I feel at peace. Until I suddenly hear Henry pushing and pulling his things in our compartment. I sit there frozen, what is up with this boy? I mean I get it, he's nice. But I wish for some alone time with Aedan before anything that I think might happen, happens.

 But as my good luck keeps getting better a loud sound of people was heard close to our quiet and lonely compartment. Ah great, loud Gryffindors and their leader I presume? I can only see a tall figure wearing an annoyingly beautiful Gryffindor knit sweater. I can make up a face, James Cunningham, it just suddenly had to be the Gryffindor quidditch captain. He's laughing and I just want to tell him and his friends to piss off but I believe he's friends with Henry and Aedan so I bit my tongue and look down at my hands. How much do I have to give to just disappear until all of these idiots go away and I can stay with Aedan? "Duuuuuude, I've been looking all over for you, and Aedan! Sweet, you're here too! And, who's this?" He spat out the last sentence as if I was someone who was inferior to him. "Dude, that's the Ravenclaw It Girl!" A guy shouted behind James. I give him a fixed look as he throws a side glance back at me, he looks terribly disgusted by my presence which makes me hate this even more. "Well, we'll wait for you in our compartment, see you." He leaves with a very serious expression you wouldn't find James Cunningham having. All of the Gryffindors grown in annoyance and yelling some stuff I cannot quite hear.

I check my watch to make sure that there is less than 20 minutes stuck in this train. Nope, 25 minutes. I check if I brought my headphones with me, and Aedan gives me a look of prohibition. I stop searching in my bag until I stumble in a particular book I haven't seen in years. "Tales Of A Labyrinth" By the one and only witch Magnolia Evergreen, my favorite witch author. This book was a pretty big deal in my childhood, it was my favorite book. As I carefully touch the now very old pages of this book, I can't help but wonder how this book got into my bag. "And how did you little thing get into my bag?" I whisper to the book forgetting I'm in a compartment with Aedan and his friend. "What?" Henry speaks, I look away from the book and glance at him. "Oh nothing." I say as I go back into diving my eyes into this relic. Aedan and Henry start talking trying to break the silenced while my eyes are still fixed on the book. It was quite a magical book, it was like it had all the answers yet no answer at all. A very rare book at that. My father gave it to me when I was very little, but I couldn't actually have it with me and read it until my first year of Hogwarts, which is silly to think. But this book has been with me when I always had a problem, it always had a solution, nobody knew about this book, it was my biggest secret. I think it through, if this book had all the solutions to every problem I had, then does that mean it... I scramble through the pages, empty, I go to another page, empty again. What the hell is going on? Empty pages. No solutions. "damn it" I murmur. "Hey Robin I know you are a lunatic and talk to yourself but hey, we're here."

 "Uh right, uhm." I say trying to find the right words to this awful moment. "Go on" says Aedan. "Oh it's nothing!" And for my surprise the train has gone through its final stop.