Hiraeth | Regulus Black

Chapter Twelve

Esme kicked her trunk in frustration, sending it sliding slowly across the battered wooden floor of the dormitory. She had the exact same amount of stuff as she had at the start of he school year, yet for some reason it wouldn't all fit in her trunk as it had before.
Why was that?

The girl pulled at her hair before collapsing onto her bed, lying down and staring up at the ceiling. Slowly, she allowed her heavy eyelids to flutter closed.

"You sure look happy to be going home for the holiday."

Esme opened an eye and glanced over to the corner of the room. Everyone else had already left, taking their cases out and bidding farewell to their friends. In the doorway stood Piper, her dyed blonde hair messily tied in a bun, arms folded tightly as she leaned against the wooden frame.

"Are you not?" She propped herself up on the bed with her elbows.
"My dad has gone to visit our family back in Colombia. Could only afford one ticket. I'm spending the holidays at my Grandma's down south. She's not a huge fan of me." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh... So you're originally from Colombia?" Esme raised an eyebrow.

"Did you not know?"
"I didn't want to assume."
"You thought I was from Mexico."

Pursing her lips, Esme couldn't help but grin, "I never said that."

Tentatively, Piper stepped into the room and stopped where Esme's trunk lay in the middle of the room. She plucked her wand out of her sleeve and levitated the case onto Esme's bed.

"How can you have this many clothes in your trunk, when I've only ever seen you in the same two old jumpers." The older girl mused with curiosity, gazing down at the mountain of clothes.

"Merlin, don't remind me. I'm going to be stuck in formalwear for two weeks. I'd rather to think about the trauma-to-be." Esme covered her face with her hands, "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Well..." Piper dug her hands into her pockets, "I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas, I suppose."

"Why would you do that?"

"Esmeralda, do you know what it's like to have friends?" Piper almost laughed.
Esme rose to her feet, standing slightly above Piper in height, "Dirk's pretty bad at it, so no."

The brunette ruffled the older girl's hair before pulling a few dresses out of her case, leaving them littered on the floor as she flicked her trunk closed. Over the past few weeks, the two girls had almost become unlikely friends. Piper would often reel Esme in if she was found to be acting a little too harshly towards other students. Whilst Esme would undermine Piper's shallow attempts to harmlessly toy with people.

Dirk liked to think they were helping each other become better people. And if the two were friends, it certainly got Piper off his back for a while.

"Esme..." Piper combed out her hair.
"It's Esmeralda."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes, "I had originally come up to here ask you to write to me over the holidays."

"Oh?" Esme had reached the door but upon hearing this, abruptly turned around.
"I mean... I'm spending Christmas with just my grandma. It's going to be pretty sad."

"Tell you what..." Esme smiled, "You've got yourself a deal, but I'm not reading any fangirl letters about your obvious crush on Dirk."
Piper smirked, "Done."

"Well you know where I'll be - having the time of my life at Grimmauld Place."

With that, Esme spun swiftly on her heels and strode our of the Ravenclaw dormitory for the last time that year.
Piper raised her hand to wave goodbye but quickly lowered it, kicking at the floor beneath her feet.