A Nearly Missed Goodbye

Interacting with: @Mikey Forville Mentioning: N/A Date: June 30th 2026

Word Count: 388

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Time had flown over the past year. In the blink of an eye, here she was. A third year now. She had survived her second year. Something her younger self would have never believed possible. And it had all been thanks to the people she had met over the past two years. Emiline. Colin. Joseph. Lyanna. And especially Mikey. Avery blushed at the thought of him. Avery could barely think as she walked through the halls of Hogwarts one last time before the summer began. She would have to rush to the train station so as to not miss the train. Dark school robes and flashes of bright colors filled her vision as she pushed through the crowd. Friends and lovers saying goodbye one last time before they would leave to board the train home. It was all a blur. As the lioness rushed so as to not be left behind she thought back to the events of the past year. So much had happened. She has one her first Quidditch match, she has admitted her feelings to Mikey and found he felt the same way, she had grown in her understanding of the world and how it worked. Life could do that to you. One moment she felt just like a little girl and in the next here she was. Feeling like a grown woman at only thirteen. Eventually she had made it to the station. And right on time. Breathing hard from the exertion of running, Avery slapped her hands on her knees and breathed heavily until her lungs finally stopped constricting and allowed air to come through normally. A typical side effect of the ‘healing’ she had received in the past. Well, it was nothing big. She could live with it. Finally regaining composure, the lioness straightened herself and took the steps into the train. It was already crowded thanks to her late arrival. She had slept in that morning. Too late. Shouldering through students scrambling to find an empty compartment, Avery finally found exactly where she wanted to be. She saw one boy sitting alone in a compartment staring out the window. His curly brown hair rested just above his eyebrows. Blue eyes bright as he watched the world go by. Opening the door with a smirk, she finally spoke. “Is this compartment taken?”

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Mikey had become so caught up watching the platform outside that the sound of the compartment door sliding open almost made him jump out of his seat. He turned automatically, expecting a random student poking their head in to ask if the seats were free. Instead, he found himself looking at Avery. He simply stared at her. It wasn't because he hadn't expected to see her again before the train left. It was because he'd already convinced himself that he wouldn't. She looked like she had ran all the way from the castle and her breathing was still a little heavy. "Avery!" He said with the same excited feeling that he got when he gave up on a match and the team won in the last second.


"I was wondering where you'd disappeared to." He shook his head, still smiling. "I thought we'd somehow managed to miss each other." Mikey glanced around the otherwise empty carriage with exaggerated concentration. He looked toward the luggage rack, then the empty seat opposite him, then back at her as though he were genuinely weighing up the situation. "Hmm..." He rested his finger against his chin. "It does seem awfully full… But I suppose I can make an exception for a beautiful girl." His cheeks turned a little bit red after the words left him. He wondered if he would break the habit of talking before he thought. Leaning across the compartment, he picked up the satchel he'd thrown onto the seat beside him and dropped it onto the floor with a soft thud.

"There." He swept an arm toward the now-empty seat. "Reserved exclusively for one specific Gryffindor." He noticed her breathing once more and added, "You ran all the way here, didn't you? You know the train wasn't going to leave without you... right?" He'd seen her like this before. Even though she always insisted she was fine, he still found himself watching a little more closely than he probably needed to. He waited until she had settled into her seat before leaning back against the window again and for a little while he simply looked at her.

The last few days had been so busy that it felt strange finally having a quiet moment together. Packing trunks, returning library books, saying goodbye to professors, Quidditch, friends... somewhere between all of that they'd barely managed more than a passing conversation. He hadn't realized how much that bothered him until now.

"I actually kept thinking I'd find you before we left," he admitted after a moment. "I don't know how we kept missing each other." Outside, students were still weaving between the train and the platform. Some were hugging goodbye while others leaned out of windows shouting last-minute reminders about letters and summer plans. A first year hurried past dragging a trunk that looked almost bigger than they were. Mikey watched them for a second before smiling to himself. "It's funny. I was sitting here a minute ago thinking about everything I'm going to miss. The Quidditch pitch and friends and all that." He smiled. "And..." He hesitated for the briefest moment. "I was thinking about you." The admission came so naturally that it surprised even him.

"I kept thinking that three months suddenly feels like a really long time." He looked down at his hands for before letting out a small breath. "I know we'll write. And I know summer will probably go by quicker than we think. But it's still weird. I mean I've gotten used to seeing you almost every day." He looked back up, meeting her eyes with an easy smile. "I'm not sure I like going back to only seeing you in letters sent back and forth." Students scrambled through the last few compartment doors while parents waved from beyond the barrier. Somewhere farther down the train, someone was laughing loudly enough that it carried through the open windows. Mikey glanced toward the platform one last time before turning back to Avery.

xx

𝕷 Avery watched as Mikey jumped at the sound of her voice. His blue eyes widened in surprise that spoke everything words could not express. It had been a long time since they had seen each other in person. Too long. She had missed him dearly during that time and there was no way she was leaving him without saying goodbye. When he realized who she was and that she had not missed the train, his eyes lit up like bright sapphires. Her name escaping his lips in the special way he always spoke to her. The caring and soft voice she only heard him speak in when directed at her and she loved it. Her cheeks had probably turned bright red from his comment. How was she supposed to respond to that? How was he so sweet? The lioness knew she did not deserve him. He was too good. The golden boy compared to her broken and messed up past and family history. Her family left her as a walking landmine waiting to explode. Especially if her mother found out the truth. She would be done for if her mother found out everything that had happened the past two, nearly three years. The lioness shook her head. Clearing her mind. This was her time to spend with Mikey. Her mother did not deserve to take up space and occupy her mind. Her mother clearly did not care for her daughter, so why would Avery give her the time of day? The truth was, she was not going to. “Well, if you insist, I guess this compartment isn’t too full and who could pass up sitting next to a handsome boy for the duration of the ride?” Avery’s cheeks had turned to a bright pink in addition to the flush she probably already had. Mikey had that effect on her. Making her feel speechless with his caring words and gentle smiles. Avery sat down in the seat after a moment. Finally relaxing after the hard run to make the train. Laughing softly she finally spoke, “Yeah. Didn’t want to miss out on this though. I’ve really missed you lately.” She smiled softly as she looked into his eyes. The lioness listened as he spoke. Explaining how he had wanted to find her and was always thinking about her during that time. She was speechless all over again. Knowing that she had not been the only one missing him and wishing for one last interaction alone and one last chance to talk before they went their separate ways for three months nearly broke her. Unshed tears of happiness welled in her eyes, but she did not let them fall. “I thought about you every day since we last saw each other. I guess our schedules didn’t mix though. I always tried finding you, but never came up lucky.” She sighed contentedly. Avery swallowed. Three months. It felt like an eternity to be away from Mikey. She tried hard to forget that. She had to stay positive. And staying positive meant looking at the light at the end. She grabbed his hand in her own and squeezed it before she spoke, “I know it feels like an eternity and it’s going to be hard, but we’ve got this. It’ll pass by and before you know it, we’ll be together again at summer camp. Though I will be writing you every day. Expect a daily owl every morning to go with breakfast.” Avery laughed lightly as she squeezed his hand again to let him know she meant it.

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Mikey was smiling without realizing it. It wasn't that he didn't believe what he heard, it was more that compliments still caught him completely off guard. No matter how many times Avery smiled at him or said something kind, part of him still expected to be the awkward kid who tripped over his own feet trying to introduce himself to people. He looked back up at her, noticing the color in her cheeks hadn't completely faded either. "I think we're both equally terrible at taking compliments." He said

The compartment settled into a comfortable silence for a moment. Outside, the platform was still alive with movement. Somewhere farther down the train someone laughed loudly enough that several other compartments joined in. It made everything feel strangely normal. He'd spent the last week wondering if he was being silly. Every time they'd almost crossed paths he'd convinced himself there would be another chance. Tomorrow. After dinner. Before breakfast. After Quidditch practice. Then suddenly tomorrow had become the last day of school and it felt almost like he lost time with her that he would never get back.

He let out a slow breath, looking out the window for a moment before speaking again. "I honestly started thinking it was just bad luck." His fingers absentmindedly traced the edge of the seat. "I'd walk into the Great Hall thinking you'd probably be there..." He smiled to himself. "...and you'd already left." He thought for a second then continued. "I was beginning to think the castle was moving you around just to annoy me." His eyes dropped to their hands for a second before another smile found its way onto his face. He hadn't expected something so simple to make him feel so much better. His thumb gently brushed across the back of her hand without him even thinking about it.

Three months still sounded impossibly long, but somehow it didn't feel quite as impossible now. Especially with summer camp coming soon. At the mention of a letter every morning, he laughed. "Every morning?" He looked at her with joking suspicion. "You know, that's setting the bar pretty high." A grin spread across his face. "My dad's going to think I've become the most popular person in Liverpool. Another owl, Mikey?'" He lowered his voice, attempting an exaggerated impression of his father. "'You'd think you were famous.'" He chuckled at the thought before looking back at Avery. "I'll write back. To every single one." He squeezed her hand gently.

Another whistle echoed outside, louder this time. The train gave the faintest shudder beneath them. Students hurried along the corridor outside their compartment, sliding doors open and shut as they searched for the last empty seats. Mikey looked toward the window as Hogwarts disappeared behind a veil of steam, then turned back to Avery. He gave her hand another gentle squeeze. "I think this is exactly how I wanted to leave Hogwarts"

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𝕷 Avery laughed lightly again at Mikey’s comment about neither of them accepting compliments well. Just by the look of red blush creeping across his own cheeks just like hers, she knew immediately what he said was true. They both really did have a hard time not blushing at compliments and being rendered speechless. Especially when the other spoke it. A smile, one that brightened the room, lit Avery’s face. She was happy. Really happy. For the first time in a long time she felt like she finally belonged and that everything was going to be okay. As long as Mikey stayed by her side. A comfortable silence fell between them. One that spoke things greater than words could. Sometimes silence was a good thing. It calmed room and led to a feeling of comfort. That was one of those instances. The lioness could hear the laughter in the hallways and other compartments. Laughter of joy. Of friends reuniting for one last time before summer brought them apart. Avery’s smile fell for only a moment before it came back. Mikey’s words hit her deeper than she would let herself speak aloud. It was true. Every time she sought to find him, he would never be there. It was as if life was distancing the two of them. Leaving unspoken words and lost moments together. Avery was just happy to have this moment with him. It was probably all she had left until the summer came to an end. Avery laughed again. “Well, then, it’s settled. A letter to accompany you every morning.” She grinned. Knowing all too well she would bend over backwards to make that happen. Joy filled Avery as the train began to move beneath her. Nodding in agreement to Mikey’s comment of this is how he wanted to leave Hogwarts for the summer, she agreed. This was the perfect start to a great summer. Though little did Avery know that the summer was only the beginning of one of the toughest of many hard summers coming she was about to face.

xx

Their conversation went from one subject to the other as the train rolled through the country side. At times they talked and then sat in silence looking outside the window watching the countryside sliding away. They did not seem to mind the silence. There was no need to fill every minute with some words. Outside there were huge stretches of fields interrupted by old stone walls and flocks of sheep happily grazing. From time to time the train went through tiny villages which soon slipped away from sight. The noise of the wheels going along the track mingled with laughter and talking coming from the corridor outside, the typical soundtrack of the Hogwarts Express Mikey thought to himself.

For Mikey traveling by train had always been nice. There was something very peaceful in that. For several hours life slowed down. There were no essays waiting to be finished, no Quidditch practices and no professors reminding everyone about the homework due next week. The only thing expected from him was to take a seat and just allow the train to take him to south. He sank a bit more deeply into his seat, still holding Averys hand without a thought. It made him realize how natural it had become. Just... comfortable.

A year ago he would have never imagined that. His thoughts wandered to everything that had happened. Coming to Hogwarts he had spent too many hours worrying about whether he would fit in or not. Everybody else seemed to know what they were doing, everybody else looked so confident, so talented, so belonging. Somehow during all this time all the doubts faded away. Not overnight and not thanks to some single event. It just happened in hundreds of little moments, talking, having meals, Quidditch practices, spending evenings in the common room, hanging around with friends. No single moment was more important by itself, but taken together they turned everything upside down.

"You know..." he suddenly said still looking out the window, "...I don't think I have ever had a school year fly by so fast. Funny, what actually stays in your memory. I cant say what we ate for dinner a few nights ago, and half of the homework has already melted into each other." He laughed quietly. "But I remember every Quidditch match." His eyes moved towards Avery. "And I remember every moment we spent together." He said words simply and they were not spoken with any special intentions, they were just true.

The train crossed a bridge with the typical roar that lasted only for few seconds. Sunlight flashed brightly on the compartment window, making him squint and then fading away. "I have been thinking about home a lot recently," he confessed. "It will be good to see my dad again." He already could see it. The little flat in Liverpool. His dad acting as if he had not been counting the days until summer. Weekend matches of football with neighbors. The rain falling on the windows. He smiled. That, at least, would never change. For some time he watched another stretch of countryside going past and then spoke again. "Strange though. When I was young, Liverpool was just... home." He paused, trying to find the proper words. "Now it seems to me that I have got two homes." He had not expected Hogwarts to be anything more than a school. Yet somehow between the first nervous train ride and now it became something different.

His thumb brushed lightly across the back of Avery's hand without him even noticing he was doing it. Another comfortable silence settled over the compartment. It wasn't awkward. It never seemed to be with her. A burst of laughter echoed from the corridor as several students hurried past their compartment, clearly chasing after someone farther down the train. Mikey glanced toward the door before smiling to himself. It was hard to believe how much could change in a single year. He was leaving Hogwarts with friends he never expected to make, memories that still made him smile whenever they crossed his mind, a Quidditch Cup that Ravenclaw had earned together, and someone sitting beside him who had become one of the most important parts of his life. As far as journeys home went, he couldn't imagine a better way to spend the trip.