See You Soon, Hogwarts! PV AngelFyre McCubbin F

One last look around was all she allowed herself. AngelFyre had been preparing, and most surprisingly, mourning, the moment that was now upon her. There was no denying it. Her first year at Hogwarts started out rough. There were moments of fleeting light, friendships sparked, but the embers always seemed to die. She had contemplated asking her parents to release her from her misery over winter break, but she had never quit on anything before, and the thought of quitting even this, at that time, burned like poison. Had things not taken a most dramatic turn for her when she met Simon, this final look around Badger Bungalow would likely have been her very last.

Happily for her, the tides did turn in early January, and the rest has been the only Hogwarts history that she cares to think much upon now. Simon. Everything good about Hogwarts for her has his fingerprints all over it. Maybe the blush of new love will not always occupy her mind to the extent it does now, but the fact is that it does colors everything she thinks and sees and feels. Simon saved her from sadness, loneliness, and deep depression, and helped bring her back to a spirit of joyful living rather than repetitious existence. And that alone would be a tremendous gift if that is all it was and all that he offered her. But there was more.... so much more.

Sitting on the canopy bed, she checked her satchel one last time. Everything she needed for the train ride would be in there. She also had a gift she had been working on for Simon. He had once drawn her a beautiful painting of their spirit animals. It was AngelFyre's most treasured possession, after her Bible. What she had drawn for Simon was not as spiritual, but she thought the connection it conveyed would be something he would appreciate very much, especially during moments when he might particularly miss her. Hopping down and patting her comfy mattress one last time, AngelFyre grabbed her bags and hurriedly headed out with a large group of students headed for the train depot.

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When she arrived at the depot, she set her bags down like she had been instructed to do and climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express for the 6th time in her life. The train was beautiful. Like something out of Dickensian London. Polished brass and gorgeous mahogony and lush upholstered seats in the passenger compartments. To AngelFyre it was very romantic, and she could not wait to find Simon. They both knew he would likely beat her there and he had said he would find them a place, or at least save a place for her with him. If every seat on that train was full, she had already determined he was going to have a girlfriend in his lap the whole way to King's Cross station. She chuckled as she walked the narrow corridor, looking in each compartment for his handsome face. She knew he would be spared the numb thighs as she was certain no one would go without a seat, but her fondly imagined seating arrangement definitely had its appeal. It took practically no time to find him, and he was alone, at least for now. As she entered, he stood, and she smiled up at him. He looked perfect as always as he flashed his devastating smile back at her before their lips met for a brief, but delicious kiss. "Mmmmm.... someone has been sucking on a lemon drop. Soft lips and so delectable," and she tip toed up one more time to bite his bottom lip softly. "You must have gotten here really early based on the close proximity of this compartment to the loading area. I had secretly hoped that the train would be overflowing and there would be but one seat. You would take it and I would have the joy of sitting on your lap all the way to London," and she sighed dramatically at the loss of such a prize as she stepped out of his embrace.

Walking over to silently greet a sleeping Rascal, AngelFyre reached down and gently stroked his head and then just behind his ear. Rascal had changed Simon in some wonderful ways. He still claimed not to be an animal person, and that might be mostly true, but he was good and kind and devoted to his little four-legged charge. She suspected Simon knew, but she would not be the one to tell him if he did not, but AngelFyre was not at all certain that Rascal would be around to make the trip back to Hogwarts in the fall. His energy was always low, and he slept practically all the time. It was summer now and this should be one of his most active seasons. A pang of grief stung her heart at the thought of her big handsome fella no longer tagging along with his little fella in the fall, but AngelFyre would be very pleased to be wrong. Rascal had found a place in Simon's heart in his own right, of that she was certain, but losing him would be a little like losing Alexa over again for him, to some extent, and that hurt her heart for him.

Goodbyes were hard.

Goodbyes were also necessary.

Goodbyes paved ways for hellos.

AngelFyre gave Rascal a last, gentle rub and then stood. She moved to where Simon was directing her attention, and a smile crossed her lips as he began to speak. She had, of course, seen the notebook on the seat next to him when she had entered the compartment. Her boyfriend was a big proponent of notebooks, so she at first thought it was one he had been looking through or writing in while awaiting her arrival and had simply set it down when he rose to greet her. She picked it up as he told her it was for her so that she could write down anything that came to her as possible visions or intuitions from the Seer's ability she now suspected she may have. Looking at the cover more closely, he had even put her name on it and included a parchment inside with his cell phone contact info. AngelFyre smiled secretly to herself on that addition. It was a very thoughtful gesture on his part, but she had that information memorized the night he gave it to her in the treehouse. Still, if she were to suffer some bizarre form of amnesia between here and home, it would be a good thing to have.

Sitting down next to him and holding the notebook, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, love. It means a lot to me that you are thinking about my suspicion about myself and are helping me deal with it. This is a very good idea and I promise I will put it to good use. I have heard some people keep dream journals. This would be a little like that, I suppose," and she reached for his hand and squeezed it.

She sat and listened as he broke the news to her that he did not think he would be going to summer camp this year. A lead weigh dropped to her stomach almost immediately, but honestly, she had been expecting it. She was going to miss him like crazy, but she knew he had so many big things coming at him this summer, not the least of which was the impending visit with his vampiric father, that this decision actually seemed to be a wise one. Besides, hardly anyone she knew was going to be at camp, and she knew she could probably make new friends, but if Simon was not going to be there, she felt like she would rather be home with the faithful childhood friends she had not been around for the better part of two years now. Maybe it was time for Ainsley, Kendric, AngelFyre and Hillary Dillary Dawg to reacquaint themselves and make a grand summer of their own memories. That was a different kind, but no less vital kind, of magic all on its own.

As she had rested her head on his shoulder while listening to him, she had been twirling her hair through her fingers, completely unaware as usual that she was doing it. She had promised herself for the past week that she was not going to cry today. Not today. A sad, puffy-eyed AngelFyre was not the last memory she wanted him to take away from this day. She was twirling, listening, and holding back a wave of sadness when her head suddenly snapped from its comfortable position on his shoulder and the hair twirling stopped immediately.

She looked over to see that he was already looking towards her, his eyes seeking something in hers, not for the first time ever, and she knew not for the last as well. If he was looking for absolute joy and elation, he had come to the right pair of eyes. "Wait. Did you just invite me to visit you this summer in London?" Her voice was vibrating with excitement. Even she could hear that in her own head, but her body was starting to vibrate with the same excitement as well. He continued talking to her about how they could keep in touch via their cell phones, but as he was talking, she threw herself into his lap as she had imagined earlier when looking for his compartment. She was not crying, but she was so happy she could have as she just nestled her face in his neck as he finished with talk of a visit to Diagon Alley.

When he had finished, she was still holding him and trying to gauge how likely it was that she would be able to speak without tearing up. In silence, she determined she needed a few seconds more and smiled a dozen little whisper soft kisses on his neck when his arms came around her tightly. Finally sure that all danger of tears had passed, she stayed in place just where she was, face still nestled in the warmth of his neck and she laughed a little.

"You big goofball. Of course I would love to visit you in London. That would be my idea of heaven and would trump summer camp any day of the week for me."

As they both just sat quietly for a few minutes like that, AngelFyre was debating with herself whether to give him the gift she had for him now or wait. She decided to give it to him now while things were not rushed at the station and too sad at their ultimate parting in a few hours, though even that parting would now be so much less sad. "I have something for you, too," and she reluctantly moved off of his lap and reached over for her satchel. Opening it up, she found what she was looking for immediately. "It is a memory I had of us on the shoreline one day when you came for spring break. I thought it might bring a smile every once in a while if you ever missed me during this intolerable summer separation, which now suddenly feels a whole lot less intolerable. I hope you like it. It is no wolf and dove painting, I will grant you that, but it was done with much love," and she then handed the little canvas over to him, feeling more happy than she could ever have anticipated even just 20 minutes ago.

OOC: Artwork is not mine. The artist's name could not be located, however, or credit would have been gladly attributed.

She found herself biting her bottom lip and moving her thumbnail over the other, watching him closely as he looked over the painting. She knew he really liked it as he kept looking over it, much as she had done when he presented her with his wolf and dove painting. She stopped biting her lip and rubbing her thumbnails together, long before his eyes left the canvas, and was able to breathe a little sigh of relief.

Had she used the word,'if'? Most likely so. That surprised her a bit. She had felt for a long while that Simon loved her. Everything he did for and with her, and the way he spoke to her and looked at her, had screamed that he loved her, but it was not until the day on the training pitch that he confirmed his feelings for her that it all really clicked for her. And in that moment, there was initial shock followed by euphoria, but the predominant feeling had been one of peace. In the couple of weeks since his declaration, AngelFyre could not think of one instance when she had even an iota of doubt about his feelings for her. The 'if' must mean that subconsciously she was more than a little afraid something... or someone... could threaten her personal Shangri La. And this she was no longer prepared to stand for from herself. It was one thing, and an expected thing, to be sad at their parting. It was another whole thing to continue to foster the seed of doubt within herself. It just made her miserable and more than that, it was just so incredibly unfair to who Simon is as a person and who he had always been with her as a friend and then as her boyfriend.

Enough, AngelFyre. You are a child of faith. Start acting like it and better still, start placing it in this miraculous boy standing across from you whom you are so crazy about. No more 'ifs'. You know he is crazy about you, too. You could not feel like this about him otherwise.

As he kissed her forehead reassuringly, it was her turn to do some reassuring. "I know you will miss me, love. I know. I apologize for the 'if'. It was just a slip. And you are right. I have heard that old chestnut about distance and hearts growing fonder. There must be something to it, right?" and she sighed deeply. "We are so blessed to live now if you think about it. Even though physically parted, as you rightly point out, we will still have the capability to see each other and hear each other, daily if we wish.... hint, hint!..." and she chuckled while relaxing in his arms. He was right. In his arms was exactly where she belonged. "I cannot imagine how the couples 200 years ago managed not being in touch with their loved ones over ridiculous spans of time and distance. I do not think my heart is built for that. I am just so crazy about you, so please chalk all of this up to that one salient fact, but even so, I have been acting like a spoiled child and ruining our last few hours together. We are so blessed to have options available to us, and from this moment on, Simon, I am choosing to be a glass half full kind of girlfriend. No more moping from me, and no burden on you to worry about me being sad. I want us to enjoy each other right now while we can," and she hugged him close when his arms tightened around her.

Then the whistle blew and she knew the train would be leaving the depot momentarily. Simon leaned over to put the painting into his satchel and delighted her when he brought out his wizard radio. He was such a romantic. How perfect to leave Hogwarts while dancing close in their little heavenly compartment, just the two of them.

Thirty minutes ago, AngelFyre really was heart-achingly sad, but the sharp edges of it had mellowed and rounded out. It was okay to be sad, but it was not going to buckle her. As the classical music filled the compartment and she swayed in his arms, listening to his slow but strong heartbeats, she knew everything was right in her world. She had climbed aboard this train to go home.

And home she already was.

Their story continues here.