No place like home

"Not like we have a choice now, do we?" he said with a sigh. It seems like this war was coming at a quicker pace than any of them had expected. There were so many things left to do and so little time. "Come on, mom. Let's go back inside. We ought to have a proper and cheerful family dinner for once at least. Things aren't going to change in a few hours. And I think we all could use some happier spirits right now" said Edgar.

"That actually might be a good idea" Alice said considering the idea. Well at least she could do and try asking. Perhaps things would go a lot better than she thinks. And getting proper guidance in her magical training would certainly boost her confidence and lead her on to the right track. It wasn't just about knowledge it was about the experience she could get from it as well.

"Oh...right" said Alice trying to get rid of the red color in her cheeks when Amelia confessed she was only teasing her. She couldn't control her reaction when it came to romance and similar things she didn't feel comfortable talking about to anyone. It was probably because of her shy nature that she couldn't be outspoken and honest about certain things. "I hope you don't mind be asking but... how serious were you and Chad?" she asked curiously. Since he was a Slytherin and Amelia had dated him for a while, maybe she had some advice for her. After all, Slytherins weren't the easiest people to handle. "Why...did that end badly? What happened?"

“I suppose so,” sighed Susan looking at her own breath in the cold air. She was getting cold. She knew it wouldn’t be an average dinner; there are too many hard feelings at the moment. She was looking “You’ve grown into such a young man. I only wish my aunt could see you. She always told me if I had kids they’d be brilliant and Merlin was she right,” cooed Susan hugging Edgar.

“I’ll ask my dad later and I’ll get hold you during school. My mum will probably be there too but she’s good at keeping secrets,” said Amelia. Alice had no idea that Amelia knew her dad was looking into why Alice was acting so strange for Uncle Neville. Amelia did mean the best though she wanted to help Alice along with protect her. She hoped her mum was okay. It wasn’t like her mother to walk away like that. She knew about the death threat letters and how personal they had been getting lately. The threats weren’t just about her mum anymore it was about the whole family but all of the letters had no signature or any signs of who it came from. It was scary to Amelia. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt in her family.

Amelia no longer was smiling. She didn’t want to think about Chad. It still hurt a bit. “Serious enough that it still hurts,” said Amelia harshly. She was bitter at the mere thought of Chad. “Of course it ended badly. All Slytherin boys are manipulative jerks. The only reason he dated me was to get closer to Jessica,” snapped Amelia. She wasn’t just bitter towards Chad but to Jessica to. She felt no sister love towards Jessica. Why should she? She’s a spoiled brat that gets away with everything even drugs and alcohol. She was also so rude and critical. How could one even like her? Yet guys fawned over her.

Edgar smiled at his mum as cheerfully as he good and he hugged her back. He laughed at what she said and nodded his head. "I would hope she is right. Perhaps we are not brilliant all the time, I must admit. But yeah we are mostly awesome" he said with a playful grin on his lips as they entered back into the house.

"That would be great, thank you" said Alice with a smile, hoping all of this would work out. When she saw the expression on Amelia's face, she regretted ever mentioning Chad in the first place. But again her curiosity got the best of her. She never knew what happened between the two of them, until now that is. "I'm so sorry Amelia. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to" she said quickly. Obviously Chad was a manipulative jerk but that surely didn't mean all Slytherins were like that. Just as not all Ravenclaws are nerdy and Hufflepuffs are not boring. "If he was a jerk then he didn't deserve your attention, it would be just a waste of time. Then you're better off that you broke up" she said with a comforting tone in her voice.

"What about other boys?" she asked trying to change the subject to something more cheerful and less dark, that wouldn't affect Amelia in such a way. "I mean there must be someone you like at school, even if it's just a crush. Am I right?" she asked with a grin, curious if Amelia had started dating someone again.

Susan re-entered the dining room. She couldn’t help not meeting eyes with Ernie. She felt that breathless feeling she had once always felt whenever with Ernie. Maybe she did still love him. As infuriating as Ernie was at times she still loved him. He was a human with faults, that’s what she loved about him. She smiled at Ernie ignoring Neville, Hannah and Frank.

Amelia shook off the memory of Chad, the past. She had Lance now. Lance was twice the man Chad could ever be. He was different. Chad was just one idiot. Just a single Slytherin boy, she never used to think all Slytherins were bad but she saw how his classmates acted and him. They changed her forever. “Don’t comfort me,” said Amelia. She didn’t want pity for Alice; she hadn’t even gotten her heart broken yet. She didn’t know what it felt like.

“If you must know I am dating and currently rather happy even with your boyfriend disturbing our date,” said Amelia. Should she tell Alice Lance’s name? She supposed she could. She just wasn’t sure if now was the right time.

Amelia's next words felt like a sword cutting through her skin. She was obviously defensive and saying or trying to make her feel better would not help at all. "I wasn't...I was just trying to... never mind" she said shrugging her shoulders. Alice cared for Amelia and only wanted what was best for her, to help her out. But then she had to remind herself than Amelia was very different than her. She was self reliant and independent. Unlike Alice who was used to, and needed, to be snuggled and babies through everything. She didn't know different.

"He's not my boyfriend!" said Alice rather quickly. "I already said that. But he'll apologize trust me. I'm sure Andrei didn't do it on purpose" she said doubting her own words. "He's really not as bad as people give him credit. You would know that if you tried being friends with him. Or at least just friendly enough towards him not to want to kill him every time you see him." said Alice although that was more of her dream than a possible reality. Andrei was never going to get along with her friends or family, and she needed to admit that to herself. "But I'm glad you are dating. That's always a good thing if you have picked a guy who makes you happy"