Daughter of Black

Chapter 51- Hard Times

V had arrived at King's Cross late having slept in on the first day of term, and was making a sprint to the train just as it was leaving. She pushed her way past waving parents as she did, earning glares and snide comments from the crowd. She simply couldn't get up in the morning after she had had what seemed like the most peaceful sleep in her life. She just managed to jump on the train as it was starting to chug away.

She kept her head low as she walked past all the compartments, looking for the one her friends were in. As she was peaking into one compartment, a familiar voice called out her name from the behind. 

V turned around with pure happiness flooding her expression, she hadn't seen George since Christmas. They immediately embraced each other in one of the tightest hugs ever and held each other in the middle of the hallway quite unapologetically.

V felt someone's eyes on her however, and she glanced up from George's shoulder. Draco and V made brief eye contact and in the short second she looked at him, she could see nothing but coldness and irritation. She looked away and let go of George.

"People are looking." She said quietly.

George turned around and saw Draco who glared at George but walked away. George then kissed her saying "I don't care."

V smiled but that faded as soon as she started to think about everything.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

V ignored the question and instead found herself very uncomfortable about being out in the open. "Let's go to your compartment." She said.

Fred and Lee were also in the compartment which was expected seeing as they were all close friends. Fred looked slightly concerned when he first saw her but then his eyes lit up.

"V!" Fred chirped when he saw her "You- you look..."

"Horrible, I know." V finished, sitting down across from him. Fred scratched the back of his neck not really sure how he could agree politely which made V laugh.

"How was life as a freedom camper?" He then asked changing the topic.

"Alright, but not exactly the lifestyle I'm after." V replied.

"Well soon enough you're going to be some sort of high up healer, you could have any life style you want." Fred said as if he were some sort of sales person; then V realised he technically was a sales person. V rolled her eyes at him.

There was a silence. "I'm sorry about your father." Fred eventually acknowledged.

"I've been an orphan my whole life, it's really no different." V said flatly.

"Sirius is worried about you. He still cares about you, you know." George then spoke up. V knew all too well that he was right, Sirius after all was the soul person she had been thinking about as of late. But for some reason she just couldn't voice this.

"He still lied to me. He still pushed me around and gave Harry all his attention forgetting about his own daughter. He still-" V suddenly stopped and bit her lip so hard it nearly started to bleed. "I care about him too." She confessed lowly.

"Then why are you so angry at him?" George asked.

"I need someone to be angry at. You can't screw someone over this much and expect them to be cool with it. I know I should be angry at mother, and I know I should be angry with my true father, but how do you hold a grudge against the dead?" V explained.

George suddenly wrapped his arms around V and squeezed onto her tightly. V leaned her head into his shoulder and did everything in her power to not cry.