Sam's brow furrowed into frown. "But I'm not tryna hurt yeh. I've only ever been fighting for yeh to make it better. I hate seeing you upset, and I'm on your side." And it showed on her face. The strength that Sam had been trying to project whenever they had interacted of late was starting to crumble. "You're not the onleh one who's lost stuff, you know." Dora had a loving family, a house to go home to, a full wardrobe, money. Sam had a father in Azkaban, her rat Ollie, and the contents of her school trunk. Once upon a time she hadn't known anything else, but now she did.

She knew she deserved Dora's reaction for the street trash comment, and Sam regretted immediately the choice of phrase. "I'm sorry, okay? That was me lashing out." She looked up at her friend, a mixture of guilt and hurt in her eyes. "I know you don't feel like that. But you've shut down on me so much recently, avoided me...it kinda feels like that. The way people used to treat me 'n' t'other kids around Diagon Alley...as if we didn't mean anything to them." And she thought she meant something to Dora. Maybe only hoped she still did at this point. The Gryffindor had been her family, and she thought families stuck together.

...and then the older girl started to take off through the selves. Sam shook her head as she picked up her bag. "No, no you don't," she said under her breath, following closely behind. "You're not garbage, Dora. You're my best friend." She looked down at her feet, trying to hide the tears that were welling in her own eyes. "...if you still want to be, that is."