Chapter 14

"I hate studying, I really do," Nora tutted, shaking her head as she tapped the pen on the parchment in front of her, shaking her head as she done so. O.W.Ls weren't until next year, but Nora thought it wise to study as much as she could, seeing as normally, average was all she could muster.

"Can't say I don't disagree," Adria chuckles, shaking her head as she looked around the rather busy Library. Finally, and thankfully, the girl was back on track, the girls that seemed dead set on bullying her made sure to keep away from her after her little incident with them.

Nora was more than happy that Adria was alright, thankful, even, that the girl didn't have anything else to stress about, it was rather obvious that Adria was much happier, even though she was still coping with the loss of her mother, there was a clear change that the girl was in the right place for improvement.

"I uh, invited Lily, I hope that's alight," Adria whispered as she saw the librarian lurking, feeling rather guilty that she hadn't yet informed Nora of her best friend joining them, but Nora merely smiled.

"I like Lily, she's absolutely lovely, I just don't like her boyfriend," Nora chuckled, shaking her head as she done so, "twatty mctwat face could jump off the astronomy tower for all I care."

Adria couldn't help the snort that escaped as she clasped her hand over her mouth, holding in her giggles as best she could, "twatty mctwat face? Can I steal that for James?!"

"Oh please," Nora waved her off, "James is anything but a twatty mctwat face."

"Aww, look at you sticking up for your future boyfriend," Adria teased, earning a glare from the hufflepuff across from her.

"What was Caden like before he met Lily?" asked Adria, a sigh tumbling from her lips as she leaned her chin in her hand.

"Different," Nora sighs, "funner, with me, anyway, we had a tradition, and he failed to keep it when he started dating Lily, and in no way, was that her fault, it's just, I miss my best friend, the one that left months and months ago, I want him back, not the one that shouted at me, and broke a promise."

Adria sighed, her eyebrows knitted together as she looked at the look on Nora's face, and finally, call it what you will, but the realisation settled into Adria as she gasped, wide eyed, "you liked him didn't you?"

Nora's head snapped up to meet Adria's, her lips parted as she thought of an excuse, feeling her heartbeat rising, she can't think of what to say, so finally, seeing as she was getting all too suspicious, her shoulders slump, and a sigh tumbles from her lips as she nods her head, finally speaking, "yes, I loved him."

"You did?!" Adria asks, her eyes getting wider if that was even remotely and her hand clasped over her mouth, "oh merlin, Nora!"

"I know," she mumbles, shrugging, "but he's happy with Lily, and he's a twat, so there's nothing to do."

"Not to mention you fancy James," Adria points out, watching Nora's eyes widen as she shakes her head, evidently thinking back to her almost kiss with the boy that seemed like forever ago.

"I don't," she whispers shyly, her cheeks flushing red which made it very clearly obvious that she, actually did fancy James, "I just- I don't know, I mean he's helped me get over Caden, partly for the fact that I loved him, but the fact that he hurt me when we argued, James helped me then too, a lot, actually, and it was odd, and unexpected, but I couldn't imagine my life without him!"

"That's adorable," Adria gushes, her head falling onto the table as she speaks, "please just kiss already!"

"Oh shush," Nora giggles, rolling her eyes as she shakes her head.

"In all seriousness, though," Adria speaks, "what is going on with you and James?"

"I'm not sure, actually," Nora sighs, "he's lovely, and my best friend, but that's all, I suppose."

"Well tell me this," Adria smiled softly, "how much have you thought of Caden when you're with James?"

Nora thought, hard actually, in any attempts to prove that she did, in fact, think of Caden, a lot, but she couldn't, because she didn't, mostly, she thought of James, of the glasses that always squinted whenever he titled head, or the smirk that was slightly halved in the oddest way, but somehow, made her heart race, or when they went to Hogsmeade and he wouldn't even ask if she wanted Chocoballs, he would just buy them for her anyway.

She thought of his eyes, blinking behind his glasses, the glasses that he hated to wear, surprisingly, he tried to take them off with every chance he got until Nora would take them out of his pocket and place them on his face, her fingertips brushing the skin of his cheeks, and neither of them caught on that he done it just to feel her touch.

She thought of the way he was always close to her, near her, within the friendship they had grown, whenever they were together - which was almost always - the two were always touching, in the most innocent of ways, their shoulders would brush, or his arm would be around her shoulder, or she would grab his hand just because hers wasn't doing anything.

She wondered why people hadn't asked if they were a couple yet.

She wondered herself why they weren't.

"I haven't, no," Nora whispered, her eyes slightly wider than before as the realisation lingered in her mind, her mouth parted as she thought of the boy with the messy black hair, and the slightly crooked, but undeniably perfect smile, of the black rimmed glasses that decorated his face, "I uh, well, mostly, I think of James."

"So, do you admit that you like him?" asked Adria, her eyebrow raised and a wide grin attacking her lips as she turned at the sight of Lily walking through the door of the library.

"Well, I think I do, yes," Nora nodded, slightly dazed as she met Adria's gaze.

-

"I want chocolate milk but I'm far too comfortable," Nora sighs, her hand running through James' hair as she lay on the couch in the tree house, looking down at James whose head rested upon her stomach, his hand tracing soft patterns upon the skin of her hip that her t-shirt failed to cover.

"Do you want me to get you chocolate milk?" asks James, moving his head to look up at her, a grin on his lips as he watched her think, and once he moved to stand up did she pull him back down, shaking her head no.

"I'm alright," she chuckled, "I'm too comfortable."

"Can I ask you something?"

"You don't need to ask, James," Nora laughed softly, moving down slightly to get much more comfortable, and soon did she drape the blanket over the two of them, seeing as the wind was picking up outside in the winter air.

"Are you really staying here over Christmas?" he asked, his chin resting on her stomach as he turned to look at her, a frown taking over his lips as he watched her intently, her hand still softly moving through his hair, her fingers running over his scalp creating the best possible feeling.

He could stay like this forever.

A dream that would be.

"Well yes, I do every year," she shrugged, nodding her head, "I can't believe you remembered that, I told you that months ago!"

"I know, it's been bothering me," he grumbles, "you shouldn't spend Christmas alone."

"I'm used to it," she laughed softly, leaning down to press a kiss to forehead, unable to help herself when the frown crossed his lips, "I'd much rather stay here than go home."

"Why?"

"Why don't I want to go home?" she asked, watching James nod, and with sigh, she pushed herself up, watching James do the same and soon did she drape her legs over his, pulling him closer and wrapping the blanket around the two of them.

She knew at some point she would have to tell James about her past, solely because she trusted him with her life, and her past was part of her life, "they hate me, my parents."

"What?" he asked, wide eyed as he watched the girl awfully close to him, he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers together.

It really was a shock that they weren't a couple.

"it happened a while ago," she mumbled softly, her head resting on his shoulder as she spoke, "I was twelve years old, almost thirteen."

-

"Elijah, come on!" Nora giggled, her sandy brown hair tumbling down her back as she reached for her brother's hand excitedly, watching the boy laugh as he hurried along.

"I'm coming, Rara, chill out!" he grinned, "we'll be careful mum, I promise!"

"Watch your sister!" their mother called, a sternness to her tone that the twins would never fail to take seriously.

"She's bloody scary when she wants to be," Elijah scoffs as they ventured into the woods, adventuring was never a dull moment when the two where together, it was part of them, they had gone everywhere together.

Of course, getting the train themselves was a bit of a risk with a mother like theirs, but keeping it a secret was fairly easy.

"Oh I know," Nora scoffed, gripping onto Elijah's hand as she climbed onto a tree branch, almost slipping until Elijah caught her with a loud laugh tumbling from his lips.

"Always so bloody clumsy," he grinned, shaking his head as he patted hers, "so, got yourself a boyfriend at that school?"

"Oh please," Nora scoffs, "got yourself a girlfriend at yours?"

"Unfortunately, no," he tutted, running a hand through his blonde hair, "one has caught my eye though, lovely, she is."

"Oh you're hopelessly in love!" Nora gushed, clutching her hand onto her heart as she stumbled forward, spinning in her steps as she danced with her brother, "and oh so young, my my Elijah, stop growing up!"

"I could say the same for you, may I ask who this boy Caden is?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"My friend," Nora huffed, wagging a finger in his face, "and only that, what have I told you about going through my stuff?!"

"That I can do it because you love me," he shrugs, sending her a cheeky smirk which she matched with a cold glare.

"I preferred Dublin, if I'm honest," Nora sighed, looking around at the tall trees that surrounded them, it was almost silent, had it not been for the bird chirping quietly in the trees then they would be clouded with silence.

It was dark, foggy, mysterious, slightly intriguing, to say the least, but it was rather bland too, and terrifying, Nora didn't want to think of the possibilities that lurked within the trees.

"Let's go this way!" Nora grinned, pulling on Elijah's arm.

She stumbled out onto a road, her eyes wide as she realised that the forest stopped suddenly, seeing it start up at the other side, she had to admit that it was interesting. Elijah was just behind her, and soon did she turn, seeing him move forward, and so did she.

It happened so suddenly, her eyes wide, her body thrusting forward forcefully, so much so that she hit the ground hard, sending an ache through her body that in no way matched the pain in her heart when she turned around, seeing her brother on the ground in front of her, lifeless, wide eyed, his arms limp beside him.

"No, no, no!" Nora gasped, ignoring the pain that engulfed her body, dragging her self forward, she stumbled, fell, her arms gave way, and soon was she lying on his chest, her hand reaching up to slap his face, tears already in her eyes as she screamed, "Elijah, please Elijah, wake up, wake up!"

Her sobs masked her words, shaking her head she was cursing the driver that sped on, leaving the boy on the ground, and the girl in pain in so many ways. "p-please, Elijah, come on, you have to get up, please, Elijah!"

"God dammit, Elijah wake up!" she screeched, punching him, slapping him, she tried to give him mouth to mouth, tried to start his heart but she couldn't do it, she didn't know how.

The pain was almost unbearable, she could barely breath, her vision was impaired with the tears that blurred her eyes, "help!" she pleaded, her voice dry, croaked, begging for something other than tears, "somebody help me!"

-

"I passed out on the road, I couldn't help it," she whispered, failing to realise that her tears had spilled, only noticing when James wiped them with his thumb softly, watching the girl intently with his lip between his teeth, "a driver saw us on the road, and called an ambulance, when my parents came to the hospital, finding out what happened, they blamed me, said I was stupid, a silly little girl who needed to learn to watch where I was going."

"Oh Nora," James whispered, pulling her closer so much to the point that she was on his lap, his hand tangled in her sandy brown hair as held onto her, allowing her to sob into him. he was unable to help the tear that rolled down his cheek, an ache that settled into his heart as he allowed her to sob, shaking his head at what the girl had to go through, "merlin, you're so brave."

"If it wasn't for me he would be here, James," she whispered, clutching onto his shirt as she moved herself closer.

"It wasn't your fault, Nora, merlin, accidents happen, and your parents should realise that," James frowned, shaking his head, "I'm so sorry, Nora, that you had to go through that, that your parents made you think you were to blame when you definitely aren't!"

"But-"

He pressed his hand to her mouth, shaking her head, "if you were anything, Nora, it would be strong, you have so many secrets that you keep to yourself, and you act as though you have nothing to hide, that you aren't hurting, but you shouldn't do that, I'm not going to let you, I'm here now, I'm with you, and you can share your hurt with me."

Nora stared at him intently, a puff of air leaving her lips as she searched his eyes for something other than sincerity, but she couldn't seem to find anything, and soon did her mouth twitch into the tiniest smile, "thank you, James."

"You don't need to thank me, Nora, for anything," he mumbled, pressing his lips to her forehead softly, a sigh of his own leaving his lips as he guided her head to rest on him, "you're one of my best friends now, Nora, I love you."

"I love you too, James."