Chapter 2

"So, you're friends with James Potter now, yeah?" asked Caden as he sat in the library with Nora, watching her head lift and her eyebrow raise.

"What, no, why?"

"I saw you with him, you both looked pretty happy," Caden commented, dipping his quill into the ink bottle on the table near him, "weird, is all."

"I suppose we are acquaintances," Nora spoke, shrugging her shoulders, "nothing else."

"Do you know, the weirdest thing happened to me today," Caden sighed, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair, "I was walking down the hall with Lily, and then this deer just ran at me, a deer, in Hogwarts, just ran right at me, I had to jump into the wall, it was bloody terrifying!"

"A deer?" Nora repeated, gnawing at her bottom lip to keep the amused smile off of her lips, James said that he was going to deal with the prank, seeing as he had an idea, but Nora had no idea how the boy managed to get a deer, and how he managed to control it to charge at Caden, "that's pretty hilarious."

"More like pretty dangerous," Caden scoffed, "Lily comforted me afterwards, if you know what I mean, made it all worth it, really," he winked, wiggling his eyebrows as he watched Nora's expression turn to one of disgust.

"You are terrible," Nora commented, shaking her head as she packed her things away, "honestly, Caden, keep that to yourself."

"You love me really," Caden laughed, "you can't deny that you need someone, Nora."

"I do not," she huffed, rolling her eyes, "please, Caden, I am perfectly happy on my own."

"Yes, you look it," he teased, "you've been different, lately, what about James, he's not bad?"

"Well, Caden, if you think that, I'd be perfectly happy to set the two of you up," Nora smirked, watching Caden scoff.

"Well maybe you two could be more than acquaintances, is all I'm saying," Caden shrugged, sending her a wink, "he's Adria's best friend, I could talk to her for you."

"No, please, don't, Caden," she shook her head furiously, "really, if I want someone then I'd rather find them myself."

"Suit yourself," Caden chuckled, "but I think you'll be the only single one of our group soon," he smirked, the smirk that could make Nora go weak at her knees.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that our little Aubrey is growing up," he grinned, "saw her talking to some Gryffindor girl, blushing and everything."

"Aubrey doesn't blush," Nora shook her head, her eyes narrowed as she watched him nod.

"I'm sure, Nora, she likes someone, who would've thought that Aubrey Martin would have someone before you," she glared at him as she stood.

"Who would've known your new friends could make you so rude," she snapped, grabbing her bag and watching him sit up, a frown on his lips as he stared at her, shock mixing with the brown of his eyes.

"Nora- wait, where are you going?!" he exclaimed, seeing her sandy brown hair flip over her shoulders as she stomped out of the library.

"Shh!" the librarian huffed, louder than he was as she sent him a hard glare, and soon did his head duck, and his eyes trail back to his books.

Nora stomped down the hallway, she wasn't sure why she was so mad at Caden, it was sudden, and completely unexpected and she was sure a part of her was irritated with the way he talked about how she needed someone when all she wanted was him, but the other part of her was annoyed that Aubrey hadn't told her of this mystery girl, they were best friends, she thought that Aubrey told her everything, but she would never had known if it not for Caden telling her.

Her eyes had narrowed, her cheeks hot with anger, she didn't mean to snap at Caden, but she was annoyed too, that the fact that their plan hadn't worked first time around, she knew it would take time, but she just wished that it didn't, simply, that she would prank them once and that would be it.

Although a deer charging at Caden wasn't the best thing James could come up with, if she was honest.

Even though it did sound hilarious.

"Nora!" she turned at the sound of her name, coming face to face with James who had pushed himself away from his smirking friends and in her direction, a proud grin over his lips as he caught up with her, "are you alright, you look particularly red."

"I'm fine," she sighed, shaking her head as she ran her hand through her hair, "what do you want?"

"Did you like my prank?" he asked, nudging her ever so slightly, awaiting her reaction, "I'm sure Caden has already come running, whining to you."

She couldn't help but chuckle as she shook her head, "as much as it was hilarious, it didn't work."

"Wha- it did, he was bloody terrified!"

"Yes, but lovely Lily Evans made sure to comfort her boyfriend after the incident," Nora grumbled quietly, "that reminds me, how the bloody hell did you manage to get a deer, and how did you manage to control it?!"

He smirked, a wink thrown her way as he spoke, "that is for me to know, and for you to never find out."

"You're really into oversharing, I've noticed," she huffed, glaring at him as his smirk turned to a grin.

"We need to figure out what we're going to do next," James spoke, watching her struggling with organising the books in her hand and finally taking them off of her, much to her protest, "we also need a trip to Hogsmeade if we want to get supplies."

"We also need to figure out how to know where Lily and Caden are at all times," Nora tutted, "could be pretty hard."

"Very, but I'm sure we can manage," James grumbles, "I think we need help though."

"No," Nora furiously shook her head, wide eyed as she turned to him, wagging her finger in his face, "no one can know about this, James Potter, do you know how bad this sounds!"

"I'm not talking about some random stranger, I'm talking about Remus bloody Lupin," James scoffed, "I'd say Sirius too, or Peter, but I know for a fact they'd tell their girlfriends, and we really don't want that, especially with Adria being all-"

"Being all what?" she asked as he cut himself off, her head titled curiously to the side as he shook his head.

"Nothing, she's perfectly fine!" James nodded, grabbing hold of Nora's arm and pulling her down the hall, "fancy a trip to Hogsmeade?"

"Wha- no!" she exclaimed, pulling her arm from his grip as they stumbled into the warm September air, "bloody hell, James, we can't just up and go off to Hogsmeade, firstly, we have class, secondly, we actually need to plan what to get!"

"Some dungbombs, maybe some sugar quills-"

"Why sugar quills?!"

"To eat?" he scoffed, "merlin, Nora, keep up!"

"Oh merlin, how does your friends cope?" Nora whispered, shaking her head in disbelief, "come on, James, we need to get to class."

"I was planning on doing the exact opposite, actually," James shrugged, a grin on his lips, "don't feel like class today."

"Neither do I, but learning actually requires showing up," Nora spoke, "history of magic isn't that bad."

"Oh please," James exclaimed, "you kidding?! Dying of boredom is a definite possibility, come on, Nora, live a little!"

"Well, it's shocking really," Nora nodded, "but my heart is beating in my chest, and usually, I may be wrong here, though, but usually that means that I am, in fact, living."

His eyes narrowed at her as he stood on the ground, watching her kick her foot lightly on the step she stood on, her sandy brown hair blowing ever so slightly behind her, and a smirk wide on her lips at the look he gave her, "and you call me insufferable."

"You are," she nodded, "mostly."

"Oh, so not all the time, thank merlin, you almost hurt my feelings!" James exclaimed.

"Is that even possible?" Nora asked, "you're too obsessed with yourself to notice any insults."

"Now that was just mean," James shook his head, "I'm tempted to go to class just to get away from you."

"Well sucks to be you, but we're in the same class," she rolled her eyes, "It's hard to ignore the excessive chatter in my ear from you and your posse."

"Posse, really?" he scoffed, "I could say the same about your little group, thank merlin there is none of you from Gryffindor, I don't think I could cope with that laugh of yours in the common room all of the time!"

"What is wrong with my laugh?!" Nora exclaimed, her eyes narrowing to slits as she took a step away from the boy, "you know what, I take it back, you are one hundred percent insufferable, no wonder Lily hates you!"

"Yeah and you wonder why Caden doesn't like you, maybe it's because you're so insufferable yourself!" James snapped, rolling his eyes as he looked at her, watching her shoulders slump and the frown attack her lips.

"Maybe you're right," she whispered, her lip between her teeth as she nodded her head, grabbing her books from his grip quickly she suddenly turned and hurried down the hall.

It could be right, she thought, even Caden said himself that Aubrey had found someone before her, and this was Aubrey, the girl who thought that relationships where the biggest fuss in the world, she really could be insufferable, annoying, far too sarcastic for her own good.

She pushed herself through the courtyard, turning quickly to see James walking through the halls, his hands clenched and his mouth moving as he angrily muttered to himself, his glasses almost falling off of his face as he shook his head.

He wasn't sure how it was possibly that the girl he had only properly met last week could make him feel so frustrated with her words, that calling him insufferable could have the impact that it did, why did he care? He barely knew her, why was he getting so worked up about one comment made by Nora when Evans had called him far worst in her anger, and the words rolling off her tongue didn't affect him in the slightest.

It was frustrating.

He didn't mean a word of what he said to her, yes, it was completely annoying that she was able to get under his skin so easy, but in no way, was she insufferable, and even he could admit that what he said to her was entirely harsh.

He could feel the guilt bubbling in his stomach, sadness, annoyance, she was so clearly hurt and it irritated him that he was the one that caused that, why do you care?! He thought, he didn't care, he couldn't care, he barely knew her, they were barely acquaintances working together in a strictly business manner in a way to get with the people they wanted.

But why was he still thinking about this, why was he walking to class? Why was he at the door of the classroom when he wasn't even going to go in the first place, he would've had no problem exploring his new animagus in the forest.

Why was he so happy when she thought his prank was hilarious?

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity," a smirking Remus Lupin spoke as James slipped into his seat, turning to Remus with narrowed eyes, "what's up?"

"Nothing," James grumbled.

"This doesn't have anything to do with Nora Robinson, does it?" asked Remus, his eyebrow arched as he turned to James, smirking as he done so.

"No," James spoke through gritted teeth, "why would anything have to do with her, I barely even know her."

"You looked pretty happy to talk to her not that long ago," Remus almost sang, his smirk wider than ever as James turned to him with a glare.

"She asked me about today's homework," he lied.

"We didn't have homework," Remus laughed, turning and watching Nora walk through the door, her eyes sweeping over James quickly until her head bowed and she quietly made her way to her seat.

"Trouble in paradise, huh?"

"Shut up, Moony!"