Chapter 22

"Who did you bet against, Addy, about James and I?" asked Nora as sat at the Gryffindor table with Adria at one side of her and James at the other, her hand found James that casually rested on her thigh, a grin on her lips as she talked with her friends.

After Nora and James' trip to Edinburgh, the two where sure that they were going to get caught when they arrived back at Hogwarts, seeing as they spent two days in Edinburgh to see what the city had to offer, but, surprisingly, when they got back it was as though they hadn't left, thankfully no one had suspected their disappearance, which meant that they would just have to do it more often, of course.

"Me, Finn, Milo, Sirius, Remus, and Peter," Adria spoke, nudging towards her friends as she shoved some chips into her mouth, "why?"

"Oh, you know, just so you can gloat to them that you won," Nora smirked, shrugging her shoulder at Adria who in turn fully turned to her, "you said Christmas day, right?"

"Are you serious?!" Adria shrieked, clasping a hand over her mouth and ultimately gaining her friends attention, including Caden who looked up from his place next to Lily, his eyes catching Nora who quickly turned away.

"I believe that's Sirius," Nora giggled, pointing to Sirius across the table who in turn glared at her, laughing all the same.

"You guys kissed?!"

"Woah, woah, woah," Sirius cut in, "you two kissed, when? Was it after we left? Do I get my money?!"

"No, actually, I do," Adria smirked, winking at her boyfriend whilst his eyes narrowed, "I called it, I said Christmas day!"

"Wait who kissed?!" Dorcas piped in, moving forward with a grin on her lips, "can I guess? Was it Nora and James?"

"It was." Nora nodded, a laugh tumbling from her lips, "I don't see what the big deal is-"

"It is a huge deal!" Adria cut her off, slapping her arm furiously whilst Nora subtly moved closer to a laughing James who turned to kiss her forehead.

"You kiss your boyfriend all the time like it's no big deal," Nora grinned, waving her off.

"Yeah, but that- wait," Adria squealed, "you said boyfriend? Does that mean James is-"

"My boyfriend, yes," Nora confirmed, trying her best to ignore the stares she was getting from Caden, but soon, when she could feel it on the side of her face did she turn to him suddenly, meeting his eye and matching his stare with a glare.

"Since when?!"

"Since a week ago," James cut in, moving his hand from her leg to wrap his arms around her tightly, resting his head on her shoulder whilst Nora couldn't help but smile, "when Hogwarts was quiet."

"When did it happen? Where did it happen? How did it happen?!" Adria asked, evidently excited as she turned fully in her seat to a laughing Nora.

She shared a look with James, wondering if telling their friends that they left the castle and went to Edinburgh was a good idea, "Hogsmeade," James spoke, tightening his grip around Nora, "we went to get butterbeer and I asked her."

"How cute," Adria sighed, resting her head-on Nora, "oh merlin, my heart isn't cut out for this."

"Yeah, are you alright, Addy?" Nora giggled, shaking her head, "do you need to lie down?"

"I'll be fine," she nodded, "I think, it's just so cute!"

"Yes, well, of course, James and I are cuter than you and Sirius," Nora teased, turning to kiss James' cheek whilst he laughed.

"Well I wouldn't go that far," Adria scoffed, shaking her head, "Sirius and I are the cutest."

"No, actually, it's James and I, then Finn and Milo, then Peter and Thea, then Remus and Blair when they get it together, then Lily on her own because it's Lily, and then you and Sirius," Nora smirked, her eyes narrowing when Caden heard what she said, and soon did she turn back to an amused Adria.

"So just Lily on her own?" Adria repeated, turning at the sound of Lily's laughs "like just Lily, and then Sirius and I?"

"Precisely," Nora giggled, leaning back into James who was whispering in her ear as she spoke with her friends.

"What about you and I just be the cutest and James and Sirius can be second cutest?" Adria suggested, earning an enthusiastic nod from a laughing Nora.

"Yes, sounds like a good idea," she grinned, reaching for James' hand and intertwinining their fingers, "so how was your Christmas?"

"It was good, I think my brother had a very eventful Christmas with a certain Arden Nelson," Adria smirked, "including a very romantic kiss at the train station, they're totally together."

"Well if they're kissing at train stations, I think so," Nora giggled, thinking back to her first encounter with the girl in the year below her, "what is your family like, Addy?"

"Amazing, I have three brothers, and of course, Allie, and then there's my dad," Adria sighed, a smile on her lips as she thought of the man, "an idiot, but you can't help but love him."

"Are your brothers cute?" Nora asked, her smile widening when James' arms tightened around her, and soon did she turn to him, "something wrong?"

"Why do you want to know if her brothers are cute?" he asked, pushing his bottom lip out in a pout whilst her smile turned into a grin.

"For science."

"They aren't cute-"

"Oh merlin, are you kidding?!" Marlene cut her off, wide eyed, "they could be models, well not Jude because he's a little baby, but Benji and Alfie, I wouldn't mind some of that!"

"Marlene!" Adria gasped, scrunching her nose up as she furiously shook her head.

"She's right, Addy," Mary giggled, "can't say I'm not jealous of Arden!"

"Oh yes, definitely," Dorcas nodded, "Benji is adorable, I mean, so is Alfie but he's older."

"Oh, an older boy?" Nora asked, giggling when James pulled her closer, "don't mind if I do."

"Yes, well I mind!" James huffed.

-

"You're cute when you're jealous," Nora commented as she sat on James' bed, a book resting on her knees and her back against James' stomach, "I like it."

"I'm glad to know my hurt brings you joy," James huffed, moving his head to rest on her shoulder, his eyes scanning the words of the book, "what're you reading?"

"A book," Nora teased, pushing herself back closer to James, "why?"

"I'm just curious," he mumbled softly, pressing his lips to her neck softly, hoping for a reaction that she was forcing herself not to give. She casually flipped the next page of her book, trying to ignore the feeling of his lips brushing on her neck.

She gasped when he nipped the skin, and soon did she tense when he started sucking on the specific spot, "James," she breathed out, closing her eyes as the empty protests tumbled through her lips.

"What?" he laughed, his arms tightly around her as he moved his lips away, admiring his work for a moment before his eyes met hers.

"Did you leave a mark?"

"Maybe."

"James!" she exclaimed, turning to face him.

"I'm just marking what's mine," he teased, "and not Adria's brothers, or Caden's or any boy that has ever looked at you, or any girl that has ever looked at you, you're mine."

"And you're mine," she whispered, "so does that mean I have to mark what's mine?" she asked, her head tiled as she stared at him, an innocent smile playing at her lips as her eyes widened ever so slightly, her hand finding his and the other trailing along his chest.

She didn't wait for an answer, instead she pushed herself forward, pressing her lips to his for only a second, and soon did she move down his jaw, pressing tiny kisses to the skin, brushing her lips down his neck until she reached the bottom, pressing open mouthed kisses to the skin until he tensed, and soon did she start sucking softly on the skin.

"Merlin, Nora," James breathed out, gripping her waist as he pulled her closer, her legs straddling his lap as her giggles filled the air, finally pulling away, her eyes sweeping over the purple bruise that now decorated James' neck proudly.

"Perfect," she smirked, running her hand through his hair softly.

A smile attacked James lips as he pulled her closer - if that was possible - leaning his head on hers as she leaned hers on his shoulder, her fingertips dancing over the skin of his neck, her eyes on the small bruise that her fingers swept over. A sigh of content left her lips as she listened to the thumping of his heartbeat, the rhythm that played in his chest that she could listen to on repeat forever.

"Caden kept staring at you at dinner," James mumbled softly, taking the ends of her hair between her hands, "I don't think he's very pleased that we're together."

"Well it sucks to be him," Nora tutted, "if he was really my friend then he would be happy that I'm happy, not letting a silly little hatred come between things, he still hasn't apologised for what he done, and no matter how many times Lily says that he misses me, none of it matters until he comes to me himself."

"Hopefully he's too scared of me to come near you," James laughed softly, "unless you want him to, Nora, I'll back off if you want to talk to him, I just don't want to see you as hurt as you where that night."

"I'm glad I have you, James," she mumbled, "part of me misses the old Caden, but he wasn't much of a good friend, was he? Is he showing his true colours? Not showing up for the tradition we've had forever, shouting at me, failing to apologise, I don't think I want a friend like that back in my life, I have you, and Aubrey, and Adria, and even Lily, and the boys, and I have gained so much more without him, i have you, and that is more than what he'll ever be!"

"What is he like with Lily, though?" asked James, pressing his lips to her cheek, "I know she doesn't like me, but she's Adria's best friend, and your friend too, so what about her? What is Caden like with her?"

Nora frowned, thinking over James words, she wondered, "I don't want to pry in other people's business but what if Lily is just protecting Caden? What if he is as bad with her as he is with everyone else?"

"Meaning?"

"Well, Lily is lovely, and kind, and well, the Caden I see now is not, he has changed, and that is not Lily's fault, so why can't she see what everyone else sees? Why can't she see the boy that broke tradition, and shouted at me, and made me cry, the one that left his best friend, why does she see the boy that misses me, and is kind, and lovely, is he really like that with her?" Nora asked, an unsettling feeling bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm not sure, love," James frowned, running a hand through his hair at the look that took over Nora's features, "are you alright, baby girl?"

Her eyes found his, blinking ever so slightly as the thoughts entered her mind, her mind racing with a realisation that she wished not to be true, that she wished she was wrong with. She thought of Lily, trying to decipher if there was anything out of the ordinary with the red head, she wished she was just over reacting, but she was positive that the girl hadn't been as happy with Caden as she used to be, that some light had drained from her eyes.

And more than anything, Nora wished to know why.

So, with a frown attacking her lips, and her heart racing with worry, Nora's eyes met James' and with a voice barely above a whisper, she spoke, "I think the breakup plan is back on, James, for an entirely different reason."