Chapter 38

"So, you and that Gryffindor," Nora giggled as she grabbed some more wood, she had been studying all morning to the point that if she looked at another word she was sure she was going to explode, so instead she gathered as many of her friends who felt the exact same way as she could which consisted of Aubrey, Blair and Arden, seeing as Blair and Arden weren't doing their exams this year, they were more than happy to help out with the tree house.

They were trying to get it done before summer so that they could furnish it properly when they got back, but with the added pressure of exams, it was getting harder and harder for them to complete it, currently, Nora was working on the last few steps, wondering if adding something that could act as a banister would be a much safer option.

"Hey, Nora," Blair called from the roof as she hammered in slats of wood, "you know how the stairs? Do you think we should add something beside them so that no one falls?"

"I was just thinking about that!" Nora gasped, grabbing onto the tree when she nearly fell, "we could add a plank of wood at the bottom and the top, and on the middle stair and have some rope?"

"Sounds like a plan," Aubrey nodded, grinning as she placed down plank of wood, bringing out her wand and aiming it at the wood, and soon was it halved in two.

"Now, Aubrey, you and Gryffindor," Nora smirked, sitting on the step she had just placed onto the tree, "details please."

"She's just a friend," Aubrey rolled her eyes, leaning on the would she had just halved, "besides, she likes someone else, well, she told me she liked someone, just not who."

"Uh, you!" Nora exclaimed, her arms flailing around, which would have been entirely safe had it not been for the hammer clutched in her hand, "you are so incredibly dense!"

"Oh please, Nora Robinson, you didn't know James fancied you when it was so incredibly obvious!" Aubrey scoffed, her eyebrow raised when she turned to meet Nora's glare with her own.

"She has a point!" Arden giggled, "all he did was think of you, merlin, he still bloody does."

Nora was aware of Arden's ability to read minds, which was extremely fascinating, she had to admit, it also wasn't surprising when Nora's cheeks heated considerably, running her hand through her hair as she pushed herself up, grabbing the other piece of wood that would act as a step from the one beside her.

"But then, all you do is think of him, so it's not surprising," Arden teased, winking at Nora as she turned to her.

"Oh, Benji sent me this really cute letter, oh did I tell you what Benji and I did at Christmas? Oh Benji, I love Benji, Benji's so cute!" Nora exclaimed, covering her mouth to stop her giggles when Arden threw a stick at her, glaring as she done so.

"Shut up, I don't go on about him that much," Arden scoffed, climbing down from the roof and into the structure of the tree house that was built across another tree.

"Oh please!" Blair laughed loudly, throwing her head back as she done so, "Arden, you go on about Benji more than Adria goes on about Sirius!"

"Wow, that's a lot!" Nora laughed, watching Arden's cheek heat up considerably.

"I just miss him, is all," Arden mumbled quietly, shrugging her shoulders.

"What's it like being away from him?" asked Nora, jumping down from the steps and over to the ladder able to take her up to the structure that Arden sat on, watching as she done so as Arden frowned.

"Painful," Arden muttered, a sigh tumbling from her lips as both Blair and Aubrey moved to her too, "that was the best Christmas of my life, and I've never not been able to read someone's mind, but it was like he just clouded my thoughts to the point that my own where the only ones in my mind, when he kissed me at the train station I was just, I don't know, I don't know how to explain it, I just want him, I wish he went to Hogwarts, I wish I didn't need to wait months until I'm able to see him again!"

"Oh Arden," Nora sighed, patting the girls back, "I'm sorry-"

"No, don't be, really," Arden smiled softly, "when I do get to see him, it'll be perfect."

"That's a good way to look at it," Aubrey smiled widely, patting Arden's knee, "when you finally get to see him it'll be wonderful, you'll be able to spend more time with him, able to tell him everything you couldn't in your letter's."

"Exactly!" Blair grinned, patting Arden's head from where she stood behind her, "I mean I don't know much about relationships but he obviously misses you, he sends you letters all the time!"

"He says he does," Arden smiled softly, "says he can't wait to see me."

"See!" Blair whispered, "you have him to look forward to, Arden, you're both going to be so happy!"

"Thank you, guys," Arden smiled, suddenly standing up whilst the others followed her lead, "I love you."

"We love you too, Arden!" Nora laughed, throwing her arms around her tightly whilst the other two girls joined in, wide smiles on each of their lips.

"Now should we keep going?" asked Arden.

"Why don't we call it a day?" Nora suggested, jumping down from the ladders to grab her bag, "I think we all deserve some hot chocolate if I'm being entirely honest!"

"Nora, I swear, you're going to turn into hot chocolate," Blair chuckled as she jumped down, running a hand through her hair, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course, you can," Nora grinned, grabbing the girls arm when she almost fell, "future cousin in-law."

"I will end your life, Nora Robinson," Blair glared, "I don't think that's an actual thing."

"Well it is to me," Nora giggled, pulling Blair along as she waited for the other two girls to catch up, "what do you want to ask me?"

"Well, it's actually about Remus, or well, his family," Blair shrugged, "is that where you're staying over the summer."

"Well I'm not entirely sure that they'll even want me," Nora sighed, "I mean, for the most part James and I will be traveling, but other than that I really don't know."

"Did you force James into travelling with you?" Blair asked, giggles spilling from her lips, she really couldn't see James, the boy who spoiled Nora like there was no tomorrow, sleeping on a cargo train just to get to another location.

"Surprisingly, no," Nora grinned, shaking her head, "he wants to, he said he just wants to be with me no matter what we do, merlin he's so cute!" she exclaimed, her head falling onto Blair's shoulder who in turn, patted the girls head.

"Yes, yes, we get it, Nora, you love James, now let's go," Arden teased as she passed, guiding the girls out of the forest whilst, Nora picked up a stick, tangling it in Arden's hair.

"What's that over there?" asked Aubrey as they reached the edge of the forest, eyes squinted in confusion as they saw the large crowd form around something they were unable to see.

"I'm not sure," Nora spoke, her eyes trailing to the two girls near the courtyard who was making their way over, "is that Adria and Lily?"

"I think so, should we go check it out?" Blair suggested, her eyebrow raised as she turned to Nora.

"Wouldn't hurt," Nora chuckled, pushing herself forward in the direction of the commotion.

"Nora," Adria gasped, when she saw the girl, trying her best not to let her see what was happening, her eyes dark with anger, and a frown evidently on her lips as she took hold of Nora's shoulders.

"Adria what are you doing?" she laughed, shaking her head as she pushed past her, stumbling out of the crowd.

She gasped when she saw what she did, wide eyed, almost speechless as she watched James levitating Snivellus, well, Severus, a laugh escaping his lips as Peter and Sirius edged him on.

"James!" Nora exclaimed, her voice loud as the boy heard her, ultimately breaking his attention from Severus who fell to the ground.

"Nora-" he stopped himself when he saw the glare in her eyes, her hands curled by her sides as she looked at the faltering grin decorating his lips, soon met with a glare, and furrowed eyebrows, "Nora, what's wrong? It's only a bit of fun!"

She stopped herself, her lip between her teeth as she shook her head, running a hand through her hair, he had rendered her speechless. She loved his pranks, she loved pranking with him, and she hated Severus with a passion, but he didn't deserve to be bullied, and this is exactly what James was doing.

Adria soon took a step forward, reaching for Nora's hand who couldn't even look at him, "A bit of fun?!" she repeated, wide eyed, "no, you know what this is? Bullying, it's flat out bullying, I know it, and Nora does, too, I don't know why I've made excuses for you James Potter, for the four of you, and yes, Remus, that means you too because I didn't see you even trying to stop them, you are nothing but bullies, and I'm sick of it, I'm so sick of it, why don't you just grow up for once in your life!" she shouted, shaking her head and taking a step back with Nora when both Sirius and James took one forward.

"I don't need your help!" Nora turned at the sound of Severus, his voice loud, and he was so evidently humiliated by the events of what had just previously happened, "you...you...you mudblood!"

"Oi!" Nora shrieked, but James bet her too it, turning to Severus with a glare, anger bubbling inside of him that the boy would even call anyone that.

"Don't call her that!" he shouted, a glare in his eyes.

Nora was boiling with anger, at both Severus and James, she couldn't help but be the slightest bit thankful that he stuck up for Lily, but it seemed as though Lily didn't see it that way.

The red head was filled with rage, sadness, irritation all at once, she couldn't believe that her long-term friend had uttered a word as disgusting as that, a slur, that vile word that she thought she would never hear from him, or from anyone she had considered her friend, but she knew that none of her other friends would never even think it, let alone say it, "I don't need your help...Potter!" she growled, turning to him.

She loved Nora so much, but James had gotten on her last nerve, she thought that he and the boys had finally changed that pranking was behind them, or even just not pranking Severus, but she seemed to be wrong, "you know what you are, you're a vile, bullying, arrogant toe rag, and this is all your fault!" she screeched, shaking her head so much that her hair fell in front of her face but that didn't falter her steps as she stomped away, unable to stop her tears that spilled down her face.

James had turned back to Adria, well, Nora actually who hadn't spoken a word but she was so clearly upset, so much to the point that James wished that he could go to her, to hold her, to apologise to her profusely, but it wasn't her that needed the apology, it was Lily.

She would have said Severus too, but after what he had said to Lily, he was all the more dead to her.

"Nora," he whispered, watching her eyes snap to him. Lily was one of her best friends, and she had been through far too much, she didn't need this, "Nora, please."

She shook her head, taking a step forward until she was in front of him, pushing him forcefully, "don't you dare, I love your pranks James, they're funny and exciting but this isn't a prank, is it? this isn't the pranks that I condone that are entertaining, this is cruel, and vile, and humiliating, it's on another level of mean, it's bullying!

I don't care about Severus Snape, he means nothing to me, he is just as mean, he is just as cruel but I care so much about Lily, she is my best friend and she has been through far too much, don't you think? With Caden, and now this, this is going to crush her, this is going to kill her and you think it's just a stupid laugh!

Is this what the Marauders is, bullying people, laughing at their humiliation and their misery? You have hurt Lily, which means that you have hurt me, and you have hurt Adria too, so why don't you think about that next time you decided to bully one of your victims!" there was a glare in Nora's eyes, but mostly it was sadness, disappointment that he could do this.

She shook her head as James reached for her, a sigh escaping her lips as she pushed herself back, running a hand through her hair, "Nora-"

She cut him off, she didn't speak, she just left, pushed herself through the crowd as Adria shouted at Sirius. She ran from the boys, ran from James, she was so mad at him, at what he did.

"Ads-"

Adria cut him off, shaking her head, she shrieked, "I hope you're happy!" forcefully pushing past the boys, and running in the direction that both Nora and Lily had left in.