Chapter 41

"I'm really not looking forward to O.W.Ls, how many times do I need to say that before Hogwarts listens, and exams are cancelled forever and ever," Nora groaned, throwing her head into James' chest whilst he laughed, wrapping his arm around her tightly, pressing his lips to her forehead as he done so.

"Exams aren't that bad!" Lily scoffed from the sofa of the tree house, scribbling some more notes on the parchment that rested on her lap, turning to the couple who both glared at her, knowing full well that the only reason she didn't like exams was because she didn't need to study much to pass them. She was entirely organised with her notes, making sure that she had everything she could possibly need, so much to the fact that both Nora and James, and even Peter had stolen her notes and written them down for themselves. Nora really wanted to pass Potions with an outstanding, not for any reason other than the fact that she wanted to prove to professor Slughorn that she was capable of doing Potions well, seeing as he really didn't see it when he had invited both Lily and Adria to join the slug club and not her.

It wasn't like she actually wanted to join the slug club, she really had no intentions too, but she was stubborn, and when she set her mind to something, she wouldn't give up until it was complete. She was sure she would do alright in Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, but she made sure to steal Remus' notes for defence against the dark arts seeing as she paid little to no attention in the class, she really couldn't care less about the dark arts, or how to defend herself against it, although in the day and age she was living in now, it seemed that knowing defence for the dark arts would be a great skill to have.

"Speak for yourself, Lily Evans," Milo grumbled as he leaned on Finn, his head on Finn's stomach as the blonde haired boy ran his fingers through Milo's hair, a puff of air leaving the boys lips as he gripped Finn's shirt. He had had quite enough of studying, seeing as for the past two hours it was all he had done nonstop, his brain was fried with the amount of information he had tried to wedge into each available space. He wondered how it was possible for Finn to be so calm about the whole ordeal, he had barely studied at all, only looked over his notes once or twice, and when asked, he said he had never really stressed about exams or tests before, and yet he got very good marks, never had he ever failed a test before, and yet here was his boyfriend, almost on the verge of a break down because he had forgotten that Steleus made someone sneeze uncontrollably for a short period of time, he really was stressing out.

"Exactly, Lils," Adria grumbled, her arms around Sirius who held her tightly, gripping her thigh as he pulled her closer to him, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder and wrap her arms around him tightly. It was safe to say that everyone was completely drained from the study session at the completed tree house, no one really wanted to study much if they were honest, in fact if they didn't need to look at a text book again, or notes that Lily had written any more than they were sure that they would be the happiest people on earth.

"I just want O.W.Ls to be over with so that I can drink chocolate milk and sleep," Nora sighed, her arms around James as he chuckled, running his hands through her hair softly, "Peter has already given up, he and Thea are sleeping in the other room, I wish I was too, I'm so tired, I just want to sleep, I just want it to be summer already so that we can run away!" she exclaimed, lifting her head to stare at an amused James, his forehead resting on hers, gripping her waist in a best attempt to pull her closer.

"You need a break, love," James chuckled softly, his hand finding her cheek, allowing her to rest her head, capturing the warmth that he emitted, "come on, come sit," he guided her over to the available seat which happened to be the bean bag chair from the tree house. He sat down, pulling her down onto his lap, gripping her tightly as she leaned her head on his, running her hands through his hair as he leaned his head on her shoulder, pressing soft kisses to the exposed skin of her neck, brushing his lips over the spot that he knew drove her crazy, a smirk on his lips when she gripped his hair tighter, pulling away to see the glare in her eye.

"Don't you dare, James Potter," she mumbled quietly, leaning her head on his, watching his smirk widen as he pulled her closer - not so subtly - trailing his eyes to her lips, biting his own as she rolled her eyes, reaching for his hand that was slowly trailing up her leg and instead intertwining their fingers, a scoff tumbling from her lips as she stared at his hazel eyes staring back at her, and soon did she speak, "and you call me a tease."

"Are you two trying to create as much tension between you as possible before you finally make a baby?" asked Adria, a smirk on her lips as she lifted her head up to look at Nora and James, "because it seems like you are."

"Oh shut up," Nora scoffed, turning to glare at him, "what is your obsession with baby making, Adria geez why don't you listen to your own words, I'm sure Sirius would love to."

"You think your funny don't ya, Nora Robinson?" Adria asked, her eyebrow raised as her cheeks heated up, grabbing one of the pillows from the couch and throwing it at her.

"I do, actually," she giggled, resulting in Adria following her lead, "I have a feeling Peter and Thea aren't sleeping."

"Oh merlin," Remus groaned, shaking his head, "please keep it clean, Nora.

"I'm not the one baby making!" she exclaimed, earning a laugh from Adria who soon became victim of a pillow thrown by Remus.

"Can I ask why you're calling it baby making?" asked Finn, laughing as he moved himself to get comfortable, a smirk on his lips as he stared at his friends.

"Who knows," Adria shrugged, laughing as she done so, "it could make a baby, y'know?"

Finn and Milo shared a look, biting their lips to stop their amusement and soon they turned to Adria, nodding their heads as they done so, "you're right, it could!"

-

"Where were you today?" asked Nora as she draped her legs over Aubrey's in the hufflepuff common room, a hot chocolate curtsey of the elves clutched in her hands, warming them up from her walk back from the forest. A blanket engulfed the two as they lay there, content with the company of their best friend with them, they had their own friends, Aubrey had friends that Nora didn't even know, and Nora had James, and Adria and all of her new friends - who loved Aubrey - but whilst they had others, the two always came first.

"I was with someone," Aubrey smiled softly, a grin decorating her lips as she lifted her head from the book on her lap, although she was spending the day with the Gryffindor unknown to Nora, the two spent their time studying just like Nora was doing, so now, in a best attempt to relax, she was trying to read a muggle book that Nora had bought for her during last year's summer, but it seemed that wasn't happening as Nora was being rather talkative.

"Oh, where you?" Nora asked, kicking Aubrey's leg gently with her foot, wiggling her eyebrows as she stared at her, "please can you put your book down for two minutes to talk to your best friend who wishes to know about your day?!" she exclaimed, her arms flailing around as a laugh tumbled from Aubrey's lips.

"Nora Robinson, you know as well as anyone that you do not interrupt someone as they read!" Aubrey sighed, closing her book over nonetheless after folding the corner of the page she was at, and with a joking tone to her voice she spoke, "why don't you go annoy your boyfriend?"

"That was cold!" Nora huffed, glaring at her, moving to push her, "I'm shocked, no, I'm hurt, actually no, I'm heartbroken!"

"Make up your mind," Aubrey giggled, rolling her eyes when Nora stuck her tongue out at her, leaning against the back of the couch with a pout, "you're so mature, aren't you, Nora?"

"I'm very mature, actually," Nora tutted, "would I be going to Paris if I wasn't?"

"Oh please, your adventures don't make you mature, they make you mental," Aubrey smirked, "Brilliant, of course, but mental."

"I suppose you're right," Nora nodded, shrugging her shoulders with a chuckle tumbling from her lips, "you know I love you, Aubrey, don't you?"

"Of course, I do," Aubrey smiled widely, reaching over and grabbing Nora's hand, her head titled ever so slightly, "why, Nora, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm great actually," Nora nodded, mimicking the smile on Aubrey's lips, "I just- no matter what happens, no matter how much has happened in our life, which is a lot bloody hell, I just want to know that we'll always be best friends. I could have a billion friends, a trillion, I could know everyone in this entire world, but you'd still be my best friend, forever. I don't want anything coming between us, I love you far too much to lose you, Aubrey."

Aubrey pushed herself forward, throwing her arms around Nora tightly, pulling her into her with a laugh, soon wiping the few tears that had spilled from her eyes, "oh merlin, Nora you've made me cry!"

"I'm sorry, Aubrey," Nora giggled, tightening her grip on the girl, "I couldn't live without you, Aubrey, you are me, we are just the same person sometimes, I swear, you just remind me of me, and it's amazing to have you, to have a friend like you, a best friend, we can laugh, and we can talk seriously, and I could never see a world without you, Aubrey!"

"I feel the same, Nora," Aubrey giggled, running a hand through her hair as she pulled away from her, "I love you so much, merlin we're cheesier than Adria and Sirius!"

"We are, merlin!" Nora laughed loudly, "remember our pact?"

"I do, but I really don't think it'll happen seeing as you're with a certain Potter," Nora wiggled her eyebrows whilst Nora shook her head, laughing all the same, a grin on her lips.

"Yes, very true," she nodded, her smile widening as she thought of James, "but if anything, possibly happened, me and you, forty, we're just gonna marry each other."

"Of course, we are," Aubrey scoffed, "what a fun life that would be, we'll probably live next door to each other anyway."

"Oh yes!" Nora laughed loudly, "definitely!"

"You and James, and me and Hazel," Aubrey spoke quietly.

"Oh, that would be so- wait," Nora's head snapped to Aubrey, "Hazel?"

"Oh, you know," she trailed off, leaning her head on her hands, "my girlfriend."

"What?!" Nora squealed, excitedly clapping her hands together, almost standing on the Hufflepuff sofa, "since when?!"

"Since last week," Aubrey grinned, a dreamy look in her eyes as she thought of her girlfriend, the girl she had liked for almost a year, the girl she thought didn't like her, when in fact, it seemed to be the exact opposite.

"You've been dating for a week and I'm just figuring out?!" Nora screeched, wide eyed as she finally stood on the couch, grabbing one of the cushions and throwing it at her, "are you kidding?!"

"Stop!" Aubrey laughed loudly, "you're the first person to know, I promise, I haven't told anyone else, we just wanted to take it slow, but I needed to tell you, I couldn't not tell you."

"Oh merlin, I can't believe it!" Nora grinned, tackling Aubrey, "finally, is it that Gryffindor you fancied for like a year?"

"The very one!"

"Bloody finally!"