Chapter 43

"I feel like I need to visit so many people on the train," Nora giggled as she sat with Aubrey, her feet on the seat and a closed book in her lap. The few weeks after O.W.Ls was more than uneventful, nothing at all had happened to Aubrey or anyone, classes where a bore, so much so that Nora was tempted not to go, they had nothing else to teach, and exams had passed, so anything worth hearing should have been taught before O.W.Ls, Nora was sure she had skipped more than a few times, specifically to spend it with her boyfriend, who of course was a terrible influence.

"Oh, you do," Aubrey nodded, "well, Hazel wishes to see her friends first before she comes and finds me, so I can only assume that you're doing the same with James?" the smirk on her lips widened as Nora rolled her eyes, chuckling as she done so. Nora had met Hazel more than a few times and she loved the girl, her and Aubrey together where entirely adorable, more loved up than Nora thought Aubrey would ever be with anyone, in fact, she was so infatuated with Hazel, that the hufflepuff was sure she was seeing a completely different side to the girl.

It was odd, really, seeing Aubrey like this, but at the same time it was wonderfully adorable, in the most innocent of ways, she liked to touch Hazel, whether their shoulders brushed, or Aubrey's head leaned on the girl, or their hands tightly held each other's, they craved the feeling of each other close, but thankfully, Hazel was the exact same. Hazel had told Nora that she had liked Aubrey for so long, sending the incredibly dense Slytherin's multiple hints that she liked her, but none of them worked, so one day, instead of subtly flirting with the girl like she had been doing, or rubbing her arm, or sending her smiles, Hazel, instead, simply grabbed the girls face and kissed her, she didn't want to stop, and when Aubrey kissed her back just as forceful, pulling the girl closer by the front of her shirt did Hazel know that she made the right decision, the perfect decision to do what she had done.

"I need to see Finn and Milo, too," Nora shrugged, "they sit with Addy, it's a tradition, I swear they're crazy, and I'll see James on the platform anyway, merlin I'm going to miss him."

"You'll see him in a few weeks though, right?" asked Aubrey, watching Nora as she nodded, a small smile twitching onto her lips that she was talking about James. Occasionally she found herself thinking of how it happened, of the time it clicked that he liked Lily Evans, rushing to the great hall to find him, knowing that he and his friends always went to class late, it was easy to find him.

They clicked instantly, unknowing to each other, sarcastic remarks, and easy smiles, they were a match made quickly. So much had happened after that day, but it was meant to, they helped Lily out of what was a terrible relationship, a disgusting relationship, it still disgusted Nora, she still had the occasional nightmare.

But with every nightmare, James would be there ready, even half asleep he knew what he had to do, "it's not really, baby girl, it's not re- hey, look at me! Come on love, it's alright, you're with me," he would repeat, her face in his hands, her tears wiped with his thumb, her hair pushed out of her face with the tips of his fingers, softly running them through her hair, his lips on hers quickly to calm her breathing, Nora even found him reading a book about how to help her, speaking, "did you know the Library doesn't only do magic books?"

She swore her heart swelled.

"Yeah, I suppose," she shrugged, a sigh tumbling from her lips as she pulled her legs into a basket, "it'll just be odd, not seeing him every day, I mean. It's odd not seeing you every day, I miss you so much, but I hope you and Hazel have a good summer, I assume you're spending it together?"

"I wanted to, first summer with a girlfriend," Aubrey shrugged, "this doesn't mean that you can't come visit, I don't care what my family say, you're welcome any time, to me, and Hazel loves you, and I love James, so he can come too, and Remus, too, instead of leaving him alone, seeing as you will be when you go to the city of loveeee," she drawled out the love, a smirk on her lips and her eyebrows wiggling.

"Oh shush!" Nora rolled her eyes, giggles falling from her lips as she leaned against the window.

"Don't be making any babies," Aubrey warned, "well, do what you like, but make sure you don't make babies in the process!"

"You are terrible," Nora scoffed, shaking her head as she spoke, "I swear."

"Nora, I could cut the sexual tension between you and James with a knife!" Aubrey exclaimed, wide eyed, "no, I'd need a chainsaw to be able to cut it, it would break a knife!"

Nora could feel her cheeks heating as she glared at her best friend, lifting her leg to kick her - gently - on her leg, "that is so untrue."

"It definitely is not!" Aubrey let out a loud laugh, shaking her head furiously, her hand clasped over her mouth as she stared at her best friend, "it's no big deal, you need some action."

"I don't need any action," Nora mumbled, rolling her eyes, "never have anyway."

"Wait, have you and James never done it?" asked Aubrey, wide eyed, "really?!"

"What's the big deal?" Nora asked, "no, Aubrey, James and I have never had sex, it's shocking."

"There's no big deal," Aubrey shook her head, "I just thought you would have, so you're still-"

"A virgin, yes," Nora chuckled, shaking her head, it really wasn't surprising that she was having this conversation with Aubrey, they talked about everything, "I really don't see the big deal with it, my self-worth isn't measured by what has been inside me, whether that be multiple...things, or none."

Aubrey snorted as she covered her mouth, stopping her laughs, "I completely agree, Nora, I do, but I think there was a better way of saying that."

"Straight to the point," Nora giggled, shrugging, "don't you think we're a bit too young for all of that anyway?"

Aubrey wiggled her eyebrows, "Hazel's an animal in bed."

"Aubrey, I love you," Nora cringed, shaking her head, "but I really did not need to hear that."

-

"Aubrey scarred me for life," Nora announced as she entered the compartment with the four boys, one of which instantly reached for her hand, pulling her down onto his lap, sneaking his arm around her waist with a grin, pressing his lips to her cheek multiple times as a chuckle escaped her lips, leaning into the warmth he emitted as she sat on him, reaching for his free hand and intertwining their fingers together, turning to him with bright eyes swirling with adoration, "and then she left me, can you believe it?"

"So, you decided to come and use us?" Sirius asked, shaking his head in feigned disappointment, covering his hand over his heart, a painful look written across his face, "what are we to you, Nora? Just company when Aubrey leaves you, is that all?!"

"I have never met someone more over dramatic than you," Nora chuckled, standing up suddenly and pushing James back against the wall, retaking her seat on his lap and leaning against the wall as she done so, a smirk on her lips as James laughed at her.

"So why did Aubrey scar you?" asked James, looking up at her as she stared out of the window, "do we want to know?"

"She was asking if I'm still a virgin-"

"Why?" asked Remus, cutting her off suddenly, his eyes narrowed, as where hers.

"Because she thought James and I had done it," she shrugged casually, she didn't see why everyone made a big deal out of it, it wasn't something drastic to her, really, "and I told her we hadn't, and I said I didn't see what the big deal is," she proceeded to tell them about their entire story, about her self-worth, and the fact that she didn't care much for it, and of course, James just had to stop her, simply to high five her.

"So, then I said, aren't we a little too young for this? And she just smirked, and said, 'Hazel is an animal in bed' like, Aubrey, I don't need to know that!" Nora exclaimed, her arms flailing as the boys let out loud laughs, even Remus.

"But if you don't care about it, then why did it scar you?" asked Peter, his eyebrow raised as Nora turned to him, pointing at him with a laugh.

"You got me there, Peter," Nora nodded, "but I don't matter what happens in my life, but that's Aubrey's business!"

"You got me there, Nora."

"Are you excited to meet Remus' parents?" asked James, his lips brushing her earlobe as she turned her head slightly to look at him, pushing herself down beside him, her legs draping over him simply so she was closer to him, her hand gripping his tightly and her forehead resting against his, a smile lazily decorating her lips as though it was permanently there, she reached her hand up to his face, tracing her fingertips over his cheek absentmindedly.

"I'm nervous," she mumbled, running a hand through her hair, "I carry that letter that Hope wrote me everywhere I go, I read it when I'm sad, she's just so lovely, and that's what I'm worried about, I know she's so lovely, but what if she doesn't like me? And I meet her and I meet Lyall and they don't want me, tell me to go to my parents because they've changed their minds, I don't know what I'd do, I really don't, I'm so scared of what might happen, but at the same time, I feel like this is the start of something brilliant."

"They're going to love you, Nora," James whispered, gripping her thigh and pulling her closer - if that was even possible - his smile was reassuring, gripping her attention, "it's impossible not to, you can even ask Remus, he knows them better than anyone, and I bet you that he'll say that they'll love you, you're amazing, you don't realise it, for some reason, but merlin you are this incredible person, and you think you're average, why?"

"I'm not sure," Nora frowned, leaning her head on his shoulder, "my nerves get the better of me."

"Well," James smirked, nudging her head ever so slightly, capturing her lips in his, ignoring the protests from the boys around them as the two of them purposely deepened the kiss, until Remus pulled James away, a glare in his eye as both James and Nora laughed loudly, soon turning to her, "are you excited to meet my parents?"

Nora's eyes widened as she realised that not only would she be meeting Hope and Lyall, trying to think of what she would say to the two, but she would be meeting James' parents too, from what she knew, they were lovely, Sirius spent a summer there, and said he had the best time, they were incredibly rich but it was hard to realise, they were normal people, lovely, incredible, and whilst Nora knew all of this, she still couldn't help her nerves that soon bubbled.

"Hey, hey, hey," James whispered, a laugh tumbling from his lips, smiling at the girl as she took a deep breath, "they're going to love you, my mum already does with the number of letters that I've sent her about you, they're both dying to meet you!"

"They are?"

"Yes!" James exclaimed, cupping her cheek and pushing his lips onto hers, "don't worry, love, I promise, they're going to love you!"