Chapter 5

It was nearing Saturday, the day that Nora and James would be off to Hogsmeade to get supplies so the pranks could start, properly able to make the couple fall a part in the least cruel way that Nora had told herself.

She was walking down the hallway on Friday night, her laughter filling the air as she talked with Isaac Hall, a friend of hers from fourth year, "I'm telling you, Isaac, if I'm not invited on one of your trips, then I'm having a word with Blair!"

"Trust me, you're always welcome, Nora," Isaac scoffs, shaking his head as he gripped his books, "they're just spontaneous is all, I mean, France was the biggest one, we'd been planning that for years and it was perfect, bloody crazy on the train though."

"I bet, you train hopped for a bit, didn't you?" Nora asked, loving the fact that another adventurer was a student at Hogwarts, she loved adventures, getting the train to new places, mostly, she did it herself seeing as Aubrey didn't live close to her, and Caden was the least adventurous person she knew.

"Oh yeah, not much though, just until we got to kings cross, then we got the train straight to France," Isaac grinned, "lived with a little old woman that we had met on the trains before, she gave us food and beds, but we were out most days, traveling, train hopping in France, it was crazy, we ended up in Paris for a while, too, had enough money for a rundown hotel room, but we loved it."

"Oh, I bet," Nora gasped, shaking her head in disbelief, "that's the dream, isn't it, an adventure in a whole other country!"

"I definitely recommend," Isaac grinned, "I'll see you later, Nora, I promised I'd go meet Blair!"

"See you later!" Nora laughed, waving as she bid him goodbye, dodging students in the hallway as she made her way down.

"Nora, watch ou-" James potter cut himself off as Nora ducked, her eyes wide as she watched the out of control bludger swoop past her head, her head snapping to James who was grinning sheepishly from where he stood with his friends.

"James Potter, you little shi-"

"Now, now, Nora!" James called, ever so slightly backing away as she stomped over to him, "I didn't mean it!"

"Why did you have a bludger in the first place?!" she shrieked, her arms flailing as James caught them, pushing her away from him gently as her arms flailed to whack him, "you absolute twat!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, unable to keep the amused smile on his lips as his friends watched him suspiciously, "I swear, I didn't mean it."

"I could've died!" she huffed, pulling her arms from his grip, "you could've been a murderer!"

"You wouldn't have died!" he waved her off, scoffing as she glared at him, a frown taking over her lips.

"I could have!" she protested, "bludgers are bloody scary, keep that for the quidditch pitch you absolute head case!" she exclaimed, attempting to push past him when he grabbed her arm.

"Fine, okay," he sighed, "I'm sorry, I promise, seriously, completely, one hundred percent sorry!"

"Tell that to my dead body," she glared, dropping his arm from hers, and pushing out onto the courtyard.

"Girlfriend trouble?" asked Peter, his eyebrow arched as he teased him, "definitely looks like it."

"Oh, shove off, wormtail," James grumbled, rolling her eyes, "barely even know her."

"You say that," Remus piped in, "but you've been spending an awful lot of time with her."

"I have not!" James exclaimed, shaking his head with a frown.

"You have," Sirius scoffed, "even Adria has noticed and she barely even leaves the dorm."

"Adria knows nothing," James grumbled, rolling his eyes, "she is not my girlfriend, she is barley even my friend, no, you know what, she isn't my friend, she's an acquaintance - if that!"

The boys watched with amused smirks on their lips, smirks they weren't able to help as James pushed past them, taking long strides down the hall as he muttered angrily to himself that there was no way possible, in any shape or form that that he would ever like Nora Robinson. They were strictly business partners, looking for a way to break up the two they liked themselves, nothing more.

But there was also the added factor that he enjoyed Nora's company, that the completely sarcastic, irritating, annoying, terrifying Hufflepuff was someone he enjoyed being around, and that irked him more than anything. She was insufferable, but so was he, and the pair found themselves grinning as they thought of a perfect prank to play when they had supplies.

He was curious of her, she was always grinning, happy, but so completely sarcastic that it shocked him, really, shocked him how so much sarcasm, and so much evil could be wrapped up in one innocent girl, he was sure that she had secrets, secrets that he wanted desperately to find out, but to do that, he would have to be her friend.

But they weren't.

Her best friend was going out with the girl he loved.

But then, the girl he loved was dating her best friend.

They had something in common, as well as their mutual hatred for Snivellus, and their love for pranks, but that was it, James was sure, it had to be it, he barely knew her, he had heard of her, and had asked her for a quill probably at some point during the five years he had been at Hogwarts, but other than that, they were nothing more than acquaintances, it was an unexpected - not so - relationship that the two had, as much as they both would deny it, they seemed to click, instantly, actually, as though they were meant to be friends.

But of course, neither of them realised that.

James pushed himself into the Gryffindor common room, unable to suppress his eyeroll as he watched Lily and Caden laugh to each other on one of the couches, a grin on her lips as she leaned against his chest, and with a scowl across his features did he stomp his way up to the boys dormitory.

-

Grumbling to herself, Nora made her way down to the forest, hearing the soft ripples of the lake near her as she walked, the birds chirping softly from their homes amongst the trees and the slight buzz of insects around her. It was calming, hearing the forest that she couldn't help but love.

She loved nature, the sky, the sea, the earth, being outdoors was lovely, soaking up the sun was a hobby really, but she loved the rain too. She felt real, as deep as it sounded, when the rain hit her face, as though she was there, because for a while, she felt as though she was floating, and the rain could bring her back down.

She stopped suddenly when she noticed another person amongst the forest, their long curly hair falling down their back messily and their feet sinking into the mud as they stood, their gaze out onto the scenery that the black lake offered and the unmissable frown evident across their lips.

Adria Hopkins stood still, completely ignorant to the other person roaming the forest until Nora took a step forward, unsure that leaving Adria on her own would be a good idea, especially after James had told her what happened during the break.

In a way, she could relate.

"Adria?" Nora whispered, taking another step towards the girl, and watching her turn, her eyebrows furrowed as she watched Nora offer her a kind smile.

"Hello, Nora," she forced a smile, nodding ever so slightly in her direction until her eyes found the lake again, watching the lake sway against the small shore near her damp shoes, "lovely day, isn't it?"

"I suppose so, yes," Nora nodded, taking the spot beside the girl just a few inches smaller than her, "you alright?"

"I'm coping," she spoke after a few moments of silence, nodding her head, "pathetic, isn't it, this is the first time I've left the castle in weeks."

"It's not pathetic in the slightest," Nora told her, remembering back to the summer just before second year when she thought the exact same thing, "it's ordinary."

"James told me that he told you," Adria whispered, "wouldn't stop going on about you, really, but don't tell him I said that or he'd kill me."

"He's an idiot," Nora chuckled, rolling her eyes, rather surprised when a soft laugh escaped Adria's lips.

"He means well, though," Adria mumbled, "although he had to remind me plenty of times that you two where definitely not friends."

"Oh, we aren't," Nora shook her head, "we are barely-"

"Acquaintances, yes, I'm aware," Adria teased, turning to Nora with a small smile, "you know, you don't have to talk to me because you feel sorry for me."

"I'm not," Nora shook her head, "bloody annoying, really, the sorry's, empty apologies that mean nothing, the sad sighs, and the sympathetic gazes, it gets far too much."

"You say that as if you know," Adria spoke, "do you?"

"I do," Nora mumbled, "I suppose if I were to tell anyone, it'd be someone I can relate too," she whispered, turning to Adria with a sad smile.

She had a thought occur in her head, the wind was picking up, and she couldn't deny that she was cold, so when Adria whispered, "would you like to go get some hot chocolate?"

Nora shook her head, responding with, "I have a better idea," and soon where the two off, venturing deeper into the forest, with Nora navigating them and Adria completely confused as to where the girl was taking her.

They came across the steps first, and that was when Adria looked up, a gasp tumbling from her lips as she looked at one of the tallest trees, with an evident house like structure blancing on it, "it's not much, from the outside, I suppose," Nora smiled softly, climbing up the stairs and stumbling onto the short landing, much like a balcony.

"What is this place?" asked Adria as she stood with Nora, watching the girl unhook the yellow curtain from a small nail, and soon did it open, revealing the fully furnished inside of what seemed to be a tree house.

Adria was surprised to say the least, especially when she was engulfed with warmth as she stood inside, following Nora's lead and taking off her damp converse, sitting them in front of the heater so that they wouldn't soak the floor.

"My tree house," Nora spoke after a few moments, gesturing to the seats she had in the room, "I built it a while back over Christmas break."

"Yourself?!"

"Well, yes, I suppose, I figured out some spells to make it bigger, to make it sturdy and to hold easier, I spent a while doing it, it took my mind of things," Nora sighed, opening the curtains of the small window she had created, which showed the beautiful view.

"Who knows about this place?" Adria asked, taking a seat as the disbelief clouded her, "it's amazing!"

"Myself, Aubrey and Caden," Nora smiled, "only people I trust can come here, and for some odd reason, I trust you."

"Well, I trust you too," Adria nodded, "I suppose I'm not the best company at the moment, though."

"It's understandable," Nora spoke, "you've been through far too much."

"How can you relate?" Adria asked, her eyes glazed with tears as she lifted her head, her legs crossed in a basket on the comfortable couch, the disbelief had wavered, but she couldn't get the fact that Nora had built this place herself way back in second year.

"I had a twin," Nora sighed, "my best friend, he was, we lived in Dublin with my parents before we moved to a smaller village somewhere near there, we were exploring the village, it was fun, we were inseparable, really, we went to this wooded bit near the village, and we were fine, we climbed over this small lake and we were laughing, having the best time, a-and then we stumbled onto a road, I moved first, I wasn't looking where I was going so I just walked out, but a car was coming, so Elijah pushed me out of the way, he saved me, but h-he took the hit-"

"Oh merlin," Adria whispered, throwing her arms around Nora who didn't protest to hug her back.

"My parents blamed me," she whispered, "it just wasn't the same, they hated me after that, called me a stupid little girl who couldn't even look where she was going, and i-it's true, if I hadn't been so stupid then he would be alive!"

"Don't say that, Nora," Adria whispered, a frown taking over her features, "that is not your fault, that car could've stopped, it could have happened to anyone, and just because it happened to you doesn't make it your fault, at all!"

"Thank you," she whispered, "it took me so long to get over it, Adria, to live my life and not feel guilty about being happy, but it happens, it will take so much time, and effort, and you're gonna need comfort, and you're going to cry a whole lot, but at some point you'll realise that you aren't sad anymore, that you laughed without forcing it, that you're able to joke again, and it'll be the best feeling ever, and your mum is looking down on you right now, she's your guardian angel."

"Thank you, Nora," Adria whispered, smiling through the tears falling down her face, "you're my friend now, whether you like it or not."

Nora couldn't help but laugh as she nodded, "I could always use some more friends."