Chapter 9

A sigh escaped Nora's lips as she walked into the class, feeling as though she was going to dread it for no reason other than the fact that she was terribly sleepy. Her eyes had drooped and slight bags had formed under her eyes as she took her seat that was only recently given to her. When Adria remembered that Nora was in the same herbology class as her, she was quick to ask the girl to come and sit with her and Finn Wilson, a kind offer that Nora wasn't going to give up.

So, with a grumble of some slightly uncolourful words about how bright the greenhouses where, Nora slipped into her seat as she watched the brightly haired hufflepuff, just like she was, walk through the door.

It was surprising to know how talkative Finn was, he chatted excitedly to her and Adria, a best friend of his, Nora knew. But the occasional times that Finn was alone in the hufflepuff common room when he wasn't with his best friend, now boyfriend, Milo Bell, he was awfully quiet, kept to himself, and had his head down, either in a book, or homework.

So, it was always a shock that the boy was one of the funniest she had ever met.

And was he quick to make sure that Nora knew that she was his friend.

It made her wonder, really, just how quickly both Adria and Finn had jumped to call her their friends, it warmed her heart, made her feel extremely happy that the two thought her nice enough to be friends with her, but what was odd, was that even she couldn't deny that she had talked to James more often than the hufflepuff and the Gryffindor, and yet they were still barely acquaintances.

"I have a feeling Adria won't be in class today," Finn spoke as he sat down, sitting his books on the table and gesturing to the seat beside him, the one that is usually occupied with none other than the girl whose name he spoke.

Nora frowned as she turned to him, picking up her things and sliding them along to the desk he was gesturing to, and soon was she right beside him, her full attention on him instead of the class that hadn't even started yet.

"It's October twenty sixth," Finn sighed, "today marks three months since her mother died."

"Oh, you're kidding," Nora whispered, a pained expression on her face as a sigh closely resembling Finn's tumbled from her lips, "that's not good, not at all."

"I know," Finn whispered, "I wanted to go see her, but then, i know she needs space. She's been coping lately, but just yesterday did I notice just how sad she was, sulking more than usual, clinging on to Sirius for support, I suppose, it's just sad, especially since she's one of my best friends, I don't know how to be there for her like I want to be."

Nora offered the boy a sad smile, patting his arm comfortingly as she nodded, "I get what you mean, Finn, but I'm positive that Adria knows that you're there for her, you're a great friend, really, Adria's lucky to have someone like you."

"Well you have me too, Nora," Finn grinned, "we're friends too."

"Oh, I know," Nora laughed softly, "we're so soppy, aren't we?"

"Definitely," he chuckled, "so tell me, dear Nora, I may only recently become your friend, but I am still able to be surprised with the unexpectedness of the friendship you have with James Potter."

"Oh please," Nora scoffed, waving him off, "James Potter is barley an acquaintance of mine."

"I'm sure you've heard this plenty of times," Finn teases, "but acquaintances don't spend maybe all of their time together."

"We don't spend all of our time together," Nora chuckled, "that's a bit of an exaggeration!"

"When was the last time you saw him, Nora?"

She bit her lip as she doodled on her parchment paper, making sure not to meet the eyes of Finn who she knew was definitely smirking at her, "there is a slight possibility that I saw him yesterday, but that was hours ago," her defences were completely terrible, and both her and Finn knew as the wide grin on his lips widened.

"Do you fancy him?" he asked, his eyebrows wiggling as he made sure his voice was hushed, partly because he knew that if anyone asked him about fancying Milo back in fourth year, and made sure to do it loudly, he'd kill them, and partly because Sprout had just walked in the door.

"What?!" she whisper-shouted, her eyes wide, as she furiously shook her head, "no, of course I don't!"

The amount of times she wished to tell someone of her plan with James was far too much to count, she didn't know how many times she wished to tell everyone - as well as herself - that her relationship with James - that was almost non-existent - was strictly business.

She could admit that Caden wasn't himself lately, maybe popularity getting to him, but that didn't mean that she could just stop having feelings for him, as much as she would like to. It frustrated her beyond belief, that she had to like the boy that wouldn't like her back, so her plan, that she had to admit, she had been doubting lately, seeing as every single one of her and James' pranks hadn't seemed to work, was the only thing she had.

She couldn't deny that working on the pranks with James was an unexpected source of entertainment, that her stubbornness towards liking the boy seemed to wipe away as they shared jokes as they thought of plans, partly knowing that there was a high chance that it wouldn't phase the couple, but still did they plan it.

"Nora!" Finn waved his hand in the girls face, watching her snap back to reality with a frown, turning to face the boy, "you where day dreaming."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's okay," Finn smirked, "so do I need to ask if you where day dreaming of James, or is that just obvious?"

"Finn!"

­-

The cold air that blew on the cloudy night after classes was one able to shake Nora to the core, she had her bag tightly secured on her shoulder as she made her way down to the forest, navigating her way to the black lake that shone brightly, even in the dull day.

It was hard not to hear the chattering of students as she navigated her way through the trees, stumbling ever so slightly over branches and holding tightly onto the trees in order not to fall, so when the voice shouting "Nora!" caught her attention, she was thankful that she didn't fall flat on her face at the shock.

She turned suddenly to meet the eyes of James, frowning as she made her way towards him, carefully stepping over branches in order to reach him, "you called?"

"I did," he nodded, "where are you going?"

"For a walk," she shrugs, politely waving at his friends who enthusiastically returned it as they shouted their greetings, only encouraging them more when James turned to them with a hard glare.

"A walk?" he repeated, ready to turn to the boys to tell them he was going with her when she spoke,

"Yes, I'm meeting Aubrey," she nodded, "it's a tradition to meet every Thursday, have done it for ages, of course, Caden was supposed to do it too, but he seems more interested in Lily than his friends these days."

"I sense bitterness," James teased, watching her roll her eyes, but the sight of a small smile twitching onto her lips was enough for James to mimic it, "why are you going to meet Aubrey in the forest, that's a bit dangerous don't you think."

"Oh, bless, are you worried about me, James?" she joked, a grin on her lips as he rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat, that he couldn't help but notice seemed to smell like her since the day he got it back.

He wasn't complaining, though.

"I suppose so, don't want my partner in crime to die, now do i?" he scoffed, his eyebrow raised as he watched her chuckle.

"Course not," she shook her head, "I'll see you later, James," she smiled softly, bidding him a goodbye as she waved ever so slightly, bidding his friends a goodbye too as she ventured deeper into the forest.

She wasn't so fond of the nights getting darker earlier, she wasn't so fond of the dark, making sure that her wand was out in front of her, a light emitting from her wand to help her navigate her way, even though the night hadn't fully engulfed in darkness.

She finally reached the tree that held the stairs, and soon was she climbing up, unsure if Aubrey was yet to arrive or if she was already here, and when Nora pulled back the small curtain, a grin on her lips as she saw Aubrey already there, she couldn't say she wasn't thankful.

"Y'know, I think we just have to meet at the castle and walk here together," Aubrey spoke as she sat down one of the muggle magazines that Nora had gotten for her over summer, she enjoyed the fashion that muggles had, thinking it was very tasteful, especially since she had grown up with robes worn from all of her family members, "I have to say that in the darker nights, the walk here is a little terrifying."

"Oh, I know," Nora nodded, "I picked a wonderful spot to build, didn't I?"

"Well, yes, actually," Aubrey grinned, "or we'd have unwanted visitors, and I have to say, I'm quite impressed that no one has found this place."

"Or they have, and is a great secret keeper," Nora laughed softly, "so, how was your day, buttercup?"

"Oh, please," Aubrey giggled, "leave the pet names for Potter!"

"Please don't tell me you're still going on about that!" Nora groaned as she took a seat, her sock clad feet sinking into the rug.

Aubrey ignored her as she grinned, finally speaking, "my day was alright, I suppose," shrugging as she confessed, "but I do feel rather awkward around Caden, and I hate it!"

Nora turned on the couch, watching Aubrey throw her head back and soon did a groan escape her lips, "he is a completely different person now!"

"Oh merlin, tell me about it," Nora huffs, running a hand through her sandy brown hair frustratedly, "it's as though he's acting all cool because he's oh so popular, now!"

"And yet, you still fancy him," Aubrey teases, watching Nora's eyes narrow, and her shoulders slump.

"Unfortunately," grumbled Nora, "can't bloody help it, I really wish I could, though, I wish for the old Caden to pop back u and for him to be the happy self that I know and love, that we know and love. I wish he'd come back with his jokes and his sarcasm and the way he could make us both laugh, and grin, and think about what he had said for ages after he said it, but the thing is, it's obviously entirely his fault that he is acting this way, isn't it? because we can't blame someone as lovely as Lily for his behaviour, and we can't blame her friends either, because they're just as nice, I mean, merlin, Adria Hopkins called me her friend, and she really is a great friend, and Finn Wilson, who has said more than once that we are friends, are so lovely, so it's not as if the people he is associating himself with are terrible people, that are full of themselves, so I don't see why it's as though he's drifting from us!"

"I think he's trying to act cool," Aubrey whispered, frowning as she shakes her head, "but we barely see him anymore, and it is terribly frustrating."

"I know," Nora agreed, "he better stop!"