➪ GIVRY ➪ 

"NICOLAS, WHAT HAPPENED?"

"I messed up, that's what," Nicolas paced the boys' dormitory bathroom for the hundredth time that morning. Loki watched him from the door, after having managed to unhook herself from Remus's arm and bedsheets. "I messed up bad."

"Nicolas," Loki took a step forward, feeling exasperated as well as tired. "You need to tell me how you messed up. What happened? What did you do that messed things up?"

"Why do I have to be so bloody stupid!" He groaned, not paying attention to his best friend.

"Nicolas!" Loki grabbed the boy. He stared at her in shock. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"I bloody grabbed James Potter--James Potter of all people!-- and snogged him. Snogged him!" Nicolas exclaimed, tugging the locks of his dirty blonde hair roughly. "Then, when I stopped, I looked him in the eyes and told him I was in bloody love with him! Then I walked off!" He threw his hands up in the air and started his pacing again.

"Nic--"

"He didn't even stop me, which is the bad thing!" Nicolas continued. "I was stressing out over him before, and he came over, laughing and stuff like normal. He asked me what was wrong and I just grabbed him. I just grabbed him and kissed him so hard. And he just stood there and let it happen. When I stopped, I told him, and he still didn't respond! Like, what else am I supposed to say! So I just left!"

"You-you're in love with James?" Loki stared at Nicolas. He stopped and seemed to think before he looked to have a brief internal breakdown. "Nic?"

"Yeah," Nicolas hung her head. "I love James. He's a dude. It's weird, I know. It's gross."

"No, no, no," Loki shook her head, "that's not what I was going to say." Nicolas looked up at her; his head tilted slightly. "I wasn't going to say anything like that. I was going to ask if you were going to do anything about it."

"He's going out with Lily," Nicolas replied with a sigh. "It's not like I can just stroll up to them, tell them I'm into girls and guys and I love James and then ask him why he didn't stop me from kissing him. And I can't tell Lily anything at all. She's so deeply in love with him she's almost on par with you!" He let out a laugh, and Loki narrowed her eyes at him in response.

"That's not fun--"

A knock on the door frightened the pair. Their heads whipped to the door at the same time.

"Loki?" It was Remus. The friends exchanged a quick look of panic before Loki called back.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm just talking with Nicolas," she replied, hoping to appear nonchalant.

There was a pause from Remus's side. "Okay, then. Um, hi, Nicolas?"

"Hi," Nicolas replied.

"I'll... leave you two be, then." The friends listened as Remus walked away from the door until they heard him open and close the door out of the dormitories.

"I've got to talk to James about it," Nicolas sighed, sitting down on the lid of the toilet. "Merlin, let's hope he'll actually talk to me." Nicolas held his palms together in front of his face as he stared at the floor. "I mean, what do I do if he calls me a freak? What if he jinxes me or something."

"Nic, trust me," Loki spoke. "James wouldn't do that. And if he does, you can bet I'll storm right up to him and hex him so hard he gets sent to Mars."

Nicolas looked up and gave his best friend a grateful smile.

➪

"IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?"

Remus watched Nicolas head to the Hufflepuff table as Loki joined the boys. The Gryffindor swung his arm over her shoulder. He looked back at her, his eyebrows knitting together as he waited for her answer. Sirius noticed the girl's absent look and decided to knock his knee against hers. She blinked and looked up.

"Hm? What?" She gazed around at the four boys, all of which -- save Peter, who was half asleep -- stared at her.

"I asked if everything was alright. You know, with Nic?" Remus queried again.

"Oh, Nic," Loki glanced at James, who seemed to find his spoon very interesting suddenly. "He's alright now. He was a bit upset this morning. He's assured me he's got it sorted."

Sensing the girl didn't wish to go into further detail, Sirius swung his arm over Loki's shoulder, pulling himself closer to her. She arched her eyebrow, cocking her head at the Gryffindor boy.

"So, now you're seventeen," Sirius grinned. "How does it feel to be all grown up?"

"As it did a week ago," Loki responded with a shrug. "I don't feel any different."

"Oh, come on," Sirius hummed. "You can do magic outside of school, and you can technically drink now," Sirius tipped his head.

"Sirius, are you suggesting Loki goes and has a drink? Of alcohol?" Remus asked, a small laugh falling from his lips.

"With me, yeah," Sirius grinned, patting the girl's head. "I would invite you, but you're still underage Moony. You can have a drink with us once you've grown up though, yeah?"

"Sirius. Don't be mean." Loki turned back to him and gave him a disappointed look. She spun around to Remus.

"It's okay, love," Remus sighed, switching his annoyed gaze to a smile as he looked down to Loki, "I'm used to it."

"But still," Loki frowned.

"Hey, Princess," Sirius nudged the girl. She looked over to him, then followed where he was pointing to a tawny owl clutching a box wrapped in brown paper heading their way. "Isn't that your owl?"

Loki gazed at the bird for a second longer, noticing the struggle the bird was having with its left foot. Recognising it to be the missing claw her family owl had, Loki nodded. As the bird swooped down, Loki lifted her hands above her, catching the package as soon as the bird dropped it.

"Thanks, Asmo," Loki smiled after the owl.

Loki flipped the package over, quickly tugging the string. The brown paper fell away, revealing a slightly worn book sitting on top a pile of clothing. She pulled the book off and found an envelope sitting beneath it, her name scrawled neatly in green ink.  She flipped it over, gazing at the wax seal with her family's crest on it.

"Birthday gift from my mum and dad," Loki smiled. 

"Your mum?" Peter frowned, his eyes flicking from the book and clothes to Loki.

"Mmh," she hummed with a nod. "Mum told me when I was little that she had gifts prepared for when I would be in Hogwarts. Books. A series she read while she was here. She said she wanted me to feel the same excitement she felt, waiting for each book to come." Loki's gaze stayed on the book as she read the back. "I miss her." Loki sighed.

Sirius's eyes flicked from the book in Loki's hand to her face, then swung his arm over her shoulder. "Maybe you can read it to me later."

"You wouldn't understand, though," Loki replied, looking up at him. "You've missed the information from the five other books."

"I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. Knowing you, you'd probably teach me everything about it before we even begin," Sirius smiled.

Loki laughed, tipping her head back. "You're right. I probably would." Loki looked to the taller Gryffindor on her other side. "You'll join us too, won't you, Remus?"

"Of course," Remus replied with a grin.

"We'll make a date out of it, then," Sirius smirked.

➪ AUTHOR'S NOTE ➪

hello, amazing person reading this! how are you? I hope you're doing well. if you're not, I hope your day gets better from here on :)

We don't have much longer to go until the book is completed. For the next part, I'm combining March, April, May and June because there won't be much left, and I don't want this book to drag on forever. Also, quick question, should I add an ending chapter where they're all adults? 

I hope you've had a good holidays, though, and I'll see you next time :)