Chapter Eight – Lost love
After spending time with her friends again, even if it was to issue revenge on the lads, Nic decided that she would have to manage her time better so she could spend her free time with both her friends and Zach. Although Zach didn’t mind seeing Nic when she was with her friends she had really begun to enjoy their strolls around the lake and snuggles while watching the stars and preferred to keep them just between her and Zach. Zach was good looking, athletic he had a good sense of humour and most of all he really cared for Nic and showed it when ever he could. Many people had seen them together and they were a very cute couple but there was one thing holding Nic back. It was tall, dark, very handsome, athletic and had owned her heart for the past 4 years. Sirius Black was a lad that could make any girl swoon with just a side glance their way, but for Nic it was different. He was her brother’s best mate and she had known him since they were both kids. Although they weren’t as close as he was with her brother, their relationship was much desired by half the girls at Hogwarts. Nic felt trapped and confused by the feelings she still had for Sirius and it was these feelings that prevented her from fully enjoying being with Zach. He was a great lad and she was truly beginning to fall for him but at times she would still feel her heart race and her stomach turn whenever Sirius would smile, or even just walk past her. She decided it was now or never, she had to either act on her feelings or move on.
Nic woke up the next morning and joined the others for breakfast. She hadn’t confided in her friends about how she was feeling but unbeknown to her she was acting exactly how they had planned it. She wasn’t aware of the plans the girls had made back on the train to Hogwarts in September. But since then they had been monitoring hers and Sirius's actions and reactions to the others behaviour. A dominant pattern was arising and the girls had noticed that whenever Nic was staying in with her friends Sirius had arranged to meet up with Caelyn. They thought it was either to try to get Nic jealous or so he didn’t have to hear how cute and wonderful Zach was. Nic on the other hand hadn’t noticed anything as she still saw Sirius in each lesson and most dinners and breakfasts. It was that morning at breakfast when Nic watched Sirius and Caelyn. They were a sweet couple and they both appeared really happy. Nic then glanced over to the Ravenclaw table and saw Zach laughing and playfully fighting with his friends. He looked so adorable and sweet. She watched him for a couple of minutes until he looked over and saw her watching him, he smiled and waved and it was then Nic realised she had to move on with her life. She felt more at ease now she had made this decision and smiled as she ate her breakfast.
Throughout the day she remained smiling and felt excited as she got ready as Zach had promised to meet her on the roof of the west tower later that night as it soon would be the rainy and winter they were all so use to. Meanwhile Sirius was up in his room lying on his bed confused and baffled by what he was feeling. He had watched Nic that morning at breakfast as she watched Zach. She looked totally happy being with Zach and her attitude all day had been up beat and positive but Sirius truly did care for Nic and although he was concerned about the reaction of his best mate, her brother, he couldn’t subdue his feelings that she belonged with him. He wasn’t prepared to lose her without a fight. He had to know how she truly felt about him.
Through the next few weeks Nic was surprised to learn that when Sirius and her were together her heart didn’t race and her stomach didn’t grow butterflies when he walked by. She was finally feeling she was over him and she had started to feel those tings whenever Zach was near by. Everything seemed to be perfect, she had a boyfriend who cared for her, mates that were always there when she needed them, her grades were exceptional and Christmas was only two weeks away. Although Zach was going home for Christmas and she was going to miss him she was looking forward to spending two whole weeks with her friends with no classes, no work to be done and most of all no lads to interrupt their fun. But boy was she wrong.
The Christmas holidays rolled up slowly and it was time to say goodbye to most of the students who were off to spend it with their families. In gryffindor there was only about twenty students staying behind and amongst them were Nic, Mel, Emily, Rachel, James, Sirius, Peter and Remus.
Nic had gotten up early in the morning so she could say goodbye to Zach. He left her a small present and made her swear not to open it till Christmas day but she was secretly thinking she would sneak up stairs and unwrap it and if she had to re-wrap it and wait till Christmas morning where she would act surprised and shocked at what he had bought her.
Once everyone had gone to girls went out in the snow and found a bench where they began talking and catching up on gossip without being overheard. They stayed there till lunch, when they joined up with the lads and ate dinner and enjoyed beating them at exploding snap. The lads decided they didn’t like losing and switched the cards with a deck of their own. When the girls were getting ahead again, all the lads turned to watch as the cards on the next turn exploded releasing a foul smelling orange liquid which exploded all over Rachel's and Mel’s faces. They wiped themselves clean before throwing the bit of mash that was left over from their dinner at the lads. A food fight erupted amongst the friends but escalated and the 80 or so students that had remained at Hogwarts joined in. The students in each house joined up and a battle broke out against the houses. Mash balls, pea showers, sausage grenades, that explode gravy over anyone who was within 5 feet of them, were all thrown from each corner of the room where each house was now situated. They had managed to topple the tables and use them as barriers but within minutes each student in the hall was covered with the various foods that they had momentarily eaten for their dinner. Slytherin had the least number of students staying behind but nether the less they were pretty good at ducking and diving from the many food parcels that came their way and had a good aim when throwing them back. Professor Lador the stern defence against the dark arts teacher stormed in the room shouting and balling at the students to stop. For a split second the chaos in the hall came to a stand still as they watched the professor wave her arms and yell at them in her foreign accent how disgraced she was. But to her horror it only took seconds for the students to continue with their war engulfing her in it also before she stormed off towards the entrance hall. In her fury she didn’t notice the scattered carrots, she slide and fell into a pool of gravy. Going red and screaming she fled from the hall and ran to get Dumbledore. The fight continued and looked like the only thing that could stop it was the lack of food but as Dumbledore walked in and a huge mash ball hit him square in the chest and another was flying towards him, they ceased fire and everyone stood up as panic spread throughout the room as they watched him halt the flying mass of food in mid air and it drop to the floor. He smiled as he walked into the centre of the room avoiding the patches of carrots and spilled peas on the floor. He looked around at each of the students before nodding and saying “I think there is enough mess to be cleaned up” he waved his wand and the mash stain on his robe disappeared before he turned and added with a wink “you should all go and clean yourselves up as you don’t look a pretty sight”
Professor Lador was stood a few feet behind Dumbledore just out side the hall doors and glared at the food covered students as they all left the hall whispering and laughing as they headed towards each of their common rooms.
Later that day once everyone had cleaned up they all decided to give tea a miss as to avoid an ordeal as that at dinner. Instead each house at different intervals tiptoed towards the kitchens and the many house elves derived up many scrumptious meals of cakes, puddings, biscuits and to even it out, fruit. Back in the gryffindor tower the marauders were elected to be the food bearers and set off to get some food for everyone. They pranced around the halls acting like muggle police, holding out their hands as if they were guns, looking around each corner before running up and standing flat up against the walls looking left and right before setting off again trying to avoid any unwanted attention but not realising how ridiculous they looked. Once they reached the kitchens they tickled the pear and opened the newly appeared door. Inside was what seemed like hundreds of house elves running around organising and preparing things before shooting off again. A couple of elves had noticed the entry of the lads and ran over
“What can we do for you masters” squeaked one while the others gathered glasses and began pouring drinks. A couple more ran over with stools for the lads to sit on.
“Erm we wanted to know could you set up a couple of meals for us?” asked Remus politely
“Most certainly sir” and three house elves shot off and returned with trays full of éclairs, iced fingers, muffins, cookies and other delicious cakes.
“Wow” exclaimed peter before scoffing his face with at least 5 different cakes
“We are glad you are pleased sir” said an elf when another asked “is there anything else we can do for you?”
“Well now you come to mention it…” said Sirius with a glint in his eye before James nudged him and said “well actually we was hoping you could provide us with enough food for all the students in gryffindor that have stayed for the holidays” but before he got half way through his sentence a dozen house elves had sprinted over holding out every kind of cake, pudding and snack you could think of. A couple of female elves trotted over and added trays of fruit to the various sugary treats already offered. All four lads now beamed at the sight “thanks” they said before gathering all of it into a very large box and headed back towards the tower but with many stops were the lads would indulge themselves with the cakes. As they got nearer the tower Sirius had an idea, well more of a prank that they could pull on the Gryffindors. They shrunk down the box so it could fit into a pocket and carried on to the tower practising their gloomy faces as they were going to act like they couldn’t get no food and they would all have to starve. They entered through the portrait hole and found everyone eagerly awaiting there return. They turned on their pouty faces and looked down towards the floor before muttering
“They wouldn’t give us any”
“Yeh sumert bout having to ask Dumbledore first”
They said but everyone just looked at them and laughed as what the lads hadn’t realised that they still had chocolate and icing all around their mouths which gave the game away. Mel walked over to James and wiped off his chocolate moustache and said “they only way we won’t get the food is if you lot have eaten it”. With that the lads laughed and resized the box and begun unloading the many varieties of foods that they had been given. Everyone stood around watching the glorious sweets being unloaded some even looked like they were about to drool at the selection of cakes, puddings and sugary treats. The food was demolished within minutes and the stuffed students sat around the common room looking glazed due to the amount of sugar they had eaten. A couple of students had gone on a sugar trip and were so energetic they just ran around the room trying to burn of the sugar.
A couple of hours later Remus left to join Dumbledore, but as the lads knew it was for his monthly transformation, but had told everyone else he was being tutored on the request of his father. James and peter decided to go to the library to carry on their research on Animagus. The girls had retreated upstairs with most of the students leaving Nic and Sirius alone in the common room. Nic was quietly reading her book that she still hadn’t finished from last year and decided that this was a perfect time to catch up. Sirius looked as if he was reading the daily prophet but was more content in watching Nic. He remembered how last year on Christmas Eve they had shared their first kiss and since then his feelings for her had escalated. But he was still unaware how she felt about him. That night she had broke away from the kiss and never mentioned it since, but he was sure she felt something for him and it was more than just as a friend.
“So” he said breaking the silence “where’s Zach?” he asked with a slight sickened tone in his voice. Nic looked up from her book and replied “he’s gone home for the holidays” before tuning back to her book. Sirius stayed silent for a moment before starting a conversation again.
“That books crap you know, it’s all made up nothing like that would ever happen in real life”
Not looking up from her book she replied “well I like it”
“Why, it’s a book about love but she doesn’t see it when it’s staring her straight in the face” he continued. He was now a bit agitated as he realised the book did hold some truth to it.
But Nic just replied “that’s why I like it, it’s not perfect and all fairy tale like”
But Sirius still continued criticising the book.
“Sirius do you mind im trying to read” she said with a hint of anger at being disturbed
“You haven’t half changed since you began dating that…. That Zach lad” he blurted out
“And what do you mean by that” she said putting her book down as she began to get defensive
“Well you just have, he’s not a good influence on you” he carried on not meaning one word of it and not knowing why he was saying it.
“Well that’s just YOUR opinion” she started as she watched Sirius’s face change “and you’re the first to think so, so im sorry if I don’t take it into account” and she picked up her book and began reading again.
“He’s a slime ball and a creep but you can’t even see it, a few flattering comments come your way and your willing to ignore the way he treats you” Sirius shot back still unaware of why he was saying these things as Zach had always treated Nic with up most respect and would never hurt her if he could avoid it. Nic was now fuming and slammed her book down, stood up and bellowed
“How dare you call Zach that, it’s your problem if you think he is but don’t go telling me what I should think of my boyfriend he has never disrespected me in anyway”
Due to the shouting that was going on down stairs heads where now popping out of the dorm room doors so people could hear and possible see the heated argument that was taking place down stairs in the common room.
“Is it my fault you’re so naive and can’t see that the lad doesn’t care for you” he shouted back now furious that she was defending him “you can do so much better than that maroon” he continued to bellow his true feelings urging to come out.
“What like you” she spat back “Zach has never offended me in the slightest and at least he has the decency to break up with a girl before finding another, and he doesn’t go around changing his girlfriends every month just because he’s bored but the same can’t be said for you can it Sirius”
She eyed him up with a look of great satisfaction as he couldn’t create a come back for the last remark. Sirius also stood up and looked hurt not by the comment but because of the truth behind it. He had never treated any of his girlfriends the way they deserved to be. Caelyn had always been there for him but he was off thinking of ways to get with Nic, he looked up at her, turned round and stalked off to his room. The truth had hit him hard Nic would never want to be with anyone so self centred and shallow and he didn’t deserve to even be with Caelyn and definitely deserved to be with someone who deeply cared for her.
The argument had not only caused Nic to insult one of her closest friends but it had brought all her old feelings that she had felt for him flooding back. She slumped into a chair her face stricken with shock as she watching Sirius walk as she realised what had just happened. She had just lost her chance at every getting with Sirius and worst of all she had probably lost him as a friend. She Sirius reached the second floor and turned round. He saw Nic slumped in a chair sobbing into a cushion his heart sunk he had deeply hurt one of his closest friends all because he was jealous of her relationship with another lad. He would give up anything just to have it the way it use to be. He turned round and silently walked down stairs. Nic didn’t notice Sirius’s return until he had walked past the lamp causing a shadow across the wall. She turned round and looked straight into his eyes they stood silently looking at each other for a few seconds before Sirius ran forward and embraced Nic with a long passionate kiss. Everyone had slowly crept from their rooms to get a better view as the shouting had ceased and watched as Nic and Sirius kissed. They were only interrupted when they heard noise from outside the portrait hole. It was James and peter. They had returned from the library and seemed to be struggling with books. Nic quickly jumped up and whispered to Sirius “we need to talk about this” before sprinting off upstairs as the last thing she wanted was her brother walking in on her and Sirius in a loving embrace with her face streamed with tears. As she opened the door to her room she heard Sirius helping them out as they toppled into the common room.
Mel, Rachel and Emily all awaited her arrival as they too had been listing in on the landing. She turned to face her friends took three steps towards them but broke down in tears. They rushed over to her, they hugged and reassured her that everything was going to be ok, but she knew the truth Nic had fallen for Zach but the argument had reawaken her feelings for Sirius and she was now faced with the hardest decision of her life. She had to choose between Sirius who her heart yearned for so long and Zach the only other lad ever to break through her hearts barrier.
Chapter Seven - Halloween Delight <--> Chapter Nine - Zach's present
COMING SOON!! - WORK IN PROGRESS
