As they walked into the great hall it was with smiles on their faces. They found the other seventh years sitting near the middle of the Gryffindor table. Stewart and James saw them coming before everyone else did and smiled.
"Hi," Nicolette said timidly. She knew that not everyone would be as forgiving as Anne and Rebecca. "Listen, I'm sor-"
"Nic," Stewart said with a smile. "If you apologize I'll kick your butt. Shut up and sit down."
"Glad you're back," Brandon said from next to Anne. Nicolette smiled at him and sat down.
"Well I'm not," Suzanne said. "You can't be a bitch and expect us to just forgive and forget."
"Suzanne," Oliver said from a few spots on the other side of Brandon. "If you don't shut up, you can leave. We want Nikki, not you."
Suzanne's face showed shock and hurt as she got up and left the hall.
"Oliver," Rebecca said. "That was mean, true, but mean."
Everyone chuckled at Rebecca's comment.
The group of friends enjoyed their dinner together talking and laughing. Every few minutes Nicolette would glance down the table at Oliver. Anne caught her one time and leaned over to her.
"You need to talk to him," she said. "He won't speak to me unless Stewart makes him."
"Why not?"
"He thinks that I should have told him how you felt," she said. "He and I have been friends for a very long time and he thinks that all of this could have been avoided if he knew how you felt. Because then he would have asked you out a long time ago."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Anne said quietly. "We had a fight that day after defense and he said that if I had been a better friend to him then there never would have been a problem."
"Oh Merlin Anne," Nicolette said feeling even worse than she did before. "I didn't mean for you two to fight."
"I know," she said. "And I know that he and I will be fine. He just likes you, actually I think he may love you," she said before stopping abruptly. "I shouldn't have said that. I may be your friend, but I just told you more than he would want me too."
"No," Nicolette said. "I think I needed to hear it. And you're right I need to talk to him. I just don't know if I'm ready too tonight."
"Miss Deloncre," Professor McGonagall said from behind her. Nicolette turned and saw the look of disappointment on her face. "May I speak with you please?"
"Yes ma'am," she said as she stood and followed Professor McGonagall toward the teacher's table. Professor McGonagall led her through a door just behind the table. As they walked through the door McGonagall turned around and spoke.
"I have just spoken with Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore," she said. "We have decided to give you until Monday morning to speak with the father. We want to see both of you in Professor Dumbledore's office Monday morning after breakfast, I know you don't have class but you may let him know that he will be excused if he does."
"Yes ma'am," Nicolette responded.
"You are dismissed."
Nicolette quickly left the room the same way she came. She had never disappointed Professor McGonagall before and she didn't want to again. As Nicolette made her way back to the Gryffindor table she saw Anne and Oliver both turn around and watch her. She tried very hard not to cry.
"Everything okay," Anne asked.
"No," Nicolette whispered as she sat down.
"Nic," Rebecca said. "What happened?"
Nicolette looked up and saw that all her friends were watching her.
"We'll talk about it later," she swallowed the emotion in her throat. Anne took the hint and started talking about something they had learned the day before in Defense.
Nicolette listened to the conversation around her, not really hearing it. She needed to talk to Oliver, but she really didn't want to do it tonight. She was still trying to wrap it around her head; there was no telling how Oliver was going to take it.
"Nic," Anne said tapping Nicolette's shoulder. "Hey where were you?"
Nicolette looked at her.
"Just thinking," Nicolette said as she looked around the table and saw that everyone had left but her, Anne and Rebecca. "Where is he?"
"He and James went up a few minutes ago," Rebecca told her. "James wanted to play chess."
"Regular," Nicolette asked surprised that he wanted to do that.
"No," Rebecca said with a smile. "Wizard Chess, sometimes I forget you're muggleborn."
"Sorry," Nicolette said.
"Come on," Anne said. "Let's go upstairs."
Anne grabbed Nicolette's bag and the three made their way to Gryffindor tower.
"So," Rebecca said. "When are you going to talk to him?"
"I don't know but I have to do it before Monday, McGonagall said that I'm to be in Dumbledore's office with the father Monday morning after breakfast."
"Oh," Anne said. "So much for taking your time to tell him."
"Yeah," Nicolette said. "But I don't know if I want to tell him tonight either. I'm having a hard enough time dealing with this on my own."
"But maybe you should be dealing with it together," Anne pointed out.
Nicolette thought about that for a moment as they got closer to the fat lady.
"Maybe."
"Come on," Anne said. "I at least want to put your bag down."
"Oh sorry," Nicolette said as they went through the portrait. "I can take it."
"No," Anne responded. "I don't mind."
"Hey Nic," Brandon said from the couch where he was sitting with Lacey.
"Hey Brandon," she said with a smile.
"OH! I love that sound," Nicolette chuckled at his response.
"Anne," Stewart said from where he was sitting watching Oliver and James play chess. "Are you going to come and sit with me?"
"Yeah," she said. "We'll be right back."
Anne, Rebecca and Nicolette went up to their dorm to put Nicolette's bag away.
"How are you feeling," Rebecca asked as Nicolette sat on her bed.
"I'm tired," she said. "But I want to go downstairs and spend time with you and the guys, I haven't since our first night back and I miss our time."
"Well then," Anne said as she held out her hand. "Let's go, when you get ready for bed we'll come up, you just let us know."
Nicolette smiled, she was glad to have her friends back. She got up and took Anne's hand and held her other hand out for Rebecca to take. The three friends went down into the common room to spend time together.
Anne led them over to Stewart, Oliver and James. Anne sat in Stewart's lap and Rebecca sat on the arm of James' chair. Nicolette looked around for a place to sit and decided to sit on the floor leaning against Oliver's chair.
"So," Lacey said from the couch sitting between Brandon and Sean. "Nic, what have you been doing in the evenings?"
"Mostly," she said. "I've been studying. I think I need a break though."
"How are you feeling," Sean asked.
"Okay now."
"What was wrong," James asked.
Nicolette looked up at Anne.
"Madame Pomfrey isn't sure yet," Anne answered for her with a smile.
Oliver cleared his throat, but before he could say anything he was interrupted.
"Wood!"
"Yeah Weasley," he responded to George.
"When are you starting the torture?"
"Two weeks," Oliver replied.
George turned back to his twin to plan who knows what.
"I have to do it," Nicolette mumbled to herself as she stood up. "Oliver," she said a little louder. "I need to talk to you."
Anne reached for Nicolette's hand and gave it a squeeze before dropping it.
"Okay," he said as he got up from his chair to follow her.
As she passed Rebecca she got another hand squeeze for encouragement.
Nicolette led them out of the common room and down the hall to an empty classroom. As she shut the door she took a deep breath and turned to face Oliver.
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