"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Albus asked Ayla. He was standing in the doorway in front of her, looking very anxious.
"Positive," Ayla said with a smile. "James is just getting his bags and then we'll be heading off."
"But Ayla, your mom is never home; there won't be anyway living at your house. What if...you know, what if something...happens between you two?"
Ayla shrugged happily, smiling at Albus. "What if it does?" She said simply and he sighed, dropping his arm from its place against the doorway and stepping aside.
"Have fun, you two," he said as James appeared and approached Ayla.
"Thanks, little bro," James said, mussing Albus's hair. "We'll be staying at her house for a week, and then we'll see you at the Diagon Alley."
Albus nodded, smiling strongly. He helped Ayla with her bags and waved to both of them as James took Ayla's hand and Apparated away.
They arrived at the foot of Ayla's long, winding driveway and lugged their bags up the path until they reached her house. James let out a low whistle as he gaped up at it.
"Isn't it just you and your mom that live here?" He asked, shocked.
"My mom's husband moved in when they got married," Ayla explained.
"Still, three people..." He murmured, shaking his head.
He followed her in, past the doorman who greeted them with a polite nod and took their bags.
"Welcome," Ayla said with a theatrical wave of her arms. James laughed, looking around.
"This place is awesome," he murmured, picking up a very fancy-looking decoration and tossing it from hand to hand. "What is this?" He asked and Ayla shrugged.
"You want something to eat?" She offered and James flopped down in a chair when she led him into the kitchen.
"Yeah, sure, if you have chips or something."
"Francis?" She called, poking her head through a door. James watched as a very large man in an apron burst through the door.
"Ayla, nice to see you here!" He exclaimed in surprise and she smiled.
"This is James," she said, gesturing toward James, who waved from his chair. "He wanted something to eat so I was wondering what you could make him."
"Oh, anything, sir," the man said quickly. "I can make anything you would like."
"Oh, um, just some chips is fine," James said awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably.
"Handmade potato chips coming up!" He enthused, bustling back into the kitchen.
"Handmade?" James repeated and Ayla bit her lip.
"Yeah, we don't really keep normal food here," she admitted. "My mom doesn't get that when I want a snack, I just want a snack. Like chips or popcorn or something, not a five star meal," she laughed.
"So, you have people working here?" James asked, looking around more.
"Yeah, we have another building out back that everyone stays in. I'll show you while Francis is cooking." She took his hand and they exited through one of the doors on the back of the house and walked down a long, winding path until they reached a rather large house. Ayla pushed open the door and led him inside and up the steps. "This is where my driver, Hayden stays," she began, gesturing toward a door on their left. "Then this is where my butler, Guillermo, stays. My maid, Carmen, stays here. Francis stays here...the doorman, Isaac, stays here. And that's it!" She said brightly, smiling.
"So...this house just holds the people that work here and even this is bigger than the average house," James said in amazement as they headed back to Ayla's house. "Awesome."
Ayla shrugged, looking down. "It's not that home-like, don't you think?"
"Well, I guess it's not exactly customary to me..." James admitted. "You know, like, no snack food and stuff. It's a little too fancy to feel like home." Ayla nodded in agreement.
"That's not the only thing that kept it from feeling like home," Ayla mumbled and James looked down awkwardly, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as they entered Ayla's house.
"I have your chips, sir!" Francis said, handing them to him.
"Thank you," James said, taking the plate and tasting one. "Wow, they're really good," he muttered to Ayla. As Francis left, James turned to Ayla. "So, how does that work? Like, the people that work here."
Ayla sat down next to him and shrugged. "They're professionals," she explained. "Like, Francis is a professional chef, but instead of working for a restaurant, he works here. Hayden is a professional driver, but instead of working in a limousine service or something, he works for us."
James nodded, shoving several chips in his mouth. "That's pretty cool," he said through a mouthful of food. "So, when your mom isn't here, do they stay with you or anything?"
"If I asked them to, they might, but it's never happened. They're the closest to family that I've got, though."
At that moment, James saw an unfamiliar man walk in and Ayla squealed, jumping up and hugging him.
"James, this is my butler, David," she told him, beaming.
"It's been so long!" David exclaimed, smiling.
"Last summer, David was away for a while," Ayla explained to James. "And the time before that, when I came to visit, I didn't get a chance to see him. So we haven't talked since I left for Hogwarts in first year." She turned back to David, her smile stretching from ear to ear. "How have you been?"
"Excellent! I don't know if you heard..." He said as he pulled a picture out of his wallet. James sat straighter on his chair to look curiously at the unmoving image. "We have a new addition to my family. A little baby girl."
"That's fantastic!" Ayla cried, looking at the photograph. "She's adorable!"
"I knew you were coming today so my wife and daughter are stopping by in about twenty minutes so you can meet little Jenny."
Ayla beamed. "Oh, I can't wait!" She exclaimed.
He smiled at her but there was a strange tightness to the smile that Ayla had never seen before.
"Well, I'll let you two alone," he said, stepping toward the door. "I'll see you a little bit later."
Ayla turned back to James as David left, beaming at him.
"You guys seem really close," James commented, eating more chips.
"Yeah, he's honorary family," she said with a grin.
An owl flew up to the window at that moment and Ayla leapt up to take the letter from it, then gave it a Knut. The owl fluttered around the window pane as Ayla walked back to James.
"It's addressed to you," she said, handing it to James. "From Hogwarts."
James frowned and tore it open, then his face lit up.
"What is it?" Ayla asked as she saw his expression change. He handed her the letter and she skimmed through it. "Head Boy!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "James, that's amazing!"
James grinned, stunned. "I'm Head Boy..." He murmured. "Thank God, I can finally dock points from Scorpius!"
Ayla laughed once. "That's your takeaway?" She asked, chuckling. "James, this is amazing." She hugged him again and kissed him.
"I've got to write to mum and dad!" He realized, grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill, scribbling his message. He handed it to the owl that was still waiting and it soared away with the letter.
X.
The next morning, Ayla woke up early and sat in the living room, curled up on the couch and deep in thought.
James walked in after several hours, having just woken up. "Oh, hey," he said through a yawn, rubbing his eyes roughly as he sat next to her. "What's up?"
"It's José's birthday," Ayla said quietly and James nodded slowly, taking a sip of the water that she had been drinking and passing it back to her.
"Wait, I thought his birthday was during the school year," James said, frowning.
Ayla smiled sadly. "His real birthday, yeah. Today is..." She sighed, shifting on the couch. "Since José never knew his real parents, he didn't know his birthday until he was eight years old. He used some guesswork to try to figure it out, but he was way off. Anyway, today was the day that we always thought of as his birthday when we were little."
"Did you want to see him or something?" He asked, sitting back and putting his feet up. Ayla nodded and James sighed. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You want to go into Juvie just to, what, sing him happy birthday?"
"It's bad enough that he has to be in there for two and a half months; he deserves some visitors."
"He deserves nothing; he's the one who did something stupid and got himself caught," James grumbled, standing up and walking into the kitchen.
Ayla followed him, her temperature rising slightly. "I know he made a mistake, but that doesn't mean that he should be rotting alone in there."
"That's kind of the point of the punishment, I think," James said, grabbing a plate from a cabinet and searching for something to eat.
"I went out this morning and got cereal," Ayla said quietly, straying momentarily from their argument. James nodded, switched his plate for a bowl, and filled it with cereal. "And I'm pretty sure he's already felt the punishment; he's been in there for over two months!"
"His fault," James said simply, shrugging.
"James, you get in trouble all the time; this seems like something that you will absolutely praise him for. What do you have against José?" She demanded.
"Okay, first of all, I get in trouble for pulling funny pranks at school. Not for actually breaking the law," he snapped. "And second of all, I don't have anything against him; I just don't think he's someone that you should spend time with."
"We grew up together, James, we talked about this!" Ayla returned hotly.
"I know you did, but that doesn't mean you're stuck with him for the rest of your life!" James retorted.
"Alright, tell me this: just for the purposes of this conversation, say Albus did something to get in huge trouble. Would you decide he's not someone you should associate yourself with?"
"Albus is my brother!" James bellowed.
"José is a brother to me, too!" Ayla shouted back.
"Yeah, but Al and I are flesh and blood; it's different!"
"My point is, José is the person I've been close with for the longest, and I'm not just going to ditch him!" She yelled heatedly.
"And my point is that he's a bad influence and I don't want you to hang out with him!"
"You can't decide that for me!" Ayla shrieked.
"Why is it that big of a deal that you visit him on his 'birthday' anyway?" James shouted, bringing it back to the root of the argument. "Because turning thirteen—again—is such a huge deal?"
"Because, like me, no one ever remembered José's birthday before he got to Hogwarts! He's been alone in there for over two months and I can't just forget his birthday! This was a big deal to us when we were younger!"
In a bout of fury, James threw his spoon across the room where it hit the wall and left a deep dent before clattering to the floor. "That's in the past, Ayla, just leave it behind!" He bellowed. "Leave all that stuff, and leave José and just move on with your life! Especially José, you just need to cut him loose!"
"I don't want to cut him loose!"
"I've told you; he's going to get you in trouble! He's bad news, Ayla!"
"He's not news, James, he's always been around!" She lowered her voice, looking down and shaking her head. "I never thought you were the type of person to write someone off before you even know them," she said dully, snatching up her bag and throwing open the door. "I'm going see José." She slammed the door behind her and left James seething in the kitchen.
X.
Ayla entered the house hours later, eyes dried out and exhausted. She saw James in the kitchen, trying to cast a spell to fix the dent on the wall, which now looked like a demolition site. She smiled sadly and pushed him aside gently, pointing her wand at the wall. "Reparo."
"Oh, right," James mumbled quietly. "That's the one. You know I can never do magic when I'm upset…" He looked up at Ayla, his face ashen. "Ayla, I'm sorry, I-"
"You were right," Ayla interrupted, her voice thick with suppressed tears. "They, uh, they wouldn't let me in to see him."
"Why not?" James asked, confused.
"Because he, um, he didn't want to see me," Ayla replied in a barely audible voice.
"You saved his ass; why the hell did he not want to see you?"
"He's angry at everyone right now," Ayla said sadly. "He needs time to cool off." She shook her head, eyes welling up with tears. "I don't know how he's been hanging in there these past two months."
"Ayla," James murmured as he saw her swimming eyes, pulling her into an embrace. "He'll get over it, this is all going to blow over."
Ayla leaned against his chest, trying to hide her tears as his hand stroked her hair comfortingly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered and he laughed once without humor.
"You know tears aren't really my thing," he admitted, pulling back and holding her at army's length. "But it's worth it," he added sincerely and kissed her.
X.
Ayla fastened her trunk shut after checking to make sure she had everything, then picked it up and headed out of her room toward the stairs. She passed James in the hallway, who was shuffling out of his room in his boxers. He grabbed her suitcase for her and dropped it off in front of the door downstairs, then went to get breakfast.
Ayla perched on the counter in front of him as he ate his cereal.
"I can't believe summer is over already," he said sentimentally.
"Yeah," Ayla said sadly. "It was a really good one, though." She gazed down at him sitting on the stool in front of the counter, his bare chest illuminated by the sun streaming through the window, and she found it difficult to look away.
"Check it out," he said with a stupid grin, having noticed her gaze. "Chest hair," he declared, pointing at the center of his chest. Ayla laughed and James turned back to his bowl, chuckling.
"Very manly," she joked, grinning. "All three hairs."
James pushed her playfully, then pulled her onto his lap, laughing.
"There's four, Ayla. Come on, get your facts straight," James joked and Ayla grinned at him, hopping lightly off his lap.
"Oh, my bad," she laughed, leaning against the counter. "So, we'll head to Diagon Alley as soon as you're done with breakfast and you get dressed."
"Or I could go in this," he suggested jocularly. "You know, going natural."
"Yeah, that's a great idea," Ayla said sarcastically. "Hurry though, please, I'm really excited to see everyone."
His smile faded ever so slightly. "Like Al?" He muttered, dropping his bowl in the sink and heading toward the steps.
"Sorry?" Ayla demanded, whirling toward him.
"I said, 'like Al'?"
"Yeah, I heard you," Ayla snapped. "What the hell would make you say that?"
"Well, you dated him first, and—" James began angrily.
"Whoa, since when is that bothering you?"
"Since you were suddenly so excited to get out of the house we were staying in together just so you can see him."
"James, of course I miss Albus and all of my other friends, but that doesn't mean that I don't like staying here with you! It just means—"
"It just means that he was you first love and that'll never change," James snapped, folding his arms.
"You knew that I had been with Albus when you asked me to be your girlfriend," Ayla said firmly. "If it was something that bothered you, you should have said something months ago."
"Aright, let's test it," he said furiously. "Let's test your feelings for me."
"Go ahead, do whatever you want," Ayla snapped.
James cleared his throat and looked as though he was attempting to get into character. He looked up at Ayla and began. "So, I was with this girl once who had, like, the best body in the world. She had..."
And for the next few minutes, Ayla listened as he went on and on about his variety of past girlfriends and flings—in explicit, inappropriate detail—until he finally finished and looked at her.
"So, you jealous?" He asked pointedly and she shook her head.
"We've both dated other people," she said simply. "There's no use in acting like we haven't."
"See, if you actually cared about me, you'd be so jealous right now!" He bellowed.
"Maybe I'm just not a jealous type of person!" Ayla shrieked back, furious at this accusation.
"Ayla, I just compared her...you know...girl-parts...to yours!" He shouted, but he blushed furiously as he avoided using any specific words.
Ayla stifled a snort at his change in tone, but her eyes remained angry. "Just because I'm not jealous doesn't mean that I don't care about you, James. It just means that I know that those girls are in your past, not your future." She shrugged simply. "I've chosen to trust you here."
Instead of answering, James stepped forward and crushed his lips to hers, kissing her passionately and lifting her into his arms as they stumbled back toward her room.
X.
Ayla and James cut through the Leaky Cauldron to get to Diagon Alley, completely at peace since their fight that morning.
"There they are," James pointed out as he spotted his family.
"Hey there, Head Boy!" Harry exclaimed, smiling.
"We're so proud of you, James," Ginny said sincerely, hugging her eldest son.
"How was your week?" Harry asked.
"Oh, it was good," James said offhandedly, glancing at Ayla.
Albus seemed to have noticed something in his tone; his eyebrows shot up and he gave Ayla a questioning look.
"James, we need to take you to Madam Malkin's," Ginny told her eldest son. "Albus, Lily, Ayla, we'll meet you in Flourish&Blotts in fifteen minutes."
Harry, Ginny, and James set off toward the robe shop, James glancing over his shoulder every few seconds.
Ayla walked with Albus and Lily as Lily chatted about the past week that Ayla had been gone.
"Ooh, look how cute that owl is!" Lily squealed, peering through a window. "Let's go in!"
Lily made a beeline for the back of the store, while Albus and Ayla stayed by the door. Albus picked up a bottle of owl food and turned it around in his hands, looking at it.
"So, let me guess," he said, skimming the label on the bottle. "You guys were always either fighting or hooking up."
Ayla raised her eyebrows, glancing at him. "How'd you figure that out?" She mumbled.
"Because I know my brother," he said, setting the bottle down and fiddling with the lock on an owl cage. "He's not an easy person to get along with, and he hates carrying on a fight for longer than necessary." He turned to Ayla, looking curious. "So, did you guys...you know, take any big steps after those fights?"
Ayla blushed, busying herself with a booklet on owls. "No, it was just...you know...snogging and stuff. Nothing huge happened of anything."
Albus nodded, looking away. "Oh," he mumbled lamely, unsure of what to say.
"I told him I wasn't ready," Ayla continued hastily and Albus looked at her.
"O-oh," he stammered uncomfortably. "W-well, that's good, I guess."
Ayla nodded, equally uncertain. "So, um, anyone you've got your eye on?"
Albus shook his head, breaking eye contact. "Nope, no one for me."
Unsure of what to say, Ayla busied herself by comparing brands of owl food.
"Hey, you ready to go?" Lily asked cheerily as she reappeared.
"Yeah, sure," Ayla said, setting down the owl food back on the shelf and following her out of the store with Albus behind her.
They walked to Flourish&Blotts to meet Harry, Ginny, and James, who were already there.
They left Diagon Alley several hours later—after a trip to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes—with a very heavy load of books and supplies.
The next morning, they took a Portkey to King's Cross Station and crossed subtly onto Platform 9 3/4.
"Have a great year," Ginny said sweetly, tearing up slightly as she always did when she saw her children leaving for Hogwarts. "My Head Boy," she said with a sentimental smile, her hand reaching up to touch James's cheek.
James blushed and looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Mom..." He muttered sheepishly.
Ginny kissed each of her children and hugged Ayla, and they all boarded the train and found a compartment.
"Wonder where the others are," Lily mused, looking around.
"Maybe they're on their way," Ayla reasoned, gazing out the window.
"Hey!" Came a voice and Ayla turned to see Hugo and Liam in the doorway. She leapt up to hug them both and saw that Brad was standing behind them.
"What are you doing here?" She asked coolly and Brad held up his hands, stepping back slightly.
"I, um, I've been talking to him," Lily said quietly and Albus looked furious. "We'll never be back together, but there's no sense in ruining the group over his stupid decisions. I figured we could just put it in the past and move on."
Ayla smiled softly at her best friend, putting her arm around her. "That's really strong of you, Lil," she said genuinely and Lily smiled.
Brad took a seat at the very edge of the compartment, in the opposite corner from Lily.
"Guess what?" James asked to break the tension. He grinned and held up his Head Boy badge to Liam, Brad, and Hugo.
"Oh, God, it was bad enough that you were a prefect!" Hugo groaned jokingly.
James laughed and tucked his badge back in his pocket, relaxing back in his seat.
"How's José getting to Hogwarts?" Albus asked as the train began to move.
"He's getting escorted by a Professor that's coming to Juvie to pick him up. I don't know who, but it's one of the teachers at Hogwarts," Ayla explained.
"So, is he totally done with his punishment?" Liam asked, leaning forward.
"Not exactly; he'll be on a sort of probation. If he does anything at all against the rules, he'll probably be back there. So he's got to be careful."
"I give him two days, tops," James grumbled and Ayla gritted her teeth and fixed her eyes out the window.
Hours later, the train rolled to a stop in front of Hogwarts. It had begun to rain lightly on the train ride, and they dashed to the carriages before they could get wet.
Ayla pulled Brad aside before they could leap into the carriage. "Look, Brad, I know Lily is willing to put the past behind her and I admire her for that." She looked around to make sure no one was listening before continuing. "But I still don't trust you. You'd better not hurt her again."
"I'm not going to hurt her again," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away.
"I'll see to it that you don't," she said rather formally, and was pleased to see that Bradley's eyes bulged in fear, clearly remembering the last time she had gotten back at him for hurting her best friend. He nodded, gulping, and stepped up into the carriage followed by Ayla. Ayla sat down on James's lap and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against him.
"So, Ayla, anyone from Sunnydale coming this year?" Albus asked in an undertone so the others couldn't hear him.
"Not that I know of," she said thoughtfully. "I'm actually surprised that there were even three last year," she explained. "I mean, there's only a few ways to get a magical education after being in Sunnydale: your parents come to terms with it, you get taken into a different home, you break out of the place, or someone comes and gets you out. Most of those kids never get to come here."
Albus closed his eyes momentarily and blew out his breath, trying to imagine his life without Hogwarts.
The carriages stopped in front of the castle and they all hopped out, heading up to the front door. They filed into the Great Hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor table. James departed to wait in the chamber behind the Hall until they announced his title of Head Boy.
Ayla sat down next to Albus, and Brad sat on her right. She noticed that he was holding his hands defensively over his lap as though scared Ayla might hurt him. The corner of her mouth twitched in satisfaction and pride as they all watched the sorting.
"Is it just me or do they look even tinier than the first years last year?" Albus whispered and Ayla giggled. "I'm serious!" Albus exclaimed, but he was fighting a smile. "They're, like, fetuses!"
Ayla buried her head in her arms, trying to muffle her laughter with her sleeves. Albus gave her a satisfied grin and turned to McGonagall, who was standing behind the podium and looking reproachfully at the students.
"Attention!" She called, clearing her throat. "The heads of houses will now announce the prefects for each house."
Ayla watched and did not recognize any of the names as fifth-year students were presented in front of them. Finally, McGonagall returned to the podium to announce the Head Boy and Girl.
"The Head Boy this year is James Potter of Gryffindor House," she said sharply, but her lips stretched even thinner as she suppressed a smile. Students all around the hall burst into applause, and the only silent table was that of Slytherin as James emerged from the chamber and burst into the Great Hall. "And the Head Girl is Ravenclaw's Lisa Worschid." There was a round of applause from the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor tables. McGonagall sat down and the tables filled with food.
James came down to sit with them and shoveled a large pile of food onto his plate.
"Congratulations, James," Ayla said, smiling and James grinned.
"Thanks, Ayla," he said, and as he gazed at her in the dim light of the Great Hall, he felt a deep , warm feeling in his heart that he had never experienced before.
X.
Once classes had started up again, James began to worry about his Quidditch team. "Now Louis is gone; who's going to be seeker?" He asked helplessly to Albus and Ayla, staring up at the ceiling.
"Maybe you'll get someone really good at the tryout," Ayla said encouragingly and James shook his head, holding the sign-up sheet in his hand.
"No one has signed up to try out for Seeker," he said sadly. "They all want to be keepers, beaters, and chasers, but no one wants to take on the single most important position on the team," he complained, an angry edge taking over his voice.
"Too bad we don't anyone from last year's team who made a really good seeker," Albus said sarcastically and James immediately realized what he meant.
"Ayla!" He exclaimed. "You played Seeker once when Louis was in the hospital wing!"
"Yeah..." Ayla said cautiously, unsure of what was coming next.
"How would you feel about moving from Chaser to Seeker?" Before Ayla could answer, James reconsidered, looking anxious. "Oh, but then we'd lose the D'Orazio Dive..." He muttered.
"I could try it, I guess," Ayla said, shrugging. "I sort of like playing Chaser, though."
"Well, the thing is sometimes I'd want you as Seeker, and sometimes as Chaser. Like, against Hufflepuff, I'd want you as Seeker, because their Chasers are horrible so we don't need the D'Orazio or anything like that. But their Seeker is amazing, and you've got a better broom and you're a great seeker. But against Slytherin, I might want you as a Chaser because even though their seeker is good too, their Chasers are incredible. And we need all the tricks we can get against them." His face lit up as he came to a conclusion. "Of the Chasers that try out tomorrow, I'll see if any of them can play Seeker too! That way, you two can rotate!"
"Is that allowed?" Ayla asked curiously and James nodded.
"As long as I give the roster to Madam Hooch one week before each match, I can have people play wherever I want."
"Alright, awesome," Ayla agreed. "I guess I can see which one I like better. I've only played seeker that one time, though."
"And if I recall correctly, you won it for us," Albus told her, grinning.
"Well, I'm going to bed," James announced, standing up. "You two should get some sleep too before Quidditch tryouts. Just because you're my brother, and you're my girlfriend," he said, gesturing to each of them, "doesn't mean I'll play favorites." He laughed and kissed Ayla, then headed off to his dormitory.
X.
Ayla awoke early for Quidditch tryouts and headed down to the pitch, gripping her broom in her left hand. The tryouts ran the same way as last year; they practiced as a team before practicing individually. Ayla saw James pull aside a boy who looked to be in his fifth or sixth year and speak to him in a low voice. The boy nodded after a moment and James clapped him on the back and walked past him to talk to Professor Longbottom, who was observing tryouts as he had done the year before. After they were finished conversing, James stood in front of the crowd of Gryffindors trying out.
"Okay, our Keeper, Cormac McLaggen, will be returning as Keeper again this year for his final year at Hogwarts," James announced, consulting his clipboard. "Our Chasers will be Natalie Peakes and Quinn Logan, both returning from last year."
The Gryffindors seemed to be wondering why he had only announced two Chasers. There was a murmured confusion that rippled through the crowd before James continued.
"The Beaters will be myself and Albus Potter," James declared with a grin and Albus smiled. "And, finally, fourth-year Ayla Torres and fifth-year Connor DeLitworth will be taking turns playing both seeker and chaser."
Ayla beamed at James and he grinned back at her.
"Oh, and guys, we'd better win the house cup this year," he announced over the new team's cheering. "We won last year, and this is my last year as Captain, so...you know, work hard and all that."
The rejected students shuffled back to the castle, while the new team celebrated on the field.
James slung his arm around James and kissed the side of her head. "Congratulations," he said, beaming.
Ayla gazed up at him and felt a strange feeling in her heart. In that moment, she couldn't believe that she had ever doubted her feelings for James; that she had ever been with anyone else. In that moment, everything fell into place. In that moment, everything was perfect.
X.
On the morning of the Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor Quidditch match, Ayla sat nervously in the locker rooms, shaking her leg subconsciously.
"Remember, guys, Hufflepuff's chasers are awful, their seeker is incredible, and their keeper is pretty damn good as well. So, Ayla, you'd better catch the snitch."
Ayla's leg began to shake more violently and she bit her lip until she felt blood oozing into her mouth.
"Don't be worried," Albus whispered from his place beside her. "Think of how amazing you were last time you played Seeker. And you hadn't even practiced that time. So you'll be fine."
Ayla smiled at him but still felt the nagging anxiety in the pit of her stomach. She heard Madam Hooch announcing the Gryffindor team and James leapt to his feet.
"Alright, it's time, guys!" He exclaimed, looking extremely eager. "Let's go!"
They filed out of the changing rooms and onto the field where James shook hands with the Hufflepuff Captain.
"Let the match begin!" Madam Hooch called and Ayla soared up into the air.
She hovered above the pitch, squinting around to find the snitch. Seth was announcing the game again, the microphone held in his right hand.
"And Hufflepuff Chaser Marie Ventolle has the Quaffle...and she dropped it..." Seth announced, peering over the podium to see the game. "And Gryffindor chaser Connor DeLitworth has taken a shot—oh, but Tony Rickett, Hufflepuff keeper, has saved it! It's alright, nice try, Connor, you'll get it next time, mate—"
"Seth!" McGonagall barked and he fell silent.
"And now Hufflepuff chaser Justin Applebee catches the Quaffle—oh, but he dropped it as well—oh, but Hufflepuff Chresbaun has caught it and taken a shot! And Gryffindor Keeper McLaggen has made an excellent save with the end of his broom! Awesome!"
"I'm warning you!" Came McGonagall's voice again and Seth grinned sheepishly.
Ayla continued to hover above the pitch and the score reached 40-30 with Hufflepuff in the lead.
"I thought you said they sucked!" Albus hissed to James as both of them flew past Ayla to go after a Bludger.
"I thought they did!" James called back loudly enough for Ayla to hear him as they zoomed away.
James flew back after he had hit the Bludger toward one of the Hufflepuff chasers.
"You haven't seen it yet?" He panted and Ayla shook her head. "You'd better," he grumbled and flew away.
"Really helpful, James," Ayla muttered once he was gone, returning her eyes to the pitch in search of the fluttering gold snitch. She suddenly saw Max Fleet, the Hufflepuff Seeker, lurch forward and she immediately followed him. When she reached the tail of his broom, she saw him reaching for the Snitch.
It's over, she thought to herself, and felt as though her heart had been shattered. He's going to catch the snitch, and I'll have let everyone down.
But then a thought occurred to her as she watched Fleet stretch his arm further as he grasped for the tiny gold ball. If I can flip over someone to grab the Quaffle from their hands, I could flip in front of them to get the snitch first, couldn't I? It's basically the same thing, isn't it?
She took a deep breath and launched herself off her broom, flipping through the air twice over Max Fleet. She grasped the snitch in her cold hand and just barely missed the end of her broom as she landed. She screamed as she began to plummet through the air, grasping to find something to hold onto. She felt a broom handle in her other hand and was too scared to open her eyes to see whose it was. She swung herself up onto the broom and finally opened one eye to find herself looking once again at Max Fleet.
"Thanks," she breathed, hopping off his broom and onto James's, who had flown over to get her.
Fleet landed with the rest of the Hufflepuff team and they all began bellowing at Madam Hooch furiously.
"That's got to be some sort of penalty; she landed on my broom!" Fleet shouted.
Ayla and the rest of the Gryffindor team froze, as did the audience, as they all waited for Madam Hooch's verdict. She was flipping through a rule book while trying to tune out the Hufflepuffs shouting at her.
"There is no rule against it," she declared. The Hufflepuffs bellowed in fury, while the Gryffindor students poured onto the field and Albus and James lifted Ayla onto their shoulders and sprinted around the field, hollering in excitement.
Ayla hopped down from their shoulders after they had returned to their previous spot and James threw his arms around her, spinning her around. "You were amazing!" He exclaimed, and kissed her passionately.
Ayla beamed, looking up at him. Albus appeared, grinning broadly.
"I can't believe you just did that," he said to Ayla. "It was like a D'Orazio but with the snitch instead of the Quaffle...it was awesome."
"If we have that move, we're bound to win the cup this year," James said, grinning. "GO GRYFFINDOR!"
X.
Ayla walked hand-in-hand to her History of Magic Class. They strode slowly, intertwining their fingers through each other's. James cursed suddenly and Ayla followed his gaze to see José wrestling with a Slytherin boy. They were both on the ground, José hunched over the other boy, his fist swinging back to punch him again.
"Hey!" Ayla cried, yanking José off the boy roughly by the back of his shirt. She flung him back against the stone wall, pressing her hands on his chest to restrain him. James held the Slytherin back against the other wall while José bellowed curses at him. "Hey, you're on probably, remember!" Ayla shouted at José, pressing him back harder against the wall.
José spat in the direction of the Slytherin and looked at Ayla, a purely vicious expression on his face.
"What's going on?" Came a familiar bark, and McGonagall strode into sight. José groaned and Ayla dropped her hands from his chest.
"Professor McGonagall, you don't understand, he was—" José stammered, seeing the livid look on the headmistress's face.
"Mr. Ballar, come with me," she said coldly, then turned to the other boy. "James, you may escort him to my office and have him wait outside until I have finished with Mr. Ballar."
James nodded, still keeping a tight grip on the back of the boy's robes at the nape of his neck and towed him off after McGonagall.
Stunned, Ayla stepped through the door into History of Magic—several minutes late, having been held up by the scene in the hallway—and sat with Lily, Liam, Hugo, and Brad. Professor Binns had begun teaching and he was reading dully in his monotone out of the textbook on his podium.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Lily whispered, and all four turned to her, concerned.
Ayla glanced over to check that Professor Binns was still droning on, then swiveled in her seat and leaned forward to talk to her friends and lowered her voice to a serious whisper. "José just got in a fight. He's in McGonagall's office now."
Liam's chair creaked slightly as he leaned forward abruptly. "Wait, isn't he on probation?"
Ayla nodded nervously, biting her lip. "Yeah," she said quietly. "There's no way they're letting him off the hook this time."
Lily put her hand comfortingly on Ayla's shoulder and Ayla smiled feebly.
"I just can't believe it," she murmured. "I mean, last time—when he almost got expelled—I thought he realized how much he needed Hogwarts, and I thought that would teach him to keep his nose clean for a while."
"I guess he was faking that whole epiphany," Hugo said sadly, sitting back.
Ayla shook her head stubbornly. "No, I saw the look on his face. I know him, and I know that he really was serious about getting back on the right track. Something must have really set him off." She thought for a moment. "The Slytherin must've said something about his whole family situation. That's really the only thing that would have made him act out so badly."
"Are they going to send him back to Juvie?" Liam asked, scooting forward on his chair. "Or just expel him?"
"Probably both," Ayla said soberly. "I don't think there's any way out of it this time, guys. He's gone for good this time."
Brad, Liam, and Lily all sighed sadly and turned back to their desks to sleep through the boring lecture. Lily laid her head on her arms and closed her eyes, Liam leaned his head against his fist, his elbow rested on the table, and Brad slunk down in his seat, stretching his legs forward and tilting his head back, and was snoring within seconds.
Hugo leaned forward in his seat to whisper to Ayla. "Just like that, you're giving up?" He demanded and Ayla looked at him helplessly.
"I don't know what else I can do, Hugo," she admitted. "He violated his probation; they'll send him to Juvie regardless of what I say."
"Just because he goes back to Juvie doesn't mean he can never come back to Hogwarts once his sentence is up," Hugo returned easily. "You got it to happen last time; you can do it again."
Ayla shook her head, turning away as tears welled up in her eyes. "Yeah, and then he ignored me for two and a half months while he was there. He wouldn't even see me when I visited, and he's hardly spoken to me since the year started. He's changed."
"Please," Hugo scoffed. "Yeah, he's made mistakes and he's been getting in trouble and all that, but he's the same kid that you grew up with, and he just needs you to come through! He might not realize yet how much he appreciated it when you saved him before, but he'll come around when he figures out that you're the only one there for him!"
Ayla sniffled to hold back her tears and Hugo shook his head.
"You can't do that; you can't give in, Ayla. You've got to stay angry at José, angry at McGonagall, angry at the Slytherin kid, angry at everyone, and go in there and fight for him!"
Ayla turned to him, her eyes widening in surprise at his attitude towards the situation. She smiled softly. "I owe you one."
He nodded once, smiling strongly, and sat back in his seat. Ayla stretched her hand into the air and cleared her throat loudly.
"Professor Binns, I need to use the restroom."
He waved his hand dismissively and Ayla stood up and darted from the room, barreling down the corridor and hurtling up the steps. She ran into James and the Slytherin outside McGonagall's office.
"Is he still in there?" Ayla demanded, panting, and James nodded, looking confused. Ayla pounded on the door and flung it open, marching confidently into McGonagall's office.
"Torres!" McGonagall barked, looking irritated. "You cannot barge in here while I am in a private meeting with a student."
"Oh, don't let me stop you," Ayla said, folding her arms and looking straight into the headmistress's beady eyes. "José is family to me; whatever you have to say to him, you can say in front of me."
"I must ask you to leave, Miss Torres."
Ayla stood her ground, not breaking eye contact. "I'm not going anywhere," she said simply. "I'm not leaving his side."
Normally, Ayla would have quailed under the look McGonagall gave her, and the only thing that fueled her courage was the memories flashing through her head of her childhood with José.
"We have security here, you know-" McGonagall began, coming around her desk to stand by the door. "If I chose to, I could call them here and they would force you out of this office," she said sharply, but her attitude remained calm.
"Go ahead," Ayla said, flopping down in the chair next to José and crossing her legs.
McGonagall seemed rather flustered, and looked down as she went back to sit at her desk. Ayla made brief eye contact with José and winked assuringly.
"Miss Torres, if there truly is no way that you will leave, then please state your case."
Ayla uncrossed her legs and sat forward. "Everything that I said the last time is still true. Look, I know José got in a fight, but other than that, he's been a lot better this year. He's clearly learned his lesson, and being at Hogwarts is helping him get back on the right track. It's going to be a process, but he's going to get better, I know he will."
"If you claim that Hogwarts is helping him so much, then how do you explain the fight today? That is certainly not within our disciplinary guidelines here at Hogwarts," McGonagall challenged coolly.
"I know him, and he's surely learned from what happened. That Slytherin kid must have said something that really hurt him, or he wouldn't have reacted like that," Ayla said earnestly. "How'd it start, José?"
"I'd just asked him before you arrived," McGonagall said irritably. "He won't speak of it."
Ayla turned to José, bewildered. "José, you've got to tell us; it's the only thing that could help you get out of this!"
José dropped his head into his hands, messing up his hair vigorously in frustration. "I can't talk about it," he growled.
Ayla lowered her voice and began speaking in Spanish. McGonagall listened, brow furrowed, searching for some word she might be able to decipher. When their several-minute conversation was over, José took a shaky breath and turned to face the headmistress.
"He said I killed my birth parents," José whispered and McGonagall leaned forward, intrigued. Ayla stared at him, open-mouthed, waiting for an explanation. "I looked them up; I found out their names," he continued, staring at a speck of dust on the floor. "I hired someone to drive me to meet them, but when I got to their house, they were just leaving. So we followed them. But the driver I hired...he was drunk. I could tell but I didn't do anything to stop him from driving. He, uh, he crashed into their car. And they both...they passed on."
Ayla felt tears dropping onto her cheeks and she pulled José into her arms, not knowing what else to do.
"When was this?" McGonagall inquired, looking very emotional.
"The day I got let out of Juvie," he whispered, his voice cracking. "That's why I was late coming to Hogwarts. And I don't know how he," he began, gesturing toward the door to indicate that he was taking about the Slytherin, "found out about that, but I guess he did." He looked down, his arms pressed over his stomach as though he felt nauseous. "That's what he said, he called me a murderer, so I jumped on him and hit him." He stood up, looking at McGonagall and wiping the tears from his face as though he couldn't believe they were there. "And I'm sorry, I'm sorry I got in a fight, I'm sorry I tried to steal from Hogsmeade last year, I'm sorry I'm not a good student and I'm sorry that I'm hard to discipline, and I'm trying to change, I am!"
Ayla looked up at him, her tears still obstructing her eyes as she watched the little boy she grew up with finally standing up for himself.
"I know that I'm a total wreck, and I know that I don't deserve another chance—hell, I didn't even deserve the last one—but I'm begging you to just let me try again." He held up his hands in surrender. "No fights, no skipping class, no stealing, no lies, I promise." He looked earnestly at McGonagall. "Just one more chance."
There was a very pregnant pause as McGonagall eyed José appraisingly. "One, Ballar, one chance."
Ayla squealed and leapt up, hugging José tightly.
"I won't let you down," José assured her, beaming.
"You'd better not," she said sternly, but the corner of her mouth twitched as she fought her smile. "Now go, back to class, both of you."
X.
The bell rang as Ayla was leaving McGonagall's office, and she burst into the common room with José, where their friends were waiting.
"Well?" Albus asked eagerly, clearing having heard from the others. James was not back yet and Ayla assumed he was escorting the Slytherin away from McGonagall's office.
Ayla grinned, wrapping her arm around José. "He's off the hook."
"Yeah!" Albus cried, standing up and smiling ear-to-ear. "Congratulations!"
José went to talk to the rest of the group, while Hugo approached Ayla with a crooked smile.
"See?" He said, grinning.
"Thank you," Ayla said sincerely. "I needed to hear everything that you said. I owe you big time."
Hugo smiled to say it was no problem.
"I think you're the only one besides me who really wants him to stay," she realized and Hugo looked down. "I mean, I know why I care about him so much, but...why do you?" She asked curiously.
"I..." Hugo looked to the left and Ayla was shocked to see that there were tears swimming in his eyes. "I think I might be..." He cleared his throat and looked at his sneakers uncomfortably. "I think I like him."
Ayla's eyes widened, stunned. "O—oh. I-I didn't know."
Hugo nodded, a tear splashing onto his cheekbone. "Ayla, I think I might be gay."
Ayla hugged him and she felt his tears dampening the shoulder of her shirt.
"I haven't told anyone yet," Hugo continued shakily and Ayla tightened her arms around him.
"It doesn't make a difference," she assured him. "Thank you for telling me," she continued softly.
"What if they never speak to me again?" He mumbled as he pulled back, gesturing toward their friends.
Ayla shook her head, putting her hand on his arm comfortingly. "They wouldn't do that, Hugo, I can promise you that none of them will care."
"But what if they do?" He continued, his voice rising up with panic.
"They won't," she said firmly. "Hugo, you're one of the best friends I've ever had, and we all love you. If you proved one thing today, it's that people don't give up on the people that they truly care about. They won't give up on you just like you made sure I didn't give up on José." She met his eyes and smiled encouragingly. "You deserve to be happy, Hugo, no matter who you're with. And your real friends aren't going to care who that is as long as you're happy with them."
Hugo smiled feebly. "Thanks, Ayla. And you wouldn't tell—"
"Never," Ayla interrupted. "Never."
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