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Thank you so much for the feedback: Andreathewriter, LoveTypeThing-SureTypeThing, vaskon, portamento, mUfF MuNcHeR, EverybodyNeedsABitOfLove, and Zulu. It is greatly, greatly appreciated.
Back to Naomi's perspective in this one. Again, thank you for reading! And please, let me know what you think.
I do not own Skins or Harry Potter, or anything else quite so magical.
Chapter III
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"Oh Merlin," Naomi mumbled to herself closing her eyes. Shutting out what had thrown her off balance. She steeled herself as she opened her eyes to find those brown eyes on hers. She refused to break eye contact first, her expression unchanging. Only after the girl had looked away did she allow herself to take in her appearance, prefect badge and all. "Of fucking course."
"Hi." Emily chanced.
Naomi extended the coldest look she could muster. Realizing Emily wasn't skirting away, Naomi gave in acknowledging the smaller girl with a slight head nod.
She looked around Emily waiting for the other Fitch twin to appear. One was never fair behind the other usually.
"Where's the other fabulous fucking Fitch twin?" Naomi asked.
"Not coming." Emily shrugged.
"Wow, skipping out on the first prefect meeting." Naomi tutted. "How surprising. Then again, rules never applied to the Fitch's now did they?"
"No, I mean she's not coming as in, she's not a prefect." Emily replied her expression less soft.
"Oh." Naomi was genuinely surprised.
"Alright seems everyone's here," A tall handsome boy with dark hair began, cutting off any further conversation. "Lets begin shall we?"
Surprise, surprise, Naomi thought to herself after taking note of the boy's "Head Boy" badge pristinely placed on his robes. Tony Stonem got Head Boy. He was a seventh year and a fellow Slytherin. As far as Naomi was concerned, this year just took a serious turn for the better.
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Naomi watched Emily nod in laughter at something her sister said. She sighed. Forcing herself to look away before she was found out. From her spot at the Slytherin table she had a perfect view of where Emily sat at her own table. The start-of-term banquet had started, all the first years sorted into their new houses. A very relieved looking James Fitch sat a few seats down from his sisters at the Gryffindor table. Naomi had zoned out for most of the sorting and most of Cook's constant chatter after that.
"I've been f'inkin'" Cook said through a mouthful, " 'Ow bout you let me take 'em first years down to the dungeons. Let'um f'ink that's the common room."
"I can't believe she's a prefect."
"C'mon it'd be a right laugh."
"What?"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Why?" Cook asked un-phased following her line of vision. He had evidently heard her. It scared her sometimes how attune he was to her voice. "She is the smart one in'it she?"
"Yeah…"
"And Katie's the one always running her fookin' mouth right?"
"Yeah…"
"So then that kinda makes sense dunnit?"
"I guess…"
"I'm just sayin' Blondie," Cook said scooping more pudding onto his plate, "if they were gona make one of 'em fookin famous Fitch twins a prefect, I'd be her."
"Whatever."
"Why do you care anyway?"
"I don't."
"Whatever you say Blondie."
Naomi was staring again.
"So how bout it?" Cook asked a moment later.
"What?" Naomi said turning her attention to Cook.
"Were you not listenin' to a word I've been sayin'?"
"You know I refuse to listen to you when you talk with more food in your mouth than air."
Cook took an extra large spoonful of pudding into his mouth before opening it to show Naomi.
Naomi rolled her eyes at her best mate. Earning a pudding-full grin from Cook.
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Cook and Naomi were both similar and different almost to an extreme. Both coming from broken homes: mixed blood. James Cook was a half blood. His mum was a witch, his father a wanker of a muggle. Upon finding out she was a witch he claimed she had bewitch him, she assures she didn't need magic to bewitch a man. He bolted regardless.
Naomi's mum was a witch born to muggle parents. Her father was a flake of a pureblood wizard. He took off long before Naomi could form a memory of him. Never knowing him she sneered at the thought of taking his sir name, not that she even knew it; he was no family of hers. It was just her and her mum, well and the wayward travellers that came and went at the Leaky Cauldron, the pub and inn her mother ran. Her mum's parents after discovering she was a witch disowned her: this fact causing Naomi to have a disfavor able view of muggles from a young age.
Gina's best friend growing up was Alice Longbottom. Alice's mum ran the Leaky Cauldron when they were younger. Alice, like Gina, was a Hufflepuff. Alice's father, Neville Longbottom, was a professor at the school. He was the head of Gryffindor house and taught herbology. He still did actually. After Gina's parents had kicked her out the Longbottom's took her in. She had a love for the Leaky Cauldron and all it's guests. When Alice's mum retired Gina took it over.
The Leaky Cauldron was the only home Naomi knew, well until she was accepted at Hogwarts.
The only thing related to her father Naomi was attached to let alone viewed favorably was a ring. When she was young she had found a gold ring with a crest designed around it. She'd thought it was pretty and wore it on a chain around her neck until her fingers were big enough to wear it as a proper ring. By the time she had inquired about its origins she loved it too much to toss it aside. Despite the fact it had been her fathers. She wasn't particularly materialistic, but there was just something about that ring, she couldn't part with it.
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"Are you comin' or what?" Cook asked as Naomi walked slowly behind him. Reading off a sheet of parchment.
"One second." Naomi muttered looking over her schedule.
"Ancient Runes?" Cook questioned looking over Naomi's shoulder where she was inspecting her schedule.
"Yes?"
"Why in bloody hell are you takin' that?" Cook asked a disgusted look on his face.
"It's interesting."
"What in hell are you gona need to know that for?"
"It's useful."
"For wha'?" Cook didn't look impressed.
Naomi shot him a look before glancing at his schedule. "Oh yeah, cause Care of Magical Creatures is a necessity."
"You wana talk bout useful, that's useful." Cook stated. "Great bit o' help those runes'll do ya when ya run into a dragon."
"You don't study dragons in fifth year Care of Magical Creatures."
"Yeah well, we might by year seven." Cook explained, "An I'll do what I gotta do to get there."
He really was a determined fuck.
"So dragons, eh?" Naomi asked, "I thought you had your eyes set on that giant squid." She enjoyed pushing his buttons nearly as much as he enjoyed pushing hers.
"Yeah well," the boy shrugged, "If I happen ta' drop a few questions 'bout that squid in class, it's just a bit o' research in'it?"
Naomi laughed at her mate.
"Bit of extra credit, really." He grinned, "Which you'd know all bout."
"There's nothing wrong with doing extra credit." Naomi defended.
"There is when you don' fookin' need the extra credit." Cook rebuffed.
"Whatever."
"Smart enough for Ravenclaw." Cook cooed pushing her buttons right back; earning the eye roll from Naomi he was after. She was tired of the assumption only Ravenclaw housed intellectuals, herself proving that to be false.
"Bitch enough for Slytherin." The two friends turned to see Katie Fitch standing with her arms crossed behind them.
"So is that why you're in Gryffindor?" Naomi asked coolly. "All bitch and no brains?"
Katie pulled out her wand. Naomi, ever at the ready, produced hers with a smirk on her face. "I dare you."
Cook, who had watched the whole altercation lazily until this point stepped forward. "Ladies, ladies, as much as I would just love to watch," he winked, "we," he emphasized with a look to Naomi, "have places to be."
"Threatening a prefect?" Naomi tisked, "Not the best way to start the school year Katie. I'm sure your head of house would not like that." She taunted as she turned away from a fuming Katie and followed Cook down the hall.
They walked further along the corridor when Cook abruptly stopped.
"What?" Naomi said turning to Cook who seemed suddenly rooted to the spot. He looked as if he had just taken a physical blow.
"Did I…" he paused, "did I just stop a girl fight?"
Naomi let out a short burst of laughter. "A massacre's more accurate, isn't it? But yeah, I think you did mate."
He clutched onto his arms with a pained astonished look on his face. "I don't know if I'll ever forgive me self for that."
"Oh come on," Naomi chuckled at his dramatics. "Weren't you in such a rush only a moment before? Let's go."
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**Author's Note**
Sorry for the confusion about Naomi's house. Apparently Katie's attempted insult "Bitch enough for Slytherin." was too subtle.
Naomi and Cook are in Slytherin. I updated the chapter to make it a bit more clear.
Naomi's mother Gina was a Hufflepuff.
And I understand a lot of people expecting / thinking Naomi would be Ravenclaw seeing as she's so clever and all. To me she's a Slytherin because of all its attributing values. Some of the greatest witches and wizards came from Slytherin. Also I saw it as an antithesis to Emily's brave Gryffindor : )
Sorry for the mix up! Hope you still enjoyed the chapter regardless.