Sorry it's been a bit. Between shark week and life, things have been a bit hectic. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited, and alerted. Seriously.
Thank you so much for the feedback: anon, maudsfeather, mUfF MuNcHeR, Super Trash, stphnyvillegas, and DobbyWeasley. It is greatly, greatly appreciated.
Naomi's perspective. As always, please let me know what you think!
I do not own Skins or Harry Potter, or anything else quite so magical.
Chapter V:
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Naomi closed her eyes in the cool summer evening air. There really was nothing like flying. Despite the run in on the ground she felt the rush of oxygen calming her. Flying was extremely freeing. She found the knowledge of being able to fly anywhere, anywhere an escape route, exhilarating.
"You don't have to run away every time we're near each other you know." She heard from a bit below her.
"Following me?" Naomi shot back.
"No." Emily said leveling her altitude with the blonde. "I was here first if you recall."
"You were daydreaming on the pitch." Naomi stated, "Not up here in the air."
Emily sighed.
Naomi continued to fly on doing her best to ignore the persistent redhead. "Are you just going to keep following me?" She eventually snapped coming to a sudden stop.
Emily rolled her eyes. "Can we just talk?"
"Sort of defeats the purpose of coming out for a fly, yeah?" Naomi remarked.
"Why won't you just talk to me?"
"Emily…" Naomi began as if this were a tired conversation. "There's nothing to talk about."
"I'm sorry."
"Oh, I'm sure." Naomi said resuming movement.
"I am!" Emily said cutting her off.
"Sorry enough to correct your sister the next time she says something both you and I know is a lie?"
Emily sat silently perched on her broomstick, looking forlorn.
"Goodbye, Emily." Naomi said shooting away back to a lower altitude and away from the pitch.
..
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Naomi and Cook have been best mates since their first year. Admittedly they did not get along when they first met. Naomi found Cook to be loud and obnoxious. Cook thought Naomi had a stick up her arse.
They fought constantly and hated each other for a healthy chunk of their first term until one night.
Naomi sat at one of the tables by the massive stone fireplace in the Slytherin common room playing a game of exploding snap with a few other first years. Cook was making himself a nuisance buggering around their table – stealing pieces and throwing them back onto the table in time for them to explode. Naomi had had enough.
"Do that one more time and I'll punch you." Naomi stated as she glared at a grinning Cook.
"Ooo," Cook mocked waving his hands in the air. "You've gon' an scared me now. I think I'll stop." He walked a few paces away before turning back to hover around the table, like a shark circling it's prey.
"I mean it." Naomi said with all the threat she could muster. "Touch the game again and I'll hit you square in the jaw."
"Oh yeah?" Cook goaded, "What spell you gona hit me with Brainiac?"
Naomi rolled her eyes at the boy and went back to her game. She ignored him until he was in her personal space standing by the side of the table.
Looking her in the eye, Cook leaned over her and shot one of the pieces straight off the table with a flick of his fingers.
The next thing Cook knew he was splayed flat on the floor. A few students peered over to see what the commotion was. Naomi had hooked him square in the jaw.
"You punched me?" Cook stated surprised, sitting up as he held his jaw.
"I told you I would." She explained calmly.
Cook looked at Naomi as if sizing her up. He rubbed his jaw.
"Tha' was a nice left hook." He eventually said as he stood back up.
"Thanks." Naomi replied. Now she was the surprised one. It was definitely not the response she was expecting, though she couldn't complain.
Cook nodded his head, his sore jaw forming a smile. It was as if that punch had knocked some sense into him. He regarded her differently. He wasn't mad, how could he be? She'd told him she was going to do it, and she'd followed through. He liked that, respected it.
"So can I join the next game?" He asked after a moment, pointing to the table.
Naomi looked at him again surprised, a smile finding its way onto her face as well. "Sure."
..
"Are you done being a prick then?" Naomi asked as she looked up from the small white flower now opening and closing on the book in her lap.
"If you're done bein' a proper fun sponge." Cook said walking around her chair and into view. He did little charms like the lily when he felt bad about something but didn't have the words to say so. Words weren't his thing, charms, he was a bit better at.
Naomi raised an eyebrow at him.
"Sorry," he muttered holding the back of his neck. "You are though ya'? We're still gona have some fookin' fun this year right?"
"Of course we are." She stated before sighing, "But you know Cook I do have a job to do now as well."
"I know, I know." He said dropping his arm down to his side.
"We're still best mates and were still going to break countless rules, I'm sure" she said giving him a look as a smirk played across her lips.
The boy beamed.
"But," she continued with just as serious a tone, smirk vanished, "Don't be bringing me on unnecessary drops and such, Cook. For fucks sake, it's one thing if it's you an I fucking about, but Freddie? Going off with a bunch of people to fuck off? I can't do it."
"Ah, but Fredds would never say nofin'"
"That's not the point, yeah?"
"Yeah…" he said, like a child being chastised.
"Look." She said, "Me and you," she pointed between the two of them, "we're still best mates, it's still the two of us and nothings going to change that." She was being sincere and he knew it. "And fuck you for thinking a badge would change that." She added the smirk once again present on her face.
He returned the smile. "Fook you righ' back."
And they were back.
..
..
"What are you grumblin' on about?" Cook asked as they walked across the grounds to greenhouse five. They had their first herbology class of the semester.
"Nothing." Naomi dismissed.
"Yer not still mad bout the other day are ya?" He asked, "I thought we'd sorted tha'."
"It's sorted." Naomi.
"Then what has got yer wand all wonky?" Cook pushed.
"Nothing."
"Yer bent as a tilt." He continued, not believing her.
"Nothing, drop it will you." She snapped.
He held his hands up. "Well for once I'm glad I'm not gona be sittin' next to you. Reckon' Professor Longbottom's doin' me a favor assignin' us partners."
Naomi rolled her eyes. "The same fucking one every year. What's the point of all that meeting other houses rubbish if he just pairs us with the same people every fucking year?" she grumbled.
Fifth year Slytherins and Gryffindors lined the dingy glass walls of the greenhouse as Professor Longbottom began class. "Alright well, let's learn our seats shall we?" he asked cheerily.
Some teachers stressed the importance of comingling amongst the different houses, assigning seats or partners in class, Professor Longbottom being one of them.
"Shall we use the alphabet? First name? Birthday? Wand size?" He chuckled to himself. He did this every year. "Should I just let you choose your own this year? Leave you to your own devices?" Everyone looked at each other questioningly, hopefully. This was a new proposition and the thought of being able to pick a friend was a potentially surprising turn of events. "Now where'd be the fun in that?"
Naomi had stopped listening. Instead focusing all her attention on not looking at the person she knew would be her lab partner for the entire year, the same person who has been her lab partner in herbology every year. She couldn't escape.
She heard her named called and took her seat along one of the two rows of tables running lengthwise down the narrow greenhouse. She wasn't paying attention, lost in thought. Her eyes betrayed her intentions looking up, catching a pair of brown eyes she only knew too well.
..
Naomi was giggling. One of those pure uninhibited giggles you couldn't contain despite yourself. Her and Cook were laughing at nothing, and everything, as they meandered through the castle toward the Great Hall. They had spent far too long up on "their spot" on the south tower becoming chilled to the bone as they plotted their grandiose futures. The cold was currently the last thing on their minds, feeling full of ideas and light from smoke. They had that positive effect on each other, mostly, enabling each other's dreams, making them feel tangible.
Without a care in the world the two third year Slytherins walked into the Great Hall for the Christmas feast. The hall was marvelously decorated. Instead of the four house tables and the teachers' table on the platform there was but one long table set up in the hall. A giant tree had been erected on the teachers' platform, there were ice sculptures and holly, a small dance floor for if people chose to do so, a suspended band of self playing instruments, and a lazy snow that danced down from the enchanted ceiling.
The food had been as satisfying on their stomachs as the decorations were on their eyes. Cook had buggered off some time later. Naomi assumed he was after a kiss from some unsuspecting girl or leftovers down in the kitchens. Though Cook had grown up in a traditional wizarding household he never looked down much on the house elves. Naomi suspected she had a bit to do with that, yarning on and on about equal rights for all, and also that he probably spent more time with his family's house elf growing up than his own mum. In turn they loved him and his appetite for the occasional midnight snack.
While most of the residing students stayed in the Great Hall enjoying their self induced food coma on a bench or dancing away the holiday on the non-slip ice dance floor. Naomi left the music and merriment behind finding herself in the courtyard enjoying the peaceful Christmas Eve air.
Naomi sat on the bench at the far side of the courtyard preferring the real crisp starry sky to the enchanted snow from inside. The mild winter evening up on the south tower had turned into a beautiful cold clear night. She found it funny how the cold always seemed to sharpen the sky. It was one of those facts she had come to accept often walking outside in the wake of all looking forth warmth just to admire the sky at its finest.
Naomi let out a sigh of contentment. Whether it was the leaf from earlier with Cook, the warm butter beers at the feast, the relaxing feel of break, or the temptress sky, Naomi was actually enjoying herself. She melted back into the bench as she felt more so than heard the faint pulse of the music still playing from within the hall.
"Can I join you?" she heard someone say from behind her.
Naomi jumped. Sitting up quickly. Hand over her wand pocket, out of habit.
"Sorry," a small husky voice said coming into her view by the empty side of the bench. If someone were to have happened across Naomi, they might have thought she had been in fact waiting for someone, sitting all the way to one side, expectantly leaving room. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Naomi just looked at the girl.
"It's a beautiful night." She smiled taking a seat on the bench. Naomi nodded her head in agreement before tearing her eyes away from the girl with bright red hair and back up to the sky.
Her and Emily had been lab partners in Herbology ever since their first year. Not by choice. Three years on now and this is the first time they had spoken outside of class. Not that Naomi had tried to, she hadn't in fact, sticking with her Slytherins, and Cook, for the most part.
"Much nicer than the fake snow in the hall." Emily continued despite Naomi's silence.
"Much." Naomi concurred.
Emily smiled.
"This holiday might be my favorite yet, despite not being home for it. Does that make me a bad person?" Emily asked sheepishly her eyes dancing across Naomi's face in the dim light.
"No." Naomi offered up after a quiet moment, as if debating whether or not to encourage the conversation by being an active participant.
"Good." Emily said happily. "It's just the quiet, I've never experienced anything quite like it before. And I've found it rather nice."
Now Naomi face softened. That was a statement she could relate to. And she found herself responding "Tell me about it." She breathed, loosening her posture a bit on the bench. "I've never had a quiet holiday before, think I might have ruined all future ones."
"So is this your first holiday staying at Hogwarts as well?" Emily asked.
Naomi nodded. "And also by far my quietest yet."
"You have a loud family too?" Emily asked eyes focused on Naomi.
Naomi shrugged, "Sort of, well, no not really my family so much as my house." She explained. "My mum runs The Leaky Cauldron, get a lot of travellers round the holiday."
"Really?" Emily asked, fascinated, "What's that like? Oh, it's always lovely when we get to go to Diagon Alley, I can't imagine growing up there. I bet you've met loads of interesting people. I've just got the same old loud lot of relatives every holiday. Don't get me wrong, I love 'em, really do, but you can only go so many days with a right lot of people in a small house before you think you've gone a bit mad."
"Yeah," Naomi agreed, smiling a small smile. Three years as her Herbology partner and she had never heard Emily speak much before. She was pegged as the quiet, shy twin. Naomi now suspected she wasn't the twin with less to say but simply the less loud one. "If it gets too crazy I usually escape up to the roof for a bit, or just lock my door."
"That must be nice."
"To have a lock on my door?"
"To have your own room."
"You don't?" Naomi asked in disbelief. "I think I'd kill someone if I had to share, I like my space."
"Been sharing with Katie, well since forever." Emily shrugged.
"Ah right, your twin." Naomi said being reminded of the red head's louder half. "So you never really escape from the noise do you?"
Emily laughed. And that made Naomi smile, an honest genuine smile: the kind that hurt your face if you held it too long.
"Never." Emily giggled, her face brightening at Naomi's smile.
The two were quiet for a moment settling into the stillness of the night. They both eventually shifted their gazes up to the sky. Every now Naomi would sneak a glance over to Emily. She could have sworn she caught Emily looking back more than once.
"It's freezing out here." Emily stated as she inspected the sky, rubbing her hands together. Making no move to go back inside.
Naomi shrugged, "I think it's nice."
Emily gave Naomi a look. "Surely you've got to be a bit cold."
"Not really." Naomi shrugged again. "I like the cold."
Emily narrowed her eyes at Naomi slightly, giving her a disbelieving look.
"Honestly," Naomi stated reaching her hand out of her pocket and placing the back of her fingers against Emily's cheek. Emily felt warm fingers against her cheek. "Not cold."
She absentmindedly leaned against the warmth of Naomi's hand, a small smile pulling on her face. They stayed like that for a moment, eyes locked.
Naomi cleared her throat a moment later slowly retracting her hand. "See, warm." She added lamely. The two girls continued to stare at each other.
A wicked smile suddenly played across Emily's face. She reached her hands up and placed them on Naomi's face and neck. Naomi squealed. Emily's hands were freezing.
"See, cold." Emily smirked as Naomi tried to remove Emily's offending cold hands from her exposed skin. The two ended up laughing sat quite close together in the middle of the bench.
"You're horrible." Naomi said through a huff of laughter. "Your hands are freezing!"
"I told you it was cold out." Emily replied smugly.
"No, you're cold. It's nice out." Naomi corrected.
"Or, its cold out, you're just nice and warm." Emily countered. "abnormally warm."
"I'm used to it." Naomi shrugged.
"Spend a lot of time out in the cold?" Emily questioned. Not displacing herself from Naomi's warm side.
The blonde shrugged again. "Always the most stars on the coldest nights." Or maybe it was the leaf she had smoked earlier with Cook. Either way she didn't feel cold.
"Mmm." Emily agreed. She leaned her head onto the Blonde's shoulder. "Tell me about them."
"What?" Naomi tensed looking down at the redhead currently using her shoulder as a pillow. She was staring up at the sky intently.
"Tell me about the stars."
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything." She breathed as Naomi watched the light of the stars dance in the reflection of Emily's eyes.
"When someone tells you the north star always points north, what they actually mean is the north star and two less bright ones that for an equilateral triangle make an arrow. The north star being the point of it."
"Which ones that?"
Naomi leaned over Emily pointing her outstretched arm up toward it. "Follow where I point." Emily followed the blonde's instruction.
"I still don't see it." She pouted turning her head slightly catching Naomi's eye. Their faces were extremely close. Naomi felt slightly dizzy. She told herself it was the leaf she'd smoked earlier. But smoking up, no matter how good the stuff, had never caused the compounding feeling she currently felt in her chest.
Naomi shook her head slightly pulling out her wand. "Are you watching?" She asked waiting for Emily to nod. "Nors Astrum Lumos" She muttered as she pointed her want to the sky. The north star and its counter parts shimmered in the night sky.
"Ooh! I see it!" Emily said excitedly. "Tell me more."
Naomi began to explain a few of her favourite constellations and the lore behind them.
Each time she'd finish Emily would simply say "More."
"Some stars are so far away that by the time it takes for its light to travel that distance, the light we see is actually from hundreds maybe even thousands of years ago. It's like looking back in time."
"Is it really?" Emily asked.
"And some of the stars you're looking at, might not even exist anymore. The amount of time it takes it's light to reach earth. By the time you see it, it could already be gone."
"That's almost tragic."
"I think it's beautiful."
Emily turned her head to look at Naomi again. Emily almost looked jealous at the way the blonde was now admiring the stars.
She reached out her hand again and gently placed her palm on Naomi's cheek, turning the girls head to face her own.
"Cold." Naomi said in a small voice. Inspecting Emily's face with a slightly fascinated inquisitive look.
"Warm." Emily said even softer leaning forward and placing her lips on Naomi's. It was soft and warm and lovely. It was jarring. Naomi was spinning. She definitely couldn't blame it on the leaf.
"Oh." Naomi sighed as they broke apart slightly, her eyes still closed. She opened them to find Emily's big, warm, brown eyes staring into cold blue. Her brow was slightly creased as she looked between brown eyes and soft lips. She moved a fraction forward. Emily's lips met hers again. Naomi felt that lovely, terrifying, jarring sensation in the pit of her stomach again. Emily wrapped her cold hands around the back of Naomi's neck as one of her warm hands found Emily's cool cheek.
"EW!" There was a shout. "WHAT IN MERLINS FUCKING BEARD ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER?" And they were apart. Naomi all the way against her end of the bench, Emily suddenly standing.
"Fuckin' lezza! Attack my sister did you?" Katie said drawing her wand. After a flicker of shock, Naomi's was out as well. Emily was suddenly standing between the two.
"Katie!" Emily yelled.
"What? She did." Katie hissed back. "I saw her. Keep your filthy Slytherin hands off her yeah?"
Naomi had never found herself speechless before. She had gotten into plenty of fights. She had chosen silence many of times. She had never been rendered speechless before. But between Emily kissing her, and Katie's sudden appearance during said kissing, that's exactly what she was.
"Katie, leave it alone." Emily pleaded trying to push her sister away.
"No, I won't." Katie said shaking off Emily's arm, wand raised. "You stay away from my sister. You and your lot. You hear me?"
Naomi was almost certain that if Emily had not been standing directly between the two jinxes would have been flown.
Naomi was silent as Emily wasn't correcting her. Naomi stood there, wand at the ready, pointed directly between Katie's eyes, she would not miss. She narrowed her eyes at Katie before shifting her gaze to a desperate looking Emily.