Winter break ends quicker than all of us would care for, but all good things must eventually come to an end.
Elliot's gone back to New York already, though not before promising to write me as often as he remembers. He and James have grown quite fond of each other over the course of the couple weeks spent together, going as far to refer to each other as cousins.
Meanwhile Everliah's talked my ear off about her current boyfriend, Callum Goldstein. For someone who claims she isn't too taken by him, she's sure got heaps to say.
"Tell Cal I say hello." I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively as Ever blushes crimson just from the mention of his name.
"I will." She rolls her blue eyes and snaps back with a sneaky, "Tell Sirius the same from me." It's now my turn to blush. I'm sure it was James who spilled about my crush. The git.
Mum and Dad have been called in to do some work back at the Ministry, so Benjamin and I have already bid them our goodbyes. Everliah's playing the part of the cordial older sister by dropping us off at King's Cross.
"Don't forget to study, missy." She brings me in for a bone-crushing hug before moving onto Benjamin. "And you!" She looks at him sternly. "You had better treat Linda with the utmost respect."
"I will, Evy." Benji grins at her and she ruffles his dark hair affectionately.
"Alright, now go on! Get on the train before it leaves without you!"
"I still think it would be wicked to miss it." My siblings both stare at me in horror. "I won't do it...this year."
*
Getting back into the groove of school is never difficult for me. Though the same can't be said about Duke. With his O.W.L.s coming up at the end of this year, I know he's having a difficult time preparing for them.
I still don't know what I want to do with my life after Hogwarts. But I do know what I don't want, and that's a job where I'm constricted at a desk doing the same thing everyday. I fancy my job at Zonko's, but even full-time it doesn't nearly pay enough to live off of. Sirius once suggested I start my own shop and I suppose that could be an option for me, but I still have time to figure things out.
"What do you want to do after you graduate, Dukey?" I ask the pale blonde.
He tears his eyes away from his reading and fingers the pages of his book as he talks, "I'm between the idea of either being a Herbologist or a Healer."
"I can see you doing both, sweetheart." Fabian says fondly, leaning forward to peck his boyfriend on the cheek. The little gesture makes Duke turn red.
Gideon scoots his chair closer to mine. "I give it ten seconds before the snogging starts."
"Shove off, they're sweet." I swat his arm.
But he's right. The two are suddenly all over each other, with Duke practically sitting in Fabian's lap. Given how deep into the library we are, I doubt anyone else will come across them but their public display drives us straight out of the library.
"This happens a lot." Gideon explains to me as we awkwardly linger outside the library. "Still think it's sweet?" He bends down to meet my eyes with a boyish grin playing at his lips.
"The start of a relationship should be like that. All over each other, I mean. So yes, I still think it's sweet...it's just more than I wanted to see of the two of them together." I laugh.
Gideon laughs, too. "Much more than I want to see of my own brother and his lover."
I make to add something else to the conversation when my eyes get caught on my brother and his lover. Benjamin and Linda are walking the halls hand-in-hand with big smiles on their little faces.
Benji suddenly gets down on one knee and my mind only goes to one place. "Oh Merlin!" I exclaim.
Gideon follows my gaze, but his eyes widen at the sight and he turns back to me, vigorously shaking his head. "No! Hollie, it isn't what you think – and she's gone."
I stop in front of the couple and cheer loudly, "Woo! Marriage!"
Benjamin stares up at me in horror. "I-I was just...just tying my shoe." I look down to find his hands fidgeting the laces of his school shoes.
My face falls. "Oh."
Linda giggles, clearly finding me amusing.
"Carry on." I try to smile but it disappears as I trudge back over to a very hysterical Gideon. I hold up a warning finger and glare up at the tall redhead, "Not a word."
"I haven't said anything." He chuckles.
"I can hear you thinking." I grumble. He continues to laugh as we walk, only annoying me further. I've been awfully moody today, I've noticed it. I could be thrilled one moment, and the next I'm feeling like bashing someone's head in. Even now, the insane idea that my thirteen-year-old brother and his girlfriend aren't engaged has me wanting to break down to tears.
"I've got to go the the toilet." I blurt. "I'll see you later."
*
I burst into the boys dorms with a scowl on my face, "I'm on my period, nobody talk to me!" Without waiting for a response, I slip into James' bed and cover my whole self with his duvet.
Remus slams his book shut and stands in front of the other boys authoritatively. "Men, it's that time again! James, fill up the hot water bottle. Pete, get her favourite foods. Sirius, hugs, cuddles, whatever. I will go collect her homework so she can skip classes this week." With that, all the boys rush off in different directions to take care of their tasks.
I moan with discomfort. "I've got the worst cramp." I wriggle around on the bed trying to get comfortable with no such luck.
"Do you want me to rub your tummy, love?" Sirius asks in a babyish voice.
I peak out from beneath the comforter. "Yes please."
He peals back the blanket and straddles my legs. He lifts my shirt to expose my midriff and starts using his thumbs to knead out my cramps.
"That feels good." I sigh happily, glad to have some sort of relief.
He continues the massage of my lower stomach until we both freeze as something hard pokes my thigh. We stare back at each other, wide-eyed and panicky.
This isn't exactly new territory. I've noticed all of the boys eventually having these incidents appear in the mornings. Though never before has it been pressed up against me.
James comes swaggering back from the bathroom with the hot water bottle. But when he sees our situation, he stops. "Sirius," He giggles. "Getting a wee bit excited there, are we?"
Sirius rolls off of me and rushes off to the bathroom without another word.
"Great! Absolutely bloody perfect!" I state sarcastically, laying limp on my back. "I've still got my cramp and now Sirius is aroused. Thanks a lot, James! Way to go."
I don't know why I'm upset at him specifically, he's just the only one in the room right now.
"How is this my fault?" He frowns. "If anything it's yours! You decided to be a girl...and you're the one that got Sirius in that sexual position!"
"Piss off, Potter." I murmur.
Peter comes back into the room entirely out of breath after having run the whole way to the kitchens. I perk up, grateful to have something else to distract me, "Pete! What did you bring me?"
"Okay," He puts the tray full of food down at the foot of the bed. "I didn't know if you wanted something sweet, so I got you pie. But I wasn't sure if you wanted something salty, so I got you crisps. But I wasn't sure if you wanted something chocolate, so I got you chocolate. But I wasn't sure if you..." He trails off to catch his breath again. "I just brought you everything."
"You're incredible, you are." I praise.
"It's nothing." He blushes.
Remus returns with my homework and immediately makes to starting completing it for me, and Sirius emerges from the bathroom looking flushed. Lucky for him, both James and I agree on the unwritten rule to never mention the incident again, and everything returns to normal.
"You know what I want?" I say to no one in particular as I dig into my food.
"What?" Remus asks.
"What I really want is to plan someone's wedding. So who's up?"
"I'll do it." Sirius states. "I'll marry you."
"Yeah, uh, that's not what I meant." I say. "I want to plan one, not be apart of one. Sirius, you are going to marry Peter."
"I don't think I'm ready for that kind of commitment." Peter admits timidly.
"It obviously won't be real, silly. It'll be for pretend. All fake, but the feelings are still there. What do you guys say? Will you marry each other?"
Sirius nods with a shrug of nonchalance, meanwhile Peter still looks properly terrified. "I-I still don't think I can do it."
Sirius gasps dramatically. "Don't you love me, Petey?"
"Er, well, I –"
"Fine," I interrupt. "Remus will marry Sirius. The date of the wedding is tomorrow. You will write your vows right now. Make it emotional, alright? I expect tears."