𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙦𝙪𝙖 ➪ 𝗆𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗎𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑆𝐼𝑋𝑇𝑌 𝑇𝑊𝑂

➪ TENNE ➪

"THAT'S ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL."

"Lily, come on," James trailed behind the red-head, unable to hold back a grin despite the guilty expression he tried desperately to keep up. "I was just joking."

Lily ignored the boy and sat down beside Loki, who sat with Max and Lucy at the Hufflepuff table. The Gryffindor huffed. She turned her back on James and smiled in greeting at the others.

"Lily, come on!" James tried to swing his arm over the girl's shoulder. "Please?" Lily, once again, kept ignoring him.

"Lover's quarrel?" Nicolas appeared behind James, stepping around him and planting himself on Loki's other side.

"Can you convince Lily to look at me?" James begged.

Nicolas snorted, scrunching his face up. "No. Your problem, mate. She's your girlfriend." James lifted his arms in disbelief, narrowing his eyes at the Hufflepuff.

"What did he do, Lily?" Max queried. His blue eyes darted from James to Lily, then Lucy, who offered him a smile.

"It was a prank," Lily muttered bitterly. "One played on me."

"It wasn't meant for you, Lils, I swear," James pouted. He sat down on the bench beside Lily.

"James," Loki spoke up for the first time since they'd come over, and the boy with glasses moved his gaze to her, "I think it's best to let Lily calm down first. It's never good to talk with someone who is upset because of you until they've settled." James frowned, looking between Lily and Loki. "It's a good idea, James. Please?"

The Gryffindor boy sighed before wordlessly getting off the seat. He made a move to kiss Lily but quickly forgot about the idea and moved away.

"Are you alright, Lily?" Nicolas queried as soon as James was out of earshot. Lily tucked her hands under her arms, lowered her head and nodded.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm not mad only because of James. I'm just a bit overwhelmed with things at the moment, I suppose. Our exams are a month away, and next year will be our last, and the war is going on and..." Lily ran a hand through the red hair on her head, lifting her eyes to the ceiling, which showed the sunny morning. "I'm not ready to let all of this go just yet."

"We'll still be friends, Lily," Lucy smiled. Her nose twitched, and a click from her mouth followed. She looked away in embarrassment, and Max slung his arm over her shoulder.

"You better send some photos when we're out of here, Lucy," Lily laughed. "I want to know all the drama that goes on when I'm not here."

"Of course," Lucy replied, looking back up. 

"Hey, after this, maybe we should hang out," Max spoke up. "No Marauders, no drama, just us. And Marlene. Bring her, too, because she's also a part of this group."

"Oh, Loki," Nicolas pouted, and Loki rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming her way, "do you think you can go without Remus and Sirius for that long?" He teased.

"Nic, my entire existence doesn't revolve around them," Loki replied. "Just because I happen to be around them a lot doesn't mean anything."

"They're in the honeymoon phase, Nic, give them a chance," Lily joined in.

"I can't wait until you have your first lover's quarrel," Nicolas hummed. Loki stuck her tongue out at the boy. "Shot not for when you cry." He spoke, raising his hand.