Making Magic (n.s.)

third years

FALL

Niall had decided, over the summer, (mostly from Luke and Michael's persistence and help), that he would be a better, more confident student this semester. 

All summer he had pumped himself up to be more out there—raise his hand in class, make more friends, and stop letting others push him around. Part of him thought that he would be successful and become the awesome person he wanted to be, but another part of him remembered that he usually says he will do things like this, and never actually does. Kind of like a New Year's Resolution. 

Anyways, upon returning to the school that fall, Niall made sure to try his hardest to have a more confident persona.

Harry came back to school, ready to apologize to Niall, having spent a long time convincing himself that he was in fact rude and that Niall deserved an apology for putting up with his crap. 

However, when he approached Niall when he saw him sitting in the corridor with his friends one day, he was not expecting what he got. 

The first thing he noticed when he saw Niall that day was that the blonde was still small. Sure, he had grown a little bit, as they all did, but he had not grown nearly as much as Harry and the rest of the kids their age did. 

He also noticed that Niall was sitting with Luke, his best friend, and a Slytherin boy that he recognized from his own dorms, the almost obnoxious boy Michael. He didn't hang out with Michael often, but that's because Michael preferred to hang out in his other friend's houses and dorms. 

Harry walked up to Niall and his friends, standing in front of the blue-eyed boy. Niall looked up at him and then had  surprised expression on his face. 

"Hey, Niall, can I talk to you?" Harry asked awkwardly. 

Niall looked to his other friends, an almost scared look on his face. Luke gave him a pointed look, as if telling him to remember something, and then nudged Niall away towards Harry.

"Uh, sure." Niall said quietly, and then gathered his books and followed Harry away from his friends. 

Harry led him to an empty indent between corridors and smiled awkwardly at Niall. "So, I wanted to say that I'm sorry." He coughed out. 

Niall's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh?"

"Yeah. What I did—what I said to you last year was really rude, and I'm sorry." 

Niall wanted to scoff out loud, knew he should confront Harry and tell him what he deserves to hear, but it was not in his nature. He just didn't like doing things like that. But his friends had given him lessons, and he had worked hard over the summer to grow some thicker skin. 

"So, what you said last year, you're sorry?"

"Yes." Harry clarified. 

"So," Niall said. "You're sorry for one little thing you said, but not all of the other things before that?"

Harry was a little taken aback but quickly spoke. "No, I—"

"Cause it wasn't just that one thing you said," Niall said, looking away from Harry, not really wanting to do this, but knowing he had to. "All last year, Harry, you only apologize when you need help. That's what it is with you."

"Niall, that isn't true." 

"No, it is. You don't care about me, you don't want to be my friend, you aren't apologizing because you're sorry. You're apologizing to help yourself." Niall said a bit more quietly and sadly. 

"I don't—" Harry tried. 

Niall just stepped away from Harry. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to do this again this year. I don't want you to pretend to be my friend and then ditch me. Goodbye. Maybe we'll have some classes together this year."