Septem - Sidemen/Harry Potter fan fiction

Through

"You know a lot for a muggle born," Tobi complimented shyly, having listened intently to Vikk's detailed, intricate tales about wizarding history. The two boys had sat on the same stone bench for some time, the constant stream of conversation a welcome distraction from the chilling seat they perched on, shoulders brushing against each other slightly.

"It's a bit of a coping mechanism," Vikk replied amusedly, "Every time I walk into a foreign situation I find out as much as I can about it until I calm down. It gets me through it and, as you can tell, I was pretty terrified about coming here." Tobi grinned slightly although the sympathy was ever present in his milky brown eyes, constantly shining with the child-like innocence of a 12 year old.

"You're doing alright," he reassured kindly, "You, Josh and that other boy seem to be getting on well." Vikk nodded distractedly, the mention of Stephen casting his mind to the boy's unfortunate predicament. He remembered seeing him trail after JJ who seemed eager to leave the library swiftly as if the close proximity to books alone was affecting his reputation.

"Now, you seemed curious as to why I'm interested in Josh," Tobi had continued to speak, eventually snapping Vikk from his concerns, "I met him during the boat trip over here." Vikk chuckled to himself cryptically prompting a frown to cross Tobi's face.

"Josh said you wouldn't stop staring at the back of his head," he explained through amused breaths, "He's odd, isn't he?" His companion nodded wholeheartedly in agreement although this fact did not seem to reduce his intention to get to know the other Ravenclaw.

"There's something about him," he justified evenly, "I feel like we could be friends for a long time." He looked wistful as he spoke, his thoughts wandering to his childhood and the isolation he had faced. Tobi had grown up without his dad, a muggle, plunging him into the wizarding world with just his brother and mum. They lived a long way from Diagon Alley beyond the brick wall in London and, unfortunately for him, floo powder was a commodity that many poorer families couldn't afford.

"I never really got to know anyone properly before coming here," he thought aloud, stirring Vikk who had also retreated into his head in the brief moment of silence, "Everyone here is very nice though." At this slightly optimistic statement Vikk snorted to himself slightly and shook his head in apology.

"Not everyone."

***

Stephen found himself in an uncomfortable silence, sat on the dew soaked grass across from the taller, imposing figure of JJ. The latter seemed unaffected by the lengthy periods of quiet that seemed to stretch endlessly in the ginger boy's mind, his natural craving for stimulating conversation calling out desperately but remaining unheard.

"I thought you were a nerd," JJ prompted eventually with a customary sneer, clarifying as Stephen frowned softly with incomprehension, "Don't you follow the rules and do what you're told?"

"This isn't homework," he replied softly, "It's meant to be a conversation." JJ scowled in reply and seemed to have used up his one 'ice breaker' rather unsuccessfully.

"And?" he settled for his usual defensive retort, eyebrows firmly pressing against his eyes, deeply set beneath his forehead. The castle wall behind Stephen cast a dark shadow across the Slytherin, almost totally obscuring the left side of his face.

"I think it's meant to be a little more natural," Stephen continued to answer JJ's angry outbursts with patient remarks, unwilling to stoop to his level of interrogation. After all, the few conversation topics he had thought of seemed to throw up a lot of red flags: being in Slytherin, being pure blooded, hating muggle horns.

"If we were being 'natural' about it," the boy muttered under his breath, drawing quotation marks in the crisp air with his fingers, "I would probably have shouted at you by now. You are muggle born after all." And there it was, Stephen thought to himself, rather bitterly, the usual prejudice that the Slytherin in question seemed to use as some sort of shield between the two of them. He bit back the temptation to remind JJ that he had already shouted on several occasions, valuing his lack of injuries above the satisfaction of replying with a smart comment.