Magic (5sos/l.h. Hogwarts AU)

Chapter 64

~A/N~ I forgot to say this before but thanks to @samyoung13 for your comments because they're so fucking funny and a big thanks to anyone that comments because reading them always makes my day :)
Enjoy the chapter!
Leila xx

A hand linked with mine as I strolled out of Transfiguration, and Luke was next to me pulling me into the harsh sunlight bouncing off the grounds. It had been two days; two days since the apology; two days of walking around together in plain sight and we hadn't seen Jack once. I wasn't even sure if he knew we had repaired our friendship, but I was certain I didn't want him to. After all, the best way out of danger was to avoid it completely.

"Gryffindor Tower?" Luke asked, wincing in the dazzling sun.

"Can we go to the library?"

He smiled gently. "Sure. Or the kitchens? I'm kind of hungry."

It turned out we didn't have to make a decision, as our debate was cut short by a very familiar figure storming towards us that haunted my nightmares and produced a shiny sheen of sweat on Luke's face.

"Jack."

"Luke." The brothers were equally cold to each other, baring their teeth as though they were about to tear each other apart.

"What do you want?" Luke snarled.

"I want to know why you're still around this Mudblood," Jack said quietly, sending chills up my spine.

"Because she's one of my best friends, and I love her, and you can't take that away from me!" Luke began to raise his voice, and his older brother followed suit.

"She's not even a real witch, she's tainting your purity! Look at her, she's more inferior than an animal, more disgusting and unworldly than the most savage of creatures!"

"No, Leila's the best witch I know, and you and your views are no match for her!"

"Luke," Jack's voice suddenly dropped again, pleading, almost a hint of love in there. "I'm your brother. I've always known what's best for you, I've only ever wanted what's best for you. Please, just hear me out."

"I- I don't know," Luke stuttered slowly and I prayed to any god that might be out there to stop him from siding with Jack, making the wrong decision. "I don't know."

"Just hear me out, that's all I ask," Jack tried once more, and it looked like Luke was going to crack. Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes and I took a step back, knowing I had lost and that it was all over.

But then he looked back at me, and his ocean eyes filled with steel, his posture straightening as he turned back to his brother. "Never. I'll choose Leila over you, a million times."

He backed over to me and grabbed my hand once again, pulling me away as a single tear dripped down my cheek and we left Jack staring into space, shocked and confused.

"Why did you do that?" I sobbed into his chest as he pulled me close to his chest, wiping away my tears and rubbing my back as a few tears of his own slid out. "Why did you choose me?"

"Just like I told him," Luke said, "I love you. I would choose you every time."

***
"I'm never going to end up in that situation, so I won't answer the question," Ashton said reasonably, lying back across the sofa and smirking as Calum groaned.

"It's a hypothetical question, bro," he said. "I was just saying if you had to sleep with either a goblin or a troll-"

"I'd choose neither," Ashton butted in. "That's disgusting, and probably against the law."

"You're no fun," Calum complained.

"Love you too."

There was a minute of silence as I went back to my History of Magic essay and the others focused on their various tasks. Then...

"I'd choose troll."

"Michael!" Ashton protested. "We just dropped this!"

"Why?" Calum smirked, and Michael looked thoughtful, then excited to share his reasons.

"They're a lot bigger than goblins, so obviously they'd also have bigger-"

"Stop!" I groaned, for though I was amused at first it was quickly becoming too much. "That's way more information than I needed!"

"Who would you go with Leila?" Calum wiggled his eyebrows. "Troll or goblin?"

Fortunately I was saved from answering by a flamboyant cry of, "Ashy!" as a head of platinum curls launched itself at the poor boy on the sofa.

"Rita?!" he mumbled, and I noted that he didn't say 'auntie' though his secret was about to come out, judging from the gathering of inquisitive Gryffindors around us.

"Is that Rita Skeeter?" someone said, which rippled around the room and brought the hated lady out of her reunion.

"Yes, yes, I am Rita Skeeter! I just popped in to say hello to my favourite nephew, I know how much we've missed each other! How's your poor mum, Ashy? Still alone and struggling to provide for three children?"

"Anne-Marie is not struggling!" Michael said indignantly before anyone else could step in. "She's working hard and coping just fine, thank you!"

I almost chuckled at the fact that we had all grown such a strong bond with Ashton's mum that everyone took such offence to that, though Ashton remained unbothered as though it was a comment he had to endure often from his auntie.

"Don't you have things to do, Auntie Rita?" he said through gritted teeth, barely holding himself together under the watchful eye of everyone in the common room.

"As a matter of fact, my dear, you are absolutely right!" sang Rita. "I'll be very busy all year with my work, I just wanted to greet you before my job begins. Sorry I can't stay, I'm sure I'll find some time in my busy schedule to visit again!"

With that, the woman turned on her heel and flounced away out of the portrait hole, leaving a perturbed Ashton to deal with the questions from everyone around him.

***
As we expected, the reaction was quite negative spare a few that enjoyed her articles, for a great many had been attacked by her scathing writing or known someone that had been at the receiving end of her pen. Making our excuses quickly, we had managed to escape the suffocating common room into the more peaceful boys' dormitory, where we were joined by Luke and Ginny.

But even that tranquillity didn't last long, for Ron came storming up the stairs after barely ten minutes, unable to bottle his rage.

"So, you're Rita Skeeter's nephew?" he asked coldly, his stony gaze clearly making Ashton anxious as he nodded slowly. "Care to explain this?"

He held up a newspaper clipping furiously, and from one glance I could already see some of the harsh and unfair statements against his dad in Rita's column.

"It's not my fault, I don't even like her-" Ashton tried to explain but Ron cut him off.

"Then why were you having a cheerful reunion in the common room today?! Don't think I haven't heard!"

"Ron, honestly he's on our side!" Ginny shouted and was instantly under the pressuring glare of her brother.

"Don't defend him; he's attacking our dad!"

"He's not attacking dad, Rita Skeeter is!"

"Ron, you need to calm down!" I stepped in. "Ashton doesn't like Rita Skeeter, he's not on her side and he doesn't support any of the things she's saying."

"Yeah, right," Ron snarled, but turned back to his bed anyway. Ashton thanked me quietly, close to tears, and Ginny and I hurriedly made our way back to the girls' dorms in an attempt to escape the inescapable tension that now lay around every corner.