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

Chapter 82

~A/N~ Fml these last few chapters have taken me so long, I remember one day where I managed 7 and now it takes me weeks to finish one.
Enjoy the chapter!
Leila xx

After the DA meeting, things went back to bad. Ashton no longer looked me in the eye, and there were many moments where we were both pretending not to stare at each other - me trying to figure out his problem, and him probably glaring.

I would have been able to deal with the ice from Ashton, however, had it not been for the situation with Michael and Ginny. I could tell the former was hurt by the whole thing, confused about where he stood in our friendship, and though I was willing to forgive and maybe forget, it was obvious my best friend wasn't up for that breach of loyalty.

She was still upset, that was as visible as daylight on her face, but she disguised it with anger. A fight blew up in the common room one day, and it wasn't pretty.

"Hi guys," Michael flopped down on the armchair, waving at Luke, Ginny and I with a hesitant smile. He was trying to patch things up, and while I contemplated over whether to accept it Ginny made the decision for me with several expletives ordering him to 'go away'.

Wincing at her choice of words, Michael stood up slowly.

"We can't let this come between us, Gin," he said softly. "This is Ashton and Leila's business, we can work through it."

"Don't be stupid, Michael!" she shot to her feet, already a tomato red. "You know that's a lie! This isn't just Ashton and Leila, it's all of us! If you wanted it to be otherwise, you shouldn't have got involved. It's too late!"

"We can fix it, please!" he begged, stepping forward to take her hands but she swatted him away.

"No. You hurt Leila, so you hurt me. We're through."

"Gin-"

"Don't talk to me again." She stalked off to her dormitory, leaving us dumbfounded in the background.

***
If the split in our group hadn't been clear before, it was now a clean cut down the middle. Calum, Ashton and Michael stood on one side of the divide, lips turned downwards and eyes tired from hurting, but I had no sympathy for the boys that turned my friendships upside down. Luke stayed with Ginny and I on our side of the gaping chasm, determined to be there for us now that we truly needed it.

He was less inclined to remove the boys entirely, and was still forced to share a dormitory with them, so ties weren't completely cut between them despite the audible tension. Ginny and I didn't blame him for it, but expressed our reservations.

It was in the library one morning that the first ray of sunshine began to creep through an opening crack in the sky. I had been sitting alone at a table, furiously working on a project that I would normally have consulted someone for help with, when Calum took a seat next to me.

"Do you want me to help you?" he nodded at the stack of books in front of me and I sighed.

"Why? Why are you offering to help?"

"Because I want to fix this. And I know things are difficult between you and Ashton, and Michael and Ginny, but we're fine. We've always been fine."

"And how exactly are you going to just pull everyone back together?" I raised an eyebrow. "If you hadn't noticed, things aren't really great between a lot of us and you won't be able to make us whole again."

"I know," he sighed. "I just mean we don't have to hate each other because of everything else going on. You're my best mate and study buddy, and as cheesy as it sounds, I don't want to lose that. Same with Luke and Ginny."