Hogwarts-L.S.✓

Fears

~Chapter 16~

As excited as Louis was for his potion class that's how annoyed he was with his favourite teacher right now.

"Why am I always the one who gets paired with the git? Blimey, you could just hate me more subtly." Snape simply kept a straight face, not at all touched by the tiny lad's words. Also not seeming crossed but that might be because he knew Louis since he was baby seeing he's his godfather after all. With a groan he opened his book, pretending to read so he doesn't have to interact with Styles.

"I didn't find anything on the charm. What book did you use?" Huffing out loud, he already knew that he never in this life will get rid of this twerp. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck with a stray puppy following him around.

"Called Patronus, I don't know where it's from my mother got it for me so maybe a little more high-end. Clearly you don't know what that's like." Styles was truly getting immune to the insults at this point making Louis worried that he's either perfected the art of not even hearing him talk or simply the dumbest person ever.

"Can you just please teach it to me?"

"I serious worry about you sometimes, why on this bloody..."

"I'm wondering how will the two of you finish a 1 hour brew in 40 minutes but if I were you I would definitely start it now at last." Louis groaned again, chucking his book at Styles. "Hold it for me, that's all you're good for and we both know that."

Yet again there was no argument making Tomlinson's hands halt even before starting. "Are you trying to suck up to me so I'd help because it won't work, you worry me."

"No, I just don't see why I should treat you bad when you obviously don't mean anything you say." That was a straight up attack and Louis felt his senses sharpen ready to defend his honour or whatever he had.

"Excuse you but..."

"Mr. Tomlinson, I'm sure you and Mr. Styles are already exhilarated to be spending lunch break here as you will clearly not be done and cannot leave until the potion is ready but you've also just earned detention for this afternoon."

"It's your fault, why do I have to work with Styles? I would be done with anyone else by now."

"So would be Harry." Granger held his chin high up and Louis simply shook his head. "Almost everyone else."

Snape just gave a meaningful look so after a long sigh Louis finally started working. To his greatest surprise he and Styles actually made a great team, unlike most of his friends, the curly-haired lad actually listened.

"Now just stir it together for me while I cut this up. If we keep it up we're going to make it back to the end of lunch." Styles did as told, ogling the clock. They had 40 minutes left from lunch and only two more steps to complete the potion.

"Please help me."

"For the love of God I already did, now move over." The shorter lad finished their creation, Styles standing behind him a little closer than comfortable, hovering over his petite form. He's done a lot of growing past this last summer.

_____

"How was your summer break?" Their footsteps were the only sound heard on the corridors as they were heading towards the Great Hall. Louis got why the taller boy tried to converse with him the silence was exceedingly awkward but at the same time they weren't friends so why pretend.

"Listen just because I don't always, emphasis on the always, want to see you dead, will not make us friends so please be a doll and leave me alone." To his luck they reached the door and he was quick to head over to the Slytherin table and take a seat next to Blaise.

"How was your little study date?"

"Sod off, I'm pretty annoyed and very close to cursing someone. Don't push it mate, just don't." Probably because it happened before, no one talked to him for the rest of the lunch.

"What class are we having again?" Louis seriously questioned how his two best friends would do without him. "Defense Against the Dark Arts, now move a little faster than two sloths."

They reached their class and their new teacher, Lupin, introduced today's lesson, boggarts. The tiny lad wasn't feeling overly confident in facing his biggest fear but apparently he had no choice. After forming a line he wasn't even close to the end, somehow ending up fourth.

Just before him Neville's greatest fear, Professor Snape, was in his granny's clothes. Louis walked a little closer, raising his wand. He was supposed to picture his fear as far as he gathered but he didn't know what to imagine.

It seems that wasn't actually necessary as Snape slowly merged into a different form. Stayed human but was way more petite. Dark, raven, completely unruly locks covering her face until she looked up.

"You're afraid of a woman?" He heard laughing, clearly none of the halfwits knowing who she was.

"Riddiculus." She started to swell and in seconds blew up like a balloon. People were still laughing at him, really tickling his pickle.

"Quiet." Lupin's voice was cold and demanding, silencing the room in seconds. "Care to explain how you even know someone like Bellatrix Lestrange? Surely a kid like you shouldn't be afraid of a mass murderer who is safely locked away in Azkaban." The dead silence was broken by a few gasps but Louis wasn't very happy about the question, would have even preferred to be laughed at.

"Well it really isn't that easy to stay clear of her when she's your aunt now is it?" Lupin did not reply to that while whispering erupted amongst the kids, everyone talking about him.

"Silence, next." Louis just stood to the side and appreciated the supportive pat on his back from Crabbe whilst they watched Goyle stepping up to the boggart. It changed again but still kept a human form this time taking none other than Louis' father. It made his heart clench, knowing all too well why it did.

Turning away while a few looked his way, Crabbe leaned closer. "You're not your father Louis, none of us are." He nodded firmly back, not actually wanting to think about anything at all.

They kept watching as besides them everyone's turned into spiders or snakes.

It was Styles' turn and everyone paid a lot closer attention, perhaps expecting to see Voldemort. However Tomlinson didn't assume that he's even afraid of the dark wizard. He was evidently insane.

The boggart turned and everyone took a step back. A dementor was right ahead of him, making Louis' stomach twist tightly. Lupin got in between and it turned into a moon which was bloody bizarre but he was way too focused on Styles. He wasn't kidding when he said he's afraid, thinking about it he couldn't even recall a single time that the curly-haired lad admitted that he was scared or even appeared to be. Not in first year when they met Voldemort in the woods, not when he was chased by a Basilisk and the scary scenarios never end.

During supper Louis made a tiny little note and folded it up, casting a charm on it and making it fly towards Styles. He clasped the thing and even though everyone around him seemed to be interested in what Louis wrote to him he didn't show it.

Those green-eyes locked with his and he saw a tiny smile as he nodded and mouthed the words 'thank you'. He rolled his eyes and went back to eating.

A/N: I know that my updates are quite inconsistent but I'll have to wrap up my exams and I've been getting into so many new things, for starters I'm starting to learn embroidery, I have to sort out my summer job, I'm planning to go abroad to volunteer so I have to plan that, I'm learning a new language whilst also want to do my German language exam in the course of the summer, I started a huge art piece that I want to gift my mummy and believe it or not the list goes on.

On top of that I have actual goals that I want to achieve in the next couple of months, many of which are writing related however these stories I do here are for fun and I don't take them that seriously as my original ones.

I am doing wonderful though, have been for a while now and I plan to keep it that way because my health always should come first.

Hope you guys are doing great as well, have a splendid day/night!

All the love, xx