𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙦𝙪𝙖 ➪ 𝗆𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗎𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑆𝐸𝑉𝐸𝑁

➪ SHALIMAR ➪

"HOW'D YOU MEET?"

Loki's eyes flicked from James' curious face to Sirius and Remus. They'd moved their little meet and greet outside, as all of them had a free period, save Peter. Loki bit her lip when she noticed the other two boys didn't seem that concerned with the question as she was. She prayed they had a story because she couldn't think of anything.

"I mean, it's not every day the two of you befriend a Hufflepuff out of nowhere," James spoke.

"She lost something," Sirius shrugged, "we helped her find it." James raised a brow and looked to Loki for confirmation. She quickly nodded her false confirmation.

"I, of course, did all the work," Remus said, scowling at Sirius. Loki assumed this was to make the story believable.

"Of course," Sirius grinned.

Loki let out a low breath. She would have to thank them later.

"Must've been something really important," James noted.

"Yeah, it was," Loki nodded again, swallowing.

"I'm gonna go for a smoke," Sirius groaned, getting up. He pulled the box from his pocket, pulling one out and putting it between his lips. "Loki, I can trust you to watch out for any teachers, yeah?"

"Okay. Yep," she mumbled in reply. The boy grinned, stepping away from the group.

"I've been wondering," James started up again, his brown eyes locked on Loki. "Is Loki your real name, or is it a nickname or something?"

"No," she shook her head, "it's my real name. My parents didn't have a good name picked out for me, so I was nameless for a while until my dad came up with it. But it's okay, seeing as Loki also presents as a woman plenty of times."

James nodded. "I suppose it suits you," he gestured to her physique, "with the black hair and green eyes."

She smiled at the boy. Loki glanced over to the castle, her eyes peeled for any authority figures. James and Remus began to converse again. Loki didn't mind and happily kept her eyes away from the boys.

Her green eyes found themselves wandering to the tree in the distance. Its bare branches shook in the wind, as if the tree was cold from the small breeze that blew in. It was nearing the end of November, which meant that winter was right around the corner. Loki couldn't help but smile at the thought. Winter meant December, and December meant Christmas. That meant that soon Loki would be able to go home and see her father once again.

Before the four students knew it, their free period was up. They gathered their things and began to make their way back to the castle. Loki walked a few steps behind the males, her shorter legs taking her as fast as they could. She was closest to Sirius, who faintly held the cigarette smell he'd desperately tried to get rid of minutes before.

"What do we have now?" Sirius asked when they reached the corridors. "Is it potions or D.A.D.A?"

"D.A.D.A." Remus replied, immediately turning to the direction of the class.

"What do you have, Loki?" Sirius turned his head back to the girl.

She furrowed her brows in thought for a moment before looking back up at him. "Transfiguration."

"Aw man," Sirius pouted, "other side of the castle. Hey, give ol' McGonagall a hello for me, would you?" He grinned.

"Okay," Loki agreed, "I will." The boy smiled back at her.

"Thanks, Princess. We'll see you later!" He turned back around. James and Remus gave the girl curt waves before following him.

➪

"MERLIN, I'M TIRED."

Loki was exhausted by the time she got back to the Hufflepuff Common Room. She was going to hang out with Remus and Peter as James and Sirius stayed in their D.A.D.A detention, but Nicolas had come along and dragged the girl to his Quidditch practice. He's claimed she was his 'lucky charm' and would never let her skip their practice or their games. She wasn't that big a fan of the sport, so there were a few times when she became slightly lost with what was going on.

"Who are you going against, again?" Loki queried for the fourth time that evening.

"Ravenclaw, Loki!" Nicolas sighed. "And then, when we win, it will be us versus Gryffindor."

Loki hummed, remembering. James and Sirius were on the Quidditch team for Gryffindor. James as a chaser and Sirius as a beater. She recalled the brutal match Hufflepuff and Gryffindor had last year. There were several broken limbs across both teams, and all were bleeding and bruised. She grimaced at the thought.

"You better be upfront where I can see you when I'm chasing that Snitch." He told her. She nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "Good."

Loki sighed. She planted herself down on the couch, ready to fall asleep. She leant her head back, letting her eyelids close. The radio played softly beside her, quietly letting out a soft tune.

Maybe she could just sleep there, she wondered with a grin.