𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 ☼ 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆

↘︎ chapter thirty-seven

37 | Noen Black's confession

Today the Goblet of Fire would take the three participants in the Triwizard Tournament. Marley Macmillan was very excited, although she had been studying the whole month and hardly doing anything else except revising for the OWL exams. The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstang came two days ago and for everyone's surprise, Viktor Krum was a student at Durmstrang. Ron Weasley wanted an autograph from him and looked like a crazy fan, running after his favourite music band or artist.

"It's good to see you here, Black." said Marley to the approaching Noen Black, her childhood best friend and son of her godmother Noelle Black. Noen was in his fourth year and he was sorted in Ravenclaw. "We haven't meet up for a while, excluding all the vacations. Well, I wasn't in Wales most of the summer but what about you? Why didn't you come to the World Cup?"

"I didn't really want to." shrugged Noen Black and the two best friends walked down the corridor. It was good to have their conversations, but Marley noticed Noen was acting a bit stiffly. Something was off with him for a while. Marley had spotted him hanging out with Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson and the muggle-born witch Brooklyn Ray. Everyone was from Slytherin, except Brooklyn (she was also in Ravenclaw), but if Draco was a pure-blood and hated the mudbloods, then why he wasn't acting actually bad with Brooklyn?

"Is there something wrong?" asked concerned Marley and made and effort to smile. She really wanted to help Noen, although he had quite a strange group of friends that were acting bad with her brother. "I know we don't comunicate that often recently, but if there's something you need to share, I'm here."

"Thanks, M." smiled weakly Noen and pressed his pale lips in thin line. "But first, I know you also want to share something with me. It's written on your face."

"Don't change the--"

"I promise, I'll talk about my problem, but I need you to speak." Noen didn't pay attention on Marley and continued talking. He was so stubborn like a real Black kid. But he was also incredibly smart and ambitious. "We both have different lives and friends but we still live under one roof and our mothers are best friends. Theirs last a lifetime..."

"Okay, you're right." Marley let out a deep sigh, annoyed how right was Noen in this situation. The Ravenclaw boy just smirked and his eyes sparkled. "There's something I really need to share with someone, but I can't do it with my friends. And no, it's not about my father."

"Are you still mad at Brielle?" Noen furrowed his black eyebrows but Marley shook her head. The girl had spent enough time far from Wales and her mother. Her anger faded while she was in the Burrow and she wasn't mad anymore but still couldn't assimilate how her mother managed to keep this in secret for so long.

"Look, Noen, I really really really like this guy--"

"Lee? Tell me it's not him. But it's obviously not." said Noen and wrinkled his nose, but after he noticed Marley's angry face, he burst out in laughter. "Just kidding, it's obvious you have a thing for one of the twins. It might be Fred or George."

"George." whispered Marley, hoping no one will hear them in the crowdy corridors. "I like him since July. That's four months so far, but that's not the point. Recently, I just watch at him, spend time with him and I think I'm just falling for him. But I shouldn't."

"Why not?" questioned Noen. "Well, it's obvious he always do pranks and jokes, but--"

"He usually jokes all the time." corrected him Marley and pressed the piles of books against her chest as they continued to walk, with no one paying attention on them. This only reassured Marley, but the girl hoped that Fred and George wouldn't jump out of nowhere, because then she would just die on place. "And if we flirt, we're usually joking, do you understand? So, he's not serious, he doesn't really meant it and I'm sure he doesn't like me."