Compartment 451

Part 22

Every morning of the rest of the week starts with the same thing: unpleasant memories with Liam on rotation.

Waking up earlier than usual helps with making sure he doesn't skip out on breakfast since he's just about starving by the time nine o'clock finally rolls around, but nothing seems to aid in lessening the solemn mood that now lives within the group when they're all together eating. If it weren't for the grounding that they all provided each other, Zayn probably would've sat with Teddy until things got any better between him and Liam.

He can tell that the others are starting to wonder when that time's going to come, and he doesn't blame them. It's been six days since the blowout and all Zayn's managed to do was avoid Liam at all costs, evading him when the other tried to get him alone mid-week to talk included. Even though he's a studious person to begin with, Zayn's glad that he can use the fact that it's far enough into the school year that he needs to really focus on his work as an excuse for not being able to hang out with the others. Thursday night he had joined Niall in the library, but they were both so caught up in what they were doing, that there wasn't much talking.

Now that Saturday's come around, Zayn should be in the right mind to at least pay his friends a visit for a few hours, but instead he's sat on the stairs in the owlery, one hand feeding Abra and Loki a few treats while the other holds his Urdu book.

Not a lot of students ventured up to the 8th floor space, mostly because of the coldness and lingering owl scent, but that's why Zayn liked it, minus the odd screeches and loud purrs every now and again. It was never the first place that people would go to find him, and for that reason he always brought a book with him to read in peace. In fact there was only really one person who he had told of his refuge, which was why when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, he didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Can I join you?" Liam asks, rubbing his hands together to create any sort of heat that he could.

Throwing a few treats onto the floor away from the stairs for the owls to move, Zayn scoots over to make room for the boy to sit. It's a bit close for their first time properly talking, but it's all that they've got to work with and Zayn knows he can't run from Liam forever, so mind as well just make it as painful as possible and have him shoulder to shoulder with him while they're at it.

"Brushing up?" The Gryffindor nods to the book that's now closed and sat in the other's lap.

"Yeah." Zayn really hopes that this conversation doesn't revolve around awkward small talk; it'd be better for them to just put everything out on the table rather than dance around it. "I don't want to be rude, but I was kind of in the middle of it actually, so if you want to feed Loki or whatever then go for it. I already gave him a few treats. Otherwise, I'd like it if I could go back to reading."

"Right, no, I get it," Liam sputters, looking away towards their two owls. "Thanks for the treats. I mean, for giving Loki some, not me."

Zayn can't help but feel a hint of satisfaction at the other's inability to act as smooth as normal, but he doesn't show it. "Sure."

"But I was looking for you actually..."

Hearing the words ignites a fire instantly. "Schedule gave you time for that then, huh?"

Hurt flashes over Liam's face at the mockery. "Zayn, I'm sor-"

"I don't want to hear it, alright?" Zayn cuts him off defiantly. "If you've come to apologize then you really can leave because I don't need to listen it it." He watches as both owls take off through an open window and into the sky. "I get it, I get all of it. I'm just taking some time to process it, and I'm sorry that that doesn't mean twenty four hours. You've been my best friend for six years, that's not how this works. Maybe that's how it works for you, but that's not how it does for me."