In Your Shadow ✓

Chapter 16

On a Saturday afternoon, Mia was on her way towards the Black Lake. She saw the two fourth-year boys sitting under one of the trees and walked up to them.

"Forget it, Al," Kaden stared at his friend. "It's not that big of a deal."

"I know, but it still annoys me," the Slytherin said grumpily.

"Is something wrong?" Mia glanced down at them with a frown on her face.

"Oh, hi, Mia," her brother looked up. "No, Al is just being stupid."

"I'm not!" He narrowed his eyes.

"What's the matter?" She asked, sitting down in front of them.

"Al is mad that people are calling him by his name," Kaden explained, earning a glare from him.

"I don't like being called Severus, okay?!" He snapped. "It sounds weird."

"It's your name!" Kaden argued.

Albus raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, Nicholas..."

"How dare you?!" He raised his voice.

"See?!" Albus straightened his posture. "You don't like your name either!"

"I... no, I do," the brunette crossed his arms over his chest. "It's something Nearly Headless Nick and I have in common. I greet him with 'Hello, Sir Nicholas' and he replies 'Greetings, little Nicholas'. It's great."

"Yeah," he scoffed. "And if I end up killing myself one day, then you will be able to say that Severus killed Albus. Brilliant, isn't it?"

Mia snorted, but Kaden didn't appreciate his comment.

"Don't say that," he scowled.

"It's so annoying, though," Albus ran a hand through his black hair. "Ever since James found out I hate being called Severus he refuses to call me anything else..."

"Oh, don't mind him," Mia rolled her eyes. "James is a prat. Really, sometimes I wish you were my little brother instead of his, he's quite unbearable. But don't worry, I'm sure he'll get bored of it eventually."

He knitted his eyebrows slightly. "Yeah..."

"Cheer up, Severus," Kaden nudged him playfully.

"Shut it!" He sent him a glare. "Not like Albus is much better, but still... Albus Severus Potter," he mocked himself. "What was Dad playing at, naming me this?"

"To be fair, they were both extremely talented wizards," Mia said.

"But they didn't pass their talents onto me, did they?" He asked bitterly, staring at the ground.

"Well, Severus does sound a bit strange, to be honest," she admitted, getting Albus' attention. "But Sev sounds cute."

His eyes widened, and he could feel his cheeks getting warmer. "Uh... you think so?"

"Yes," she nodded. "But this is not why I'm here, is it?"

Kaden groaned. "I don't want to practise..."

"Why did you call me here, then?" Mia tilted her head to the side.

"Well, we should practise, I'm just saying that I don't want to," he mumbled.

The Ravenclaw stood up, then she got her wand out and summoned both of their wands silently, catching them with ease.

"Hey!" Kaden sprung to his feet, looking at her angrily.

"Today's lesson," she waved their wands in her hand. "Accio."

Albus stood up slowly, staring at her in awe. "You can do non-verbal spells already?"