*＊✿❀ Chapter 15 ❀✿＊* The very next day, after a long night of worry, Nora met Irene and Jeremy in the common room and the three of them set off together to go and see Ophelia. "What do you think happened? What was that thing?" Irene asked in an anxious tone. "I don't know, it wasn't a Dementor because if it was it wouldn't have been overpowered by our spells, right?" Nora said. "Right," Irene said, still worried clearly. The whole walk to the Hospital Wing, Jeremy said nothing, not one word. "Jeremy...." Nora leaned closer to him so that Irene wouldn't hear, "Was it a-?" "Oh look, we're here!" Irene said, opening the doors. Jeremy sort of shook her off as they walked in. Ophelia laid in the farthest bed, her neck bandaged, her blonde hair stained and splattered. Irene's eyes widened with fear as she ran over to her, Madam Pomfrey sat next to her bed with various tonics and potions on the bedside table. "Hush! She needs rest!" Madam Pomfrey hissed, so the three of them quietly pulled up stools and sat around Ophelia's bed. Ophelia's eyes remained shut for a while, her body motionless, until, at last, she stirred slightly. "Jeremy, can I have a word with you?" Nora asked in a hushed tone. "I guess," He shrugged lazily. "Alone?" She added. So Nora led Jeremy next to the door behind a curtain of a vacant bed. "You don't think that thing was a....Vampire?" Jeremy went silent, avoiding eye contact. "Jeremy...." She turned his face to her own. "Okay, maybe it was," He admitted, looking into her eyes. "But how am I supposed to know for sure?" Nora threw up her arms, "Oh I don't know....Why would I ask a Vampire, silly me!" She said, thumping in on the forehead, he frowned and messaged his head. Nora marched back over to Ophelia's bed to see her still asleep. The next day at breakfast, Nora didn't feel like sitting with Isma and the other girls, and didn't want to catch Blair's eye, so she sat in the far corner, which was fine until Jeremy arrived. "That's my spot," He said with a slight smile. "I don't see your name on it, and you know what-" "Calm down, I'm only joking." He said, sitting next to her. Nora gave him a cold glare, she was far too angry to deal with his behavior. "How'd your date go with Blair Mist?" Jeremy asked as he filled his plate with eggs and bacon. "It-it went....Horrible. To be completely honest with you." Nora needed to get this off her chest, whether it was a Flobberworn listening or Jeremy, she needed to vent. "She was over with Isma when she said she needed the restroom. And...." Nora vented on and on, and, surprisingly, Jeremy just listened. "I'm sorry, I just....I'm going to go to the restroom." She said, feeling a wave of strong emotions and not wanting Jeremy to see her cry, she stood up and left before he could say anything. Nora slowly walked up the stairs, her eyes beginning to burn with tears, she turned a corner and sat on the floor against a wall and cried. Cried for what felt like an hour. Feeling weak for crying over this. She really thought Blair liked her. And now she was hearing a voice, a deep, soothing voice....
"Hey, are you all right?" Nora looked up; A boy, about sixteen or seventeen, with dark red wavy hair, deep brown eyes, and he smiled comfortingly when Nora looked at him. Nora wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her robes and sniffed before saying, "Oh, um....Yeah, yeah. I'm all good." "You don't seem 'all good'." He said, sitting down next to her. "I-I am, really. Just....Stressed. Lot's going on." "You're telling me, this second year Ravenclaw girl went ballistic on me for 'passing' her in the corridor." Nora laughed lightly, then her smile dropped. "She didn't happen to have straight blonde hair possibly in a ponytail?" "Why, yeah. I think she did, you know her?" Nora sighed, "Yes, she's my little sister, Hadzi." "Ah, so if that's your sister, I presume the first year boy who followed her was your brother? Short, blonde curly hair...." Nora nodded. "Denver." "Ah, I see," He said. "So if your siblings have names, do you have one?" "I'm Nora Wesston." She said, her spirits gradually lifting. "Pleasure to meet you Nora. The name's Felix Calster." He said with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Felix." Nora replied. "You seem quite nice for a Slytherin," Felix said, gesturing to her robes. "Hm, well I get that a lot. The 'Dark Witch' of the family so to say." She said with a sigh. "I mean you don't seem all dark, look, you're talking to me. A stupid Hufflepuff." He pointed out. "You're not stupid, at least I don't think you are." She said. "So, what're you doing here all by yourself?" He asked. "Oh...Um....Just sitting and crying." She shrugged. "Well, would you like some company? I'm on my brake and students are just about to head to lunch." Lunch? Had Nora really been sitting for that long? "I guess, but I'm rather hungry, why don't we go and grab a bite to eat?" Felix looked relieved. "Yes please. I was hoping you'd say that, I haven't eaten today." So they set off to the Great Hall, the distant chatter of students emerging from classes echoed up and down the halls. Nora and Felix each grabbed a sandwich and went to sit on a bench in the Entrance Hall. They talked for a while, Nora learned that Felix's mother had been an Auror and died when he was twelve, and his father liked to travel and every summer they ended up staying somewhere different. "So you never had a home?" Nora asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich. "Not really, well not a house to grow up in. Home is where my dad is." He shrugged. "So you've got a younger brother and sister, is that all your siblings?" "No, I also have an older brother, Ezeck, but he's a Magizoologist in New Zealand." "That's where I'm staying this summer," Felix said with another one of his smiles. "You can come if you want." Nora blinked and just sort of froze for a moment. *So I just met this boy, we get to know each other a bit, then he offers to take me to New Zealand?! I suppose it would be nice to spend the summer away from Hadzi....* "I'll have to think about it, it would be nice to see my brother and to spend the summer away from my sister."
