Something unexpected

Chapter nine

"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall calls Albus as he stares outside.
"Sorry Professor," Albus mutters as he tries hard to pay attention.
"I suggest you pay attention Mr. Potter if you'd like to score high on your O.W.L.S," she states.
Lucy doodles next to him and laughs lowly at Albus.
"What's so funny Lu?" Albus asks irritated.
Lucy's thin lips spread into a smile and her cat-like hazel eyes gleam in the darkness and Albus can't help but think of how his cousin was practically made for the darkness. "He broke your heart didn't he?" Lucy asks her face becomes stone. She knows all about heart break: her boyfriend killed himself during her fourth year.
Rose thinks that's why Lucy is so messed up but Albus doesn't think so. He thinks she was born with the madness, the weirdness. He always admired that about her though, he never had the courage to be...weird.
"I guess so,"Albus whispers to her as he stares into a void of nothingness.
"It's odd isn't it?" Lucy asks once class has been dismissed. "Broken hearts I mean. It's odd that you once knew someone, kissed someone...and then poof,"she moves her fingers fast,"they're gone."
Albus nods his head thinking of how Nikoli held him. He touched his soft lips wishing it were Nikoli.
"You want to know what's the worst about a broken heart?" Lucy tilts her head as she questions him.
"You don't remember what you felt like before?" Albus answers blankly as he walks by Nikoli and his friend group. He felt his electric blue eyes on him but Albus didn't look up, he couldn't.
Lucy nods her head in agreement,"we should paint today."
"Today?" Albus furrows his eyebrows.
"Yes,"she simply says,"my back is bare and it's quite boring."

"Al can't I- what are you doing?" Teddy furrows his eyebrows as he watches Albus paint Lucy's back.
"My back was bare but now it's going to be lovely," Lucy smiles wide.
"Right," Teddy squints his eyes,"Al can I use the map?"
"Why?" Albus asks still concentrating on Lucy's new back painting.
"James needs it to find out where Ivy is,"Teddy answers as he leans on the door.
"He's a creep,"Albus laughs as Teddy pulls out the already opened map.
"And you're not?" Teddy glances as the notes on the marauders map and laughs as he reads them. He smiles a bit when he figures out it's where Nikoli is.
"Do you want the bloody map or not?" Albus rubs his temples.
"Okay sorry...sorry," Teddy smiles as he holds up his hands defensively. Lucy chuckles along side with Teddy while she pets her black cat in her lap.
"He's completely stupid," Albus rants. "Protect me...,"he scoffs as he starts to paint again,"I could go outside and get struck by lightning! Is he going to kick himself because he couldn't protect me?"
"You've got to understand mate,"Teddy sits next to Lucy,"he could've killed you."
"He could've killed you as well yet you two are still best mates!" Albus exclaims.
"Tell him that,"Lucy shrugs,"if you're so angry about it, tell him." Lucy tells Albus tired of hearing him bitch about it. Albus thinks for a bit not exactly knowing what he was thinking about.
"He still wears that bracelet,"Teddy smiles trying to cheer him up,"he talks of you all the bloody time. And he still keeps that painting of yours."
"He's talked to you several times before Al,"Lucy adds,"even though it was things like 'excuse me', 'could you pass me that'...,"Lucy's voice trails off once she realizes she's not helping much.

Nikoli's point of view

The nightmares come often for him. Every night he breathes and prays to a higher power that he won't dream. He hasn't slept for days after what he had done to Al. He bites his lip waiting to taste the bitterness of his own blood in his mouth as he runs his hands on the canvas with the painting of the beautiful sunset. It became a routine: he'd wake up, stretch and miss Al. He'd walk to the fields and see, what he thought was, the perfect photo and instantly miss him.
Nikoli never enjoyed art but he did enjoy watching Albus do it. He thought of how he'd watch Albus patiently mix his paint together as the easel was getting set up. Albus loved painting the wild flower fields where the old quidditch field used to be. Nikoli smiled replying the memory in his head.
"Why do you like this place it's...haunting," Nikoli had said as he sat in the field watching Albus.
"It's the perfect spot to paint,"Albus closed his eyes,"it's so serene,"he had said. "And,"he'd add,"look at the fields. It's beautiful."
Nikoli would look over the wildflowers that cover the once horrid battlefield and smiled. Albus always saw the good in things. He remembers of thinking back to when his dad told him of the battle.
"They destroyed the quidditch fields," his father, Oliver Wood, sighed. Him and his father had the same love for quidditch.
"Nik what's wrong mate?" James asks with a towel wrapped around his waist. His glasses were filled with fog from the hot shower he had just took. Realizing that Nikoli was crying, James quickly wipes his glasses to see clearer.
"The dust in the air...,"Nikoli's voice trials off.
"Yes I'm quite sure,"James folds his arms and then searches the floor,"is this Teddy's?" He holds up a band tee.
"Yes it is," Nikoli nods his head and then fumbles with his fingers. "James...are you...Teddy and Fred going to kick me out...of the group I mean..."
"What?" James almost shouts surprised by the question. He fixes his dark auburn hair in the mirror and makes a surprised face as Fred comes into the room.
"What's going on?" Fred asks as he takes off his homemade sweater his mother made for him with the letter 'F' on it.
"Nikoli is being dramatic,"James tells Fred as he pulls out a cigarette.
"Are you going to kick me out...of the...the group?" Nikoli repeats to Fred who is leaning up against the bed frame.
"Of course we aren't going to have you kicked out! Why would we do that?" Fred flares his arms in the air as he makes a confused face.
"Because-because I'm a monster,"Nikoli almost whispers.
"You're being dramatic. You fold your socks now, Nikoli. Forgive me if I'm not trembling at the sight of you,"James shoves a basket of clean laundry in his face.
"You're not- you're not afraid of me?" Nikoli asks hunching over himself. "Not after I almost killed your brother?" Nikoli couldn't say Al's name without crying.
"Really Nikoli, what part of 'you fold your socks' isn't getting through that thick skull of yours?" Fred laughs as he helps himself to a cigarette from James's pack.
"You don't...but...I mean...werewolves, they're not exactly popular. And...I could be...d-dangerous,"Nikoli stumbles with his words.
"You're no monster Nik,"James says,"that wasn't you. You'd never hurt Al."
Lily and Teddy walk into the room and Lily instantly knows what they are talking about. Nikoli looks up at Lily with his glossy blue eyes and Lily sits next to him and adds,"we didn't care when you told us of you being gay. We don't care now," Lily rubs his back. Her fire red hair is pulled into a big bun and she wears a big t shirt with jeans.
"You don't get it,"Nikoli feels hot tears trial down his face. "You don't have to worry about killing people,"Nikoli whispers"you don't have to wake up...not knowing what happened the other night-"
"That happens when I drink too much fire whiskey," Fred jokes trying to lighten the situation.
Nikoli rolls his eyes not in the mood for jokes,"I'll never be married or have children,"he whispers coldly.
"Don't be absurd, Nikoli, you're talking out of your arse,"James says now fully clothed.
"Honestly, Nikoli. How could you be so selfish to deprive the world of such wonder," Lily says looking into Nikoli's blue eyes. He smiles wryly as he looks up at Lily and nods his head