Magic (5sos/l.h. Hogwarts AU)

Chapter 41

~A/N~ Hello guys I hope you're all safe with this coronavirus outbreak - I might not be because it's in my town and my immune system is terrible
Enjoy the chapter!
Leila xx

By February, I was working harder than ever, the start of term looking like a peaceful heaven compared to the stress I was going through. I barely had time to see anyone anymore - it had been months since I had had a proper conversation with Calum.

Of course, the boys were used to this as it happened every year close to exams, but it wasn't even close to exams and my extra classes meant I had never been without an essay or a large, heavy book since the end of the Christmas holidays. And on the rare occasion I did have free time, everyone else was busy, Luke with quidditch practice, Calum with Buckbeak and Hagrid.

Fortunately, Ashton was in the same boat as me and often our time was spent in silence in the library as we poured over various books, but at least it was together. Luke I at least saw in Divination, and Michael did not care about his work as much as the rest of us so helped me struggle through mine.

Calum was the real problem. The only lesson we had together was Care of Magical Creatures, and Hagrid had grown so afraid of another injury that there wasn't much cause to talk while we shovelled lettuce into the hungry mouths of Flobberworms, dying of boredom on the inside.

I had even missed his birthday, which (so I was told) he had spent with Luke and Michael in the warmth of Hagrid's hut while I was lectured by Professor Burbage on the reasons Muggles needed electricity. All I could do was send him a Pocket Sneakoscope and my love as I slowly withered away in the dark room.

To the outside eye, it would seem that I was simply bitter that Calum didn't like me as any more than a friend, that I was upset our short fling had ended so abruptly. Of course, we both knew that wasn't how it was as the feeling was mutual, but it was this that brought about the most horrific fight we had so far seen between the boys.

Michael and Ginny were the only two that fully knew the details of what happened that fateful weekend in Hogsmeade - not because I was upset or disappointed, more confused and embarrassed that we ever thought something was real, that a spark was there. Lavender and Parvati had also managed to weasel it out of me, but they were more annoyed that it went no further, therefore I didn't have anything worth gossiping about.

"Oddsbodikins," I murmured tiredly at Sir Cadogen, the jolly replacement for the Fat Lady (who still had not returned after the shock of seeing Sirius Black in the school). The knight was an eccentric fellow, who spoke as though he was at King Arthur's round table and challenged me to a fight every time I passed into the common room.

"A duel!" he proclaimed and I narrowed my eyes. "Just one duel, and I will allow you entrance into the foreign lands through the gate I gave up my life to guard!"

"Oddsbodikins!" I said louder, growing impatient as I had barely got any sleep the night before, then spent all day working in the library.

"Best of three?" Sir Cadogen suggested. "I would sacrifice myself to prevent infiltration of the Gryffindor camp! Fight me, and if you come out victor then so be it, you may enter!"

"I said, oddsbodikins!" I yelled at the painting, earning some sniggers from a group of sullen Slytherin fifth-years.

"Ah! Fiend, you have wounded me!" the knight gave me a pained look, and held his hand over his heart as though he had been stabbed. "Pass through, let me offer you this last honourable favour before my demise!"

The portrait swung open as Sir Cadogen continued pretending to die, and I hopped through the portrait hole as quickly as possible, making my way to Ginny and Hermione. I could see the boys watching me out of the corner of my eye, but I really was dreadfully tired and wanted to just sleep for days.

"How's it going?" I sighed, flopping into an armchair.

"Badly," said Hermione. "Harry got the Firebolt back and it looked like we were all going to be friends again, but now Ron's got it into his head that Crookshanks has killed Scabbers! Crookshanks would never do such a thing!"

Ginny and I exchanged a look, both of us thinking that there was no doubt that Crookshanks would definitely kill Ron's rat, yet it was equally likely that, as Scabbers was such a manky old creature, he had just perished on his own.

"Right," I agreed uncertainly, before rising and yawning. "Well, I'm going to bed. See you." And so I left, but not without sensing the tension emanating off the boys' corner of the room.

***
"There's definitely something up," I said to Luke as we wandered the familiar route to the Divination classroom. "Don't even deny it, you've had a fight haven't you?"

Luke sighed. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"I think you know why," he said.

"I really don't."

"Well, you should." The conversation paused for a second, then I replied.

"Why should I?" Another pause, longer this time.

"You've clearly not been paying any attention. Anyway, the Quidditch match is soon. I'm nervous. What if we don't win?"

I ignored the obvious change of subject. "You will win. You're the best chaser I know, and with Harry's Firebolt back you said it yourself, we can't lose."

"Harry might catch the snitch, but we still need to score a certain number of goals first to be back in the running," he said. "What if we don't?"

"You will."

***
As it turned out, I was right. Luke played superbly, and I watched from the stands with all the boys and Ginny, without a book in my hand for the first time in a long time. The game was over within minutes, quick as a flash, and soon I found myself chanting in unison with the rest of my house.

Gryffindor had won, by miles. We were back in the running.

But, on the pitch as we rushed over to hug Luke, I noticed Calum standing in the background, a forlorn look on his face as he watched us congratulate our best friend.

"What's going on?" I confronted Calum later in the common room that night as the party stretched into the late hours, Fred and George having appeared out of nowhere with their arms full of Honeydukes' finest to provide for our whole House.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Luke had a fight. That's obvious. And Luke doesn't want to talk about it."

Calum sighed. "He thinks I broke your heart or something."

"What?"

"You know, at Hogsmeade. He didn't believe me when I said you agreed, because you've not been spending time with me."

"Oh." Realisation washed over me, and I groaned. "So he thinks I'm hung up on all this because we're not dating? What an idiot."

"Don't say that," Calum shook his head and gestured at Luke, who was smiling as he downed a Butterbeer. "That boy there? He really cares about you. Don't ever forget that."