*＊✿❀Chapter 10 ❀✿＊* "Hey, Nora!" Called Calvin from across the snow covered lawn. It was growing rather cold and more bitter by the day, seeing as December had arrived. Nora was out by the Black Lake collecting leech juice for some potions, she was bundled up in her Slytherin scarf and her warm beanie. But Calvin, Nora thought, had most likely recognized her due to her black curls billowing in the wind. "What're you doing out here? It's well below freezing!" He said, walking with her along the shoreline. "I n-need leech j-juice..." She chatted through her teeth. "Buy it from Hogsmeade, I'll even buy it for you!" Calvin said, drawing his robes closer. Nora crouched down and lifted a rock with great difficulty due to it being frozen to the ground, underneath it was a couple of leeches, Nora rung them out like a wash cloth over a beaker and tossed them in the lake before agreeing to head back to the castle. Together, Nora and Calvin headed to the library to study for as long as they needed (Nora needing it more because Calvin had always seemed to be mysteriously ahead), and it was a Saturday so they had the whole day free. The castle was decorated with large pine trees bearing ornaments, tinsel, snow, and topped off with either angels or stars. The feel of Christmas made Nora feel depressed. She had had a Christmas when she was seven where she had walked outside Christmas morning to go and pluck a few plums from her family's small greenhouse and got locked in it when a gust of wind had slammed it shut, breaking the handle and blowing snow in front, making it impossible for her to get out. Her parents and siblings were in the house opening and exchanging gifts while Nora was trapped in the Greenhouse, screaming for help at the top of her lungs. Eventually, the neighbor had heard her and rushed over and began to break her free, but she was stuck in there for at least four hours before the wind died down and the neighbor could hear her. Her parents nor her siblings noticed she was gone. Nora never had gotten any breakfast or gifts that year. "Hey, so I was thinking, if you're not busy tomorrow, maybe we could, uh, take our brooms out for a spin on the pitch. The snow is bound to take a break after a solid week of it." Calvin suggested as they opened their books at a table in the library. Nora bit her lip. How was she to tell him that she wanted to be only friends? "Well um....Sure. But the thing is I am sorry, but I would like to be only friends. No more." And Calvin looked slightly crestfallen, though, clearly trying not to show it. "It's not that I don't like you or anything, you're a great guy, and I know you've been waiting and respecting me, but I feel like we're meant to be friends, only." She said in a low voice. Calvin's eyes stared down at his book, his face unreadable. "However, if you are looking for someone, I do know someone." Nora whispered, Calvin raised his gaze to her and his face seemed to lighten a bit. "Really? Who?" He inquired. "Walter White." She replied. He thought about it for a long moment before a small smile escaped his lips. "Never thought about dating a guy, though I have been trying to be more open....Have you met him?" Calvin asked eagerly. Nora's guilt transformed to happiness in seconds. "Not really, but he does like you. Don't tell him I told you though." Nora winked. "Do you know where he might be? I'm interested in meeting him, and hopefully getting to know him." He said. "Probably in the Trophy room, he often spends time admiring all the awards from previous students." Calvin quickly gathered his things and left with a pep in his step. Nora grinned.
She stayed in the library for quite a while before the Ophelia girl and the Irene girl Nora had met not too long ago had joined her. They were both in their third year so Nora was able to assist them both with their homework. "Wow Ophelia, all your subjects work are outstanding!" Nora said, amazed at her work. "Same for your Transfiguration and Charms, Irene!" She added quietly. Both of them smiled, blushing. After the study session, Nora packed up and headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts, on the way she ran into Tryxi and together they headed for Professor Quirrel's classroom. "So, I heard you broke up with Calvin Conner." Tryxi smirked slyly. Nora's cheeks warmed up slightly. "No, we were never together in the first place. He's just a friend." Nora argued. "Well that leaves Selwyn up for grabs-" She began, but Nora shut her down right away. "Don't even go there again, I've told you and the girls, we'll never be a thing-" But Nora was cut off by the surprise of the large crowd of students, mainly older students, near the entrance. Nora was able to spot Odette among them due to her untidy dirty blonde hair, Nora and Tryxi squeezed through the crowd to him and Tryxi asked. "Odette, what's all this about?" Odette opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by a screech that sounded like a banshee being whipped, there were gasps and some students shouted. "A fourth year, something about a creature-" Another earsplitting scream came from the front of the crowd, Professor McGonagall had finally arrived and the students cleared a path for her right away. Nora was able to catch a glimpse of what had been going down, while the students were out of the way for a moment. It made her stomach drop. Travis Unscalo laid on the ground with various cuts along his arms and face, bl**d tricking from each slice, and what made Nora's emotions overwhelming rush over her was Jeremy standing over him with a savage look on his face. She couldn't speak, she just shoved through the crowd as fast as she could, all words became inaudible and the only clear thing she could think about and see was getting to Jeremy. Professor McGongall looked ready to cast Avada Kedavra at him as professors Flitwick, Snape, and Kettleburn arrived and Snape seized Jeremy by the neck of his robes and led him away, the other professors cleared the students away and brought Travis Unscalo up to the Hospital Wing. But Nora refused to leave even when Kettleburn and Flitwick insisted on her leaving, she busted past them and sprinted as fast as she could to the Headmaster's office which was where, obviously, Snape was taking Jeremy. Nora ran, tears slowly filling her eyes when she spotted Snape's black billowing robes down the corridor. "No!" Her voice had finally returned as Snape neard the Griffin door that led up to Dumbledore's office. He whipped around and spoke loudly, "Wesston, go to the dungeons immediately." "You can't expel him!" "Not even Dumbledore will be able to make an excuse for a vampire attack, he's a beast." Snape sneered. Jeremy looked at Nora, his normally brown eyes were a violent red, though looking thoroughly ashamed of himself. "Nora, leave." Jeremy said in a low, grim voice. Nora, being Nora, instead ran fight towards him and hugged him tightly and began to sob. Kettleburn and returned with the Games keeper, Rubeus Hagrid, and Hagrid pulled Nora away saying, "It's alrigh' lass, he did wrong an' you have teh understand that..." But Nora tried to escape, unsuccessfully, and Snape disappeared up the stairs when the spiral staircase appeared, dragging Jeremy along with him. Nora's heart dropped, exhausted, she reluctantly returned to the dungeons and to the common room where she cried in an arm chair near the fire until she fell asleep.
