Nicholas was laying out on his robes near the edge of the lake, the rest of his clothes discarded in a pile nearby.  His boxers were still wet since he hadn't gone back to the Gryffindor tower after Charms before he'd headed out to the lake to take advantage of the good weather one last time before he graduated.  Okay, well he'd had time, especially since he'd found time to go steal some early peaches from the kitchens.  He just didn't care about swimming in his boxers, or how little they hid when wet.

He was still drying off as he started picking slices of peaches from the bowl he'd also borrowed from the kitchens.  He should have gone back to the dorm for the wireless.  Make it one last perfect Friday afternoon before he left it for good.  He'd summon the damned thing, but it wasn't exactly built for flying out closed windows.  Maybe he could get someone to bring it out.

Nicholas sighed as he finished off the slice, he didn't think of himself as a sentimental person, and he didn't think he was old enough to be nostalgic about anything, but but it was starting to hit him in the gut that he would soon never likely set foot in the castle again.  In fact only eight more days until he rode the train for the last time.

But that was for later....for eight days later....for now he was going to enjoy what sunshine they had and some free pilfered peaches.

Zia had the sort of spring in her step that only warm weather could bring. She had always preferred the warm seasons; winter was dark and cold and isolating. The castle was starting to make her feel claustrophobic. Plus this past winter had been the worst ever, so spring’s arrival had been particularly rejuvenating.

She smiled when she saw a pair of butterflies fluttering past her, and as she finally got out of the castle’s shadow, took a moment to stop and bask in the sunlight. Zia could feel the rays hitting her skin and warming her face. It was warmer than she thought it was going to be! Lately the weather had been acting pretty unpredictable, and so layers were the fashion. So, Zia took off her cardigan and tied it loosely to the strap of her bag.

The plan was to go read by the lake. Zia had brought some schoolbooks with her in at least an attempt to motivate herself to revise. But she had also brought a few of her favorite books to read in the springtime, ones that reminded her of all the flora and freedom that came with warm weather.

However as she approached the lake she spotted a topless boy, which she preferred over all things. Zia didn’t seem to care about the reputation she was developing for being a flirtatious floozy. As she walked closer she realized who was there and part of her mind began to panic a little.

“Hey,” Zia chirped, sitting down near the Gryffindor. She spotted his collection of peaches and her eyes lit up. Summer fruit was her favorite. “Oooh, where’d you get those?!” Zia asked, a bit jealous.

Nicholas turned to look at Zia as she took a seat, and smiled at her.  He liked Zia, enough that they'd slept together before things truly got screwed up.  Though, now that he thought about something had already been screwed up with her.  It probably made him a terrible person, but with everything else that had happened with both of them, he couldn't even remember what had happened to her.

"I swiped them from the kitchen.  The next batch would probably be better," he said with a shrug.  They wouldn't be here for more in-season peaches. These early ones would be the last ones they got at Hogwarts.  He pushed the bowl toward the Ravenclaw. "Feel free, I've got plenty."

He laid back, staring up at the clouds in the sky.  "The water is on the chilly side, but its better than revising.  Or thinking about exams."

When Bevans offered to share his peaches, Zia bent down and gratefully plucked one from his pile and thanked him. She took a bite and had no regrets about it. Zia was never sorry for having had fruit - she loved the sweet, natural treats. Paired with the warm weather, the peaches made Zia think of Italy. Her impending trip home had her in a tizzy.

"The water is on the chilly side, but it’s better than revising.  Or thinking about exams."

“Ugh, seriously,” Zia agreed immediately. She wasn’t just saying that, either; Zia couldn’t wait until exam time was over. She dropped her bag on the nearby grass and slipped her shoes off before tip-toeing up to the lakeside. Zia slowly dipped her toe in the water and let out a very girlish yelp.

She looked back at Nicholas with a look of shock. “That is more than chilly!” Zia informed him, wondering if he could see her goose bumps from where he was. She was apparently over it, though, because both of her feet were now under water. She sloshed her feet around in the water as she munched on her peach, watching as the resulting ripples raced through the water.

The cold water on her feet was actually making her feel a bit cold so once she was done with the fruit she wandered back over to her bag (and Nicholas, and his peaches). She put her cardigan back on and then laid in the grass, near to Bevans but not in a pushy way (or so she hoped).

“So what’re you doing after graduation?” Zia hated herself for asking such a cliche question. How lame could she be? “I’m throwing a party,” she quickly added. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision but hey, a party sounded fun, and her parents were never in the London house, thus doubling the potential for fun.

Nicholas laughed when Zia yelped. "Oh, I might have used a warming charm."  Truthfully, he'd forgotten.  He wasn't trying to get her to jump into freezing water.  And it was warm enough laying there in the sun.  He moved his hand from behind his head and grabbed another peach and took a bite, smiling as the girl moved away from the water.

He turned onto his side facing Zia when she laid down next to him.  He hoped she was doing better.  He also hoped there weren't any awkward feelings between them.  He certainly didn't feel awkward around her, then again, he wasn't embarrassed by much.

"So what’re you doing after graduation?"

Before Nicholas could answer with the now well rehearsed answer, it wasn't exactly an uncommon question at that point, she'd added that she was throwing a party.  "Nice, you already have a place lined up then?"  A party certainly appealed.  A nice blowout to start the summer before they all had to start being adults.  "Are you inviting everyone?  Or do I have to slip you a galleon to get on the list?"  He asked with a grin.

When Nicholas started asking questions about the party, Zia realized that she was now going to have to simultaneously plan the party and pretend like it was all in order. Luckily this was one area where she was familiar, even if she hadn’t thrown many of her own parties. How hard could it be to invite a bunch of people over to a ridiculous mansion and party all weekend? It sounded easy enough.

  "Nice, you already have a place lined up then?"

“Oh, my parents’ house in London! It’s huge,” Zia answered as if it should have been obvious. Not too many people had ever visited Zia’s home in London; it was perfectly understandable that Bevans had no idea about it. “They’re never there, they’re always in the Italy house. Well, that’s more of a castle actually, the one near Florence anyway…” Zia realized that she not only was babbling but also probably sounded like a snob.

"Are you inviting everyone?  Or do I have to slip you a galleon to get on the list?"

Zia giggled. “I don’t know, I might be open to bribery…” Zia joked. She tapped her lips with her finger to imply she was thinking hard about this. “I don’t know if a galleon is enough though.” She was still on her back facing the sky but she looked at Nicholas and said very seriously, “I mean, it is going to be a really fun party.” Zia had flirted with every male being in the Hogwarts castle, unintentionally or very intentionally. She couldn’t really tell which this was.

Nicholas knew that Zia was well off, but it was one of those things sometimes easily forgotten at Hogwarts.  Not much longer for that, things like that would be a lot more evident once they were out into the world.  Not that he would have thrown a party at his mum's place if he was paid to.  But he also didn't have multiple mansions.

"Ah, really fun huh?'  He asked teasingly.  "Well in that case, a galleon and goodies."  He grinned and picked out another slice of peach.  "Unless you already have supplies lined up of course."

He popped the slice into his mouth and slowly chewed.  He wondered if Peyton would want to go.  Well, he wondered a lot of things about Peyton, going to a party might answer some of those questions.  Then again Zia and Peyton might find it weird if he brought Peyton to a party at Zia's.  Not that it should be, as far as Nicholas was concerned.

"I might even promise to try to keep my clothes on.  Unless you have a pool.  In which case..."  He looked down at his current clothing, or lack thereof and then looked at Zia.

“...a galleon and goodies….Unless you already have supplies lined up of course."

“You can forget about the galleon as long as you bring goodies,” Zia delegated. She waggled her eyebrows. She knew he was probably talking about gillyweed but still felt the need to add, “Whatever ‘goodies’ might be…” She trailed off and tapped her chin as if she were going off into deep thought about what those possibilities were. After a moment she stuck out her tongue in a sideways smirk that she had always considered her “flirty-jokey-teasy-face.” There were a few faces which Zia practiced in the mirror, and that was one of them. Being funny around boys was complicated - she didn’t want to go around guffaw-ing or spitting milk out of her nose or any of the other embarrassing things her siblings had all seen her do. Zia did not consider those times as her most impressive, though they certainly had made an impression on her siblings.

"I might even promise to try to keep my clothes on.  Unless you have a pool.  In which case..."


“Well if I didn’t have a pool already, I’d build one myself, if that’s what it takes,” Zia joked. She batted her eyelashes cutely. She was lying on her back in the grass and felt like it was a good time to arch her back and stretch her arms as if she were yawning. (The fake yawn wasn’t just for boys anymore!) She flipped her hair so that it was all behind her shoulders before laying back down and turning to face Nicholas.

“There’s a sauna and a hot tub too,” she found it important to add. Her house came with all the amenities one could think of, really. It was practically an all-inclusive resort. This party that she’d come up with just minutes ago was sounding like a better and better idea. She closed her eyes and let the sun hit her bare shoulders. She was so glad winter was over.

"Crisps of course,"  Nicholas gave her his best innocent look, "Why what did you think I was going to bring?"  Though really the question was more what wouldn't he bring.  Alcohol would probably be covered, but there were plenty of other substances to bring.  And he'd likely bring some more mundane goodies as well, like crisps.

“Well if I didn’t have a pool already, I’d build one myself, if that’s what it takes.”

So, she wanted to see him without clothing...again.  And apparently his current lack wasn't enough.  He was half tempted to lose his boxers right then, but that would be when Storm or Donovan would show up.  And it seemed unfair since she was still clothed.  "I mean, I wouldn't need an excuse but I wouldn't want to displace Eli."

He enjoyed the view as she stretched, and he hoped that his own interest didn't show to obviously.  And unlike the last time, they were both sober.   That would certainly be a plus if he was in the mode to do something about it.  Or well, he was always in the mood, but at the moment, it wasn't Zia, no matter how much his body might enjoy the sight, that he wanted.

Nicholas rolled back onto his back and stared up at the clouds.  "Hot tubs are nice, get everything hot and flowing."  He paused, watching a cloud that looked like a dragon disappear into a larger mass.  "Sauna's on the other hand, who wants to be extra sweaty. That's not..."  He trailed off, some looked good sweaty, others just looked...sweaty.

"What did you think I was going to bring?"

Zia laughed and rolled her eyes. She kept smiling as she closed her eyes and basked in the sun while she imagined different party scenarios. Most ended with Zia locking lips with someone cute while friends laughed and drank in the background. She wondered briefly if any of her siblings would rat her out, but that seemed unlikely since she had kept her mouth shut when they did the same. It was an unspoken rule among siblings that you did not tattle about events involving intoxication.

"Saunas on the other hand... who wants to be extra sweaty? That's not..."

At this Zia rolled over and looked at Nicholas with raised eyebrows. "I can think of a time you very much enjoyed working up a sweat," Zia suggested. She admired his body, giving him the once-over before looking back at his face. She smirked and laid back down, then took a slow bite out of her peach.

She crossed her ankles and took another sideways peek at Bevans. By now Zia had completely forgotten what she had come outside for, and was instead having an inner-debate about Bevans' availability. Lately she had been seeing him with Peyton a lot, but was thoroughly confused about whether they were boyfriends. She could feel Bevans checking her out, and their conversation made little to no sense because they were flirting.

"And that was a lot of fun so," Zia added, "I think I disagree." She sat up and, having finished the peach, threw the pit into the lake. Then she turned to look back at Bevans and smiled at him.

M for Language

Nicholas let out a bark of a laugh, "Well yes, but that was different.  We didn't start out sweaty."  No, that time they'd both started out drunk.  And Zia more drunk than he had been.  That was before he had spent most evenings somewhere on a scale of tipsy to shit-faced.  Worse, now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure they'd never really talked about it since then.

The world kinda went to shit there not long after.  For both of them.  How was it they hadn't all ended up in some kind of group therapy.  Wait maybe Wizards didn't do that kind of thing.  He'd never really thought about it, and he certainly hadn't asked about it.  And no one had suggested it.

"Yeah, it was."  Better to return to the conversation than go down a path that only led to bad places. He was doing fine, but he still tried not to think to much about it.  He turned his head toward her, "I...."  Nicholas really wasn't sure what else to say about that night.  Maybe he shouldn't  have been flirting and checking her out.  "

Next time, you should try it sober.  I mean, drunk is fun and all,"  he laughed at the very idea of him telling someone not to drink.  Sure, he'd kept some of the younger Gryffindors from getting pissed, but he'd also given them the alcohol in the first place.  "Nevermind,  ignore me.  I mean, I've probably been drunk most of the times I've fucked around."

Zia thought about the night in question and smiled, stretching as a warm feeling ran through her. Since then she and Bevans hadn’t spoken much since that night. Plenty of people had heard about it, thanks to their being interrupted - but the news had come and gone through the gossip mill. Plenty of other things had happened since then.
 
She recalled that Bevans had been in the other group of kidnapped students and wondered how he was feeling about it. Zia had not talked much about it and did not know much about what had happened to the other group.
 
“Next time, you should try it sober. I mean, drunk is fun and all…
 
“Who are you and what have you done with Nicholas Bevans?” Zia joked. This certainly was not the sort of advice she would expect to get from her classmate. She hoped that he would not be offended that there had already been a ‘next time’ for Zia, and a few more since then. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
 
Nevermind,  ignore me.  I mean, I've probably been drunk most of the times I've fucked around."
 
Zia laughed. “It might be something you want to try out as well, then.” She shrugged and made a faux-scandalised face. Searching her mind for something to say next, Zia’s mind returned to thoughts of the kidnapping. There weren’t many other people who understood.
 
“D’you ever think about….” Zia looked at the lake. At one point it had been filled with blood, potentially their blood. “I mean….” She sighed and laid back down. “You were kidnapped too.” He definitely knew that. This had been such a dumb move. “I was just wondering if you…. Ever really think about it.”

Nicholas looked over at Zia and laughed at her suggestion.  "Oh, I have.  Many times."  Best to rip off the bandage, right.  "Peyton preferred me closer to sober." 

He was pretty sure the gossip mill should have done that, especially when neither of them had kept their hands to himself at the  party in the forest.  But while he  might still flirt with anyone who was breathing, he wasn't sleeping with just anyone at the moment.

But then the subject changed. To the one that had driven him to drink and smoke in excess for most of the term. It had also led to Peyton and him fooling around in the locker rooms. And classrooms and other places around the school.  Much better memories than the ones Zia was talking about.

He sighed and stayed silent for a while.  Nicholas was fine to talk about it.  He had with the counselor, with Peyton, and with Virgil.  Yes, he was fine to talk about it, but it was still hard.  "I try not to." 

He rolled onto his stomach and laid his forehead on his arms, hiding his face.  He breathed in the scents of the grass and dirt and lake through his robes.  His muffled voice snaked its way to Zia, "I had nightmares.  I kept going back to that room with the blood." He was thankful for the strong scents filling his nose, it didn't leave much room for the memory of the smells from that damned room. 

"Most nights I drank until I passed out. There was lots of gillyweed too.  And—other things."

"Peyton preferred me closer to sober." 

The relationship between Peyton and Nicholas made Zia so curious and filled with questions. This was her first opportunity to ask about it, but she didn't want to go overboard or seem really uncool so she kept it vague. "So you and Peyton huh?" She added a smile for good measure.

As she listened to him talk about the kidnapping she stayed quiet. She was lying on her back and bent her knees (any passing mermen would get a very exciting view) and looked out at the lake, watching the lake sparkle as it moved. Nicholas' story was one she recognized.

"Most nights I drank until I passed out. There was lots of gillyweed too.  And—other things."

It was odd to see Bevans talking so shamefully about drinking and smoking. She rolled over to match his position but rather than bury her face, she looked at him.  Zia admitted quietly, "Me too." It had been bad after Ronaldo died, but after that weekend she felt like a walking corpse. 

"My hair won't turn pink anymore. It washed out with all the..." she trailed off and hoped Bevans could figure out what she meant. She really missed her pink hair sometimes. Although she knew it was probably more mature to have a natural hair color, the pink hair had been her Thing. She stuck out in a crowd, namely gatherings with a dozen dark-haired Italians.

"Yep,"  Nicholas answered.  "You knew I was bi right?   I mean, I've never been shy about it."  For that matter, he was pretty sure he hadn't been shy about anything in a long time. Certainly not where his interests were concerned.

He kept his head down when Zia talked about the change in hair color after the kidnapping.  It seemed like such an inconsequential thing to Nicholas, but she'd been through the same crap he had.  And it obviously meant something to her, she'd had it for years. Though in his opinion she was hotter without it.

"I miss Henry.  He was...It doesn't."  He took a deep breath and turned his head to look at Zia.  "I think your hair looks great without the pink."