But We Are Worlds Apart

Noah's pout returned, but he continued along with the potion making. Soon, his pout was dropped, and he hummed and whistled while working. These steps were easy, really, and incredibly boring. Still, though, he remained attentive. Soon, class was finished, and they went on their merry way.

|fast forward to Saturday morning|

When Addison woke up on Saturday she already had her outfit in mind. Normally, she'd use Hogsmeade to show off her better clothes, but she was going to go simple this time, so as to not give Noah any more ideas than he'd already given himself. Digging in her trunk she pulled out some jeans and a shirt (click the tannish one for the right color). Then she dug under her bed for her flats which were probably the least simple thing about her outfit. She ran a brush through her hair, leaving it down, and headed up to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Noah woke up smiling. He never thought about clothes when all he needed were his robes and now he was faced with a dilemma: what to wear to impress the girl. Settling on a plain grey t-shirt under a long sleeved zip-up, he pulled on his lucky boxers and favorite jeans. Slipping into his loafers, he stopped only for a moment to brush his teeth, comb his hair, mess up his hair, and apply deodorant.

Then, off to breakfeast. And soon after that, Hogsmeade. Noah winked at himself in the mirror before going down the stairs.

Just as Addi reached the top step to the entrance hall she had a thought. It was probably a little chilly outside due to the season, so she headed back down the stairs to grab a sweater from her trunk then headed back up. She walked in the Great Hall and sat down right in the middle of her friends as always.

Noah wouldn't have normally glanced over at the Slytherin table, but he was anxious to see Addi. He had been doing that a lot lately, and knew exactly where she sat. She looked great, though that was hardly a surprise. Muggle clothing suited her... but probably not as well as no clothing did. 'Bad thoughts, Noah!' his mind chimed, and he smirked, before making his way to his table and sitting by his friends. Greeting them warmly, he glanced down. There was a letter, with a familar stamp on the front. Noah felt his smirk go grim as he reached for the letter. 'This can not be good.'

Addi sighed slightly as she took a bite from a blueberry muffin. Her friends really exasperated her sometimes, but she supposed she loved them all the same. They'd been friends since childhood after all.

Noah read the letter quickly, keeping his face blank. Inside, he was a turmoiled with anger. It was from his father, of course. And of course the letter detailed how displeased Senior St. James was with Noah's grades. "It's your last year," the letter said. "You need to get on it. I won't stand to have a loser for a son." The letter also detailed about how Lizza was doing at his age. Much, much better, of course. Star pupil, beloved, and Head Girl. Noah was not Head Boy. Noah did not have teacher's sending him gifts. Noah was not popular.

Noah crumpled his paper, before beginning to eat. The letter had certainly dampened his mood, and he was in need of some distraction.

Addi finally just decided to ignore her friend's drama. It was just giving her a headache right now, as it was far too early in the morning to be yammering on like some incessant chatty bird or something. She frowned holding her muffin with one hand, the other messing with the tips of her hair.

Noah continued to eat like nothing was wrong. He wondered if he had time to go on his broomstick, but he didn't have time. It was 10:30 already, and he was meeting Addi at noon. Walking down to Hogwarts took at least 30 minutes, plus he had to hang with the friends for a while, else they would get suspicious. No time for venting on a flight, unfortunately. He continued to eat his eggs and potatoes.

Slowly, Addi's friends started to get upset by her shrugs and hm answers. One of them even went so far to get her proper opinion that they nudged her slightly, as if trying to get her to pay attention more, but she was seriously not in the mood, which she told them. They just wanted her undivided attention anyway since she had told them the night before she would not be hanging out with them in the village.

Noah talked with his friends and ate a little more before checking his watch. It was now a quarter to eleven, and with everyone finishing up he and his group of friends made their way out of the great hall. He couldn't resist glancing one last time at Addi as he left, smiling at her uninteresting expression. His smile did not go unnoticed. One of his better friends, Matt, nudged him.

"You're always so happy lately, man." He commented. "What's up?" Noah shrugged him off, punching him in the shoulder. "Nothing." was his elaborate reply. And with that, the discussion was over.

"Guys," Addi finally said, almost completely fed up, "look, we can hang out in the common room for a little bit, okay? Is that enough of a compromise?" Begrudgingly, her friends agreed to the terms with sulky nods that made Addi almost smile.

The walk down to Hogsmeade was playful. The group of boys laughed and pushed each other around, enjoying the weather, freedom, and their own youth. Noah already had a vague outline in his mind of how the day would go. He would hang out with his friends, making sure to steer them away from his meeting place with Addi. A bit before 12, he would disappear, and meet her. Simple plan, and probably simply done. They were in a big group, and it wasn't hard nor uncommon for someone to vanish.

Addi hung out with her friends in the common room for a little while after breakfast, to placate them that way, and then they headed out as a group for the village. She would simply excuse herself around the meeting time, saying she wants to go off on her own for a while. No one would contest her. They never did. And she did it often enough that it wouldn't be suspicious.