To make it alone or keep a straight face.

A lot had changed lately.
Aaron had once been a renowned player, well-liked by the ladies. He was still a player, yes.
However, it just was not with the ladies.
Aaron had realized that his interests were more in a gender more familiar.
He was gay.

__________________________________________

Aaron was surprised to find out that there would be a new transfer student into Hogwarts. That did not happen very often. Apparently, the new student was from America, from some magical school there that he had never heard of before. More importantly, he would be rooming with Aaron, and since Aaron was the student he was, he had been recruited to "introduce young Aiden to the community here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

In other words, he would be playing babysitter to a newbie from America.

He was set to arrive that day, so Aaron went to wait for him outside Dumbledore's office, where he was set to arrive via portkey.

Aiden was quite nervous and he honestly didn't want to change to Hogwarts for a little while. But, his parents had all but forced him to and he couldn't really tell no because he wanted to stay with his boyfriend. That wouldn't have gone over well at all and he probably would have ended up disowned or something.

So, he'd gone along with it and after a really upsetting see you soon session with Dodge he'd left to go to the other wizard school, face still a tad red from crying over how he wouldn't see Dodge for like a month at all.

Aaron waited. He was getting rather impatient. The kid should have been there by now. Why was he not here? Aaron was not nervous that anything had happened--he did not know the kid. He just wished he would hurry his probably abnormally large American butt over here already, so that Aaron could move on with his life.

Aaron secretly hoped he was cute.

Ai hated portkeys. Really he did. He hated most means of travelling really, but he had no choice as he appeared in Hogwarts, just barely crying again and hating it already.

Aaron heard someone crying from Dumbledore's office. Sounded like the new kid was here, then. Aaron sighed. He was a seventh year, so he was not going to be some wimpy 11-year-old prat. Apparently, though, this kid did not have much substance to him, if he was already homesick. That was kind of pathetic.

Oh well. Aaron would wait and see what he was like before he passed judgment.

Aiden straightened himself out, wiping off his face and stopping his sniffling. It wouldn't do to walk around crying the day he got there. But, he really didn't want to be there at all. Where he wanted to be was in Dodge's arms or leaning against him or something like that. Ai sighed, looking at the door that would lead to the rest of the school, slightly afraid of it.

Aaron prepared himself as he waited for the foreign exchange student. He really did not feel like showing this kid around. He had far better things to do. But oh well. He would just put up with it until he could ditch him with someone else.

He was stuck with him for at least a week, though.

Once he was sure he was completely calm, Ai walked toward the door to the room, placing his hand on the door lightly, trying to convince himself to turn the handle and open it. A moment later, he did so.

Aaron took back every negative thing he said about the kid.

Because he may have sort of been a titch cute.

Okay, that was a lie. He was really very attractive, in an odd sort of way. He did not seem to know he was very attractive, from the way he held himself, but anyone else could tell. His eyes were a bit red and puffy, which reminded Aaron of the fact that he had just been crying... maybe he had someone he was leaving behind.

That never stopped Aaron before, though.

"Hello there," Aaron said, putting on his winning smile that won just about anyone over. He looked trustworthy. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Aaron, and you must be Aiden. Nice to meet you!"

Aiden jumped back about a foot when Aaron was right there all chipper and accent-y and all that jazz. "U-um," he stuttered. "Yeah."

Aaron noticed the "deer in the headlights" expression on Aiden's face and backed off a bit. "Nice to meet you. Wanna see the school, or do you want to go to the dorm for some adjustment time? I'm sure it is not easy for you."

"E-either way is good," Ai muttered, trying not to seem like a bother since Aaron didn't seem to particularly want to be there.

Aiden seemed distrustful of Aaron's motives. Aaron sighed. "It's really up to you. You seem a bit tired and slightly shell-shocked. What's up, if you don't mind me asking? You seem upset."

Aiden shrugged. "I just...I already miss someone really important to me is all," he said, looking down and missing Dodge all over again.

Darn. He was probably taken.

Aaron grimaced, but to anyone who did not know him, it looked almost sympathetic. "That really sucks. I'm sure you can still talk to them, though, right? And before you know it you will be back together again, I'm sure of it. Time goes by faster than you think."

Ai shrugged. "Totally not the same though," he said. "I'm used to seeing him every day."

"him"
He was gay, too, then?
This just kept getting better and better.

"I'm sure you'll adjust. Things get better, I promise. We're not all that scary, here. I promise that I generally do not bite."

"I don't like change," Aiden said, just a little annoyed that Aaron kept going on about how things would be nice and better and good.

Aiden looked upset, and seemed to be getting a bit annoyed. Aaron did not understand what the kid's problem was, but he looked so adorable upset that he did not really mind. "I understand. I am not a big fan of change either. How long are you here for?"

Ai shrugged a little. "No one was really clear on how long, actually. I think it was a month or two. I'm not too sure. It'll probably be however long my parents want me gone since they're all important to SAS."

SAS. That was his school, right?

"So, tell me. What is SAS like? I've heard it mentioned, but I have never been there. What do you like about it?"

"It's different than here, that's for sure....Do you guys really not have Muggle subjects that are taught here?

Aaron shook his head. "So you do, then, at SAS? That is actually kind of cool. I do not know much about muggle studies. I grew up in the muggle world, but not in the kind of setting where I would be going to school with the muggles." He left it at that. Aiden did not need to know his history quite yet.

"Yeah, we have muggle classes there," Ai said, looking around. "They're mixed in with the wizarding ones."

"What is your favorite muggle class," Aaron asked, genuinely curious.