keep your head up, princess

“I want to say I should have carried on travelling. But if I had, I’d have completely missed my chance to get onto this course. Hopefully things just calm down.” Xavier looked between their drinks. “Taste buds lost their appetite?” he questioned, frowning softly.

She pouted, slightly. “Maybe a little. After everything that’s been going on, I’m just not myself.” Lottie looked up at him, giving a small smile. “But tell me about traveling, though. Sounds exotic, exciting and a lot happier than this.” 

Emmie wiped off the last of her tears and smiled at her friend as she hugged her back tightly. She had gotten tossed away from everyone she knew somehow in the chaos and had found refuge in the shadows of an alley. As it was, Lottie was the first person she knew was okay. 

“I’m fine. Little shaken I suppose, but all together okay.” She nodded, smiling brighter to reassure her. “How are you? I got pushed down in the start and ended up losing everyone too.”

“I don’t kill people,” he insisted because he didn’t. Just because he was apart of them, didn’t mean he believed in killing people- killing Lottie’s cousin. “No- I don’t know,” he said, putting his head in his hands. He dropped his hands and shook his head, “You don’t mean that.”

“Nik, that might be so, but you’re associated with people who do.” Tears were rolling down her cheeks. “You support the people who killed him. That’s what you’re saying to me by...” She gestured to the mask and looked at him. “You’re my best friend.”

“I guess it could have been worse. At least no one was killed,” Xavier said, sitting across a the table at the Leaky Cauldron with Lottie. He was discharged that morning with the all clear. His eye was going to be fine, just a scratch to treat and keep clean. “Did you read school has been postponed too? There’s gonna be a lot of questions asked.”

@charlottexogoldstein

@lxttle-lxght

Nikolai sputtered, “What? No, I wasn’t there! How could you even think that?” he shook his head. “I didn’t kill him either if that’s what you’re thinking,” he snapped. He rand his hands through his hair. Merlin, how could he even snap at Lottie, but he was a mess of emotions. “I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s..it’s the right thing to do, okay? I have to. But I would never hurt you. You have to believe me.”

Nikolai felt his nerves relax for just a moment when Lottie was safe. When she looked scared to see him that’s when Nikolai realized his mistake. He had come up to her with his mask on. He put his hands down awkward when she stepped away. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “This isn’t..this isn’t what it looked like. Lottie, please.”

“How else is it supposed to look? Why would you...Nik.” The shouts of everyone running through the alley faded away as she looked at him. It was like none of it was even happening. What mattered was she couldn’t process Nikolai standing in front of her, holding that mask. “They killed him,” she said quietly, after a moment of just staring. “You didn’t...did you know? Were you there?”

Nikolai stumbled his way through the alley as people pushed past him, citizens and Death Eater’s alike. Citizens because they were scared of him and the Death Eater’s thought he was on their side. What was worse was that he hadn’t checked on anyone since the lights when out at midnight. Nikolai had no idea if his friends were okay. 

“Lottie,” he said, a picture of her popping in his head. He pushed against everyone’s shoulders. “Lottie!” he yelled, not even knowing where she was, if she was around. He could barely recognize his own voice, his mask distorting it. When reached out putting his hands on her shoulders when he found her in an empty alley way. “You’re okay,” he said. “Don’t freak-” He tore off his mask. “It’s me.” 

@charlottexogoldstein

“Hey, you’re not alone,” Rayna pouted at her friend, hooking an arm around hers. “Come on, we’re both strong independent women who don’t need a man, or woman in that case, to make us happy. Let’s get shots!” she added, grinning brightly.

Lottie giggled and nodded at her friend. “You’re right.” She followed her inside, shaking her head. “But you know I don’t hold my alcohol well, so whatever crazy things I do beyond this point is totally your fault.”

“You’re kidding. There’s no way that happened.” She paused. “Alright… maybe there is. Forgive me if I’m a little incredulous as I had to spend most of Christmas with my very dramatic uncle who says nothing true ever.”

@charlottexogoldstein

“The shirt can’t really be that bad,” He paused. “Can it?” 

“It’s a horrible shade of brown with green polka dots. Hold on, honey. I’ll show you.” She pulled out her phone and flipped through the pictures, pausing when she got to the sweater in question. Lottie turned it so he could see. “Yes, my dearest. It can be that bad.”

“I’m glad we don’t. This stuff is totally uncomfortable for every day wear.”

“Had to find something to complain about, didn’t you,” she smirked. “You and your brother sometimes, I swear.”

“Right? Everything is amazing and you look incredible! This decade was made for you!”

“Aw, thank you! You look amazing too, but you always look adorable.”

“You could always re-gift it to someone else!” Hugo thought for a moment, “Or you can even just wear it whenever you see her next.” 

“Oh, honey. I wouldn’t be that mean to anyone by re-gifting it to them. It’s  so completely horrible,” she giggled, shaking her head. “That’s not a bad idea, though. I’ll only wear it when she comes to visit - but only when she comes to the house to visit, because I might be a Hufflepuff, but I’m not Hufflepuff enough to wear that thing outside where people can see me just to be nice.”

“Well you definitely steal the show, Lottie. You look amazing. It’s like this style was made for you.”

“I feel like you have to say that, but thank you. If I got my hands on a Time-Turner, I’d definitely go back to the 20′s.” She scrunched her nose. “Does it even work like that? Oh well, whatever.”