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chapter thirty five | moving on?

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"OK - I know I'm technically supposed to say you were good because I'm your boyfriend," said Fred, once Kaya had returned to her friends after a very long round of Hufflepuff tryouts. "But, you were actually really fucking good. Like, I'm not even gonna lie, or take the piss,"

"Softie," George muttered. Kaya grinned.

"I know," she said. "You'll be shitting yourself when you have to play against me!"

"Um - hold on, love, I said you were good, not scary," Fred raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, I don't think the words 'Kaya' and 'scary' will ever fit together, to be honest," Lee nodded. "No offence,"

"You think I can't be scary?" Kaya frowned. "I can be scary!"

"No, you can't," said Jaeden. "Apart from the time you punched that boy in our first year for being a prat to Maisie,"

The twins and Lee exchanged baffled expressions.

"It's a long story," said Kaya, before they could say anything.

"The fuck kind of fights do first years have?!" Lee pulled a face. "What did he do, tell her she was a bum?"

"K gave him a black eye," said Jaeden. "In all fairness, he had it coming,"

Kaya smiled awkwardly, and Fred grinned down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hm, how come I haven't met feisty Kaya yet, then?" he said, giving her a playful tickle on the ribs, causing her to jolt with surprise and let out a yelp.

"Because you haven't given me a reason to be a bitch, yet. And you haven't seen me play Quidditch. Or get really angry."

"Right,"

"I bet you're not that feisty," George teased, as many figures dressed in scarlet red robes began to emerge onto the pitch. "All bark and no bite, guaranteed,"

"You can bet all you want, Weasley," said Kaya.

"In all fairness, you're not really," said Milo. "Like - you're pretty chill with everything unless someone does something really bad. Then you get scary,"

"I'm just trying to picture Kaya being scary or firey," said Lee. "But I really can't see it,"

"Yeah, alright Lee," Kaya playfully rolled her eyes, before the group turned their heads to see all the Gryffindors piling onto the pitch.

"Shouldn't we... get going?" Milo asked the twins, who merely shrugged.

"Give it a moment," said Fred, trying to make out who was trying out for the new positions. "Is that... no way, is that Ronniekins?"

George's eyes flickered to where Fred was gazing at, and a mischievous grin crept up on his face.

"It is!" he said.

"I thought you knew?" Lee frowned. The twins shook their heads, giving him a questionable look. "Oh, well Mads was on about it the other day. She's going for Chaser - look, there she is,"

"She'll definitely get it," said George.

"Um - what?"

"Chaser. She'll get it,"

"Oh, yeah," Lee nodded. "Most likely. I told her if she didn't I'll put my tarantula on her pillow when she's asleep, so she probably will. I want to be able to commentate her playing, it'll be hilarious,"

"Why?" Milo said, letting out a laugh. Lee shrugged in response.

"Funny,"

"That's lovely," said Kaya. "You know, I feel so sorry for people like Ginny and Maddie who have to have you three as older brothers," she nodded to the twins and Lee.

"Well, I feel sorry for Alfie and Jeremy having to have you two as older siblings," said George, gesturing to Kaya and Jaeden.

"Since when was I involved in this?" Jaeden frowned. "I didn't even say anything!"

"Yeah, but they're not lying, are they?" Kaya grinned.

"Not about you, no,"

"Oi!" a female voice called, and everyone turned their heads to see Angelina Johnson marching over, her eyes fixed on the three Gryffindor players. "What do you three think you're doing, eh? We're already down a player since Harry's got detention with that pink pig, you lot wanna get a move on,"

"Sorry, Angie," Milo grinned, hopping off his seat to stand next to the girl.

Angelina's eyes landed on Jaeden, and she stared at him for a second with an unreadable expression - perhaps she wasn't comfortable with having a Slytherin at Gryffindor tryouts. Kaya wasn't good at reading people, so who knows what that girl was thinking? Angelina quickly turned back the twins, soon after, and raised an eyebrow.

"Ooh, sorry Angie!" Fred mocked, putting on a high pitched voice as he and George picked up their brooms off the floor and stood up.

"I don't sound like that!" Milo defended.

"You do, a bit," said Jaeden, with a grin. Milo flipped him off.

"We'll see you all in a bit," said Angelina, nodding to the rest of the group, before turning away and dragging the three boys away with her. "We've got loads of players to get through, this year..."

"Bless her," said Kaya. "She looks stressed. I tell you what, I don't envy these captains,"

"OK, but you're Head Girl, you have to put up with much more than that," said Jaeden. "You have to patrol 'till like... two in the morning, some nights,"

"Well - I'd rather monitor prefects, patrol and help out first years than have to deal with miserable people pissed off because they didn't get their position. Not to mention having to judge different people for certain positions. No thanks,"

"She's got a point," Maisie nodded. "No wonder Smith is Hufflepuff's captain, he's very judgemental,"

The four murmured in agreement, before they fell silent, watching the tryouts with interest as they began.

Fred and George spent pretty much the entire time beating Bludgers for the fun of it, whilst Angelina and the rest of the Gryffindor team (minus Harry) actually took note on those trying out.

And so, Kaya and Maisie would watch the twins, making comments and laughing as they messed around - before calling over to Milo and giving him their support. Lee was shouting every now and then to his sister, who was next to Milo most of the time, considering she was trying out for the same position.

And, as usual, Jaeden was obsessing over Alicia.

"Look how fast she is!" he said in awe, watching the girl fly around on her broom. "She's amazing,"

Kaya sighed.

"Oh, look, time for another Alicia update!" she said mockingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaeden frowned.

"Nothing, just because nobody gives a shit about your weird obsession with a girl who clearly doesn't like you, doesn't mean to have to bring her up every forty seconds!"

"Don't be a dick," Jaeden defended. "I don't bring her up that much!"

"Yeah, you do," Kaya nodded.

"Oh, pardon me for having a crush!"

"Ooh, crush!" Kaya mimicked in a high pitched voice, causing her to receive a whack on the shoulder from the Slytherin boy. Lee laughed.

"In all fairness, Jae," he said. "In the nicest way possible, I think you should just move on,"

"Thank you, Lee," Maisie chimed in. "He never listens to us!"

"Like - if she doesn't like you, there's gonna be someone that does,"

Jaeden frowned even more.

"At the end of the day, it's her loss, mate, if she doesn't like you," said Lee. "Who else is there? Let me think..."

"Katie Bell, in the year below?" Kaya suggested, scanning the current pitch of Gryffindors as though trying to pick a love interest for Jaeden out of them. He crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Ooh, what about Angelina?" Maisie said, to which Lee nodded, his face brightening up.

"Yes!" he said. "I can definitely see that!"

"I thought she was getting with George?" Jaeden frowned.

"What?" Lee pulled a face. "No - they've always been just mates. Her, and me, and the twins,"

"Oh,"

"So?" Kaya raised an eyebrow. "What about Angelina?"

Jaeden's eyes flicked between the three with a straight face, before he said,

"No!" he stood up. "I don't wanna get with anyone else. I'm not just gonna click my fingers and fancy someone like that, it's got to mean something," the boy rambled, climbing down from the stands, and slowly beginning to walk away.

"Oi!" Kaya called after him. "Where you off to?"

"For a piss!"

"Charming," she muttered, turning back to Lee and Maisie.

Milo didn't quite make the team - yet he seemed to be the most unbothered of the group of Gryffindors denied, walking back with a wide grin to his friends, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst those sulking. Kaya wished she had even a quarter of his natural positivity.

Although, when they'd asked him, he'd told them he wasn't too hung up on it, anyway.

"I dunno, I didn't really like playing Chaser as much as I thought I would," he said. "Keeper was better, but...eh..." he trailed off, before frowning. "Where's Jae?"

"In the little boy's room," said Kaya.

"Alright?" said Fred, as he and George practically strutted over. Everyone greeted them with what sounded like a weird hum.

"So?" Fred continued, turning to Kaya. "How were we?"

Her lips curved upwards for a second, before pretending to frown in thought.

"Meh," she said. "You were alright..." she added a teasing glance. Fred raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he said. "Only alright?" he bent down to where Kaya was sitting, and she panicked.

"No-" she said, letting out a giggle and trying to back away, as Fred extended his arms towards her waist.

"Only alright?"

"No- Freddie- I-" she cried through laughs, as the boy picked her up like she was nothing, and flung her over his shoulder like a sack of spuds. "Fred!"

"Thanks, K, thanks," he grinned, turning his head over his shoulder to see her reddening face now hanging over his back.

"Fred!" she tittered. "Put me down-"

"Nope!"

"Please?"

"Nope!"

"Ha!" A voice cackled, as Jaeden reappeared. "K, your face blends in with Fred's robes!"

"Thank you, Jaeden," she said, as they began to walk. "Okay, but, Fred - can you actually put me down?"

"...Meh,"

"What if I told you, 'you're the best Beater in the world'?"

"Oh, I already know that," he replied, grinning at her mischievously.

"What if I told you that..."

This continued until the group were well into the halls of Hogwarts, Fred enjoying the fun of Kaya's desperate tactics for being put down, Milo chatting enthusiastically with Lee and George about who made the Gryffindor team, and Maisie still pushing Jaeden about getting over Alicia.

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"What is wrong with some of the teachers at this school?" said Kaya.

It was a rare occasion where she and her friends made an appearance at the library - they already had many essays to complete, and Maisie even had a test from Snape to revise for. And, since it was the year of their N.E.W.Ts, they supposed they'd better get it together. Although, Maisie and Milo were the only ones at the moment actually putting the effort in.

"Huh?" Milo looked up from his book of Arithmancy.

"I mean, giving us all these essays in the first term. Who do they think they are?"

"Twats," Maisie nodded. "And Snape? He's even worse. It's one thing to give us a random test, but to spring it on us when we only have the weekend to revise? Student cruelty, I'm telling you,"

"Shouldn't have taken Potions," said Kaya, her eyes flicking back to her Muggle Studies homework, figuring out how on earth she was going to put into words how a Kettle works.

"Yeah, well I've got a smell test coming your way," said Jaeden with an evil grin. Maisie's eyes widened.

"Well, I don't want to smell it, Jaeden-!" she whined, as the Slytherin began to waft his arm towards them, as though pushing the air their way.

Kaya and Milo paused and frowned for a second - before all three reacted at the same time, letting out cries and gags as a revolting smell filled their nostrils. Kaya lifted her jumper over her nose.

"That stinks, you scruffy bastard," Milo said, shooting Jaeden a disgusted look. Maisie turned away, coughing.

"Jae, what the fuck has gone into that?" Kaya hollered. "Have you been eating stink pellets?!"

Jaeden was in a great laughing fit.

"You need to see a bowel specialist," said Kaya.

"Oi, oi!" Lee greeted with a grin as he walked over, before his jolly expression crumbled. "Oh my god, Jae, you need to go to the toilet,"

"How'd you know it was me?"

"I dunno, yours always has a funny smell,"

"I can't believe we're just casually talking about farts," said Maisie, pinching her nose. "Lee, why are you in the library? Walk into the wrong room?"

"No, I'm meeting the twins here," he said, drawing a chair to their table. "Not for studying," he added, noticing everyone's baffled expressions. "They need to design stuff and work out different ways to test their products on people for the joke shop, but Hermione'll bollock them and write to their mum if she finds out,"

"Oh," Kaya said, nodding. "Yeah, that makes sense,"

"Well, if they bring stink pellets, or dung bombs, or something like that, and make the library reek even more, then I might cry. I can't cope," said Maisie, giving Jaeden another dirty look.

"Same here," Kaya muttered, shooting the brunette Slytherin across from her the same scowl as her red-headed friend.

He snickered.

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A/N: I can't believe I wrote an actual scene where Jaeden pisses everyone else off by stinking the place out? Am I OK?

But anyway, we need to find Jae a bae. Haha, that rhymed.

Despite that, I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought!

<3