The Flood

I woke up as Anna closed the door; I feel asleep soon after she got here I’m still way tired from the potions they give me. I heard the door open, I don’t know who it is, and I don’t want to talk to anyone right now. I heard the chair move closer to the bed, I’m glad I’m facing the other way.

“Nyx? Are you asleep still?” I head Austin’s voice from behind me, I don’t want him to see me here not like this. “I guess so, but uhm I have some stuff to tell you. I guess I need to tell you know or you’ll never know. Well first is that I like you; I’ve been thinking it over a lot. And I do, but I don’t know how to tell you. I don’t want to rush you into to anything though, not until you’re ready. I’m not going to do anything about it, because right now you need me as a friend more than anything, you don’t only need me but Alan, you sister, Vic and Teddy, You’re parents, Ang and Bobby. And we need you too, we all care about you a lot, Tino, Phil and Shayley are freaking out with worry because you’re here and they can’t come see you, but Tino and Phil don’t have to wait long to see you because you’re coming on tour with us until you start your job, which brings me to my second thing.” He took a deep breath. “I’m pretty sure you know what hospital we’re at, St. Mungo’s, muggles can’t get in here. So that means I’m not one. I’m magic too; I don’t know why I haven’t told you yet. It was idiotic to keep that from you. But both Tino and Phil know. Tino has family that is magic on his mom’s side. So we all know, and some other people do, but that’s for them to tell you about. But I guess I’m going to go now, Alan’s gonna be in here soon.” He got up and walked away. I don’t know how to process all of that, I mean the magic thing is cool, but the other part, I just need to sleep on it. Right when I was almost asleep the door opened.

The person was walking toward me. By the fact that they’re getting in my bed it’s either Alan or Anna.

“Hey, I know you’re awake right now so just roll over.” Alan said. Of course it’s him; I rolled over and scooted up to him. “So, I know you don’t want to talk right now and I understand that, but I want you to know that I’m never leaving you again do you hear me? You are my best friend. You had me scared to death. And then I saw the note book, I hate that this is partly my fault. And don’t you dare say it isn’t. I hate that, so now until you start your job you’re going to stay with me, I’ve already talked to Healer Wood, you’re allowed to leave the hospital the day after tomorrow, you’re going on tour with me and as long as you check in with him every day for two weeks you’re good to come. But I want to know that I’m not leaving you. Do you understand?” I nodded. “Good, now let’s go to sleep.”

When I woke up I checked my bandages, the ones on my wrist are super thick and it itches. The ones are my leg need to be changed, so I turned around and oh hey there’s Austin. With muffins.

“Good morning.” He said. “I have muffins, do you want to wake up Alan or eat them now?” I held up a finger at him. I turned around and looked at the still sleeping Alan, I shoved him.

“What?” I pointed to Austin with the muffins.

“Oh sweet, muffins.” Soon we were all set to eating out muffins. “Austin has she talked yet?” Alan asked

“Nope not to me.”

“She won’t be talking for a few days, or at least until we’re out of the hospital”

I’m ignoring them; I have a nice warm strawberry one. When I was done with that one I looked in whatever Austin had in here there was one left. I wacked him on the shoulder.

“What was that for?” He asked. I pointed at the muffin. “No. Not until you at least speak to me.” I pointed at the muffin again. “Nope.” Then I looked at the muffin in his hand, hmm chocolate chip, partially eaten, looks pretty tasty so I leaned over and got it from his hands. “Hey that’s mine!!!!” I shrugged and ate it. “Alan make her give it back!!!” He whined.

“Dude, I can’t make her do that, you didn’t give her the one she wanted so she took yours.”

I shrugged, yum this is good. I’m enjoying it. Hmm. I want milk. I poked Alan.

“You want something?” I nodded. “You want milk don’t you?” I nodded again.

“Alright I’ll go get some.” He got up and walked out the door.

“How did he know you wanted milk?” I shrugged.

“You not talking makes having a conversation with you pretty hard.” I stuck out my tongue.

“But so did you know I was in here last night?” I shook my head no. What? I want to see if he’s going to tell me everything he did last night.

“Well, I guess I have to tell you again. Scoot.” I raised my eyebrow at him. “What, I want to be comfortable. Now scoot.”

I moved over as his got in the bed, glad I don’t have on those horrible gowns that they have here and I’m still in my normal clothes. “So back to what I was saying, I told you some stuff last night while you were asleep.” I poked him “Does that mean you want me to tell you?” I nodded at him. “Well, so yeah I’m just gonna be blunt and say it. I’m a wizard. Tino and Phil know about magic. I know what happened with Alan at Salem his last year there. Just so you know, I did want to tell you earlier, but I was a whimp.” I shrugged. “Really that’s all I get a shrug.” I nodded. His phone rang. He picked it up. “Hello? Yeah she’s awake. For now. Alright. I’ll her know.” Then he hung up. I looked at him. “That was your mom telling me that her, your dad, and Alan are going to get your Aunt from the airport. And Alan said he was sorry for not getting you milk.” I shrugged again. “Are you just not gonna talk at all?” I shook my head. I have my reasons for not talking. Fucking with Alan. “Why aren’t you talking?” I just gave him a look. “Okay. I’m just gonna tell you why I think you aren’t talking.” I rolled over to where I could trace his tattoo’s with my finger, starting with his fingers. “I think you aren’t talking because you don’t know how to answer the question how are you? You don’t want to deal with the constant hounding of people asking you how you are, why you did it, or anything pertaining to that. You don’t want to think about it, and I don’t want you to think about it.” By the time he finished saying all this I was crying and half way up his arms tracing the ocean theme that is tattooed on to his arm. “Am I right?” I shrugged, thing is. He is right. Too right, it’s kinda scary to be honest; the thing is I didn’t even know all that myself until he said it and I want to see how long it takes Alan to force me to talk. “Why won’t you look at me?” I had been avoiding his questioning gaze, but I’m crying and I don’t want him to see it. He lifted up my face to where I was looking at him. “Oh don’t cry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” I shook my head at him, that’s not why I was crying. “Are you going to tell me why you’re crying?” I shook my head and then curled up to his chest. Glad the tank top, which I don’t even know why he’s wearing one in October when he’s in England, exposed part of the tattoo on his chest which I am now tracing with my finger. There was no talking; just me curled up on his chest tracing his tattoos and him holding me. I do have to admit that it was so relaxing I feel asleep.

--Austin’s P.O.V—

Alan, Aunt Eliza, Tay, Alex, Ang, Bobby, Anna, and Harry walked in not five minutes after she fell asleep.

“She talked yet?” Alan asked as he just got right on the bed with us, so can someone explain how we are all fitting on this bed?

“No not yet, she fell asleep five minutes ago.”

“Did you tell her yet?” Anna asked.

“Tell her what?”

“Well first off that you like her, and second off that you’re magic.”

“I told her that I was magic…and wait how did you know?”

“I told them! Well about the magic, and Uncle Alex figured out that you liked her on his own.”

“I didn’t even tell you.”

“Well, you didn’t have to, if Alex can figure things out they aren’t usually hidden well.” Tay said.

I spluttered. Soon after they left to go get food with making Alan and I promise to call when she woke up.

“Dude, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, other than risking physical injury, I wasn’t going to tell you when I didn’t know for sure. Hell I’ve only just now been sure, and I have told her, just not when she’s awake. She doesn’t remember me coming in here last night and talking to her so she doesn’t really know yet. And I don’t want to rush her into that ya know. All this just happened, she needs all of us, as friends, not most of us as friends and me hitting on her every chance I get, she needs me as a friend right now, nothing else.”

“I understand where you’re coming from, but one: I wouldn’t have punched you. Two: Well after the two weeks of follow up with Healer Wood you have until the bucket list day to let her know yourself of I will do it for you. In the most embarrassing way possible.”

“You are a horrible best friend.”

“No, I’m the best friend attempting to talk my guy best friend into making moves on my girl best friend all of the sake of your happiness. And that makes me really weird.”

“You are really weird.” What’s it’s the truth. The dude has a voice in his head, or so he says and I think the fact that he randomly stares off into space with his expression changing every few seconds, which it’s doing now “Alan!”

“What?! Rupert was yelling at me!”

“Who the fuck is Rupert?”

“My mind voice.”

“Again, you’re weird.”

“I’ve never claimed not to be.” He shrugged. We sat in silence for about five minutes until there was a stretching girl beside me.

“Good morning start shine the Earth says hello!” Alan said. She just gave him a look.

“Time for us to call everyone to let them know you’re awake.” I pulled out my phone and dialed Anna’s number.

“She awake again?”

“Yeah she’s awake.”

“Good, Healer Wood’s just been talking to us we’ll be there in like a minute bye.” I got her attention. “So, you’re sister, you’re parents, Alan’s parents, Aunt Eliza, Harry and Healer Wood are on their way down here.” She rolled her eyes, I’m guessing she doesn’t like Healer Wood, but hey he saved her so the dudes ok with me, though I never have had a conversation with the dude.

“Ow! What was that for?” Alan shrieked as he fell off the bed. She sat up looked over the edge of the bed then looked at me.

“I’m getting up! No need to push me!” What she can be violent. She gets it from Alan. Her bag came flying from the floor on to the bed she stuck her tongue out at us flicked her fingers at Alan and I we were pushed somehow to outside of her bed area and the curtains closed themselves and turned to stone. Wow she’s good. Better than Mom was.

“She’s good.”

“You should see her when she’s pissed off and things start flying at your head. That’s always fun.”

“She did that?”

“Yeah, we were eating dinner one day. And that some dude that got her kicked out of transfiguration for ‘goofing’ off came up to her and tried to talk to her. Well, see she took one look at him, and things started launching themselves at his head. It was quite amusing. She surprisingly didn’t get in trouble.”

“And why was she pissed off she got out of transfiguration? When mom was teaching me magic at home that was the one thing I hated the most”

“Despite the fact that we were in detention for pulling pranks half of our time outside of class, but we did have the best grades for our year, and from what she tells me she was Head Girl at Hogwarts with Vic.”

“She told me that.” Writing appeared on the stone curtains.

‘I can still hear you dumbasses.’ It pretty half cursive half print.

“I know you can, but I’m still going to talk about you.” Alan shouted. “But anyways, yeah so you might want to duck.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.” Right after he said that and something flew over my head.

“That could have hit me!” I shouted. More writing appeared on the stone ‘That was the point now stop talking about me. Oh and you don’t have to shout. The stone isn’t that thick.’

“Whatever crazy woman” Alan said. “I told you to duck, but did you listen no. How come no one listens to me?” He asked as he leaned against the stone.

“Cause your ginger.” Right as I said that he fell through the now cloth curtains, Nyx was in some new bandages, Alan’s sweats pants and my shirt. Hey that’s where that shirt went!

“One, that’s my shirt, I was looking for that. Also, did you know that he was leaning against those?” I asked Nyx. She shook her head and gave me a look that said it was sheer luck. I laughed. Then the doors opened and in came everyone, first Tay, Alex, Anna and Eliza all tackled Nyx into a group hug. They all had curled up on the bed as Healer Wood walked in with Harry, talking about something to do with his Dad. Wait. I’ll just think about that later.

“Miss. Winterburn, I have talked with your parents, your sister, your aunt, and your best friend. And we have made the decision that instead of leaving tomorrow morning like originally planned, as of now you are released from St. Mungo’s under the conditions that you take these every day.” He handed her a list of stuff, “and you contact me either via owl post or mobile. I have your number as he” He pointed to Alan “gave me a list of numbers where you could be reached at any time, and he has my number so you can reach me when you need anything.”

“Sweet!” She cried out.

“SHE SPEAKS!” Alan and I shout at the same time.

“What she hasn’t talked to either of you?” Alex looked confused.

“Nope. I haven’t I was wondering how long it would take Alan to crack before he forced me too. He went most of the day without doing so.”

“Again?! Really?! I really need to start working these things out faster.”

“Why didn’t you speak to me?” I pouted.

“First: real manly with the pouting there, second: You two are usually around at the same time, so I just decided to go with it and mess with both of you.”

“That’s rude.”

“I do what I have to do.” She shrugged. “Well, I’m ready to get out of here. So uhm where am I going?”

“With us!” Alan and I shouted.

“What no fucking way?!” She shouted “Sorry mom.” She looked at Tay right as her mouth opened, probably to say something about her language.

“Yeah so get your stuff, we gotta leave soon if we’re gonna make bus call.” I said. She started getting her things ready, by that I mean stuff was flying around and into her bag.

“Oh so you’re just now showing Austin how things just kinda do what you want them to?” Tay asked

“Oh no, I had my bag fly up to the bed earlier shut the hangings and turned them into stone.”

“Nice one.”

“Then they were talking about me so something flew over the hangings and almost hit Austin. Which reminds me,” She looked at me. “Austin, duck.” I ducked this time as the shoe, huh that’s what that was, flew back over my head and into her bag.

“Thanks for the warning this time.”

“Well Alan did tell you to duck earlier and you didn’t listen.”

“Well, I see that I’m no longer needed here, Nyx pick up the potions at Miss Weasley’s desk as you leave.” Wood said as he started walking to the door.

“Which Miss. Weasley is this might I ask?” Nyx looked at him

“Roxanne Weasley.” He said as he exited the room.

“Sweet, Alan, Austin you get to meet Roxy! But I’m ready.” She looked up at us and we all started walking toward the door. We were like the front line of an army. Me, Alan, Eliza, Tay, Nyx, Alex, Anna, and then Harry all walking to the door like we were going to get through it at the same time. Outside of Roxy’s (I don’t even know who that is) office we said goodbye to Tay, Alex, Anna and Eliza. Anna and Eliza had a plan to catch and Tay had to get back to work.

When we walked into the office there sat a girl she looked kinda pissed so I stayed near the door.

“Venus Nyx Winterburn, one I’m pissed at you for scaring me half to death. Two, if you don’t call me at least once a day you’re dead. Three, who the fuck are these guys? Yes Uncle Harry before you say anything I know language.” Harry had his mouth open.

“Alicia Roxanne Weasley. One, I’m sorry for scaring you half to death. Two, I will most defiantly call you every night. Three, those guys are Alan, the ginger your dad like him cause that means he’s not the only one I out drink, the other guy is Austin. They will be taking care of me until I start work.”

“Roxy, sorry to interrupt this little session here, but I’ve got to get back to work soon, I’m passing something on from Nana Weasley, she said if you miss the next lunch at the borrow you’re getting disowned, also your mother wanted me to tell you that you need to call her before she has to come find you.”

“Alright Uncle Harry, I’ll call mum tonight and when’s the next lunch at The Borrow?”

“Two weeks from Saturday. Oh Nyx, Alan. You guys are invited too, and Austin as well.” Harry looked at me.

“Can we go?” Alan asked Nyx.

“We’ll see. Harry, I’ll call you and let you know if were coming and how many people we bring if we do come.” Harry gave Roxy a hug and Nyx a long hug kissed her forehead and left the office. I pulled out my phone and texted Tino ‘we’re gonna be there as soon as she gets her potions and things from the healer,’

‘Alright dude. See you guys. P.s. Bus Calls in ten minutes if you guys aren’t here you’re getting left.’

“Uhm. Nyx we’re going to have to go soon because bus call is like in 10 minutes and if we aren’t there we get left and that means we miss our show tonight and that’s not good.” I said.

“Oh shit! Alright.” She hugged Roxy got the bag of potions and we left the room. “So uhm how are we getting to the bus?”

“That would be me, grab my hand.” I held out one hand to her and the other to Alan he took it. She looked at me. “Oh just do it.” She grabbed my hand reluctantly and we apparated to the bus.

--Nyx’s P.O.V—

“So how long until you guys are back?” I asked. I had been on tour with them for the two weeks. It was nice, different, but I have Alan to talk to every day about the issues, Tino and Phil are great for comic relief, and Austin. Well he’s just Austin. But tonight is the first night that I’m staying on the bus for the show instead of watching it.

“We’ll be back as soon as everything’s loaded on to the trailer. And Tony said for you to call him, he has some things to tell you.” Hmm I wonder what that could be about.

“Alright. I’ve got to call Healer Wood and Roxy before that, so I’ll probably be on the phone when you get back.”

“Alright, you’ll be ok won’t you?” He asked me, eyes filled with concern, awe brotherly moment.

“Yes, I’ll be ok. Now go rock those kids’ faces off.”

“I will” He kissed my forehead and left the bus. The bus is so different with no one here. It’s quiet for once. Usually during the shows I help with merch but I chose to stay here tonight. I pulled out my phone and dialed Healer Wood’s number, who yes just as you though is Oliver Wood’s son. His oldest, apparently he wasn’t happy about him not playing Quidditch, at least this is what Harry’s told me.

“Hello?” He asked.

“Hey Healer Wood.”

“Oh Miss Winterburn, you called early.”

“I’m staying on the bus tonight instead of being at the show.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea Nyx. You need to be around people.”

“Mr. Wood, with all due respect it’s been two weeks, I start work at the beginning of the New Year, I’m going to have to face the fact that I won’t be around people like Alan and Austin forever. And I have to call Roxy and another person so I will be on the phone pretty much all night until they come back.”

“Well, I see you’ve thought this out. This is a good thing. So how has the depression been?”

“It’s been getting better, the potion on top of the muggle pill is working well, and the rubber band trick helps when I feel the urge to self-harm again. Alan has cut down to checking my bag for razors or anything of the sorts to only once every other day.”

“I’m glad that the things are working well for you. Just so you know we won’t have to have these conversations every night and we will move them to once a week. Does that sound good?”

“It sounds fantastic. But I have to go, I need to call Roxy.”

“Alright. I’ll speak with you this day next week.” And he hung up thank god, I mean the dude knows what he’s doing and everything, but god he’s just so, I don’t know what it is but he just irks me. Harry told me that his dad would do the same to me. I looked at the time, wow 10 minutes. That took a lot quicker than it normally does, but the calls have been getting shorter and shorter every day. Which I think is a good thing. I dialed Roxy’s number.

“Roxanne Weasley.” I said as I hear her answer the phone.

“Nyx! I was just about to call you, wait you’re normally at the show about this time.”

“I’m staying on the bus alone tonight. And before you call Healer Wood, he knows I just got off the phone with him and Alan checked every inch of the bus for anything before he left so there is no temptation.”

“You know me to well woman.” Roxy grumbled, she hates it when she doesn’t have a reason to yell at someone for not taking care of me. We started talking, not just about me, I can’t stand the conversations I have with some people, I mean please stop asking me how I’m dealing, why I did it, what I’m gonna do once work starts. It’s ridiculous. So you know what Roxy and I are talking about? She’s telling me about this new potion she’s working on, the one that was my idea, to help vocal cord damage.

“So right now I’ve got to back and rework the entire thing to make room for that one little firkin detail for the second strand of the potion.”

“So you’re telling me that because of the fact that some wizards are allergic to one of the secondary ingredients in the potion that you have to find one that will work just as well?”

“Yeah, and I don’t know how I’m going to do that.” She sighed.

“So has Uncle Kingsley sent you any new things to work on yet?”

“Yeah he actually did this morning. He sent me a list of Ministry affiliated business that is coming to our ministry from America that don’t understand what exactly my terms are. So I have to explain the fact that I’m just there for making sure the business will thrive, and do good for not only their company but for both Ministries and magical community of those countries alike. And Alexandria is getting annoyed at all these papers that she has to deliver to idiots.”

“You’re owl acts extraordinarily like you.”

“Professor Dumbledore told me last year that we were bonded and that she has powers.”

“Really? Did he tell you what they were?”

“Phffftt no. He said that Alex would have to reveal them to me on her own time, which she hasn’t done yet. Speaking of which here she comes now, I need to send off the report for the last companies that I had to explain everything out for to Kingsley before he has my head, and then I have to send a copy to Mr. Ervin to American Minister, that name reminds me of someone but I can’t think of who right now. Huh.”

“Well since you’ve got business to take care of and I think I just figured out my potion problem I’m going to hope off and go back to the office so I can work on this and see if it works.”

“Alright call me when you get in, if I don’t answer I’m asleep or on the phone. I love you.”

“I love you.” And she hung up. I finished up the paperwork and went to tie each one of to one of her legs.

“Alexandria, come here dear.” She hooted at me, awe my baby’s tired. I tied the letters to her leg. “I know you’re tired girl, so take a power nap then take the letters I’m giving you to Kingsley and Mr. Ervin for me”

Wait a second. Ervin, Erivn. “Bingo! That’s it! Fucking Mike’s drum tech’s last name is Ervin. Casey Ervin, and come to think of it there was an Ervin in the year above me at Salem. Odd. Oh shit I need to call Tony.” I shouted out loud, Alex looked at me like I was crazy. I stuck my tongue out at her and I dialed his number

“Nyx!!!” Tony answered his phone.

“Tony!!!” I replied, after getting out of the hospital I started talking to Steph more and by doing that I’ve gotten close with Tony, he’s a lot more expressive than I gave him for you just have to work it out of him, or get him drunk. That way’s usually the best easiest way. “So, I hear you have something to tell me. Is Steph preggers? Did you propose yet? What’s going on?” I said all this is a few seconds.

“One. Yes I have news to tell you, but I can’t tell you the news involving Steph because she’s threatened me I can’t even tell the guys.”

“I will call her tomorrow. But on with what you have to tell me.”

“So Nyx….” He paused. “Fuck this is a lot harder to just ease into this than I thought it would be. So just fuck it.”

“Spit it out Tony before I find you and force you to tell me violently.”

“Okay, okay. I graduated from Salem during your fourth year. So you know what that means.”

“Holy fuck! Does every firkin band have some magical person in it?”

“Yeah pretty much, because for us Casey’s Uncle is really big in the American Ministry, I think. Mike and Vic have cousin’s that are, and Jaime’s nephew is too. He just got his letter from Salem yesterday.”

“Okay, first ask Casey what his Uncle does. And keep him around”

“Alright.” Then I heard a muffled Cassseeeeyyyyy!!! Getting yelled across the bus he was on, then some mumbling. “He says his Uncles the American Minister.”

“His Uncle is one of my two bosses!!!!”

“What no shit? Hey Casey, your uncle’s Nyx’s boss.” I then heard a ‘No fucking way’

“Tony back to paying attention to me, second tell the rest of the guys they’re all losers cause I know you guys drew straws on who was going to tell me about this and that they can suck it cause I didn’t freak out. And then you are going to call Steph and I’m going to find out this news that I can’t know unless she tells me.”

“How about I call Steph in first and then I tell the guys?”

“Good idea, now hop to!”

“Alright hold on.” Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. That was Tony dialing Steph’s number expressed as I heard it, a bunch of beeps. Well seven but same difference. Then the ringing and Steph answered

“Steph! I have Nyx on the phone with us, she wants to know.”

“Tony! I told you not to mention anything to anyone!”

“Steph dear don’t get mad at him, I’m forcing him to do this cause I guessed that there was news about you and well I’m persistent so since he has no balls I told him to call you so you can tell me.”

“Well fine. But you can’t tell anyone!!!” Steph hissed

“Fine I won’t tell anyone not even Alan, so tell me!!! The suspense is killing me!!”

“Well, Nyx, first sit down. And Steph you’re going to have to tell her cause I’m pretty sure Vic and Jaime are outside the bunk trying to listen in” Tony said, then a muffled ow and then Tony telling them ‘get the fuck away from my bunk nosey asses.”

“I am sitting, actually I’m draped across the couch in the back lounge, it’s nice to have the bus to myself for a little bit where I can use my phone other than in my bunk. But I digress the news!!!”

“Nyx, Tony and I are engaged, and pregnant!!!” I fell off the couch.

“NO FUCKING WAY!!!!!!!”

“Yes way woman.” Tony said.

“Nyx did you fall off the couch?’ Steph asked.

“I might have but holy shit!!!! This is big. YAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!”

“Well, I sense a female freak out so I’m going to hang up so one of you females is going to have to call the other one.” Click.

Two seconds later my phone rang with Steph’s ringtone.

“I’m getting married, and I’m having a kid!!! Holy shit! How the fuck am I gonna do this, Tony’s out on tour a lot of the time how the hell am I supposed to raise a kid. Plan a wedding and FUCK why I haven’t thought about this yet.” Steph said in all the same breathe.

“Alright, Steph. One: You and Tony are going to be wonderful parents; he will make sure that you aren’t overwhelmed with the baby once he’s out on tour. Two; you’re not going to do this alone, hello I move back to SD in two months. You have me. We’re gonna figure this out.”

We spent the next hour on the phone planning everything out. Well what we could without Tony. Since apparently his input on the wedding is important or something like that. When we started talking baby stuff I heard a bang on the door.

“Nyx! Are you decent?” Austin shouted from outside.

“Yeah come in,” I shouted back “Hey! Steph! I’ll call you back tomorrow and we’ll talk more then I love you.”

“I love you chicka!” She hung up right as Austin walked in. I just now realized I’m still on the floor, what? I’m lazy and this is pretty comfy.

“Two things. One. Why are you on the floor? Two. Everyone else should be on the bus in like two minutes.”

“One: I can’t tell you it’s classified information. Two: Cool.”

“So what did you do tonight?” Austin asked as Alan and the rest of the guys walked in

“I talked to Healer Wood, I talked to Roxy, which she’s working on that potion for vocal chords I was telling you about she’s thinking she’s at a great point. I talked to Tony, sneaking bastard having gone to school with me and how the fuck did I not even notice that. But also found out that Casey’s Uncle is one of my two bosses, which is weird. And then I literally just got off the phone with Steph. So yupp that’s pretty much what I’ve done tonight.”

“Seems like you were on the phone all night?” Alan said as he walked over to us.

“Told you so.”

“So what did you and Steph talk about?”

“I cannot tell you that, as it is classified information.”

“That’s what you said when I asked you why you were on the floor.” Austin shook his head at me.

“So, I’m assuming why you fell off the couch is because of something Steph said.”

“I can’t tell you what she said, not my news to share.”

“Well, I say we go get something to eat. I’m hungry.” Austin said.

“I was gonna cook tonight?”

“TO THE STORE!!!” Tino yelled.

“That’s more like it.” Soon we were off to the store.

As the car pulled in the parking lot, I looked in the back seat to Tino and Alan, Austin was beside me. “So what do we want to eat?”

“I want real Mexican food!!!” Tino said.

“I’m good with whatever.” Austin said

“I’m with Austin.” Alan said.

“Well I guess it’s Mexican tonight. Tino how about tacos? Homemade tacos?”

“Sounds good to me.” We got out of the car went in and got everything. We went back to the bus. Tino and I started cooking, once everything was done we all got plates and we were all in the back lounge eating.

“So, are you cooking again tomorrow?” Phil asked.

“Why?”

“Because this is fantastic, since when can you cook?”

“Well combined with Aunt Eliza’s training and me helping her out, and having snuck into the Hogwarts kitchen and getting the house elf’s to teach me how to cook. So I picked up a few things.”

“Well this is fantastic.” Austin said around a mouth full of food. We kept talking and eating. As soon as everyone was done and I had all the dishes washed, Tino, Phil, Alan, along with the rest of the crew were asleep so that left Austin and I up.

We were laying on the couch in the back lounge now, I was facing him and he was facing me.

“That was some really good food.”

“Thanks” I smiled at him. “I’m exhausted, cooking comforts me so I get tired after I’m done.”

“Then go to sleep.”

“I’m about to, but I’m lazy and don’t want to move right now.” He got up then picked me up, “Hey! What are you doing I can actually walk ya know?”

“Yeah, but I’m being nice. So would you like to spend some more time with my generally awesome self or just go straight to bed?”

“I think I can deal with your arrogance a little bit longer.” I laughed at him. We got to my bunk and he sat me down, I pulled the curtain back and got my bag and started going through it. “So, I’m going to get changed.” I walked to the bathroom got changed into Austin’s shirt from Warped and a pair of sweats that are Alan’s, and brushed my teeth. When I started to go back out I had the door open but just enough for me to see out of, and I saw Austin had changed to, as he was now just in a pair of sweat pants. Dear god that boys hot as hell. The tattoo of the flowers somehow fit with the Eagle on his stomach, the Indian skull and the ‘must be this tall to ride’ tattoos. He had arm muscles to die for, his sweat pants were pulled down far enough to see the top of his underwear, which somehow he keeps getting several new packs of daily how I don’t even know when he’s always bitching about needing new shoes, anyways, but they were low enough to see those and that little v guys have near their hip bones. OK I need to snap out of this before he notices I’m staring at him. I walked out of the bathroom and plopped down on my bed. “So are you just gonna stand there and be all awkward or come sit over here I don’t bite… hard… unless provoked.” I had to keep adding to it because of the glare I was getting; he is clearly still upset over me biting him for trying to steal my food. He got in the bunk and lay down on the bed.

“So what are we going to do to pass the time until either I pass out or you go to your bunk?” I looked up at him. I was propped up on his chest now, one hand holding my head up and the other on my side.

“What all did you do by yourself today?” He asked.

“I already told you this.”

“You gave me the recap, I want details.”

“Fine, but after I tell you this you’re telling me about the show.”

“Deal.” He laughed at me.

“Well after you guys left I called Healer Wood, he said that since the two weeks is up but he’d still like to be informed of my progress so I only have to call him once a week now.” I beamed, what this is exciting news. It’s like being in detention for two weeks straight and having it shortened to once a week.

“That’s good.”

“The rubber-band thing helps; I only have to do it occasionally now. It gets worse when I can’t sleep.” Whoa. Where did that last comment come from? I don’t tell anyone about this but Alan and occasionally Healer Wood.

“Why can’t you sleep?”

“I don’t know. It’s hard not to notice the fact that I don’t sleep at night most of the time. The fact that I’m tired right now and it’s only 1 a.m. surprises me. I’m not usually anywhere near tired until about 8 in the morning.”

“That’s not a lot of sleep.”

“That’s not even the half of it. I usually go to sleep around 8 and wake up around 11 maybe 12 if I’m lucky.”

“That’s brutal. How do you run on three to four hours of sleep a day?”

“I just don’t sleep much. If I sleep longer than that I’m too tired to do anything, and any less it’s the same situation. If I go to sleep now I’ll wake up at four or five. So I don’t need to sleep right now or I’ll just wake everyone else up cleaning. “

“So that’s how the bus is always clean now.”

“Yeah, I would come in and vacuum if I could without it waking everyone up. I’ve figured it out that if I actually do something when I can’t sleep when I do sleep it’s more restful even if it is for a short period of time.”

“Well, after you got off the phone with Healer Wood what did you do?”

I'm glad for the change in subject. “I called Roxy, she was telling me about her potion, she says that there’s a secondary ingredient in it that a tester, had a severe allergic reaction to it so she has to go through and find a thing that works just as well with the rest of the ingredients in the potion, and doesn’t change the properties of it too. Which apparently is pretty hard, she thinks she’s on the verge on finding something. After we go off the phone I finished up my paperwork, and then sent it to Mr. Ervin and Kingsley. Then the fact that Casey’s last name is Ervin hit me so I called Tony , he told me that he graduated from Salem in my fourth year, how I never recognized him baffles me because now that I think about it I remember seeing him at school, that Vic and Mike have a cousin that’s in Salem now, Jaime’s nephew got his letter yesterday, and that Casey’s uncle was big in the ministry for the states, so he asked what his uncle did for me, and it turns out Mr. Ervin is Casey’s uncle so he’s one of my two bosses. Then Tony called Steph so she could tell me her news, which I would tell you but I’m not allowed to. And we hung up right before you walked in. That is what I did with my night.” I sighed.

“Sounds like you had an interesting night, and now I want to hear Steph’s news.”

“I can’t tell you.” I said as I finally gave into the pain in the arm and hand propping my head up and just lay it on his chest. “Now tell me how the show went, it was a little weird not being there but it was nice to have the bus to myself.”

“It was fantastic, the crowd was great. At the signing before I met tons of kids saying that the music that we make has saved their lives, that it’s helped them when they were on the verge of suicide, helped them stop cutting. I hear it at every signing that we’ve helped so many people, and I never get used to it. When we played some kid got hurt in a pit, I stopped everything and made sure the guy was ok. He had just gotten dehydrated but he was fine, we gave him a tee-shirt.”

“That was nice of you.”

“Our fans mean the world to me; I wouldn’t be in this position, doing what I’ve wanted to do since I was little, if it wasn’t for them supporting me through everything. I don’t even know where I would be if it wasn’t for the kids that come out to the shows every night, the ones that tweet me, the ones that write letters, the ones that give their all for the music. They give me inspiration. It’s a fantastic feeling to hear them singing the songs that I write while I just stand there, they know every word, some of them know every guitar chord; know every bass line, know every hit on the drums. It’s fantastic to watch them appreciate me and what I do.” Watching him talk about this was fantastic. The shine in his eyes reminds me of the look in George’s eyes when him and I talked to Uncle Fred’s portrait. That look of complete and utter…completeness? Is that even a word? Oh well, it’s what describes that look.

“What’s going on in the brain underneath all this red hair of yours?” Austin asked as he started to play with my hair

“Just that the look in your eyes when you’re talking about how much your fans mean to you reminds me of the look that George gets when he talks to Uncle Fred.”

“Who’s Uncle Fred?”

“Oh, I forget that you don’t know the Wotter Clan like I do. Uncle Fred was George’s twin brother.”

“Was?”

“Was. He died during the second Wizarding War. Harry’s told me that he died laughing, and from the many conversations I’ve had with his portrait that’s how he wanted to go. And he’s the only Wotter adult that I refer to as Uncle.”

“So are we going to the Wotter thing tomorrow?”

“Probably, which reminds me, I should tell Harry.” I opened the window in my bunk, “Alexandria!” I called out the window. She flew up only moments later. “Hey will you give me that parchment and a pen?”

“You use pen on parchment?” Austin asked as he leaned up and got the stack of it that was on the shelf.

“I prefer pens to a quill, or a pencil. So yes I do.”

“Why?”

“Though I love using a quill, I hate having to dip it in ink before I’m done with a sentence so it’s easier to use a pen.” He handed me the things I began writing a letter to Harry while Austin was watching Alex. “One, do you think Tino and Phil would want to go tomorrow? Two, she won’t bite you, you can pet her. Isn’t that right Alexandria?” She hooted happily.

“Probably, Tino will never miss out on good food and Phil would love seeing a magic family at its finest. And you’re owl is the shit.” Alex hooted at that.

“She doesn’t like being referred to as my owl. She chose me, literally when I went to go pick one out I was looking at a snowy owl when she flew over to me and sat on my shoulder until I paid attention to her. I had no choice, she was leaving that shop with me if I wanted her or not.” Alex hooted happily. “Dumbledore’s portrait told me that she has powers but she has to wait to reveal them to me.” Alex nipped my ear. “Ok I’ll finish the letter.” I pet her.

“She is really smart.”

“She is,” I kept writing. When I got done, Alex hopped on to my leg and lifter hers up so I could tie the letter to it. She head-butted me, yes you heard that right she took her head and put it against mine. I kissed her head. “Take this to Harry, or Molly. But whoever you take it to make sure you get a reply and bring it back to me. But it’s your choice if you want to deal with Errol or not. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She took off out the window after a hoot and she affectionately pecked Austin’s hand.

“That owl is something else.” He said as we got back into the position of my head on his chest.

“She is, but I love her, she’s the greatest owl ever.”

“How will she know where to find you, seeing as we’re heading to the venue for tomorrow right now? Wait how are we going to do the Weasley lunch and the show tomorrow?” Austin asked

“She always knows where I’m at. I don’t know how but she always finds me. And Sound check for you guys isn’t until 7, we have to be there at like 6 so we should be good. We’ll leave the Weasley’s at 4”

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah,” I said.

So I may or may not be starting to like Austin; fuck I already like him. I wouldn’t have told him half of what I’ve told him tonight if I didn’t. How the hell have I not realized this before now, or better yet how come Anna hasn’t told me about my feelings for him, she usually knows them better than I know myself. I yawned. It was around four a.m. I could go to sleep now and get up at 7 or 8.

“Goodnight Austin.” I said from his chest.

“Goodnight Nyx.” He started to get up.

“You can leave once I’ve fallen asleep, you’re a good pillow.” He moved back and there was a small smile on his face.