LOOKING UP (OPEN)

[NEVAN OMARI COOTE]

The first day of classes at Hogwarts were pretty dull, normally. Most of the time you had the same professor going over the same rules they've had all along, with a couple of minor adjustments in the class schedule due to different course material. Bor-ing. Nevan had to practically drag himself out of his warm bed in the Gryffindor common room to be able to get to Charms on time. He tilted his head to both sides, cracking his neck as he sat with his feet dangling over his mattress, feet planted on the floor. Thankfully it was still September so the floors were relatively warm, but come December and January, Nevan knew all too well the coldness that his feet would meet upon his waking. That wasn't always pleasant, but it acted as a sort of alarm clock when he needed it, so there was something good about it.

Nevan slipped on a pair of denim jeans and a white undershirt then threw his Gryffindor robes on top. He found his way back to his bed and sat down after grabbing his white sneakers off the top of his trunk, hastily shoving his feet into them and tying them. He quickly rose, grabbed his books, then headed into the main common room area and out of the portrait in the wall. Nevan had attended Hogwarts for seven years now, so the way to the Charms classroom wasn't difficult for him to follow. In fact, he practically walked without paying much attention to where he was going since he knew the path so well. Nevan was a good kid, though, and he had plenty of friends which was why when he was approached by one such friend on the way to class, Nevan didn't find it in the least bit strange.

The friends parted ways and Nevan found his way to an empty table, putting his book to the side of the desk and looking up and around the room. There were a lot of familiar faces, and he wondered if one such face belonged to the person who would take the seat beside him. Nevan liked new people, too, of course, but it was always good to get partnered up with someone you already know, too.

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Nina walked into the Charms room and saw all the tables were filling up. She was quite used to that, and should have taken her own advice and got there sooner. She looked over and saw a near empty table though. The only person sitting there was a boy from Gryffindor House. Nina was one who had mates in all Houses and showed no hesitation in sitting with a Gryffindor. Heck, she was dating a Gryffindor Alumni after all. With a warm smile she walked over to the boy.

"Pardon me, love?" she asked. "Are you holding these seats for anyone?"

Nina really hoped he would say he wasn't and would let her sit there. Nina really didn't want to kick off Seventh Year Charms class either sitting on the floor or sitting in one of the little desks near the front like she was a First Year who had been very naughty.

(Sorry for the shortness)

[NEVAN OMARI COOTE]

Nevan was particularly fond of Charms, just not particularly fond of the time that the class started. Still, there was no getting around the fact that a few of his classes started early. They had to, really, to accommodate the amount of classes offered, but it managed to lead Nevan to a place of wishing his classes started later. He could definitely sleep in if it was permitted.

He was already wide awake, however, when he sat in his seat before Charms began, looking up at the girl who asked if he was saving seats. Nevan chuckled and waved at the chair. "Oh no, go right ahead," he told her, smiling. Nevan wasn't rude enough to tell the girl to find another chair, but he also didn't mind her sitting there in the first place. He got along with most people and figured this girl seemed nice enough to be his Charms partner for the year. "You're Nina, right?" Of course, having attended Hogwarts together for years, Nevan knew of the Hufflepuff who was taking the seat beside him. However, he didn't necessarily know her very well. Maybe that would change with them being partners?

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Nina wished she could say she was fond of Charms or a few of the other subjects she had been taught at Hogwarts, but her heads was in the clouds... well near them again as her mind always seemed to be focused on the Quidditch Pitch. But she did have that Hufflepuff work ethic, so despite not being overly interest, she kept her grades up.

Nina gave Nevan a warm smile as he allowed her to sit down. He seemed like a rather nice bloke from the start, perhaps another addition to Nina's long list of good mates.

"Brilliant, thank you," she said, sitting down. She nodded when he asked if she was Nina, but felt bad that she didn't know his name. He remembered him from classes in the past, but with all the Seventh Years, she was terrible with names.

"Yes, Nina Devoll, lovely to meet you," she said. "Don't think poorly of me, but I don't know your name. But I give you my solemn vow as a lady that I will remember it from now on." Nina chuckled a little at that. One thing she didn't have that a lot of Hufflepuffs did was social awkwardness. She was always quick to get along with people.

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[NEVAN OMARI COOTE]

He watched as she took the seat beside him and grinned, nodding his head as she answered that she was, in fact, Nina. "It's nice to meet you too!" he replied with a wide smile. Nevan chuckled when she mentioned not knowing his name. "Oh don't worry about it - I'm Nevan, Nevan Coote," he said with a nod. "It looks like we'll be partners this year, so I'll make sure you remember my name," Nevan said, and then inched a little closer to her, adding, "Even if you're tired of me by the end of term." He laughed and leaned back in chair, looking at Nina with interest. "So, you any good at Charms?"

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Nina smiled. The boy seemed very friendly and she knew the two would get along well. She raised an eyebrow when he said his name.

"Nevan, oh that's an epic name," she said. "And I like the idea of us working together. Nevan and Nina- Partners in Charms!!! Catchy, isn't it?"

She then laughed about him worrying that she might get tired of him at the end of the term.

"Of course not," she said. "There's some here I've been good mates with since my first year, and still haven't gotten tired of them. I think you and I will be good."

Nina then sighed a little when Nevan asked her if she was good at Charms.

"Well... I'm not terrible at Charms of course," she said. "I mean I've picked up a few things after all these years. But Charms isn't one of my better subjects. I do well enough in it. I'm more into Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies." Well, once she had gotten the hang of Muggle Studies the previous year anyway. "Besides, I'm pretty set on Professional Quidditch as my career. What about you? What are you good at? What would you like to be after graduation?"

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