Closed Mismatched Pair

[Giulia Alcott]

With the ceremony all wrapped up, Giulia wasn't really sure what to do with herself. Her dad had gone off to talk to Uncle Matt about something, and Louis no doubt had to say his goodbyes to all his many friends. She spotted Sky's girlfriend sitting with the prefects, but even though she wanted to get to know the person her best friend was head over heels for, Giulia couldn't help finding Ngawaiata unapproachable. Professor Josephs was milling around too, but she clearly had her own family to talk to. Everyone had people around them, and Giulia felt adrift in the cloud of people celebrating, ducking her head and wondering if it would be rude to just leave Louis to it.

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis had already spotted and briefly hugged his dad, but he couldn't find his sister anywhere. She was here, right? He was fairly sure he had spotted her in the crowd earlier. He realized her boyfriend was probabl around here too since he was a prefect, and he wondered for a moment if she was taking the opportunity to hangout with him instead. But then he spotted Giulia wandering around, and he felt relieved. He headed over to her and threw his arms around her. "Giulia!" He said happily. "I did it!"

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia didn't even catch her brother's eye at first, certain Louis must be looking for someone standing behind her. But then he was here, and she laughed in relief as she hugged him back. "You did it!" She agreed, squeezing Louis tight for a moment before she let him go. "How does it feel, Mr. Hogwarts Graduate?" She teased. "Mr. Adult Grown Up Man Who's All Done With School?"

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis laughed slightly as he stepped back, grinning at his sister. He couldn't believe she was also almost graduating, though he kind of wished she could hurry up and graduate now too so he at least had her at his side. His smile faltered a little at her question. For a moment, he considered lying. But if he couldn't be honest with Giulia, who could he be honest with? "Honestly? It's... really terrifying." He told her, trying to lighten his words with a shrug. "I'm like... Good at Hogwarts, you know? Not so much the classes, but I know how to be someone here." He wasn't sure if she would understand, but he tried his best to put it into words.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia's face softened at the vulnerability in her brother's voice, knowing him well enough to see past the easygoing exterior. "You're going to be great." She said softly, resting a hand on his arm. "You're Louis - everyone loves you. You're gonna have Quidditch teams fighting over you, and then fans fighting over you, and before you know it you'll be on top all over again. You don't have anything to worry about."

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis tried his best to relax and just believe what Giulia was saying, but he couldn't help feeling a knot of doubt in his stomach. He swallowed thickly, wondering how the conversation had gone to his deepest fears and insecurities so fast. "And what if that doesn't happen?" He asked quietly.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia squeezed Louis' arm, softening slightly. In all their years, she didn't think she had seen Louis nervous about anything before. "Then you'll figure it out." She said gently. "You don't have to have all the answers right away. You've got people around you - your family loves you, your friends love you, you've got a big safety net of people who just want to help you succeed. You're going to be great."

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis nodded and tried to feel reassured at Giulia's words. This wasn't how things were supposed to be, he was supposed to be the one reassuring her, as he was older. But he appreciated it. "Thanks." He said softly, deciding not to mention that some of his friendships were in a complicated place right now. "If nothing else, I can always be your assistant when you one day take over the world." He joked.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia laughed lightly at his comment, giving Louis a fond smile. "I hope you like proofreading then, because my takeover is going to be mostly literature based." She joked, though just saying it sent a nervous thrill through her body. She still didn't know exactly what she wanted to do after school, but she was getting more and more sure that writing would be part of it. Fantasy novels or comic books, she wasn't sure, but her future lay somewhere in the written word, she was sure of it. In french, this time.

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis sighed theatrically and pretended to faint. "Fine. I guess I'll make something of myself then because I don't want to read." He pretended to shudder in horror at the thought. Then he smiled at Giulia and messed up her hair. "Are you going to be okay for a year without me around?" He asked her, mostly joking.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia giggled at Louis' remark, rolling her eyes. "No torture like having to read your sister's writing." She teased, squirming quickly away when Louis touched her hair. Not that he actually made that much difference. "I... think so." She said with a hesitant smile. Despite her fears, Giulia hadn't really experienced much in the way of bullying at Hogwarts since the early years, and now she didn't only have Louis looking out for her. She had Akihiro, and Sky, and all her other friends. These days, the scariest thing in her life was checking her grammar in the school paper. "If I'm not you can just break in and beat people up for me." She added with a small smile.

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis nodded in agreement, easily letting Giulia get away from him ruffling her hair. He was surprised Giulia actually seemed to consider his question seriously. She had seemed so comfortable in her own little group to Louis, that he hadn't seriously considered she might have an issue with him leaving. He laughed at her comment. "Is that what you think I do? I don't think I've ever beaten anyone up. I'm all talk." He told her with a grin.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia chuckled softly. "Come on, I know you could get your hands on a Beater's bat." She smirked. "If it came to it, you'd be there. But I'd beat you if it was the two of us." She grinned, giving Louis a light elbow.

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis laughed softly at the mental image of him beating up someone with a beater's bat. He raised his eyebrows at Giulia's next words. "If you could beat me, then why do you need me to beat up people for you?" He asked. "You could do that yourself!"

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia smirked. "I said I could beat you, not other people, there's a difference." She grinned. "I know your weaknesses."

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis laughed and shook his head. "You're going to miss me." He teased, wiggling his eyebrows. "I look forward to the many tearful letters."

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia rolled her eyes, pulling a face at her brother before relaxing. "Yeah, I suppose I will." She admitted with a softer smile. "The letters won't be tearful. I'll be telling you how cool my life is without you and how I'm the most popular Alcott in school now. Obviously."

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis chuckled at Giulia's joke but shook his head. "I'm afraid Uncle Matt has us both beat." He told her with a laugh. "Can't compete with the guy running all the dances."

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia chuckled. "But he's also the guy telling people what they can and can't do. Pretty sure teachers are lame by definition, and that's coming from me." She added with a grin. Separating Uncle Matt from Professor Alcott-Ward in her mind had been difficult, but Giulia was adjusted by now to her uncle being an authority figure at school and a friend at home.

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis smiled at Giulia's comment, then pretended to consider it for a bit. "I see. You're right, he's definitely less popular than me." He paused. "Just me, though. Still beats you."

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia rolled her eyes, elbowing Louis. "Not a chance." She grinned. It was funny - the same remark a year ago would have burrowed under her skin and stung for months, but now... everything felt lighter, easier, walking in her own shoes. Somewhere along the way, Giulia realised she had started seeing worth in herself, and it was much easier to just joke around with no fear.