Closed Some Friendly Advice

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

To say that Ares had enjoyed his time at Hogwarts so far was an understatement. He had mostly enjoyed hanging out with Jordie, and so when he read Jordie's letter asking him to meet him in the student lounge, Ares did not hesitate. He had homework he had to do after the first week of classes, but quickly dropped it so he could go and meet him. He wondered what it was about and was worried that it was about their kiss they shared at the end of the last semester after the Yule Ball. It would be about time that they spoke about it however and Ares just tried his best not to appear nervous as he made his way there. When he opened the door, he realised the room was empty. He figured he was just a little early and took a seat in one of the armchairs, nervously twiddling with his thumbs as he waited for his friend.

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie could never decide if he was happy that Ares had transferred in or not. Usually only because Jordie still held doubts about Ares' feelings. They had kissed, once, after the ball, and every time Jordie thought about it he went weak in the knees. He was still waiting for Ares to say something- Jordie worried he had been out of line, just kissing Ares like that, with no idea how the other boy felt. Did Ares even like boys? But it had been so long Jordie didn't know if he was even allowed to bring it up now.

So, for the moment, he had to just be content with spending time with the older boy. As soon as Jordie had got the package from his uncle, he sent a note to Ares asking to meet up. And after spending way too much time on his hair and clothes trying to look cute, Jordie hurried to the lounge. He walked in, box in his hands, and smiled brightly. "Ares! You came!"

Jordie was practically beaming. He walked over to a coffee table near Ares and set the box down. "I hope I'm not keeping you from anything," Jordie chattered nervously, his cheeks burning. "We're supposed to pick out a runes bag for Ancient Runes thats like, special or something, so my uncle sent me this big box of them, I was hoping you could help me look through them?" He settled down on the floor, finally peeking up at Ares with an almost shy smile.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares loved the energy that came with his friend. He couldn't help the wide smile on his face as Jordie seemed excited to see him. "Of course I came. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Ares said, trying his best not to appear nervous as he sat on the edge of his seat. He let Jordie speak and watched as he put down the box he was holding, asking him to help him pick out a rune bag. Ares's heart sank. He thought the boy was going to bring up the kiss, but of course he wouldn't. After all, it was stupid to think that Jordie would even care. Ares was thinking way too much about it. "Oh... yeah, um... okay." Ares said, beating himself up a little as he tried to appear eager to help. He wasn't sure how much he was proving that however. "Get them out and... we'll have a look."

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie could see Ares' hesitation, and his smile faded. Right, picking out Rune bags was a great idea, like that isn't the most boring thing ever. Jordie looked away, scolding himself. "Um, it's okay if you don't want to," he spoke, a little more subdued than before. "I just- I dunno, it seemed like an excuse to hang out, I haven't seen you in a bit," He managed softly, peeking over at Ares with a blush on his cheeks. "I, um... I missed you," He admitted, looking to the rune bags then and fiddling idly with one of them. "I didn't stop to think, it is kind of a dumb idea," He tried to laugh, hoping it didn't sound too nervous.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

"Oh no, of course I want to." Ares said quickly as Jordie thought that he didn't. As he said he missed him, Ares smiled softly. "I missed you too, man." Ares tried to keep it casual, not wanting to make it obvious that he was still thinking about that kiss, especially if Jordie wasn't. "This isn't a dumb idea. It'll be fun. I don't take Ancient Runes though, but surely it's not that hard, right? You just pick which one is the prettiest, yeah?" Ares figured doing this would take his mind off it, and he really wanted to spend all of the time he could with him.

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie lit up as Ares reassured him and scooted over, patting the space next to him for Ares to join him. "You know you have to have a good aesthetic!" He joked back. He picked up a lime green bag and wrinkled his nose, tossing it back in the box. "Let's find one that doesn't look like puke," He joked, looking up to Ares. "What classes do you take?" He asked, trying to strike up a friendly conversation while still learning more about his friend.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares was quick to join Jordie on the floor when he offered him a spot. "I'm not sure I have good aesthetic, but I'll try." Ares said, hoping he could be somewhat helpful to the Hufflepuff. He laughed as Jordie said one of the green ones looked like puke. "What's your favourite colour?" Ares asked, wanting to narrow down the options a little. Not many of them looked great, but he was sure the pair of them would be able to figure it out soon enough. "I pretty much take every class at the moment except for muggle-studies, ancient runes and arithmancy. I wanted to try them all out at Hogwarts first, and then I'll drop a bunch next year. It's a bit of work, but I like to think I'm smart enough to do it." Ares explained. "What about you?"

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie chuckled, sitting close enough to Ares that their knees were touching. He was pretending that he didn't notice, tossing a pink bag back into the box. "Hey, I think you look pretty handsome," He tried to sound flippant. Friends complimented each other all the time, right? He smiled at the question, answering automatically. "Blue! I like blue,"

Jordie listened to Ares talk about his classes before turning it around. "Classes? Oh, this semester its Potions, Defense, Transfiguration, Runes, and Creatures." He replied easily. "Though last semester was Charms, Astronomy, Herbology, Arithmancy, and Divination." Jordie sighed. "I've been doing really well in all of my more mystical classes, though I'm not sure why," He shrugged, tossing a red bag in the box.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares blushed at Jordie's compliment, but shrugged it off, just knowing that Weston at least would've heard the same words from him. He nodded as he said his favourite colour was blue. "Blue. That isn't a bad colour at all. So we can get rid of these green ones, and these orange ones." he said, putting those colours aside. "What do you think of this one?" Ares asked, holding up a blue bag with some floral patterns on it. He listened as Jordie told him what classes he did, and that he was better at the mystical ones. "That's because your mind is, well, mysterious. Interesting, even." Ares smiled. Was that flirting? Ares didn't know, but he meant it.

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie chuckled. "Blue is a great color. You should meet my siblings, the twins have the most gorgeous sapphire blue eyes," Jordie sighed. He wished he was as pretty as the twins, with their luscious hair and stunning eyes. Maybe if he was pretty like them Ares would have fallen for him. He shook his head, brushing the thoughts aside and focusing on the task at hand. He reached out to touch the bag Ares had, and shook his head. "I like the color but the fabric doesn't feel right," Jordie went back to his search, tossing a few yellow ones into the box. He chuckled at Ares' comment and rolled his eyes playfully. "Sure, that's totally a thing," he teased lightly.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares listened as Jordie spoke about his siblings. "How many siblings do you have?" he asked, already knowing about his brother Onyx. He wondered if his family was as crazy as his own. Then there would be another thing that they could both relate to. As Jordie said he didn't like the floral bag, Ares continued digging around. "Where did your uncle get all of these anyways? Is he like... an ancient runes expert or something? Imagine having all of these bags just sitting there for no reason." Ares said, thinking aloud a little. He wanted to know more about Jordie and his family. As Jordie seemed to brush off Ares's compliment, the Slytherin couldn't help but be a little embarrassed, but still nonetheless tried to fix it. "It definitely is a thing. Personally, I'm better at the practical subjects, so my mind isn't as interesting as yours."

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie smiled at Ares. "Oh, just the twins, Sapphire and Onyx. They're older," he explained. "But I have three cousins, and two cousins are dating seriously and Onyx is married," He laughed lightly. "It's just a matter of time before someone has a baby," He joked. He smiled at Ares' question. "No, actually. Grandmother runs this really successful company. Her older son and his wife work for her, but uncle James is a photographer for a muggle travel magazine. The whole family is really rich," He explained, "In all honesty he probably just bought them."

Jordie shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "I'm adopted, so it's been a bit tough fitting in. Sapphire is a photographer like Uncle James but she's more wildlife, and Onyx is starting college I think for music," He shrugged. It was intimidating sometimes coming from a big, successful family, especially being the only one without the Michaels blood.

He laughed lightly as Ares persisted, saying he was more into physical subjects. "Oh, you excel at them. I remember you carrying me to the nurses wing," He flirted gently, reaching over to touch Ares' arm. "You're really strong," Jordie almost cooed, giving Ares a sappy grin.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares listened closely as Jordie explained his family situation. "Wow, so you're the youngest then? There's a bit of an age gap." Ares said, finding it all to be very interesting. As he said that he was adopted, Ares frowned a little, not even being able to imagine how hard that could be knowing that his parents had potentially left him, or whatever happened to them. Ares disliked his parents sometimes, but at least they hadn't given up on him and at least nothing bad had happened to them. Ares didn't want to touch on it with Jordie however in case it was a sensitive topic. He just kept going through the rune bags. He picked one out that was a solid and darker blue, sort of matching the ocean. "What about this one?" he asked, liking this one a lot. As Jordie complimented him and brought up the time he carried him down to the hospital wing, Ares blushed a little. "Maybe that's why I'm such a great beater." he boasted.

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie nodded at Ares' words. "Yeah, the twins are like twenty-two now." He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "It can be a little lonely sometimes," He admitted softly. He always felt like the odd one out. He'd give anything for someone at home close to his age. He took the next bag Ares offered, weighing it in his hand. "Well... maybe," he conceded, setting it next to him. "What color do you like?" He asked, thinking that might help narrow things down. He giggled as Ares said he was a great beater. "Next time Slytherin is against Hufflepuff, you'll have to carry me to the hospital wing again," He teased with a playful wink. "It's only fair, after all, since you have to take me from the game before I score so many points you'll never win,"

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares frowned a little as Jordie said it got a little lonely sometimes. It made Ares a bit more grateful for his siblings, even though they were so different to himself and he hated being around them at times. At least he always had company, even if it didn't really feel like it. "I have four siblings all up. Twins who are older, and two younger. I'll happily give you one of them." he joked, hoping to lighten the mood. As Jordie asked what colour he liked, Ares shrugged, "Well, I sort of like these teal coloured ones." he said, taking them out and putting them to the side. "Teal is my favourite colour." Ares chuckled at Jordie's words. If anything, Jordie would be the last person Ares would even think of hitting a bludger towards, but he was never going to admit that.

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie laughed lightly and gave Ares a playful smile. "Why not just give me you? My house is probably quieter," He teased, not realizing in the moment how that sounded. He looked over at the bags Ares pulled out, his eyes lighting up. "Oooh, teal is pretty," he agreed, before smiling at Ares brightly. "Which one of those is your favorite?" He asked, bouncing a bit in his seat.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares blushed slightly at Jordie's words, too shy to say anything in return. He definitely could do with a quieter environment sometimes, but it would be odd calling Jordie his brother. After all, Jordie was much different than his siblings and it just wouldn't feel right. As Jordie asked which one was his favourite, Ares thought for a moment. "This one here has an interesting pattern. Not too much, but also not too little. What do you think?" Ares held it up in his hand, wanting Jordie to be happy with it.

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie watched Ares go over the bags, his eyes lighting up at the bag Area produced. He took it gently, almost squealing. "Yes! It's so soft, I love it!" Jordie laughed excitedly, and without a thought he leaned over and kissed Ares happily. "Thank you!" Jordie giggled, pulling back and turning the new rune bag over in his hands.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares smiled at Jordie's reaction to the bag. He always managed to get so excited over the small things, and that was something the Slytherin really liked about him. As Jordie kissed him, Ares was a little taken aback, his cheeks turning a bright shade of pink as he pulled away. "No worries, anytime." Ares said, wondering if he had ever excitedly kissed Weston like that before.

**

The next week Jordie had to pick a wood type, and even though Ares knew nothing about it, he still was happy to make his way to the student lounge to meet up with him again. It was a good excuse to spend more time with him, and Ares appreciated how much his opinion mattered to him. He sat down on one of the armchairs, quick to greet his friend as he entered the room. "Hey! How's your new rune bag going?" he asked, hoping he didn't regret the bag he had chosen yet.

 

[Jordan Harris]

The week went by quickly, and before he knew it, another Runes lesson had come and gone. He had started slipping secret notes and little gifts into Ares' bag and pockets when the other boy wasn't looking, and he felt like it was going well. For now though, he needed to pick a wood for his new runes. He'd asked Ares to meet up with him again, and he smiled brightly as Ares was already there waiting.

"Hi!" He greeted quickly, walking over and settling down in Ares' lap. He summoned over a footstool and used the extra space to cuddle up against Ares. He smiled, humming softly and pulling his list of woods from his pocket, surprised when the dried pink rose fell from his jacket. He blushed, picking it up quickly and stashing it in his jacket again. He turned to Ares with a shy smile. "Thanks for agreeing to meet up with me again," He grinned.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares smiled as Jordie quickly made his way over to him, letting him take a seat in his lap. He always loved how affectionate Jordie was. As something fell out of Jordie's pocket, it caught his eye. For a moment Ares was wondering why Jordie would be carrying around a dead flower, and almost asked Jordie until he realised exactly what it was. Jordie still had his pink rose that Ares sent him. Pretending not to see it, Ares shifted a little in his seat before responding to him. "Oh, yeah, um, of course." he said, trying his best not to appear awkward. "What woods were you looking at?" He gestured to the list Jordie had.

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie smiled brightly and settled in against Ares again, looking over his options. "Well, I like apple, its supposed to be like really pretty and smell nice and its good for love and healing," He started. "Then there's like Beech, its supposed to be ancient knowledge and stuff, blackthorn sounds super mystical, its all about fate that can't be ignored or something," Jordie chattered a bit, reaching up unthinkingly and tracing his fingers up and down Ares' jaw.

"Hazel is used to be smart and poetic, Holly is all about positive energy. Oak helps you focus, poplar is all purpose, and yew helps you concentrate." Jordie looked up at Ares then, realizing with a blush what he was doing and pulling his hand back. "Sorry," he apologized with a shy smile.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

Ares listened as Jordie spoke about the different types of wood. It felt odd for Jordie to be touching his jaw, but he let him, not wanting to disturb his thought process. He seemed to know a lot about what he was talking about and it just made Ares admire him even more. When Jordie apologised for touching his jaw, Ares shook his head. "Oh no, it's okay." he said, sitting up a little straighter. "You definitely know your stuff... I don't know nearly as much as you." Ares chuckled a little, unsure why Jordie even cared for Ares's opinion. Nonetheless, Ares was willing to try and help him. "What's that one you said? Hazel? You're smart. Maybe that will suit you the best."

 

[Jordan Harris]

Jordie smiled and relaxed back into Ares, blushing and giggling softly. "Nah, I'm just reading off a list," he replied bashfully. He looked a bit surprised at Ares' suggestion, hesitating and looking back at the list and biting his lip. "Hazel is used to gain knowledge, wisdom and poetic inspiration." Jordie read out, chewing a bit on his lower lip as he considered it. "Do you really think so?" He asked dubiously, looking up to Ares through his dark curls. He wasn't sure about it, but if Ares said so, he would do it.

 

[Ares Kuya-Tine]

"Oh, sorry." Ares replied quickly when Jordie said he was simply reading off a list. He did still consider Jordie smart however and would perhaps even consider asking him for his help with his OWL exams. After all, they all seemed like they were going to be terribly tough exams and he definitely wasn't looking forward to them. "Well, if Hazel helps you gain knowledge and wisdom, I guess you don't really need it." he said, reconsidering his choice. "You said you like apple, and it sounds cute, so why not that?" Apple seemed to be the one Jordie was the most keen on and so hoped this would be a better choice. "And, besides... you're pretty cute as well."