TWO
Saturday, September 18th, 1976
It was finally Saturday night, nearly midnight as Grayson walked over from his room to the Hufflepuff Common Room. He was meeting Nicole and Layla so they could head to the Astronomy Tower together; Ivy and Markus said they would meet them over there. He had a bag over his shoulder filled with some of the things he and Nicole had promised to bring. It wasn’t much, but Grayson figured his sister probably had more than enough. He stopped near the door and leaned his back against the wall as he waited for the two of them, knowing they weren’t always the most punctual people. He could be there for a while.
Nicole had spent most of the week learning how to enchant her bag. She wanted it to be bigger on the inside while also being a manageable weight to carry no matter what was inside. “Just like Mary Poppins,” she told Layla when she asked what she was doing. Last time Markus had been the one to do it for her, but after the last sleepover the bag ripped and he hadn’t found any time as of late to help her. Plus, she wanted to figure it out herself. Markus wouldn’t always be there to be her magical crutch when things were too confusing. Finally, after many mistakes, Nicole had figured it out that morning, just in time for the sleepover. Now she could fit as many snacks and blankets and pillows in there as she wanted. It even had enough room to fit some of Layla’s things in it too so they had less to haul up all those stairs.
Layla had been assigned refreshments, which ultimately translated to alcohol and weed. Nicole never understood how, but somehow it seemed Layla always knew where to get more than enough of both for anyone who wanted some. More often than not it was for personal use though. Nicole didn’t entirely approve of Layla’s lifestyle but she had never tried to stop her. It wasn’t like she was entirely innocent either. Nicole almost always got wasted at the sleepovers and she’d even tried the weed on occasion at Grayson’s encouragement. However, she only did it with her brother around and was willing to watch over her. She didn’t need to get herself into any more dangerous or compromising situations. She’d had enough of those to last her a lifetime, and Nicole trusted her brother to keep her out of trouble.
Once the two girls were ready to go, they left their room arm in arm and met Grayson out in the hall. "Took you long enough," he grumbled, easing off the wall with his arms crossed. "I've only been standing out here for 10 minutes now." His voice was a whisper since they were out after curfew, but a somewhat annoyed expression on his face at being kept waiting was plenty to convey exactly how he was feeling.
Nicole scoffed. “Wow, Gray. Your greetings are like tiny masterpieces of art. It’s no wonder girls swoon at your every word,” she mumbled sarcastically, which made Layla chuckle.
“We’re perfectly on time. It’s not our fault you decided to come early,” Layla retorted with a smirk as they began their walk, the girls leading the way.
Grayson glared at both of them. He wasn’t in the mood for their ridiculous antics. "Let's just go. I'm starving and I may or may not have eaten some of those snacks waiting for you two sloths because of it."
“Grayson!” Nicole reprimanded almost immediately and smacked his shoulder. “I told you to eat a better dinner! You’re the one who didn’t listen.” She glared and pointed her finger at him. “Don’t eat the snacks until we’re in the Tower.”
He simply shrugged. "Sorry." He smirked. It was easily one of the least genuine apologies he'd ever delivered. “You’re just mad because you haven't had any yet. Would it help if I said it went to a good cause? Because of those snacks, I didn’t die of starvation out here in this dirty ass hallway." He added as an afterthought, chuckling when Nicole flipped him off. The three of them walked in silence after that so as not to attract attention or get caught. Filch wouldn’t hesitate to do his worst if he even suspected they were out, and Nicole didn’t need another detention.
They arrived on time but, unsurprisingly, Ivy and Markus were already there. Ivy smiled excitedly when she saw the rest of her friends enter. "Hey!" Ivy exclaimed.
“Hey, guys!” Nicole smiled at them. “Sorry, we’re late. Grayson was being a whiny little bitch again,” she joked.
Layla laughed along with Ivy and nodded in agreement as if Nicole’s story needed proof. “Yes. He wouldn’t stop complaining about dying of starvation on the way over here.”
Layla sometimes found Grayson annoying, but most of the time she either liked pressing his buttons or teaming up with him to mess with Nicole. Because the two of them knew her so well, they could very easily aggravate her. Whether she and Grayson were alone together getting high or doing something that they shouldn't have, even something as simple as messing with Nicole, Layla always seemed to enjoy his company. Even if he did act like a pretentious little bitch sometimes.
Markus laughed at Layla’s explanation. “We just got here ourselves,” he reassured them.
"It looks like nothing's new," Ivy said to poke fun at her friends, giving Markus an I-told-you-so look.
Markus laughed again then suddenly furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at Nicole. “Wait, didn’t you tell him to eat more at dinner?”
Nicole gave Markus an exasperated look. “Yes. I did. And what did he say?” She looked at Grayson and started mimicking him in a high-pitched voice, over-dramatizing the entire thing. “I’m fine, Nicki. I’m not hungry. Leave me alone.” Nicole rolled her eyes once again at her brother and started unpacking her bag, grumbling to herself. Markus caught a faint “not hungry, my ass” and laughed again.
It didn’t take long for the five of them to set everything up. One section of the floor they turned into a bar with the snacks nearby. Another section was a huge lounge-like area that had more than enough room for everyone to spread out and still be comfortable. Somehow Ivy enchanted some tea candles to float above their heads so it looked like twinkle lights. Nicole smiled at the scene. It was coming along nicely. “Good job, guys. It looks great,” she said with a tired sigh before belly-flopping onto some pillows once everything was finished.
Ivy grinned excitedly. "*Now* the sleepover can start.” She laid down on the comfortable bed of pillows and blankets. “So, it’s not like we all don't know nearly everything about each other, but maybe one of you has managed to keep a secret somehow. If that’s the case, it's coming out tonight." She said with a giggle.
Grayson was positive his friends didn't know everything about him. Well...Nicole maybe did. But she was the exception. "Drinking games, anyone? It's always fun seeing all of you plastered." Grayson grinned, making his way over to the pillows and blankets and sitting next to his sister. He put his arm around her as she leaned against his chest, brushing his lips lightly across the side of her head.
"First things first, though,” he said as looked at Layla. “Bring out the alcohol regardless, it's been an annoyingly long week." She had stayed over by the makeshift ‘bar’ as everyone else found a spot to be comfortable in, knowing the impending question about drinks was coming. She didn’t mind though; she loved being the bartender of their parties.
Layla smirked at the mention of a drinking game. That was her specialty. “Sure. What are we thinking to start with? Vodka? Tequila? Whiskey? I’ve even got a little moonshine if anybody is feeling extra adventurous tonight.” She said, her tone playful and full of mischief as her eyes wandered over the rest of her friends.
Grayson raised his eyebrows at the mentioned moonshine. “I might take you up on that offer later.” He said, smirking just a little. As far as Grayson getting drunk went, that usually happened at every one of their sleepovers. It typically was him and Layla that drank the most and, though she too was usually drunk alongside him by the end of the night, she could generally handle her liquor a bit better than he could. Layla grinned knowingly back at him as Nicole narrowed her eyes at his comment.
“No. No, no, no. No moonshine for you,” Nicole said after smacking his arm. “I don’t want to have to carry you back to your room because you’re too plastered again. Remember how well that worked out last time? I almost dropped you down the stairs like four times and my shoulder was sprained for 3 weeks because Pomfrey thought I was faking it and refused to give me anything.”
Grayson’s eyes quickly found the back of his head as he rolled his eyes, looking down at his sister with an unamused expression. "You're a buzzkill, Nicki," he grumbled. Layla sent Grayson a wink when Nicole wasn’t looking though, letting him know he could have whatever he wanted after Nicole passed out or went to sleep--whichever came first. And he very quickly caught Layla’s gaze, smirking at the wink. He was getting some of that moonshine tonight. Maybe a little bit of...something else too.
“You’re a buzzkill, Nicki.” Nicole mimicked Grayson childishly, exaggerating her facial expressions while doing so. She rolled and narrowed her eyes at him. “No, I’m not. I just don’t want to drag you around everywhere. You’re twelve tons heavier than I am and at least five feet taller. Not to mention having to sneak your drunk ass into your room, through the Slytherin common room, is such a chore. If Slughorn catches us again I’ll be dead, sister or not.” She poked him in the chest with a finger. “No moonshine. End of discussion.” She felt smug with herself after that, completely missing the wink Layla sent her brother and the smirk he sent back to her. Nicole tended to miss a lot of things, especially between Layla and her brother. She could be bright at times, especially when it came to reading people, but she was sometimes more than a little oblivious when it came to those closest to her.
Grayson hid his embarrassment behind narrowed eyes as Nicole scolded him in front of everyone. He rolled his eyes and huffed with annoyance, ignoring the small part of him that danced inside at how concerned Nicole still was about him even over the little things.
"Alright, alright. No moonshine,” he sighed, but mostly just to get Nicole off his case.
Nicole gave Grayson a look at how easily he gave in but pushed any questions from her mind and just accepted the win. She then raised her hand. “Can we start with vodka, please? Whiskey is too dark for Ivy and me and tequila is too much work right now with the salt and the lime.” She settled against Grayson again and sighed. “I just want to lay here and drink.”
Layla just shook her head with a small laugh and grabbed the vodka. “Sure, we can start with vodka. Though I’d like to point out that you say this every time we drink so I’m inclined to believe you’re just a vodka addict.” She said and grabbed five shot glasses before walking over to the large cushion of blankets and taking a seat. She started to fill each glass with the alcohol and passed them to Grayson so he could pass them around the circle. “Here, give these out,” she instructed. “Everyone has to drink at least one before we decide what game we’re playing.”
Markus and Ivy huffed as they got their shots which made Layla smirk. “Sorry, man. Those are the rules. I don’t make them, I just enforce them,” she joked.
“I swear you guys are trying to kill me,” Ivy mumbled, throwing back her shot before making a face. She was definitely the lightweight of the group as she wasn’t much of a big drinker. She was also usually the first one to “turn in” at the end of the night due to her drunken state. And while Ivy was more of a lightweight than Markus, it wasn’t by much. “You’d think that after all these sleepovers that I’d have a decent alcohol tolerance by now,” he said with a shake of his head before downing the first shot at the same time as Nicole. They both made funny faces but Nicole smiled at everyone while Markus shuddered at the taste.
Once everyone had taken their shot, Layla filled hers again to be prepared for the next one and passed the bottle around so everyone could do the same. “So? What drinking game did you have in mind?” She turned to Grayson.
“Hold on,” Markus pulled out the games he brought. “Let me show you what I have. I brought the normal muggle games you all love so much. I’m still confused as to how to play half of them. I just brought the ones Nick told me to buy over the summer.” He dug around in his bag a little more then pulled out a dirty old wine bottle. “And I also brought this for Spin the Bottle.” He shrugged. “I figured if none of these--” He gestured to the muggle games and the bottle, “--sounded interesting, there’s always the classic Truth or Dare or Never Have I Ever options. At least to start with. They’re easy drinking games to get this party going,” he explained with a smirk.
Ivy spoke first. “Let’s go with a classic. Never Have I Ever? I’m determined to find something I don’t know about each of you.”
“Me too,” Grayson seconded what Ivy said then looked at Nicole with a smirk. “Even you, my sweet innocent baby sister.” He drew out, adding in the ‘baby sister’ part knowing full well how much it bothered her. Yes, Nicole was still bitter about it. Mostly because Grayson always seemed to rub it in her face and wouldn’t let her forget it. “I’m only a minute and fifty-two seconds younger than you. And it’s only because you grabbed my foot and pulled me back in at the last minute!” Nicole huffed at the obvious jab, not caring that she fell right into her brother’s trap.
Layla chuckled at the twins, interrupting them before things could get out of hand like they normally did with this conversation. “Never have I ever?” She smirked a little. “Really? Last I checked, we weren’t all twelve trying alcohol for the first time after we stole from your dad’s liquor cabinet.” She teased Grayson with a smirk, reminding the twins of that night over Christmas break many years ago. It had been a lot of firsts for the three of them. That was the first time any of them had broken the rules together, the first time they tried alcohol, and the first time they played this ridiculous game. It was one of Layla’s fondest memories, ages before they ever brought Ivy and Markus into their little group, and the moment she knew she had found a family in Nicole and Grayson.
Grayson narrowed his eyes at Layla. He remembered the night well, but he was sure it was different from how she did. His father hadn’t been very happy the next morning finding an empty bottle of whiskey under his bed and Nicole bedridden with her first hangover. But he commented on none of this and continued with the game. "I'll start," Grayson said, looking around at each of them as he contemplated what he was going to say. "Never have I ever…” he grinned at what came to mind ”...been in the restricted section of the library." He looked over at Markus and Ivy specifically, targeting them on purpose as he knew they would go to some lengths for a good read.
Ivy pouted. "Now I know you're trying to get me drunk." She grumbled, lifting her glass to her lips.
Markus narrowed his eyes at the twin. “Unfair. You did that on purpose. I feel targeted,” he sighed slightly before taking a shot.
Grayson grinned at both of them. "Good, that was the point." He couldn’t hide his surprise though when Layla took a shot next and it seemed nobody else could either. He raised an eyebrow questioningly at her.
“What?” Layla shrugged. “It’s a good makeout spot,” she smirked. It was also good for her business transactions but she kept that tidbit of information to herself.
Nicole just rolled her eyes. “Of course that’s the only reason you’d be in the library. I don’t know why I’m surprised. I should have known.” She grinned a little then let out a small breath, deciding to target someone like her brother had. “Okay, I’ll go next. Never have I ever had a dirty dream about a professor,” she smirked. Markus looked slightly shocked at the question and how it left Nicole’s mouth without hesitation, thankful he didn’t have to drink but grinned in understanding when Layla drank again. She wasn’t entirely surprised when Nicole brought up the dream she had about the Ancient Ruins professor, but it did annoy her slightly because she’d told her that in confidence. She couldn’t exactly complain though. Lord knows how many times she’d accidentally shared things Nicole had told her in confidence before.
Grayson scrunched up his nose seeing Layla drink. “That’s repulsive, Harlow.”
Layla laughed softly. “Sometimes I just can’t help myself. Professor Johnson is simply...immaculate.” She did a chef’s kiss hand gesture, laughing again at how Nicole cringed and Markus seemed to approve. “Just imagine him pushing you against the wall, his hand around your throat--“
“Okay, okay. I don’t need to hear the details again, please and thank you.” Nicole interrupted and Grayson let out a big sigh of relief at not having to hear any details. Knowing Layla was into choking wasn’t something he ever needed to discover.
But then Ivy took a shot as well, which caused some raised eyebrows in her direction. Out of all people, Markus had expected Grayson and Layla to have had dirty dreams about professors. Not Ivy. She simply blushed, specifically avoiding Markus’ gaze. “What can I say? Even my subconscious has a thing for knowledge, I guess,” she mumbled, not feeling it was important to share who that dream had been about. Markus looked at her flabbergasted, scoffing slightly. “At least tell me you’ve never daydreamed about one of them. Because that would be conscious and I’d have more questions than I did during my sexuality crisis in third year,” he joked with a serious face.
Ivy's eyes widened at Markus' comment. "Merlin, no!” She shook her head frantically. “I mean, I do have some taste.” She laughed humorlessly and shook her head again. “Only when I’m asleep.”
He smirked a little and sighed after a moment. “Well...it’s still rather odd. But it’s better than Layla over here,” he said then looked towards the brunette. “You do know Professor Johnson is like...in his fifties, right? He’s old enough to be your father.”
Layla just shrugged again. “I know. That’s the fun in it,” she winked. “You think he’d let me call him daddy?” She joked, mostly just to see everyone’s faces when she said it. Markus gagged dramatically while Nicole just laughed and shook her head. She wasn’t a stranger to Layla’s...weird fantasies. Most of the time they weren’t even real, she just liked fucking with everyone else.
Grayson also shook his head. “You’ve got major issues, Harlow.” Although, Grayson wasn’t exactly one to judge about sexual kinks. He had a long list of his own, ones he would never tell the four of them about.
Ivy rolled her eyes and let out a breath. Conversations about sex tended to make her uncomfortable and she just wanted to change it at this point. "Whatever. My turn." She thought for a moment then smiled at them. "Never have I ever snuck into the Forbidden Forest. I’m almost positive one of you has though."
Grayson smirked and easily took his next shot. "Now that's a good make-out spot,” he commented to no one in particular, the smirk still lingering on his face even after Ivy groaned.
Nicole didn’t drink so quickly, even though she should have, but after a pointed look from Layla, she sighed in frustration and took the shot. With a shrug, Nicole looked everywhere but her brother, which was easy since he was behind her and she was still leaning against his chest. “As Grayson said, it’s a good makeout spot,” she mumbled, flinching slightly when she felt Grayson tense up when he heard what she said. She didn’t want to explain to her brother that she’d lost her virginity in the Forbidden Forest at the end of last year. The memories that flooded back in about that night made Nicole wish Ivy had never brought up the forest in the first place. Her ex-boyfriend, someone she thought was serious about dating last semester, had simply wanted to get in her pants. It wasn’t necessarily a bad experience at the moment. It was mutually consensual and she had enjoyed it. He had been nice enough about the whole thing, but the outcome had been something she never wanted to repeat. It was why she’d never told Grayson, and made Layla promise not to either. She knew that if he’d known, he probably would have either killed the guy or killed her. It was her fault for being naive and misreading the signs, thinking there was more to it than just sex. Besides...it was all in the past now, and there was no real point in bringing any of it up. She had moved on and she knew for certain that her ex had too.
Grayson furrowed his brows at his sister, seeing she was doing everything she could to avoid eye contact with him. His expression had unknowingly turned into a bit of a glare. He didn’t want to think about some guy having their hands on his sister. When he realized she wouldn’t be looking at him, let alone expounding any other information, he let out a breath. “Moving on…” He grumbled through near gritted teeth.
Markus had only smirked and raised an eyebrow at Nicole but didn’t ask questions. The rest of them weren't as naive as Grayson when it came to Nicole, knowing she out of everyone here deserved to live a little and enjoy everything that could come along with being a teenager.
“Okay, okay. My turn. Never have I ever cheated on a test.” Markus said and his shock was apparent this time when Layla didn’t drink but Nicole did. “Nick...I’m surprised at you.” She only shrugged at him.
Before Grayson could even think about taking a shot, Nicole was drinking...again. “You’ll be drunk before midnight at the rate you’re going.” He said, his expression being less than amused with his sister’s life choices.
Nicole turned and narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh, really now?” Without blinking or breaking contact with him, she took another shot for no other reason than to push his buttons. “Maybe this time you’ll be the one who has to carry me. It would be a nice change,” she sassed him defiantly. Grayson didn’t control her life.
He furrowed his brows at his sister. After a moment, he accepted her defiance as a challenge. “Hm, we’ll see about that,” he mumbled as he took a shot too. It was practically a competition at this point. It happened sometimes between them. Actually, it happened a lot with them. With everything. Either they would forget about it in a few minutes or neither of them would back down until they took it too far.
Ivy chuckled at the banter going on between the siblings, it was a normal occurrence by now. She knew the disaster that could potentially be on its way but she’d missed hearing it over the summer so she didn’t try to stop it. "Your turn, Lay." Ivy smiled at her as she grabbed the vodka bottle, passing it to Nicole so she and Grayson could refill their glasses.
“Right.” Layla cleared her throat as she thought for a long while because...honestly, there wasn’t much she hadn’t done. Eventually, she settled on something she was sure would be a shock to them all and grinned smugly. “Never have I ever lost my virginity.” She smirked slightly, knowing Nicole probably wouldn’t be entirely happy about this one, but she’d get over it. Besides, she was eager to know who had done the deed already.
Markus was the first one to take a shot, which was a surprise to almost everyone but Ivy. Nicole even gasped as she furrowed her eyebrows. “What? You? When? Who? Spill. Now.” Markus only smirked though and shook his head. “Sorry, darling. I don’t kiss and tell. It was the end of last year though, I can tell you that much.”
Layla scowled when Markus didn’t give them much information, but she decided to let it go. She shook her head. “Ugh, fine. We’ll get it out of you one day though.”
Ivy was quiet though. She was more occupied with the fact that she wasn’t the only virgin in the group. She’d known about Markus, Grayson, and even Nicole. But Layla? Sure, Layla may have never talked about doing the deed, but she did have her fair share of makeout stories. Ivy had always just assumed that had to lead to more. It seems she was wrong. “And here I was convinced I was the only virgin in the group,” she mumbled, a hint of relief evident in her voice.
While Layla knew people assumed she slept around quite often, and that she fed into that belief on purpose, it simply wasn’t true. There was something about the first time...it felt special to her and she wanted it to be with someone she trusted. Too many people she knew had just done it without thinking and had utterly regretted it. Her mother and Nick were only two of the people that came to mind. Of course, she wasn’t going to share any of this with her friends, but she figured they deserved some kind of explanation. Layla shrugged nonchalantly. “I just haven’t found anybody worth it. Once they appeal to me more than my own hand then we’ll see.”
As for Grayson, he’d taken his shot as well when Markus did, but his eyes were now fixed on Nicole as she avoided all eye contact with her brother and raised the shot glass to her lips. “Don’t. Don’t you dare take that shot, Nicki.” Nicole rolled her eyes and huffed, taking the shot anyway. “Sorry I didn’t run to my brother to tell him all the details about the first time I had consensual sex,” she sassed. “I’m a big girl. I can do what I want.” She crossed her arms and sat up straight, not wanting to be near him now. “Your turn, dickhead.”
Grayson glared at Nicole. He knew he had no real reason to be mad, but this was his sister, it bothered him. The overly protective brother role came out quite easily, and he had to bite his tongue from saying anything else. “Whatever.”
The rest of the night was much of the same, the six friends very obviously targeting each other with each topic and somehow found out things about the others they never would have expected. Even after years of friendship, they still didn’t know everything about each other. They continued with the game of Never Have I Ever, followed by some other drinking and board games. They ate some snacks, talked for a while, and after hours had gone by, nearly everyone blacked out in a drunken stupor.
Ivy was the first to pass out since she was the lightweight of the group. The others stayed up for a while longer, Markus “turning in” next to Ivy soon after seeing as he was also disgustingly drunk. Nicole tried to stay up and talk to Grayson for a little longer, finishing the drinking competition they almost forgot about, while Layla made her way over to the large windows of the astronomy tower to smoke, but she didn’t last very long and soon Nicole passed out leaning on Grayson’s shoulder. He was smug about the victory and made a mental note to rub it in Nicole’s face tomorrow when she whined about her hangover. He kissed her head and picked her up before he laid her down next to Markus and Ivy, which left Layla and Grayson the only two awake just as he planned.