Backstage (Ethan)

Layla was exhausted. The last few weeks of school, her single because released worldwide and shortly after school let out, she began a worldwide tour, lasting the entire summer. She was surprised by how quickly her music spread around the globe and now, with just a few weeks left before school, she found herself back in England performing her final show. Her parents decided that after the show, it'd be best to stay in England until it was time for Layla to go off to Hogwarts for her next year.

The show had been sold out, which was another surprise to the thirteen year old and as she finished her last song, her fans shouted for an "encore", which she sadly, could not give them.

Once Layla had slipped backstage, she packed up her things and got ready to go to room they'd be renting til 1st September,. What she was not expecting was the door to open. Even more so, when the door opened, she was not expecting it to be someone from Hogwarts. Ethan. Her breath caught in her throat. Had he been at her show? She suddenly became aware of her attire, the sparkly blue dress that hugged her body and cut off mid thigh, causing her eyes to pop, the makeup that belonged on a sixteen year old and the hairstyle of a mature young lady.

Sure, Layla was mature for her age, but she was still thirteen. Her body had recently developed into that of a young lady's, her hair had grown longer, her face molded into something less childish and something incredibly beautiful. Layla was a stunning girl, but around Ethan, she felt like a kid, a kid young enough to be his baby[ sister. Layla found herself blushing at her thoughts, but even more so, when she realised that she might have a crush on Ethan, she blushed towards him too. "Hi," she stammered, "how did you get in here?" The question was mainly directed to the fact that he was in her dressing room, not escorted by security or parents. More importantly, she wanted to know why he was here.

Bored. The Gryffindor was bored. He had been wandering around the Muggle world when a certain newspaper had caught his eyes. It had a picture of Layla plastered across the front of it, talking about a concert she was going to be in as a part of her world tour. His decision was made right there. He was going.

Ethan had convinced his parents he was meeting someone, without giving away too much. Gathering some muggle money he had found over the summer, and had bought a ticket. He turned 17 days before, and flew on his broom to the place where she was preforming, and watched her sing.

He was one of the many muggles that cheered for an encore. It never came however. As he was about to leave, however, A big man had come out of this door, and Ethan's foot had caught it. Going to move it, he grew curious and slipped in, hands in his pockets. Walking down, he had found a door that had Layla's name plastered on it. Smirking, he opened it and lo and behold, Layla was packing her things.

"Hello" he greeted "I told you I would come and watch you sing at some point." His cheeky grin forming. He hadn't really taken in her appearance until just then, and he was slightly confused. Was this the Layla he had left in June? He chuckled at his thoughts.

"You look stunning, and don't worry about how I got here, I have my ways."

She still wasn't exactly sure how to feel about the boy being there, knowing he could have gotten into a lot of trouble. Growing worried, she wondered if this was something he did often and hoped it wasn't. Pushing that aside, she put down the things she had in her hands and ran over to give him a hug. He arms grasped his waist snugly and her face pressed into his chest. "I missed you," she said finally, as she let go.

At least now, he was safe because if security questioned him all she'd have to do was tell them it was fine, that he was a friend. She couldn't wait to be back at Hogwarts with him, even if it was his last year there.

She blushed when he basically told her that he'd fulfilled his promise to watch her sing at some point. "Was it okay?" she asked, a little smile on her face. She was always worried what people would think of her performances and now that she was known worldwide, she knew Hogwarts would never be the same.

She blushed once again as he called her stunning. "Don't get yourself into trouble Ethan," she said, a bit more serious this time. He should know her by now. She was fun and playful, but she knew when to be serious and she worried. The girl worried too much.

He watched as several thoughts ran through her head, though as she started to put things down, he opened his arms, expecting the hug that was soon given to him. Ethan wrapped his arms around her and smiled slightly, as she let go. "Well, a lot of people have missed me." He joked at first. "I'm only joking, I missed you too."

He noticed her bush, and felt bad, He didn't set out to embarrass her. Pushing that aside for now, his smile only grew bigger. "Okay? Please, it was ten times better than okay! That was awesome! I mean, for merlin's sake, you didn't tell me you were that good, Layla!" He exclaimed astonished. He had expected her to be good, but he wasn't prepared for the singing talent the 13 year old had.

Ethan just kind of looked at her hopelessly. The girl worried way too much for a third year. "You worry too much, Layla. I've avoided trouble before, I can do it again." He said reassuringly. Ethan was a master of getting in and out of trouble, and Layla needn't worry to much about it.

"Need help packing?" he asked pulling out his wand. He could levitate some of her things if she wanted, but then again, she might not want his help.

She enjoyed the hug, more than she would ever care to admit, well at least not to him. When he had replied, it took her a moment to realise he had been joking, but once she had, she let out a smile. It was weird to hear him say that he missed her, but it was also sort of relieving.

Listening to his explanation about her performance, she found herself blushing even harder. "That's really nice of you to say, Ethan," she smiled. "I didn't think I was that good," she added, emphasizing the word 'that'. The thirteen year old's voice had developed into a more mature sound over the summer, just as her body and mind had developed. Her mind, had matured beyond where it should be for a thirteen year old. In fact, Layla could've been mistaken easily for a fifteen year old.

She bit her lip, giving him sort of a pouty face. "I can't help it," she admitted, knowing very well that Ethan could handle himself, especially since he was older than she. She didn't want to see him getting into huge trouble with the Ministry or anything, but she knew, that no girl could change a boy. Though, she did agree that she did in fact, worry too much.

"Not with that I don't," she said, pointing to the wand in his wand. "Magic outside of Hogwarts can get you into serious trouble with the Ministry." She picked up some of her things once again and began stuffing it into a trunk. "Now, I don't mind you helping, but not with magic." She smirked, challenging him to see if he'd actually put his wand away.