"Aaliyah," I hear a voice whisper in my head. I bury my head further into something hard, ignoring the voice. My mind is completely blank, it doesn't register anything and nor does it try to.

"Aaliyah," the voice repeats a little louder than before.

And another time, "Aaliyah." This time I feel colder, like the thing that has been keeping me warm has been taken off. A shake of the shoulder forces my eyes open, my eyelashes tangled and my eyes opening to complete darkness.

It takes me sometime to realize what is going on.

I rub my eyes like a child to clear my vision but it's still dark. I touch my hand to my cheek. It has that dry, rough texture that is a result of tears. Had I been crying? Then it all comes crashing down to me like a whiplash.

The dungeons. The familiar voice telling me we need to talk. Turning around to see Fred. The confession. Being backed up against the wall. The almost-kiss. The suffocating feeling of no space and confusion. Everything.

Running away. Tears. Albus. More Tears. Another almost-kiss. Tears. Him leading me to a room. Playing the scene over and over in my head till it hurt. Another confession. Comfort. His arms. Then sleep, peaceful sleep.

All of a sudden the same male voice from before whispers, "lumos." A bright white light suddenly appears in the darkness and my eyes close at the shock. Slowly I open them again, blinking a few times to register the change. Albus watches me strangely, an unreadable look on his face. He gives me a small smile and I take in my surroundings.

It seems likes I'm still in the classroom Albus took me to. The dark makes it appear to be spookier than it should. The dinginess of it now gives more of a haunted impression. A breeze passes by and I let out a shiver. My robes aren't on so the chilliness affects me more than it usually does. I can already feel goosebumps on my arms. What's weird is that it doesn't seem like I'm sitting on the cold, hard floor. My attention goes back to Albus. He's still watching me and I look down to see that I'm in his lap.

I'm in Albus Potter's lap.

My eyes widen and I hurry to get off.

I dust myself off and on instinct wipe my cheek as if to hide tears that aren't there.

My head feels a bit heavy and throbs slightly and my legs are wobbly from sitting down so long. I try to take a step and almost tumble down when a hand catches me by the arm.

"Easy there," Albus says. He genuinely sounds like he care. He shouldn't care. He's not supposed to care.

I don't say anything, my throat has a dry, itchy feeling and hurts when I gulp. I gently take my arm out of his arm.

I'm probably a sorry sight right now. With all the crying my eyes are probably bloodshot. My hair is out of its previous bun, disheveled and frizzed at the ends: the perfect picture of a bird's nest.

My uniform is even a worse sight I notice inspecting it. My white button up had lost its iron, wrinkled everywhere and the collars wilted. My skirt is still fine but my high socks have rolled down a few inches. I consider trying to fix them by pulling them up to its original length but I don't bother.

What's worse is the queasy feeling in my stomach and the heat I can feel running up my body and onto my cheeks: embarrassment

I twiddle my fingers as I glance up to find him staring out the window.

He seems to be contemplating something. I hadn't said anything since I woke up, I realise. I should probably say something but my vocal cords, it turns out, don't want to work.

When I finally voice something, my words sound scratchy. "What time is it?"

He turns around, surprised I've said anything. "Not sure. By the looks of it, it is some time past midnight."

I nod and all of a sudden my stomach lets out a very loud growl. Like I couldn't be embarrassed enough in this situation.

A small smile comes on his face yet again. "Hungry?"

"I didn't make it to dinner," I mutter loud enough so he can hear me but not loud enough to fill the whole room.

He nods and walks to the door. It screeches open and he makes a motion with his hand for me to go first.

"You don't have to walk me back to the common room. I know my way around the castle."

"We're going to the kitchens."

"I know the way to the kitchens too. You don't need to escort me." He shouldn't have to escort me. I already feel like I owe him for last night as it is… I don't need to owe him anymore.

He sighs. "I didn't make it to dinner either," he admits. What he doesn't say is why he didn't make it to dinner: me.

I make my feet move forward and grudgingly walk out the door. He follows, squeaking the door shut behind him.

At first we don't say anything. The only sound is our feet hitting the floor and the only light is coming from Albus' wand and the few lamps hanging on the walls.

I become aware of my own wand being missing. I remember having it after class, it had been inside my school bag. Wait… where is my school bag? And my cloak had been on too… I think I took it off after seeing Fred though. Where is it now? And today is a school day. I skid to a stop.

Albus notices and raises an eyebrow in question.

I shake my head at myself. "My school bag, my wand, my cloak… I think I left them somewhere."

He frowns at first then widens his eyes slightly. "And we have classes today."

I nod, cringing at my own stupidity.

He pinches his nose, he's probably frustrated at me. Hell, even I'm frustrated at myself.

"Do you remember where you left it?" he asks.

I rack my brains for an answer. It takes a while to remember. "Um… I think I locked myself in a broom closet after I saw Fred… to think things through and I guess I left them there," I find myself saying and right after I wish I hadn't. It sounded so pathetic… so weak.

"Do you know which broom closet?" he asks, not affected by the fact that I locked myself in a broom closet after I saw his cousin to basically hide myself from the world.

"It was in the dungeons… somewhere near the Potions classroom I'm pretty sure."

"I think I know which one you're talking about." I hide my surprise, my description was very vague. How could he possibly know which one? But then… he did practically live in the dungeons with the Slytherin Common Room being down there and all. "Okay then, we'll go find your bag and cloak and then go to kitchens."

We both turn around, changing our course of direction with him leading the way and me slightly terrified of going down to the dungeons.

You know how the dungeons are sort of creepy during the day? Well imagine that except with dark hallways only lit by dim, flaxen-colored lights. The only other source of light is Albus' wand which I am now truly grateful for.

The dungeons are also colder than the main castle, much colder. It's as if there is a constant breeze coming from an open door that never shuts.

I try to hide my shivering and force my teeth to not chatter by clamping them shut. I end up watching the two shadows shaded onto the floor beneath my feet, trying to distract myself from my dreary surroundings.

"You're cold." He breaks the silence and I turn to see that he isn't looking at me but the path ahead.

I shrug, not denying it but not outright telling him that I am, in fact, freezing my arse off.

He then does something I don't expect. He takes his cloak off in a swift movement and holds it out for me to take. I shouldn't be surprised by his kindness anymore, if you could call it kindness that is. I've been around him long enough that I should start expecting him to be caring and considerate but this 'kindness' doesn't fit into the Albus Potter I've pictured in my mind for so long.

I reach my hand out to take the cloak but then pull by hand back. "Won't you be cold?"

He shrugs nonchalantly. "This place is practically my home. I'm used to the cold." He's referring to the Slytherin Common Room being down here.

I nod and take the cloak, putting my arms through the wide arm holes. The cloak tail drags behind as we walk, clearly a bit too big for me but I don't mind.

I'm distracted by the smell of cologne stuck to the fabric when he speaks again. "Have you spoke to James recently?"

"No," I answer honestly. "Why?"

"Just asking," he says, shaking his head at himself. "Have you talked to Gabby?"

"Yeah, I talked to her yesterday. Why?" I ask again wondering why he wanted to know.

"Have you noticed anything off about them?" He runs a hand through his hair.

"No, not really. Have you? Noticed anything off, I mean." Had I missed something going on? Maybe I should pay more attention.

He suddenly stops. "Do you… do you think they have feelings for each other?" It finally dawns on me what he is talking about.

"Honestly, I think they do." I cringe on instinct which is odd. Why would the thought of them of make me cringe? They certainly aren't exactly cringe-worthy, are they?

He sighs. "I had a feeling." A frown comes on his face. He doesn't look too happy about the idea but then I'm not happy about it either.

"You don't look happy about it."

"The idea of them sounds," he stops, searching for right word, "messy."

"Messy?" I question his word choice, sort of amused that he just called his brother and my sister messy as if they were an unclean room or crinkled piece of paper.

"You know what I mean… it seems complicated."

I nod in understanding before offering up an idea of my own. "Maybe they feel the same about us."

He sighs again. "But that's different… we don't have feelings for each other."

"Aw, you don't have feelings for me? And I was beginning to feel like I was growing on you." I pout at him and he smiles to himself probably thinking my antics are silly. I can't decide if it is a good or bad thing that I can make conversation with him this easily even after a crying episode from my part.

We don't say anything for a while and then he breaks silence. Again. "Did you know that Gabby was my first crush?"

I almost stop walking at his revelation. Thinking through it, it makes sense for him to have a crush of Gabby. Gabby's pretty and unafraid of standing up for what she believes in and has this consistency I don't have. She was his first friend outside of his family. It makes perfect sense… then why do I have this pit in my stomach.

"When?" I ask, curiosity gnawing at me.

"Since I first set eyes on her."

This time my feet stop moving. The idea of love at first sight is too romantic. He can't be serious, right?

He sees my stiff posture and lets out a laugh. "I'm only joking, Aaliyah." I let out a breath and we keep walking. I still feel the pit in my stomach.

"So when if not at first sight?"

"When I was nine." How young, I can't help but think.

"How long?"

"Two years." He smiles as he says it. Two years meant up till he was eleven meaning till Gabby was twelve. He still had a crush on her when she went off to Hogwarts. This for some odd reason brings a smile onto my face. The pit contracts.

"So you still had a crush on her when she went off to Hogwarts?" I tease.

He puts a hand through his hair again, embarrassment written on his face. "Yeah."

"Were you devastated?" I can't help but ask. I'm prying, I realise.

He lets out a long breath. "The summer before she left felt like hell. Well… that's what I remember. I think my kid self was a little overdramatic but that's how I remember it. I wrote to her like every week for most of that year."

"Trust me, you aren't exaggerating. I thought the world was going to end when James left." I laugh at the childish thought.

"You wrote to him, right?"

"Yeah, I wrote to him once a week. Sometimes even twice a week. I was always disappointed when his replies were only a few lines when I wrote him pages."

"James has never been good with letters."

"No he really isn't." I smile at the thought of him. I haven't seen him since the Halloween. I make a quick mental note to visit him in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"He owled you more than Mum, I think. I clearly remember Mum always complaining to Dad about how his older son only writes to her once in a blue moon."

I laugh. I can picture Ginny doing that.

Another silence.

"So… have you ever had a crush on James?" He stares at his feet when saying this.

"No," I say instinctively, being asked the same question by Ellie and Annie countless times.

He doesn't seem to believe me. "Really?"

"Yes, really," I emphasise.

"Huh." He ponders over what I said before saying, "Why?"

"Well… why not?" I counter.

"You have met James, right? Funny, charming…" his words run off.

"Yeah, so?"

"Do you think he's ever had a crush on you?"

I laugh at this before the noise dies in my throat. That's what I thought of Seth, that he couldn't possibly have a crush on me but I was wrong. I push the thought out of my head.

"I don't know… does it really matter? He likes Gabby now anyway."

He nods and we fall into another silence that stretches till we find the door we're looking for.

Albus pushes open the closet door and I peer inside, immediately locating the faint outline of my bag in the dark. I quickly grab it and sling it on my shoulder. I then grab my cloak, dusting it off first. I take out my wand when I exit, whispering a quiet "lumos", and Albus closes the door shut.

We then make our way out of the dungeons.

I don't give his cloak back though. I like the smell too much.

An hour later I find myself at the entrance of Ravenclaw Tower, my stomach not growling anymore and my wand stored away.

"What is the difference between an invisibility charm and a disillusionment charm?" the knocker says with the same voice it always asks with: firm and calm. It's like the time of day has no effect on it.

"The invisibility charm renders the object invisible while the disillusionment charm makes the object blend into their surroundings like a chameleon," I answer.

"Correct." The door swings open and I turn back to Albus. Our cold fingers brush against each other as I hand his cloak back. We don't say good night or see you later or whatever other couples say. We just hold each other's gazes till he nods and I nod back. I then enter the tower. I don't turn back to see him leave.

In the morning I wake up earlier than usual: six o'clock. I don't yawn, I don't stretch, I don't blink at the curtains. Instead, I pull off my sheets and slip out of bed, trudging my way to the bathroom.

I open the door gently and touch a toe to the floor. The tiles are too cold to walk on as always. I go back and pull on my slippers and then enter the bathroom. Flicking on the light, I examine myself in the mirror. Sleep may make me feel better but it has done my face and hair no good it seems. My skin looks paler than usual making all my freckles stand out even more. My eyes are less puffy than before but you can still tell I'd been crying. And my hair is well... a tangled mess.

Sighing I pick up a comb and pull it through my hair. This gets rid of all the tangles but I can't do anything about the slight frizziness at ends since I am all out of anti-frizz potion. It takes another twenty minutes for me to make myself look semi decent before I head out of the bathroom and change into my uniform.

Swinging my school bag over my shoulder I look back at Ellie and Annie's beds. It's too early to wake them up and I don't want to ask them to go to breakfast with me because of my demanding stomach. You would think having a late dinner would make you less hungry in the morning but it turns that that is not the case.

Starving, I make my way out of the dormitory and down the stairs.

When I reach the Great Hall, only a few students are there. Taking a seat at the Ravenclaw table, I make myself a breakfast plate filled with toast, eggs and fruits.

As time passes by, more students start to pour in. When I finish my food, I take out my Transfiguration textbook and start to reread the chapter we are currently on.

I only take my eyes off the book when Ellie and Annie take a seat in front of me.

"Good Morning." I smile.

Ellie looks at me with narrowed eyes. "It is not a good morning, Aaliyah. It never is a good morning because mornings can't be good. Maybe there can be a good afternoon or good evening but not a good morning. Who ever made the greeting up must have been a filthy liar."

Did I forget to mention that Ellie isn't a morning person?

Ellie sits there looking at all food laid out in front of her but doesn't pick up her plate to start filling it up. She looks from the food to me and then flashes me her teeth.

I roll my eyes at her. She wants me to make her plate. Typical.

I do it anyway and fill her plate with toast and bacon and hand her a bowl of cornflakes with milk.

When I hand it to her, she grins even wider. "Did I mention that you are my favorite friend?"

"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to hear it a couple more times," I reply, pouting.

Annie rolls her eyes this time, but I can tell she's amused.

"Where were you last night?" Annie asks, spooning some eggs onto her plate.

"Yeah, you never made it to dinner. And you weren't at the dorm when we fell asleep." Ellie frowns, a suspicious look on her face.

I don't bother to lie. "Oh, I ended up meeting up with Albus in a classroom and we talked. We sort of lost track of time and ended up falling asleep there. We woke up a few hours later and went down to the kitchens since we both missed dinner." So I may not have mentioned the breakdown. I don't want them to worry, okay? And if Ellie finds out that Fred is bothering me, she'll probably threaten him and punch him. And maybe take Isaac along to restrain Fred while she gets in a punch or two. And Annie will have this worried, cautious look on her face for a week. It would just be a mess really.

Annie and Ellie glance at each other before looking back at me with a devious smile on their faces."You ended up talking all night?"

"Yeah." I ignore the connotation.

"Fine, don't tell us. It's not like we are your friends or anything." Ellie raises an eyebrow at me.

"What do you want to hear? That we were snogging all night?" I scoff. I grab my goblet of orange juice and drink from it. Let them think what they want. Not that I care or anything. Okay so maybe I do care. Do I really seem like the type to miss dinner because my tongue was preoccupied?

"Well… were you?" Annie's voice is so plain and calm as she says this that I almost choke on my drink.

"No," I cry out.

"Wow Aaliyah, you are a prude," Ellie teases before changing the topic. "You said you went to the kitchens?"

I nod, not understanding why this piece of information is so important.

"So you know where it is?"

I nod again, finally realising what she's playing at. Ellie wants to know where the kitchens are. She's been trying to find out since third year when her cousin, Aidan, let slip that he knows the location. She's even tried following him but it never worked since Aidan seemed to always know when she was on his tail.

"Ellie, I'm not telling you," I sigh.

"Why not?" She pouts for good measure.

"Because." My reasoning is great, I know.

"It's not like it is a secret or anything, is it?"

"Well… kind of." I don't tell her that I've known where they are since fourth year.

"Please," she drawls out, "think of all the times I've wanted a midnight snack and haven't gotten one."

Annie snorts at this, clearly remembering giving Ellie her stashed-away chocolate when this sort of situation happens.

"Fine," I admit, defeated. "But two can't tell anyone else. Not even Seth or Isaac."

"Why can't we tell them?" Ellie looks confused. We usually share everything we know with them.

"Because the more people that know, the more people will find out. We don't want all of Hogwarts know where the kitchens are, do we? Think about the poor house elves," Annie points out.

Ellie nods, going along with it. I'm pretty sure what convinced her is the house elves. She has a soft spot for them.

"It's located right under the Great Hall, near the Hufflepuff basement," I whisper.

Ellie's eyes widen. Annie thinks about it for a second before asking, "How do you get in? There has to be some sort of magical door or something."

"There is painting of a bowl of fruit. You have to tickle the pear and then a door knob will appear."

"You have to tickle the pear?" Annie clarifies, not really believing it at first.

"Yup."

Ellie leans back and lets out a 'huh'. She seems pleased with herself and goes back to eating her cereal.

"So that is where the house elves are usually at," Annie mutters to herself.

Hearing this, Ellie pipes in, "Do they talk to you when you go there?"

"Uh huh." I smile, watching Ellie's face break out into a wonderstruck look.

Right at the moment, I spot Seth and Isaac making their way toward us. Seth takes a seat next to me while Isaac plops down next to Ellie.

"Watcha ladies talking about?" Isaac starts to pile food onto his plate. Seth follows suit, a yawn escaping him as he did. He's still sleepy, I realise.

"House elves," Annie and I answer in unison.

Isaac peers at Ellie, taking in the awestruck look in her eyes. "You okay there, Ells?" His voice is laced with amusement. He has always found it funny that Ellie, the tough beater of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, has a weakness for magical creatures that like serving others.

"Huh," she blinks and shakes her head, "yeah, fine."

"So why were you talking about house elves?" Seth scans our faces as if searching for something off about the situation.

Annie, Ellie and I look at each before we all blurt out, "Hermione Weasley." I want to say we have super powers and can read each others mind but alas it is only because we are all smart enough to think up the best cover up.

Isaac suddenly seems more interested in the conversation. He even stops eating which is odd for a growing teenage boy. All they do is eat I tell you.

"She's great, isn't she?" Let me clarify, Isaac doesn't have a crush on her or anything. He just admires her… a lot. He has a dad who works at the ministry and is in the same department as her so he's grown up hearing of all of her accomplishments in fighting for the rights of magical creatures and passing laws to stop bias based on blood status. She is kind of his role model. If his Quidditch career doesn't work out his back up plan is to work in the same department as her.

We all then dive into a conversation about the golden trio but not about how they defeated the darkest wizard of all time. Instead, we talk about all the good they've done after that. As cliche as it sounds, almost every young wizard or witch has looked up to them and strived to be them at some point in their life. You can't really help it. Even I can't help it and growing up, they've babysat me.

When our conversation dies down, we all share a look, clearly asking each other if we should starting heading for our first class. We all stand up and walk together to Transfiguration with Annie grumbling all the way. She really doesn't like that class.

When I enter Blackwell's classroom, I don't see a familiar head of jet-black hair. I can't help but sigh in relief.

I end up avoiding the same person for the rest of the day: ducking around corridors when I spy a tall Slytherin, changing my route when I see a group of blonde, black and brown-haired boys, and making sure the seat next to me is taken before he enters in the classes I have with him.

I don't know what makes me do it. I just can't make myself turn around in classes to find him looking at me questioningly, or let him come up to talk to me between classes or anything that has to do with him really.

All I know is the queasy feeling in my stomach and the thought in my head that he saw me break down and held me and that I could never repay him for his kindness. Ever.

The next day, when afternoon classes are finished, I find myself knocking at the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Can you be quieter? Honestly, I'm trying to take a nap here," the fat lady scolds. She then goes off to mumble that in the old days other houses never set foot in the Gryffindor Tower. The portrait then swings open and Molly smiles at me.

"Looking for James?"

"Yeah." I smile awkwardly.

She nods her head in direction behind her. "He's in there, near the fire." She makes room for me to slip past her.

I'm immediately warmer when I enter, the heat of the fire reaching me quickly. I spot James where Molly said he would be and am glad that he is alone. He's gazing off at the fire, lost in his thoughts when I go sit next to him.

He is surprised at first but then, realising it is only me, breaks out into a lazy smile.

"Hey," he greets.

"Hey, what're you doing alone? Something on your mind?" He may be talking to me but it looks like what he was thinking about is still bothering him.

"Just nothing and everything." He leans back and rests his head on the top of the couch, closing his eyes briefly.

"Anything in particular?" I slip off my shoes and pull my legs up on the couch, allowing them to make a criss cross formation.

He blinks his eyes open and has a sad smile on this time. "The tape," he sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.

I sigh with him but not for the same reason he is. "You know you can tell me right," I repeat for what seems the millionth time. We've had this conversation many times.

"Yeah, I know. You know why I don't tell you, right?" he says, falling into the same pattern as last time.

"Yes James, I know why." I sigh, not annoyed but frustrated.

"Then maybe you should stop asking." He winks teasingly but I know that he just wants me to take the hint and not ask anymore. He should know by now that curiosity always gets to me and that I'm not very good at letting things go.

"Maybe I'll stop asking when you decide to tell me." I flash my teeth at him and he chuckles, pulling me into a hug. I grumble at him, telling him that he's messing up my hair and he lets me go. I really don't mind him hugging me, and I don't really care if he messes up my hair or not. I just don't want him think that I'm giving in and not going to press on about it anymore.

"Maybe you should be a Ravenclaw right now and know that the information isn't worth the consequences."

"Ronan won't find out that I know, James. And how do you know that she doesn't think I already know about the tape?" I pester, using reason to make him tell me about it.

"How long do you think this will go on?" I frown at him.

"Me asking about it? Probably forever."

"Oh, no I wasn't talking about that. I already know you will bother me about it forever," he laughs and continues, "I'm talking about this game that we're playing."

"Honestly?" He nods. "I think the only ones making the real moves are you, Gabby and Ronan. I think the rest of us are just pawns." And it's true. Albus, Fred, and I, and all the rest are just pawns in the end. We're what Ronan uses to play the game she wants to play, trying to dispose of us when she's done with us, while James and Gabby are the ones protecting us.

He laughs. "You're not a pawn, Aaliyah."

I raise an eyebrow at him. He explains further. "You're the king, I'm your knight and Gabby's the bishop."

"I'm the king?" I question him, disbelief evident in my tone. He nods. "Then, daresay, who is my queen?"

He answers with a straight face. "Al, of course." And we both start laughing, clutching our stomachs and leaning against each other. It isn't even that funny but to us it is. Maybe we just need a laugh. Or maybe the image of Albus being a queen really is that funny. Or maybe… just maybe we both need comfort.

When we calm down he reminds me that I never really did answer his question.

"It'll go on till your king and pawns don't need protecting anymore."

We sit there in silence for a while. I rest my head on his shoulder and he stares out into the fire again.

I'm so lost in my thoughts that I almost miss his whisper. "Ask Albus about it."

I nod, what I don't tell him is that I can't ask his brother about the tape because I'm too busy ignoring him.

I am walking to the common room, just finished with my homework at the library, when I hear him.

"You know what the thing about avoidance is? It's really hard to make it not obvious." He has a bite in his voice and venom in his words. He isn't happy. I can tell that.

I had already known he would catch me off guard at one point so I do the most logical thing: I turn around and face him.

"It's only hard if the person you are avoiding notices," I say in a tired voice. It's been a long week.

He tilts his head to the side, raising a brow in revelation. "So you're admitting to it then?"

I shrug. "Even if I didn't, we both know that's not true." He examines me for a while, his face blank but his eyes searing through me like fire.

The next statement he makes comes out in a whisper. "Three days," his voice goes louder and louder, "You've been avoiding me for three days. Do you know what that means? The people around us have started noticing. And do you know how I know what? Because Scorpius has noticed and Blaine has noticed. Even Kian has fucking noticed because turns out you've had the time to talk to him but not to your freaking boyfriend. And since he has noticed that definitely means Ronan has noticed which can easily bring this whole thing crashing the fuck down. And all of our work for the past month is worth nothing. Do you realise that Herseth or not?" I can't help but notice he used my last name. Somewhere inside me I can feel shame bubbling up. Something flashes in his green eyes just for a moment: disappointment. He's covering up his disappointment by acting mad. I think the disappointment is worse.

"Do you know what else? I'm here on a Friday night, searching for you to try and talk to you when I have a match on Sunday to worry about." His voice quiets down. He runs a hand through his hair. He looks like he needs to punch a wall.

"What do you want me to say?" My voice is steady and unwavering but if you hear closely you can hear the softness of it at the end.

For some reason that appears to be the worst response possible. He leans his back against the wall, not looking at me.

And this gets me angry. I can't explain why. Maybe because I hate being yelled at. Or maybe because I am angry at myself. Maybe I just want to get mad at somebody and he's in the perfect position for me to yell at him.

"What do you want me to say, Potter? Do you want me to say I'm sorry for wasting your time? Or that I'm sorry for distracting you from your game on Sunday? Which is it?" I can hear the coldness in my own words and I cringe on the inside but I can still feel the anger swelling up inside me.

He switches his attention back to me, eyes blazing. He leans off the wall and strides quickly toward me. I take a step back.

"You think I'm mad at you for that? Are you daft? I'm angry because after you broke down, you avoided me! You left me wondering if I did something wrong! I'm mad because I was worried about you and I knew something was still bothering you but you wouldn't just come talk to me about it. You tossed me aside like some abandoned puppy!" The fire in his eyes extinguishes and his breathing comes down heavy on my face. The anger inside me is gone, replaced by guilt.

"An abandoned puppy? You thought I tossed you aside? Like a puppy?" I whisper, not believing that of all people Albus Potter felt tossed aside… by me. And he compared himself to a puppy? I almost smile at how funny that is.

He shakes his head at me before doing the most unexpected thing: he closes the space between us, arms wrapping around my waist and giving me an awkward hug. It takes me a few seconds to wrap my own arms around him. He rests his chin on top of mine and we just stand there for a while.

In these silent moments I come to the conclusion that I've missed him the past few days. And I think he may have missed me too.

"Out of all the things you catch in the conversation… you catch that I compared myself to a puppy?" His body shakes in laughter.

"I'm sorry for making you feel like I tossed you aside," I mumble quietly, my eyes tearing just a bit. The guilt comes back and I try to gulp it down.

"It's okay." He kisses the top of my head. "And please don't cry. I'm not very good with crying women."

I laugh, a little embarrassed that he knew I was about to tear up.

The next thing he says come out in a whisper. "Is this how you felt with Fred? Tossed aside?"

One word slips out of my mouth: "worse."

I can feel him nod.

"Can I ask you one thing?" I nod in answer.

"Don't ever do this again, okay?"

"Okay."

And he believes me. And I think I believe me too.