"Will you try out for the team?" Holly asked anxiously that night while I was planning my next design for one of the panels of my curtains. That was what I brought the canvas for, but Holly was going to use it all up if I didn't get more.

"I don't know. I think I'll just try to be commentator, apparently they've had trouble holding onto a good one They switch almost every game," I told her pulling the silver thread from the pile on my bed. I examined it a moment and set it back down. I was going to need more of that too.

"Oh! Good I wanted to try out and there's only on spot open this yea, although it is open try-outs," I looked at her curiously, "That means that technically all the spots on the team are up for grabs, but we'll probably just play all the old faces unless someome is beyond amazing."

"What spot is open?" I asked marking in another leaf, the green would make a good contrast to the blue and silver.

"One of the beaters," I jerked in shock. Holly had said she liked playing chaser only a efw days ago.

"I thought you were a chaser? I'm a beater I think, but still," I said setting down my canvas.

"Well, yeah, I am a chaser, but I'm not likely to get the place. I think I'll try out for both haser and beater positions if I can. I might make the reserve team for chaser," Holly informed me calmly.

It was just me and Holly in the dorm. Lela-Rose was in the library, Marie was in the Common Room, Leah was begging Professor Skrewt for extra lessons, and no one could figure out where Meghann was. Ice and Crest were napping on the table that was supposedly for our homework use, but we used it for pet storage. Crest and Ice had their bed there, and Holly and Meghann's owls had their cages there, although they usually spent their time in the Owlery.

"You'll probably at least make reserve, you're pretty good. Well you're better than most of the other first years at least. That youngest Weasley in Gryffindor, what's his name…um…Louis, yeah, Louis might give you a run for your money, but look at his family. Louis has an older sister who's a sixth years on the team, two of his cousins are on the team, his dad and half his uncles were on the team, and one of his aunts played Quidditch professionally. No, I think you're pretty good, Louis just had ridiculously good genes," I told her rambling a little as I picked up a spool of midnight blue.

When I looked up at Holly again she was beaming, and I was taken aback. I hadn't seen Holly this happy despite her general perkiness, and it was disconcerting to tell the truth. I suddenly elt uncomfortable to be sitting in the same room with just her. I made my excuses and ran off to the library to read A Magical Comparison of Wizarding Schools Which was really Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in disguise. I had opened the book to my page and I was about to start reading when Rose came up behind me.

"hey, will you come with me for a second?" She requested looking at me intently I closed my book and nodded. Rose sighed looking relieved.

When I had gathered all my things she led me out of the library and into a nearby empty classroom. The desks were piled on one side of the room and a number of tables that looked like they could have come out of the Ravenclaw dorms were stuffed into the room against the opposite wall.

"Why's Albus acting so weird around you? Did you say something to him?" Rose asked perching on the edge of a desk. Her expression was so stern it was hard to see the girl who had cheerfully introduced me to her friends and laughed after I broke Stella's finger.

"No, Michael and I had fallen asleep in class and we were both sort of asleep and stumbling around on our way to the Great Hall. I lost my balance and took Michael down with me Albus came along at just that moment and now he thinks I like Michael, but I don't. Michael's funny enough, but he ruins his potions, unless I watch him closely, and he couldn't fly a broom to save his life. Plus he's three years younger than me," I told her getting heated up with indignation. I liked Albus!

"So you like Albus," Rose stated calmly. It wasn't a question all I had done was confirm her suspicions. Rose wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing.

"What?" I asked surprised. I hadn't thought she would have noticed that fast.

"You like him. You should ask him to go with you to Hogsmeade. The first trip is in two weeks. I'm sure he'll go with you if you ask He'll just be hanging out with Meg and Stella if you don't. You should take him to The Three Broomsticks and the Hogsmeade branch of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes," Rose suggested, or rather ordered. When Rose was leaving no room for question it wasn't a suggestion.

"I…I don't know. I wasn't really planning to go. I mean most of my friends are first years, they're not allowed to go," I told her stuttering a little. I didn't know how to ask someone out!

"You can't miss Hogsmeade! Make sure you bring stuff back for your first year friends though. Some butterbeers maybe, or Honeydukes chocolates." Rose told me still being commanding. I swear Rose would do well as a politician, mostly because she always gets her way. She has her dad wrapped around her finger too. She's his older child, and his only girl. Then there's Scorpius, who is so infatuated at this point that the only thing he won't risk for her is her father. All her cousins are just terrified of her, so is her little brother. Rose could almost be a Slytherin if she wasn't a Ravenclaw.

"but-" I started to object.

"No buts! If you can't ask him I'll glue your mouth shut and ask him for you," I'm not sure if Rose was threatening me or giving me a promise. They end up being about the same.

"I'll try," I muttered and to my annoyance Rose smiled sweetly, patted me on the shoulder, and left the room. I'm going to have to get back at her one of these days, maybe I'll get a note for the Restricted Section of the library to look at the time spells. I should be able to modify one for my devious purposes after that.

That night I had a dream. It wasn't unusual that I dreamed, but usually I forgot it in the morning. This dream didn't fade in the light of day.

Everything was calm and still as it was meant to be. Nothing disturbed the stillness Directly below me was a clear stream of an almost impossible blue. I could see events passing me by slowly. There was Rose getting out of her sickbed, and there was Lan kissing her and crying because he hadn't lost her.

I couldn't hear anything from them, but suddenly Rose was angry, she threw a book at Lan, she was crying. I watched as she tired herself out and Lan tucked her in. He kissed her forehead and left the room. Rose was awake again, and she cried.

The next day Rose wouldn't talk to Lan. It was clear in her stance and posture. Instead she read her favorite books for comfort. There was Harry Potter, and there was the Lioness Rampant, and there was deep Wizardry. She spent a week reading all her favorite books and doing nothing else. I watched leaving only briefly to check on the Streams making sure nothing had collided, no events moving unduly.

After that first week Lan invaded with college level work for Rose to complete. Rose did it and passed time on an English major.

When I woke up I realized something disturbing, that was a memory I hadn't retrieved earlier, there were still missing memories from my mind. That bothered me more than it should have, I knew it wasn't nearly as bad as when I first arrived, when I couldn't remember anything, but it bothered me more. I should remember everything now, but I don't. That scares me, and I don't like myself when I'm scared.

When I'm scared I cringe and avoid everything. I refuse to let anyone in who could help, but that's not what I want. I want to let the people who can help in, because I know if I don't I'll stay scared, and it makes it worse because I have to face my fear and I can't alone.

What makes it all worse, no one ever notices.

No one ever sees that I'm scares, that there's a reason I'm cutting them out, that there's a reason why I'm suddenly cynical and speaking caustically. I sometimes wish someone would see, but they won't, I know they won't notice. No one has that kind of attachment to me, an attachment that would make them notice that something is different, and something is wrong. So they won't notice it's not right until it's too late to notice anything.

I spent the next week cutting people out, completely forgetting about the whole 'ask-Albus-out-or-Rose-will-glue-your-mouth-shut-and-do-it-for-you' thing. I read through all the remaining books of the Harry Potter series finally understanding why Voldemort survived, how Harry killed him, why the Weasley twins were short a twin, why George was short an ear, what happened to Dumbledore and Snape; all of it. I continued by borrowing rose's second and third year books, which I devoured, having already memorized my own books. I had memorized all the first and second year material before Rose noticed what I was doing.

"Why are you reading? Why haven't you asked Albus out yet? And do I have to hex you?" Rose demanded staring me down the Monday before the Hogsmeade weekend.

"I've decided not to go. I'm going to spend the time studying instead. I'm determined to learn all seven years worth of knowledge for every class offered at Hogwarts plus some and in the same time it takes you and Albus to finish,' I told her fibbing slightly. I didn't really have a goal, I wanted to learn everything within the school curriculum and as much as I could about time centered magics. But I wasn't telling Rose about the last part.

"you have to go! I know you'll regret it if you don't!" Rose looked truly desperate.

"No, I won't," I told her; n outright lie. I was already regretting it. I didn't want to push them away, but for some reason I was doing it anyway.

Rose looked at me concernedly, then she turned and left and this lonely feeling in my crest grew and threatened to consume me. I pushed it down and went back to Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The Hogsmeade weekend passed and I spent the day memorizing books. I had made it to the end of third year on Monday when classes started again I swore someone was watching me study all weekend, but every time I looked up there was either no one, or else the people were engrossed in their own studying. I didn't even ever know any of them Well unless you count knowing that the studious seeming boy from Slytherin was always reading the same book or that the sixth year Gryffindor who was always going through the section on magical artifacts was a Weasley (Although not one I knew personally).

On Monday afternoon during our free period I was studying again when every girl in the school I knew by name and face came and physically dragged me from my seat. There was rose, holly, Stella, Lela-Rose, Meghann, Marie, Aisha, Mami, and Meg, Albus's best friend.

"Why? I was just doing my transfiguration essay, it's due on Wednesday, and if I don't do it now I won't have time for my research," I told them as Stella and Meg dragged me bodily down hallways. Holly had her hands on my back pushing me along.

When we stopped we were standing in front of an empty classroom which I was shoved into and locked in.

"I need to finish my work!" I yelled at the now closed door and the retreating sound of giggling. Why in the world am I the only sane girl in the world who does not giggle? It's a conspiracy, I'm sure of it.

"Emma? Why did I get kidnapped by a bunch of girls?" I turned dreading because I knew that voice; it was Albus.

So I ended this with the beginning of one of my favorite scenes. There are only two or three which I like more, and they won't be coming for awhile yet. I considered giving you the whole kidnapping scene in this chapter, but I decided I would just end it with Emma realizing she's locked in a room with Albus.

A couple of people asked if Emma would be trying out for the quidditch team, so this chapter gives you your answer. Emma isn't really a quidditch sort of person. She's more of a martial arts sort of person. Emma doesn't play nice very well, so martial arts would really be more up her alley than a team sport. I'll explain why later…like much later.

If anyone is wondering the full typed part of the story is 63 pages, and I have at least thirty or forty worth already written, but in a notebook. So as long as people review to remind me to work on my story you should have fairly constant updates throughout the summer. I'll be going on vacation at the end of June, so there may be a gap around then, but otherwise my updates should be pretty constant.

Well I'll be leaving now so I can post this stupid thing!