Cassie sat with Heather on the lawn, their schoolbooks open on the grass in front of them. I meant only to wave as I passed by on my way back up to the castle from Herbology, but they enthusiastically beckoned me over. I looked up. It was a clear day, warm and sunny. I relented without much pressure and joined them by the lake.

"We were just talking about you," said Heather.

Cassie nodded. "Good things. In conjunction with Quidditch. I can't believe we're through to the finals."

"Well, with all our hard work, we earned it," I said.

Cassie smiled. "Spoken like a true captain. Come on. You must have had some doubts down the line. Mainly about me, I'm sure."

I shrugged.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"It's amazing how far we've come," said Heather.

Cassie nodded enthusiastically. "I know. I could barely ride a broom before Esther started meeting with me privately."

"Don't put yourself down," I said.

"It doesn't really matter now, though, does it?" Cassie asked. "I've caught the snitch and helped trick Beard last game. Surely I've improved enough to scorn my past self?"

Heather changed the topic. "Speaking of Quidditch, how's Hugo? I haven't seen him around. Is he out of the hospital wing yet?"

"Should be, later today," said Cassie. "We're waiting for the last of the Skelegro to work now."

The topic of the conversation changed, leaving me feeling out of place as they spoke about the drama of the younger years, of people that I knew by sight in the hallways but nothing else about. I said goodbye and decided to skip out on the library, as I had intended to visit, and instead go straight to the dining hall for dinner.

I was overtaken by Scorpius on my way and he smiled at me, but that was all. He was surrounded by his Slytherin friends, who were laughing at something that occurred during one of their classes. I watched them go, the ends of their cloaks the last thing to sweep around the entrance to the hall.

"Esther!"

I turned on my heel and walked backwards as I located the source of the voice. It was Holly, a little way down the hall, tie askew. She jogged down the hall towards me, bag bouncing against her hip.

"Esther, I need to talk to you about something."

Holly's words jolted through me, forcing my mind through every possible explanation for them, ridiculous or otherwise. Were Hugo's injuries worse than originally thought, or had we been disqualified from the Quidditch final for some reason? Or - perhaps the best yet most terrifying prospect - had she finally discovered the secret that Sawyer has been hiding from us for so long?

I forced myself to calm down.

"I'm always here to listen," I said.

Holly grabbed me by the hand and pulled me down the corridor, away from the bustling entrance to the Great Hall. When we were safely tucked into a nook down the hallway, only the occasional latecomer passing by, she bit her lip and started to quake.

My brain worked overdrive, producing terrible scenarios as fast as it could. "Oh, Holly! What is it?"

Her hair was a mess, obscuring her face as she trembled. "I got kept back by Venables after Defense today, because my grades are so bad."

The horrific scenarios stopped at once and I was left with a nauseating realization. All of my worries had been based on the assumption that Holly had news that pertained to me. I hadn't thought that she could have wanted a confidant for something bother her. She had been so committed to helping me with Quidditch and Sawyer, the two things that were also occupying all of my mental power and energy, that I had forgotten that Holly could have worries of her own.

Did this make me a bad Hufflepuff?

Of course, I didn't voice any of this to Holly. That would be turning the topic back to me. Again.

Instead, I pulled her in to a hug and stroked her curls. "Hey," I said. "You're a Ravenclaw. You can pull yourself out of this." I paused. "Let me rephrase that, as I'm not one to advocate for house stereotypes. I think that we should figure out why your grades are slipping and work from there. You're usually quite good at being lazy and still getting good grades."

Holly elicited a bitter laugh as she stepped back from me, wiping her eyes. "I don't know what it is, though."

"There's got to be something, right? Sawyer didn't stop talking to me for no reason, though we may not know what it is. We know the effect without knowing the cause, and it's the same for you. We'll figure it out. I don't think you should worry so much about it. I suck at Defense, too."

"But I am worrying," she said, voice breaking. "I'm really worried, Essie. What if...if this means that I'm not smart? I always thought I was pretty intelligent and now look at me! How can I be called a Ravenclaw, be called smart, and have my grades fall so low?"

I thought for a minute. Holly was a Ravenclaw with bad grades. I was a Hufflepuff that was thinking only about herself.

"This has nothing to do with your intelligence," I said. "You're thinking too much about conforming to the role of your house. Ravenclaws are smart, and you're smart. Maybe your issue could be easily fixed if you worked a bit harder, were a bit more diligent about your homework. This is sixth year, so it's more difficult than it's been before. We've got to be prepared for N.E.W.T.S. soon."

"Diligence is a Hufflepuff trait," she said, grinning.

"Yes," I said, "and I think you'll find that nobody fits into the boxes that we're forced into. I'm a selfish Hufflepuff, you're a lazy Ravenclaw. Gryffindors can be cunning sometimes and Slytherins can be wise, or loyal. They're all human traits that anybody can have. You're sorted into the house that suits you best, not a house that suits you perfectly. We're all trying to cram ourselves into one box when we're really spilling over into all four of them."

Holly smiled at me. "You should give up Quidditch and quit school and become a philosopher."

"We're having a lot of similar problems," I said. "We're growing up, trying to find our place in the world -"

Holly rolled her eyes, which I was glad to see were free of tears.

"-and that's always going to be slightly awkward, right? Nobody knows where they fit or who they are. We're all working to figure that out, and the process is messy and weird and awkward and it sucks, but we'll get there eventually."

"Seriously," she said. "Write a book. Make millions."

I frowned, crossing my arms defensively. "I have a lot of thoughts on the subject, that's all."

Holly nodded. "And I'm glad for it."

I linked my arm in hers and began to steer her towards the dining hall. "Have you eaten yet? I'm starving."

"Oh, Esther. I have other news."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Sawyer's willing to talk with you."

~~~

It was awkward, and that's putting it lightly.

We were in the old classroom Scorpius and I had used for our Defense lessons. We had pulled four desks into a circle, with Sawyer and I facing one another and Scorpius and Holly on either side. For the first few minutes, nobody said anything. Sawyer stared at his shoes; Scorpius stared blatantly at Sawyer, his feet up on the desk in front of him; Holly had a grim expression on her face; I glanced back and forth between everybody.

"Thanks for agreeing to talk," I said finally.

Sawyer nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Get on with it, then," said Scorpius.

"Hey!" I warned.

Sawyer held up his hand. "No, he's right. I agreed to talk with you, Esther, and curfew is in fifteen minutes. I can't exactly procrastinate until then, no matter how badly I want to."

Holly laid a hand on Sawyer's shoulder. "You don't have to rush this."

Scorpius turned to her. "Wait. Do you know what his problem is?"

"It's not a problem, per se," said Holly, "but yes. I know what's been bothering Sawyer."

"And you hadn't told us? How long have you known?"

"Scorpius, relax," I said. "It wasn't her place to tell."

Holly nodded. "I haven't known for that long."

All eyes turned expectantly to Sawyer, who blushed bright red and continued staring at his feet.

"You said so yourself," said Scorpius. "We haven't got all day."

"Okay, okay," said Sawyer. "I'll come out with it."

But he continued to sit there, trying to find the words to explain.

"Why don't I explain first?" I suggested, before Scorpius could continue to pressure Sawyer. "I'm sorry for studying with Scorpius behind your back, Sawyer, but I thought it was unreasonable to have to choose between the two of you when I don't know what your problem with him is. I wasn't trying to hurt you and I hope we can remedy this in a way that I can be friends with both of you."

Sawyer gave me an appreciative look. "So do I. I'm sorry for being unreasonable. You should be able to be friends with whomever you want. It's not your fault that I'm...insecure."

Holly scooted closer to him, and from the concerned look on her face I could gather that Sawyer was about to come out with his secret.

"Look, my problem isn't really with Scorpius. It's with his friends."

Scorpius frowned, but said nothing.

"Sorry, dude," said Sawyer, his voice beginning to shake, "but your friend Sullivan is a bigot. A homophobic bigot."

The room was silent.

"It's not just him, or even mainly him, but he's part of the group," said Sawyer, "and because he's your friend I immediately associated you with him and all that."

Scorpius was sitting upright now, his feet planted firmly on the ground. "What group?"

"A couple of Slytherins who pick on me because of my dads." Sawyer rubbed angrily at his eyes. "I know it's ridiculous to have judged you and all other Slytherins because of it, but they make me feel terrible about myself and my family. They ask how I can be a wizard when I'm adopted, really invasive stuff about my dads and life at home, and wonder aloud whether being gay can be inherited. They ask me all sorts of stupid questions just to make me uncomfortable, and have for a couple years now."

My jaw dropped. "When does this happen?"

"You don't take Ancient Runes."

I tried to comprehend it. In the whole course of my time at Hogwarts, in one of the very few classes I didn't have with Sawyer, he was being bullied. In the few short hours I wasn't around him, he went through this torment and never told me or Holly about it.

"Why wouldn't you tell us this?" I asked, suddenly becoming angry. "We could've sorted this out ages ago."

Scorpius was nodding, his fists clenched in anger.

"I'm embarrassed about it," he said, letting Holly wrap her arms around him. "I guess the fact that I have two dads makes me self conscious. It's all anybody can ever comment on."

"Oh, Sawyer."

I was across the small circle of desks in an instant, my arms around both him and Holly at once.

"Don't you hate me?"

I glanced at Scorpius, who was looking uncomfortable watching our hug, and used his words. "I don't hate you, though for a time I sort of wanted to bash your face in," I said. "Metaphorically."

Scorpius snorted.

Sawyer pushed his way out of the tangle of arms and raised his eyebrows at me. I couldn't help but feel a pang of joy. This was the Sawyer I knew. "How is that a metaphor?" he asked.

"It's not. More of a hyperbole, I guess, or a joke with some truth thrown in."

"Truth?"

"You're taking it literally, Sawyer. I don't really want to see you maimed, and I didn't at any time in the past either, no matter how angry I was with you. It's easier to exaggerate because it gets the truth across without taking it too seriously." I paused, wondering whether I was veering too far off topic. "It's safer. It makes it easier."

Sawyer still looked confused.

"It wasn't the best thing I could've said," I admitted.

"No," he said, "but I sort of wanted to bash your face in, too."

"We all wanted to bash each others faces in," said Holly. "I think that's what friendship is; knowing that despite how incredibly annoying someone can be, that in the end you love them."

"You know whose face I want to bash in?" Scorpius asked.

We turned to look at him.

"Sullivan."

"Not Sullivan," said Sawyer. "Wilbanks is the leader of the thing."

"Wilbanks?" Scorpius scowled. "Great. He's one of my chasers. Now it's getting really personal. Who else takes part?"

"Um. That girl Octavia, Sullivan, Wilbanks, and maybe one or two others."

I gave Scorpius a suspicious look. "What are you planning?"

"Don't worry, Esther. We are planning a little revenge."