Into the dark,
To chase your heart,
I'll find my way back to you.

'Piper!' Someone called, their voice riding above the chattering of the other students. 'Hey, Piper! Albus, get Piper for me!'

'What, Rose?' Piper asked, turning around in her seat at the Gryffindor table and rolling her eyes at Albus. Rose was bright red from running across the hall, her eyes were sparkling and her hair was sticking in all directions.

'Oh my Merlin, Piper,' Rose started, completly ignoring her cousin, 'I got on the Gryffindor Quidditch team! Cathy Wood's team captain this year, and I was worried she might be weird because Uncle Harry's good friends with her dad and she sometimes comes over to our house, you know, with her family, and then Uncle George and Aunty Angelina are really good friends with her dad too, and-'

'Only you, Rose,' Albus interrupted. 'Only you would be worried she might have anti-favouritism because Uncle George is friends with her dad. Really.' He smiled at Piper, green eyes glittering.

'Congratulations, Rose!' Piper interrupted before Rose could get upset about Albus not saying 'well done'. Albus wasn't big on congratulating- he just expected you to know that he though you'd done well, which was sometimes annoying. Well, to Piper, anyway.

'Thanks, Pipes.' Rose took some toast and munched on it, looking thoughtfully from Piper to Albus and back again. Piper suppressed a groan.

Rose had decided that she wanted Piper as part of her family- and she'd also decided that Piper was going to get married to Albus.

Piper wasn't quite sure how Rose had reached this conclusion- she didn't really want to know- but she did find it incredibly awkward when Rose wiggled her eyebrows as Piper was talking to Albus and if they were ever together, later in the dormitories Rose would expect Piper to relay their conversation, word for word.

No matter how many times Piper said Albus was just a friend, Rose was still sure they'd end up with fourteen children.

'What were you talking about before I came along?' Rose asked, taking more toast.

Piper tried not to roll her eyes at her friend.

'Quidditch,' Albus replied. 'We didn't know who was captain now that James has left.'

Rose looked disappointed. 'Oh. Well, we are in seventh year now, aren't we? The last year before we leave. Are you two still going to keep in contact?'

'Yeah, obviously,' Piper replied. 'We're friends, Rose.'

'Mhm,' Albus agreed. Piper couldn't help noticing he looked a tiny bit upset when she said that- but it was probably just her imagination.

They were friends, after all. Good friends. That was all... Wasn't it?

••••

'You know, I think Rose is up to something,' Albus whispered that Potions lesson. They'd sat next to each other, mainly because they were both good at Potions and they both wanted to be Aurors, like their parents, so needed a good grade.

'She's always up to something,' Piper whispered back. 'What in particular?'

'She keeps looking over at us,' Albus checked the time on his watch. 'Five minutes until we need to add the rosemary, Pipes- and winking.'

'Winking?' Piper looked down at the potion, feeling herself blush a little. 'Um, see, Albus, she has it in her head that, er, you and me...'

Albus had turned pink by now, too.

'Er, anyway, she wants to be related to me, so she thought... Er, I think we need to add the rosemary now, Albus.' Piper's face was bright red. Damn you, Rose, she thought. That was beyond mortifying.

'Yeah,' Albus said, picking up some rosemary. 'How much do we need to add?'

'Do you want me to measure it?' Piper offered, getting some scales out.

'Yeah, thanks...' Albus handed the rosemary to Piper, his hand brushing hers.

His hand is warm, Piper thought. And soft- wait, what? Piper, snap out of it. He's your friend, for Merlin's sake. You're just thinking that because of what Rose has been saying. That's all. Sure, Albus is a nice guy and all, but you're just friends. Merlin, Piper! You're just friends, okay?

Piper measured the rosemary, furious thoughts echoing around her head. She knew she was overreacting a lot, but she refused to be the cliché of girl likes friend. And she refused to prove Rose right.

Besides, Albus was Albus- that guy she'd known since forever. Their parents had gone to school together (apart from Piper's mum, who was Muggle) and she was great friends with him.

'Hey, Pipes, you okay?' Albus asked.

'Hm? Oh yeah, sure.' Piper replied. 'Just thinking. Now, what do we have to do next?'

Short and kinda filler- as the story goes on, Piper will realise her feelings for Albus. I don't really like this chapter, but oh well. They're in Seventh Year, by the way, so most of the Potter/Weasley family will have left.

x Jade