"Look," Rose said, placing one hand on Piper's and grinning in a way that made Piper feel incredibly uncomfortable. "If you want, I can slap that bastard."

Piper pictured an enraged Rose chasing a helpless and screaming Albus around Hogwarts and shuddered. "I'm good, thanks."

Rose glared, reminding Piper so much of Rose's mother, Hermione, that Piper blinked twice to make sure Hermione wasn't actually there. "No, you're not."

Piper shook her head and opened her mouth to protest, and then closed it again, feeling tears burning at the back of her eyes. How did Rose know her better than she knew herself?

"No," Piper whispered. "No, I'm not."

Rose reached over, and without saying anything, without asking for details about what she'd said to Albus, she hugged Piper tightly.

****

Piper was sitting at the Gryffindor table, eating slowly and trying not to look like an invalid (several people had come up to her commenting on her dramatic faint and asking her several nosy questions) when she spotted Albus.

He was only a few seats down, Piper realised. As she looked, he glanced down at her, then looked away, his pale cheeks flushing.

Piper gripped her spoon tightly in her hands, remembering what she'd said to him. Granted, he'd said some things to her before... she shuddered, remembering the way it had felt as he'd told her he didn't want to be her friend. But still, that was no excuse.

What makes you think I want you to be here? Piper flinched again. He'd been trying to apologise, hadn't he? And she'd ruined it. Merlin.

Taking a deep breath, Piper swung one leg over the bench she was sitting on and walked as determinedly as she could up to Albus. As soon as she got there, however, she had to repress the urge to run away screaming.

She hadn't noticed that Scorpius was sitting right across from Albus. His pale face was flushed with laughter as he smiled at something Albus had just said. When he saw Piper, however, his smile faded and he blinked in shock.

Albus turned around and his face slipped into a mask. Piper wanted to scream, or cry, or punch someone. She couldn't decide which.

Cheeks burning, Piper forced herself to open her mouth, but Albus cut her off before she had a chance.

"Piper," he began, and Piper flinched at his tone. I should have stayed where I was, she thought miserably. She could feel the weight of Scorpius' gaze on her, and she shifted uncomfortably.

"Maybe we should talk later," Albus said quietly. Piper's cheeks burned even more. She risked a glance at Scorpius. He was staring at his bowl, trying to pretend he couldn't hear every word they said.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Piper said softly. Be the bigger person, Piper, and apologise. "For what I said."

Albus' eyes closed like someone had drawn a shutter over them. For some reason, her apologising seemed to make him more angry, not less. "You made your feelings clear, Piper." His voice was frosty.

Piper gaped at him as he turned away from her, digging his spoon into his porridge resolutely.

The conversation was clearly over. Piper spun on her heel, mortified, and walked out of the Great Hall with as much dignity as she could muster.

So much for apologising, she thought furiously.