Gemma Aston sat by the open windowsill, as a gentle breeze made the light curtains flutter. She closed her eyes, soaking in the heat from the blazing sun. Nearly two months she'd been in Ireland with the Harrows, a month of carefree, sunny mornings and idle days filled with quiet and comfort. It was bliss. 

At night though, when the lights were out and curtains drawn, grief would crawl its way back into her thoughts, casting a shadow on her mental scars. All the death, all the betrayal, all of it would keep her awake at night, haunting her and and stealing tears from her eyes. She wasn't healing and she knew it; the pain was getting heavier and deeper with every passing moment that she spent trying to supress it,

Luke interrupted her silent thought as he cleared his throat by the door. She turned around to look at him. The boy had changed considerably over the summer; he was taller, and slightly less lanky, with his hair having darkened slightly. He was holding two letters in his hand, and she perked up at the sight of the Hogwarts seal on them. 

'Are those our results?' She asked excitedly, jumping up to grab it from him. 

'I think this is one of the most nerve-wracking moments of my life,' he admitted, as he gripped the envelope with his O.W.L results tightly. 

'Three... two...'

'Three,' Luke said, and they laughed at the inside joke before tearing open their letters. Gemma checked hers twice, to make sure her eyes didn't deceive her. 

Arithmancy- Outstanding
Care of Magical Creatures- Acceptable
Charms- Acceptable
Defence Against the Dark Arts- Acceptable
Divination- Poor
History of Magic- Poor
Potions- Outstanding
Transfiguration- Dreadful

'I passed Charms,' she said with disbelief. She hugged Luke with glee, who laughed and peered over her shoulder. 

'Failed Transfiguration,' he noted. 'Quite impressive otherwise though, I suppose. For you.' She didn't care, because that wasn't her fault, and she'd never really cared about History of Magic. She was thrilled, and had to remember to thank Regulus for teaching her the few spells that had let her pass Charms. 

'What did you get,' she said, grabbing his letter before he could protest. Nine Os and an E in Ancient Runes. 'Damn.' 

'That one "E" is making my eyes bleed,' he complained, and she glared at him. 

'Oh how awful,' she snapped, rolling her eyes. 'I do wonder how you'll survive, honestly.'

'I have to send an owl to Ted,' he said, taking her letter from her hands. 'He threatened to eat my kneecaps if I didn't tell him how we did.' 

She rolled her eyes. Ted had had to go home to his parents, who'd strangely welcomed him with open arms, and owled Gemma and Luke every day to escape his misery. Gemma was secretly glad of it- that way she could keep an eye that he hadn't joined the Death Eaters. 

The same however, could not be said for Regulus Black. For his big talk of I'll write to you every day and you are everything, he seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Earth, as she wrote to him to no avail, her letters going ignored or unread. Even on his birthday, she had no idea what had become of the cake she'd sent him. 

She made excuses for him, of course. He probably didn't have access to an owl, or he was busy murdering someone and grovelling or torturing muggles or hopefully something less grotesque. 

By the time she stopped mulling over her own thoughts, Luke was done, and he eyed her carefully. 

'You alright?' He asked uncertainly, and she nodded. They descended into silence, which she quickly tried to break. 

'So, we're leaving for England tomorrow!' She said brightly. 'Thank the bloody heavens, I'm so sick of Irish accents.'

'Now you know I feel every day,' he pointed out. 'And yes, tomorrow we'll be leaving the house. Are you sure you can handle that? You seem to be allergic to the outdoors lately.'

'You just have such a wonderful house,' she said sarcastically. ''Specially love the ghoul in the attic. Makes for delightful conversation.'

'Stupid thing hates me,' he grumbled. 'The wee fucker threw a brick at my head yesterday.' 

She patted him on the shoulder. 'It did what we all wish we could,' she sighed. He just made a face at her. 

.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.

Diagon Alley was, as usual, bustling with life, only now it made her queasy. So many unfamiliar faces. Anyone could just stick a knife into her, or club her over the head or throw a piano at her. Although, she supposed, it was the familiar faces that were more inclined to do any of that. 

'Wait here,' Luke said outside Flourish and Blotts. 'I'll grab us our books. Which subjects did you pick again?'

'Oh, um, I dunno.' He tilted his head in confusion.

'Didn't you pick last year? With the form, and the careers advice with Slughorn?' Gemma pondered this. 

'Well I didn't think I'd pass any subjects so I ignored the form, and I think I decided to skip the careers meeting.'

'Why would you skip the careers meeting?' Luke asked in disbelief. 

Gemma thought for another minute, then shrugged. 'Didn't feel like going.'

Luke stuttered with outrage, and opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it and just turned around and went into the shop, leaving Gemma to stand awkwardly outside. She couldn't even remember anyone mentioning anything about appointments with Slughorn. She silently dreaded the amount of trouble she'd be in with the house leader once they got back to school. 

Ten minutes later, Gemma was seriously considering going into the shop to check if Luke had died, when she heard someone calling her name. She stood on her tip-toes to see above the surging crowd, and a familiar face caught her eye. Forcing her way past irate people, she found herself finally face-to-face with Ted Nott, for the first time since she'd bade him farewell in Hogwarts at the end their fifth year. 

Ted had finally grown to be taller than her, and his hair had darkened, so it was now closer to black than brown. His jawline had sharpened and he'd lost the puerile quality of his face, making him seem more dignified and mature. For the first time in her life, Gemma found herself thinking that her best friend was somewhat attractive. 

They hugged, and when they pulled away, just regarded each other for a moment, to examine the other. Finally, he spoke first. 

'You look a bit different,' Ted noted. 'Ugly as ever though, I suppose.'

'Really funny,' she said, though she couldn't drop the smile on her face for a single second. 

'I heard you got five OWLs,' he said slyly, 'which is a pity, 'cause I got six.' She blinked. She couldn't believe she was dumber than Ted. 

'Whatever,' she said dismissively, and they faded back into silence. This felt unnatural- but the one who'd always filled their silences was gone. 

'Have you heard the news?' He asked suddenly. 'There's a new DADA teacher. Professor Yaxley got pelted in the head by a rock which a ghoul threw at him. He's dead, in case you were wondering.'

Gemma gaped at him. 'Um- wow that's-...that- '

'Look, there's Black!' Ted interrupted, already moving on from Yaxley's tragic death. Gemma perked up, but her face fell when she realised it wasn't Regulus. 'He looks a right state. '

'Shove off,' she muttered as Sirius Black walked past them. Ted was right; Sirius looked as though he hadn't slept since the death of Elladora Hargreaves. They weren't close, but Gemma found herself going after the long-haired boy. 

'Sirius!' She called out, chasing him through the crowd. 'Sirius Black!' Finally, he stopped and turned to look at her. He gave her smile, but it was tired and thin, and his eyes no longer flashed charismatically. 

'Sixth year Slytherin Gemma Aston,' he greeted, bowing down sarcastically. 'To what do I owe the pleasure?'

When she'd followed him, she had sought to comfort him, or at least try to offer some words to appease the boy given his miserably state. But humans are creatures marred by selfishness, and she couldn't help herself from asking him a different question. 

'Have you heard from Regulus?' The words slipped out, and his lips curved downwards. 

'No, not in a while,' he said tersely. 'If that's all...' Gemma sensed that she'd annoyed him, and she cursed herself silently. 

'Right, sorry,' she said. 'Uh... I'm also sorry about... y'know...'

'Elladora's death?' He probed, and she winced. 

'Yeah. That.'

'You wouldn't expect it, but you're the first person to say that to me, except James' parents. So thank you.' She nodded sincerely, then looked away. 

'I heard Potter became Head Boy,' she murmured, wringing her hands. 'Please congratulate him for me, even if he doesn't deserve it.'

Black cocked his head, and fleetingly, a genuine grin came across his face. 'Why ever not?'

'He's a troublemaker,' she said at once. 'He breaks the rules, he's annoying, his hair definitely violates over a twelve school uniform rules, and he's a Gryffindor.' Sirius laughed, and nodded. 

'He does have ridiculous hair, doesn't he?' He said lowly, and they both chuckled softly. Gemma looked back to see Ted watching the interaction interestedly. 

'I'll be going now,' she said quietly, and he nodded. 

'I hope to see you next year, Sixth year Sl-'

'Okay, bye!' She called, waving to him, having already turned around and left, not wanting to have to hear him recite her entire identity once again. 

a/n- your girl has *officially* planned the ending to this book. no going back now hjgkbnionbio