"Lily!"

I spun around from where I stood perusing the broom displays in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, a grin spreading across my face. "Lysa!"

My friend was ducking under people's arms to race towards me, and I laughed as she embraced me. "Merlin, I've missed you."

I sighed. "Me too." I looked her over. "How was your trip? Is that a tan I see?" I raised my eyebrows at her sun-kissed cheeks.

She giggled. "Yeah, I was out on the beach pretty much constantly."

"But, Ly... I thought you weren't fond of the beach?"

Lysa pursed her lips, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Well, yes. I'm not. But my brother, um... sort of dragged me along. Because he wanted to hang around with some girls and didn't really want my parents to know. So I went to the beach to cover for him, and he, um... went with them. To do... whatever."

I bit my lip. Alec. After last year, I had no right to care. No right to wonder what he was doing with all those girls he picked up. I didn't care. He was not my problem, and he was perfectly free to fool around with whomever he wanted. I forced a laugh. "Of course he did."

My friend sighed, staring at the ground. "I feel like I don't even know him anymore. Ever since you... he's just been running wild." I couldn't help wincing at that, and Lysa noticed. "Not that it's your fault, Lil. It's not. It's nobody's but his own."

It was my fault. I knew it, and so did she, no matter what she said. But I nodded silently in agreement, because I really didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Lysa accepted my nod and chattered on, telling me about a restaurant they'd visited in Florida (where they'd been on their vacation). I wasn't really listening. I'd fought to keep my mind off of Alec all summer, but with his twin standing in front of me there was no avoiding it. I found myself flashing back to the day everything went wrong.

"Lily, can I talk to you?"

I glanced up from my book, and found Harper Kraft - Dom's friend, who liked Muggle literature - in front of me. I'd spent enough time with her by this point that I considered her my friend, too. I smiled and closed the book, patting the seat beside me. "Sure. What's up?"

She frowned. "Walk with me?"

Girl code for 'it's something we might not want people to overhear.' I nodded and rose from the sofa, following her towards the exit of the common room, mildly curious. At two years older than me, she'd become almost like an older sister, and I could tell something was on her mind.

Alone in the hallway, I was all ears. "So, what's going on?"

Harper sighed, twirling a strand of dark brown hair around her finger. "I need to ask you something, and I want you to answer me honestly. How much do you like Alec?"

I felt a blush creeping up my neck. "I... um... well. Enough that we're... what we are. You know." My father had set a strict no-dating-before-age-sixteen policy, so, strictly speaking, Alec and I were only friends. But after over two years of being asked out by him on a monthly basis, I had caved and admitted I was interested in being more than friends. So we were sort of, kind of, boyfriend-girlfriend. Ish.

My friend nodded. "I know, but I guess I mean... How deeply do your feelings run? Enough that you would... maybe... kiss him? Or, possibly, more than kiss him?"

I stopped short. "We haven't kissed, Harper. It's not that serious. We're definitely nowhere close to... more-than-kissing. What on earth made you ask?"

She hesitated, then said, "Dom overheard... some of the guys... talking after quidditch practice the other day. About you and Alec... and the possibility of... more-than-kissing. She was concerned, but she didn't really want to ask you herself. So I told her I would."

I had no idea how to respond to that. I had no intention of doing anything, with anyone, anytime soon. Who would even think that about me? I looked at my friend. "Who was talking about it?"

Harper stared at the floor. "Dom didn't say who all it was, but... Alec was definitely there, Lily. And he... well... he wasn't trying to deny it."

"Lysa, Mum wants-"

My head snapped up at the voice, which had dropped off into a string of swear words. I was staring at Alec Scamander, who was staring back at me, something unreadable flickering in his blue eyes. After a moment, I scowled at him and looked away.

Lysa glanced back and forth between us, a concerned look on her face. She seemed uncertain of what to do. Finally, she settled on saying, "What was that you were saying, dear brother?" There was something subtly icy in her voice, that I hadn't heard directed towards him before. He ignored it.

"She wants to drop in at Madam Malkin's and get us fitted for new dress robes. She says we need to go now."

My friend stuck out her lower lip. "Tell her I'm in the middle of catching up with Lily, who is my favorite person in the whole wide world, and who I have not seen since June! Dress robes can wait!"

Alec pressed his lips together. "You know she's been frazzled all morning, Ly... She's likely to go off on you if you don't listen."

Lysa scoffed. "And since when do you care if she goes off on me? You only want to make sure I don't get in trouble so I can cover for you the next time you want to get it on with some girl you picked up in a park."

The blond boy's eyes turned stormy. "That was completely unnecessary. We're in public, in case you haven't noticed, and-"

"Oh, so what? It's not like the whole school hasn't noticed you whoring yourself ever since Lily dumped you-"

"Enough, Lysa," I said, in a sharp voice.

Both Scamanders looked at me, wearing equally surprised expressions. Alec held my gaze until my glare made him drop it.

"Will you both stop acting like children?" I snapped. "You're sixteen years old, for Merlin's sake. I'm younger than you both. I should not be having to break up your petty fights. Please act civilised." I paused for a moment, then said, "Ly, I'll see you soon, okay? I've got to go." Without any parting words for Alec, I brushed passed the twins and ducked into the Diagon Alley traffic.

Before getting distracted by the broom display (I was thinking of pooling money with Al to buy a new one for Dad, who had been mourning the loss of his trusty Firebolt, which had been obliterated in an unfortunate accident), I had been on my way to Flourish and Blotts. I had a purse full of money (Mum's, not mine) on my shoulder and a list of needed textbooks in my back pocket. It was nearing supper time, so the crowds weren't as bad as they'd been an hour or so ago. At least there was no longer a line coming out the door of the bookstore.

I entered the shop and looked around, managing to find The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Five without too much trouble. However, when it came to the new Charms textbook, I was at a loss. Thankfully, I was able to catch the attention of the assistant manager, who was happy to point me in the right direction. I had followed her instructions and was just pulling the book off her shelf when I heard a familiar voice behind me - Charlie Corner. He seemed to be in the middle of telling a story to someone.

"So I asked him," he was saying, "and he said it was a present for my mum!"

I spun around, a grin on my face, planning to say hello to Charlie, and then stopped short as his companion began to laugh. Was that-?

Upon completing my turn, I found that I had not, in fact, mistaken the sound. Charlie stood in front of me, his mousy brown hair cut short (thank Merlin) and a smirk on his face. And at his side... 

Mason.

What was he doing here? He was supposed to be in America, with his grandparents. Far from me, and from Hogwarts, and from the memories surrounding his mother's death. But here he was, standing two feet away from me, in a back room at Flourish and Blotts. Laughing with Charlie Corner. As if it were still first year, and he hadn't been torn away from me by an all-encompassing and terrible grief.

Mason's laugh trailed off as his eyes landed on me, and widened slightly with recognition. I stared back at him. My mouth, I am sure, was hanging open as I took in the sight of him. A lot can change in three and a half years.

First thing to note: he was tall. For as long as I could remember, he had usually been an inch or two shorter than me. But while I had stopped growing at just under five feet and eight inches, he must have been at least six feet tall. Second thing: he was more athletically built than he had been. Of course, he'd only been twelve when I last saw him, so the scrawniness has been normal. But now, at fifteen, I could see toned biceps, tight against the sleeves of his plain black t-shirt. As far as his face went, little had changed. His eyes, of course, were the same deep brown they had always been. His nose was still slightly turned up. His smile, from the brief moment I'd seen it for, was as lopsided and as charming as ever.

But Mason wasn't smiling now. He was staring at me like I was a ghost. I suppose, in a way, I might have seemed like one. I didn't think I'd changed much in the last few years, physically at least - discounting the typical feminine development. I wondered if he was flashing back to the last time we'd spoken to each other. I was.

Oblivious to the tension, Charlie met my eyes and grinned. "Hey, Lily. What's up?"

I managed a breathy laugh. "I, um... Not much. Just... you know. School shopping." I held up the Charms textbook in explanation.

Charlie nodded. "Us, too." My heart skipped a beat. Us? I must have raised an eyebrow, because he added, "I don't suppose you've heard? Mason's coming back to Hogwarts."