Christmas dinner went by fairly uneventfully—which was a miracle greater than the birth of Christ himself—and apart from Charlie wagging his eyebrows suggestively between Jack and I whenever we happened to address each other in conversation, I hadn't come close to breaking my serene and calm composure. 

In the end, I thought fuck it, I'll go to Harmony Smith's party. 

It had been a week since Harmony Smith's glorious ABC party and with its spectacular end came a few problems, both new and old. 

Scorpius was avoiding me. 

Ooooooooooh, boy, I was in a lot of pain.

It had been nearly two weeks since Cecily had been expelled. 

The screaming stopped. 

'Kit ... class is going to start any minute.' 

I raced from McGonagall's office, not pausing to take a breath or allowing myself a well deserved moment of relief.

I stumbled into my room, baring my teeth when I crashed into my wardrobe shutting the door behind me.

'Hey, Albus,' I said, throwing myself onto the couch beside him. 'You're a boy right?'

'What does that mean?' I demanded harshly. 'What do you want from me?'

As Charlie laid there on his bed alone, still fully clothed, shoes on and everything, he couldn't stop thinking about his conversation with James just moments earlier ...

Lily smiled as soon as she saw James stop suddenly to stare at Kit, just as she'd seen in a dream. 

'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God—

There was only one person who confused torment for love.