Alec POV

"I can't believe this is your last year!"

Alec and his sister Izzy were sitting in the back of the rental car, heading to King's Cross Station. Their parents were sitting in the front, Robert with his hands on the wheel and Maryse's face turned to look at her children. She and Izzy started talking a million miles a minute about who knows what. Alec and Izzy's little brother, Max, was sitting between the two. He was still too young to go to Hogwarts, and Alec felt a little sad that he wouldn't be able to see him sorted.

Because, as his sister exclaimed, it was his last year. The last six years flew by quicker than he expected, and now he was about to take his second to last ride on the Hogwarts Express, watch his last sorting, and have his last welcome back feast. And to be honest, he was glad the end was near. He barely had any friends at the school besides the kids in Izzy's year, and he didn't even like some of them that much. He didn't play Quidditch, so he wasn't going to miss that, and he didn't really feel like he fit in with everyone else, which is probably why he only hanged out with Izzy's friends in Gryffindor.

That was one thing that marked Alec as different. So far, every member of his family had been placed in Gryffindor, and Max was likely to be sorted there as well, while Alec was the first in generations of the Lightwood family to be placed in Ravenclaw. Alec was shocked when the Sorting Hat shouted it to the Great Hall. It had taken the hat a long time to decide (it was stuck between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw) but, in the end, for some reason, it chose Ravenclaw. The fact that he was in Ravenclaw didn't bother Alec that much, until his third year when he watched his sister get sorted into, you guessed it, Gryffindor (the hat barely touched her head before it made its decision).

He heard his sister's voice now, and he left his thoughts in time to hear "-they are having the Triwizard Tournament again this year."

"What?" Alec said, looking over, confused.

"You didn't know?" his sister replied, shocked.

"I-I guess must have forgot."

"How could you forget the Triwizard Tournament? Especially now that you are old enough to participate!"

"You're old enough too, Izzy," their mother said, smiling. "They increased the safety precautions so that more students could have a chance to participate since it's only held every five years. The youngest age you have to be to enter is 14."

"YES!" Izzy shouted.

"Isabelle, I'm trying to drive. Could you please lower your voice," Robert called from the front.

"Oooooooo-kaaaaaaay," she whispered back.

Alec, though he couldn't see it, knew his father was rolling his eyes.

Great, Alec thought, so much for having a chance to participate. Not that he thought he would have made it anyway. Alec wasn't even sure if he would have even entered himself. Now that he stood no chance, not against the likes of Izzy and Jace, even if they were younger, there was no point of entering other than for the sake of doing it. He probably would be pressured into doing it by Jace anyway. Oh well, he thought to himself, I've got nothing to lose anyway.

Alec had just finished that thought when they pulled up to the station.

"Of course I'm going to enter," Jace said.

Alec was sitting across from him, leaning against the window on the train. Clary was on his right, and Izzy was next to Alec, with Simon on her other side. Jace had his arm around Clary's shoulder and Simone was sitting awkwardly next to Izzy, clearly not sure if he should grab her hand or do anything to show that they were in fact dating. Simon was always unsure like that when it came to relationships, quite opposite to the confidence of Jace.

Despite the age difference, Jace was Alec's best friend, believe it or not. Alec didn't know how or why, but for some reason, in Jace's first year, the two quickly bonded and stayed like that. And even though the two were in different houses, they still spent a lot of time together. They would do their homework in the library (Alec would help Jace whenever he needed help), visit each other's tables in the Great Hall, race each other to the other side of the black lake, have snowball fights in the winter, and walk around Hogsmeade together, buying sweets and toys and getting butterbeer. Alec would even help Jace practice Quidditch when there was no team practice for Gryffindor and the two were free.

At first, Alec had a crush on the young Gryffindor. Alec had already known that he himself was gay, Isabelle being the only other person who knew at the time. He kept hoping that maybe when Jace was older he would feel the same way for him, and until than Jace didn't need to know how he felt. However, by the Jace's third year, it was clear that he liked Clary, his fellow Gryffindor with the fiery red hair and a knack for art. Seriously, the girl could make a better drawing with a quill than Alec could with magic.

And he hated it. Well, he did at first, with his jealousy getting the best of him. But after a while, Jace and Clary started dating and Alec was forced to put up with her and get to know her else he would damage his friendship with Jace. So, as he spent more time with her (and her annoying friend, Simon), he realized that Jace really did like her and there was no hope for him. Alec forced himself to get over Jace, and he realized Clary wasn't half as annoying as he originally thought. He still wouldn't consider her a good friend, but at least he could handle a conversation with her.

"So, Alec, are you going to enter?" Jace looked over, smirking.

"I'm not really sure. I don't think I will actually, it's not really my thing," Alec replied shrugging.

"Come on, you have to! It's your last year! Make it memorable," Izzy said encouragingly.

"What will there be for me to remember if I, I don't know, die?"

"You'll be fine. Come on, don't be such a wuss," Jace said jokingly.

"How's this; I'll think about it," Alec replied.

"Fine, but I will get you to enter," Jace said, smiling

"Whatever." Alec felt himself smile back.

Alec let his gaze wander to the corridor, just in time to see a certain Slytherin walk by with a group of friends, laughing. Alec's heat skipped a beat.

Right there, walking by without even noticing Alec and his little group of friends, was what caused Alec to fully move on from Jace.

Magnus Bane.