It was a Saturday night, and Lily heard a shout loud enough to lift her from her copy of Quidditch Through the Ages.

"…maybe if you look around, you'll see them!"

"Doubtful, since they don't exist!"

The noise was coming from the corridor right outside of the library, and it was a noise that she recognised. It was a noise she recognised and definitely didn't like.

"Al," She whispered to the boy seated next to her. "Aren't they together now?"

"I think so." He whispered back. He looked as worried as she was. Rose and Lorcan, fighting again, and about this… This wasn't good. They all grew used to the quiet that was Rose and Lorcan dating. Will they have to grow used to the sound of them fighting again?

The shouting abruptly stopped, and Lily assumed that the pair were now in the library. Typical Ravenclaw, she thought. Putting aside a fight so that you don't break library rules. It took rose a few seconds to get to the corner that they were seating in.

"Hi guys," she said, seating in the floor next to Lily. "What's up?"

"Why are you and Lorcan fighting again?" Lily was never one to skirt around an issue, she admitted, but there was rarely any need. It just seemed to hurt people more at the end, when they found all of that kindness actually led to the shocking query.

"He's being a complete idiot. Can't believe I dated him, now." Dated? Lily thought. What was going on? "He believes in Nargils. Nargils! Only loonies believe in Nargils. And then he expects me not to tell him they don't exist. How stupid can you get?"

"Is that why you broke up with him?"

"Y-yes, that is why I broke up with him, Lily." She blushed slightly, and did not utter another word until they left the library.

The following morning Lily sat next to James in the common room.

"Did you hear," she whispered, "That Rosie broke up with Lorcan?"

"Rosie? Broke up with Lorcan?" James laughed, much to Lily's surprise. He usually believed her when she told him what was going on; she was never one to gossip unreasonably, either.

"What are you smiling about? She did. She told me herself."

"She did no such thing. Lorcan broke up with her. Said he had enough of her telling him what to believe. I was there."

Lily sat in shock. She was certain they would see the light in the end of the tunnel eventually, but not all places needed light, she had to remember that. Meanwhile, two voices were rapidly nearing her ear. Her brain led her on two paths for this: the first was how the hell did they get into the Griffindor common room? The second, and slightly more important, was Oh no, not again.

"Maybe I wouldn't have hated you if you didn't believe in fantasy creatures."

"You know what? I believe in Nargils, but the only two things I am absolutely certain about is that you, Rose Weasley, are a git, and that as much as unbeing dead isn't being alive unbeing hated isn't being loved, so it doesn't matter, does it?" With that the portrait slammed open.

"James, Old McGonagoll wants to see you." Lorcan said, scanning the room for his best friend.

"I'm meant to tell Lily that if she doesn't tidy up the potions lab right now she is in detention forever." Rose completely ignored him, settling for cool disregard when she could not show her true anger.

Lily was in the main hall, trying to focus on her homework. "Nargils— no, newts, are commonly mistaken for magical creatures, as…" Words from the coupe's arguments kept seeping into her head. No, not couple. She corrected herself. They weren't a couple any more.

Rose was alone in the Ravenclaw table, leaning over some papers which Lily knew were for her project on Modern Animagus Magic. She dedicated most of her time to this, though it was put on hod when she started dating Lorcan. She obviously returned to it now. Its aim was to create a more efficient and easier to master animagus transformation, and so far Rose had been unsuccessful.

Fate said her peace wasn't for long, though. Lily spotted two blond heads in the entrance to the main hall. Lorcan and Lysander. Lily couldn't believe it. Even Lorcan, his own brother, despised Lysander. That boy was evil. The Slytherins barely accepted him. And yet, there they were, laughing together. She hoped that didn't mean Lorcan was becoming more like his younger sibling. The school didn't need two Lysanders.

They walked along the Ravenclaw table. Oh, please keep walking, please keep walking! But no. They stopped right above the immersed Rose.

"Still doing your stupid research, Rose?" Her head snapped up when Lorcan spoke. "It's about as correct as the use of Wolfsbane in Wolfsbane potion." She stared at him.

"The use of Wolsbane in Wolfsbane is correct, idiot. Hence the name Wolfsbane…" Lily sighed. Was this some kind of Ravenclaw taunting? Bo-ring.

Instead of answering, Lorcan handed Rose a folded Daily Prophet article.

"Okay, so Wolfsbane was found to be useless. What does this have anything to do with my project?"

"They both prove you're wrong."

"They both prove you're an egoistic prickhead."

Lily sighed and closed her book. It was her forth year now, Lorcan, Rose and James' seventh, and she heard o break from the constant fights, which were now radiating from the head boy and girl common room every day. Nargills aren't real, Animagic is a fraud, both of them are a headache… AT least in two months, they are never going to see each other again. Lorcan will be moving to Australia as soon as he finishes his education, and Rose was hoping to get into a ministry position. She couldn't help but wonder, though, if things could have been better had they faced their differences and stayed together three years ago, instead of breaking up at the first issue. It would certainly help against Noise Pollution.

—

Optional prompts were "unbeing dead isn't being alive" -EE cummings, "But not all dark places need light, I have to remember that." -Jeanette Winterson, "What are you smiling about?"

Fr the QLFC, of course.