Chapter Two:

My little sister, Claire, is a Second Year Gryffindor, and thinks that because I'm friends with Albus and the rest of the boys, she can bounce up and down in their faces, demanding attention. No, my little sister is not afraid of boys a foot taller, and an average of six years older than her. Albus is her favorite, though. She calls him her brother.

Over the years, this has led to more potentially embarrassing moments over the summers and now, year round, than I usually care to think about. I have, however, built up a resistance to it, so even though it's still annoying as hell, Al and I can still laugh about it…or at least smile sheepishly.

She has introduced him to family friends as our "brother." There was the time she loudly announced at dinner(with his family, my family, more friends and kids than I can remember to count) that he "whispers to her during movies," at which point movies had to be explained. Never mind the fact that he only mutters movie lines when he's already seen it, whether or not I have or not.

So not a big deal.

Okay, so it's kind of endearing, and he feels the need to lean really close.

But still. No big deal, I swear.

Claire has also asked him "what kind of brother-in-law are you?"

On my birthday.

In front of everybody. Especially my grandma. That one wasn't so easy to laugh about.

So you see, I really, really don't like having her around my friends and I. She's really nothing but spoiled trouble, everything that scared me about tweenage girls when I was her age. Her attitude has gone steadily downhill, to the point that Albus is about the only person who can talk to her without being bratted out on. Even her friends she snips at, either to their faces or behind their backs. And then there's the boy-craziness(which I had, but kept under wraps because of the Marauders, and my only girlfriend at that point was Rose, the only Ravenclaw Weasley, was really, really not boy crazy.) But Claire waves her hormone-crazed flag loud, proud and high. The only thing keeping the shrimpy vultures from circling even more than they already do are the Marauders, who have been mobilized by me(Don't look at me like that. My twelve year old baby sister does not need a boyfriend. Or boy friends, although considering who I've hung out with, it's a bit hypocritical of me), and Albus(even though he likes to think he's so chill about it.) to keep her lip-virginity intact.

Never mind that I'm pretty sure I'm the only one of us who hasn't kissed anyone. And sitting surrounded by 'my' boys, that's not likely to change any time soon. They're just as much my body guards as they are Claire's…and Lily's, even though she's a Fourth Year, and probably could have a boyfriend, not that I'd even mention that to Al, or his older, even more protective brother, James. I couldn't really bring myself to care about any other guys, however, as the midday April sun streamed into the Great Hall and Al and I bumped elbows once again as we ate.

Claire bounced up, shoved in next to Albus on his other side(that might be because I've threatened bodily harm-or public humiliation-if she comes between us. Or there might be a cute Third Year over there I can't see and don't care about. Eh. Whatever.) "Albus…" she sing-songed, "Have you ever kissed a girl?"

I nudged him and grinned, quirking an eyebrow as he gagged. "I…er…" he glanced over at me, then sat a little straighter. "What do you think?" he asked cockily. "Of course I have," his statement was

accompanied by a smug smirk. I gaped at him. Maybe I lied earlier. All the guys but Al have had girlfriends, or at least snogging buddies(and don't think they didn't get an earful from me about that)…so I may have kinda thought that maybe he was just as inexperienced as I am. He's my best friend, wouldn't he tell me?

So here I am, almost choking on my pumpkin juice, all the while trying to look unconcerned and nonchalant. Of course, I don't have much wiggle room in the whole telling-each-other-everything since he's got no clue about the stupid bats in my stomach(yeah, they're bats when I'm jealous or upset with him or…whatever. They're bats when I'm annoyed to have them. So what?) Albus was watching me intensely. I rolled my eyes slightly, and crunched a piece of bacon, then leaned around him to talk to Claire. "You really need to calm down," I said, glaring for affect. She just rolled her eyes and flounced off, all tween attitude and swagger. Ugh.

I sat there, wondering who it could be(Lavender Brown-Clancy's twin girls were always snogging somebody, or maybe Rose's friend Joy…nah. Rose would know, and she'd tell me. Hey, maybe he means his Mum! Or his grandmum. They're girls, and I've seen him kiss them on the cheek. Or Lily, he annoys her with pecks on the top of her head all the time. I hope, I hope…), while around me everyone continued shoving their food in.

"It's hot," Logan whined, digging into his desert.

"You know what'll fix that, right?" Tyler said, wiggling his eyebrows. I was sitting across the table from him, and I kicked him swiftly in the shin. "Hey! What's that for?"

"I know exactly what you're thinking…swimming in the lake, with all those bikini-clad girls," I snapped. "You disgust me."

He shrugged, and tried to smile charmingly. Any other girl would have fallen for it, but I knew him when he was a scrawny, scrappy thirteen year old…who was honing his flirting skills on me. Just because every single one of the Marauders has somehow turned out Adonis-like doesn't mean that I've suddenly lost the disinterest I felt in Third Year. Except for Albus…I'd been slowly falling for him since that September 1st almost seven years ago. "Actually," he began, "I was thinking more along the lines of string bikinis."

He looked around the table with his hands up, ready for high-fives, but he was the only one who objectified girls quite that much. Logan grinned a bit, but I glared daggers at him and his hands stayed on his utensils. Drew had a steady girlfriend, but had always been more quiet and studious anyway. Al was…well, Al; he was just a really good guy.

A sixth year, however, didn't realize the politics of high-fiving or not, and gaily smacked Ty's hand with a grin and a head-nod I'm sure he thought was cool. I rolled my eyes and tried not to eye every fifth, sixth and seventh year girl with suspicion.

As I watched Tyler attempt, and probably succeed, to win over yet another girl by the far side of the Great Lake, I pulled off my cover up and quickly cast a sunblock charm. Albus sidled up next to me and started muttering about how to do it, and I grinned and flicked my wand in his direction. "Thanks," he smiled sheepishly. I nodded. It was what we did. He wasn't a male pig, looked out for me, gave me somewhere safe to run, and I tended to take care of him. Who needed a boyfriend or girlfriend when we both had all the perks-except for that one biggie-with none of the hassle?

If we'd started going out when we were twelve or thirteen, adhering to the stereotypes, the chances that he'd be anything more than an awkward memory by now were nil to zero. As it was, I had a best friend who always had my back, and our group of friends was intact.

At least, that's what I told myself. Slowly but surely all our friends had found someone at some point, and I was starting to feel a little left out. Sure, it's drama-filled and stupid and it all usually ends in tears(but then there are stories like Al's parents, and Al's aunt and uncle…), but it's also more laid back before you have jobs and adult stresses and everything. Ugh.

Al cannonballed into the water in front of me, jumping off the rock that we used as our unofficial pier. The Hogwarts golden couple, Rose and Scorpius, were having a water fight several yards away and I smirked as Rose managed to dunk him. They'd caused quite the gossip storm a year ago when they started going out, but eventually everyone had gotten used to a Weasley and a Malfoy wandering around looking moony-eyed at each other and holding hands. It was sickeningly sweet enough as it was, but they made Head boy and girl this year, too.

"Hey," Madeline sashayed up, twisting her hair into a messy knot under the hug wide-brim hat that shaded her exotic eyes. She was the only Gryffindor girl in my year I could stand, although she and her twin brother, Mark, were still 'new' to Hogwarts. Usually the only new kids were the first years, but they'd transferred from other schools at the beginning of sixth year, and we'd hit it off. She was built like a ballerina, tiny with long limbs and lithe lines. We'd never been able to guess on our own what their heritage was-both siblings had dark brown, almost black hair, small noses and freckles-but she'd confided that their mixed European heritage was supplemented by an Asian great-grandmother on her dad's side.

I smiled back, and stretched out on a towel to enjoy the spring sun. Maddy sat down next to me and sighed in contentment, although she kept her hat firmly on her head to guard against more freckles. As she'd told me last summer, "A few are cute, but they're like sprinkles-less is more." Then she added with a giggle, "Besides, I don't want leather for skin when I'm fifty."

We lay in silence, just relishing the pleasant heat, with no fear of a sun burn thanks to our charms, for all of two minutes before a wave of water hit us. Or rather, me, and I thrashed so much Maddy got wet to. I opened my eyes to find Albus treading water twenty feet away, wand out. "You!" I yelled, glaring. He grinned, and agreed. "Me!"

Maddy rolled her eyes, tossed her hat down and swan-dove into the water. I watched her take long strokes out to Drew at the raft we always stuck out in the lake. Rose and her books were good for so many things. Maddy had hit it off so well with me that she'd ended up hanging out with all of us, and before I knew it, my girl friend had become Drew's girlfriend. It was lovely, though. I loved the guys like brothers and wanted them all to find happiness, and love if they were looking for it.

I eyed Al, and decided I'd made him wait long enough. He'd never actually tell me if he wanted me to do something, just pester me until I'd tripped into in by myself. I got up and ran as quickly as I could, hoping to surprise him by canon-balling as close to him as possible.

I must have misjudged the distance, though, because when I came up, Albus was nowhere in sight. The water was pleasantly cool, and the sun made it look as though it were studded with diamonds. I turned in a circle, looking for Al.

Rose had obviously not drowned her boyfriend, because they appeared to have moved on to a race, towards the raft where Drew and Maddy sat with their feet dangling.

Tyler was, unsurprisingly, showing the same girl from earlier how to spike a volleyball in the shallows. Logan charged out of the water, up the rock and then jumped in next to me.

There were a few other kids scattered around, but Albus was nowhere to be seen.

"Logan, where's Al?" I asked as I treaded water, and he shrugged, then dove down. I floated on my back and waited for him to show up, and a minute later Maddy shrieked, slithering down the side of the raft into the water, obviously be pulled by something. Drew yelled and jumped in, grappling with whatever was gripping her ankle. Finally, she broke free, and scuttled back to the center of the raft. Drew was yelling, and I swan closer.

"What kind of sick joke-"

"Dude, calm down," Mark, Maddy's twin, popped above the water and cut off her boyfriend. "I've been scaring her our whole lives. It's fun." Logan appeared as well, and high-fived Mark, grinning.

"He's right," Maddy said, "he's been scaring me our whole lives." She lifted the hem of her retro two-piece and pointed to the birthmark along her rib cage. "This," she pointed, "is from that idiot kicking me in-utero, constantly, as soon as he grew a pair." The boys snickered. "Of legs! Geez."

I giggled, and turned to Albus to debate the likelihood that it was actually from Mark's pre-natal efforts, only to remember that he was still MIA. "Guys, Al's been gone at least five minutes, and he didn't have time to make it back to shore." I was starting to feel a bit panicked, but everyone else seemed unconcerned.

A jumbled chorus of "I'm sure he's fine," and "oh, let him do whatever he wants," and "why do we care?", among other things met my ears, and I felt myself starting to hyperventilate. Now that I thought, really thought, the second before I jumped I saw him go under. So where was he? He couldn't hold him breath more than a minute or two, I was certain.

"Logan," I tugged on his arm, "please help me find him." I was sure I starting to look entirely too concerned, after all, the boys weren't worried, why should I be? Of course, they were the brilliant minds that made a "Professor's Underwear" display for Valentines Day fourth year (I was not involved.) that was labled, sang and (sigh) did catcalls.

"Pheephee," ugh, I hated that nickname. Luckily only Logan used it. "chill, Al will turn up," Logan turned away, a strange look on his face.

I swam off on my own, scanning the water for Albus. Suddenly, arms wrapped around me from behind. "Ahhh!"

"What?" the arms let go, and I whipped my head around to find Albus staring at me. The butterflies in my stomach belatedly shifted at the contact, and I smacked him to cover.

"Where did you go?" I demanded. you scared me, I thought.

"Just poking around underwater. Jeez." I refrained from point out that he'd pestered me into the water moments before he'd decided to "poke around".

"But you were gone for so long," I said, confused.

"Oh, that's right." Al smirked. "You were sick the day Dad taught everyone the bubblehead charm. And it was the last time we swam that summer. Oops, I must have forgotten."

But I could tell by his smug grin he definitely hadn't forgotten.

"Albus Severus Potter!" I shrieked, then made a grab for his head. He managed to dunk me, instead, though.

Oh, it was so on.