Thanks to everyone who read, fav'd, alerted and most of all to my amazing reviewers.
I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but my computer crashed and for the better part of the last two weeks, I did not know whether I would get my documents back at all. But I did - and so here comes another chapter.

Time just kept passing. Before I knew it, a month had passed since the term had started. Nothing had changed in that time. Callie hated me. Maia barely talked to me, though sometimes, she would give me a small smile when she was sure the others were not looking. Reg, even though he had been so eager to talk to me, had yet to make another attempt. I was not going to seek him out. I was not that desperate.

Not to mention, the homework kept me pretty occupied most of the time. I had thought the OWLs were a lot of work, but they were nothing compared to the NEWTs. These exams demanded excellence in the subjects you had picked. I wondered how people like Crabbe or Macnair would ever make it. I might not have been the best student, but these guys sure were not the fastest brooms in the cupboard.

I was sitting at Slytherin table, buttering a bit of toast when I noticed a Tawny Owl that looked suspiciously like James' Caesar. Surely enough, the owl swept down to me and landed in front of my plate with a gentle hoot. It was in fact James' owl and I reached out to take the letter from him.

"Hey," I cooed. "What are you doing here?"

Caesar clicked his beak impatiently and I fed him a bit of my toast.

"Greedy thing," I muttered before unfolding the letter.

Dear Selene
Scratch that. That sounds stupid. Sorry, love, too much firewhiskey.

I frowned at Sirius' messy scripture.

I borrowed James' owl, cause I can't be bothered to go outside, and honestly, I probably wouldn't make it to the post office.
See, first we had to drink so Prongs would have the courage and now we have to drink to celebrate.
Lily said yes!
I'd tell you all about the great things the prat said, but I don't want to ruin the story for Lily. She'll want to tell it in every detail. I'm supposed to give you her love, by the way. Told her I'd only give you love from myself and she slapped me.
When's the next Hogsmeade weekend? I thought I'd come and visit you.

Love you,
Padfoot.

P.S. I can't proofread what I wrote, it's all blurry. Sorry. Sort of.

I shook my head at the parchment, smiling widely. James had been working up the courage to ask Lily to marry him all summer. I had never doubted that she would say yes, but I understood his nervousness. After all, James had been pursuing her for years and only last year had she finally relented. Admittedly, they were moving along pretty fast, but I had never seen a couple that fit together as well.

I took a bite of my toast and saw Caesar's wide, amber eyes following my every movement. I rolled my eyes and fed him the rest before I scribbled my answer on the back of Sirius' letter.

The next Hogsmeade weekend was still a few weeks away, on the weekend before Halloween, but it was a pleasant outlook nonetheless.

I tied the letter back on Caesar's leg and the owl took off at once with forcefully strokes of his wings. I sighed as I watched it go and reached out for another toast.

At the far end of the table, Callie and Maia had just sat down. At the sneer Callie sent in my direction, I decided to leave. I grabbed the toast and my bag and hurried out of the Hall. I was just making my way up the Great Staircase when Reg called out for me.

He had just left the dungeons with Macnair and Crabbe, who shook his head at him. "What do you want with the blood-traitor?"

"Nothing," Reg snapped. "Just go on without me."

"But-"

"Go," Reg ordered and the two of them strolled, laughing stupidly, into the Great Hall.

"I'm sorry about what Callie said the other day," he called out to me as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to hear any of that," I told him.

He sighed heavily. "Callie had that weird idea that there was only one reason why you'd move in with him-"

"Well, she was wrong," I said roughly. "That was just ridiculous."

"Yeah, I thought so, too..."

"But you still wanted to know, isn't that right?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "Or were you just sitting there by coincidence?"

"Selene-"

I shook my head and moved up the stairs, ignoring him as he called after me. I knew I had promised him to try and be friends, but he did not make it easy for me. How could we ever be friendly if he kept on listening to Callie?

That afternoon, Slughorn handed out the first grades of the year for the potion we had been brewing. I had been working with Emma Corner from Ravenclaw; mainly because the seat next to her had still been free and I had counted on her Ravenclaw-wits to help us. But as it turned out, I was better in Potions than she was and she had ultimately dragged me down with her.

Clearly, I was not very upset when Slughorn announced that he would now mix up the pairs, though many groaned in frustration. I got especially lucky, too. Slughorn paired me with Maia; not only had we always worked well together, but the bustling class also gave us the opportunity to finally talk.

"I'm really sorry for not talking to you earlier," she said under her breath. "But Callie always had an eye on me."

"That woman really is a pain in the arse," I grumbled. "What even is her problem?"

"I think she's jealous," Maia whispered.

"Jealous of what?" I asked incredulously. "My isolation and loneliness?"

"Your freedom," she said. "She couldn't back out of that wedding even if she wanted to."

"Callie and Basil are madly in love," I scoffed.

Maia shrugged. "Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. It's not like she could cancel it."

"Of course she could."

"But look where it got you. Isolated and lonely," she quoted. "I can't blame her for not wanting that."

"Not everyone is such a rebel," I muttered. "Maybe she's happy the way she is."

"I've never seen Callie unhappy," Maia relented. "So I can't be sure."

I let my anger at Callie out on the root I was hacking, causing the piece to look horribly distorted.

"You know," Maia added as she grabbed the knife from me. "I'll try and keep you company more often-"

"You don't need to if you don't want to," I said. "I'd hate to cause you discomfort."

"You're not causing me- look, Selene, I just..."

"I know," I said. "Don't worry about it, all right?"

"My brother," she said suddenly. "Is becoming a Death Eater."

The image of the Dark Mark burnt onto Reg's arm suddenly flashed before my eyes and I sighed heavily. "He's not the only one."

"Of course not," she whispered. "My parents are so proud..."

"My parents were, too," I said. "Of Evan."

"Yeah, Evan helped him," Maia said. "He's been at our place almost every day this summer. Never saw him so sociable."

The mention of my brother caused my heart to clench. Suddenly, the memory of New Year's Eve forced itself into consciousness. Evan had let me go then, even though I had broken into our mansion in order to get my things. And it had not fit him at all, considering how mad he had gotten when I had broken up with Regulus. James had had to save me from my brother's anger several times.

"He was always a bit of a loner," I admitted.

"I used to be so into your brother," Maia sighed. "But now, well..."

"Maia," I groaned.

"You couldn't understand," she said. "He's your brother."

I pulled a face. "Who knows what pureblood society is throwing at us next. What do you think, will they stop before or after one of us becomes our own aunt?"

"Selene!" she exclaimed, horrified, causing the two Hufflepuffs in front of us turn around and hiss at us to be silent.

I rolled my eyes and Maia whispered, "You can't say these things!"

I shrugged and started heating up the cauldron. "Luxury of those who are already disowned. I can say whatever I want."

She did not answer me, maybe because Callie had glared at her from across the room, or maybe because she did not have an appropriate answer.

There really was no justifying pureblood marriage habits, anyway. I knew how the Potters would be looked at once the news of James and Lily's engagement leaked out. No one would want to associate with them, anymore, but I knew James' parents well enough to know that they could not care less. To them, the happiness of their son was more important than anything.

I thought all families should be like that.

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