Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3

"You know what I hate the most?" Aubrey muttered.

"What?" I asked.

After a few minutes of silence, "Never mind."

I sighed and looked up from the book I was reading and found my best friend shooting virtual daggers with her eyes at a couple nestled cozily into an armchair, near the fireplace.

"You and Jonathan really need to get over your silly issues and just talk to each other." I said feeling a bit exasperated.

Aubrey snorted still glaring at the said boy as he got himself engrossed in a make out session with the girl on his lap, "He can snog who-ever he wants to. We have got nothing to talk about."

I raised my eyebrows skeptically, "Really? Then why are you murdering him with your eyes?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner, "I'm not murdering him with my eyes. It's just; they're trying to be so obvious about it. Please! People don't like to watch gross stuff like that! He can shag her as much as he wants to, but I'd be happier if he finds a more private place to do that!"

"Whatever, I give up. I don't think even Merlin can pull you both out of that serious denial." I muttered.

"I'm not in denial!" Aubrey exclaimed.

"Just listen to yourself right now." I muttered.

All I received in return was a vicious glare.

"You know what I think?" Aubrey suddenly spoke up, finally ungluing her eyes from the couple in the armchair.

Here goes. "What?"

"I think, being single has messed up your mind."

Huh? "What is that supposed to mean?"

Aubrey shrugged, "Whatever you want it to."

I shook my head wearily, used to her frequent bouts of childish behavior.

"And you know what I think?"

"No, I don't know what you think Aubrey." I replied through gritted teeth.

"I think that you need to find yourself a new boyfriend." She declared.

I snorted, shaking my head resignedly and going back to my reading. If I ignore her whimsical behavior, it'll pass. It always does.

"No I'm serious Summer. You need to find for yourself a perfect boy-toy. Someone who can take your mind off that fucker and maybe cheer you up a bit."

I tensed up a bit. We hardly mentioned Lucas after the break-up.

"I don't think so Aub." I snapped.

Aubrey let out an exasperated sigh, "Summer it's been three weeks! And all you're doing is wallowing in your own sorrow, when he's out there getting some!"

Despite myself, I asked, "what do you mean he's getting some?"

"I mean, I dunno. Knowing him, I'm sure he must be out there shagging someone crazy!" Aubrey exclaimed.

Ignoring the piercing feeling in my heart I went back to work. "I couldn't care less. And frankly, I've decided to be off boys for a bit now."

"Why?" Aubrey asked, as though I were completely mental.

"Because for your information, I've had a rather horrific breakup. I'm not ready for anyone yet!" I nearly screamed.

"That's crap." Aubrey said rolling her eyes. "I don't think there is any such thing as not being ready. One is always ready for love…. and maybe for good sex."

I snorted, "Speak for yourself."

Aubrey shrugged, "Okay, I'll speak for myself about the sex part. But love on the other hand, just happens. You can't control that Summer."

I frowned, wondering what she was trying to get at.

"I mean it Summer. Go find someone. In fact I think this break up was sort of a blessing in disguise for you."

I looked at her incredulously. I broke up with my boyfriend because he slept with the school whore and humiliated me to the point that it hurt. How could that be any sort of a blessing?

Aubrey sighed, reading my face. "Maybe you won't realize it now, but you will soon. You're better off without that loser, trust me."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I had no idea why she was suddenly so eager to talk about all this. She had to know that I wasn't ready as yet, and deep down inside I knew that probably I never would be.

It's easy to let go of someone you love when they've hurt you repeatedly. At least you can mask the love with all the anger, but the case with Lucas and I was different. It would always be different. Aubrey wouldn't understand that, no one would.

We had been neighbors since we were two. Born in the same muggle neighborhood, we went to the same kindergarten. I remember our first meeting; little Lucas had offered me a gummy bear. The white one, his favorite ones. I had smiled shyly and popped it into my mouth.

"What's your name?" he'd asked, not an ounce of shyness in him.

"Summer." I'd murmured.

"Like the season?"

Blushing I'd replied, "Yes, like the season."

He'd put his tiny arm around my shoulders and declared out to the world, "We're going to be best friends."

And we were. From that day, Lucas and I were inseparable. Two pees in a pod, partners in crime, friends with benefits, joint at the hip; over the years we had managed to acquire many nicknames, but the fact was that we completed each other. Lucas-and-Summer, it had always been that way. Our mothers were best friends, our fathers got together on Sundays to drink beer and chat about mundane stuff. Then gradually both of us realised that we were different, different from all the people we knew. We received the letter together; we went together to Hogwarts, ended up in the same house, with almost the same classes. In a nutshell, our lives were entwined from the very beginning. We were meant to be.

There was no particular phase or time in our relationship when it became more intimate. It seemed like a natural progression. 'Of course they had to get together', I remember hearing our mothers talking. We were 13 then and Lucas had given me my first kiss in Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day. I had described the entire day in gushing detail to my mother in a letter. We had returned home for vacations that year to find our mothers all smiles and overjoyed. They giddily whispered together, already planning our future wedding and how beautiful it would be if we get married at the beach, and how absolutely wonderful it was that we were in love.

The two years after that were an absolute bliss. We were happy together; our love only seemed to grow. Of course we couldn't possibly have anticipated what was going to happen next.

It was the September in our fifth year that changed our lives. That morning Lucas received an owl from home stating that his parents had met with an accident and that his father lay in the muggle hospital with his lower body paralysed and his mother had not been able to make it. It had been earth-shattering for him and for me too. Mrs Flockhart was almost a mother to me.

It was devastating, and I took time to get over it, but I did eventually. That wasn't the case with Lucas. He was extremely close to his parents and after the accident it was as though some part inside of Lucas had died. The Lucas I had known and loved somehow just, vanished. He became distant and most of all, he changed. He changed so much that it was frightening. He wasn't the same jovial, faithful boyfriend that he had been. This new Lucas was cold, silent, stoic, someone who got drunk and cheated on his girlfriend by sleeping with a random girl.

I knew it was painful for him, but did he understand how utterly agonizing it was for me? No he didn't. It was always about him. He needed time to heal, he needed space, and he needed me to understand that his cheating meant nothing. Suddenly I became the punching bag, the doormat, someone who he could take for granted, someone who loved him so much that she would understand his behaviour and stick with him no matter what.

But I wasn't that strong, my self esteem wasn't that low. After a tumultuous sixth year our relationship was in shambles. The old Lucas wasn't coming back and that realization was a terrible blow. I couldn't keep lying to myself anymore; I couldn't keep defending his behaviour. I just couldn't.

His romp with Felicity Rayne had been the final nail in the coffin, the last straw, and we were over. Lucas-and-Summer were over. It was hard, it was painful, but it was right. For both of us.

"Summer! Hello? Are you listening to me?" Aubrey's voice floated over, jerking me out of my reverie.

I breathed in blinking back tears.

"I don't wanna talk about this now." I said quietly, with a touch of finality.

Aubrey sighed, as though in defeat, she knew better than to push me when I'm not ready.

"Fine. But please think about it."

I nodded faintly.

After a few moments, suddenly Aubrey took a sharp intake of breath.

"That bitch!" she hissed.

"What?" I asked looking up from my book and followed her gaze.

Jonathan –the boy with whom she shared a love hate relationship- was rising from the couch and following the girl, with whom he was making out just a few moments ago outside the portrait hole. The girl was giggling and pulling him by his hand.

Aubrey's face suddenly shut down. She pursed her lips and stood up.

"I'm going to the dormitory." She muttered.

Just as he was about to step out of the portrait hole, Jonathan looked back and his eyes locked with Aubrey's. Jonathan faltered a bit in his steps, and for a second I thought I saw a flash of uncertainty on his face, as if he realized that he was going too far. Aubrey broke the eye contact and ran up the stairs and the girl dragged Jonathan out of the portrait hole.

I sighed, shaking my head, when would people stop playing games and do what they really want to do?

I returned back to my book, but not before smiling at Sirius Black who had just entered the common room.

A/N: Wow that was fast! Don't get too spoilt though. Updates, in my case have chances of being rather sporadic. :) Please review! CC is most welcome.