In exactly one month, Erin Longbottom will have spent a year without her great-grandmother.

There'd been times throughout the past eleven months when she'd been so preoccupied with other things, that a day would go by where she'd barely had a thought about her gran. Of course, it had been months before that happened. And then there were the times when it felt like it was the only thing she could think about all day. Like everything around her reminded her of her great-gran. Or of her absence. She knew the summer was going to be full of those days.

It was a relief to be spending time away from her childhood home. That place was full of reminders. Alice's flat in Hogsmeade would only serve to stir up memories because of the quilt her gran had made or the tea set she used to drink from. But it wasn't a place Gran had ever been. It didn't hold tangible memories.

It was with a grateful attitude that Erin flooed into her sister's flat the morning after the celebratory dinner at the Potters'. She arrived a bit earlier than expected, so it wasn't much of a surprise that her sister wasn't there to welcome her, but it didn't seem like she was even up.

Erin kicked off her shoes and dropped her bag on the armchair by the fire. It was only half past eight, but she'd always known Alice to be up at early hours. Sometimes with the sun.

Curious, Erin made her way towards her sister's closed bedroom door, fully intent on knocking. But the sound of her sister giggling made her pause, her eyes widening when she heard a distinctly male voice follow her sister's laugh.

She'd just walked in on her older sister in bed with her boyfriend.

Erin stood frozen in a combined state of shock and giddy delight. She felt slightly guilty about the fact that her sister would be embarrassed, but she had every intention of not rubbing it in. At least not too much. It was about time her sister had someone that made her so happy she didn't want to get out of bed in the morning.

Smirking at the events that were about to unfold, Erin knocked on the door. There was a sharp intake of breath and the voices on the other side quieted immediately.

"Alice?" Erin asked, trying desperately to keep the laughter out of her voice. There was what sounded like a mad scuffling of blankets and clothes accompanied by harsh whispers, and then the door opened and Alice stepped out of her room, closing the door tightly behind her.

Erin took in her sister's appearance. She was wearing her favorite purple dressing gown and what looked like nothing underneath. Her brown hair was a bit disheveled and her cheeks were flushed pink.

"You're early," said Alice, her eyes wide as she gave her sister a nervous smile.

"Sorry," Erin said pleasantly. "I'm still used to getting up early from school so I was up anyway. Plus, I was excited to spend time with you."

Erin almost felt bad when Alice's smile turned guilty, but she laughed instead. "I'll put on some tea. Want to ask your boyfriend to join us?"

Alice's eyes widened and her face turned bright red. Erin smirked before walking over to the kitchen, allowing her sister to escape back into her bedroom. Less than five minutes later, Alice and Malcolm appeared in the kitchen, fully dressed and with slightly sheepish expressions.

"Good morning, Professor," Erin said smugly. She chuckled when Malcolm cringed and took a seat at the counter.

"Please don't call me that anymore," he said. "You're no longer my student, and I'd rather you call me Malcolm."

"I think I can do that," said Erin with a friendly smile. "Breakfast, Alice?"

While Malcolm had started to relax, Alice still seemed a bit on edge. She was standing at the edge of the kitchen, almost as if she couldn't decide whether to join her sister or sit with her boyfriend.

"Ally, Relax," Erin said with an amused roll of her eyes. "I'm not so innocent as to think your boyfriend never stays the night. You shouldn't' have had him over if you didn't want me to know what you get up to."

Alice's cheeks turned a bit pink and she cleared her throat nervously as she moved fully into the kitchen and began pulling out eggs, sausages, and bread. "I know. We didn't exactly plan…"

She trailed off nervously. Erin smirked as Malcolm rubbed at the back of his neck uncomfortably. She placed a cup of tea in front of him, catching his eye and giving him an encouraging smile. "Enjoying your time off?" she asked him.

"Most definitely," he said with a smile. "I'm trying to talk your sister into taking a week or two off so we can take a little holiday."

"You should!" said Erin, turning to look at her sister in excitement. "You can do that, right?"

"I suppose," Alice said with a shrug and a small smile. "I'd just need to make sure things were covered here. Rosmerta told me she's always willing to come back if I need to get away for a while. She knows it can be tiring to forever be in Hogsmeade. Gets a little dull."

"Not so much with me around, though, right?" Malcolm said with a grin. Alice rolled her eyes but was unable to keep a smile off her face.

"Yes, the first couple of months were much duller than the last few have been," said Alice. The words were teasing, but Erin could tell that they were actually rather honest. Knowing how much her sister appreciated having someone around made her even more thankful for Malcolm.

They ate a comfortable breakfast together before Malcolm left and headed to visit with his parents and sisters for the week. Erin grinned as she watched Alice timidly kiss him goodbye, obviously not fully comfortable doing so in front of her sister. What grabbed Erin's attention, however, was Malcolm's wide grin when he told Alice he'd be home the following Saturday before flooing away.

"Where's he living?" Erin asked. "Is he staying at the school during the summer?"

Alice didn't answer, obviously uncomfortable with the question, leaving Erin to come to the only logical conclusion.

"He's staying here?" she asked incredulously. Alice's cheeks turned pink as she grabbed Erin's bag that she'd left in the chair by the fire.

"He might be," Alice said with a shrug. Erin watched with a dropped jaw and a raised eyebrow as her sister took the bag into the bedroom. When she returned to the sitting room, she sat on the couch with a resigned sigh, gesturing to a still gobsmacked Erin to join her. "I suppose I can't get out of talking about this, can I?"

Erin sat with a bit of an annoyed huff. "Are you saying you wouldn't have said anything if I hadn't walked in on you in bed together? Is it really that much of a struggle to talk to me?"

Erin knew she'd failed to hide the hurt in her voice. It had been a rather isolated incident when Alice had opened up to her the day of Teddy and Victoire's wedding. While Erin had known some of the details surrounding her sister's past with Liam Smith thanks to her mother, her sister had barely spoken a word to her about it. Any particulars about the situation had been unknown to her before a few months ago. For a long time, Erin had assumed she and Alice were close simply based on the fact that they were sisters who spent time together. It wasn't until she was older and she realized how little her sister had told her over the years that she discovered it wasn't as true as she'd like it to be.

Alice gave her sister a guilty smile. "I'm still getting used to being more open. And I know I should be able to talk to you. I want to be able to talk to you. But you saw how long it took me to be open enough to be with Malcolm. I've been so closed off for so long. It just doesn't come naturally, I suppose."

"But I'm your sister," said Erin. "If you're able to talk to anyone, it should be me."

"I know," said Alice. "I think I'm also getting used to the fact that you're grown up now and we can actually talk about real life stuff. It's nice, though. Almost feels like we're closer in age than we used to be."

A grin formed on Erin's face, warmth filling her as she felt the bond she had with her sister strengthen. "Well, I'm glad. Because it makes it harder for me to open up when I know you won't do the same."

An intrigued look crossed Alice's face, and she sat back against the arm of the couch, turning to face her sister as Erin copied her movements, both recognizing they were settling in for what could be a lengthy chat.

"I never want you to feel like you can't talk to me," said Alice. "So what's been going on? We didn't really have the chance to talk much this term."

This was true. While the two sisters had seen each other during the times Alice had come up to the school and Erin had come to Hogsmeade, they hadn't really been able to catch up since the last time Erin had made a visit specifically to see her sister. They'd gone shopping with Rose while Alice filled them in on what had happened at the wedding after they'd left her alone with Malcolm, as well as the status of her relationship with said professor. It hadn't been that deep of a conversation, and Erin had avoided the topic of Al, even though Alice had asked. That was still a few weeks before they were actually together. Alice had been there during the debacle that was her birthday dinner, but had been a bit too distracted by her own boyfriend to really notice what had happened. She'd been unaware of the change in her sister's relationship until Erin had told her in passing a few weeks later when she was at the castle for dinner.

"A lot's changed this year, hasn't it?" said Erin as she thought over the last term. "I definitely didn't expect either of us to be where we are right now."

"And where is that, exactly?" asked Alice. Erin shrugged her shoulders and gave her sister a small smile.

"Happy," she said simply. "Excited about where we are in life. I was so devastated when we lost Gran that I didn't think I'd be able to ever really move on with my life and truly enjoy it. And I know you felt stuck where you were at the Ministry. Did you see all this coming a year ago?"

Alice chuckled and shook her head. "Not exactly. And I have to admit that I was worried about how you'd handle Gran's death. I'm a bit surprised you're doing this well, honestly."

A content smile formed on Erin's lips. "As strange as it may sound, I think we really have Al to thank for that."

Alice's eyebrows practically disappeared into her hair. "Really? The same boy you complained about at the beginning of the school year because you thought he didn't care about you?"

Erin rolled her eyes and stretched her leg across the couch to nudge her sister with her foot while she grinned teasingly at her. "Maybe."

"I think it's time I heard the whole story," said Alice, grabbing her wand from the table beside the couch and summoning their cups of tea, giving them each a tap to warm them.

"Can I ask a question first?" asked Erin. Alice nodded. "Are you in love with Malcolm?"

Whatever Alice had been expecting, it had not been this question. Her eyes widened in shock and she nearly choked on her tea. "What?" she asked once she managed to stop coughing. "Why?"

"Look, I know you're my older sister, but can you put aside your protective instincts and just give me some advice?" Erin asked. "Because I could really use some."

Alice nodded, her expression serious. "All right. What's up?"

"First, can you answer my question?" asked Erin. "Do you love Malcolm?"

Alice took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as her eyes grew watery at the strength of her emotions. She failed to hold back a bright smile as she nodded. "Yeah. I do."

Erin let out a breathy laugh, smiling at her sister, who laughed as well and wiped at her eyes. "Merlin, what a mess," said Alice through her laughter. "Who'd have thought love would be so overwhelming and crazy."

"I know what you mean," said Erin, smiling understandingly at her sister. Alice's laughter and tears died down, and she fully registered Erin's words.

"You do?" she asked with a surprised smile. Erin nodded, and both sisters dissolved into laughter once again, a few joyful tears falling as well.

"You were right," said Alice once they'd managed to calm down. "I don't think I saw any of this coming a year ago."

"Neither did I," Erin admitted.

"So," said Alice. "Now that we've got all that out of the way, what type of advice do you need?"

"Well," said Erin, growing uncomfortable. She hadn't been planning on talking to her sister about this, but after the events of the morning, she couldn't see herself talking to anyone else about it. And she found she actually did want to talk about it. "You…you and Malcolm are having sex, right?"

Alice's cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of pink, but Erin was grateful when she nodded.

"Did you wait? Until you were in love with him?"

Alice took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and looking down at her tea before answering. "Last night was when I asked him if he wanted to stay with me over the summer. It was also the first time either of us said I love you, and the first time we slept together."

"Wow," said Erin after taking a moment to process that. "That's a lot of big things all in one night."

"I know," Alice said with a light chuckle. "It was exhausting, but in a good way."

"I'll bet," Erin said with a smirk. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Why do you ask?"

"Right," said Erin. "So, I know I'm younger than you by a bit, but I don't think the love I have for Al is any less real than the love you have for Malcolm. Same goes for how they feel about the two of us, right?"

Alice nodded.

"Do you think that's all you need to wait for?" she asked in a rush. "Being in love?"

Exactly what Erin was asking took a minute to hit home, but once it did, Alice's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Oh. Well, no, actually. I mean, I was convinced I was in love with Liam so I slept with him. Look how well that turned out."

"So what else is there?" asked Erin. "I'm not saying I'm anxious to take that step or anything," she clarified. "It's just that we sort of almost did once, but after some miscommunication, we decided to wait. Which I think was the right call. But now it's just hanging there between us, and now that I know we both love each other, it's hard to know what exactly we're waiting for."

"I see," Alice said understandingly after a moment of contemplative silence. "Well, my first piece of advice would be to be sure you're in love, which you seem to be. And then I'd say that beyond just feeling a certain way, it needs to be more than that. Love is about choosing someone everyday, not just getting butterflies whenever you see them. Commitment is a big part of it. I know you're young, so maybe it's a bit early for that, but maybe not. Al's parents were together at your age. So were Ron and Hermione."

Erin flushed a bit at her sister's words. The thought of her and Al having the same type of relationship as his parents and aunt and uncle both terrified and thrilled her.

"My point is," Alice continued, "your feelings are important, but nothing is as important as knowing that he's there for you completely. With or without the physical aspects of your relationship. I made the mistake of believing that was what it took to commit to someone, and it's not. It's a big deal, trusting someone that completely. So I'd say don't do it unless you're sure you're ready for that."

Erin let out a deep sigh, nodding at her sister's words. "And you feel that way about Malcolm?"

Alice smiled. "Yeah, I do. Do you feel that way about Al?"

As much as Erin wanted to answer without hesitation, she couldn't help pausing. Yes, she loved Al, and yes, she fully intended to be there for him completely. She even felt like she could safely count on him feeling exactly the same. But what Alice was talking about sounded a lot more like a lifetime commitment than she was ready to make. Not that she couldn't see herself staying with Al that long, but they were only eighteen. Surely that was too soon to know something like that.

"Maybe," she eventually said with a sigh. "I don't have to know the answer to that right now, do I?"

"No," Alice said with a reassuring smile. "You have plenty of time to figure that out."

Erin was grateful that the conversation had left her feeling reassured rather than even more confused. Even though it brought up some questions she wasn't able to answer yet, she felt comfortable not knowing at the moment.

As the week wore on, Erin was able to continue to have meaningful conversations with her sister. They talked about their relationships, the current as well as the past ones. Alice talked about where she saw things going with her future, and Erin wouldn't be that surprised if Alice and Malcolm ended up living a life very similar to the one their parents had. She could see them living a very happy life in Hogsmeade, Alice continuing to run the Three Broomsticks as Malcolm taught at Hogwarts.

Not that marriage was really on the table yet. Alice had been a bit flustered when Erin brought it up, saying it was much too soon to discuss something like that. They'd only just said I love you. But Erin couldn't ignore the way Alice had been unable to stop smiling as she blushed and protested almost a little too much when the subject came up.

As difficult as it was, the moments throughout the week when they'd reminisced about their childhood - which included talking about their Gran - were some of the sweetest. It had grown easier to talk about over the year, and while the approaching anniversary of her death wasn't an easy thing to handle, Erin was thankful for the time to work through her grief with her sister a little more over the past week.

By the time Friday night rolled around, she felt refreshed and ready to move forward in life. Tomorrow, she'd be going to see the flat she'd be moving into with Rose. She'd get to see Al again. And life after Hogwarts would be officially underway.

"What do you think is taking him so long?" Erin asked for the third time. They'd been in the flat for a quarter of an hour, and there'd been no sign of Al.

"No clue," Scorpius said with a shrug, going over to join Erin at the window. "He told me on Wednesday that he'd meet us here."

"Can we at least get started on taking measurements?" Rose asked impatiently, trying to not grow too annoyed by her cousin's tardiness. They only had the flat for a half hour. Pest control would be coming to make sure nothing had or would take up residence while it was empty, and no one was allowed to be in the flat when that happened.

Scorpius gave her an apologetic smile and moved to join her down the hall, leaving Erin to continue staring out the window. "Do you know who's taking which room?" Scorpius asked as Rose entered the one on the left. The flat was set up so that there was a bedroom at the end of the hall that led into the bathroom, which you could also get to from the hall. The other bedroom - which they had just entered - was across from the bathroom.

"Well, seeing as I have to be up a bit earlier in the mornings, I'm taking the other one," said Rose as she pulled out her wand and a measuring tape from the back pocket of her jeans. "That way I won't bother her by using the bathroom before she's up. Can you read off the measurements?"

Scorpius nodded as Rose tapped the measuring tape with her wand before grabbing the notepad and pencil from the windowsill she'd set them on earlier. They moved into her room next, which was a bit smaller, though not by much. She supposed that was only fair, since she had direct access to the bathroom. Scorpius walked over to the window after gathering up the measuring tape as she jotted down the final measurements.

"You're not far from the National Gallery," Scorpius commented, looking appreciatively out the window and into the side street. They were lucky enough to snag a corner flat, which meant they had a bit more natural light. Rose was ecstatic about this detail.

"I know," said Rose as she came and stood next to him. "I haven't been there since my mum took me the summer after third year."

"Do you want to go sometime?" he asked. Rose grinned up at him almost shyly.

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

Scorpius grinned back at her. "Well, seeing as I am your boyfriend, I think it's only right I do so every now and then."

Rose laughed and wound her arms around his waist. She pushed up on her toes to kiss him lightly, Scorpius pushing a few strands of hair that had come loose from her ponytail behind her ears before cradling her head in his hands and kissing her deeply.

Rose was surprised by how much she'd missed him over the course of the week. She'd had a wonderful time with Victoire and Teddy, and it was even better when Scorpius had joined them for dinner her second night there. While they had tried to make plans for him to come over while both Teddy and Victoire were gone the following night, it hadn't worked out. Dominique had shown up in a bit of a frenzy with the intention of seeing her sister, having forgotten in her agitated state that she wouldn't be there that night. Instead of leaving once she realized this, she stayed and told Rose all of her problems, which involved a combination of things, ranging from her uncertainty about her future and any type of career, to what was going on between herself and Lysander.

Even after talking to Dominique for hours, Rose wasn't sure she had a good grasp on what was going on in her cousin's life, or if she'd been able to offer any type of advice. The main takeaways had been that Dom felt stuck in her job, knew she had feelings for Lysander, and couldn't decide whether or not to confront the situation, seeing as they had yet to discuss any type of emotions regarding each other. Dom had seemed relatively more upbeat the following morning, having stayed the night, the evening turning into a sleepover in the sitting room once Victoire got home.

As much as she would have liked to have spent the evening with Scorpius, Rose was okay with the way things had turned out. She'd missed Dom during the previous school year, and part of her had been nervous to be alone with Scorpius, even if it had been her idea. Not that anything too crazy would have happened, but putting herself in the position where it could was something she wasn't sure she was prepared for. There was a difference between spending time together and happening to be alone than intentionally seeking out a few secluded hours with nothing to do but engage in activities like the one they were currently busying themselves with.

Rose pushed all those thoughts aside, enjoying the moment that she'd been waiting for since he'd shown up at the flat just after she and Erin had. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with public displays of affection and had merely grabbed his hand when he'd arrived and given him a tour while they waited for Al. As far as she was concerned, her cousin could take his time if this was how they were going to be spending their time waiting.

"I missed you," Scorpius whispered against her lips when he pulled away to catch his breath.

"I missed you too," said Rose, not wasting another moment before pulling him a bit closer, unable to reach his lips without his help with her arms around his middle. He took the hint and ducked down further, allowing her to sink down off her toes as he kissed her again. Rose slowly moved her mouth against his as he did the same, wanting to savor the feel of him. It wouldn't be long before they didn't have the freedom to see each other every day, once work started for her and training started for him. There would most likely be more weeks in the future where they barely got to see each other. She had every intention of making the most of the next few weeks.

If only Erin and Al could manage to stay out of the way.

"Holy shit!" she heard Erin yell, most likely still staring out the sitting room window and waiting for her boyfriend. "Rose, you've got to come look at this and tell me I'm not hallucinating!"

Rose reluctantly pulled away from Scorpius, who sighed regretfully and placed one last kiss on her forehead. "Please tell me we're not going to always be interrupted by Al and Erin."

Rose laughed as she grabbed his hand and made to lead him out of the room. "We've already talked about the need for privacy. They don't want us bothering them just as much as we don't want them bothering us."

"You're going to make a schedule, aren't you?" Scorpius said teasingly. Rose threw a look at him over her shoulder, which just made him laugh. When they reached the sitting room, it was just in time to see Erin walking out the front door and hurrying down the three flights of stairs to the street below. Curious now as to what Erin could be so worked up about, Rose and Scorpius followed her, both of them staring in shock at the sight that met them at the curb in front of their building.

Albus Potter was straddling a rather impressive looking motorbike that was still running. He wore a leather jacket and jeans and was in the middle of pulling a helmet off his head. A brilliant smile shone on his face once it was off, and he turned off the bike.

"Brilliant, isn't it?" he said, ruffling his hair as he rested the helmet on his knee. "Dad gave me the keys yesterday."

"Is this Uncle Harry's bike?" asked Rose, still staring wide eyed at the scene before her. Al nodded.

"Well, technically, yes. But it's as good as mine now."

"That's amazing," said Scorpius, moving to stand next to the bike and taking a good look. His movement drew Rose's eyes to Erin. She was staring at her boyfriend as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing, her eyes roaming over the bike and Al repeatedly, taking it all in.

"What do you think?" asked Al. He watched his girlfriend nervously, obviously anxious to see her reaction. Rose thought it could go either one of two ways. She'd either be excited and all about jumping on behind him for a ride, or terrified for his safety. Which was a feeling Rose was trying very hard to suppress. Or, she'd be an interesting combination of the two, as she turned out to be.

"I think you better not do anything stupid on that thing," said Erin, her brow furrowed as she folded her arms and looked squarely at Al. He was quick to smile reassuringly at her and nod.

"Trust me, I won't. Dad already gave me a whole spiel about not doing anything reckless. Especially when you're on the back of it."

Erin perked up a bit at these words, obviously tempted. She watched as Al turned and lifted up the seat behind him, producing a slightly smaller helmet. "Good thing you're wearing jeans today," he said as he held the helmet out to Erin. "You up for it?"

Rose could tell that Al desperately wanted her to be okay with this. Erin chewed on her lip nervously, but something in the way Al was looking at her must have set her at ease, because a moment later she was smiling at him and grabbing the helmet. Al beamed.

"We're supposed to be going shopping," Rose said with a roll of her eyes. Scorpius chuckled as he came to stand next to her, both of them being ignored by Erin and Al, who was helping Erin fasten the helmet.

"I think we've thoroughly lost them," Scorpius said in amusement. Rose let out an annoyed huff as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"We'll meet you two for lunch, yeah?" said Al as Erin climbed onto the back of the bike behind him and he pulled on his own helmet. "Leaky Cauldron in an hour?"

Rose gave an indulgent sigh. "Fine, just be safe!" she said, hollering the last few words as Al started the bike back up. They took off a moment later, Erin letting out a combination of a scream and a laugh as they began to make their way through London.

"Promise me you'll never have one of those?" asked Rose, looking up at Scorpius pleadingly.

"You're not that nervous, are you?" he asked, sounding a bit amused.

"Well, you're both going to be risking your lives most days anyway," she pointed out with a huff. "I don't see the need to add something else dangerous to your life."

Scorpius sighed and began to lead her back into the flat. "Anyone ever tell you you worry too much?"

Rose shot him a look. "I can't help it that I'm concerned for your wellbeing."

"I know," he assured her as they slowly made their way up the stairs, "and my wellbeing is fine. I don't intend on giving you any reason to worry."

Rose gave him a small smile as they reached the second floor. "I know. I'll try to work on the whole worrying thing. I know you're not an-"

"Insufferable arse!" came a shriek from down the hall. Rose and Scorpius stopped in their tracks as Dominique came storming out of the flat that belonged to James, Fred, and Lysander, slamming the door behind her before hurrying down the hall. They flattened themselves against the wall to move out of the way when it became obvious she had no intention of stopping. She looked on the verge of tears as she glanced briefly at Rose before moving past them and down the stairs.

"Dom!"

Their attention was drawn back to the previously slammed door. Lysander was standing halfway out into the hall, a look of frustration on his face. After failing to see Dominique in the hall, he swore harshly before turning around and storming back inside and slamming the door again, not even giving Rose and Scorpius a second look. They both stood there in stunned silence for a few moments before Scorpius let out a deep breath.

"This should turn out to be a pretty interesting place to live."

A/N: If you haven't already, head over to Snapshots and read about the night before Erin shows up at Alice's. Chapter 24! I will be posting another one about Dom and Ly soon! Thoughts on this chapter? I'd love to hear them!