Be warned that his chapter is dedicated to the development of two of my custom characters:
Sebastian Granger and Frank Longbottom
But don't worry the next chapter will bring Hermione back and future ones will have Draco present as well.

Perhaps it was his mother's doing, the reason why he was so immersed in the muggle culture, but it wasn't like Sebastian to complain about such a trivial thing even if people could swear that he was a fussy child. According to Ron he was quite the crier, he cried when he was upset or wanted something. But Seb was sure that's what children do; of course looking back on how Lily was that may not have been true. It didn't matter whether he used to whine and cry because now he was being the good grandson and taking pictures the muggle way for his grandparents.

Hugh and Elene were very proud of their only grandson, they never looked down on him or alienated him because he was a wizard or because he didn't have any idea who his father was. In fact, they pampered him far worse than they ever did their own daughter. If there was something that Hermione wouldn't get her son then he would get it from them. Sebastian loved them to bits, which was why he happily dressed up in his house colors (bronze and blue, actually) with his nice dress jacket. He was graduating this year and his grandparents wanted a portrait of him so they could hang in their living area above the mantle.

The photographer was just about to finish taking the last couple of photos which weren't solo ones. The Granger's had allowed him the opportunity to bring his best mate and fellow graduate in on the photo shoot because the other boy practically grew up in front of them as well. So Sebastian had his arm wrapped around the slim shoulders of his best friends, turned to face him as he actually kissed his cheek and hitched a leg on his front.

"Come on, Frankie. Don't you want to hold me?" Sebastian teased with a grin, giving the photographer perfect opportunity to snap the picture.

The boy next to him couldn't help but laugh as he reached to grip Sebastian's thigh to hold him in place. Locks of blond hair fell over his forehead before he flipped them back with a dip of his head, blue eyes bright and playful as ever. He was a couple of inches shorter than Sebastian and had features that were far more boyish, but they were the same age. An earring with a small hippogriff feather hanging from it was attached to his ear as he was wearing a scarlet and gold themed tie around his throat. Frank Augustus Longbottom was a handsome boy, he'd skipped his father's awkward phase and had his mother's playfulness. That playfulness became apparent as he dipped Sebastian back with a laugh for the last picture of their session.

"If I didn't hold you, you wouldn't know any kind of affection, mate," Frankie said with a grin before releasing his best mate.

Sebastian flailed momentarily before he hit the floor with a grunt and a bout of laughter. The blond boy leaned over him and offered a hand to help his best mate off the floor, he took it and hopped up onto his feet. For a moment they were pressed against one another, a position that was neither new nor uncomfortable. Once their eyes met though they simultaneously stepped away from one another, still wearing the smiles they'd been wearing all day.

"Sebastian, love," Elene called over to him sweetly forcing he grandson to look away from his best mate. "Do you want to meet your grandfather and I for lunch in an hour?"

"Alright," Sebastian said with a nod as he took a step away from Frankie, a flush of color in his face as his stomach swirled nervously.

"You can come along too if you'd like, Frank."

"No, thank you. I should be heading home anyhow; I think mum is making her infamous Shepard's pie tonight. She knows it's my favorite."

Frank managed to tear his eyes away from Sebastian for a moment to glance over to Elene so to offer her a reassuring smile. The elder woman took it in stride and merely gave them a wave before she turned to leave the photo studio.

Once they were alone, the Gryffindor boy looked over to his best mate and his eyes instantly softened with adoration. It was hard to deny the look on his face was one of devotion and longing, not even Sebastian could deny it. So when he turned back to look at Frank, his face went a brighter shade of red. That uneasy feeling in his stomach swirled again, but he cleared his throat so to hide his momentary discomfort.

"So let's get into our street clothes," he said to fill the silence between them.

"Yeah, you need to hurry to find your grandparents."

"And we need to get you home to your mum and dad. She's spoiling you as usual, eh?"

"You know my mum, she doesn't like to see me leave home."

"Her and mum have that in common. I'm still surprised she let me go into Flourish and Blott's by myself, usually she likes to make sure I have every book I could possibly need aside from the essentials."

"Don't blame your mum for the fact that you're a bookworm," Frankie teased as he headed into the changing room. "So why didn't she go with you again?"

The changing room was not all that big and didn't offer privacy for more than two patrons but considering they were just changing their shirts. But the moment of intimacy, though small, that had passed between them left Sebastian feeling a bit insecure with his body. No matter how insecure he might have felt, he couldn't stop himself from glancing over to Frankie the very moment he shrugged out of his collared shirt.

His eyes took in the each muscle that glided under the others pale skin watching as the other boy shrugged his shoulders a couple of times and bent over to pick up his graphic-t up off the floor. Sebastian had been too enthralled with the sight to realize that Frankie had turned around to look at him. All he could seem to focus on was the fact that his best mate was slim and lean, abdomen muscles barely defined under his skin leading down to his naval. It was impossible not to follow the curving line of the V in the blonds hips, but he snapped out of it once the other moved slightly.

Frankie was ignoring it; he had just pulled his shirt on and down his torso so there was no more skin to be seen. Quirking his brow, he leaned over and picked up Seb's shirt before tossing it at him with a soft smile.

"So why did she let you go by yourself?"

"Oof," he let out as the shirt smacked him in the face, he pulled it off and shrugged as he started undoing his tie. "She ran into some bloke, he seemed to really get her a bit riled up."

"Oh? Who was it?"

"I think he said his name was Malfoy? I don't know."

"Tall blonde guy?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Saw him the other day at the Leaky Cauldron when I was helping mum with the school rush. He's a piece of work, he and his wife both. They complained a whole hell of a lot."

"I figured, he seemed a bit full of himself. He called himself a ghost of an old friend to my mother."

"He called himself what?"

"A ghost. Looked like one though, so pale I swear I could almost see through his skin. He's a nutter if you ask me."

Sebastian had been in the middle of pulling his old shirt on when he finally looked over to Frankie to find that he was chewing on his nail cuticles. It was his nervous habit, he tended to do it before exams or even before a quidditch game. Something was wrong, but he was sure he hadn't said anything to set him off. A momentary frown settled over the brunette's features because he was scared he'd said or done something wrong to upset his friend here.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just…"

"What?"

"I had another prophecy a few days back, it made no sense."

"Why do you look so nervous? That happens all the time, you're a seer."

"I know, but now that you've said that….it makes sense."

"What was it?"

"Erm," Frank said softly as he reached up to rub at the back of his neck. "The one of three will face a ghost, a secret untold left in the air, a ghost of past will loom, and in the midst will be an…"

He stopped before finishing the prophecy, but the word was clear in his mind. Heir. Eyes went wide as he looked up at Sebastian's face, searching for something that he wasn't sure was even there to begin with. Studying his face as if he were trying to put pieces of a puzzle together between the face of this Malfoy fellow and Sebastian. There may have been obvious similarities, but all he could see when he looked at his best mates face was his best mate. Handsome features all knitted up in confusion before he cleared his throat, that look of confusion having turned to one of expectation rather quickly.

"What else?"

"I can't remember."

"Bullocks."

"Alright, alright. In the midst will be an heir, what once drove two apart, will repeat itself in the heir, till all is told on secrets of the heart, all will suffer under ignorance glare."

It made no sense to Sebastian, even as he repeated it over and over again in his head.

"One of three? I see that he's the ghost, but one of three?"

"Your mum is one of three."

"My mum is an only child."

"You know they're not that literal," Frankie scoffed as he folded up his clothes and stuffed them back into his backpack.

"Then what does it mean?" Sebastian asked with a sigh as he leaned over to pick up his own bag.

"Your mum, Harry, and Ron. Come now, you have to know they're a trio."

"Of course, but…what does she have to do with him?"

"He has an heir, I don't know."

"Yeah, a son. I saw him with his mum in Diagon Alley that day, but what's that got to do with my mum?"

"I don't know, mate. You'll have to ask her what it means, I can just tell you that I'm sure it's about her and that bloke."

The two boys exited the changing room with the air heavy between them, but they were a good enough spirits that Frank rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. Both of them moved across the studio floor toward the exit too involved with one another to notice the photographer still behind them. Frank reached into the front pocket of his backpack and pulled his cap out only to place it on his head, instinctively reaching to touch the hippogriff feather dangling from his ear.

"It's probably nothing, right?" Sebastian asked, a hint of worry to his tone.

"Probably," he said with a shrug. "But perhaps you should talk to your mum about it. See what she has to say."

"You're right."

"I am more so than you give me credit for."

"Who is the Ravenclaw here?"

Frankie rolled his eyes before bumping shoulders with the other boy, but he reached forward to hold the door open for Seb. He was just about to turn and face the other boy when Sebastian leaned in and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to the boy's full mouth. Color rushed into his pale cheeks and it seemed to only deepen when heard the soft shutter of a camera from behind them. The photographer stood there with his camera in hand, a smile on the man's face as he nodded to them.

"That's what I've been waiting for, real emotion."

Both of the boys were red in the face from embarrassment, but Sebastian merely took hold of Frank's elbow to pull him out of the studio finally. They stepped out onto the sidewalk, looking one way than the other before Frank looked to him and sighed gently.

"I'll owl you later."

"You had better."

"Or you'll have a cry, I know."

"Oh, go on," he rolled his eyes only to shove Frankie away. "I'll see you."

Sebastian turned his back to his best mate, his shoulders felt heavier than usual but it was due completely to the thoughts that were weighing heavy on his mind. Firstly, that prophecy and what it could possibly mean that his mother may be hiding something with that git. Secondly, he was thinking about that kiss and the fact that his stomach was still in pleasant knots because of it. What did it mean? Merlin only knew.