Sorry for making you wait so long! I'm going to be adding more to this, to fill out their sixth year. I figured I should publish what I have since I've been taking my sweet time. Bear with me here...I've been steering this story to a conversation that needs to happen and hopefully I did it some justice (special thanks to Rooonie for your input and sheer awesomeness!). Thanks for the R/R and your patience! -ASE


On the Sly

Chapter 5

Shana drew back the curtains of the bed that belonged to the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, Paige McCullers. She wasn't sure what to expect (although, coming from the giggling of the girls in the other beds who egged her on, she had to admit she was curious) but it definitely wasn't the Captain being spooned by the Head Chaser, Pru, both girls breathing evenly as they slept. Shana had heard the rumors that the two girls slept together, but she didn't really believe them. Now she wondered if these two were in fact going out, considering that the first rumor turned out to be true. Everyone on the team knew the two girls were really close.

"Dammit, Pru…" Paige muttered, when the light from the room hit her face. "It's Saturday, go to sleep." Shana smirked when Paige burrowed her head under her pillow. Pru mumbled something incoherent in turn, cuddling further into Paige's back.

"Um…" Shana started to say, looking back at the other girls who were silently laughing, "Paige? Pru? You remember that we have Quidditch practice, right?" she said. Still the girls slept. Thinking that she needed to try a little harder, Shana poked at Paige's arm. A muffled groan came out from under the pillow, but no movement.

"Paige?" Shana tried again, shaking Paige's arm a little more firmly (and trying not think about how toned that arm was). She jumped back when Paige's arm moved but instead of attacking Shana, she placed her hand on Pru's hip and shoved her back. Pru woke up with a start, jolted from sleep by Paige's shove. She looked up at Shana, rubbed her eyes and looked at her again, then looked at Paige.

"Shana?" Pru asked in a hoarse voice. "What time is it?"

"It's 9:30," Shana reported, looking at her watch dutifully. "We still have Quidditch practice, right? Everyone's on the field, but when you guys didn't show up I told the team I'd come look for you."

"Oh shit," Pru exclaimed, grabbing at her hair. "Paige!" she said, shoving her friend forcefully. "Paige! Wake up!" Shana watched amusedly as Pru picked up Paige's pillow and hit her with it. "Wake up, we have practice!"

Paige opened her eyes, frustrated at first then confused when she saw Shana. Looking from her to Pru, Paige sat up quickly. Shana stole a glance at Paige in a loose green tank top, appreciating the amount of skin she was seeing.

"Hey Shana," Paige said, stretching and making Shana blush. Pru smirked. "We'll be there in ten minutes, promise." Shana nodded, looking Paige up and down one more time before running out of the dorm room.

"Tell me again why I scheduled practice for 9 o'clock on a Saturday morning?" Paige groaned as she climbed out of bed. Pru was already shuffling through her own trunk on the other side.

"Because you're the Captain and we need to get ready for the rest of our season," Pru stated. Both girls dressed quickly and grabbed their brooms. "And you're kind of an idiot."

"Yeah, I guess," Paige said absentmindedly as the girls made their way out of the 6th year girls' dorms and into the empty common room. "Good thing Shana came back to get us. We got in so late, I didn't even think to set an alarm." Once the girls left their common room, they sprinted down the dungeon corridor to the entrance of the castle, leaping onto their brooms the moment they made it outside. Paige could see the green-and-silver robes of her team, making her proud that they were disciplined enough that they still practiced despite their Captain not being there. It also made her feel guilty for sleeping in.

"Maybe you should rethink your lady-dates schedule," Pru commented as she flew beside her friend. Paige had snuck into bed earlier that morning waking up Pru momentarily.

"Maybe," Paige said. She enjoyed an impromptu evening with Emily, who had shown up from Christmas holidays earlier than her friends. They had snuck off together, not realizing how late it had gotten but not as bothered by it as they would have been during the school year. Emily walked Paige back to her common room—giving her a good night kiss that left Paige breathless—sometime around four in the morning. "Nice of Shana to come and get us, though," Paige remarked. Pru chuckled. It still amazed her how incredibly dense her best friend could be.


Emily spotted Spencer standing outside of the front of the castle, arms folded and her eyes squinted as she looked off in the distance. Emily looked in the direction that Spencer was intently starting at, seeing figures darting to and fro in the air.

"Spence? When did you get here?" Emily asked, approaching her friend. Spencer looked at Emily, her entire demeanor changing instantly.

"Hey Emily! How were your holidays?" Spencer asked, engulfing Emily in a warm hug. Emily smiled, hugging her friend back. They usually tried to meet up at least once during the break, to exchange Christmas presents and to enjoy a day or two together away from the castle, but each of the girls were busy with their vacations this time.

"Nice, but it's good to be back. Is it weird that I'm ready to get back to my studies?" Emily confided as her and Spencer let go of each other. Spencer chuckled, shaking her head.

"Remember who you're talking to?" Spencer asked pointedly, "I was ready to get back as soon as we left."

"You sure that was all strictly school related, nothing else?" Emily asked slyly. Spencer raised her eyebrows.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Spencer insisted, feigning ignorance as she stuck her nose pointedly in the air. Emily grinned. After Halloween, Spencer had begun seeing the Ravenclaw Head Boy, Toby Cavanaugh. One of the reasons he had agreed to switch Lucas and Emily that Halloween night, according to Lucas, was because he wanted to spend some time with Spencer. Apparently he had been trying to talk to Spencer for a while. The two had hit it off quite nicely, having gone on a few dates together and even studying together when their schedules allowed it. Hanna often teased Spencer about her and Toby's study dates; because they actually studied, unlike "normal" couples, as she put it. In fact, it seemed that all of the girls had found someone—Hanna and the "greasy-haired" Gryffindor boy, Caleb Rivers, finally decided to make it official (About time, Spencer grumbled, considering that I've caught you guys making out in just about every corridor) and even Aria was "seeing" someone. The girls were shocked to hear that she and the Muggle Studies teacher, Professor Fitz, had a "thing"—Hanna's words—although Aria promised them that they never went further than anything that would get either of them in trouble. Not entirely sure what that meant, the girls remained skeptical, although they kept their friend's secret. After all, none of the girls would ever betray the other in any way.

"Have you seen Hanna and Aria?" Spencer asked, looking at her watch. "They were supposed to be here by now."

"I haven't, but we could swing by their common room," Emily offered. "Who is that, by the way?" Emily asked gesturing towards the figures at the Quidditch pitch.

"It's Slytherin," Spencer said. "Looks like they're hard at work. No doubt McCullers is getting a head start on practice this season." Emily nodded. She didn't know Paige had practice this morning. If she had, she probably wouldn't have kept her up all night. She smiled thinking about their particularly lengthy make-out session last night. Probably.

"Let's go inside," Spencer said, not noticing the silly grin on Emily's face. "We can wait for them in the hall and you can tell me all about your Christmas holiday." Spencer offered her arm to Emily, who grasped it, and both girls walked inside the castle.


School started back up as normally as any school for witchcraft and wizardy could. Schedules were doled out and students dutifully attended their classes in much the same way they had before the holidays except of course, with the added pressure of finals. Emily was sitting at the table waiting for her friends when she saw Hanna and Aria appear at the Great Hall doors. She started to wave at them when she saw that Hanna seemed to be leading someone else by the hand…when Emily saw who it was, she immediately put her arm down.

"Hey Emily!" Aria greeted her.

"We brought you a surprise!" Hanna added.

"So…this is the friend you've been telling me about, huh?" Maya stated, looking from Hanna to Aria. Both girls nodded and Hanna turned to smile at Emily, who was looking like she'd rather be anywhere but here. Of course, Hanna didn't pick up on that.

"What did I tell you? She's hot right?" Hanna declared, nodding her head at Emily. Maya smirked. Emily smiled back at her weakly.

"Um, hey, Maya," Emily greeted her, "I haven't seen you in a while." Hanna and Aria's jaws dropped.

"You two know each other?" Aria asked. Both Emily and Maya nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Hanna sputtered at Maya, who shrugged.

"Hey, you didn't tell me what her name was…of course, I should've guessed. You four are always together, right?" Maya thought out loud.

"How do you know each other?" Aria asked again, noticing the way Emily was acting. It was almost like she was forcing herself to be polite.

"Actually, it's kind of funny…"

"Um, guys? Can I talk to Maya alone please?" Emily interrupted quickly, "it'll just be for a minute." Hanna and Aria exchanged skeptical looks, but nodded.

"Sure, we'll just be over there," Hanna stated, gesturing to the other side of the table. Aria followed.

"Hey, look, I really didn't know," Maya apologized as soon as the others were out of earshot. "Aria talked to me about meeting a friend, in class, then Hanna kind of ambushed me in the common room."

"It's ok, you don't have to apologize. My friends have been trying to fix me up with someone since I came out to them. I just didn't think they'd actually go through with it," Emily uttered in disbelief, but in all honesty she knew it was her own fault for underestimating Hanna. Especially when it came relationships, or potential relationships.

"You came out to your friends?" Maya asked, impressed. "That's great, Emily. I know you were scared. I told you they'd love you no matter what." Emily beamed.

"Yeah, I should've known better," Emily agreed. "So how have you been? I haven't seen you in any of my classes for the past year or so."

"Well after O.W.L.S., I decided to focus more on music. I actually share most of my classes with Aria…like Astronomy and Divination. And we're both in the Muggle Art Studies course. I swear, Aria's like Fitz's favorite student or something," Maya remarked offhandedly. Emily just nodded along. "So I know you weren't expecting to see me or anything, but, would you actually like to hang out sometime? I mean, it doesn't have to be a date."

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I'm actually seeing someone," Emily informed her, Maya's eyebrows raising slightly.

"Really? I mean, you can tell me if you don't want to hang, it's cool," Maya said, assuming that Emily was just making up an excuse.

"I mean it. I'm seeing someone and I've been keeping it a secret from my friends," Emily reiterated, slightly irritated that Maya didn't believe her.

"Why? You're already out, so why do you have to keep them a secret?" Maya questioned.

"It's just that…my friends wouldn't understand," Emily said simply.

"Well okay…" Maya ceded, "But you're happy, right? I mean, this girl isn't horrible or something is she?"

"Nope, not at all," Emily affirmed, smiling widely. Maya couldn't help but smile back.

"Good for you, Emily," Maya said, standing up. Emily stood up with her. "I'm glad you're happy. I'll see you around, yeah?" Emily nodded. Maya gave her a hug, then grabbed both of her hands and kissed her on the cheek. Emily had forgotten how physically affectionate the girl could be, but wasn't bothered by it. She remembered how the other girl's hugs used to make her feel, when she was younger, but it was nothing compared to how she felt in Paige's arms. As soon as Maya let her go, there was a clatter at the Great Hall entrance. Both Maya and Emily looked quickly over, seeing a mass of silver and green Quidditch robes. Maya was still holding both of Emily's hands.

In the middle was Paige, who was staring at Emily and Maya intensely. So intensely, in fact, that without knowing why, Maya immediately let go of Emily and took an involuntary step back from her.

"Isn't that Paige McCullers?" Maya asked as she folded her arms across her chest. Maybe she just imagined Paige looking their way. When she looked up again, Paige seemed to be staring at the ground.

"Yeah, I think so," Emily whispered, internally cringing. She watched Paige, who was acting as if she had been put in the full body bind curse.

"Isn't she going out with that Pru girl?" Maya questioned again, watching as Pru hurriedly whispered something in Paige's ear. Whatever Pru was saying it seemed to be calming Paige down. She looked less rigid anyway. Maya glanced at Emily, wondering why her eyes were narrowed.

"I don't know…I'm gonna go sit with my friends ok? It was nice to see you," Emily added, after clearing her throat. Maya nodded and waved good-bye, going to sit with her own friends. She wanted to leave the hall, but the Slytherin team had the entrance blocked and she didn't want to have to get past them.

"Look at them! They don't know what to do!" Emily heard Hanna say as she sat down.

"What happened?" Emily asked, not daring to look back over. The guilt she had felt about Maya's kiss seemed to instantly vanish as soon as she saw Pru whispering in Paige's ear. In fact, she was getting kind of tired seeing Pru all over Paige.

"Well the Slytherin team was entering the Hall then Paige dropped her broom…and the team just kind of went crazy," Hanna recounted, "'Do you want us to pick it up?' 'Captain, are you ok?'" Hanna mimicked, a little cruelly, still watching the team. "Now they're moving. Paige looked pissed! Even her own team looked scared of her." Emily clenched her jaw, knowing what it was that had made Paige so upset…and there was the guilt again.

"Looks like Pru talked her out of it, whatever it was. So, Em, how did it go?" Hanna asked.

"We're not gonna go out," Emily said quickly. "And please, do not try to set me up with anyone again."

"But! But!" Hanna sputtered. Emily shook her head. "Ok, but at least tell me why! We all have boyfriends…well kind of," Hanna faltered, giving Aria a sympathetic look. Aria gave Hanna a "really?" look. "And I just want to see you happy with someone!"

"I don't want to date anyone, ok? I've got a lot on my plate right now," Emily stated. Hanna huffed.

"That's such a Spencer answer and, need I remind you, she's actually going out with someone!" Hanna practically shouted, causing a few heads to turn their way.

"Please, don't hook me up with anyone. Promise?" Emily said firmly, looking at Hanna.

"Don't worry, Em. It won't happen again," Aria promised.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Hanna apologized, giving Emily a hug. "Matchmaker Hanna is officially on a break."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you know Maya?" Aria asked, now that things had settled down.

"She was my first kiss," Emily confessed.


"I think you're making a big deal out of nothing," Pru scolded her best friend as she forcefully led Paige to their common room. It was a difficult feat, considering how much of a struggle Paige was putting up even though Pru had her in a headlock. Pru sighed and pulled her wand from her robes, poking Paige in both of her arms. Immediately, Paige's arms fell limp to her sides.

"What the hell, Pru!" Paige seethed. She twisted her body from side to side, but her arms remained limp. If the situation were different and Paige wasn't so upset, Pru probably would've laughed.

"You're being stupid," Pru announced, "and I'm keeping you from acting out on that stupidity." As soon as classes resumed, Paige had started them on an evening schedule in order to accommodate everyone's needs. The Slytherin team had just gotten back from a great practice, with everyone in good spirits, when Paige happened to see Emily and Maya embracing each other warmly. Without warning, Paige had stopped and the whole team stopped with her. When the two girls let go of each other, and Maya kissed Emily on the cheek, Paige had dropped her Firebolt, prompting the team to fight over who was going to pick it up and if they should pick it up. Pru, who had seen what Paige had seen, immediately started whispering in her ear, trying to talk her down.

"I just wanted to talk to her!" Paige argued, but Pru scoffed at her.

"You were gonna walk up to her, in front of her friends and almost the whole school, and just talk? How ridiculous does that sound?" Paige became silent, knowing that Pru was right. They made it to the common room and up to the dorms, where Pru pushed Paige onto her bed. Paige, who still had no feeling in her arms, fell face first and lay still. Pru grabbed Paige's book and threw it on her legs and then tapped both of Paige's arms with her wand. It took a while until Paige moved, but eventually she sat up and rubbed her arms, trying to increase the blood flow. It felt like her arms had been asleep.

"Now, write it out. Ask for an explanation," Pru instructed, pointing at the book in Paige's lap. Paige looked sullen. "Don't give me that look. You ask her for an explanation. Don't jump to conclusions." Pru went over to her own bed to change out of her practice robes.

"Where are you going?" Paige asked petulantly.

"I am going to get dinner. I was supposed to meet Lucas, before you wigged the hell out," Pru informed her, scolding her like she was a child. Paige huffed. "Aren't you supposed to be writing?" Paige glared at her best friend, who ignored her.

"Why aren't you on my side? You saw what I saw, you know who Maya is," Paige grumbled.

"I am. I did. And I do," Pru answered, "but I know you and you know Emily. You're just not thinking clearly. You tend to not think clearly when it comes to her." Paige sighed. After Pru finished changing, she spared a sympathetic look at her friend who looked quite pitiful.

"I'll bring you something to eat," Pru offered and Paige nodded. "And I'll see what I can get out of Lucas, if it helps. See you later, ok?"

"When did you become so smart?" Paige remarked as she sat against her pillow and opened her book.

"What are you talking about, I've always been the smart one," Pru responded, throwing a quill and an unopened bottle of ink and giving her friend a wink.

Paige stared at the book, thinking over what her friend had said. She needed to talk to Emily, that much was true. She couldn't do it through the book though; they needed to be face-to-face. Opening the book up, she scribbled hastily on the first page.


"Emily, what's wrong?" Spencer asked as she watched her friend open her notebook up for what may have been the twentieth time that morning. They were sitting in Transfiguration, waiting for class to start. Professor McGonagall was busy talking with an agitated Ravenclaw.

"Nothing," Emily answered automatically, still glancing at the notebook even though she had closed it and set it off to the side. Spencer often wondered why that notebook had suddenly become so important to her friend. It was always empty and Spencer tried everything she could to figure out if there was anything hidden in there…she wasn't proud to admit that she was snooping (or as Hanna would say, being a creeper), but she was even less proud to admit that whatever secrets the notebook contained still remained a mystery to her. Having shrugged off her failure as a sign that she really shouldn't be going through Emily's things, Spencer went back to throwing curious/distrustful looks at Emily's enigma of a notebook whenever it was within her sight.

Emily had seemed agitated since the other day when Hanna and Aria had tried unsuccessfully to set her up with Maya. Spencer had walked in just in time to hear the story of Emily's first kiss, how she had developed a small crush on Maya during their classes together their second year and had been invited to a small "get together" which ended in a game of spin-the-wand. The girls listened intently as Emily recalled how she had felt about Maya, about her realization that she was only interested in girls not boys, and it made Spencer realize that Emily had gone through so much without her friends knowing a thing. Yet, it still felt like Emily was keeping things from her best friends.

"Hey Emily, hey Spencer," Lucas greeted them as he took a seat at the table to the left of them, on Emily's side.

"Cutting it kind of close, aren't you?" Spencer said across from Emily, looking at her watch. Lucas shrugged.

"I know. I met up with Pru for breakfast and I forgot about the time," he admitted. Emily looked at him.

"What did you guys talk about?" Emily asked hesitantly. Before Lucas could say anything, Spencer scoffed.

"Yes, what did you talk about with Pru? I'm sure she's just fascinating," Spencer laughed, not even waiting for an answer. Lucas frowned.

"She is, actually," Lucas retorted, but Spencer wasn't paying attention. Emily grimaced and mouthed "sorry" at Lucas, who was looking at her like he was disappointed.

"Talk after class?" Emily asked quietly, leaning over slightly towards Lucas. Lucas nodded. As class started, Emily thought she heard him mutter You're going to have to stand up to them sometime.


"You should have talked to her last night," Pru stressed, "You know, like I told you?" Pru watched as Paige gathered up her things to head outside. They had just gotten back from double potions, which meant lunch then a free period. Paige was going to spend that time at the cove.

"I needed some time," Paige admitted, stuffing her bag with candy. The sea turtle she had patched up a few years ago came back every now and then to see her. She found out he had a thing for licorice wands and so she always took some with her when she went out. "I was frustrated, but I heard what you said and it made sense. Besides, it was just a kiss on the cheek, right?"

"Uh huh. So what exactly did I say that made you see sense?" Pru asked, still watching her friend move about the dorm.

"You know what you said," Paige snapped, straightening up. "Did Lucas say anything to you?"

"Well of course he said something to me. You expect us to sit there and gaze longingly at each other from across the table?" Pru asked sarcastically.

"You're such an ass," Paige muttered. "Em and I don't do that." Pru tutted.

"Right. Our fourth year, when you told me about you two, that's how I knew she liked you. She was always watching you," Pru pointed out.

"Whatever," Paige blushed, but still wondered if it was true. Pru rolled her eyes.

"You're so thick sometimes," Pru continued, "I bet it's one of the reasons why she likes you. It's kind of endearing."

"Are you telling me that she likes me because I'm dumb?" Paige asked, straightening up to scowl at Pru.

"I didn't say you were dumb," Pru clarified. "I said you were a thick-head. There's a lot of things you just don't notice...it's in the little things, Paige. You're more of a big picture kind of person."

"Is that bad?" Paige questioned, going back to stuffing her bag.

"Not necessarily," Pru answered, "You know the outcome you want and so you work to achieve that outcome. It's just something to think about." What was Pru supposed to say? She could tell that Emily was all about the details; she was the kind of person who noticed the little things; it was something Pru often used to her advantage. She knew that Paige was happy with Emily. In fact, she was probably the happiest she had ever been. But were the two girls right for each other?

Lunch was in full swing by the time Paige and Pru arrived. Finding a seat with the Quidditch team, both girls dug into their meals with gusto.

"We still on for practice tomorrow night, captain?" one of the guys asked. Paige nodded.

"We need to discuss some new tactics. Plus, I want to run a couple of new ideas with all of you before our match with Hufflepuff," she added, looking at each of her teammates. They all nodded enthusiastically. Paige had proven to her team that she was an effective leader; she was patient and clever, which produced a lot of interesting trick plays on the pitch. Add to that the bolstered team spirit induced by the arrival of Paige's Firebolt—the team's confidence was riding pretty high. Even the Hastings girl didn't have a Firebolt and everyone knew her family was from old money.

"And I promise I won't keep her from getting to practice on time," Pru winked, causing the whole team to bust out laughing. Paige winked back at her. It was funny to think that Paige had loosened up enough to joke around with Pru like this, especially in front of other people. Paige was never one to dwell on what people thought of her, but it didn't mean she wasn't a private person. Despite her reservations about Paige's actual girlfriend, she knew that Emily played a major part in helping Paige get over some of her insecurities. Speaking of Emily, Pru glanced over at the girls' preferred table to see them chatting and eating. Paige hadn't been sneaking looks like she usually did, but Emily still was.

"What did I miss?" Shana asked, walking over to the table and setting her bag down next to Paige. Paige smiled at her.

"Oh not much," one of the other team mates assured her, "just discussing the Cap and Pru's love life."

"Yes, we've decided to come out publicly," Pru declared, wrapping an arm around Paige's neck and kissing her cheek. This only made the team laugh louder, Shana and Paige included. Her eyes darted towards Emily and she was not disappointed. The other girl's left eye had started to twitch slightly.

"Are you telling me that Paige McCullers is officially off the market?" Shana joked. "Damn, missed my opportunity."

"That you did," Pru joked back. She knew that Shana wasn't completely joking around, however, even if Paige laughed at their banter.

Emily knew that Pru was watching her. She caught her looking at her when she was trying to sneak glances at Paige. It irked her to no end that Pru seemed to be openly challenging her—patronizing her by hanging all over Paige. Was she goading her into taking some kind of action? Whatever it was, Emily was tired of it. She liked to pretend that it didn't bother her, but she could tell that Pru knew it bothered her anyhow. It didn't help that Lucas seemed to be smitten with Pru, which meant that Emily had to be nice to that girl for two really good reasons. After transfiguration class, Emily pulled Lucas aside to talk but he didn't really have anything useful to say. She was supposed to meet Paige this afternoon and hadn't talked to her at all minus the short message she had received from Paige's end of the notebook.


"Hey."

Paige turned around, seeing Emily appear on the far end of the cove. She nodded at Emily and turned back to the water. She had a creature in her hands that looked like a ball but with two limbs that appeared to be tied in a knot. Paige had been trying to untie the poor Plimpy's legs without using her wand, because she didn't think it would be that serious. Plus, it was satisfying to be able to keep her hands busy. Grabbing her wand she pointed at the knotted limbs, watching as they unknotted themselves. The blotchy fish-like creature nibbled on Paige's hands, which Paige took as a sign of appreciation, and she tossed it lightly beyond the barrier that separated the cove from the rest of the lake. She walked towards the shore, where Emily had sat down. Paige pointed her wand at her cloak and it flew towards her, a little more enthusiastically then she had intended. Not bothering to dry off, she wrapped the cloak around her body and sat down next to Emily.

"Hey," Paige said. She looked at Emily, trying to get a feel for how she might be feeling but Emily seemed to be keeping whatever it was to herself. Regardless, the air between the two of them was tense, but more awkward than anything. Paige wasn't sure if she should just dive right in or wait for Emily to respond to her. She opened her mouth to say something else, but fortunately Emily started to talk.

"Paige, I owe you an explanation," Emily confessed, looking at Paige. Paige nodded, gesturing that she should continue. "What you saw yesterday, that wasn't anything. My friends had tried to set me up with someone…"

"Maya," Paige specified. Emily frowned.

"You know her?"

"I know of her," Paige replied. "She's got a reputation."

"What kind of reputation?" Emily asked, slightly annoyed. "And when did you become so judgmental?"

"I'm not judging," Paige assured her, "She's been known to break a few hearts, that's all. I didn't mean anything else by it. Please, continue."

"Like I was saying, my friends tried to set me up with her," Emily started again, "but they didn't know we already knew each other."

"What do you mean you knew each other?" Paige interjected, her eyebrows crashing together.

"Are you going to let me finish?" Emily demanded, annoyed again. "Or are you going to pester me with questions?" Paige sensed there was something else bothering Emily, but she didn't say anything. She put her fingers to her lips, indicating that she would remain silent.

"Anyway, I knew Maya from a few years ago. We were at a social gathering and we ended up kissing. She was the first girl I had a crush on. Nothing happened after that, we didn't date or anything. I was too shy and still in the closet and we parted ways. What you saw was just her being friendly; I told her I was seeing someone and when we were saying our good-byes, she kissed me on the cheek. That was all," Emily ended her story, looking at Paige.

"So…Maya was your first kiss?" Paige asked after a moment. Emily nodded, watching as Paige mulled over this new piece of information. "Did you really tell her you were seeing someone else?"

Emily smiled. Well that was easy… "Yeah, I did. She didn't believe me…but I told her it was true." Paige smiled widely. She heard all she needed to hear. The awkward tension between the two seemed to finally dissipate and Paige pulled Emily over towards her, Emily yelping in surprise.

"You're cold and wet!" Emily shrieked. Paige laughed, pulling the girl into her lap. Pru had been right, it wasn't a big deal.

"You should warm me up then," Paige uttered in a husky voice. Emily bit her lip, considering her words.

"Maybe," Emily jested, pushing on Paige's shoulders to make her lie down. Paige let herself fall back on the sand, as Emily repositioned herself to sit on her stomach.

"Maybe?" Paige repeated, reaching up to pull Emily down for a kiss. Emily gave her a quick kiss and sat back up, making Paige growl in frustration.

"Yes maybe. I told you about my first kiss…now you have to tell me about yours," Emily declared, poking Paige playfully on the sides of her stomach. Paige squirmed.

"I don't think you wanna know," Paige said, trying to grab Emily's hands to stop the poking.

"Why?" Emily asked, her hands moving to tickle Paige's stomach lightly, "Is it someone I know?"

"Kind of," Paige laughed, Emily's tickling causing her to react. "I have to admit, it wasn't my idea. I was definitely the kissee, not the kisser."

"I'm not gonna stop until you tell me!" Emily threatened, continuing to tickle the other girl. Paige chuckled.

"Ok, fair enough! It was Pru," Paige chuckled. Emily inhaled sharply, the playfulness leaving her eyes as she felt Paige's words hit her full force. Her hands fell like dead weight at her sides. Paige instantly regretted saying what she said, if only because of Emily's reaction to it.

"Em…?" Paige asked hesitantly. Emily was looking at her, but she didn't seem to hear Paige at all. Thoughts of Pru and Paige were flitting through Emily's mind as she recalled the many time she'd seen the two girls all over each other. Just let it gojust let it go

"Pru? You've kissed her?" Emily asked in a dangerously low voice. So much for letting it go. Paige propped herself up on her elbows, wondering exactly what was going on.

"Well, yeah, I mean well she kind of kissed me, actually," Paige confessed, again regretting opening her mouth. Emily looked really scary.

"Pru kissed you? When did that happen?" Emily asked again in that low voice of hers. Paige wet her lips, still unsure what to make of the situation.

"Um, I don't know. A couple years ago?" Paige answered uncertainly.

"A couple years ago, we started dating!" Emily exclaimed. "Are you telling me that Pru kissed you when we were dating?"

"Now wait a minute!" Paige stated firmly, "I never kissed anyone else while we were dating!"

"But you continued to sleep with Pru after we started dating!" Emily practically shouted. She hadn't meant to say that, but there it was. Paige had said they were only friends…she should have known there was more to it.

"What? Where is this coming from? You knew Pru would sleep in my bed…it's something we've done for a while now!" Paige protested. None of this was making any sense to her. "Pru and I have been friends longer than you and I have been dating!" she added, trying to defend herself.

"And that makes it ok? Did you always sleep together with the curtains drawn?" Emily retorted and she fell back on to Paige's lap when the Slytherin girl sat up quickly.

"What exactly are you accusing me of?" Paige demanded. Emily was flushed from their conversation and she was staring intensely at Paige. Her mind was going through all of the interactions Pru and Paige had, that she had seen. She felt righteous in her anger, that all of the things she had suspected about Pru and Paige having been together were in fact true. She was tired of feeling jealous every time she saw Pru hugging Paige or being overly affectionate and she was tired of hearing about Paige and Pru sleeping together or that they were going out. Paige was her girlfriend; all of those things she was doing with Pru, she should be doing with her, her actual girlfriend.

"You love her," Emily whispered. She said it so quietly that Paige almost didn't hear.

"Yes, I love her. She's my best friend," Paige proclaimed, still confused. Why was Emily making such a big deal out of this? She had three best friends that she was going to have to contend with and she never pestered Emily about how close they all were. "You…you're jealous?" Paige asked uncertainly, as if the thought had never occurred to her. The little things…Paige thought about what Pru had said earlier. Suddenly she felt guilty for joking around with Pru earlier. Did Emily really notice those kinds of things? Emily, who was already flustered, flushed a deeper shade of red.

"I am not jealous!" she snapped. Paige grabbed the girl's hands, holding them gently.

"You are," Paige said in disbelief, "You're actually jealous."

"You can stop saying that now! I heard you the first time!" Emily exclaimed, looking away from the girl. She felt horrible—her face was hot and she felt embarrassed to be having this conversation. As much as Emily tried to be ok with Paige and Pru's friendship, it still bugged her more than it probably should. Normally she would go to her friends for advice, but that was not an option. Emily wondered if keeping Paige a secret from them was actually a smart move.

"Paige…" Emily uttered her name, the anger and the fight leaving her. She slumped back, not remembering where she was. Paige wrapped her arms around her quickly before she fell. She pushed Emily's hair behind her ears, her eyes darting all over Emily's face as if it would give her some kind of insight as to what her girl was thinking. "You're right. I'm jealous."

Paige hugged Emily close. "I told you, Pru is my best friend. We've been a part of each other's lives since we were babies. You have nothing to worry about."

"But she kissed you…and she's always all over you," Emily said, her voice slightly muffled by Paige's hair. Her arms were wrapped around Paige's neck.

"Yeah, she did kiss me. And it was way before you and I ever talked to each other. She was just being Pru…someone dared her to kiss the next person she saw and that person happened to be me," Paige explained. "And if it bothers you so much…we can tone it down."

"Really?" Emily asked.

"Yes, really. I'll talk to Pru," Paige promised, "but you have to remember that she's my support system. I'm not going to completely cut her off for you." Emily disentangled herself from Paige and looked into her eyes.

"I would never ask that of you," Emily assured her. "You don't think I know how important she is to you?" Emily wondered, not for the first time, how seeing her with her friends affected Paige. She couldn't always tell with Paige… What bothered her the most about Pru and Paige was that she wanted to be able to touch and hold Paige whenever she wanted. Emily figured that could be a conversation for next time. Maybe I should talk with Pru, Emily thought.

"She is important to me, but so are you," Paige professed, placing her hands on Emily's hips. "I don't always know what's going on in that head of yours. If something bothers you, tell me, ok? We can work it out." Emily nodded, grinning when Paige smiled widely at her. "So…was that our first real fight as a couple?"

Emily pushed Paige playfully. "Maybe." Remembering that she was in fact sitting in Paige's lap, Emily wrapped her legs around the other girl's back. Paige gasped, giving Emily the opportunity to slip in a quick kiss. It was supposed to be a quick kiss, but Paige held onto her pushing her abdomen into Emily and causing her to emit a gasp of her own.

"Are we ok?" Paige whispered against Emily's lips. Emily nodded.

"Does this mean we can make out?" Paige asked, making Emily laugh.

"Yes!" Emily breathed, grabbing Paige's face with both of her hands and kissing her deeply.


"You should let me talk to her," Pru said as she and Paige walked to the Great Hall. It had been a week since Paige and Emily's talk and all of the sixth years were making their way over for apparition lessons.

"What? Why?" Paige asked. She looked for a line that didn't have too many students in it, catching Emily's eye in the process. Emily flashed her a bright smile which made Paige grin and duck her head. When Pru, who had been in the middle of answering her best friend's questions, turned to see if Paige was paying attention she caught sight of Emily's smile and knew that Paige's mind was definitely elsewhere.

"There's room over there," Pru pointed out, looking over at Emily and her friends, "why don't we go over there?"

"What, so I can make a fool of myself in front of her friends?" Paige retorted. "No thanks."

"You've apparated before," Pru countered. "We both have."

"Yeah, doesn't mean we're gonna excel at it the first time," Paige remarked. She steered Pru over to the opposite end of the hall with her hands on her shoulders.

"No touching!" Pru practically shouted, her hands up in the air as Paige pushed her. Paige looked back at Emily, who was looking at them amusedly along with the rest of their peers.

"Don't be dumb," Paige chuckled. The talk she and Emily had seemed to clear the air between them considerably. Paige had talked it over with Pru who agreed to keep the handsy stuff to a minimum. Pru surprised her by telling her that she suspected Emily had been jealous of their relationship for a while (the little things, thick-head) and she was less surprised to hear that Pru often used that knowledge to her advantage. She let go of Pru as soon as they joined a line with one other student. As soon as they arrived, Lucas joined them.

"Hey Badger boy!" Pru cried out, punching Lucas in the arm.

"Hey Lucas," Paige greeted him, "You ever apparated before?" He shook his head.

"I was practically raised by muggles," Lucas told her. "Pru said that you two have before, though. Side-along?" Lucas was still a tad bit shy when it came to interacting with Paige. Even though Pru had told him that Paige didn't have a problem with him, Lucas still became anxious. He viewed Paige as Pru's older sister—someone who would not hesitate to curse him if he gave her any reason to (when Pru told Paige that, she shrugged it off but said Lucas better keep that thought in mind).

"Yeah, usually with our Aunt," Paige said. "She would watch us when our parents went to work." She listened as the instructor talked about the "three d's" and watched as they were put into action. Remembering the sensation of apparating (something she'd never forget) she mentally visualized what she needed to do. She caught Emily's eye again, both girls smiling at each other before they returned to practicing.

"Now remember, you have to be dedicated, determined and dependable," Lucas instructed Pru, who was looking at him incredulously.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Pru asked. Lucas laughed.

"I'm sorry…it's just a commercial…" Pru poked Lucas in the stomach playfully, "…ok, ok! I'm sorry, I just thought it was funny!"

"You're so weird," Pru commented as she stuck her tongue out at Lucas. "Go for it Badger boy," she said, indicating that it was Lucas's turn. Lucas stepped up hesitantly, watching the others as they attempted to apparate. No one seemed to be getting the hang of it—just about everyone seemed to be falling down.

"Are you going to let me talk to her?" Pru asked Paige, continuing their conversation from earlier.

"I'm not her keeper or anything. If she wants to talk to you then talk. If not, don't push it," Paige answered. Both girls watched as Lucas made an attempt to apparate but he didn't seem to be moving at all.

"Don't you think we should have a talk though? The girlfriend and the best friend—or, the original girlfriend," Pru added as an afterthought. Paige rolled her eyes.

"If she agrees to talk, fine. As far as I'm concerned I have three women in my life I need to please; one at home and two at school. You and Em are the ones that matter right now," Paige explained. "But I'm not going to demand that you two get along." Pru nodded, turning to watch Lucas. If that's how Paige really felt, then Pru owed it to her best friend to get along with her girlfriend. As long as the girlfriend was willing to do the same. Lucas walked back over, letting Paige take a turn.

"Hey Lucas, I'm gonna need your help with something…"