I never knew what to call Harry Potter. In my head, that was what I thought of him as. Harry Potter. It had been so few years since he had been one of the students at school with me. And we spent so much time together that I really felt he was on the same level as me when we weren't in class.

But I called him Professor to his face, if I had to address him. But if I could get away with it, I didn't call him anything.

I was curious to see how his date went. I'd seen him leaving the castle the previous weekend and he had looked nervous. Super pale and shaky, but I had wished him good luck.

And I felt that since I'd helped him decide what to wear, I was entitled to one question.

"How'd your hot date go?" I asked him, setting my bag down Tuesday night.

He let out one bitter laugh. "Fine, fine." he said. "The outfit was right, though. Thank you."

I nodded. He hadn't given me enough information. "Is there a second date in the works?" I asked.

He blushed. "Er, yeah." he said. "I'm not completely sure about it all yet. She... drank a lot."

"And that's a... bad thing?"

He shrugged. "It's just something I'm trying to get myself away from." he admitted. "I don't always know when to stop."

That probably explained the many potions that he had at his bedside. Hangover potions and potions that made him not want to drink. Even though I wasn't taking a Potions class this year, I'd been reading about properties of potions and trying to close a bit of the hole in my education.

I nodded. "Maybe she's not the one, then?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I promised Ron and 'Mione I'd give it a second chance and we're going to see the Weird Sisters in concert the Saturday after next."

I loved the Weird Sisters. They were, in my opinion, the best thing about magical pop culture. "I'm very, very jealous." I admitted.

He smiled. "A fan?"

"Huge one." I said.

"Hey would you like to make some money?" he asked.

I cocked my head to the side. "How?" I asked.

"Well, last month I told Andi- that's Teddy's grandmother, that I would watch him but now Ihave to go to the concert. She's going to France to visit a friend, so I would hate to have her cancel that. Would you want to watch him while I'm at the concert? I'm meeting her about noon time and the concert should be over by six. I'll pay you top galleon- but I understand if you don't want to throw away half your weekend."

I thought about it. In two weekends was a Hogsmeade weekend, and it would be a good idea to start my Christmas shopping. And it would be even better to have some money to go shopping with.

And I kind of wanted to meet Teddy. He always spoke very fondly of Teddy, and I wanted to see if he lived up to it. "Sure." I said.

"Yeah?" he asked, double checking.

"I want to meet the little bugger."

He chuckled. "He's a handful, but at least he'll be asleep for probably an hour and a half in there, so you should bring something to do." he said. "I think you'll like him."

We got to work, and he turned my hair blue.

I was super excited for the approaching Quidditch game. I couldn't wait to see my dad.

I found myself slightly nervous the morning of. It was cold out, and we had scarves that matched our house colors. It was exciting. We got to go up to the pitch just before it started, and got into position. The seventh years got to stand up front, closest to the sound ampliphier.

I looked through the crowd, searching for my dad. I knew what box he would be sitting in, as there was always one reserved for students' parents, but I couldn't find him among the crowd.

The crowd quieted and it was time for us to sing.

There were no sounds other than ours, the singing took over the valley. I could hear a birdsong somewhere out in the forest, but we were it.

We sounded wonderful, and people started clapping as we finished. I was left with the rush that singing for an audience always left me with. I met up with Peter just outside the arena, and we walked up to meet our fathers together.

Dad looked so happy. I was so glad to see him and immediately gave him a huge hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you, Dad." I said.

"Oh, Rosalin, you look lovely." he said. I did look lovely, if I was going to admit it. The dress robes made me look older and sophisticated and gave me a good shape.

"Thanks." I grinned. I sat down next to him and we watched the game. Hufflepuff was playing Gryffindor. Hufflepuff didn't really stand a chance against Gryffindor, and we all knew It was just waiting for the Gryffindor seeker to catch the snitch.

"Miles sent off his portfolio to three schools this week." Dad told me. "To a school in Edinburgh and two schools in London."

"That's exciting." I said. Miles work was very good- he would definitely get into any school he applied to. "Does he know where he wants to go?"

"Well, one of the schools in London is just a safety school, they admit nearly anyone." he explained. "And I took him up to Edinburgh last week. He didn't really want to apply to that one, but he liked it when he saw it. I don't know. We may make a second trip next week."

"How's Mum?" I asked.

"She's doing well." he said. "Keeping busy with stuff for Miles' school. I think she'll miss having school obligations next year, you know?"

I nodded. "Yeah." My mother was the type of mother that was always working on some school committee, some event, or planning someone's birthday party.

"And it looks like we may have an empty house next year." he said. "Fiona said she will probably move out over the summer to be closer to the school she will probably be working at. Miles will move to school. And you..."

"Will, hopefully, be getting my own flat." I said. "In Diagon Alley."

"That would be exciting." he said. I knew that I was living out his dream, and I had to do it justice. I wanted to get a flat, have a job. Go out with my friends on the weekends and just enjoy being young.

"Hopefully." I said. The Gryffindor seeker nearly caught the Snitch, before it raced away. The crowd boo'd the Snitch. It was quite cold.

"I believe your mum is planning your birthday party." he said. "So if you'd put together a list in the next few weeks, I think she would be thankful."

My mum threw me a birthday party every year. My birthday was on December 28, and it was usually some sort of New Year's party. I always enjoyed the party. I would get a cake from the bakery in town, decorated however I wanted. The basement would be decorated and some friends would sleep over. I looked forward to it. I knew Mum did too. She didn't get a lot of time to meet my friends, but I knew she enjoyed making everything look nice for them.

"I'll start thinking about that." I told him. "I'll try and have that to her right after my application is in."

"Ahh, yes." he said. "That is most definitely more important. Did Harry Potter give you back your applications?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he got them back to me yesterday." I said. "I'm going to mail them on Monday."

"That's exciting."

"Yes, it is." I said.

"Did he write you a good recommendation?" he asked. I was glad there were not a lot of parents up in the stands today and we could speak freely. Peter and his father sat two rows ahead of us. In the first few rows, a handful of first and second years and their parents sat. It was obvious my father had not come for the game, but wanted to see me.

"He did." I said. The recommendation had been full praise for me. It sounded really genuine. I was happy that he thought so highly of me. It said that although I hated to acknowledge my failings, I did and quickly moved on towards fixing them. I was hard working and commited. I wanted to do my very best.

"It appears he has taken a liking to you." he commented.

"A bit." I said. "He is a lonely person. And he's been tutoring me, so I'm one of the few people who he isn't talking to in a group of twenty."

He nodded. "He is a strong man." he commented.

Yeah, he was strong. But he was so much more. Terribly flawed was one that came to mind. He was working on a drinking problem and obviously struggled with some form of depression. But he was right. He'd conquered so much, dealt with losing someone he loved dearly, and was now teaching.

Finally, Gryffindor caught the Snitch. The Gryffindor crowd, always rowdy, cheered in victory. I knew there would be a huge party in their Common Room tonight.

"Well, that was exciting." my dad commented, though we both knew we weren't paying attention to the game.

"It was." I agreed, as we made our way down the stands. I knew we would have to say goodbye soon, and I was saddened. I wanted him to stay, so badly.

"Your mother wanted me to send this bag." he said, giving me the bag that had been under the seat. "She knit you a scar and made some cookies."

"She seems very concerned about me not eating enough." I commented. This was my fourth batch of baked goods since I'd gotten to school.

"She just wants to make sure that you're staying healthy. We all know that when you get stressed out and busy, eating isn't a priority." he said. "She figures if you have food on you, you have no excuse that the kitchens are too far away."

I nodded. My mum always worried about silly stuff like that. "Tell her thanks."

"Of course." he said. "I think there are some other things in there as well, I just didn't look."

"Thank you Dad."

We fought our way through the crowd to get to a spot where we could say goodbye. Our stand had merged with another stand's traffic. I spotted Harry Potter about ten feet away. He had a Gryffindor scarf wrapped around him. His face was pink from the cold and his glasses were a bit fogged up. He nodded at me.

"Is that Harry Potter?" my Dad asked quietly.

I nodded. "Yes."

He looked over at him reverently. "Wow." was all he managed. I could see some of the fear that I had the first day of class evident on my father's face.

We got out of the crowd and Harry Potter had somehow managed to get next to us. "This is my dad." I said to him, motioning to my father. Dad looked a little scared and little in awe.

Harry pushed us even further out of the flow of traffic, and held out his hand to shake my father's. "Hello." he said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Dad said.

"Same." he said. "Rosalin is one of my favorite students."

I blushed. While it was obvious, it wasn't something that I had actually formed together as a thought before. "He says that to all his students, I'm sure." I told my dad as a disclaimer.

"No." he said, right to my dad. "Really. She's so hard working. I think she'll go very far in life. You have a great daughter."

"Thank you so much." Dad said.

Someone called Harry, and he turned around. "It's been great meeting you." he said, and went back into the crowd.

We headed towards where I could see Peter and his father standing up the hill. "He's such a friendly person." Dad said, a little dazed.

I just nodded. "Yeah."

"And it's clear that he thinks you're a great student." he repeated. "Very good, Rosalin." As if what Harry Potter had just said about me validated that.

"Thanks, Dad." I said. "You're not too bad yourself."

He smiled. "I'm glad I came today."

"Me too."

We finally reached where Peter and his father were. "Well, what do you think?" Peter's father asked my own. "Ready to go?"

Dad nodded and hugged me. "I'll see you at Christmas, Rosalin." he said.

"See you, Dad."

It was hard to walk away from them, but Peter put his arm around my shoulder. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages." he said.

"We've been so busy." I said.

"Is your application all set?"

"Yes it is." I told him. "Thank god. It was a beast. But Professor Potter gave it to me yesterday and all that's left is too mail it."

"You're spending a lot of time with him." he commented.

"Ah, a bit." I shrugged. "He's been, uhm, tutoring me."

"In what, Rosalin? Your grades are nearly perfect."

"Nearly, being the key word." I pointed out. "There's always room for improvement. And the Goblins will take these grades very seriously when they decide who they want."

"I feel like it's weird, though." he said. "It doesn't look like he has any adult friends..."

"Well, really, he isn't an adult."I told him. "He's only nineteen."

"He's a teacher, Rosa." he said.

"I know." I said. "He's a really good teacher. I've learned a lot. I bet I could take you on in a serious duel now."

"He must be really good, then, to get you that talented."

I shoved him playfully.. "Pompous arse." I said.

"Teacher's pet." he shoved me back. I'd been so busy lately I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed spending time with Peter.

"Want to go get something to eat?" he asked. "All that talk with my father about finances and my future made me hungry."

Peter's father was a banker at Gringott's. They were probably planning how they would get him a flat in the spring. I yawned. "Sure." I wasn't really hungry, but I wanted to keep talking.

I spent the afternoon with Peter, just enjoying the weekend and my friend's company.

~.~

The next morning, I sat in my dorm doing some homework. I was gearing up for a long week.

Effie was on her bed, painting her nails, when this week's copy of Witch Weekly showed up. She went through it, talking to Sage about the articles.

"Oh, this is a good one." Effie said. "Talking about Professor Potter..."

"Yeah?" Sage asked. "What's it say?"

"Just that he went out on a date with Dahlia Trinket, the girl who writes that column for the Daily Prophet." she rattled off. "Mr. Harry Potter, nineteen, the Man-Who-Survived, was seen in Hogsmeade with Dahlia Trinket, twenty three, last weekend. The grabbed lunch in the Happy Horse Pub and were later seen holding hands as they walked through the small, Scottish village. This is the first time Mr. Potter has been out with a woman since before his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, died a year and a half ago..."

"Well, that's interesting." Sage commented. "Does it say anything else?"

"Not really... hold on." Effie scanned the article. "Although the couple was seen holding hands, there were no other signs of affection between them. Mr. Potter acted like a perfect gentleman. They are a very cute couple. Oh, they are too. Here, look at this picture."

I looked up to see the picture. They did look nice together. She was a beautiful woman.

I felt a burning in my chest- was this jealousy? Why was I jealous? That was an absurd emotion in this situation. If anything, I should be happy that someone would make him happy. Actually, truly, it was none of my business at all.

So why did I feel like I wanted him to be holding my hand as we walked through Hogsmeade?

I was frustrated with myself. These thoughts were absolutely crazy, I needed to stop thinking like this immediately. He was my teacher, and I was my student.

True, we were much closer than most of my peers were with any of their teachers. But we were also much closer in age. And he was so terribly lonely, and I was the first person who had talked to him like an actual person. So that was probably why.

But he was so lovely. He was a great teacher. He had terrible emotional problems, and a drinking problem. But he had so much good in him. It was something that I saw more and more as he helped me. He was selfless. And he had a wicked, sharp sense of humor. And he liked to amuse me with all his useless, humorous charms.

"He has seemed a lot happier recently." Nina added from next to me. It was the first time she had joined in the conversation.

"Yeah, that's right." Sage said. "The first few weeks of classes I thought we might come in the next day to find ourselves without a teacher anymore. But he doesn't seem to mind it anymore."

"What do you think, oh, teacher's pet?" Effie asked me. I didn't really like Effie, but I really didn't like that people thought I was the teacher's pet.

"Huh?" I asked, pretending I'd been too absorbed into my homework to listen. "What?"

"What do you think of Professor Potter's new girlfriend?" Effie asked.

"Oh, uhm, I don't really care." I said. I had a feeling that Effie did not completely buy my distraction. "I mean, we're just his students. He's allowed to have a life outside of our class."

"He hasn't mentioned her to you at all?"

I hadn't even told Nina about helping him pick out clothing. "He's our teacher, guys." I said. "What do you think?"

They left me alone to do my Charms stuff, thank god. But I was frustrated for the rest of the day. Not so much with them, but with my own feelings that their reading of the artcle brought out. Why was I jealous of Dahlia? I should be happy for her.

I couldn't have feelings for him. He was my teacher. That was so completely wrong. On everyone who was involved's account.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a pretty long chapter, so just warning, the next chapter will be a little short. But I wanted to reward you with a little more action. It's not all platonic for Rosa anymore. Thank you for all the support you guys have given me on this story so far. I wish it was better, I'm just not sure I can ever live up to You and I's caliber. And I know it's a strange story, so just bear with me. So, thanks everyone. You're awesome.