I felt a bit self conscious as I let Althea into my apartment. "You don't have to stay," I sighed, but she shook her head.

"Not getting rid of me that easy, Lena."

"You don't want to be alone either." She didn't answer that, and I didn't push, grateful for the sense of security that having a fully trained Auror around gave. She settled me on the couch before poking around my tiny apartment, checking my wards. Apparently satisfied, we embarked on the journey of making tea when there was a loud crack and India landed on my bed.

Althea was up, wand in hand as India raised her head.

"Who are you?" She growled at the same time India raised her hands.

"Whoa, Lena, what's going on?"

"Whoa, no. Althea, it's my best friend. Althea, India. India, Althea. No wands, please." Althea stuffed her wand back into her jeans, still looking on edge, and India similarly was eying her with discomfort.

"Lena, why's there a guard dog in your apartment?" Althea glared and I sighed.

"Right now, I'm declaring a truce. There will be no fighting between you." India would calm easily, but I knew only one person who would make Althea relax. "Althea, do you have a way to contact George?"

"Yes." She looked grateful for the out, stalking over to the kitchen for some sort of privacy.

"Okay, Lena, what is going on here?" India was next to me in an instant. I sighed.

"Long day at work?" I tried with a grimace. India folded her arms. "Um, explosion at St. Mungos." India frowned, digesting that.

"You had better start from the beginning," she warned, "just as soon as you sit down. You look as though you're about to fall over." She swatted my hand away from the tea. "Go!" Sinking gratefully into the couch, I told my best friend something that sounded much like what I would tell the press. Both Althea and India sensed this but remained silent, sipping their tea. India's eyes widened as I told her about the explosion.

"Jesus Christ, Magdalena," she sighed when I was done. "I leave you alone for a day . . ."

"Technically, I wasn't alone," I pointed out, and Althea shot me a glare.

"Thanks." She and India shifted uncomfortably before Althea remembered something. "You did disappear for awhile. After our meeting with Healer Willoughby when I was talking to George."

"Wasn't alone," I mumbled, and India narrowed her eyes, opening her mouth to speak before I cut her off. "I was with Albus Potter."

"Albus Potter." India echoed.

"Yes, Healer Potter."

"So that's why he was so eager to help when you got concussed." Althea sounded like she was piecing together a puzzle, one I wasn't entirely comfortable with the implications of.

"He was being kind."

"Hmm," Althea hummed, and I glared at her, but her expression was perfectly neutral.

"Did he remember you from school?" India wanted to know.

"Vaguely. Why would he? He was a year older and in a different house. Just cause we knew Scorpius and Rose . . ."

"Point taken," India sighed, and we lapsed again into an uncomfortable silence in which I stared at the blank television and India and Althea, still not sure of each other, avoided eye contact.

"Lena!" India suddenly said, making us all jump a little, though Althea was most successful at pretending she hadn't. "There's blood on your clothes!" I looked down.

"Hmmm. There is." I just couldn't summon the energy to fix it, trying to remember if it was my own or Alistair and Witte's.

"Come here," India sighed, pulling me gently off the couch and letting me lean on her as we hobbled to the bed. She pulled clean jeans and a sweatshirt from my drawers and shoved me into the bathroom. "Rinse off and put these on. You'll feel loads better."

Once I was dressed to relative satisfaction, and feeling a tiny bit better, I reentered the other room to discover not much had changed. India was explaining television to an enthralled Althea, and their apparent truce was more than a small relief. Then there was a bang in the hallway, and Althea sprang up, wand ready and tension racing back into every line of her body. A second later, one of my neighbors began cursing out his roommate for dropping a book, and Althea sunk back down.

"There's something you're not telling me," India decided. "I have no doubt that your guard dog is always uptight, but this is excessive." Althea flashed her a predatory grin, and India rolled her eyes, pulling me closer so that she could comb my wet hair.

"Later," I sighed.

India had worked my hair into a braid and was trying to get Althea to let her do the same when there was a knock on the door and she was moving toward it, wand raised.

"Who is it," I called, not bothering to move.

"George," a tired voice answered. "Thea, let me in."

"Thea," India snickered, ignoring Althea's glare.

"Only George is allowed to call her that," I whispered conspiratorially, ignoring the way Althea's glare turned on me before she let George in. He sauntered into my apartment, conferring quietly with Althea. She nodded, appearing satisfied with whatever he had just said.

"We visited the cousin's house," he turned to me, looking grim. "Potter wants to know if you'll come in . . . hello." He had finally noticed India. "How much does she know?"

"Enough to know that the cousin who wasn't the cousin blew up St. Mungo's. But I can plug my ears and hum if it makes you feel better."

"Okay." George spared an odd look at her before looking back to me. "So?"

"Well, it's not like I was getting any sleep tonight anyway," I sighed, shoving myself off the couch. India steadied me.

"Be careful," she instructed. "No more getting hurt!"

"Yes, mother," I grumbled, but hugged her anyway. When I looked up, it was to find Althea and George engrossed in their own little conversation by the door.

"Um, let me fix your hair." India stood to mess with my already braided hair to give them a little privacy. "So, how long have they been together?" She whispered as soon as she was level with my ear. I snuck a furtive look; George's hand was on Althea's shoulder.

"Not even together."

"No!" India was scandalized. "I've known them for all of five minutes and even I can see the chemistry! What are they waiting for, a bleeding invitation!"

"Perhaps," I snickered. "Would you like to be the one to hand it to them?"

"Would I ever," she snorted as George pulled Althea into a hug. India grumbled. When he released Althea, George turned to us.

"Ready?" He asked finally.

"Bye, India." She apparated away, still grumbling, and George glanced at Althea, shocked.

"Did you not check the wards? Thea!"

"Calm," I told them, halting whatever would have come out of Althea's mouth. "She's the only one I made a hold for. Althea, they appear intact to everyone but me."

"Nice, Ravenclaw."

"I'd like to think so."


Hi! Thanks to Flotsam and Jetsam, breakaway27, and MemberOf LeAmis de l'ABC 1832, you are getting this chapter. Thank you for the reviews, you three! Hope you enjoyed.