Closing my eyes I let the feast wash over me and when I fully opened them back up it was around ten at night. I was roaming the halls freely as I pleased. Suddenly hearing a voice behind me I jumped and plastered myself against the wall. "Ah, who is out tonight?" I heard Filch's voice as he came closer to me.

Upon seeing my face his sank into a depression, "Oh, it's only the Healer…" Stalking off in the other direction I laughed at myself. Of course I could walk the halls when I wanted to; I was practically a teacher now. I didn't have to worry about being caught or going to classes, although I had an obligation to learn from Madam Pomfrey. I could do almost whatever my heart desired.

And yet, my heart ached with a sense of sadness. I could not think straight when I knew Oliver was here, in this very area; in this very vicinity as me. Where would he stay? Would our rooms be by each other? Would we have a confrontation the next time we met? Ideas, plans and sorrow filled my head with an unbearable pain. Shuffling my feet faster down the hallway I walked to the hospital wing. When I had walked to the doors I looked inside. There were beds resting up against the wall, ready to be filled by pained students. I remembered Gray, Oliver and Miles being some of those students in my time. Shaking my head I walked to the office which was through a set of doors. Seeing the office I saw Poppy sitting, writing something in a book. She looked up at me, smiling before saying, "Your room is through the door. Go down the hallway and the last door on the right."

I nodded before walking through another door then into a hallway. There were four doors in all. I knew that Madam Pomfrey inhabited one of them and I in another but what held the other two? Walking past them all I saw that my door stood quiet alone and on the right. Opening it slowly I saw my bags were already on my bed. Shutting the door behind me I took in the scene around me.

Breathtaking it was, my room. It was a bright room, the colors gold, yellow and silver. Yet when the lights were off I noticed an extraordinary change. The room grew pitch black when the lights went off. Turning the lights back on the room filled with brightness. Smiling again I saw a chair in a corner by the only window. Going to the window I looked to see the Quidditch pitch. Heartache hit me once again as I turned from the window.

Going to the golden bed I changed and immediately crawled under the warm covers. Shutting my eyes I found that sleep didn't greet me as I wanted it to. Nightmares hit me hard, bringing on things that were supposed to be left alone…

"Teresa!" I screamed her name so loud in reverberated off the walls. The walls of the house were going to fall anyway, pointing my wand I yelled for her once more. Touching a back I jumped when Rachel's eyes hit me.

"Where is she!" Rachel screamed over the thunder and outstanding noise.

Confused, sick and bleeding I looked wildly around, ignoring her comments. If I knew were Teresa was, we wouldn't be here, would we? Feeling a quick pain come over me I fell to the floor, blacking out I remembered nothing else. Opening my eyes to the morning after I felt myself in someone's arms. I tried to open my eyes but they were heavy and they felt weighed down.

Although I didn't have solid proof of Miles carrying me, it felt like him. I felt something soft and I knew it was my own bed. Trying to move I felt it was not possible, my mouth would not move, my body would not respond. For a moment I thought that I was paralyzed. Then there was a sharp crack and when my eyes opened, I felt everything as it should be. I was in my own room, not paralyzed, not hurt at all.

Yet, we had been in a fight, Teresa, Rachel and I. All I could think of was the Deatheaters as they had followed us into an abandoned house. Rachel and I had led them there to kill and ambush them. Yet Teresa, our ambusher was not to be found. An immediate fight had then broken out when we realized Teresa could have been taken.

That was two years ago.

For the next year we had all searched for Teresa.

To this day we had not found her, or a body.

My eyes slowly opened as I looked into the deepness of the room. My eyes were filled with tears as I slowly sat up in my room of the hospital wing. Reality checks were always the worst when living them in dreams. The Ministry had pronounced her dead and yet, somewhere deep inside of me, I knew she was not. She was most likely in hiding and safe. I could not bear to think any differently.

Rachel had gone into a denial over Teresa and yet the rest of us had accepted the fact that she was not coming back. It was not that we thought she was dead or that we didn't care. It was the fact that we had gotten her signal a year after her disappearance. Her panther Patronous had come to all of us, at the same time one night. It said nothing but we all swore it was smiling. That meant to me, at least, that she was alive and fine. We had no evidence of any of this and yet I knew when she wanted to be found she would come to us first. Rachel, as far as I knew was looking for her still, yet I had not talked to her in about a year also.

Gray was safely at her own house, taking care of a new child, Graham. She had married the elder brother of Zacharias Smith, Evan Smith. They had gotten together before the end of our seventh year and gotten married before Teresa disappeared. Evan was a good man; I knew she would be safe with him.

The person I had last spoke to was Sara Worthington. It was six months ago when she came in person on a dark night and said, "If you still love Miles it matters not to the rest of us. If he was in the fight with Teresa and if she is dead, his blood will be spilt. You two have not seen each other," I winced at her words because I knew it was true. I still cared for Miles but I had not seen him after he left me our seventh year. "And," Sara said, "If you associate with Deatheaters it means that you have betrayed us."

I looked down at the floor before saying back, "I have not seen Miles, as you have said yourself. I don't associate with him or any of them. I'm going to go to Hogwarts to train to be a Healer, you know this. Yet, for this one time I will let your accusations slide." My words were oddly cold, as they had became when Teresa disappeared.

Since Teresa absence we had all fallen apart and grown cold towards each other. Rachel was own her alone, alive or dead. Gray was at her home. Sara…I truthfully didn't know what Sara was up to. Then here I was, training to become a Healer at Hogwarts with Oliver Wood who was teaching Quidditch to seventh years. Life could be more difficult, yes, but this was testing much of my patience and will.

Morning hit me when I was already dressed and sitting with Poppy. There was nothing left to do and I had gotten up too late for breakfast so I was annoyed along with bored. Looking at her once more she nodded to the door. Understanding quickly I got up and walked through the doors. This was the first day at school, for the people here, so why would there be injuries?

Causally going through the corridors I looked outside to the Quidditch pitch and all the memories it held. Many games were played there as well as moments of love between Oliver and I. Taking a deep breath that I held I looked out to see Oliver starting the new classes of his. I didn't see his face but the colored robes and the way he flew gave him promptly away.

Watching my feet walk I stepped outside onto the grounds. Making my way to the pitch I could now make out faces. There were more men than woman but they all flew equally together. Hiding in the shadow of a stand I watched them all fly, now able to see the details about them. Oliver was next to his hoops, flying in and out, speaking with an odd loudness.

"Now, there is certain grace, a certain posture that you must carry. It's not only about physicality; it is mostly in your head! What you are thinking about will demonstrate itself in the game. You just got bad grades or you are worried about a lover, it will reflect in the game. You need to keep your focus…all right? Lets go!" Before Oliver said the last words he turned abruptly to face me. Gasping with my eyes wide I shrunk back as he stared, his eyes narrowing.

Everyone was in motion but the two of us. "Do you need something?" He asked roughly, hardly acknowledging me.

I shuddered as everyone looked to see who he was talking so intently to. I took a slow deep breath before saying curtly, "Nothing…"

Oliver looked away from me then swarmed up and down the pitch, his posture tighter than normal. He was frowning instead of his usual concentration. I knew that he was no longer taking his advice, I had destroyed his concentration.

Screaming loudly I yelled to Oliver with more passion that I should have. A seventh year boy, a larger boy looked the other way and flew towards Oliver. Oliver who had been glancing in the other direction and had not seen him coming. With that, they both hit and I screamed.

In a total panic and distress I rushed towards Oliver who was falling. Reaching for my wand I screamed, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Oliver floated in the air before I dropped him slowly to the ground below. Touching with his feet to the ground he looked at me, blood running down the side of his face. Rushing to Oliver's side I forgot the big boy in the air who was ultimately fine but a little dazed. Oliver looked at me hard before we were feet away, face to face. Seeing those brown eyes I froze to the spot before reaching out to touch his head. Growling while backing up Oliver pulled away from me. My hand hit the air as I whispered, "Let me see."

Yet he refused to move any closer to me. "Oliver!" I yelled at him, knowing everyone in his class was now watching.

"What do you expect Mara?" He said so quietly and darkly I was sure I had not really heard those words.

My mouth had dropped open and I could only fix my eyes on him. I said it icily, "Fine…whatever you want."

He nodded bluntly before grabbing his broom, leaving me on the ground while he flew in the air. I could hear him yelling orders to keep flying but I had been fuming. Turning with my rage I stalked back to the castle, ignoring everything around me. Why had I even gone down there anyway? Thoughts went through my mind but in the end I decided it was because I had nothing better to do.

When I had reached the hospital wing, not finding Poppy I frowned before entering my own room. Black covered my vision as the door slammed behind me. My wand was already lit as I looked around the room. Lying on the bed, calmly, Miles twisted his wand between his fingers, as if he was a muggle drummer. Resting it in his hand it pointed directly at me, a new sort of smile coming over his face.

"Oh, I didn't think 'soon' was a few weeks later…" I said it roughly, as I reached behind me for the door.

"Good luck getting it open, Mara." His dark voice swept over me.

Leaving the door I walked to him, right in his face before saying murderously, "What do you think you're going to do Miles? Did you think you were going to lock me inside my own room, and then what?"

Snickering Miles slowly, carefully, got up from my bed before whispering, "Whatever you want."

Laughing coldly I murmured, "You know what I want?"

He said nothing but his eyebrows went up as his eyes shinned. Taking a step forwards I touched my hand to his soft cheek before saying, "I want," he closed his eyes momentarily before I slapped him across the face, "I want you to leave me alone!"

Darkly, so venomously, his head turned slowly towards me. His black hair draped over his eyes and face before he opened his lips to whisper, "Then tell me you don't want me."

I could see sections of his eyes before he moved his hair out of his face with his left hand. Saying nothing I stared at him, only able to do that. Cutting off the space between us he closed his lips onto mine. Kissing me hard, putting both hands on either side of my cheek Miles stopped for a moment to wait for me. I stood motionless, not sure what to do.

Seconds later I kissed him softly and murmured, "I'm going to live my own life…and maybe it doesn't include you."

Pulling away I knew he got what he came here to get. He knew the answer of everything that I had made him question. The questions were no more, we both knew.

I still wanted him.

The truth always hurts more than lies, and as much as I wish I could lie to him, it never came out that way. I hated him, I was so fed up with Miles and yet something longed for him. Nudging his cheek on mine Miles kissed my lips once more before saying, "I'll visit…"

Immediately darkness came into my clear vision…