Full Summary: Their story was incredibly cliche. The studious, sarcastic Abigail King is teamed up with the arrogant, trouble-making James Sirius Potter, who has always been her enemy, to be Head Boy and Girl of Hogwarts. But neither is happy. James is constantly fighting the image of his heroic parents, while Abigail struggles with the painful reality of her family's situation and past. The more time James and Abigail spend together, the harder they have to try to hate each other. They can't quite understand why they seem to know the other more than anyone, helping each other through the rough times they face. But in the end, it's really quite simple. Hate can turn into love easily, and James and Abigail are about to understand this twisted logic.

Disclaimer: The characters of Harry Potter are owned by J.K. Rowling. The content and ideas of this story are owned by peace. love. randomness - peacelovebooksx107 and randomrayyxx3 respectively. The song "All This Time" belongs to One Republic.

Chapter Twenty-Six: All This Time

"We've got all these words, can't waste them on another. So I'm straight in a straight line, running back to you."

Abigail Evelyn King

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking around me. All the other people in the Three Broomsticks were joking around and laughing, thrilled that exams were finally over and that the school year was almost done. The past week had been so crazy – a different exam every day, studying again every night. The whole week was a bit of a blur, actually. But even though I was done with exams, I was still nervous.

Madame Rosmerta, the old barmaid of the pub, caught my eye behind the counter and asked me if I wanted another butterbeer. I told her that I was fine. The truth was, I had barely touched the first one she'd given me. My stomach was churning in anticipation. My palms were sweaty, my stomach filled with butterflies. It wasn't like I had never seen him before, so I wasn't sure why I was so nervous.

"Abs, is that you?" I heard a voice say.

I thought I was going to keep it together, I really did. But when I heard his voice, I felt the tears prick behind my eyes and I crumbled. I rushed to the door where he was standing and hugged the life out of him.

"Uncle Matt," I whispered, pressing my face into his old maroon jumper. I felt some tears slip out of my eyes and dampen his shirt. "I missed you so much."

He let out a laugh and hugged me back, lifting me off the ground for a few seconds. "Oh, my girl. That was so much easier when you were younger," he commented with a smirk. He pulled back and looked me in the eyes. "Have you gotten fatter since I've last seen you?"

"Hey!" I exclaimed, punching his chest. "Stop ruining the moment."

He laughed again, and I realized how much I had missed that sound. "Thank you for writing me, kiddo. I missed you like crazy."

I looked down at my feet, ashamed that I had gone so long without talking to him. "I'm sorry I was such a prat when I last saw you," I said softly. I stood up straighter, remembering something. "Merlin, and I'm sorry I missed your birthday!"

He smiled. "All is forgiven, kiddo. I'm just glad to see you again." He put his arm around my shoulders. "Come on, let's sit down."

As soon as we sat down, Madame Rosmerta rushed over to our table. "Matthew Bones, is that you?" she exclaimed. "Oh, it is, you devilish boy!"

Uncle Matt blushed. "Hello, Rosmerta," he greeted. "You're looking as young as ever."

She brushed off his compliment, waving her hand. "Stop it," she said modestly. "Now, look at how you've grown. I remember the days when you would come in here with your big sister on Hogsmeade trips." The old woman put a hand to her heart. "I miss seeing dear Susan's face around here, Merlin rest her soul. She and Hannah helped me so much after the War."

My eyes wide, I glanced at my uncle. He was already looking at me, a bittersweet expression on his face. "Rosmerta, I'd like you to meet Abigail," he said with a smile. "Susie's daughter."

She let out a slow gasp, looking at me. "Oh, child," she said softly. Normally, on the rare occasion that people spoke of my mother, they did so with false feeling. But when Madame Rosmerta spoke, I could tell she had known my mother. "I've seen you in here countless times and I never knew. I always thought you looked familiar, though." She raised her hand and rested it on my cheek. "You do look like her. Very much, indeed."

I could feel my face starting to warm. I wasn't sure how to respond, so I simply said, "Thank you."

She dropped her hand and started fanning her face. "Oh, I'm forgetting my place. I have a bar to run!" she said, standing up. She pointed a finger at my uncle. "Curse you for distracting me, Matthew. I'll go get you something to drink." And she scurried away.

I looked to my uncle. "I feel like I'm missing something," I said.

He smiled. "Madame Rosmerta knew your mum very well," he told me. I'd suspected as much, but he continued. "You know that me and your mum's parents – your grandparents – died during the War." I nodded, remembering the stories he told me. His whole family had been sought out by Death Eaters because of a connection with the Ministry. "Well, most of our extended family had either died or fled, so your mum didn't have anywhere to live. Madame Rosmerta gave her a job here and the flat upstairs to live in."

I couldn't believe it. My mother had lived above the Three Broomsticks. "No way," I breathed.

Madame Rosmerta set a firewhiskey on the table for my uncle. Before going back to the bar again, she placed a hand on my back with a smile. I smiled back.

Uncle Matt continued. "Susan worked here with Hannah Longbottom for a couple years until your dad got out of school," he explained. "They worked together until Hannah started running the Leaky Cauldron."

"Merlin," I said. Then, I remembered something he'd said. "Wait, my dad was younger than my mum?"

He nodded, taking a drink of his firewhiskey. "Two years younger. Your mum was working here when Danny was Head Boy. Once he finished school, they moved in together. Got married."

I sat back in chair and let out a deep breath. I don't think I'd ever heard so much information about my parents at once. "Wow," I said, unable to form other coherent words. "I-I never knew that."

He was silent for a few minutes, sipping his drink every once in a while. I even allowed myself to have some of my butterbeer, now that I wasn't as wound up. I watched my uncle. He seemed to be thinking about something very hard. After opening and closing his mouth a few times, he said, "Abby, I was wrong."

Caught off guard, I spilled some of my butterbeer. "About what?" I asked.

"About keeping so much of your mum and dad from you," he said softly. "All these years, I've let my grief and anger cloud my judgment. It's hard for me to talk about your mum because I miss her so bloody much. I should have told you more about them, let you form your own opinions. Especially about your dad. I should have told you that he was Head Boy."

I mopped up the little puddle of butterbeer slowly, taking this in. I shook my head at him. "I'm not angry anymore, Uncle Matt," I said. "I was that day, but I understand now. I know you were trying to protect me." To my chagrin, I could feel my eyes welling up. "You're my family. And I will always love you, got that?"

"Got it." He smiled at me and I noticed that his eyes were wet. Never in my entire life had I seen my uncle cry. Then he did that I'm-not-crying-I'm-a-man thing and ran a hand across his face and cleared his throat. "Anyway," he said, his cheeks pink, "I've brought you something. It's probably long overdue, but…Well, here you go."

He slipped his hand into his coat pocket and produced a piece of paper. When he handed it to me, I discovered it wasn't just a piece of paper – it was a photograph.

My hands shook. "Is this…?"

He nodded. "That's your mum and dad. The day they got engaged."

The two of them were standing in front of a restaurant of some sort. A bright green sign behind their heads read "Jack and Jill's Pub." It looked like a bit of a dump, but that didn't seem to bring their moods down.

I'd seen a few pictures of my mum before, but she looked so beautiful in this one. Her pale skin seemed to glow, her red hair – more orange than mine –plaited down the side of her neck, just like I liked to wear mine. She was wearing a royal blue dress with a gorgeous green pendant at her neck. She showed off her left hand to the camera, a diamond ring settled there. One of her brown eyes winked at the camera, mock posing, when all of a sudden, her smile turned to shocked laughter, and she threw her head back, laughing.

And then there was my dad. I had never seen a picture of him before but for some reason, I could automatically tell it was him. He looked just like how I'd pictured him. He was really tall, probably about six foot two, towering over my mother's petite frame. He had short black hair, green eyes, and freckles all over his face. He was watching my mum, laughing along with her. In fact, he only looked at the camera for a second before setting his eyes on my mum again. His arms were wrapped around her.

In the top left corner of the photo, someone had written, "Susan Bones and Danny King. Finally engaged!" in black marker.

I took a deep breath, not knowing what to say. My uncle placed his hand on mine. "You okay?" he asked.

I waited a few moments for my voice to come back and nodded. "Yeah. This is…wow," I breathed. I looked to my uncle and hugged him. "Thank you so much."

My uncle smiled widely, happy that I was happy. He threw back the rest of his firewhiskey and rubbed his hands together. "I think that's quite enough sappy family stuff for now, don't you?"

I laughed. "Absolutely. We can't have you crying again."

"Hey, I wasn't crying," he corrected me, pointing a menacing finger in my direction. "Allergies."

I snorted. "Right."

"Anyways," he said loudly, changing the subject. "How did the NEWTs go? Do you think you'll get into the Ministry Academy?"

My eyes widened. "How do you know about – "

"Neville keeps me informed."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I forgot that the walls have eyes," I retorted. He made a face at me. "Well, I think I did well. I'm not sure though. We get the results back tomorrow."

He hummed thoughtfully. "Can I ask you a question?" he said. I nodded. "Do you really want to do this Ministry Academy?"

I was surprised by the bluntness of his question. No one had actually asked me if I wanted to be in the program – I had just accepted the fact that it was what I had to do. I hesitated to answer. "Well…I-I don't know," I said slowly. "I just want to stay here, really. To be with…" My uncle raised an eyebrow at me. I cleared my throat. "My friends. I want to be with my friends."

"I have to go back to America soon," he told me. "I've found an apartment there and I need to start moving in. Will you write me when you decide what you're going to do?"

"You mean I should tell you if I've failed or not?" I deadpanned.

"I mean exactly what I said," he responded.

I sighed. "Yes, I'll let you know what happens."

"Good." He waved Madame Rosmerta down again and ordered another drink for each of us. Whether it was the alcohol or seeing me again, he seemed to be in a very good mood. He'd started glancing over at me with a mischievous glint in his eye.

I was automatically suspicious. "What?" I asked, taking a sip of my butterbeer.

"Oh, nothing," he said, unconvincingly. "So what else is going on in your life? Any new friends?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not really, no."

He blinked. "So who exactly is this fancy fellow James Potter?"

I choked on my drink. "H-how the hell do you know about him?" I sputtered.

He gave me a lazy smile. "Neville keeps me very, very well informed."

I bent over and banged my head on the table, my voice muffled from the wood. "Right," I muttered. "The walls have eyes."

James Sirius Potter

Abigail put her hands over her eyes and slumped into my shoulder. "I think I'm having a panic attack," she mumbled.

Across the table, Molly was spinning her wand around nervously. "My dad will murder me if I didn't pass all my NEWTs."

"Mol, you're making it snow," Fred grumbled, piling mountains of food onto his plate.

Dom scoffed. "Stress eating, are we?" she retorted.

Mitch kept glancing anxiously to the front of the room where Professor McGonagall was standing. "When do you think she'll start passing them out?" he asked frantically.

But it wasn't just us who were worked up, it seemed the entire Great Hall was buzzing with frantic energy. The hall was loud with excited chatter. Every single seventh year was impatiently waiting for our Headmistress to start handing out the NEWTs results, and all the other students around us were acting crazy by association.

"Probably soon," Morgan assured him, though she was biting her fingernails in anticipation.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Ryan moaned.

I rolled my eyes. "Guys, you all need to calm down," I told them. "Panicking won't let us get our results any faster."

"You're one to talk, jumpy," Abigail responded, reaching over to put her hand over mine. "You've been tapping the table for the last fifteen minutes."

I took a deep breath. "Right. I knew that."

Morgan smacked her hand down on the table, getting all of our attentions. Fred started choking on his scrambled eggs. She pounded his back and said, "Okay, gang, listen up – "

"Oh, so we're a gang now?" Ryan asked, still clutching his stomach.

"You know, I think we should be something cooler," Molly commented. "Like a posse or a squad."

"How is that cooler?" Dom deadpanned.

"Alright, alright!" Morgan interrupted, snapping everyone out of it. "Look, James is right. We all need to relax. Let's just all take a deep breath and eat some breakfast," she instructed us.

"Well, I would," Mitch commented, "but I think young Frederick has eaten it all."

Everyone burst out laughing, and Fred's face grew pink. As we scavenged the surrounding plates for food, everyone started their own side conversations. As per usual, Morgan and Fred had started bickering about Merlin knows what. Even Dom and Mitch were deep in a conversation, their heads close together.

I reached over Abigail to grab some pancakes. "So how did it go yesterday?" I asked her distractedly. "You met up with your uncle, right?"

She beamed. "Merlin, it was great," she breathed. "Here, look at this."

She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to me. It was a photograph of a woman with red hair and a tall man with striking green eyes. Her parents.

"Bloody hell," I said, smiling at her. "You look just like them."

She took the photo back, still grinning. "It's crazy, right? And my uncle actually talked about them. It turns out my mum worked at the Three Broomsticks until my dad finished school."

"In Hogsmeade?" I asked in surprise.

She nodded. "Yeah," she said. "You know, it's kind of funny…"

"What is?"

She gave me a little embarrassed smile. "Before all this stuff with my uncle happened, I'd always thought that it would be really great to run a business. Maybe own a restaurant or a shop or something." She smiled widely, remembering something. "One summer over holiday, I worked at this Muggle pub called The Box…On weekends it got so busy that I barely had time to think. But I always loved the craziness of it, the chaos. I've always wanted to work for something that was completely mine, you know?" she trailed off and stayed silent for a few moments, lost in her thoughts.

I watched her. She still had a small smile on her face. "I think you would be really good at that," I commented. "Especially if you got to boss people around," I joked.

She snorted and waved off my compliment. "It was just a pipe dream," she said. "Anyway, I already have my future all planned out." She frowned. "Hopefully."

Not wanting to see her upset, I changed the subject. "What else did your uncle say about your parents?"

She smiled, her troubles forgotten. "Well, I found out that my dad was two years younger than my mum. They started dating in school, but my mum stuck around in Hogsmeade until he finished his seventh year. Of course, that's when he was Head Boy…"

She talked on and on, telling me every detail about her mum and the things she knew about her dad. She barely touched the food on her plate, her hands too busy gesturing wildly. She was smiling so widely that her eyes were crinkling up.

"…And then, this is where they got engaged," she finished, pointing to the picture. She looked at the photo silently for a few moments. I couldn't help but study her. Talking about her family, it was like Abigail had completely changed…or maybe she hadn't changed at all. She was just the same old Abigail, just…different.

She turned to find me looking at her. "What?" she asked, self-consciously.

I shook my head, trying to find the words. "It's just… This is the happiest I've seen you in a long time."

She put the photo down and looked in my eyes. "I am happy," she said softly. "It's like things are finally starting to work out."

I opened my mouth to reply, but I was cut off my tapping at the front of the Great Hall. McGonagall was standing at the Headmistress podium, waiting for everyone's attention.

"Good morning, everyone," she said. "I know the seventh years are eager to receive their results, so I will make this brief…"

As McGonagall prattled off instructions about where we were supposed to go and how we were to receive the results, Fred snapped his fingers to get our attention. The eight of us leaned in towards the middle of the table.

"Alright, guys. This whole production of getting results is going to be messy," Fred said in a hushed tone. "So let's agree to meet up somewhere to open our grades together."

"We can meet in the Head's dorm," Abigail offered. "You all know the bloody password, anyway." I snorted.

"So let's plan on meeting there in thirty minutes," Morgan finished. "Okay, team?"

Ryan threw his hands up. "What the hell, Morgan? I thought we were a gang!" Mitch let out a groan of exasperation.

Molly smacked Ryan's arm. "No, no, no," she said. "We're definitely a posse."

"For Merlin's sake," Dom muttered.

"– And so," McGonagall finished, "all NEWTs students must form a orderly, single-file line if you want to get your results."

It was like a stampede to the front of the Hall, at least one hundred students running to the same place at once.

"Don't forget – don't open them yet!" Fred called over the noise.

"See you in a half hour," Abigail said to everyone. With a smile, she uttered under her breath, "You numpties."

I chuckled, hearing her. "You ready?" I asked her, glancing warily to the slowly expanding crowd.

She took a deep breath. "Let's do this."

Thirty minutes later, the eight of us were rigidly sitting on the couches and sprawled across the floor of the Head's common room. Well, except for Abigail. She was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, holding her envelope out in front of her. We each had one. Every single envelope was parchment colored, sealed with wax, and had our names written on the front.

It was probably the most daunting piece of paper I'd ever held.

"Okay, someone needs to go first," I said impatiently.

Molly took a deep breath. "I'll do it," she said. Biting her lip, she tore open the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper. She held her breath for a moment before letting out a huge gush of air. "Three Exceeds Expectations and one Acceptable. That should be okay for my dad."

Fred clapped her on the back. "Congrats, cuz!" he said. "Morgan and I are going to go next."

They opened each others' envelopes. Fred scanned Morgan's results, smiling. "Four E's and an O," he said, shaking his head disbelievingly. "Unbelievable as usual, Miss Finnegan."

Morgan smiled widely, looking to Fred's paper. "You got…" She scanned the paper, her eyes widening. "The same thing!" she exclaimed. "Blimey, you got an O? I never knew you were so smart," she cracked. Fred made a face at her before leaning in for a quick kiss.

"Ew, gross," Dom said. "I'll go next." She pulled out her results and nodded, as if she were pleasantly surprised. "Not half bad. Three A's and an E." She looked to Mitch. "What about you, Mitch? Knowing you, you probably got five Outstandings."

He scanned his results and his ears got red. "What? Did you read it before me or something?"

Ryan snorted. "Well, I got two A's, one Exceeds Expectations, and a Poor. But the E was in Herbology so that's good for medicine," he said, smiling. "What about you, James?"

I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the results. I read the grades and let out a sigh of relief. "Five E's," I told them. "Its borderline but it's good enough for an Auror."

I looked to Abigail, who was still pacing. To be honest, I felt like pacing too. "Abigail," I said gently. "You're next."

She glanced down at the envelope in her hands, not moving to open it. She let out a groan of frustration. "Merlin, I can't do it," she said frantically. "Someone else open it."

Dom stood up and took the paper from her, sliding a comforting arm around Abigail's back. "Okay," Dom said, opening the results. "You got an E in Arithmancy, an E in Herbology, an O in Transfiguration –"

"Nice," I commented. Abigail allowed herself a little smile.

Dom continued. "You got an E in Ancient Runes, and…" Her gaze slowly went up to meet Abigail's eyes. "A-and an A in Potions," she said softly. "I'm so sorry, Abigail."

The whole room was silent. Abigail's face was absolutely stoic as she reached over and took the paper from Dom. "Dear Miss King," she read in a whisper. "The admissions committee has evaluated your NEWT scores, and we regret to inform you that we are not able to offer you a place in the upcoming year's Ministry Training Academy." Then she calmly folded the results in half and placed the paper in the fireplace, letting it burn.

She walked over and sat down on the couch, next to me. She covered her face in her hands. "Merlin, what am I going to do?" she mumbled.

I wanted so badly to touch her, say something to her, provide any kind of comfort – but I couldn't. I was frozen, stuck sitting rigidly on the sofa, watching the fireplace and the burning piece of parchment. I tried to will by body to make some sort of movement, but my mind was screaming, She's going to leave. She'll be gone.

Dom, Morgan, and Molly all hovered around Abigail, not entirely sure what to do. Morgan put a tentative hand on her shoulder, but she immediately shrugged it off, standing up quickly. "I-I have to write my uncle," she said, bustling across the room to grab a piece of paper off the desk. "He told me…he said to write to him. I-I should go do that…"

She trailed off, hurrying into her room in a mumbling mess. Inside, we could hear her shuffling papers and dropping things.

The girls exchanged glances. "We should probably go check on her," Molly suggested. The three of them followed Abigail silently into her room, letting the door close behind them with a click.

As soon as the girls left, I felt myself starting to crack. She's going to leave. I didn't have anyone or anything to keep me together. She'll be gone. I pressed my hands into my eyes until it hurt. She's going to leave. I raked both of my hands through my hair. She'll be gone.

I felt someone put a hand on my shoulder. "James, mate," I heard Ryan say.

I stood up almost automatically. I knew that if I stayed in there any longer, I would do or say something I would regret later. "I have to get out of here," I mumbled, rushing to the door.

I felt Mitch, Ryan, and Fred following after me. "Mate, you have to calm down," Fred said.

"Where are you going to go?" Mitch called after me.

I spun around. "Look, I don't know, alright?" I said, the tension and panic in my voice causing it to crack slightly. "Merlin, I just…" I took a deep breath, willing my heart rate to go down. "I'll see you guys later."

I stalked out of the room without looking back. My feet carried me down the moving staircases and past the Great Hall. I felt almost detached from my body, my feet taking me somewhere that my brain hadn't processed yet. As I walked past the huge doors of the main hall, I saw my classmates and other students walking in from outdoors, smiling and laughing. At that moment, I couldn't understand how anyone could feel even remotely happy – I felt as though someone was holding my stomach in a vice grip and pressing down on my lungs.

As I walked out onto the school grounds and felt the early June breeze, I realized I had no idea what I was going to do. Whether I liked it or not, I'd started to picture Abigail in my future. I couldn't imagine that she wouldn't be present in my life after we left school. I knew I loved her, but it took a series of four hour tests and a dreaded piece of parchment to make me realize that I never wanted to be without her. I couldn't be without her.

In the midst of my silent breakdown, I had stopped walking and stopped dead in the middle of the courtyard. Someone bumped into me, apparently not noticing I was there.

"I'm so sorry I – Oh. Hello, James." It was Neville. He was holding a letter and frowning down at its contents. He must have been reading it while walking.

"Erm…is everything okay?" I asked. It seemed strange to ask that while I was losing it silently. "Bad news from home?"

He glanced up from the letter distractedly. "Well…good and bad, I suppose. It's just… well, Hannah has been hired for a position at the Ministry," he told me. "Which is amazing, of course," he added. "She's wanted this job for ages. International Magical Cooperation."

I furrowed my brows. "So, what's the bad news?"

Neville scratched the back of his head. "She'll have to stop running the Leaky Cauldron if she takes this job." Ever since I could remember, Neville's wife Hannah had been the owner of the Leaky Cauldron. My parents said the pub had been a dump before she bought it, transforming it into the classy bar it was today. "She writes that she might have to sell it," Neville said.

"Sell it?" I protested. "But everyone loves the Leaky Cauldron."

He nodded solemnly. After a moment, he took a deep breath and shook his head. "Anyway," he said, "you probably have better things to do than listen to me blabber on. How were your NEWT results?"

I frowned, my mind automatically going back to Abigail. "I did fine," I told him lamely. "I'll qualify for Auror training."

Neville clapped me on the shoulder and smiled widely. "That's fantastic!" he exclaimed. But seeing my lack of reaction, he frowned. "What about Abigail?"

I clenched my jaw and ran a hand through my hair. "She…she didn't get into the program," I told him quietly. "She's going to have to go to America."

He was silent for a few moments, shaking his head soberly. "That's awful. Damn it, I wish there was something I could do."

And with his words, it hit me.

A plan so random and spontaneous that the chances of it working out were slim to none. A scheme that even Lily would be proud of. But it could work, I thought.

"Well, maybe there is," I said slowly.

Neville seemed to understand that this included him. He nodded his head slowly, a glint in his eyes. "How can I help?"

I took a deep breath. "I have an idea," I said. "But it might be a longshot."

A/N: Don't hate me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though the ending was a cliffy!

Guys, it's almost done. There will be one more chapter and an epilogue. Haha I'm starting to get a little depressed...

See you next week!