Ella

Mum and Daddy had it set up so I could Floo to Rowan's house for the day. I was a bit nervous as I stepped through the fireplace, my dark hair stuffed in a teal knit hat, and I tugged on the red flannel button-down over my gray tank top, and straightened my ripped-up jeans continually. I knew that Rowan had seen me looking like that, but his mum and his half-sister? Nope. I didn't want them to find me too raggedy, but didn't want to freak Rowan out.

Hehe.

Yeah, so finally the time came around, and I threw Floo Powder into the fireplace, and called out the address I remembered. I stumbled out onto a clean beige carpet, in a plain living room where Rowan was waiting, hands in his back pockets, a sign of nervousness, I'd learned in the years.

"Hey, Gryffindork," I said teasingly as I strode forwards.

"Hey you, Raven Girl," he shot back, a grin on his face. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Me too," I replied shyly. We shifted into a comfortable silence, when a girl of sixteen came out, her blond hair fluttering in the breeze in the house, and was playing around with a cellphone, a muggle device Rowan had told me about, twiddling her thumbs-no, texting, I reminded myself seeing letters appear on the screen.

She was stylish, with bright red lipstick, a black blouse, and earbuds hanging around her neck, and skinny jeans that hugged her rail-like legs, and black flip-flops. She had bright green eyes, and looked nothing like Rowan.

"Oh, Alyssa, this is my friend, Ella," he said, and the blonde looked up.

"So this is your little girlfriend?" She asked dryly. "The one you met at that special school? Is she as screwed up as you, with your little delusions about 'magic'?"

Rowan turned red from anger and embarrassment. "She's not my girlfriend, and neither of us are 'screwed up' as you put it."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Only the insane believe they aren't." With that, she walked away, the picture of teenage muggle girls.

Rowan stared after her, bright red, with his hands clutched into fists, chest heaving. He looked down at his dirty red trainers, and finally calmed down, and looked over to me.

"Sorry about her, Ella," Rowan said quickly. "Alyssa... Well, I'll tell you outside, okay?"

I nodded, and followed him down the stairs, to a kitchen where a woman with light brown hair like Rowan's in a flowing ponytail, and in a smiley-face t-shirt and light jeans stood, washing plates.

"Hey, Mum," he said gently, and she turned around, and I saw Alyssa's green eyes staring me down, with her round, freckled face. She had the same nose as Rowan, though, but other than that and the hair, it was clear to me that he got most of his features from his dad.

"Hello, sweet," she greeted us in an almost sing-song voice, airy and sweet. "Is this your friend from your boarding school?"

"Yes," Rowan answered.

"I'm Ella," I introduced myself quickly, and I stuck a hand out.

She quickly dried her hands off, and her damp, calloused hands clasped over mine and shook my hand heartily. She smiled.

"I'm Gwen," she answered. "I'm so glad that Rowan's made friends at his special school. He speaks of you a lot."

"Muuummm," he drawled, starting to go a little pink.

Her smile widened. "I'm just playing, sweet. You two can go outside. I'll call you when we need to use the fireplace."

"Okay, thanks, Ms. Gwen," I replied, remembering the muggle title Rowan had taught me.

She smiled and turned away. Rowan was looking a little more relaxed, but his hands were still in his back pockets. I strode over to the back door, and began to open it, when his eyes shot wide open, and he ran over.

"Everything okay?" I asked with a gentle laugh.

"Sorry, I was gonna get that for you, but I got... Distracted," he admitted, turning a bit pink.

I pulled it open. "Distracted by what?"

"Um..." He turned so red, I decided not to press him.

"What happened up in the living room?" I asked, as we walked on the bright emerald grass in the fading picket fence.

"Oh, that," he said, looking a bit more comfortable. "Alyssa...she's been bitter about the boarding school. She's been resentful about the fact that I'm the youngest child, and that I was always so lucky. Then she found out it was magic, and. . . She's jealous, Raven Girl. She's jealous of powers, jealous of a chance to get out of Cromwell Road, and the fact that I've got some great destiny, according to the Aurors."

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "So she's convinced herself that you're just crazy, and you're going basically to an asylum school?"

"Pretty much," he agreed, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry," I repeated.

"Enough about Alyssa," he said sharply. "I just wanna have fun with you."

I grinned. "Okay."

We sat down in the grass, listening to music and just talking about stuff. You know, friends, family, stories, ambitions, life in general. He was just so easy to talk to, which only made me fall harder. Not that he ever seemed to notice.

"How did you do that stuff with the stars?" I asked, a question that had been burning my lips since the night of May 2nd.

"I've only done it then, but I've heard this lullaby my whole life," he explained, lying back with his hands under his head, staring up at me. "This one my mum would sing about the Sky Walker having the power of the stars in his hands. You know how you have that connection with machines?"

I nodded.

"Ever since my first Astronomy class, I've had a similar one with the stars," he finished. "I just kinda did it on an impulse, instinct. Like you did when you summoned the Deryn, Leviathan, and Millennium Falcon and the ignition keys."

"That makes sense," I mused. "I wonder what it all means. Malfoy looked really scared when you said it."

"I think Jacen recognized the words, too," he confessed.

"Hmm..." I replied. That was the first time I began to worry about Jacen and what was becoming of him. It wouldn't be the last.