Once we got back home things were strangely enough, much better. Craig was still gone, that wouldn't change. His funeral was in two days and I would be attending.

It was my duty to… I don't know, apologize? Throw myself on his grave and beg for forgiveness? I am not sure how well that would go over at the service.

I don't know what excise was given for his death. We were instructed to not speak of it. I suppose the school and Ministry were going to just… cover it up.

The idea made me sick.

I was early, as usual in the library studying my potions when Scorpius and Albus run into the room, full of excitement. They slammed the door after themselves.

Madame Pince looked up and growled at them.

"Hey! One of us is trying to put in extra work here!" I shook my head fondly at them. Like a pair of puppies they were.

Scorpius laughed and spun around. "I can't quite believe I did that."

Albus laughed with him. "I can't quite believe you did that either."

Well, clearly I wouldn't be getting any early work done. "OK, I'll bite, what did you do now? And do I have to leap from a train to escape it?"

Scorpius grabbed my hands. "Polly Chapman. I asked out Polly Chapman."

"I am sorry… you did WHAT?" I thought we'd had a moment… I thought… The train is sounding like a good idea.

I could push Scorpius off of it!

"And she said no." Albus reminded him.

Scorpius wagged a finger. "But I asked her. I planted the acorn. The acorn that will grow into our eventual marriage."

"Marriage?" I whispered. This was a nightmare.

Albus rolled his eyes. "You are aware that you're an utter fantasist."

Scorpius flopped in to a chair. "And I'd agree with you… only Polly Chapman did ask me to the school ball . . ."

Albus scoffed. "In an alternate reality where you were significantly… really significantly more popular… a different Polly asked you out… and that means…

Scorpius waved his hands. "And yet, logic would dictate I should be pursuing THIS Polly, or allowing her to pursue me, she's a notorious beauty, after all...

Albus looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "You know logic would dictate that you're a freak? Polly hates you."

"Correction, she used to hate me," Scorpius refuted. "But did you see the look in her eyes when I asked? That wasn't hate, that was mild disinterest."

Albus was now staring openly at me as I worked on my potions. "And mild disinterest is good?"

Scorpius had not so much as said hello to me when they came in. "Mild disinterest is a start, my friend, a foundation on which to build a palace… a palace of love."

"I honestly thought I'd be the first of us to get a girlfriend." Albus was clearly trying to change the subject.

Scorpius teased. "Oh, you will, undoubtedly, probably that new smoky-eyed Potions professor… she's old enough for you, right?"

Albus was irritated by this. "I don't have a thing about older women!"

Scorpius went on completely oblivious to me. "And you've got time — a lot of time — to seduce her. Because Polly is going to take years to persuade."

"I admire your confidence." Albus was just looking between us, clearly worried.

Polly came in to the room just then looking at Albus and Scorpius. "Hi."

Neither boy knew quite how to reply. She looked at Scorpius. "This is only going to be weird if you let it be weird."

WHY was she talking to Scorpius?! "Received and entirely understood."

Polly laughed. "Okay. "Scorpion King."

Had she really just called him that?! It was too much.

She walked off with a smile on her face. Scorpius and Albus looked at each other. Albus grinned and punched Scorpius on the arm.

I stood up and angrily started stuffing my books in to my bag. It was like I was invisible.

Albus shrugged. "Maybe you're right… mild disinterest is a start.

Scorpius looked at me surprised. "Are you heading to Quidditch? Slytherin are playing Hufflepuff right? It's a big one…"

"No." I snapped. "I am not."

Albus whined. "I thought we hated Quidditch?"

"No, just you two." I pushed past him. "And I thought you went to support ME!"

Albus looked sorry. "No Lils, of course we…"

"Shove off." I replied angrily.

Scorpius tried to play peacekeeper. "People can change. Besides, I've been practicing. I think I might make the team eventually. Come on, Albus come with us."

Albus looked down. "I can't. My dad's arranged to come up…"

Scorpius looked surprised. "He's taking time away from the Ministry?"

I would have left but I wanted to know why Uncle Harry was coming.

Albus did not keep us waiting. "He wants to go on a walk… something to show me… share with me… something."

"A walk?" Scorpius sounded jealous. I mean, walks were our thing. Or used to be.

" I know, I think it's a bonding thing or something similarly vomit-inducing. Still, you know, I think I'll go." Albus blushed.

Scorpius reached out and hugged Albus.

Albus laughed. "What's this? I thought we decided we don't hug."

Scorpius grinned. "I wasn't sure. Whether we should. In this new version of us.. I had in my head. I mean, Lils and I hug.

"We used to." I glared at him. "Better ask Polly if it's the right thing to do."

Scorpius looked confused. "Ha! Yeah. Right."

Albus looked at me nervously. "I'll see you at dinner."

Scorpius attempted to sling an arm around my shoulder. I jerked away. "Now don't be like that, Lils, I am sorry we interrupted your studies but I just…"

"Forget it." I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice. It wasn't like we had ever been anything but best friends. There was nothing to be hurt over.

Just then I saw Rose and Cissa leaving the library. "I have things to do." I mumbled. "Rose, Cissa, wait up!" I called.

"My brother is an idiot." Cissa huffed. "Anyone can see you two would be perfect together!"

"Stupid bread head." Rose agreed.

We were sitting under a big tree outside and I had told them everything… almost everything, I left out the whole "We jumped through time and you were disappeared, Rose."

"Well, he clearly has his sights set higher." I looked at my book bag sadly.

"Polly Chapman is NOT higher!" Rose said furiously. "She is an empty headed…"

"Pureblood Princess." I looked at her trying to hold back tears. "And I am just his best friend and cousin."

"Well, not REALLY cousins." Cissa pointed out. "I mean, maybe very, very distantly, but not enough to create flipper babies or anything."

"Besides, everyone already thinks you two are together." Rose said. "So why is she looking at a guy who is already taken anyway? Skank."

Everyone thought we were together? Since when?

"Well, I mean I thought…." I stammered. "I guess what I thought doesn't matter."

Cissa took my hand a warm feeling spread through me. Like everything would be OK.

"Wow," I looked at her in amazement.

"What?" Cissa blushed. "I am sorry… I shouldn't have….."

"No, it is fine, better than fine actually." I smiled happily at her. "Your Mum and sister heal so I guess…"

"Heal?" Cissa laughed. "Miri heals, but me and Mum? No way. Mum doesn't even like to touch people unless she knows them really well, let alone HEAL them. Mum is finance, I am a budding world class journalist. No healers here."

I looked at Rose confused. Rose just shrugged like. "What can we do with her?"

"Cissa," I said carefully. "When you or your Mum touch people… they just feel better."

Cissa looked at me skeptically. "Anyway… we need to figure out this thing with my idiot brother."

The conversation about healing was clearly making Cissa uncomfortable so I went back to the original topic. "There isn't anything to figure out." I said glumly. "He thinks of me as his best friend, nothing more, and like he said, Polly Chapman is a world class beauty."

"Then he really is an idiot." I heard a voice behind me. Looking around I saw Yann Fredericks. He dropped me a wink. Remembering how in another time we might have been married I blushed. Yann walked on.

"What was THAT about?" Rose looked after him, eyes wide.

"Merlin if I know." I watched him curiously. "I thought that to him I was just that weird mud… muggleborn… from Slytherin." I had vowed to stop using mudblood after Delphi.

"He and Polly are on the outs so maybe his attitude had more to do with her than with you." Cissa looked amused.

"Maybe… but he will never change enough for me." I said with disgust.

"Don't count him out so quickly." Rose looked like she was scheming. "Maybe what Scorpius needs is to see you the way other guys see you."

I looked at her with a smile. "And just way would THAT be, Rose?"

"Dumbledore! You are pretty and almost as talented on the Quidditch pitch as I am, Dursley!" Rose grinned. "In these parts that my dear cousin, makes YOU quite the catch."

Me? A catch? I had to admit, boys had been treating me very differently since making the team. Even boys I often beat on the pitch, but still.

"A catch?" I asked skeptically.

"Absolutely." Cissa nodded. "The boys are the first to buy up my papers every time I write about you."

"You write about me?" I can't believe I never knew this.

Cissa looked at me and shook her head. "Ouch, Dursley," she mimicked Rose. "You don't even take the Hogwarts Owl?"

I thought she must have been really hurt. "I am sorry, Cissa, it is just with… potions and Quidditch and…" Well, I couldn't exactly say "And all of the time jumping", now could I?

Cissa took my hand again. "It is OK Lilliana, I know how busy you are."

"Thanks." I grinned.

"And as long as you take three copies from now on, all is forgiven."

"Three?" I asked.

"One for you, one for Scorpius and one for Albus." She explained.

"Very sly of you, are you sure you shouldn't be in Slytherin?" We all laughed. It felt really good.

...