dis·cus·sion
/dəˈskəSH(ə)n/
"the action or process of talking about something in order to reach a decision or to exchange ideas."

•

November 11, 1995
Saturday

•
s.g.

It's been a week since Carrie and I kissed. We haven't.. avoided each other exactly.. but we haven't talked about it either.

And it would be a lie to say it wasn't all I was thinking about.

Even walking down the corridor with Flynn I'm thinking about Carrie's lips on mine, about kissing her again.

"Did you ever figure out what Professor Covington meant by 'Black?'" Flynn snapped me out of my thoughts.

This was another memory that lingered in my mind.. Same with the name Regulus Black.

I had done so much research as I could on the Black family, and the only thing I was able to dig up about Regulus was that he was a seeker on the Slytherin quidditch team. That would add up with my skills of being a seeker, but there's no way to know for sure.

I shook my head at Flynn's question. "I overheard him say Regulus Black is my father though.. Does that name ring any bells?"

I watched Flynn's facial expressions. She was thinking hard, but from her look of disappointment after, I knew she didn't know him.

"No.. But if he's a Black then he's related to Sirius Black."

"Yeah.. I gathered that."

Flynn and I continued our walk in silence, but I knew we were both thinking hard. I remembered how Angelica mentioned Draco's mother is a Black. I could always ask him more, but I would probably get hexed if I got too close to him.

All of the sudden, Flynn stopped in her tracks. She put her arm out to stop me. "Wait- Why don't you write to Professor Lupin?"

I curled my eyebrow. Now I'm confused. "Why Professor Lupin?" I was gonna add he probably doesn't even remember me, but I didn't think it was relevant.

Flynn pointed her finger at me, the way she does whenever she's telling a story. She starts to pace too. "When Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and Professor Lupin became a teacher, my parents were telling me how they remembered them from Hogwarts. They were only a few years older than them, but they remembered them being best friends! If anyone is going to give you answers about Regulus, It'll probably be him."

I bit my lip. "I guess.. I guess I can try-"

Just then, I'm nearly shoved into Flynn. I look over to see my pusher, only to see familiar bleach blond hair. Speak of the damn devil.

Draco started walking backward while a girl next to him was smirking. "It's always the mudbloods like you who want to be a part of a Pureblood family, Griffin!"

"Shove off, Malfoy! You don't know shit!" Flynn yells after him.

Draco and his friend just chuckle. "If you want to know about Regulus, Aunt Bella always called him a coward!"

With that, he walked off, laughing as if he was the funniest person in the world.

I take a deep breath and look back over at Flynn. "He thinks he's so funny," She was muttering. "Getting involved with our conversation like that! And calling Regulus a coward! What does he know!"

"Probably more than me," I mumble to myself. Hera told me that Regulus died at eighteen as well, so it's not like I can exactly ask him what he supposedly did that was so cowardly. He's gone.

Flynn huffed, but her face fell when she looked at me. I didn't know what expression I had on my face that made her do that. I was most likely visibly upset thinking about my supposed father. Even if he ends up not being, dying so young like that is upsetting.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm-" I changed my words mid-sentence. "I'm going to go write to Professor Lupin."

With that, I made my track up to the Owlery.

I always loved the vibes in the Owlery. I loved the way it smells like parchment. I love being around all the owls.. Until they bite my fingers. I don't have an owl of my own, so I approach my favorite school owl Harper.

Harper fluttered her wings at the sight of me, already ready to send out a letter at my request.

"Hey, girl," I stroke her head. "I still need to write the letter, but then I'll be ready for you.

I grabbed the parchment and a quill from the wall and sat down in a chair. I always hated writing letters, what do you even say in a letter? 'Hey, how have you been? I've been well! Reply soon?'

I decided the best approach to this might be to just be blunt. I dipped the quill in some ink and began my letter

'Dear Professor Lupin..
You probably don't remember me, but I was a fourth-year in your class when you taught at Hogwarts. My name is Estella Griffin-

And then I got stuck on what to say next. I thought for a solid two minutes before continuing.

.. But I know I'm not a Griffin at all, and that's why I'm writing to you. I remember there was one time after the Boggart lesson where you wanted to talk to me in your office because mine freaked me out so much. You asked me who the girl my Boggart was was, I told you It was my adoptive sister Holly. I'm adopted (obviously), and from recent development, I've started to learn more about who my biological family is. I found out that Regulus Black is possibly my father? A friend of mine mentioned that you were close with Sirius Black when you were at Hogwarts, so I figured you would know who Regulus might be? You don't have to reply, I'm just trying to find answers.

Regards,
Estella

I signed the letter off and put it in an envelope. I have no clue where Professor Lupin lives.. I can only hope Harper can find him, but I believe she can. I signed my name in the corner before giving Harper some food.

"Some fuel before your journey," I held some bread crumbs in my hand in front of her. Bless the Owlery for having a bucket of them laying around.

Harper ate them happily before holding the letter with her beak.

"Can you find Remus Lupin and give this to him?"

Harper made a cheerful hoot before flying off into the distance, leaving me to wonder if Professor Lupin was the person I needed to be contacting.

•
November 17, 1995
Friday
•

"Should I get Laddie this for his birthday?"

Hera looked at the bracelet I was holding without much thought. "If it's shiny, he'll like it."

I kept wondering to myself why exactly I was looking at birthday presents for Laddie Viziri, but the voice in my head would only answer with a simple 'His birthday is the next one in the friend group.'

I don't even know if he's technically a part of our friend group, but Angelica added him to the Secret Santa, so he counts. Plus, I feel bad about kicking him out of Hera's party.

I get the price of the bracelet and then my pockets. When I find out the pocket only contains a few galleons, I sigh and put it back. "I'll get it next time if it's here," I mumble. Laddie's birthday is a month after Hera's, so I can always get it the next Hogsmeade trip.

"Maybe I'll get it first. That would shock him," Hera retorts.

"Don't steal my gift ideas!"

Hera just laughs and pats my arm. "Esty, I would never get Ladan a gift."

"I need to get Flynn one first, anyway." Hera and I learned that neither of us had gotten each other for Secret Santa, so we decided to do our shopping together, but I'm not having much luck finding anything Flynn would like within my price range.

Hera had started to admire some ring, and if I hadn't already gotten her birthday presents, I would've gotten that for her. She twirled it between her fingers before looking at me. "What time is it?"

I checked my watch. "thirteen-fifteen, why?"

Hera let out a shriek. "I was supposed to meet up with Luke at our spot at twelve-fifty. I have to go."

"Well bye-" I started to say, but she exited the store quickly.

I couldn't even be mad because Cedric and I used to do stuff like this, and Hera put up with it, so I would put up with it.

I took one last look around the shop before sighing in defeat. Let's try the next one, I thought before exiting the store myself.

Outside, I was instantly hit with a wave of déjà vu when I saw Carrie rounding the corner.

This was my chance to talk to her about our kiss. "Carrie!" I jogged after her, and that made her turn around. Her eyes turn from confusion to a soft look. She smiled a little at me as well. "Fancy seeing you here."

"I've been looking for you all week," I began, even though that was a lie. I saw her at potions earlier this week, but I partnered with Flynn, so I didn't get to talk to her. And we don't have any more classes together besides potions.

Carrie scrunched her nose. "That's partly my fault. Melody quit Dirty Candi, so that's left me busy.. And I've been... Avoiding you.."

I had to hold back my scoff. This is what she did last time, but I remembered she said she was scared, so.. I'm not going to hold it against her.

I stick my finger up. "I will pretend you didn't say that. Why did Melody quit?"

Carrie shrugged and threw her arms out. "Beats me. Apparently, I'm mean."

I forced out a gasp. "You? Mean? Nooo..."

Carrie faked being offended at my fake gasp and dramatically put her hand to her chest. "I thought you would be on my side, Stella."

"Alas, I must betray you. It's the enemies to lovers fan in me."

"Did you just compare us to enemies to lovers? I think we fit more under 'rivals to lovers.'"

"Are you saying you want to be lovers?"

That's when Carrie stopped whatever we were doing. Were we flirting? That didn't feel like flirting. She made a face. "Erm, can we get butterbeer?"

I almost wanted to say no- The logical part of myself wanted to say no. You know it wouldn't be a good idea to pursue anything with her, the logical angel on my shoulder said. But you like her, the temptation devil said on my other shoulder.

I agreed. "We should go to Hogshead if you want to discuss.. You know what. No one goes there."

Carrie and I exchanged no words during the travel to Hogshead, and it was a pretty far walk from where we met up.

Once we entered, I knew my assumption about no one being here would be correct. There were very few students sitting at the tables. That's because everyone goes to the Three Broomsticks instead.

Carrie and I walked up to the bar quietly. The bar itself was so quiet that the only thing we could hear was the sound of our feet creaking against the hardwood floor.

"What can I get for you, two young ladies?" The man behind the bar asked, leaning a little too close to the two of us.

"Um, a frozen butterbeer please," I ordered.

"A regular butterbeer for me," Carrie fiddles with her change.

The man let out a slight groan. My assumption for that is because my order was a bit more complicated than Carrie's. The man says the amount for the butterbeer. I went to put my coins on the counter, but Carrie put down enough for both of us.

"Car-"

"You're lucky I'm even doing this. You have very poor taste in your drinks."

My jaw drops. "What does that mean?"

"You like frozen butterbeer!"

"And you don't?!"

Carrie shook her head in shame. "Do you at least like regular butterbeer?"

".. No."

Carrie looked around. I don't know what she was looking for, but no one was looking at us. She started to get a bit closer after a few seconds, her tone only getting soft as a whisper. "That's disappointing. At least you're a good kisser."

I sucked in a breath. "Is that true? In that case we-" I was going to say should try it again, but the man cut me off by slamming our butterbeers down in front of us.

"Thank you," I say awkwardly and grab the colder butterbeer. I scanned the room for a table, but Carrie seemed to have spotted one first. We walked to the emptiest corner of the room and sat ourselves down.

We say nothing to each other once again as we drunk our drinks. We really need to stop being so awkward.

Out of boredom, I started watching the door, as if people were coming in. And if by some miracle, Alex and Laddie both walked through it.

I was about to turn my head, but both of them spotted me. Alex grinned before heading to the bar, but Laddie stayed back for a second.

He looked back over at me with curiosity. I guess because I'm with Carrie. I wave at him to be polite, but he kept his lips in a straight line before following Alex's footsteps.

I turn my attention back to Carrie. She must've watched us because she looked as if she was expecting me to speak.

"I think he's pissed at me," I decided to say.

"Why?" Carrie replied.

"Because I kicked him out of the meeting for Hera's surprise party. But I don't get why he's mad, they don't get along."

Carrie sighed lazily. "Boys are weird."

"True that."

I sipped my butterbeer again before stopping abruptly. A sharp pain started pounding in my eye. A brain freeze, in my eye. The worst one.

The reaction to the fact I was having a brain freeze most definitely was very obvious on my face. I closed my eyes and pushed my tongue to the top of my mouth, hoping it would help.

It did, luckily. When I opened my eyes again, I could feel them being teary.

I expected Carrie to comment about how the brain freeze was my fault because I got the frozen one, but instead all she said was, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah.. Yeah, I'm good. We should probably talk about our kiss."

Carrie looked down. "Right. I said everything I wanted to say, so..."

I grip my butterbeer cup. "Where do you want to go from here?"

Carrie pressed her lips together. "I'm still scared, Stella. I would be dead if my parents or Bobby knew about us.. About me."

"They're not going to find out."

"I can't be so sure about that."

I leaned back against my chair. "So tell me what you want, Carrie."

"I want... I want you... But I don't think I can give you the real thing yet."

"I want the real thing. With you" I admit without thinking much about my declaration. "But I'm willing to wait until you're ready."

But am I willing to wait? Yes. I like her, and I want her to feel comfortable with me.

"Okay.. Okay, yeah."

"That's that, then."

We spent the rest of our time at Hogshead discussing music. Carrie told me about some more songs she was writing, and I recommended her some more musicals I think she would be into.

Soon enough, our time at Hogsmeade was getting close to over. Carrie wanted to leave a little early, so she was already starting to gather her things. I wanted one last go at some of the shops, though.

"One day I'll write a song about you," Carrie said as she was standing up. "Just wait."

I couldn't hold back my blush. "Yeah? I'm looking forward to it."

Carrie smiled at me before rushing out of Hogshead. I sat there processing our visit here before beginning to leave, too.

"You seem happy," A voice said from one of the tables I passed.

I turn to Alex and Laddie. "I am, yeah."

Alex nodded. "Good, good.. I'm glad it worked out."

Laddie just looked at me and then the door. "She doesn't want people to know, doesn't she?"

"No.. She doesn't.. But it's fine."

Laddie looked like he just won the lottery by guessing that. "We won't tell anyone, don't worry."

I give them a small smile to be polite. "Thanks."

Alex smiled back, and I exited the pub. If Carrie didn't want people to know, I wouldn't tell people, but I wasn't going to lie to myself and say I'm not relieved that Alex and Laddie were able to guess what was going on between us. It'll be nice to have people to talk to about the relationship.

I tighten my Hufflepuff scarf around my neck before entering the next store.

•
November 19, 1995
Sunday
•

"Is everything ready?" I double-checked the room of requirement to make sure everything was where it needed to be for Hera's party. She and Luke would be arriving in five minutes.

The streamers and balloons were where they needed to be. Food was on the table (All of Hera's favorites, of course.) And Fred and George's colored bombs in the corner of the room.. Just in case we need them.

The next thing I did was a headcount to make sure everyone was here. I did that quickly and was relieved when everyone was.

"Okay party people!" I say loudly to get everyone's attention. "Hera and Luke will be here soon, so everyone be ready to hide!"

Everyone scattered around the room to find their own spot. I walked behind the present table and got ready to squat, but not before pulling out my wand and whispering a light spell. The lights dimmed and I ducked under.

I could hear Luke and Hera shuffling into the room. "Anddd, we're here!" Luke announced.

"Lucas, why are we in a dark room?"

I muttered the spell to make the lights reappear and on cue, everyone jumped out.

"Surprise!"

Hera's jaw dropped and I could tell immediately that she wasn't expecting this.

I skipped over to her with the biggest smile on my face. "Happy birthday, Ana."

"Did you plan this?" She looked like she might cry.

"Yeah! I love you and I wanted to do something for your eighteenth."

Hera just beams at me and pulls me into a tight embrace. "I love you too," She whispers.

We hug for a long moment before reluctantly letting go. I watch as her blue eyes dart around the room, taking everything in. The last thing she looks at is the cake.

I wanted her cake to be perfect. I spent all last night in the kitchens making it myself. The house-elves helped a bit as I am not the best baker, but I would say I did pretty well.

"That's not chocolate, right?"

"Of course not. I'm not gonna get you a cake you don't like."

bur· den
\ ˈbər-dᵊn \
" something oppressive or worrisome "
•
November 19, 1995
Sunday
•
h.s.

"Oh thank God," I felt relief pour through me as I looked over at the big table and saw a baby pink frosted cake in the center.

"Uh..what's wrong with chocolate?" Luke asked as I felt his fingers slip into mine, I almost wanted to slap his hand away from the question but it was a simple thing to miss.

"I hate chocolate."

Luke's face went slack and his mouth gaped open,"Well..I guess no one's perfect."

I slapped his arm and he giggled, making me roll my eyes and I couldn't help but bring my other hand to the back of his neck and pull him into a soft kiss. Stella groaned next to me.

He cupped the sides of my face and Stella said,"You two better get a room before you start making out."

I pulled away, Luke's face pouting as if I pulled away his lifeline,"Aww, it's my birthday though."

"I don't think anyone wants to see you two smacking lips," Reggie showed up behind Stella and he grinned at me, coming around her as he gave me a hug,"Happy birthday, Hera."

"Thanks."

I honestly don't know what possessed them all to do this but I didn't mind it, it was the most anyone had done for my birthday since Aziz had been at Hogwarts.

"So..what do we have planned?"

"I think we should open gifts first," Laddie announced from the door, everyone whipping around as if it was some huge crime that he was here,"I think you'll like mine the most."

I sincerely doubted that until he opened the door more and Aziz entered the room.

I found myself nearly leaping across the room as I hugged Aziz so tightly that I was afraid he'd pop,"Oh my God, how in the world-?"

"Don't ask me, ask Ladan," Aziz laughed in my ear, I buried my face into his neck and tried my hardest not to cry,"He's the one who snuck me in...I mean, did you think I'd miss my best girl's eighteenth birthday?"

"Shut up," I let out tearfully, realizing how much I really missed him since the last time I saw him in June. How much I missed him in general.

I think about when we were kids and how we were so close. I think the memory that stuck with me the closest was that one weekend in the summer of 1992 when Aziz first thought about relinquishing his title, the year when I had a very big thing for him and was so afraid of him finding out.

The Viziris were the monarchy of the country of Agrabah in the Middle East, a beautiful and glittering country that I was constantly jealous of how I couldn't live there with them instead of the dreary plains of Yorkshire.

Aziz was first in line to be the sultan of Agrabah, soon realizing that he didn't want to be and relinquished his title so that Laddie would be the sultan in the coming years. He had snuck out and come to my house for that weekend before, asking me what I thought and what he should say.

It had been nothing but bliss and hilarity as we laughed at nothing and talked as if the world would never end, the days going by like seconds.

My parents had been gone the entire weekend, I had gotten a letter the day before their arrival back from Mother that her and Father would be home the next evening. Other than the simple message, there wasn't anything else besides a "deepest regards, Kore". Oh, how many times I had imagined that simple phrase to be "love, Mother" and it to never be fulfilled. I feared that it never would be.

Aziz and I had decided that afternoon to clean up the house, not that there was much to clean up at all. We spent a total of ten minutes of picking up our remnants before we slumped into the living room once more, both of us on the couch.

I remember sighing in exasperation before Aziz asked a question I never thought I'd hear from his lips at all,"Would you ever marry Ladan or I?"

I had nearly fallen off the couch as I gathered my bearings and blinked a few times,"What?"

"I think it's a simple question."

"You're asking me if I'd marry you or Laddie, that's a proposal, to be honest."

"Have you ever thought about it though?" He had put his hands behind his head, a slight smile tinted in his lips like he thought my panic was amusing,"I know I've thought about it."

"What?"

"Marrying you."

I had felt my eyes widen, my heart rate increasing like a train approaching a train track, slowly and then all at once,"I...uh..."

"You're acting like you don't have a thing for me," my words got caught in my throat,"Don't worry, it's cute."

"You're an idiot."

"No, Ladan's an idiot. I'm merely trying to find a potential mate."

"Maybe you haven't because you say things like "potential mate"."

"So..you've never thought of marrying me?" His voice trailed off for a minute, staring at me as I thought of my choice of words for the next few seconds.

"Perhaps," I had admitted,"but, to be honest, my dad talks about me marrying Laddie all the time. He even encourages me to try.." I grimaced at the thought,"Laddie's not exactly..my type, if you can't tell."

Aziz had let out a laugh, a laugh that I thought about every day since,"But I am?"

"There's a sort of fun around you that makes me feel happy to just know you, Aziz," I thought about the times he's made me feel sane in the bad times where I would panic over the dumb stuff, the times where he would make me laugh in the most terrible situations,"We have a connection that I don't feel with anyone else."

His breath had gotten caught in his throat as he stared at me. I wondered if I had said the wrong thing until he leaned in suddenly and I felt his lips grazing mine ever so slightly, my eyes were wide but I soon found myself melt into the kiss. Our lips fused closer together for a little longer before he pulled away, my lips still tingling from the sudden contact.

It took me a few seconds to realize he had kissed me. He had kissed me. The girl he had known since she was born and had been best friends with since God knows how long.

I wanted him to do it again. I wanted to do it myself. So I did.

I had pressed my lips onto his softly, velvet along silk as we stayed there for slightly longer than the last one. This time, he cupped my face with his hands as we titled our heads slightly, not daring to move our lips but the threat was there as I felt the need to lean in closer.

But I pulled away that time, my heart beating so fast I swore I was going to die. He breathed heavily for a few seconds, staring into my eyes from a few inches away as he whispered,"Hera.."

I didn't say anything as I looked at him, the feeling between us like an electric charge.

"I..." He couldn't seem to get the words out and that's when we suddenly heard the front door opening.

"Shit," I had grabbed his hand as we ran for the back of the house, nearly crashing into furniture and knocking over lamps as we made it.

I opened it hastily, hearing Mother and Father opening the front door,"You have to go," I whispered.

Aziz shook his head slightly as he whispered,"I'm..I'm scared."

I didn't hesitate as I gave him one more velvety kiss on the lips, stealing his breath away before I said,"Be brave, Aziz..I believe in you."

"Anahera? Where are you?" Mother inquired from the front of the house.

Aziz cupped my face once more, placing a chaste kiss onto my forehead before whispering,"Until we see each other again, Hera."

Then he ran off. And we never spoke of our first kiss ever again. I sometimes wondered if we ever would.

But now as we hugged for the first time in awhile, I realized that maybe we would never talk about it. It seemed so childish now, we both had other people and I knew nothing would change.

I never pulled away from our hugs first, knowing that it would probably be our first hugs since the last time we saw each other...but then I remembered Luke across the room and I stepped back, Aziz noticed and raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything,"Happy birthday, Hera."

"I still can't believe you're here," I waved Luke over and I noticed his sour expression as he put his hands in his pockets and stalked over,"I want to introduce you to-"

As soon as Luke reached me, he pulled me into a deep kiss, my breath nearly being blown away as he bit my bottom lip. He pulled away and smirked as he looked at Aziz,"Luke Patterson."

"Aziz Viziri," Aziz shook Luke's hand, looking very concerned as he looked Luke up and down. He glanced over at me and Luke clenched his jaw.

"Uh, yeah, this is my boyfriend, Luke."

"I can tell, not every day some random kid slips you the tongue," Aziz laughed out, trying to relieve the tension but only getting an even meaner look out of Luke.

"So," Laddie clapped his hands, bringing the attention to him,"does this mean I'm invited again?"

"What?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Stella and your very precious boyfriend here," Laddie pointed to Luke who laced his fingers into mine,"thought it was a courtesy to not invite me to this party."

"Probably for good reason," I crossed my arms but I looked over at Aziz,"But I'm willing to let you stay since you brought your brother."

"Thanks, babe," he seemed to think he was dismissed as he walked over towards Alex, I rolled my eyes.

Aziz watched Laddie walk across the room,"Does he always do this?"

"More than you'd definitely think."

"Guess he'll never change," Aziz crossed his arms,"it's good to see he found someone though."

I remembered Laddie and I's conversation from a couple weeks ago, how he mentioned how him and Alex were having troubles. However, you wouldn't tell just from seeing them. Even now, as I looked over, Laddie had his arm around Alex's shoulder while Alex gave Laddie a kiss on the cheek and snuggled his face into his neck while they talked to Angelica and Flynn who were just as touchy.

"Yeah, they're really their best when they're with each other," Luke finally spoke,"Just like Hera and I."

I could tell Aziz tried to refrain himself but he let out a laugh under his breath,"Cheesy, innit?"

"How are you and your girlfriend?" I felt Luke's hand tighten around mine, not being able to tell if it was from shock or anger as Aziz basically called him cheesy.

"Xenia's great," his eyes lit up when he said her name,"I can't wait for you to meet her. She's coming to the Dinner this year."

"Oh, her poor soul," I secretly hoped that Luke wouldn't ask about the Dinner, I really didn't want to bring him to it considering he was Muggle born and I knew both my family and the Malfoys would self destruct if they found out I was dating a Muggle born,"I can't wait to meet her. She must be pretty special if your eyes sparkle when you say her name."

"She is really special," Aziz had a bit of blush on his cheeks and I realized I had never seen him blush before,"I..I think I'm gonna propose to her."

I felt myself gasp slightly,"Oh my God, really?!"

"Yeah.." he let out a breathy laugh,"I really love her, Hera. I think you'll absolutely adore her."

"I really can't wait."

Luke seemed to grow attached to my side as he leaned in closer,"Well, I wanted to show Hera my gift to her before the official gift opening part of this party so if you'll excuse us...It was great to meet you, Aviv."

"It's Aziz."

Luke wouldn't listen as he lead me over to the big table where gifts were stacked up but swerved as he lead me to a door that lead to a corridor and into a darkened corner where no one was going to dare to mess with us.

As soon as my back hit the wall, he connected his lips to mine fiercely, his tongue slipping past my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled my hips closer to him. His head turned to the left and I nearly couldn't keep up as he put his hands in my hair.

I bit at his bottom lip and he whimpered, his fingers curling around my hair as he pressed me deeper into the wall. One of his hands hungrily found my waist, the other found my jawline as he guided my head to turn with his.

Our breath was ragged and our clothes wrinkled, minutes passing as the world around us was collapsing at our touch.

Soon, he disconnected our lips and he found the tenderest part of my neck and nipped at it, making me let in a sharp breath as I tried not to make a noise,"L..Luke."

"Hmm?" He kissed along my collarbone and the base of my throat, the vibrations hit my throat and I swallowed down a moan.

I felt his hands play with the hem of my shirt and the callouses on his fingers found my bare waist right when someone came around the corner,"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Miss Sincaid and Mister Patterson."

We both turned around to see Professor Snape almost directly in front of us, his face as monotone as his voice was on a daily basis,"I fear I cannot allow you to continue this..funny business any longer. Especially since this is a school and it's wildly inappropriate."

"Of course, Professor. So sorry," I tried to grab Luke's hand and lead him away but he stood his ground, I turned around and gave him a look that said "what the hell are you doing?" but he didn't seem to care.

"Ten points from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff," Snape seemed to find that amusing.

"Oh, come now, Severus..weren't you once a teenager? Sneaking around corridors and discussing affairs?" Caleb suddenly appeared from around the corner, Malachi directly behind him,"Or, if my memory serves right, you were quite the creep, especially to Lily Potter."

Snape's face turned sour,"And what business do you have discussing that?"

"As much as you have taking House points away from two teenagers in their senior year, especially when it's Miss Sincaid's birthday today and deserves the utmost importance," Caleb winked at the both of us and I felt my anxiety of the situation melt away.

Snape didn't say another word as he turned around, making his way back down the corridor and I turned to Caleb and Malachi,"Thank you."

"Of course, Anahera, nothing but the best for the birthday girl," Caleb looked at Malachi,"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have an urgent matter to get to. I do advise that you two get back to where you were first headed..and please don't make anymore pit stops along the way."

I nodded and I looked at Luke who was grinding his teeth next to me, he nodded too and Caleb dipped his hat,"Good day."

Malachi bowed slightly,"Happy birthday, Miss Sincaid."

I gave him an awkward smile as they made their way back down the hall and I sighed with relief when they were gone.

"So," I turned to Luke, he was fidgeting with a hole in his shirt,"What was the gift you were wanting to give me?"

"Can I ask you something?" He sounded almost upset, I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Uh, of course."

"Do you like Aziz?" The words seemed to scorn his tongue, making him curl his lips into a frown.

"What? Aziz? Maybe when I was like fifteen but..now?" I put my hands around his face,"You're the one I have eyes for now. Not him. You really don't have to worry."

He liked that, smiling slightly and then giving me a full on grin as he pulled out a small item from his pocket. He held up a rose gold ring with a teal geode set in the center, it was absolutely gorgeous.

"Stella said these are your favorite colors so.." he slipped it on my left ring finger,"I thought I'd take advantage of that advice."

"It's perfect," I pulled him into a gentle kiss, the feeling of his lips morphing onto mine was so soft and caressing mine so carefully that it was too much to hold back,"I love it."

He pulled me into a tight hug, his arms wrapping around my torso so close that I felt comforted in his embrace. He kissed my hair and mumbled into my hair,"Happy birthday, Hera."

•
November 20, 1995
Monday
•

I entered Caleb's classroom earlier than usual,"Good morning."

He didn't even jump as he turned around, holding a small box in his hands,"Good morning."

I raised an eyebrow as I put my bag carrying all my supplies on my desk, watching him as he placed the heavily decorated box on the corner of his desk,"And who might that be for?"

"Only a student who's birthday is near," he placed his top hat on his head, I noticed it was a deep green color that matched his crushed velvet suit jacket, a peacock feather was proud and high on the top hat today,"But I'm afraid she doesn't like gifts."

"And who told you this?" I sat down in the chair behind my desk, clasping my hands together and placed them on the surface of the desk,"A boy named Ladan Viziri?"

Caleb shrugged, bringing the small box over to my desk,"I just thought since their parents weren't ones for affection of any kind.." he placed it in front of me, the wrapping paper iridescent in royal blue, shimmering teal, and dark purple with a ribbon of silver, a small peacock feather was tucked into the ribbon,"I figured their daughter wouldn't be but..she deserves more attention than she's been given."

The words made me choke up but I pushed down the tears threatening my eyes as I picked up the box carefully, afraid to break it..I untied the ribbon and took off the paper to reveal a small brown box. I opened the lid and saw a golden necklace with an oval pendant on it, a regal looking woman on the front holding a peacock in her arms. Now the decoration and his outfit made sense.

"That is the Greek goddess Hera," he clarified, making me nod,"The wife of Zeus, a scornful and stubborn woman who was known to be extremely jealous and hardened to any kind of love besides her husband's.."

I placed the pendant onto the center of the palm of my hand, staring at the beautiful engraving as he continued to speak,"However, she was a kind and beautiful soul to those closest to her. Her family and friends. She was adored by the people who worshipped her. It was honestly no wonder she was scornful however since everyone she ever loved betrayed her time and time again."

I remember researching my nickname and finding all the stories about the goddess Hera, how many times she was betrayed and laid it right back on them. I sometimes found myself paralleling her feelings and I wished I didn't relate to a deity like her. I wished so hard that no one would make the connection..but by the way Caleb was describing it today, I knew why. He could see right through me.

I felt a tear glide down my cheek and I found myself stand up, feeling Caleb's arms around me warmly in the passing seconds,"Thank you."

I knew I'd never find someone who would treat me as well as he did, my parents never would have in a million years acted like they liked me as much as Caleb did.

It was comforting in a way. Having a father figure.

"Thank you.."