Later, in the teacher's lounge, Hastings sat with a cup of tea, still a little shaken about her class. If they knew that she conjured a Thestral… It wasn't even worth thinking about. Odessa joined her when she came into the room. "Wow," said Odessa. "You look like you had a rough day."

"Seventh years wanted me to show them my Patronus," said Hastings.

"Ah," said Odessa, "Say no more."

"What's this all about?" asked Falcon, who, to Hastings's regret sat near them.

"Nothing," said Hastings, but Odessa said,

"Her Patronus." Hastings glared at Odessa.

"What about it?" asked Falcon.

"Nothing," said Hastings again.

"Come on," said Falcon. "You can tell me."

Hastings realized that he would bug her unless she told him, and as she wanted him to go away as soon as possible, she said, "It's the form of a Thestral."

"Interesting," said Falcon. "If I might ask, how old were you when you first conjured it?"

"Twelve," said Sirius, who had just joined them. "Taught by yours truly, of course."

Odessa looked at him and blushed as he smiled and winked at her, then sat on a chair next to Falcon.

"But, why did you… I mean, why a Thestral, of all things?" Falcon persisted.

"It was the first magical beast I ever saw when I came to Hogwarts," said Hastings quickly. "And, of course, no one else could see it."

"May I ask who you knew that died?" asked Falcon, matter-of-factly.

Hastings wanted him to leave well enough alone, feeling old pain come back. She looked away.

"Maybe we'll talk about this later," said Odessa, sensing her friend's distress.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "How was your day, anyway, mate?"

Falcon looked to Sirius, then to Odessa, then back to Hastings. "Am I missing something here? Surely you can tell me. It was, what, at least sixteen years ago. It's a part of life, after all, and—"

Hastings fist hit the table with a loud bang. "Is your clinical detachment all you think others are capable of, Falcon?" asked Hastings loudly.

"What do you mean?" asked Falcon, shocked at her outburst. "Calm down. I think if we can talk about this rationally, without becoming passionate—"

"That's always a problem with you, isn't it?" asked Hastings, almost shouting now. "No passion, no feeling, just your medical bullocks!"

"Hastings, he didn't mean—" said Sirius.

"You want to know," said Hastings. "You want to know who I saw die? Who I saw killed?"

"Now, Hastings," said Falcon, placing a hand on her arm and trying to quiet her.

Hastings wrenched her arm away from Falcon and stood up. "I was eleven, all right? It was just before school, in the summer. My twin sister and I were playing in our yard…"

"I didn't know you had a twin," said Falcon.

"I don't now," said Hastings though gritted teeth. "A fully-grown wizard walked down the street, pointed his wand at her, and performed Avada Kedavra!" Hot tears now streaming down her face, Hastings rushed off to her bedroom, and they all heard the door slam.

Falcon, shocked at her outburst, stood and retreated to his own room.

Odessa and Sirius were left at the table, looking at each other.

"Well, that went rather well, don't you think?" Sirius asked. Odessa offered a half smile in response.

"I should go talk to her."

"Nah, I think you should stay," Sirius said.

Odessa was surprised, "But Hastings's upset."

"Of course she is. She needs a few minutes alone. Don't forget, I was her friend first."

Odessa bristled, "But I've been her best friend for years now. I don't care if you played as children because your parents worked together. I know her a lot better than you do Sirius."

Sirius placed a hand on her arm, "I'm not trying to upset you Odessa. Or play 'Who likes Hastings better.' I remember that day, I was there. I was in the kitchen with her mom when it happened."

"I know you were." Odessa said sulkily.

"Then please trust me when I say to give her a few minutes. Losing Miriam was a horrible thing, especially considering that the only reason she was killed was because a worker went postal." Sirius paused for a moment. "Did you know that he came after me first?"

Odessa shook her head.

"Yeah. Good 'ol John thought that my mom was more to blame than Hastings' dad. But we weren't at the house when he arrived. Ironically, we were at Hastings' house. He just came into the yard and killed Miriam. She fell on a rake that was in the yard…" Sirius grimaced and paused. "…And then he pointed his wand at Hastings. Mr. Applespice came out in time though, thank goodness for that. Anyway, the point is, whenever Miriam is brought up Hastings prefers to be alone."

"I know," Odessa admitted. "It's just that I want to be there for her. She's always been there for me."

"She's a good friend," Sirius agreed, "but so are you."

"Yeah…a friend." Odessa said quietly. "Listen, it's been a few minutes. I'm going to make sure she's okay." Odessa got up before Sirius could stop her. "You might want to speak with Falcon."

"I wanted to avoid it actually."

Odessa was surprised, "Why?"

"Because then he's going to ask me if Hastings wants to break up with him and I'm tired of lying about the whole thing. Can't you convince Hastings to just take care of it already?"

"How did you know?"

"She's easy to read. Poor Falcon's so star struck that he hasn't noticed yet. I haven't seen him this way since…" Sirius paused.

"Since when?"

"Since he decided that he liked you," Sirius said.

Odessa laughed, "Falcon's never liked me. We've always been friends, but nothing more."

"You just keep telling yourself that Odessa, but he did like you for awhile. When I returned to teach at Hogwarts he would write me about you all the time. Tell me how he loved your blue eyes, or how he thought you were so cute when you wore your hair in pigtails and went around in work out pants. It got rather tiring after awhile to tell you the truth."

"Why didn't he ask me out? I might have said yes." Odessa said.

Sirius laughed, "I doubt that. You were dating what's-his-name at the time. The rookie Quidditch player."

Odessa looked puzzled for a moment, "Oh, you mean Matt. Goodness, that was a long time ago. And it only lasted a few months. He thought a bit much of himself. And Hastings was dating his friend and I felt bad about breaking it off because I thought things might get awkward. That is until she told me she thought the same way about…whatever his name was."

"It was enough to keep Falcon away. And then you and I started dating again."

Odessa blushed at the memory but quickly recovered, "Isn't that against some type of rule? You don't date the girl your friend likes?"

Sirius shrugged, "I was never one for rules."

"That's definitely true." Odessa said.

"You better go check on Hastings."

"And you better make sure Falcon's okay. And tell him he should break up with Hastings. I'm sure you can come up with a good lie. You always could before."

"I'm not sure that was a compliment." Sirius said with a grin. "See ya later."

"See ya."

Sirius sighed and headed towards Falcon's room. He had missed being able to just talk with Odessa. Heck, he missed being able to hold her too. But that letter…Sirius shook his head. Who had written it?

"Hey Falcon," Sirius knocked on the door. "You okay mate?"

Falcon looked up from the letter he was reading. "Better than okay! I've been offered an internship under the head medi-wizard at St. Mungo's. It's for two years, and then I work directly under her and eventually take over her job. This is the chance of a lifetime!"

"What about your job here?" Sirius asked. "What about Hastings?"

"Hastings will understand. And the letter says they'll send a replacement in my stead. Minerva's already been informed. She stopped by to say that she thinks this a great opportunity and I should take it. I need to go tell Hastings. She'll be so excited." Falcon rushed out the door.

"Not in the way you think mate." Sirius said to himself. "Definitely not in the way you think."

Odessa sat quietly by her friend as she cried into her pillow. Her knees were gathered up under her chin, and she hugged her legs. After a few moments of sniffing and breathing deeply, Hastings sat up again. "I'm sorry, Ode," she said, her voice nasally. "You'd think that after seventeen years I could handle talking about Miriam."

"You're allowed to cry," said Odessa. "It's not an unforgivable c— Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that."

"That's okay," said Hastings, chuckling in spite of herself. "I know what you meant. That's the difference between you and Falcon, you know? You have a heart, and he… well…" Hastings sighed. "At least this looks like as good a reason as any to break up with him. I felt shallow basing it on our differing passions."

"You shouldn't," said Odessa. "You should at least be with someone who doesn't bore you. Someone who fits you better.

"I thought you were the one who said we were matched," said Hastings.

"Well, I did think you were a good match in some ways. I still do," said Odessa, shrugging her shoulders.

"Do me a favor," said Hastings.

"What's that?"

Hastings smiled and said, "I love you, but don't ever try to hook me up me again."

Odessa smiled in return, "Only until someone better shows up."

"Ninny," said Hastings, her nose still extremely stuffy.

"Dork," said Odessa just as there was a knock on the door.

"Cubb ind!" Hastings said through her stuffed nose.

The door opened cautiously, and Falcon came in. "Everything okay?"

Rolling her eyes behind the hanky, she said, "It is dow."

Apparently thinking he was the reason that she felt better, Falcon said, "Well then, let me throw another log on the fire."

"Should I go?" asked Odessa.

"No, you stay," he said. "This is good news. I want you both to hear it."

Hastings threw her hanky into a hamper in the corner, then sat back on the bed, Indian style, hugging a pillow to her chest. "What's up?" she asked.

"Well, ladies," said Falcon, obviously proud. "I have been chosen to become the new intern to the head Medi-Wizard at St Mungo's! Isn't that great?"

Hastings was shocked. "But… but… you just stopped working there to come here. What happened?"

"Well, apparently, Susan Herring, the director, heard about my work in my old department, and couldn't wait to get me back. I'll be training for her position. Just think! Head of the hospital! A real career!"

Hastings, who was not amused, threw her pillow aside and stood up. Folding her arms before her and cocking her head to the side, she said, "What do you call working at Hogwarts, Falcon, play time?"

Falcon's smile faded, and he said, "No… it's all right for a teacher… but come on—school nurse? Isn't very dignified, if you ask me."

"You broke your leg falling off a broom during Quidditch, you git," said Hastings. "Madam Pomfry certainly didn't think she was too dignified to set your bloody bones, did she?"

"You know what I mean," said Falcon, becoming annoyed. "I thought… this is the chance of a lifetime, I thought you'd be happy for me."

"Oh, you misunderstand," said Hastings. "I am simply thrilled that you got this opportunity. Why, now I won't have to see your face every bleeding day!"

"That's my cue," said Odessa. She stood up and walked out the door.

"Are you saying… is this over?"

"You bet," Hastings spat. "First, you're heartless about my sister's death—"

"I never said—"

"Next, you insult the idea of working at Hogwarts! Besides that, you're always trying to calm me down. You want me to be little miss perfect—nice arm candy for you to show off at the Medi-Wizard Ball. I can't be myself around you… you're trying to turn me into a ninny!"

"Hastings, now don't get excited…" said Falcon, making a gesture with his hands that she should quiet down.

"That, in a nutshell, has been our relationship for the past three months, Falcon," she shouted. "You calming me down. You telling me to be quiet. You not accepting who I am!"

Falcon looked at her, his jaw set, and his shoulders squared. He looked hurt as he said, "You know, you're right."

"Well," said Hastings in surprise. "That's something…"

"Not about me being insensitive about your sister, I didn't know and you acted like I should. Nor about my thoughts on Hogwarts – its not the job for me. But you're right that you'll never be proper—or at least act like a grown up. You're too scatter-brained to be with. You're constantly embarrassing me with your laughter and your loudness. I should have gone for Odessa when I had the chance."

"What did you say?" asked Hastings.

"Are you so thick?" asked Falcon. "Odessa Grace—your friend? When Sirius broke up with her because of that letter I wrote, I should have sailed in to console her, but there you were, making everything so—"

"YOU WROTE THAT LETTER?" Hastings yelled. She grabbed her "Magical Me" from her night stand and chucked it at Falcon. "YOU BASTARD! GET OUT! GET OUT!"

Falcon dodged the book, but Hastings grabbed an empty bottle of Butter Beer and hurled that at him as well. It hit him in the arm and fell to the wooden floor, shattering. Falcon didn't say another word, but left her room, shutting the door as Hastings hurled a pillow at it. Livid, she followed him out, and down the stairs to the common room, making sure he was really leaving. She ran up to Odessa's room, threw open the door, and said, "You are never going to believe this!"

Odessa looked up from the book she was thumbing through, "Falcon broke up with you before you could break up with him?"

"No, you nut! He wrote the letter!"

"The one from St. Mungo's? Why would he do that?" Odessa looked confused.

"Not that letter. The letter." Odessa still looked puzzled. "The one Sirius found on your desk that caused him to break up with you!"

"You're joking," Odessa said. "Falcon would never do that. He's not that…that underhanded."

"He just told me."

"Just now? As you were breaking his heart he said, 'Oh, by the way, I wrote the letter that caused Odessa and Sirius to break up.' He was mad, he wanted to make you mad and that was the first thing that came to his mind."

"You git," Hastings said, sitting down next to her. "Read my lips: Falcon – the guy I've been dating – wrote – presumably with a quill on a piece of parchment – the letter – a bunch of words put together as a personal note – that caused the break up between you and Sirius – the man you've been madly in love with since we were in school."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes, of course I am." Hastings said, exasperated. "Why would I lie to you, especially about this?"

"I-I just can't believe that he would do something like that." Odessa said, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "We've been friends since our first day at Hogwarts when I decided to see what would happen if you mixed the ingredients in the wrong order in potions class. He covered up for me when my cauldron exploded. I just…why would he do that?"

"Because he wanted to go out with you."

"Sirius mentioned that Falcon once had a crush on me. But why would he go through all of that trouble and then not swoop in as my hero?"

Hastings shrugged, "I kicked him out of my room before he could explain that part."

Odessa giggled through her tears, "Why am I not surprised?"

Hastings grinned sheepishly, "One day I'll learn to get the whole story before I lose my temper. So, are you going to tell Sirius?"

Odessa thought for a moment, "No, I don't think so. We're just now becoming friends again – I don't know what this news would do to that. Besides, I have to confess that I'd like him to tell me that he's sorry he ever thought I wrote the note without knowing who did. I need him to trust me. Am I just being proud?"
"Perhaps a little, but I understand. I won't say anything either. I'll leave that up to you."

"Thanks Haste. I appreciate that."

"That's what I'm here for," Hastings said with a grin. "It's been a rather exhausting evening, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it has. I think I'm going to go to bed." Odessa stood up. "Not that I'll sleep, but, I just need time by myself."

"I understand. Night."

"G'night."

"Why are you leaving tonight?" Sirius asked Falcon as he helped him pack his bags.

"I want to get settled in my new flat before I start. And since I start the day after tomorrow, I thought I'd get a head start and leave tonight."
"You're just avoiding Hastings, aren't you?"

Falcon grinned, "Perhaps a little. I wasn't expecting that reaction. You know, I really liked her a lot. I thought there was something real there."

"You'll know when you find it mate." Sirius said.

"That's what they all say." Falcon replied. "But do you really know?"

Sirius nodded, thinking of Odessa, "Yeah, I think you do."

Falcon threw his last shirt into his trunk and stood up. "Well, I'll be seeing you mate. I've already told Minerva I'm leaving tonight. She said the new replacement will be here tomorrow. I hope it's someone good."

"Yeah – you just don't want anyone better than you in the position."

"Sirius, I don't think there's anyone better than me. I just got chosen for the internship."

"Well, don't let that big head of yours topple you over."

Falcon laughed, "I won't. I'll bee seeing you." He grabbed his trunk and walked out the door.