Can you believe it's summer already? I swear life is like a picky kid in charge of the remote. He watches the first few seconds of your life and, after a very brief deliberation, elects to fast-forward to the best bits.

From late night essays to school holidays; it just wants a beginning and an end, no middle.

With exams on the way, so comes my annual decision to go home or stay with friends for the first week.

Not one year did I truly want to stay at Hogwarts. Admittedly it's my favourite place on Earth, but chocolate cake everyday wasn't good for you no matter how much you love it.

However this year, for the first time, things are different. I truly do want to stay at Hogwarts. I have a lot to thank this castle for this year. It might've let me down in previous years, but this time it has done well by me.

I'm in my happy, friendship bubble and I can't bear to leave it. However there is the problem that I have to.

I'm always welcome like clockwork at the Burrow. I do that near on every year. Rosie goes home to her parents beach house in Cornwall. Alex and Dom will be hiking in the Lake District. And Joe was staying with his girlfriend's family.

Ilena would be in Sweden this summer visiting family. She talks about her parents as if they are rockstars. They're definitely not but they sure do travel a lot and clearly have good wealth.

I am slightly disappointed she hasn't asked if I want to spend the holidays with her folk. It doesn't matter really, it's just she tells me I would get along with them and they with me. But now she's got the chance she hasn't taken it.

I could ask but that would make me seem needy...wouldn't it? People don't ask to come over, they are invited. But maybe I should bring the subject up and just see if that triggers her to ask me.

Yeah, I'll just do that.

Dom and Alex peeking round the door to the entrance hall? Wonder what they could possibly be up to. If I'm meant to be on the butt-end of some prank then they're looking the wrong way for a start.

"What are you up to now?"

"Shhh!" Alex hisses, not turning her head away from something unseen by me. "I can't hear properly."

"Can you at least tell me what I'm looking at?" I say going towards the open doorway, not entirely sure if I'll be surprised by what I see or not.

Nothing immediately seems out of sorts, is this prank an illusory based one.

"Hey" I yell because Alex wants to drag me around apparently. "What's going on?"

She lets go when I'm back against the wall with them both. "Don't let them see you, they'll think we're snooping."

"Which is exactly what we're doing of course" Dom adds "but them knowing that spoils the action."

This is no prank. "Who are you talking about? Snooping on who?"

"Joe and Samara's downward spiral of a relationship" Alex says uncaringly. "He's in the middle of giving in his notice, and she's not taking it so good."

Slytherin's can really be damn right mean when they want to be, which appears to be all the time. "I can't believe you're listening in to people's private conversations, very delicate ones at that. Joe is your brother, his relationship isn't some reality show."

"Yeah, Joe is my brother, and trust me he should've sent that wench packing months ago. Now do you mind, he was just getting to the part where they talk about finding someone else who'll love them and all that crap." Alex tries to turn back round and it's my turn to yank her away.

"I honestly can't believe you right now. How you can call yourself his family I don't know, but what I do know is you're going to do what family should and leave them both to their business."

"But..." Dom tries and realises I'm not playing.

"Don't you 'but' me, get your arses to class before I hex it there. And believe me I have the arsenal to do exactly that."

With disappointment, slight fear and, most importantly shame on their faces, I lead them away.

The walk is shared in silence, it's quite empowering when you're intimidating enough to reduce cold Slytherin no-gooders to tiny mice. They've learnt very quickly that I'm a force of nature, and you don't want to be in the way of said force.

I wonder though, what brought about this decision from Joe to end his perfectly good relationship. I mean I said before that most relationships won't make it to the end of the year, but Joe didn't have to go and prove me right. I wanted him and Samara to be the exception.

It's not like they're not a good match. She's a brainbox in her own right, quite pretty and a Ravenclaw to boot. She always seemed nice the few times I spoke to her, slightly stand-offish at first but girls are always like that towards other girls around their boyfriends. Just like a guy would be if their roles were reversed.

Was that what this is about? Was she too jealous for his liking? Was there good reason for her to feel jealous? There were four girls in this six person ensemble, and Ilena said Joe may like Rosie.

But they've all been friends for years, before he and Samara got together. Did he only just realise his feelings for Rosie were more than just platonic? That's plausible, and quite romantic as well.

Something told me though that this theory was wrong. Joe hasn't acted any differently around Rosie that I've seen, and she's still giving him lovesick, melancholy eyes whenever she thinks no-one is looking. If he was planning on breaking up with Samara to be with Rosie, why would he agree to spend the summer with her?

No, breaking up with someone I assume is more complicated than that usually. What with the shared memories and care they both clearly had for each other. He obviously cared enough about her to let her down gently...or that could be just what decent boys like Joe do.

I can't believe I'm about to do this but these idiots likely have answers to some of those questions from their little spying game. This just won't go away until I have something to piece together. I hate outside things distracting me from classes so the quicker I get answers the faster I'll refocus.

"I hope your ear-wigging was worth it guys. You can make yourself useful at least if you can tell me why Joe wanted to break up with Samara."

"If you hadn't dragged us away you might've found those answers firsthand"

"Snooping on your brother's private business is not the way to get them Alex. I shouldn't have to tell you that."

"And asking about them behind their back is?" Dom tries to counter but I'm not letting him twist this.

"I'm a fellow friend asking fellow friend's about a fellow friend. It's called concern, you might not have heard it before from all the way down in the dungeons. Where I come from though a friend's personal life is one."

"Alright we get it, but I stand by what I said before, he could've ended this long ago."

Was that a lead from Alex? "What do you mean? Why?"

"She's always been a resentful little cow, it's surely not missed your attention that Joe spends far too much time with us for a guy in a committed relationship with someone on the outside. And that's what she is...the outsider."

"I thought WE were the outsiders."

"To the world yes, but it's also true that the world becomes an outsider to us. Some people can handle that, like Potter and Weasley, others can't."

I don't think I quite agree with that viewpoint, the boys and I still share that deep connection and just because I spend time with another friendship group, doesn't make them an outsider to me. But maybe that's for them to answer.

"But they've dated long enough, why isn't this happening the other way round if she felt so much neglect? Or better yet, join the group so she doesn't have to scrap for his attention?"

"I'm sorry, Samara's brain doesn't emit thought bubbles, otherwise I'd tell you."

"Alright Snarky, why DID Joe break up with her?"

Dom answers "he didn't exactly make it clear, she was asking but his answers were very vague and evasive. He didn't want to tell her why I suppose."

"Well yeah, when you're Joe and fed up with a girl you're not going to tell them that in your break-up speech."

"You heard him Alex, 'its too difficult to explain' Joe said. THE Joe Moon doesn't know to explain something then it's more complicated than just 'love-ya-leave-ya'"

I agree with his point, not his wording. "It's far too out of the blue, one of us would've surely have heard from Joe about his plans to break it off. I take it he didn't tell you guys?"

"Yeah, that's why we were hiding behind a wall." Alex is such a sulky puss when she doesn't get her way.

"So if we had no idea he was going to do it, and Samara hasn't done anything wrong, then that means Joe's problem involves one of us."

"I say 'love-ya-leave-ya' is far more plausible" Dom replies.

"Whatever, I'm sure Joe will explain all when he gets a chance. If he wants to that is" my no-nonsense tone is back "and we will all act like we don't know anything until he decides to do so."

"At least this is good news for Rosie, Joe being single" Dom comments.

"Rosie isn't some rebound girl Dom, she's got more self-respect than that." I don't think Dom was implying that Alex, but it is interesting that you seem almost protective of Rosie all of a sudden.

I think Alex can feel our inquisitive stares and refuses to meet them. It's time for me and Dom to share a knowing smile for a change.

Alex does surprise me though, I'd have thought she might've put her money where her mouth is and-Oh, wait...yeah, the sexuality thing. Alex was a bold character but she wasn't stupid.

Still she could pursue Rosie without outing herself, and we are all an accepting bunch. She shouldn't let Rosie's attraction to Joe stop her.

I finally deduced that the Slytherins are not going to be up to anymore trouble, and could make it to class on their own.

All day this brain has been whirring but not for reasons relating to classwork. There is just this sense that something is about to change in the Breakfast Club. Joe simply is not a person who dumps someone lightly, and for him to do so without bringing it up to his friends, it could only mean trouble for somebody.

Even if it was Rosie he was doing this for, Alex is a reminder that only bad things will come of it. It could be a potential falling out on the cards and that didn't sit right with me.

So I'm writing this note to all the club members, meeting in the library in ten minutes. I would explain to you my plan, but I'll be showing you before long so I needn't bother.

I finish that note, duplicate it four times and use the paper airplane charm on them all. Now they're on their way, I will take a headstart. Never needs an excuse to be early at the library this one.

I hope Dom and Alex understand our earlier agreement to stay quiet about the break-up.

Rosie must've already been in the library when I sent the notes, if the stack of books in front of her is anything to go by. She waves the blue paper plane at me. "I like your style."

"It's not exactly ground-breaking though, I mean the Ministry uses that method" says Alex who just followed me in.

"It wasn't supposed to be, I just didn't have the time to acquire five owls."

Am I the only one thinking Alex was a little early for someone who hates the library. In fact if I hadn't turned up seconds before her, she'd be alone with Rosie right now. Well well, very convenient.

"We don't have many organised meetings, which means this is an urgent matter right?" Rosie clarifies.

"Not necessarily, I do need to see you all just so I can work out what I'm doing for summer."

"Well, you know I'm going home so why am I here?" Rosie asks.

"Plans may change Rosie, who knows what could happen just a week away from end of term" just ask Joe.

"Well my Cornwall plans haven't. But I'll stay for the 'meeting' as I've got work to do."

"My plans have changed" Alex reveals. "I'm staying at home."

"What happened to the Lake District?" I ask.

"My dad broke his ankle. Kind of makes walking on hard, dangerous terrain for miles upon miles very difficult. Even with magic."

"And Dom?"

"I'd like to say he wasn't still going but he probably is. It was his family's idea."

Next to show up is the man himself. Dom tries to share a knowing smirk with me, and I will enjoy the look of confusion on his face later as I completely ignore his exchange.

It's a long wait for the next member, and I'm beginning to get...restless, frustrated, worried, just take your pick.

Relief floods through me as Ilena dashes in like the athlete she is. "Sorry! I was asleep when your note came Mione, and paper planes don't wake you up like owls do."

"It's alright Lena, you're here now. I'll punish you later." Erm, what, huh, okay, why?

I DID NOT MEAN IT THAT WAY, IT'S NOT MY FAULT SEX HAS RUINED PERFECTLY INNOCENT TEASING REMARKS.

She's as red as I am, and I've definitely caught us both off-guard. I can hear sniggering around us, but I'm pretending I can't. "So we're just waiting for Joe, has nobody seen him?"

"I saw Samara on the way here" Ilena also recovers. "Didn't see Joe with her."

I can see Dom ready to blow, but thankfully they don't say a word.

"He doesn't need to show up really, we all know where he is spending his holidays" that almost sounds like Rosie is being bitter.

"Is that what this is?" Ilena asks unsure.

"Yes but" and this is me being genuine here "I don't know what to do, the Burrow is an obvious option but I go there nearly every year."

I'm waiting for Ilena to take the hint, but it was either too subtle for her to notice, or she ignored it completely. That thought annoyed me.

"Merlin, this is completely pointless. Why don't we all just do whatever we want to do and just move on with our lives." Alex is only annoyed because there is more juicy things to discuss that we were ignoring or didn't know about.

"Look, I've been a friend to everyone here for nearly four months now. I just don't want to be ripped away from all this. The quidditch rivalries between us are all legendary, we're never boring nor experience a single day without any drama. We're a team and I'm going to miss this."

"That's quite touching, but I don't see what asking about everyones summer plans is gonna do." Even flattery does nothing to these people.

"Fine, whatever you may as well all go, Joe's clearly not turning up." The obvious disappointment in my body language is evident, but it's aimed at one person in particular.

What do I need to do Ilena, wear a T-shirt with "I want to come over" on it in bold capital letters?

"What a waste of time, if no-one has anything else to say I'm going back to the dungeons, coming Lex?"

Alex makes to follow him but glances back at Rosie a moment. "Err, you go on ahead, I think Rosie has the book I was after."

"I do?" Rosie queries bemused, checking through her stack of reading material whilst Dom gives his Slytherin accomplice a suspicious look. "What book?"

"The book on Astronomy, I forget it's name."

"I don't have any Astronomy books though. I have Charms, Dark Arts, Magical Creatures, Transfiguration" Rosie goes through them completely oblivious to the obvious act of improvisation from Alex.

"Transfiguration!" Alex pipes enthusiastically. "Yep, that's the one."

"I didn't think you took Transfiguration" Dom challenges, knowing full well she doesn't.

"Which is exactly why I need that book, I totally wish I had taken that NEWT class. But alas I can't so the textbooks will have to do."

Dom is not too happy now he's getting elbowed to the side, but he let's it go. "Fine, I'll see you in a bit."

Ilena and me are holding our breaths because we literally can't believe what we're seeing from Alex. Years of inaction, and suddenly she's decided to be a Casanova.

I wonder what brought that on? It couldn't have been anything to do with her rival brother now being single, could it? Getting in before it's too late?

We're invisible to her as she crosses the space to Rosie's table and sits down adjacent to her. Rosie hands her the book and Alex says something else.

By now Ilena was alongside me, joining me in just staring at the two girls now sitting barely inches from each other. Rosie had leant over to show her the book in more detail, but Alex's eyes were not looking at that. They were permanently transfixed on Rosie's face, probably debating whether she should close the short gap and kiss those pink lips.

"Mione, pinch me"

"Why?"

"Cos I'm not sure if I truly did wake up from my nap."

"I can assure you that you're not dreaming."

"Well, then this is a turn up for the books. Alex pursuing Rosie, and Samara crying in the hallway. Have I missed something during my little snooze?" Boy have you, it had to be down to me to enlighten her.

"Only the biggest thing since the Big Bang" I finally turn away from the very romantic scene with Ilena following curiously. "Basically the reason Joe hasn't turned up to this gathering is something to do with the fact he broke up with Samara earlier."

"He never!" Ilena exclaims so loud it earns us a hushed shushing voice from a far-off Madam Pince. "No wonder she looked so distraught. Why though?"

"Well, I don't know exactly. Dom and Alex were spying on them earlier, they said he was very vague and never gave her a definitive answer. But he never told any of us about his decision to end things, and he didn't show up here. What do you make from that?"

"He's keeping it from us. But why?"

"That brings me back to the scene we've just witnessed. Alex makes her move after years of fawning for Rosie; a desperation move. Because what is more threatening to your chances with someone, than the known crush of that someone becoming single?"

"So your saying the reason Joe has dumped Samara, is because he wants to date Rosie" Ilena don't process this before I can explain that it's merely a theory on virtually unreliable grounds. Too late. "It's a love triangle, with two siblings on opposite sides."

"Ilena, I wasn't stating facts. We can't assume anything until Joe has a chance to explain himself."

"Come on Hermione, nothing else makes sense. I've known Joe much longer than you and there's usually nothing he won't share with us. If he's not doing so now, it can only be because one of us is the problem. Perhaps two."

"You can't speculate too much about these things. There are many variables we're not considering, like Alex being his sister. He knows she has a thing for Rosie, why would he meddle with that? And it might not be Rosie at all, or any of us. He might just not want us to judge him so harshly."

Ilena isn't letting this drop at all. "You wouldn't have told me that theory at all if you didn't believe it Hermione."

"I..." she's right, and I feel so guilty because I'm a person of facts and evidence, yet I'm throwing wild speculations around and then denouncing them when I finally realise it was jumping the gun. "It's the most plausible theory, but it's not necessarily true."

Ilena ponders on, like a dog with a bone. "Someone needs to speak to him, get him to admit the truth."

"Interrogate him? But he's done nothing wrong?"

"He hasn't been straight with us, and is avoiding us all."

"Ilena it's not our business, we shouldn't be talking behind his back about things we don't know anything about." Hypocrisy duly noted, but in my defense I was only telling her to fill her in on what's going on. Not to launch an investigation.

"This is our business if it messes Rosie and Alex around."

I'm not getting through to her, I've planted a bud I can't remove and its going to grow and grow until a fight breaks out. "If I talk to him will you promise not to bring it up?"

"I don't know"

"Ilena, leave it all up to me will you? " The last thing Joe needs after a day like this is a grilling.

Ilena's face softens and I'm sighing in relief because that was hard. "Alright, only because I have faith in you."

"Thank you. Now about the holidays-"

"I'm waiting for permission to be granted from my parents as we speak, you didn't think I was ever allowing you to disappear for six weeks did you?" Ilena reveals with a sly grin.

I might've crushed her in my bare arms, but screw it...I have a suitcase to pack.

"Joe, hold up"

Joe pivots away from the door, holding it open for me with a soft but weary smile. "Hey".

"Thanks for holding the door like a gentleman" I pat his arm and close the door behind me. "So stranger, where've you been this past week huh?"

"Oh, exams getting on top, you know the drill." Pathetic attempt at a lie I must say.

"Right, are we the exam police or something because you've avoided us all week?"

"I...didn't need the distractions okay. Surely you understand that, better than I do in fact?"

"Ahuh, yeah I would if I actually believed you. Come on, you can tell me can't you?" I'll squeeze his arm, maybe that'll reassure him.

He sighs and laughs simultaneously, if that's possible. "Can't keep anything from Hermione Granger right? As it happens I've just ended things with Samara, well 'just' as in a week ago."

Cue fake surprise "oh, really, I'm so sorry. How are you coping? Silly question, no wonder why you've been so distant."

Joe scratches his neck nervously. "Yeah, it's been rough but I had my reasons, in the end it's better this way."

"But you had something there, why give that up?"

I wonder if he made this clueless face when he was ending it with her. "Feelings...just change I suppose. It isn't fair to her when my hearts no longer in it."

"It was once, why isn't it now?"

"Things don't stay the same forever, if there's a reason why this didn't I haven't found it." I believe that less than I believed his exam story.

"Well, I suppose when one love dies another begins, definitely seems that way recently."

"What do you mean?" he takes my bait like a greedy catfish.

"Well Alex has finally made a move on Rosie, hasn't asked her out yet but they've been mightily close this past week." Yeah, Alex simply cannot let Rosie out her sight at the moment, for fear she'll bump into her single brother.

"Wow, that's excellent. Good for her."

"Yeah" he barely reacted, he doesn't seem surprised at all. "Not bothered by that then."

"Absolutely not, long time coming I say"

Okay, that blew me completely out the water. "Wait, you want her to get with Rosie?"

"Of course I do, she's pined for so long I have the headaches to prove it. A week ago I said I had enough of it all, so I told her if I finally broke it off with Samara she should also ask out Rosie."

"She...she knew you were going to break up with Samara? So why lie to me about not knowing?" All pretense gone now, I'm furious.

Joe doesn't at all seem like this is new to him. He was part of it too "you bastard."

"Can I explain?"

"Very quickly before you'll be in too much pain to speak"

"We had a little pact between us. We'd help each other out only if we helped ourselves first. She'd pursue Rosie and I'd go missing for a week so they could get closer with me out the way. In return I break up with Samara and she'd help me keep the secret of why until I was ready to tell somebody."

Of course she knew the truth. She didn't let slip his secret. Gets undisputed attention from Rosie. Mission accomplished.

I can only assume Dom wasn't involved. My only reason for that was his reaction in the library to Alex ditching him, that was too authentic to be acting.

Such a deceitful scheme that was never necessary. "I'm appalled at this you know, not impressed. You've made a mockery out of me, and Dom I think, but mostly me. I stood up to Ilena for you."

Yeah you duck your head. "I'm sorry about that, Alex didn't bank on you showing up and getting involved. Once you were there was no going back, it was that or reveal all."

"And what is so bad that revealing it would be so disastrous?"

Joe's looking at me weird. "Nothing I hope, I was scared though."

"Of what?"

"Rejection."

"But you said you aren't pursuing anyone, Alex is pursuing Rosie."

"I never said I wasn't pursuing anyone, that is why I agreed to break up with Samara. And it isn't Rosie."

I'm literally too muddled up right now, if it isn't Rosie then "who?"

The moment he steps forward and cups my cheek, I know. "You Hermione".

And he kisses me.

Oh dear, what have I done, too much drama. Give me until next chapter and I'll fix it. Or not. See ya next time...