Sunday, 24 March, 13:00 GMT, present day
Drew seemed to stare off into the distance. She sighed to herself as she thought about her former classmate.
o-o-o
"You know, if you take a picture, it will last longer," the tall Half-Blood Squib said as he took a seat on the concrete bench next to her.
Drew looked up at Dean as he sat down on the bench in the atrium. "What was that?" she asked.
He smiled at her as she noticeably flushed. He nodded at the couple at the opposite end of the atrium who were embracing. "You should go ask him out."
"Very funny Dean," she said.
"I mean, that's his second girlfriend already this year," he shrugged as the school bell chimed.
"I'm really not interested in the American's love life, thank you very much," she said as she stood up. She walked away from the bench.
Dean had to walk quickly to catch up to her. "Just kidding," he said as he synchronized his gait with hers.
"We're going to be late for Professor Kaiser's class," she said as she changed the subject. Dean smiled and rolled his eyes as they made their way to their Year 10 Biology classroom.
o-o-o
She checked her wristwatch as she finished the last of her annotations to the notes she had written in Professor Ingles Year 11 English class. Dean had already left for his math class as he had a term 3 final to take. She packed up her bookbag and picked up her notebook. She had to get to Professor Kaiser's Physics class in the next three minutes.
She entered the hallway and quickly walked toward the end of the hall. She made a quick turn to the right and was floored. There was laughter.
"Why don't you watch where you're going," the familiar husky voice of the female track runner, girlfriend number five, if she was keeping count, echoed in the hall. The crowd of students around them laughed.
Drew looked up to see Macy and Phillip looking down at her as Aston and the rest of their crew seemed to smirk at her. She blew out a breath as she slowly got to her feet. She picked up her notebook and returned their smirks. She bypassed the crowd and choked back tears as she passed the varsity basketball player on her way to the science class. She already knew she would be a minute late for class.
o-o-o
Drew looked up at where the "cool" kids sat during lunch. She took one last sip from her half-pint of milk.
"I heard they broke up because of basketball," Dean said.
Drew turned to her old friend, "Okay, who's spreading that rumor."
Dean laughed, "No seriously. I think they broke up because of you."
"Don't be a prat, Dean," Drew said as she ate her last baby carrot.
"Let's face it, you're a hussy," he said as he stood up and took her tray.
"You're incorrigible," she said as she followed him to the trash bin.
He smiled at her. "Come on, then. We don't want to be late for Advanced Lit."
o-o-o
Drew blew out a breath as she watched the couple lean in closer to each other as they danced. She had to look down into her cranberry cocktail.
"I don't think they'll last," the Half-Blood Squib quipped.
Drew chuckled. "They're going to Syracuse together. Their families are finding a rental for them."
"Doesn't mean they'll end up together," Aston shrugged. "You know his track record."
She laughed. "They make a good couple," she said softly.
"Meh," he said. "I don't think she's his happy ending."
She studied his face for a moment. He seemed as if he knew something she didn't. She canted her head at him and then rolled her eyes.
"To what the future holds," she said as she raised her glass. He nodded at her and clinked his glass. They both took a sip as they watched the couple continue to dance.
o-o-o
Drew looked up at the ceiling in the bedroom of the beach house. Even in the darkness, she could see the natural rings of the wood. There was the usual twinge in her heart. He hadn't come home again.
Why did she always let this bother her? They both decided a long time ago that only those in their circle, ready to know about the Wizarding life, would be invited into the beach house.
It had been a long last year of medical studies for her and it was Phillip's last year of undergrad. He had been seeing the Business student for the last six months. Things seemed to be getting serious between the two. 'She should be happy for the pair,' she thought to herself. At least she wasn't getting the morning after phone calls.
It was just as well. Graduation would be just around the corner. He would be leaving soon to the mainland to train.
o-o-o
She looked at her wristwatch before answering her mobile. She smiled inwardly, "Hey, what's up?"
"Did I catch you at a bad time?" the Boston Celtic forward asked.
"Nah, I didn't have anything else better to do at 2 am in the morning," she said. "Just doing my hospital rounds."
He laughed. "Right," he said. "It's 8 am here."
"So, how's everything on your end of the country?"
"Fine," he said.
"Another bad date last night?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"No, actually," he said as she took in an unnoticeable breath. "I, um, think she's the one."
There was silence on her end for what seemed like an eternity. She finally spoke up, "Great. How long have you been seeing this one?"
"Six months now," he said. "Lisa Randle."
"Randle?" she said. "As in the Celtic team owner?"
"Yeah," he said hesitantly. "His daughter."
"Well," she paused. "You're the best player on the team. The others can't really call nepotism."
Phillip laughed. Drew eventually joined in.
"I'm really happy for you, Phil," she said, hiding the pain her voice.
"Thanks, Drew," he said. "Hey, maybe we can go on a double date sometime."
She laughed as the hospital paging system turned on. She gulped. "I have to…"
"Yeah, go ahead," he said. "I'll talk to you later."
Drew hung up the phone. She stood there for a moment, looking at the mobile before heading off to the emergency room in the Queen's Hospital.
o-o-o
"Why do you do that to yourself?" she asked him softly.
"What do you mean?" he asked, hiding his insecurity.
"Lisa's the worst of the 15 steadies that you've had since I've known you," she said without thinking.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're giving me relationship advice?"
"No, it's just," she paused, averting his eye contact for a moment before looking into his face. "She's cheated on you three times since you've been together. She's a conceited, pompous, and callous bitch."
"You've never liked her," he said exasperatingly.
"What's there to like?" she asked, her voice slightly raised.
"My personal life is none of your business," he sneered at her as he abruptly stood up from the table.
o-o-o
"I'm sorry. What I said about you and Lisa at dinner, Phil," she paused. "You were right," she said as she clutched at his shirt.
"What was I right about this time?" he asked. He was relieved when he heard her laugh.
She gulped. "You were right," she said again, pausing as she looked into his eyes. "Your personal life is none of my business. I have no right to tell you who you should and shouldn't be with, Phil.
"Maybe you should go back to Lisa," she said shutting her eyes for a moment. She opened them again, as a tear streamed down her cheek. "She'll take you back. You two are a match, Phil. I just want you to be happy."
o-o-o
"That friend of ours needs a stern talking to," Aston said. "He should learn to keep his love life out of the mass media."
Drew sighed and shrugged, "His personal life is his business. It's not his fault the paparazzi is all over the place."
Aston snorted. "Still," he said canting an eyebrow.
"He chose her," she said as she looked up at him. "I'm not like any of his girlfriends. I'm not glamorous or glitzy enough.
"I'm just me," she shrugged as she gazed at her sleeping son, "I welcome my downtime. I enjoy curling up next to a fire and reading a classic. I'm not red-carpet material.
"I can't compete," she said as she looked at Aston, her eyes started to brim with tears.
He put his forehead against hers, "You're worth ten of her."
She shrugged. A tear or two began to roll down her cheeks.
o-o-o
Sunday, 24 March, 13:05 GMT, present day
"Alright, Drew?" her mother's voice shook her out of her daze. Drew looked up as Dr. Hermione Granger Malfoy sat down next to her on one of the couches in the large family room. Her mother had handed her a cup of cocoa.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Mum," Drew said as she took a sip of the cocoa.
"You look like you were somewhere else," her mother noted.
Drew shrugged. She tried to smile. "I guess I was reflecting."
Her mother studied her for a moment. She nodded. "Did you get any epiphanies?"
Drew laughed. "I'm just marveling how you and Dad have been together for the last thirty-one years. I mean, not too many couples can say that about themselves."
"Well, it did take us some time to finally get together," Hermione said. "It took us nineteen years to finally realize we weren't the enemies we thought we once were."
Drew smiled. "You two got together, though."
"We've seen each other at our worst as well as at our best," Hermione said as she looked at Drew. "Just as you and Phillip have.
"Phillip is a good man, Drew," her mother said as she gently took hold of her daughter's chin.
"I know, Mum," she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"What are you afraid of, Drew?"
Drew fell silent for a few moments. She looked back up at her mother, "I'm afraid how he would react to finding out about Andy. What if wants nothing to do with him?"
"You won't know that until you inform him about the boy," Hermione said.
"I don't want to lose him as a friend, Mum," Drew said. Hermione pulled her daughter into an embrace.
"Everything will work out, Drew," Hermione said. "Dad and I will always back you, you know that."
"Thanks," she said into her mother's shoulder. Drew finally looked up at her mother. She shrugged at her. "Happy anniversary, Mum."
Hermione nodded at her daughter. She gave her shoulder a squeeze, reassuring her that everything would work out.