I'm still looking for my own version of America
One without the gun, where the flag can freely fly
No bombs in the sky, only fireworks when you and I collide
It's just a dream I had in mind
It's just a dream I had in mind
It's just a dream I had in mind

-Looking for America, Lana Del Ray

...

The walk to McGonagall's office was tense, James kept his eyes down, fists clenched at his sides. His head throbbed; the blow Arthur Cauterwal had done had rattled his brain. He'd broken his glasses enough times to know the spell by heart and repaired them quickly as they walked. If Lily had noticed, she didn't let on. Now and again, as they walked down the corridors, James could just catch the whisper of a withheld sob and saw little tears at the corners of her eyes. He knew what was coming for him when he got to her office, James and the rest had been there enough times during their schooldays to expect to be let off without punishment.

He felt an idiot, he was still carrying his broom, and the delight James had had had just this morning in its virgin flight was nothing to the shame and embarrassment he felt now. Compared to Lily's jumper and jeans, he felt abnormally uncomfortable in his Quidditch uniform, even more so like he was a child on his way to the Headmaster's office. Not far from the truth, he supposed. But this time, he well and truly hadn't done anything.

Sirius was much the same he always was, walking as if nothing bothered him on the other side of Lily. James knew that he was seething on the inside. Sirius had been raised on doctrine and discipline, and this charade of gloomy silence was nothing new to him. Luckily, the others had had the good sense to keep their bloody mouths shut and were most likely right as rain overhearing the tidal wave of gossip that was likely to have descended.

They turned the corner into the Transfiguration wing and stopped at the doorway as McGonagall unlocked the door.

"In," she said, pointing needlessly to the three chairs before her desk.

They sat, and James couldn't help watching as her knees bounced. Evans was a good person to have around in a crisis, levelheaded as she was; he hadn't expected this from her. It was just detention, the worst that could happen is they would do manual labour, and even that wouldn't be forever. And that wasn't accounting for the fact that they had the map, and two men on the outside.

"What I witnessed in the Great Hall was the most inexplicable display of uncouth emotion I have, until today, been unfortunate enough to witness. Do you have anything to say for yourselves?"

"Evans didn't do anything wrong," Sirius said, and James nodded earnestly. "Her boyfriend shouted at her for a bit and then punched James in the face. I'm not sure, entirely, what in that she's to blame for."

McGonagall fixed the three of them with a piercing glare overtop of her spectacles, and James had the good sense to look away. "Miss Evans did nothing to quantify a punishable offence," she said to their general astonishment. "Other behaving more discreetly in future, but that is neither here nor there. I called you here because it was an excellent opportunity to discuss another matter, one to the effect that is best discussed outside of the earshot of the general populace, and one that requires a good deal of tact."

"So, you come to us?" Sirius said. "You have gone mad,"

McGonagall sighed and opened a drawer of her desk, retrieving a book. After a moment of searching for the correct page, she settled upon a paragraph, which she promptly began to read.

"The Head Boy and Girl must perform as a pair, to work together to lead the student body towards positive behaviour. Their responsibilities extend to that of the entire school, upholding themselves and those they represent into appropriate and upright conduct. They are the example by which the student body is to emulate, and the direct examples of the faculty and professors to students from all houses."

She shut the book, and a cloud of dust settled over her desk. Sirius sneezed, and McGonagall looked over with distaste.

"Since you two had ascended to this post, There have been at least two public shouting matches between you, a public display of emotion in the Great Hall, and any number of public altercations between Mr. Potter and Mr. Snape in the full view of the student body."

"You're fighting with Snape again?" Lily said in a dangerous tone, turning to face James. "You're such a child! I thought you were over this!"

"I didn't do anything besides defend myself!" James said. "He started it! Called you a, called you—,"

"Enough," McGonagall said evenly, and James sighed and turned to face her. "If this were to serve as an example of how not to behave, it would be more than sufficient. You are both of age and both aware of the correct way of behaving in public. This animosity between the two of you must come to a swift, and sudden conclusion or further steps will be taken."

"Further steps?" Sirius asked, and James glared at him.

"Yes," McGonagall said. "But not ones that involve you, Mr. Black. There is another option, not one used often, but it exists. There is a dormitory on the sixth floor that long ago was used by the Head Boy and Girl as their living quarters. You would spend some time in isolation from your dormitory, if that is the option Professor Dumbledore and I choose, to come to an understanding of the post you both share. Am I understood?"

"For how long?" Lily asked, not particularly looking forward to the implications therein. "Would we be in isolation, I mean,"

"Until we release you, Miss Evans, and you have the both of you, regained control of your senses. Am I," McGonagall said, pausing to look at them over the rims of her spectacles. "Understood?"

"Yes, professor," James said.

"You are dismissed, Black, Potter. Stay behind, Miss Evans, I wish to speak with you alone."

James and Sirius both rose from their chairs to leave, but just before he did, James hesitated, one hand still on the back of his chair. "You won't punish her, will you professor?" he said hesitantly. "She really has done nothing wrong."

"I will do as I deem fit, Mr. Potter, it is of no concern to you," McGonagall said, sitting back into her chair. James nodded and stole to the other end of the room where Sirius was waiting and closed the door.

...

Once the door shut, McGonagall put the book back in her desk and turned to face Lily, who looked more than a little embarrassed.

"Miss Evans," McGonagall said, not unkindly. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Lily sniffed, and when offered, took the biscuit absentmindedly. "Not particularly, professor,"

"I'm not speaking of, more recent events, although those are of merit as well," McGonagall said, taking a ginger newt for herself. "But perhaps something of a more personal nature. I have heard through more than one of my colleagues that you have been unlike yourself as of late."

Lily looked down at her lap, feeling very much the naughty child before their mother. Time hadn't been kind to the relationship between her and her mother, and in that absence, McGonagall had taken measured control with a crisp, but not unkind efficiency. Many a teenage woe had been expressed in this office, but this wasn't a broken heart or a concern over O.W.L. requirements. Her sister didn't want her; her mother was otherwise occupied. She had cheated on her boyfriend intentionally, without consideration for the consequences and tangled herself in someone else's heart. This was adult stuff, embarrassment, and love declarations and an absentee immediate family. It was her future, her life beyond Hogwarts and the war, and she wasn't sure what she thought about that.

"My sister is seeing a Muggle," Lily began, fiddling with the seam in her jumper sleeve. "She's said some unkind things about me regarding our home life, or rather, the lack thereof. She doesn't want me to come home anymore."

McGonagall Summoned a squat little teapot and poured two cups of tea, dipping a healthy measure of sugar into Lily's cup before passing it on to her.

"You and your sister were close for a time, were you not?"

"Yes, very close."

"What has changed since then?"

Lily sighed and took a sip of tea. "It all changed when Severus Snape found out that I was a witch. We started spending time together. He could explain these strange things that I could do, the odd things that happened to me. Petunia was jealous, and we haven't been close since."

"Did things get better when you came to school?"

Lily nodded. "For a time, when we both came home over Christmas and summer hols, it was as if nothing had changed, but under the surface, something had shifted."

"Shifted?"

"Yes," Lily said. "My parents were mesmerized by what I could do; they wanted to hear everything about Hogwarts and magic and what I was learning. Petunia was just ordinary. King Lear pales somewhat in comparison to turning a teacup into a mouse."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow.

"It was quick, nobody saw. Oh, never mind. What I meant to say is that our relationship has taken a turn for the worse, and I don't believe that I'm capable of fixing it. I mean, I love her, of course I do. She's my sister. But I miss her, and when I said the same to James and he was of a different opinion."

"Oh?" McGonagall said, slowly stirring her tea.

"He said that you should always keep family close, even when it's not in your best interest."

"How wise,"

"Yes,"

"Did any other revelations sprout from this conversation?"

"Yes, but—,"

"But what, Miss Evans?"

"I don't want to trouble you,"

"Nonsense," McGonagall said. "I am your Head of House, and it is my responsibility to oversee your physical and mental wellbeing. And your wellbeing is the wellbeing of the school you serve, so I daresay whatever it is you have to say is of some importance,"

"I suppose so," Lily responded, her knee bouncing all the more. "It was late, and we were somewhat under the influence. So much was happening all at once, and he was so close. He just seemed to care? If that makes sense? To care about me and what was happening with Petunia and one thing led to another—,"

McGonagall held up a hand, and Lily paused, her jaw shutting like a clamshell. "Before you continue, Miss Evans, while I am sworn to secrecy in these matters, if you reveal that you and Mr. Potter have engaged in any explicit activities on school grounds you are both subject to far more serious punishments than isolation from your dorm mates."

Lily felt her face warming. "No! Not like that, no, no. We didn't do, you know, that, I mean, Merlin, professor! We kissed! That's all! We kissed, and then we fought, and now we're not talking to one another."

McGonagall took a deep breath. "Well, there we are then."

Lily sighed, resting her face in her palms. "I mucked everything up, and I wasn't thinking straight, and now Arthur's mad at me embarrassed me in front of everyone, and James thinks he has to protect me and I don't—I don't know what to do."

"Matters of the heart are rarely easy, Lily," McGonagall said softly, and Lily looked up in surprise of hearing her Christian name. "Did I ever tell you that I was married?"

"No, you didn't," Lily said, sitting up slightly. "Did your boyfriend call you a lying slag too?"

"No," McGonagall said, "but my own love life was bumpy with many a twist and turn. Despite what one might think, love is worth waiting for and will reveal itself in time. In one way or another..."

...

James waved Sirius off as they left McGonagall's office and took a seat on the window ledge outside, intending to wait for Lily to come out so he could explain a thing or two to her. The idea of forced isolation with Evans was, well, rather a wonderful one. He wasn't sure what to think, God only knows how the Marauders would take it, would he have to stay there in her all the time?

It would be their sanctuary, two pairs of slippers in the little library he knew to be in there from the time they had explored it while making the Map, the adjacent dormitories with views of the Quidditch pitch. Unrestrained access to the girl of his dreams, cuddling on the couch, doing homework in front of the fire.

Not to mention all of the alone time. Is this what this was? Organized torture? James tangled his fingers in his hair and tugged slightly before letting go. Sure, of course, he wanted to spend more time with her, who didn't? She was beautiful, James had fancied her for years, but it seemed like whenever they began to make progress, he would offend her and then they'd row. He never was particularly good at recognizing boundaries, especially those of girls.

Their fights seemed to stem from any number of things, but as of late found their crux in Snape and her sister. Both off-limits, he decided, unless she brought them up. He could be better for her, a better version of himself, he could do it, he knew he could. He supposed he'd have to quit jinxing Snape, but that was a small price to pay considering.

James stood up a little quickly and ran his hands through his hair as the door to McGonagall's office creaked open. She wasn't crying, but she didn't look thrilled, either.

"What'd McGonagall have to say?" He asked hesitantly, "Are you in trouble?"

"No," Lily said. "No, nothing like that. She just gave some advice, is all."

"Oh, good," James said, with a nervous little laugh, and Lily looked down at her feet.

"I'm so sorry—," she began, and James interrupted, shaking his head vigorously.

"No, I'm sorry, I butted in where I had no reason to, and I'm sorry."

She doesn't need you to fight her battles, Potter. She's a grown woman, and she can do what she likes.

"But anyway," James said, turning to go. "I just thought I'd say that, y' know. Apologize, and all. Have a good rest of the day, Evans."

James took his dignity in one hand and his broomstick in the other and began to walk down the hall, trying his damndest not to turn around.

"Look," Lily said, taking hold of his wrist, and he paused, looking down at her with a light in his eyes. "Look, we don't have to be friends, we don't even have to be acquaintances. But we do have to be able to talk to one another. Just talk nothing else. We're Head Boy and Girl, it's our job to lead the school to a greater ideal, and we can't do that if we can't talk without fighting."

"Fine," James responded, shifting his feet slightly. "But we have to lay down some ground rules."

"Like what?"

"No fighting, not in public, not in private. If we have something to say, we can say it without yelling at one another,"

"Deal," Lily said. "Rule two, if- and this is a big if- if McGonagall puts us into the Head's dormitory, nothing can change. We're to be the same as we've always been and nothing more."

"Fine, rule three," James said, pulling his broom over his shoulder absentmindedly, watching her closely as her eyes followed his movements. "You can't keep cozying up to Snape when the going gets tough,"

"I've done nothing of the sort!"

"Fine, then stop defending him," James said, "he's a slimy git who's this close, this close, Evans to being a fully-fledged Death Eater, he might be one already for all I know."

"I'm not defending him," Lily said, crossing her hands over her chest. "He lost my friendship, and I'll never forgive him for what he said that day. Sure, he is a slimy git, and he probably is a Death Eater, but we were best friends once, and it's hard to forget that. So yes, I promise to stop defending him, happy?"

"Endlessly," James said, his heart soaring. "Anything else?

"I want you to stop making eyes at Marlene,"

"What does she have to do with anything?"

"You kissed her," Lily said. "She told me, last year, when Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup," she looked up at his blank expression and let out a little laugh. "You don't even remember, do you?"

"Well, I can't tell you that I would kiss Mars sober; I can tell you that much," James said, sighed and looked down at his feet. "Are you going to go back to Cauterwal?"

"No," Lily said. "An old friend said I was too good for him,"

James grinned that shit-eating grin that had always endeared him to her and held out a hand. "Truce?"

"Truce," said Lily.

...

The rest of the day passed with little incident, and the words McGonagall had said to her weighed heavily on Lily's heart. Would she honestly put them in isolation? What was that going to accomplish?

She walked mindlessly back to Gryffindor tower, her head spinning. She could handle her personal life, thank you very much, and anyone who said differently was mistaken. But then there was James, James who had been nothing but gallant and kind. And what had she done to repay him but be a jealous nag? He had, honestly now, done nothing wrong. He had been considerate and gentle with her, always, the handsome boy he always had been. And James was better now than he had been, still confident and cocky, but he wasn't as arrogant she thought he was. Sure, he had dated more than one girl in his Hogwarts career, but she'd had her fair share of love interests over the years, and there was no use in getting jealous over them. She turned him down, more than once, and if it was now that she started to fancy him for real, it was her fault that he wasn't interested.

But he was, he was interested. When he passed Lily in the halls, his gaze lingered, stayed on her long after she passed him by. And when he kissed her, she had never felt safer than she did in his arms, in his company.

She gave the password to the Fat Lady, and she scrambled through the portrait hole into the Common Room. It was busy and loud, being a Saturday this early in the term. Her favourite armchair in front of the hearth was blessedly unoccupied, but her dorm mates were nowhere to be seen. Lily tossed her cardigan onto the cushion and walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitory to retrieve her books. If she couldn't get her mind off of him by any regular avenues, maybe homework would help.

At the foot of the stairs, she was greeted by none other than Sirius, who was both empty-handed and visibly angry.

"Can it wait, Black?" She said, hefting her books into a more comfortable position. "I've got a mountain of homework to get through."

"No, it can't wait," he said, and Lily sighed. "That talk with McGonagall, there's more to it than she said, isn't there?"

"Why don't you ask Potter?" She said, looking just past him, she could've sworn she saw something. "I'm sure he could tell you."

"James is annoyingly tight-lipped about the whole thing." He said, turning to follow her line of sight and raising an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"

"What did he tell you?" Lily said, mindfully training her gaze on him.

"Enough, but the gossip around here told me more," he said. "Some sixth year is saying that she caught you two snogging in here last Saturday night. Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Don't play games, Evans, he said you kissed him," Sirius said quietly, lighting a cigarette with his wand. "Said you wanted it and kissed him back. Something about taking advantage of a bad situation. He was heartbroken."

Lily walked past him and sunk into her armchair, her books piled on her lap. Heartbroken, he had said. She'd broken his heart. And she had, intentionally. Maybe she was a bitch; God knows what losing Petunia had done to her.

"I didn't mean to,"

Sirius followed her and took a drag of his cigarette, flicking the ashes onto the hearth. Lily stared into the flames, wishing she had something to do to shield herself from Sirius' gaze.

"Didn't mean he thought you had,"

"What are you on about?"

"You," he said. "That you meant it. Kissing him, I mean."

"He's kissed lots of girls," Lily said dismissively, trying to keep her gaze level. "I'm just another bead on a long string,"

"He's fancied you for five years,"

"Stop it,"

"And you knew that, didn't you?" Sirius said, his voice taking another tone. "Took advantage of a bloke you knew would kiss you back, and for what, exactly?"

"It's not like that,"

"Then what is it like? James is my best mate, and if you're just fooling around—,"

"For the last time, we did not 'fool around,' okay? All we did—,"

"I don't fucking care, Evans," Sirius interrupted, his grey eyes piercing and unnerving. "It meant something to him. You mean something to him, always have."

"What's this?" Marlene said from behind them, and Lily started, turning about suddenly. "You causing trouble, Black?"

"Go away, Mars," Sirius said. "This doesn't involve you,"

"Sure it does," Marlene said, perching on the arm of Lily's armchair, much to the general disgruntlement of Sirius. "She's my dorm mate; it's my shoulder she'll be cryin' on later if you fuck up,"

"It's not me she fucked up with," Sirius said, getting up to go. "James is a better man than you give him credit for, he's done things you have no idea about that have been life-changing to the people around him. Maybe he is an idiot, but he's no fool. And if he says he loves you, he does. Don't pick up a man just because you can and drop him without notice when you get bored. He's too good for that."

Marlene took one look at Lily, and then at Sirius, who sighed and walked away. "That's it, then. But everyone already knew that,"

Lily sighed, resting her face in her palms. "What am I going to do, Mars?"

"Apologize," she said, running her fingers through Lily's hair. "It's what you should've done in the first place, but you're a stubborn broad."

"He doesn't want to hear from me,"

"No?" Marlene said. "Then why'd he send Black to ask you? Why'd he call your bluff in the Great Hall? You don't just do that if you don't have a good reason to,"

"He's Head Boy; he was doing the right thing for the school,"

"Bullshit," Marlene said, and Lily looked up. "Bullshit, Lily Evans, and you know it. He loves you, has for years, and everyone here knows it. Sure, you fucked up, we all fuck up every once in a while. But if you think you can behave the way you did and get away with it because you're the Head Girl, you really are an idiot,"

"Hey!"

"For God's sake, Evans, you're being ridiculous. Apologize, move forward. See what it does for you."

Marlene turned and walked back to the stairs, and Lily sunk further into the cushions, her humiliation nearly complete. She was right, of course. They did need to talk, and not just about boundaries. She needed to tell him, needed to tell him right now what she felt for him.

...

James had taken the long way back to the Common Room, intending to stop by the kitchens and pick up some breakfast before he made his way up. He had just turned the corner off the Great Hall when a hand grabbed his wrist, and he spun about to a furious Severus Snape.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" James exclaimed, wrenching his hand out of Snape's grasp, wiping it on his trousers for good measure.

"Looked in the mirror recently, Potter?"

"What?"

"I can't remember a time when you were particularly sympathetic to anyone's cause but your own," Snape said. "Or that of one of your friends."

"What are you on about?"

"You snogged Evans!"

"And?" Potter said, and more than one person laughed behind them, causing Snape to scowl. "Since when do you care what I do?"

"I care about her!" Snape snarled, looking slightly mad with his eyes nearly bugged out of his skull in anger. "And you're just using her weaknesses to get in with her."

"Look," James said, raising his voice slightly. "You fucked up, Snape. You missed your chance, and Lily will never forgive you for what you said. She told me herself! Now I think it's time you run along to your greasy Death Eater mates. Off you go,"

"I'm not going anywhere," Snape said. "Just because she thinks you're different now, it doesn't change anything! You're still the arrogant prat you've always been. And I am not one of them."

"No?" James said, taking a step forward, forcing Snape down a step. "Did you forget so soon that when you followed Lucius Malfoy around like a dog while he was here. Malfoy, the Death Eater. Or how you and Yaxley seem thick as thieves, keeping in mind, of course, that his father is also a Death Eater. And what's that rumour I heard about Mulicber and you? Friends for all your years at Hogwarts, the fucker who cursed Mary Macdonald badly enough that she'll have a limp for the rest of her life." James took another step down, and Snape stumbled before stepping down to the last stair. James flicked his wand, and Snape's book bag exploded, books and parchment and ink tumbling down the rest of the marble staircase to the landing. Behind him, James could hear other students laughing as Snape scrambled to retrieve his things. James stopped, triumphantly above him, and picked up a small object and held it above his head as Snape reached in wide-eyed vain to get it back.

"Is this what I think it is?" James said loudly, rolling the quill around in his hand. "Good God, Snape, are you a thief now? Because if I'm not very much mistaken, this is Evans', she's been looking for it for weeks. Wouldn't she be interested to know that you'd stolen it?"

"No, don't," Snape gasped, holding his books to his chest, the contents of a spilled inkpot dotting his robes.

"And just why should I do you a favour, Snivellus? All the happy moments together?"

"She—she would hate you for it," Snape gasped, reaching his arm all the higher, but James held the quill above his head. "You promised her, I heard her,"

James' expression changed, and he suddenly stepped over Snape. "It makes no difference to me that you're a snivelling freak lacking any semblance of a backbone," he said, turning about to face him. "But you messed up, Snape, and she's never going to love you. Best leave enough alone."

"She'll never love you either!" Snape shouted to a smattering of laughter. "Wait and see! She'll come to her senses eventually!"

James shook his head and hefted his bookbag up his shoulder, intending to take the long way to the kitchens. He needed to think.

A swirling sense of dread settled over him as the reality of what he had done hit him. He had done precisely what he promised both McGonagall and Lily that he wouldn't, not even twenty minutes after the fact. He had mocked Snape in full view of everyone. But Snape was different; he was everything that James hated in a person, he was deceitful, disloyal, he had abandoned Lily when she needed him the most and turned Death Eater for the sake of it. James hated him, and he didn't hate many people. He hated what Snape had done to her, called her a Mudblood in front of everyone, he deserved that and more for what he had done.

James twirled the peacock quill around his fingers as he walked down the set of stairs leading to the kitchens. He had promised her, and he hated the fact that he had gone back on it so quickly. Snape was a weasel, and it had never been hard to gain the upper hand against him. And it was true that he was a Death Eater, he and the others had seen him more than once talking with senior Death Eaters in Hogsmeade over the years. But Snape was something else to him; Snape was the history between him and Evans, the tripping block between friendship and something more. Even thinking about the day that he called her a Mudblood made his blood boil, she was feisty and clever and beautiful and so much more than a prize for Snape to gloat over. He didn't deserve her, he was a fool, but perhaps no more than James was.

He slid off his book bag and sat down on the steps. Thank God none of Lily's dorm mates had been there, but at least fifteen people had seen, and gossip moved fast within the castle. He had to tell her, had to before she found out from someone else. He was defending her honour, protecting her, didn't she see that? Maybe if he spun it that way, she wouldn't resent him so much.

Just then, footsteps sounded from above him. James stumbled to his feet and ran his hands through his hair unconsciously. Who else knew about the secret entrance to the kitchens?

"I think you took the wrong turn," he said, swallowing suddenly, and a girl he didn't know stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh! I am sorry," she said, sounding as awkward as he felt. She was in Ravenclaw, he thought. Sixth year, maybe. "I have nothing to do, and I love poking about, but I just went in walked in on you, I do apologize."

"No need," James said, walking up the staircase to where she was. "This one's not that hidden anyway; it leads to the kitchens."

"It does?" She said, sounding more excited than he did. "That's wonderful! How did you find that out?"

"My mates and I spent a good portion of our first year exploring the castle," James said, shuffling his feet. "We found all of them by fourth year."

"How exciting!" She said, pausing slightly and holding out a hand. "Oh, I am such a fool. I'm Flora Peele, and you're James Potter, the Head Boy, right?"

"Yes," James said.

"Even though you weren't a Prefect,"

"Mhmm,"

"But here I am, rambling on when you have things to get to, allons, James Potter!"

James waved a funny little wave, shook his head, and walked towards the painting of the bowl of fruit, hoping quite sincerely that something to that nature would never happen again.

...

Before the end of Saturday, the story of how James Potter had humiliated Severus Snape on the marble staircase had reached every corner of the castle. Common Rooms exploded with gossip towards Snape's likelihood as a Death Eater accomplice, and by the end of the day, the chatter reached the girls' dormitory in Gryffindor tower.

"Did you see what James Potter did?"

"The Head Boy?"

"Yeah, the tall bloke who's Quidditch captain. The one who kissed Lily Evans,"

"She's too good for him," Eileen said, looking over her shoulder. "I always thought she could've have done better than Arthur,"

"She's only Muggleborn, I mean if you're looking from that standpoint—,"

"Oh, that's right,"

"Well anyway, Kelly heard from Gina who heard from Juliet that just before lunch, James got up with that Ravenclaw girl on the hallway next to the Hufflepuff common room. Frieda?"

"Flora,"

"Yes, that's it,"

"I heard that he snogged her in the kitchen corridor,"

"He snogged her? He is as much of a fool as I thought he was."

"I wonder if Evans knows?"

...