"Albus," Atria tried to pull away, but he gripped her closer. She smiled as he pressed her against the stone. "We're in the middle of a corridor," her words ended on a gasp as he sucked on her throat.

"I don't care," he chuckled.

"OHMYMERLIN!"

Albus and Atria jumped apart, expecting to find a teacher.

Instead it was a girl in Ravenclaw robes… and she was still shouting. "You are super adorable! I just love you guys together!"

"Um…" Atria wasn't sure what to say. "Who are you?"

The girl scoffed, "I'm Elle, but who cares about me! I can't believe I'm meeting the power couple of Hogwarts."

"Power couple?"

Elle scoffed again. "Duh, who else who it be?"

"Rose and Scorpius."

"Nah, they're the new thing but…"

Albus laughed, "Well, it's nice to meet you."

"I'll let you two alone then. I didn't mean to ruin the moment!" And then in a flurry Elle was off and Atria and Albus were left standing with their mouths open wondering what the hell just happened.

"That was…"

"Weird." Atria finished for Albus.

"And we were supposed to meet everyone for lunch." Albus said regretfully, brushing hair out of his eyes. She was sure her pink hair was a tangled mess that made it painfully obvious that she had just been snogging.

"I suppose food is necessary."

He took her hand. "We can stroll leisurely through the castle until we reach the Great Hall."

"Brilliant."

When they reached the Great Hall, Rose immediately launched herself at them. "Where have you lot been? We were supposed to meet fifteen minutes ago. Now we only have a half an hour before class."

Atria plopped down across from Scorpius, who pulled Rose down next to him. Albus sat in between Atria and Amanda. "We got lost."

"Really?" Amanda said doubtfully.

"Yep."

After a few moments of comfortable silence Amanda said, "There's something I want to talk with you lot about." She paused and then continued, "I got a job offer. Two actually."

Rose dropped her fork. "You did?! Oh, that's wonderful! Everything is starting to come together. You know, we should really start looking at flats—"

"Rose." Amanda cut her off. "The job requires travel. I wouldn't be able to live with you."

Scorpius's eyebrows shot up. "Where would you live?"

Amanda looked at her hands. "Well, I would travel with the team."

"Team?"

"The Magpies."

Atria slapped the table, scarring some other students. "I can't believe we're just hearing about this. Hold on, do they need a keeper?"

"No, I wouldn't be playing, I'd be a on-site healer. Apparently teams are adding those nowadays." Amanda said dully.

"This is great! So you'll live with the team and be front row to all the action!" Atria said excitedly.

Albus frowned. "Why don't you look excited?"

Amanda glanced up and plastered a smile on her face. "I'm very excited! But I am sad about our plans falling through."

Rose scoffed. "Oh please, we'll come visit all the time."

Scorpius looked at Amanda questioningly. "You said two job offers?"

"Um… yes, but I've decided the Magpies are the better option."

"Really, as opposed to…"

Amanda bit her lip. "The Harpies." Albus's mouth dropped. "But I think the Magpies are the best fit for me and—"

"Don't tell me you and James are still fighting." Albus shook his head.

Amanda looked affronted. "We're not fighting! Who said we were fighting? We never fought."

"So that tiff before Christmas was…"

"A difference of opinions." Amanda stated and then under her breath murmured, "And he was being a prick."

"But you're not upset with him?"

"No."

"And you don't want to go with the Harpies because…?" Atria gave Amanda a pointed look.

"I think the Magpies will be better."

Scorpius snorted. "In what world?"

"In terms of my career!"

"Did you ask James about the Harpies? You know, how their team dynamic is, how the administration is…"

Amanda groaned, "You guys are overthinking this."

"Your career?" Rose gasped. "There's no such thing as overthinking when it comes to the future." Amanda sighed.

"I'm supposed to overthink it, not you." She said indignantly.

Atria leaned on the table. "You should still talk to James before you make a decision."

"I don't want any of you interfering. If I want to talk to him, I will and I don't need any of you trying to talk for me."

"That's fine." Albus said emotionlessly. "He was thinking about coming to the Hogsmeade weekend."

"Next week?" Amanda's voice faltered.

"Yes."

"That's great."

Atria raised her eyebrow and played with her green beans. "Don't worry, we're not going to say anything."

"Thanks."

"But you should." She tacked on quickly.

Amanda slumped over, knowing this was going to be a point of strife for the next week.

Amanda walked nervously around Hogsmeade, waiting for James to pop up. Ever since Sunday night she had been dreading this Saturday excursion. All her friends were on their dates and she was left wandering around.

One boy had asked her to accompany him. She had declined for some unknown reason that she couldn't even make sense of in her own mind. The Three Broomsticks was packed so she moved on to Hog's Head.

Aberforth handed her a butterbeer.

"I'll take a shot of firewhiskey as well."

"Everything alright?" Aberforth motioned for his barkeep to get her the shot.

Amanda sighed and took the little glass. "Just trying to sort out the rest of my life." She downed the shot and felt the buzz in her head and the burn in her throat.

"There's nothing a butterbeer can't fix."

"And a shot of firewhiskey." Aberforth laughed throatily.

"Absolutely." Amanda put down the shot glass and moved on to the mug of frothy butterbeer. She sipped at it slowly and licked the foam from her upper lip. The one other person who was in the pub left and few others came in.

"Amanda."

She coughed on her gulp and nearly tipped over the rest of the glass.

"Careful!" A hand fell over hers, keeping the mug steady and another hand came to her back, patting softly. She looked over at James and coughed a few more times.

When she could breath, she asked, "How did you find me?"

"Did you want me not to find you?" He asked playfully. "Were you hiding?"

"No." She said quickly and played with the handle of her mug. She desperately wanted another shot of firewhiskey. "I just didn't expect you to come looking."

"Who said I was looking for you?"

Amanda opened her mouth and then closed it.

"I might've just wanted to get away from all the school kids."

"Well…"

James waited and then took pity on her. "I was looking for you. We've not spoken since Christmas and so much has changed since then."

"Yes… Attie."

"Yes and I wish I could have been here for that."

"She said you two got together."

"She told me about everything. Including her and Albus."

"I bet that was a sad day for you. I mean, how long have chased after her."

James rolled his eyes and slid onto a barstool. "Please, I haven't chased after her for years and you know that." He leaned onto the counter and looked sideways at her. "So what are you doing alone all the way out here."

"Atria and Albus are together and Rose and Scorpius are on a date—"

"What?" James shouted and jumped up, nearly knocking over the barstool.

Amanda bit her lip, trying to hide a smile. "Did nobody tell you?"

"No! I can't believe Albus didn't even mention that! My baby cousin dating that Slytherin slime—" He cut himself short and looked nervously at Amanda. "I mean—"

"I know what you mean."

"But he's a Malfoy."

Amanda grinned and raised the glass to her lips. "I don't think that matters in light of Atria's revelation." James deflated and sat back down. As they sat in a companionable silence, Amanda thought about how much she wanted to just go with the Harpies. He was a good person and she liked talking to him.

"So what's going on with you?" James asked after Aberforth delivered a butterbeer to him.

Amanda hesitated. "I actually have two job offers."

"That's great!" She loved how her truly sounded pleased for her. "Which are you going with?"

"I think I know, but I'm second guessing." Amanda pressed her lips together and he waited for her to go on. "I think… I made the choice for the wrong reasons."

"So change your decision." James said simply and she laughed.

"I want to… but I have solid reasons for deciding against the one option."

"Which is better for you?"

"Professionally or personally?"

James blinked. "Um…"

"Because that's what it is. It's what's best for me professionally or personally. On one option I should just walk away from this… thing… that I've been wrapped in and it's not good for me on an emotional level. But that option might be the best professionally."

"What's damaging you emotionally?"

"But that's the thing! I'm not sure if it damaging me. Maybe I'm overthinking it and…"

"Do you want to give me some context? Because that might help."

"No." Amanda shook her head and tried to tell her face to stop burning.

"What were your two job offers?"

"I…"

James sighed. "I wish you trusted me."

"I do!"

"Then tell me!"

Amanda took a deep breath. "Back at Christmas party, when everyone was rushing to St. Mungo's I was helping Mr. Malfoy with some patients."

"I know." James grinned. "You were brilliant."

Amanda flushed. "Well, when Mr. Malfoy heard I needed a job he put out some feelers to some of his friends."

"You're going to be a healer?"

"No, um… I've gotten job offers from two quidditch teams. They want an on-site healer."

James beamed at her. "That's brilliant! So what's the problem? Which teams?"

Amanda looked at her hands. "The Magpies and… the Harpies." James' grin dropped.

"The Harpies offered you a job. My team?"

Amanda nodded hesitantly and she could see him try to put together everything she had said and put it into focus with this revelation.

"Come with the Harpies!"

"I'm just not sure if I could handle that."

"Why?" He demanded and then looked guilty. "Because of me? I know, we had that fight—"

"It's not just that."

"What else?"

Amanda blinked. "James…"

"I want you to come with the Harpies."

"A part of me wants to go with them as well, but I don't want to make that decision based on a whim."

"You are making the decision based on a whim!"

"What?"

"You don't have any real reasons for wanting to go with the Magpies. The Magpies suck! And I bet they won't pay you as well. As far as your career goes, a job with the Harpies would be far more prestigious." Amanda rubbed her temple. "When you said 'emotional'..."

"James…" she shook her head.

"You were talking about me?"

Amanda didn't reply because she didn't want to give anything away, but her lack of response said enough.

"Please, come with the Harpies." She felt him grab her hand and she looked at him. His eyes were green and deep and leaning closer.

She whispered, "I don't want something to go wrong." He hand slid up her arm to rest on her shoulder and her eyes fluttered shut.

"Nothing will go wrong," he whispered back and she could feel him leaning closer.

"Do you two need a room at the inn?" Aberforth's voice broke whatever haze they were under. Amanda quickly pulled and James's hand dropped.

"No, of course not!" Amanda jumped up and backed away.

"Amanda…"

She glared at him. "Don't. I'm going with the Magpies. That's what best for me."

It wasn't until after she ran out that she realized she never paid for her drinks, but the idea of going back and facing James was unthinkable. So she marched back up to the castle, not bothering to tell anyone where she was going.

While she was wandering the halls aimlessly, she ran into Hector the First Year.

"Amanda," his eyes widened. "Are you alright?" He looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Yes." She said immediately and then took a deep breath. "I just need to sort myself out."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Amanda bit her lip and then walked over to a bench and plopped down. Hector followed silently. "So I have two job offers to be a healer for the Magpies or the Harpies. I'd travel with the team and get front row seats to all the matches and… It would be amazing."

"So what's the problem?"

"James."

"James Potter?"

"Yes."

Hector squinted. "He plays for the Harpies."

"Yes, he does. And I… like him. He' one of the best people I know and I love talking with him and being around him."

"So go with the Harpies."

"No!"

Hector jumped skittishly. "Why not?"

"Because if something goes wrong or we fight or… a million things could happen and I don't want to base my future on him."

"You are basing your future on him."

"No—"

"Yes. The Harpies are the better team and everyone knows it. The only logical reason you would go with the Magpies is to avoid Potter, therefore, you are completely basing this decision on that fact that you want to avoid him. If you really want to discount him as a factor, you'd go with the Harpies."

Amanda pinched her nose. "Why are you so wise?"

"Because I'm a twelve year old who is innocent to the ways of the big confusing world."

"Don't be smart."

"Better than being dumb." Hector shot back happily.

Amanda gave him a dry look and leaned back against the wall.

"So why aren't you in Hogsmeade."

Amanda pursed her lips, "Well…. I just ran into James and told him I was going with the Magpies and then stormed out."

"Out of where."

"Hog's Head."

Hector's eyes lit up. "I can't wait to go to Hog's Head when I'm a third year."

"It is exciting." Amanda chuckled.

"So are you going with the Harpies?"

She shrugged. "I still have some numbers to crunch, pros and cons charts to make…"

"Of course. Well, you could start with Wales or Scotland?"

Amanda knew she would prefer Wales for she had lived in Scotland her whole life and wanted to travel. "I suppose Wales."

"And which team do you prefer?"

"The Harpies." Amanda said grudgingly.

"And who offered you more pay?"

Amanda clenched her teeth. "The Harpies."

"Interesting."

"Shut up."

"Sounds like if you want to make the best decision about your future you should go with the Harpies."