I plunged myself headfirst into my career. If I didn't have time to be alone with my thoughts then I couldn't think about him. Weeks turned to months, months turned to years. I was awarded the post of Healer-in-Charge of the third floor for my hard work and vast knowledge. I had spent most of my free time in the hospital library and learned practically everything there was to know about poisons, potions, and plant poisons. I branched out into other areas of study when I ran out of books about my department. In trying to distract myself from my personal pain I missed family events including Sean's graduation from Hogwarts. I sent him a gift but I knew he would have rather I came home. At least my work was always an acceptable excuse. I couldn't count the number of times my mother called telling me that she was worried that I was working too much and that I should come home that weekend. Both of my brothers ended up in the banking system. Louis works for the Bank of England and Sean got a job with Gringotts. I received postcards from around the world from the latter and Louis often guilted me out to dinner because we were both in London.

Stories of Harry Potter started appearing in the Daily Prophet alerting me to the fact that he had already started at Hogwarts. It seemed crazy that so much time had already passed. There was even more coverage when he had been a contestant in the Triwizard Tournament. I hoped that Severus was being good on his promise to help and protect the boy, at least then what I had done would be worth it.

The feeling that something was brewing grew stronger in the air. A new bridge in London inexplicably crumbled. No one in muggle media knew how to explain it but the Wizarding World knew that it was the Death Eaters. They had been growing braver the last few years leading many to believe (myself included) that You-Know-Who was coming back into power. Many refused to even consider the possibility and ignored everything that was happening around them.

St. Mungo's took early action and began mandating that all muggleborn employees use portkeys to travel to and from work to avoid any unnecessary risks. At the time it had only been a precaution until Death Eater activity died down after a particularly concerning attack at the Quidditch World Cup, however, close to two years ago and I still had to use that terrible mode of transportation. After about the five hundredth time I stopped being nauseous for the first hour of the day.

I checked my watch for the third time in a fifteen minute span.

"Just go." said Dierdre, another healer on my floor.

"No," I argued. "I don't have to leave for another half hour."

"You'll have to change." she suggested. "I think we can manage without you."

"So, I'm replaceable?" I asked, holding my hand to my heart.

She laughed. "Of course. Now go!"

She shooed me on and I let the door close behind me.

I ran to the toilets to change into muggle clothes. It was another dinner with Louis night and tonight he wanted me to meet his new girlfriend. I say new but they have been together for a few months. Her name was Chelsea and was apparently nice. He made a point to tell me that he hadn't told her about Sean and I being involved in a completely different world where magic exists and requested that I dress normally. Tonight's outfit was a simple black dress with a light blue cardigan. I checked myself in a mirror and decided that I looked normal enough.

I headed through the lobby and waved goodbye to the witches in reception.

I took a step out onto the muggle street. Usually there was never anyone around and if there was they never paid much attention. However, this time, there was a suit wearing man who had been directly in front of where I exited. My sudden appearance startled him and he look a small leap back.

"Where've you just come from?" He asked.

I turned to look at the out of order store-front with the mannequin dressed in old, outdated clothing. I quickly scanned this man wearing a tailored navy blue suit holding a brown briefcase that matched his shoes. His blonde hair was very neatly styled even though it was the end of the day and he looked at me with vibrant blue eyes. He was clearly corporate.

"You were in there?" He questioned. "I've been passing that store front for years and it has not changed. Has it ever been open?"

It had been a long time since I'd talked to anyone I wasn't related to, worked with, or was Susan or her family.

"Uhh," I stalled. "No. I mean, yes, it was open at some point. It's…my aunt's. My great aunt's."

"What's her business model?" He asked, with a cheeky smile. "Can't be making much of a profit with a shop that's never open and always under renovation."

"She's eccentric." I blurted, "And wealthy. It's more of a project to keep her busy."

I had no idea where I was coming up with this, but I went with it.

"And you work for her?" He clarified.

"I help her." I said.

"Does she pay well?"

"I…I'm sorry, are you looking for a job?"

He answered with a laugh. It was a nice laugh, full but not booming.

"She does pay you, right?" he asked.

"I would never accept money to help family." I said, honestly.

"So, what do you do?"

"I'm…in a hurry." I said, turning in the direction I needed to meet Louis. It was a little bit of a walk to an Underground Station that would take me to the right place.

"I can walk with you if you don't mind." He said, "Unless that's too much, but with all of the weird deaths happening right now it's better to walk in pairs, right?"

I shrugged. He seemed non-threatening. He took it as a yes and walked with me.

"So, what do you do?" He asked again.

"What do you do?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

"I'm a hedge fund manager." He said with a smile. He had a nice, genuine smile.

"Your turn." He teased.

"I'm…a doctor." I said.

"No shit?" He said, incredulous. "Impressive."

"You're very bold, aren't you." I said looking at his face.

He shrugged. "A bit arrogant as well."

He smiled again. I was starting to like it.

"Where are you headed?" He asked, "If it's not too bold of me to ask."

"I'm meeting someone for dinner." I said, looking over to him again. His face fell.

"Boyfriend?" He asked, "Of course you have a boyfriend, look at you."

I could feel my cheeks blush. "My brother."

"Your boyfriend is your brother?" he asked, his smile returning.

I laughed. It was a stupid joke, but I laughed involuntarily anyways.

"I'm Charlie."

"Ruby." I said.

"I'm sure you're a gem." He looked at me sideways with a grin on his face.

I groaned. "Your jokes are terrible."

"My jokes are fresh picked and the finest quality."

"Of course they are."

"Doctor Ruby who helps her elderly aunt with her timewasting passion project, what do you do for fun?"

"Fun?" I asked, "What's that?"

"Oh, well, that is quite a concerning answer." He said, his blue eyes glistening. "Luckily for you, I am a champion of fun. Stick with me and I think you'll be alright."

"Well, this is me." I said, gesturing to the entry of the Underground station.

"Ah," He said, "I suppose this is good-bye then."

"i suppose." I said, turning to the entry.

"Ruby," I turned to face him again. "I'd like to call you sometime."

He actually appeared nervous.

It was an easy decision. I nodded my head. He rifled through his suit jacket and pulled out a small pad of paper and a pen. I wrote my phone number down and handed it back to him.

"I'll talk to you later." He said with a knee-weakening smile and a nod of his head. He turned around and walked in the direction we had just come from. I wondered how far out of his way he had gone.

I was seated at a table across from my brother and his girlfriend. We had already exchanged pleasantries and here now sitting in an awkward silence. I sat scanning the menu even though I already knew what I was going to order.

"Have you heard from Sean lately?" Louis asked, breaking the silence.

I looked up from the menu. "He was in Russia the last time he sent a postcard. I don't know if he's still there or has moved on."

"Russia?" Chelsea questioned, "What was it your brother does again?"

Louis and I looked at each other. Sean was a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts but we couldn't exactly tell her that.

"Uh," Louis started, "International Acquisitions for a bank."

He was much better at coming up with fake careers than I was. I had left the realm of dreaming about muggle jobs when everyone had wanted to be doctors, lawyers, and ballerinas.

"What is that?" She asked.

"He travels around the world making funds acquisitions." Louis said.

That's pretty mundane muggle way to say that our brother travels around breaking the curses on treasures for a bunch of Goblins, I thought to myself.

"What do you do, Chelsea?" I asked.

"I'm kind of in between things right now." She said, "Louis and I met when I was a secretary for his boss, but I didn't really like that job because I had to do a lot of stuff."

"Like what?" I asked.

"I always had to answer the phone and I had to keep track of appointments."

I kept quiet because that was only two things and I expected her to continue with more, but she seemed to be done with her list.

I looked over to Louis who gave me a nonchalant smile and shrugged. It was that reaction that made me certain that Louis and Chelsea were not a long term couple. I rolled my eyes at him, thankfully, that gesture was missed by Chelsea who was once again looking at the menu. I felt bad wondering if she knew how to read.

After dinner, Louis and I waved as Chelsea settled herself into a black cab. She seemed disappointed that Louis wasn't going to accompany her back to her place but he said he had an early morning meeting that he could absolutely not be late for. She tried to see if she could change his mind by giving him a sad pout. He gave her a quick kiss and an apology before sending the cab on.

"When are you going to find someone serious?" I asked.

Louis has had a string of gorgeous girlfriends over the years. None of them have been overly ambitious or much for intelligent conversation.

"I could ask you the same." He said. "Ah, but that means you would actually have to date anyone."

"I don't have time to date." I said, "I'm too…"

"Busy making excuses." He cut me off. "Let me have my fun and I'll let you be boring."

"Don't you ever wonder if you're wasting time by dating all these women you have no real intentions with?" I questioned.

He shrugged. "Do you ever wonder if you're missing out by limiting yourself to things that have goals? When was the last time you let yourself do something because you wanted to and not because you thought it could benefit you in some way? You have become so goal oriented that I don't think you have any fun anymore, it's almost like you are using achievements as a way to distract yourself from something else."

Was I that obvious?

"Well, Chelsea is ridiculous." I said, deflecting.

"Chelsea is hot."

"Then why didn't you go home with her?"

"Because Chelsea is growing tiresome. I think it's about time that I start spending less time with her. It will make it easier on her when I break up with her."

"You're a jerk." I said, "Why did you have me meet her if you knew this is where you were heading?"

"I told her I was having dinner with my sister and she invited herself. What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, no. This is not the type of relationship where you meet my family. This is a fling where I have no intentions other than to enjoy you physically.' She's the type that needs the illusion of love."

"You're such a pig!"

"Yes, I'm sure that's what she would have said, too, which is why I just let her come along."

I shook my head. "You need to take things more seriously."

"I did the serious thing, Ruby." His tone changed from light and jovial to sunken and harsh. "Where did that get me? Exactly where I had been but with a broken heart."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

"Millie." He spat. "Remember a few years ago, she came to Christmas? Oh, right, you stopped coming to those. I was looking at rings, Ruby, and she, well she decided that my mate Joe was more her type. Don't tell me what I need to take seriously, you can't begin to imagine."

I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. The crowds that were still out in London began to flow around me like a stream around a stone.

"I'm sorry," I said, moving to the side to get out of the way. "I didn't know."

"Yeah," Louis scoffed. "Because you stopped being part of the family, didn't you? I have to basically force you to come to dinner with me just so I can assure mum and dad that you really aren't dead. Damn it, Ruby, even Sean takes breaks from his international treasure hunting to come home."

I could feel my heart beating in my ears. "I'm sorry. I've been dealing with things."

"Ha!" He mocked, "You've been avoiding us."

"No!" I objected, "Not on purpose, it just happened."

"A happy coincidence, is it?"

"No," I inhaled a deep breath, hoping the London night air was filled with courage. "You're not the only one dealing with heartbreak, but instead of moving from fling to fling I am focusing on work. I can't be left to my thoughts because my thoughts are all of him and it's too much."

"Who?" Louis asked, "You've never even mentioned anyone."

"It's complicated." I sighed, "Do you remember years ago when Sean was having panic attacks over a class he was taking, particularly the professor?"

"Snape? Yeah, I'll never forget that name. It sounded like he was seriously harsh on Sean."

"Well," I started, I panicked and wanted to stop but I had already started. I took another gulp of air. "Him."

Louis looked at me full of confusion. "Him who?"

"Him, Snape." His name left a familiar sensation on my tongue, it had been so long since I'd allowed myself to say it out loud.

"What are you talking ab-," Comprehension smeared across his face. "Miss Follow-The-Rules? With a teacher?"

"Shh!"

"I'm honestly impressed. I never thought you had a rebellious bone in your body, but why him? Isn't he universally hated at Hogwarts?"

"He's not as bad as people think he is. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's actually really kind and selfless. He's made mistakes, but who hasn't?"

"So, this guy dumped you and you're still pining over him? Move on, Ruby."

"He didn't dump me." I argued, "What happened between us is very complicated, but if given the opportunity I would go back to him in an instant without a second thought, but that opportunity will never come and I decided that I need to stop thinking about him and us and everything we had and the only way I can do that is to not allow myself to think of anything other than work and setting goals for myself. Count yourself lucky that your thing with Millie ended with her betraying you because mine ended much worse. Severus did nothing wrong, nothing and I…I did what I felt I needed to do. He's been able to live his life never being aware that anything is missing while I have to live with the knowledge that he has no idea that WE ever existed because I wiped away every memory he had about it. Do you know what it feels like to look into the familiar eyes of someone you love and have them look back at you with no feeling, not even a glimmer of recognition? Because I pray that you never have to know what that feels like. Committing myself fully to my work might not be conducive to maintaining relationships, but the constant feeling of purpose is the only thing holding me together."

I took a deep breath after the words stopped coming and slammed my back against the building behind me, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Jesus, Ruby." Louis said, in awe. "How long have you been carrying that around?"

I shrugged, "Just these last 15 years or so."

Louis placed a hand on my shoulder, "You need to move on. This is not healthy."

"You're one to talk." I scoffed, "What you're doing isn't a healthy response to a break-up either."

"My break-up wasn't over a decade ago."

"My coping mechanism isn't going to get me a disease." I argued.

"Okay, so we're both messes, deal?"

I nodded my head. "I suppose we should hold each other accountable so we can move on in better ways?"

"Fine," Louis said, "But you have to start coming home for holidays and family events. I can't look at mum's face one more time when you don't show up."

"Fine," I agreed, "And you need to stop having superfluous relationships based solely on sex. Especially ones where the girl doesn't know she's being used. It's gross, so stop."

Louis stuck out his hand to me and we shook on the deal.