My body is feeling the strain from the tough Quidditch match, but somehow finds a way to keep up the grueling pace I set. I reach the edge of the Forest and slow my pace to navigate the dark and familiar path. I see the familiar clearing in front of me and I slow my pace, trying to make enough noise to alert Meredith that I'm here. The sun illuminates the small clearing through a veil of leaves, giving the area a green aura.

The clearing's only the size of a broom closet, so it's not hard to see Meredith lying down in the center looking up at the canopy. I step into the clearing and Meredith lifts her head and half-smiles at me before setting her head back down in the grass.

The silence grows painfully between us. I want to say something, but Meredith looks so peaceful and I don't want to ruin that by opening my big mouth. Merlin knows that's all I can do.

"Do you know the most amazing thing about this place is?" The unexpected sound of Meredith's voice causes me to jump. I keep silent and she sits up and looks at me. Her face is dry. She hasn't been crying. "It's that no matter what's going on outside of it, everything in here seems to be a world of its own. It feels like nothing out there is a problem in here."

I know how she feels but I don't say anything because she turns her back to me. I see her shoulders start to shake and her breathing start to labor. I walk over to her quickly and kneel down and place my hand on her back.

Meredith takes a few deep breaths and rubs her eyes with her palms. Without looking at me, she continues. "I've come here a lot since you showed it to me. It's always quiet out here and I don't feel like I'm pressured to do anything. Even after the last time we were here together when you…" Meredith pauses and takes a breath before continuing, "When you kissed me," I lift my hand off of her back as she admits it. "It just… I… It felt so… natural.

"When I ran off, I couldn't stop thinking it. I've been horrible to you and said some terrible things to you because of Travis." Bloody Corner. "But you were right. You were absolutely right and I have just been horrible. The fact that you're still here, trying to still be my friend, is…," Meredith turns and faces me, now. "Travis knew exactly what to say to make me feel insecure and I didn't even notice what he was doing. I let my insecurities become a barrier between us. I don't deserve for you to be here."

I place my hand back on her back and rub it gently. "I wanted so bad to hurt her," she continues. I know she's talking about Julia. "Slapping her wasn't enough. I wanted so bad to just to curse her into next Tuesday. What she's been saying has caused me so much pain and I wanted to return it."

"But you were right there behind me. You and Roger and Phillip and Fred and the twins… I knew you lot didn't think that. You are the best friends I could ask for and as long as I have you, I don't need to worry about what anybody else thinks." She huffs a laugh and adds, "Not to mention, if I had cursed her, I would be in detention with you for the rest of the year.

Meredith looks down at the ground sadly, breathing deeply. I do the only thing I can think of and wrap my arms around her and pull her close. Meredith easily fits into my embrace and we sit there in silence once more. Taking one last deep breath and pulling away gently, Meredith looks me in the eyes and smiles warmly. "Can you believe the whole school has been talking about me for years? I always thought I was the forgotten one of the group, and here I am, a regular superstar in the gossip rings."

"Meredith Blount, do you really think anyone would miss a fit girl like you in a group of stupid teenaged boys?" Meredith raises an eyebrow at me, but I smirk back and nod. "Really, I'm surprised that they would ever want to talk about an idiot like me."

"Why wouldn't they be talking about you, though?" Meredith scoffs. "I mean, seriously. You're funny, athletic, hot…" My head snaps over to Meredith and she looks away, blushing furiously. "I mean… well, you're really attractive… to a lot of people…," she nervously pulls her hair behind her ear and keeps staring at the ground, embarrassed.

I smirk at her embarrassment and tease, "It's okay, Mer. I know I'm irresistible." She smiles and pushes me playfully. "You know," I add, "for someone who boasts about always putting me in my place, you really have a knack for inflating my ego. I guess even the hardest to catch fall for me eventually…"

*SMACK*

Ah… there's the Meredith I love.

Laughing and losing my balance, I fall sideways to the ground. Meredith's after me in a second and I'm reduced to a giggling (yes, giggling… again) lump as she tickles me. We're both laughing harder than we have all year. Meredith's real, free laugh lifts my spirit and makes me feel free to be who I want to be. That's a feeling no other girl has given me.

Meredith eases off, and as I catch my breath, she smiles at my pitiful state, reveling in her accomplishment of rendering me incapable to fight her off. I roll over on my back and look up at the canopy, like Mer had been doing when I found her. Mer sits down on the grass to my right and looks at me. She smiles distantly and it makes her look stunning, but it indicates to me that she's thinking about something else, too.

Lying on the grass in that little clearing in the Forbidden Forrest with Meredith really makes me feel more content than I have since before my birthday. No… since… actually, I've never felt this content. It's a great feeling, a fantastic feeling. I can't imagine being with anyone but Meredith now. Her long hair is blowing loosely in the slight breeze and her eyes are closed against it. A leaf previously clinging to her hair flutters past my face.

I have the urge to kiss her again. Those few moments of bliss I experienced when I did it the first time were not nearly enough. Meredith had even admitted that it had felt 'natural'. I place my hand over her hand which was closest to my leg and she opens her eyes to look at them. I sit up slowly, still staring at her beautiful face, but my hand remains over Meredith's. She doesn't make any attempt to move hers.

I reach over and cup her face in my left hand. She breathes quickly, leans her face into it and closes her eyes once more. I lean my head closer to hers and place my lips lightly on her cheek and pull back slightly. I hear her breathing quicken along with my pulse. My heart's beating hard and it's all I can do just to keep my hand steady against her face. I move in closer again, but this time I place my lips on hers.

Julia doesn't matter anymore. Travis Bloody Corner doesn't matter anymore. I wrap my arms around me and pull her closer and she wraps her arms around my neck. I am the one to pull away after a moment and I look at Meredith's face. Her eyes are still closed, but she looks calm and happy.

I smile at her expression and reach up and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. Mer licks her lips slightly and I lean in and kiss her quickly, again. This is how it's supposed to be.

I pull her close, again. Meredith's body starts shuddering suddenly. Oh no… is she crying? Did I mess up again?

I messed up again, didn't I? Bloddy hell, I'm a disaster.

I let go of Mer, and start, "Mer! I'm so sorry. I-" but I stop as I see her looking at me questioningly, teeth chattering. Relief floods my body as my brain pieces the situation together. She's cold. Now that I think about it, I'm cold, too. It's November in Scotland, of course it's cold. What are we doing out here without cloaks?

That's a stupid question.

I pull her back towards me again and laugh. "I'm sorry I didn't realize you were freezing. Should we go back in and get some food?" I look at my watch and add, "We probably missed lunch, though."

Meredith groans and nuzzles my chest. "I'm not ready to go in, yet." I squeeze her and kiss the top of her head. "I'll have to deal with knowing people are talking about me like that."

"Mer, I'm going to be with you the whole time," I tell her gently in her ear. "You said it yourself: who cares what they say anyway? Anyone with more of a brain than Julia knows that she has no clue what she's talking about."

Meredith rubs her eyes and hugs me back. "Easy for you to say," she manages, her words muffled by my Quidditch kit. "You've been dealing with this a lot longer than me."

Taking her hand, I lead her out of the clearing and back out of the Forbidden Forrest. "Are things going to change, now?"

I think about that for a second. I'm not sure what 'things' she's talking about, but there's no denying our situation is going to be different. "Probably." I glance over and see Meredith frowning. "Is that such a bad thing?" She meets my eye and cocks her head. "Change happens," I continue, "whether you're ready for it or not. Trust me." I squeeze her hand and keep walking towards the castle. "I'm speaking from recent experience."

"I'm just not sure how I'll ever be able to look anyone in the face when I know they think I'm a tart." She breathes deep and exhales slowly. "Not that my track record with guys has helped matters." I don't know what to say to that, so we just keep walking.

Meredith keeps silent until we reach the locker room. As we enter, she moves towards her own locker and grabs a towel. "I need a shower before we go anywhere." I nod in acknowledgment and she grabs the clothes she was wearing before the match and disappears into the girl's showers.

What Meredith said about her dating history makes me think about what Julia said to me in the common room.

***"Give my thanks to Meredith, will you? Now people are talking about her reputation again instead of mine. It's perfect, isn't it?"***

I clench my teeth as I remember the conversation and Julia's smug smile. Meredith did nothing to deserve her honor to be dragged through the mud, yet she's blaming herself for it.

I change into my own street clothes slowly, listening to the water run in Meredith's shower.

Meredith is in the shower. Right. Now.

No. No. No. No. No. My mind cannot go there right now.

Bullocks.

I rummage through my locker in an attempt to find something to distract my wandering thoughts. I find an old copy of Quidditch Weekly under a forgotten pair of socks and open it in haste. I start reading the pages I opened up to and make it halfway down the page before I realize it's an advertisement for Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, having only taken in every other word.

"James?" I drop the magazine in surprise. I turn around to find Meredith standing (fully clothed) in front of the door to the showers. Her hair is wrapped turban-like in a towel on top of her head. She's smirking. "You okay?"

My racing pulse starts to steady, though I feel the heat start to rise in my cheeks. "Sorry," I say, picking up the dropped publication. "You startled me, that's all."

"What were you reading that was so important that you couldn't put your shirt fully on?"

I put the magazine back in my locker as I realize I have my head and only one arm through the holes of my t-shirt and the rest of it is bundled around my torso. I quickly push my other arm through the armhole and pull my shirt down. "I was just thinking about ordering some new breas- broom polish."

I turn to face Meredith again to see her drying her hair with a Hot-Air Charm. Her face is grim and she is looking fixedly at a spot on the floor. I watch as she finishes and brushes her hair out carefully.

Meredith sets her wand and brush down on the bench in front of her and runs her hands through the locks of hair that fall across her face. She's avoiding my eyes and she seems to want to say something.

"You really shouldn't blame yourself," I say after a moment. Meredith finally meets my gaze. "It's not your fault that everyone in this school can't mind their own business. Nothing you've done could make it your fault."

"You don't know what I've done," Meredith responds, sitting on the bench and ducking her head. I walk over and sit down next to her.

What does she mean by that? A vision of Corner cutting a notch on his bedpost enters my mind and my stomach drops.

"You remember what Julia said? About fifth year?"

"Yeah."

"Well… umm…"

Fifth year. Two years ago. Not this year. Not Corner.

Fifth year.

Brenden O'Toole.

"James," Meredith starts turning to look at me, her expression pleading. "In fifth year, I dated a guy who was in seventh year for a little while." Mer stands ups and starts pacing, wringing her hands. "I thought he was a nice guy. He was handsome and fun… I really thought..." She trails off and continues to pace. "I found out that he was cheating on me. I decided to confront him about it." I can tell this is getting harder for her. "He asked if we could meet after curfew, which wasn't uncommon, but this time…" Mer stops completely facing away from me, her hands held tightly together.

"I know about O'Toole."

Meredith stops and whirls around, eyes widening in surprise and fear. "What? How?" She crosses her arms across her chest and turns her back to me again.

"Rose told me." Mer's head is tucked and she slouches down at my words. "It's not your fault."

"I have no idea how Julia found out," Mer whispers. "I figured your family might considering Professor Longbottom was the one who…" Meredith releases her arms and wipes her eyes. "Merlin, I'm so sick of crying!"

I stand and make my way over to her. "You didn't do anything wrong," I say as soothingly as I can. Meredith faces me again as I approach.

"Do you really think that?" she asks desperately. I nod and she moves forward to lean into my chest and I put my arms around her. "I didn't sleep with him," she says thickly. I rub her back slowly as I did in the Forest. "I didn't sleep with any of them."

She adds, softer, "Please don't leave."

"Shh… don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

I hear the door of the locker room creak open. "Oh!" It's Lily. Upon realizing what she is seeing, she smiles knowingly. "Sorry to interrupt." Meredith pulls away from me, face red.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Scorpius said he had seen you come back from the Forest." Mer looks at her, curiously. "He was watching and told me when you two came out," she explains. "Now, come on. Everyone's waiting for you."

"Who-?"

"You'll see, just come on."

Mer and I grab our cloaks, throw them on over our Muggle clothes, and follow Lily out of the room. I grab Meredith's hand and she looks at me, smiles, and squeezes it as we make our way towards the castle entrance.

"So Malfoy sat around for an hour or so just watching the tree line… why, exactly?"

"Because I asked him to," she says simply.

So Mr. Malfoy sat around for an hour just because Lily asked him to. That's quite a favor for an ambitious Slytherin to do for my little sister without expecting something in return. I would know since Al embodies the aspects of Slytherin house to a T. If Malfoy is anything like him, he's hoping to get something out of this favor. I better keep an eye on him.

"Aren't we going to the Common Room?" Meredith asks as we make an unexpected turn, taking us in the opposite direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Hmm?" Lily turns and replies, "Oh no. You do not want to go there right now." And with that, she faces forward and continues taking us to our unknown destination. Meredith and I look at each other, each raising and eyebrow.

We walk for about another minute and finally stop in front of a very disturbing painting of Trolls in tutus. "I'm really sorry if this doesn't work out. I haven't ever tried this before." Meredith and I watch as Lily starts to pace back and forth in front of the blank wall opposite the painting with determination. After her third pass, she stops and stares at the wall in front of her.

Nothing happens.

"Lily, what-?" I begin, but she cuts me off with a wave of her arm.

Lily sniffs in annoyance. Frowning and muttering to herself, she start pacing once more. "Rose knows how… why didn't she get them? Too busy with…"

"Lily, what are you playing at?"

She ignores me, the brat.

This is ridiculous. I just want something to eat… and to spend more time alone with Meredith.

"Lily, I'm going to the Common-"

"Excellent," Lily whispers excitedly. A door has appeared out of nowhere on the blank wall. Lily rushes forward and pulls it open without hesitation. The door shuts quickly behind her.

Doors don't just appear out of a stone wall. Well, actually, at Hogwarts they do, but I'm a little wary about entering. What if that wasn't actually Lily and someone was impersonating her and led us into a trap and we're about to get ambushed and…

Meredith squeezes my hand and steps towards the door. She looks at me and shrugs. "Should we follow?"

Mer is looking at me expectantly. I glance down at our intertwined hands, take a breath, and say, "Guess so. We'll be able to handle whatever behind it right?"

Both of us step warily up to the door-that-was-once-a-wall. I open it slowly and enter cautiously. Inside this room, to my surprise, is an exact replica of the sitting room at my home. The first thing I see is Lily is sitting in her favorite spot near the fireplace… right next to Scorpius Malfoy who has draped his arm along the back of the seat behind her. Upon seeing me, he quickly removes it and scoots a couple inches away from her.

Good. Hands to yourself, Malfoy.

A whoop to my left brings my attention to the rest of the room. There are all my best friends and family. Phillip, Roger, and Fred look at me and Mer curiously. I loosen my grip on Mer's hand and make to let go, but she holds firmly and briefly looks to me and smiles. I tighten my hold, again.

She's right. I don't need to worry. We can trust the people here.

Rose and Reid are sitting close to each other, exchanging smug looks between themselves as they notice the silent exchange between me and Meredith.

Lysander, who appears to be the one who yelled, is doing our team victory dance as Lorcan groans, covering is face. Swatting him on the back, Lysander gloats, "That's ten sickles, mate. I knew it was going to happen today."