Gwen stood over her open trunk, looking around the dormitory to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Nope, everything was packed. She closed the trunk with a snap, securing the latches. Katie closed her own trunk and smiled at her. Their friendship had returned to normal after they discussed the matter of Oliver. Well, it was more like an argument really. In any case, Katie saw that she and Oliver just weren't very compatible; Gwen made sure she realized it. She had a boyfriend of her own, now.

"I bet you're ready for the summer hols," Katie said.

"You can say that again," Gwen agreed. "The O.W.L.s were almost unbearable. I can only imagine what the N.E.W.T.s will be like. I don't care where I'm going, as long as I don't have to take any tests," she laughed, and Katie joined in.

Gwen dragged her trunk to the top of the stairs and saw Oliver at the bottom waiting for her. "Oliver, do me a favor. Put your foot on the bottom step, please," she said. He gave her a puzzled look, but did as she asked. The stairs immediately turned into a slide to prevent any boy from entering the girls' dormitory, and Gwen pushed her trunk forward. Katie followed suit.

"That was brilliant, Gwen!" she exclaimed. "I wouldn't have thought of that." Gwen grinned back at her, then slid down to the common room. Luckily, Oliver had moved their trunks out of the way.

"Beats carrying them down," Gwen chuckled, "and it's a lot more fun."

About an hour later, she found herself sitting next to Oliver on the train, with Fred and George across from them. The train started moving and she stared blankly out the window, fingering the faery necklace always in place around her neck.

"What's on your mind?" Oliver asked, tapping her leg.

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about what Mum told me of this necklace." Gwen read her letter so many times she could repeat it perfectly. A talisman common among witches, it responds to strong emotions, especially negative feelings like anger. Although many witches and wizards, especially adolescents, may cause lights to flicker and other such phenomena when angry, it is best not to displease a witch who owns such a talisman, especially if she does not yet know how to control it. They are most powerful when the wearer is in danger, offering protection. They are also said to bring good luck.

"Not your average piece of jewelry, is it?" Fred said with a sly grin.

"I guess we should stay on her good side, then," George added, nudging his twin.

The four friends fell to talking about their summer plans, and Oliver invited the two to stay at his house for a week.

"No, you should stay at my house!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Your house?" All three boys voiced the question at the same time.

"Yes, my house! Not my parent's house. My house that I inherited from my grandmother!"

"Uh, Gwen?" Oliver began. "Do you really think your parents would let you stay in that house for a week with three teenage boys?"

"We could invite a few more people, maybe Katie, Alicia, and Angelina... have a party." The guys looked at her like she was crazy. "Okay, maybe that does sound worse," Gwen laughed. "Let me think about it for a while."

"In the meantime, how about a game of exploding snap?" George suggested.

It was odd; in all the years Gwen and Oliver had known each other, she had only been in his bedroom a dozen times. Maybe less. It somehow seemed weirder for her to be in his room than he in hers, though something at the back of her head told her it should be the other way around. His room was so private, like him. Most people didn't know his personality; all they saw was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. That was all he let them see. Gwen knew him better than anyone, but for some reason she got this thrill from being in his bedroom, like she was closer to him. Closer to seeing into his soul.

Not that there was anything extraordinary about his bedroom. Gwen looked around at the decorations on the dark wood-paneled walls: posters of Puddlemere United, his favorite Quidditch team; Gryffindor pennants; his first broom mounted above the closet. Gwen shook her head and laughed softly at the last.

School had been out for a week and their OWL results should have been coming that day. Gwen shifted to make herself more comfortable on the bed, her feet on the floor and her hands on the edge of the mattress. Still uncomfortable, she propped some pillows against the headboard, got her entire body on the bed with her back on the pillows. That's better. What's taking him so long?

As though the thought summoned him, Oliver walked in carrying a glass of lemonade in each hand. His eyes widened visibly when he saw her position on the bed, propped against the pillows with her legs stretched out in front of her. What was the big deal? Gwen sat on her bed like this all the time.

"Took you long enough," she said with a smile. "I thought you might've fallen in."

Oliver chuckled and shook his head. "I thought you might be thirsty," he said, offering a glass. Gwen accepted the drink and took a sip. Ah, just the right amount of sweetness.

Gwen was a bit disappointed when he took a seat in the lone chair across the room, near the chalkboard he used to make Quidditch strategies. Now, however, there were party plans written all over the green surface.

"Well, Katie already told us she'll be out of the country all summer, touring the Continent with her family," Gwen said thoughtfully. "We could keep it to Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina." Oliver agreed and a piece of chalk flew into the air to write the names under "Guests."

"I've just had a thought," Oliver said. "Why don't we make it for your birthday?" Hmm, that is an idea. "Sweet sixteen." He grinned, but it was an innocent grin. Merlin help her, but she loved to see him smile. A new thought formed in her head, and she straightened her mid-calf-length skirt so it at least covered her knees. Did a frown just tug at the corner of Oliver's mouth? No, it couldn't have.

"That sounds good," Gwen responded as though half her thigh hadn't just been exposed. The chalk flew up again to write "July 17" under "Date." Oliver seemed to give himself a small shake before asking the next question.

"Okay, now how about," he looked at the board, "food? I suppose we'll need a birthday cake now." The words were written under their proper heading.

Gwen took a moment to think, pushing a bare-chested Oliver out of her head. Or at least to the back of it for later thought. "What qualifies as party food, exactly?"

"Umm I'm not sure," he admitted with a laugh. "We haven't been to many parties, have we?"

"No, I suppose we haven't," Gwen said with a smile. "We'll just make a regular dinner. How about my dad's baby back ribs and 'special' potatoes?"

"Yeah, your da makes the best ribs. I guess there's nothing for it now but to wait for our parents to get home and approve the plan. Are you sure they'll go for it?"

"Oh, yeah. They've been acting very strangely lately. Almost like they plan to leave us alone together. Very strange." It was true; today, their fathers had to work, of course, but their mothers decided to go shopping. That made the third time that week! Each of their previous trips took all day, and they came home empty-handed! Gwen turned her head to look at the clock; it was only 1:30. They had at least another three hours until they returned.

"Aren't we supposed to get our OWL results today?" Oliver asked.

"Yup." He groaned.

"Aren't you nervous?"

"Yup."

"Me too." The silence stretched on for a few minutes.

"Oliver?" Gwen said suddenly, turning to look at him. "Come here." She took a long drink of her lemonade.

"Why?" he asked slowly.

"Because," another sip, "I can't kiss you if you're all the way over there," she said casually.

A second grin spread across his lips, this time with a hint of mischief. He stood to cross the room, taking a seat on the other side of the full-size bed. Gwen sat up and grabbed his hand, pulling him closer. Still smiling, he leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her lips. She gladly kissed him back, moving her right hand to the back of his head. Gwen kissed him a little harder, remembering how fond he had grown of these "snogging sessions," as he would say.

After an intense half hour of kissing, Oliver started tickling her side.

"Hey!" she laughed, jerking away. "Cut it... out!"

"Not yet," he responded, a devilish glint in his eyes. He reached for her side again, tickling her more. Somehow, Gwen managed to slide out from under him and grab his stomach, making it his turn to double over with laughter. Her fingers dug under his arm and he barked another laugh.

Another half an hour found them both flat on their backs, gasping for air, still chuckling.

"My sides hurt," Gwen panted, smiling widely.

"Mine too."

"And now I'm tired."

"Me too." Gwen crawled over to lay her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I could use a nap," she said, stifling a yawn.

"Then go to sleep."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Maybe I will." She curled up against him, making herself comfortable on his chest. He rubbed her back gently until she fell asleep.

After receiving their OWL results, Gwen and Oliver had another reason to celebrate. Gwen passed all of her tests, with the highest grades in Potions, Transfigurations, and Herbology, all very important for a Healer. Oliver did well on his tests, also. Besides, with their Ordinary Wizarding Levels, they could now do some magic at home. Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

Perhaps her parents agreed to the party to reward her high marks, or they had seriously gone crazy. Six teenagers virtually alone in a house all night? In either case, Gwen was sitting on the couch in her living room - at the house she inherited - with Alicia and Angelina, while Oliver, Fred and George were on the other couch, a coffee table between them. Gwen's mother had just left after another one of the hourly check-ups to make sure the six of them weren't getting into trouble.

They had just finished dinner and were about to open presents before having cake. Gwen looked at the small pile of boxes on the coffee table in front of her, wondering where to start.

"Ours first," Fred suggested while George offered her a box. They both wore their usual mischievous smirk. Gwen accepted the red and green package with suspicion, slowly untying the bow. BANG! The ribbon fell away with a small explosion. The twins were positively grinning now.

"I expected nothing less," Gwen laughed, peeling off the paper and removing the lid. Under a few layers of tissue paper, she found some homemade fudge and an awesome knit scarf. "Oh, wow! I love it!"

"Well, Mum wouldn't let us give you the stink bombs," George said, a hint of disappointment in his voice, "so we had to settle for something safer."

"Tell your mum it's most appreciated," she chortled, leaning over the table to hug them. After sitting back down, she set the box aside and Alicia handed her a pretty purple bag. Gwen opened this present with less caution since Alicia wasn't the pranking sort.

"I had to go into Muggle London to get that, just for you. It was fascinating!" Alicia said. Gwen reached in and removed a navy blue hoodie. First, she saw the back, and a pair of wings was printed in sparkly white. Unfolding the garment, she read "faeries are real" on the front with a little winged figure on each side.

"Thanks, Alicia! That's so cute!" She hugged the Chaser until Angelina pulled her off.

"Mine next! Alicia and I went shopping together." Angelina handed Gwen a blue box with a silver bow. Removing the lid, Gwen pulled out a softball tee, white with black sleeves, and "witch" on the front in red spidery letters. All three of the girls fell over laughing.

"That is awesome!" Gwen exclaimed when she could breathe again. The guys on the other couch were laughing a bit, too, but obviously didn't really get the humor of it. Gwen settled down and breathed deeply to calm herself. Only Oliver's present was left.

Without a word, he handed her a little silver bag. Reaching in, she found two CDs: Franz Ferdinand and the Killers. Gwen had only been obsessing over them since she came home from school and heard them on the radio. She squealed with excitement and climbed over the table to hug him, practically in his lap. Suddenly very aware of the other people in the room, she refrained from kissing him. Okay, maybe just a quick peck on the cheek. And the lips. Blushing only slightly, she returned to her seat on the other couch.

"Can you believe what happened at the end of term?" Alicia said suddenly. "About what Potter did."

"Oh well, it's a bit scary, really," Gwen said, shifting uncomfortably, and everyone nodded.

"Yeah, who would've thought that git Quirrel was possessed by you-know-who?" Fred asked.

"Unbelievable," his twin agreed. "It's still hard to accept that he was teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts all year with the Dark Lord himself underneath that turban." The group fell silent, pondering the rumors about the Boy Who Lived surviving a second attempt on his life.

"And our little brother was involved. Mum freaked when she found out," Fred said. Suddenly Gwen heard a few pops.

"How is everything?" her mother asked.

"Fine, Mum."

"You kids need anything?" Mrs. Wood inquired.

"No, Mum, we've got everything," Oliver assured her. Gwen showed them all of her presents before they left and said they would be back in an hour.

"Well, it's only nine how about a movie?" Gwen asked. Since all of her friends, except Oliver, had not seen many movies, she chose Willow, one of her all-time favorites. Her parents checked in on them a few more times and then they headed off to bed. Gwen's mother and Mrs. Wood stayed overnight, more to watch everyone else than Gwen and Oliver. After all, they had left Gwen and Oliver alone overnight before.

After a little more talking, Gwen slipped into the bed once occupied by her grandmother, wearing the pajamas her mother gave her for her birthday, a tank top and matching shorts, blue with moons and stars. Oliver was in the room they shared last time, Alicia and Angelina in another guest room, and Fred and George in the last. Gwen's mother and Oliver's were downstairs. Gwen really was quite tired, so she concentrated on her breathing, feeling each muscle relax until she fell asleep.

She was in a forest. It was very dark despite the full moon in the sky above. Looking around, Gwen realized she was in a clearing surrounded by pine trees. Suddenly she noticed an older man standing in front of her, one who was vaguely familiar...

"Grandpa!" she exclaimed, trying to get his attention, but he didn't seem to see or hear her. He appeared to be listening intently for something. Gwen heard a rustling and another figure stepped into the clearing hooded and cloaked. It shouted something... there was a bright green light...

Gwen sat bolt upright in bed, shaking and covered in a cold sweat. She had just dreamt about her grandfather's death... It must have been because she was in the house and he was buried outside. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore. Sliding out of bed, her feet cold even with socks, she walked down the hall. Before realizing it, she was opening Oliver's bedroom door.

"Gwen?"

"Yeah... how did you know?"

"I don't know. I woke up and something felt... wrong. When you opened the door, I just knew it was you somehow."

Closing the door behind her, Gwen crossed the room to Oliver's bed. He scooted over so she could climb into the warm spot left by his body. Automatically, she curled against his chest, realizing he was not wearing a shirt, only pajama pants. Forgetting this after a moment, she pulled the covers up more and made herself comfortable.

"Gwen, you're shaking... what did you dream about?"

She drew a deep, shuddering breath. "I'll tell you in the morning." His arms tightened around her, holding her close. So much for not being able to sleep.