!Author's Notes ! Okay, I feel as though I really like this chapter. It may be my very favorite so far. Wow. Have I just jinxed it?

Downside Up

Simon was playing video games. What the hell was up with those things? Suzie plopped down next to him on the couch, but he didn't flinch or look towards her. "I've decided I'd better join you in your anti-meat frenzy. Your boyfriend is officially a vegetarian." He finally said, setting down the control after loosing at least twenty-six lives.

"I've been a vegetarian since I was eleven, Simon." She smirked, tying back her messy hair.

Simon shrugged.

"Is everything alright?" Suzie asked, focusing on the window. She couldn't make herself look at Simon whose shoulders were shaking and his face beat red with trying to hold back the tears. He snuffled and hiccupped, but finally pulled himself together.

"Soon. Soon." He repeated.

"I don't care. You should know that by now. I don't care if you work for a plumbing company or at a paper factory. If there's one thing I've learned today, it's that I need you and I want you. Without you, I'm doomed to end up a cat lady, the widow of a used car's salesmen who's not you, with my only worldly contact being the mail man who comes by every so often to make sure I haven't offed myself yet." She chuckled a little, trying to make the mood and atmosphere less tense.

"That's the problem, Suzie. I know you don't care, but I do care. Fuck, Suze! Everything's fucking going wrong." His voice was hoarse.

She shook her head. "You've got me. Luckily, you haven't done your best to turn me off yet. Besides, when I go back to school it'll just be for a couple of months, I'll sneak out like I used to and we'll meet up at some dangerous, shady location. We need to discuss something, though…"

Simon trusted her enough to know that she wouldn't mention King of the Jungle. "I know what you're talking about. You practically live here anyway. All we need is your purple alarm clock and that slight feminine urge to go and clean up the kitchen that hopefully will kick in soon enough. As soon as your school year ends, it'll be all set. By, the way, what the hell do you expect me to do while you're away?" he asked jokingly, clicking his tongue.

"Go into major depression mood, not get out of your slippers, if you owned any of them, and eat out the ice cream container, if you didn't do that already. In other words, I expect you to cope well enough without a meltdown. There's such a thing as writing every day you know, so you can basically tell me everything that you've done in the past hour." I know you're probably sick of me writing 'he kissed her' so I won't, I'll just merely fast forward a tad, to the Hogwarts Express, a couple of days later and start with another kiss…

Simon and Suzie slipped out of each other's embrace and back up a few feet. He had driven her to King's Cross and was know leaning against the hood of his Impala and looking down the bridge of his nose from his sunglasses. "Write soon." He whispered, kissing her again.

"I've got to go, Simon, otherwise my parents will think the car's moving when it's parked." Simon scrunched up his eyebrows, not fully understanding Suzie's far-fetched joke.

"Sex, Simon, in your car." She replied, laughing it off.

"Oh. Right."

"Susanna Donnelly!" her sister Lucy was standing impatiently with her boy toy George near the entrance.

"Gotta go." She kissed his cheek swiftly and trotted off.

"Love you!" he called after her.

She blew him a kiss and winked.

"I've got myself I good one," he said to himself and started the ignition.

"So, Suzie, what did you do all vacation?" asked George. He was a semi-handsome guy with a hearty laugh. He was slim and slight, but at a certain angle, he looked a little bigger. His shoulders were broad, however, and his voice was deep. George wore classic muggle clothing and was overall Lucy's perfect guy: stable, intelligent, and perfectly ordinary.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She said deceivingly. Lucy caught George looking at her little sister too much and slapped him upside the head. "You keep your eyes to yourself or on me." She hissed. Lucy came up to Suzie, yanked at her arm and dragged her into one of the dark corners of the train station.

"How do you get off on this!" she shouted.

"Get off on what?" snapped Suzie, a tad bit oblivious to her elder sister's frustration.

"Being so… so damn beautiful! Have you ever cared to pay attention to the way guys look at you? You had Simon, then Sirius, and then Simon again, and in between all of them, I can only guess how many men looked at you like you were a gem! Including my boyfriend! How could you, Susanna?" Lucy shook her head, the tears mounting.

"Lucy, have you ever looked in the fucking mirror? Have you ever seen those bastards who look at me like I'm a prize, like a new territory they need to settle? No one looks at you like that, you're far luckier then you'd ever believe. Besides, George is perfect for you, he's your male counterpart!" she shouted exasperatedly.

Lucy's shoulders drooped. "I guess you've got a point." She looked at your watch. "We're going to be late! Hurry!"

And so, the two sisters scurried, off, tripping over their own two feet in the same way. Who ever knew family traits could be so strong?