"This is so exciting!" Hestia squealed. Tiannah groaned loudly. Oliver's sister, Monica, was having a wedding.

"Hest, it says that dress robes are compulsory..."

"Yes! Yay!"

Tiannah stood very still.

"Hestia, I have never, ever worn a dress in my whole life."

"You poor, deprived darling," she sympathised, appearing as though this was the most shocking piece of information she had ever heard. "I'm honoured that I will be the one to choose your first ever dress."

Tiannah smiled, but was a bit apprehensive. "What is Oliver going to think?"

"What about him?" she asked with a smirk.

"He has never seen me in a dress! He will tease me for life!"

"Somehow, I doubt that," Hestia muttered to herself.

It was the evening of the wedding. The sun had just fully set, but the sky was still had hints of hues of orange. Tiannah wore a strapless midnight blue dress. It was far more low-cut in the chest than she would have preferred, but Hestia was very firm on her choice of dress for her friend. There was lace at the chest of it, and it had very slight black lace at the hem. She wore stilettos, after days of practicing walking in them. Her hair was straightened with sparkles glittering throughout – 'go hard or go home' Hestia had said at Tiannah's initial refusal to this addition.

"Okay, final checks. Yes, you look perfect. God you are tall. Loving the legs. Oliver will simply love it!" Hestia trilled happily. She had a tight orange dress on, with matching pumps. Tiannah rolled her eyes and smirked.

"I think Ken will have a lot to say about your dress."

"Shut up. Ken's going to be there?"

Tiannah nodded, eyebrow raised. "He's Oliver's best friend. Sometimes you're very slow, Hest."

Hestia rushed to the mirror and fixed her makeup. Tiannah had a little make up on. Eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and a shimmer of eye shadow. As Oliver was the bride's brother, he needed a date, and Tiannah was the obvious choice. So she had made sure to put an effort into her appearance.

Hestia and Tiannah walked down the stairs together, both very nervous. There was a knock at the door and Hestia went to answer it. Oliver stood at the door, appearing anxious. Tiannah swallowed as she realised just how attractive Oliver had become. His black dress robes with blue trimmings were very striking, making him appear more grown up than she had ever seen him. His brown eyes seemed to be shining as his eyes landed on Tiannah and his mouth opened ever so slightly. Tiannah blushed, feeling strange that her lifelong friend happened to be oh so very attractive and reacting in a way she did not expect to her dress.

"Wow," he said, a small grin unfurling on his features. "You actually look like a girl."

Relief flooded Tiannah; now that was the usual response she expected from Oliver.

"Gee, thanks," she replied sarcastically, smiling.

"If being a Quidditch player doesn't work out, you could be a model," he said thoughtfully. Hestia giggled and Oliver turned red.

"It must be because I'm so tall," Tiannah replied, trying to diffuse the awkwardness Hestia had caused. In her heels she was roughly the same height as Oliver.

"And definitely nothing to do with how stunning she looks, right Oliver?" Hestia said, grinning impishly. Tiannah looked away from Oliver awkwardly and glared at her friend. She was about to say something when her mother interrupted.

"Tiannah, Benny wants to go to the jetty before we go, is that okay? Because of your clothes?" Jane asked. Tiannah smiled, grateful for the distraction.

"Of course. Let's go."

Walking to the jetty was easy for Hestia. She could practically sprint in her heels after years of practice. Tiannah was struggling, but she denied any help from her parents, who walked behind the three friends. Benny ran ahead and looked down at the water at the bottom of the jetty.

"Tiannah! Look here!" called Benny. Tiannah grinned and walked as quickly as she could towards her little brother. He was marvelling at a large magical fish that had three heads and glittery scales.

"Wow, that's so pretty," she breathed, leaning forward to get a closer look. Her heel snagged in a gap between the planks on the jetty and she lost her balance with a yelp. But a strong arm grabbed her just as she almost toppled into the water and ruined hours of Hestia's artistry. Oliver spun her around and moved her to safety, and Tiannah jumped so hard at the feeling of his body pressed so closely against hers that she lost her balance again and toppled on top of him.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Tiannah hadn't been in close proximity to Oliver in such a long time. She had forgotten how he had a few freckles on his nose, and how endearing his brown eyes were, and his familiar scent that reminded her of long summer days playing Quidditch.

Tiannah's eyes widened as she realised she spent a few moments too many on top of Oliver. She hastily stood up, taking extra care in her heels.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, avoiding eye contact as he stood up. Why was it that her stomach was full of butterflies, and she lost track of time as she stared at him? It was unlike any of her past interactions with Oliver.

"Don't be," Oliver reassured. Tiannah smiled slightly but looked away quickly. She just knew what Hestia would be thinking.

The wedding was a lovely affair. The reception had begun, much to Oliver's relief; he hated the formalities of being the bride's brother. Tiannah sipped a glass of a tropical punch as Hestia comment on all the fashion faux pas she could spot. Tiannah exchanged a bemused but bored look with Oliver, who appeared distracted. She raised a questioning eyebrow. His response was not what she expected.

"Tiannah, would you, um, like to dance with me?"

She stared for a moment, confused as to why he had hesitated on asking her in the first place. "Geez, Ollie, why so nervous? Of course," she replied. A sweet, slow song was playing, and Oliver placed his hands on Tiannah's waist, while she on his shoulders. They slowly started swaying to the music.

Tiannah felt both flustered and comforted by the proximity. "Hey," she smiled.

"Hey you," he replied.

"You have the honours of being my first ever dance," Tiannah said.

"I thought a fancy school like yours would have dances all the time."

"Seniors do. But I left before I had my chance."

"Do you wish you could have stayed?" Oliver asked curiously. He hadn't had a chance to have a serious talk with Tiannah since their reunion.

Tiannah pondered for a moment. "Yes and no. When I first heard the news, I was so upset. But I realised that was mostly because I was so nervous to be going to the same school as you. I didn't imagine we could be friends again, and the thought of that was…" she trailed off, unable to put it into words.

"Unbearable?" he suggested.

"Exactly."

"But what about Theo?" Oliver asked hesitantly, having wanted to know about their relationship for a long time but scared to broach the subject.

"We were together for a while, but we were never really serious," Tiannah replied. "We mostly just trained together. I couldn't see us really going much further than two friends who fancied each other. So I guess leaving was for the best."

Oliver was relieved that Tiannah wasn't too cut up over the breakup. He didn't want her to feel upset. But he couldn't deny that he was also relieved that Theo was out of the picture.

"You'll love Hogwarts," Oliver said, changing the subject so as to distract himself from wondering why exactly he was so very happy at her words. Tiannah nodded, hoping that would be the case. Once the song ended, the two friends returned to Hestia, who was leaning against a wall and watching the reception. Tiannah would bet a few galleons that she was looking out for Ken, who seemed to be lost in the throng of people.

"Now that person is a whole faux pas in itself," Hestia snorted, nodding in the direction of a burly guy who had sauntered into their view.

"I wonder which parent was the troll," Tiannah added. She turned to Oliver to inquire who this person was, and noted that he did not seem to share her amusement.

"What is Flint doing here?" he muttered angrily. "Monica's husband must be friends with his family. We didn't invite him here." He groaned as Flint's beady eyes first set upon Oliver, and then Tiannah, who did not like the way his expression changed when he saw her. Oliver put his arm around her shoulder casually, but she could feel how tense his body was. She sensed that this Flint character was as unpleasant as his looks.

"He's on the Slytherin team, isn't he?" Tiannah asked quietly, remembering his name from their letters. Oliver nodded tersely as Flint approached them.

"Hello, Wood," Flint sneered, his lip curling.

"Flint," Oliver said through gritted teeth.

"Who are the pretty ladies? Not like the usual Gryffindor riff-raff you associate with." Tiannah shifted uncomfortably as his eyes roamed across her body.

"Two ladies who are far too pretty for you," Hestia said snipped, stepping forward. "Run along back to your lair, troll."

Tiannah stifled laughter as Flint's face contorted in rage. Oliver stared back impassively at Flint, but Tiannah could see that he was biting his cheeks to prevent himself from laughing.

"I was wrong. Even the company you keep outside of school is embarrassing."

"Actually, we're going to be attending Hogwarts this year," Tiannah said casually. "I just hope we aren't sorted into the same house as you."

"You won't be," said Oliver, casting a glare at Flint. "Slytherin is reserved for the Flints of the world."

"Us Slytherins can't be that bad," Flint replied with a shrug, an awful smirk crossing his features. "Gryffindor haven't won in how long again? I lose track."

This seemed to hit a nerve; Oliver stepped forward suddenly, and only managed to not hit Flint because Tiannah anticipated his move and held him back in time. Flint laughed and bared his large teeth into a horrid grin.

"I'll see you around," he winked at Tiannah, who shuddered. Oliver had turned red in anger; seemingly, Flint knew how to hit another one of his nerves. Tiannah turned to her friend, wishing she could pulverise Flint on the spot for goading him like that.

"You will win the cup this year," she said fiercely, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. "I don't care if I have to help you train every morning and every night, I will not let that slimy git win anything ever again."

"Thank you," he said gratefully, shooting her a smile. Tiannah felt her insides turn to jelly. At that moment the air was punctuated by Hestia's gasp.

"There's Ken! Oh my Merlin, he's coming this way!" Her hands flew to her hair and she tucked a few loose curls out of the way. She appeared rooted to the spot, so Tiannah gently pushed her forward.

"Have fun," she smirked. Hestia nodded nervously and moved towards Ken. Tiannah turned to Oliver with a grin.

"She didn't even realise Ken would be here until last minute," she said, leaning back against the wall. "She really likes him. She just couldn't do a long-distance relationship."

"Ken's the same. Won't shut up about her. I haven't told him that she's coming to Hogwarts yet."

"I hope she gets her happily ever after," Tiannah sighed, the smile on Hestia's face so wide she could see it from a great distance away. "Believe it or not, she hasn't had the easiest life. Her parents don't pay much attention to her."

Oliver nodded solemnly. He surveyed her for a moment. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too, Ollie," she replied, nudging him with her elbow gently. They smiled at each other, both content for the first time in a long time.