Things to Know:
-Harry and Parvati are still broken up
-Padma is about 6 months pregnant
-Dudley and Elaine are not exactly exclusive, but hanging out anyway
-Neville and Prencess are still together
-this is around Christmas time, right before they head off to The Cottage

Parvati laughed as she threw a nightgown into her bag. Padma was with her to help her pack for their week at The Cottage and Padma was telling her about Dean's latest misadventure.

"I asked him to have something delivered and the moron came back with liver!" Padma exclaimed, rubbing her belly.

Parvati laughed. "Merlin, he is a moron."

"But I love him," Padma sighed. "Merlin, have mercy on my soul."

Parvati folded a pair of jeans. "I slept with Harry."

Padma didn't say anything for a moment. "I know," she said hesitantly.

"Harry's talked about it?" Parvati screeched in outrage.

Padma shook her head, frantically. "Of course not, you know he has more respect for you than that. I know because he went to talk to James, Sirius, and Remus. Sirius told Daddy. Daddy told me."

"Ugh!" Parvati flopped on her bed. "My father knows about me sleeping with my ex. How bizarro is that?"

"Not as bizarre as Daddy asking me to talk some sense into you. He's always imagined you two together."

"Perpetually living in sin?" Parvati asked, sardonically.

Padma winced. "He doesn't know about that. The, er-not getting married thing."

"I thought not," Parvati nodded. She flailed her arms. "I loved him, damn it! I don't understand-." Parvati stopped. "I'm not going to go down the 'what-if' road. I refuse to allow him to reduce me to that. I refuse."

Padma nodded. "I understand."

"Damn him," Parvati muttered.

"Are you taking Rylie with you to The Cottage?" Padma asked suddenly.

Parvati looked at her sister. "Merlin, no! Why?"

"I just thought it might be awkward if you brought him. Don't you think?" she asked.

"I don't care if it would be. He should move on. I have."

Padma stood. "Have you? I'm going to go. I'll see you for dinner tonight," Padma said before leaving.

Parvati heard the door shut softly and let out a long groan. The seed of doubt had been successfully planted.

Elaine Meyers slipped on her camisole to go with her jeans and boots before grabbing a jacket and leaving the house. Unlike many women of her acquaintance, Elaine didn't believe in bathing herself in make-up. A light covering of chapstick or lip gloss and perhaps some eye shadow. That's why she didn't bother preparing herself for her date with Dudley until half an hour before she was due to meet him.

"You look great," Dudley said when he greeted her.

And that's all that was needed.

"What are going to do this evening?" Elaine liked to think that the French accent that had never faded away added to her charm. It made her 'Elaine'.

"I was thinking we'd go see a film," Dudley said as he took her hand and walked down a busy London street.

"That sounds lovely," Elaine smiled.

And it was.

Brooke let herself into Michael's bedroom and saw him standing in the doorway of his closet with a trunk open next to him. Sneaking behind him, Brooke wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed.

He giggled. Rather like the Dough Boy, Brooke realized.

"You are the only male in your family that actually packs ahead of time," Brooke said after her own giggles subsided.

Michael turned around and carried her to his large bed in the center of the room. "It's so I can spend more time with you," he said smoothly, kissing her.

"Still on a mission to seduce me, aren't you?" Brooke asked a few minutes later.

"Is it working?" Michael asked.

Brooke shook her head and Michael sighed sadly.

"That's too bad," Michael said. "You would've liked it."

Michael got off the bed and returned to the closet.

"What, exactly, is so hard about packing for a week-long vacation?" Brooke asked, propping herself up on his pillows.

"It's a difficult process," Michael exclaimed. "First, I need to find things to keep me warm. From there, I have to find clothes that make me look good."

"You look good in anything," Brooke said loyally before pausing. "Okay, this conversation has officially veered into 'weird'."

"You can get off your tush and help me," Michael hinted.

Brooke nodded. "Or," she said wickedly. "I can stay where I am and watch your tush."

"You're such a tease, Brooke."

"You love me."

"Lucky I do," Michael grumbled, disappearing into his closet.

Hermione wanted Harry to join her as she went shopping for an anniversary present for Ron. Harry thought it was a bit awkward because that last place he wanted to be was in a lingerie shop with Hermione, but she'd guilt him into him, saying that he, "never spend time with me!" anymore. So now he was seated in a dressing room while Hermione tried on her pieces.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked coming out in a tasteful white negligee.

"I think this is weird in the extreme," Harry said truthfully.

"You never minded when we were dating," Hermione reminded him.

"For good reason, too," Harry muttered.

Hermione rolled her eyes and went behind the curtain. "I figured I'd buy my trousseau since Ginny and Parvati are sure to buy something completely…awkward."

Harry shook his head. "And that constituted me being here?"

"Talk to me, Harry. When was the last time we spoke about something that didn't involve the Wedding-That-May-Never-Be?"

"I slept with Parvati," he blurted out.

Hermione popped out from behind the curtain, her shirt half-on. "When?" she asked.

"A couple of days ago," Harry answered truthfully.

"She's dating Rylie," Hermione said, no condemnation in her voice.

"I know."

Hermione sighed and fixed her top. She took a seat next to him. "You do realize that this isn't like a few months ago when you both were single and could just hope into bed without any strings, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, what now?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing. It meant nothing."

"You can't expect me to believe that," Hermione said reasonably.

"I have to believe it. She wants nothing to do with me."

"That, I don't believe," Hermione snorted.

"She wanted to get married!" Harry exclaimed, more to himself than to her.

"Married?" Hermione breathed. "Oh, Harry Potter, I forbid you to get married before I do!"

"Trust me when I say that you have nothing to worry about," Harry said hastily.

"You don't want to marry Parvati?" Hermione asked.

"No! I don't want to marry anybody!"

Hermione frowned. "What an awful thing to say," she said.

"That's what my dad thought," Harry shrugged.

"You're father's right," Hermione said. She stood. "Give me a minute and we'll get out of here."

Parvati finally realized why some women faked it. Those women obviously had something else on their mind. And Parvati wondered how Rylie didn't notice that she was barely paying any attention to their kiss. She was just staring at the ceiling while they snogged on her couch. Kissing became boring about-Parvati checked her watch-ten minutes ago.

Gently pushing Rylie away, Parvati wiped her lips.

"What's wrong?" Rylie asked.

Parvati shook her head as though it were nothing. "I'm just…really tired."

Rylie nodded but looked disappointed. "I meant to tlak to you about something," he said, standing.

Parvati sat straight and patted the seat next to her. "What's up?"

"We've been dating for over a month now," Rylie began.

"If this is the 'when are we going to shag' talk, you can stop right now," Parvati said.

"No! I'm just wondering whether or not you see it fitting that I meet your parents," Rylie said.

Her parents?

"My parents?" Parvati croaked.

"You've met mine," Rylie reminded her.

Yeah, but she didn't like them. She wasn't sure they liked her much, either.

"Er-well," Parvati stalled.

"How about I go with you to The Cottage next week?" Rylie asked.

Parvati smiled falsely. "Great!" she exclaimed.

Rylie kissed her. "I'll see you soon?"

"Of course," fake smile still plastered on her face.

Rylie let himself out and that's when Parvati dropped the smile. He wanted to meet her parents?

FAQ/FYI

There were only two reviews for the last chapter, so no FAQs and I don't have an FYI. Oh, except Levels of Beauty is over. Is Dumbledore Sane? is still going on. So is Crying is a Sign of Weakness. That's about it.