People have always said that your true friends are there even when you look like crap, when you're going through problems, when your Wiz-Phone is taken away along with your Gringotts card. So if I could just freeze the look on Ananda's face when I showed up on her doorstep an hour later, I could sell it as the model for a best friend…

Maleah lounged on the bed she lounged on time and time again from the age of eight. Ananda sat before her vanity, brushing her hair. Ananda's room was themed 'Arabian princess.' There were lots of purple and pink and gold and Maleah loved the princess-type bed Ananda had with the curtains falling all around.

"I can't believe that little wench," Ananda ranted. "The nerve of her to put you out!"

Maleah sighed and hugged a purple neck pillow with a tassel to her chest. "I was mortified. Well, I was angry first. Then as I was packing, I was just, completely mortified."

"And Michaelson didn't even defend you?" Ananda exclaimed.

Maleah shook her head. "I'd rather he didn't, actually. I don't need her to have any more reason to hate me."

"She had no right at all. I do not understand why everyone is just assuming you are your mum. I mean, based on her portraits, you two look amazingly alike, but that doesn't make you anything like her."

"It's not even that," Maleah argued. "My mother never did anything wrong! I mean, I'm sure she did, but I'm sure she didn't do anything to deserve hatred from Ginny or from Mrs. Michaelson. Besides, she bounced back quick."

"What do you mean?" Ananda asked, putting her brush down and turning around to face Maleah.

"I mean, that according to my calculations, Mrs. Michaelson must have married Mr. Michaelson right after her and my father broke up. Charles just turned eighteen, and my parents were married seventeen years ago. What does that tell you?"

"That she's a slag," Ananda said simply.

Maleah laughed. "Nana! Be serious."

"I am," Ananda cried. "I'm being completely serious. I'll bet anything that your father and that lady shagged. They dated for over three months. So, that means she just jumped right into bed with Mr. Michaelson."

"I don't want to think about my father doing the deed," Maleah said, scrunching up her face. "Besides, you don't have to be sleeping with someone just because you've dated for three months! I'm not planning on shagging Michaelson any time soon."

"I'm just saying," Ananda shrugged. "My mum said that when she was in school it was completely normal for people to shag on the first date. Mum says that her generation was the generation of free spirits."

"We have a name for free spirits theses days," Maleah said.

"A slag," Ananda and Maleah said at the same time before laughing.

"Thank you," Maleah said sincerely.

"For what?" Ananda got up and slid into her bed. Maleah shifted and laid next to her.

"For always making me feel better. You never once complained even though I have major issues. You always take it and find some way to make me feel better."

Ananda wrapped her arms around Maleah. "That's what friends are for. Besides, we all have issues. You didn't turn me away after I found my parents shagging in the kitchen."

Maleah shook with laughter. "I think that we have completely different issues, but it was no problem."

"I love you, Leah," Ananda said.

"I love you too."

The day before Maleah was to return to school, she paid a visit to Hermione. Hermione lived in a comfortable flat near Diagon Alley. In fact, the area looked strangely familiar, and as Maleah knocked on Hermione's door, she realized that it was because it was same neighborhood she lived in with her mother after her father remarried.

Hermione looked frazzled when she opened the door, but smiled brilliantly. "Maleah! Come in, darling."

Maleah walked in and saw Hermione's young Cambodian daughter, Penelope, reading on the couch, while Joshua, the eight year old Moroccan boy, playing Wiz-Games on the tele.

"Your place is a mess," Maleah remarked as she picked up a sock.

"I know. I've been going everywhere with the kids and waited until the last minute to pack for the new school year," Hermione told her as she brewed tea.

"You could always quit," Maleah said.

"Do you want me to?" Hermione asked pointedly.

"Of course not," Maleah assured her quickly as she sat on the arm of the couch Penelope and Joshua were on. She ruffled Joshua's hair. "I'm just saying that it must suck to have to be away for so long."

"Yes, but I usually find some time to come by on weekends. Especially the Hogsmeade ones." Hermione handed Maleah a cup. "So, what can I do for you?"

Maleah shrugged. "I actually wanted to talk about my mum."

Hermione put her cup down slowly. "Let's go into the kitchen. Play nicely," Hermione told Joshua sharply when the boy let out a curse at the television.

Maleah sat at the small table in Hermione's kitchen and stared at her cup. "I met Megan," she blurted out.

"Oh," Hermione breathed. "Yeah. I'm assuming from your posture that she was less than pleasant to you?"

"You assume correct," Maleah muttered. "Hermy, it's been almost 17 years, can she seriously still be harboring such resentment?"

"First, if you ever call my 'Hermy' in front of people, especially Ronald, I'm slaughter you," Hermione joked. "Second, yes. It's completely possible that she's still angry. You have to understand that your father was the utmost…he was the most wanted bachelor. Everyone wanted to be Mrs. Harry Potter, and Megan was no exception. Harry never dated anyone for longer than a month or so. He dated Megan for about six, so I'm sure Megan thought herself on the way to being the next Mrs. Potter."

Maleah nodded.

"Furthermore, it probably hurt Megan because even though Katia had promised to stay away from Harry, the two couldn't stay apart. It was to the point where you saw Harry and Katia together more often than Harry and Megan."

"But when Mama died…," Maleah trailed off.

"Hurt, anger, and resentment are cruel and energy sucking things, Maleah," Hermione said quietly.

Maleah did her best to avoid Michaelson on the train ride back to school. Ananda, Jake, and Maria thought she was off her rocker, and when Michaelson came looking for her, they didn't even cover.

"She's under the seat," Jake said without lifting his head from a fashion magazine he and Ananda were looking through.

"Maleah," Michaelson said. Maleah could tell he was exasperated.

Maleah poked her head out from under the seat and smiled sheepishly. "Oh," she said with false cheer. "There goes my bracelet."

He did not look amused. "We need to talk," he said pointedly.

Maleah sent a pleading look to Ananda, only to have her shrug and wave her away. "Thanks for nothing," she hissed on her way out.

"Love you, darling," Ananda called after her.

Michaelson made no move to touch her but lead the way to an empty compartment. He closed the door and muttered something. "Silencing charm," he explained. "Manuel, Garibaldi, and Carmichael are probably trying to listen in."

Maleah only nodded.

He turned to her. "You want to explain to me why you've been avoiding me since you left my house?"

Maleah shook her head.

"Let me rephrase: why are you avoiding me?"

"How am I avoiding you if I'm talking to you right now?" Maleah asked.

"Don't pull that stupid 'answer a question with a question' thing. You know I hate that," he said, running his hand through his hair. Now that Maleah got a good look at him, she realized that he had cut it. "What's going on?"

"I just needed some time to myself," Maleah shrugged. "I wasn't aware that I had to be with you every waking hour."

Now his eyes narrowed. "Last time I checked, you were the one who insisted on being with me every waking hour, and checking up with me when you're not."

"So because I wanted to hang out with my boyfriend, I'm the bad person?" Maleah exclaimed.

"Don't you turn this around on me! I call you and you don't pick up. I stop by Manuel's house and you both are 'conveniently' gone shopping or some other dung like that!"

"Don't yell at me," Maleah screamed.

"Well, answer my bloody question then!" he roared.

Maleah pressed herself against the wall of the compartment and stared at Michaelson through wide eyes. He'd never been so cross with her before. "What on earth is your problem?" she whispered.

He let out a long breath and sank into a seat. "I don't understand why we're fighting anyway."

"When you figure it out and are ready to apologize you can let me know," she said before leaving the compartment quietly.

I'm sorry! I wanted to update at least once a week, but now, i'm just happy to sleep to tell you the truth. i had originally planned for this chapter to be longer, but i just wanted to get it out there and i'll just fit the second half that's still in my head into the next chapter.