Thirteen.

Nearly one week has passed since the Ball, which meant that nearly one week had passed since Rita bestowed upon Amelia the option of either telling her secret or having it told. Rita had no specific timestamp set on Amelia, but the brunette suspected that surpassing a week would be detrimental, which was why Amelia found herself down at the Quidditch pitch on a Saturday afternoon before dinner.

She had tried to plan the perfect scene in her mind of how to tell Kingsley. Her story was believable enough, she hoped. But each time she got him alone, she lost the nerve, and when she had the nerve, one of them was cornered by Emmeline or the boys. The entire week had been sickening and even Lucius was beginning to notice.

"You're sure she'll go through with it?" he had asked.

"You obviously don't know Rita very well. She'd send her parents to Azkaban if it meant wrapping her red fingernails around a piece of juicy gossip." Amelia sighed.

"I know what you're going to say," he said after a moment, "but if you want me to, I'll talk to him with you."

"Thanks," Amelia grinned, shaking her head, "but I think that might only make things worse."

Lucius knew that his presence would only complicate things. He had played Kingsley in Quidditch and despite the fact that he was a Keeper, he was one hell of a beater. Amelia didn't have to say it out loud – he could see how much his offer meant to her. Whatever this was, whatever it was becoming, it gave both of them the feeling that they had found a missing puzzle piece. Amelia supposed that was cliché but when she wasn't with Lucius, she was aching to be.

Amelia knew that the Quidditch Captains, minus Lucius, frequented the pitch just before dinner and figured that it was the best place to look for Kingsley. As of yet, he hadn't arrived, which gave Amelia some time to mull over what was about to happen. She would have liked to tell Kingsley the truth; that she only entered a relationship with him because she felt obligated to do so, that while she cared about him she never loved him, that her interests lay elsewhere, that she'd rather spend her time with Lucius Malfoy.

However, she could not be truthful in this situation. At least, she couldn't tell him the whole truth. Amelia had made a list of a number of reasons why she and Kingsley needed to end their one sided relationship. It wasn't exactly honest, but, Amelia thought, it was safer this way. For someone who loathed liars, Amelia Bones was becoming skilled at the art of deception.

It was officially the end of fall, which meant the beginning of winter. Amelia and her fellow classmates wasted no time breaking out their winter clothes. Over her regular uniform, she wore a picot, her robes and her Ravenclaw house scarf. Her attire, however, did not lesson the blow of the wind that wrapped itself around her bare legs. In the distance, Amelia could see three figures approaching the locker room. Sucking in her breath, she felt her heartbeat increase to the point where she could feel it pulsating through every part of her body. Letting out a tempered sigh, she quickly made her way over to the boys.

"Edgar!" Amelia called. "Amos, Kingsley!"

At once the three whirled around, two of the three faces lighting up instantly. Kingsley, in three long strides, closed the gap between them and placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead, which cause Edgar to beam.

"Lia," Edgar said, "what can we do for you?

"Well," Amelia began, sure that they could all see the redness in her ears; she prayed that they would dismiss it as the fault of the cold weather. "I needed to borrow Kingsley."

Amos wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as Edgar smacked the Hufflepuff on the shoulder, giving him and 'I'm-her-older-brother-so-watch-it' look.

"What's wrong?" Kingsley asked.

For a moment, Amelia was ready to offer up one of her many practiced excuses but realized that she was not in the company to start unfurling her lies. Making eye contact with Edgar, she said, "Alone."

"All right." Edgar nodded, turning Amos in the direction of the castle, pushing him forward. "Don't keep him too long, Lia. We'll need him for after dinner.

"I actually don't know if we'll make it to dinner." Amelia said as an afterthought.

Amos let out a wolf whistle and Edgar rolled his eyes while muttering, "grow up, Diggory."

"Oh," Amelia said quickly, "Amos?"

"Yeah?" he said, spinning around and out of Edgar's grip.

"Could you tell Emmeline that I need to talk to her after dinner? In the Common Room."

"Will do." Amos nodded with a mock salute.

Amelia, in an attempt to put off the inevitable confrontation, watched as Edgar and Amos trekked all the way up to the castle. Kingsley leaned back against the structure of the stadium, his arms folded across his chest.

"Lia?" he said, flashing his most charming smile. Amelia whirled around to look at him. She felt a twinge of guilt, it was almost as if he knew what she was about to say, which made it that much harder.

Amelia rubbed her forehead, brushing back her hair as she did so. She supposed that this was never easy. Just the same, she never thought that she, of all people, would find herself in this situation.

"Kingsley," she sad, forcing herself to look him in the eye – he deserved that, at least, "I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past few weeks …. about, well, … you know, about us."

Amelia watched as Kingsley hung his head, his expression falling. The wizard rubbed his jaw line, waiting for her to continue.

"I just … I really just don't think I'm being fair to you," Amelia said with a tone that was meant to comfort him. "You're seventeen, in your final year at school. You should be having fun a-and focusing more on your schoolwork." Amelia had decided that if she lay the blame of her actions on schoolwork, it would be easily believed. She hated herself for trying to justify it, but there it was. "I'm nothing but … but a distraction for you." Which wasn't true at all, seeing as they hardly spent any time together at all, but he nodded just the same. "I'm just really confused right now, Kingsley. I don't feel like we're benefitting each other … not the way we should. Maybe," she sighed, "maybe somewhere down the road, we can see where this goes, but right now …" she closed her eyes for a moment before refocusing her gaze on his honey colored eyes, "I just can't do it."

Kingsley took in a breath, casting his eyes out upon the empty Quidditch field. It was clear – the hurt on his face. Anyone could say without hesitation that he loved Amelia. There was no question. Those same people, however, would also say that Amelia did not reciprocate those feelings. Kingsley felt a hollow shell crack beneath his chest; a shell he had tried to ignore. He had hoped that Amelia would learn to love him, which was why he never asked her where she spent all of her time – he feared pushing her away. He feared that she would finally realize where she stood with him despite his best efforts to keep her blind from it. He had just hoped that his greatest fear wasn't realized.

Turning his back to Amelia, Kingsley shoved his hands deep into his pockets, the wind catching his hair. Heartbreak is hard to describe. Its perils and casualties can never be personified or immortalized. But it was draped across Kingsley Shacklebolt's brow like a scarf worn to ward off the cold, only he had hoped to ward off something else entirely.

"So," Kingsley sighed, "who is he?"

Mouth Shut - The Veronicas

To those of you who have been so patient with me for the longs breaks, thank you. Also, one of my friends went to Leaky Con in Chicago this summer and said someone mentioned Breath! I'm hoping that you're still reading this and thank you so much for your lovely words! 3