I release James's arm after we make it a short way down the street. He's been stumbling as I have dragged him, forcing me to hold him up as we walk. James stands up, giving me a quizzical look. "Muggle London? Why?"

"I'm going to buy the last writing instrument I will need for the rest of my time at Hogwarts," I explain simply, continuing my trek towards the Leaky Cauldron. "And you're going to be my escort."

James jogs to catch up with me and falls into step beside me. "Why do you need an escort?" he asks honestly. "I'm fairly certain you could take on anyone who may try to do anything."

I glance sideways at him and smile, flattered by his assurance of my ability to take care of myself.

Dad's face flickers through my mind and I frown slightly. At least someone thinks I can.

"Thanks, James," I say as we reach the door to the pub. "But considering I'm still underage and we're going to be surrounded by Muggles, I don't think it would be a good plan to count on my ability to duel to get me out of a sticky situation."

"Good point," James concedes as I open the door and both of us enter. "I guess I will have to ward off any creeps with my natural intimidating aura and superior height."

I smack James on the back of the head and he pouts. "Get over yourself, Potter. I'm bringing you along so I don't have to worry about people talking to me."

"Why would you worry about that?" James inquires opening the door on the other side of the pub and letting us both through onto the sidewalk of Charing Cross Road. "Aren't they just being friendly?"

I think about my recent experience with cat-callers while walking down the street where my parent's flat is located and roll my eyes. "Yeah," I say sarcastically. "Just being friendly. Tell me that when you're being cat-called by drunk men on the street."

James doesn't say anything, but frowns.

I start walking down the sidewalk and James follows. I'm familiar with this area of London and I know exactly where I'm going. James walks beside me quietly, staring at the cement in front of him. I send him another sideways glance. "Everything okay, James?"

James looks up and scrunches his mouth to one side. "Sorry," he says as he scratches his cheek. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I was just slightly thrown off by the fact that you're a girl."

I roll my eyes. I know he doesn't mean it as an insult. He just likes to talk before he thinks. "You knew that before we were friends."

"Yeah," he admits. "But I never thought… I dunno. I just don't like the thought of guys acting like that towards you."

I shake my head and smile. "I appreciate the concern, James, but I handle it just fine. Plus, it doesn't happen that often." We walk in silence a little longer until I spot the shop I've been heading to. "This is it!" I yell and walk faster down the sidewalk, carefully avoiding the people around me.

James hurries after me and I stop in front of a slightly run-down antique mart. James raises an eyebrow at me in question and I smile and enter the shop. A bell above the door chimes as we enter and an elderly lady appears behind the counter. "Good afternoon," she says with a gentle smile. "Is there something I can help you two with?"

I walk up to the counter and return her smile. "Yes," I reply. "I'm interested in old-fashioned calligraphy and I was wondering if you had any antique writing utensils that I could take a look at."

"We have a few options on a table in the back corner. Would you like me to show you?"

"Please."

The old woman walks around the counter and beckons us to follow her to the back of the shop where there are a variety of tarnished candle holders and silverware along with a couple of old dining chairs with outdated upholstery. She motions to a small table pushed against the back wall with several ancient quills and some old-fashioned ink pens. The display is a little messy, with many scrap pieces of paper with writing on them, I assume from customers testing various writing instruments, littering the table. "This is what we have," she explains. "If you need any assistance, please ring the bell next to the register."

She walks away and James and I approach the table. "Why couldn't you just buy a quill from Scribbulus?" he asks poking around the pile of quills. "I seriously doubt that you will find a quill here that is going to be any better than what you will find there."

"I'm not looking for a quill," I say, moving a piece of paper covering a few of the ink pens. James leans against the wall next to the display and crumples the paper bag from Wheezes he's still holding. I search the table, hopeful to find the kind of instrument I'm looking for. I don't know of anyone who has tried what I'm hoping to accomplish, but it would be amazing if it worked out and would mean I would never have to sharpen another quill again.

Nothing.

My heart sinks as I realize that what I'm looking for is not here. "What's this?" James bends down and picks up something that fell off the table and rolled under it. As he stands holding the dropped item, my heart lifts again at the sight of the metal tip and old wooden handle of an antique dip pen.

"That's it!" I yell in excitement. I pull the pen out of James's grasp and turn back towards the table, reaching for a bottle of ink set on the table for people to use and one of the scrap pages, I write 'Meredith Elaine Blount can kick James Potter's arse.' The feeling of a metal tip on a sheet of Muggle paper is odd, but the result is the same. I blow gently on the page to dry the ink and hold it up for James to admire my handiwork.

"Meredith Elaine Blount," he starts reading out loud and then pauses. "Your middle name is Elaine?" I nod and his eyes return to the page to read the rest of the sentence.

He pouts.

What a baby.

"I'm getting it," I say, pocketing the page with my proclamation of superiority on it. I rush to the register and lightly ring the bell for the old woman.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asks. I nod, smiling, and place the dip pen on the counter. She rings up my purchase and places it in a bag.

The bell rings behind us as we exit the little shop and James and I make our way back down Charing Cross Road towards the Leaky Cauldron. James looks at his watch. "Bloody hell," he says in a low voice. "We've been gone for nearly thirty minutes. We probably should have told the guys before we bolted."

"They'll get over it. I'm sure it's not the first time you disappeared with a girl," I jibe good-naturedly.

James makes a face. "Not sure if that's something to be proud of or not."

"It doesn't matter. Either way, it's not out of character for you."

"I don't often just disappear with one of them without telling the others, though."

"So what?"

"I don't just disappear with one of my mates randomly if we're all together and I don't want them talking about that stuff concerning you. You're not just any girl."

"And don't you forget it," I reply cheekily, poking him in the side.

"I'm serious, Mer," James says, the pitch of his voice rising a bit. "It's one thing for the guys to say stuff about me, but saying stuff about you is a different story. You're not like that."

"I doubt very seriously that the guys are going to bother about the two of us disappearing together. It's not like I'm your type or anything."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not a girly-girl and I actually have a brain." James shakes his head and smiles. "What would people think if you starting dating little ol' me when I don't even rank in the school's 'Prospective Girlfriends of James Potter' list."

"That's a real thing?" James asks, bemused. "And why wouldn't you be on that?"

"I hardly qualify as beautiful," I reply evenly. This is something I accepted a long time ago, so saying it doesn't hurt me.

James, on the other hand, looks very disturbed. "Who told you that?" I shrug and keep walking. "Whoever did should be hexed, because that's a load of bullocks."

I furrow my brow at his words. He thinks that's a load of bullocks? Does he find me attractive?

Oh no. That's not it at all. It's worse.

I bet he thinks I was fishing for a compliment. I hope he doesn't think I'm turning into the same kind of vain idiots who follow him around at school.

Does he think that maybe I fancy him?

Bugger.

"It's no big deal. It's not like I would want to be on that list."

James looks at me, cocking his head. "Why not?"

"It's not like you're my type," I lie. The truth is, I find James very attractive, but there's no way in the name of Merlin I would ever consider him as a prospective boyfriend with the way he acts.

Not to mention how awkward it would be.

"Really?" The corners of James's mouth turn down as he thinks about this. "Oh. Okay."

We enter Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron once more and find Philip, Roger, and Fred waiting outside Scribbulus, annoyance etched on their faces as they watch us approach.

"Where have you two been?" Roger asks accusingly looking between us.

"Releasing the dragon inside Gringotts," I say easily, stopping beside Fred.

"We'd better hurry up," Phillip says with a hint of anger, "or we're not going to have enough time to finish our shopping."

"It'll be fine, Phil," James says patting his mate on the back. "If we don't get everything, I'm sure your mum will be fine with you failing out of Hogwarts."

Phillip glares at James. "Let's get going."

The five of us continue our shopping, stopping at the apothecary to restock our potions kits and Madam Malkin's to pick up robes previously ordered for James and Fred. We finally make our way toward Flourish and Blotts to buy the few new textbooks required of us this year, but Quality Quidditch Supplies catches the boys' eyes and, of course, we have to stop and ogle at the latest model of Firebolt on display in the window.

I'm actually really interested in it, too. My Nimbus is okay, but it's definitely no Firebolt. Phillip, Roger, and Fred don't know that I'm a fair flier. It was a complete fluke that James found out. I thought that he would laugh in my face and say I was horrible and should never fly again, but he was surprisingly encouraging. I made him swear not to tell anyone, but after that, we would sometimes take an evening to fly around on the pitch for the hell of it.

James appears on my right, causing me to jump slightly as he asks, "Did you think any more about what I suggested?"

While at his birthday party, James had made the wild suggestion that I should try out for the House team this year as a Seeker. I had convinced myself that he was joking, but the thought had stuck with me. Living in the city makes it hard for me to get any time to fly over the summer, but I had managed to get out a few times and I couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of actually playing Seeker: something that I had dreamed about since I could first understand Quidditch.

"Stop, James. I don't need your teasing."

"Teasing?" he asks, apparently affronted. "I would never tease anyone about Quidditch." He ruffles my hair playfully and I bat his hands away. "Mer, you're really good. Gryffindor hasn't had a Seeker as good as you since before we started at Hogwarts."

I raise my eyebrows in disbelief. "Right. Thanks for the ego boost, James, but it's really okay."

James frowns at me and crosses his arms over his chest. "Meredith, I'm serious. I don't want to lose the Quidditch Cup again this year and I know for a fact our best chance of winning is to put you on the team."

"Who is Captain this year, anyway?" I ask. The Captain from last year graduated, so someone new will be taking her place.

"I've heard a rumor that it's Fletcher."

I drop my jaw and stare at James, shocked. "Fletcher? You've got to be kidding me. He's a tosser!"

"It's not so bad!" James defends. I give him a skeptical look. I guess he would know better than I would, seeing as he's played on the House Team with him for several years, now. "He's a hell of a beater for sure. Plus, he's a Seventh Year, so he's got the respect that comes from experience."

"I guess," I say, unconvinced. "He seems a bit dense to me."

"You say that about me all the time."

"I know, which is why you should know by now that I'm an expert in spotting it." I stick my tongue out at him and look back to the window where Phillip, Roger, and Fred and speaking animatedly about the Firebolt.

"Phil and Roger are trying out this year."

"Do you think they'll make it?" I ask, offhand. James has been playing Quidditch with his three mates since they were kids and I seriously doubt that he would not think they were good enough to play on the team with him.

"They have a good shot, but I still think that you have a better shot than them on making the team." I whip my head to look at him. James is looking down at me seriously. "Will you please try out? We could seriously use your talent."

I take a breath and half-smile. "I'll think about it," I finally say and he smiles widely. "Just don't go telling everyone."

"If you insist." James directs his attention to Roger, Phillip, and Fred, still gawking at the window display. "Oi! We've only got twenty minutes until we need to get back to Wheezes. Let's get a move on!"

I fall back a few paces as we head towards Flourish and Blotts again, observing my four mates at they talk and tease each other along the way. The four boys have been close since their first year, though they did know each other before. I suddenly feel like an outsider as I watch them laugh and joke around.

Where do I fit into all of this? I'm just Meredith, the quiet girl who rarely talks to anyone, but just so happens to be an excellent duelist. If it weren't for that duel with James last year, I probably still wouldn't be on their radar. They already act like a team and I'm just a fifth wheel.

I glance at the bag from the Muggle antique shop and smile despite myself. James is a good friend, despite his many moments of idiocy. I should trust him.

"Meredith!" Fred yells back to me. I've fallen quite a bit behind the boys. "Are you coming?"

I walk quickly to meet them, carful to keep the bags and packages I'm carrying from falling. "You'd think a good group of blokes like you would have the decency to carry a girl's things."

"Who are you calling a good group of blokes?" Phillip asks, offended. "If anyone heard you say that or suspected it to be true, we'd be in trouble." I give him an unamused look and force my heaviest package containing a full ream of parchment into his empty hands. "Hey! What do I look like, a pack mule?"

"Yes," I deadpan. "As a matter of fact, I've always thought you looked like somewhat of an arse." Laughter from James, Fred, and Roger surrounds me and even Phillip joins in.

"You walked right into that one, mate," Roger manages, clapping Phillip on the shoulder.

In the bookstore, we easily find the new Charms and Defense texts that we need. "Do you guys mind if we stay in here for a bit?" I ask quietly. I'm not sure what it is about bookstores, but even when they're busy, I still feel the need to be quiet. "I just want to look around."

"Sure, Mer," James responds with a smile before anyone else can chime in. I can tell by the look on Phillip's and Roger's faces that they really have no interest in staying here.

"You can go on ahead if you don't want to stay here," I offer, diverting my eyes away from them slightly in embarrassment.

"Don't worry, Meredith," Fred says, flicking Phillip in the ear as James elbows Roger in the side. "Just let us know when you're ready to leave."

"Bloody-" Phillip starts, but Fred claps his hand over his mouth, shushing him.

"Thank you," I say sincerely and I walk to a nearby bookshelf to peruse the titles. I love browsing bookstores, though I don't get many chances to do it. For some reason, browsing the Hogwarts Library just isn't the same.

I wander through the aisles of bookshelves, scanning the bindings and occasionally pulling out a book that catches my eye. As I reach the end of the current bookshelf, a whispered conversation stops me.

"… so bloody boring. Why couldn't we just head back to Wheezes?"

"Because Meredith wanted to look around here."

From the whispers, I can tell the conversation is between Phillip and James.

"Why does that matter? She's a big girl. She can walk down the street by herself."

"She's your mate," James replies evenly. "You'd stick around if I asked you to, right?"

"Like the way you stuck around earlier?"

There is a pause before James responds, "That was different."

"You still ditched us." The tone of Phillip's voice suggests he's smirking. "You and Meredith… all alone… for half an hour…" I blush as I realize the intent of his words.

"Drop it," James hisses.

"Aww, are you embarrassed?"

"Phillip…" James warns.

"There's no need to be."

"Stop."

"Was she any good?" There was a loud scuffle and a *thump* that makes the bookshelf in front of me shake. "What the hell, James?" Phillips voice now sounds as if it's just on the other side of the bookshelf shielding me from the scene.

"Don't say things like that." James's voice is close and menacing. "Don't even think anything like that about Mer."

"It was a joke-"

"At her expense," James cuts in. "You can say what you want about me. I probably deserve it, but don't bring Meredith into it." I hear James take a few steps backward. "Phil, she's your friend, too. You know she wouldn't do anything like that."

The bookshelf shudders again as Phillip stands himself up. "I'm sorry, James," he says, a hint of disdain present in his voice. "I wasn't thinking about it like that. Did you really have to pin me, though?"

I walk away quickly before I can hear any more, still blushing profusely. I hadn't really thought that James was serious about what he said earlier, but from what I heard just now, he was. He legitimately does not want anyone saying those kinds of things.

I'm not really surprised about that, when I think about that. After getting to know him last year, he usually means what he says. His biggest problem is that he says what he means without thinking about what he's saying…

That seems convoluted, but the point is that he shoots his mouth off, but what comes out is normally genuine.

As I reach another bookshelf on the opposite side of the shop, I stare at the rows of volumes blankly. Phillip hadn't even thought about the implications of his statement to more than just James. It hadn't even registered with him.

I had gotten to know the three other guys from hanging out with James, but I am not nearly as close with them as I am with him. I'm just an outsider when they're all together, awkwardly trying to fit into a group that I have nothing in common with.

But I want to fit in with them. Last year was the first time I really actually experienced real friendship and I don't want to lose that; I want to make it better.

"Mer?" James appears behind me, causing me to jump slightly. He smirks at my reaction and says, "We need to go now. Were you going to buy anything else?"

I shake my head. "I'm ready." James motions exuberantly for me to go ahead and I walk past him with a small laugh.

We meet Fred, Roger, and Phillip in the street. Phillip's looking sheepishly at me and I do my best to push the conversation I overheard out of my mind. I know he honestly didn't mean anything by it, but it's still embarrassing.

"Thanks for waiting."

"No problem, Meredith," Roger says with a grin.

"We better book it over to Wheezes," James says, looking at his watch.

"I don't think our parents are going to have kittens if we're a few minutes late," Phillip puts in, adjusting the bags and packages he's holding.

"Please," James answers, exasperated, "You know my Mum, right?"

The five of us start back towards the brightest building on the street and James falls into step next to me as the three others walk ahead. "Thanks for coming with me today, James," I tell him as we walk. "I'm sorry if me dragging you away causes you any problems."

"Don't worry about it," he says genuinely. "I'm actually really happy we had that adventure."

"It would be best if my mum doesn't hear about it, though. She'll probably tell my dad and he'll go mad if he knew I was all alone with a male for half an hour."

"I don't plan on saying anything at all, especially to my mum. I don't think I've ever been in Muggle London alone and I'm sure she'd have a fit if she knew."

We walk in silence a moment watching the three ahead of us try to knock each other over. I divert my gaze to the Firebolt display at Quality Quidditch Supplies and then back to Phillip, Roger, and Fred and the answer to my question of how to really mesh with the group dawns on me suddenly. I turn to James and say, "I'll do it."

He gives me a confused look. "What?"

"I'm going to try out for the Quidditch Team."

James's face lights up immediately. "Really? Wow! That's great! You won't regret it."

I look back to the boys in front of us, smiling. "I know."