After the holidays, third year ended just as swiftly as the year before. Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup and Captain Robert Johnson had sobbed spectacularly- something nobody on the team ever expected they'd live to see. He and Lane Jones had been in their seventh and final year so the team would need new players as well as a new captain.

Exams had gone fairly well. Lily, Evie, Marlene, Matilda, and Remus had done outstanding after numerous long study sessions in the library together. James and Sirius had done remarkably well considering they hadn't once opened a textbook in their spare time. And Peter exceeded expectations just by achieving a passing mark.

Whist some things- like Peter's appetite and James's knack for messing with his hair- never changed, others did in a surprisingly swift manner. Evie had been dating Gideon Prewett a total of eight and a half months, and in her opinion things were going relatively well. Gideon, though older and a bit more experienced, was patient and in no way rushed their progress- she was after all fourteen for Godric's sake. He was a good and attentive boyfriend and she cared for him very much. But doubts still frequented her mind, though she'd never admit it to anyone, save Lily or perhaps Remus. "What if?" was a question that bothered her to no end. What if she hadn't gone to the ball with Gideon? What if he'd never fancied her in the first place? What if she didn't have to constantly remind herself that he was her boyfriend and he was the only one she was supposed to have these feelings for? But she couldn't be bothered to really consider these questions at any time other than the middle of the night when she could not find solace in sleep. The fact of the matter was Gideon was her boyfriend and he was good to her. Sirius had distanced himself throughout the year, made it clear just how easily attainable he was to the female population of Hogwarts, and hadn't written to her all summer. He didn't care, so why should she?

"Reducto!" Evie ducked as a sizable chunk of the column behind her was blown apart. She cast a shield charm as another spell flew toward her.

"Confringo!" her spell hit the ground before her opponent and blasted him back. "Expelliarmus!"His wand flew out of his hand and into hers as she approached him. "Tsk tsk, should have seen that one coming, old man."

He gave a short chuckle before attempting to kick her legs out from under her. She yelped, managed to keep herself balanced, but dropped his wand. He caught it quickly and aimed it at her. She, anticipating this, casted a silencing charm on him. This did nothing if but deter him for a moment as he was particularly skilled in nonverbal magic. A disarming charm flew by her, singeing some of her golden hair as she ran. She feigned a quick right behind a column, aimed left and thought Nuvola Oculus! Her conjunctivitis curse hit its mark, but it wasn't enough. Her echoing footsteps in the courtyard were enough to grant him general aim.

He blasted her back with a feather-light charm. She began to float into the air at an alarming rate before she thought her way out of it. Incarcerous! Ropes sprang from the end of her wand down to her opponent and tethered to him.

"I would call this one a draw, my dear," he said in an amused voice as the silencing charm wore off, "What would you say?"

She laughed jovially, "I'd say so. Apparently being feather-weight also makes you lightheaded."

"Who'd have known?" he said in a tone that did not convey surprise whatsoever, "I am impressed that you managed to get yourself anchored before you became overcome with faint. Now why would we call this a draw?"

"Because though you are incapacitated and can't see, I am reliant on you. We are therefore both in a position of dependence and no one person is the victor."

He smiled, "Couldn't have said it better myself. Fantastic conjunctivitis curse by the way. My eyes are literally swollen shut from the inside."

"Thanks, Daddy," she said before lifting the curse. Her training sessions with her father and godfather had become more intense the past summer. When she wasn't over at the Prewett's or Potter's homes she was in her family's courtyard or dueling platform training with her father or Alastor, sometimes her grandfather when neither one could escape the office. She had gotten much better at her nonverbal spells; they were now as powerful as the ones she said outright. James had often joined in on the duels, though it was more of an occasional hobby for him whereas for her it was a daily ritual.

"Evandra, please tell me that your trunk is all packed," said her mother when they walked into the kitchen. Neither one was suffering from pinkeye or lightweight anymore.

"Yes, mum. I got it all done last night," she said in a monotone as she pushed her scrambled eggs around on her plate. Really, was a good morning too much to ask for?

"It wouldn't do you any good to be late and keep the Potters waiting."

"Evie's on top of things, darling, not to worry," said her father as he slipped on his traveling cloak. "I can't stay for breakfast. Alastor and I have a lead on Dolohov. Rufus says he's got a viable witness that places him in Birmingham two nights ago."

Metrodora Bloxum seemed unbothered, "Of course, dear. Do what you must." Her father left after slipping her a pocket bag of galleons and wishing her a good term. It seemed like a waste of time to sit in the kitchen with only her mother and their house elf, Jinxy. After all, with each day that passed they had less and less to say to each other. So she slipped into a blue jumper, levitated her trunk, grabbed her broom, and walked across the small lawn to James's house. By comparison, the Potter's kitchen was livelier and far more welcoming than hers had been.

"Good, Evie, you're here," said Dorea with a genuine smile, "James should be ready at any moment. That boy leaves everything for the last minute. And it's already nine thirty!"

"That's alright. I'll just head on up and help him."She set her trunk and broom down and ran up the stairs to James's room at the top of the house. James's room was more like a small apartment. He had his own bathroom, fireplace, an extra closet for his Quidditch supplies, and several lounging chairs around a small coffee table. He had shelves full of Quidditch books, Zonko's products, framed photos, and random boxes of sweets. Several posters of the Falmouth Falcons Quidditch team decorated the walls with players zooming in and out of them. James's bed was pushed into a corner of the room ("For full advantage of floor space"). Atop the windowsill of the west window, which directly faced Evie's room, sat an old empty glass jar. It matched one that Evie had sitting on the windowsill of her room. She had gotten the idea from a muggle film she had seen where children were able to communicate with each other over distances using empty cans tethered together by a string. Well, she was a witch and didn't bother with the string when she enchanted the jars. It was their version of muggle telly-tones.

James was running frantically around the room throwing random objects into his trunk. "Done, are you?"

"Finished last night," she said slipping into her favorite brown armchair.

"Surprised you managed at all considering the amount of time you've spent sucking face with Gideon just this week alone," he said snarkily.

She rolled her eyes, "I have not been that bad."

"Oh yes you have. I've never spent so much time alone with Til and Fabian. Felt like I'd lost a limb," he gave a fake sniffle as he clutched his arm.

"Oh shut up. You've seen me every day this summer."

"Yes, yes I have for maybe half an hour here and there. Admit it to yourself, you're overcompensating," he said with an air of wisdom.

"Overcompensating for what exactly?" she said moodily.

He gave her a fixed look from where he knelt by his trunk, "You're overcompensating and throwing yourself into your relationship because you think it's what you ought to be doing, rather than what you want to be doing."

"You sound like Remus," she commented.

"Well if rationality is contagious then I hope it bites you next," he closed his trunk before standing and turning to her, "All I'm saying is, if you like Gideon, really like him then great, fantastic, I am happy for you. But if you're with him for the wrong reasons then I think eight months of getting strung along is enough don't you think?"

"I haven't strung him along!" she cried indignantly, "I care about Gideon. He's one of my oldest friends."

"Well that's just it, Evie. He's one of your oldest friends."

Evie was quiet on the journey to King's Cross until she had to say goodbye to Charlus and Dorea. She left James halfway down the train and went to find Gideon. On the way she ran into her cousin Scarlett and her best friend, a boy by the name of Kingsley Shacklebolt. She scooted on past Velpucia Yaxley and Narcissa Black's compartment, not at all in the mood to deal with either one of them after her morning with her mother and James. Her cousin Myron was in a compartment with Bertram Aubrey and Benjy Fenwick. All three of them smiled and greeted her, though Aubrey's seemed less sincere- he hadn't quite gotten over the fact that Lily had broken up with him last term.

After scouring the train for any one of the Prewetts she gave up and headed back to where she'd left James. Remus was there now, sitting behind a worn copy of Sites of Historical Sorcery, Peter was eating a licorice wand out of a pile of candy on his lap, and James was flipping through the latest issue of Which Broomstick? with a pale looking Sirius. They looked up as she entered the compartment and sat between Peter and Remus.

"Couldn't find Gideon?" asked James conversationally. Sirius's eyes narrowed as he glared out the window.

"No, I expect he was down at the other end. I didn't feel like walking all the way back," she mumbled as she rested her head on Remus's shoulder and took one of Peter's chocolate frogs.

"Poor Prewett. How ever will he survive," snarled Sirius.

"What's your problem?" she snapped. Remus stiffened beside her.

"Don't have a problem. Just think it's a little sick that he's taking advantage of a younger girl and that you're letting him." She rolled her eyes at that. The less-than-two-years-age-difference had been Sirius's major objection to her relationship with Gideon.

"Can we not argue about my relationship for once?"

"Then what would you like to argue about, Madam Gryffindor?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and practically growled, "Oh I don't know. Let's talk about the fact that I didn't get a single word from you all summer, let alone see my owl. Mercury isn't just yours, Sirius. We bought him together so he's just as much mine as he is yours."

"Well I figured that at least with me he wouldn't be neglected or passed over."

"Neglected? Really? Ugh you are insufferable," she fumed, "I don't want to argue with you. You've obviously had a miserable summer and I've had a trying morning."

"Fine, let's just not talk to each other at all."

"Fine by me!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Peter, James, and Remus made no sound or movement to suggest they'd witnessed anything, except exchange rather quick glances at each other. This was how it had been last term between Sirius and Evie. They either ignored or dug into each other time and again. They had grown tired of it, the girls had grown tired of it, and frankly so had Sirius and Evie themselves. But given what they were both thinking and feeling, this seemed like the only option available to them. Talking would open up doors and feelings that neither one of them was sure they wanted to explore after disappointments, and for that they resented each other. Talking would lead them somewhere new and dangerous, and for the time Evie and Sirius were both comfortable in their own niches: committed to Gideon and snogging girls, respectively. But this term wouldn't be liked the last. Whether or not talking had anything to do with it, one of those doors was going to get blown wide open.

It's about to get a whole different type of interesting.

Felt particularly chatty tonight so I figured I'd post more. I have another chapter left in me, but alas it is 3:47 AM and my mother will kill me if I am not up by at least noon tomorrow. So, the next chapter (or two, or three) will have to wait.

Review and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

LBM