No excuse I can offer will make up for my missing last week.

If it helps, I was getting my wisdom teeth out and have spent the time since madly trying to make up the work I missed while out with sickness and surgery.

Hope this chapter helps to satisfy everyone - you all have given me such lovely comments I feel endebted.

And I just came my philosophy class and am typing in the style of the teacher. Go figure.

I smiled as I waved at Ginny from across the platform, her red head standing out shockingly next to Professor Lupin's graying blonde hair. She smiled with an equally toothy grin back at me. "I'll see you at the end of the summer," I called to her, and she nodded before apparating away.

Instead of jumping into the war and work right out of Hogwarts, I'd given into my father's begging to come and join him in America for one last summer at home being his little girl. I just can't say no to my father. Nervously standing alone on the platform, I ran my hand through my hair and remembered Oliver. Really, when a thought that specific flies through my mind, I just can't help but think of him.

"Aly!" I spun then, thankful for the distraction. To my shock, though, it wasn't Bry or any of Ginny's friends running up to me, but Siren, her black hair braided and swinging along behind her. She had a nervous look on her face and was ringing her hands.

I felt the slightest urge to throw her in front of the train after how idiotic she'd been, but I repressed the urge due to so many witnesses, "Siren."

She continued to smile awkwardly as she wrung her hands, "I know it's a little late, but you were right about Tom. He was bad news."

"He admitted that he was dating you to get back at me," I questioned, more shocked at the idea than I'd been at Siren's coming over to talk to me.

Her brow furrowed angrily, "Get over yourself." Apparently not. "No, he's a Death Eater. He just showed me on the train; I broke up with him."

Tom's a Death Eater?

I think I called that.

Man, do I know how to pick 'em.

"Really, you need to get over that whole idea that Tom was dating you to get back at me; I mean, I get you had a weird year this year, what with Elliot and whatever it is you went through during January, but me and Tom were completely separate from yo-"

"Aly!" I turned on my heel once again, my heart jumping into my throat as I saw Oliver weaving his way through a crowd of sixth year girls whose eyes followed him longingly. Good thing he's coming, because Siren isn't annoying me yet but I can almost guarantee that she's going to say something very stupid very soon. "Hey, Aly," Oliver breathed, smiling as he stopped a little too close to me, "Can I just see you for a second?"

I nodded, expecting him to take my hand and lead me away from prying eyes. This was it; either Oliver was going to say it was over forever because he couldn't bring himself to disappoint his father or he was going to be my boyfriend for the foreseeable future. I was careful not to think forever; I just got over using the word 'love' a few months ago. Forever would be a big leap that I'm not ready to take.

Instead, Oliver surprised me; he always does. I heard a brief, "I've always wanted to do this," before he moved in, his hands tangling in my hair and his lips crashing blissfully into mine. All the chatter and goodbyes around us stopped immediately, and I was caught between laughing in amusement and killing Oliver for doing this to me.

Heh, and Siren's standing there watching trying to tell me I'm a lonely loser. This is irony. And perfect timing. God I have a good boyfriend, even if we're on break. I can take this as a sign that this break isn't forever, right?

Oliver detached himself from me a few seconds later, an amused and slightly dreamy smile on his face, "I just had to remind myself, you know?" I was midway through nodding before he kissed my nose lightly and apparated away, presumably to wherever his house was.

I turned then, trying to contain my laughter at Siren's jaw halfway between its usual position and the floor. "I… uh…" She stuttered for a few more seconds before she finally got out her question, "You mean you were dating him that whole time?!"

I shook my head, still trying not to laugh. I failed, letting a few snickers and snorts out before I could answer, "No, just when I was tutoring."

Summer was known for passing slowly in America. Not that I was ever bored, it's just that suddenly I don't have a million things to run around and organize and schedule. There was no homework, just a few very non-intensive job applications at various dragon preservations and one for a researcher at the Ministry. I'm pulling more for the dragon preservations, but they tend not to have as many openings for paid workers.

Other than that, my summer was completely commitment free until I was due to Floo to the Burrow midway through August. At that point my father would be going back to the United Kingdom and prepare for his teaching post at a small hospital, training mediwitches.

Jay, having finally figured out what he wanted to do with his life, was only home once every few weeks, meaning I lost my usual companion, and was stuck trying to find Muggles who weren't complete idiots to spend time with. Not that I have anything against Muggles, but I've also accepted that many of the ones who spend most of their summers at the beach come tanned and plucked and bleached by what can only be described as imitation magical means. There are some cool girls and boys who come and hang around, but they tend to only stay for a few days.

Of course there was also my father, who was good company, but he was also quite contented to sit on the roof just watching the Muggle world go on around him. I, personally, would go stir fry crazy from having to sit and look at the sky so long without being allowed to go flying. I think that's the worst part about the beach – falcons don't live there naturally, so I'm never allowed to change because it would look to odd.

Easily the most interesting thing that happened all summer took place almost three weeks exactly after school let out. It was raining that night and, lacking any better plans, my father and I had rented a Muggle movie to play on the television. Not the one with the man who looks like Wood – that would be too awkward – but a typical family comedy.

At first I hadn't heard the frantic knocking; I figured it was a tree branch against the door or something just as common. Then I remembered I was at the beach, not Hogwarts; there were few to no trees, much less enough branches to hit the door repeatedly.

There was no moment when I saw his face, no second when I saw the relief that obviously spread through his body the moment he saw me, but rather as soon as I opened the door Oliver Wood physically collapsed onto me.

I managed to catch him in my shock, but only just barely. His arms draped over each of my shoulders, the rain that absolutely covered him soaking through my thin T-shirt in a matter of milliseconds. His feet pushed tiredly against the floor as he fought to stand, but I didn't hold my breath for him to regain his strength.

"D-Dad!" I called uncertainly, unable to do more than drag Wood out of the doorway and wrap my arms around his waist to keep him from slipping. I wasn't even bothering trying to piece together what had happened, I just trusted that he wasn't this good of an actor.

"Yes, sweOH GOD," my dad jumped at the vision of a large Scottish man draped over his daughter, watching blankly as I gestured towards the door.

"Dad, can you please close the door and then help me get him upstairs?"

"Oh, yes," my Dad muttered, hurrying towards the door and closing it before turning to Wood, eying the entirety of his body awkwardly, "Where do I grab him?"

"Grab my wand off the living room table," I rolled my eyes. My father's perfect, really, he just doesn't function well with surprises.

"So, do we know him," my father questioned carefully, returning from the living room and handing me my wand. I would've had my father float Oliver up the stairs, but honestly I'm foreseeing my being slightly obsessive about his trip up the stairs.

"Yes, he's my fly teacher," were the first words that came out of my mouth. I very quickly had to think of a way to explain why, then, he was at our door, "He, uh, he and I grew quite close when he taught me to ride a broom this year, and he mentioned that he might need to stop by. I hope it's alright; slipped my mind," by the end I was mumbling, concentrating on remembering the spell for body levitation. It was one of those simple things I forgot easily.

Once I remembered, I told my father that I'd be down for the movie when I was sure he was alright and until then he could start it, if he so chose, or he could do whatever he wanted. Still slightly shocked, he nodded and watched as I floated my boyfriend up the stairs in front of me, the fact that Oliver is my boyfriend conveniently unknown to him.

Oliver looked absolutely horrible now that I could see him – all bruised and puffy and covered in small, thin cuts. He was shivering from being covered in the rain, something I could take care of when he was conscious again and in Jay's bed.

I sighed as I looked up at the white ceiling of Jay's bedroom, my head parked comfortably on the one part of Oliver that wasn't bloodied up and bandaged – his left hip. Even though it was bony, it felt good to be close to him again, to feel like it was the old days when we hadn't had to go on a break. It had been too long since I'd just smelled my boyfriend.

Oliver's stirring soon forced me to move, crawling up towards his head so I could talk to him quietly without my father hearing, "Oliver, you awake?"

"Aly," Oliver mumbled, his swollen eyes barely opening and his neck turning sharply towards the sound of my voice. I could feel him relax when he saw it was genuinely me, "Aly, I did it. They beat me for it and I only just got out; they want me dead, Aly."

"Shh," I cut off his crazed ramblings before they could even start, "Shh, it's fine. They can't get you here; no one knows we come here besides Siren, and she broke up with Tom a while ago."

"I hate that little snake," Oliver muttered, and I giggled lightly at him before placing a careful kiss on his forehead.

"I'm proud of you, Oliver."

"I like being with you and not having to worry about the Death Eaters finding out," Oliver confessed, the words surprisingly coherent considering I'm pretty sure even his tongue was swollen.

As I thought about that, a pang of guilt rippled through me. Oliver did this solely for me, I know. Sure, he didn't agree with what he'd been doing, but if I hadn't made him he would never have done it. He would have faked his way through the entire war, the rest of his life if they'd won. And here he was, one continuous bloody bruise from head to toe save for the dumb luck spot on his hip.

"Shh," I finally muttered, not quite sure why I was shushing him, "You go back to sleep; you're all bandaged up, you just need to heal." Oliver nodded, looking absolutely pathetic and nothing short of adorable. "I've got to go watch a movie with my Dad, so you just call me if you need anything, m'kay?"

"I'm sorry I came here," he blurted out, "I just didn't have anywhere else to go. I don't know what I'm going to do. I've already quite my position as teacher at Hogwarts."

"Well, I'm planning on heading to the burrow and then living at headquarters in August; maybe you should try coming back?" I held my breath, but Oliver had managed to fall asleep by the end of my suggestion. Apparently he's not that worried.