Most of this is JK Rowling's. Don't sue me.

The emotion it was electric
And the stars, they all aligned
I knew I had to make my decision
But I never made the time
No, I never made the time
In the dark, for a while now
I can't stay, so far
I can't stay much longer
Riding my decision home
-I Can't Stay by The Killers

Izzy's POV:

I didn't sleep that night.

How could I? Albus had just told me that I was the one James was talking about. I was the one he fancied.

But that couldn't be right. He was confused, worried, upset. That's all. He had been so stressed out lately that he went a little bit mad…and who could blame him?

The tears were still flowing from my eyes, but I couldn't figure out exactly why I was crying. I didn't usually cry, especially over things like this.

Allison, Rose, and Melissa had fallen asleep a few hours ago, so I tried to stifle my sobs. If I woke one of them up, they would want to talk, and talking was the last thing I needed right now. I would sort everything out by myself like I usually did.

I wasn't ready for anything like this. For one thing, I didn't trust people anymore; whenever I told anyone any kind of secret, they assumed it was theirs to expose. In third year, I had a huge crush on Cormack MacMillan, a Ravenclaw. I confided in Rose and Ally Creevey with this, and it spread like wildfire. By the next morning, every student at Hogwarts knew. Or, more recently, I had trusted Finn. That was a disaster, and I wouldn't let it happen again.

Anyways, I didn't feel that way about Al, and he didn't think that way about me. So even if I did trust people more, it wouldn't matter.

"Izzy?"

Oh crap. I had been taking in loud breaths to calm myself without realizing, and I must have woken someone. I could pretend to be asleep. That way, whoever it was would leave me alone.

"Izzy, are you okay?"

Stay calm. Be silent. Ignore her.

The girl walked over and sat on my bed. Shit! What was I supposed to do now?

I faked it. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked around. My eyes landed on the figure at the end of my bed: Rose.

"Huh?" I sat up groggily. "What time is it?"

She sighed. "Like, one in the morning. Izzy, I heard you crying," she told me.

"Really?" I said. "Must've been a bad dream." I started to lay back down. "Well, I'm awfully tired…"

"Izzy, I know you better. You wouldn't wake up just because I sat on your bed. You're a really deep sleeper." Of course she was right. She had me cornered now.

"You're right," I sighed. "It doesn't matter, though, so go back to sleep, okay? I really am tired."

"It does matter. You were upset, and I'm here to help." She offered me a wry smile, but I shook my head.

"I don't want to talk about it," I told her impatiently.

"Sometimes it helps just to get it out-"

"No, Rose," I said through clenched teeth. "I said that I don't want to talk about it." My words were slow and deliberate, dripping with malice.

She looked at me. "Is this about Al? Because you both looked really upset and you didn't talk to him for the rest of the day."

"Rose, just drop it and go to bed."

"Please, Izzy…"

"Rose," I hissed petulantly, "go away."

"I just want to listen," she pleaded quietly.

"That's hard to do if I don't want to talk," I snapped and turned away to put my head on my pillow.

She remained on my bed for a few minutes, then I heard her sigh. The floor creaked as she stood up and walked over to her own bed.

"I'll listen," came her small voice, "whenever you want to talk."

I ignored her as my thoughts drifted back to Al.

A week went by, and Albus and I didn't talk to each other. He still sat across from me at meals, but I mostly talked to Rose. Sometimes, I would feel his eyes on me as I listened to his cousin's newest set of problems. After a bit, he would look away and start a polite conversation with Scorpius.

My life seemed empty without Albus, but I was too angry and confused to speak with him about it. I often had to pair up with a Hufflepuff during potions because Rose wanted to be with Scorpius now.

I didn't talk much to anyone at all. There wasn't much to say now, but I silently cursed myself at times for being so introverted. Every once in a while, Trent would come over and try to cheer me up, even if he didn't know what was wrong. I was grateful for such a wonderful little brother, but he couldn't do anything for me.

Finally, I started visiting the library more often. I tried to do as much homework as I could, but I soon ran out of assignments without Al to distract me. I slowly began to make my way through the immense selection of the library, simply pulling out a book at random. I sat in the library for hours every day: after classes ended, during free periods, just any time it was possible that I could run into him. I wasn't ready to face him, and I wasn't sure that I ever would be.

Some days, Rose would stop by and try to start up a discussion with me. She often left in a distressed state, confused by my refusals to hold a conversation.

Al still stole peeks at me while I ate, and I began bringing books from the library to read during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Rose sometimes tried to pull me out of my reading to gossip.

Another week passed, and our finals grew closer. I stayed in the library even longer to study, and most nights ended with the librarian irritably yet politely kicking me out.

Rose stopped trying to talk to me.

My life became studying, eating, and sleeping. The days were long and dreary, and more often than not, I silently cried myself to sleep at night.

For the first time ever, I wanted summer to come faster. I wanted to get away from Hogwarts and all of my problems. I wanted, needed to get away from Albus.

May came upon us quietly and without warning. The grey, rainy days started to disappear and were replaced with a spring time coolness and pleasant breezes.

These days reminded me painfully of the times that Al and I would walk around the lake during our breaks, pushing and teasing each other. I forced these thoughts from my head, refusing to let myself reflect on such things. I would then put my nose back into a book, which I now carried everywhere.

My books gave me a renewing vacation from reality. I let myself be pulled into the stories, escaping from the monotonous routine of my life. There were imaginary places, incredible adventures, amorous romances, all waiting to take me out of the nightmare I was living in, ready to swallow me into the whimsical fantasies that I could only dream would be true.

With a month left of school, Rose finally brought me out of my stupor.

I was walking to the Fat Lady, my feet slowly dragging up the staircases. I kept my face buried in my latest book as I walked and my hair fell in a wavy curtain around me. I arrived at the portrait and was about to give the password, when a smooth hand wrapped firmly around my forearm. Puzzled, I looked up.

"Izzy," Rose said gently. "We need to talk."

Al's POV:

Izzy was worrying me. I hardly ever saw her, and when I did, it was on one of my rare excursions to the library or at meals. She had started taking a book wherever she went, which wasn't entirely unusual for Izzy, but I guessed that it was only to keep anyone from bothering her; unfortunately, it was rather effective.

I hated myself for doing this to her. I had caused this. If only I had made up some girl to tell her about, then she wouldn't hate me like she did now. Izzy was the only girl that had ever made me feel this way, and I had just lost her forever. It didn't matter how much she was hurting inside now, because I felt twice that and more.

Not even Quidditch, my usual escape from life, could help me feel better. I went through all of my practices and games without emotion, no longer receiving the thrill of soaring through the air that I normally got.

I tried to take Celeste's advice and give her time, but the wait was killing me. I just wanted to grab her and hold her, to explain why I said those things, to get her to talk to me again. If I did any of that, though, she would be even more upset. I waited patiently.

"Albus? Albus!"

Rose was yelling at me again. I nodded at her to show I was paying attention.

"Okay," she huffed. "Let's try this again."

She was trying to help me study for my potions finals, but I was proving difficult to keep focused. My mind was constantly straying back to Izzy. Her laugh bounced around in my head, and I felt her leaning against my shoulder. I could suddenly smell the faint scent of her hair: a light, refreshing smell that I hadn't ever been able to place…

"Albus!"

I jumped.

"Oh, sorry Rose…"

"Al, I'm tired of this. Let's go, Scorp." She grabbed Scorpius' hand and dragged him towards the portrait hole. He turned around to give me one fleeting sympathetic glance before they were gone. I dropped my books and put my head in my hands. I was never going to pass my final now. If only I still had Izzy. She had always been able to make me understand, and she had much more patience than Rose.

I collected my books and started up to the dormitory. Wrapped up in my thoughts, I didn't even notice the girl coming down the stairs.

"Oh!"

I looked at the person I had run into, and my heart soared.

"Izzy," I gasped.

"I need to go," she mumbled. She picked up her book that she'd dropped and tried to get around me.

I stopped her. "Please, I need to talk to you."

She glanced up at me and sighed. "Not now."

"Izzy…" I said, but she was already pushing her way past me.

"Izzy, come back..."

I didn't talk to her again after the incident in the common room. She practically lived in the library now, so I only saw her in class and in the Great Hall. Both places, she was either reading or studying, so I never had a chance to say anything to her.

We hadn't talked for a month now, and this silence was torture. I understood that she was upset, but I didn't get why she wasn't talking to me. Not once did she give me a chance to apologize.

One evening after exams were over, Rose caught me in the common room.

"Albus, will you please tell me what happened with you and Izzy?"

I looked at my cousin and decided to give in. Maybe it would help to tell someone. Painfully, I told her about the fight, me telling Izzy how I really felt, and her running from me in distress.

Rose looked at me in silence for a while, then spoke. "Albus, you scared her."

I turned my head to the side in confusion. "What?"

"You have to look at her life and all that she's gone through," she began patiently. "She lost her sister, she lost Finn, and she's afraid of losing you, too." Seeing my perplexed expression, she expanded on her thoughts. "If being together like you want to be doesn't work out, then she'll lose you forever. I'm sure she thinks that she can't trust guys, either, after Finn. And she has good reason not to."

"But I'm her best friend!" I protested. "She knows she can trust me!"

Rose heaved a pitied sigh. "Yes, I know that, but think about it. She's lost so much, and no one but you has ever really given her a reason to trust people. It's got to be tough for her, Al."

"So what am I supposed to do about that?"

"I know you'll hate me for saying this, but give her space. Let her think things through before she tries to talk to you again. Even if it takes another year, you have to leave her to herself."

"A year?" I asked pathetically.

"Maybe." Rose cocked her head and studied me. "But…I could always try to talk to her for you…"

My eyes widened. "Would you?"

She nodded. "I'd be happy. Ooh, I could probably do it tonight, actually…she gets back from the library around midnight…that gives me two hours of waiting…"

I listened in silence as Rose planned. Maybe, just maybe, things would go back to normal now.

Sorry for the delay, guys! Like I said, I've been out of town a lot lately.

To my lovely reviewers...
Bri P. : Thanks so much! I did love St. Louis! It's really a lot of fun. I'm so glad you like this story!
AliS256: Thanks for your review. Short and sweet. I felt really bad for Al, too. I hated doing that to him...

Umm...so, I've noticed that I'm not getting quite as many reviews anymore, even on the chapters that I feel pretty good about...am I doing something wrong?

OH! Has anyone else seen the final Harry Potter movie yet? I went to the midnight premier as Luna and, personally, I LOVED it! I think that was the best one so far, for sure.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Hate mail? Click on that little review button and send me your thoughts!