I just seriously love Lydia's interactions with her students. I'm also particularly proud of Lydia's character in general, I think she's come a long way.

Dinner with the Weasleys was Friday night and my brothers were supposed to come to my parents' on Sunday. I was grateful they wouldn't be here when I left or when I came home, I know they'd never let me live it down. Even if I was a grown woman, I was spending the night with a man and they all would've had a field day.

I went to the shops the day before to find the perfect outfit. Finding clothes to cover my scars and still be pretty was a feat in itself, but I tried my best to stay positive. Once I'd finally found the perfect outfit, I went back to my house to pack for my night with George. I was in the middle of charming my dress to not get wrinkled when my nerves started to set in.

What if his family didn't like me? What if they thought I was too boring for their goofball son? I don't know how to make people like me, I was too soft-spoken for most peoples' taste. My shyness also ramped itself up whenever I was nervous, something I was positive I would be at this dinner. George had a huge family and I knew their opinion was important to him, I had to make them like me.

"So, are you sure this is what you want to do? Spending the night with someone is a big step," mum said, pushing into my room with me and glancing at the half-packed bag on my bed.

I flopped down on my back on my bed and let out a frustrated sigh. "I really care about George, mum, and this isn't a sex thing. I'm meeting his family for the first time, and I am freaking out."

"So, the two of you haven't had sex?" she asked evenly, sitting down by my hips on my bed.

I shook my head and pulled myself up into a sitting position across from her. "No, I'm too afraid to let him see my scars. I'm working on getting there and I'm getting more and more comfortable with him, it might happen tonight. I'm just worried his family isn't going to like me or he's going to see me and not like what he sees. I'm just freaking out, like I said."

"You are gorgeous inside and out, and I'm sure he sees that. I could tell by the way he looked at you when he was here the other day," she told me, a grin tugging at her lips. "When you weren't looking at him, he was watching every move you made. It was adorable; he's quite smitten."

Giddiness bubbled up in my belly and a huge smile pulled at my lips. "You're serious? He was really looking at me?"

She reached into the pocket of her cardigan and handed me a Polaroid. It was of me and George in the kitchen when the two of us were decorating cookies yesterday, or at least I was decorating them. He was looking at me like I was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, his eyes were bright and the smile on lips was the one he'd worn when he told me all the things he adored about me. The smile made warmth blossom in my stomach, too, and lick all the way through my body.

"Mum," I exclaimed, taking the picture from her to get a closer look. "I love this, I didn't even know you took it."

She just smiled happily at me before hugging me. "I want someone who sees how amazing you really are, and I think he's that person. You get nervous to be yourself like it's something to hide, but you don't do it when you're around him. You're happy, you're my little girl again. The one I thought I'd lost forever."

I hugged her back just as tight, thankful she was my mother. I was a very nervous person by nature, and I'd gotten past that stage with George. Now I had to get past it with his entire family, a feat that was easier said than done.

The next morning I cooked breakfast for mum and dad because I had too much nervous energy to sleep much more than a few hours. Dad didn't know about the sleepover yet, mum left it to me to break the news. I kind of hoped the breakfast buttered him up enough that he wouldn't be too upset. Even if I was grown, his opinion still meant a lot to me and he was reluctant to let me do things he thought would get me hurt.

"Dad, I'm going to be staying with George tonight," I told him once we'd all sat at the table, figuring I'd take the bull by the horns and go for it. "I know you haven't met him, but he's really wonderful and I care about him a lot."

I could tell he didn't like the idea very much, but he also knew I was twenty-four and could make my own decisions. I watched his expressions change as he came to terms with the idea, realizing I was grown. He also knew I wouldn't put myself in a dangerous situation, especially not after everything I'd been through. But I could still see the reluctance behind his eyes to let me put myself in a situation where I could get hurt, you know, normal father things.

"I trust you and know I raised you to be independent and take care of yourself. I'm not worried about you," he finally said. "Just know that we're here if you need us, don't forget."

Well, that went a lot better than expected. Now all I had to do was gather my courage enough to Apparate over to George's flat. It was going to be just like when we had dinner the other night, I was just going to be staying a little bit longer…and possibly sleeping in the same room.

Thinking that made my palms sweat so I wiped them on my leggings before going back to my breakfast. By the time I finished eating, I hurried back up to my room to gather the things I needed for tonight.

Mum knocked on the door before stepping inside, fully decked out for the holiday festivities with her students. "I'm heading out, lovey. Thanks for making the biscuits and decorating them, I really appreciate it. Also, be careful if you do decided to have sex with George. I don't think you're ready to be a mum yet."

I know my face was flaming red when she started laughing and disappeared down the hallway again. Once my face calmed back down, I tossed my makeup bag and perfume into my overnight bag. With my jacket and scarf tucked over the side of the bag, I Apparated to George's flat.

It was empty, but he'd left the lights on like he promised. He was downstairs working the Christmas rush and told me to come find him when I got here. After freaking out a couple seconds, I decided to leave my bag in the living room. The last thing I wanted was to put it in his room and overstep my boundaries.

I scurried down the stairs and heard the familiar sound of children laughing. Then I heard the Christmas bells and wizard Christmas carols playing in the shop as I got closer. When I walked inside from the back entrance, I saw that the place was packed with excited children and their parents. I didn't take very long to find George, he was in the middle of everything laughing with a group of kids.

"Hello, Professor Duke!" Lyra Cornwall greeted, gesturing for her younger brother Alfie to go ahead and look around. "How've your holiday been so far?"

"Wonderful, and yours?" I asked, smiling at her affectionately. "How are things between you and Levi?"

Her smile faltered and I realized I hit a nerve. "We talked about healer academy and Auror training and it turned into a fight. The two of us have been together two years and I've never realized how much I always put him first, but I did during last week. It was okay for him to go, but I had to stay and wait around for him because what I wanted wasn't as important as what he wanted."

"I hate that things came to that," I consoled, giving her shoulder a soothing squeeze. "Did you work it out?"

"No, I broke up with him. I can't be with someone who isn't supportive of my dreams, Professor Duke, there are plenty of boys out there," she told me, trying her best to smile genuinely. Then she looked over my shoulder and said, "Hello, George! Thank you for helping Alfie figure out those snapping things, I was going to go mad if I had to hear him complain about them one more time."

"It was no problem, I love helping the future generations keep the staff of Hogwarts on their toes," George grinned, tossing his arm around my shoulders playfully. "Professor Duke here even took a page out of my handbook last term."

"I know, the indoor blizzard was the talk of the Hogwarts' Express," she grinned, eyeing George's arm in curiosity but asking no questions.

I grinned and replied, "I've never been much of a prankster, that's more my brother's speed. I just remember how stressful exams are, so I decided to lighten the mood a bit. I'm glad everyone enjoyed it as much as me."

"Can I tell you something, professor?" she asked, her mood changing to serious. When I nodded, she said, "You were my favorite teacher. I've always been so inspired by you and everything you've accomplished. I don't want to make things weird or anything, I've just always thought it and figured now was the time to tell you considering I'll never have your class again."

Tears sprung to my eyes at her compliments. No one had ever told me I was their favorite teacher before, I had no idea I had such an effect on them. Especially not enough to be an inspiration.

"Thank you so much, Lyra. I don't think anyone's ever said that to me before," I finally said once I swallowed the lump of emotions in my throat.

I slipped out from under George's arm and hugged her. The tension in her shoulders melted away and I heard her let out a sigh. She must be going through more than Levi being selfish, but I didn't want to ask her about it with George and all the others around us.

"Lyra, I'm going to give you my address and I want you to write to me," I told her once we stepped back from each other. "About anything."

She immediately picked up on what I was hinting at and I saw relief flash in her eyes. Whatever was bothering her must have been pretty serious.

After I wrote my address on a slip of parchment George pulled from his robes' pocket, Lyra left to find her brother in the busy shop. I hoped whatever she was going through wasn't really serious, she was so excited about her future.

"That was nice of you, 'puff," George quipped, leading me back to his office and away from the ruckus outside. "Kindness look sexy on you."

His awkward attempt to flirt with me made me laugh. "What happened to the smooth guy all the girls raved about in school?"

I watched his cheeks dust pink and reached up to cup them in my hands, rubbing my thumbs over his cheekbones until they returned to normal. His hands reached out and gripped my hips, leaning down to connect our lips. I kept my hold on his face as he pulled my body closer to his.

The kiss wasn't fast or passionate, it was more like a greeting. Even if we'd been together two days ago, it was like the two of us were desperate for each other. Even if we'd only been together for a month, it felt much more like we'd been together for years. I'd always heard my mum say it felt like that when she and dad started dating, but I'd always thought she was being dramatic.

When we broke apart, I slid my hands to the back of his neck and slid my fingers into his hair. I twisted it absentmindedly as I gazed up at him cheesily. He had moved his hands under my top and was rubbing his own thumbs over my bare hipbone.

"I'm really glad you broke that snow globe," he whispered, resting his forehead against mine and holding my eyes.

My smile was small but my happiness was brimming over. "Me too."

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