Chapter 2

Alex sat down at a table with Hermione and Ginny, she pulled out a small case, and put a cigarette to her lips.

"So, you found me." She sighed.

Hermione's eyes were wide. "You SMOKE?" She asked, completely shocked.

Alex shrugged. "It's healthier than breathing in the London air."

Ginny crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair. "So this is what you've been up to all this time? You're in a band? You're smoking, what, are you doing drugs too?"

Alex leaned in closer, "It doesn't count if you chase them with alcohol." She smiled.

When the two girls stared at her with mouths open she rolled her eyes. "I'm JOKING."

"Why haven't you written? At least told us you were ok?" Ginny asked.

Hermione frowned at her, "You promised to write to me and I never got one single letter."

Alex shrugged again and flicked her cigarette into an ashtray. "I figured it'd be best if I just didn't talk to anyone."

"Well that's selfish." Ginny said bitterly.

Alex looked at her sadly. "I just didn't want to deal, that's all. It's not like anyone was looking for me anyways if you just now found me. By chance, I might add. What were you doing here anyways?"

"That's not the point." Ginny said angrily.

Hermione twiddled with the corner of a napkin. "You know it's not true," She said quietly. "He went looking for you."

Alex pursed her lips. "Well he didn't do a good job, now did he?" She snapped.

Ginny put up her hand. "We didn't come here to fight you Alex. We just wanted to see how you've been."

"Peachy." Alex replied.

Hermione sighed heavily. "Summer got married. She sent an owl-"

Alex pressed her lips together. "I got it. I just couldn't go."

Ginny tried her very best to control her breathing. "You couldn't even tell her why?"

Alex lit up another cigarette and looked away. "She knows why. You all do."

"If you could just talk to him-" Hermione suggested.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Talk about what exactly? I think we all just about talked ourselves out."

"Harry misses you." Ginny said quietly. "You're his only family you know."

Alex's heart twisted into a knot. "Don't you dare use him against me." She said, choking back tears. "Look I don't know what you came here for, and it's been lovely chatting, but piss off." She stood up angrily and took off down the street.

Alex walked home in a daze. She was so blindingly angry, yet depressed and unsure of everything at the same time. When Ginny had mentioned Harry it felt as if her heart had dropped from her chest. No one could ever replace the bond they had, even if he was a complete idiot to her, no one understood her like he did. She missed him terribly. She was still angry with him, considerably, but she still missed him.

When she got to her small apartment off the main road, a block away, she collapsed onto her sofa. They hadn't talked long, but Alex noticed she had left out major details about why she hadn't been writing. She hadn't told them about David either, and she wasn't entirely sure why. Alex bit her lip and chewed on it thoughtfully. It wasn't as if she were ashamed of dating a muggle, but what better way to keep her witchcraft a secret than to not tell anyone at all? They didn't have to know about David, and David didn't have to know about them, she thought to herself with a sturdy nod of her head.

It had been relatively easy to hide it from him thus far. They had only been dating for three months now, but as time progressed Alex worried about slip ups. On their very first date they had gone to dinner at a fancy restaurant on the far end of town, upon arriving a man had walked up to Alex in a pink jumper and an odd arrangement of hats atop his head and shook her hand excitedly. David found it amusing and passed it off as some nutty bum who thought she was royalty, but what if she found others she had been to school with? What if she ran into Harry? Alex frowned. David didn't even know she had a brother.

She had made it a point to avoid any conversation that directly related to family. Once he made a mention of meeting his mother and Alex had purposely choked on her food to avoid confrontation.

There was a knock on her door and it shook her violently out of her thoughts. Nearly jumping off the couch, she tried to calm her nerves when she opened the door.

It was David. Speak of the bloody devil, she thought to herself ironically.

He stood there with his usual sappy grin plastered on his face. He was unusually perky. His brown, mousey hair was as fly-away as usual, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary for him, except both his hands were behind his back….

Alex opened her mouth to question him, but he thrust a bouquet of flowers in her face, a tad more excitedly than he probably intended.

Forced backward, Alex accepted the flowers with a curious smile. "David," She said breathlessly. "What are these about?"

David shrugged carelessly, still smiling whimsically, and shut the door behind him, making himself comfortable.

"I thought you deserved them," He pecked her on the cheek. "For just being you."

Alex rolled her eyes, but her cheeks flushed appreciatively.

"The show was great." He said casually, trying to make conversation as he flopped onto her couch.

Alex sighed. "It was alright I suppose." She came over to him and sat on his lap playfully. "I think you coming to visit has been the best part of the whole day though." She bent her head to his and kissed him gently.

"I saw you with someone after the show, friends of yours?" He asked after he pulled away.

Alex frowned. "Yes." She tried to lean into him again to shut him up but he was quicker.

"I didn't know you had any friends." He looked up at her hopefully. She knew what he wanted. He wanted her to open up to him, confide in him, and tell him secrets. She wrinkled her nose; this relationship was definitely most backwards.

"You're my friend." She said with a smile.

"Alex, I thought we were going to work on this?" He groaned. "You promised you would talk to me more, for us."

Alex pushed herself off of him and sat on the arm of the couch, looking down at him she sighed. "They were friends that I haven't seen in a while. That's all."

"Friends you might want to introduce me to? The only people you hang out with are the ones at the bar." David crossed his arms.

"I'm friends with loads of people, that doesn't mean I go out and seek their individual attentions every day." Alex said with a tilt of her chin.

"I think, if we really want to have a relationship Alex, then we have to be honest with each other." He said, staring into her eyes.

Alex narrowed her eyes. He knew that he pegged her. They may have only just began their relationship a few short months ago, but David had always been the activist on how to make it last forever. He was the forever sort of type, and didn't every woman want that in a relationship?

Alex inwardly damned herself for being so closed inside. She had to admit she was being a mite ungrateful.

How did she explain friends from school though?

Oh yes David, by the way I'm a witch. I can do magic, fly on broomsticks, and oh yes and I spent most of my years surviving a war between good and evil, almost dying several times and my brother and I are the most famous witch and wizard in the entire world.

That would about sum it up. I wonder if mentioning my preference to Transfigurations and what my ideal magical job would be if I were to go back to that life would be relevant? She thought sarcastically to herself.

David waved a hand in front of her face.

"You went off into your mind again." He said with a smile.

Alex sighed. "I'm sorry David, there's just so much on my mind lately. I've been so stressed about the shows that I haven't been sleeping well, and I may be coming down with a cold." She feebly coughed into her hand.

David instantly sat up straight. "I'll go make you a pot of tea, you lie down here. I can't have you getting sick on me." He sprang off the couch in an instant and went about the room, grabbing a blanket for her as he simultaneously began boiling water in a kettle for her on the stove.

Alex smiled to herself as she lay on her couch, snuggled in her blanket.

Conversation, diverted.