Harry watched Erin from across the lab; Leo had picked her up from school a few hours ago so she had no way of escaping her punishment. She had her biology textbook in front of her, but Erin's eyes were glazed over and she hadn't turned the page in a good twenty minutes.

"Interesting book?" Harry said

"What?" she said glancing up

"I think you'd best spend your time doing homework and not daydreaming,"

Erin shrugged and turned back to her work. She looked glum. Clearly, the separation from her friend was taking its toll, but Harry sensed there was something else. He left his paperwork and walked over to the young girl who was staring at a page depicting the human heart.

"If a heart stops beating, can it still feel?" she asked as Harry sat down next to her

"What do you mean?"

"If a heart stops, can a person still love?"

Harry frowned "Emotions come from the brain and the human psyche not the heart,"

"So why when is it when you're sad it feels like your heart is breaking?"

"Are you sad Erin?" Harry asked gently

"Yes," she said quietly

"Are you sad because you're not allowed to be around Nate?"

She nodded "And because…" but her sentence died away

"Because what?"

She looked up at him "Can you keep a secret?"

"Depends on what the secret is?"

Harry watched as Erin slipped her hand into her bag and pulled out a battered old envelope. She passed it to Harry who gently took out the contents.

'My Darling Erin…'

"Did you take this from Nora's house?" Harry frowned

"Technically it's addressed to me,"

"Technically its theft," he scolded "Does Leo know about this?"

Erin said nothing but the guilty look on her face suggested that the Professor knew nothing of the letter.

"I'll have to tell him," Harry sighed

"I have a right to know about my dad," Erin protested

"You also have the right to remain silent but you never seem to take that one up," Harry said standing up

"Please don't Harry,"

"Erin…" Harry warned

The girl looked up at him, her pale eyes pleading with him. He didn't want to get her into anymore trouble but Leo needed to know about this.

"Look I know you want to know about your father, I understand, I needed to know about mine too but there are ways and means of going about it. Stealing isn't one of them,"

"I know…" Erin's head drooped

"I'm going to give this to Leo, but if you still want to know about your father, I will help you,"

"Really?" she asked cautiously

He nodded "But only if you prove to me I can trust you,"

Erin said nothing and he took her silence as a sign of consent. Leaving the girl to her homework, he made his way into Leo's office where the man in question was typing a report at his computer.

"Have you finished the report on the Nora Rhys?" Leo asked

"Nearly," Harry said, "Leo, Erin just showed me this,"

He gave the older man the letter. Leo quickly scanned over it and his face dropped when he realised what he was reading.

"Where did she get this?"

Harry raised his eyebrows "Where do you think?"

Leo groaned, "That girl is no end of trouble,"

"She's a little upset; I think she just needed to know about him,"

"There are legal ways and means of going about it,"

"That's what I told her," Harry nodded "Don't be too hard on her Leo, she's gone through enough already,"

"She need to face up to her actions," Leo sighed "She needs to learn she cant solely play by her rules and that sometimes things wont always go her way,"

"I think Erin's leant her lesson," Harry reasoned

"I thought so too but this letter makes me doubt that," Leo said sounding frustrated

"Don't be too hard on her Leo," Harry said leaving the office, "It wasn't that long ago she was the drenched scrap of a girl curled up in the car park,"

"It doesn't excuse her behaviour,"

"No," Harry agreed "But it does go some way to explaining it,"

He walked back the lab, leaving Leo deep in his thoughts as he glanced over the letter.

Park Lane School's resident art teacher, Mr Peters sighed as he watched over his pupils in the classroom. Whilst most of them were busily chatting away whilst they worked, there were two exceptions.

In one corner, Nathaniel Austen sat hunched up over his work and on the opposite side of the classroom, Erin Dalton sat idly doodling in her sketchpad. He had received an e-mail from the head teacher that morning detailing Mrs Austen's wishes that her son was to be removed form the presence of Erin. With great reluctance like all their other teachers, he had separated the pair and sat them at opposite sides of the classroom.

"Erin," he called across to the girl "Please get on with your work,"

She shrugged and ignored him, still doodling on the paper rather than finishing off her painting.

"Erin," he said more sternly

"What?" she snapped

Mr Peters was taken back at this show of foul attitude and immediately took her outside of the classroom for a stern word.

"Erin your exams are in a few months and that coursework needs to be finished before you start planning your exam piece. Now I know that situation right now is not ideal and I can understand why you are upset but I will not have this attitude, do you understand me?" he said firmly

"Yes sir," Erin sighed moodily

"I'm not sure you do," Mr Peters said analysing the girl's attitude

"Well I do," she shouted

"I think you need time to reflect on your attitude Miss Dalton. I'm giving you detention after school tonight where you will think about what is the right way to behave in front of your peers and the staff at this school," Mr Peters said, hardly able to believe he was giving Erin a detention." Now you are going to go back into the classroom and get on with your work and I don't want to hear a peep out of you for the rest of the lesson."

She stalked back into the classroom and sat down at her desk, pulling her painting towards her and half-heartedly attempting to work on it. The teacher watched as Nate finally lifted his head and looked across at the young girl with a sad look in his eyes.