Chapter 18

I woke up to sunlight streaming though the window and instantly recoiled. It was to damn bright. I felt blind and it didn't do anything to help the pulsing headache I had. After Rose had come back out on to the balcony the two of us went back inside and had a fabulous time. After Rose convinced me to do a shot with her I felt my whole body loosen up. I didn't realize I had been so stressed but now I'm not surprised at all. I mean I just realized I fancied the one boy I shouldn't fancy because he's dating someone else and one of my best friends also fancied him. The rest of the night was a blur of attractive boys smiling at me, drinks, laughter, a smoky smell, loud music, and dancing. Besides this hangover it was exactly what I needed. Just something that allowed me to let loose and have a good time in a safe environment. And hangover potions were a blessing from Merlin himself. And I did a little investigating yesterday and discovered that James had a whole cupboard full of little bottles of hangover potions. Got to love that boy.

With a groan I sat up. A hangover potion sounded like exactly what I needed right now. I opened the door and made my way out into the hall quietly. No need to wake up the girls… or the other people who apparently crashed here over night. The living room was littered with bodies. It seemed that any piece of floor had been good enough and people just passed out there. I slowly navigated my way to the kitchen. Whispering apologies as I stepped over people and when I bumped into a table sending cans tumbling down onto the floor. Besides a few grunts and a "what the hell" everyone remained asleep as I made my way towards the relief I was looking for.

Once in the kitchen I opened the cupboard where the potions were kept only to find everything gone but a note was taped to the shelf.

Sucks to suck. Go get your own.

Cheers,

James

My mouth dropped open in shock. What was I going to do now? I'm guessing James had, had his stash broken into one to many times for him to remove everything. I slowly shut the cupboard and lowered my head onto the counter. It felt cool against my forehead. I considered just staying there all day. If felt nice and it relived the pounding in my head a touch.

"Rough night?" a voice startled me out of my thoughts.

I glanced behind me and saw Al standing there leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. His dark hair was disheveled and he looked as bad as I felt. Not to mention fit as hell.

"Not really. More of a rough morning."

I saw him begin to smile but winced.

"You and me both."

"I hardly saw you." I said as I turned my body around to face him fully. " What were you up to?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"A little of this. A little of that. Mostly just chatting with James's teammates. They're a pretty decent lot. They sure know how to have a good time."

"And play Quidditch."

"And play Quidditch." Al said smiling.

He took a few large steps into the kitchen and was standing next to me in no time.

"I see James has finally wised up and started hiding his stash. Tosser." Al said causing me to smile.

"Lucky for us I have an idea of where he moved it to. Come on Love this way."

Al moved quickly though the apartment. Steeping over sleeping people and tossed aside bottles with grace and ease. I was not having the same luck. Instead it seemed like I managed to kick ever bottle or can we came across with a loud clang or crunch. Al stopped suddenly in front of a closet door that when opened reviled a tiny and cramped laundry room.

"He keeps his Hangover potions in the laundry room?" I asked sounding skeptical.

Al nodded his head.

"When we were kids if James ever had something of importance to hide he would stash it somewhere in the laundry room. How many kids are doing laundry?"

"Very few." I responded.

"Exactly. Mum and dad did the laundry so Lily and I were never in the laundry room. It was a pretty ingenious hiding spot. Until we stumbled upon it looking for a bed sheet to make a fort. But still even to this day James tends to hide things of importance in the laundry room." And with a flourish Al opened a cabinet and there in all of their glory stacked nicely on top of one another were vials of hangover potion. Al took two out of the cabinet and handed one to me and kept one for himself.

I twisted the top off and was about to bring it to my lips but Al stopped me.

"Just a minute Love. I would like to make a toast"

I quickly pulled the glass away from my mouth and held it out in front of me waiting for him to finish.

"To James for keeping these wonderful things around. To myself for knowing where he would hide them, thanks for staying predictable James. And to you Riley for going on this adventure with me." With that he knocked my glass against his and downed the whole potion in one go.

"I'm never drinking again." Rose groaned into her pillow as I opened the shades.

"I believe you say that every time. Now roll over and I have something that will make you feel loads better."

"Nothing can make me feel better." Rose moaned. "I'm dying."

I proceeded to roll my eyes. Rose did always did have a flare for the dramatic.

"Not even one of James's hangover potions?"

With that Rose lifted her head up. Her red curls a mess and hanging in her eyes.

"Why didn't you say that? His potions are the best. I don't know what he does but I've never had a better hangover potion."

I tossed it to her and watched as she proceeded to open it and down it in one quick movement. Instantly the coloring in her face returned to normal.

"Ahh I've missed you. If James ever fails out of Quidditch he should seriously think about brewing these bad boys full time. I think he missed his true calling in life."

I laughed at her.

"Try telling that to his screaming fans."

"Speaking of fans where's Ryan?"

I glanced over to the bed Ryan had been sleeping in only to find it empty. I frond and made my way over to it. It looked like she had slept in it. The sheets were in a tangled mess and the pillow was folded in half like she always did when she slept.

A few seconds later I heard the toilet flush and Ryan emerged from the bathroom. Her long hair was up in a bun with multiple strands escaping. Her face was pale and her eyes squinting in the bright light.

"I'm so fucking hungover. Alcohol is the devil." Ryan mumbled as she crawled gingerly back into her bed.

Rose and I smirked at one another.

"Ryan what if I were to tell you I have something that can make everything all better." Rose said.

"What do you mean you have?" I interjected.

Rose narrowed her eyes at me.

"Fine. What if I told you that Riley had something that could make everything all better."

Ryan opened one eye and looked at Rose clearly feeling as miserable as Rose felt only moments before.

"I would tell you to stop talking about it and help me out of this misery."

Rose laughed.

"Heads up." I said as I tossed her the other bottle I had brought with me.

Even in her hungover state Ryan's reflexes were amazing and she easily caught it.

"What is it?" She asked groggily as she looked at the bottle.

"One of the best things in the world. Just drink it." Rose said.

"If this makes me worse I'm going to be super pissed at the two of you. But right now I'll give anything to feel better." She then gulped down the potion. She let out a sigh of relief after.

"That was wonderful. What was it?" Ryan asked as she laid down on her bed.

"One of James hangover potions that he makes. He was known around school for them and made a ton of money off them." Rose told her.

" James is just full of surprises." Ryan said.

Rose and I smirked.

"Yes, yes he is. Speaking of surprises how did it go with Robb last night?" I asked Ryan.

Finally our shared genes showed their true colors and Ryan's face light up like a traffic light.

"It went just fine." Ryan said as her eyes refused to meet mine or Rose's.

"You fancy him!" Rose said in a sing song voice.

" I do not." Ryan said her voice rising and her blush growing darker.

"You really fancy him!" Rose continued her blue eyes glinting with excitement.

"I do not." Ryan repeated again shaking her head no. " No way would I like a super famous, ridiculously cute, Quidditch player."

I briefly thought to myself if this is how ridiculous I sounded when I denied my feeling for Albus. It was clearly obvious how she felt about him. All the tell tale signs were there. She blushed when she was asked to talk about him, she denied her feelings for him, and I knew that even though she hadn't yet she would soon start slipping him into conversation just to find out information about him.

"Honey if you didn't fancy him we would have problems." Rose told her with a smile.

Ryan gazed out the window as if making her mind up about something. Her long fingers fiddled with the hem of her over size shirt.

After a few moments Ryan started to smile.

"He is really cute isn't he?"

Later that night, after saying goodbye to Ryan, (it was a total tear filled giggle fest. Between the two of us teasing her about Robb, who had owled James latter that day asking about her, and me and Ryan saying our goodbye unknowing when we would see one another again we were sobbing and then laughing at the same time) Rose and I had set up camp out on the balcony with a bunch of blankets, two comfy chairs, and some hot chocolate. Most of the time we talked about school, what we wanted to do after school (me a healer, Rose a ministry worker like her Mum), and our trip so far.

"I think the game was one of the best I've seen, and I've seen a lot." Rose said. "It was just so fast passed. Way more intense then the Cuddly Cannon games dad has taken me to."

I smirked.

"Of course it was. They sucked when your dad was a kid and besides a brief period in the early 2000's before we were born, they continued to suck."

Rose sighed.

"I don't know why dad loves them so much. At least he's loyal."

The two of us sat in silence listening to the waves. We had been friends for years and were as comfortable talking with one another as we were sitting in silence.

"I think I love him." Rose said, breaking our comfortable silence.

"What?" I asked shocked. Where had that come from? One minute comfortable silence the next she goes and says she loves someone.

"I think I love Scorpius." Rose repeated.

I turned in my chair to look at her. She was staring straight out at the water. Her face expressionless, but her eyes confidant.

"What do you mean you think?" Rose was not the type of girl who was unsure of anything. She had the answer to everything and if she didn't she found the answer no matter how long it took and she was never unsure of herself. She knew exactly who she was and there was nothing that could change that. The fact that she told me this meant that she didn't think she did, she knew she did.

I let it hang in the air for a few moments, unsure how to respond.

"How long?" I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. She still didn't look at me.

"I had a feeling right before we left but since being here I'm sure."

I smiled. Typical Rose. She wouldn't admit anything unless she was 100% sure.

"I think dad almost shit himself when he found out the two of us were dating. I don't know how he's going to handle it if he finds out that I love him."

So now the real issue comes out. It wasn't the fact that she was scared that she loved him; Rose Weasley could handle being in love with a boy. It was the fact that she was unsure what her parents would think. After all she was in love with the son of her parents archenemy when they were at school.

"Rosie" I began and I took her hand "Your parents won't care. Sure your dad might give him shit and mess around with you, but that is because he loves you. Your mum has met Scorpius in her visits to the school and I know that she thinks he's brilliant. She called him, and I quote, " A very respectable and smart young man." Who says that shit? I've also heard some of the negative things your mum calls people so I know that she doesn't just think everyone is wonderful. Everything is going to be fine. They may already even expect it. When has their little girl ever dated anyone longer then a month?

Rose smiled.

"Never. Those boys all turned out to be tosser's or boring as hell."

"You have nothing to worry about." I reassured her again and squeezed her hand.

Rose squeezed my hand and then quickly went up to brush the tears away that were forming in her eyes.

"Fuck me. I'm crying. This never happens."

Rose quickly started running her thumbs under her eyes, careful not to smudge her mascara.

"Do I look alright?" She asked turning to face me.

"Never better."

She laughed.

"Doubtful, but I'll take what I can get."

Silence set in again, but like last time Rose was the one who broke it.

"I know you don't want me to bring this up, but seriously Ry what is going on between you and Al."

Now it was my turn not to make eye contact.

I knew that I fancied Al. I knew he didn't fancy me. He was dating Claire after all. I didn't see how telling Rose any of this would matter. But part of me felt like I needed to tell someone. I couldn't carry this secret around with me for the rest of the year. Once we got back to school I would have to endure seeing him and Claire together and I would have someone to talk to, I couldn't tell Morgan for obvious reasons.

Taking a deep breath I braced myself, it was now or never.

"I don't know." There I said something outside of denying anything was going on.

"Wow Riley way to be vague."

"I honestly don't know Rose. Sometimes I feel like there could be something there."

"Cough all the time cough" Rose interrupted. I glared at her.

"Then explain to me why he's still with Claire?" I asked

"Because he feels bad. Trust me Claire and Al are on the way out."

"How does he feel bad?" I questioned.

Rose sighed.

"Albus is a very sensitive and loyal boy. From what I know, aka what I'm guessing is going on because the tosser isn't telling me anything, the spark is gone. It was gone a long time ago and he's sticking around simply because she was his first everything. He feels like he owes it to her. They have been together for two years and he doesn't want to hurt her. What he doesn't see is that she would care less. I've tried to talk to him about how she looks at other boys but he doesn't belive me. He just says I must be seeing things. Until he sees how she has a wandering eye and how the two of them have grown apart and realizes that they are only SEVENTEEN and not addults that are married to one another then he's going to stick with her."

Everything that Rose said made sense. I could see Al doing all of that.

"So what am I supposed to do? Just sit on the side lines and wait for his relationship to implode and hope that he fancies me when it does?"

"So you do fancy him then?"

"Yes, yes fine I fancy him. Are you happy?"

Rose smiled.

"Very."

I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Now answer my question. What am I supposed to do while they are still together? I'm not going to be a home wrecker flirty girl. That is not me. He can't cheat on her with me either."

"You honestly think I would expect you to be the other women? Please, just wait and do exactly what you've been doing. You may not know it but you're the perfect girl next door. You're sweet, funny, down to earth, and very pretty. The fact that you two have been friends for years makes it easy for you two to talk and have fun with out any suspicions from anyone. Just be yourself and he will be drawn to you. You're so different then her to him you're like a breath of fresh air. Just wait and see Riley it will happen when it's meant to happen, but I guarantee it will happen before the year is out.

Great. Now I just had to sit tight and wait and see where it would go. Awesome. Thanks Rose for your words of advice. I shouldn't have said anything.

Hello faithful readers!

I'm so sorry for the lack of updates in ages! I've just been busy and hit writers block hardcore. This chapter has been a work in progress for about six months. I can't tell you how many times I wrote it and then scrapped it. If you're still reading this THANK YOU SO MUCH! It was your reviews, reads, and favors that kept me at it. If you're just reading my story for the first time thank you for reading! I hope that the next chapter will come out quicker then this one did. Once again think you for reading! Let me know what you think. :)