Ch 23

I was sitting on the beach back by my Nanas. The night was warm. It was so humid I could feel the extra moisture on my skin making me feel sticky. Like I had just run laps around the Qudditch pitch with Bryan. The wind picked up spraying sand onto my sticky skin. I felt like a giant cinnamon sugar doughnut. And now I felt like I needed a shower ASAP. As I stood up to leave to make my way back to Nanas I noticed figures walking towards me down the beach.

" Hello?" I called. Maybe it was Ryan coming to join me. A big mistake on her end, unless she wanted to end up like the pastries sitting on grandmas table.

They didn't reply. And as the figures got closer I could see that they were a boy and a girl and that the girl was much shorter then the boy. They were also holding hands. Defiantly not Ryan and one of her brothers.

"Hello!" I called again. And still had no answer. The two figures were walking in step at first but as they got closer I noticed that the boy was taking much bigger steps and was slowly leaving the girl behind. She was doing her best to keep up but she seemed to be drifting too. Like some invisible force was pulling her to the left. Suddenly it grew brighter. I didn't notice before but the clouds were covering the moon and had parted allowing the light to spill down to the beach. I looked over at the two people and felt my heart drop. It was Al and Claire. He was a good three steps in front of her now and she was far enough to the left now that she cold no longer hold his hand.

"Al!" I heard Claire call as she was pulled away again.

He stopped and turned and tried to make his way back to her, but he too was pushed by wind.

For a moment he looked like he was struggling to get to her. But soon he gave up and let the wind push him away. It was at that moment that Claire saw me. She started screaming and tears began poring down her face smearing her makeup. The wind dowened out her words, but her body language was clear enough for me to pick up the message of her words. I was to blame. I was pushing them apart. Suddenly the ocean seemed much closer. I felt myself being pushed by the wind toward the sea. I felt the water washing on my feet. I tried fighting it but it seemed the more I fought the faster I was pushed. I was at my waist now and still going deeper. The water was at my chin and I knew right then that soon it would be over my head. I saw the next wave coming and took a deep breath. It crashed over my head and I could feel that there was a strong undercurrent. I gasped for breath when I surfaced and was quickly covered by another wave. The salt water burned my nose and throat. Coughing and sputtering I surfaced once more. Another waved covered me before I had time to breath and I felt consciousness slipping away. So this was how it was going to end for me. Alone, in the ocean, and gasping for breath.

"GOOD MORNING Ry!"

I blinked. The ocean was gone. The searing feeling in my nose, throat, and eyes was gone. I was in my bed. Rose was standing over me dressed for the day. A dream. It had all been a dream. I tried to remember the dream but like most dreams I found the details slipping away. All I could remember was I was on a beach, Al and Claire were there, and then I was swept into the ocean.

"Riley, get up. I want to go eat, but I don't want to go alone." Rose whined sitting down on the edge of my bed.

I sat up rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"What time is it?"

"Almost eleven. If we don't hurry breakfast is going to be closed for good."

"Eleven! Why did you let me sleep so late?" I shouted as I sprung out of bed and immediately began rummaging around in my trunk for sweat pants and a long-sleeved shirt.

Rose watched me from the spot on my bed.

"I've noticed that you haven't been sleeping well and let you sleep while you could. If it wasn't for the fact that breakfast closes at 11:30 I wouldn't have woke you at all."

"How do you know I haven't been sleeping?" I asked as we made our way out of our dorm and down to the great hall.

"Riley, I sleep right next to you. I can hear you tossing and turning around in your bed. Plus you have bags under your eyes and I've seen you trying to fight off sleep in almost every class. That usually isn't like you. If it makes you feel any better Al is having a hard time sleeping too."

"You would know that wouldn't you. You're like our mum when we're here aren't you? You keep track of whose sleeping, whose eating, whose about one step away from a break down, and whose slacking off. I know you notice the good too, but it just seems you only point out the bad."

Rose shrugged

" Why should I point out when things are going well? You don't need my help then. I'm not going to interfere with something that makes you happy. It's just when you are feeling bad or things aren't going well that I step in. It's always nice to have someone to lean on and support you. And sometimes people don't even know they're drowning until someone offers them a hand."

Damn. Rose was good. She was really good. No wonder everyone in Gryffindor in fifth year and above came to her for advice. She really was good at it. I think it's time to tell her that she should be a counselor or a physiatrist or something along those lines. She letting her gift go to waist if she goes to work in the ministry.

We made our way to the great hall and were not greeted with the typical smell of breakfast and eggs. Instead all there was, was: toast, pastries, fruit, tea and coffee. Damn. We missed normal breakfast and instead we got late breakfast.

" I saw Claire last night." I told her as I helped myself to some toast with peanut butter and a tea.

"Ohhh do tell? I saw her at the party. She was there with her group of girls, but disappeared when she saw Al there."

"What was Al doing? Because I found her in a hall on the fifth floor crying just after midnight."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"He was being a mope and was off by himself in a corner. He refused to come join Scorpious and I and instead just sat in a chair and sipped the same drink all night. I'm assuming she saw him and lost it. I get that they have been dating for almost three years but these last few months have been rough. I'm not surprised they broke up. I don't know why she is. Did the two of you talk? And by talk I mean was there a pissing war on her end? I'm surprised she hasn't called you out yet."

"She did last night." I sighed.

" For real? You have to tell me everything. Everything she said and everything she did."

"I was heading back from the library last night."

"Props for sticking to the study schedule I gave you." Rose interrupted.

"Thank you for giving me an excuse to skip that party. Anyway, I was making my way back to the common room when I heard crying. I decided to investigate who it was and I found her sitting on the floor crying. She didn't know it was me at first and was nice, but as soon as she realized it was me she dropped the nice girl attitude and let her hurt and anger show though. She pretty much said that I was the reason that they broke up. That everything was fine between them until Al and I started talking and spending time together and that's pretty much it."

Rose snorted into her tea.

"Oh she also told me I was perfect and that Al would fancy someone like me when I asked her if she was ok. I told her that it wasn't my fault and that she should look at how she was in the relationship instead of blaming it on me."

"Look at you handling Claire by yourself. And with class I might add. I honestly can't believe that Claire is blaming you. She's way more guilty then you are in their relationships collapse."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head.

"I can't tell you that. That's something Al will have to tell you on his own. He's pretty cut up about this relationship ending. She was his first love after all. But I can see him being drawn to you once he's done grieving for what was. I mean he was drawn to you before their relationship officially ended. Give it time. You don't want to be the rebound girl."

" I don't want to be that girl. I don't think Al will have a rebound girl."

Rose snorted again.

"Trust me Ry almost every one who comes out of a long term relationship has a rebound. It might not feel like one but it is. That's why most of the time relationships that start right after long term relationships don't last. They're the rebound. Even if the relationship lasts for a bit. They're still a rebound. Someone who the person just wants to have fun with but doesn't ever see themselves with for the long run. That's what a rebound is."

When Rose put it like that it made a lot more sense to me. I did not want to be that girl. I wanted to see if Al and I had a legitimate connection.

" I don't want Morgan to be the rebound either." Rose said.

Morgan. I hadn't thought about Morgan in days. I had been so wrapped up in other things I didn't even think about how she would be feeling during all of this. I'm assuming she has been over the moon with the news. Finally Al and Claire were no more and she would be there to pick up the pieces. But everything was so much more complicated then that. I didn't want her to get hurt. And I didn't want to lose her as a friend.

"You need to go talk to her. Tell her everything. It's going to be much better coming from you now verses after Claire finally tells everyone why she thinks they broke up."

Rose had a point. It was going to suck, but I would suck less if it came from me then if it came from Claire.

"I'll talk to her tonight." I told Rose.

"Good. I'm going to help Scorpious with his charms homework." Rose said getting up from the bench and walking out of the great hall.

"But charms is Scorpious's best subject." I called to her.

She turned around and shot me a wink before she disappeared out the door.

I was standing just outside the great hall bundled to go out onto the grounds. It was snowy, but warmer then it usually was this time of year. Bridget was awesome and casted a warming spell on me and right now I was starting to sweat. After breakfast I went to talk to Morgan but she wasn't in the Hufflepuff common room. I told one of the girls to tell her to meet me in front of the great hall to go for a walk around the grounds at three. I was antsy for Morgan to get here. I was ready for her to get her so we could talk. I wanted this conversation over with and at the same time I didn't want to talk about it at all. How was I going to tell her that I too fancied Al? How was I going to tell her that Al possibly fancied me? And the biggest question of all was how was she going to react?

"Riley!" I heard her shout behind me. And soon after I felt a pair of arms around me pulling me into a hug.

"How are you? I haven't seen you all week. I've been so busy with classes. I'm sorry we haven't been talking."

I smiled at her. The friendship we had was the kind that allowed us to not talk for weeks and yet we feel right back into our friendship as soon as we saw one another.

"I've been good. Tell me about what you've been up to and then I've got something to tell you."

"Ohhh is it about a boy?" She asked excitement lighting her eyes.

I felt my stomach drop. Yes, I answered her in my head, but not a boy you want me to talk about.

We made our way out onto the grounds as Morgan filled me in with her week. I wanted to listen to her I really did, but I found myself tuning out as we walked. Throwing in head nods and mhhmms when appropriate. I just was waiting for when it was my turn to talk.

"I talked to Al the other day."

"What?" his name broke me out of my thoughts and back to the conversation.

" I talked to Al the other day." She repeated.

"When?"

" Wednesday. I saw him outside the Ravenclaw common room the other night."

" What were you doing by the Ravenclaw common room?"

" Doesn't matter. What matters is I talked to him. And it wasn't about the weather or classes. So we had our first real conversation on our own without you. Winning for me."

I smiled.

" Congrats. What did you talk to him about?"

" His holiday. It sounds like you guys had a great time over in the States! I'm so jealous."

I smiled a tight smile.

" Yeah. It was great."

"So what did you want to talk to me about? You didn't answer me earlier is it about a boy?" Morgan asked

"Yes."

"Ohhhh, tell me! Who is he?!" Morgan squealed grabbing my arm.

Here we go. The moment of truth was upon me.

"Al." I mumbled.

" Come again?"

"Al." I repeated. My voice stronger this time.

Morgan stopped walking. We had made it all the way out and around the Qudditch pitch.

"What about Al?" She questioned. The excitement gone from her voice and replaced with skepticism.

" I fancy him." I told her bluntly. There was no point in beating around the bush. The faster this conversation was over the better.

"What?" She whispered.

" Don't make me say it again. I don't think I can. Not to you." We had come to stand still. Just staring forward not willing to make eye contact.

" How… How long?"

" November. I started spending all that time with him in transfiguration and he was tutoring me. I didn't mean for it to happen it just did."

I saw Morgan nod her head out of the corner of my eye.

" He's very fanciable isn't he?" Morgan asked. So far this was going better then expected.

I laughed feeling the tension leave my body. Morgan started forward again at my laugh.

"Yes. There's more though Morgan." Again she froze. This time she turned around to face me.

" He fancies me back." I whispered.

" What?" she asked her voice rising.

" He fan..."

" I heard you the first time you don't need to say it again. I'm just confused how he ended up fancying you when you were supposed to chat me up to him." Morgan said, her voice toneless. This was not going well anymore. The tension was back in full force.

" I don't know what happened. We were just hanging around together working on school stuff and then over time we stopped talking about school and started talking about ourselves and it just kind of happened. He can't control it any better then we can control who we fancy."

Morgan was silent. Silent Morgan was a scary thing. Her dark eyes refused to look at me and her face was stony. But mostly I could feel her anger and hurt and magic radiating off her. That was one thing about Morgan. When she got really upset her magic started going haywire. It has gotten better as she's gone though school, but at times strong and uncontrolled magic just happened around her when she was really upset. I could feel it building now. If there had been a glass around I'm sure it would have broken.

" How do you know he fancies you?"

I was not going to tell her about the almost kiss at the New Years Eve party. That was something I was going to keep to myself.

" Rose told me that he…"

" Oh and perfect Rose is always right? Just believe everything she says? Since when has she become the one who knows everything he feels, because last I checked Al was the one who decided how he felt!" she shouted.

I felt anger bubbling inside me.

" He and Rose talk all the time about everything. She knows more about what's going on then everything else." I said defending Rose.

" That doesn't mean everything she says is true. God, you've just become her little puppet! You believe everything she says as fact and she just sits there pulling strings. Did you ever think that maybe she wants you two together? Maybe she's just sitting there rubbing her hands together plotting and planning which strings to pull to get you to fancy him? After you fancy him all she has to do is tell you he fancies you and she has you eating out the palm of her hand. Now that Al is venerable and rid of Claire, thank Merlin, she can swoop in and do what you should have done for me. So don't give me this bullshit that he fancies you because Rose says he does. Rose Weasly isn't the fucking saint that everyone makes her out to be."

And with that she turned and ran. She was heading toward the castle leaving me alone in the cold and snow.

Hello Readers,

I hope you liked this chapter. I'm starting to feel inspired about this story again so I don't think it's going to take as long as it was for chapters. I know that last few chapters have been kind of... emotional. But bear with me. It's going to level out soon. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you for sticking with me and for those who left reviews you're the best! You're the reason I have kept writing.