Our relationship improved after that. Our arguments didn't generally disintegrate into screaming matches anymore, and we were better at setting time aside to see one another. Everyone was amazed at the near-180 we seemed to have pulled off.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Lin?" Mary asked as we walked to class together one morning.

I sighed. "I'm positive. I know he's really sorry, and since I've decided to give him another try, he's been working really hard to improve his behavior."

She slung an arm around me. "Well, if you're happy, then I'm happy. But make no mistake," she grinned cheekily at me, "if he ever screws up again, I'll have Rob use every hex in the book on him."

"How is Rob, by the way?" I asked with a smile on my own face.

She blushed. "Absolutely fantastic. We're talking about getting a flat together after school's over."

I laughed and hugged her while we jumped up and down together. "That's awesome!" I squealed.

"What about you? Where are you going after Hogwarts?" she asked me after we had both calmed down.

I shrugged. "Georgie and Jane want to get a flat together, seeing as how Carly and Jack are moving in together. We've been looking at places near Diagon Alley."

"And James?"

I shrugged. "I want to take it slowly. Just because I've forgiven him doesn't mean I totally trust him yet."

Mary patted my head as we entered the Muggle Studies classroom together. "Smart girl."

I grinned.

So, now that my friendships and my relationship with James were back on track, everything should have been fine, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something big and bad was about to happen. When I shared these concerns with Jane, she laughed it off and called me paranoid, but it still worried me.

This feeling was even more pronounced whenever we were around the Slytherins. 4 out of the 7 players on their quidditch team were also graduating, and it was no secret that they all wanted to become professional quidditch players. None of them, in my opinion, had a chance in hell, but that didn't matter to them.

It didn't help matters that traditionally Gryffindors and Slytherins were enemies, either, though those lines had become blurred over time, after the last Wizarding War. However, most of the kids on the team were children of Death Eaters, and therefore some of the more dangerous students. Not that they had ever caused major problems, but, what with their Hogwarts careers coming to a close and the quidditch cup final right around the corner, the tension in the air between us was palpable.

Besides that fact, everything else was going fine, especially with Ary's upcoming wedding. Case in point; during the first weekend in May, Ary had found her dress at the first store we tried, a feat I thought was impossible for brides.

She stepped out of the dressing room with a grin on her face. "I like it!" she announced.

I laughed and clapped my hands together as Jane, Carly, and Georgie cooed. "It suits you," I decided.

It was a floor-length strapless dress that hung loosely on her tall frame, without any embellishments or ruffles. It had an A-line skirt shape and a sweetheart neckline. It was very modern, very elegant, and very Ary.

Her grin widened. "I'll get it. Now you lot try on the dresses I chose for you. I want this 'dress thing' to be over and done with as soon as possible."

I snorted as I walked into the changing room, quickly slipping out of my clothes and into my dress. I had the lingerie I had bought months ago with Jane on underneath, because I thought wearing them with my dress would be a good excuse to finally having them on.

James and I hadn't crossed that path yet, but I wanted to. With all the work he had been putting into our relationship, and the way he treated me, I knew that he would and should be my first. That didn't mean, however, that I didn't want the first time to be special, so I decided that on the night Ary was christened as Mrs. Garrason, I would also lose my virginity. I smiled at the idea. I was on my way to falling in love with James, and quickly.

Someone tapped sharply on the door. "Lin, stop daydreaming about Potter and get your arse out here!"

I scowled as I was snapped out of my thoughts. "I can't get the laces, Carly, you idiot. I am not daydreaming!"

She wretched open the door, a smirk on her face that quickly slid off. She gaped at me. I waved a hand in front of her face and snapped my fingers a couple of times. "Carls?"

She blinked several times and looked up at my face. "Woah."

"Let me see!" Ary demanded as she pushed aside Carly. She took in my appearance with a proud smile. "I knew it!"

I looked down, but I couldn't really tell how it fit me. "What?"

She pulled me out of the booth and deftly zipped the dress up. She then fluffed my hair out and turned me around to look in the floor length mirror.

I gasped, and my hand flew to my mouth.

"Merlin." Jane stood next to me in the mirror with a shocked smile on her face. "Look at you,Lin!"

The dress was a pale, pale yellow that was almost white that floated gently to my knees. The bodice was held up by thick spaghetti straps, and made my chest appear perkier than it actually was. The skirt was ruffled, but only enough so that it did not stick to my legs. There were small lace-cutouts on the sides and a dip in the neckline that made the whole dress look sophisticated. It rather looked like a modern take on the corset design, with laces up the back instead of a zipper.

I laughed and spun around. The fabric must have been charmed so that it would appear as if it twinkled. "It looks like it was made for me!"

Georgie began blubbering into a handkerchief. "You're so beautiful, Lin."

Carly finally picked herself up off the floor and stood next to me taking me in. I examined her at the same time. Her dress was similar, but the designs weren't as intricate. Jane's and Georgie's dresses were like that, too. I turned to Ary, who was looking on with great satisfaction. "These are amazing!"

"Why does her dress make her look amazing and ours don't?" Carly demanded.

Ary rolled her eyes. "Because she's the maid-of-honor. And besides, you look very pretty in your dress Carly. Stop complaining or I'll make you wear pea green."

Carly frowned. "Fine."

I sighed as I gazed at the dress in the mirror again. "It's beautiful."

"And yours." Ary stood next to me, still in the gown she wanted to wear. "Maybe I should make you wear something different. You're going to upstage me."

I turned to her. "That dress is perfect on you. It just needs something extra." I glanced around the room. "Aha!" I grabbed a roll of ribbon that roughly matched the color of the bridesmaids dresses and flicked my wand at it. It rolled around Ary's waist and knotted itself in an intricate way that made it look like a flower was holding it up.

"Perfect!" Jane squealed.

Ary smiled softly at the change. "Yes, it is, isn't it? Good thinking, Benedetto. It'll also help mask the baby bump."

"But you don't have one," I protested.

"Not yet," she returned. "But I will probably have one by the wedding. I'll be four months along by then."

We quickly changed out of our dresses and stepped out of the shop. "Have you thought of baby names, yet?" Georgie asked as we strolled along the streets of Hogsmeade.

Ary shrugged. "Not really. Eddie has some, but I want to wait and see how I feel when I give birth. I want to look at her and just know, you know?

"You know it's a girl?" Jane squealed.

Ary clapped her hand over her mouth. "Eddie wanted me to keep it a secret!"

"We won't tell, honest," Carly promised.

Ary eyed her skeptically. "You better not," she threatened, "or I'll hex you into next year."

Carly stuck her tongue out.

Back at Hogwarts, we were pouring over our text books with such fervor that we were all physically exhausted by the end of the day. I was thankful that the wedding planning had reached the stage where now all we needed to do was wait to hear back from the various companies and guests we had gotten in contact with, because otherwise our lives would have turned into a nightmare. Especially because the last game of the quidditch season was fast approaching and James and I, the only two people in our year that were contemplating professional careers, were pushing ourselves to the limits physically.

The emotional and mental aspects of quidditch were getting to me, too. I was nervous about whether or not I would get offers from teams, and, if I did, what team I would go for. These fears came to a head one night when James and I were studying together in his dorm room. Jack and Reggie were playing Gobstones in the common room, so we had the room to ourselves.

I sighed for the umpteenth time as I raked my fingers through my hair. I could not for the life of me remember the spell to transfigure facial features.

"Will you stop that, Lin? It's very distracting." James groaned as he flipped through his potions textbook while sitting at his desk.

I fell face forward into my Transfiguration notes. "It's no use," my voice was muffled as I complained, "I'm going to fail and become a homeless bum."

James snorted. "I highly doubt that."

I rolled over so I was on my back, staring at the canopy of his bed. "I'm bored."

"So am I." He pounced on top of me with a grin. "Let's take a break."

"But we can't," I whined. "We have to memorize everything we can, and we've only got another three weeks to do it."

"Lin," He mimicked my tone, "we need to take a break sometime."

I huffed up at him. "Yeah, and when we do, we've got quidditch to worry about."

He rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Lin. You have nothing to worry about."

"But I do!" I protested. "I had one good game. What if during the next one I make a fool of myself?"

"You won't," he murmured as he stroked my hair, pulling out a few wayward pins. "You're the best bloody flier I've ever seen."

I continued as if I hadn't heard him, though I was secretly pleased at his words. "And even if I don't, what if the only offer I get is from the Chudley Cannons?"

"You're going to get offers from everyone, Lin. Stop worrying. It's me that's going to have issues." He placed a kiss on my forehead.

I snorted. "Yeah, right. You score more than Reggie and Jack combined."

"Next to you I look like I have no idea what I'm doing." He sighed. "My only hope is that Puddlemere makes us both offers, so we can play together."

"What makes you think I want to play for Puddlemere?" I teased.

He grinned. "Don't play coy with me, Benedetto. I know you're a closeted fan."

I smiled in return. "Just don't tell Ary. I'd hate to get kicked out of her wedding now."

"Carly's a fan, and she's a bridesmaid," he pointed out.

"But that's Carly," I returned.

He laughed. "True." He paused, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "Can we take a break now?"

I giggled and pulled his face down to mine for an answer.