Hiya again! I'm back with another chapter. This will probably be my last chapter until next week. I'm really proud of this chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. I was pleasantly surprised at the posterize feedback I got last chapter, I really appreciate it. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please enjoy!

~Molly xo

The next morning was a drag. The first day of classes was here, and it was the start of the not-so-exciting OWLs year. I pulled myself out of bed easily, and I was the only one up. I liked to sleep in a lot, but I guess I was a morning person mostly.

I pulled on our uniform. Besides the robes, it consisted of a white blouse tucked into a khaki pleated skirt that fell to our mid-thighs, and a Gryffindor tie. I put a gray sweater over it, and put some converse shoes on. I put on my makeup, and groaned when I felt my hair. It was like a rat's nest. I washed it over the sink, put my special sleek potion on my wet hair, and dried it. Loose orangey curls fell to my elbows. I walked out of the bathroom.

Bri was up, and was fully dressed. She smiled at me. Her long, thick brown hair was naturally pin-straight, so she just ran a brush through it really quickly. "You want to go to breakfast?" I asked her. She nodded.

The Great Hall wasn't packed yet, and Bri and I found seats around some fourth and fifth years. Evelyn George, dyed platinum blond hair, caked makeup, super slutty, and in the dormitory opposite of mine was sitting near us talking to her best friend, Jessie Tilcott, who was nearly as slutty as her friend. "You'll never believe it Jess!" She screeched. I cringed and saw that Bri did too.

"What?" Jessie said dumbly, staring off into another direction with her dark brown colored owl eyes. Evelyn was too excited to care about her dumb best friend, and I found myself looking forward to what she had to say.

"I'm forming a plan to shag the fifth year boys in Dormitory 3." She said haughtily. I gaped, and saw that Bri had done the same. Dormitory 3 is where Al, Louis, and Scorpius were along with their roommates. They're the only fifth year guys who hadn't had Evelyn George in their bed at one point. She'd seriously shag a hippogriff.

Her statement got Jessie's attention. "Yeah? What are you planning on doing?" That's what Bri and I wanted to know as well. Unfortunately, Evelyn decided to whisper into Jessie's ears and me and Bri couldn't eavesdrop. Dammit. I'll have to tell the guys that they're being targeted. Bri was looking murderous, and I remembered that Bradley Finnegan, who was in that dorm, was Bri's boyfriend.

Laila and Jaclyn came down a few minutes later, and they sat with Bri and I. I felt left out of their conversation because, like me and Rose and Astrid, they were best friends who told each other everything. I was friends with the three of them on like a, "let's gossip" level, not a "we stick together through thick and thin" level like me and my friends. Oh how unfortunate and awkward it was to have your two best friends sleep as long as they could before classes.

Rose and Astrid did eventually come down about thirty minutes before class started, with Louis, Al, and Scorpius. I sighed in relief and sat by them. Bri, Laila, and Jaclyn didn't acknowledge my absence.

Rose looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "What?" I asked, confused. She and Astrid shared a look.

"Your uniform is tighter than it usually is and your skirt is nearly as short as mine." Rose answered. My eyes widened and I looked down at myself. I blushed crimson. I must have gotten taller between last year and now, and didn't think to get bigger clothes. Oops.

"Congrats," Astrid said, "your clothes look like the rest of the year's. Except you have a better figure than most." I blushed even redder. It was true that I tended to get bigger clothes than the majority of the year because I was insecure, so why didn't I think of that when I put on the uniform? What caught my attention most, though, was the last part of Astrid's statement.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Your boobs are perfect Cs, and your butt is not flat and shapeless." Rose supplied. I was starting to think their main goal in life was to make me look as red as a tomato. Astrid was nodding in agreement.

"Yes! And your legs are great too, long for your height, and not as pasty as they were last year." Astrid said, grinning. Rose humphed in agreement. I self-consciously looked down at my legs, my face still warm. They weren't freckled like my face was, and my skin had gone from pasty, to a nice ivory. I'll admit that my transformation from fourth to fifth year was the most improved yet. But I still didn't believe that this brought me anywhere close to being in the same league as Rose or Astrid. Rose was the tallest, a perfect 5'7" with the same size bra as me, but a slightly better backside. I was about an inch shorter than her, and Astrid was 5'4" and petite, but really pretty. I couldn't see what they were talking about.

"Well thanks guys, but—" Rose cut me off.

"You'll definitely make the list this year!" She squealed. I was speechless for a second. I hated the list with a passion. It was a degrading piece of shit. What it was, was a list of the top 7 best looking guys and girls in the year, starting with fourth year. Last year, Rose had been first, followed by Christie Keating, who was in Evelyn's dorm, then Elmira Peaton, a Slytherin, Coral Brownhill, another Slytherin, Amber Finnegan, Rhea Smith, and Laila. I wouldn't make the list as long as those girls were alive. For the guys, Louis had been first, then Al, then Scorpius. Most of my best friends had made the list and not me, which had hurt last year, but I was so over it by now. Astrid hadn't been hurt at all, she actually shared my opinion about it. The list was stupid and pointless except to make girls feel ugly. I was almost insulted that Rose had suggested that I would be on it. Almost.

"No I won't, don't be ridiculous." I said to them. They just grinned.

"Yeah you will. They're posting it in a month, and you'll see. You're giving Laila a run for her money already." Astrid said. I rolled my eyes, and I desperately wanted to move on to another topic.

"Class?" I asked them, almost too eagerly.

"But we haven't had breakfast yet." Rose said, frowning.

"Oh well, there's always lunch time, and don't you always say you need to watch what you eat?" I replied. Rose rolled her eyes. Rose had gone vegan for the last part of fourth year, wanting to keep her tiny waist tiny. I believed it was highly unnecessary. Rose didn't share my thoughts, but she continued eating normally anyway.

Our first class was Charms, my favorite, and I managed to get my mind off of the list by diving into my work like always, but it was nagging at the back of my head all day.

The first day of classes had been on a Friday, so thankfully I had some time from school work. I had put on a jumper and some leggings when I had gotten to the dorm before I went back to the common room.

There were a few stragglers in the common room, none of which I really knew the name to. I sat in the plushy armchair by the fire with my novel. It was called, "Tie-ing the Knot" and it was about a muggle named Tiffany Cooper, who was engaged, but got drunk at her bachelorette party in Vegas and married a random guy from the same bar. It was about her knowing that she loved her fiancé, but her now, unexpected husband was starting to mean more to her than she expected. I loved the book, and was about two thirds done with it. It was by a muggle author that I loved named Mollie Shaw. It was so exciting to have the same name as her. I could only dream of being that successful a writer one day.

I was reading the part where Tiffany's fiancé, Jeremiah, was starting to question whether or not Tiffany and her hubby, George, had feelings for each other. Tiffany was a bold, tell-it-like-it-is kind of person. I made a vow right then to channel Tiffany's spirit when I needed it. I wish I was more like her, she had one spontaneous, crazy life.

Tiffany was in the middle of her rant, when I felt the book being taken from me. It was Christopher Longbottom. He closed it after he put my bookmark in its place. I was startled. We were friends I guess, but he'd never really talked to me before. And interrupting my book? You had to be really close to me to do that. But something stopped me from snatching the book and glaring at him. I studied him.

He was really hot. He had messy blond hair, bright blue eyes, a chiseled face, and a tall, muscled body. I knew he was kind too, I'd seen him stop fights in the hallway all the time. He was a gentlemen who had opened the door for me on more than one occasion, and he made good grades. He was looking me in the eye and my whole body went tingly, and my heart started beating fast.

"Hey." He said casually, smiling in a way that made the butterflies in my stomach flutter. He was so carelessly handsome that it was almost unfair.

"Hi." I replied, grinning back.

"You like Mollie Shaw!" He exclaimed. Omg, just marry me now Longbottom. I didn't say that out loud of course.

"Yes, I love her actually. She's brilliant." I told him. He nodded.

"She is. I loved "Heartache," it's my favorite." He replied. I nodded in agreement. Heartache was about a girl named Rosalind whose mother left and whose sister committed suicide the same night, and her father just acted nonchalant about it. It was brilliant. And terribly sad. But brilliant nonetheless.

"Yeah, it's really emotional," I said, "But I think it's a great book, she writes so well."

"She really does," he agreed, "I actually got a chance to meet her last year." I gaped.

"No way! That's like my dream!" I said. He grinned.

"She's incredibly nice and down to earth. I hear she's coming to London during Christmas." He told me. I got really excited. I would have a chance to meet my idol!

"She's the reason why I want to be an author." I said. None of my friends were big readers, so it was nice to be able to talk to Christopher about this.

We talked about her books for the majority of the night, even after everyone else had gone to bed. Christopher kept inching closer and closer to me, and ended up on the arm of my chair, before I sat on his lap. I felt so . . . safe. So secure. I was so comfortable and it was so easy to talk to him. He made me feel giddy, and when his hand would brush my leg, my leg would feel like it was on fire. We fell asleep, tangled together on the armchair.

. . .

"What the hell?!" Was the sound I woke up to that Saturday morning. I opened my eyes, and felt someone squirm under me. Oh. I fell asleep on the armchair with Christopher. But who's yelling at me?

I turned over and looked at the furious person. Lily. Shit. I hopped off of Christopher quickly. I knew Lily, and it wouldn't take very long before that anger turned into tears. Lily ran out of the common room and I ran after her. Lily was small with short legs, and she was running through her blurry tears so I caught up to her easily.

"Leave me alone!" She sobbed out, fists clenched. I flinched at backed up slightly. I felt horrible. I didn't agree with her and Christopher, but I would never want to hurt Lily like that. She probably thought I was a monster.

"Lily, nothing happened. I swear!" I cried out to her in exasperation, tears forming in my eyes. Lily turned to me, and I was startled to see that her face was red and blotchy.

"You just couldn't let me have him, could you? You're so freaking perfect aren't you, Molly!" Lily screamed at me. Tears were pouring down my face and hers was too. Lily should know that I wasn't the least bit perfect. I was a hot mess. I was always very close to Lily and she always seemed like my lovable little sister instead of my cousin. She's the one who got my hand-me-downs, and I was the one who played dolls with her when she was little and everyone else thought it was for babies. Her lovable, caring nature had helped me through some tough shit. When I was feeling insecure about being a know-it-all or being Rose and Astrid's best friend, Lily was always there to remind me that she thought I was great, and that's all that really mattered when she was with me. Our relationship was great, and I'd hate to see it crumble because of a misunderstanding.

"No, Lily that's not what happened. We were talking about my book and we fell asleep." I told her honestly. She scoffed.

"In the same chair?" She challenged. I grimaced. Yeah, that would have looked pretty bad to someone else.

"He was sitting on the arm of it! It was completely friendly," I said, desperately wanting her to believe me, "I promise, I wouldn't do that to you." Lily's eyes remained cold, and I could feel my heart drop to my stomach.

"You were the one who told me that it was a bad idea to be with him in the first place, and then I find you asleep together! Imagine how I would feel." I didn't have anything to say to that, I would hate myself too. Lily noticed me hesitating and took that as a chance to run away from me. I didn't stop her. I felt too numb.

I returned to my dorm, and saw that my friends had already left. It was around eleven and I would assume they were all enjoying the sun. I went into the bathroom. I looked like a zombie. My hair was sticking up in random places, and my mascara had run down my face. I decided to take a shower.

I felt my guilt and sadness run off me as the water did, and I felt so much better. I dressed in a cute black sweater with little white polka dots, a white scarf, and skinny jeans. I dried my hair and fixed it where it looked like beautiful curls instead of my usual loose little curls. My makeup didn't consist of much, just a pale pink for eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and mascara for my already long, pretty eyelashes. I had already made a new attitude for myself about Lily. And it wasn't grief. I would leave her alone like she asked, and when I didn't hang out with Christopher again, she would realize it was a misunderstanding. I thought of something suddenly. Did I want to stop hanging out with Christopher? And why would Lily's inappropriate relationship with him that was obviously one-sided stop me from doing so? Dammit. Maybe Lily will realize that her relationship with him was not right. Either way, I was done crying over it.

I walked to the boys' dorm, and all of my friends were there. Astrid looked pissed. "What happened?" I asked her, concerned.

"Astro here is finally going to understand the true meaning of having a sibling." Albus said. Oh. Astrid's mum died when Astrid was six, and her dad had gotten engaged to a younger woman named Martha, who was pregnant now I guess. Astrid hated her.

"How long has Martha been pregnant?" I asked. Astrid looked fierce.

"I've known since June," she answered, spitting mad, "They figured out it was a girl yesterday."

"Guess what they're naming her?" Al asked. I raised an eyebrow.

"Well from everything I've heard about her . . ." I said sarcastically, "Martha." Astrid glared at me.

"Holly Astrid Elizabeth Gabriel is her name. After my mum, me, and her mum." Astrid said. I couldn't see why she was so mad. Naming your half sister after you and your dead mum? I thought that was a sweet thing to do on Martha's part. I didn't say that out loud though, Astrid would kill me. "That woman has been nothing to but nice to me ever since they got engaged, but I know a bluff when I see one." Now Astrid was getting ridiculous. If she's that nice, I don't see how Astrid could hate her, but after all, I wasn't getting a stepmom, I didn't know how Astrid was feeling, so who was I to judge?

"Why are you still going on about this?" Scorpius asked, plopping down next to Rose on his bed, "I think you stepmom-to-be is good-natured Strid. She doesn't seem to cause any harm. I'd tell you my thoughts on the matter, but I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"Oh really? Indulge me." Astrid retorted, crossing her arms.

"Well whatever I say, you have to promise not to kill me, ok?" Scorpius asked. Astrid nodded. Scorpius continued, "I think that ever since your mother died, you've had all of your dad's attention since you were six, and you don't want out of the spotlight. Also, you don't want someone replacing your mum, and you think that's what Martha's doing. You've hated her since they got engaged, and now that she's pregnant with your half-sister, you know that she's permanent, and you can't stand it. Even though she has been nothing but nice to you, you still see her as Voldemort or something. You're afraid to except the truth that he has found someone new to love and has finally moved on. You hate that your dad will love his new wife and baby instead of just you, and Martha is the perfect person for you to blame in your eyes." Stone silence followed Scorpius's proclamation. My eyes were wide, and I was looking at Astrid. Astrid looked stunned, and her glare had softened.

"Hey Astro, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but you wanted my thoughts." Scorpius said worriedly.

"It's ok," Astrid answered genuinely, "I needed that. I'll try to have a better attitude, thanks." She was quiet for a moment before adding, "you should become a therapist at St. Mungo's, you have a real way with words." We all chuckled, glad the tension had been removed from the room.

"Strid?" Al spoke up after a minute, "Do you still want those Quidditch lessons I promised you?" Astrid grinned.

"Yeah, lets go. Will you guys watch?" She asked the rest of us. We nodded, and followed her and Al into the common room. Lucy was on one side, chatting with some fellow sixth years, and I saw James, Fred, and Michael sitting by the fire. Michael stood up suddenly.

"Lucy Sinistra Weasley, will you go to Hogsmeade with me?!" He yelled from across the room. Everyone turned to listen to her answer eagerly. My mouth dropped. He was unbelievable! Insulting me by saying no one would ever go out with me, and asking my perfect sister out? My face turned red from anger, but I felt hurt too. Is this what everyone thought of me? Lucy's undesirable little sister?

Lucy looked pleasantly surprised, "Of course!" She answered. I gritted my teeth angrily. I mean it made perfect sense for them to be together. The prettiest sixth year girl and the hottest sixth year guy. It was truly a match made in heaven. It didn't make me any less upset though. What was wrong with him?

I tried to ignore my feelings and follow my best friends out of the common room. Their reactions didn't help what I was feeling.

"Merlin, they're perfect together!" Rose said. Everyone nodded in agreement at her words, and I didn't say anything. I felt too hurt. I concealed my emotions to where my face appeared stoic, and I followed them to the pitch absentmindedly.

Fortunately for them, no one was on the Quidditch pitch. Saturday is usually when everyone fights for it. Tryouts were coming up I knew, and I knew that Astrid hoped to make Keeper. I watched as she got into position as Scorpius prepared to throw quaffles past her. Al was doing his best coaching her, as he would take James's place as captain. James had gotten a huge deal from Puddlemere United that said he would graduate in December and start playing with them immediately. Oliver Wood was the Puddlemere coach I knew, and he looked genuinely pleased to see that James would be joining them. Oliver's son Liam, had actually been my first kiss. Every year at Christmas, mistletoe was hung in the hardest places to see, and if two people of the opposite gender were unlucky enough to find themselves under it, they couldn't move from that spot until they kissed each other.

Liam had been a seventh year when I was a fourth year, so it was very awkward for us to have to kiss each other. I didn't even really count it as a legit first kiss because it wasn't willingly. I was shaking, and he had bent down and kissed me softly, before looking up apologetically. After he left, I had just stood there and touched my lips, stunned. I had worried that I had been the worst kisser in the world, but Liam had reassured me that I was fine at our New Year's party at the Burrow, where we had it every year. He'd actually been my New Year's kiss as well, and I had done better that time I thought. The kiss had not been soft or gentle, it had actually gotten quite heated. Liam and I didn't have any feelings for each other though, so we never actually dated even though we had snogged twice. We actually agreed that we would have a tradition to kiss each other during the Christmas and New Year's parties at the Burrow until we weren't single anymore. Most people would find that awkward, but we were in that perfect middle between acquaintances and good friends that it wasn't awkward at all.

Liam and James were good friends, and Liam started as Keeper on Puddlemere United already. I wondered if Al would get the same chance as James in our seventh year. He was a good enough Chaser. I watched as Astrid blocked most of the throws Scorpius threw at her.

"I knew you were good Astro, but I didn't know you were that good!" Al exclaimed. Astrid blushed. We heard clapping from the pitch. Gavin Zabini, the Slytherin captain was there. Al glared.

"That was very good, Gabriel. Do you want to go with me to Hogsmeade?" He asked. My eyes widened and I saw that Rose's and Louis's had too. Shit.

"As long as you call me by my first name Gavin, I will." Astrid accepted. I looked at Al who looked like he was about to blow up.

"Let's go." I said to Rose and Louis. They nodded and followed me back to the Gryffindor common room.

Al and Astrid came back later and were shouting at each other. "We're not talking about this anymore." Al said to her calmly. I was curious.

"Talking about what?" I asked.

"He's going to Hogsmeade with Evelyn George!" Astrid answered. My jaw dropped.

"Evelyn?" I asked, stunned.

"I'm sure she's better than who Astrid's going with." Al retorted.

"Gavin hasn't shagged entire houses." Astrid said to him hotly. I nodded in agreement.

"Oh come on she can't be that—"

"Ally!" Evelyn herself squeaked, interrupting Al's sentence. Astrid and I turned our accusatory glares on Al.

"Bad." He finished gulping. What a mess this year was starting to become. I only hoped the rest of the year was better.

. . .

I hope you enjoyed it! Please review, follow, and favorite if you liked it. See you next chapter!