"The human world—it's a mess!"

-Sebastian (The Little Mermaid)

It only took a second after Justin's parents had left for Warren to hurry into the Finch-Fletchley's dining room. "Another outburst?" he asked sympathetically as he began to clear the plates.

Justin nodded as Scarlett glanced up. Another outburst? This had happened before?

"I think I brought it on. Again," Justin sighed.

"Don't worry about it too much," Warren shrugged. "It's hard for her."

"I know, but sometimes, I just can't take it. She was wearing on my nerves and she wasn't being very nice to Scarlett. I just-,"

"I wasn't being very nice to her," Scarlett whispered. "I think I was the one who brought all this on, to be honest."

"It wasn't you," Warren said gently. "Sometimes…well, sometimes she just gets a bit worked up. It wasn't your fault."

Scarlett stared down at her hands as Warren finished stacking up the plates.

"Thanks, Warren," Justin sighed.

"There's dessert in the kitchen if you want any."

Justin glanced at Scarlett, who shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe later," he said, half-smiling, "but I can get it if we want any. You're free to go home for the night. I'll see you tomorrow."

Warren nodded and headed back into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," Justin and Scarlett said together. They turned to look at each other in surprise.

"What are you sorry for?" Justin asked.

"Like I said, I wasn't being very nice. I brought all this on. I got her worked up. She was upset when I was talking about being a Healer, and then I had the nerve to argue with her about Dumbledore and Harry!" She looked up at the ceiling in frustration. "I ruined everything."

"No," Justin whispered. He turned sideways in his chair and brought a hand to Scarlett's cheek, forcing her to look at him. "You didn't do anything. It was me. My comment was what really set her off. And I'm sorry you had to witness that. I'm sorry this had to happen on a night you were here. It's not how I wanted tonight to go."

"I didn't want it to go this way either," Scarlett sighed. "I just feel so ashamed. You must be so embarrassed by me…I mean, it only makes sense your mother would be cautious about Dumbledore. I think a lot of parents of Muggleborns are worried. I shouldn't have argued about it and made her feel stupid."

"Don't make excuses for her, Scar," Justin whispered. He sighed. "My mother is …difficult to explain."

"You don't have to," Scarlett answered. "Explain, I mean."

"No, I think I do. I think I owe you an explanation. Come on." Justin got to his feet and pulled Scarlett up with him. He led her out of the dining room, across the front foyer, and into another room—the living room. "Sit," he said gently, gesturing to the black leather couch.

As Scarlett sat and took in the room, just as beautiful as the rest of the house, Justin knelt in front of the fireplace and lit a fire before coming to sit beside Scarlett. He stared into the fire and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands out in front of him. "When my mother was twelve," he finally began, "her sister, who was only ten, got really sick. There was nothing the doctors could do. No matter what treatment they tried, it wouldn't work. Eventually, she passed away."

"That's terrible," Scarlett whispered, staring at Justin's profile.

"My mother was really close to her sister and she felt so helpless during the time when Helen—that was her sister's name—was sick. That's what made her want to become a doctor."

Scarlett nodded. "That makes sense."

"My mother loved being a doctor at first. She still does, don't get me wrong, but…."

"But what?" Scarlett asked gently.

"It's different," Justin said. He reached over to the end table to his right and picked up a picture. He looked at it and smiled briefly before handing it to Scarlett. "Here, look at this."

She stared at him for a moment, confused. Justin simply nodded towards the photo. "Look at it."

Scarlett looked down and scanned the photo. It was taken outside under a huge oak tree with a tire swing. It was wintertime. Justin was sitting on the tire swing, bundled up in warm clothes, looking no older than seven, while a girl that looked about a year or two older dangled upside down from the branch the tire swing hung from.

"That was taken out in our backyard," Justin said. He slid closer and pointed to the girl hanging from the branch. "That's my sister, Anna."

Scarlett's head snapped up. "Your sister?" she asked. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"That's because I don't anymore," Justin whispered. He took the picture and returned it back to its spot on the table. "That photo was taken not too long before she died. I was seven and she was nine. She went into a coma on January 12th, and died two weeks later. It was about a month before her tenth birthday. She actually would have been the same age as you."

"Oh, Justin," Scarlett whispered, taking his hand and lacing her fingers through his. She refrained from mentioning January 12th was the day her dad had died. It just didn't seem like the right time to say it. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Justin shrugged. "I didn't want to freak you out or scare you off and it's still not all that easy for me to talk about after all these years. It's worse for my mother. It really changed her. She felt guilty and helpless all over again. When Anna was in the coma, nothing my parents or any other doctors did could help her. My parents were going crazy. They spent the majority of the two weeks working, trying to find some method that would help her. When they weren't working, they were at her bedside. They took me to visit a few times, but whenever I wasn't visiting, I was home with my aunt and uncle—my dad's brother and his wife. I had never been so scared and anxious in my entire life."

"Justin-," Scarlett said again.

"Let me finish," he whispered, shaking his head. "It's why my mother's so protective now. It's why she's so afraid to lose anyone else, especially me. I'm her only kid now, and I was the youngest. It makes sense and I understand what she's feeling, but it's so…annoying sometimes."

Scarlett squeezed his hand. "I know how she must feel," she whispered. "I felt guilty and helpless when my dad died and it's why I became a Healer, as you know."

Justin nodded. "You and my mother are oddly alike. Besides the whole Healer thing, it just so happens that Anna was in a car accident. That's how she went into the coma. My mother was driving, which I think is why it was even more traumatizing for her." He looked up at Scarlett and studied her face as if to gauge her reaction.

"Really?" Scarlett asked, raising her eyebrows.

Justin nodded. "It was horrible. My mother survived with some broken bones and a concussion, but Anna…she was in the backseat and the other car hit them right where she was sitting. You know the rest."

Scarlett smiled sympathetically. "It wasn't truly your mother's fault, though. Another car hit them. Not the other way around. I'm sure she was driving safely."

Justin nodded and stared back into the fire. "My mother was bringing Anna to Kensington Gardens. She loved it there. I usually liked to go, too, but for some reason—I don't even remember what—I wasn't with them that day. Anyway, right across from Kensington gardens, some other jerk went through a traffic light. I guess he had fallen asleep. They didn't tell us much and my mother was unconscious immediately following the accident, so we know next to nothing about him. We do know he didn't survive the crash either, though, but I think there was a child in the backseat that survived. My mother was devastated after Anna died and she—she kept asking why it had to be her kid."

Scarlett gasped as her mouth dropped open and her stomach clenched. This had to be a coincidence. It just had to be.

"I know, it sounds terrible," Justin said, not knowing the real reason why Scarlett had gasped, "but she didn't really mean it. She would never actually wish death on anyone. You have to understand that she was grieving. Terribly, too. We all were. My mother didn't even want to know anything about the other family, she was so upset. The guy didn't live so he didn't get into any legal trouble, and as for the medical bills, my mother said it wasn't necessary for the other family to pay."

"Why?"

"She didn't want to have to meet them, like I said. She was too upset. And then she and my dad just took care of everything on their own. Anyway, my mother kind of changed after that and hasn't quite been the same. I was hoping she would be okay tonight. I didn't want to have to burden you with all this."

"No, I'm glad you told me," Scarlett whispered. "Um, how old did you say your sister was when this happened?"

"Nine," Justin answered, looking up at her. "She was your age, like I said. Why?"

"No reason," Scarlett managed to choke out, hoping her voice sounded casual. She struggled to remember what she had been told about the accident after she had woken up in the hospital. She had always thought that another car had hit her dad's car, but maybe it had been the other way around. Was she being paranoid? It could all simply be a coincidence. But then again, the facts from Justin's story were nearly parallel to hers. It all fit.

"Are you alright?" Justin asked, resting a hand on her cheek and brushing his thumb over her skin. "You look really pale."

Scarlett nodded. "I'm fine, I promise. I should go, though."

"Go?" Justin asked as Scarlett stood up. "Was it because of what I told you or because of how my mother was acting?"

"No, it has nothing to do with you," Scarlett answered.

"Then stay," Justin whispered, pulling her back down onto the couch.

"I really shouldn't," she replied. "I mean, it's getting late and I don't think your parents liked me all that much to be honest…."

"Don't be silly. They loved you. My mum wants to take you shopping, doesn't she? She wouldn't make that offer to just anyone."

"Yeah, but that was before I upset her."

"Scar, what did I tell you?" Justin asked quietly. "You didn't upset her. That was my fault, not yours."

"But-,"

"No. No buts," Justin interrupted, shaking his head. "You had no idea why my mother is the way she is. I should have warned you sooner, but I was hoping it wasn't going to be necessary. I didn't want to burden you or anything."

"It's okay, I really am glad you told me," Scarlett said.

"Scarlett, what's wrong?" Justin asked quietly.

"Nothing," she responded quickly. For good measure, she looked up at him and smiled. "I swear."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'm just trying to process what you told me. It's heartbreaking."

Justin nodded. "Anna and I did a lot together before she died. I just wish I got to spend more time with her."

Scarlett smiled sympathetically as he stomach twisted unpleasantly. "I'm sure she was a wonderful girl."

"She was," Justin whispered.

They fell into silence for a moment before Scarlett spoke again. "I don't want you to think I had a horrible time tonight. I had a good time. I really did."

"Don't say that. I know you didn't."

"I did," Scarlett insisted. "I really loved meeting your parents and Warren is a great cook. The food was delicious."

"I think you're too good for me," Justin said. "Even when my parents were pretty embarrassing, you tell me how great they are and you're totally understanding about everything."

Scarlett smiled. "No, really, I think you're the one who's too good for me."

"I doubt that," Justin said, looking at her. He reached out and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you," he whispered.

Scarlett glanced at her hands before looking back at Justin. "Love you too," she whispered back.

Leaning in, Justin pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, deepening it after a moment. Scarlett had half a mind to pull away and leave before it went any further, but she didn't. Not right away at least.

"Justin," she whispered a minute or two later. "We have to stop."

"Why?" he mumbled, lightly kissing her neck.

"Because…I have to leave."

"Who says? You don't have to work tomorrow, do you?"

"No, but…I still need to get back."

"That's not a good excuse," Justin whispered, returning to kissing her lips.

"Justin," she whispered with a slight sigh as she pulled away.

"What?" he whispered back.

"I really should go."

"It's all my fault," Justin sighed. "First I depress you with the story about my mother and then I—"

"It has nothing to do with you," Scarlett assured him. "Honestly. I promise."

"It's not your fault either," Justin told her. "I don't think what you said about Harry and You-Know-Who was all that ridiculous. I agree with you, actually."

"So you believe Harry, then?" Scarlett asked with a small smile, remembering how unsure Justin had been a little less than a year ago. "You're not going to side with your mother and tell me that seeing is believing?"

Justin shook his head. "Honestly, I've decided to forget about the Prophet and the Minister. I trust you. If you're insisting he's back, I'm going to believe you. And I do like Harry, so…." He trailed off and blew a puff of air out of his mouth.

Scarlett half-smiled. "That means a lot."

Justin smiled feebly. "You know, no matter how…strange tonight was, I'm glad you came."

"Me, too."

"Come on, I'll walk you to the door." He stood up and took her hand.

"Thank you for having me. Tell your parents I said goodbye and thank you as well," Scarlett said when they reached the door. She stepped outside and stood on the front steps. "Oh, and tell Warren thank you for cooking and that it was delicious."

"Will do," Justin said, smiling at her. "Hopefully I'll see you soon?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Justin reached out and ran his thumb over her cheek before leaning in and giving her a kiss.

"Bye," she whispered with a half-smile. "And thank you again."

"Don't mention it," Justin answered.

Scarlett smiled before turning to walk down the steps. When she reached the lawn, she turned and waved at Justin, still standing in the doorway. She watched him wave back as she mulled over the three possible places she could go right now. She settled on one and before she could change her mind, she disapparated.

A/N: So this chapter explains Mrs. Finch-Fletchley's behavior but now there's another plot twist in Scarlett's story. On a positive note, Fred will be around a lot in the upcoming chapters to make up for him not being around in the past two, which I'm very excited about. I love writing the twins and I'm pretty sure I miss them as much as you guys do when they aren't around :)

Thanks for reading and also for all of the awesome feedback!