September 1st arrived with blue skies and a light wind that tangled Lavender's hair and brought color to her cheeks. When she entered the Den, as Leo had taken to calling Inhuman Resources' warehouse space for homeless werewolves, Leo practically pounced on her. "Are you ready? I'm ready!" He said, dragging his truck around and scuffing up the floors.

"Calm down," Lavender laughed. "Are you all packed? Do you need anything else?"

"I've been packed for weeks!" He said, eyes bright and excited. She couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm.

"Alright, then say goodbye to everyone and we'll go to the station." Lavender leaned up against the wall while Leo ran around saying goodbye to all his friends at the Den, swearing to write with updates when he got there and promising to come home for the full moon with stories. Lavender, meanwhile, shrunk down his truck and stowed it in his jacket pocket, picking up his jacket from the floor where he had dumped it.

Within a few minutes he was ready to go and she passed him his jacket, telling him about the trunk inside of it. He barely seemed to notice, too intent on looking over his train ticket with wide eyes and twirling his wand.

She had refused to teach him spells, not wanting to step on any toes with his teachers. It was also technically illegal, she supposed, but she thought she could get away with it at the Den, where there were so many underage witches and wizards. Leo had actually run into a few walls the day he got his wand and other school supplies.

He had been like a bull in the china shop when confronted with all the different potion supplies. He had eagerly started reading his schoolbooks in the bookshop rather than wait for Lavender to finish paying for them. And rather than Madame Malkin's, Lavender had taken him to her old workplace, where Brenda had welcomed her with a hug. Being fired was still a sting, but after Brenda had fit Leo for his robes (sticking him with the needle and pins more than once because he wouldn't quit jumping from excitement) she had demanded that Lavender bring all her young wards to her for their robes. Times were changing, Brenda declared, and if her regular customers didn't like seeing werewolves in her shop, they could find a new shop. Quietly, Brenda also apologized for firing her, and Lavender could hear the real guilt in her voice.

They had also gotten Leo an owl so he could write regular updates. Probably sensing werewolf, most of the animals in the pet shop had panicked when Leo walked in. Some of the owls had been calm enough to approach, but one, a massive eagle own with dark grey feathers, had fixed Lavender's young friend with a look and then quietly stepped onto his offered arm. It had fluttered its wings (which were nearly six feet wide when spread) and then settled, content. Leo had fallen in love instantly and named the owl Storm.

Finally, they had gone to get his wand. Entering Ollivander's shop was the only time Leo had been subdued all day, and when the willow and unicorn hair wand had spat sparks from its tip at the touch of his hand, Lavender could have sworn she had seen tears in his eyes. She could also see he was thrilled at having a unicorn wand – they were supposed to be the most loyal, and the least easy to turn to Dark magics. She could tell having a wand that was pre-programmed for good things took a weight off of him.

He had paraded around with his wand and owl and schoolbooks for the next few weeks. Lavender had forbidden him from attempting magic so instead he learned wand tricks, ways to spin it across the back of his fingers and flip it from hand to hand. She had laughed the first time he had done it, but after a few weeks of solid practice she could admit it was impressive. He was remarkably dexterous and she was wondering if he had aspirations to join the Quidditch teams in a few years.

Though, she mused privately, where the money for a broom would come from she had no idea. She was at her wit's end trying to keep everything afloat, especially since that now that the werewolves had regular access to Wolfsbane, the stress of the full moons had gone down substantially. Last full moon, a week ago, Lavender had simply just read on the couch at the Den while the wolves napped around her, all subdued by the potion. She had locked the doors of course, to prevent anyone from slipping out, but it had been a peaceful night and she had been so pleased. She couldn't take that away from them now that it was what they expected.

Lavender guessed that Inhuman Resources was probably providing Wolfsbane for around sixty werewolves, including her fourteen young wards at the Den. Most were adults who she didn't interact with beyond listing them as beneficiaries of the Wolfsbane, but some were in the adult education program Lavender was still struggling to lift off the ground. There was hardly money for that either.

Lost in her thoughts, Lavender only realized where she was when they came to Kings Cross station. A sudden lump in her throat happened as she remembered the last time she was here – coming back from spring break in her seventh year, knowing she might be dead in just weeks, never planning to see Kings Cross or the Hogwarts express again. Leo was too excited to give her a moment though, and her young charge dashed through the station, Storm hooting irritably in his cage as he was swung around.

"Lavender, come on!" Leo yelped.

Shaking her thoughts aside gratefully, she followed Leo briskly. "This way," she said, pointing at the wall between platforms nine and ten. With a wild smile, Leo charged at the barrier at full speed, leaving Lavender laughing helplessly in his wake.

When she went through the barrier, steam engulfed her and she breathed in the familiar smell of the train and the platform. Leo was standing stock still, eyes wide and staring all around him. She nudged him with her elbow to snap him out of it. "You're here," she said. "This is happening." He seemed lost for words.

An interruption came in the form of Seamus, who walked up to them out of the steam. An unconscious smile spread across Lavender's face as she took in the sight of him in his green Auror robes. Fit as ever (she scolded her racing heart), he cut an impressive figure as he came to see off Leo.

After they had talked over coffee the first time, Lavender and Seamus had started up a pattern of meeting up once a week to talk about work and their lives. Seamus had also been impressed by the plucky young werewolf who had saved Lavender. Leo, after a few growls at the man he thought had hurt Lavender, eventually accepted him, and Seamus had come to the Den a few times, joining the young werewolves and Lavender and Mancy for Leo's family dinners.

Lavender was glad he was here. Leo admired Seamus, though not quite with the hero-worship he had developed for Lavender after she had gotten him accepted to Hogwarts. Still, he and Seamus talked about the Aurors quite often and Lavender also loved the idea that Seamus was helping teach the werewolves at the Den that Aurors weren't to be feared. There was still a lot of healing to be done with her charges but having an Auror around was certainly helping bridge the gaps already.

"Seamus!" Leo yelped.

"You're excited, then?" Seamus asked, grinning at the young werewolf.

"Yes!"

Lavender couldn't help another giggle at exactly how excited Leo was, and Seamus met her eyes with his own happy look. "Hi," she said, momentarily caught by his bright blue eyes. Meeting with him had not been good for her emotions, at least when it came to trying to put aside her excitable teenage self.

"Hey," he greeted her back. He looked away first, back to Leo. "If anyone is nasty to you, let me know."

"I can protect myself," Leo said, rolling his eyes.

"Nah, I know," grinned Seamus. "But I know some wicked hexes in case you need them."

"No no no," Lavender interjected before Leo could agree. "Absolutely not. If I get one complaint of bad behavior, Merlin help you!"

"Lavenderrrr," Leo whined.

"Yeah, Lavenderrrr," Seamus echoed, a teasing look on his face as he met her eyes again. All thoughts of scolding went right out the window as she was momentarily breathless, staring at his slightly parted lips and remembering all kinds of things.

The train whistle broke the moment and Lavender was absurdly grateful and resentful at the same time, and more than a little embarrassed that she was so easily distracted. This was hardly the time or place to be thinking things like that about her ex. "Alright, Leo," she said, turning to him. "Are you ready?"

He threw himself at her, burying his face in her shoulder and gripping her in a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered, raw emotions in his voice tugging at her heart. She hugged him back, kissing the top of his head and fighting back her own emotions. She was going to miss him.

"Go show them everything you are," she whispered back, "and tell me all about it."

Lavender waved frantically as the train started pulling out of the station, steam pouring from it. She blamed that about the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she watched the train move off and her scrappy werewolf hanging halfway out the window as he waved goodbye. She swiped at her eyes once the train rounded the corner, sniffling slightly.

A hand offered her a handkerchief and she took it gratefully, turning to Seamus with her still watery eyes. "I like your new manners," she commented, voice a little thick from repressed emotions.

He shrugged. "I just know you, remember? This isn't a common thing."

She made a humming noise in agreement. Despite what he said, he seemed... different. Older. More confident in himself. He was standing differently as well – at the end of last year and the months following, all who had been in the DA during that awful seventh year had moved like hunted things, flinching at noises and staying to the sides. Seamus was still wary, she could tell that in an instant by the way he kept his hand touching his wand at all times, the way his eyes flicked to the few dark corners in the station, the way he kept the sleeves of his Auror robe rolled up and the buttons down the front open.

"What're you staring at me for?" He asked, interrupting her musings.

Lavender blinked once, staring at him for just a few seconds longer before realizing exactly what he was calling her out on. "What?" She asked, voice a little higher than usual. "Do you think Leo is going to be okay?"

Seamus gave her a weird look, like he knew she was changing the subject but didn't know why. "Course. Why wouldn't he be?"

"What if people are mean to him, or scared of him? He's been a werewolf for so long, I know he forgets regular human behavior sometimes. The moment he even snarls at someone..."

"It's going to be fine, Lavender," Seamus said bracingly. "He's a smart kid. He knows the rules."

"But – "

"Hey," Seamus interrupted. She looked up at him warily, hesitating to meet his eyes. "You'd think you were sending your firstborn off to school. Leo is smart and he's been taking care of himself for years. Everything is going to be fine." He put a hand on her shoulder, tentative. "He's going to be great at Hogwarts. He's going to make friends and have amazing experiences, just like we did. You got him that chance, so be proud, not worried. He's going to be the best."

Lavender managed a smile at that last, finally meeting Seamus's eyes. He was looking at her with a mix of pride and something like longing and she quickly looked away again. "Do you want to get coffee?" She offered. It wasn't their usual day for it but Lavender didn't want to be alone after seeing Leo off, and she had taken the rest of the day to be away from the office.

He shook his head with regret. "Can't, sorry, I'm on duty until seven tonight. Managed to run off for Leo on my lunch break."

"Oh," she said. "Then maybe dinner later?"

"Really?" He asked, and she smiled as she saw him wince out of the corner of her eye. "I mean, uh, yeah, of course."

"Great," she said.

"It's Friday," Seamus offered. She could hear the hesitation practically dripping from his words. "I could cook, if you want."

Lavender remembered their Friday night dinners that felt like they had happened an age ago. Warm smells of chicken and beef and roasting vegetables and fresh bread – he had learned to cook from his mother and she was the best cook in four counties, he had always proudly proclaimed. "I'd like that," she agreed after a few seconds of thought. "Your place at eight?"

"Yeah," he agreed. He scribbled down his address and the location for the apparation point in his usual messy scrawl on a scrap of paper and passed it to her. "See you then."

Her stomch fluttered constantly until it was time to leave for Seamus's place. Lavender had gone back to work and done paperwork for a few hours despite Inhuman Resources officially being closed. She tried to keep herself busy. Still, her mind had been on anything but what she was doing and she headed home around five to get ready.

It was just dinner with a friend, she reminded herself as she picked out a red silk top and a black skirt before scowling at her selections and chucking them back in her closet. A friend from whom she wanted more than friendship, whispered a treacherous part of herself. Lavender hushed that part of herself firmly and picked out a more modest ensemble, though the dark green shirt was perhaps a bit low cut for the friendly dinner she was going to.

She apparated to the apparation point near Seamus's new house and was surprised to discover that it was actually in a neighborhood with houses, not just flats. Some of them even had small front yards. She walked to his address and knocked on the door. She tried to smother her vague worries – this was going to be the first time they had been alone, not in a public place like a coffee shop, since agreeing to try being friends.

Before she had time to dwell too much, Seamus opened the door. He stood in front of her in a dark button down shirt that had a floury handprint down the front and his hair also dusted with flour. The dinner smells that were coming from the house were enough to distract her, though she couldn't help a small giggle as he invited her in.

"Sorry," Seamus apologized with a grin. "House is a bit of a mess."

"You are too," she teased. He gave her a quizzical look and she pointed at his floured shirt.

"Ah damn," he swore lightly, brushing at it. "Well, the bread will be worth it."

"I have complete faith in you," she said as he ushered her into the kitchen. He paused just for a second at that and she berated herself mentally. Loaded statements like that were not supposed to happen. Still, she felt her heart flop over at the slight smile that touched his face, and when she realized that what she had said was true. She was trusting him again, slowly but surely.

He took her on a tour of the house. It was small, but it did have two bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as a small yard in the back. Plus, the kitchen was huge for the size of the house, and Lavender could tell that he was enjoying getting to use it properly. One of the bedrooms was clearly used as an office/storage space and he didn't linger on the other one that he used as his room, but she did catch a glimpse of the picture of the two of them during seventh year on the table next to his bed. She bit her lip hard to keep from saying anything about it.

Dinner was steak and salad and fresh baked bread with a fantastic red wine to go with it all. Lavender commented that Seamus had outdone himself and he shrugged and said that he hadn't had anyone to cook for in a while, then flushed and fetched dessert. Dessert was a chocolate pots du crème with shortbread and Lavender dug into it with a touch of nostalgia.

The last time he had made a chocolate pot du crème was just after the Christmas dance that she had thrown for the DA. He had told her to go up to the seventh year boy's dorm in Gryffindor Tower and he would be up shortly. When he met her up there it was with a dessert that was chocolate and smooth and sinful, and it had been the first time she thought about telling him that she loved him. She didn't tell him then, but it had been the first time that she realized that she wanted him in her life as more than a friend, and more than a lover.

After dinner Lavender agreed to one more glass of wine and they went to sit in the living room. The "class photo" of the DA was pinned up over his fireplace and Lavender felt a bittersweet emotion rush through her as she looked at it. So many of them were gone, and none of them looked as carefree now as they had in that picture.

"I miss that," she commented, gesturing to the picture.

Seamus nodded in agreement. "Neville and Hannah were thinking of hosting a... well, it wouldn't exactly be an anniversary party, but something like that. I know the Ministry put something on up at the school last May, but..."

"Yeah," Lavender said. "I had to go up there a few months ago to talk to McGonagall about Leo's admission to Hogwarts and it wasn't great." That was an understatement. She could still remember shaking and sobbing and clinging to the gates as she looked over the grounds.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Seamus asked. He leaned forward slightly, the picture of attentiveness, and she loved him for it. His blue eyes glimmered in the firelight, clearly not realizing that just that simple offer meant everything and more to her. He was there for her. He had been there for her when she had called for him at the Auror office. He had been there for her when Leo was in the hospital. He had been there for her the past few months to listen to her complain about government funding and he had suggested ways to help make up the difference in funds. And he was here for her, now, in his house by the light of the fire, wanting to hear her concerns and fears and worries, just like he had done before.

"I..." She wanted to kiss him. For his selflessness, for believing in her when she didn't believe in herself, for being there for her. The desire swept through her like a racing fire, setting her pulse to racing. What was it about him that could turn her into a melting mess with nothing more than a look? "Did you mean what you said before? That you were holding out hope?" She asked instead, making her mouth do something only slightly less reckless.

He nodded slowly. "I'm never giving up on you, unless you tell me to."

She took in and released a deep breath. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay." Saying okay wasn't helping matters. Neither was knowing that he was going to be there. That if she kissed him, he would kiss her back. Then again, that was actually helping in the best possible way. She wanted him back. She leaned forward to match him, staring him right in the eyes. They were inches apart and she could clearly see his confusion had turned to desire. "Screw it," she whispered, and brought her lips to his.

She almost whimpered with relief as he kissed her back, no hesitation. He had a hand tangled in her hair instantly, pulling her to him. He whispered her name against her mouth and she felt desired, and wanted, and whole.