A/N: Thank you so much for your patience! I know it's been a long time, but there's been lots going on in RL. I can't promise regular updates, but I can tell you that I've got a bit of time on my hands this week so I hope to get a decent chunk written. I have most if not all of the next chapter done and at least one for LOF as well. Plus a handful of oneshots and another chapter of Safe, a Romione after the war story that was once a oneshot and turned into more that I'm slowly working on when inspired.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this! It's on the short side, but it's something! And I'm really excited about where we go from here. Enjoy!

Life in the wake of a Quidditch victory had always been grand. The world felt a bit lighter and life was more vibrant. For a few days, nothing could touch you.

For the first time in her career as a Seeker, Lily Potter woke up the morning after winning a match without a smile on her face.

She was happy and proud that they'd won. Truly. While there were still some kinks to work out, her team had played a good match and she'd done well herself. There was nothing to be ashamed of or regret in that regard. It just wasn't easy to think back on how she'd celebrated the last Quidditch match she'd won, and to realize she couldn't do the same this time around.

They'd handily defeated Hufflepuff last February, which had led to a rambunctious party in the common room. But Lily had barely found time to enjoy it before Caleb had slipped a note into her hand, requesting that she meet him in one of the usual places they'd escape to, both before and after their relationship had become public.

As Lily gazed unseeingly out the window at the first clear day they'd had all week, she couldn't help remembering that night in vivid detail.

"It's only a matter of time before we get caught again, you know," she said as Caleb cast a locking charm on the door. They'd stumbled across this particular unused classroom not long into their relationship. It contained various pieces of furniture that had been discarded due to old age or no longer being needed. This meant that they had somewhere to sit other than a floor or at a desk while snogging.

"And that would be a problem?" Caleb challenged as he sunk down onto what had become their sofa. Lily rolled her eyes as he tugged on her hand, pulling her down to join him.

"I'd just rather no one else found out accidentally," she said as Caleb pulled her close, successfully distracting her as he started trailing kisses up her neck.

"And I'd rather we talk about how brilliantly you played today," he murmured against her skin. A shiver went through Lily at the feel of his warm breath, his flattering words caressing her and causing a smile to grace her lips.

"You did too," she said a bit breathily, leaning back along the couch and letting her eyes fall closed. Caleb followed, his lips moving up to her jaw as he hovered above her. When he paused in his task of running his lips over her skin, Lily opened her eyes, meeting his lovely blue ones that were smiling down at her.

"What?" she asked softly, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, which was still slightly damp from his after-match shower. With a deep sigh, Caleb shook his head, ducking down to rub his nose against hers.

"Nothing," he said, before dropping a teasing kiss on her lips. "You're just bloody brilliant."

Lily chuckled as his hands gripped her sides and he kissed her fully, thoughts springing to her mind uninhibited about just how much she felt for this boy.

At this point, she was fairly certain she was in love with him. It was just a question of whether or not he felt the same.

In moments like these, where he was completely lost in her, she believed that he might. Only seconds ago, she'd wondered if he'd even been about to open up about how he felt. But it was fine that he hadn't, she realized as they sunk into a familiar rhythm, her hands in his hair and his roaming up and down her sides. They were young. Their relationship was brand new. They'd have plenty of time to get to all the serious stuff later.

Lily was pulled from her memory by the sound of the portrait hole opening. As Molly entered, she didn't even look surprised to find her younger cousin sitting in the window of the Head's common room.

"What're you working on?" asked Molly as she set her bag by the sofa.

"Oh," said Lily, looking back to the sketch book in her lap. "I'm not studying, actually."

With an inquisitive tilt of her head, Molly made her way over, a smile forming on her face as she saw what her cousin was up to.

With everything that had been going on over the summer, it had been a while since Lily had taken the time to draw, but now that she was back in the habit, she found herself wishing she'd never stopped. She wasn't even sure why or when she had.

"I wish I could draw like that," Molly said a bit wistfully as she looked over her shoulder.

"It's not that hard to learn," Lily said with a smile, placing the book in her cousin's expectant hand. Molly rolled her eyes and began to carefully flip through the pages.

Being able to take refuge in the Head's common room had been a saving grace for Lily. Having a place to go without running the risk of bumping into her ex boyfriend had allowed her to relax and feel a bit more peace than she did any other time, always being on guard for a potential run in.

At the beginning of the school year, she'd been determined to be above such nonsense. Avoidance felt cowardly, yet the longer she went having to ignore Caleb, the harder it became to do without some serious emotional strain.

It had been easier at first because she hadn't quite forgiven him, but time had started to heal that wound, making it nearly impossible to want to keep away.

The sound of Molly ceasing turning pages drew Lily's attention back to her. With a sympathetic smile, Molly handed back the sketch book, still open to the page she'd stopped on. As she caught sight of it, Lily's breath caught in her throat.

Oh. That's why she'd stopped drawing.

An unfinished sketch of Caleb swam before her eyes, his face smiling brightly back at her. Lily had tried to get him to keep a straight face so she could draw him in a more stoic pose, but he could never hold it for very long, breaking and either laughing or smiling at her after only a few seconds. In the end, she'd just given in and drawn him with a big grin on his face.

She'd forgotten how captivating his smile was.

"You know," said Molly as she moved to sit by Lily's feet, which were propped up on the window seat. "I haven't seen him that happy in a long time."

Lily glanced up at her cousin, knowing the statement held quite a few unspoken questions. She ignored them as her gaze went back to the incomplete sketch.

"I haven't seen you too happy in a while either."

With a resigned sigh, Lily snapped the book shut, giving her attentive cousin a pointed look. "I don't need someone else to be happy," she said stubbornly.

"I know," said Molly. "I'm not saying either of you do. But everything that happened is still something you're struggling with. I'm guessing you haven't fully moved on?"

"Am I supposed to have done?" said Lily. "It's only been…well, I guess it's been almost five months now, hasn't it? That's almost as long as we were together."

It was odd how moments could feel like they'd happened long ago yet you felt as if you were still in them. In her head, Lily knew a lot had changed since her relationship with Caleb had ended, but emotionally, she wasn't any further away from him. She still loved him, even if she couldn't say for sure who he even was anymore.

"Can I ask a question?" said Molly, and Lily nodded. "I know he hurt you, and I don't blame you for keeping your distance, but have you actually considered forgiving him? If not for his sake than at least for your own. A little bit of closure might help."

With a groan of annoyance, Lily leaned her head back against the window frame, misjudging the distance a bit so that it hit a little harder than she'd been expecting. Wincing and rubbing the back of her head, she looked at her cousin, who was doing a tremendous job of holding in a laugh.

"I know you're right, okay?" Lily relented. "I was actually pretty angry in the beginning, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't forgiven him already. Not that it matters that much because I behaved like a selfish cow, so I doubt he's forgiven me. I'm not sure I could bear it if I tried to apologize and he didn't want to hear it. And seeing as he isn't making any effort to talk to me, I highly doubt he wants to."

A look that was dangerously close to containing pity crossed Molly's face, but she was one of the most kind and selfless people Lily knew. Anything she felt on behalf of anyone came from a true place of caring.

"You should've seen the look on his face after you caught the Snitch yesterday," said Molly. "No matter how he might currently feel, he definitely cares about you. A lot."

A warmth she hadn't been expecting filled Lily at her cousin's words. The amount of time she'd spent around Caleb both before and after the match had been minimal, but it had stung a bit that she hadn't gotten so much as a "good game" or "nice catch" from him. Some days it felt like he was determined to ignore her entire existence, so it was a bit hard to believe Molly's words, no matter how much she wanted to.

With a sigh, Lily slid the sketch book into her bag, gathering up her various drawing instruments and putting them back in the case she carried them around in. Molly reached out and laid a hand on her ankle as she zipped up the case, not to get her attention or force a response from her, but just for comfort and solidarity. And it definitely didn't go unappreciated by Lily.

"Have you responded to Rose yet?" Molly asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"No," Lily said with a sigh, turning to look out the window again. She knew she should. It was what she'd planned to do that morning. While it had stung to find out about her cousin's engagement the way she had, Lily knew it wasn't Rose's fault. And she'd actually received a very sweet letter from her, which she'd shared with Molly and Lucy at Rose's request.

"Is it selfish of me that I'm having a hard time feeling happy for her?" Lily asked. "I mean, deep down, I really am pleased, but when your own relationship's been shot to hell…"

"It's hard to be happy for someone when they have what you want," said Molly, with a bit more understanding than Lily had been expecting.

"Things okay with Ethan?" she asked. It took a moment, but Molly nodded, a slightly strained smile on her face.

"It's just not easy," she admitted. "The distance. I only just saw him a week ago and I'm counting down the days until I get to again. It's never for long enough, though."

While Lily couldn't identify with her cousin's exact situation, she did know the pain of separation. Especially the kind that was outside of your control.

"Come on," said Molly, shaking herself out of her somber attitude and standing. "It's lunch time and I'm famished."

Lily rolled her eyes and chuckled as she stood. "That's because you never eat breakfast."

"I'm not hungry in the mornings," Molly said with a shrug. It was an argument Lily had had with her enough times to know there was no use pushing it. She just couldn't wrap her head around someone refusing the wonderful spread they were presented with every morning at Hogwarts.

They entered a rather busy Great Hall, quickly making their way toward the Gryffindor table.

"You write back yet?" Hugo asked with his mouth full of apple as Lily and Molly sat down across from him, Louis, and Jill.

"No," Lily said with a sigh.

"Why?" he asked before taking another bite of his apple.

"I got busy," she said, avoiding his eyes and the question as she began piling food onto her plate. "I'll do it this afternoon."

Hugo only watched her curiously for another moment before shrugging and going back to his meal.

"You played brilliantly, by the way," said Jill, smiling brightly at her. "I don't think I got the chance to tell you after the match."

Lily couldn't help smirking in amusement, directing her gaze toward Louis. "Yes, well, you were a bit preoccupied, weren't you?"

His cheeks turned a bit pink, but he otherwise didn't shy away from Lily's remark, saying quite confidently, "And I won't be apologizing for that."

Lily gave a slow and mockingly disapproving shake of her head as Jill gave her cousin a nauseating look. Hugo pretended to gag.

"Oh, honestly you two," said Molly to her younger cousins with a chuckle. "It's not like you've never snogged anyone before."

It was a reflex, the way Lily glanced down the table and spotted Caleb. He was far enough away that he hadn't heard the comment, but it was only a second after her eyes landed on him that his snuck over to her. When he noticed her watching him, he did a slightly comical double take, making Lily grateful that she hadn't immediately looked away.

His expression - which Lily had once been rather adept at reading - told her nothing. There was no warmth or longing in his eyes, but they weren't harsh or cold either. She wondered if maybe he was too busy trying to get a read on her to give anything away himself.

If that was the case, she hoped he saw how much she missed him. How thrilled she'd be if he showed any sign that he wanted her in his life again. Even just as a friend. She'd take that over cold indifference any day.

Caleb's attention was pulled away by the person sitting across from him, and Lily was severely put out to see that it was Anastasia Bennett. She focused back on her meal, trying to school her features into anything but a scowl.

The encounter had been put far from Lily's mind by the time she was done with her meal, and she headed out to the grounds with the intention of actually writing a letter to her cousin while enjoying the slightly warmer than normal autumn day. Hugo joined her, agreeing to spend some time on a bit of homework as well before they both paid a visit to Hagrid before dinner.

They settle under a tree by the lake, Hugo lying on his stomach reading a chapter in his Care of Magical Creatures book while Lily penned a letter to Rose. She was just about finished when Hugo lightly tapped her hip with his foot and nodded subtly in the direction of the castle.

Someone was strolling towards them, a bag slung over their shoulder and their brown hair looking almost auburn in the rays from the sun.

"You good?" Hugo said softly, his gaze still on his book as Caleb continued to move closer. Lily gave a barely perceptible nod, giving an affirmative response without knowing if it was the truth or not. With her eyes firmly on the almost finished letter, Lily listened attentively to the sound of his footsteps moving closer.

"Hey, mate," Hugo said as casual as ever as Caleb reached them. Lily's eyes flew from Hugo's face to Caleb's feet and back again as her head stayed down.

"Hey," Caleb responded, only hesitating a moment before dropping his bag and sitting on Hugo's other side. With Hugo in the position he was - stretched out on the grass with his head down by their feet - it almost felt like Caleb was sitting next to her. And that hadn't happened in a very long time.

She caught the sound of a sigh, and then he was ruffling through his bag and pulling out homework. Lily had no clue what to think. The last time they'd spoken to each other directly had been after Quidditch tryouts. They'd almost had a conversation in the locker room that one time and she might have barked a few instructions at him on the pitch, but he hardly needed any coaching. Anything else she'd said to him had been in the context of the whole team. And he never said a thing in return.

Not that it looked like he planned on saying anything to her now. The few glances she'd chanced in his direction showed him immersed in whatever he was working on.

Determined not to let his presence distract her, Lily finished off her letter before pulling out her Quidditch playbook. She really ought to be working on homework, but the match was still fresh in her mind and she wanted to capitalize on that before things grew fuzzy.

Something had to be done about the Chasers. Louis was doing all right, but no one could carry the team on their own. There were timing issues with their plays and formations left and right, with people either not being where they needed to when they needed to be, and quite a few miscalculated passes. If she could just figure out why-

"Bundy drifts right," a voice broke through her thoughts, and she couldn't stop herself from looking sharply up at Caleb. And he was looking right back.

"What?" she asked, quite disconcerted by their sudden conversation.

"Amira," he said with a gesture to the play she had open. "She can't fly straight and keeps drifting to the right. It's throwing everything else off."

A bit dumbfounded, Lily glanced back down at the plays before looking back to Caleb. "Oh," she said, frustrated that she continued to remain out of sorts. "I guess she'll have to work on that."

For the first time in months, he smiled at her. It was subtle and barely counted as one and a few moments ago, she would've been pleased to see it. But now she was irritated.

As a Keeper, this habit was something he'd likely noticed in Amira Bundy since her first day on the team, but had neglected to say anything about it.

"Would've been helpful to know before the match," she murmured, flipping the page to another play. The moment she saw Caleb's shoulders tense out of the corner of her eye, she regretted it.

"Did you know that no one's spotted a Demiquise in over fifty years?" Hugo piped up from between them, likely doing what he could to diffuse the tension. Deciding it was best to let him, Lily turned her attention to her cousin.

"What even is that?" she asked.

"They're invisible and can tell the future," said Hugo, his eyes still on his book. "Apparently, they look sort of like sloths or apes."

"How do they know what they look like if they're invisible?" Caleb asked skeptically.

"Because those who are trained to capture them can see them," said Hugo as if this were obvious. He was always like that when it came to magical creatures. Having been enamored with them as well as non-magical ones since he was young, he tended to know a lot more than the average person but continued to be surprised by this.

With an amused grin, Lily couldn't help glancing at Caleb, whom she was grateful to see wore a similar expression. And then it hit her.

She couldn't remember a time while she and Caleb were together that they'd ever hung out with Hugo - just the three of them. Her actions had implied that it had to be one or the other, when that was never the case.

She'd known for a while now that she'd made poor choices when it came to her friendships and relationship, but there were times when proof of it would smack her in the face all over again.

They couldn't quite make up for it, but if this was Caleb's way of trying to mend things, Lily vowed to do absolutely nothing to stand in his way. No more outright ignoring him, no more snide comments. He'd finally given her a sign that he wouldn't be opposed to her presence in his life.

She wouldn't waste that. She wouldn't ever take it for granted.