"So, what did you think?"

"It's not as bad as I expected. I could definitely wear this on the street."

Marcos had dressed Thess in an androgynous look focused on jeans, quite similar to what she had arrived in, only much more expensive and stylish.

"I told you," Marcos said, clicking his camera furiously. "I see the essence of people. You've got a young David Bowie vibe."

"And you saw that in Damon's essence?" she asked, pointing to the skimpy outfit Crash had left hanging nearby.

"No," Marcos said with disdain, while snapping another photo. "No one cares about his essence. Fans just want to see skin."

Thess laughed.

Marcos's female assistant stood beside him, demonstrating the poses Thess was supposed to replicate. The facial expressions were even harder to mimic. Thess recognized the poses from various ad campaigns she'd seen, but she was surprised at how ridiculous they looked in real life. Something magical about a professional photographer turned those awkward positions into something cool and glamorous. In Marcos's case, the magic was probably literal.

Nearby, Ginny and Damon were deep in conversation.

"I've had an offer to play in the French League."

"That's great, except it means playing in France. With French people."

"You have a point," Damon said with a chuckle. He stood to grab two bottles of water from a nearby cooler. "What exactly are you offering me, Mrs. Potter?" he asked, tossing the second bottle to Ginny.

"I won't lie," Ginny said after taking a sip. "If you join my team, you'll be playing for peanuts."

"I can't afford to do charity work. I'm broke."

"You mean 'Crashed'."

"Making fun of my situation won't help your case," he said, settling back down, his gaze shifting to Thess as Marcos continued to work.

Their eyes met briefly, but Thess looked away first, blinded by the flash of the camera.

"Tell me about your girl," Damon said. "Is she as good as they say?"

"If she were in the League, she'd lead her team to victory. Fortunately for us—and unfortunately for them—they were stupid enough to pass on her."

"Because they thought she'd be trouble."

"Exactly."

"What kind of trouble could a fresh-out-of-Hogwarts girl possibly cause?"

"She could change the way this game is played forever."

Damon laughed at the bold claim but sighed with nostalgia afterward.

"I changed the way this game is played."

"I know. The field was a lot safer before you."

Damon stood and pretended to glance out the window.

"That's another reason to stay far away from you."

Thess sensed a dark energy in the air.

"How's Estela doing?" Damon asked.

"Better than ever," Ginny replied.

"I don't believe that."

Thess's temper flared, and she shoved past Marcos, storming toward Damon.

"Was it you?" she asked, her fists clenched.

Ginny stepped in between them, anticipating what Thess was about to do.

Thess nearly barreled over her coach, but Ginny was taller and stronger.

"Calm down, Thess," Ginny said. "It wasn't his fault."

But Thess wasn't calming down, and since she couldn't hit Damon with her fists, she threw at him every curse word she'd learned in the Quidditch locker rooms.

"As I said, Mrs. Potter," Damon replied coolly, "your team is way below my level."

Since she couldn't punch him, Thess shook off Ginny's hold with a forceful shrug and turned to leave. That's when they both noticed that Marcos had been photographing the entire scene, capturing every moment of her outburst.

"Expelliarmus!" Ginny cast, her wand in hand.

Marcos was thrown back, caught by his assistants, but the camera flew through the air, smashing to the ground and exposing the film.

"I thought we were friends!" Ginny shouted.

"Sorry, but I'm a journalist. You know how it is."

One of the assistants dove toward the camera, hoping to salvage some of the photos.

"Incendio," Damon cast, to everyone's surprise, making the camera explode into flames. "I'm done with this job," he said with a shrug.

Ginny left the Leaky Cauldron in a huff after searching the entire Diagon Alley. To her surprise, Thess was waiting in the car.

"I thought you'd run off," Ginny said, settling into the driver's seat with a sigh of relief.

"It crossed my mind," Thess replied.

"Thank you for staying."

"That doesn't mean everything's fine."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"It's Estela you need to apologize to!"

"Estela knows what happened to her was an accident."

"But that doesn't make it any easier," Thess said, recalling her own accident, the scar, the four hours she'd been unconscious, and the look of sheer relief on the headmistress's face when she woke up. And she remembered Orion's role in it all.

"You're all going to have to move on from the past at some point," Ginny said as she started the car.