Chapter 10 – Uptown Girl

That's all Janey had ever wanted in her life. She craved love and attention, that was all. That was the reasoning behind all the gossip, all the meaningless relationships, and all the jealousy. She wanted to be loved, to be accepted.

"Hi," Sam said breathlessly.

"Hi," Janey gulped back.

They hadn't seen each other for two days—not since the episode at the beach where they had almost very dramatically and spontaneously broken up. Janey felt sick—physically nauseous—when she thought back to her overreaction to Sam's innocent request. While it was true that they hadn't been together overly long, the thought of already terminating their relationship left Janey feeling indescribably hollow.

That was bad, she internally noted. She was already becoming emotionally dependent on him. That was never a good sign in her life.

Sam looked relieved to see her—(had he expected her not to show?)—his face lighting up at the sight. Janey offered a coy but nervous smile. As Sam leaned in, placing a hand on her back in a sort of half-hug, Janey momentarily floundered. Was he going to kiss her? Was he going in for a snog on his doorstep, with his entire family just a door away?

But he did nothing more than kiss her on the cheek—an endearing gesture that took Janey by pleasant surprise, easing at least a little of her anxiety.

Sam took a step back to look at her, still somewhat breathless, confusingly awed. "You look… adorable," he praised, as though it was a surprise.

Janey's coy smile deepened. She had gone all out for the Tylers appearance-wise, dressed well and truly for the holidays—a cute little summer dress in a vivid floral print, a hot pink cardigan, and gladiator-style sandals. Rarely did Janey opt for 'cute', much less florals and summer dresses, but she had wanted to appeal to Sam's family—to make an effort.

It had clearly impressed Sam. Janey tucked a strand of short blonde hair behind her ear. That had been one thing she'd been none too pleased about. Though she liked her sophisticated A-line haircut, she'd wished it was longer so she could curl it into waves and add to the overall 'girly' look she was going for. If only she possessed Jinx's ability to manipulate her appearance at will, she thought wistfully, but really, her hair was the least of her worries.

"Thanks," Janey said in response to Sam's glowing compliment, shyly peering up at him through her fringe. "So do you."

Sam met her smile with equal endearment. "So," he announced. "You, ah, you should come in."

Janey's body responded in much the same way as it always did when Sam was too emotional or serious, dread flooding through her. But this time she ignored it, head held high, chin jutting out. She was a Gryffindor, for God's sake, and only a month ago she'd been risking her life to fight dark wizards—no way in hell was she going to let herself be frightened by the prospect of meeting her boyfriend's parents. And anyway, if anything, it should have been Sam frightened at the prospect of meeting her father.

Like that was ever going to happen.

Janey did all she could to steady her breathing as Sam led her into the semi-detached house, taking her hand into his own. She was grateful for the notion, his touch giving her just a little bit of strength. He was on her side, Janey reminded herself. It was her and Sam together.

They took only two steps into the house before the dog was upon them. A bundle of silky fur and unbridled energy, the face and body of a Golden Retriever but with the rich mahogany tones of an Irish Setter. Janey had always been more of a cat person, never particularly favouring dogs, but she laughed as Sam's jumped up at her, fondling his ears as he happily nosed at her face. At least someone in Sam's family seemed happy with her.

Sam watched the scene unfold with amusement, clearly impressed by Janey's affectionate response. Or maybe with lighthearted envy. She was never that happily affectionate with him, after all. But he intervened after a while, pushing the dog down from his petite girlfriend.

"That's not polite, Rusty," Sam jokingly scolded. "We don't greet guests like that—not if we want to make a good impression."

Janey, now feeling more at ease than she had done before, turned to him with a smirk. The dog stared up at them both, panting excitedly. "Rusty?" she teased. "Very creative name for your red dog."

"Don't blame me," Sam defended, matching her light temperament. "That was down to Zoe and Morgan's combined genius."

Zoe and Morgan, Janey recited in her head. Twins, non-magical, ten years old—Sam's half-siblings.

Alongside dogs, Janey lacked warmth when it came to children. They weren't too young though—no different to first-years at Hogwarts, and she knew she could be civil enough around them. It's not like they were babies or toddlers, or something that would make her feel well out of her depth.

They were in the hallway, with Sam having dropped Janey's hand as she met the dog's warm greeting, but at this point, he retook it, offered her a calming, almost proud smile, and led her towards where Janey could only assume his mother and stepfather were waiting.

Janey curiously peered at the décor that lined the walls, where what seemed to be hundreds of smiling photographs could be seen of the family throughout all stages of life, interspersed with various handmade knick-knacks and drawings. Her heart felt heavy. There were a few professionally-shot portraits of Janey when she was younger displayed on the walls of her vast living room and precisely zero childhood drawings. Her house's interior was 'minimalist.'

Sam's house was not small, per se—Janey assumed it was perfectly average for a suburban family of seven (plus a dog)—but it was miles behind her own, as one would expect. It made her feel uncomfortable only because she felt an indescribable sense of guilt. It was stupid, really—there was no indication that Sam's family was living in squalor, or were in any way unhappy with the circumstances in which they lived (and really, there was nothing to be disappointed with anyway)—but she felt helpless as she thought of her own lavish upbringing.

Why, though? It was beyond her control.

Janey could not be ashamed of the way she'd been raised—she was incredibly privileged, and she both recognised and appreciated that—but she felt distanced from reality when she looked around Sam's house. He had grown up with siblings, and a dog, and a family that happily plastered their walls with childhood mementos. She felt, all of a sudden, a real sense of longing. Of loss. But that was all she'd known. She had never known anything like this.

The way Janey looked in awe at Sam's hallway was the same way in which the first-years first looked on the Great Hall. But, all too soon, she found herself out of the hallway, led into an open-plan kitchen and dining room. Which was occupied.

Janey subconsciously gripped tighter at Sam's hand. He just squeezed back, once again giving her strength.

"Mum," he said proudly. "Gabe."

Gabe, Janey noted to herself.

"This is Janey."

Janey smiled politely at Sam's parents, desperately hoping she looked like a girl worthy of their son's adoration, that her dress appeared cute rather than gaudy, and that she was coming across as polite and sophisticated as she was going for.

Sam's mum looked thrilled. She was very pretty, Janey thought. Like Professor Bobbin, she was one of those women who, despite their age, retained strong traces of a defined youthful beauty. High cheekbones, glittering eyes, and hair that was a rich brunette colour, falling in soft, shoulder-length waves, accompanied even with a mum-styled fringe. Very Kate Middleton, Janey thought approvingly.

But it wasn't Sam's mother's grace and beauty that overwhelmed Janey, it was the sheer excitement that was etched into her entire being. Her hands were clasped, shoulders hunched up in excitement, and wearing a smile so broad and overwhelmingly delighted that you'd think Janey was the Queen or something. It was immensely flattering.

"Hi," Janey said shyly, worried that this poor woman would explode out of excitement.

"Oh, it's so lovely to finally meet you," she breathed, coming towards Janey. "You can call me Delia," she burst out, pulling Janey into a hug before the girl could prepare for it.

Janey was taken aback. In a good way though. She had never been hugged like that by her own mother.

"Mum, please," Sam said embarrassedly. His hand had been wrenched from Janey's as his mother embraced her. Even he hadn't greeted Janey that enthusiastically.

Shocked but flattered, Janey was dazed by such a warm welcome. She had barely taken in the others in the room. The man, Gabe (presumably Sam's stepdad), had been nonchalantly leaning against one of the kitchen counters by the sink, watching the scene unfurl with endeared amusement.

He was a tall man with a kind face and soft grey eyes. Weirdly enough, he actually reminded Janey of her own dad. Fortunately, when he approached her he didn't pull her into a similar embrace to Sam's mum, but politely shook her hand. Janey was already overwhelmed by how perfectly charming and kind the Tylers were. Why had she been so worried?

And yet, rather than feeling total relief, she felt somewhat disheartened. What had they heard of her, she wondered. Had Sam really told them all about her, as far back as First Year? She had been horrible to Sam, there was no denying that, and now Janey felt guilty. There she was, standing in the kitchen of two perfectly charming people, having messed their son around for years, even going so far as to spitefully break him up with his first serious girlfriend.

They didn't deserve that. They didn't deserve a girl like that being involved in their son's life. They were good people. Far better than she.

"Not going to introduce me, then?" a sarcastic female voice piped up from the side.

Janey blinked in surprise. She had only half-acknowledged the third person in the room.

A young woman, hair a similar colour to Sam's mum (though Janey knew they weren't related by blood), was sitting at the extended kitchen table, her legs propped up on it. She was pretty too, Janey thought. Long hair, a slight wave to it, soft freckles spattered on her nose, dark eyeliner, and a knowing smirk. Janey felt intimidated. She looked like the kind of girl who, if she didn't like you, you'd know about it. You'd know about it big time.

Janey gulped.

Sam rolled his eyes in an irritable manner. His mother looked at the dark-haired girl with a disapproving frown, but she, herself, seemed un-swayed by her own impoliteness.

"This is Kayleigh," Sam sighed.

Janey had guessed so much.

"Hi," Kayleigh said, smiling a little too big and looking extremely interested in Janey. It was unnerving. Was that good or bad? Did she like or detest her?

"Hi," Janey said back, hoping the former was true.

Sam glared at his stepsister.

"What?" she demanded in response. "I'm being nice!"

Sam didn't look convinced, but he didn't push it. Kayleigh merely pulled out her phone and started tapping away, suddenly disinterested in the whole affair.

"Kayleigh, love, can you please not put your feet on the table?" her father asked.

She responded silently, moving her feet but never moving her eyes from her phone. Janey liked this girl a lot.

"You don't have to be here," Sam said in the same frosty, exasperated tone he'd always used with Janey.

The girl smiled at the memory. It was hard to believe that those times hadn't been that long ago.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Kayleigh said, gleefully looking up. "Meeting the girl insane enough to actually agree to be in a relationship with you?"

Janey let out a snort, but she was alone. Sam looked further infuriated by his stepsister's demeaning attitude, whilst the adults just looked on disapprovingly.

"Don't say that," Delia insisted, looking mortified, "Janey's a lovely girl."

Janey said nothing, silently glowing. She had barely met this woman, and already she was treating her like real family.

"Yeah," Kayleigh agreed, looking offended that they all seemed to think she was being unsavoury. "That's my point. How does a loser like Sam land a girl like that?"

Again, Janey felt herself silently glowing at the exchange, even if everybody else thought Kayleigh's comments were brash. Little did they know that Janey's personality differed very little from her own. She had to suppress her laughter though. Firstly, as she didn't think Sam would appreciate it too much, and secondly, because she thought his parents might think she was belittling him in much the same way as his stepsister.

"Thank you," Sam said sarcastically, "for your opinion, Kayleigh, but we didn't want it."

"Janey thinks I'm funny," Kayleigh retaliated, indicating to where Janey was struggling to stifle her laughter.

Sam glared at her. Janey just smiled innocently back.

"Well, good then," he scoffed, "the two of you can insult and belittle me together."

"Oh, I'm sure we will," Kayleigh said cheerfully.

Janey hoped that meant they were friends. She also hoped Sam wasn't taking it all too seriously.

She subtly took his hand back into hers, which didn't go unnoticed by him, nor his family. Janey felt her face flush, but she didn't let go. Delia seemed to be watching them with deep maternal pride. Kayleigh looked surprised but impressed.

"Is this the same Janey you were always bitching about?" she asked confusedly. "That Janey?"

Sam just glared at her.

Janey, filled with confidence by such a warm initial reception, decided to speak for herself. "I imagine so," she said playfully, giving Sam's hand a gentle squeeze.

Kayleigh looked astonished. "So what happened?"

Janey and Sam were both asking themselves the same question.

"None of your business," Sam snapped, and Janey was grateful.

She and Sam had spoken very little about the abrupt change in the state of their relationship and their emotions towards each other, and she was far from comfortable with trying to explain that to the rest of his family. She was still adapting to it herself. And he, too.

"Okay, but you didn't tell me she was blonde," Kayleigh went on, un-swayed and unapologetic.

"Why does that matter?"

"Oh, it matters. She's blonde," Kayleigh declared, counting on her fingers. "She's pretty. And she's normal."

Janey felt her heart swell, not even at the compliments to her physical appearance, but the praise of her being 'normal.' Kayleigh hadn't meant it as an insult anyway, Janey knew that, but to anybody else, being described as normal would have been a more than demoralising comment. And yet, Janey had never felt more elated.

Normal.

For so long, and by so many people, she had not been considered normal. And oh, how it had tormented her. But there she was, a normal girl, with a normal boyfriend, meeting his normal family, in their normal house.

If you conveniently forgot the magical abilities, that was.

"What did you expect?" Sam asked, deeply offended.

"Well—"

But Sam's stepfather intervened, perhaps in an attempt to spare Janey's feelings. Little did he know how flattered Janey was by the whole scenario that had just transpired and Kayleigh's sarcastic back-and-forth.

"So do you live nearby, Janey?" he asked politely.

Janey gulped.

"Err, no, she lives in London," Sam answered on Janey's behalf.

"London?"

They all looked impressed.

Janey nodded meekly. "I've never been to Nottingham before," she confessed, hoping to steer the conversation away.

"Are you liking it?" Gabe enquired.

"Yes, it's beautiful."

"Very different from a city like London, I imagine," Delia interjected.

"Yeah," Janey agreed. "Very different."

"So where do you live?" Gabe pressed. "I used to live in London myself. Big place," he mused. "Where about are you?"

Janey looked desperately to Sam for help, though she wasn't sure why. It wasn't like he knew where she lived—he was probably as curious as his stepfather—nor would he realise why Janey didn't want to share.

"Umm," she gulped, feeling her palms start to sweat. Oh, God, Sam was going to think that she was gross. "N-north London," she eventually stuttered.

Gabe just nodded.

"Barnet," Janey burst out.

His eyes lit up. "You know, I used to work there! Where, exactly?"

Janey felt like she might cry. Why, why, was this happening to her? But she couldn't lie to them. Could she?

What had Sam already said, she wondered. What did Sam even know?

"Umm…"

Everybody was looking at her curiously, politely, Sam's hand still in her own. Janey had never shied away from being the centre of attention, but in that moment, she felt like she would do one of several things: faint, throw up, burst into tears, or die. Her palms might have been sweating, but she knew all the blood had drained from her face. She imagined she looked pale and sickly, like she'd just watched someone die.

Surely that would be more fun than this, she thought darkly.

Janey swallowed the lump in her throat, struggling to find her voice. When she did finally speak, it was nothing short of meek, like she was almost guilty for what she was saying. "The Bishops Avenue," she said, no more than a squeak.

Half a second passed, that was all, before Sam's stepfather's eyes lit up with astonishment. His mother just looked dazed. Kayleigh frowned, as though trying to figure out where she'd heard that name before, and then she, in turn, looked up, her mouth actually parting in shock.

Janey daren't even look at Sam.

But she did, frantically, needing somebody to give a vocal response. He, too, looked confused, and then suddenly overwhelmed, like he was frightened. "The Bishops Avenue?" he repeated, dropping her hand as though Janey had just told him something life-threatening. "Wait… The Bishops Avenue? As in Millionaire's Row?" His voice had gone shrill. "That 'The Bishops Avenue'?"

Janey reacted as though he'd just slapped her, struggling for breath. "Well," she stuttered, mortified by their stunned faces, "I… yeah. But—"

"You live," Sam struggled to say, closing his eyes and bringing a hand to his forehead as though he was in pain, "on one of, if not the most luxurious, expensive streets in the whole of London?"

Janey wished she was anywhere else in the world right then. The way he spoke to her—like she had been concealing some dirty secret. Like she had just confessed that she'd been cheating on him since day one, or that she was a murderer, or something. She had not thought her home circumstances would have been that big a deal to Sam, and yet, this had been far from the way she intended to lay it out in the open.

She daren't even look at either of the other three—they barely knew her as it was! And now what? Now she wasn't normal again, Janey thought bitterly. It had been fleeting, but oh, God, it had been nice to be considered normal just for once.

Sam reopened his eyes and lowered his hand, staring at Janey with incredulousness. "Janey, are you a millionaire?" he asked bluntly, his voice slightly hoarse.

"No!" Janey answered impulsively, as though he had just asked her something vile. She dropped her gaze, letting her fringe shield her from his accusatory stare. "My daddy is," she mumbled.

The silence that filled the kitchen was charged, as though coursing with electricity.

"I can see why you changed your opinion about her," Kayleigh said gleefully after seconds of agonising silence.

Sam still looked dazed. "I didn't know," he insisted. He stared back at Janey, looking at her like he'd never looked at her before—a completely new light, like he no longer knew her at all. Janey could do nothing but blush, embarrassed and oddly ashamed by it all.

It doesn't change anything, she wanted to assure him. It doesn't change us.

She had not even thought it a 'secret.' Janey had never been secretive about her upbringing—not with anybody—she just didn't overly talk about it nowadays. Students from Hogwarts came from all walks of life, united by the one thing they had in common: magic. She could be whoever she wanted to be, no longer restricted and limited by her childhood, or her family, or her upbringing, or any of that. She had never lied to Sam, never tried to conceal this truth about herself. And suddenly she felt angry. Why was he overreacting? Especially in front of his family!

"That's, ah…" Sam's stepdad attempted, but fell short, not really sure what to say.

"Wonderful," his mother finished, shocked, but still beaming at Janey like she was the most precious thing on earth. "Wow," she praised, politely overwhelmed.

Janey just smiled awkwardly.

"So your, ah, father," Sam's stepdad said, clearing his throat.

Janey appreciated how hard they were trying. Trying to act normal about the fact that they'd just found out the girl in their house—their son's girlfriend—was a millionaire. Or, at least, a millionaire's daughter. Wasn't it enough that she was a witch? Wasn't that enough to set her apart, she thought miserably. Fate was so cruel…

"Rupert Davington," Janey answered, herself trying to act normal about it all, yearning for that friendliness, that normalcy with which she'd previously been embraced. "He, umm, owns a computer company," she explained. "You know, computer technology, and laptops, and stuff…"

"Davington?" Kayleigh piped up. "Like, that logo that's the little swirly 'D'? The one on the computers? The one that's on my freaking laptop upstairs?"

Janey was once again wishing fate would be kind enough to just let her die. "Err, yeah," she said meekly. "I guess…"

Kayleigh let out a noise, somewhere mingled between awe and disbelief. She stood up from the table, coming towards them. Sam was still too shocked to be overly vocal. "Not only is she cute, and blonde, and pretty, and all that," Kayleigh praised him, completely overwhelmed. "Forget the magic stuff. Your girlfriend is not only a millionaire, she's also the daughter of one of the most esteemed technologists in modern business?"

Sam just looked dazed.

"Way to go, loser! How did you score her?" Kayleigh demanded. "How did you hit such a jackpot?"

Sam made a noncommittal noise, no longer capable of saying actual words.

"Kayleigh, don't talk about Janey like that," Sam's mum said uncomfortably. "She's not a… a thing," she said warily, eyeing the poor girl. "She's not a jackpot."

But Janey didn't mind. She much preferred the sarcastic girl's reaction to that of her own boyfriend's immense disbelief. At least Kayleigh was treating her—well, not as though she were normal anymore, but not normal in a positive way, at least. Sam was just treating her with complete and utter shock, like she was no longer the person he had known ten minutes ago.

Maybe she wasn't, Janey thought drily. Maybe this was all just too much for him.

Kayleigh turned to Janey with glittering eyes. "I can tell we're gonna be great friends."

"Kayleigh, why don't you go and get Zoe and Morgan," her dad suggested. "Tell them dinner's nearly ready."

She rolled her eyes but did so anyway.

"It was so lovely that you could come," Sam's mum gushed to Janey, as though the awkward revealing of her millionaire status had not just occurred. "We've heard so much about you—Sam never stops!"

"Mum," Sam said warily, finally finding his voice again.

"It's my pleasure," Janey replied, sounding shy. Oh, if only she'd known how Janey had overreacted at the suggestion when Sam had first brought it up.

"Do you enjoy school?"

"I love it."

"And I take it that your, ah, your family isn't…"

"Magical?" Janey queried.

Sam's mum nodded.

"No," Janey agreed. "No, they're both Muggles." She paused. Was that a term Sam used around them? Was it impolite to use? "None of us really knew what to think when the letter came."

"It was quite a shock for me too," Sam's stepfather said kindly. "Big shock."

"I didn't tell him my first husband was a wizard," Sam's mum explained with a smile, like she was sharing an in-joke. "I thought it might scare him off. So that was rather difficult to explain when an owl dropped a letter on our doorstep for Sam."

Janey laughed politely. They were such a happy, normal family—despite one of them being a wizard. It was refreshing.

"Do you have siblings?" Sam's mum went on eagerly.

"No," Janey replied. "No, it's, ah, it's just me. Although, I did find out recently that I have a half-sister."

Sam's mum looked curious.

"My parents aren't together," Janey explained. "Not anymore. And, well, my father didn't even know he had another daughter. Oddly enough, I was actually really close with her at school."

When Sam made no comment—not even so much as a sarcastic sort of snort—Janey knew she was in trouble. She and Jinx hadn't ever been close. Not until only very recently. They had been the exact opposite, and Sam knew that all too well. But he said nothing to contradict her; he just looked vague.

"Oh, that must be lovely," Sam's mum continued to gush. "What a lovely surprise that must have been."

Yeah, Janey thought darkly, still furious at her father. Lovely.

"Well, we might as well get this served up," Sam's stepdad announced, indicating to the kitchen.

Sam's mum suddenly looked at Janey with worry. "Do you like casserole?" she asked nervously. "Because Sam didn't know, so I just made it, but I can always—"

"No, that's fine," Janey insisted, offering a genuine smile. "Casserole would be lovely."

Sam's mum beamed, like Janey had just told her she and Sam were getting married or something equally overwhelming. "Wonderful!" she declared, clapping her hands together. "It won't be long."

"Would you like any help, Mrs, err—" Janey stopped abruptly, never having established whether Sam's mum went by Tyler or something else.

"Oh, call me Delia," she insisted. "But Mrs Tyler, for the record," she explained, unknowingly answering Janey's burning question. "We're all Tylers—Sam and I both changed our names when I married Gabe."

Well, that was one mystery solved.

"And don't even think about helping," she jokingly scolded. "You're our guest. You just sit down and enjoy yourself."

As Mr and Mrs Tyler—there was no way in hell Janey was going to call them 'Delia and Gabe'—set about serving up the dinner, Sam and Janey found themselves somewhat alone. He had gone remarkably pale, still staring at her in shock.

"What?" Janey demanded, suitably angry now that they were mostly out of earshot of his parents.

Sam blinked, coming back to reality. "I—nothing," he mumbled.

"Then stop staring at me like I'm an alien," Janey hissed. "Okay? What's the big deal?"

"The big deal," Sam said furiously, lowering his voice so his parents couldn't hear but matching Janey's anger, "is that you didn't once mention the little fact that you are a freaking millionaire!"

"So?" Janey demanded. "It wasn't a secret. Rose knew, Taylor knew, Gwen knew—I'm pretty sure James knew, and—"

"I didn't know," Sam pointed out.

"And why does it matter now that you do?" Janey challenged. "Why does that make any difference? Either to who I am as a person, or our relationship, or anything?"

Sam drew a blank. "Well," he spluttered. "Well, no, it doesn't. But—"

"Sam, my father has been a millionaire since before I was born. He was a millionaire when he married my mum—looking back, that's probably why she married him—he was a millionaire when I was born, he was a millionaire when I started Hogwarts. He has always been a millionaire," she emphasised. "I have always been a millionaire's daughter. This is not something I kept from you, this is just something about my life that I guess never really came up. It doesn't change anything."

"It's a pretty big secret," he mumbled sulkily.

"It wasn't a secret!"

"You never told me you lived in a mansion."

"You never told me you lived in Nottingham," Janey retaliated.

Sam just stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"I only just found out that you live in Nottingham," Janey pointed out. "I only just found out that you have a dog, and that you have a stepfather, and that—"

"What are you talking about?"

"My point is that we don't know anything about each other! We knew very little about each other before we got together, and we're only just learning stuff about our families, and our home lives and stuff. So stop acting like I kept this huge secret from you. Like this hasn't been the first real opportunity to talk about and learn this kind of thing about each other!"

Sam was silenced. He knew he was being unreasonable and that Janey was, of course, right—not that he'd admit that to her. It was just such a huge shock. He felt inadequate in comparison to her and this huge reveal. Embarrassingly so. What was Janey, a millionaire's daughter, doing with the likes of him?

But he had to think about what she was desperately trying to say. All this time she'd been living a different life to his own, that was true, but nothing had changed. He was overreacting. She was the same Janey she had always been, and the one she would always be. And yes, she was right. Nothing, other than his new realisation, had changed. She had always been that way—he just hadn't known about it. He immediately felt guilty for his overreaction.

"Guess we're just learning stuff about each other," Sam said sheepishly, eyes shining with the apology he couldn't bring his lips to say.

"Yeah," Janey said calmly. "One thing I've learnt?" she asked, immediately light and playful.

"What?"

"Your stepsister's way cooler than you."

Sam broke out into a grin. "Oh yeah?" he asked.

"Definitely," Janey teased. She let out a squeal as Sam caught her around the waist, just like he had done that day at the beach. Mrs Tyler looked over from the other side of the kitchen in alarm.

"She's fine," Sam called back reassuringly, keeping one hand placed on Janey's back as she stifled her laughter.

Sam's mum watched them fondly.

"We should sit down," Sam suggested, ushering Janey over to the table. "I'm proud of you," he said in a low, warm voice once the two were settled.

Janey just beamed. She was still incredibly nervous about the whole affair, but Sam was certainly putting her at ease. Kayleigh strolled back into the kitchen before the two could have much more of a private moment, two younger children, both brunette, in tow.

"Hey," Sam greeted excitedly.

The girl, Zoe, peered at Janey shyly in response, not even looking at her half-brother.

"She's my girlfriend," Sam said proudly, causing Janey to blush and smile herself.

A light seemed to go off in Zoe's head. "Isabella?" she asked innocently.

Janey's smile fell immediately.

"Err, n-no," Sam gulped, not even daring to look at Janey. "No, Zoe, not… her. This is—"

"Rose?"

"No." Sam looked like he might cry. He'd gone suitably red, still refusing to look at Janey. "No… Rose was not… ever… my, umm, girlfriend."

"Tell me about it," Kayleigh said under her breath, rolling her eyes.

Janey actually found it amusing—especially Sam's great discomfort. He had been pretty obsessed with Rose.

"This is Janey," Sam said clearly. "And, err, this," he said, looking apologetically at Janey and indicating to the twins, "is Zoe and Morgan."

"Hi," Janey said warmly.

Both twins just stared at her.

It was Zoe who spoke again. "The mean girl?"

"Yes," Janey answered before Sam could. She was grinning broadly. "That would be me."

"Yeah, okay, don't say things like that," Sam scolded his half-sister, his face still flushed.

"But you said—"

"I said a lot of things," Sam interrupted. He looked apologetically at Janey, who merely continued smiling at him in response. "But I was wrong."

"Are you a wizard?" the boy, Morgan, demanded, his first words since entering the kitchen.

"I'm a witch," Janey said politely.

Morgan looked impressed, but Zoe's eyes positively lit up. "Can you do magic?" she breathed.

"I can," Janey said proudly.

"Like a fairy?"

"Yeah, sort of. I mean, fairies don't really wield a lot of magic themselves, but, err, that's a different conversation. For all intents and purposes, yes."

"Can you do some now?" Morgan asked.

"No," Janey apologised. "No, I'm not actually allowed. I'm not old enough to do magic outside of school yet—if I do then they'll expel me."

Zoe and Morgan both looked disappointed.

"That's what Sam always says," Zoe said with a pout.

"Yeah, well, if Sam says that anymore then he's a liar," Janey said brightly. "He can do magic outside of school now. He's old enough."

Sam's half-siblings turned to glare at their brother with accusation.

"Thanks, Janey," Sam said sarcastically.

"You don't want to see Sam do magic anyway," Janey went on. "He's not very good."

That prompted a few sniggers, causing Janey to light up inside. Okay, sure, she didn't really like children that much, and she had been worried about how she would come across to Sam's ten-year-old half-siblings, but despite the Isabella-Rose mishap, Janey seemed to be making a good impression. She felt pleasantly surprised by herself.

Sam just shook his head, whilst Janey smirked at him. "I just can't catch a break," he sighed.

"Do you have a magic wand?" Zoe went on eagerly.

"I do," Janey said. "But again, I'm not allowed to use it."

"Do you have it with you?" Morgan asked, equally as eager. "Can we see it?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Sam intervened, but Janey was already pulling out her wand.

"It's fine," she assured him. "They're Muggles, they can't use it."

"Yeah, but—"

"Don't be a tight-arse," Kayleigh scoffed, clearly as interested in seeing Janey's wand as the twins were.

"Yeah, Sam," Janey teased. "Don't be a tight-arse."

"Fine," he relented, as Janey handed it over to the awestruck ten-year-olds.

"Woah," they both breathed, completely enchanted.

"Twelve-and-a-half-inches," Janey boasted. "Maple wood. Unicorn hair core."

"Have you seen a unicorn?" Zoe asked, her excitement unmatchable.

"I certainly have."

The young girl's eyes lit up. "Yours is so much prettier than Sam's," she breathed, stroking a hand over the delicate carvings of Janey's wand. "His is just boring."

"Honestly," Sam sighed, "the amount of abuse I'm getting today…"

"That's because I'm so much prettier than Sam," Janey teased, prompting laughter from them all.

"Alright," Sam agreed, "I can't argue with that."

"Okay, sit down everybody, dinner's served," Mrs Tyler called from the other side of the kitchen.

Zoe reluctantly handed Janey's wand back to her as she and Morgan scrambled for their seats, Kayleigh quickly slipping in next to Janey.

Janey did a quick tot-up, certain they were missing somebody. Wasn't there another one? Didn't Sam have an older stepbrother too?

"Elliot's working," Sam explained, as though reading Janey's thoughts. "Unlike some people"—he glared at Kayleigh—"he's actually moved out and done something with his life. He's hoping to stop by later, though. You might get to meet him."

"I'm exactly where I want to be," Kayleigh retorted in response.

"Yeah," Sam mumbled, "and exactly where others don't want you to be."

"Well, for your information—"

"Kayleigh, Sam, stop it," Mrs Tyler interrupted, appearing with platefuls of steaming casserole, the first of which she set down before Janey. "No arguing at dinner."

"Thank you," Janey said politely in response to her dinner. "This looks lovely, Mrs Tyler."

"Delia," Mrs Tyler insisted, but she was beaming nonetheless.

And dinner was lovely, Janey thought happily as the meal progressed, not just physically but socially as well. She was freaking out, of course—as lovely as the Tylers were, she was still overwhelmed that she was in the presence of her boyfriend's family—but it really wasn't as bad as she had feared it would be. Certainly not worth having broken up with him over like she'd threatened to.

And it was a new experience for Janey, sharing a meal in such a way. She was used to grand feasts at Hogwarts, of course, surrounded by hundreds of other people. But at home, she mostly ate alone, and if she ever did eat with her dad, it was just the two of them. She'd never had siblings—she didn't even have cousins. The lighthearted back-and-forth, the warm, buzzing atmosphere—that was all brand new to Janey. And she liked it. She felt, actually, like she was a part of it, and not just an intruder.

Sam's left hand had found its way onto Janey's thigh, shielded from the rest of the table, prompting a private, coy smile from herself. Just resting there protectively, as casually as though he was holding her hand, instilling her further with confidence and ease.

As dinner was finished, and Mrs Tyler began clearing the table, Sam took hold of Janey's hand and leaned in. "You okay?" he asked gently.

Janey wanted to cry at how supportive and encouraging he was being, feeling ever embarrassed by her initial overreaction. Sam had been right, of course—they were lovely people, and they did seem to genuinely like her.

"Yeah," she whispered back, smiling sincerely.

"Do you want me to show you the rest of the house?" he suggested.

Janey considered it and agreed. It would be nice to have a few moments alone with him, and she was curious to see the rest of the Tyler dwelling, having only seen the hallway and kitchen-dining room. She wondered what Sam's bedroom looked like…

As Sam pushed his chair away from the table, Janey following his lead, Mrs Tyler looked at them sharply from across the room where she was loading plates into a dishwasher. "Sam, where are you going?" she asked frantically.

"Nowhere," he replied with a shrug, "I was just going to show Janey around the rest of the house quickly."

"Oh, but we haven't had dessert yet and—"

"Yeah, that's fine, we'll be quick, and then we'll be back."

"But—"

Sam ignored his mother's continued protests, leading Janey away with him. She felt guilty as she followed Sam, not wanting to upset his mother. But Sam had hold of her hand, and, soon enough, they were out of the room.

The rest of Sam's house was much like the few rooms Janey had already seen. Warm, homely, with plenty of evidence of the family's presence—more photos, and knick-knacks, and such. The living room even had a cosy little fireplace. Passing Rusty the dog on the stairs, Janey's heart suddenly lurched as she realised they were surely nearing Sam's bedroom.

He didn't take her into the other rooms, just pointing out whose was whose. Until, finally, they stood in front of a door at the end of the landing, a handmade sign that said 'Sam' hastily taped on. If Janey wasn't very much mistaken, Sam actually looked nervous.

"This, ah," he gulped, after a moment's hesitance, "is my room."

He pushed the door open. Janey, nervous but also excited, followed him inside.

The first thing that struck her was the bunk beds. The second was the Star Wars memorabilia.

It was a standard boy's room—a blue colour scheme, wardrobe, dresser, TV and PlayStation, posters, and random clutter—smaller than the dorm rooms at Hogwarts, and far smaller than Janey's own excessive bedroom. Janey could see Sam watching her out of the corner of her eye, nervously waiting for her to pass judgement.

"Bunk beds," Janey said, smiling endearingly.

"Yeah," Sam gulped. "Me and Elliot used to share until he moved out."

"You sleep bottom or top?"

Sam laughed nervously. "Bottom."

Janey took a few steps forward, suddenly wringing her hands. "I don't know why I'm so nervous," she gulped.

Sam's eyes widened. "To… to be in my bedroom?" he asked uncertainly. Had she misunderstood why he'd wanted to bring her there?

Janey rolled her eyes, turning to look at him from across the room. "No, just here in general. In your house. With your family."

"Janey," Sam laughed affectionately. He closed the door behind him before resting his back against it. "You're doing great. You're fine."

"I'm not usually like this."

You're telling me, Sam thought.

He knew exactly why Janey was so nervous, but he daren't even think it to himself, let alone speak the words to her out loud. She was nervous because it mattered. Because Janey needed to make a good impression, she needed to fit in with this family and feel at home. Because, and Sam felt arrogant to even think about it, Janey deeply cared for Sam. For the first time in her life, she was really feeling something for someone. For the first time in her life, she was serious about her relationship, and every single aspect—especially fitting in with her boyfriend's family—needed to be right. It needed to be perfect. And if it wasn't, it would break her.

"I'm really glad you came today," Sam told her sincerely. "I told you it would be fine. I told you they'd all love you."

Janey smiled sheepishly. "You did," she admitted. "But I never like to believe you."

"Oh, don't I know it," Sam teased.

Janey laughed too. She began walking around the room, inspecting various things. Sam just watched it all with his back pressed against the door, curious as to what was going through her mind. And also curious as to what her childhood bedroom looked like.

"Star Wars," Janey mused with a smirk, taking in the vast posters and cluttered action figures.

"Yeah," Sam admitted, feeling slightly self-conscious. "I was pretty into it when I was younger."

"And you're not anymore?" Janey teased, picking up a Lego Millennium Falcon.

"Not if you think that makes me really nerdy."

"I would."

"Then no."

"But I'd also find it really cute."

"Then yes."

Janey smirked, placing it back down. "Episode Seven was my favourite," she casually piped up. "The Force Awakens."

Sam's eyes just widened.

Janey turned to him and raised her eyebrows. "I was a nerd before Hogwarts."

Sam was grinning. "Like hell you were."

Janey had made her way over to the bed, looking at it with great curiosity. She had never been in a bunk bed. Her tiny little Gryffindor one was a huge sacrifice compared to her queen-sized one at home, but, in some ways, it was more welcoming. She settled herself onto the bottom bunk, curiously peering around the rest of the room.

Sam came and sat beside her. He had to hunch slightly, due to his height. Janey happily kicked her legs out. "I like it," she told him approvingly, looking around the room. "It's sexy."

"Shut up," Sam snorted.

It was then that he realised that Janey and he were sitting on a bed together. They were on a bed together.

True, it was a bunk bed, and they were literally just sitting there on the edge, but still, he felt suddenly flustered at the implication. And not just any random bed—his bed. Sam stole a nervous glance at Janey to see if she'd realised this too, and if so, how she felt about it. She just smiled at him, either oblivious or completely at ease.

Well, Sam reasoned, it wasn't like they were going to do anything. It wasn't like, just because they were a couple, and they were seventeen, and they were alone in his bedroom, sitting on his bed, that anything was going to happen. His whole family was right downstairs, for goodness sake.

She had said it was sexy though.

That was a joke, Sam scolded himself. She wasn't being serious.

But still… Sexy.

Looking down at Janey, thinking about how nice it had been when he'd put his hand on her thigh at dinner—something he'd done with perfectly innocent intentions, just to silently reassure her without his family seeing—Sam swallowed the lump in his throat and leaned in.

Janey's eyes had briefly flickered to his mouth before darting back to his eyes, but Sam had noticed it. He knew what she was thinking. He knew what was on her mind. Her smile was suddenly flirtatious.

Sam kissed her gently but intimately, drawing her bottom lip in. It seemed odd to him, to think that a month ago this had seemed so unnatural and confusing. Now, it was as easy as breathing. He rather feared he'd become just as dependent on it too. To suddenly be deprived of kissing Janey… Well, he didn't know what he'd do.

He could feel her smiling—always a good sign—responding to him with gentleness and grace, a stolen, private moment for the young lovers.

And, now, they were a seventeen-year-old couple, alone in his bedroom, sitting on his bed, kissing, Sam thought, terrified by the notion but finding far too much enjoyment in it to stop.

Janey's hands were gripping at his waist, as though holding him steady whilst she worked her mouth. Sam was starting to lose himself, and she too, in the sheer passion and heat the kiss was quickly picking up. And just as abruptly as it started, it ended.

The door burst open. Sam responded with lightning reflexes, standing up from the bed, slamming his head into the top bunk, and swearing loudly.

"Hi, Sam," Kayleigh said brightly, leaning on the doorframe and smiling sadistically as he winced in pain.

Janey just blinked in surprise from where she was still sitting on the bed, confused as to what had just happened

"Kayleigh," Sam growled. "Don't you know how to knock?"

Sam's stepsister folded her arms, a knowing smirk on her lips. "I do," she agreed. "But I decided not to in case I caught you in a compromising position." She looked pointedly at Janey, the girls exchanging a smile.

Whilst Janey just sat there impassively, finding the whole thing funny, if not a little embarrassing, Sam had gone beetroot red, seething with mortified anger. "Get out!" he roared.

Kayleigh pouted. "Delia sent me up here to tell you to come back down for dessert. Although"—she smirked at Janey, offering a wink—"looks like you've already had some."

Sam just spluttered, his face still unattractively maroon. "And she couldn't have just yelled, or knocked, or—"

Kayleigh interrupted, blunt and nonchalant. "She sent me up here because she thinks you're"—she raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner—"well, you know."

If Sam had been red before…

"I—what?"

"You ran off to your bedroom with your girlfriend," she innocently explained. "I mean, come on, none of us think you have it in you, but you know what your mum's like."

Janey, who was embarrassed but mostly amused by the exchange, was struggling not to laugh, knowing it would just infuriate Sam more. He, on the other hand, was freaking out.

"That's not funny!" he yelled.

"I'm being deadly serious," Kayleigh snorted.

"Yeah, well," Sam spluttered, "I wasn't—we're not—I was just—"

"Showing her around, I know."

Sam glared at her.

"Showing her around your mouth…"

Sam made a sudden movement, but Kayleigh was quicker, ducking out of his way. "You can't hit me!" she shrieked, still smirking, clearly loving taunting her younger stepbrother.

"But we weren't… We weren't doing anything," Sam said helplessly.

"Well," Kayleigh smirked, "you were doing something."

"Yes, but not that."

Kayleigh raised her hands in defence. "Hey, don't yell at me. Tell that to your mum."

"No!" The very notion.

"Well, then, idiot, don't sneak off and bring girls up to your room and shut the door. Even though we all know this is the first and probably only girl you'll ever have in your room."

Janey felt somewhat flattered.

"Kayleigh!" Sam roared.

"What?" she sighed. "Just go back downstairs and try not to look so guilty."

Sam was glowering, but he didn't say anything else as he shoved past her, not even waiting for Janey. Kayleigh was still smirking as Janey stood up and made towards the door. She and Kayleigh made eye contact; the latter looked impressed.

"Is he a good kisser?" Kayleigh asked, half teasing and half generally curious.

"Yeah." Janey smirked. "He's alright."

"I can hear you," Sam yelled from somewhere on the stairs.

Both Janey and Kayleigh laughed as they followed after him.

Sam was mortified. Not only because his mother had so readily assumed that he and Janey were both that serious in their physical relationship, and so wildly lustful that they had to run off to satiate their needs with his entire family just downstairs, but because Kayleigh had also been so blunt and unashamed about it in front of Janey. God knows things were moving fast between them, but they were far from what they were all insinuating, despite Sam's wandering mind just before the actual kiss.

He hadn't dared look at Janey during the exchange, knowing she'd be as mortified as himself. When it came to the seriousness of their relationship, and taking big steps, she freaked out. And, obviously, what Kayleigh had implied would be huge for them. Her crass attitude could have sent Janey over the edge—she'd freak out.

Or would she, Sam reasoned. Janey had always been quite lax when it came to their physical relationship. She seemed to be progressing that at a much more rapid pace than their emotional one.

But Sam didn't want to think about it. They were seventeen—it was just a joke they could look back on. They had a whole year at Hogwarts to go, and he didn't even know if he and Janey would see it through.

Janey, on the other hand, as she complacently followed Sam down the stairs, was embarrassed. She had found it deeply funny—not only Kayleigh's attitude and the implications she was suggesting, but Sam's wild overreaction to it. And despite his concerns for how she would have received it, Janey didn't actually mind the jokey implications that she and Sam were, well, active in that sense. No, that didn't frighten or offend her, but now she was just embarrassed. Had Sam's mum really thought that, or was Kayleigh just messing with him?

Because if so, that was humiliating!

Did they think—Mr and Mrs Tyler—that Sam and Janey's relationship was already that serious? What kind of girl did they think she was—that if that were the case she'd just happily run off in the middle of dinner, having known them for all of an hour, and perform scandalous acts with their son under their own roof?

God, no, Janey would be far more subtle about it…

Sam didn't even look at her as they made their way back into the kitchen, just looking sulky about it all.

"Sam was just showing Janey his Star Wars collection," Kayleigh piped up wickedly.

Mrs Tyler, who had been eyeing the two as they made their way back into the room with concerned curiosity, visibly relaxed. "Oh, that's lovely," she said.

"Yeah, Janey thought so," Kayleigh murmured.

Sam was still scowling as they all sat back down, and Mrs Tyler began serving dessert—homemade trifle. Janey couldn't imagine homemade anything in her house. At least, not homemade by either herself or her father—that's what the chef was for, after all.

She tried to catch Sam's eye, but he was still sulking as he spooned at his trifle. So Janey tried something else. Imitating his reassuring gesture from before, she placed her free hand on his thigh. Sam nearly dropped his spoon in shock. But it had the desired effect as he finally looked at her, only to be greeted by a sincere, reassuring smile on Janey's behalf, which he quickly and gladly returned.

And, just like that, everything was good, and calm, and beautiful.

Author's Note: This chapter was really long when I completed it, so consider this to be a 'Part 1' of this particular little episode, with 'Part 2' coming next.

Title inspired by Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl' and the italicised extract at the beginning is from Chapter 72 'The Truth About Janey' from Rose and Scorpius: A Forbidden Love.

Okay, so I never really intended to give Sam such an extended family, but I was looking back through A Forbidden Love, and in Chapter 3 I had him telling Rose about his family and all his various siblings, and so, for the sake of consistency, decided to keep them and explore them. If anybody's interested, I resembled Kayleigh on the actress Kaya Scodelario. I actually wanted to call her Kyla at first but realised that 'Kyla Tyler' would be a bit weird, and did a poll on my Twitter—Kayleigh was the chosen name.

Sam's mum 'Delia' I kind of based, physically, on the actress Mary Streenburgen and actually chose the name Delia because of her character in Orange Is The New Black! Just some little tidbits for anybody interested!