Chapter 29 – Blank Space

Screaming
Crying
Perfect storms
I can make all the tables turn

I get drunk on jealousy
But you'll come back each time you leave

'Cause darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream

Janey was well aware that she had acted entirely unreasonably, but she would be the last to admit it out loud. In truth, she was a little disconcerted by Sam's response to it all. She hadn't seen him get that angry with her since before they had officially started dating. Sure, they had still had disagreements, but they hadn't been quite on that level of heated frustration. Were they slipping back into their old dynamics?

Janey didn't want to unpack it further, so she sought to distract herself. Where were the Gryffin-Girls? Where was James?

She did a quick scan of the garden, hoping, actually, that she might lay eyes on Jinx. She was the most mature when it came to talking about proper relationship stuff, and Janey would have appreciated her wisdom in that moment. But she realised, with disappointment, that invitations had clearly not been extended to Jinx and Albireo. Janey couldn't say she was surprised, as they weren't as close to the Potters, and this was a different situation to their meetups at the beach. She felt like Jinx wouldn't have necessarily even wanted to have attended had the offer been there—family barbecues didn't really seem her thing.

Janey identified a collection of most of her friends all sitting in chairs in a circle that, surprisingly, seemed to be headed by Professor Bobbin and Professor Roberts. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, Janey sank into the vacant seat between Rose and Albus. When she saw no sign of Scorpus nearby, she assumed it had been his.

In fact, Rose was looking at Janey with a slightly perturbed look, like she was going to point this out, but clearly thought better of it. "Is everything okay?" she asked instead, seeming like she was genuinely seeking to reassure.

"I'm fine," Janey answered dismissively, because she really didn't want to dwell on the Dominique thing any further. She just needed some time, she thought, and she would calm down. She felt bad for having ditched Sam in the kitchen, but she also kind of hoped he'd be smart enough to give her some distance. As long as he wasn't chatting up any more Weasleys…

Janey tuned into the conversation, hoping Rose would drop it and just let her be. Thankfully, she did. The conversation seemed to be revolving around Bobbin's upcoming nuptials, and Janey felt a spark of intrigue flicker within her. She had known it was soon—the first week of term, in fact—and that it would be held at Hogwarts, but she didn't know much else.

Ebony was sitting next to her mother, looking not entirely at ease. But James was by her side, leaning back in his chair like he couldn't be more comfortable. And this, at least, seemed to make her relax more than if he were absent.

Beautiful Victoire Weasley was happily chatting to the couple. She was every bit as pretty as her younger sister, enhanced, surely, by the still-growing bump that protruded from her slight frame.

Victoire was Rose's eldest cousin and had revealed her pregnancy in the aftermath of the battle at Rosewood Manor. The same day Janey and Sam had first kissed and revealed their true feelings for each other, she recalled with a pang. Her husband, Teddy Lupin, was by her side, his hair its usual striking turquoise.

As Teddy and Victoire were politely enquiring about the wedding, so too were Bobbin and Roberts asking how the pregnancy was going.

It was so weird, Janey thought. Firstly, to see Bobbin outside of a school setting. Like she was just another one of Rose and James' family members. Well, Janey supposed, James was now technically bound to her through his marriage to Ebony. He was Bobbin's son-in-law.

But also to see Bobbin and Roberts so casually acting as a couple. Janey had suspected for a while now that they were, if not dating, at least hooking up.

But if they were engaged, and would be married in a couple of weeks time, that surely meant their relationship had been playing out for quite some time now. Or maybe they were rushing it, Janey considered, due to their age. Roberts had kind of acted spontaneously when he had proposed—the very same day Victoire had announced her pregnancy, and Janey had snogged the life out of Sam for all the world to see. But he'd also had a ring, Janey recalled, so it couldn't have been that hasty. Not as hasty as James and Ebony eloping.

Which also happened to have been that exact same day. Geez, Janey thought, something had clearly been in the air. Likely just the thrill of victory.

"I'm due in December," Victoire was telling a politely intrigued Roberts. "At Christmas, actually, but we're kind of hoping it's before."

"So he overshadows everybody else's fun?" James piped up.

Teddy glared at James. "I told you, we're not telling you the sex, and you're not going to trip me up, James."

"Fine," he said. "But you know the sex, don't you?"

"Maybe," Teddy said carefully.

"And do you think she'll have yours or Victoire's eyes?"

"James," Victoire said this time, with a hard, disapproving stare.

"What?" he asked innocently.

Bobbin looked amused by James, perhaps grateful that for once it wasn't her he was irritating.

"Do you think you'll have kids?" Teddy asked Roberts, looking to be trying to steer the conversation away from talks of their own unborn child. But innocent enough as the question was, a noticeable air seemed to have infiltrated the garden—one of unspoken tension.

Ebony dropped her eyes to the grass by her feet. Bobbin seemed to have turned paler than her already alabaster pallor, stiffening as though she had turned to marble.

If Roberts felt any tension at the question Teddy had innocently asked, he alone didn't show it. He just smiled politely. "We're not sure," he answered kindly, seemingly on behalf of both himself and his soon-to-be-wife.

Janey was intrigued, wondering if this was a conversation they had even had yet. Roberts was only in his early thirties and absolutely seemed like the kind of guy who would want to be a dad. Bobbin, however, was in her forties. This was her second marriage, and Ebony, her first child, had clearly been unplanned, her upbringing not handled with much delicacy. Bobbin had only just truly gained her, at seventeen years old, as a daughter, and their relationship was far from harmonious.

If Bobbin were interested in having more children, Janey had to wonder how that would affect Ebony. She already felt like she had been discarded by her mother, and they were struggling to forge a proper familial relationship after so many difficulties had already been introduced. Not only had Bobbin not chosen to conceive Ebony, but she had actively chosen not to raise her. To not even have a relationship outside of the academic one she had with countless other students.

It would surely be a slap in the face for the dark-haired girl to have her mother now happily choose to have and raise a child with her second husband. But from the look on Bobbin's face, Janey didn't think this was likely. She was committed to repairing her relationship with her daughter, she knew. And the very reason she had eschewed motherhood in the first place had been due to her commitment to the school. Janey couldn't see her now choosing to give that up.

She did see, however, that James had taken hold of Ebony's hand in silent, comforting assurance, though neither spoke a word.

Teddy seemed to notice there were now some unwanted tensions hanging between the group, and once again opted to steer the conversation away from an uncomfortable topic. "So, uhh, will you both be staying at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, of course," Roberts answered. "Someone has to get this lot through their DADA NEWTs," he said, smiling broadly at the circle of students.

Teddy broke out into a reminiscent smile. "Merlin, I miss Hogwarts," he sighed. "Not so much the exams though."

"No," Roberts agreed, eyes shining. "I can't say I particularly enjoyed them myself. I think I stayed up for a full forty-eight hours in the Hufflepuff Common Room before my first NEWT, and I was so shattered I almost fell asleep during the exam."

"You were in Hufflepuff too?" Teddy asked keenly.

Roberts nodded.

Teddy looked thoughtful. "You know, I actually think I remember you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We must have overlapped. You'd have been a sixth-year when I started, right?"

Bobbin looked entirely distressed by this revelation, shocked by the reminder that her fiancé was not that much older than young Teddy Lupin, who was, essentially, an older brother-type to her daughter's boyfriend. Well, husband, Janey remembered. But still, it certainly put an uncomfortable perspective on their age difference—that he had been a peer of the kids currently sitting in a circle around her.

"Yeah," Roberts agreed, looking delighted that he had apparently registered on a young Teddy Lupin's radar when they had been schoolmates. "I remember you."

"Because of the hair?" Teddy asked with a grin.

"Because of the hair," Roberts confirmed. "And I'm glad you made Head Boy," he added.

"Well, Hufflepuff had been severely underrepresented in that area. So I was very grateful to Professor Bobbin for granting me the honour." Teddy offered a smile to his former headmistress.

Still distracted by the reminder of how young her husband-to-be was compared to herself, Bobbin offered a smile back with slight hesitation. "You were an exemplary student, Teddy."

"And yet you've never picked another Hufflepuff Head since," James pointed out. "Not that I don't think you have excellent taste when it comes to selecting the best man for the job," he said, smug as usual.

Bobbin rolled her eyes.

"Mhmm," Roberts agreed, entertained. "She didn't even consider me."

"I had absolutely no idea who you were," Bobbin said quickly, looking distressed once more. "As a student."

Janey smirked to herself, noting Bobbin's panicked assurances to those listening that this love affair absolutely had not crossed any boundaries between teacher and student. How bizarre, she thought, to think that Cepheus Roberts, like them all, had once just been a Hogwarts student under Professor Bobbin's tutelage, and now he was marrying her.

But Roberts exuded a calm, kind warmth to his fiancée, and she seemed to relax ever so slightly. "As expected. I was thoroughly unremarkable," he assured her.

Bobbin looked like she was about to open her mouth in protest but thought better of it.

"Same here," Teddy said, but nobody was buying it.

"Oh, shut up, Teddy, you got straghts Os," James scoffed.

The blue-haired man looked smug. "Yeah, I did," he conceded. "But you didn't do bad," he pointed out.

James looked playfully annoyed. "Even so, you set an impossible bar for all of us. You know that, right?"

Teddy leant back in his chair. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, grinning.

"You were a Prefect, you were on the Quidditch team, you were Head Boy, and you got Os in all your exams."

Victoire was beaming at her husband with shining eyes, full of awe and pride. Between them, Bobbin and Roberts, and James and Ebony, Janey felt a prickle or irritability at being surrounded by so many sickeningly loved-up couples.

"I don't know why you're complaining—you were Head Boy and Quidditch Captain," Teddy said kindly. "And you got good grades."

"If anything," Rose added, raising her eyebrows, "you've only raised the bar for the rest of us, James."

Janey noticed little Lily Potter sitting silently in the circle. As the younger of the Potter-Weasley clan, she could very much see the weight of expectation fall on the fifteen-year-old's shoulders, perhaps more so than any of the others. Well, at least Janey didn't have anyone to compare herself to in that sense. And her parents couldn't have cared less about how she performed academically. Which, in truth, was a little aggravating to Janey, given how hard she had been working to perform well.

Scorpius suddenly appeared by Janey's side, drink in hand. He did a double take at her and looked like he might be about to open his mouth to say something, but Janey silenced him with a hard glare. Scorpius scowled, looked to Rose with wordless apology in his eyes, and dragged an empty chair towards his sister, who was sitting between Lily and James.

As Bobbin spotted Scorpius, her eyes lit up. "Actually, I'm glad you're back, Scorpius, because whilst we're on this topic, I have some letters to hand out."

Janey felt the eagerness suddenly present in Rose to her side and couldn't possibly understand why the girl would be excited about a letter from the Headmistress.

Bobbin rose to distribute the mysterious letters amongst the group—to Scorpius, Gwen, Ebony, Albus, Lily, and Hugo, Rose's younger brother. "I'm sorry they're so delayed." She looked towards Roberts who smiled encouragingly. "I had a lot of other things on my plate."

Janey felt Rose's shoulders sink down as Bobbin bypassed her and settled back into her chair, and even though she wasn't yet sure what they were, she too was now a little disappointed she hadn't been offered an intriguing bit of post.

She was instantly distracted though, by the arrival of Sam. As his eyes scanned the group, they fell on Janey and lingered. She looked away first, her heart skipping a beat and her body feeling like it had been plunged into icy dread.

She hadn't yet forgiven him, and he still looked a little angry himself, so she assumed the hostility between them was mutual.

To Janey's relief, he didn't try and approach her, nor sit anywhere near her, instead slipping in between Mason, and Rose's older cousin Fred, who were on the opposite side of the circle. Janey felt Rose's eyes flicker towards her without even looking, clearly noticing this interaction, or rather, lack thereof.

Janey ignored her.

"What are those?" Sam asked, nodding to the letters clutched in his friends' hands.

"I don't know," Albus replied, as he was closest, a look of genuine confusion knitting his brows together. As he scanned the letter, his eyes widening, Janey noticed what he hadn't—the shiny badge that had slipped from the envelope and onto his lap as he'd opened it.

She hungrily snatched it up, as though it were her own achievement. "You're Head Boy!" she exclaimed, examining the badge.

"Wait, what?" Rose demanded, craning her neck to peer at the badge Janey was scrutinising.

If Janey wasn't mistaken, she'd have said Rose sounded a little envious and more than a little shocked. But then again, so was Janey. Arguably, Albus was a better choice than James in terms of actually obeying the rules with the authority the Head Boy was supposed to demonstrate, but the older Potter boy was charismatic beyond belief—a natural-born leader.

Albus looked dazed himself, and Janey offered him the badge so he could properly take it in. He looked at Bobbin like it was some kind of joke or mix-up. "Are you sure?" he asked her, uncertain.

Bobbin responded with a warm and reassuring smile. "Of course, Albus," she said. "You've improved so much academically—and in Quidditch, too—over the years. You're consistently kind, and supportive, and you more than hold your own in a crisis. People respect you, you actually respect the rules set out for you"—she side-eyed James—"and you're growing in confidence more and more each day. I can't think of anyone better for the role."

James was pondering Bobbin's description of his younger brother with both pride and amusement. "Nice going, little bro," he said. "Absolutely massive shoes to fill though, so good luck with that."

But Albus ignored him, blushing slightly at Bobbin's description, and beaming at the badge in his hands like he couldn't quite believe it was real.

Janey hadn't really cared who was or wasn't Head Boy and Girl, given that she'd assumed she and Sam wouldn't be making the cut and would still be fulfilling their roles as Prefects anyway, but she thought it was a good call on Bobbin's part to have chosen Albus. He had grown a lot in his confidence, over the past couple of years especially, and maybe without James overshadowing everything he did, he could finally come into his own in his final year.

"Well, what's in your letter then?" Rose demanded, looking at the envelope in Scorpius' hand. She had obviously assumed the Slytherin boy would have been granted the honour.

Janey, too, thought this a more obvious choice given how fond Bobbin was of him. But if Scorpius was disappointed to have missed out, he absolutely didn't show it, looking thrilled for his best friend. So much so that he hadn't even opened his own letter.

But at Rose's command, he did so.

"Head Girl?" Janey suggested sweetly, but she thought she knew the real answer.

And sure enough, she recognised the appearance of the Quidditch Captain badge in the Slytherin colours as Scorpius admired the object he'd retrieved from inside the envelope.

"Quidditch Captain?" he breathed in awe and shot Professor Bobbin a grateful look.

The Headmistress looked delighted, like she was a proud mother doling out Christmas presents.

Janey's eyes slid to the girl to Bobbin's left, her one and only actual daughter. She had read her letter silently, without any fanfare or emotion, and looked to be in concerned shock more than awe and delight as the two boys had been.

Janey, just as everyone else surely had, realised without confirmation what Ebony's letter must reveal. She obviously couldn't have been the Slytherin Quidditch Captain if Scorpius was, so that surely meant she had been bestowed the honour of—

"Head Girl!" James exclaimed in ecstatic delight, peering at the letter over his wife's shoulder.

So Bobbin had gone full nepotism, Janey thought in amusement. But as with Albus, she understood completely how much of a confidence boost this would be for her and why Bobbin had made the decision she had.

Despite all the excited congratulations being extended to her from the surrounding circle, none more thrilled than James, and the contented look of maternal pride offered by Professor Bobbin, Ebony remained emotionless. Janey wondered if she was frozen in a state of disbelief for positive reasons or if she was unhappy with her mother.

Janey supposed it must be conflicting. It was obviously a great honour, and suggested she had been granted it on pure merit of character, but perhaps Ebony wondered if her mum had only given it to her as a means to appease. She couldn't therefore be certain if she genuinely deserved it or if it was some kind of peace offering. Which was stupid, really, because despite the nepotism of it all, Ebony did truly deserve it, and anybody who knew the girl would agree. But Janey suspected she would never believe it.

A small smile appeared on Ebony's lips, but it absolutely did not extend to her eyes. She didn't breathe a word, despite James having thrown his arm around her and murmuring endless encouraging exclamations of praise. Not once did she look at her mother.

Lily Potter revealed that she had, in fact, been made a Prefect. The first of her siblings, although with them both now having made Head Boy, it suggested another expectation had been set. Just like her brother, if there had been any disappointment from Serephina Malfoy, she absolutely didn't show it, having flung her arms around Lily as though it had been a shared achievement. Hugo Weasley was the new male Gryffindor Prefect, and Janey knew Rose must have been torn between huge pride and slight envy, given that she had now reached her seventh year without a single badge to show for it.

Gwen proudly showed off her Gryffindor Quidditch Captain badge to the group, and Janey felt a thrill of delight. Quidditch had certainly been fun since they'd all joined the team two years ago. James had been Captain both years Janey had played, and she knew her spot would surely be secured with Gwen taking over the role.

"Way to go, Gwen," James said appreciatively. "Remember, when you're a huge Quidditch star, that I taught you everything you know."

Gwen playfully rolled her eyes in response.

"So are you going to make us all try out again?" Janey asked across the circle.

"Oh, absolutely," Gwen assured her. "We've got a reputation to uphold—I've got to make sure the Gryffindor team is the best the school has ever seen. No favouritism!"

But Janey knew Gwen would never cut her.

"Hmm, well you'll have strong competition this year," Scorpius pointed out with his own sly smile. "Because I have the exact same intentions."

"What?" Gwen asked sweetly. "Making sure the Gryffindor team is the best the school has ever seen?"

"Ha-ha," Scorpius said drily.

"Obviously I'm rooting for you, Gwen," James interrupted, "but my heart does go out to you. it's going to be incredibly hard to replace Mason and I."

"Hey, I'm starting from the ground up," Gwen reminded him. "I told you—no favouritism."

Rose's face fell. She was perhaps the weakest of their existing team, due to a lack of experience and confidence. But she was by no means bad, and Janey had no doubt Gwen wouldn't actually be cutting any of the remaining members—herself, Rose, Albus, Gwen, obviously, and Sam.

Thinking of him, Janey looked towards where she knew he was sitting. He wasn't looking in her direction, but staring towards Gwen like the rest of them. Janey looked away.

"Well, I'm going to try out," Hugo declared. "And I know a couple of my roommates want to as well."

Rose beamed at her brother.

"We do need some young blood," Gwen said thoughtfully. "Five seventh-years is only going to be detrimental to the team that has to form next year."

So she was planning on keeping them all, Janey thought smugly.

"Excellent idea, Hugo," James declared. "I'll teach you everything I know."

"Really?" Hugo breathed, in awe of his older cousin.

"Sure thing. In fact,"—he looked around the bustling garden—"why not now? Anyone fancy a little seven-a-side friendly?"

"Oh, hell yes," Scorpius said enthusiastically, and then looked mortified when he realised no one else had joined him.

"I want to be Captain though," Gwen told James fiercely.

James offered her a conciliatory nod. "But of course. Let's put Hogwarts' finest new captains to the test. Scorpius and Gwen—show us what you've got."

Bobbin looked thrilled. "As delightful as this all sounds, I think I shall excuse myself. Quidditch was never my thing."

"Me too," Roberts agreed. "And anyway," he said with a smile at his fiancée, "we've got these to distribute." He removed a wad of envelopes from his inside pocket.

Janey eyed them hungrily, assuming them to be wedding invitations.

Noticing her gaze, Bobbin answered Janey's unspoken question but addressed the group of students as a whole. "Any students rejoining this September are more than welcome to attend—formal invitations will be distributed alongside your lists of required books and equipment. These are merely for those who have since graduated," she explained, smiling at Teddy and Victoire.

As she and Roberts made to depart, Teddy and Victoire also excused themselves.

"No, Teddy," James protested. "You have to referee!"

"I do?" Teddy asked, amused.

"Yeah, you're the only one I trust to be impartial."

The former Hufflepuff rolled his eyes, but anyone could see he was secretly thrilled. "Alright, fine." He kissed Victoire goodbye as she made for the house.

"Alright," Gwen announced, rising to her feet. "James, Hugo, Mason—you're up."

"Woah, hey," Scorpius interrupted. "You can't just take all the Gryffindors—me and Ebony are severely outnumbered!"

"I don't want to play," Ebony said, still clutching the letter in her hands and looking a little dazed by it all.

"Oh, come on, Eb, you have to," Scorpius pleaded. "I need you."

"You can be on our team," James told her with a nudge. "If your reluctance is merely because you don't want to be with the losers."

"Absolutely not," Scorpius said, jokingly enraged.

"Fine," Ebony declared, clearly not liking the attention she was garnering from the large group of people surrounding her. "I'll play with Scorpius." She flashed an apologetic look to her husband, but James didn't seem to mind.

Scorpius looked thrilled. "Yes!" He scanned the rest of the group. "Albus?"

Albus enthusiastically pledged his allegiance.

"Rose?" Scorpius asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

Rose blushed. "What if Gwen wants me."

Gwen shared a look with James before turning back to Rose. "That's okay, you can go with Scorpius."

Rose's face fell. "Wait, wait, wait, what?"

Gwen gave her an apologetic shrug.

Rose looked furious but silently took her place beside Scorpius, who was desperately looking for more recruits. "Serephina?" he tried. "Lily?"

But the two girls looked horrified by the notion.

"Janey," James barked across the circle, taking the blonde girl by complete surprise. "Get over here."

Janey considered protesting. Her heart wasn't really in the mood for Quidditch, but she thought about how fleeting moments like this would be once the summer drew to an end, and reluctantly made her way over to the group, careful not to look at Sam as she walked by.

This wasn't at all helped by the fact that James then said, "Sam, you too."

Janey looked at her boyfriend, only to find he was also looking at her, a slight look of caution in his eyes. "Umm, I'm alright," he mumbled. "I'll pass."

Janey felt torn. Sam still seemed pretty angry, and as he was a Beater, placing a bat in his hands didn't seem like the best idea. But she also didn't like the idea that he would be missing out on something fun just because he felt a sense of respect towards her. Her heart softened ever so slightly.

"Why not?" she demanded.

Sam looked startled by her speaking to him so directly and bluntly. "I just don't feel like it," he said delicately, as though wary she might be trying to entrap him.

"What?" an oblivious James asked. "No, it's non-negotiable—you have to."

Sam looked at Janey with questioning, a silent 'Are you okay with this?'

Janey gave the slightest nod of her head, and he immediately relaxed, finally standing to join the group. "Alright," he agreed, though he still seemed slightly wary of Janey. She supposed she couldn't blame him. She had rather gone off the handle at him earlier.

Maybe a good game of Quidditch would be a welcome stress reliever.

"I need more people," Scorpius said desperately, eyeing up the now near-completed opposing team.

"Go on, Fred," James encouraged, looking to the cousin who had been sitting beside Sam.

Janey looked at him with appreciation. He was one of the few non-ginger Weasleys, due to the dark skin he'd inherited from his mother. Very good-looking, he had been on the Gryffindor team before Janey's time and had left Hogwarts by a couple of years now.

"Aw, man, I was kind of hoping to be picked for Gwen's team," Fred said, obliginly rising to his feet.

Gwen looked startled, and James looked bemused.

"What?" the former spluttered, her cheeks flushing.

Fred offered her a kind smile. "Oh, I used to have a bit of a crush on you back in the day," he told her, confident and charming. "When you first joined the team."

Of course, Janey thought. Gwen had been on the team since their fourth year, so she and Fred must have overlapped.

James now frowned.

"I was seventeen," Fred said quickly. "She was fifteen—it was fine."

Gwen looked deeply flattered, and deeply shocked by this revelation. "You never said anything," she accused.

"Yeah, well, you already had a boyfriend," Fred said kindly, and then flashed an apologetic smile to Mason, who just looked as amused by it all as everyone else did.

Janey felt her stomach stir with eager delight, as it always did when she gleaned a fresh bit of gossip. To her great surprise, Fred then turned to her and offered a similarly apologetic smile.

"I also didn't want to be disrespectful to Janey."

Janey blinked in surprise. "Me? Why would I care—I'd have said go for it!"

Mason looked at her unhappily.

"Well, you know," Janey backtracked, "if you guys hadn't been together."

Fred looked jokingly saddened by Janey's remarks. "Ah, come on, that stings."

"What?" Janey asked, genuinely confused. She could see, out of the corner of her eye, that Sam was watching this all with a look of distrust.

"Janey," Fred laughed, a look of amused disbelief on his handsome face, "we used to date."

"We did?" Janey asked before she could stop herself. And then some long-ago memories flitted back to her.

"What?" James and Sam asked in unison, though the former looked amused and the latter unhappy.

Fred didn't look hurt, but was smiling at the blonde girl with warmth and fondness, and Janey remembered that same look—from years ago now. "Oh, God, yeah," she breathed as it all came back to her.

Janey had only been thirteen, and he fifteen. It had been around spring of her third year. She had known Fred was on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, that he was charming, and well-liked, and he had invited her to hang out on a Hogsmeade weekend one day. He had been very sweet and polite, she recalled, and seemed to remember they had continued to hang out for maybe a month or so—as was her custom.

Janey had ended things just before the Easter holidays because she hadn't cared for keeping in touch outside of Hogwarts, but as they had only been on a couple of dates, severing their ties had been perfectly mutual. There hadn't really ever been any lingering flirtations between them, but a harmonious respect for each other and the brief time they had shared.

"Third Year, yeah," Janey said fondly as she reminisced. "And here I was, thinking I'd managed to avoid dating a Weasley my whole time at Hogwarts!"

Sam had turned a very specific shade of pink, somehow having both paled and reddened at this revelation. Not that Janey was paying any attention to him.

"Oh, I remember," Gwen said, as it too came back to her.

Fred shrugged. "Clearly it meant more to me than you," he said to Janey, but it wasn't unkindly. "You moved on to Oliver Wilson pretty quickly afterwards."

James looked thoroughly entertained by all that was being said but couldn't disguise his absolute surprise. "How come I never knew that the two of you dated?"

"I believe this was around the time of Skylar Matthews," Mason replied wisely.

"Who?"

"Oh, come on, that blonde girl you were weirdly intense about for a while."

James looked nonplussed. "I honestly have no idea who you're talking about."

"Hey, we could hardly have called it 'dating'," Janey pointed out, cutting across the two of them before Mason could reply. "More so just 'hanging out'."

Fred clutched at his heart. "Oof, and the wounds continue."

Janey was grinning from ear to ear. "What?" she laughed.

"Janey," Fred said seriously, also grinning. "You were my first kiss—you know that, right? I fully told my roommates that you were my girlfriend."

"You're kidding," Janey snorted, unsure whether she was more amused by the fact that she had unknowingly been considered Fred Weasley's ex-girlfriend for the past three years, or that she had supposedly been his first kiss.

"I'm being completely serious."

Janey blushed, delightedly flattered. "But you were so good," she insisted.

Janey had kissed a lot of guys in her time, and Fred Weasley, even as a novice, had certainly been one of the better. But now she thought back, and she was sure she could remember a slight sweet hesitance about him when she'd first leant in.

Fred looked flattered himself. "Well, thank you—as were you."

"Hey," Sam suddenly barked, glaring first at Janey and then at Fred, reminding them all that he was there.

When Janey clocked how angry he looked, she did feel a little guilty. But what did it matter—it was all in the past. It wasn't like she was kissing Fred right there and then.

Fred looked to Sam, apparently curious by his outburst. The older boy also was taller by several inches.

"That's my girlfriend," Sam told him darkly.

Janey involuntarily raised her eyebrows, very much enjoying Sam in overprotective boyfriend-mode. It was nice to see him actually express some fondness towards her, given the day they'd had so far, even if it was via hostility towards another guy.

Fred, who this was apparently news to, didn't look at all put-off by Sam's declaration, instead turning his charming smile towards him instead. "Oh, nice, congratulations, man—you're very lucky."

Sam looked torn between feeling flattered and still offended.

Fred offered a wink to Janey and, if possible, the girl smiled even harder. This didn't go unnoticed by Sam, who looked on the edge of being riled up once more. But he didn't say aything further, silently fuming.

"Anyway," Fred declared, offering the group a small salute. "I'll see you in the air."

And he was gone, Gwen watching him go with a small, flattered smile of her own. Janey's own smile faltered when she saw just how much Sam was apparently seething from the interaction.

"Gwen, you should go for it," Janey said, ignoring Sam.

Gwen looked flustered. "He's nineteen–almost twenty!"

"You're almost eighteen," Janey pointed out. "It's not too bad."

"No," Gwen insisted, shaking her head, though Janey noticed she was still blushing. "I've got one more year left at Hogwarts—I'm not looking to date. Besides," she reminded them, proudly displaying her new badge, "I have other commitments."

"Speaking of which," James announced, "we still need one more. Roxy? Louis?" he asked the surrounding unassigned members of his family. "Dominique?"

Janey's body instantly went ice cold again as she scowled at the approaching blonde. Dominique seemed to realise, in turn, that both Janey and Sam were part of the assembled group, and her smile faded.

"Err, I'll play with Rose," she said, avoiding looking directly at either.

Janey noticed how Sam was pointedly looking in the opposite direction of the girl and felt an endeared fondness extend to him against her will. She vowed that if he ever looked at her again, she would offer him a genuine smile.

Once Louis had followed his sister, and Roxanne had joined Gwen's team, they were finally ready to play. Except for one pretty big hindrance.

"We don't have brooms," Sam said stupidly.

"Oh, we have tonnes," James countered. "For very such occassions. And hey,"—he slapped a hand onto Sam's back—"thanks for volunteering to go get them."

"What?" Sam protested. "It's your house!"

"I'll go with you," Janey offered, heart hammering in her chest.

Sam looked at her sharply, surprised and wary once more. "Alright," he agreed after a moment's hesitation. And together, he and Janey made their way towards the house in search of brooms.

They walked in silence. Janey could very much feel Sam's sulky uncertainty, and she wondered if this was drawn out from their argument earlier, or if the whole Fred interaction had prompted it. Either way, she was feeling much happier than she had earlier, and as the sun warmed her skin, so too she felt the warmth from within.

Sam angry was deeply attractive to Janey, but especially when it was about her rather than caused by her.

"You made your point," he said bitterly, staring resolutely ahead.

"What point?" Janey asked, genuinely confused.

"Flirting with Fred," he said. "I get it. It hurts."

"That wasn't flirting," Janey said indignantly. "That was reminiscing with an ex who I happen to be on good terms with." Had he really thought she had orchestrated that conversation to give him a taste of his own medicine?

"You never told me you'd dated him," Sam said, still refusing to look at her.

Janey let out a noise that was halfway between a scoff and a laugh. "I forgot," she insisted. "Well and truly. I haven't even spoken to him since he left Hogwarts. We didn't even date, not really—and anyway, I was thirteen!"

Sam didn't say anything.

Janey felt daring. "Are you jealous?"

Sam not only finally looked at her, but actually stopped in his tracks, incredulous. "Of course I'm goddamned jealous!"

Janey was taken aback by his outburst, she too coming to an abrupt stop.

"You've dated a lot of very popular, very charming, very attractive guys, and I am painfully aware that you could walk away from me at any moment to go and be with someone like Fred Weasley, or Oliver Wilson, or Deneb Jacobson, or—or Roman Valentine, or Henry—"

"Alright," Janey begged, not wishing for an entire list of her former flings to be recited to her, least of all the last two he'd mentioned. "I get it," she said a little bitterly. "I've dated a lot of guys."

"That's not my point," Sam insisted. "My point is that they are all very attractive, funny, smart, tall, athlete-types, and—"

"And how are you the exception?" Janey scoffed.

Sam looked momentarily thrown. "What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously, like it was a trap.

"Sam!" Janey exclaimed. "All of those things you just listed about the kind of guys I go for—you have all of those attributes. More, in fact," she said passionately. "Because you actually have an emotional connection with me too. And you're sensitive, and you're sweet, and—"

"You don't have to lie to me," Sam mumbled, his cheeks flushing with colour.

"You are being idiotic," Janey snorted. "So yeah, I'll retract that one. You're not smart—you are obliviously idiotic, alright?"

Sam remained looking at her with deep suspicion.

"None of those other guys meant anything to me," Janey said quietly, serious now. "I have never dwelled on them—I've barely been committed to them when I've been with them, always looking for a way out. For a reason not to stay. But with you," she said, aware she was indulging in a rare moment of sentimentality, "everything is different."

Sam was hanging on her words, apparently unable to say anything of his own.

Janey took hold of his hands, hoping James and the others weren't wondering why they hadn't yet returned with the brooms. "We've been together for two months," Janey said, a playful smile now breaking out, "and I'm not bored of you yet. That has never happened before. Why would I throw that away for some other random guy?"

Sam hesitantly returned her smile. But just as soon as it formed, he dropped into a confused frown. "Why would you think I would even look at another girl, let alone flirt with them?"

"I overreacted," Janey relented, deciding to bite the bullet. "And I'm"—she took a shaky breath—"sorry."

Sam's eyes widened ever so slightly. "I think that might be the first time you've ever sincerely apologised to me," he said, running his thumbs over the back of her hands.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it."

Sam had pulled her towards him before Janey could protest, enfolding her in his arms. As Janey instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist, subconsciously inhaling the scent of his chest, she realised how truly safe she felt with him.

"Please don't break my heart," she said before she could stop herself, and then was grateful she was burrowed into his chest so he couldn't see her blush.

"Janey," Sam said, laughing gently, "I really don't think that's possible."

"It is," she insisted, choosing to ignore the fact that she was more or less confessing that he had her heart.

"I won't if you don't break mine," he said gently, speaking the words into the top of her head.

"I'm not going to leave you for someone like Fred—for anybody," Janey clarified. She looked up at him from within their embrace, her eyes shining with truth. "I only want to be with you."

Sam looked as though she'd as good as asked him to marry her. In terms of how much Janey had just opened her heart up to him, she might as well have.

"Janey, I wasn't lying when I said the only girl I see is you. I would never, never flirt with another girl. I wouldn't even be able to entertain the idea of it. You are the only irritating, blonde, psycho I want to be with."

The smile crept across Janey's face and extended to her eyes, Sam gratefully reflecting the expression on his own face.

"I think we should stay away from the Weasleys," Janey said brightly.

Author's Note: Title and epigraph inspired by Taylor Swift's Blank Space (back-to-back Taylor, I know, but I'm impressed that it took me 28 chapters before I even had one!)