The next morning I rushed out of the Hospital Wing, relieved that I could finally leave the smell of sterilization and the horrible taste of the Pepper Up Potion.

My Herbology class took place in Greenhouse number eight and when I sat down next to Marie I couldn’t help to ask. “Where’s James?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “What does it matter? You hate him anyway.”

“Hate is a strong word.” I said roughly and saw Sirius wink at Marie. They just thought that they were so sneaky.

“Hello, class,” the professor said, striding into the room. “Today we shall be working with the Alihotsy. Can anyone tell me what it does?”

My hand was instantly in the air. “Alihotsy leaves, when touched to the bare skin, cause hysteria.”

“Excellent, ten points to Gryffindor. So, it is your duty to fight the struggling plant and re-pot it, but to also keep it from sneaking onto your skin.”

I pit on my elbow-high gloves and grabbed the root of the plant. Its leaves instantly began to crawl up my arm, trying to find a patch of skin to rub on.

“So what happened in the Hospital Wing after we left?” Marie asked casually, watching the plant snake up my arm.

“Nothing,” I replied honestly, but my mind began to wander. He almost kissed me… and I didn’t stop him.

“Careful, it’s trying to pull up your sleeve.”

“Oh,” I said, exasperated. “Stupefy.”

It froze.

“Nothing, huh?” Marie questioned, eyebrows raised, and helped me force it into the next pot.

“Mmhmm.” I replied, distracted again.

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion from across the room and Peter Pettigrew, a boy in my grade who was often found trailing behind Sirius, Remus, and James, suddenly jumped up.

“I JUST CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!” he screamed, tears rolling down his face. “AHHHHHHH!”

I watched, bemused, as he ran around the room, chasing something that he could only see. The professor took something out of her pocket, shoved it in his mouth, and began to coo softly to him until he was sitting on the floor, knees up to his chest, tears rolling down his face, and his thumb in his mouth.

“There, there,” she said softly. “Miss Newcomb, will you assist Mr. Pettigrew to the Hospital Wing?”

Marie stood up grimly and led him onto the grounds.

Sirius came over and took her place. “Looking for James?”

“No.”

“Well, he told me to tell you that he won't be here for a little while.”

I pretended that I hadn’t heard him and ripped the roots of another Alihotsy out of the ground.