"Slytherin." Allie said confidently and with pride as she pulled herself up to stand at her tallest. She may be the first Slytherin in her family, but she was proud of being a Slytherin. Her house may not always be the favorite around the school, but she was happy there. The only downside to being in Slytherin was that Nettie wasn't there with her. But that was okay, because they had nearly all their classes together any way. "Do you have any tips on not getting lost?" She asked him. Who knew, maybe there was a secret that they hadn't been clued in on that could get them on the right track.

Nettie cocked her head to the side and looked at Oscar. "You know. We've probably seen each other in passing in the Common Room and in the Great Hall." Nettie declared. There really wasn't any other way to explain the familiarity.

Turning to Allie, Nettie could see her become more comfortable talking with Oscar now that they had been conversing for a little while now. Maybe Allie would be able to make some more friends before their first year at Hogwarts was over. Time was flying by so fast, Nettie almost didn't know what to do next to make the most of every single minute she had.

"It's fun because it's simple. There's no chase, there's no being scared. It's all right here, just us." She liked how simple things were. How there wasn't anything to be afraid of. She could trust Harvey, and that was big, because she couldn't trust many people. Not these days. "Every day was an adventure. All the waiting." Her eyes glazed over as she thought about the summer. How scary it was, and how she almost had to duel her best friend. But she shook her head, trying to get rid of the thoughts. "But that's all the past... right?"

He smiled and nodded in agreement "Yeah thats true.. just us! nothing else! " he continued smiling.. that was all true what she said.. hadnt it been so simple after returning to school.. there was no more hiding or running or anything like that.. they would just hang out without any worry or anything.. well unless something unexpected happens.. "Yeah an adventure" he absent-mindedly repeated.. before he pushed that memory out of his head.. and he noddeed "Yeah.. yeah its all in the past.. its gone.. and its not coming back!" he said.. yeah.. time to forget all of that "Now as Minnie once told me.. its time to look to the future.. cause the past has gone.. and its not coming back.. so its better to enjoy the present and the future than think about the past" he smiled.. yeah and he was trying to follow her advice.

Pam smiled. "Minnie gives some really good advice. If you don't mind me asking, how are you two?" Last she remembered, they were kind of rocky. Something about he liking her, but she didn't like him back. She wasn't sure if that was right though. It was over a year since they had truly talked. She was glad she could still talk to him though. She was afraid their time apart would have stopped them being able to say much. But now that they had the time, she realized he could still be trusted. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I know it was hard."

Harvey smiled "Yeah she does" he nodded .. he then looked at her as she asked her question.. before telling him that he didnt have to say anything.. he chuckled.. she didnt even know that had happened after the last time they talked.. even though it was old news she wanted to know so he was going to tell her .. "Well Pam.. I think the last you knew of was that I liked her but she didnt like me back.. well after that at the feast there were some looks going on between me and her.. then on the train back home we .. kind spent some time together.. but cause at the time I was with someone else.. it was just me and her talking..

Then the turning point came when ... I kissed her in front of everyone at a party.. and.. she ran off.. I never saw her after that... until the VERY adventurous months during where we were looking everywhere for Minnie.. she had gone missing... been kidnapped and she managed to run away.. she was hiding in Diagon.. and after a while... we found her.. and that resulted in us all going on the run with her... it was at this time that.. me and Mins realised that.. we liked each other... both of us... so we kind of got together.. in secret at first... and then we told the girl I was with and she understood.. and so we spent the rest of the summer being all lovey.. we came back here.. we were fine... you know happy...

Then... she and my best friend... tell me that they had kissed... and that... they liked each other... so... I let her go to my best friend.. and thats it.. we are now best friends,.. nothing more... that was just the short version of that summer.." he said as he finished saying it and reliving every memory he had just told.. it had been to hard to let her go at the time.. and now they were friends.. so he couldnt think like that anymore..

Pam's eyes watered as he told her this news. She knew how they felt. Letting the one you love go. Watching as they run off with a great friend of yours. She knew exactly how that felt. As he finished up his story, a waterfall of tears were cascading down her face. Her hair turned to a navy blue, with eyes to match. "I'm so sorry Harvey." she said through sobs. She didn't know why, but she was. She knew how she felt about it, and she wanted to hear those words from someone, but never really got them.

She took a few breaths before continuing. "I know how you feel. The same thing happened to me and Nate." She wanted the tears to stop. She wanted to be strong. But she couldn't. The tears flowed without stop. She wanted to tell him everything that happened over the summer. How the stress of it all was too much for her to bare. But she knew better. Telling him meant allowing him into the same world of pain. But she knew she couldn't do that to him. Putting him in that situation would add more pain to his world then he needed.

Harvey saw that Pam was now crying.. and out of habit he instantly put an arm around her "Hey.. hey stop crying.. its all in the past now so its all good. Dont say sorry, there is nothing to say sorry for" he smiled at her. He then listened as she told him about her and Nate... ah yes Nate!! he hadnt been too happy with him before that summer. "It did? I remember you told me that he broke up with you but I didnt know that he found someone after that. Now its my turn to be sorry" he smiled as he wiped the tears from her face "Come now.. no more crying" he said to her as he sat there still an arm around her as he told her stop crying.

Pam started feeling a little better as he reassured her that everything was fine. He didn't know. Didn't know about everything. That nothing was fine. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. It's mine. I shouldn't have let anything happen between us." She choked back tears. "He was my best friend, and he still kind of is. But not in the same way." She felt lonely most days. A little less now that she had Jordan to understand. But aside from him, she really didn't have anyone. No one she could just sit and laugh with.

Harvey looked at her "You know in my experience it is sometimes good to let those things happen so that you can get it out of your system.. like when I first met Minnie.. I really liked her and I even dated her twice! and now.. I dont see us going down that route anymore.. so you could say all that which I felt for the past two years.. its all gone.. just friends now" he smiled a little recalling his very eventful first year and how it had felt like a dream at the time.. "Not in the same way? well you still have me.. its not like I am going any place right now.. look I am here next to you. If you want to talk about anything.. you know where to find me.. if not just send me an owl or something and I will come over" he smiled.. he knew how hard it was when things didnt go as expected in the matters of the heart.. since Ameliah was his 4th since starting Hogwarts.. wow! fourth girlfriend in 3 years.. that had to be some kind of record or something.

"It's hard to let someone go after loving them for so long. I've tried. But I look at him, and I realize that I can't ever stop. It'll hurt less, and life will move on. He'll get married, have little firestarters of his own. But no matter what, I will always love and care for him. He'll always have a place in my heart, and no matter how many times I try, that's never going away." She was amazed at how easily this came out. She hadn't told anyone this. Why this came out now, she didn't know. But now that it was, she was glad. She felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

Harvey nodded as she spoke "Yeah I understand.. I had tried to let Mins go after the first time but we ended up back together.. and where did that get me.. right into another heartbreak. Man it hurt so much that time way more than the first time, but I just got through it. No-one knew just how much it hurt cause well we were all friends, I didnt have anyone to turn to at the time so just grinned and beared the pain of seeing them together. My two best friends.." he smiled a little "Pam trust me when I say this... no matter what we always care for the ones that we have loved and lost because it was just that, we loved them so much that it hurt us so much when we lost them. We will continue loving them until the very end, no I may not love Mins the way I used to but she is still very special to me and she has a place in my heart as well .. as a friend" yeah everything was as a friend.. "So trust me Pam over time these things get better.. A year ago I never thought I would be happy again.. I thought this is it now.. I am never going to smile or laugh again.. and look at me.. I am still smiling and laughing.. sure its not as much as I used to but better than nothing. " he smiled.. yeah he wasnt the same fun Harvey he had changed a bit.. he was glad she was telling him these things.. so he could be there for her.

"Thank you Harvey. I'm so glad you're here. I really needed someone to talk to. But I really didn't feel like anyone understood. I'm glad you're smlining. I like it when you smile." He had a very nice one. Ameliah was a lucky girl to have someone who will care for her. Not many boys were like that. She knew things would get better, and she hoped they did soon. If they didn't, she was going to go nuts. Maybe she could take a trip to the Room, like in her first year, and just scream. She felt much better after that.

Harvey smiled "No worries Pam. Thats what friends are for. Well I do understand having gone through it myself" he smiled "You are? well I am glad too.. you do?" he chuckled a little "I didnt know that you did.. you feeling better now? if not talk some more it will help you" he smiled. yeah he had always felt that talking through these things helped.. hadnt he talked to Pam in the past and felt a whole lot better.. same thing here only it was the other way around.. Pam needed someone to talk to.

What was wrong?

Meh.

LOTS OF THINGS.

Blue seemed to droop slightly and even her hair seemed to loose the curly/bouncy-ness and all. She got down on her knees and collected some more notes for the girl. "I'm loooooost." Sad face. "Are you alright?" That was quite the tumble she took.

Blue patted her shoulder. "I can take you to the hospital wing." She pointed at the door which seemed to somehow magically appear. ....AWESOME. Blue smiled at the girl. SEE? SHE WOULD TOTALLY SAVE HER AND TAKE HER TO THE NIIIICCCE NURSE. ...'Cause the nurse was very nice.

Yup. She was nice. ..A nice nurse.

Blue spotted a potrait on the floor and her eyes widened. "Wow. You're very good." Blue beamed and picked it up off the floor. "Do you ... do art?"

BEAM.

"You could do some more living potraits for Hogwarts!"

Adam was heading back from a stroll outside where he was taking some time to go over the date and all the other things happening with his grandfather and father. His grandfather had warned of another letter, this time with repercussions if he didn't respond, but to be quite honest Adam had no desire to respond. What was going to say anyway, stop bothering me? Like that would work. Then on top of that despite what seemed like a successful evening with Louisa, Adam was still having doubts that the feeling was mutual. Spotting the open bench, Adam plopped down. He had been meaning to get in touch with Paulie to chat and give him a thank you gift, but so far Adam had had no luck spotting him. Hmm.

Paulie was juuuust wondering. yet AGAIN, how the whole date thing went for Adam and Louisa when his sight landed upon the very person to whom he wanted to find - Adam! He was plopped on a bench, looking thoroughly pensive, and Paulie hurried over to him with a customary wide grin upon his face. "Parker! About time I find you," he said, sitting down on the bench next to his best mate. "So, go on, then..... spill! How was the amazing date?!" Better than he ever expected in a million gazillion YEARS?!

Paulie hoped.

Pam smiled. "Yea, people are better when they smile. But, no. I'm good for now." She had vented all she needed. She just wanted this night to never end. That's what she thought every night. The longer the nights, the longer summer came. The longer summer came, the longer she could live.

Harvey smiled "Thats good. I always love to listen.. so anytime you need to talk you can find me anywhere" he smiled.. yeah he was always there for his friends "Glad you felt you could talk to me" he smiled. He always wanted to people to feel that they could talk to him about anything at all.

Pam smiled, and looked out the window. The purple/pink sky had turned a navy blue, and stars were poking their heads out. She was sure the astronomy teacher would be glad to have a clear night to work with. Turning back to Harvey, she asked, "Are you happy that you and Min aren't together?" She knew he would be happy with Ameliah, but there's a difference between happy, and truly happy. you can say your happy, but not actually be happy.

Adam was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize that his best mate was in front of him until the boy was already sitting down next to him. Adam couldn't help but smirk. "I swear Cyclops...I think your ability might be more turning invisible then anything else because I feel like I have been looking for you for forever. Figures when I finally sit down we stumble upon each other." Maybe that was a sign that Adam needed to settle more so then move around so much...anyway.

"It was great," Adam said with a smile. "She loved the whole set up and the food and everything. We even danced once we were finished. And she loved the necklace I got her. I can't thank you enough," Adam said with a smirk. Reaching into his pocket because yes Adam had been keeping it there because he never knew when he was going to run into Paulie Adam pulled out a miniature pilot plane. Adam handed it out to the boy. "As a token of my gratitude," Adam said with a smile before it started to falter slightly.

"I...uh. I don't think it's going to work out with Louisa and I." Adam knotted his fingers, looking down at them as he continued. "You know it was a great evening, but the whole time it just didn't feel romantic, you know? When I looked at her I didn't see someone that was interested in that way, I saw my best friend Louisa, and I just....I know I have fought for this for really long but I didn't fight to have someone who is just waiting to see if they could one day feel the same way. I think...I think I am always just going to be her best friend, no matter what I do."

Harvey looked out the window as Pam did.. he did not see that she had turned back to him and only looked at her when she asked him a question that no-one had asked him before ever!! Many knew of his and Mins history and yet no-one had asked him this one question, was he happy that he and Min were not together?

Blink..

Blink..

He thought about it for a moment "Yeah I am...... yeah..." he said hesitantly.. he had never thought about it before cause no-one had compelled him to think about it and here Pam was asking him that one question that really got him thinking about things "Yeah.. I think we are better off as friends" he smiled as he looked at her and then back out the window.. for some reason he couldn't see them happening again even if he wanted it to happen.. which he didn't.. right?

Paulie chuckled at his friend's comment. Invisibility WAS a cool superpower. Too bad invisibility cloaks were so darn expensive. Optic beams were totally awesome too, though. Ya know... Cyclops' power from X-Men.

He listened to Adam tell him all about the date. It sounded like perfection, the way he was describing it. The food, the dancing, the necklace. There was something in his voice, though, that made Paulie think there was a 'but' that was coming at some point. It was great, but. BUT, before Adam said the coming conjunction, he was retrieving something from his pocket. What could this be? A token of his gratitude? It was... a miniature plane. Paulie smiled a grateful and appreciative smile. He had a ton of model planes in his bedroom and even hanging around their dorm, but now this one already took the title as one of Paulie's favorites. He took the plane and admired it closer before turning to his fellow Lion. "Thank you, Adam," he said, genuinely.

Though... here came the 'but.' Adam wasn't confident that it was going to work out between himself and Louisa, he said. Hmm. Paulie listened further. "I get what ya mean about not wanting to fight for someone who isn't even sure if she'll reciprocate those feelings for ya.." Ohh. Reciprocate. Points for vocab! "But I mean.... maybe she only sees ya as her best friend 'cause ya don't.. ya know... kiss her or make moves on her." Paulie shifted his head and raised his eyebrows with the inflection in his last statement.

"So there's really a baby in the Castle?" The blonde Divination Professor asked of her collegue, Josephina Hadley as they rounded the corner somewhere on the third floor.

Callie hadn't seen a baby since her encounter with Indigo and his new wife outside of Madame Primpernelle's in Diagon Alley and despite her excitedness to see the baby she would have rather never seen the man. Now this woman was slightly better but not one that would find herself on Elwood's friend list.

Ever since the Start of Term Feast the Divination Professor had always been a bit sour about the woman insisting she call her Mrs. Bellaire as if she was just some child who was below her. It wasn't fair, she was a Hogwarts Professor for Merlin's sake.

Fina rarely walked up passed her own level of the castle. She had no reason to though; she was located on the second floor and her Hufflepuffs were at Kitchen Level, so there was really little reason for her to go beyond the second floor. But Calista had insisted she come with her to the Charms Professor's office; something about Sophia having a baby with her for the holidays.

"Rumor has it, yes," Fina replied briefly, casting a smile at the blonde. "... but who knows, really? I mean Seren calls her plants her babies. And Hecate thinks her Potions ingredients are her babies." So in other words, professors at Hogwarts were strange. What Sophia might have called baby, might have been something entirely different.