i'm a liability

-smiles sadly, watching her play with her scarf as he listens to her talking- You’re right, that part is still true. -pauses for a few minutes, looking out across the park, watching a figure in the distance, speaks quietly- I really missed you Arhya. I want to ask if we can start over but I wouldn’t give up what we had, even the bad times. I wouldn’t give it up for anything. Are you.. Are you doing anything later?

[shrugs, a genuine smile tugging at her lips] He liked you though. I know that for sure. [studies his face quietly, intently] We already gave up all those moths ago, William. We didn't fight for each other. And here we are. [follows his gaze, then startled by his question, looks back at him.]Oh.. um... I'm free. Yeah, I'm free.

-watches the boat, smiling warmly- You’re right. We should have taken that into account, actually faced reality a bit more. I’d have put that into my letter. -looks up at her- Dear Arhya, I miss you please come home, I don’t know how to act now that my head girl isn’t helping me. I miss you so much. Naturally I’d have crossed all that out, started again and told you about my internship instead. I’d have asked you about your studies and we’d have done ‘do you remember’ and ‘Albus sends his love’ and ‘I’m glad that we’re still friends’.

[plays with the loose strands of her scarf again] We should have done a lot of things. [looks at him and listens closely] I... [bites her lip, looking at the ground. Then looks back at him] Dear William, I'm having the worst time in my training. I've forgotten what it's like to talk to people I don't already know. I really wish you were here. [clears her throats] I would have crossed all that too and told you that I'm glad to hear you're doing what you love and said that I'm in the same place. I would have agreed with pleasanteries and told you that Aneel thinks you're still a twit. [laughs, even though she looks like she is about to cry] I think that part is still true.

[chuckles, taking out a piece of paper from her pocket] Yeah, and after that we’d sit by the fire in the common room, drinking soup.[starts to fold the piece of paper. Keeps it aside when he speaks, giving him her full attention] No, don’t be. I didn’t write to you either. And like you said, it was hardly a stay-in-touch farewell. I guess we just needed time to make our peace with what happened. [takes the piece of paper in her hands, and continues to fold it.]

-watches her fold the paper, speaks quietly- I guess, I still feel bad. 

That sounds like Aneel. -frowns in concern- I’m sorry about your dad, what happened? -notices the slight blush on her cheeks, but doesn’t comment on it- That’s good. Well, not _good _per say, but fortunate that you won’t have to deal with him. You wouldn’t want something like that getting in the way of your work.

-sits down next to her, studying her face quietly as she looks around the park- I never understood why anyone would be that reckless but.. -trails off, turning to look at the surroundings- I remember. Back when we were tiny, we both got the worst colds from trying to study out there in winter, it was worth it though. -smiles softly, turning to face her again- I’m sorry I didn’t write. 

He had heart blockages. Thankfully, my mother forced him into going for a check up. If she hadn't, then he would be in a lot of trouble. We detected them early so it was easier for the Healers to remove them. [nods slowly] I guess. He did teach me a lot though and we didn't break it off with bitter feelings. So I guess I might still be writing to him about work and if I need help.

[chuckles, taking out a piece of paper from her pocket] Yeah, and after that we'd sit by the fire in the common room, drinking soup.[starts to fold the piece of paper. Keeps it aside when he speaks, giving him her full attention] No, don't be. I didn't write to you either. And like you said, it was hardly a stay-in-touch farewell. I guess we just needed time to make our peace with what happened. [takes the piece of paper in her hands, and continues to fold it.]

-smiles, looking around the park as he follows her lead- Thank you, that means a lot. What is Aneel doing now? And your parents, are they well? -shrugs- We weren’t really that cute. -smirks- At least not compared to us. -shakes his head- No, not really, there was a muggle girl for a few weeks but it didn’t last. What about you, anyone special in your life?

Yeah, he is and he’s good at it too. You’re right, they’re all being very brave and courageous and saving the wizarding world and all that. I’m pretty sure his brother is in auror training too, how many blooming aurors does that family need?

Aneel is... well, he doesn't talk about his work much. He visits a lot of Muggle towns though, and he brings back things for me from all of them. My parents are over-worked, as always. Papa actually almost had a surgery in October, but he's alright now. [she looks away, hiding the subtle redness on her cheeks] Stop it, William. [looks back at him] No, same as you. I did go out with a guy in our camp. It lasted for a month. He was older, so he thankfully won't be joining us next year.

I guess they're all just really into fighting off bad guys. Must be a cool job. [comes to a stop near a fountain, sitting on the edge] I like this place, it's really quite. I come here to read sometimes. [looks around the park, which is almost deserted] Reminds of the courtyard during the breaks. We always used to do our homework there remember?

-laughs- My handwriting was often more impressive then what I actually wrote, I swear. -smiles- I always liked Allison, she was lovely. And Aneel was great although he scared me when we started dating, I was definitely more frightened of Dominique though, she was fierce. Heather? Oh God no, we are not involved. Remember when I dated Dawn for that disastrous month and a half? Yeah, dating Heather would be weird, she’s like my sister who looks like someone I used to have a crush on. 

-shakes his head, walking beside her- No way, you were so much smarter than I was. Although I think you might be right about Al, he was very intelligent, wasn’t he? Still is. 

hey, now, that's not true. You write beautifully. And I don't say to a lot of writers. You know how overprotective brothers can get, you know, since you are one. [smirks] Dom was definitely a fighter. She's training to be an auror actually!Hey, you two were really cute.[supresses her laugh, pressing her lips together] So are you seeing anyone else?

[walks through the entryway of the garden, picking the path which towards the left side] Isn't he training to be an auror too? Lot's of brave kids in the Potter-Weasley clan. They live up to their parent's legacy, don't you think?

-nods, standing up and pulling on his jacket, walking towards the door of the coffee shop- I have a job, don’t worry. I work as a waiter most evenings and in the ministry most days. It’s nothing fancy, I just copy papers and answer owls, they exploit my beautiful handwriting for formal documents. -smiles, nodding and holding the door open for her- You can visit any time you want, although I might not always be in, I like to keep busy. Well, Scarlet still visits me weekly, if only to pester me into writing so I don’t forget how to and sometimes I meet up with Al. Actually, I live with Heather Nott, do you remember her? She caught up with me a few months ago and moved herself in, she was finding it difficult getting a job. It’s nice, we get on well. What about you? Are you still in contact with anyone?

-nudges her softly, still smiling- They picked you because you’re crazy passionate and the smartest person I know. In fact, you were the smartest person in our whole year and don’t you dare deny it. You should have more faith in yourself. So, which way are we going? 

You do have a beautiful handwriting! [raises and eyebrow] Really? What else do you do? [shrugs] I keep in touch with Allison, although we haven't met in a really long time, we write back and forth often. I meet Aneel and Skylar during the holidays. I was actually planning on staying with her for a while. I meet Dominique whenever I'm in town. But all the travelling just makes it really hard. [plays with the end of her scarf, avoiding eye contact.] Yeah, I remember Heather. Dawn's sister, how can i forget. I write to her sometimes. So, um, are you both...involved?

[smiles back at him] Am not. You were definitely smarter than me. Even Albus was at some classes. It's right here, around the corner. [turns right, enetering a narrow street which leads to their destination]

Just this little flat in London, near Camden Market. It’s a bit too expensive but it is worth it, I really love it there. Plus, it’s near the ministry meaning the location is very convenient. -shakes his head- She’ll be a Gryffindor for sure. I’m really happy for her, sometimes I wish I could go back to Hogwarts. It was dramatic, but the people were amazing, she’s really going to love it there. -looks over at her as she speaks, smiling warmly- That sounds brilliant, I’m really, really happy for you, Arhya. You are staying safe, though?

William...how are you making rent? It sounds really nice. Can I visit sometime? [chuckles] Everything was so different in the castle. We were different too. [bites her lip] Anyway, are you in touch with anyone from school? [nods] Yes, I'm trying my best to be careful, it is an adventerous job. I don't know they even picked me, I didn't perform that well for my physical. Hey, if you're done, do you want to take a walk? There's a really nice garden down the block.

Yeah, I did but it sort of fell through after a few months. I didn’t realise that it was unpaid and my dad wasn’t too keen with me rooming with him so I had to drop it. Kate’s ten now and I don’t see her nearly as often as I should but whenever I do she seems happy enough. -smiles, sipping his drink- Is it everything you ever dreamed? I hope it was, you were so proud when you got that letter. 

I can't believe he would do that. Actually, no, I can. Where are you living now? [smiles as he talks about his siter] She's going to go to Hogwarts next year. Do you think she'll be in Ravenclaw too? [plays with the spoon on the table, turning it around in her fingers] It is everything I've ever dreamed of. But oh god it's so tiring. At the end of some days I collapsed. One time we had to go without eating for almost two days because our supplies were over, and we luckily ran into some muggle campers who took us to a, um, [scratches the back of her neck] Right! A supermarket. It was all very conveniant honestly.

Yeah, lets. -smiles softly, leaning forwards and wrapping his hands around his mug- I’ve been okay, trying to get work is proving much more difficult then I thought it would be. Kate’s okay, she’s much the same as she always is. How have you been?

Wait, when you left Hogwarts, didn't you have an internship? How old is she now? I haven't seen her in so long. I just finished my first year of training and will get into my second in a couple of months. Until then I'm just studying on my own, grabbing my hands on whatever papers I can find. And that's a lot of papers. [takes another sip and places the mug,now empty, on the table]

-sighs, looking down at his hands- I’m sorry, Arhya. I just.. Don’t put all the blame on me, okay

I wasn't trying to. Let's just forget it. [huffs, taking a sip of her coffee.] What have you been doing? How's Kate?