Frail ❃ Albus Potter

Twenty Five

It had been almost a week since Piper had tried to talk to Albus, and Rose was getting pretty annoyed.

"I'm sick of you moping," Rose told her as they walked around the grounds. It was early summer but it didn't feel like it at all. The entire year had been freezing, but this day was even colder than most. Both Piper and Rose wore jumpers and scarves. "It's not good for you."

"Last time you tried to stop me moping, we saw Scorpius and Albus kissing," Piper reminded her friend. "I wouldn't try it again. Besides, I'm not moping."

Rose snorted. "Look, I never thought I'd say this, but I think you need to move on from my cousin. I know, I know," she began, as Piper opened her mouth. "There's nothing to move on from, etc, etc. But Pipes, you need to face facts. You're still in love with him, and it's affecting your daily life."

Piper shrugged defensively and tried not to look like she was sulking. "So what?"

"So you're not happy." Rose's snitch-patterned scarf flapped in the wind. "Find someone new. Kiss somebody. Hell, kiss me if it makes you feel better."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "This is a funny way of saying you like me, Rose."

They had wandered a little too close to the Whomping Willow, and Rose steered Piper away, almost tripping over a large rock that lay in their path. "Merlin," Rose mumbled, then shook her head. "I'm not into you in that way, Piper, and if I was, I'd have told you about it a long time ago." Then she raise an eyebrow at Piper. "Stop changing the subject, Thomas! Find yourself a rebound."

Piper laughed, then her smile faded away as she considered it. But I don't know how to love someone who isn't Albus, she realised.

*****

Piper ran down the hallway to her Transfiguration class, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She was almost five minutes late, and McGonagall was so going to kill her-

Her thoughts were interrupted as she crashed into something- no, someone- and fell to the floor, her books crashing down around her.

"Fallen for me already?" A lightly accented voice joked, and Piper looked up to see a tall boy standing above her, his hand outstretched to her. His open friendly face was smiling as Piper reached up to his hand and pulled herself up. Then they leant down to pick up her books together.

"I'm new," the stranger said as he picked up her Charms book. "I just moved here from America. I'm Tommy."

Distantly, Piper remembered something about a transfer student being sorted into Hufflepuff a few weeks ago. Rose had told her about it, but she'd been kinda busy being in hospital. "I'm Piper," Piper said. "Nice to meet you."

Tommy gave her a bashful grin. "Would you mind awfully showing me the Transfiguration classroom? I still can't find my way around. This place is a maze, I swear."

"The moving staircases are a real help, I'm sure," Piper smiled. Now he'd pointed it out, she noticed his accent was American. She wondered why he had moved, and then told herself it was none of her business. "It's right along here."

Now she had an excuse for being late, Piper told herself. But as she followed Tommy into the classroom and took her seat across the class from him, she couldn't help thinking about what Rose would say if she saw Tommy winking at Piper...

Rebound material.