Some Generic Flat in Diagon Alley

“Are you sure you don’t want to crash with me? Rent’ll be cheaper. You won’t be all by yourself. I have an extra bedroom.”

“Drew, I’m fine! Really. I want to be on my own. Y’know, start a new chapter of my life. I mean, I know that sounds really cheesy and all, but it’s true. Didn’t you feel the same way when you first got a job? You didn’t wait to move out, you were out the door right after getting home from your seventh year.”

“Yeah, but if you remember correctly, during my seventh year my biggest problem was taking my NEWTs. Half of your closest friends were gone, Death Eaters took over the school, and one of the greatest wizarding battles in history happened right before graduation.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Look, Libby—”

“Jesus Christ, Andrew. I can take care of myself. You’re not mum, and you’re not dad, so butt the fuck out already. I’ve already signed all the paperwork for this place, I’m not backing out now. Besides, I love Diagon Alley. It’s such a vibrant place. And it’s closer to where I’m going to school.”

“Proximity isn’t that strong of an argument when you can Apparate or use the Floo Network.”

“Shut up.”

The bell above their heads chimed as they stepped through the door of a poorly lit, gray brick apartment building, a barrage of trunks levitating behind them. After a brief chat with the desk manager, Libby was handed the key to apartment 4C, and in a few minutes’ time Libby had all of her luggage in her new apartment and Drew was gone.

Once she was alone, Libby felt a strange sense of elation and freedom. Finally—she was an adult. She could do adult things. She was going to go to school; she was going to get a job… all of her past was going to be put behind her.

Thank God.

More excited than she’d ever been before, Libby began unpacking her things.

Alas, Libby was not left alone for a very long time. The familiar crack of an apparation sounded directly outside her door, along with some girlish humming to a muggle rock band. Whoever was outside the door checked the apartment number she had written on her palm and then knocked.

Is Drew back already? Fucker. Libby went to the door, opened it, and prepared to tell off Drew--but saw someone else there instead.

"AMANDA!" she yelled, giving her a big bear hug and shooing her in. "Look! I've got my own place! It's kinda small, but I don't need much room. Gosh, it's just so... so invigorating! But, hey, how are you? What's up?"

Amanda stumbled back a bit from the initial hug, but had a large smile on her face. "I heard through the grapevine about your new abode," she began rustling through her bag before pulling out a vase with an oddly colored assortment of flowers and a box of chocolates.

"I was wondering if you wanted a hand? Unpacking is quite the bitch. But if you don't want a hand," Amanda's grin grew wider as she leaned on a box beside her, "I do have some questions about a certain someone for you."

"Um... You can help with that box that says 'Kitchen' on it." Libby gestured to said box, ripping open another one. "Oh, yeah? Who's this certain someone?"

Amanda went after the tape on the box, slowly tearing it open with her wand.

"Well he was awful familiar, and he was schmoozing about with you.... Rex? No... no... Max?" Amanda was barely stifling an immature giggle.

Libby grinned. Amanda was so silly sometimes. "What about Max?"

Amanda shrugged as she took out a few plates, "You seemed awfully into one another. You sure he isn't coming for 'dinner?"

Libby sighed. "We broke up in our sixth year because he was cheating on me with some floozy Ravenclaw, but we were still friends afterward. We still are now, kinda. We had this weird... thing at the battle, though." Libby frowned, trying to remember what had happened.

"I was healing people, and apparently this Death Eater shot at me, and Max pushed me out of the way and set that Death Eater on fire, and I was confused and asked what that was for, and he was all like 'Do you WANT to die, woman?' like, yeah, Max, of course I want to fucking die, you're a fucking genius, aren't you?" Libby rolled her eyes, and forcefully ripped open another box with her bare hands instead of her wand. "And I was like, no, of course not, but I didn't expect that to happen and I can defend myself, y'know, and he told me to drop the tough girl exterior for a moment and be rational, or something. So then I was like, oh, so you expect me to kiss your feet because you knocked me out of the way of some fucking curse I'm well within my means to dodge myself, huh?! And then, and THEN, the ASSHOLE called me stupid, vain, and selfish, and he knelt down and kissed my fucking feet! What the FUCK was that about?!"

Libby stopped unpacking for a moment, remembering what had happened next. "Then he kissed me. On the lips. And he was like, 'But I still love you anyway.' Like calling me all these names and telling me that I'm vain and selfish while I'm saving lives--including his! He had this HUGE gash on his leg at one point and I fixed it up right for him, and then after we were done fighting we talked for a minute, and it was so fucking weird! We could barely talk to each other! And then he whipped out all of this philosophical shit about how we shouldn't dwell on the past, blah blah blah. Jesus Christ. Maxwell Silva is a child, and always has to be right, and thinks he can be serious, but no one's ever going to take him seriously because he does stupid shit like kiss feet in the middle of a battle. REALLY THOUGH, WHAT was that ABOUT? UUUUUGH."

One might say that Libby was getting so worked up about this and left out half of the story as a way to compensate. He'd hurt Libby. She knew that she and him would never work out. But there was this weird, undeniable chemistry between them (at least on Libby's side) that she was having a bit of trouble getting over. Alas.

"No, I am not still into Max, and he is not coming over and having 'dinner.'"

(TSUNTSUNTSUNTSUN.)

Amanda's eyebrows went further and further up with each word Libby said. She took a deep breath once Libby has finished, "Damn, this kid sounds like an extremely douche. Perhaps the apartment and freedom and what not is exactly what you need." She shrugged, unpacking another set of dishes, "A new start, if you will."

Libby sighed. "Yeah. That's what I was thinking." Libby pulled out a couple of shelves and, with magic, stuck them to the wall in the living room. "Sorry for exploding on you there, mate. I guess it's a bit of a touchy subject, eh?" Libby laughed nervously.

Amanda waved her hand dismissively, putting the plates she had unpacked in the cupboard in the kitchen area. "No biggie. I'd react the same way. I certainly provoked it enough." She chuckled to herself as she returned to the box for utensils.

"Remember how ridiculous I was with that whole Tanner situation? Could have cut the awkward teen hormones hanging in the air with a knife."

"Oh, GOD." Libby laughed loudly. "Everyone was so weird our last few years, especially pertaining to guys. It's so horrendous and embarrassing to look back on."

"Oh lord, I know." Amanda shook her head, still grinning. "It's sad when our teenage romance antics were weirder than the fact that portraits were talking, huh?"

"Yeah, basically." Libby hung up some sort of abstract painting that she got for two Sickles at some sort of wizarding art fair. "And the fact that the staircases moved, and how some were missing steps."

"Man, it's going to be hard adjusting to college. Seven years at Hogwarts and I associate the weirdest things as the norm." Amanda started sorting out utensils by type as she spoke.

"I know, right? It's so bizarre knowing that I'm not going back to a big enchanted castle this fall."

Fork. Fork. Fork. Fork. Fork. Shit. A spork.

Amanda nodded, as she stared at the spork. "I wish I had found a wizarding college similar to it, I'm already feeling homesick in a way. But I guess I have to keep on rolling."

"Yeah. Eh, in a way, I'm glad it's over. Too much drama." Libby scooped up her wand and un-did another box. This one had a few pillows in it. She propped them up on the couch. "I'm ready to meet new people. Apparently, the school I'm going to has a bunch of transfers from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Even some people from Salem out in America are going!"

A while later, Rachel stood in the doorway admiring what she saw. Compared to the smaller flat she was planning on renting in Hogsmeade, Libby's was wide and spacious.

"Nice place!" she said, and she stepped inside. "What's Amanda doing here?"

"Hi, Rachel!" Libby yelled over as she folded up a blanket and laid it neatly over the back of the sofa. "Thanks! She's helping me unpack. What've you been up to?"

Amanda smiled, giving Rachel a wave before bringing her attention back to that damned spork. She helped Libby with a handful more of boxes, leaving the utensils in the groups she had put them in.

Except that one.

"Weelll... not much really." Rachel walked over to where Amanda was standing, and sorted the spork into it's own separate category.

"Actually no. Something did happen. Nick and I broke up a couple hours ago. Do you need help unpacking?"

Libby actually dropped the book she was holding. She whipped around, staring at Rachel. "What?! You broke up? Why?"