She stopped, listening for any tell tale signs of a rousing patient but there was none. Satisfied, the healer moved on to the next room, its door slightly ajar.

With silent steps, Zia curiously peeked inside to see why the occupant of the room, a lady well into her age, was still awake this time of the night. An old man, her husband, was sitting on the side of her bed. He was caressing her wrinkled forehead. He said something and she laughed softly in response, burrowing closer to him.

At that, something unusual happened.

The healer, Zia Castell, smiled.

Owen sat back with a deep sigh. At present, he kind of just wanted to melt into the leather. He was exhausted...physically, as well as emotionally.

Actually, more emotionally. His girlfriend broke up with him after all.

But he wasn’t mad. No, he understood her reasoning and he didn’t blame her one bit. Instead, he humored her, even going as far as to say “whatever you need me to be” before they parted ways. Chivalry, which many thought of as an anachronism, was not dead for the Hufflepuff boy. He believed he could still be friends with his ex.

“Is that all you’ve got, Montezor?” His opponent snickered, tugging on Ren’s hair forcefully as he lay prone on the ground.

Ren hissed at the other person, not paying attention to the sting of his busted lip. He was not going to get beaten by this idiot. If he thought he already won this duel just because his spell hit first, then he was wrong.

“Periculum,” Red flares emerged from Ren’s wand, making his combatant momentarily blind. This was followed immediately with a nonverbal hex which sent the former hurtling aggressively towards the nearby wall.

...The black-haired boy smirked wickedly.

“Trent!” Someone was shouting...and laughing. “Trent, wake up, you idiot.” And calling him an idiot?

Despite the fog clouding his brain, the former Ravenclaw pried his eyes open. Merlin. Why was the world spinning? And why was his brain throbbing like it was going to jump out of his skull any second?

The laughing intensified. His arms reached out to punch or choke whoever it was that was guffawing right next to his ear. “Stop…laughing…” he muttered through clenched teeth.

As he closed his eyes, he heard someone announce, “He’s out, folks! I repeat, Trent Valdez is out!”

Scarlett loved playing with everyone around her, except for her next-door neighbor, Darius. He was rude and mean to her, but he was also cute and the young half-Asian girl kinda had a secret crush on him. It was so confusing.

It did not help that at present said boy was pulling on one of her pigtails. “Let go, Darius!”

“I will once you become pretty!”

“Idiot, I am pretty! My mum said so and one day I will become famous and rich and then you will want to marry me!”

Obviously, this girl has her priorities all sorted out.

Don't please don't.

Oh but she does and he was weak, so weak that he kissed her back like it was the last time because it was the last time.

His own eyes burned from unshed tears and he didn't hear her as she talked, he only heard the sound of his heart breaking....as if it wasn't broken enough already.

Then she was walking away, the taste of her, the touch of her skin, and the unspoken promise of a pinky swear the only ones left.

And he watches her go....because it was the right thing to do.