"That's not what I meant!" Celandine looked up at him almost in fright. "No.. I mean... you and... and... Copernicus..." Gulp. "Would be better... without me."

Crumple.

She reached out her hand and brushed her little finger against his chin. "I..." She really didn't know what to say or think or anything, it was just that it would be better for them without her. "I'm sorry. It's my fault." Somehow it was her fault.

"That's not true, Cela," Plymouth shook his head at her, rubbing his chin against her finger. He sure could have used a hug right about then. "I'm sad without you. I worry. I'm not even talking to Copernicus right now." Ugh. Plymouth closed his eyes before he continued.

"Look at you, CellBell. You're sad. I hate that." WHich was some really strong words from Plymouth, who never used the "h" word. "What would make it easier?"

"You aren't talking?" Celandine bit her lip, "Because of me?"

She looked down at herself obligingly and half-shrugged. "I didn't hear from either of you..." What would make it easier? "It would be easier if... you hugged me and still wanted to be my friend and..."

"I don't KNOW why we aren't talking," Plymouth admitted. "It's just easier to blame him than it is to blame you. I didn't know... you liked him? You nuzzled him and then I came over.. and I was hoping you'd chose me... and you said 'sorry' and I got upset. So I left. I WANT you to be happy, CellBell. I really do.." Plymouth was blathering in a minor-panicked way.


But, he could hug her. He could do that much. So, he scooted way and put his arms around her. "Friend," Plymouth repeated. Not boyfriend. He wasn't agreeing to her terms, but just... thinking.

"But... you did know." Celandine gave Plymouth a puzzled little look. "We talked about how... you liked Anna... when I had the zap and we shielded against the zap in the garden that day..." She let out a confused little breath. "I didn't know that I chose anyone... I want to be happy too but... I want you and Copernicus to be happy. Family is the most important thing."

She nuzzled her nose against his cheek, instantly relaxing a whole bunch.

"That's different...," Plymouth started, but then he had to stop. Nuzzling made talking hard, especially since he was nuzzled-deprived anyway. He tightened his arms around her before he continued. "Anna makes me crazy, she does. But I would choose you, CellBell." He gave a little shrug and added, "And I guess you ... never really chose me ever. It was always me choosing you."

Family WAS important and fighting with Copernicus KILLED Plymouth. This whole thing killed him. He wanted his momma.

"But why did you choose me?" Celandine asked, "Because I like your hair better than Cale Newell's? I thought that... after you kissed me that first time... you didn't talk to me and then... you did... why?"

Cela nuzzled some more. The only hug she'd gotten since her birthday had been from her brother. This was better. Things felt better when she was getting Plymouth hugs.

"I didn't know WHAT to do after I kissed you! It just sort of happened. I didn't mean to - but I don't regret it either. I just got carried away and you're just abundantly cute... So I asked Copernicus what to do and he told me what to do. He told me to write you a poem, so I did. He said I had to own up to your expectations or something like that, so we became boyfriend and girlfriend." Ugh. Plymouth was enjoying his hugs far too much, even if they did sort of feel like ... final. "I guess I did it backwards. I asked you to be my girl, THEN fell for you."

"I... didn't have any expectations." Celandine attempted to process all of this. "Why would Copernicus... tell you to do all that?" Cela frowned into Plym's shoulder. She leaned back and looked at Plymouth, "Why is he so honourable all the time? It... it's so confusing and..." Cela blinked. "You... fell for me? I... what do you mean?"

"I don't know, CellBell. I just really don't know why Perni is the way he is. I ..." Gruggghhhhhh. Plymouth shook his head, sending his longer bangs in a messy wave across his forehead. "I fell for you. Like... I LIKE you, like I tell you all the time. I think about you first thing every morning with our taffy. I ... LIKE you. You're my girl. Like.. here." Plymouth snaked a hand between them to touch his chest. "Here. You are here."

Thing was, Cela liked Copernicus being the way he was, even if it did send her in a tailspin all the time. "I like you too, Plym." Celandine sighed, "I ran out of taffy. I wanted to think about you more than just when I woke up and..." Celandine swallowed roughly and gave Plymouth a stricken look when he touched his chest, her own hand pressed against her stomach and she scrunched her face up for a moment. She still couldn't say anything, the whole using words thing didn't work. She sighed and headbutted him.

"Now what?"

That.. got a small laugh out of Plymouth. A headbutt. Just what he needed. "I don't know, CellBell. I think it's up to you. He likes you, too, and I guess ... you like him. I can't say I'm happy about it because that would be a lie, but... it's your choice." Plymouth gave another little shoulder shrug and then pulled her to him so that he couldn't watch her think about that. He so wished there wasnt a REAL choice.

"You have to be friends again." Celandine insisted, "And... for a little while... I just... can I just... can we just... " She sighed, not even really sure if it was up to her to make a choice anyway. Could she choose not to choose? Because at least then, Plym and Cope could be best friends and brothers and she wouldn't get in the way. "Do we have to say anything to anyone about anything?" It would be nice just to feel safe and not think about any of it for a while and ZOMG she had missed hugs.

"For a little while," Plymouth agreed. "You can take some time. But... CellBell? Um... well it's like this." He pulled ever so slightly so he could somewhat look down at her. "It.. hurts my heart when I think about you kissing someone... else." Namely, Copernicus. "When you'remygirlfriend. So... I don't know. I don't know what I'm trying to say."

"I... won't kiss anyone." She made a slight face. "And... I'll... try not to let people kiss me, okay?"

It was sort of something that just tended to happen.

"Just... or... um.... if you don't want me to be your... girlfriend can we not tell anyone? Just... for a little while?" Cela frowned at herself, trying to figure out things. "I... don't know what I'm trying to say either, Plym."

"Don't say it like that," Plymouth whispered at her. "I ALWAYS want you to be my girlfriend." Ugh. "Always. But I won't tell. I don't even know what TO tell. I'm... possibly more confused than I was before I ran into you." Plymouth broke the rule and kissed the top of her head - just for a second.

"I'm confused too... but... less sad because... I thought you..." Celandine hadn't considered the new rule to have anything to do with her and Plym, so she kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Hey... Plymmy? Want to go look at the puffas and fluttas?"

"You thought what, CellBell?" Plymouth asked. He REALLY wanted to know. He wanted to understand. He wasn't getting it from Copernicus, who only supplied unhelpful apologies and empty promises for the most part. And guilt. But, he wouldn't get that from Cela. She ... well she just wasn't like that. Or at least Plymouth thought.

He got to his feet and helped Cela up with him. Plymouth nodded. Absolutely, he would love to visit the gardens with her. He got a cheek kiss TOO, so... things were looking up.

Cela took a breath. "When you left and then I didn't hear from you, I thought... you didn't want to know me anymore." She let him help her up and offered a little smile. "Okay... so... flowers." Flowers were good and she wasn't letting go of his hand. Plymouth Morgan, her boyfriend-but-sort-of-not-boyfriend-anymore-on-account-of-angst-and-kissing was still a comfort to her. She squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry I left. I thought you ... FLowers. Right. I LOVE flowers." Plymouth squeezed her hand back and off they went down the hall. "I missed the flowers. I bet they missed us, too. Especially... Hey... you look different. Prettier. Hair? Longer?" Hm. Plymouth was pretty sure she had shrunk, too. Or he'd grown. Now that he was finally looking at her...he could see.

Reese wandered all the way dow to the sixth floor corridor after dropping off some of her stuff in the Astronomy Tower. The only thing she now had in her bag was a notebook and some pens. She wandered down the corridor, looking for a nice place to rest.

After walking down the corridor for a few moments, Reese stopped walking and dropped her bag on the floor. She was just going to sit right here since she didn't feel like walking anymore. She sat down next to her bag and pulled out her notebook and pen. This was a perfect time to start writing her letter to Heath. Yes, she still hasn't sent this darn letter.

She stared at the blank paper, trying to think of what to write. She wrote 'Dear Heath,' at the top and then sighed. She didn't know what to write. She started tapping her pen against the paper as she thought. Maybe she could tell him about the flooding over the common room and then tell him Jake was okay since the Hufflepuff common room wasn't flood. Or...

Who knew writing a letter would be so hard?

Whitney couldn't believe that her next door neighbor let her return to school. She said that she'd realized Whit shouldn't be missing school so she helped her pack her bags and sent her on her way over to Hogwarts. 'I'm back!' Even though school hadn't started that long ago, a lot had already happened. Somehow the Slytherins had gotten moved up to the Astronomy tower. Floods sucked. 'I'll get used to it I'm sure.' It'd just take her a few weeks or so.

She walked down the sixth floor corridor so she could go drop her stuff off and head down to get something to eat. Whit was starving. "Sha la la la la la my oh my..!" she started singing with her eyes closed. From what she saw no one was around to hear her sing so she was okay.

"Aaah!" she yelled as she hit the floor hard. "What in the world was-" she started to say,turning around to see just what it was she'd tripped over this time. Not even two hours inside Hogwarts and she was already remeeting with the floor. Then she saw a blonde headed girl sitting on the floor. Not just any blonde girl though. A huge gasped escaped Whitney's mouth as she yelled, "REEEEEESEEEE!!!!!" and attacked her best friend on the floor with a ginormous hug.

Ewwwww. Why did girls enjoy hugging each other? In fact, why did people enjoy hugging at all?! It was a sick act, probably right behind snogging and it was too bad for Cam he was always hugged by giiiiiirls. Hmph. The torture they sometimes do at Hogwarts. And then there they were, Reese and her friend Whitney were huuuggging each other. "EEWWWW." Oh that's right he said it out loooud just to get their mighty attention. He was right not to bring his lemurs out today. Or else they'd have to suffer with Reeeese.

"Stop hugging, it's just plaaaaaain nasty." Because it certainly was. "And hello Whitneeeey. No offense to you or anything. Most of what I've said aaalll went to Reese." That's right he said it. Uh huuhhhh.

Weeeird girls.

Reese continued to look down at her notebook even though this person's singing was really getting on her nerves. She was about to tell them to please stop singing because she was trying to write, but then something...no,wait...someone tripped over her feet. Oh my goodness. She took her eyes off her notebook and looked at the person who had tripped over her feet. "You should really watch where you are going next time," she told them as she closed her notebook and stuff everything back into her bag.

Did she just hear a gasp? Looking back at the girl, Reese finally recognized her. But, Whitney Ashford couldn't be here. She was with her mother. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times, then looked back at Whitney. She was still there. Was she dreaming all this? She had to be! She started to open her mouth to say something, but Whitney attacked her, which sent her falling to the ground. "Hello there," she told her with a smile. Okay, this WAS Whitney. But... "What are you doing here?" She added.

Then, she heard Cam's voice. She looked up at him and grinned. Okay, maybe she shouldn't have grinned. She was still mad at the boy, right? No...wrong. She couldn't be mad at Cam for what happened in the past. So, she wasn't mad at him at this moment. Then, the little boy said he was directing all that talk to her. Oh, nooooo. "Hey Whitney," she said, taking her eyes off Cam. "Let's give Cam a hug." She pushed Whitney off of her and stood up and proceeded over to Cam.

"Come here, Caaaaam," Reese said, her arms wide open. "I won't bite." Bwaha. She kept walking towards Cam, then when she got close enough to him, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him one big hug.

That was when she heard a vaguely familiar voice from behind her. 'CAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!' Even though Whit and Cam weren't best friends or anything,they were more like acquaintances, she was extremely happy to see him. "Hi Cam!" she yelled loudly, then looked around to make sure there weren't any professors around. Slytherins were winning so far and she didn't want to be the one to put them in last place. She then silently laughed to herself when she heard his next comment. "No offense taken."

Suddenly an evil thought reached her mind and she tilted her head at Cam and smirked. She just needed the perfect time to go through with it.

"Ummm....." Whit started to say but she wasn't sure just how to put it in words. Reese had every right to be confused. Technically Whitney was supposed to be home taking care of her mother for two whole terms. "Hi?" she said,still trying to think of just was to say. Really it was simple but somehow it seemed unbelievable in her head. "Well....I was supposed to stay home and take care of my mom,which you know but a couple of days ago my neighbor decided that it'd be best for me to be here than to be missing school. She's going to be taking care of my mother while I'm here and whenever I can I'm going to go back home and take care of her." Okay,so it was a lot simpler than simple. Whit would have to send a letter thanking her neighbor as soon as possible. "So she helped me get packed and here I am!" It felt great to see Reese again, she had to refrain herself from giving her another hug.

When Whit heard Reese ask her to join her in giving Cam a hug she knew that Reese really was her Slytherin Gangsta. "Yes,let's." and with that, she followed her friend over to Cam and gave him a big squishy hug. 'Not so bad,huh?" she asked him with a giggle. She'd never be able to understand that boy and his crazy fears.