Sean was already up and almost ready for work by the time Evelyn got out of bed. She grabbed a hair tie off her bedside table, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and then slipped out to the bedroom and into the kitchen where she could hear Sean making his coffee. It was still dark out the window. The weak, flickering light from the streetlamp filtered in through the crack in the curtains.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"Morning," said Sean without looking at her.

"Are you about to leave?" she asked.

He nodded. "Almost."

Evelyn came to stand by the bar-top counter, resting her elbows on top of it. "I know it's kind of last minute," she said. "I forgot to ask last night. Margaret wanted to see if you and I could come over and play games with her and her new boyfriend. She wants to meet you."

"I can't tonight," said Sean.

"Oh," said Evelyn. "Do you have to work late?"

"It's our office Christmas party," he said. "I have to go."

"Oh," she said again. "I didn't know you were having one."

"I have to go to it," Sean repeated.

Evelyn wondered why he hadn't asked her to go. Usually things like that, corporations... people brought their significant others to the event.

But this thought only lasted a moment before she felt stupid for wondering it. He didn't ask her to do anything anymore. Not unless she put the idea in his head first.

"Well, I'll tell Margaret we can find another day," she said. "Maybe when you have a little time off over the holidays."

Sean didn't say anything.

Evelyn hovered there for another few seconds, but Sean was gearing up to leave. She put a hand out and touched his arm as he passed her.

"Have a good day," she said. "See you tonight."

"Yeah," said Sean.

And then Evelyn fell back into the bedroom to get ready for work, feeling stupid for fighting back tears over such a nothing conversation.

—-

On the Thursday before break began, Caiti went down to Professor Pym's office for one last meeting. She was feeling much brighter than she had that whole semester knowing she was one day away from two weeks home and two weeks with Marlowe.

They spent the first forty five minutes working on their peer review — the potion they had been testing was in its final stages and about to be market-ready — but as they were wrapping up, Professor Pym looked at her, folded her hands, and said, "So give me an update on your research. Where are you at?"

Caiti thought about this. "The plant is growing well," she said. Professor Munslow promised to keep up with it and keep me updated over break since we're a little afraid to move it. But I'm hoping after the holidays it will have grown enough I can start to take a few leaves every once in a while. To test with. I'm still going to have to be really deliberate about how and when I use it, because I don't have much, but eventually, I should be able to propagate it and grow more so I can study it further.

"I also have..." She paused here and flipped to a different page in her notebook. "A list of ingredients I think might react with it the way I'm hoping. I've been doing a lot of research about how to predict based on the properties they have and everything. So... I don't know. It's really messy. I've crossed a lot off."

Caiti turned the paper around towards her professor who ran her finger down the page as she read Caiti's scribbles.

"This process is messy," she said quietly. "It's never straightforward."

She began to ask Caiti a lot of questions then. Questions about the ingredients she had crossed off and about those that remained on her list. Questions about the methods for her research, her plan for testing and collecting data. Questions about her hypotheses.

It made Caiti nervous. She felt like she was being tested. She felt like she was about to be told this was all a very juvenile attempt at real potion-making and that she'd better give it up before she told anyone else and embarrassed herself.

Instead, Professor Pym peered at her with a very serious expression on her face.

"Caiti," she said. "Have you heard of the Libatius Borage Prize?"

Caiti's eyes went very wide. She nodded. The Libatius Borage Prize was an award for young potion makers, usually in the first five to ten years out of school, who were doing notable or groundbreaking work in the field. The notoriety that came with winning was nice, but it was the money that really mattered. Sean had won a thousand galleons for winning the Triwizard Tournament. The Libatius Borage Prize offered its winner ten thousand galleons towards their research as well as a mentorship from an accomplished potion maker. It was the sort of thing you assumed only other people had a shot at.

"Would you consider submitting a proposal?" she asked.

"I-" Caiti blanched. "Me?"

"The application is due at the end of January, so you can certainly take the holidays to think about it, but I reckon you have a fairly good shot at at least a shortlist spot, which would be very good for your resume and a wonderful experience for you. I know it probably feels to you like you're still in the earliest stages and you don't have enough to go off of, but listening to you talk about it... you know more than you think. You're working very hard to do this right and for a first attempt at something this big, it's really phenomenal work you're doing. I think you're onto something, even if it is only the beginnings." She paused, collected herself. "If you did manage to win, of course, there would be funding for your continued research, a mentorship, all sorts of recognition... it would be a very big deal."

Caiti nodded, staring down at the mess of notes between them. She knew all this. It was making the connection between what someone else could win and what Professor Pym somehow thought Caiti could win that was throwing her off.

"I'm a student, though," she said.

Professor Pym just waved a hand. "You've just got to be of age to enter. You're within the parameters and perfectly qualified to be considered alongside other young potion makers. I wouldn't ask you to consider it if I didn't think you had a shot."

Caiti couldn't seem to form a coherent thought anymore. She ran her hand through her hair.

"Caiti," said Professor Pym, her voice very calm and very low. "I really think you should consider this. Listening to you explain what you're doing... you have a clear plan. It's not just a vision. You're taking real steps. You're doing real work."

Caiti nodded slowly. Later, she would probably feel flattered, but right now, she only felt shock.

Professor Pym reached behind her for a copy of the application. "Look it over," she said. "Think about it. After break, if you decide you want to do it, we'll work on the proposal together, alright?"

"Okay." Caiti took a deep breath. "Thank you."

Professor Pym got up from the other side of the desk then and Caiti stood automatically. She figured she was being dismissed, but all the sudden she'd been pulled into a big, tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you," she said. "Having a student like you is so rare and you've worked so hard."

Caiti felt a little like crying.

—-

Marlowe had been to Caiti and Sean's house before over the summers, but he had never been at Christmas time before. His own mum was big into the holidays. She went to town with Christmas lights outside the house and loaded up the biggest tree she could find with ornaments, perching it in front of the living room window where it could be clearly seen by anyone passing by. She had holiday towels and holiday plates, holiday throw pillows and a holiday soap dispenser in every bathroom, not to mention a whole Christmas Village set up that took over nearly every surface in the house. She even changed out everyone's bedding for a more festive variety.

He was used to this.

It surprised him, therefore, to see the very tasteful, coordinated decorations Caiti's mum had put up. Maybe it shouldn't have. Her parents were kind, but not quite as warm as his own. Her mum was more the sophisticated type.

Marlowe wondered, walking up the drive, whether Caiti would decorate this way when she lived on her own — a tall and narrow Christmas tree with coordinating silver and gold baubles, stately garland wrapping the arms of the front porch, all white fairy lights. He couldn't picture it. But then, Caiti had always been an anomaly in her family.

Marlowe raised his hand to knock on the front door, but never made contact. Caiti had already flung it open and thrown herself at him, arms around his middle where it was easiest for her to reach.

"You're home," Marlowe said, laughing.

Caiti bounced on her toes, holding on to him like she didn't plan on letting go for a long time. "I'm so happy you're here," she said.

"I'm so happy you're here," said Marlowe.

He caught sight of Sean and Evelyn over top of her head and smiled a hello at them. The O'Connell's were having a Christmas party that evening, now Caiti was back in town, which was the only reason Marlowe had agreed not to come to the train station to see her the moment she arrived. It had been a long time since the four of them had all been together.

Caiti shuffled them both inside without ever letting go and Marlowe kicked the door shut behind them. It felt wonderfully warm inside, even after his very short foray outdoors. The cold after dark was wet and sharp at this time of year. It bit at his nose, ears, and fingers.

"Come on, let's sit down," said Caiti. She finally let go and Marlowe took the opportunity to give Evelyn a brief hug hello and to clap Sean on the back.

"Good to see you," he said, falling back onto the couch next to Caiti. He reached up and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"You too," said Sean and he took a seat in one of the two chairs on the opposite side of the coffee table. Evelyn stood there for a moment before she sank down slowly into the other.

"Update me on everything," Caiti said to the three of them. "I don't have a clue what's going on with any of you."

"That's a lie," said Marlowe. "I send you letters every week and I just saw you in Hogsmeade."

"I write to you, too," said Evelyn.

"Well Sean doesn't," said Caiti. "He doesn't care about stupid little sisters. And anyway, you don't write everything that's happening in your letters."

"That's because nothing's going on with me," said Sean. "I just work."

"How's the flat?" Caiti asked. "It's so weird I haven't even seen it yet."

She looked between the two of them, but it was a minute before either of them answered. Finally, Evelyn said, "It's really nice. We like it."

Caiti felt Marlowe's fingers tap a rhythm against her shoulder and she wondered if he'd noticed how strange the two of them were acting.

—-

The four of them had hung out for the first part of the Christmas party, but sometime after dinner, Caiti and Marlowe had disappeared, leaving Evelyn to smile through endless conversations with all of Sean's parents' friends. Sean was personable enough with the other adults, and he stood near Evelyn, including her in the conversation as much as possible, but Evelyn still felt off.

She put her hand on Sean's arm, said she would be right back, and slipped away down the hall.

Evelyn shut the bathroom door behind her and just stood there, back pressed against the wood. Why was her heart pounding like she had just escaped something narrowly? She could hear Caiti laughing at something in her bedroom down the hall, the faint sound of Marlowe's voice continuing on with whatever it was that had started her laughing in the first place.

Before she really knew what she was doing, Evelyn opened the door back up and went to stand in the hall. Through the crack in the door, she could see them: Marlowe sitting back against the pillows, Caiti curled up on the bed, nearly crying with laughter. It stopped Evelyn's heart, seeing them together.

They were friends, she realized. They had stayed friends. They talked and they laughed and they enjoyed spending time together.

She tried to tell herself it was different, because she and Sean lived together. They hadn't been away from each other for months. But there was no conviction in this thought. Caiti rolled onto her stomach, calming down, and started to tell Marlowe something about school that week. It was the look on Marlowe's face as he listened to her that forced Evelyn to turn out of the hall. He looked at her like he cared what she had to say. Like he wanted to hear it.

Evelyn couldn't bear the thought of going back into the party, though. Instead, she turned into Sean's old bedroom, pulled out his desk chair, and sat down. She pulled her knees to her chest, pressed her forehead down, took a deep, slow breath. Although she couldn't make out their words, she could still hear through the wall the warm, buzzing of Caiti and Marlowe's conversation. She tried hard to block it out.

Sean came in at some point. Evelyn didn't have a clue how long she had been gone.

"There you are," he said. The fact that he had come to look for her at all was pathetically reassuring. Evelyn lifted her head.

"Sorry," she said weakly. "I didn't feel good all the sudden."

Sean sat down on the edge of the bed. "You don't have to stay."

And the small hopeful bubble in Evelyn's stomach popped. He hadn't said "we."

She looked past him, not sure what to say. She didn't particularly want to go home and go to bed alone again, but she didn't really want to hang around here either, talking to his parents' friends and catching the sparkling edges of Caiti and Marlowe's conversation. It was sucking her dry. She was exhausted.

"Can I get you anything?" Sean asked when Evelyn had been quiet too long.

She shook her head. "I guess I'll just go home. Go to bed."

Sean watched her for a minute. She thought he might be about to say he'd go with her, but instead, he stood up. "Okay. I should probably stay here a little longer. Help my mum clean up and everything."

"Right," said Evelyn. She stood, too, let Sean kiss her, and tried not to think about how it felt so perfunctory. "Well, I'll see you at home."

"See you at home," Sean nodded.

—-

Caiti was tired, but she didn't want Marlowe to leave. They were hardly even talking any more. She was lying on her back with her head in Marlowe's lap and he was playing with her hair. She heard him yawn every so often, but he didn't make any moves to leave either.

It was after eleven when Caiti started to hear goodbyes being said out in the living room. Every few minutes there was another crack of apparation, the occasional whoosh of the fireplace as someone took the floo network back home. She sat up and faced him. She had a feeling her mum would be in soon.

Marlowe's hand dropped onto her knee, thumb brushing back and forth.

When at last everyone had gone and the house was quiet, she heard footsteps out in the hall and then a small knock on the wall outside her door. She'd left it open. She didn't want her parents thinking she and Marlowe were up to anything they wouldn't want them knowing about when really all they were doing was talking. Still, Marlowe's hand disappeared from her knee at the sound.

Sure enough, it was her mum's head that poked around the corner.

"Hi," said Caiti.

"Are you kicking me out?" asked Marlowe. He was still sitting up against the pillows, ankles crossed.

"Everyone's gone home," she said with an apologetic smile. "But I'm sure we'll see lot's more of you while Caiti's home."

She came over to the bed and pulled Caiti's hair back behind her shoulders.

Marlowe started to sit up, swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and stood.

Caiti watched him, but she kept quiet. It was weird, her mum standing in the room with them. She was very glad it wasn't her dad at least, but still. She knew her mum would want to talk when Marlowe was gone.

Marlowe held his hand out to shake her mum's hand and said his thank yous. It was only when he started to head out of the room to get his coat that Caiti got up and followed. He shrugged his coat on and hugged her at the door. He didn't kiss her in front of her parents and Sean, all of whom were now standing in the living room, but he smoothed his hand over the back of her head and brushed her cheek with his thumb just before he let go.

"See you soon," he said quietly, and Caiti nodded. Marlowe said a quick goodbye to Sean, then disapparated. It was only after he was gone that Caiti noticed Sean was alone.

"Where's Evelyn?" she asked.

"She left a few hours ago," Sean said. "She didn't feel good."

"You didn't go with her?"

It was difficult to read the look on Sean's face.