The late summer storm unleashed its fury on the dozens of witches and wizards strolling Diagon Alley in late August. Most were shopping for Hogwarts, whether they were wide-eyed first-years with their proud parents, or gangly seventh-years asserting their independence and exploring on their own. When the skies opened, everyone ran for the nearest shop, desperate to escape the sudden downpour.

As the rain pounded the cobblestones, Lily stood at the window in Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions, waiting impatiently for the storm to let up so they could leave the stifling, over-crowded shop. It seemed fitting, somehow, that it would pour as she shopped for her seventh year supplies. She was not looking forward to going back and had reluctantly accompanied her cousin to pick up what they needed; the rain seemed an ominous portent, a sure sign that her year would be a tedious one.

Behind her, Roxanne was transfixed by the latest in wizarding makeup and perfume. Lily shook her head as she tuned out her cousin's excited exclamations. She wished they had at least got stuck in the bookshop instead of the beauty parlor. The cloying scents from dozens of competing perfumes were already starting to make her nauseous.

With a loud crack of thunder, the door flew open and a tall wizard dashed in, soaking wet and muttering under his breath. He looked up and immediately flushed to find himself in a shop full of young witches trying on the newest fashions and spritzing their wrists with the latest perfume, all now staring at him.

Though he was drenched to the skin with hair plastered to his head, Lily recognized him. He was a family friend, although they had grown apart over the years and she hadn't seen him since he had left Hogwarts. Glad for an excuse to step away from Roxanne and her makeup ministrations, she hurried over to the door.

"Brian!" she exclaimed. "How are you?"

He glanced up and groaned, pushing sopping hair out of his face. "Wet." Squinting at her, he grinned. "Lily? Merlin, imagine running into you here! It's great to see you!"

"You too," she said with a smile. "I'd hug you if I weren't afraid of drowning."

He laughed, and Lily was struck by how easy and natural it sounded. She recalled a time when he was quiet and unassuming, even as a seventh-year, but now he seemed completely confident and comfortable. She wondered what had happened to him that he had grown so much in a year. She found herself rather liking the change.

"I suppose I should do something about that," he replied, pulling out his wand. "Before the owners toss me back into the storm." He ran his wand up and down his robes, expertly drawing the water out. Then he quickly dried his hair and tucked his wand back in his pocket with a grin. "There, how about now?"

Lily laughed and gave him a quick hug. Again, she was struck by how much he had changed; she remembered him as an gangly, awkward teenager, but he was clearly a well-built man now. She had to lean up to wrap her arms around his shoulders and was surprised at how broad they were. She hoped she wasn't blushing.

"So how are you, Brian?" she asked again, stepping back almost reluctantly. "It's been a long time."

"It has, hasn't it?" he said, running his hand through his hair. "I'm doing great. How about you? You're not done with Hogwarts yet, are you?"

"No, not yet," she replied. "This is my last year." She rolled her eyes, feeling strangely embarrassed for still being in school when Brian was clearly beyond that.

"Are you Head Girl?" he asked, sounding interested. "Because you should be." Lily suddenly felt ten years younger. They had been fairly close as children, although Brian had preferred hanging out with her brothers whenever their families got together. He was far nicer than James and Albus, however, when it came to including Lily. He was an only child and seemed to enjoy having a younger sister to include. Lily had enjoyed having a older brother-like friend who actually talked to her like she was a human being and not a pathetic excuse for space.

As they had grown older, however, their families had grown apart. Brian had gone off to Hogwarts the same year as Albus and was sorted into Hufflepuff, following in his mother's footsteps instead of his father's. When Lily had followed two years later, she had gone to Gryffindor with James and most of her cousins. Being in both different houses and different years at Hogwarts had meant her and Brian saw less and less of each other. Lily had been a fifth-year prefect when Brian had left Hogwarts and had not seen him since. She felt like she hardly knew the boy standing in front of her now, but was keenly interested in learning more about him.

"I am," she replied, coming out of her reverie. "Someone had to do it, I suppose."

"That's fantastic! And at least you won't have to dock points on your brothers," he replied, laughing easily again. Lily couldn't help it: she laughed as well. Albus wouldn't have been that hard to manage, but James had certainly lost Gryffindor his fair share of points over the years. It was still hard to believe he had turned out as well as he had and was playing Quidditch for the Pride of Portree.

At that moment Roxanne came over, exclaiming over the new mallowsweet scent from Madam Primpernelle's latest collection of lotions. She stopped abruptly when she saw Brian watching them with an amused smile.

"Sorry, Lils—didn't realize you had scooped up the only man in the shop." She grinned wickedly and Lily groaned inwardly, hoping her cousin wouldn't embarrass her too much in front of someone she really wanted to get to know again.

"I was just trying to get out of the storm," Brian said. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your shopping." His actually winked at Lily, and this time she did blush. For some reason, she didn't want him thinking she shopped in places like that.

"Oh, no!" she said, shaking her head. "We were just ducking out of the rain, too. I actually need to get to Scribbulus before they close. I need new parchment and quills."

"And probably about a dozen different textbooks, I imagine," said Brian. "If I remember seventh year correctly. It's a back breaker."

"I've already got most of them from James and Al," said Lily. "Although I do need Divination."

Roxanne made a face. "I still don't understand why you're taking that dusty old class."

"If your father had been the subject of one of the wizarding world's most famous prophecies, you'd probably be interested in it too," said Brian before she could reply. She smiled at him; it was like old times, when he had stuck up for her to her brothers. Roxanne merely raised an eyebrow and was quiet; Lily was thankful her cousin didn't make any more teasing remarks.

"I liked divination," continued Brian, turning back toward Lily. "I didn't take the N.E.W.T. class, though. You'll have to tell me about it. I'm heading toward Quality Quidditch Supplies. Want to walk together? It looks like the rain is letting up."

Lily glanced outside, and sure enough, a slow trickle of wizards and witches were beginning to return to the street as the clouds began to break up and the sky gradually lightened. She glanced at Roxanne, a questioning look in her eyes. Her cousin looked somewhat skeptical, but finally shrugged. And then to Lily's delight, she even offered to stay behind.

"I've got a few more things to look at here, so I'll just catch up with you guys later," she said. She gave Lily a quick hug and a smile that told her that Roxanne's annoyance was only superficial; her cousin could clearly read between the lines and see that Lily was interested in walking with Brian—alone.

"Thanks," she said, and turning toward Brian, she left the suffocating perfume shop. She breathed deeply outside and smiled to herself, suddenly enjoying the trip much more than when it had started. She liked Roxanne, but sometimes they were so different that it was hard to get on with her without a bit of sacrifice. Lily had a feeling Brian's company would be much more enjoyable.

As they walked, they began to catch up on what they had been doing since they had last seen each other. It had been at a celebration dinner the previous summer, just after Brian and Albus had left Hogwarts. Brian had brought Sierra Thomas, his girlfriend. Lily felt obligated to ask after her.

"Oh, I imagine she's doing well," said Brian with a shrug. "We broke up in the fall when she started at Gringotts. I haven't really talked to her since."

Lily felt her heart skip a beat even as she offered her condolences. Brian laughed. "It's not like she died. And it's not like we were planning to get married. We broke up. It's fine. How about you?" he asked, bumping her more like an older brother than a potential date. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"No," said Lily, again embarrassed for no real reason other than feeling young and inexperienced. She had never dated anyone, to be honest, but she didn't want to say that, and stretched her answer a bit. "Not at the moment."

Brian nodded to himself but did not say anything, and they walked in uncomfortable silence until they reached Scribbulus. Brian helped her pick out some parchment and quills and even recommended a new ink. The awkwardness melted away as they laughed and joked as if they were children again. They left the shop with everything she needed and more. Lily was about to make her excuses and rejoin her cousin, when Brian turned to her, a hopeful look on his face.

"Would you like to stop by the ice cream parlour?" he asked, his words rushed. "Maybe have a sundae? It's on the way to Quality Quidditch Supplies. You still haven't told me about Divination."

Lily held back an excited exclamation. She smiled and nodded instead, and they quickly made their way toward Florean's. Lily asked him what he needed at the Quidditch shop.

"Well, I'm actually doing a bit of research," he said. "On brooms. My boss is revising the guidelines for international trade and put me on broomsticks." He paused and grinned at her. "Which is ironic considering I hate the damn things."

"You do?" Lily asked, surprised. "But I remember you playing Quidditch at the house with James and Albus! You must not hate them that much."

"Oh, no," said Brian, laughing. "I've always hated them. Only I wanted to make my dad proud so I pretended I didn't. If you remember, I always played Keeper. Much easier staying in one place that zooming around like a mad Snitch."

"So does he know you hate flying now?" she asked, enjoying the chance to tease him. "Your dad?"

"He does, yes. He broke his wrist the first time he went up, so he agrees wholeheartedly that wizards were just not meant to fly!" Brian laughed again, then stopped himself and gave her a very serious look. "Only don't tell your mum that."

Now it was Lily's turn to laugh as they approached the ice cream parlour. "I won't. She knows I'm no Quidditch star by now. She…" Lily trailed off as they entered Florean's. "Merlin, she's right there."

Lily's heart sank: her parents were sharing a table in the corner with Teddy Lupin and his three-year-old son John. She had completely forgot that they were meeting her father's godson while she shopped with Roxanne for their school supplies. Before she could turn around and suggest to Brian that they eat somewhere else, her parents had seen her and waved them over.

"Brian!" her father exclaimed, standing and shaking Brian's hand. "It's been a long time. How are you?" Her mother embraced him, remarking over his grown appearance.

"Hi, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter," said Brian, smiling easily. "It's good to see you. Teddy," he continued, shaking hands with her honorary cousin. "Who's this again?"

"My name is John," piped up the young boy, who had remained seated and was very studiously working on a small dish of ice cream. "I'm eating chocolate!"

Lily gave the boy a hug and got a sloppy chocolate kiss in return. "You're a lucky boy, then. Maybe I'll have some, too."

"Not mine," said John, his eyes big and round. "You can get your own."

Everyone laughed as Lily's parents invited them to sit down and join them. Brian settled into an easy conversation with them about his own family. Although Lily would have preferred to talk with him herself, she was glad to see Teddy and John and enjoyed hearing about their day as everyone caught up. They ordered sundaes and waited patiently for them to arrive as the others finished theirs.

"I think we'll be going now," her mother finally said, standing and pretending to stretch. "We only stepped in because of the rain." Lily gave her mother a grateful smile; her mum, in return, gave her a look that said she wanted to know exactly what was going on later.

"Give our regards to your parents, Brian," said her father, shaking hands with Brian one last time. "It's been too long. We should get together again, like we used to. It's not the same just saying 'hi' passing through the Leaky Cauldron."

"I'm sure they would love that," Brian replied. "I know I would. I'll tell them."

"Take care, Brian," said her mother, hugging him tight. "Hopefully we'll see you again soon." She looked at Lily when she said this, and Lily couldn't help but give her an exasperated roll of her eyes in return; she was being quite obvious. Her mother just smiled. "Lily, we'll need to meet in an hour to get back to the Burrow for Sunday dinner, okay?"

They headed out, John Lupin dashing out the door before any of them could stop him. Teddy waved goodbye as he ran after his son, and Lily sat down to finish her sundae, laughing at the little boy's antics.

"So are you looking forward to going back?" Brian asked. "You didn't seem too excited back at Madam Primpernelle's and have avoided talking about it since."

Lily shrugged. In one brief conversation he had picked up on something even her parents hadn't asked about. Maybe she hid it better from them; yet for some reason, she felt comfortable telling him the truth.

"Honestly?" she replied. "I'm not, no. I should be, but…I don't know. I'm not." She picked at her ice cream, thinking again on the upcoming train to Hogwarts and all the reasons she wished she could skip getting on and leaving.

"Is it being Head Girl?" he asked quietly. "Are you nervous?"

Lily shook her head. "No, I'm not nervous. I can do it. Like you said, with my brothers gone—not to mention half my cousins—it should be far easier than usual."

Brian nodded his agreement. "Yes, the Weasley clan definitely wreaked some havoc while I was there. You'll be fine. Unless you miss them?" he added.

"I guess so," Lily said, not sure. "Some of them. Roxanne and Hugo are still around, so that's good. But yes, I guess I will miss them. Or rather, it sort of bothers me, being one of the last to finish. And I'm not that excited about my classes. Hagrid's left, you know. Last year was his last."

"My dad mentioned it, yes," said Brian. "That’s too bad. Were you taking Care of Magical Creatures?" When Lily nodded, he continued. "It definitely won't be the same without him, that's for sure. But what else is bothering you?"

Lily sighed. "I don't know, I just don't know. Maybe I'm sad to be starting my last year, even as I dread it? Maybe I'm ready to be done now, and yet I don't want to leave Hogwarts yet? And I have no idea what I'm going to do afterwards."

Brian reached over and took her hand. Lily glanced at it in surprise as she felt gooseflesh run up her arms at his touch. "I understand, I do. I sort of felt that way toward the end of seventh year. I just wanted to be done, and yet I didn't want to leave. It's hard."

"You know," said Lily, dropping his hand and returning to her ice cream, "we mostly talked about me and my family all afternoon. So tell me—what did you do after Hogwarts? Where have you been?"

His face lit up, brown eyes sparkling with animation as he began to tell her. "I had no idea, either, so I took most of the year and traveled, and it was amazing. You should try it." As he began to tell her how he had Apparated across Europe, Portkeyed to Australia, and actually taken Muggle transportation to American ("It was ghastly," he shuddered,) Lily began to wonder if she should do something similar. It sounded like he had learned so much, met so many people, and matured a great deal during his travels. She was suddenly envious, and decided she needed to talk to her parents about it as soon as she got home. It sounded like exactly what she needed to get her through seventh year.

Too soon they had finished their ice cream and were heading back onto the street. The sun had come out and steam was rising from the cobblestones as the temperature began to climb. Lily took off her light sweater and pulled her hair back in a clip. "So what are you doing now?" she asked.

"Actually, I'm working at the Ministry of Magic," replied Brian. "I just started a week ago."

"Really?" exclaimed Lily. "But Albus works there! He hasn't said a thing. What department are you in?"

"Not his, I'm afraid. At least, I haven't run into him yet. I'm working for your uncle," Brian said, waiting to see her reaction.

"For my…" Lily frowned, trying to figure out who he was talking about. "Oh! You mean Uncle Percy!" She stopped and stared at him. "Really? You're working there?"

Brian laughed and pulled her along. Once again she felt that tingle as he took her hand; this time she embraced it and did not let go. "Yes, really. I'm in the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Do you like it?" she asked, unable to keep the skepticism from her voice even though he sounded proud.

"I think so," he replied. "Right now I'm just a minor assistant working for the International Magical Trading Standards Body, but I really want to move up to International Magical Law."

Lily nodded. "That's what my Aunt Hermione does."

"I know," said Brian. "I'd love to work with her. She's does amazing things for wizarding rights."

"Then I'm sure you will soon," said Lily. "Now, what did you need at Quality Quidditch Supplies? You said you were doing research."

"I am. We're working on new broomstick regulations, and I said I would talk to the owner about some of the things she felt would benefit the business. I have an appointment this afternoon." He launched into a detailed description of the old regulations and some of the ideas they were discussing for change. Although it was a subject Lily would have found dull and boring if her uncle had been discoursing at the dinner table, Brian was so full of honest enthusiasm for his new job (if not entirely the subject of brooms) that she found herself actually interested. Perhaps it was more the sound of his voice, or his subtle sense of humour about it all, but Lily was disappointed when they arrived at the shop and had to end their time together. She knew he needed to speak with the owner, and she had to meet up with her family to head to the Burrow for dinner. They paused outside the door.

"Well, I should go," Lily said, thoroughly reluctant to leave.

"Yes, and I should get to my research," said Brian, inclining his head toward the shop. Neither of them moved, however. Instead, they both started speaking at the same time.

"I really had a—"

"Lily, I was wondering—"

Laughing, Brian indicated she should go first. Lily took a deep breath.

"I had a good time," she said. "I'm glad we had a chance to catch up."

"Me too," he replied. He was still holding her hand, and Lily realized he was starting to run his thumb over her palm, caressing it gently. She felt her breath quicken.

"Your turn," she said, her voice coming out as an embarrassed squeak that she hoped he wouldn't notice.

"Well, I was just wondering…" He trailed off, clearly uncomfortable for the first time that afternoon. "I mean, I was hoping…" Or maybe he was nervous. He shook his head and gave her a self-conscious smile as he rushed through his words. "I was thinking maybe we could meet again, before you head back?"

"Head back home? Today?" she asked, confused.

"Back to Hogwarts," he said. "You have another week, right? Maybe we could have lunch, if you wanted…" Again he left off, as if afraid of what she might say. And yet, how could she say no? She had been hoping he would ask; she had been trying to work up the courage if he hadn't.

"Of course," she exclaimed. "I would really love to. You can tell me more about broomstick regulations."

He rolled his eyes. "Or we could talk about anything else, really. Like Divination. What about Saturday for lunch? Unless you have plans with your family?" She shook her head and he smiled, squeezing her hand. "Good. I'd really like to see you again."

Lily caught her breath as he started to lean toward her. She licked her lips and tilted her head toward him, closing her eyes at the last second. Warm lips touched hers, gently at first, then with increasing intensity when he found she was willing. And yet as their tongues met and eagerly explored, he slowly pulled back, leaving her breathless and wanting more.

"I can't wait until Saturday," he murmured, his free hand rising to her face.

"Me too," she replied with a sigh.

She reluctantly turned away and headed back down the street. She turned to wave before turning a corner; Brian was standing at the door, watching her leave. With a small smile, she hurried to meet her family, excited to tell Roxanne about her afternoon. Maybe she would even tell her mum.

More than anything, Lily found herself looking forward to the coming year. It didn't make sense. She should have been dreading it even more, having just met someone who had already left Hogwarts and was working for the Ministry. And yet should couldn't help but think that her seventh year might be the best one yet, thanks to Brian Longbottom.

* * *