Liam laughed as he let her go, "Temptin', seein' as how I have Charms. But I suppose ye better go t' class. No need fer ye t' start developin' bad habits yer first year on account o' me," he added with a laugh as he started walking out of the Great Hall.

--------------

Sighing, she wondered what he meant earlier by never wanting anyone in his arms but her again. Completely oblivious that it was nearly a proposal, Leane simply smiled lightly, "Why do you two have to fight so much.. especially over me.. I'm not worth all the trouble.. Besides, I can't ignore Josh.. what he says hurts more than it would if someone else had said it.. He's my brother.. if he thinks poorly of me..." Sighing she turned her head so her cheek was resting on his chest, "And he doesn't have a right to hate you.. it was my fault he hated you in the first place.. if I've forgotten our past mistakes, then he should as well.. Unless there's something you two aren't telling me, there shouldn't be reason for this much hatred between you two.. there's no way there can be if I'm the only reason.. I'm just simply not worth that much fighting!"

The brunette hesitated a while, but then ran after him a bit, pulling at his sleeve and pulling him down to give him a proper snog. "I kind of like your bad habits, though," she whispered after the kiss, blushing a bit as she stepped back. "But I do want to learn things."

----

"It is - because you're worth it," he pointed out, his voice less gentle to help get his point across. "I know for a fact that he doesn't think poorly of you - just of me." His fingers disappeared into her hair lightly as he brushed away her bangs. "We'll find a solution. I know he can hurt you more then anyone, but... we'll figure it out."

Liam smiled as he kissed her, "Aye, 'n' besides, we have Saturday t' look forward to, right love?"

--------------

Leane shook her head gently, "No.. he doesn't hurt me more than anyone. He hurts me more than everyone but you, you only hurt me the most." Sighing, she placed her hand over his and turned her face slightly so she could kiss the inside of his wrist. Wiping away the left over tears on her tear-stained face with her other hand, she wiped them on her skirt before wrapping her arms around Fynn's neck, bring her face closer to his as she spoke softly. "I'll talk to him, when I'm not so angry with him.. I'll make him see how much I love you, and how important you are to me.. I'll make him understand so you won't have to fight so much.. I can't bear to see you two fighting anymore.. Promise me you'll try and come to some sort of agreement and be civil to each other.."

"Exactly." Grinning broadly at him, she waves lightly, before hurrying off to her first Potions class of the year.

-----

"I promised that to you before," Fynn smiled, his hands cupping her cheeks to whipe away the remaining tears. "But I'll promise it again - I'll do my very best to avoid arguments with Josh, and be civil. And... also..." The black-haired youth let out a light sigh, resting his forehead against hers as he whispered, "I'm sorry I hurted you so much before."

Liam smiled as he waved back before heading off to his class.

------------------

Kalli sighed as she began taking notes, scooching close to Drew as she whispered, "Leane's not here yet.."

Drew nodded, "Neither is Fynn."

"Think he found her?"

"Let's hope so.. if not, Josh's surely going to end up turning into something unless her anger subsides before then."

Biting her lower lip, "I hope they'll both be okay.. Lee's temper.. it's pretty bad..."

Drew chuckled softly, "No kidding. She blew up Sai's bathroom over the summer when Josh pissed her off the last time."

Kalli laughed softly, "I remember. That's what I'm afraid will happen again! Except this time it might be Josh that gets blown up!"

------------------

Leane shook her head, "No, don't be. I've really gotten over it. You mean more to me than that. I'm not one to bring up the past whenever we fight, so please, don't think I will. It happened then, we were both in the wrong, we both hurt each other. But it's okay because we're fine now, right? So you needn't keep apologizing."

Smiling, her hands slid down to his chest, clutching his shirt as she pulled him close and kissed him. "The only thing I ask of you, besides love me, is that you do your best to get along with Josh. I know perfectly well that he's a stubborn ass and won't approach you about making a truce. That's why I'm asking you to be the one to suggest it. Josh is the only family I can rely on.. I don't want to see the man I love and my brother fighting every time I walk into the room.. And I promise, I'll talk to him as soon as I can.. I just don't think it'll be anytime today.. For if I did, you may wake up tomorrow to find me banned from the Hogsmeade trip and detention for the next month, possibly even longer!" she added with a laugh.

Laughing softly, she sighed, "Listen to me.. I'm rambling and just repeating myself.. Although.. saying that he'll get over everything and be fine... saying it so many times.. I'm hoping I can convince myself and believe it.. pretty stupid of me.. huh.."

"It's not stupid at all," Fynn shushed right away, cupping her face again to lift her lips to his in a kiss. "It's only natural. And... I may not be as hotheaded as Josh, but... I'm still pretty pissed off at him at the moment," he gave an emberrassed little cough, looking away as he did so. "But I'll try to get him to agree to a truce as soon as I can."

His eyes bore in hers again only a second later, and he kissed her passionately before murmuring against her lips, "I suppose class is out of the question for today?"

Leane laughed softly, "Only if you want to see him turned into a rat." Smiling, she kissed him, pulling him with her as she leaned back against the wall. Kissing his nose gently, she sighed, "And I'm very glad you're not hotheaded. If you were, I don't think I could have calmed down nearly as fast. But," she added reluctantly, "you shouldn't miss class on account of me. It wouldn't be right if I let your grades slip just because of me.. it's not fair to you."

Considering this, Fynn shifted her in his arms, leaning his shoulders against the wall instead of her. "True, but I'd be a pretty lousy boyfriend if I let you fail your grades by yourself, too. Let's say we skip first period, and then go back?"

Leane shook her head, "I'm not going at all. I think.. I think I'll head down to the lake.. I have the urge to take a dip to try and cool my head.. Maybe the cold water will help clear my thoughts.. Besides, my grades will be fine. After all, I have my weekends spent solely with you, right? You can always help me catch up then. And it's not like I'm a total dunce, I'm sure I can manage without one day of classes. I'll just talk to the Professors tonight after dinner once I find out from Kal what classes we had, I'm sure they won't punish me too much."

Still unsure of what to do, Fynn eyed her lightly - then, with a light sigh, stood up. "Alright then, to the lake, it is." Holding out his hands to pull Leane up, he added with a smile, "My grades won't be much influenced by two days of skippig, either. So let's go swimming."

Leane took his hands and allowed him to help her up as she eyed him carefully, "Are you sure you don't mind?" Sighing lightly, she added teasingly as she ran her fingers through her hair to try and make it a bit more presentable, "I really am a bad influence aren't I..."

"You're only one because I'm allowing you to," Fynn smiled, his fingers gently caressing her cheek as she stood close to him. "I'll force you to be a good girl in no time," he teased, dropping his hands to his side, and taking a step back. "So just indulge me for now."

Kissing his cheek, she teased, "Hmm, we'll just see about that. Sai and Kal have been trying to reform me for years; I'm afraid I'm simply too far gone to be helped. But as for indulging you, you simply have to say your wish and it shall be my command."

Leane smiled up at Fynn, taking his hand in her's as they began walking down the hall, stopping for a moment to pick up her wand. Handing it to him, she blushed, "You'd better hold on to this until tomorrow. Who knows what I'll do when I see him. Better to be safe than sorry, no?"

Slipping it into the inside of his cloak, Fynn nodded, feeling stupidly proud of Leane because of it. "Yeah, you're right - good thinking." His head closed the distance between them as he lightly pecked her lips. "Well then, what mischief shall we do today?"

Leane smiled as she returned his kiss with a more tender one, "No mischief yet, let's just relax at the lake. Hearing the sounds of the waves remind me of the oceans of home; it calms me to some degree, even if it is only the sounds of fresh-water waves. You should see the ocean this time of year, it's truly gorgeous at both sunset and sunrise."

Laughing softly, she linked her arm loosely through his, gently stroking his hand and wrist as they walked, "Who knew I could miss Japan this much. I guess my parents deciding to stay in London the past few holidays have really made me homesick; usually I'm glad to leave there and come back to England."

As her fingers moved into his hand, Fynns' closed around them, holding her hand in his with linked arms. "It's not so strange," he offered, a tender smile on his lips as he tilted his head lightly to look at her. "No matter what, it's still your home. You think that maybe, after you've finished school, that you'd like to go back there?"

----

Though potions had somewhat appealed to her, at first, Anna was now severely dreading most of what she was planning on doing that day. Professor Snape was even more surly IN the classroom then outside of it, and hadn't even made the slightest attempt to hide his disdain for the Gryffindors.

Still, the brunette considered - using her quill to mark down something next to the potion recipe they had to make that instance - the sleazebag knew his stuff, and in itself, potions were kinda like cooking - so it couldn't be THAT bad.

...or so she hoped.

Leane nodded, "I hope to. Dad wants me to become head of his company at some point but mother wants me in the Ministry with her, but I don't want to do either. I'm not suited for business and I'm not interested in Ministry work. To be perfectly honest, I don't know what I want to do once I finish Hogwarts. Maybe I'll travel a bit before going home, I've always wanted to see what the muggles call 'The Seven Wonders of the World'. I've seen pictures, but to see it in person..." Her sentence tapered off as she thought dreamily about the pyramids in Egypt, the hanging gardens of Babylon, the Colosseum in Rome, the Great Wall of China.

Coming out of her day dream she laughed softly, "But yes, I hope to live in Japan once I'm through. I wouldn't mind a small house by the ocean. What about you? What are your plans?"

---------------------

Packing up their things in the Transfiguration room, Kalli looked over at Josh, who was still spacing out and staring at the board. Picking up her things, she walked over to him and sat on his desk, placing her books down behind her and cupping his chin in her hand, "It'll be alright. She's just cooling off."

Taking her hand in his, bringing her wrist to his lips, he forced a smile, "I know. Better than killing me right?"

Kalli smiled as she slid into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Yes. And don't worry, I'll let you copy my notes later. Why don't you take the day off and rest for awhile. You're not even truly here at the moment. So head back to the common room and get some sleep instead of getting in trouble in class for not paying attention."

Josh nodded as he moved so they both stood up, "Yeah, you're probably right. I owe you one."

Smiling with a twinkle in her eye, "You can make it up to me later."

Josh smiled as he placed a kiss on her cheek before gathering up his things and heading out.

Kalli sighed as she joined Drew, who had been waiting for her outside, "Think he'll get through the day?"

"I'm not sure.. I talked him into taking a rest, but who knows what he'll do."

Drew sighed, "Is there ever going to be a day when we can all be cheerful and not fight?"

Kalli laughed softly, "I'm not sure. Let's hope! But for now, we'd better get a move on. We've got Ancient Runes next."

"Follow you around to visit those wonders doesn't count, I suppose?" Her dreamy expression as she had talked about the trip had done enough to him to want to go along. He smiled lightly at her as he became more serious, thinking over his future plans. "It's about the same with me... dads' already dissapointed that I'm not a Slytherin, so I don't think I have much choice but take over the care of the estate." Fynn looked doubtful as he added, "I haven't put much thought in it yet, actually..."

--------------------

Anna waited patiently for the rest of her classmates to seep out of the classroom, pretending to take a long time to put her supplies back into the vibrant pink tote-bag she was using for her potions supplies. Even before the last person had left the dungeon, Snape stood in front of her desk, looking annoyed as usual. "I take it you're being slow as a turtle for a reason, Miss Van Orsenhoven?" The dullness and annoyance in his tone didn't fase Anna in the slightest - and though she didn't counter him this time with a brilliant smile, she countered it with utmost sincerity, and a serious face. "I want you to teach me the potion that keeps Saiyuri's ailment in check."

Saying that Snape was surprised, would have been an understatement.

"I wouldn't mind if you came with me. It would be much more fun to share it with someone I love than to take the trip alone," Leane said as she returned his smile, "You always have a choice. If you don't want to run the estate, let your father find someone else to run it. Though, I'd watch what conditions you agree to."

"In order for me not to take over the business, I had to agree to one condition. He refused to tell me the condition first, but I still agreed; thinking it would be something trivial like watching over the company to make sure it doesn't fall to ruin when the Supton family is no longer running it. However, I was sadly mistaken," laughing softly, Leane twirled a piece of her hair as she spoke, "my father made it clear over the summer that if I refuse the business completely, the poor soul who asks for my hand in marriage will be the bloke to take over, which surely means that I'll unluckily be betrothed to whomever my father sees fit to take over. I just hope my father wasn't serious and was just trying to pressure me into the position. I mean honestly, my father loves me dearly, he couldn't possibly except me to agree to marry some wizard whom I've never heard of just because he's got business sense within he company; I'd never be happy for as long as I live!"

Sighing, she pushed the thoughts from her mind as they walked down the stair cases, "Anyway, my point is, don't let your father trick you like my father tricked me. It causes quite a bit of tension between you."

----------------

Josh, not paying attention to where he was going, began walking up the stair cases instead of down, heading strait for Leane and Fynn.

----------------

Leane's eyes widened as she saw Josh aimlessly wandering up the stair cases. Pulling Fynn into one of the corridors just off the staircase, she pushed him against the wall. Covering his mouth, she waited for Josh to pass.

----------------

Josh passed Leane's hiding place, unaware of her presence, advancing past the third floor. As he stepped onto the fourth floor, he realized where he was and quickly turned around and made his way down to the dungeons.

----------------

When Josh had passed a second time and his footsteps couldn't be heard, Leane took her hand away from Fynn's mouth and blushed, "Sorry.."

Fynn wasn't sorry in the slightest, and he gently kissed her lips after dismissing her apology. The couple of minutes they had spend in hiding had been enough for the initial shock and surprise to go off of his face - not to mention, the anger at Leane's father doing such a stupid thing. It had also been enough for his mind to organize his possibilities, and consider which was the most likely event to make him happy.

With his lips still on hers, Fynns' hands softly caressed Leane's lower back, talking against her mouth, "How about this, then..." His lips pressed against hers again, and as he pulled back, his voice was no more then a mere whisper, though his eyes calmly searched for hers. "First we go see the Seven wonders of the World, and then I take over your dads' business."

Leane's eyes widened, thoughts racing through her head, hardly finishing before a new thought began, 'Did he just.. no, he couldn't... did he? no... not possible.. did he realize..? He couldn't have... could he?'

Shaking her head to try to make sense of her thoughts, she looked up at him, her voice barely audible, "W-what did you... just s-say?"

'Second time's the charm, huh,' Fynn thought in amusement, watching her as she seemed to be working out some insane math problem. With his face still close to hers, he arched his neck up, placing a light kiss on her forehead before looking back into her eyes.

"I wouldn't be 'some poor bloke', of course, and we'd have to make sure your dad considers me fit for the job, but I think it could work." His smile was confident, but the expression in his eyes was softer, more insecure. "Don't you?"

Leane's hand began massaging her forehead and temple before slipping into her hand and grasping a bit of hair, as was her habit when she was trying to think things through, "You-you want to-to... m-marry me? Me? Of all people in the world, you choose a bumbling idiot with a short-temper known as Leane?"

Letting her hand drop a bit so it was massaging her temple and forehead once more, she looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, "You're serious.. you-you're really serious?"

Smiling, she kissed him passionately before throwing her arms around his waist and hugging him, the side of her head resting on his chest as tears rolled down her cheeks, "You're not just saying this because I've been crying and you pity me, are you?"

Though his arms wrapped around her in a crushing hug, his whole body shook with warm laughter - both out of joy, and out of amusement at Leane's changing emotions. "You honestly think I'd hold a torch for you the past five years and not be serious about it? I told you..." His hand dissapeared in her hair as he clung to her, ignoring the warmth of her body as best as he could. "I love you, and I'm serious about us - serious, as in, Leane, will you be my wife?"

He blushed when he actually uttered the words, and was almost afraid to loosen his grip on her. "T-though, of course," he stammered, loosening his grip on her body a little to kiss her, "After graduation and such..."

Leane lifted her head and looked into his eyes as she nodded, her voice barely above a whisper, "Of course, you idiot. You think I could say no? I love you, and whether my father likes it or not, I will marry you as long as you'll have me."

Smiling as one hand slid around his waist, up his chest, clutching his shirt, the other hand pressing against his back as she pulled her self closer to him, their lips touching.

"I will wait forever for you, you're the only one I will ever agree to marry, you're stuck with me for life no matter what," she whispered against his lips before locking her lips against his, tears gently rolling down her cheeks as she kissed him.