juniper's pov:

I pulled on a cami and a pair of cutoffs. It was a warm afternoon, which I was grateful for. That meant we could go swimming in the lake today. We got to the cabin, by Floo network of course, just a few minutes go. Well, we call it a cabin. It's really more of a very large lakehouse. Three stories, eight bedrooms, and a small guesthouse out back, all laying on an acre's worth of property. My parents, the McGonagalls, and the Granger-Weasleys had bought it around the time we all turned five. They all had steady jobs, steady income, and needed a place to let us roam free without worrying. They'd built the guesthouse after the fact, for Molly and Arthur or Evelyn and Sirius when they came to visit. It was pure luck that the World Cup was just a few miles away.

I peered out my window, taking in the lush treetops and fresh air. The kids all stayed on the third floor. Vanessa, Rose, and Evelyn splitting one bedroom, the guys split the room next to mine, and Ethan and Cali each had their own room. We pretty much had the run of the house this summer, all our parents were occupied with the World Cup or the upcoming election.

The screen door creaked open downstairs. I wondered who was here. I was surprised that no one else had arrived yet, the Potters were never the first to anything, like ever.

"James!" I called, not really wanting to go down the numerous flights of stairs, "Who is it?" There was no reply. I sighed, twisting my hair into a quick, albeit messy, bun. "James!" Still no reply. God damn it. I trudged down the stairs with annoyance, my hair already starting to come undone. I moved to fix it, and noticed my shirt ride up. Oops. Maybe mum was right and I did need some new clothes. Oh well.

"Hey Junie." Leo lounged against the counter, waving in greeting.

"Leo!" I cried, giving him a hug, and then crossed my arms disapprovingly, "Didn't you hear me from upstairs?"

He shrugged, smirking, "You were calling for James, not me."

"You arsehole." I punched him in the shoulder, shaking my head.

"You missed me." Leo preened, sticking his tongue out at me.

I looked around the kitchen searching for the other members of the McGonagall family, "Where's your- oh!" My eyes fell on a person I hadn't realized was in the kitchen, "Teddy! Hi." I embraced him, surprised by how low my head hit on his chest. Had he gotten taller? How was that even possible? He had almost a whole foot on me now, merlin's beard.

Teddy had an odd expression on his face, and he still hadn't said anything. Was he alright? He looked as though he had just swallowed a cat. "Teddy?" I repeated with concern, waving a hand in front of his face, "You ok in there?" He opened his mouth and closed it. What in the world? "Teddy?" I pressed again, and heard the distinct sounds of footfalls above. Sure enough James skidded to a stop in the kitchen, panting like he'd just run several miles.

"Did-did someone say- he wheezed, red in the face, TEDDY!" He clobbered the blonde with a hug, patting him on the back heartily. Teddy responded with equal vigor, while Leo and I just watched in disbelief.

"Do you think we should leave them alone?" Leo whispered to me, when the hug still hadn't ended.

"Honestly you two, get a room." I teased, nudging Leo as we snickered. Teddy and James both glared at me.

"See what I've had to put up with all summer." James complained to Teddy, flipping me off.

"Thank god you're back mate." Teddy responded, "I don't know how much more of Leo's incessant reading I could take. I'm suffering from Quidditch withdrawal, of course Charlie's been in bloody Romania all summer."

"Romania was fucking awesome." The screen door shut with a crash, "Dragons are badass. " Charlie strolled into the kitchen, sporting a variety of burns up and down his forearm.

"Oh my Godric, what the fuck happened to you?" I gasped, as we all crowded around him.

"Eh, Charlie said airily, brushing us off, it's just a few scars."

"Aunt Mione's going to kill you." I told him, pressing my lips together. I would not want to be on the receiving end of that conversation.

"Don't you have press pictures for the election in like a week?" Teddy queried, furrowing his brow.

Charlie paled at the thought, "There's glamour charms..."

"Dude, James whistled lowly as we made our way back up the stairs, Junie's right she's gonna send the birds after you."

Charlie gulped, and Teddy bent down to murmur in my ear, "Since when did James start saying dude?"

I rolled my eyes, "He picked it up in California." I whispered back, "Expect to hear lots of bros, chills, legits, and cools in the next few days." I warned, and Teddy laughed.

"How was California?"

"It was good, great actually." I began enthusiastically, "We surfed, I-" Vanessa and Rose's door swung open.

"Junie." My sister beckoned me over, gripping something in her hand.

"What?"

"Letter for you." Vanessa handed me a cream envelope. My heartbeat quickened. Could it be from Alex? Already? I took the letter gratefully, sharing a secret smile with Nessa, before attempting to return to my room to open it in privacy. Alas, it was not meant to be.

"Letter? For Junie?" The boy's ears perked up with interest, eyes zeroing in on the paper in my hand. I swear, they're all deaf until they want to bother me. I quickly hid the letter behind my back, speeding up my pace. I hightailed it to my room, shutting the door as fast as I could. I was too slow.

Teddy snatched the letter out of my hands, grinning broadly, "Now who could be writing a letter to Junie? Who is Alex?"

"Theodore Remus Lupin don't you dare!" I threatened, straining to get it back. He held it over my head teasingly. Damn him and his height. He flashed me a devilish smirk, breaking open the seal of the envelope. He cleared his throat dramatically, winking in my direction.

"Teddy!" I warned again, shrieking, "I swear to Godric if you-" I jumped, the paper was just out of my arms reach. Blast it.

"Ahem, he unfolded the letter with flourish, the rest of the gang egging him on. "Dear Juniper, oooh Juniper." The boys wiggled their eyebrows, "Very fancy. Dear Juniper, I miss you."

I felt my face burn a brilliant red as all the boys oohed loudly at me. That was it. Fuck it. I climbed on top of my bed, and threw myself onto to Teddy's back, reaching for the letter before he could red anything else. I hooked my legs around his waist and grabbed for it, almost there, almost there.

"Leo!" Teddy tossed the letter to Leo, just as I was about to take it, chuckling at my murderous expression. He twisted his head back to look at me, "You comfortable back there?"

I scowled at him darkly, "Shut up. I am not getting off of you until you give that letter back!" I tightened my hold on his back. He couldn't do this forever. He was strong, but he wasn't that strong.

Leo continued reading, "I miss you. I don't know when this is going to get to you, but Happy early or late 16th Birthday. " Leo paused, "He was close."

"One day off." Teddy scoffed with derision, and I whacked him on the back of the head.

"Do you want me to keep reading?" Leo scolded, irritated at Teddy's interruption.

"NO!" I shouted fiercely, bu no one listened to me. Figured.

Leo read, "Yes I know it's your birthday, even though you didn't tell me. On purpose I suspect. James told me, and since I know he is probably reading this with you, Happy Birthday James."

"Thanks Al!" James exclaimed excitedly.

"Also, tell him to stop calling me Al."

"He knows me so well." James smiled happily, clapping his hands.

Leo scanned the rest of the letter, "I- oh wait you guys!" He tore something out of the letter, "You guys!" He gestured excitedly. Oh no. Oh no. What could it be?

"Guys, Leo looked so proud of himself, there's a picture." He held it up triumphantly, and I recognized one of the polaroids we'd taken at the beach. Well that was just great. Thankfully, the boys all flocked over to see the picture, giving me the ample time I needed to take the discarded letter back. Thank god. I don't what I would've done if they'd kept reading. While the boys wolf whistle and make fun of the photo, as I knew they would, I read the letter.

Dear Juniper,

I miss you. I don't know when this is going to get to you, but Happy early or late 16th Birthday. Yes I know it's your birthday, even though you didn't tell me. On purpose I suspect. James told me , and since I know he is probably reading this with you, Happy Birthday James. Also, tell him to stop calling me Al. I got you a present. I know you well enough now to know that you are the type of person who doesn't like getting presents, but tough, because I like giving them. Let people be nice to you Juniper. Mom is sad, she misses your mom. I go back to Massachusetts soon, no more surfing for me. I hope you don't mind that I kept most of the pictures we took this summer, I need something to show off to my friends back at Ilvermorny. I don't really know what to say. I said I missed you right? Yup just checked, I did. Told you I was shit at writing. Anyways, have fun, and install working phones at Hogwarts so I don't have to do this. And if you didn't get it before. I miss you.

Best at writing crappy letters, your friend (who you can makeout with sometimes),

Alex

P.S.

If you got this far in the letter I'm sincerely sorry, next time I'll have a PSA at the top that says please burn. I'm serious. Destroy this.

I giggled, smiling to myself. The letter was so adorably awkward. I could practically imagine Alex right next to me, saying those words. I slid the letter into my bedside drawer, still smiling when I felt Teddy's eyes on me. It was so brief I almost missed it, but he had been staring. Embarrassment flooded my senses, I probably looked like a moony eyed school girl. Great. Just great.

"You've got this boy writing letters to you?" Leo finally returned the picture to me, raising an eyebrow, "Teach me your secrets."

"Oh piss off Leo." I shoved him, putting the polaroid up on my mirror. It was a rather nice photo if I do say so myself, despite the fact that my hair is flying everywhere. I fanned myself, the heat was getting stifling up here. And of course there was no air conditioning.

"Lake?" Charlie asked, wiping sweat from his eyes.

"God yes." I agreed, shooing them all out of my room so I could get changed. I plucked a simple black bikini from the dresser, grateful for my newfound security with my body. I was tan now, from all those days spent outside at the beach. So what if my chest was still a bit on the smaller side? In my opinion I had a nice figure. And that was all that mattered. I'd always been confident on the outside, but now I was confident on the inside too. My fingers struggled to tie the knot in the back. Damn it.

"Guys?" I called for help, craning my neck as I contorted into an unnatural position in an attempt to do it myself, "Someone?"

"What's the- AH!" Teddy entered the room, clapping a hand over his eyes in immediate response.

I rolled my eyes, "It's a swimsuit Lupin, calm down and get the fuck over here."

"I knew that." He uncovered his eyes sheepishly, walking over with great trepidation.

"Mmhmm sure you did."

"Shut up Potter." He frowned, gazing at my current state of attire.

"What?" I snapped, if he made one comment about how I might attract a guy's attention I was going to punch him in the face.

"Nothing." Teddy blinked, "What is it that you need help with?"

"I need you to tie me." I nodded to my back, where my hands were currently holding the swimsuit in place.

"Oh- er right." He made his way over, fumbling with the strings. What was the matter with him? He was acting so weird. "There. Done."

"Thanks." I adjusted the straps, and threw an old t-shirt of James's on over it. "Is everybody ready?"

"I think so." He replied, not making eye contact. Seriously what was going on with Teddy?

"Ok, I'll go see if Ness and Rosie want to-" Teddy's hand grabbed my arm.

"Junie." He held me back, "Er- I just wanted to make sure that we were ok. After you know...earlier."

"Earlier?" I questioned, bewildered. What was he talking about?

"You know, he shuffled guiltily, the whole letter thing."

"Oh." So that's what he meant, "That. Teddy it's really-"

"I just didn't want you to think that I was doing the thing again. I'm not. I promise, I'm never going to do that again Junie. I learned my lesson. That wasn't- I wanted to make sure- just- I want to protect you know? That's why- you're like a sister to me." Teddy blurted out in a rush, his words tripping over one another.

"Teddy it's not big a deal. I didn't think that's what you were doing." I reassured him, though he didn't look much more relieved. The sister comment stung a bit, not gonna lie. Even after all this time, Teddy still didn't see me. I journeyed to Nessa, Rosie, and Evie's room, while Teddy gathered the guys downstairs.

"Ness!" I knocked on the door, "We're heading down to the lake do you and Rose want to come?"

"Yeah we'll be down in a sec." Rose replied, not looking up from her book. "Nessa's changing."

"Ro are we thinking the green or the-" My sister held up two swimsuits, pausing when she spotted me, "Hey Junie, so who was the letter from? It was Alex right?" She did a little shoulder shimmy, making a kissy face.

"Oooh, Rose actually stops her reading, is this the hot Alex Junie was making out with all summer?"

My cheeks burned, turning to my sister hotly, "Ness! You told her?"

"We tell each other everything."

"For instance Rosie told me this morning how many shits she took yesterday." Vanessa grimaced, and I snickered. "Information I needed to know? Not really. Information I wanted to know? Definitely not. But information I was told all the same."

Rose growled at Vanessa, "I'ms sorry my life isn't as fascinating as yours Nessa." Rose yawned, closing her book and sliding a pair of shorts over her dark blue one piece, "So he was a good snog I take it?"

"I'd hope so, they certainly did a lot of it." Vanessa poked fun, smirking, her and Rose giggling hysterically.

I glowered, "I will march downstairs right now and tell the boys you're seeing Axel." I threatened Rose jokingly. To my surprise, she ducked her head, a slow smile spreading across her face. I looked from her to Vanessa. "No!" I gasped, eyes wide.

Rose folded her hands primly, not betraying a single thing, "Maybe."

"Rosie!" I squealed, "Why didn't you tell me?"

They both gave me a look.

"What?" I folded my arms defensively. I was feeling a little excluded.

They just kept looking at me with that same expression.

"I wouldn't have told them!" I cried indignantly, how dare they have such little faith in me. "I don't tell them everything!"

They continued to view me with skepticism.

"Fine." I conceded, "But if it was that important to you I would've kept it a secret."

"It's not even a thing." Rose explained, shaking her head, "We aren't-"

"They're just 'talking'" Vanessa said with air quotes, arching an eyebrow at Rose, who hit her with a book.

"ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO BE READY SOMETIME IN THE NEXT DECADE?" My brother's bellow came from downstairs, subsequently followed by a chorus of dissent from the rest of them.

"GET DOWN HERE YOU SLOWPOKES!"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG WE'VE BEEN WAITING?"

"IT'S HOT!"

"FUCK OFF!" We yelled back in unison, huffing down the stairs with obvious exasperation. One thing we all had in common, annoying arse brothers and cousins, and you know Ethan. Who was kind of in his own category. Speaking of.

"Where are your siblings?" I directed my question to Leo, grabbing a few pre made sandwiches out of the fridge and packing them in a bag along with some towels. Thanks Uncle Matt.

Leo sighed, "At the pitch with mum and dad where else?" He has no interest in Quidditch whatsoever meanwhile the twins were the complete opposite, "I swear I was switched at birth."

We began the trek down to the lake, swatting mosquitoes as we went. Ugh. I didn't mind bugs, but mosquitoes were one of my biggest pet peeves. If only we could use magic outside of school. I stopped short in horror, a terrible moment of realization halting me in my tracks.

"Oh no." I put a hand over my mouth, "Did we leave Cali at the house?"

Vanessa's eyes were saucers, "Shit did we? I completely forgot. Where is she? Oh merlin, mum and dad are gonna kill us."

"You two are horrible sisters." James interjected, tasing his hair, "She's went with Evie and Ethan, and I know this because I am an excellent brother."

"Mmm." Vanessa and I grunted noncomitally. Another thing we shared. We hated when James was right. The lake lay before us, looking deliciously refreshing as it glittered blue in the sun.

"Sorry what was that?" James cocked his head smugly, "James you're the best brother in the world? James what would we do without you? Thank you James? You were right James?"

Vanessa pursed her lips, nostrils flaring. I knew that look. Shit was about to go down. "You know I was thinking more like, you're a complete arse James." She smiled sweetly, and promptly elbowed him into the lake. We all roared with laughter, as James resurfaced, sputtering and soaking wet.

He shook his fist at Vanessa, "I'm going to get you back for that Nessa."

She snorted, "I'd like to see you try." Her and James began chasing each other around the dock and the lake's edge, shouting profanity for all to hear. I laughed to myself, stripping my clothes and settling down on the side of the dock and letting the sun warm my face.

I dipped my toes in the water, dragging them lazily and creating small ripples. Suddenly, I was thrust into the ice cold depths, landing with a splash as I sank under. I came up for breath, brushing my hair out my face and gazing up into the gleeful face of Teddy Lupin. He was standing above me on the dock, sun glinting off his golden hair. He grinned in victory.

"TEDDY!" I yelled, treading water, "You didn't!"

He bit back a laugh, "Sorry Potter, it was an accident." He smiled cheekily, eyes twinkling.

"AN ACCIDENT!" Oh that boy was so going to regret pushing me in the lake, "At least help me out, I switched my tone back to calm, it's freezing."

"Alright, alright ." He agreed good-naturedly, extending a hand to me. In one swift move I yanked him into the water, watching him flip headfirst off the dock.

I laughed when he kicked to the top, shaking his head like a wet dog and sending water dopest everywhere, "I can't believe you fell for that."

His mouth quirked up like it always did when he was about to get revenge as Teddy lunged for me. I dove away, bubbles rising to the surface, dodging Teddy's swipes. I felt his grasp on my ankle, and I was pulled under again.

Gasping for breath, I returned to the surface, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. Teddy also resurfaced, hair dripping water down onto his bare chest. It was then I realized how close our faces were to each other. Teddy had on an expression I'd never seen before. The tension between us was no longer playful. What was he doing?

"Oi!" Leo's voice brought me back to the present. Teddy instantly looking away. That was so weird. "Chicken fight! You in?"

"Partners?" Teddy asked me, any trace of the tension from before gone.

"Sure." I replied, glad that he was being normal again and clambering up onto his shoulders.

We played several rounds of the game. Rose was the most aggressive, as to be expected. We swam and dove off the dock until the sun started to set and we were all bone tired. All we could do was lay on our towels in content.

"Our parents we'll probably be back soon." Charlie remarked, putting his hands behind his head.

James spread out like a starfish, the only one of us still floating in the lake, "I wish we could stay here forever."

Just as soon as the words left his lips, the sky darkened. A clap of thunder echoing through the trees. James shot out of the water, "Or we could leave, we could leave right now!"

Frantically, we packed up our stuff, dashing home in hopes that we could get there before the downpour. Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not smile upon us today. A torrential rain pelted us ferociously, lighting flashing in the sky and mud splattering our bug bite ridden legs as we ran back to the house. There were already massive puddles piling by the door when we finally got there.

We were drenched, and shivering like we had just been in the snow. Thankfully, there were six bathrooms in the house. Seven if you counted the one in the guesthouse. And unlike Hogwarts, we had fantastic water pressure. I took on of the first showers, but even the scalding hot water did nothing to deter the goosebumps prickling my skin. I found myself wishing I'd brought warmer pajamas as I put on a worn tank top and my favorite pair of pajama shorts. I ventured downstairs to make myself a cup of tea. There was no coffee. I made a mental note to put it on the grocery list the next time we went into town.

I walked back up to my room, setting my tea down on the night table and going into the bathroom to try and fix my unruly mane of hair. It had dried funny, made worse by the humidity, and static in the air.

It was oddly steamy in there, I had to wipe down the mirror to see what I was doing. I picked up the brush and began yanking at my hair stubbornly. Man that hurt. The brush kept getting stuck in my hair. "Ow!" I cried, tears stinging my eyes, as I yanked the brush through the knots again. "Motherfucker! OW!"

The door to the bathroom swung open, "Junie are you ok?" Teddy came to my side, a look of concern in his eyes. HIs hair was damp, it looked as though he was fresh from a shower.

"Fine." I grumbled sourly, "Just my stupid hair." I turned to him, closing my eyes in exhaustion, the brush firmly planted in my waves, "How bad is it?" I asked, sighing.

He winced, chuckling slightly, "It's a little Medusa-esque..." He trailed off, grinning.

"Shut up!" I pushed him lightly on the chest. His bare chest. Oh lord. We both simultaneously realized there was nothing between us but a towel wrapped around his waist. The room got significantly hotter, I turned back to the mirror, avoiding eye contact, "You should- er go put some clothes on." I tried to sound unaffected. Why did this always happen?

His lips curled up daringly, "Am I distracting you Potter?" Teddy raked a hand through his hair, eyeing me with challenge.

I sucked in my cheeks, shoving him out the door, "Go put some fucking clothes on Lupin."

"You sure?" He called from the boys' room. God he made me so angry. He was doing it on purpose too. He seemed to enjoy infuriating me.

I ignored him, resuming my impossible task of brushing my hair, "Ow!" I wrestled with the brush, "Ouch! Bloody- OW!"

"Oh for crying out loud." Teddy sauntered back into the bathroom, this time fully clothed. He tore the brush from my hands, "Let me."

"Excuse you?" I stared at him with incredulity as he sat me down on my bed, taking a seat behind me. He started to brush my hair.

"Teddy what are you-" I tried to swivel my head around, but he prevented it.

"Just let me brush your hair Potter." He retorted.

I was about to protest, but surprisingly enough it actually felt kind of nice. Soothing almost. I held still, relaxing as he brushed out the tangles with ease. I even turned on the television, letting go of the tension in my shoulders while Teddy continued his work. The Breakfast Club was on, about three quarters of the way through, one of my personal favorites. Who doesn't love Molly Ringwald?

Teddy put down the brush, but didn't let go of my hair.

"What are you doing?"

"Braiding." He stated simply.

"Where in the world did you learn how to braid?" I was astonished. He was good at it too.

"Sirius." He said nonchalantly, finishing both braids and handing me a mirror.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "Why are you better at braiding than me?"

"I'm a man of many talents." Teddy lay back on the pillows, satisfied with his job well done.

"And just what do you think you're doing." I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. He looked very snug over there. Like he wasn't planning on moving anytime soon. Would he never listen?

"Getting comfortable." He smiled innocently, patting the seat next to him.

"Teddy..." I shook my head.

"I'm just watching the movie Junie." Teddy grinned, "I thought you'd want to join me. Isn't it one of your favorites?"

"I can watch the movie from over here" I pointed out sternly. Why must he be this way? He just didn't get it. This was why I had such a hard time getting over him before. It was different now though. I could keep a cooler head, I didn't assume anything. I knew now that it was all platonic.

"Sure, sure, he agreed, but I know for a fact you're cold. I can see the goosebumps from over here Potter."

Damn it. He had me there. I was freezing, and I knew he would be warm. I was also too tired to argue with him right now. "Fine." I relented, "But just until the end of the movie, and then you go."

"Yes ma'am." Teddy tipped his non existent hat to me, as I slipped under the covers beside him. The movie played and I started to get sleepier. Unconsciously, I rested my head against him as the credits began to roll.

"Teddy, I whispered, nudging him, it's over." He was looking at me, but not responding. I tried again

"Teddy, I repeated, adjusting my position so we were little father apart, did you hear what I just said?"

"Er...yeah." He replied unconvincingly, clearing his throat loudly.

"Teddy?" I raised an eyebrow. I knew he was lying.

"No." I swatted his chest softly. "Sorry what were you saying?"

"Movie's over." I sat up straighter, "That means you've gotta go." He didn't move. "Teddy. We don't do sleepovers anymore, you know that."

"Are you going to sleep right now?" He asked, indicating the clock that said 11:00

"Well-" He knew I didn't usually sleep til' later.

"So it's really not a sleepover."

"I said after the movie!" I reminded him firmly, he would not be getting away with this.

"Please!" He begged with huge puppy dog eyes, "James snores."

"I know." I laughed, "I shared room with him for eleven years, remember?"

"Junie...." He pooched out his bottom lip. Damn him. "What are you even going to do?"

"I dunno, watch another movie?" He was stalling.

"Ah ha!" Teddy exclaimed, "The next movie is Jaws! Which means you need me to stay."

I checked the guide. Fuck. He was right. Sharks scared the shit out of me. Jaws was like my worst nightmare.

"You need a shoulder to bury your face in." Teddy teased, "Last time you nearly shattered all the bones in my hand."

"I hate you." I chucked a pillow at him. Which was obviously a mistake. Because the second I did he tickled me mercilessly, pinning me down on the floor. I was giggling, breathless. And then just like before, the moment changed. The same look I didn't recognize on Teddy's face. What was it? For a second all you could hear was the sound of our hearts beating.

"Oh good you guys are up." A sleepy James stumbled into the room, seeing both me and Teddy. He rubbed his eyes, taking in the scene. "Are we having a sleepover? Cool. We haven't had one of those in ages." Without a second thought he hopped into my bed.

And before I could blink I was sandwiched between my brother and Teddy. So much for a peaceful night of alone time.

ok that was sooooo long but I hope you liked it

rant, comment, suggest————————————>

love you all

-coco