It was finally official: Zia was done with her sixth year at Hogwarts. Thinking about how she only had just one year left at the school was almost too much to bear. What would she do without classes, homework, and exams? Luckily she had a distraction, at least for the time being. That distraction, one Figaro Sellaphix, had joined her in winning 'Cutest Couple' in the Hogwarts yearbook. (She'd also won 'Best Hair,' tying with a few girls -- but she knew that her hair was really the best, just as she knew that she and Fig made a better couple than Julian and Neely).

Toting the book around giddily, she searched the train for her boyfriend. It was going to be a long summer without being able to sneak off to a dark nook of the Hogwarts castle or explore the gardens with Figaro. She was sincerely hopeful that they would be able to meet up over the summer and continue with their cutest-coupleness.

Finally she spotted Figaro. "Hey you!" she chirped happily. Figaro had claimed a few other superlatives as well, not all of which were as positive as 'cutest couple.' She wondered how he felt about his winnings but had a feeling he wouldn't care, would probably laugh it off in that adorably Fig way.

"Zia!"  Figaro exclaimed from where he was in the crowded corridor of the Hogwarts Express.  He had long read candy ropes dangling from the corner of his mouth and he had just lifted up his arms so that a pack of first years could squeeze by.  The seventh years were all off making out and crying and signing each others yearbooks and making grand plans to reunite and go back-packing.  The sixth-now-seventh years, however, were in rare display.  The summer was long and they had a year of ruling the school to look forward to.

Figaro was all over elated over all the Finally's. FINALLY he was done with classes.  FINALLY it was the summer.  FINALLY he'd be oldest at school and have their run of things.  FINALLY he hadn't failed a class. 

"There you are! Finally!"  He reached out to hug her.  "I heard you won hair!" 

Figaro had lost his yearbook promptly and hadn't gotten around to doing any of the surveys.  He'd also been busy with some end-of-term shenanigans with the leaving Salem boys, and so didn't even bother to check the results.  Frequently he was picked for something hilarious prophetic about his potential or his odor, and it was a laugh every time.  But he'd heard that Zia won best hair or something.

"Well deserved!" He loved her magenta hair.

"You hungry?" he offered her a pack of unopened red vine candy.

"I did!" Zia squealed happily. It was all so exciting, the end of the year. There was only one year left now -- they were seventh years! Well, maybe not quite yet, but Zia was eager to claim an older title. Always considered the baby, she wanted to prove herself as an older, more mature Zia. A separate being from the Piselli kids! None of her siblings had ever won Best Hair, and she was definitely excited to hold the title. She reveled in her unique hair.

"Well deserved!

Gushing, Zia leaned up and placed a kiss on Figaro's cheek. "We won cutest couple too!" She reached for the pack of candy Figaro was offering her. She could never resist sweets, and her eyes had lit up at the sight of them. "Isn't that so exciting?" Zia asked giddily. She opened up the red vines and took a bite from one, then looked up at Figaro and grinned.

"We did?" Figaro was genuinely surprised! He never won the flattering ones.  "I thought they were taking the piss. I never win the good ones,"  he grinned.

"All you, I'm positive," he said as he puffed out his belly, slapped it with an open palm and pulled a face.  The end of term had been stressful and he and Zia had seen as much of each other as they could, but they had exams and there were ceremonies and more ceremonies.  It was nice to finally be able to just live in this amazing, light, free, glorious moment. 

"C'mon."  He held her hand and they squeezed through the crowded corridor to find some open seats.  They found some in the train car that was open and had the benches on either side of tables.  Without the compartment walls, this car was sunny with windows open to the sky on both sides. 

He slid in and dropped his bag on the table, then laid back with a massive sigh.

"One year left...! Can't decide if I want to last forever or go by in a flash."  Insightful thought for Figaro Sellaphix, that.

Hands intertwined, Zia and Figaro weaved through the hoards of students and down the train, into their own private car, finally. While normally Zia liked to be at the center of all the action, it was nice to escape with Figaro for a bit so they could talk. They'd barely had the chance to talk about the yearbook and what their summer plans were.

Zia put her things down and continued munching on the candy Fig had shared with her. "So bittersweet," Zia concurred with a nod. She munched on her red vines thoughtfully. "I wonder what we'll be doing a year from now!" This thought made Zia curious about what the future looked like. She couldn't decide if she could see Figaro there with her..... but then again, she couldn't really see much of anything specific.

Physically shaking off the weird thoughts of future times with her shoulders and head, Zia sat took a spot next to Figaro and propped her feet up on the opposing bench, using it like a footrest. "So weird. I don't even know what I'm having for dinner tonight," Zia laughed. "I got an interview at Malkin's though!" They'd talked about the prospect of Zia getting a summer job a while back, and since then Zia had filled out a few applications.

Figaro had to concur with a laugh at Zia's comment about not being able to see any further than their next meal.  He could see a bit further - he planned for a long night at Spellpunk with mates as soon as he could manage it.

"Malkin's? Nice."  Fig was glad for her.  Madam Malkin's was just down the road from where he'd be spending his summer: the family apothecary.  "I forgot to hand in my Ministry internship thing, so indentured servitude it is...Oh hey - but I think my mum's going to pay Zel Trumble part-time at least.  We can come bother you on our break."

Fig grinned. 

He liked the sound of that.  Summer in Diagon with places to go? People to be? Freedom to Apparate as he pleased? It had the potential to be the best summer yet. 

"Yeah I think I'm going to be staying in my family's London home.... sometimes even by myself!" She would be 17 until the end of summer, so this was really a matter of convenience. Zia didn't fully understand the ramifications of what she'd said to her teenage boyfriend. The prospect of staying alone in a family house was appealing to her because it never happened. In her parents' house, sans supervision -- no siblings, no aunts, nobody. With over a dozen other people in her immediate family, this was a rare gem. She didn't even think about the opportunities to snog without worries of intrusion.

She furrowed her brows at Figaro's admission that he hadn't handed in his form but smiled at the mention of Zel. "Aw Fig, that would've been a really good opportunity," Zia told him in a non-accusatory tone. It was more like cheering him on for coming in second in a race. She believed he was capable of something. "That's cool about Zel, though. You guys can totally come visit me!" Zia beamed at the thought of that too. It all seemed so grown up.

Figaro raised his eyebrows and Zia's kind encouragement about the Ministry internship.  He'd kicked himself when he'd found the form crumpled between his bed and trunk, but he knew all about missing due dates and they were nothing to stress over.  Just had to try to remember the next one.

As they were sitting and chatting, he took out his deck of Exploding Snap cards.  They were well-used, well-loved, and singed on the edges.  He shuffled them absently.  They glided easily in his hands and against each other. Comfortable and familiar.  It gave him an idea.

"Oh! Let me tell your fortune.  Friend in Divination taught me this one."  Telling fortunes with Exploding Snap cards was hardly...real magic, but that's what made it fun.

"C'mon.  Put your hands on the deck.  Needs your vibes to work."   He held out the deck ceremoniously and nodded to Zia hopefully.

Zia watched patiently as Figaro fiddled with a deck of cards, intrigued by the motion of his hands. Since she didn't seem to have much luck in card games, Zia had spent most of her life avoiding them, her competitive side causing a petty rift. Figaro offered to tell her fortune, though, which was something Zia had no idea could be done with such a common object. Divination was a peculiar subject.

"Sure!" Zia chirped. Her face lit up with curiosity. She obeyed Figaro's instructions and put her hands on the deck, closing her eyes and sending good vibes its way. Zia had never taken Divination, but this seemed proper.