“Who was that girl you liked?”
“Who?"
”That Ravenclaw one with the French name.”
“Oho her! Don’t you be telling Gladys-May ‘bout my thing for her."

Lawrence was squinting in the grey daylight of the barn loft, a bottle of cider gripped in his hand before him, the other arm relaxed down between his legs which dangled off the edge over the stalls below. Willy sat cross-legged beside him, both hands gripping his own bottle with a content smile on his features, eyes half-closed in memory.

“Annaliese Delacroix.” Lawrence plucked the name from his memory and Willy blushed, turning his face to his lap.
“She were proper lovely like, clever.”
”You told me you knocked one out thinking about her. That was it, second year. You dirty bugger.” Lawrence shook his head and swigged some cider as Willy laughed at the thought.
“She were the only one who didn’t have spots back then!” He explained his reasoning. “I didn’t get sweet on Gladys-May ’til fourth year. We were just friends like. Love of my life right under me nose.” Shufflebottom smiled happily to himself at the thought of his wife. They’d been sweethearts since they were teenagers. Nobody else would put up with him but her. He loved her very much.
”But you married her.”
“Yeh, I did.”

They sat a moment in silence, listening to the heavy rain battering on the tin roof. Willy reflected on his five brief years at Hogwarts, and how he’d become friends with Lawrence. They should have stayed friends, he thought. Might have all turned out better for them.

“What happened to the girl you liked though?” He asked, looking to his right at his friend and blinking thoughtfully. Lawrence had seen quite a few girls at school. He’d had all the confidence and the gift of the gab with his brains.
”Which one?”
“She used to wear her hair all in a braid over her shoulder."
”Susannah.”
“Yeh, her!”

Lawrence tapped the base of his bottle of cider on the edge of the loft floor between his thighs and swallowed audibly.
”She died. Got sick when I was inside.”
“Oh.” Willy’s eyebrows drew together in concern as he watched Lawrence. His voice had turned all croaky and strange.
”I found out when I got out. I was going to look her up.” The other wizard turned away, cleared his throat and took a generous swig of cider.
“Shame. She were nice, she were. Kind. I pulled her hair in third year and you punched me in the face for it. Reason I knew you liked ‘er.” Shufflebottom shrugged and Musgrave let out a ’teh’ before a hollow laugh at remembering.

“Do you remember Gladys-May’s cousin in our year?” Willy asked, “Ravenclaw. Andy Carter?”
”Yeah, what of her?”
“Head Healer of St Mungo’s.” Willy shuffled his backside and gave a quick, earnest little nod. “Her! She was horrible!”
”Well, that’s why she’s the boss. Nice people don’t get to be the boss.” Lawrence explained with a shrug.

The conversation lulled for a moment, William reflecting on what Lawrence had just said.
“We going to be alright, aren’t we, Mr Musgrave?”
”Willy?”
“Mr Glass.”[1]
”Hm.”

Lawrence took a long swig of cider, looking thoughtful.
”Yeah we’ll be alright.”

1.	12 January 2011 Now Dumb For Ever