Albus had made a home for himself in the Hogwarts Library. Most days you could find him at his chari, sitting there reading a book. They ranged from books on history to charms to fantasy to mystery novels and everywhere else. At the moment he was reading The Once and Future King by T. H. White. It was an excellent novel so far, and right now he was at the point where they had just begun the search for the holy grail. Something about knights had always interested him, maybe it was their chivalry.

He heard somebody else enter the library, and looked up from his book. It was Victoria, and surprisingly, she looked like she hadn't been doing too well at all. Waving at her, he found another chair as well as a table to sit at. "Hello Victoria, come have a seat. I feel like we haven't talked at all really despite the fact we work at the same school."

Victoria felt like she'd been wandering the halls forever. So many places held memories of her school days with Bronn and Tess. They were wonderful memories, but they were made all the more painful by the recent events. A few hours into her evening, she'd found herself in the quiet courtyard where people barely visited. It's where Bronn had kissed her for the first time. She'd cried for...she didn't know how long.

She'd abruptly decided to get away from places that reminded her of him. She'd made her bed, and she had to lie in it. But she really didn't know how. Or what she was going to do now.

The library. It was one place she'd never spent much time. Oh, she'd go there to get books for classes and for a few to read on her own time, but she hadn't spent nearly as much time there as Tess had. Most of those times her and Bronn would find something to do outdoors. As she pushed open the door, she heard a familiar voice. Turning, she smiled softly at Albus. She'd seen him around the castle now and then, always with a book glued to his face.

As she sat down, her eyes fell in embarrassment. Part of it was a little more intentional. She hadn't wanted to drop her drama on him. "Yeah, sorry about that. How have you been?"

The library had always been his home in Hogwarts. Part of him wondered why he hadn't been put in Ravenclaw to be honest. Albus tried never to go anywhere without at least one book on him. This was his favorite room in the school aside from the Room of Requirement. Something about the smell of books always set him at ease.

As Victoria sat down, he could tell that she was a bit upset. There were dark circles under her eyes, and they looked a bit red. Had she been crying? Clearly something was the matter. He didn't know her very well, but he'd always been one to be nice to others.

"Don't worry about it Victoria, I haven't made much of an effort to talk to you either." he told her. "Well, I'm doing alright. Met a girl the other day, going to be seeing her again soon. Pretty excited about that if truth be told." Albus said, and smiled at the thought of Gabrielle. "But what's with you? I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but it's pretty clear something's the matter."

Victoria sighed. Did she really look that bad? Was it that obvious? How terrible, that the school's councilor could deal with her own problems. She laughed inwardly at the irony.

Trying to grasp some semblance of normalcy, she smiled at Albus. "I'm happy for you. Everyone deserves happiness." She very specifically chose not to say love. Not just because she didn't know anything about their relationship, but because....maybe it was all about happiness. Maybe love wasn't something to strive for....

She groaned inwardly. I'm such a fucking drama queen. She'd never had reason to feel this depressed. Sure, her home life wasn't always wonderful, but her dad loved her, and her sister did. Looking into Albus's eyes, she wondered what an unbiased person would say about her situation.

Speaking quietly, not much above a whisper, so as not to attract student attention, she whispered, "Do you think someone can love two people?"

It was clear that she wasn't thrilled that he could tell she was struggling. Maybe she wished she was better at hiding her emotions. Personally, he'd never been much good at it either. He didn't see what was wrong with it though.

Albus couldn't help but keep grinning a little bit. Thinking about Gabrielle always cheered him up. "Yea, everybody does. This is the first time I've dated in ages. A bit weird, getting back out there, but nice in its own way." She was the first person he'd dated since his girlfriend passed. He already really liked her, and couldn't wait to see where it would go.

If he had to guess, it seemed like Victoria was fighting with herself. There was something that was tearing her up on the inside. His heart went out to her, it was clear she was in turmoil over it.

That surprised him, it completely caught him off guard. Thinking about it, he came to the conclusion that it could probably happen. Looking at her, he spoke back in a whisper, "Yes, I think that somebody can. I'd hate to be in that position though. No matter what you do, people are going to get hurt. At least, i would imagine so." Poor girl, she's going to have a rough time of it.

Victoria tried to smile at the happiness she heard in Albus's voice. She was glad for him, she really was. But she found it odd that he was so out of practice. Not trying to come on to him, she raised an eyebrow. "How could a guy like you be out of practice? You seem really nice." It was true, and safe.

It was hard to tell someone she didn't really know about her predicament. She'd always been an open book. Maybe that was because she had no reason to hide things before. Sure, she could keep a secret if necessary. But those were usually other people's secrets, not hers.

She sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "People are already hurt. I've fucked up everything. Excuse my language." She'd found, in the past few weeks, the appropriateness of swear words to her kind of situation.

She was trying to force a smile, but he could see her heart wasn't in it. Even though she might be glad for him, her mind was elsewhere. "A guy like me? What do you mean?" he asked her "I do try to be nice I suppose" he said, shrugging. Then he frowned a bit, there was a reason why he hadn't dated. "Well, the last time I dated somebody, she was murdered. Until recently, I hadn't really felt ready to get into something." Albus admitted, his voice thick with emotion.

Whatever it was Victoria had gotten mixed up with, it was taking a toll on her. He would help in any way he could, even though he probably wouldn't be of much use. Helping people was something that came to him naturally, almost always he immediately wanted to do whatever he could.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." he sighed as well. "You have to figure out what you want to do. Step back from the situation and give yourself some time. Once you realize what it is you need to do, just go for it. There's no doubt it will be hard, but I'm always here to help. I'm sure you have other friends as well." he said seriously. "If there's anything you ever need, don't be afraid to ask okay?"

Victoria's heart ached for him. No one should have to go through something like that. It was worse than what had happened with Bronn, because there was no chance for closure. Just unending questions. She rested her hand over his, squeezing lightly, "I'm sorry." She tried to give him an encouraging smile. "But it sounds like you're moving forward. That's good."

At his offer to be of help, she couldn't help but smile, her first genuine one in days. "Thank you." It wasn't everyday that she met people as open as she once was. She felt bad for dampening what had seemed like a peaceful reading session. But he did offer...

She sighed, rubbing at her temples. "I actually live with my best friend, who also happens to be my..." She swallowed thickly, "ex's sister. I'm staying here for the time being, to clear my head. As you can see, it's not doing much good." She indicated the bags under her eyes from lack of sleep.

Today had been the first in many where she'd broken down in tears. It was happening less frequently, as she came to terms with who she was now, what she'd done.

Sometimes he still had nightmares imagining what had happened to her. Thankfully, they came less frequently now than they used to. Still, it had been a tough thing to deal with. He smiled wryly, appreciating her comforting gesture. "Thanks Vic, I can tell that you care." he said. "Yes, I suppose I am at that. Took me a while, but I needed it."

It was good to see an actual smile cross her features. "What are friends for, eh? Life can be tough sometimes, you just have to learn how to pull through. Try and find that silver lining, there always is one." Some people looked down on him for his optimism, but it had always served him well.

"Wow...that must be a bit of an awkward situation. For the record, I think you made the right choice by coming up here to think things over." Albus told her. "Hey, you'll figure it out. If talking to me helps at all, then feel free to chat me to death. I may not be the wisest person, I can try my best though." he said, trying to be as helpful as he could.

Victoria pursed her lips. She didn't want to push her new friendship, but she wanted to know Albus more. In the past she'd always been an open book, and she didn't want to let go of that quality too much. "Can I ask what happened? You don't have to tell me though."

Silver lining. She wanted to. But it was hard. She didn't really have anyone to fall back on, for the first time in her life. Before Hogwarts, it had been her dad. And since their first year, it had been Tess. And, even though it hadn't been for long, Alec had become a rock for her, a shield from the pain. His control was soothing, while frustrating. She nodded her head. Maybe that's the key. Control.

She let out a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks." It'd been a rash decision at the time. One that had seemed so wrong at first. But as the weeks came, she hoped it would get better. Maybe with a new friend, she could heal.

Sighing, she looked over at him. "You sure you want to hear my fiddle song? It's a doozy."

Albus didn't mind talking about what happened to some people. It was a traumatic event in his life, and it had helped made him who he was. "I don't mind talking about it. Her name was Isabella, we'd been dating since fourth year. It was our last year of school, about two weeks before exams, when she went missing. She disappeared on a Tuesday afternoon, then two weeks later her body showed up in the middle of Hogsmeade. They were able to track down the killer, and he was punished accordingly. The school held a funeral for her, that was the hardest day of my life. Sometimes I still have nightmares, imagining what that man did to her. Thankfully they've grown less frequent with time though. A part of me will always miss her." he said. He wiped away a couple of the tears that had appeared as he talked.

Whatever Victoria was dealing with, she needed friends to help her through it. If he could help her in any way, he would be there for her. Just because he didn't know her very well yet wouldn't stop him from being a good friend. She was a good person, and deserved what help he could give her.

"Somebody's got to watch out for you." he said, smiling back at her. To him, she seemed like a strong person, a fighter. She could make it through this.

Leaning back in his seat, he prepared himself to hear her out. "Of course I do. Only if you are comfortable telling me though. It's up to you Vic."

Victoria wouldn't say she was glad to see Albus cry. But it did her heart good to know that other people felt emotions like she did. Sometimes, around the Blacks, she wondered if she some lesser being, incapable of control. While he spoke of his lost love, she felt a tear fall. Wiping it, she gave him a soft smile. "Sounds like you loved her a lot."

His comment about always missing her stuck in Victoria's throat. Maybe they had something in common. As much she was trying to block her emotions for Bronn, she knew he would always be a part of her. It was true before their reunion, but even more so now. Especially since she now knew what he'd really done for her.

She smiled at his comment. Yes, she needed someone around here to look out for her. To make sure she didn't go crazy in these halls. Some days she felt like a ghost, just wandering. When he offered to listen, she sighed.

"Well...long story short. I thought my boyfriend of...forever, had betrayed me and lead a raid on our training camp. So I came back to London to start a new life. Reunited with my best friends brother, bad idea. We started a relationship." That was a polite term for what she'd felt.

"On a whim, I decided to return to our old camp, to...I don't know, get closure? Well, I found my ex there. And everything just came back." As much as it pained her to admit the worst part of herself, it was getting easier with time. "He'd done it to save me. And...I couldn't hate him anymore." She hung her head, waiting for his disgust. "I cheated on my boyfriend with my ex."

Talking about this was always painful, but it was good for him. She was a part of who he was, he couldn't hide from it. He was looking forward to getting to know Gabrielle though. "Yeah, I did." he said, and smiled back a bit. Victoria understood pain, he could see that.

Albus was curious about what Victoria was going to tell him. Already he knew it was going to be something difficult and painful for her. He remembered her mentioning looking for a dark wizard the last time they'd met, maybe he was a part of the story.

If Victoria didn't start sleeping better, she would start to wear down. Hopefully, talking to him would help her to deal with this. All he could do was be a friend for her, and hope she could cope with it.

That wasn't what he expected to hear, it caught him off guard. The last thing he expected to hear about was her cheating on a boyfriend. Now the guilt was tearing her up inside, and it didn't surprise him. He'd probably be worse off than she was if he'd done the same.

"Wow, I'm so sorry Vic." Albus told her. He reached over and put a hand on hers. "We all make mistakes, and we just have to learn from them. I can see that it's killing you inside. Do you have any idea what you are going to do next?" he asked.

Victoria furrowed her brow. Albus had obviously loved the woman who'd died, that much was clear. But he was now in a place where he could move forward with his life. While her situation wasn't as black and white as his, she let her head rest on her hand, sighing. "If it's not too prying, how did you get there? To where you could move on?" She was hoping for some sort of guidance, something that could help her forget Bronn.

It felt strange to be sharing so much with a guys she hardly knew. But he was easy to talk to, non-judgmental, open. She felt like she could just relax. She loved Tess with all her heart, but she was too involved in it all, too close. She made a mental note to pop in and see her in the next couple days. It'd been over a week now, maybe more. Time flew by quickly when Victoria didn't have anything to really look forward to.

She shook her head, fighting back tears. "It's more than just a mistake, Albus. I screwed everything up." She felt the aching in her chest that returned every time she thought of what she had put Alec through. He'd been trying so hard for her, pushing past everything he knew....for me.

Propping her legs up on the chair, she hugged them tightly to her chest, resisting the urge to rock back and forth. "I really don't know. I haven't seen Bronn -that's my ex- since that day, and..." She shuddered as the look on Alec's face when he'd shut the door moved through her mind. "Alec never wants to see me. Ever." She bit her lip, trying to reign in her emotions.

How did he move on? That was a tough question to answer. To be honest, there wasn't anything in particular he'd done to get over her. "Well, over time, I just started to miss her a bit less. I still do, but it faded a bit. You just have to keep living life, and after a while you'll start to miss that somebody a bit less, it's hard Victoria. There isn't a quick fix to getting over somebody. At least not that I know of." he told her honestly. Albus felt for her, she looked like she just wanted to get rid of her feelings.

Albus was surprised at how much of Victoria was sharing about herself. This was a personal subject, and she was being really open about it. It felt good to talk to her, help in whatever way he could. She was clearly hurting, it was hard to see anybody like that. He wondered who else she could talk to, if her best friend's brother was involved she might not feel as comfortable talking to her as she usually did.

"Hey, if two people really care about each other, then they can get past anything. Even something like this. Don't give up hope, okay." Albus said, trying to encourage her. He truly believed that if they really loved each other they should be able to get past it. It wouldn't be easy, but it could be done.

Albus moved over to her, and put an arm around her comfortingly. "It'll be alright Vic, I know it hurts. Alec may not want to see you now, but that might change. I'll always be here to talk things over, if you need it. Just try and keep your chin up." he said. He hadn't done much of this, comforting friends, but he was doing his best.

Victoria felt like a small bit of hope was just crushed. Bronn was the only man she'd ever been with before Alec. The only man she'd ever needed to forget, get over. She was completely lost when it came to dealing with a situation that came easier to other people. It had been simple when she'd thought he'd betrayed her, her anger taking precedence, but now? It was hard to let go of a man that loved her and had done nothing wrong.

Hope? How could she hope when Alec had made it so plain that he hated her. She shook her head, tears falling. "I don't think there is, Albus. He said I destroy hearts, and he's right! I cheated on him, hurting him. But then I left Bronn, to choose Alec, therefore hurting him!" She let her head fall into her hands. "I don't deserve either one."

She sniffed, trying to clear her head a little when he put an arm around her. It was calming and comforting. She hadn't made a new friend since she'd arrived at the camp three years ago. Caught up in her river of emotions, she hugged him tightly. "Thanks for putting up with my shit."

Learning to move on was something that took time, effort, and coping. It wasn't something that happened over night. He really hoped that Victoria would be able to do it. She was going to have a hard time of it he knew, and already was beaten up over everything that had happened. Life went on though, no matter how much it hurt sometimes.

"There is always hope, always." Albus told her seriously. "So you screwed up, that doesn't mean you aren't worthy of being loved. You are a great girl, and don't let anybody tell you differently. If this Alec guy doesn't realize he's making a mistake that's his loss. Don't say you don't deserve him though, because everybody deserves somebody special in their life." Her sad outlook was starting to get to him a little bit.

He knew that it was the right choice to come over when she hugged him. She needed a friend right now, and he was glad he could be here for her. Albus hugged her back, and smiled wryly. "No problem Vic, somebody's got to."