Flashback: About your sister...

[rkdavies]

Roger was finally starting to feel like he could breathe again. It was only in fits and starts, coming along in waves. He'd had a lot of sleepless nights, even though Maeve didn't leave Lily alone with him very often. That probably had something to do with his stress level. Everything that was supposed to be working out in his life wasn't. Things weren't perfect and were probably never going to be, but he liked to think he was managing.

He hadn't managed yet to move out of his mother's house. He hadn't been home enough for that. Maybe that's what he would do this week. Or maybe he could wait until Lavender was home. That would probably be the better idea, he realized, as he sat at the kitchen table, poking dejectedly at a bowl of cereal he had zero interest in. He'd checked in to make sure Kiki was still doing okay now that the Battle was over at Hogwarts. She hadn't given him information about anyone else that he'd been interested in, though he'd been to scared to actually ask her directly.

It was prefect that he saw Alex then, slipping outside and back in before Roger could even consider when the last time he saw his best friend - Lavender's brother. Well. Now was a good time.

Dumping his bowl in the sink, Roger left without even locking the door behind him, knocking briskly on the Browns' door.