Anthony and I lay together on his couch after the wonderful dinner we had at Bewitched. I’ll have to ask Ginny to tell her mother how much I enjoyed the food. Even though the ball of guilt is still residing in my stomach, it feels good to simply relax with Anthony. He strokes a hand through my hair absently and I close my eyes.

“Anthony?” I ask quietly, not bothering to open my eyes.

“Hmm?”

“Is there something bothering you tonight?”

He sighs and shifts his weight. I’ve read tension in his body language all night, despite his best efforts to hide it. “I had a fight with Lisa this afternoon.”

I try my hardest not to tense and get upset. “What about?” I ask nonchalantly.

“That bloke she was seeing,” he says. “I tried to tell her he wasn’t any good for her, and she got defensive and started yelling at me.”

“Don’t you know better than to tell a witch who she should go out with?” I sigh. “Did she hex you?”

“She tried, but I was able to block it,” he replies. “Of course, it was all for nothing, she broke up with him last night.”

“So she agreed with you, she just didn’t want you to think you could tell her what to do,” I chuckle. “Anthony, you were just asking for trouble!”

“But I was right!” he argues. “How was I supposed to know she had figured it out already?”

“You were supposed to trust her judgment,” I reply. “When you really care about someone, you should trust their judgment.”

“I trust you,” he says quietly. “I do.”

I shift around on the couch so I can look him in the eyes. “I thought we were talking about Lisa?”

“I just wanted you to know,” he says before kissing my forehead.

“Did I tell you Melinda thinks we were right about the Inferi potion?” I ask. “She said she’d bet her reputation that was what it was.”

“I never doubted you were right,” he shrugs. “You’re brilliant.”

“True,” I laugh, “but Melinda is the expert. She took a copy of the tablet home with her,” where ever that is…, “and is going to examine the other piece. She’s going to come back by my office when she knows something. I have a few guesses of my own, but I want to see what she says.”

“Going to share your guesses?” Anthony asks, pinching my side.

“No!” I squeal, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. “I don’t want to say until I’m a little surer.”

“If you insist,” he sighs dramatically, releasing my waist. I jump of from the couch and walk to the kitchen for a glass of water. When I reemerge, Anthony has moved to a sitting position and is glancing over a scroll.

“Do you have a lot of work to do?” I ask, sitting down beside him. I glance over at the scroll he’s holding and immediately recognize the emblem of the Department of Mysteries.

“Just a little,” he shrugs.

I fidget for a moment while pondering how to broach the topic of Dean. “Anthony,” I say slowly, “would you be willing to help me with the research project I’ve been doing with Dean?”

He winces slightly and I can see his body tense again. “Is it important?”

“It definitely is to Dean, and it may be very important to the Ministry,” I answer truthfully. Until we know what is in the notebook, we won’t know exactly who does or does not find it useful.

“I’ll help you,” he sighs. It’s my turn to wince at his choice of words. I don’t know if he’ll ever be comfortable with my friendship with Dean, and it makes the ball of built in my stomach constrict. “When?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know as soon as I talk to Dean.”

I just hope the three of us can coexist in a room without anyone yelling.