Life Is A Highway

It was natural that things would change after finishing at Hogwarts, Summer had always known it would happen, but thankfully one thing that hadn’t changed was the relationship she had with her two best friends. She didn’t get to see them as often as she had done when they were at school together but they always made sure to spend time together when they could. Days like these where the three of them were able to get together were increasingly rare it seemed but that day they had managed to work it so they all had some free time together. Summer was often able to spend time with Chantal, Luca and the girls and she got to hang out with Ana sometimes as well but this was going to be different and Summer knew that she wanted to make the most of it while it lasted. Things were going crazy in the outside world but Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and the surrounding areas were pretty safe for the time being and for that she truly was grateful. Summer always worried when she had to leave the girls but she knew that they were going to be absolutely fine. Angel was going to be looking after them for the day and Seth and Luca were going to be there as well so she knew that they were going to end up having a great time and probably wouldn’t even notice that she was gone.

Chantal was the first to arrive and that wasn’t a surprise. Ana was always the one running late so Summer had known that it wasn’t going to be any different this time around. They had so much that they needed to catch up on, Summer couldn’t wait to tell them about Micheal and she couldn’t wait to hear what they had going on in their lives as well. She was pretty sure they at least suspected the way that she felt about Micheal but she hadn’t told them that they were together because she wanted to do that in person, not over the phone. For a while after Finn died she hadn’t thought that she would ever feel ready to move on but now she was and she was glad that Micheal felt the same way about her. “We can call it her punishment for being the last to arrive,” Summer teased. She knew that Ana wouldn’t mind and Chantal was right, she probably had been planning on paying anyway but it was still easy enough to joke about it. As Chantal said she thought the excuse would be something to do with Matt holding her up, Summer’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment. “I think she probably had a last minute quidditch practice,” she shrugged, knowing that there had been quite a lot of those going on lately from what Ana had told her. It wasn’t much longer before Ana arrived and Summer couldn’t help but laugh as she told them why she was late. “Called it,” she grinned as she caught Chantal’s eye, a smile touching her lips as she took a sip of her drink. “You don’t have to do that, three drinks isn’t going to break the bank,” she said as Ana said that she was going to pay her back for buying the drinks. Summer knew that she didn’t earn as much as Ana and Chantal did but she wasn’t hard up by any means even with two girls to look after. Summer had never been the kind of person who liked relying on the kindness of others so she knew that she wasn’t going to start letting them feel like they had to pay for everything for her. “Besides, you spoil the girls plenty,” she added with a grin. She knew that they loved the presents that turned up from their Aunt Ana so she did plenty already. “I’m with Chantal, I didn’t think Matt was going to leave you alone either. Is everything okay?”

CHANTAL GABRIELLE MAXWELL & ANASTASIA MARISSA BELACQUA

Summer couldn’t deny that it was easier to spend time with Chantal and Ana while the three of them were at Hogwarts together but they were still just as close now and she knew that she wouldn’t have it any other way. They might not get to spend as much time together as they used to but they still stayed in touch and they had arranged this catch up so it was definitely a step in the right direction. It was so difficult now that all three of them had their careers to focus on and she and Chantal had kids as well, the two of them were able to organise play dates for the kids but it wasn’t quite the same as being able to hang out like this and she was grateful to Angel for taking the girls that day. She knew how much he loved spending time with them and he was going to be catching up with Seth and Luca as well so it really was perfect. Summer knew that she could have told her two best friends about what was going on with Micheal before but it hadn’t felt right telling them over the phone. It was something that she had wanted to tell them together and she knew that they were going to be happy for her. She had sworn Angel to secrecy since she hadn’t wanted him to tell Seth before she’d had the chance to tell Chantal herself but there were lots of other things that they needed to catch up on as well. It felt like it had been far too long since they had last done this and Summer knew that they were going to have to try and make sure that it became a much more regular thing. She knew that some friends drifted apart after leaving Hogwarts but she knew that wasn’t going to happen to the three of them. Boxes arriving at the house from Ana seemed to be a common occurrence these days and she always made sure to let Ana see how much they loved everything she bought them. Summer knew that the lives of her girls were going to become more difficult as they grew up, like her they were born vampires and there were always going to be those who looked at them differently because of it but it had never mattered to Chantal and Ana or anyone else who was important in her life and the girls would have Luca around as well so she hoped that they would be fine. She knew that she was always going to want to protect them as much as she could from anything difficult that life threw their way but right now they were still so young and she was happy spoiling them and spending as much time with them as she could while she had the chance. Ana always seemed to know what the two of them would like whether they needed it or not but Summer never minded others spoiling the girls. Angel liked to do the same thing and as long as the girls were happy then that was all she wanted.

It wasn’t lost on Summer that Ana said she would let the spoiling happen if she had kids rather than when and Summer found herself studying her friend carefully for a moment. “You’re not sure if you want kids?” she asked gently, unable to deny that she was surprised. “You’re such a natural with them.” Truth be told Summer had always seen Ana as having kids of her own one day and she wouldn’t be surprised if Chantal had as well since she’d said they were going to spoil them when Ana had kids. It seemed strange to think of her friend not having a family but at the end of the day it was Ana’s decision and Summer knew that she would support her either way. “That sounds like a good idea,” Summer agreed as Ana said she wasn’t going to break any of Matt’s rules. “He’s not far away and we’ve got your back, anyway,” she added, reaching across the table and giving Ana’s hand a gentle squeeze. Ana was more than capable of looking after herself but Summer could still remember how awful it had been after the attack and she knew that she didn’t want anything like that to happen to Ana again. Summer really wasn’t at all surprised when Ana admitted that she had feelings for Matt. They’d had something before Ana was attacked and Summer knew that spending so much time together would only make those feelings grow even more intense despite the fact that relationships between Guardians and their charges weren’t meant to happen. She wasn’t too sure why that was really but Ana had been pretty clear about it when Matt became her Guardian and Summer had often found herself wondering just how long they would be able to keep things professional between them for. All she could do was listen as Ana explained what it was like and a smile touched Summer’s lips as her friend finished. “You’re right, you have got it bad for him,” she teased although she honestly was happy for her friend despite the complications that it brought with it.“That’s pretty incredible of him though, I’m so glad you’ve got him looking out for you,” she added, pretty sure that there wasn’t anyone else better suited to the job. “Take it from someone who knows, life is too short not to be with the one you love. I don’t know if you’re there yet but it’s clear you care about him and he cares about you so forget the rules. You deserve the chance to be happy and so does he so you should go for it.” Summer wasn’t sure whether it would stop Matt from being able to look after Ana as her Guardian but she was certain that Ana would regret not going for it later on down the line and Summer didn’t want that for her friend.

Taking a sip of her drink, Summer glanced over at Ana as she asked what the newest was in her life. She knew that she needed to tell them about Micheal but she also had some news about the girls she knew that they were going to love. “The girls have started flying. I bought them starter broomsticks and they’re loving whizzing around the garden and playing catch. You’ll have to come over and see them soon,” she grinned. The brooms didn’t let them get too far off the ground so there was no risk of them getting hurt but they still seemed to love it. She wouldn’t be surprised if both of them ended up trying out for the quidditch team when they got to Hogwarts but she knew that only time would tell. “There has also been a development with Micheal. We kissed and we’ve decided we want to be together,” she said before watching both of their faces for their reaction. After losing Finn she hadn’t thought that she would want to be with anyone like that again but her feelings for Micheal had crept up on her and she didn’t regret what had happened one bit. “I didn’t think I’d want to open my heart like that again after losing Finn but I honestly think I’m falling for him. Is that crazy?” she asked. “He’s a lot older than I am and he’s been through so much. I still have no idea why he would even be interested in me when he could be with anyone he wanted.” They were from completely different worlds but Micheal had been there for her after Finn died even though he could have told her what had happened and then walked away. Instead he had become a constant in her life and he had made her realise that it was time that she really started living again.

ANASTASIA MARISSA BELACQUA & CHANTAL GABRIELLE MAXWELL