Impossible to Return

A Nightmare and Moving Staircases

"I've got to go," Marlene McKinnon said. "I told Jax I'd meet him at four."

Piper didn't look up from the ancient leather-bound book in front of her. "Okay. I'll see you at dinner."

Marlene left the library, and Piper flipped a page of the book. She squinted at the writing. The ink on the pages was faded, and the lettering in some crazy calligraphy. How she was supposed to be able to read this, she had no idea.

"Hi Piper."

Piper's head whipped up in surprise. Megan Redmayne was standing in front of her, smiling in an unusually kind way.

"Uh... hi."

Megan smiled. "I was wondering if you would help me with our Care of Magical Creatures homework. I've been having some trouble, and I know you're really good at this class."

This had to be a trick. Megan hated Piper. Well, at least Piper thought she had. But as a Megan sat down beside Piper and started a conversation with her, Piper wasn't so sure.

Why did she think Megan hated her again? There was the incident only a week ago, when Megan had run into her and glared, but maybe she was just having a bad day? The only other time she had really been mean was the beginning of the year. Maybe Megan had changed?

Piper handed back Megan's essay. "It's really good, just you might need to fix a few things in your fourth paragraph. Blueberries are actually poisonous to Bowtruckles."

"Oh!" Megan looked down in alarm at her essay. "I had no idea!"

Piper shrugged. "It's alright. Just fix that, and you should be good to go."

Megan smiled. "Thank you so much Piper. I—I kind of also have something to tell you."

Piper didn't look up from jotting down notes. "I'm listening."

Megan tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I've been kind of a jerk."

Piper looked up. Megan was staring at her, no hints of a joke anywhere to be found. She seemed to be sincerely apologizing.

Megan continued. "I really haven't been nice."

"Not really, no," Piper said. "Why were you being mean?"

Megan looked down at her hands in her lap. "I was jealous of you and Sirius, but now that you aren't a couple, I've realized it was stupid for me to be mad at you."

Piper looked at Megan weirdly. "We didn't break up."

Megan looked at Piper in surprise. "You haven't? If I were you, I would've. I guess you're trying to work through this like all your past problems."

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Problems?" She had no idea what Megan was talking about. Her and Sirius were having zero problems. First Megan starts acting all nice, and then she starts spewing junk about them breaking up. What was going on?

"I've got to go," Piper said abruptly, gathering up her stuff.

"Wait!" Megan said desperately, grabbing Piper's arm. "You can't go."

"Why not?" Piper asked, her annoyance growing.

Megan's breath caught. "Because Sirius is cheating on you!"

Piper laughed. "You're going to have to try something better than that."

"I'm not lying." Megan stared with such sincerity it made Piper freeze. "I saw him kissing Isla Tyler." Megan sighed and sunk back into her chair, burying her face in her hands. "I'm sorry Piper."