Cameron had plenty of time to waste. He was avoiding just about anyone who had a reason to care about his whereabouts. He was unsure whether he'd be able to hide his mood; it had been a little over a week since his fight with Sloane had left them in an uncertain position, and he did not want to encounter her lest she put an end to their romance once and for all.

That meant hiding out in the library some days. As a fifth year it was expected, and anyone who cared enough to talk to him knew better than to interrupt him when reading (since interrupting him would provide him the perfect distraction from studying, and all his friends had spent the past year pushing him to study). He wasn't really reading, though, mostly because he didn't enjoy it but also because he didn't want to give his friends the satisfaction of angering him into doing his work. (And how was he supposed to throw himself a pity-party this summer if he actuallypassed his OWLs?)

It had been fifteen minutes on the dot since he'd opened one book, so he promptly closed it, glanced up, and decided to go in search of another. He wandered the rows and rows of shelves, holding his book tight against his chest, until he reached a dead end. There was a table there, stacked high with books, and then there was - Alice. He froze and stared at her, completely expressionless.

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