She hated this. Everything about it. At least, when she'd broken up with Trent there had been a real problem. Well, two, actually. The biggest problem had been Trent's brother and then there had been Sioni. And that was the thing. She'd been thinking about it all an awful lot lately, maybe too much, and she had begun to wonder if she'd have ever kissed Sioni and ended up dating him if the whole Trent thing had never happened. If Alexander hadn't gotten into the picture, she might still very well be with Trent. 

But, it all really didn't matter. The hows and the whys and the what ifs. It didn't matter for one very important reason: she was lying. Anna was right. She was lying and it made her feel sick to her stomach more and more. Since that day in Hogsmeade, she'd already stayed in her room for a full day in bed, even claiming to be too ill for Quidditch and for her Prefect duties that night. And now, she was done with it. She couldn't keep pretending that she was going to love Sioni when she didn't. Not in that way, at least. She wanted his friendship, but it was just too hard to be more.

Sioni would understand, she didn't doubt that. It didn't mean, though, that he'd respect that. If there was one thing he'd proved over the last months of dating it was that he would listen to a no but it didn't mean that he'd not go right on ahead and do what he wanted. 

And so, with her heart in the throat and her eyes fighting tears, she felt glad his back was to her. "I...I, Sioni," she paused and curled her arms across her stomach. "We need...I need to talk to you." There. She'd managed those words.