"I just didn't want to sit there lying to my parents about having any kind of control of whether I stay and who stays with me," he counters, breathing a little nervously as he reaches for his jacket and eyeing the hallway to see if anyone is watching.

"You should come, in a bit," he insists, because he'll want Sirius there. "Maybe just give me ten minutes? Fifteen? But then, you should definitely come over to the bungalow," he insists, because he's going to want proof that he really did move on, no matter how hard it might have been.

"Also, you shouldn't have to sit around here with my parents the whole time," he adds. "They'll probably just end up making you watch DVDs."