Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn

And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way

-Florence and the Machine


Victoire felt a light tap on her shoulder. She glanced up.

"I brought you breakfast," Teddy offered, handing her a small plate. He had filled it with eggs, toast, bacon, and even a small bowl of porridge.

"Thanks," she muttered, her voice scratchy.

Teddy sat across from her, waiting patiently until she took a bite of her food. In between them, Chris was lying, looking peaceful, a hint of a smile on his face. Victoire noticed Teddy's sad gaze as he looked at her.

"This is the fifth time I've found you here," he told her.

She took a sip of her juice. She hadn't realized how hungry or thirsty she was until now. "I don't want him to be alone..."

"Right. That's why you disappeared for a year. Makes sense." Teddy looked bitter and slightly angry.

Victoire sighed. "I couldn't handle it, Teddy...he never woke up...he was supposed to wake up..."

Teddy didn't say anything. He sat back in his seat, his eyebrows furrowed like he was in deep thought about something.

Victoire brushed away the few tears that had gathered around her eyes. "Do you come here a lot?" she asked, setting aside the plate.

He gazed at her intently. "Every chance I get...Danielle visits a lot too, but it's really hard for her to see him like this..."

"Dani?" Victoire choked out. She hadn't thought of Danielle in ages. "I didn't realize -"

" -that you weren't the only one who misses Chris?" Teddy finished coldly.

Victoire hung her head shamefully. She'd forgotten there were others who loved Christopher just as much as she did. "How is she doing?" Victoire asked, her voice breaking. She silently cursed herself for showing so much weakness, especially in front of Teddy.

"Dani? Well, just as good as anybody whose boyfriend is in a coma." Teddy's voice was harsh and sarcastic. Victoire was surprised to see how angry he was, especially considering how nice he'd been the past couple of days. "You know, she keeps asking me about you...wondering why you won't visit..."

Victoire sighed, brushing Chris's bangs out of his face. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yeah, and for how long?" he demanded.

"For as long as it takes him to get better," she replied softly.

Teddy looked at her. "What if he doesn't get better?"

"He will."

"Vic, we have to be realistic-"

It was Victoire's turn to be angry. "Teddy! He'll get better."

Teddy gazed at her for a few seconds. Finally, he sighed. "Okay, he'll get better," he agreed.

She glared at him. "So, how long are you going to be mad at me for, anyway?"

Teddy made an incredulous sound. He looked at her, outraged. "Me? Are you serious right now?"

Victoire shrugged. "You've got to admit you've been a bit grumpy..."

"Vic, you showed up here after a year, in which you failed to return any of my letters by the way, you tell me I'm not part of your family, and you've ignored me for the past week! What'd you expect me to do? Throw you a party?"

Victoire furrowed her eyebrows. "What makes you think I never wrote to you?"

"I don't recall getting a single letter from you."

Victoire bit her lip. Finally, she sat back and played with her hair absentmindedly. "Well, I suppose I should probably apologize to you."

"That would be appreciated," Teddy said sourly.

Victoire looked at Teddy. "I'm sorry for leaving you, Teddy," she said, her voice soft. "I never intended to hurt anybody...it was just...it was best for me to pull away from this world here..."

"This world?" Teddy questioned.

"The one with all the memories of Chris...after the accident, it seemed that everywhere I went, I was reminded of him. It was too painful."

"You know, you're stuck here now. You might as well make the best of it. Chris...he wouldn't want you to run away again. Besides, you're kind of running out of schools, anyway."

Victoire smiled sadly. "After I went to Beauxbaton, I felt so...numb. I couldn't feel anything...joy, pain, anger...nothing...That's why I started sneaking out and partying...It gave me a sense of thrill. It was the first time I'd felt anything since I left..."

"And what about now?" Teddy wondered. "What do you feel now?"

"Mostly sadness, but I reckon that's better than nothing, right?"

Teddy nodded. "Yeah, I reckon so. Besides, once you face all that pain, you'll be happy again." He sounded so sure that Victoire almost believed him.

"How can you be so sure?"

He shrugged. "I'm happy."

"How?" she asked, her voice cracking. "How could you possibly be happy?"

He shrugged. "My friends and family all helped me through it."

"Funny," Victoire said humorlessly, "whenever I see my family, all I feel is anger and disappointment."

"That's not true, Vic."

She shook her head. "No, it is. I disappointed them."

Teddy sighed. "Maybe so, but you can fix that. That's the great thing about family. They give you second chances."

"They won't give me a second chance."

"I did."

Victoire looked at him. Today Teddy's eyes were dark brown and piercing, like those of his father's. Well, at least, Victoire assumed so. She had only ever seen pictures.

"You know," he said quietly, "I'm sure Skylar and Grace would be willing to give you a second chance too...if you asked..."

Victoire closed her eyes. "I need to go," she finally said, jumping out of her seat. Teddy protested, but she ignored him, sweeping out of the bright yellow room.


Finn surveyed the manor before him with interest. "Skylar, what did you say the reason was for this magnificent house being empty?" he asked, walking up to the front door.

"My dad just sold it," Skylar replied, disinterestedly. "The new owners won't be moving in until next week."

"Next week, you say?" Finn said eagerly.

"Yeah, why do you care-" Skylar stopped, her eyes widening. "No."

"Oh, yes."

"Finn!"

Finn glared at her. "Why not? We've got magic on our side, remember? It'll take us two seconds to clean it up the next day."

"You know very well my dad isn't a wizard! This is a muggle town! If the muggles call the police on us, how will we explain the magic?" she demanded.

"Police?" Finn asked, confused.

"They're muggles that enforce the law," she explained.

Finn rolled his eyes. "That's what the ministry's for."

She stared at him. "You're willing to get in trouble with the ministry just for one party?

"One killer party. And that's only if they find out, which they won't."

Skylar considered. "And you promise to clean everything up afterward?"

"I swear."

Grace Rhodes stared at them. Her long dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and her bright green eyes were wide. "That's illegal!" she hissed, horrified.

Skylar and Finn exchanged looks. "So?"

Grace shook her head. "Why is it that the only time the two of you get along is when you're up to something?" she demanded.

Finn ruffled her hair. "Oh, Gracie, do you ever have any fun?"

"I always have fun!" she protested.

"All you do is read books and study," Finn said dismissively.

"That's fun to me."

Finn looked at Grace as if she had lost her mind. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Grace studied for fun.

She was definitely different from most of the people he hung out with. Granted, the only reason he hung out with Grace was because of Teddy, but he was glad he'd gotten so close to her over the past year. Grace was stunningly beautiful, but beauty seemed to be the last thing Grace cared about. Unlike Skylar, Grace shied away from the spotlight. Instead, she buried herself in her studies and books, and she probably had one of the most amazing minds in the school. Finn was sure that Grace could probably rule the world someday. Which was why he found it all so strange that she was such good friends with people like him and Skylar.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Teddy was coming toward them, a slight frown on his face. "I thought we were meeting in Diagon Alley."

"Finn and Skylar want to throw a party here," Grace told him, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Teddy stopped, surveying the estate. "Who lives here?"

Skylar grinned. "Nobody until next week."

Finn watched as Teddy's face erupted into a slow grin. "Brilliant," he told them. "We needed a party to kick off the summer."

Grace let out an outraged cry. "Teddy, you can't be serious! You're a prefect," she said in a horrified whisper.

Teddy turned, grinning at Grace. "Gracie, may I remind you that it's summer. I no longer have to adhere to the rules."

Skylar snorted. "Like you ever did before."

Teddy grinned at her. "So, when's the party?"

"Tonight," Finn told them decisively. "I'll get word around to the people in our year. Skye, go tell all your little fifth year friends, but nobody younger than that. And Teddy, make sure to invite Vic."

Grace's amused smile stiffened. "Victoire's coming?"

"Of course," Skylar exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, that's brilliant! I reckon it'll really cheer her up...she seemed so sad the last time I saw her. Besides, I've really missed her. "

"Why?" Grace demanded. "She clearly hasn't missed us."

Teddy and Finn exchanged looks.

"Gracie, you know that's not true," Skylar told her.

"No, I don't," Grace said stubbornly, her dark green eyes flashing.

Teddy sighed. "Look, I was just with Vic a minute ago. She's going through a really hard time right now...it's just been difficult for her to let others in..."

Grace glared at him. "Of course you would take her side."

"I'm not taking sides," Teddy told her, putting his hands up in protest. "I'm just saying that maybe you should give Vic a second chance."

"She hasn't even spoken to me since she left a year ago," Grace snapped.

"Have you?" Teddy asked.

"Have I what?"

"Have you tried contacting her at all since she returned?" Teddy clarified.

Grace straightened up, narrowing her eyes at her friends. "No, and I don't want to." With a huff, she stalked away. The three of them watched her until she turned the corner and vanished from sight.

"Well, isn't this a fun start to the summer?" Skylar muttered, rubbing her temples.


Victoire watched as Hermione and Ginny prepared dinner in the kitchen. Hermione's bushy hair had been pulled up as she stood over the stove, waving her wand over the pot absentmindedly. Ginny was sitting on the counter, waving her wand lazily as plates and cups arranged themselves on the table. The two of them were chatting on mindlessly about work and their families.

"Vic?" Ginny asked, her light brown eyes studying her niece. "You should go out and enjoy yourself. It is summer, you know."

"I think I've partied enough this year," she replied, fiddling with her fingers nervously.

Hermione frowned. "What's wrong?"

Victoire looked up at her two aunts, who were both watching her concernedly. "I went to see Chris again today," she told them, "and Teddy was there..."

Ginny frowned. "Did you two fight again?"

"Not exactly...you two think Chris will make a full recovery, don't you? He's gonna get better, right?"

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. "I wish I could tell you that he would, Vic, but it's been a year. Pretty soon, the healers won't be able to keep the poison from spreading..."

"You think he's going to die?" Victoire yelped.

"No! I don't know. I think you shouldn't give up just yet, but I also think you need to live your life. Chris...he wouldn't want you to miss out on anything..."

"How could I? He's supposed to be here...sitting next to me..."

Ginny sighed, hopping off the counter. "Vic, why don't you take a shower and relax a bit. You need to stop obsessing over this. The Healers are working their hardest to heal Chris, and you need to have faith in them. If Chris woke up tomorrow and saw how miserable you were making yourself, he'd be furious..."

Victoire stood up slowly. "I think I might go to bed early tonight..." she mumbled. Hermione and Ginny exchanged looks as Victoire made her way past the kitchen and into the living room. Lily and Hugo were sitting on the floor, playing an intense game of chess. Albus, James, and Rose were a few feet away, laughing wildly as they played a competitive game of exploding snap.

"Vic, do you want to play?" Rose asked.

Victoire forced a smile. "Maybe after I shower, Rosie," she replied, making her way up the stairs.

She quickly dashed up into the guest room where she'd been staying since the beginning of summer. Her parents had sent her to Harry and Ginny's as soon as summer began, but Victoire didn't complain. She enjoyed Ginny's company, and Harry always brought home the most interesting stories. Plus James always kept her amused with his antics. However, not even James and Al's mischief could keep her mind from drifting to Chris. Ever since she'd returned home, everything reminded her of Chris.

Sighing, she got in the shower. However, she wasn't in there too long before the bathroom doors burst open. Victoire jumped, covering herself. "I'm showering!" she shouted, irritated.

"Like I haven't seen you naked before." A familiar voice said sarcastically.

Victoire frowned. "Skylar?"

"Oh, that's so sweet! You recognize my voice!"

Victoire poked her head out of the shower. "If you don't mind, I'd appreciate some privacy."

Skylar rolled her eyes. "Well, hurry up. We're going to a party."

Victoire stared at her. "No, we're not."

"Vic, don't be difficult."

"Please let me shower in peace."

"Of course! You need to shower before Finn's party. I wouldn't want you going smelling bad!"

"Skye, I'm not going to that party."

Skylar glared at her. "It's not an option. You're going."

Grumbling, Victoire turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. "Just like old times," she muttered.

Once Victoire stepped out, Skylar held up a skimpy black dress. "I found this in your closet," she said, examining the dress. "My, you've really changed your style over the past year."

Victoire felt her face burn. "I'm trying to stay away from that lifestyle."

Skylar raised her eyebrows. "Why? It sounds fun. I wish Hogsmeade had a club we could sneak into."

Victoire shrugged. "Yeah, it was fun, I guess. Definitely not worth having to come home..." Victoire silently cursed herself when she saw the look on Skylar's face. "Not that I'm not glad to see you...it's just my parents..." she finished off lamely, hoping Skylar hadn't taken it too personally.

"Come on," Skylar pleaded, tossing her the black dress. "Vic, please come! I don't know why you've been avoiding me-"

"I haven't been avoiding you," Victoire interrupted.

"Yes, you have. Now, I have no idea why, but you're going to make it up to me by going to this party." Skylar glared at Victoire, challenging her to disagree.

Finally, Victoire sighed. "Fine. This night can't get much worse anyway."

"That's the spirit!" Skylar beamed.


Victoire was dragged through the enormous foyer, where she saw several familiar faces from Hogwarts. Some of them waved to her, but most of them ogled at her. The last time they'd seen the eldest Weasley, she'd been a wreck. Victoire shuddered, remembering her last few days at Hogwarts. Never again would she let anybody see her that weak again.

"Skylar, where are we going?" Victoire complained.

"There you are!" Grace said, spotting Skylar.

Victoire nearly gasped. It had been ages since she'd seen Grace. Skylar, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected by Grace's presence. She nestled herself in between Teddy and Grace, taking a sip from Teddy's drink. Teddy smiled and kissed her forehead. Victoire stood there for a split-second, suddenly feeling very out of place. She hadn't realized how much her two best friends had changed over the past year. Skylar, who was the most outgoing of the three of them, seemed to have tamed down a bit. Victoire wondered if Teddy had anything to do with that. Skylar smiled at Teddy, her dark brown eyes glittering. Skylar had always been one of the prettiest girls at Hogwarts. She was tall, leggy, thin, with long dirty blonde hair and big brown eyes.

Grace, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She was petite and incredibly cute. Grace had dark green eyes that really popped out against her dark hair and almond colored skin tone. She had long, dark hair that was often put up into a sloppy bun because she always overslept. Tonight, however, Grace's hair was in loose curls and cascading down her bag.

After the initial shock of seeing her two best friends together after a year, Victoire stepped forward. Teddy saw her first. He waved her forward. "Vic, you came!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Against my will," Victoire mumbled, shooting Skylar a dark look. She turned to Grace and smiled. "Hi, Gracie."

Grace didn't reply. Instead, she reached over, grabbed Finn's drink and chugged it down. "Woah," Finn said cautiously, "slow down there, kiddo."

Skylar frowned. "Grace, I've never even seen you touch a drink before. What's going on?"

Grace glanced at her. "Collin broke up with me," she said flatly.

"What?" Victoire yelped. "I can't believe you two are still together. Merlin, and after all this time."

"Were together," Grace corrected her. "He broke up with me about thirty minutes ago," she said, her voice cracking. "He said he wanted to explore his options...he told me I should do the same thing."

"Idiot," Finn murmured, jumping up. "You want me to kick his arse?" he asked, rolling up his sleeves.

Grace shook her head, but then she froze. Victoire turned in the direction she was staring. In the middle of the dance floor, Collin Avery was dancing with a tall redheaded girl Victoire had never seen before.

"Gracie, I'm so sorry," Victoire said softly, reaching for her.

Grace shook her off. "What? Like you suddenly care about me?" she snarled before stalking off.

"Vic, she's just upset," Skylar said reassuringly as Grace disappeared into the dancing crowd.

Victoire shook her head. "Nah, I deserved that."

"Where are you going?" Teddy asked as Victoire began backing away.

"I'm going to go find a cute bloke to snog...or maybe find something stronger than firewhiskey..." she muttered.

Finn grinned. "Hey, that shouldn't be too hard. It's a party after all!"

Teddy, on the other hand, frowned. "Vic, I'm not sure that's the best idea..."

Victoire shrugged. "Maybe not...but I'll worry about that later."


Grace furiously pushed aside dancing couples. She couldn't believe Collin's nerve...to dance in front of her with another girl minutes after they had broken up. It was like he didn't even care! She felt like punching somebody. She considered punching Victoire, but decided against it. She had promised Teddy she'd be nice.

She looked back at her friends, but they were all gone. Victoire was flirting with some random bloke Grace had never seen before. Judging from the look on his face, Victoire probably had him wrapped around her fingers. Grace stared at them for a moment. Victoire was so different. Her dress was so much skimpier and her attitude was so much more Skylar-ish. Before she had gone away, Victoire was shy and quiet. She never flaunted her beauty, and she never got into any trouble. It amazed Grace to see how much Victoire had changed.

Finn was dancing with a pretty girl that Grace knew was a seventh year. Rolling her eyes, Grace skimmed the crowds until she found Teddy and Skylar. They were glued together, snogging fiercely. Teddy had Skylar pushed up against the wall, his hands traveling in areas that Grace had never dared allow Collin to explore. Making a face, Grace turned back around. She was astonished, however, to see Victoire staring at Teddy and Skylar. For a split second, Victoire looked hurt, but then the next instant it was gone and she had plastered an easy smile on her face.

Grace wanted to go over and comfort Victoire, but then she remembered how furious she was with her. Huffing, Grace flipped her hair back and marched back to the bar. She reached over, grabbing the strongest liquor she could find. "This is going to be a long night," she muttered.

About an hour later, Grace was still sitting alone at the bar, observing the party before her. Finn had completely disappeared with a girl from Hufflepuff. Teddy and Skylar were now dancing. Occasionally Skylar would signal Grace forward, asking her to join them on the dance floor, but Grace pretended she didn't see. Hidden in the shadows, Victoire was snogging the bloke she had been flirting with earlier. Teddy kept glancing back at Victoire and the bloke.

Grace kept her eyes locked on Collin, though. He was still talking to the redheaded girl. He hadn't even noticed Grace glaring at him all night. The redheaded girl laughed, throwing her head back as Collin said something enthusiastically.

"You have got to stop staring at them." Finn sat beside Grace. "It's creepy."

"I can't believe he moved on so quickly," she said miserably.

Finn shrugged. "You should do the same. Find some nice bloke at the party and snog him right in front of Collin."

"That's horrible advice."

He shrugged. "It's what I would do."

"Finn, you've never even had a girlfriend."

"Yes, I have!"

"That's lasted longer than a week?" Grace raised her eyebrows.

"Week?" Teddy snorted, plopping beside Grace. "Try day."

"Caroline Stromberg," Finn told them. "We dated for three whole days."

"Wow, that must have been quite a deep and meaningful relationship," Skylar drawled sarcastically, making herself comfortable on Teddy's lap.

Finn glared at her. "And how long was your longest relationship?"

She thought about it. "Teddy, how long have we been dating?"

"About three months."

"Three months," Skylar told him smugly.

"You've never had relationship before Teddy?" Finn questioned.

Grace laughed. "Skylar wasn't really a relationship kind of girl."

"Well, I am now," Skylar said, kissing Teddy.

Teddy grinned and looked at Finn. "Hey," he said suddenly, frowning, "where's Sienna?"

"Vacation with her family," Finn replied glumly. "And it's too bad. I could go for a nice shag with her."

"Ugh don't be gross," Skylar said, making a face.

"Wait," Grace gasped, her eyes widening. "You and Sienna?"

Skylar rolled her eyes. "Are you surprised? Finn would fuck anything with a pulse."

"Are you saying I have no standards?" Finn asked angrily, turning to Skylar.

"Well, duh," Skylar said obviously. "But I at least thought Sienna had some standards."

Grace, sensing an argument, stood up. "I reckon this is my cue to leave," she muttered, attempting to walk away.

Teddy reached out and pulled Grace back. "Hey, I'm not finished speaking with you."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I want you to be nicer to Vic," Teddy said seriously.

Finn nodded. "You really should be."

Skylar bit her lip. "Gracie, can't you just give her a second chance?"

"She had an entire year for her second chance," Grace replied bitterly.

"Just be civil," Finn said. He looked stern, which was quite an odd expression on Finn compared to his usual mischievous smirk. It almost made Grace consider being nice to Victoire, but then she remembered the many letters she never got back and the burning fury in the pit of her stomach returned.

"You've got to be kidding me," Teddy suddenly muttered furiously.

"What?" Skylar asked, looking in the direction that Teddy was glaring at.

"Lucas Bishop is here," Victoire answered, appearing in front of them.

Finn jumped out of his seat. "At my party? What's this guy playing at?"

Victoire shrugged. She looked back at Lucas. "You know, he looks really good..." she mumbled.

Finn stared at her. "You couldn't possibly be interested in The Enemy Number One, could you?"

She studied Lucas for a moment before finally shrugging. "Nah...he's not my type..."

Finn wiped his forehead. "Phew...you had me worried there for a minute."

Grace stared at Victoire in disbelief. It was like she was a completely different person. "Not your type?" she repeated faintly.

"Who's that guy that you were snogging?" Skylar asked her eagerly.

Victoire furrowed her eyebrows. "John...Jacob...Jordan...I don't know, something like that."

Finn was still fuming over Lucas Bishop.

"You invited the entire school," Grace told him, rolling her eyes. "Did you expect he wouldn't find out?"

Skylar grabbed Teddy's arm. "Just let him be. He's not causing any trouble. It'll just be worse if you start a fight or cause a scene."

Finn scowled. "Fine, but I don't like it."

"Neither do I," Teddy admitted, "but this isn't our house, remember?"

Cursing under his breath, Finn stormed through the dance floor, a flask in his hand. Skylar dragged Teddy away, claiming she wanted to dance some more. Grace suddenly realized she had been left alone with Victoire, which didn't do much to brighten her mood.

"Gracie-" Victoire began.

"Save it, Vic," Grace said curtly, flipping her dark brown hair in the best imitation of Skylar she could manage. With one last glare at Victoire, she strode away. She was so busy fuming over Victoire, she hardly even noticed Collin and his redheaded friend in front of her. She watched in horror as Collin leaned down, giving the girl an intense kiss. Her face burning and her heart pounding, Grace backed away slowly. She felt tears stinging her eyes, and she swallowed back the lump in her throat.

"That's some kiss." Lucas Bishop was standing beside Grace, taking a sip of his drink. "But I thought you and Avery were a couple."

She couldn't take her eyes off Collin as he and the redheaded girl started snogging. "We're not...anymore..." she heard herself say numbly. "Collin broke up with me."

Lucas looked her up and down. "While you looked like that? Wow, he's a fucking wanker."

Grace tore her eyes away from Collin to look at Lucas. "Thank you...I think," she said uncertainly.

"So, why'd you break up anyway?" he asked.

Grace stared at him. "Why the sudden interest? I'm pretty sure we've never spoken more than three words to each other before."

Lucas raised his eyebrows. "That's true. I believe the last thing you said to me was 'shove off, Bishop.'"

"You had just attacked my friends."

"Lupin and West deserved it."

"And you deserve for me to hex you right now."

"But you can't, can you? You're only...what? Fourteen."

"I've been fifteen for nearly six months now," she replied tartly.

"Still, you're underage," he said smugly.

Grace looked at him in disgust. "What are you doing here anyway? This is Finn's party. Aren't you two like mortal enemies or something?"

Luke shrugged. "A party's a party."

She sighed, turning back to look at Collin and the redheaded girl, but they had disappeared. "You know," she said, "Finn advised me to snog some random bloke in front of Collin...said it'd make him jealous..."

Luke nodded. "Surprisingly good advice coming from that dimwit."

Grace ignored the insult. "What are you talking about? That's horrible advice."

Luke shrugged. "I expected you'd say that much. I reckon if he'd given the advice to Skylar Grey or even Victoire Weasley...they would've done it. They're gutsy...bold...willing to take risks...Hell, I heard Weasley got expelled for sneaking into a muggle strip club and doing a strip tease for the muggle blokes before riding back into the school on a unicorn. Merlin, I would've traded my entire family to have Weasley do a strip tease for me."

"Wow...that's not what happened at all." Grace decided against mentioning the fact that it would have been impossible for Victoire to ride back into the school on a unicorn. First off, unicorns made Victoire nervous. Second, unicorns were nearly impossible to tame.

"Point is, Victoire and Skylar...they're the kind of girls that have the guts to do something like that. You...well, you're a bit more level headed, I reckon. You always do the right, noble thing, and you only ever take calculated risks. Which, might I add, makes you the most boring Gryffindor to ever live."

Grace frowned. "Is that an insult or a compliment?"

Luke shrugged. "All I'm saying is that your boyfriend knew exactly what he was doing when he broke up with you."

"Excuse me?"

"You haven't slept with him yet, have you?" Luke asked her wisely.

That shut Grace up. She'd never considered that her frigidness had cost her her relationship.

"The situation is pretty easy to read. See, once it's over with you, he's free to do what he wants. He can go have his fun with the redheaded girl or any other girl for that matter; and when he's all done with that and he decides he misses you, he knows he can go back to you. I mean, it's inevitable he'll miss you. Look at you! Brains, looks, a personality...that's hard to come by nowadays. But you're also too nice and too naive. Collin knows this and he knows you'd take him back in a heartbeat. And how does he know that, you ask? It's because you think you're in love with him, so you'll give him a second chance."

Grace stared at him in amazement. Suddenly, it hit her, an all consuming anger. Her nostrils flared, her face burned, and she had the sudden urge to hit somebody. She wanted to hurt Collin, to make him to feel as terrible as she did in that moment.

Then she did something she never expected to do in a million years. She pulled Lucas close, slamming her lips against his. "How's that for safe," she mumbled before Luke pulled her back. His kisses were hot and hurried, burning with desire. Grace placed her arms around the back of his neck, letting him take control. She turned her head for a breath of air, but Luke's mouth continued down her neck, eliciting a small moan from Grace.

She never expected to like kissing Luke so much. If somebody had told her a week ago that she would be kissing Lucas Bishop and enjoying it, she would have scoffed. But now...she could barely even remember her ex-boyfriend's name...

Lucas was different from Collin. He was intoxicating. Every touch, every kiss...it was electrifying. Ever cell in her body seemed to explode with pleasure when he brushed his lips against hers. She'd never felt like that while kissing Collin...