Carter Remington II had a very imposing presence. Victoire could tell immediately that he was the kind of man that demanded respect from others, who liked things done his way, and who never took no for an answer.

He was sitting alone at his table when she, Lawson, and Carter walked into the restaurant, glancing down at his watch impatiently as he waited. For a fifty year old, he was still very handsome, despite his graying hair and lined forehead. Victoire noticed that he and his son looked very much alike, with the same dark brown eyes, wavy hair, and charming smile (which Mr. Remington flashed at the young female waitress who refilled his glass).

He looked up when Carter approached the table first. "There you are," he said. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten that…" He trailed off, looking past his son, his eyes locking on Lawson and Victoire. "Lawson," he said coolly. "What a… pleasant surprise."

"Hey, Mr. R.," Lawson replied, smirking slightly. "What's up?"

"Just the usual, Lawson," Mr. Remington replied, gesturing for them to sit down. "How's your mother?"

"She's doing well," Lawson said, taking his seat. "She misses you."

"Well, tell her if she ever wants her job back, she can have it. Our new maid is practically incompetent. Can hardly speak English either."

"I'll be sure to tell her," Lawson said, picking up his menu and opening it up.

Mr. Remington redirected his gaze to Victoire. "Neither of you boys have introduced me to your charming little friend," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. "Carter Remington II," he said. "It's lovely to meet you."

"Victoire Weasley," she replied nervously, as he gripped her hand tightly. "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Remington."

"I've been seeing Victoire for a few weeks now, Dad," Carter said, casually draping his arm over the back of her chair. "She recently moved here from England and now works with Lawson at the catering company. I met her at my birthday party."

Mr. Remington opened his mouth to reply, but they were interrupted by the waitress who appeared at that moment to take their orders. Victoire glanced down at the menu for the first time, immediately noticing how expensive everything was. She glanced up worriedly. Would everyone be expected to pay for their own meal? There was no way she could afford any of this.

"I'll be paying for everyone," Mr. Remington announced, as if he had just read her mind. "So order anything you like."

She breathed a sigh of relief, and ordered a relatively inexpensive item, not wanting to take advantage of his generosity.

After they had all ordered, Mr. Remington turned back to her. "So, you work at a catering company?" he asked. "Is that just a temporary thing? Are you here to attend college in the fall?"

She shifted uncomfortable in her seat. Witches and wizards didn't attend college, but it wasn't like she could tell him that. "Er, no," she finally said. "I plan to work there for a while. I'm not attending college."

He shot her a tight-lipped smile and glanced at Lawson. "Well, that's nice," he said. "Perhaps the two of you can work there until you're old enough to retire."

Carter groaned. "Dad!"

"What?" his father replied. "I just don't like to see the youth of today wasting their potential. Now I don't know much about your little girlfriend, but I do know Lawson."

"Unfortunately," Lawson muttered under his breath, too quietly for Mr. Remington to hear.

"And Lawson is an extremely intelligent boy," he continued. "Lazy and undisciplined, yes. But very intelligent. There was no reason for him not to attend college. Money wasn't an issue. I offered to pay for his education myself."

Lawson was, of course, a wizard. He couldn't very well go and attend some muggle university. But Victoire supposed that Mr. Remington didn't know that.

"And that was very generous of you, Mr. R.," Lawson said. "But college isn't for me."

Mr. Remington shook his head and looked at Victoire. "Is that your reason as well, my dear? Is higher education and a chance to really succeed in life just not for you?"

Victoire shrank back in her seat. "I don't…er, I…"

"Dad!" Carter hissed. "Leave them alone. This is not the time or the place!"

"Don't even get me started on you," his father said. "I saw your grades from last semester. How the hell do you plan to get into law school with that shit on your transcript?"

"Dad, I have everything under control," Carter said slowly, obviously trying to remain calm.

"Do you?" Mr. Remington asked. "Because it seems to me that you've never had anything under control. You've practically thrown away every opportunity that's ever been handed to you. You partied your way through high school, wasting your time with that Chastity Burbank girl—"

There was that name again. Chastity Burbank. Who was that? Victoire was positive she had heard that name before.

"—You've never shown any real interest in taking over my firm someday. You're barely scraping by at Harvard. You're a smart boy, Carter. Maybe not as smart as all of your peers, but still smart. I expect more from you. The Remington family has a legacy to hold up and I would hate to see—"

Lawson stood up. "You know what," he said, "I think Vic and I should just leave. You two need to work things out alone."

Victoire nodded in agreement, relieved that he had spoken up.

Carter sighed heavily, obviously not thrilled about being left alone with his father. "Alright," he said. "I'll call you later, Victoire."

She and Lawson hurried out of the restaurant, heading to the nearest subway station.

"Lawson?" she asked, after they had taken their seats on the train. "Does Carter know that you're a wizard?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I told him when we were kids. My mom was furious when she found out. Magic has always freaked her out. My dad never told her what he was, so she had to find out about me all on her own. She was scared that Carter was going to tell everyone he knew and I would be taken away from her so that scientists could do experiments on me or something."

"But he never told anyone?"

Lawson shook his head. "Not a soul."

This wasn't surprising. Carter seemed like a trustworthy person. The kind of person who would keep a secret for anyone, but especially for a friend.

"I have another question," she said.

"Shoot." He placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in his seat, watching her intently with his bright green eyes.

"Who's Chastity Burbank?" she asked. "I mean, I know she's Carter's ex-girlfriend, but is she someone well-known? Her name sounds so familiar."

Lawson chuckled. "Chastity? Yeah, you've probably heard of her. She's an heiress to a large hotel chain. She's pretty well known for her partying and, er…sexual exploits."

Suddenly Victoire remembered exactly who she was. The blonde New York socialite who had graced the covers of many tabloids over the past few years. She had been launched from relative obscurity when she was about sixteen or seventeen when a video of her and the President's teenage son getting it on had leaked for all the world to see. This became one the biggest celebrity scandals of the year, bigger even than the highly-publicized divorce of two of Hollywood hottest A-list actors. From then on, you could hardly walk into a grocery store without seeing her face on the cover of every magazine. The paparazzi followed her everywhere, hoping to catch her doing something else equally scandalous. The media had a field day making bad puns out of the irony of her name. While she never did anything quite as scandalous as the President's son again, she'd certainly had her fair share of gossip-worthy antics. There were photos all over the Internet of her wardrobe malfunctions and excessive partying.

The train screeched to a stop and she and Lawson stepped off.

"They dated during Lawson's senior year," Lawson said, as they walked back to their building. "About a year after the whole thing with the President's son." He pulled out his phone and typed something in. "If you Google their names, all sorts of embarrassing photos come up." He handed it to her. "You can look if you want."

She took the phone from him and immediately wished she hadn't. The boy in these pictures was a far cry from the boy who had been nothing but respectful at his birthday party, the boy who had blushed after their first date when he had kissed her good night on the cheek, the boy who had assured her that he was fine with taking things slow. This boy was the epitome of a douchey, drunken future frat boy. There were pictures of him and Chastity making out on the dance floor, his hand up her skirt. There were pictures of them drunkenly flipping off the cameras as they stumbled out of a club. There were pictures of them playing some sort of drinking game. There were pictures of them laughing together in someone's basement, their faces partially obscured by a cloud of pot smoke.

Victoire handed Lawson his phone. "Maybe I'm not really his type," she said quietly.

Lawson's brow furrowed. "Vic," he said. "Don't let these pictures worry you, okay? He was just going through that rebellious teenage stage, partying too much, dating someone his parents hated. Everyone does it."

"I didn't," she said.

"Me neither," he admitted. "I'm not much of a partier. I mean, I've been to my fair share, but mostly because Carter dragged me to them. But at the end of the night I was always the sober one that had to make sure everyone else got home safely without killing themselves."

"Really?" she asked. "I wouldn't have guessed that."

"Why?" he asked, shooting her a cocky grin. "Because of my sexy bad boy demeanor?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's sexy, but yes."

He shrugged. "I'm going to tell you a secret, Vic, and you have to promise not to tell anyone else."

They were back at their building now, standing in the hallway outside of their apartments.

"What?" she asked.

He lowered his voice. "I'm kind of a nerd. I actually liked going to school. I read for fun and sometimes I watch the Discovery Channel."

She giggled. "Well, aren't you just full of surprises today, Lawson Mills? You don't like partying and you're actually a nerd."

"Well, I have found that being the only sober person in a room of drunken idiots can actually be used to my advantage."

"How so?"

"It's much easier for me to get girls. All the other guys are too wasted to truly be impressive and I'm the only one who can hold my own in a conversation without puking all over the girl's dress."

"You're such a manwhore, Lawson," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe," he admitted. "But enough about me. I was trying to make a point about Carter and I got off track. I was going to say that even though he likes to party, he's still a genuinely nice guy. One of the nicest, really. Chastity Burbank was a phase. You're definitely his type."

"Thanks," she murmured. "That's surprisingly sweet and considerate of you, Lawson."

"Well," he said, pulling out his key and unlocking his door. "I have my moments."

She watched as he disappeared inside of his apartment, the door closing behind him. Maybe he really wasn't so bad after all.

Dear Teddy,

It's been a while since I've written to you. Not that it matters, since I haven't sent a single one of these. I've been seeing this guy. His name is Carter. He's a sweetheart. And he's very rich. I know I should be ecstatic about being with him, but I'm not. The thing is, I don't really feel anything when I'm with him. I like him, don't get me wrong, but there aren't any sparks. We had sparks. Do you remember, Teddy? When we kissed it was like someone was setting off fireworks. But there's nothing like that with Carter. We're taking things slow, which I'm happy about. But I'm concerned about the fact that I'm in absolutely no hurry to do anything but kiss him everyone once in a while. I want passion, Teddy. I want what we used to have. I want to fall head over heels in love with a boy that I cannot keep my hands off of. And I don't think that boy is Carter Remington III, as much as I wish he was.

Love,

Victoire

Melania Muldoon was on a rampage. Ever since she had arrived at the office that morning, she had been impossible to talk to or even approach without being on the receiving end of some particularly nasty verbal abuse. So far Hazel had seen her vocally attack an elderly member of the maintenance staff for "walking too loudly" as he passed by the reception desk, curse at two timid-looking kids who had come to bring their father (who happened to be their boss, Mr. Punjab) lunch at work, and yell at one of the summer interns for ten minutes straight for not having a firm enough handshake or making eye contact while she spoke to him.

"What do you think is wrong with her?" Hazel murmured.

She and Teddy stood at a safe distance from the reception desk, watching as Melania angrily attacked the envelopes she was meant to be addressing with her quill.

"I don't know," Teddy whispered back. "But I do know that Mr. Punjab is going to be pissed when he sees that all those letters have massive ink blotches all over them. They're meant to be sent to some pretty important people."

"Maybe I should go talk to her," Hazel said.

"It's your funeral," Teddy replied with a shrug.

She squared her shoulders. "I'm going over," she said, her face determined. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," he called after her. "I'll be praying for you."

"Hello, Melania," Hazel said quietly, leaning up against the reception desk. "How are you?"

Melania glanced up, squinting at Hazel for a second before quickly glancing back down at the envelopes she was addressing.

"Hello, Hazel," she said, her tone dismissive. "Decided to venture back to the land of the reception desk for a few minutes to interact with your lessers, have you?"

"Er," Hazel replied, her face scrunching up in confusion. "I don't—"

"It seems to me that ever since Mr. Punjab promoted you and you started dating Teddy, I've barely seen you. I know your life is great right now. You have an office and a bright future and Teddy Lupin in your bed, but I hardly think that forgetting your humble roots is something you should be doing, Hazel. I was your friend before Mr. Punjab realized you could do more than file papers and fetch coffee. I was your friend before Teddy Lupin even knew your name."

"Melania, I haven't—"

Melania held up her hand, still not looking up from her work. "I don't want to hear any excuses, Hazel. I may still be a receptionist and I may be one until I retire, but I am not embarrassed. I have a steady job and that is something I take pride in."

"Melania!" Hazel finally snapped. "I have no idea what you're on about right now, but it's completely ridiculous. I do not think that I am better than you in anyway because I have been promoted or because I am dating Teddy Lupin. And I have not been ignoring you! I talk to you every day." She took a deep breath. "Now will you tell me what's really wrong?"

Hazel watched as Melania sighed heavily, setting down her quill and finally looking up. She took off her horn-rimmed glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Cadmus broke up with me," she said quietly, her voice cracking.

"That twenty-eight year old you've been seeing?" Hazel asked skeptically.

Melania's eyes narrowed. "I don't appreciate the tone in your voice right now, Hazel. My heart is broken."

"I'm sorry, Melania. I really am," Hazel said. "But, I mean…surely, you didn't really think that you'd be with him forever, did you? He's seventeen years younger than you. What do you two even have in common?"

"I must be very foolish," she whispered hoarsely. "Because I really did think he might be the one."

"Oh, Melania. You'll find someone."

"I'm forty-five, dear. I'm forty-five and I've never been married. I'm forty-five and I don't have any kids. I'm forty-five and I go home to my cat every evening."

"That could still change, Melania," Hazel said. "Just because Cadmus turned out not to be the one for you, doesn't mean that that person isn't out there somewhere. You just have to have faith, okay?"

"I gave up on faith a long time ago, Hazel," Melania said quietly. "I don't know what I was thinking, dating someone so young. Did I really think he'd one to tie himself down to me of all people? How ridiculous. How foolish. I'm sure he'll find someone young and beautiful to settle down and live happily ever after with. Two people so far apart in age with as little in common as the two of us were doomed from the beginning."

Lawson wasn't sure what he was doing there. Again. Why couldn't he just stop showing up at her door? Why couldn't he let go? This was stupid, so stupid. The two of them had nothing in common. Absolutely nothing at all. Their relationship had been doomed from the beginning. If he was smart, then he would turn around and go home. He wouldn't still be standing there, lifting his hand and ringing the doorbell.

This wasn't healthy.

And if Carter ever found out…

Shit.

Thank you to everyone who left me a review on the last chapter. Feel free to do it again!