I ain't got no magic potion
All I know is that we're better of together than we ever were alone
So if you let me try
Just give me time,
Oh
Woman I will find a way to help you ease your troubled mind

-Ron Pope

Grace's first few days back home were rather quiet. She spent most of her mornings in the kitchen baking with her mother and her aunt, listening absentmindedly as they gossiped about the latest family drama and Rita Skeeter's latest juicy article. Every now and then, Grace would let out an incredulous gasp or a disapproving cluck whenever it seemed appropriate to keep her mother and aunt thinking she was interested in whatever nonsense they were discussing.

Being away from her friends was a bit lonely. Since Finn had moved out of his parent's home, he was no longer a few doors down. Grace didn't have very many people to talk to besides her mother and brother. She wrote to Victoire and Skylar nearly every day. Victoire kept her informed on the health of Harry and Ron, but she was busy with her family so Grace didn't want to keep bothering her.

Henry, who finally seemed to be reverting back to his old self, spent most of his day outside playing in the snow with the other boys in town. They slid down the snowy hills and had snowball fights and rolled around in the freezing white snow. Sometimes Grace would take a cup of tea with her outside and stand on the porch watching them. It was nice to see Henry be a kid again.

"So, are you going to see Dad?" Henry asked her tentatively one night as they sat in the living room sipping on their evening tea.

Grace set down her cup. "I wasn't planning on it."

"You know Dad gets us for Christmas right?"

Grace frowned. "I'll be seventeen in a month. Dad can't tell me what to do."

"No, but the government can."

"Don't be a smart arse."

"I'm just saying, according to court, Dad gets us for every other holiday. Christmas is his."

"I am not spending my Christmas with Heidi."

Henry looked at her dubiously. "If you say so."

Aimee walked in with a tray of scones and biscuits. "What are you two talking about?" she asked pleasantly.

"Grace is trying to tell me that she won't be spending Christmas with Dad," Henry replied.

Aimee sighed. "Grace, we've discussed this already."

Grace glared at her family. "Mum, why are you so insistent on spending Christmas alone?"

"I won't be alone!" Aimee explained. "I'll be with your aunt and your grandparents and your cousins! I'll be fine."

"Well, I won't," Grace snapped. "Not if I have to spend an entire day with Heidi."

Aimee rubbed her temples. "Gracie, I really don't need any more trouble with your dad. We've been getting along really well lately."

Henry snorted. "Only because you two never talk."

"I'm staying here," Grace said stubbornly.

"Your father will be furious," Aimee told her. "He's already upset that you never write to him."

Grace crossed her arms. "Like I said: I'm not going."

"Fine! I'll talk to your dad and see if we can come to an agreement." Aimee took a deep breath. "He won't be happy."

"Yes, well, I wasn't happy when he knocked up some other woman, but I dealt with it," Grace said bitterly.

Henry stared at her. "Yeah, but not very well…"

Grace shushed him.

Aimee sighed. "Just finish your tea, you two."

"So, I was thinking maybe tomorrow I would go to St. Mungo's," Grace said after a moment. "Harry and Ron are being released soon. I thought I might pay them a visit. Vic said she'd be there tomorrow too."

Aimee gasped. "Sounds like a brilliant idea! I'll bake them a cake."

"Why are they in St. Mungo's?" Henry asked curiously.

"Haven't you been reading the newspapers?" Grace asked, stunned at her brother's ignorance.

"No. I'm nine."

Grace rolled her eyes. "Well, some people dressed as death eaters attacked them."

"Death Eaters?" Henry yelped, remembering all the scary stories he'd heard growing up.

Aimee clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "I hope they catch them soon."

"Agreed," Grace muttered.

Victoire sat across from Luke and Eleanor. They were bickering back and forth about who broke the blue vase when they were eight. Victoire was only half-listening. She was thinking about the attack and the faux death eaters.

"Victoire, will you please tell Luke what a liar he is!" Eleanor exclaimed. Eleanor had black hair with blunt bangs that not many people could pull off. She had outlined her startling blue eyes with heavy dark makeup and her lips were a deep red. Like usual, she was dressed in black jeans and a dark top to match.

Victoire blinked. "Sorry. What?"

Luke frowned. "What's wrong with you?" He laughed. "You've been distracted all day."

"She's probably thinking about that boyfriend of hers," Eleanor teased.

"I wish," Victoire replied with a sigh. "I actually keep thinking about the attack."

"Well, aren't you a cheerful one."

"I'm serious!" Victoire exclaimed. "There've been so many attacks on muggleborns lately…it's starting to scare me…"

"Because of what happened to Chris?" Luke asked quietly.

Victoire nodded. "Yeah…and what happened to my uncles. And now Skye is back home and it's no secret her dad's a muggle. She could be in danger."

"Vic, come on!" Luke tried not to laugh. "There are thousands of muggleborns in England. And Skye's at least a half-blood. You really think they'll target her out of everybody?"

"Maybe! She's got ties to me and I'm a Weasley."

Eleanor considered it. "She's not wrong, Luke. Being a Weasley right now seems pretty dangerous. I mean, they're the most famous muggle loving family in the world."

"Exactly!" Victoire exclaimed. "And us Weasleys are extremely protected. I mean, Harry and Ron make sure of it. We're practically untouchable."

"So untouchable that two of you are in the hospital right now," Luke muttered.

"That's different. They're aurors. Their jobs put them in constant risk. But the rest of us…there's all sorts of magical protections placed on us and our homes." Victoire sighed. "But Skylar has none of that. I mean, her dad is a muggle! He can't provide any magical protection for her!"

Luke took her hand. "Vic, don't you think you're just being a bit paranoid?"

"No! I don't! And Grace agrees with me."

"Grace?" Luke bit back a smile. "Grace is the queen of overreaction. I swear, you, Skylar, and Gracie are the most melodramatic—"

Eleanor perked up. "So, Gracie is back home?"

"Yep," Luke said.

"Have you seen her yet?" Eleanor asked.

"Nope."

"Are you planning on seeing her?"

Luke looked at her. "Probably not. You see, usually, when two people break up, they stop hanging out."

Victoire looked at him. "Wow, you've really embraced this whole break up thing. A month ago you were still moaning about never being able to move on."

"That's a shame," Eleanor said sorrowfully. "I loved Gracie. You two should really get back together."

Luke let out a humorless laugh. "Try telling her that."

Victoire shrugged. "I still don't understand why the two of you broke up."

"Well, neither do I," Luke muttered.

Eleanor clucked her tongue impatiently. "So, you're really not going to see her?"

"Why would I do that to myself?"

Victoire chimed in. "Hey, but you are coming to see Harry and Ron tomorrow morning with me, right? Teddy has work and I really don't want to go alone. I hate hospitals."

Luke put his arm around her. "Of course, Vic. Whatever you need."

Grace set down the sunflowers on the bedside table.

"Flowers," Harry said pleasantly. "That's nice, Grace."

"Don't worry," she said, opening her large bag. "My mum made cakes for both of you as well."

"Yes!" Ron exclaimed, sitting up. "What kind of cake?"

"Ron!" Hermione hissed, smacking his arm.

"Sorry," Ron said quickly. "The…erm…flowers…they're lovely too."

Ginny and Harry snickered. Grace laughed. "Thanks."

Finn peered at the cakes she was pulling out. "So, are other people allowed to have some of that cake too?"

"You want cake?" Grace asked.

"I do."

"Well, you're in luck, because my mum made a third cake for everybody else."

"Mrs. Rhodes always coming through," Finn said with a grin.

Grace set down her belongings. "I'm going to go see if I can find plates for everyone." She left the room and made her way down the hallway. Grace pressed the elevator button and waited patiently until it arrived and the doors opened. Luke was standing inside, talking into his Witch Mirror. "Alright! Relax. I'm already here. I'll see you in a bit." He looked up and froze. "Grace."

Grace blinked, stunned. "Erm…hi…"

The doors started closing and Luke quickly stepped out. "Hi…I didn't know you would be here…"

Grace felt her face burn. "Vic told me she was planning on coming this morning so I figured I'd stopped by and surprise her. I know how much she hates hospitals." She cleared her throat. "It was stupid, I guess. Vic isn't even here…"

"Oh, she's here! She's coming up. We got distracted down there at the gift shop. I just left them at the cash register."

"Gift shop?"

"Yes, because who doesn't need St. Mungo's merchandise," Luke replied with an eye roll.

Grace laughed awkwardly. "Yeah…"

They stared at each other uncomfortably, each trying to come up with something to say.

"So," Luke said slowly. "How's your break been so far?"

"Pretty uneventful," Grace told him. "I've just been baking with my mum."

"I'm sorry, did you just say you were baking?"

"Hey, don't mock!"

"Oh, I will definitely mock. Since when do you bake? Also, how have you not burned down your house yet? And who's been eating those cakes? Because it's a good thing we're in St. Mungo's in case you've poisoned somebody."

Grace glared at him. "Ha ha. You're so funny."

"No, seriously, I can run down and grab a Healer real quick."

"No Healer needed. I am a fantastic baker actually. It's just another one of my many great qualities. I'm just sorry I didn't discover my talents sooner."

Luke laughed. "If you say so."

Grace nodded. She glanced back at the elevator. "Well, I should go. Finn is waiting for plates."

"Right. Yeah, of course."

Grace pressed the button for the elevator again. "It was really good seeing you, Luke."

"Yeah, you too. Have a happy Christmas, Gracie."

"You too," she mumbled, giving him a hesitant smile.

The elevator doors slid open once more. Victoire was inside, struggling to hold several bags of merchandise. Beside her, two dark haired girls were trying to help her. Grace immediately recognized Eleanor, Luke's cousin. The other was Alicia. Grace had only ever seen pictures of Luke's new girlfriend, but she recognized her instantly.

"Luke, be a gentleman and help us out here," Alicia said with a laugh.

Luke grinned as she dropped a large bag in his arms. "What the hell did you guys buy all this rubbish for?"

"It'll make the room a bit more festive and cheerful," Victoire said happily. She then spotted Grace. "Gracie! You came!"

Eleanor snapped her head around. "Grace? Oh, my Godric! It's been ages since I've seen you! Merlin, you look great!"

"Thanks," Grace replied, hugging Eleanor.

Alicia grinned at Luke. "So, that's the famous Grace, huh?"

"Famous?" Grace asked as she pulled away from Eleanor.

Luke elbowed Alicia. "I may have mentioned you."

"Well, that's an understatement," Alicia said with a laugh.

Luke covered her mouth. "She's joking."

"Grace, you remember Alicia," Victoire said nervously, shooting her several apologetic looks. "You saw pictures of her from Finn's surprise party."

"Right. Of course." Grace stuck out her hand politely. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too!" Alicia said perkily, shoving Luke aside. "I've heard so much about you."

"No, she hasn't," Luke said, embarrassed. "Come on, Leesh." He swung her over his shoulders. "Time to go."

"Hey! Luke, this isn't funny!" Alicia protested as Luke carried her away. "Let me bond with your friends!"

Once they were gone, Victoire turned to Grace. "Gracie, I am so sorry."

Grace groaned, covering her face. "Kill me, please."

"It wasn't that bad," Eleanor told her soothingly.

"That was so awkward." Grace sighed. "I can't believe that just happened."

"So, you saw Gracie today?" Teddy asked, handing him a firewhiskey.

Luke groaned. "Vic told you?"

"How was it?" Teddy wanted to know.

"Horrible. It was like we were strangers." Luke shook his head. "It was awkward and uncomfortable and Grace and I have never been like that."

"Well, that tends to happen when people break up," Finn said fairly. He nudged Teddy. "Remember fifth year when you and Helena broke up?"

Teddy grimaced. "I ran away every time I saw her," he told Luke.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Teddy nodded. "It was especially challenging since we had every class together."

Finn laughed. "He didn't show up to class for a week."

"Yeah, Slughorn gave me detention for a month." Teddy shook his head grimly.

"Well, at least I didn't run away," Luke said fairly.

"And you were able to hold a conversation with her," Finn added. "When Sienna and I first ended things, we could barely talk or even be in the same room."

"She looked good too," Luke said bitterly. "A part of me hoped she would've gained like fifty pounds and developed a serious acne problem."

"Well, I'm probably breaking every boyfriend code by telling you this, but Vic told me that Grace did not take the news that you were dating very well," Teddy said hesitantly. "She had a bit of a freakout."

Luke sat up. "What?"

"If you tell Vic I told you, I will murder you," Teddy warned him.

"But she's been dating too! She went to the Ball with that Mason bloke…"

Teddy shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, mate."

"Do you think she might still have feelings for me?" Luke asked hopefully.

Finn looked at him. "Do you still have feelings for her?"

"I'll always have feelings for Gracie," Luke muttered miserably.

"I get it," Teddy said with a sigh. "I spent my whole life pining over Victoire. Even when I was dating other girls, I always wanted to be with Vic."

"Same with Sienna," Finn grumbled. "I could never get over her."

Luke snorted. "Look at us. We're all pathetic."

"So pathetic," Teddy agreed. Finn nodded grimly.

"This is getting ridiculous, Aimee!"

"I know it is, but what do you want me to do?"

"I haven't seen our daughter since the summer. A girl needs her father!"

"I know she needs her father! Don't you think I've been telling her she needs her father?"

Grace frowned. She slowly opened the front door, listening to the shouting match happening in the kitchen. Grace slowly made her way past the foyer and into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" she asked, spotting her parents. They were standing across from each other. Aimee was leaning against the kitchen counter, looking exhausted. Jim was in front of her, shouting furiously. Henry was sitting in between them at the kitchen counter. His head was buried in his arms. He looked up briefly at Grace and shook his head before slamming it back down.

"Grace, you're home," Aimee said, startled. "I thought you were at St. Mungo's."

Grace stared at her dad. He'd gained a few wrinkles under his eyes since she'd last seen him and he'd gotten a few more gray hairs. "You shouldn't be here, Dad," Grace said slowly.

"And neither should you," Jim retorted angrily. "I was supposed to have you and Henry today."

"Well, you have Henry. Maybe you should be spending time with him."

Henry looked up. "Yeah, Dad. Let's go."

"No, we're not leaving without your sister," Jim snapped.

"Well, then you're never leaving because I'm not going anywhere with you," Grace told him calmly. She opened the cabinet counters. "Mum, are we eating dinner here? Because I was thinking we'd try that new restaurant—"

"Grace!" Jim interrupted her. "I want you to get into that ruddy fireplace and come home with me."

"Dad, I am home," Grace said through gritted teeth. "Remember? Before you left us this used to be your home too."

"Grace," Aimee said calmly, "the custody agreement does state that—"

"I'm going to be seventeen in a month," Grace cut her off. "I really don't think the ministry can tell me anything."

"You're not seventeen yet," Jim reminded her, "which means you still have to follow our rules."

Aimee took a deep breath. "Grace, it's almost Christmas. You're going back to school soon and you should really be spending as much time as you can with your dad. And you've got a new baby sister to get to know—"

"She's not my sister!" Grace said viciously.

"She is as much your sister as Henry is your brother!" Jim snarled. "Don't you say that again!"

"Actually, she's my half-sister," Grace retorted.

"That's enough, Grace!" Jim shouted, his eyes flashing. "You are going to go upstairs, grab an overnight bag, and come home with me and Henry. Heidi is waiting for us. She's preparing dinner—all your favorite foods, in fact."

"Well, that's nice. She destroyed our family. The least she could do is make my favorite pie," she said sarcastically.

"Grace!" Jim yelled.

"Grace, don't speak to your father that way," Aimee said angrily. "That's enough."

Henry looked up. "Grace, please," he said weakly. "No more fighting."

Grace swallowed back the lump in her throat. "I'm not leaving Mum," she said softly. "Not for Christmas." Grace turned and ran up the stairs.

Jim faced Aimee. "She did not get those ideas on her own," he said furiously.

"What? You think this is my fault?" Amy demanded.

"My daughter hasn't spoken to me in months, but she's still talking to you."

"I didn't leave our family, Jim. Grace is hurt and upset and she feels like you abandoned her."

"I didn't abandon her!"

"I know you didn't, but that's how she feels, Jim. Godric, how did you expect the kids to react?" Aimee pulled her hair in frustration. "She can't just bounce back from this. You need to give her her time and space. She'll come around. She came around with me, didn't she?"

"Really? Because you've been saying that for months now and she still hasn't written back to me. And that lovely exchange of words we just had was the first time she's spoken to me since September."

"Well, Jim, what do you expect from me? She's hurt and she needs time to process."

"She's had plenty of time to process," Jim retaliated.

"Dad!" Henry exclaimed, interrupting them. "Can we go?"

Jim sighed. "Not without your sister, Henry."

"She's just going to hate you more if you make her go," Henry told him matter-of-factly. "And she's going to resent Heidi even more."

"He's not wrong," Aimee said quietly. "Listen, why don't you and Henry go on ahead. I'm sure your family's waiting up for you. Your parents are dying to see Henry, so I don't want to keep him from them any longer. I'll talk to Grace and try to convince her to go."

"Do you think that'll work?" Jim asked hopefully.

"Not even a little," Aimee replied, "but it's the best I can do."

"Fine. Just tell her that she can at least come for her grandparents. They're excited to see her."

"I will try my best," Aimee assured him.

"Because, you know, since the divorce, Gracie has hardly seen my side of the family."

"Jim," Aimee said sharply. "I said I'll talk to her."

"Let's go, Dad," Henry muttered.

"Okay, let's go," Jim replied, glancing upstairs once more. "Tell Grace merry Christmas for me."

"I will," Aimee promised.

Luke stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the large brick house in front of him. He swayed back on his heels, summoning up the courage to walk forward. The lights in the kitchen went out finally and Luke wondered if this was a bad idea.

"Come on, Bishop," he muttered to himself before surging forward. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Lucas!" Aimee said in surprise as she opened the front door. Her dark, graying hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and Luke was momentarily struck by how much Grace resembled her mother. Aimee pulled at her robe nervously. "It's nearly midnight. Is everything alright?"

Luke cleared his throat. "Yeah…I'm sorry…I wanted to talk to Gracie but I hadn't realized how late it was. I-I'll just come back tomorrow."

"No! No, stay!" Aimee stepped aside. "Grace is in her room. She's…erm…she's had a rough night."

"Is everything alright?" Luke asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Aimee smiled sadly. "Grace got into it with her father today. Normally, I wouldn't let you in this late, but I figure she might need a friend. You aren't here to fight with her, are you?"

"No! I'm not. I swear."

Aimee nodded before motioning toward the stairs. "Go on, then."

Luke thanked her and headed up the stairs. Grace's bedroom was the last one at the end of the hallway. The door was slightly open and there was loud music coming from in there. Luke peered inside. Grace was wearing an extra large t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. Her hair was still damp from a recent shower. Luke noticed her eyes were red and bloodshot like she'd just been crying. Grace was bent over her backpack, digging through her books and humming along to the music.

"Is this Sienna?" Luke asked suddenly, recognizing the melody.

Grace looked up, startled. When she saw Luke standing in her doorway, she shrieked. "Luke! What the hell's the matter with you?" she demanded, clutching her chest. "You scared me nearly to death!"

Luke grimaced. "Sorry. Your mum let me in."

Grace turned her music down. "Okay," she said slowly. She was still breathing heavily.

"Jamming out to S? She'll be thrilled when I tell her."

Grace tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Erm…yeah…"

"So, I was just at a pub with Finn and Teddy. And we were just kind of talking. You know, Harry and Ron are getting released tomorrow. We were celebrating a bit and—"

"Luke," Grace said, cutting him off. "What are you doing here?"

"I just…I wanted to see you…"

"Oh." Grace took a deep breath. "Well, you see, we're broken up, Luke. You can't just come over whenever you feel like it anymore."

"No, I know." Luke took a deep breath. "I just…I really wanted to see you."

Grace frowned. "Yeah, well, I don't think that's very fair…to Alicia."

"Alicia?" Luke frowned.

"Yeah," Grace said, "I just don't think Alicia would be comfortable with you coming over here so late at night."

Luke stared at her. "Okay," he said slowly. "You do know Alicia and I aren't dating, right?"

Grace blinked. "Yes, you are."

Luke laughed. "About a week ago, Alicia gave me an ultimatum. She told me I had to forget about you or else it was over between the two of us. I couldn't do that. Alicia is great and I care about her but only as a friend. I reckon she feels the same way now. We work really well as friends."

"I see." Grace swallowed. "I thought you two were together."

Luke sighed. "No. We went on a few dates but that was it really. Gracie, I know you've moved on and you're dating that Mason bloke now and I'm glad you're happy. I really am. But I miss you. So, maybe we could try being friends, you know?"

Grace's eyes watered. She took a deep, shaky breath. "There's nothing going on between me and Mason."

Luke's eyes lit up. "Oh."

"Yeah. He's just…he's not you…"

They were silent for several seconds as Luke took in this new information. Finally, he nodded and took a seat at the edge of Grace's bed. "So, I heard you got into it with your dad today."

Grace blinked back tears. She sat down beside Luke. "He acts like he didn't do anything wrong…like he didn't leave us for another family."

"He didn't leave you, Gracie. He left your mum."

"That's not much better."

"So, how long are you planning on freezing him out?"

Grace shrugged. "For as long as I feel like it."

"Well, as long as you're being rational," he said sarcastically.

They were silent for a moment. "Hey, Luke," Grace said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Breaking your heart," she replied, her voice breaking. "I know I hurt you and I'm sorry."

Luke smiled. "Don't apologize, Gracie. You weren't happy anymore."

"But it's worse now. Being broken up with you is so much worse." Grace took his hand. "I tried so hard this term to move on and I couldn't. And I know it's not fair to you, Luke, and I probably shouldn't even be telling you this, but I still love you. I don't want to be broken up anymore. It's just…it feels better when you're here…"

Luke leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss.

"I'm so sorry, Luke," Grace whimpered when he pulled away.

He laughed and kissed her forehead. "You don't need to apologize, Gracie."

The lights in the hallway turned off and Luke sighed. "I should get going. I think that was your mother's subtle way of telling me to leave."

Grace shook her head. "No."

"No?"

"Stay the night. Please."

Luke sighed. "Your parents are going to kill me."

Grace pulled him down beside her. "I won't let them."

Luke wrapped his arm around her. "I missed this."

Grace snuggled into him. "Me too."