Ron looked handsome beside Lavender Brown; I was truly glad he'd finally noticed her attention. If I had received one more heated look from the jealous girl I was ready to shove my tongue down his throat in front of her out of pure meanness. She'd been dressing up after school in the prettiest dresses, curling her blond hair to set upon her head, and drenching herself in makeup just to prance about my library in effort to gain his attention. Thankfully, Harry had intervened with a few well-placed suggestions and Ron had asked her to the Dance of the Phoenix.

I stood now among the crowds of the dance, celebrating another year of graduates and the rising status of others, but my heart wasn't in it. Ron was leaving tomorrow, but Luna, Neville, and Harry had elected to stay on for summer sessions. I was just bored with it all; the same conversations, the same gripes of too much work, and little to distract my mind from the beast's blood that burned inside me. It was like something was calling to me every day and the call was growing stronger; I hadn't mentioned it to Professor Snape, because our interactions had grown to the once a month task of borrowing his basement. It just felt like the beast inside me was screaming there was something missing and I had no clue what to do to calm it.

"There ya are, luv!" Cormac wrapped his arm around my shoulder pulling me closer and I groaned. I had agreed to come with him tonight since he'd been paying me so much attention and Luna's prodding, but I wasn't enjoying it like she'd thought I would. In fact, I was becoming more repulsed every second I spent in his company. He, who I'd met in a bar, was indeed an ignorant drunk. Somehow it didn't shock me.

He bent closer his hot breath against my ear, making me want to jerk away from him. "How 'bout me and you take a lil' walk on the beach?"

"No, how about we don't." I snipped, pushing against his chest so he'd give me some breathing room. He looked down at me with a smile, not at all taking the hint.

"Come on now, babe. It'll just be the two of us, sand, and the water. No one will see a thing." He was full-fledged leering at my blouse at this point and I wanted to gag.

"No, they won't." I moved farther away from him, "Why don't you get 'Dora to take you home? I'm done."

I turned to leave, but was abruptly surprised to feel his hand spank my ass. "Catch ya later, luv."

I bit my lip in anger, but refused to make a scene by turning around to slap or berate him. No, I'd catch him when he sobered up; because there was a high chance he wouldn't remember a thing in the morning anyway. I walked out of the Courthouse, but looking toward my house I realized I wasn't ready to go home. It was too early and the party was going to last until late anyway.

I looked around and noticed Harry and his date were heading toward the beach. They were just passing under the lights of the shipyard, so I was able to make them out. Harry looked handsome standing next to Cho Chong. She was so sweet and shy, her petite Asian form making Harry look all the more dashing.

I smiled and decided there would be plenty of people down there, so it wouldn't hurt to take a stroll of the beach. Maybe the sound of the waves would cool my heated temper.