Usually when things has gone this far, people tend to disappear
No one will surprise me unless you do
I can tell there's something goin' on, hours seems to disappear
Everyone is leaving, I'm still with you
It doesn't matter what we do, where we are going to
We can stick around and see this night through
-Peter Bjorn and John
Grace peered out the window, watching as Hogwarts got smaller and smaller until it disappeared entirely.
"What's wrong, Grace?"
Victoire's voice brought Grace out of her trance. Grace turned and looked at her two best friends. "It's weird," she said. "The next time we come back to Hogwarts, it'll be our final year."
Skylar glanced out the window. "I, for one, can not wait until I'm done with that place."
Grace and Victoire exchanged looks. Skylar had had a rough last couple of weeks. The entire school had found out about her relationship with Alexander. Since then, everywhere she went, whispers and giggles followed. Different rumors had spread like wildfire. Some people had even gone as far as tormenting Skylar, writing things in her notebook, coming up with chants about her being a slut.
"It'll all blow over soon," Victoire said soothingly.
Skylar bit her lower lip. "I hope so."
Before Grace or Victoire could say anything else, the compartment door slid open. Danielle stood in the doorway, her eyes big and bloodshot. Victoire gave her a startled look. "Dani, hi."
Danielle sniffled. "I just came to say goodbye." Danielle had just completed her final year of Hogwarts…without Christopher. She had cried all through the graduation ceremony, all through their final feast, and all through their last day of classes. She'd been an emotional mess all month. Victoire couldn't blame her, though. Losing Chris was hard enough, but going out into the real world without him? That somehow made his death even more real, even more permanent.
"Hey, come sit with us for a bit," Victoire said softly. The realization that Danielle would no longer be at Hogwarts next year suddenly hit her. She wasn't ready to lose yet another friend to the real world.
"Okay," Danielle said quietly, stepping inside and closing the door behind her behind her.
Melissa crossed her arms.
"Relax, Mel," Vincent said soothingly. Melissa shot him an irritated look. He was calmly sipping his tea, casually leaning against the brick wall.
"How are you so calm right now?" she snapped.
He shrugged. "Skylar doesn't hate me."
"She will once she realizes we're dating."
"Don't be so dramatic, Melissa. She's never met me! She can't possibly have anything against me."
"Vince, my last boyfriend assaulted her. Something tells me she won't be too thrilled to meet another one of my boyfriends."
Vincent suddenly straightened up. "The train's coming," he said just as the loud chug of the Hogwarts Express came within earshot.
"I'm so not looking forward to this," Melissa muttered as the train came to a halt and a moment later students poured out of the train. "There she is," Melissa murmured.
Vincent followed her gaze to a group of four girls stepping off the train. Vincent immediately knew which one was Skylar. She looked so much like Melissa, it was startling. They had the same shade of dirty blonde hair, the same tall, slender frames, the same dark brown eyes, and the same smile. Skylar just looked like a younger, wilder version of Melissa. Her hair was long and wavy, her makeup was heavy, and her demeanor was more relaxed and carefree. Melissa, on the other hand, kept her hair short and always neatly parted and pin straight. She always dressed modestly and kept her make up at a minimal.
Melissa stood beside Vince rigidly, carefully watching Skylar. "Here we go," she said, reaching for his hand.
Vincent squeezed her hand and gave her an encouraging smile. He looked back at Skylar. She was laughing, ignoring all the other students staring at her. When she spotted Melissa, her smile immediately hardened. She said something to her dark-haired friend, who turned and nodded when she saw Melissa. The dark-haired friend gave Melissa a small smile before turning back to the large group of friends now gathering around them. Skylar slipped away from her friends and started toward Melissa.
"Where's Dad?" Skylar asked shortly, coming to a halt in front of Melissa.
"Hi. It's good to see you too. I'm doing great. Thank you for asking." Melissa said sarcastically.
Skylar kept her stony expression.
Melissa sighed. "He got held up at work and asked that I pick you up."
Skylar didn't look pleased. "I see." She glanced at Vincent. "Who are you?" she demanded, her eyes flickering to Melissa and Vincent's entangled hands.
"I'm Vincent!" Vincent said cheerfully, sticking out his hand politely.
Skylar eyed him warily. "So, I'm guessing you're the new boyfriend."
Vincent let his hand drop when Skylar didn't shake it. "Not exactly new. We've been dating a while now."
"And for that I'm sorry," Skylar said dryly. She flipped her hair back. "Where'd you park the car?" she asked Melissa before swiveling around and stalking away.
Vincent turned to face Melissa and grinned. "I like her."
Melissa looked at him in disbelief. "You're kidding."
"No! I like her. She's feisty. And I can't blame her for hating me after what happened with Rick."
Melissa flinched at the sound of Rick's name. She turned and watched as her younger sister returned to her group of friends to say goodbye. Lucas and Teddy were now there and they each gave her a long hug. The other girls piled on top of her, saying tearful goodbyes.
Grace watched Skylar leave. She was haughtily trailing after Melissa and her boyfriend.
"Grace, let's go." Luke held out his hand for her. "Your mum and Henry are waiting."
Grace smiled and took his hand. "Coming." She waved to Victoire. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
"Absolutely," Victoire agreed, giving her a small wave. But she hardly noticed Grace and Luke leave. She was too wrapped up in finally seeing Teddy again. They were holding hands, staring at each other dreamily.
Luke pulled Grace through the platform barrier. Aimee and Henry were waiting for her on the other side. Grace gasped when she saw them. Henry had hit a growth spurt and was now as tall as she was, not that that was saying much considering how short she was.
"Gracie!" Henry shouted upon seeing her. He sprinted into her arms, nearly knocking her over.
"Hey, Henry. I missed you." Grace said, hugging him tightly.
Aimee came forward. She looked much better than the last couple of times Grace had seen her. Her dark hair was pulled into an elegant bun. She was wearing a modest blue dress with pearls to match. She looked healthier, happier…
"Hey, mum," Grace finally said. She was happy to see the mother she recognized finally return.
"Hello, angel," Aimee said, hugging her tightly.
Skylar stared out the car window, watching the other cars pass by. Melissa and Vincent were in the front seat. Skylar could feel Melissa watching her from the rear view mirror.
"So," Vincent said, no longer able to take the awkward silence, "Skylar, can you drive too?"
Skylar turned to face Vincent. He was different from most of the men Melissa dated. He seemed to have a more relaxed approach to life. His hair was shaggy, making him look like more of a teenager. He wore a t-shirt and shorts and seemed to smile and laugh easily. Skylar did not know how he and Melissa were together considering how uptight and serious Melissa could be.
"No," Skylar finally said. "Dad and Melissa wouldn't let me."
"Why do you need to know how to drive?" Melissa said. "You go to Hogwarts!"
"Because then I could just drive myself home instead of being picked up by you."
Melissa closed her mouth, looking hurt. She began fiddling with the radio awkwardly.
"You know," Vincent said, "I never learned how to drive either. My parents wouldn't even let me take the bloody test!"
Skylar sat back in her seat. "Your parents are muggles too?"
"Yep!" Vincent said happily. He chuckled to himself. "But I don't blame them. I'm a terrible driver."
"I can attest to that," Melissa muttered.
Vincent looked over at Melissa fondly. "Mel's just upset I almost got us killed when she tried to teach me how to drive," he told Skylar with a light laugh.
"I don't understand what's so difficult about the concept of braking," Melissa muttered, shaking her head.
Vincent grinned and looked at Skylar. "I'm also bad with my lefts and rights."
"We're here!" Melissa finally announced as they pulled into the driveway.
Skylar quickly hopped out of the car. "Brilliant. When's dad coming home?"
"Not until dinner. I thought Vince and I could keep you company." Melissa gave her a hopeful smile. "I'd love to catch up before you leave for New York with Dad tomorrow."
Skylar shook her head. "Don't. You may have bailed me with the Alexander thing, but that doesn't change things between us, Melissa. I'm fine waiting alone for Dad to get here." Skylar started for the door, leaving Melissa and Vincent behind. She waved her wand lazily and her trunk rolled out of the car and followed her into the house.
Luke trudged up the stairs, carrying Grace's heavy suitcase. Grace followed closely behind him. She opened her suitcase and began to unpack. "Luke, help me put this stuff away."
Luke sighed and walked over to her suitcase. He grabbed her books. "Why do you own so many heavy things?"
She grinned and pointed to the bookshelves. "Alphabetical order, please!"
Luke stared at her. "You're kidding."
"Why would that be something I joked about?" Grace asked before walking into the closet to put away some of her clothing.
Luke snorted and headed toward the bookshelves. "Godric, I forgot what a bloody nerd you were," he muttered as he began stacking away her textbooks.
"Whatever. You love me." Grace said from the closet.
Luke grinned and looked down. The next book was a Defense Against the Dark Arts one, but there were several pieces of parchment paper stuffed inside the front jacket. Thinking it was just old notes, Luke pulled out the papers. Instead of notes, Luke realized it was a pile of old letters.
Dear Grace,
I know you were hurt when you discovered my relationship with Skylar, but I don't want the mistake I made to affect your future. Although you said you no longer wanted my help, I submitted you for the Simberloff internship anyway—
Luke pulled out the next letter. It was more official looking.
Ms. Rhodes:
We are pleased to inform you that you've been selected for the Simberloff internship—
His heart pounding, Luke flipped to the next letter.
Grace,
Congratulations! I was informed you got the Simberloff internship. It's a very prestigious internship and I urge you to take this amazing opportunity—
"What are you doing?" Grace asked from behind him.
Luke swiveled around. He held up the letters. "What's the Simberloff internship?"
Grace sighed. "Nothing." She rolled her eyes. "Something Professor Alexander recommended me for."
"Gracie, that's amazing!"
"Thanks, but I'm not taking it."
"What! Why the hell not?"
Grace cleared her throat. "I don't want his help."
"Grace, come on!"
"And besides the internship would be all summer."
"So?"
Grace took a deep breath. "So, it's in Costa Rica."
Luke faltered. "Oh."
"I already spent an entire school year away from you and Henry. The summer is supposed to be mine."
"Gracie, I love you, but you're so stupid."
Grace gestured to herself. "Excuse me! Simberloff internship winner here!"
Luke gestured to Grace. "Girl who's passing up the Simba internship here!"
"Simberloff," Grace corrected. "As in Daniel Simberloff. I can't believe you don't know who he is. He's the one who—"
"—who gave you this amazing opportunity?"
"No, he's dead. A committee gave me this amazing opportunity."
Luke rolled his eyes. "So, how long until I convince you to go?"
"Luke, I don't want to be far away from you again." She took his hands.
Luke leaned over and gave her a deep kiss. "I know. But you can't pass this up."
"Yes, I can."
"I won't let you." Luke squeezed her hands. "We made it work while you were away at school. We can make it work again."
"But I don't want to. I want to be with you."
"Hey, Gracie, do you really think I'm going to spend the entire summer without seeing you? I'll come visit you every week. Every day I don't have practice, I will be there right by your side."
"You promise?"
"Absolutely. When do you leave?"
"Theoretically, I'd have to leave by tomorrow night."
Luke's easy smile vanished. "Tomorrow night?"
Grace nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay. Okay. We can make this work." He pressed his lips against hers. "I'll talk to the coach and see what days I can have off."
Grace rested her head against his chest. "I hate you for telling me to go."
"It's your future, babe." Luke kissed the top of her head. "I love you too much to let you pass this up."
Vincent was rather surprised when he saw Skylar. He didn't usually run into magical folk at the coffee shops in town. She was sitting in the back table, flipping through a fashion magazine.
"Skylar, hello!" Vincent greeted her happily.
Skylar glanced up and was surprised to see him. "Oh, hi." She frowned. "Are you and Melissa following me or something. Because I've seen Melissa today way more than I have in the past year."
"No! No! Mel went back to work since you didn't want to hang out with her. I thought we had left you at the house."
"Well, Dad won't be back until dinner, so I figured I had to find something to do until he got back."
Vincent nodded. "Mind if I join you? I'll buy you a coffee."
"No, thank you. I already have a latte on the way."
"Can I join you anyway?" Vincent gave her a hopeful smile.
Skylar eyed him warily. "I don't know. It depends. Are you going to try to get me to forgive Melissa?"
Vincent took a seat across from her. "Not really my place to do that. I'm just trying to bond with my future sister-in-law."
"That somehow sounds worse."
Vincent chuckled. "Godric, you Grey sisters are tough cookies to crack. I don't know who's worse: you or Mel."
Skylar sat back in her seat, looking at him curiously. "You know, I didn't know you and Melissa were engaged. I figured that'd be something she'd be shouting from the rooftops."
Alexander shrugged. "That's because we're not. Yet, anyway. I'm just optimistic."
Skylar raised her eyebrows. "Clearly."
"Here's your latte," a waitress said, setting down Skylar's latte on the table.
"Thanks," Skylar muttered. She turned her gaze back to Vincent. "So, since you're hellbent on 'bonding' with me, can I ask you kind of a personal question?"
"Shoot."
"Why are you with Melissa?"
"Excuse me?"
"You two are polar opposites. Melissa's so serious and uptight. And you're all…perky and happy and apparently always in a good mood. You're so not her type."
"You know, from what I hear, you're all perky and happy too. Your dad always tells me I remind him of you. Except I'm not really getting that vibe from you."
Skylar shrugged. "People change, especially after their sister accuses them of hitting on their fiancé and the entire magical media is calling you a whore for sleeping with your teacher."
"Oh, yeah, I read about that."
"You mean Melissa didn't tell you?"
"Nah. She's super protective of you. Won't say a word against you. She'll barely even talk to me about what happened." Vincent gazed at her intently. "Did he take advantage of you?"
Skylar felt a lump in her throat. "No. We were in love."
"I'm sorry, Skylar. I'm sorry this happened to you."
"Yeah, me too."
Victoire was still in her pajamas when she opened the door for Grace.
"Wow, you're actually home," Grace spluttered, surprised.
Victoire raised an eyebrow. "It's the first day of break. Where else would I be?"
"With Teddy," Grace replied.
"Right here!" Teddy said. Victoire stepped aside to reveal Teddy sitting at the kitchen table with Louis.
"Of course," Grace muttered, an amused smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Victoire frowned at her. "Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, Gracie, but I didn't think we had plans until tonight."
"Well, actually, that's why I'm here. I have to cancel on tonight."
Victoire looked disappointed. "Oh, no! We can reschedule though. When are you free?"
"The first of September."
"What?"
Grace sighed. "I'm leaving for an internship later this afternoon. I'll be gone all summer."
"What'd she say?" Teddy called from the kitchen.
"She's got an internship!" Victoire yelled over her shoulder.
"What?" A moment later Teddy appeared behind Victoire. "Grace, that's great! When do you leave?"
"Today." Grace took a deep breath. "I just came to say goodbye."
Victoire stared at her. "First, Skylar decides to prance off to New York and now you're leaving too? Where the hell are you even going?"
"Costa Rica."
"Cool!" Teddy said eagerly.
Victoire frowned at her. "You don't look excited."
"I have to leave Luke again. And my brother. And my mum. Things finally are back to normal and I'm leaving. It sucks."
"But Grace…it's Costa Rica. It's paradise. You're going to have the summer of your life."
"Swear?" Grace said quietly.
"Absolutely." Victoire grinned. "And you better send letters every week so I can live vicariously through you and Skye."
