A drop in the ocean
A change in the weather
I was praying that you and me might end up together
It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert
But I'm holding you closer than most 'cause you are my heaven

-Ron Pope


Luke pulled Grace into his lap. "You know, we could just skip the party entirely."

Grace wrapped her arms around the back of Luke's neck. "Don't tempt me."

"Why do you want to go to Finn's party anyway? You hate parties."

Grace smiled. "I don't hate parties." She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess that with everything going on with my parents, I need a break from it all. I need to have some fun, you know?"

"What are your mum and Henry doing tonight?" Luke asked.

Grace sighed. "They're going to my aunt's. She's having a small dinner or something to celebrate the New Year."

"And the rehab?"

"Mum's checking in after break ends. I mean, she's stopped drinking since I've been home and all...but I still think she should go to rehab. She needs to learn how to handle her emotions without alcohol. I just wish she didn't have to go while Henry was still home all alone. I'll be at Hogwarts and my dad's already proven to be an unreliable asshole. His only option is to stay with my aunt."

"Your aunt seems nice, though."

"Oh, she is! And she's been great with the divorce and the rehab and everything. It's just that I'd rather be here for Henry than anyone else. It's a big sister thing."


"Try again," Mr. Grey said, glancing up at his daughter over the newspaper he was reading.

Skylar sighed, pulling a jacket over her dress. "Better?"

"Only if you keep that on all night."

"Of course!" Skylar said.

Mr. Grey rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."

Skylar grinned and went over to kiss her dad's cheek. "Bye, Dad."

"Can I expect you home tonight?"

"Probably not." She grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter. "I'll probably end up sleeping over at Gracie's. She lives down the street from Finn."

"Okay. Please be careful. And no drinking." Mr. Grey looked at her sternly. He wasn't accustomed to discipling her or telling her what to do. Melissa had taken over that role when their mother died. She'd always been the one nagging Skylar to clean her room or force her to change out of a revealing outfit. Skylar felt bad for her dad. He didn't know how to tell her what to do.

"Dad, I promise I won't do anything too stupid. Besides, how much trouble can I get into with Grace?"

He still looked concerned.


Luke handed Grace a butterbeer. "Look at that. Good, clean fun."

Grace thanked him, taking a sip of her drink. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What made you and Vic quit drinking and smoking?"

Luke thought about it. "I think we both realized that we were starting to use it to deal with our problems. She was using the drinking and the drugs and whatever else to mask the pain of losing Chris."

"And you?"

Luke sighed. "I was masking another kind of pain."

"Your little brother?" she asked quietly.

He stared at her. "My mum told you?"

"Yeah…are you mad?"

"No, of course not…just horrible timing, Gracie. Are we seriously talking about this on New Year's Eve at Finn's party? I thought we came here to have fun…to take our minds off of all the shit going on."

She gave him a small smile. "Good point."

"Grace! You actually came!" Skylar beamed, pulling her into a tight hug. "How have you been doing with everything?"

Luke cleared his throat. "We're actually not worrying about that tonight."

Grace nodded. "We're trying to have fun."

"Fun?" Skylar raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you knew what that meant, Gracie."

Grace glared at them. "Why does everyone think I hate having fun?"

"Because you do."

"Is she here yet?" Sienna asked, appearing beside Skylar.

"S, you're here too?" Skylar said, surprised.

"Yeah, me and Finn are trying out this whole friends thing." Sienna shrugged. "Anyway, have any of you seen Eva yet?"

Luke frowned. "Eva? Why are you looking for her?"

Sienna shot him a look. "I just want to see what she looks like."

"I doubt she's changed much since you last saw her like two weeks ago," Skylar pointed out.

"You don't know that! Maybe she got a haircut. Maybe she got a new dress. Maybe—"

"Maybe you're jealous," Grace said.

Sienna glared at her. "I am not jealous. It's Finn."

"And this is the first time he's ever been serious about a girl and she's not you," Grace said. "That must suck."

Sienna stared at her. "Was that supposed to be helpful?

"There she is," Luke muttered. He pointed his butter beer toward Eva. She was standing by the front door awkwardly, searching the room for Finn.

"Hey, babe." Matthew hugged Sienna from behind and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Sienna grinned, turning around. "You made it!"

"I still think it's a bit weird that Finn actually invited us," Michael said, looking around nervously.

"He's trying to be nice. Besides, Finn is one of my best friends. I really want you two to be friends or at least cordial." Sienna motioned to all her other friends. "I mean, you get a long with Grace and Skye and Luke, don't you?"

"Yeah, but they're actually decent people." Michael muttered.

"Hey, guys," Eva said timidly. "Have…erm…have any of you seen Finn?"

Skylar gave her her meanest look. "Nope. Sorry." She flipped her hair back and stalked away.

Grace sighed. She gave Eva a polite smile. "He's probably in the backyard with Teddy and Victoire. I think that's where I saw them last."

Eva nodded. "Oh. Thank you." She gave them a small wave before turning to go find Finn.

Luke put his arm around Grace. "That was very nice of you, sweetie. I'm glad you didn't take the Skylar approach."

"Skye can also be an acquired taste," she admitted with a laugh.

"So can Finn," Michael muttered.

Sienna took Michael's hand and laughed. "Okay, baby, let's get a few drinks in you before we see Finn. I reckon you need to loosen up a bit."

"Good idea," Michael said, waving goodbye to Grace and Luke as Sienna dragged him toward the drinks.

Once Michael and Sienna left, Luke turned to Grace. "Come on, let's dance," he said excitedly, taking her hand.

Grace stopped, pulling Luke back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long, intense kiss. Luke deepened the kiss, gripping her tightly.

"Luke, it's been two weeks since I've been allowed to freely kiss you without the fear of my mum or brother or dad walking in," Grace said breathlessly.

"Yeah, your house does lack privacy," Luke admitted.

"Seven bedrooms," Grace said as Luke pressed his lips against her neck. "This house has seven empty bedrooms."

Luke clutched her hand. "Let's go."


Victoire hopped up and seated herself on the kitchen counter. "I dare you to—"

"No way," Teddy interrupted her. "Last time you dared me to do something, I ended up running around Skylar's neighborhood naked at two in the morning. And you locked me out!"

Victoire frowned. "I don't remember that."

"Lucky for you," he grumbled. "Do you know how embarrassing that was? Thank Merlin her dad never came home."

Victoire giggled. "Oh, come on. We let you in eventually, right?"

"No, actually, you didn't. I had to disapparate and sneak into my house so that my grandmother wouldn't see me naked."

"How come I don't remember any of this?"

"You were drunk."

She grinned. "And now you see why I've stopped drinking."

Finn walked into the kitchen. "Hey, have either of you seen Eva?"

"She still hasn't showed up?" Victoire asked.

"No." Finn looked worried. "You think she's still coming?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Teddy said.

"I don't know. I've never been stood up before. I'm a catch!" Finn looked around his kitchen as if maybe Eva were hiding.

"I'm sure your huge ego has nothing to do with it," Victoire muttered sarcastically.

Teddy rolled his eyes. "I'm sure she's here somewhere. There's like a thousand people in this house."

Finn looked around the crowded kitchen. "That's true. I am rather popular."

"Again, with the ego," Victoire muttered, shaking her head.

"You know what, maybe Eva likes my ego. You ever think about that?" Finn demanded.

Teddy frowned. "That's weird."

"His inflated ego? Not really. He's had it for as long as I can remember." Victoire remarked. Finn shot her a look.

"No, not that. I could've sworn I just saw Michael and Sienna in the living room." Teddy shook his head.

"You knew I invited S," Finn said, shrugging.

"Yeah, but I didn't think she'd actually come. And if she did, I didn't think she'd bring Michael."

Finn shook his head. "You know what's really weird? Michael was being really nice to me earlier. Weird, right?"

"Maybe he's just trying to be the bigger man," Teddy suggested.

"I don't want him to be the bigger man! I wanna be the bigger man!"

Victoire rolled her eyes. "Then stop acting like a four-year-old."

Finn glared at her. "I am not four. It's Sienna! She has this insane notion that me and Michael need to be friends."

"Why is that insane? You're one of her best friends. You're gonna have to get along with her boyfriend." Teddy patted Victoire's knee. "I got along with Matt, didn't I?"

Victoire stared at him. "What are you talking about? No, you didn't," she said. "You hated Matt."

"Well, that's because I was in love with you."

Victoire blushed. "Stop it."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Will the two of you just shag and get it over with already?"

"Believe me, I'm trying," Teddy murmured. Finn gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hello! Right here!" Victoire said, smacking Teddy's arm.

Finn's face lit up. "Hey! Skylar! Come here!"

Skylar, who was talking to Joshua Burke by the sink, excused herself. "This better be good, West. Josh was just about to ask me out!"

Victoire gasped. "No way! Oh, he's cute!"

"I know!" Skylar squealed. "Plus, I hear he's a much better kisser than Teddy."

"What?" Teddy yelped. "Who said that?"

Finn shushed them all impatiently. "Skye, have you seen Eva?"

"You mean the bitchy blonde with the bad haircut?" Skylar asked calmly.

Finn stared at her. "I don't know how to respond to that."

Skylar rolled her eyes. "She went looking for you in the backyard."

"Thanks!" Finn said, hurrying outside.

Skylar turned around to go back to Joshua Burke, but Teddy stopped her. "Skylar, who said that Josh is a better kisser than me?"

"Kelly Stevens," she replied with a shrug.

"I never kissed Kelly Stevens…wait a minute…that was years ago! We were like twelve! That doesn't count!"

Skylar glanced at Joshua impatiently. "Whatever. Can I go now?"

Teddy let go of her arm and turned to look at Victoire. "Can you believe that? Kelly Stevens is gonna ruin my reputation!"

"Yeah…I don't really care."

"Thanks, Vic."


"Where the hell have you two been?" Skylar demanded as Grace and Luke walked into the living room.

They exchanged guilty looks.

"It doesn't matter," Skylar said. "I have so much to tell you."

"Like what? It hasn't been that long since we last saw you earlier tonight." Luke gave her a quizzical look.

Skylar grinned. "Josh asked me out!"

"Who the hell is Josh?" Grace asked, puzzled.

"Joshua Burke?" Luke asked. "Oh, I like him. Good choice."

"Thanks," Skylar said.

"Where did Josh come from? Since when are you interested in him?" Grace demanded.

"Since I saw how cute he looked tonight," Skylar replied. "Anyway, there's more."

"More?" Grace asked. "How long were we gone for?"

Skylar grinned, pointing to the dance floor. Teddy and Victoire were slow dancing, despite the fact that upbeat music was playing loudly and nobody else was slow dancing. Victoire was resting her head on Teddy's shoulder, a content smile on her face. "I bet you five galleons they snog by the end of the night," Skylar commented.

Luke shook his head. "No way. Victoire would never."

"Look, Luke, you're new to the group. You haven't been around the Teddy/Victoire bubble long enough. Those two are destined to be together." Skylar said, flipping her hair back.

"Didn't you date Teddy?" Luke asked.

"All in the past. I'm over him."

"Because now you've got Joshua," Grace muttered sarcastically.

"Exactly," Skylar replied.

Luke crossed his arms. "I still say Vic and Teddy aren't happening tonight. She's too damn stubborn to admit how she feels."

"Yeah, but they're under the influence!"

"Of what?" Grace asked, alarmed. "Vic quit drinking."

"They're under the influence of the holidays, you goof!" Skylar let out a dreamy sigh. "You know how people get during the holidays. Nobody wants to be lonely, especially not on New Year's Eve!"

Luke stuck out his hand. "That's a pile of rubbish. I'll take your bet."

Skylar shook his hand smugly. "Your mistake, Bishop. Five galleons says Vic and Teddy snog by the end of the night."


"Can I admit something?" Eva asked. She and Finn were lying on the grass outside, staring at the stars.

"What's that?" Finn said.

"I almost left the party earlier."

Finn chuckled. "Ouch. It was that bad?"

"I couldn't find you and I didn't really know anybody here. It made me nervous. This isn't exactly my scene, you know." She turned bright red. "It's embarrassing."

Finn sat up. "Can I admit something too? When I couldn't find you, I was nervous you'd stood me up."

Eva sat up, raising her eyebrows. "Findley West was nervous?"

"I know. I know. It does happen sometimes. I can't always be this cool."

She laughed. "You're full of it."

"But you're still here, which means you must like me."

Eva gave him an exasperated look. "I have no idea why."

"You really know how to flatter a bloke, don't you?"

She giggled. "You know what I mean. You didn't like me much either when you first met me, if I recall correctly."

"Yeah, but I like you now." He gently kissed her. "I'm not really good at all of this dating stuff. I've never been on an actual date before."

Eva kissed him again. "You're not doing so bad," she said.


"One minute until midnight," Teddy said. He had his hands resting gently on her waist as they slow danced.

Victoire glanced around the living room where all her friends were dancing. "Already?"

He pressed his forehead against hers. "Yep. So, Victoire Weasley, before the year ends, tell me if it's been a good year."

"Well, considering I got kicked out of Beauxbaton, I got drugged and nearly raped, I got attacked a few months later by that same creep, and my best friend is still in a coma…can't say that it's exactly been great."

Teddy winced. "Yeah, you haven't had the best year, huh?"

She smiled. "It hasn't been all bad. I mean, I'm here with you, aren't I?"

He blinked. "Yeah…"

Victoire gazed at him. "Teddy, can you do something for me?"

Somebody stood up at the front of the room. "It's almost midnight! Ten! Nine!" Everybody began shouting, counting down the seconds.

Teddy let go of Victoire. "Yeah, sure. Anything."

"Eight! Seven! Six!"

"Kiss me," Victoire said seriously.

"Five! Four!"

"I'm sorry?" Teddy said, flustered.

"Three! Two!"

"Kiss me," Victoire repeated.

"ONE!"

Teddy pulled Victoire close, slamming his lips against hers. It was electrifying and everything Teddy ever thought it would be. The feel of her lips on his made every cell, every nerve in his body explode with pleasure.