The next morning, Noelle awoke with a pounding head. She rolled over groggily and glanced at Lily's bed. Lily was sprawled on her back, her arm flung over her face and her mouth open. Noelle sat up slowly and pulled her knees into her chest. She rested her chin on her knees and blinked slowly until her vision cleared. Today was her sixteenth birthday. Her eyes strayed to the door to her balcony. She remembered last night, or at least most of it. She remembered talking to Sirius, and accepting his apology. She also could have sworn that he kissed her forehead when he put her into her bed.

She rubbed her temples. Why had she had so much to drink? Her sight went blurry again as she tried to focus on the clock on her bedside table. There was a knock at the door, and Lily grunted. She pried her eyes open and groaned when the bright sunlight touched her face.

"What time is it?" she asked as Noelle got up to answer the door.

Marie was standing there, her eyes widened in surprise as she took in Noelle's appearance. Noelle glanced down at herself and realized she was still in the clothes she had worn last night. Marie raised an eyebrow suspiciously, and Noelle gave her a feeble smile.

"Mesdemoiselles, you are being waited on for breakfast, on the terrace."

Noelle nodded. "Très bien, Marie. We will be right down."

Marie left and Noelle shut the door. She pulled her clothes off and reached for a plush bathrobe. She tugged at her hair until it came out of its ponytail. She dragged a brush through the tangles and returned it to its ponytail. Lily came out of the bathroom, her face damp from splashing cold water on it. Noelle turned to leave her room.

The walls spun, so she slammed her eyes shut until it stopped. She glanced at the mirror before she left her room. Her skin was pale with a greenish tinge. She pinched her cheeks to give them some color. Lily peered over her shoulder and groaned when she saw her own reflection. The redhead's eyes were deeply bloodshot. Noelle laughed.

"We make quite a pair right now."

Lily snorted in agreement, and pressed her hand to her forehead.

"I need coffee."

Noelle nodded in agreement. They stumbled out of her room and shuffled down the hallway.

On the terrace, her parents were waiting patiently.

"Bon Anniversaire, chérie!" her mother's voice resounded in her ears, making her head pound again.

She smiled weakly and hugged her mother. She leaned over and pecked her father on the cheek, then settled into her usual seat. Marie poured the girls coffee and passed a tray of croissants to Noelle. She took one, broke it in half, and slathered some jam on it. She chewed slowly, not sure how it would react with her stomach. She caught sight of the stack of presents beside her father. Her eyes widened in surprise, and her mother laughed. She had always received plenty of presents, but this year she had really made out well.

There were boxes of robes, both casual and dress, and stacks of Muggle sweaters, jeans, blouses and skirts. She had enough new shoes to wear a new pair every day for the rest of the summer. There were at least three new perfumes, all with a type of lavender scent, with soaps and lotions to match. The jewelry was what really astounded her though. In her family, a girl's sixteenth birthday was a very big event, even if it wasn't to that girl. That was when a girl began to accumulate her jewelry. There were strings of pearls, diamond earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces in an assortment of different precious stones.

When she finally finished opening all her gifts, she was speechless. Her parents had given Lily a few gifts as well, so she wouldn't feel left out. Lily was amazed by her friend's parent's generosity. Noelle slowly took in all of her new things, then squealed and jumped to her feet, forgetting her hangover. She flung her arms around her mother, and then her father. The two girls immediately began hauling the presents to Noelle's room.

As she was hanging her new clothes in her closets, she suddenly began to cough. The dry hacking coughs racked her body, and she grabbed the doorway to steady herself. Lily rushed to the bathroom and got her a glass of water. Noelle tried to sip it, but it wouldn't go down her throat. She sat on the edge of her bed and finally the coughs stopped. She felt weak, as if they had taken every ounce of energy that she had. Lily rubbed her back, and stared at Noelle with a question in her eyes.

"Noelle, what is going on?"

Noelle shook her head. "I don't know what you mean, Lily." She answered, swinging her navy eyes from her friend.

Lily's bright green eyes studied her friend's face like searchlights. "I'm serious, Noelle. Why do you have these coughing fits? And why do they leave you so weak?"

Noelle's eyes filled with tears. "It's nothing Lily. I promise."

Lily still looked skeptical, but she didn't press her.

"Let's go to downtown Cannes today. We can have lunch and look around the shops." Noelle quickly changed the subject.

Lily laughed, "Do you really need to go shopping?"

Noelle blushed, "No...oh, you know what I mean!"

She playfully tossed a pillow at Lily. "Oh, yes of course I did. So you meant, let's go downtown and try to find Sirius and the others."

Noelle blushed even deeper. Sputtering, she tried to defend herself. Lily just knowingly smiled at her, and headed to the bathroom to shower.

It was a beautiful day in Cannes. Catherine Lemieux had insisted that the girls be driven to town, and that the car would be at their disposal for the entire day. They strolled the crowded streets, taking in all the tourists. The beaches were crawling with people, and Noelle was secretly grateful for the private beach at her house. Everywhere they went, they received the royal treatment.

When Lily asked about it, Noelle replied, "You know my father is the French ambassador to the International Confederation of Wizards. Well, he is also working on the Muggle side of the government. He is something like a representative of the citizens of Provence and la Côte d'Azur. He is well known, so therefore, my mother and I are well known. It can get very boring."

Lily laughed. "Boring? My father is an accountant, and my mother is a housewife. I'm the first witch in my family. My sister Petunia is, well, Petunia has to be experienced, not described. She's very ashamed that I'm a witch."

As the girls talked and walked, they were completely unaware of the affect they were having on the young male population of Cannes. Noelle's long hair hung straight over her tanned shoulders, and her legs seemed to be a mile long. Lily's dark ruby hair caught the sun, and glowed with different highlights every time she moved her head.

Across the street, three boys watched them. Sirius turned to James.

"Should we go talk to them?"

James nodded. "Why not?"

They left their table at the little bistro they had chosen for lunch and crossed the street. James bumped into Lily, and said,

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Please excuse me!"

Lily laughed.

"Would you ladies care to join us for lunch?"

Lily nodded, and then looked at Noelle. A wave of nervousness washed over her face, but then disappeared.

"Of course we would love to have lunch with you."

Sirius crooked his elbow towards her and she eyed it warily. It was the same way he had held an arm out for Laura. She shook the image out of her head and took his arm. They sat at the small table and read the menus. The waiter asked what she wanted and she selected un jambon- beurre, a ham sandwich with butter. The boys all got turkey sandwiches, but Lily couldn't decide what she wanted.

Finally, she just said, "I'll have what she's having."

Noelle sipped her water while they waited for their food.

"So what are your plans for this weekend, girls?" Remus asked.

Noelle sipped more water and said, "We are attending the Ambassador's Ball on Friday. Then, probably beach on Saturday. Yours?"

Remus turned slightly pink. "I have a date, with Nicolette."

Noelle gasped, "You do? Congratulations!"

Remus turned pinker. "What about you two?"

James grinned. "We were thinking of going back to that club, that place was great."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "So you are going to the Ambassador's Ball? Why? Your father?"

Noelle nodded. "Since I am sixteen now, today in fact, I am required to attend all formal events."

Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "Today is your birthday? Why didn't you tell us?"

Noelle shrugged.

"Well, happy birthday then."

She thanked him. Their food arrived and the next few minutes were filled with the sounds of chewing. Sirius swallowed.

"Who are you going to the ball with?"

Noelle nervously put her sandwich down and twisted the new ruby ring on her hand.

"I am going with Colin." She said to her fingers. She couldn't meet his eyes.

A flash of jealously flared in his grey eyes, but he quickly hid it. "Oh really?" he tried to sound nonchalant.

Noelle finally met his eyes. "Oui. His father is the Scottish Ambassador."

Sirius nodded slowly. "Who is Lily going with then?"

Noelle quickly answered. "She is going with an old friend of mine from Beauxbatons. His father is the Ambassador from Luxembourg."

Lily caught her friend's eye, and saw that Noelle was trying to tell her not to say anything. They resumed eating.

After lunch, the boys decided to go back to Remus' aunt's house to play Quidditch, and the girls stayed in Cannes. After bidding them goodbye, Lily turned to Noelle.

"So, that's who I'm going with? Why didn't you tell me?"

Noelle looked unhappily at her friend. "I was going to. You will meet him tonight at my house. He and his parents are coming for dinner."

Lily looked somewhat relieved. "At least I get to meet him beforehand."

Her friend still looked unhappy. "What is it?" Lily asked.

"It is nothing...well, yes it is something. My friend, your date, his name is Antoine. He is very nice, very charming. He was one of my best friends at Beauxbatons."

"So, what's the problem?" Lily pressed.

Noelle stopped walking and motioned to a bench. They sat and Noelle stared out at the azure waves.

"Antoine is not the problem. His brother, Olivier is the problem. I used to date him. In fact, every one, including our parents, thought we would be married. I met him my first day at Beauxbatons. He was a third year, and I never thought I would end up with him. We didn't really start dating until my third year, his sixth. We dated until he graduated. Then we broke up." Noelle paused, her voice full of emotion.

Lily laid a hand on her friend's arm. "Why did you break up?"

Noelle didn't answer her.

"Noelle?"

Finally Noelle turned to face her friend. "Lily, I am going to tell you something that you need to promise me will never leave your lips. Promise me. You must."

Lily put a hand over her heart and held the other one up. "I swear Noelle. You can tell me anything."

Noelle took a deep breath. "I am very sick, Lily. There is something wrong with my heart, and my lungs. The healers do not know what has caused this, and they have tried everything to make me well. Nothing has worked. I got very sick at the end of last year, and our relationship could not stand the pressure. So I ended it."

Lily covered her mouth with her hand. "You're okay now though, right?"

Noelle nodded slightly. "Oui, I am well now." She lied.

"So why couldn't you try to work things out?"

Noelle pushed air out of her lips. "It is better this way. He is not the person that I thought he was."

"Is he going to be there tonight?" Lily questioned.

"No, at least I am pretty sure he won't be there. He works in Switzerland now." She ran a hand through her hair and glanced at the watch on her wrist. "We should go meet the car. I want to go riding before dinner."

She got to her feet and so did Lily. Impulsively, Lily hugged her friend.

"I won't tell anyone Noelle. I promise." Noelle hugged her back, feeling guilty for not telling her friend the whole truth. "Come on...let's go back to your house and go riding. I need to work on my jumps." Lily grabbed her friend's hand and tugged her down the street.

After they went riding, the girls had to rush to get ready for dinner. Noelle selected a set of navy silk robes to wear. She left her long hair tumbling down her back in waves. She lent Lily a set of hunter green robes, and quickly braided her dark red hair in a French braid. They hurried down to the parlor talking about what to do later that night. There were already voices coming from the parlor when they approached. Noelle pushed the door open and entered ahead of Lily.

Immediately she was wrapped in a hug from Antoine. She hugged him back tightly and kissed both his cheeks. She turned to introduce him to Lily. Antoine's light blue eyes brightened with interest when he looked at Lily. He bowed low and pressed his lips to her hand.

"Enchante, Lily."

Lily giggled and blushed. Noelle turned to greet Antoine's parents, the Roussards. She kissed his mother and hugged his father. She made the introductions again and glanced at the doorway for her parents. They hadn't arrived yet so she called Marie to ask for some drinks. As she was giving Marie the orders, someone said,

"Don't forget...I like lime in my ice water."

She heard the voice and trembled, not wanting to turn around. She did however, and for the first time in a year, set eyes on Olivier Roussard.

Trepidation ran through her body. She honestly had not expected to see him tonight. She swallowed nervously, but hid it well by pasting a smile on her face. She held her hand out, and he covered it with both of his. He stared deeply into her eyes. His dark brown eyes were a soft chocolate, and his dark brown hair had just a slight curl to it. He stood about 6'1", and had a trim muscular figure.

Noelle could feel herself trembling when their skin touched. All of her old feeling rushed over her in a deluge. She felt herself being overwhelmed by it, and she had to struggle not to succumb. She wanted to fling herself into his strong arms, and feel the comfort that she remembered. She had always felt so safe in his arms. She forced herself to remain where she was. Ice, she told herself. Stone. Steel. He released her hand and she quickly pulled it back.

Thankfully, her parents entered the room and there were loud greetings by the elder Lemiuex and the Roussards. Noelle was able to escape back to Lily's side.

"Are you alright?" Lily whispered to her friend as they made there way to the dining room.

Noelle was so pale she looked ghostly, but deep in her navy eyes was a warm glow that Lily had never seen there before.

"Oui, I am fine." Noelle murmured as they entered the dining room.

On the wall behind the long table hung a large banner, with "Bon Anniversaire, Noelle!" written in sparkly blue paint. Her father was standing at the head of the table, holding out the seat where he usually sat. She was surprised. He never relinquished his seat. She walked over to him. He kissed her soundly on each cheek and gazed at her with pride. The look her gave her was so intense it made tears spring to her eyes.

"Je t'adore, Papa." She managed to say in a shaky voice.

She hugged her father tightly, knowing how scared he was of losing her. The others in the room turned away and blotted their eyes at the emotional scene between father and daughter. Noelle slowly pulled away.

She dabbed at her own eyes and said, "Alors, Lets eat and not cry."

The diners laughed and found their seats. She sat at the head of the table with her father on her left and Olivier on her right. Lily sat between M. Lemieux and Antoine. Catherine Lemieux took her usual seat at the other end of the table. Madame and Monsieur Roussard sat on the other side of Olivier.

As they enjoyed a scrumptious meal, the conversation moved smoothly from Lily's family, to Noelle's new school and then to Olivier's new career as a historian for the Swiss Ministry of Magic. He spoke enthusiastically about his travels throughout Old Europe and the castles he had seen.

"They are all very beautiful, but I imagine, if you had someone special to share them with, they would be breathtaking."

At this, he turned and gazed at Noelle. She blushed deeply and stared into her plate. Antoine covered the awkward silence.

"Lily, Noelle tells me that you would like to work in the Experimental Charms department."

Lily took the hint and began to talk about how interesting she found Charm work. Noelle shot her a grateful look, but as she was pulling her eyes from Lily, they met Olivier's. Throughout the meal, their eyes met surreptiously, and it did not go unnoticed by anyone at the table. Finally, Marie brought out Noelle's birthday cake.

As they sang to her, Noelle pressed her eyelids shut. May I find everything that is good in life, and forget all that is bad, she wished for herself. Taking a careful deep breath, she blew out her candles. She peered at the cake, and chose the largest piece for herself. Her mother looked at her in surprise.

"What? It is MY birthday! Calories do not count for me today!" she teased.

Everyone laughed, knowing how little Noelle cared about calories. Slowly, she lifted a forkful to her mouth.

"Mmmm, so good." She moaned.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed Olivier was practically salivating onto his slice of cake. Quickly, she snapped her mouth shut and finished her cake.

After everyone had finished, the adults stood to retire to the front salon for some after dinner drinks. Noelle and Lily were on their way out of the dining room when Antoine stopped them.

"Lily, would you like to take a walk? Maybe get to know each other better?"

Lily shot a nervous glance at Noelle, who smiled encouragingly at her. She turned back to the handsome boy.

"I would like that very much."

Antoine smiled and extended his arm for Lily to take. She took it and allowed herself to be led outside. Noelle tugged at her navy blue robes and started for the foyer and the stairs to her room. Leaning against the newl post was Olivier, waiting for her. His brown eyes locked to her blue ones.

She placed a hand over her throat in surprise and took a step back. He pushed himself away from the post and approached her slowly.

"Noelle...I would like to talk with you."

She looked at him blankly. "I thought we had finished talking. I have nothing left to say to you."

She made to stalk around him, but her grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving. She stared down at the fingers clutching her arm, then raised her head and opened her mouth to tell him off. He silenced her with his mouth. He pulled her body close to his, trying to mold her stiff form to his.

At first, she stood rigidly, not giving in, but the power of his kisses was too much. Slowly, her arms sneaked around his neck and her fingers twined through his hair. They stood in the dim foyer, lit only by the silver moonlight pouring in through the windows around and above the door. They kissed quietly for a few minutes. For Noelle, it was a rebirth of the passion that had ruled their relationship. She had always had a hard time controlling herself around him. For Olivier, it was a rediscovery of the Noelle he had always loved.

When they finally broke apart, her eyes opened slowly and seductively, her red lips shiny and parted invitingly. Then her eyes went wide. She tried to break out of his grasp, but he held her tight,

"No Noelle. I am not going to let you run away. Do not feel guilty about kissing me."

He paused and she stopped struggling. "I love you Noelle, I never stopped loving you."

Hot tears flowed immediately from her eyes.

"Then why did you leave me?" she managed to ask before she wrenched her hands from his hold and covered her eyes.

He stood silently, not entirely sure of what he should say. He chose his words carefully.

"Noelle, I never meant to hurt you. I didn't know what to say, or how to act. I was scared."

Noelle looked at him incredulously. She laughed bitterly. "You were scared? YOU were scared?" she kept laughing, becoming hysterical. "Olivier, I was told at the age of 14 that I only had a few years left to live!"

She swung her arm out and began to pummel him with her small fists. "Do you have any idea how that feels? Did you even think of how scared I was?" she shrieked.

He fended her off easily and pulled her back into his arms. She was still sobbing, and he rubbed her back until the sobs ceased. He whispered in her ear.

"I know how it felt when I found out. Noelle, you and I, we are a part of each other. When I found out how sick you were, I thought I might die as well."

She lifted her head from his chest and gazed up at him. Her cheeks were damp with tears, but her eyes were shining.

"Olivier, you know we cannot be together. My father forbids it."

Olivier released her and walked slowly to the west salon. He sat on a sofa with a dejected look on his face. She remained in the doorway.

"Olivier? What is it?"

She moved to the sofa and carefully sat on the edge. He took her hand in his and lanced his fingers through hers. Then he looked deep into her eyes.

"Noelle, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this. I shouldn't be the one to tell you this."

He took a deep breath and lay against the back of the sofa. With his head still on the back of the sofa he spoke.

"It was your father. Shortly after you were diagnosed, he came to my father and I. He told me everything. He said that with you being so ill, we could not possibly be together anymore. He said it wasn't fair to either of us."

He took a deep breath. "That is the true reason you were sent to Hogwarts, to England. He wanted to keep us apart. I tried to follow you when I found out where you were, but he stopped me."

Olivier raised his head and gazed into her navy eyes. He lifted a hand and ran his fingers through her blonde hair.

"He told me that you didn't love me anymore."

Noelle pressed his hand to her cheek "My father would not do that." She said, shaking her head incredulously, but even as she said it, she knew it was possible.

The look in Olivier's dark brown eyes told her he was telling the truth. She sat, trying to digest what he had just said. Slowly she shook her head.

"Why would he do that?" she looked into Olivier's eyes. "You were what was best for me."

Olivier's eyes glazed over. "He was trying to protect you. He thought if he could separate us, then you had a chance to get better. So you could concentrate on getting well, and not on making our relationship work. Noelle, I assure you, he was trying to make your pain less."

Noelle snorted angrily. "It was not his decision to make, it was mine!"

Olivier wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She laid her head on his shoulder and he pressed his lips to her temple and rubbed her arm.

"So what do we do know?" she whispered.

"I don't know," he replied. "I still love you, Noelle. I always will."

She closed her eyes tightly and forced the image of Sirius out of her mind. "I love you too, Olivier. I am just so confused."

He nodded slowly and lifted her chin to face him. "I am, too." He murmured just before he lowered his lips to hers.

Out on the grounds, Lily was enjoying Antoine's company. Noelle had been right, he was both charming and handsome. He was incredibly polite and well versed in several subjects. They spoke of the differences between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, and they different styles of magic throughout Europe. Before she knew it, it was almost midnight, and Antoine was escorting her back to the main house. In the foyer, he bowed and kissed her hand again.

"Lily, I had a marvelous time. I am very much looking forward to Friday night."

She smiled brightly. "So am I. Thank you for a wonderful evening."

He smiled again. "Until Friday then. Au revoir." He pivoted and walked into the west salon.

Noelle flew out of Olivier's arms when she heard Antoine approach. He smiled and laughed at the disheveled couple trying desperately to compose themselves.

"Don't worry, I won't tell!" he sang as he walked into the fireplace.

"I should get to bed." Noelle said reluctantly, not wanting to leave him.

He smiled lovingly at her and smoothed the hair off of her face. "Oui, it is late." He kissed her softly. "I will owl you tomorrow."

She nodded. As he turned to Disapparate back to Switzerland, he stopped.

"I almost forgot."

He reached into the pocket of his ebony robes and withdrew a small velvet box.

"Happy Birthday, Noelle." He said softly.

She pried the box open. Lying on the dark velvet was a beautiful sapphire ring set in platinum. She gasped.

"I thought it matched your eyes."

She flung her arms around him one last time and kissed him passionately. Finally, he straightened up.

"I must be going. Good night, cherie. I love you."

She smiled as he Disapparated.

Noelle slowly made her way up the stairs to her room, trailing her fingers on the maple banister. She had a smile on her lips and she was humming softly. She quietly pushed the door of her room open, not sure if Lily was sleeping. She wasn't, but instead sitting at the dressing table, brushing out her long red hair. She spun in her seat and eyed Noelle curiously.

"Well, well. Did you have fun tonight?" Lily asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Noelle blushed a deep crimson, and Lily laughed. Noelle sank to her bed and pulled a pillow over her face. She screamed as loud as she could into the pillow while Lily kept laughing. Finally Noelle emerged from the pillow, her hair messy around her face and her cheeks bright red.

"Lily, I kissed him. I'm so confused! I can't believe that he was here tonight!"

Lily looked at her intently. "Do you still love him?"

Noelle thought for a moment. Then she shrugged. "I do not know. I still have feelings for him. Maybe I do still love him. It is hard, you know, to tell myself that I should not love him. I loved him for so long."

Lily nodded wisely. "Maybe you love the memory of him."

Noelle looked confused, so Lily elaborated. "What I meant is, you remember the good things about your relationship, and not the bad things."

Noelle nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe you are right. But it felt so right to kiss him tonight. It was as if all the passion and the romance that we had came rushing back over me." Noelle stood and wandered around her room. "I feel like when I am with him, I could fly. All he has to do is look at me, and I would do anything he asked of me."

She clasped her hands together over her heart and stared at her best friend. "Haven't you ever felt like that about someone?"

Lily shook her head. "No. At least not quite that intense."

She looked a little sad. Noelle wrapped her arms around her friend. "Sometimes I wish I didn't feel like this. It can be a big burden."

Noelle stared out the window wistfully.

"You're thinking of Sirius, aren't you?"

Noelle whipped her head around. "No, of course not."

She tried to lie, but gave up. "How did you know?"

Lily smiled again. "I can always tell when you are. You get this look in your eyes, it's all dreamy. You really like him." Lily stated.

Noelle looked at her hands and twisted her fingers. When she looked up, there were tears rimming her big eyes.

"I do. I like him so much that it hurts when we are apart. When he was being so cruel to me last year, it almost destroyed me to see him every day."

She blew the air out of her mouth and wiped her eyes furiously. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling, where the heavens glowed above her bed. Then she lowered her eyes to meet Lily's.

"Now do you see why I am so confused?"

Lily smiled sympathetically. "Yep, I sure do. And I don't envy you at all."

She reached over and hugged her friend again. "No more tears."

Noelle laughed and wiped her cheeks again. "Some Sweet Sixteen. All I've done is cry!"

Lily laughed. "Happy Birthday Noelle."