Here's a lovely chapter just in time for the holidays! I had so much fun writing this, although the party definitely gave me a bit of stress haha. You may have noticed that I've changed the chapters to tarot cards. Pay attention to them cause they will kind of be an indicator of what's to come! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited!

Please leave a review if you're enjoying the story!


The Moon

upright: unconscious, illusions, intuition

reversed: confusion, fear, misinterpretation

Cressida watched with wide eyes as Madame Pomfrey escorted the now unconscious Sirius Black off the field in a floating stretcher, Potter following quickly after him. Chatter scattered across the stands, everyone trading concerned looks and quick whispers about what had just occurred.

Professor McGonagall quickly announced the replacement of Potter and Black and the game commenced once again, but Cressida couldn't watch anymore. Not caring about Aubrey blowing up at her for missing the game, she left her spot and rushed down the steps of the stands, the wind blowing through her hair and causing her to shiver underneath her coat. The rain began to drizzle, getting stuck in her hair and following her ominously until she reached the inside of the castle, frantically searching for the hospital wing. She never wanted Sirius to get hurt, not badly anyway. A few broken ribs maybe but not this.

"What's happening?" She asked, quickly reaching the closed doors of the hospital wing, Professor Sprout and Dumbledore lingering just outside with James and Peter. "Is he alright?"

"I don't see why you'd care," James muttered under his breath, eyeing her warily. Cressida's jaw clenched at his uncharacteristic malice, hating what his words implied. "For all we know you told Avery to do it."

Cressida opened her mouth to defend herself, but Dumbledore was quick to step in.

"Miss Tonks spent the morning in my office Mr. Potter," The kindly old man explained to the fifth year, "Besides, I think out of everyone here, Miss Tonks knows the effects of a bludger hit firsthand."

Hazel eyes locked against brown before giving up and continuing to pace again. Cressida shook off the dirty looks James and Peter were giving her before turning toward the professors.

"Is Sirius- Is he going to be okay?" She asked, trying to ignore the stares on her back as James and Peter continued to pace. Dumbledore eyed Sprout with a frown before turning back to the young student.

"Madame Pomfrey is quite skilled in Quidditch injuries, and she said Mr. Black was moving in and out of consciousness. I dare say he'll be fine, Now go-"

"Where is he?!" Remus Lupin's voice boomed down the hallway, almost hysterical as James and Peter halted their steps and began to move toward the young student, "Let me in! I need to see him!"

Dumbledore moved closer to the lad, calm radiating from him, "I'm afraid that's not possible Mr. Lupin, Mr. Black-"

"-Is one of my best friends and I demand to be let in!" Remus was being held back by both James and Peter, although it looked like both of them were struggling with their grips on the skinny boy. "I have a right to know!"

Cressida took a deep breath and shoved the anger down into her gut, stepping forward to try and calm her friend down.

"He's going to be fine Remus," She parroted Dumbledore's words, not knowing the truth for herself, even if it was killing her, "Madame Pomfrey is a whiz at these things, I'm sure Sirius-"

"Don't," Remus snarled, pushing James and Peter off of him, "Don't you even start."

Her chest twisted and Cressida stumbled back in shock, stumbling across her words as she tried to form a coherent thought. "Can I talk to you?" She finally asked, still reeling from his unusual demeanor. Her eyes drifted toward the Professors and the other two boys before moving back to Remus, "Alone?"

He let out a frustrated sigh before reluctantly following her. She ducked into an empty classroom down the hallway, closing the door behind her as Remus stepped in, crossing his arms with an expectant look on his face. "Well?"
Cress took a breath and moved closer, Remus took another step back.

"I was trying to help."

"Yeah right," Remus scoffed, shaking his head, "If it wasn't for you, none of this would have happened."

Cressida couldn't believe her ears. Did he really think she was behind all of this? That she was capable of this? Sirius was a prick, but she'd never organize a way to possibly kill him. Surely Remus knew that.

"Excuse me? I am not the only one who doesn't get along with Sirius, half of bloody Slytherin House has something against him!"

"But you're the only one who got into a fight with him!"

"That is not fair," The response was guttural, almost resembling a growl, "I punched him because he was being a dick, but that was the end of things."

Remus scoffed, clearly not believing a word she was saying. Cressida shook her head and bit her lip, going straight for the real reason they were in this room in the first place.

"Alright then, you wanna talk about Hogsmeade? Let's talk."

She watched the anger in his eyes harden into shame, although Cressida was too busy seeing red to care, "Last I checked, you were the one who decided to stand me up, and then you were the one who sent Sirius to give an excuse."

Tears dangled on the corner of her eye, waiting to fall, "Instead of just facing me yourself." Cress choked on the words, gulping the knot in her throat as she waited for Remus to say something.

He was silent.

"I meant to tell you-"

"-But you didn't."

Silence washed over them, Cressida staring at the boy she'd spent hours daydreaming about. Who she'd spent whole weeks planning a date for. Even buying those damned chocolates, which were still sitting uneaten in her trunk, just to be romantic. And yet here he was, still unable to give her a proper explanation.

"Not like it meant that much to you," Remus muttered, his lips turning downward as he brought his hand to scratch the back of his neck.

Cressida's mouth fell open, "How can you say that? Do you know how long I spent working up the courage to ask you? Planning the goddamn date in the first place? How much money I was ready to spend on you?" Her arms were at her side again now, wildly gesticulating and using her hand to emphasize each sentence. "How can you even think-"

"Cause you threw it all away on bloody Amos Diggory that's how!" Remus' increased volume caught her off guard, so much so that she nearly flinched at it. His chest heaved and breathing shallowed, "If it really meant that much to you, then why'd you'd waste it on him of all people?"

"It wasn't like that at all, Amos was just comforting me after you didn't show!"

Remus' laugh was mirthless, jaw clenched as something dark descended over his features, "You really believe that don't you?"

Cress stood in stunned silence, mouth open at the insinuation. She expected it from Sirius, even James, but to hear that Remus not only thought it but shamed her for it, it cut deeper than any of the slurs the Slytherin's threw at her. She felt her heart sink deeper and stood up straight, hiding the hurt that burned inside her.

"Yes I do," She affirmed, recalling how sweet Diggory had been. How even during the 'date', all the boy could do was talk about his girlfriend. "And if you and your damn friends could get your heads out of your asses for one bloody minute, you'd believe it too."

She watched his shoulders deflate, guilt hammering her chest as he flapped his mouth open and closed, anguish wrinkling the skin around his eyes, veins threatening to pop out of his forehead. Remus Lupin looked like he was holding the world on his shoulders and with one word it would all fall apart.

"Cress, I want- I need- I have to tell you-"

She waited. Exactly like she did that cold October day. But once again she was met with disappointment.

Pursing her lips and shaking her head, she let the silence speak for her, turning around and slamming the classroom door behind her.


Three days before the holiday break, Cressida got an invitation to a Christmas party.

A gorgeous tawny owl swept down the Ravenclaw table, dropping a thick envelope onto her empty plate, the bright rays of the winter sun streaming through the large arched windows of the great hall, causing her to squint at the owls flying through.

Dorcas and Emmeline both stared at her, eyes wide as she slid her finger through the thick green wax, the fancy calligraphy and embellished words causing Cressida to groan.

"It's Slughorn," She announced, drawing similar groans from her friends. She scanned the letter quickly before nonchalantly tossing it back on the table, turning back to continue reading ahead in Transfiguration.

Dorcas picked it up and began to read aloud in a corny voice, "Dear Miss Tonks, you are cordially invited to a gathering of the finest students in Hogwarts to celebrate the holiday season one last time before the break...blah blah blah,"

The trio burst into soft chuckles as Dorcas handed the invitation back to her. "So who are you gonna bring?"

Cressida nearly spit out her orange juice.

"What?"

Dorcas shrugged, "It says you have to bring a date-"

"No it doesn't." Cressida grabbed the parchment and re-read it a few times to make sure Dorcas was just pulling her leg. Unfortunately, when she reached the end of the parchment on her fourth read-through, her heart sank, the last line detailing that yes, dates were optional, but preferred.

She slammed her head down on the table, letting out a frustrated yell as Dorcas and Emmeline moved to pat her on the back. Several other Ravenclaws sent her confused looks before she smiled tightly at them, shaking her hair out of her face as she leaned her head against her palm.

Her gaze floated toward the Gryffindor table, catching sight of a head of sandy brown hair and watching him laugh alongside his other friends. Of course, she knew who she wanted to invite, but she couldn't. Not after everything.

There wasn't even a guarantee Remus even wanted to spend time with her. He didn't show up to Hogsmeade, and they hadn't even talked to each other since that horrible day in front of the hospital wing. None of his friends even bothered to give her the time of day anymore, something that wouldn't have bothered her three months ago. But somehow every time she brushed up against them in the halls or instinctively looked over her shoulder to brag silently about her accomplishments, she was met with the stinging disappointment of their avoidant gazes.

So she'd gone back to her tried and true place of refuge, the library. No one bothered her in the alcove behind the new shelves, and she preferred it that way.

It was where she found herself after class ended that day, the invitation in the back of her mind as she began to outline a study guide for after the holiday break.

Her potions essay sat finished and rolled up in her bag, ready to be turned in that Friday. She was just digging out her notes on the revealing charm when a small cough interrupted her thoughts.

A large shadow loomed over the table she was sat at, and when she brought her gaze upward, her shoulders tensed. Soft hazel eyes stared down at her through a pair of square glasses, an apologetic look on his face as he gestured to the seat across from her.

"Can I sit here?" James Potter asked, patiently waiting for her answer.

Cressida narrowed her gaze, wondering what kind of trick he was playing on her this time. But she couldn't come up with a valid excuse, so she simply shrugged and turned back to her study guide.

The two of them sat in silence for maybe five minutes before James revealed the reason he'd approached her.

"Remus has been feeling pretty blue since your fight."

Cress said nothing, refusing to acknowledge the fizzing in her chest that had reappeared at the mention of his name. James waited for a response and when it was clear he wasn't going to get one, he continued onward.

"I think you should give him another chance."

She slammed her quill down, "So he can stand me up again? No thank you."

"He couldn't help it," James was quick to defend his friend, that passionate anger stirring just below the surface, "It's not his fault it was-" The curly-haired boy seemed to catch himself, a look of regret flashing over his face before he went silent. But he'd just made a terrible mistake, because Cressida Tonks would always try to figure out the answer to a question, no matter how small it was.

"It's not his fault what?"

James shook his head, refusing to look at her, "Nothing."

"No, tell me," Cressida demanded, searching for any clues in the boy's face. "Obviously it's something important if it was worth standing me up for."

"He didn't mean to." was all James said.

Cressida scoffed, "You're right, no one means to stand someone up, it just happens." The sarcasm dripped like kerosene from her mouth, intended to ignite that passionate fire once again. To get James to slip up and finally tell her what the bloody hell was going on with Remus because for the life of her she couldn't figure it out.

The only explanation she came across was something wildly unimaginable, and if it was true, there was no reason for him to hide it in the first place.

James stayed silent though, clearly refusing to give away any more information about his friend. She let out a frustrated sigh and turned back to her notebook, silently admiring his dedication.

For all his faults, James Potter cared about his friends, and for that Cress couldn't blame him.

"I'm not mad at him," She finally admitted, a weight lifting off her chest, "Not about that anymore."

James's eyes flitted toward hers, the two sharing a silent stare before she continued.

"I just wanted an explanation" Cressida bit her lip, trying to keep the pressure from bursting behind her eyes, "I guess I thought I deserved it."

A small tear marched its way down her cheek as she turned away. A beat passed between them before James' brown hand landed on her pale one, a sympathetic look on his face.

"You do deserve one" He admitted, biting his cheek, "He just can't give it to you right now."

Cress lifted her gaze toward the ceiling, willing her tears to stay inside her eyes instead of flowing freely. She would not cry in front of James Potter, so he could go back to his friends and make fun of her. She would not give him that much ammunition against her.

Why couldn't he give it to her? Why did he have to be so secretive about it? Why had he said yes if something else had come up?

She distracted herself with copying her notes, flipping through her charms notebook until she reached the ending of the section on revealing charms. Her mind wished to wander, to go back over the events at Hogsmeade for the thousandth time and figure out what went wrong.

"Why are you here James?" She finally asked.

The curly-haired boy shrugged, "I told you, to try and explain Remus's-"

"No," she cut him off, not wanting to hear any more excuses, "I mean why are you still here?"

James almost looked like he was contemplating her question before shrugging and saying, "I can't stand to see a pretty girl look so desperate."

The soft laugh that left her mouth caught her off guard, and suddenly things felt somewhat normal again.

"Always the knight in shining armor," She responded, the same teasing tone she always used with him reappearing.

James smirked and gave a mock bow, standing up from his seat, "At your service m'lady."

She burst into giggles at the gesture, trying to suppress them when she caught the steely gaze of Madam Pince, the two of them sharing stifled laughter as James sat back down.

"What are you doing for the break?" He asked, snacking on a shortbread biscuit he no doubt stole from the kitchens.

"As of right now, I'm headed home." She explained with little fanfare, her plans woefully lame compared to everyone else's. Dorcas was headed to the Amalfi Coast with her mother and Emmeline was taking a tour of the grand castles in Scotland not that far from Hogwarts. "Ted and Andromeda are visiting with my niece, so it'll be nice to see them again."

James nodded, a sly smirk on his face, "Good old Andy. Say hi to her for me, would you?"

Cressida chuckled and nodded, turning back to the chaser, "What about you?"

James let out an overexaggerated sigh, leaning back in his chair until its two front legs were off the floor, "Let's see, Sirius is coming over after a few weeks at his parent's, and then the annual Potter New Years party, with plenty of bubbly, firewhiskey, and everything in between."

Cressida nodded her head in approval, "Sounds like fun."

James assured her that it was, in fact, fun, and dove into an entire explanation of the party decorations, the games they played, and how his parents always let him have the entire house to himself.

"You should come."

Cressida must have heard him wrong, "What?"

"The party," James clarified, "You should come and bring your fortune teller thingies."

She rolled her eyes, "You mean my tarot cards?"

"Yeah! Those things! I bet they'd be great fun!"

Cressida mulled the idea over in her head. It didn't sound like a bad idea, it actually sounded like a ton of fun. A large party off Hogwarts grounds with some of the more popular kids in school? And she was willingly being invited by the host?

What's more, is that it looked like James genuinely wanted her there. His pupils had grown large and he was leaning over the table now.

"I don't know…"

"Oh come on," James pleaded, "It'll be so much fun, you won't even care about who's there."

She side-eyed the Quidditch player, silently wondering if this was another prank of his. Suddenly she came up with an idea.

"Alright, I'll go," She agreed, Potter pumping his fist in victory, "On one condition."

"Name it."

Cressida bit the tip of her pen, her lips twisting into a smirk as she pointed it at James, "You have to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with me and enjoy it."

The boy bit his lip and stood up from his seat, still leaning over the table. "I do that and you'll come to the New Year's party?"

Cressida nodded and James held out his hand.

"You got yourself a deal, Tonks."


Emmeline insisted on doing her hair and makeup for Slughorn's party, swiping some glittery gold eyeshadow over her lids as Dorcas finished up the curls.

"You guys are going overboard," Cress shook her head, "It's not that big a deal."

Emmeline grabbed her chin and jerked it back toward the middle again, "Stay still," She ordered, freshly painted nails digging into her chin. Cress sighed and let the girl drag the thick eyeliner pen across her lids, the finishing touch as she handed her the tube of mascara.
"There you go," She smirked, standing up from her crouched position.

Cress smiled and stood up from the chair, moving toward the large mirror that expanded the length of the bathroom, only cutting off near the showers. Gold and silver fluttered every time she blinked, gently dragging her pointer finger over the lashes to avoid any of the mascara sticking to her cheeks or underneath her eyes.

Her lips were a bright holly red, but all Cressida could think about was the churning in her stomach. "I look like Christmas just threw up all over me,"

Emmeline let out a shriek of happiness, pressing a soft kiss to Cress's cheek. "Yay! Exactly what I was going for."

The brunette rolled her eyes and zipped up her makeup bag, stuffing it in the top of her trunk before slamming it shut, smoothing down the skirt of her black dress, suddenly aware of what she was doing.

"This is a mistake," She breathed, opening up her trunk again to grab the makeup wipes. Emmeline stopped her.

"Uh, uh, you are not undoing all my hard work just because you're getting cold feet."

Cressida tilted back and forth on the balls of her feet, the unsteady heels providing her with little comfort. "I don't even know what I was thinking, I can't go on a date with James Potter,"

"You said it yourself," Dorcas interjected, grabbing her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down, "It's not that big of a deal."

"Yes, well that was before I realized what the bloody hell I was doing!" Her breathing grew shallow and she was flooded with a wave of nausea, trying to swallow it down before her dinner made a reappearance.

She focused her energy on her breathing, slowing it down until she was no longer hyperventilating. She glanced around the room, trying to recall what Baba Esme had taught her all those years ago.

Five things you can see…

The curtains, Dorcas, the trunk, Emmeline, my hands

Four things you can hear…

The soft music coming from my radio, Dorcas' voice, my heels against the floor, the wind.

Three things you can touch…

The fabric of my dress, Dorcas' hands against my shoulders, my face

Two things you can smell…

The perfume I'm wearing, the heat against my hair.

One thing you can taste.

The water I just drank.

Her pulse slowed, tension draining from her shoulders as the two girls engulfed her in a hug, their soothing voices bouncing off her as Cress melted into their warmth, squeezing her eyes shut. She wanted to take them with her. To have them by her side as she faced a room full of people who hated her simply because of the circumstances of her birth. To have them by her side as she went on a date with someone she wouldn't have touched with a five-foot pole three months earlier.

But it was five minutes to eight, and she didn't want to be late. She reluctantly pulled herself out of the tight embrace.

"I should go," She smiled tightly, "I don't want Potter to embarrass himself trying to solve one of the riddles,"

The three of them burst into soft chuckles, Emmeline twisting one of her curls around her finger.

"You got this," She encouraged, Cressida nodding at her words.

Dorcas pulled her in for another hug, "good luck," she whispered.

Taking one final breath, Cressida descended the staircase, goosebumps appearing up and down her arms as she pushed the door to the common room open and came face to face with James Potter himself.

"Well damn," He flashed his crooked smile, his relaxed posture accentuated by his hands in his pockets, no tension or awkwardness to be found. It was the opposite of Remus. Potter did it like he was admiring something in front of him. Remus did it to hide parts of himself.

Cressida tried to force thoughts of the boy out of her head. It would do no good to think about that now, especially when she was supposed to be focusing on James. She blushed at his compliment, hazel eyes scanning her up and down. "You look good."

She gently brushed a curl behind her ear, her face growing redder. "Emmeline wanted to do more but I convinced her not to." She tried to give her friend credit where it was due.

James's eyes raked over her once again, "You don't need it." he complimented her again, buttoning his blazer, "Besides, you came out at the perfect time," Cress knitted her eyebrows together and he sent her a smirk, "I was dangerously close to knocking."

He extended his arm out to her. She took it. "Good thing you didn't," She teased, the corners of her lips turning up, "You probably wouldn't have figured any of the riddles out."

James pressed his hand to his chest, like he had been wounded, "Ooooh Miss Tonks, you insult me so. I can assure you that any riddle you can solve I can solve as well."

Cressida rolled her eyes, something dancing in her chest, "I'd like to see you try."

Their soft laughter dissolved into silence as they made their way to the sixth floor, both trying to come up with different topics of conversation so it didn't become a disaster.

"I saw you practicing Quidditch the other day," James finally spoke up, running a hand through his wild curls.

Cressida creased her eyebrows together, trying to figure out how he'd managed to sneak onto the pitch, "How-?" Then she remembered, "Nevermind."

That bloody cloak of his.

James shrugged, a wry smirk crossing his face, "You weren't bad. Not better than ours, but not bad."

Cressida playfully shoved his shoulder with a scoff, "Oh please, I could fly circles around Shacklebolt and you know it."

James made a face that made it clear he didn't believe her words, "Mmmm, I don't think so."

Cressida scoffed again, it sounding more like a chuckle, "Oh just you wait Potter," She smiled widely, always willing to take on a challenge, "When Ravenclaw finally faces off against you, we're going to crush you into the dirt."

James leaned in, wigging his eyebrows, "I'd like to see you try."

Cressida chuckled again, trying to recall the last time she'd felt this light, she moved in closer, biting her bottom lip as she tried to resist a smile. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, James came to a halt, and something inside her sank.

They were here.

The playful atmosphere disappeared, realization settling over Cressida as she remembered who lay behind that door.

"You ready?" James asked, his smile reforming into a look of soft concern. Cressida straightened her shoulders, steel sinking into her spine as she raised her hand to knock on the door.

"I have to be."

The two of them waited a moment, shoulder to shoulder. As if sensing how nervous she was, James slipped his hand into hers, squeezing it tightly as the door opened, the boisterous Professor smiling down at the two of them.

"Ah Miss Tonks!" He boomed, "I'm delighted you decided to attend!" His gooseberry colored eyes shifting to the boy beside her, "And with Mr. Potter no less! Please come in and enjoy the festivities!"

Slughorn shook their hands as they made their way into the office, Cress's eyes widening at the cavernous room, a bright fire roaring in the fireplace. Several people she didn't recognize were lingering near the warmth, some Slughorn's age and some just a few years out of Hogwarts.

Slughorn didn't pay her or James any more attention after he'd greeted them, instead he moved toward a group of Slytherins that Cressida recognized, clenching her fists at the memory.

"Here you go," James handed her a flute of champagne, taking a sip of one himself, "I think we're gonna need it if we're spending the night with those gits."

Cressida took a big gulp, relishing in the taste and trying not to break it in her grip. "Shame I don't have my wand," She commented, her gaze fixed on the group, "I'd hex all of them faster than they could blink."

James looked mildly impressed, mischief dancing behind his eyes. "Remind me to show you something when we get back from break." He smiled.

Cressida narrowed her gaze at her date before shaking it off. James always had something up his sleeve, she shouldn't be surprised anymore.

She was moving to grab another glass of champagne when she ran straight into a head of red hair.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry,"

"No don't worry about it-"

"Please let me try-"

Cressida and the girl quickly broke into small laughter at their absurd scene, hoping it didn't distract too much from the rest of the party.

Bright emerald eyes locked onto her dark brown ones and Lily Evans let out a soft gasp, "I know you! You're the girl who mastered conjuring charms in the first week."

Cressida blushed at the compliment and moved to reciprocate, "Yep, that's me. And you're Lily Evans, the whiz at potions."

It was the redhead's turn to blush and Lily opened her mouth to say something when she was cut off by James' voice.

And that's when Cressida realized her mistake.

"Hey, Cressida are you okay, I saw-" The Potter boy went silent when he saw who she was talking to, his throat bobbing up and down as he ran his hands through his hair, "Hey Evans, uh, didn't see you there."

Lily's previously happy expression disappeared in an instant, a scowl crossing her face as she locked eyes with Cressida's date. "Potter."

Cress had been witness to some of Lily's rejections of James, but being in the middle of it was another thing entirely.

"Huh, Snivellus isn't skulking behind you anymore," James noticed, his casual statement causing Lily's scowl to grow deeper, "Have you finally grown some brain cells and left him behind?"

Cressida stifled a laugh as Lily straightened her spine, crossing her arms across the velvet green dress she was wearing.

"Sev and I...have had a little disagreement, but we're working through it."

The smirk on James' face grew so wide Cressida was sure Lily wanted to slap it right off his face. Severus Snape was not a topic she wished to broach tonight, especially when he was just a few meters away with his gang of wannabe Death Eaters.

Lily opened her mouth for a retort when a voice made Cressida freeze where she stood.

"Hey Lily, I brought you some…" He trailed off and for a moment Cress forgot that she was at a party surrounded by a bunch of other people, she forgot that James Potter was beside her and squeezing her hand, she forgot everything except the anger now burning a pit in her stomach, threatening to break free from its chains.

Because when a pair of muted green eyes met hers, the entire world melted away, and all she heard was the sweet sound of his voice in her ear.

"Cress I'm so sorry I didn't tell you,"
"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"I wanted to I swear, but Sirius-"

"Oh I get it, your little friends got in the way again."

"No, I didn't mean-"

"Well guess what, I don't forgive you."

Remus Lupin blinked at her, and James and Lily moved their gazes elsewhere.

"You what?"

Cressida's blood ran cold as the realization hit her. That wasn't real. Those words weren't real, that conversation wasn't real. But the last part she'd said aloud for everyone to hear. Her visions were morphing, becoming something uncontrollable and bleeding into her life.

It wasn't a past conversation or a present conversation. It was something she would have soon.

But that still didn't change the fact that the very first thing she'd said to Remus Lupin since that awful day in the classroom was "I don't forgive you."

"Excuse me," Cressida spoke tightly, almost choking out the words, "I'm off to get some more champagne."

"Cress wait-"

"Tonks hold on-"

She ignored Remus and James's voices as she pushed her way through the crowd, grabbing a glass and chugging it, hoping it would make the sounds go away. They weren't. It was like a drum in her head, aching and pounding its way out. She wanted to scream. To let it all out in one go.

They mixed together like oils on a painting, each one different, each one tied to another soul she could read if she wanted to. She couldn't do this anymore.

Dumbledore's exercises weren't working. They almost seemed to be making it worse. Her hand found something solid, images blurring together as she moved, the voices gradually fading but the humming still remaining.

"Hey, I'm here, I'm here." A voice tried to cut through the noise but was unsuccessful. "Cressida can you hear me?"

Warmth wrapped itself around her, squeezing her tightly until it had melted all the cold inside her. A steady beat smashed through the humming, the soft pounding of a heart her only anchor to peace.

Ba-dum, Ba-dum.

Her breathing slowed.

Ba-dum, Ba-dum.

A tear fell.

Ba-dum, Ba-dum.

And she collapsed into arms strong enough to catch her.