Music could be heard even before he rang the doorbell, Talbott taking in a long breath before pushing the button. He was still not entirely certain if he did well in accepting the invitation, however there he stood, waiting for Andre to open up.
Tonks has met up with him before the winter holidays, Andre extending an invitation for a New Year's Eve party at his apartment, to her and Talbott. Tonks of course agreed right then and there, however Talbott was an entire different situation. While she tried her best to convince her friend it was not alright for him to be alone during such times, it took Andre marching down to the Ministry to convince him, especially after he heard he was not together with Talia any longer.
Eventually Talbott agreed to come, more to just get him off his case, than anything.
Swaying from one leg onto another, he tried the doorbell once more, promising to himself that if no one hears it, he would just leave the wine bottle on the mat and just head back home. Churning the idea once more inside his head, he concluded there was no point in letting such good wine to go to waste. He would go home and just get drunk.
Sighing, he closed his eyes, the idea pathetic even to him. Who would actually want to sit alone and get drunk at the dawn of a new year? A year that he wished would bring him back all that he had lost.
Hearing a click, Talbott's eyes sprung open, only for him to squint at the bright light illuminating his figure as the door opened to reveal a radiant Andre smiling at him "Finally, I actually thought you were going to bail on me mate. Come on in." he urged before Talbott had a chance to even reconsider.
Andre glanced down the hall before closing the door behind his friend who awkwardly extended to him the bottle of wine "Didn't know what to bring, but since everyone is drinking tonight." He practically pushed it in his arms, Andre taking a moment analyzing the bottle.
"This is actually a fancy one, good too. Aren't you full of surprises? Didn't know you had such refined tastes." He smiled wide, leading Talbott towards the leaving room.
Placing his hands inside his pockets, he just rolled his eyes "I don't actually, this was recommended to me some time ago."
"A lady?" Andre beamed as he turned, walking backwards just to get a glimpse of Talbott's expression.
"I don't know about her being a lady, but yes, it was a she and that's all I'm going to say about that." For a moment his mind went directly to Talia and how once again they were not talking, this time due to circumstances none of them could control. Just when he managed to gather the courage and write to her, just when things were so uncertain that he could feel the emotions constricting around his heart, yet she still reached out to him. Just when he believed there was a small grain of hope left to save their relationship, as long as they took small steps and met in the middle.
Bloody stupid winter, Talbott frowned.
He wondered how she was dealing with everything at the Sanctuary and he actually reached out to Bill to find out who was with her. Thankfully Charlie remained behind and from what he picked up from the letters, their relationship was actually a good one, Talia actually trusting the dragon aficionado. Of course the fact that Felix Rosier also remained in Romania did not sit too well with him, however at the end of the day, there was not much he could do. It would ultimately come down to what Talia wanted, be it him, Felix or another entirely.
"Wotcher Winger!" Tonks's voice rang loud from the other side of the room, Talbott flinching slightly as he was pulled abruptly from his thoughts "You finally made it!" she continued to shout from her spot without even attempting to make her way towards him.
Shaking his head, Talbott grabbed a drink and took the corner next to her on the couch, trying to calm his nerves inside the swarm of people gathered in Andre's living room. She clearly had more than a few drinks, however that meant he could just nod away and she would speak to her heart's content, without actually asking more of him. All that suited his needs just fine.
He already made the effort to get out of the house and come to a party, he never made promises to being sociable.
While he could avoid Tonks since he learned how to deal with her, there was one person that locked eyes with him and was making her way towards his location, that he could not avoid not even if he wanted to "Evening Penny."
She gently sat down next to him on the couch, arranging her dress properly in order to avoid wrinkles, turning to flash him a bright smile "How are you Talbott?" the hand laid on top of his and how her eyes filled with concerned told him everything he needed to know. And dreaded. She knew.
"I'm fine." He quickly answered, not even bothering with returning the question her way as he placed the glass against his full lips, frowning slightly at the fruity cocktail he just ingested. Penny did not appear bothered by his reaction. Having known Talbott since they were at Hogwarts gave her an advantage few had and many wanted.
She could direct the conversation to her liking, twist his mind in ways he did not enjoy, at the end prompting him to reveal certain things.
"So are you alone tonight?" her smile appeared sincere, however her eyes wrinkled at the corners slightly and he knew she was trying to get a reaction.
"While you know the answer to that question, I can't say I'm not surprised to see you here all alone." She shrugged off his affirmation as if it was nothing, however Talbott knew better. For someone who has always been popular during the school years and managed to keep it up even after graduation, Penny had been surprisingly lonely for someone that was always surrounded by people. In the relationship department, while she had more experience that him, the relationship appeared to not last for very long, her taking long breaks in between them.
"How about we enjoy tonight, ask me to dance?" she smiled, offering her hand which Talbott took as of course he could not say no, since it was not gentleman like. For all his rough around the edges attitude, he was definitely raised to have proper manners.
Getting up, he took her hand, guiding her to the middle of the living room, where several other people were dancing to the latest song playing. It certainly served to pass the time, Penny had always been so open and easy to get along with, charming in her ways of getting under someone's skin, including Talbott's as she managed to befriend him quite early on.
He did not even realize when the time passed, until everyone was crowding on the balcony in order to watch the fireworks, Talbott's eyes casting to the skies as he promised himself to do better in the year to come. To not give up and just take the chance.
Penny stood in front of him, eyes wide in amazement as the colors exploded on the night sky. Turning to him, she wished him a happy new year, arms wrapping around his neck as she pulled him closer, placing a warm kiss on his lips.
Talbott froze on the spot, wide eyes taking her in as she just threw her head back and laughed "It is said if you don't kiss someone on New Year you will have bad luck." Squinting her eyes slightly, she smirked "So kiss me, have good luck for what's to come."
For whatever reason he could conjure then, he actually did lower himself, kissing Penny briefly, much to her surprise. However the moment Talbott opened his eyes, he could feel his stomach tightening, brows knitting together as he took a step back "I need to go, happy new year Penny."
Managing to extract himself through the crowd, Talbott got out of the apartment as fast as he could, stumbling on the stairs, mind in a haze of alcohol and mixed feelings, all making him dizzy "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" running a hand over his face, he could barely hear his own thoughts over the explosion of fireworks happening above his head.
He jumped as if something burned him when he felt someone take hold of his wrist, calming down slightly when his eyes locked with Penny's, her gaze wide and filled with tears and he could not understand for the life of him what was happening as she pulled him by the tie, locking lips with him once again.
Turning his face quickly, he pushed her off slightly "I can't do this, not with you or anyone."
"Why not?" her voice rose above the commotion, fingers gripping his shirt "You're no longer with her."
Snapping at her, he leveled Penny with a glare "It's far more complicated then that."
She blinked in confusion, tears falling from her bright eyes "How so? She isn't here, how is that complicated? If she truly loved you, she would have been here with you." Her words hit a dangerous cord, the feelings reverberating though his chest.
His hands coiled around her wrists, anger igniting in his wild eyes "How can she be when I sent her away? Why would she? Tell me that."
She froze under his predatorial gaze, bottom lip trembling as she watched him for a solid minute without uttering a word, barely blinking. Fireworks stopped illuminating the night sky, slowly silence beginning to settle across London, apart from the occasional cheer or laughter heard from various apartments. When she finally did manage to gather enough courage to speak, it was in a low voice, fingers unravelling from the fabric of his shirt "You Talbott Winger are truly a cruel man. And you play a dangerous game."
Letting go of her hands, he cursed out loud, wondering how he managed to get into such a position. However there was some truth to Penny's words. He was cruel and for some time it felt as if he was stringing Talia along on the off chance that he would manage to gather his wits about him and do the right thing. He was not giving her a chance to get over him, the moment he felt her gravitating away, he always managed to find a way to pull her back.
"I am cruel, I know." He finally admitted, Penny just nodding as she felt more tears biting at her eyes, her high heals soon resonating on the pavement as she made her way back to Andre's building. Sighing, he watched her figure creating distance, before he opened his mouth "Penny wait!"
Inside the Dragon Sanctuary it was already a bit pass two in the morning, Felix, Charlie and Talia sitting at a table, laughing as they spoke about weird New Year traditions they heard about or what their families used to do.
"Mom used to make us hug one minute for every quarrel we had over the year. One time I was stuck to Fred for almost one hour and that was because they got tired of remembering all the silly stuff we fought about."
Felix snickered as he tried to drink, eventually letting out a wholehearted laugh as he pictured the event "That's mad. How about you Talia, any weird family traditions?"
"Sorry to disappoint boys." She slightly slurred her words "But I don't have a family. I don't count those things that conceived me." Charlie's face softened, Felix looking conflicted, her smacking him way too hard on the back "Shh, don't give me that look. I am fineeeeee."
"Right." Felix shook his head, feeling the sting of her slap "Well, I for one also don't have many fond memories of holidays. We always had galas or big parties we needed to attend, so not much tradition apart from pompous outfits."
Pointing a finger at his friends, Charlie spoke "You two suck! We need to have a tradition of our own." Hiccupping, he covered his mouth, eyes going wide "Excuse me."
Laughing, Talia placed her glass on the table "Right, for that you excuse yourself, but when you belch like a Hungarian Horntail you don't. Honestly, men."
"That's it." Charlie slapped his hands hard on the table "We can say what we wish for the others. Take it you want me to excuse myself more."
"Oi!" Talia yelled "Don't waste my wish, but fine, yes, you could at least say excuse me then." Glancing at Felix, she pondered slightly "I wish for you to relax more, you're too strict with yourself, you have one life you know."
Nodding slightly, he did see her point "Alright. What I wish for you is to call me by my first name." he rolled his eyes when she scoffed. Turning to Charlie "And you, to stop hugging me when drunk, one day you're going to break a rib."
"Fine, fine, who wants to hug your bony arse anyway?" Charlie chuckled before quieting down, taking a few moments to think about his wishes "I wish that you would stand up more for what you want Felix. Don't settle for just a few things. And you" he turned, offering Talia a smile "I wish for you to have the strength to follow your heart, because I know its not here."
Cocking a brow, Talia let out an exasperated sigh "Well that was a buzz kill. Don't worry about me Charlie, I already know what I need to do, but you're right, it's not here. What girl would love to be around sweaty men and dragon dunk?" they all laughed, cheering to that, discussions lasting until dawn.