Chapter 2

By ten o clock on New Year's Eve Rose and Sal had drowned half of the bottle that James had promised them and they were both starting to smile a little bit. She had enjoyed catching up with the man who's face had never looked so unhappy before and had listened patiently to his tale when he had finally agreed to talk about it. It had taken a quarter of the bottle to loosen his tongue as he was obviously not anxious to relive the painful memory again. However he had managed to tell it this time without dissolving into a pit of despair and was starting to look a tiny bit brighter although, Rose mused, that could have just as much to do with the burning liquid they had consumed as it could to the patient ear she had offered. Eventually they had moved onto Rose's man problem and Sal had given her the same sympathetic ear as they continued throwing back glass after glass of red liquid.

"I think it's just me," Rose slurred topping up her glass again, "I either attract the wrong ones or I scare them off within the first month."

"Don't be stupid, it's not you," Sal replied from across the table trying to force a smile onto his face, "you just need a better screening process, find out whether they have a whole family in tow or not!"

"Cheers," she laughed swiping at his arm.

"Sorry, that was careless of me." Sal apologised straightening up and trying to put on a serious face, "But really, it's not you. Rose you are a pretty girl who could have the pick of any man, they just don't know what they're missing! Either that or they are too afraid to be with such a beauty!"

Rose felt the colour rise in her cheeks as she looked away demurely and whispered, "Sal!"

"Well it's true, all those single guys who've let you down must be stupid, I'll tell you what, they next one who comes along has to pass my test before they are allowed to date you! I'll make sure they are good enough for you first!" he joked and they both fell about in fits of giggles feeling alive for the first time in weeks.

The two old friends continued chatting for another hour before Rose let out a sudden groan when she set eyes on the very person who had made her Christmas and New Year miserable, "What's the matter?" her companion asked noticing the fall on her face. Without waiting for a response he turned around and followed her eye line, "Is that him?" he asked turning back and noticing the miserable expression which had crept instantaneously back onto her face.

"A-ha," she mumbled nodding her head almost imperceptibly.

"Want me to set Consuella on him?" Salamander joked half heartedly looking around for his sister who was also at the Leaky Cauldron with some friends.

"No," she replied downheartedly, "just keep talking to me," she went on trying to hide herself in the dark corner. She kept glancing in Chris' direction as they chatted in into the night, feeling her heart lift every time she did so. Every inch of her body longed to run towards him and let him hold her and kiss her and caress her, she was desperate for him to take her back to her bed and make love to her all night long while she pretended that she did not know he had a wife and two children at home. The only part of her body that stopped her was her head which even in her inebriated state kept on reminding her that she would only get hurt in the end. That knowledge however did nothing to alleviate her aching heart.

"It's not easy is it?" Sal interrupted her thoughts.

"Hmmm?" she replied slowly taking her eyes away from the tall, blonde haired man at the bar, "Sorry what?"

"Trying to get over the pain," Sal continued, "the heartache?" he went on nodding his head in the direction of the cheerful looking man buying rounds of drinks for his friends.

"No," she whispered shaking her head, "it isn't."

"Come on, try and forget, have another drink," he said quietly pouring out two more shots of firewhiskey for the two of them, "we'll get through it together," he sighed feeling exactly the same as she did. Stumbling upon the love of his life, who he had been on the verge of asking to marry him, with her legs wrapped around another man had been the most heart wrenching moment of his life. He had literally felt as though his heart had ripped itself from his body and crumbled before his very eyes and the last two weeks had been like hell on earth, every night he had been desperate to go to Gloria. It had taken every bit of strength he had to resist going to her flat and losing himself in her soft body and gentle touch but he knew that he would never be able to forgive her for what she had done and giving into her pleas now would only cause him more heartache in the end. He would never be able to trust her no matter what she promised him and though he ached unbearably he knew he had done the right thing.

By the time midnight was almost upon them both Rose and Salamander were merry in the drunken sense if not in reality, family and friends had joined them sporadically and at five to twelve Sal found himself looking around for Rose who had disappeared to the toilet a good ten minutes earlier. They had agreed to sit together as the clock struck twelve and toast in a new year that would be without heartache and he was beginning to worry that he would end up alone as she had still not emerged from the corner where the Leaky Cauldron's toilets were housed. Deciding that he could not bare the thought of ringing in the New Year completely by himself he set off in search of the bushy red head who he had enjoyed catching up with even if their conversation had been totally depressing. Salamander smiled at various people as he headed into the corner of the pub and eventually spotted her hair sticking out from behind the wall near the toilets, he could hear a muffled voice talking and noticed a man's foot near her's.

"Come on Rose," he heard the man saying, "we were good together, why can't we just carry on as we were, Alista never has to know about it and what harm can it do if we are both having a bit of fun?" Sal felt outraged as he realised who was speaking to her and was afraid that Rose would crumble and give in to the devious man who he knew she was still desperately in love with. She had shared with him the fact that she would struggle to resist him if they were alone together which was why she had gone home for Christmas where he would not be able to contact her and he knew that with the firewhiskey inside of her too she might bend to his will for just one night.

Hearing the countdown to the New Year begin to ring around the pub Salamander made a decision and strode purposefully towards the corner where he could see Rose pinioned against the wall by Chris' arm.

"Three...two...one," came the cheers from the bar as he reached the corner and pushed the creep out of his way.

"Excuse me," he spat at the man before looking Rose straight in the eyes and saying, "Happy new year darling, sorry I'm late," then taking the girl completely by surprise he leaned forwards and kissed her full on the lips, pushing himself on her with little force but gathering her into his arms as well. Initially Rose did not respond but her mind must have clicked into gear after a few seconds because she returned the kiss. Then they both pulled apart and Sal let her go from his arms as he took one hand in his, "Sorry to interrupt er..." he paused and allowed the flabbergasted man to insert his own name.

"C-Chris," he said looking at them both and noticing a smile forming on Rose's lips.

"Chris, sorry, I didn't know if I was going to make it in time and I only just got here, I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation but I wanted to kiss my girl at midnight," he smiled, "and if you don't mind I'd like to start the New Year with her, so forgive me but I am now going to whisk her away for a dance. Happy New Year," he added as he smirked at the bemused looking man and tugged gently on Rose's arm so she had to follow him to the dance floor where he took her in his arms again and began to sway to the soppy song being sung by a small band on the stage. "Sorry about that," he eventually whispered realising that Rose had not actually spoken since he had kissed her, he had thought he was doing the right thing by removing her from the situation but at the end of the day it was up to Rose and not him whether she saw the despicable bloke again.

"What?" Rose asked breathlessly, she was still reeling from the shock of being kissed so abruptly and was also beginning to realise that she had quite liked it.

"I just thought that maybe you needed a way out, I know it's your decision and if I did the wrong thing then I really am sorry," he implored looking into her eyes but she shook her head at him.

"It's...it's fine," she stuttered in reply, "yes...I...well I was struggling but I needed to get away and...and...thank you." It was all she could think of to say as she was still unsure of what she was thinking and feeling especially with the alcohol still inside her. When Chris had cornered her outside the toilet and pinioned her against the wall she had felt herself melt, the mix of firewhiskey and heartache made her want to bend to his will and she had been willing to give in and kiss the man at midnight. Salamander's sudden appearance followed by the swift kiss had both shocked and confused her but the reality of what she had been about to do had hit her quite quickly and she'd realised that he had beentrying to help her get out of the sticky situation.

"Good, I know it's hard but the right thing to do is to stay away from him Rose."

"I know," she nodded knowingly, "but you're right it is hard."

"He doesn't look too happy anyway, at least he might be feeling a bit of your misery now, he thinks you got over him in a flash and found someone else," Sal smirked nodding in the direction of the furious looking man standing by the bar with eyes which looked as if they could kill. Glancing over at him Rose had to smile, Sal had done the right thing for her and it felt quite good to make Chris feel jealous, "want me to kiss you again?" They both laughed as the slow song ended and a more upbeat tune began to play but Rose didn't answer his question. "Another shot?" he eventually asked as they decided to head back to their secluded booth in the corner.

"You're on!" Rose replied looking at the now almost empty bottle still sat on the table, "Did we drink all this?"

"Looks like it!"

"I'm going to have a sore head in the morning! I only hope Chris doesn't decide to show up on my doorstep, who knows what I'll do with this amount of firewhiskey inside me and no Mr Longbottom to come to my rescue!" After sobering up a little when Sal had kissed her the effects of the red liquid had now begun to creep back into her head and Rose plonked herself down on the worn leather seat of the booth they had occupied for the entire night.

"You're not going back to your house alone are you?" Sal asked.

"No where else to go! I'm not going home to Mum's after this much alcohol she'll be a nightmare in the morning, 'only yourself to blame you know,'!" Rose mocked taking on a convincing Hermione Weasley look, "She never has sympathy for people who have been drunk and she won't let you stay in bed or anything! She'll clatter around outside your door at seven am with a mop and bucket or the carpet sweeper! It's not funny," she chided as she saw her companion begin to chuckle, "I'm serious! That's what she does, even Dad doesn't go home when he's had a skin full, he'll sleep it off at Uncle Harry's until lunchtime and then brave Mum!"

"Why don't you come back to ours?" Salamander asked trying to contain his laughter, "James is staying at Annemarie's so you could stay in his room! He's a lot cleaner now that he has a girlfriend you know," he went on seeing the trepidation on Rose's face about staying in her male cousin's bed for the night, "I even saw him changing his sheets this morning! Go on you might as well, at least if Chris does decide to show up on your doorstep you won't be there!"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," she conceded realising how little she relished the idea of going home alone to an empty house on New Year's Day, "but only if you let me make breakfast in the morning, for your hospitality."

"I'm sure I can manage that!"

"Settled then," Rose concluded as she poured them both another shot of firewhiskey and the two of them sat back and spent another hour drowning their sorrows in the tumblers of red liquid.