Chapter 4
Grace shrugged out of her mothers grip a few store fronts away from the glittering bar. Valerie Abbott had insisted on apparating her, and though Grace had wanted to argue, she hadn't had much of a choice. Her mother pulled at the collar of her daughter's dress once more before throwing her hands up in surrender and taking a few steps back from Grace's glare.
"It's just a party, Mom. Stop fussing." She pleaded, allowing one last hug goodbye.
"It's not just a party." Her mother insisted, scanning over Grace's face. "You be on your best behavior tonight. Be polite, and charming... It's very important."
Grace nodded, if only as encouragement for her to leave, though from the genuine smile that spread over her mother's face, Grace had done her job.
There was a loud crack as her mother apparated back home, leaving the blonde in the windy winter night. She took one last glance along her velvet dress, the sleeves hitting just at her wrists where the hint of gold shone from the bracelet Leah had gifted her a few days before. Sewn into every few inches of her tights were tiny glittering gemstones and she he had chosen a pair of plain black wedged heels and was thankful now as she started towards the stairs of the bar that they were not too tall.
Her first thought as the doorman pulled open the double doors to let her out of the blistery weather was that this restaurant was likely the nicest she'd ever been inside. Well, maybe her second thought, as her first thought had been the same all day. This was Draco's party, and she'd hardly been invited.
"Good evening, Miss." The doorman offered her a charming smile which she returned, trying not to let her eyes linger on the glistening chandelier spanning nearly the entire ceiling above her. "May I take your jacket?"
"Oh, sure. Thank you." She slipped the dark wool coat from around her shoulders and handed it over, watching as he hurried towards an expansive closet at the edge of the entrance hall and started nervously towards the host stand.
"Can I help you find your group?" The middle aged woman smiled tightly, scanning Grace over quickly, as if she thought it would be subtle.
"Um, yes, please. I'm meeting Draco Malfoy's group."
"I should have guessed," Her smile widened now, as Grace expected most retail associates did at the mention of the Malfoy name. "Right up those stairs there, dear, and please let us know if you need anything. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year." Grace nodded, starting towards the stairs despite the churning in her stomach. She was quite literally entering a pit of snakes, only hoping that Theo would even be there or that anyone else she knew would be happy to see her.
The top of the staircase curved slightly, a warm glow spilling down the stairwell from what was revealed to be a long strand of floating candles draped between every ceiling beam of the large room. There was a table full of glittering champagne coupes and an oversized bar with two bartenders stood behind it, both dressed all in black as if trying to fade into the wall behind them.
"Grace!" Enzo called, his face lightly pink as his grin widened, rushing towards her. "What are you doing here?" He called, and Grace tried to ignore the twisting of her stomach as she forced on a smile, scanning the room in hopes to find Theo.
"Oh, um... I was in Diagon Alley the other day and ran into-"
"I invited her." The familiar voice was near her ear and she nearly jumped around to face the tall brunette who had appeared at the stairs behind her.
"Good call, mate. It was almost getting boring in here already, and we've got hours to go before midnight!" Enzo nodded for them to follow him back to one of the crowded tables at the edge of the room nearest the windows, and Grace was relieved to see that she could almost count the number of people in the room on two hands.
"You're freezing." Theo murmured, his chest practically flush against her back as he nudged her deeper into the room. "Come on."
She stepped forward slowly, letting him take the lead and pulling out two chairs at Enzo's side.
"Oh, Grace!" Daphne smile lit up as she turned, her teeth practically glittered even in the low light. "I'm so glad you're here! I was hoping you would be of course, but I forgot to ask Draco at the ball and then everything's been so busy since..."
Grace nodded along, hoping the smile she was wearing was convincing enough even as her eyes drifted towards the windows beyond their table where Draco and Blaise stood, both holding a half emptied crystal glass of champagne, though as Blaise was clearly deeply invested in a story, Draco's eyes had not moved once from the street below them, despite the lack of people out in the cold winter night.
"Malfoy! Look who it is!" Enzo called, his voice echoing over the idle chatter from the few tables around them who all turned to look at the loud boy and then in turn to the blonde, who's icy eyes snapped from their previous position, locking onto Enzo with a scowl before falling to Grace's, his eyes going wide.
The room was nearly silent for a moment, faint music streaming from the back of the room as Draco watched her for a few seconds too long, as if waiting for her to say something, though her tongue felt as if it weighed a few hundred pounds. A few of the people at the surrounding tables had struck up their previous conversations before Draco finally swallowed, nodding once.
"Hi Grace." He spat out, eyes falling to the floor before returning to Blaise and trying his best to dive back into the story he had not in fact been listening to for over ten minutes now.
"That was weird." Enzo muttered, not half as quietly as he thought and Theo rolled his eyes.
"He's always so moody." He muttered, turning to the blonde at his side. "Want something to drink?"
"Sure." Grace answered at once, partially trying to prove she could in fact speak, the rest of her just desperately needing something that would take her mind away from Draco's panicked eyes. He hadn't wanted her here, she shouldn't have come.
Theo slid out from their spots and started over towards the bar as Daphne hopped over from the other side of the table into the vacant seat beside Grace.
"How have you been? Good Christmas?" She ran a hand along the sleeve of Grace's dress. "This is lovely, we're going to have to be great friends so I can start borrowing your outfits, I swear." She spoke, taking another sip from her champagne.
"Oh, thanks." Grace smiled, feeling a bit of the nerves seep out of her chest. "Christmas was great, how was yours?"
"Lovely." She nodded, "I'm really sorry we didn't get to chat more at the ball. You know, babysitting Enzo is a full time job-"
"Oi!" Enzo flew around in his seat, leaving his conversation with two girls and a large boy that Grace remembered seeing quite often on the Quidditch field the year before.
"Oh, no offense, love." She pat Enzo on the arm a few times with a charming smile before he turned back around. "So did anything happen? With you and Draco?" She pressed on, dropping her voice lower though it did nothing to quell the pink that rose to Grace's face.
"Oh, don't start this already, Daph, my stomach can't take it." Theo grumbled, dropping back into his seat beside Grace and pushing a glass of champagne to each girl, taking a long swig of the amber liquid in his own glass.
"Well he's hardly looked at her since she came in, excuse me!" Daphne bit back, and Grace realized how many champagnes she must have already worked her way through to be speaking so carelessly in a room full of Draco Malfoy's closest friends.
"No, no, nothing's happened. Everything's fine!" Grace assured her, offering her a confused glance as if she had no idea what Daphne could be referring to.
"Alright... well you tell me if he's being a prick, because I have plenty of dirt-" Grace cut her off with a laugh and shook her head, bringing the champagne to her lips hoping to end the conversation.
"Greengrass! Are you coming to tell us that story about Davis or what?" The two girls on the other side of Enzo called and Daphne's eyes widened, launching from her seat and hurrying towards her friends.
"Are you having fun?" Theo asked, hooded eyes tracing over Grace's face as she scanned over the Slytherin surrounding her.
"Yes. Are you?"
"Eh." Theo shrugged and Grace slapped him playfully on the arm, earning herself a quarter of a smile. "I like your glittery tights." He muttered, running two fingers along her knee for only a second before thinking better of it and pulling his hands back.
She pulled her bottom lip through her teeth, looking up to the dark green eyes ensuring that he wasn't having a laugh.
"Thank you, Theo." She crossed one leg over the other, the feeling of his fingers tracing along the thin fabric still swirling through her mind. "What do they do then? For midnight?"
"Make out." Theo answered, lazily, lifting his bourbon to his lips again before stuttering out a laugh at Grace's face. "Kidding. Geez, lighten up, Abbott."
"You're truly a menace." She leaned back against her seat, her eyes falling to Draco near the window once again, his eyes flickering back to his friend as she turned.
"Grace, we're going to the ladies. Want to come?" Daphne called from halfway towards the hallway where two other girls were very nearly glowering towards her.
"Um..."
"Come on!" Daphne waved, obviously unaware of how terrifying her friends looked flanked on either side of the blonde.
"That's just Adelaide and Viola. They're harmless." Theo explained, Grace's eyes flashing towards his green ones as she stood.
"Yeah, they look it." She mumbled, ignoring Theodore's laughter. His eyes followed the blonde as she hurried towards the girls and out of sight around the corner before someone fell into her vacant seat at his side.
"Has she said anything?" Draco's words rushed out before Theo had fully turned, his eyebrows knotting together in confusion.
"Regarding?" He drawled, looking into the wide blue eyes.
"Just... anything, Nott."
"About you?" Theo forced out a short laugh, "Have you got it bad for her, Malfoy? It doesn't show from the way you've been avoiding her all evening-"
"I haven't got it bad, you prick." Draco hissed. "Just... tell me if she says anything odd."
"Will do, captain." Theo offered him a mock salute and Draco rolled his eyes, Blaise stifling a chuckle.
Draco started towards the bar again, Blaise and Theo exchanging confused shrugs.
"I'll take an old fashioned." He muttered to the bartender who was already pulling out a glass at Malfoy's first words.
Grace stepped back into the dimly lit room behind the three girls, her eyes trailing over the tables as they headed back to their seats before she noticed Draco at the bar. He was drumming his fingers lazily against the dark wood as the bartender muddled some fruit against the bottom of a glass and Grace started towards him slowly.
His eyes flicked towards her as she drew closer, though he didn't smile as he'd taken to doing the last few weeks.
"Grace," He tensed.
"Hey," Her voice sounded chipper compared to his and she resisted the urge to sprint back to the safety of Theo and Daphne's table.
He took the finished drink from the bartender and jerked his head towards the bar before she realized he was offering her one.
"Oh... Um, could I get a vodka cranberry?" She asked, the bartender nodding back and setting to work, her drink appearing before her much faster than Draco's had. "Thank you." She nodded.
"How's your holiday been?" Draco asked, his voice sounding strained between sips of the amber colored drink.
"It's been good. It's getting a bit boring, I suppose. How about yours?" She answered, following him as he started towards the windows once again, out of ear shot of the tables.
"Is it?" He asked once more, his gaze stuck to hers.
"Sorry?"
"Is it? Getting boring?"
She blinked, retracing her words, her eyes widening. "Oh, no. Not, no... I mean, I'm having a lovely time and the ball was fantastic, I just meant I should be doing more, you know, studying or doing something productive, not just-"
"That's not what I meant, Grace," The ghost of a smile finally pulled at his lips, though it didn't stay. "Never mind. Come on..." He nodded towards his friends, and Theo was quick to pull his gaze from the blondes before Grace's eyes met his.
The hours ticked by, and Grace was pleased to find that the combination of Daphne and Enzo's constant story telling had practically taken her mind off the fact that Draco had spent nearly all of his night in silence, gaze constantly stuck to the windows across the room.
"I'm surprised Snape ever let you out of detention for that one." Blaise mused through a smile as Enzo flipped him off, his head thrown back in laughter.
"And then people wonder why I hang out with all of you." Daphne muttered, locking eyes with Grace and shaking her head.
"Please refrain from lumping our entire group in with Lorenzo." Theo replied and Daphne reached across Grace's lap to pinch the dark haired boy's cheek, teasingly.
"Of course, Nott, I apologize." She giggled as he slapped her hand from his face and Grace barely bit back a smile which earned her a matching glare from the one he had offered Daphne.
"How long until midnight?" Enzo groaned, dramatically, leaning back against two chairs as a makeshift bed, his head landing in Daphne's lap, his eyes looking tired, though Grace was sure it was from the alcohol and not the late hour.
Blaise glanced at his wrist before answering, though he could no longer see Berkshire over the table. "Twenty minutes left, think you'll make it?"
"I'm unsure... I'm feeling faint." Enzo raised his voice and Daphne snorted, eyes rolling slightly before looking back to the brunette in her lap. "Might need a midnight kiss to perk me up."
"Keep dreaming." Daphne answered, shoving him back into his own seat as Viola and Adelaide stifled giggles. "The only way you're getting any action tonight is if Draco's parents paid off a server for you."
"Which I can assure you, they did not." Draco spoke, finally, his voice low in the chatter of the crowded room.
"He speaks!" One of the older boys from the seat beside Draco teased, clapping the blonde forcefully on the back. "Honestly, Malfoy, who has this miserable of a time at their own party?"
Draco didn't answer, turning in his chair to face Blaise, the Slytherin boy beside him taking the hint at once and returning to his quidditch conversation with Adrian Pucey.
"Daph, got any resolutions for this year?" Theo asked, knowingly and Grace watched the blonde witch bite back a smile, narrowing her eyes to the brunette at the end of the table.
"You know, Nott... I think after all these years of resolutions, I've finally perfected myself. There's nothing left to improve."
Theo chuckled, Enzo looking into Daphne's eyes with a soft smile.
"You tell him, Daph." He nodded, "Although, I did like that one year where you gave up coffee for two months. You're funny when you're mean."
"Done it now." Blaise muttered as Daphne's smile dropped.
"I wasn't mean!"
"Idiot." Theo smirked, nudging Grace's arm gently and nodding towards her empty glass.
"One more? For midnight?" She nodded, pushing out of her seat and following the tall boy back to the bar where he ordered them both a final drink. "I think Daphne already likes you more than she likes the rest of us." He muttered, Grace watching as the bartender filled the glasses with ice and began pouring clear liquid into hers.
"That's not true." She shook her head, though she couldn't help the smile that rose to her lips, taking her drink from the bartender.
"Thirty seconds!" Someone called, pointing up to the oversized clock above the stairs, the second hand glowing golden as it ticked into place. A few people from the table closest to the clock were chanting the countdown. Enzo had sat up at last, smiling lazily at the clock beside Daphne who seemed to be trying to squeeze in the last story of 1995. Draco, however, had quite possibly never looked more miserable in his life, eyes glued to the clock.
"Four! Three!"
Grace took a sip from her drink and looked over to Theo, nearly stumbling back when she realized how close he was, his eyes glued to hers.
"Two! One! Happy New Year!"
The edges of her lips curled into the start of a smile as she raised her glass towards Theo's.
"Happy New Year, Theo." She called, her words very nearly drowned out through the cheers and laughter throughout the room. Theo clinked his glass against hers and nodded.
"Happy New Year, Gracie."