Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: Well you all were asking for some Lavender/Seamus so here you go! This is also a big chapter for you Nick/Julie fans as well. For you Ginny haters ;) this is also a good chapter for that. Thanks for your continued support with this story and we hope you enjoy this chapter as well! As always, please let us know what you think!!

The Way You Look Tonight - Elton John

There was a time
I was everything and nothing all in one
When you found me
I was feeling like a cloud across the sun

And I can't explain
But it's something about the way you look tonight
Takes my breath away
It's that feeling I get about you, deep inside
And I can't describe
But it's something about the way you look tonight
Takes my breath away
The way you look tonight

Deciding to talk to Seamus and actually doing it were two entirely different things as Lavender had quickly found out. She'd been on her way to his cabin to do just that when the terrible thought that she might be interrupting another roll in the hay between him and Summer came into her head.

She'd made her way back to her own cabin and found that Harry and Hermione had left to go and see the Sheldrake. It didn't help matters when the world's most romantic couple were reliving their courtship in front of her. It seemed so long ago when she thought that kind of love might be possible for her.

She grabbed her sketchbook and sat on the front porch. Designing always made her feel better.

Seamus was taking a midmorning walk by himself. Summer was still asleep- they'd gone into a club a few towns over and stayed out till 4 am and after only a few hours of sleep Seamus had woken up.

Last night had been the first time he ever thought Summer was too young for him. Back in LA, it didn't seem or feel uncommon for an older guy (although he'd lied about his age and said he was 15 years younger than he actually was) to be seen with a young woman, especially a high ranking director with an up and coming starlet.

She had been laughing and dancing all over the club while he stayed in the corner. He still hated dancing and avoided it whenever possible. She'd tried to get him out but he was just too tired. Plus his mind was on Lavender and what seeing her again was doing to him.

Lavender looked up from her sketchbook and sighed.

"This is such crap," she said, tearing out the page and crumpling it into a ball.

Seamus was just passing by Harry and Hermione's cabin when a ball of paper hit him on the side of his head. "Hey!" he said in surprise.

Lavender stood up and opened her mouth to apologize until she saw who it was. "Oh, it's you," she finally said.

"Just me," Seamus tossed the ball of paper back at her. "Don't litter."

"I was going to pick it up," she said defensively. "Where's your girlfriend? Did she have a play date?"

"Will you lay off Summer please?" Seamus asked coolly.

Lavender sank back down into her chair. "Okay, that was a little out of line. I'm sorry."

Seamus nodded. "So what are you up to?" he asked, putting his arms on the railing.

"Designing," she answered. "Harry and Hermione are out and so are the kids. I was going to take advantage of the quiet."

"Oh," Seamus nodded. "Can I see what you've done?"

"You wouldn't want to see these," Lavender said dismissively.

"Why not?" Seamus hopped over the railing. "You used to let me look at all your sketches."

"That was a long time ago," Lavender said quietly.

He sat back. "Why does this have to be so difficult?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said softly. "We used to be able to talk to each other about anything and now..."

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone why we broke up?" Seamus asked.

She looked at him in surprise. She didn't know how he knew that, but figured one of their friends must have told him. What she didn't understand was why he even cared.

"Because it was between you and me," Lavender answered. "It wasn't anyone else's concern."

"They're our friends Lavender," Seamus replied. "Why shouldn't they know?"

"I didn't want them to hate you because of what you did to me," Lavender said softly. "They were your friends long before they were mine."

"I didn't do anything to you." he declared.

Lavender stared at him incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed.

"No actually I'm not." Seamus stared back at her. "You really hurt me you know. You didn't give me any sort of chance to explain what was going on. I realise how bad that looked, trust me. But you should have known that I'd never cheat on you."

"You realise how bad that looked?" Lavender said, shaking her head. "Well, that's big of you, Seamus. And you don't think it hurt me to walk in and find you nearly starkers with that girl? You're nothing but a lying bastard and its good I found out about it before we'd gone any further."

"It was the stupid bloody heating in my flat!" Seamus said angrily. "You don't know the first thing about Lola all right? She and I were good friends, WERE good friends."

"Past tense, eh?" Lavender retorted. "I guess you cheated on her, too. Once a cheater, always a cheater."

"Lavender will you fucking shut up for a change?" Seamus snapped.

"Why?" she spat back at him. "So you can feed me more lies? Go back and tell them to the naive ingénue in your bed!"

"I've NEVER lied to you," Seamus wanted to explode. "And for the last time, leave Summer OUT OF THIS!"

"You're as bad as Malfoy ever was," Lavender said icily. "At least with him, I knew deep down that he wasn't trustworthy. But, with you...I had no bloody idea. So, I congratulate you on fooling me for nearly five years into thinking that you actually cared about me!"

"I was in love with you!" Seamus said.

"Sure you were," Lavender said sarcastically. "Until you got bored with me and moved on."

Seamus shook his head. "Why are you so convinced to think the worst about me?" he asked. "If you ever loved me then you'd at least have listened to me."

"I DO LOVE YOU!" she shot back angrily. "I mean I did love you..."

Seamus stared at her. "What did you say?"

"I said I did love you," Lavender stammered.

"No you didn't," Seamus said.

"Yes I did," she lied. She closed her sketchbook. "Now, if you don't mind, I really need to get inside."

"Lavender," Seamus caught her hand.

"What?" she asked, avoiding his eyes.

Seamus got up. He reached under her chin and brought her face close to his. Barely able to breathe, he leaned and kissed her softly.

She pulled away from him, wondering if what had just happened was all in her head. She didn't say a word.

"I'm sorry," Seamus apologised. "I shouldn't have done that..."

"Why did you do that?" she asked.

"I just... had to." Seamus was confused. Why had he kissed Lavender when he was with Summer?

"I'm going to go inside now," Lavender said, pulling out of his grasp. She closed the door behind her. What had just happened? More importantly, what did it mean?

*** *** ***

All day long, Julie couldn't get Nick out of her head. While her heart wanted to open up and trust him, her head kept telling her that he was only out for one thing- what she wasn't willing to give.

It was evening and Ethan was due for another lesson so they were headed down to the lake once more.

"What did you want to work on now?" Ethan asked. He hoped she wouldn't say diving.

"Whatever you like," Julie answered distractedly. "What about going underwater, diving, and jumping in, things like that?"

Ethan abruptly stopped walking. "No, not yet."

"Why not?" Julie pressed.

"Because I'm not ready to dive in yet," Ethan said. "We can try going underwater, but please don't make me dive yet, Jules. Please."

"Okay little man," Julie patted his shoulder. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

"That's why you're my favourite sister," Ethan said, beaming up at her.

"I'm your only sister," Julie teased.

Ethan laughed and he grinned as he saw Nick was again by the lake. "Hey, Julie! Nick's here!"

Julie sighed. "Figures," she mumbled.

"Who's that girl he's with?" Ethan asked curiously.

Nick was standing with a pretty girl with black, curly hair. The girl was laughing and touching Nick's shoulder.

"I don't' know," Julie narrowed her eyes. "One of his many girlfriends I suppose."

"Why would he have more than one girlfriend?" Ethan asked, as they set down their belongings.

"Because some guys like that are jerks." Julie pulled off her shorts. "Better never let me catch you with more than one girlfriend at a time."

"Hey," Nick said approaching them. "I'm glad to see you two again!"

"Are you going to help me swim tonight Nick?" Ethan asked eagerly.

"I don't know," Nick said, smiling at him. "Am I, Julie?"

Julie looked at him a moment. "If you'd like," she replied, her tone cool but not hostile.

"I'd like," Nick said. "Ethan, we're going to have you swimming the English Channel someday."

Julie smiled at the look on her brother's face. "Come on little man." she said, pulling her top off.

"Could I have a word with your sister before we get started, Ethan?" Nick asked.

"Okay," Ethan said, going over to the edge of the lake.

"I was wondering if I could steal you away after the lesson for a bite to eat in town," Nick asked, almost shyly.

"What?" Julie stared at him disbelievingly. "You're... you're asking me out?"

He shrugged. "A little inarticulately, I'll admit, but yes...I am asking you out."

"Why?" Julie asked incredulously.

Nick laughed. "I thought you were as smart as your mother, Jules. I'm asking you out because I fancy you, of course."

Julie stared at him as if in shock.

"Jules?' Nick asked, wondering why she was acting like this. "A simple yes or no will suffice."

Ethan was staring up the shore at his sister, wishing she would hurry up so they could get this lesson finished. Two older boys were playing a few feet away from him. One of the boys walked over and stared at him.

"What are you waiting for?" the older boy asked, looking at Ethan. "Are you going to swim or not?"

"I'm waiting for my sister," Ethan replied.

"You mean you can't swim on your own?" the boy laughed.

"I can so," Ethan said, looking up at the shore where Julie was still talking to Nick.

Nick frowned. "Julie? I'm waiting for an answer here...are you going to go out with me or not? Come on, you have to eat, right?"

"I don't know," she looked down.

Ethan wanted to yell for his sister to come down to him, but he didn't want to seem like a big baby in front of these older kids.

"Either swim or get out of the way!" the older boy said.

"I don't have to move if I don't want to!" Ethan crossed his arms.

"Don't mind him, Billy," the older boy said. "He's just a chicken. I'm sure they have a paddling pool around here for him somewhere."

Ethan frowned. "I can so swim!" he retorted.

"Yeah?" Billy asked, grinning. "Prove it."

"Come on, Julie," Nick was saying. "You know you want to."

Ethan felt a great ball of fear rise in his chest but he pushed it away. "Fine," he said, getting up. He walked out onto the floating dock and took a deep breath.

"Why do I want to?" Julie asked. "Give me a good reason to become one of your screaming girlie fans like that one over there," she nodded her head at the black haired girl who'd been flirting with him before.

"She just wanted an autograph, Julie!" Nick said, shaking his head. "Geez...it's like one step forward and two steps back with you. I can't do anything right where you're concerned."

"That's not so," Julie said before she could help herself. A loud splash made both her and Nick turn their heads. "Ethan?" she called out.

"Where is he?" Nick asked, frantically scanning the shoreline.

Julie grew panicked. "ETHAN!" she hollered, running down to the lake's edge.

"He jumped in," an older boy told her. "He said he could swim....he hasn't surfaced!"

"Shit," Nick pulled off his shirt and dove into the water. Julie remained with her hands clapped to her cheeks.

It seemed like an eternity, but Nick finally pulled Ethan out of the water.

"Ethan!" Julie screamed. She cursed herself for not watching him.

Nick carried Ethan to the shore and set him down. His eyes were closed and skin was so white. Nick knew exactly what to do, however, and within moments, Ethan was conscious again and coughed up water.

"You gave us quite a scare little man," Nick said, helping him sit up.

Julie nearly collapsed next to him. "Are you all right?" she hugged her little brother to her.

Ethan simply nodded and hugged his sister back. Nick looked at the two older boys who'd been standing by the shore. "Did you have anything do with this?" he asked rounding on them.

"Well..." Billy looked around.

"Did you?" Nick asked, glaring at them. "That kid is seven years old. Did it make you feel better to tease and taunt him? Huh? Answer me!"

"We're sorry..." the boys said, red faced.

"If you ever go near him again, you sure will be sorry," Nick said seriously.

"Come on Billy," the older boy said. They both ran away from the lakeside.

Julie was still holding her brother when Nick sat down next to them again. "I think he's going to be fine," he said gently.

"It's all my fault," Julie said, a tear running down her cheek. "I was supposed to be looking out for him. He could have died..."

"But he didn't," Nick brushed her tear away. "He's fine, aren't you Ethan?"

Ethan nodded. "I'm sorry, Julie."

Julie finally allowed Ethan to free himself from her grip. "Thank you Nick," she said softly.

"You're welcome," Nick said, smiling at her. "Don't go telling anyone about this, now. It'll ruin my reputation. They might call me the nice Malfoy or something and I can't deal with that sort of pressure."

Julie smiled slightly. "I wish there was a way I could repay you," she said as they went back to the chair where they'd dropped their things.

"You don't have to," Nick said. A sly grin broke across his handsome features. "But if you'd really like to and if it would make you feel better, you could go out to dinner with me tonight."

Julie shook her head, the smile still playing at her lips. "You're incorrigible," she said. "But all right."

*** *** ***

Later that day, Cho was sitting out on the cabin porch with Neville on one side of her and Chiaki on the other. Although the wedding was still a year away, Chiaki had wanted to get started planning right away.

"So we were thinking something not too big and not too small," Chiaki said thoughtfully. "Somewhere in the neighbourhood of about 200 guests, possibly."

"Two hundred?" Neville asked. "You certainly want a good send off sweetheart," he grinned at his daughter.

Chiaki laughed. "It's mostly Toshio's family. He has so many cousins and brothers and sisters."

"We've got a big extended family too," Cho replied. "Harry, Hermione and the kids, Ron and Luna's brood, the rest of the Weasleys...."

"Speaking of the Weasleys," Chiaki began. "Would it be okay to invite Nick to the wedding?"

"Of course it's fine," Cho replied.

"Great," Chiaki said, with a relieved grin. She hadn't thought it would be a problem, but she'd wanted to ask anyway. "I really like him."

'So do I, surprisingly," Neville said. "Even though we've known him about a week, Ron and Luna really like him a lot, and so do Harry and Hermione. It's nice to know that even though his parents are evil he's a good bloke."

"I think its because they didn't really raise him," Chiaki said. "The only real parental figure he's ever had has been his nanny."

"And the fact that he's half Weasley," Neville grinned. "That and the nanny must have been enough to squash the horrible Malfoy genes."

Chiaki nodded. There was something she'd been meaning to ask her mother, but she didn't know if it was something she could really ask in front of her father. But, she didn't want to hurt his feelings by asking him to leave, either. So, she decided to bite the bullet and just ask what had been troubling her for quite some time.

"Mum?" Chiaki asked. "How long were you and my...I mean, Nick's father...how long were you together?"

Cho seemed surprised. "Well... now that I think back on it, we were really never together. He was always fooling around behind my back but I didn't see that until later. But I thought he loved me at the time. We only lasted a few months..." she squeezed Neville's hand.

"From what I know about him...he just doesn't seem like someone you'd ever fall for," Chiaki said. "What was he like when you were...together?"

Cho thought for a moment, hoping Neville was okay with hearing about this. They never did talk about what her time with Malfoy had been like. "He was quite charming. Really made you feel like you were the only woman that mattered. It was all an act."

"Uncle Harry never liked him, right?" Chiaki asked. "How did he like you going out with his sworn enemy?"

"He hated it," Cho replied.

"None of us liked it," Neville added.

Chiaki nodded. "I'm sorry to bring up bad history, Mum. It's just that I have so many questions..."

"It's all right sweetheart," Cho said. "I don't regret being with him because he gave me you."

"I agree," Neville interjected.

"He...he never tried to see me, did he?" Chiaki asked. "You said he signed over his parental rights straightaway, right?"

"I got them back within just a few days. And then we didn't' hear much of anything from them until we got here." Cho said.

Chiaki listened to what her mother said and from what she knew of her biological father, she was glad that he hadn't had a hand in raising her. But, she was still very curious about this man. What kind of person would just give their child away? Why hadn't he at least tried to meet her at least once? The fact that he hadn't stung her somewhat, but she felt stupid for feeling that way. She had a wonderful father that she loved with all her heart.

"Let's get back to the wedding plans," Neville sensed the topic was a bit disturbing to his daughter.

"Would it be okay if we did that some other time?" Chiaki asked, standing up from her seat. "I-I think I'm going to take a walk."

"Sure," Cho took the notebook her daughter had been using to make notes in. "Want any company?"

Chiaki shook her head. "No, I'd like some alone time. I'll catch back up with you guys for dinner."

Neville and Cho watched their daughter walk away with concerned expressions on their face. "This is hard for her to deal with," Neville finally said.

"I know," Cho said darkly. "And I hate Malfoy for never bothering with her. I could have slapped him for child support but I never did. Sometimes wish I had."

"He'd have fought you every step of the way," Neville said. "Ginny told Ron that she still doesn't believe Draco fathered Chiaki. Can you believe that? He's still not taking responsibility for it."

"That doesn't surprise me," Cho shook her head. "I'm so lucky to have you Neville. Chiaki's lucky too. You know she loves you as if you really were her biological dad."

"I do," he said. "And I love her as much as I love Frankie and Allie. I hope she's never felt that I've treated them any differently. She's just as much mine as they are. And it hurts me to see her in pain about this."

"I don't think she thinks that way," Cho snuggled next to him. "But I think she's just naturally curious about Malfoy. And it bothers her that someone could give up a child so easily."

"I'm really glad he didn't come here," Neville said, wrapping an arm around Cho. "I don't know what would have happened if he had."

*** *** ***

Nick wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. He hoped Julie wouldn't get too dressed up as his nice trousers seemed to have disappeared courtesy of his mother, who had done all she could to dissuade Nick from going out with Julie that night. He had finally called her bluff and left her sitting alone in the cabin.

He approached the cabin that the Potter family was staying in and knocked on the door.

Harry opened the door and for what seemed like an eternity just stared at Nick. Thankfully, he finally smiled and shook the young man's hand. "Hello, Nick," he said. "Julie's not ready yet. Would you like to come in and wait?"

"Sure," Nick said. "Thanks."

Harry stood back so Nick could come inside. He'd marvelled at the resemblance between Nick and his father. In many ways, it was just like seeing Draco Malfoy all over again. The difference was that Nick didn't have the cold, icy glare.

"Evening," Nick nodded politely to Hermione. "Hey Ethan."

"Hi Nick!" Ethan seemed to have recovered from his earlier swim in the lake. "Are you going to stay and play with my new toys?"

"I uh... actually maybe some other time Ethan," Nick smiled at him.

"We wanted to thank you for what you did today," Hermione said, smiling at him. She put an arm around Ethan and hugged him tightly.

"Anytime," Nick nodded. "I'm just glad I was there."

"So were we," Harry said, offering Nick his hand.

Nick shook it. "I hope Julie isn't still upset with herself." he said. "It really wasn't her fault."

"She knows that," Hermione said. "Those older boys should have known better..."

"I gave them a piece of my mind," Nick said.

"He really did, Mum!" Ethan said proudly. "It was great!"

Harry and Hermione smiled as Julie came out of her room. "Hey," Nick said. "I'm a bit early, sorry."

Julie blushed. "No, I was running late. I'm sorry you had to wait..."

"It's all right," Nick said. "Are you ready to go?" he noted with relief that she was wearing blue jeans and a light ivory jumper.

"Um, sure," Julie said, smiling at him. She hugged her mother and father and mussed up Ethan's hair. "I won't be too late, Mum," Julie said.

"All right sweetheart," Hermione said. "Have fun."

"We will," Julie said looking at her dad to make sure this was in fact okay. He had told her he had no problem with her going out with Nick, but she thought it might have been out of gratitude because of what he'd done for Ethan.

Harry nodded at them. "Can I have a quick word Nick?" he asked.

"Sure," Nick nodded, suddenly nervous.

Julie wondered what her father was going to talk to Nick about and she looked at her mother for an answer, but Hermione just shrugged.

Nick followed Harry out onto the porch. "You're probably wondering why I asked Julie to go out with me..." he began.

"The thought had crossed my mind," Harry admitted.

"I really like her," Nick said.

Harry nodded. "It's no secret that I don't care very much for your parents and the feeling is mutual. I'm willing to give you a chance, Nick. Ron and Luna really seem to like you and their opinion matters to me. What I'm saying is that I don't have a problem with you dating my daughter. But, if you hurt her..."

"I won't," Nick promised.

"Then we won't have a problem," Harry said, his tone light, but his features were quite serious.

"Right," Nick said. "Thank you sir."

Harry nodded and opened the door motioning for Julie to come outside. "Have a good time, sweetheart," Harry said, pecking his daughter on the cheek before he went back inside.

Julie looked apologetically at Nick. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was going to do that!"

"It's all right," Nick smiled at her. "It's nice to see parents who actually care about their kids."

Julie nodded, not really knowing what to say to that. "So, um, where are we going tonight?" she asked.

"Just over to the town," Nick replied. "I hope that's all right with you. I didn't have time to plan anything spectacular."

Julie frowned and sighed. "I guess that will have to do ..."

"I'm really sorry," Nick said. "I didn't plan on asking you out and I really didn't think you'd accept and--"

Julie laughed. "Kidding....I was kidding Nick."

"Oh," Nick relaxed. "Sorry- I'm not usually so jumpy."

"Little old me has this big old musician jumpy?" Julie asked, pretending to swoon.

Nick laughed. "Yeah well... it's been awhile since I was out on a date with someone I actually fancied..."

"I haven't been on a date since...well, that's not important," she realised she was about to talk about Ryan and she didn't want to do that.

Nick nodded. In a move that surprised her, he reached out and took her hand, and he was glad when she didn't pull away.

They walked in silence for a few moments, each enjoying their newly found closeness. Julie looked sideways at him. "You realise that you are now Ethan's second favourite person in the universe, right?"

He grinned. "I guess I'll have to give him more money for sweets. Maybe I'll move up to first place."

Julie laughed. "You'd have your work cut out for you. My dad is firmly planted in the first place and I don't think he's going anywhere."

"Well then I think that puts me third, after you." Nick squeezed her hand. "Or maybe fourth after your mum."

"Actually mum and dad are tied," Julie joked. "And then there's me...so you are in third place, unofficially."

"So still in the winner's circle aye?" Nick teased.

"Very much so," she said. Feeling a bit bold, she smiled at him. "With me as well."

Nick grinned. "That's good to hear," he said warmly.

"So your mum...how did she take the news that you were taking a Potter out?" she asked.

"She hid my dress trousers," Nick groaned. "That's the only reason I have jeans on."

Julie looked at him in disbelief. "She hid your dress trousers? You're kidding, right?"

"Unfortunately I'm not," Nick grimaced. "When it comes down to it she's got the maturity level of a two year old. I hate to think of what I'd have turned out like if I didn't have Greta."

"What's she like this Greta?" Julie asked conversationally. "She practically raised you herself, right?"

Nick nodded. "She's the best. She's in her sixties, and she's a Squib... so she's used to having magic around."

"My parents would love to have someone like that around for Ethan," Julie commented. "My dad has to travel a lot for his job and my mum's busy running the Ministry. I've been pitching in when I can, but hopefully I'll have a proper job soon and...They're at a loss about what they'll be able to do."

"I'm sure they'll find someone," Nick said. "I'm sure there's bound to be loads of people who'd like to work for your parents."

"That's the problem," Julie said, shaking her head. "You wouldn't believe the wackos that have tried to apply..."

Nick laughed. "Try me. I've seen my share of those. You should see some of the witches who show up at our concerts."

"Really?" Julie asked. "I would love to see you play sometime."

"You would?" Nick was surprised.

She nodded. "I really would."

"Okay," Nick was pleased. "Well... maybe you can come down to Australia before summer holiday is over."

"I'm sure your Mum would love that," Julie joked.

Nick shrugged. "I'd put you up at a hotel or something. I wouldn't subject you to staying in the same place as her."

Julie tensed up a bit at what he'd just said. "You wouldn't have to put me up anywhere! I can pay my own way, you know."

"Okay," Nick sensed that he touched a nerve. "I'd help you find a nice place to stay, how's that sound?"

"Better," she said.

"You're really independent aren't you Julie?" Nick asked as they came down the main street of the small town.

"I try to be," she said. "You wouldn't believe the number of job offers I've gotten just because of my last name. I even received some offers from Quidditch teams and I hate to fly!"

Nick laughed. "You hate flying? How come?"

"I get it from my Mum," Julie replied. "She's afraid of it, too. I guess I just like my feet on the ground."

"No harm in that," Nick pulled open the door and held it for her. "I hope you like good old pub food," he said. "This seemed to be the best that was open right now."

"I grew up on good old pub food," Julie said with a grin.

Nick smiled. "I grew up on Vegemite."

Julie grimaced.

"Yeah I know," Nick laughed. "But Greta loves that stuff and I didn't want to hurt her feelings by not eating it when she made a sandwich for me."

They sat down in a booth near the back of the pub. Julie picked up her menu. "Chiaki's going to kill me...I didn't tell her we were going out tonight."

"How come?" Nick asked.

"We usually tell each other everything," Julie answered. "Almost everything..."

"Well I'm sure you'll tell her tomorrow," Nick looked over his own menu.

"Maybe," she said, looking back down at her menu. She smiled at him shyly over her menu. "Do you have any friends?" When she realised what that sounded like, she felt completely stupid. "I'm sorry," she began to apologise. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"I have a few," Nick was laughing at her. "Mainly the guys in my band, although lately we've all sort of spread out."

Julie nodded and was glad that her pathetic attempt at small talk hadn't offended him.

"So do you know what you're going to have?" she asked, looking at her menu again.

"Probably fish and chips or something like that," Nick said. "It's one of my favourite foods, and they don't make it around where I live in Sydney."

"Excellent choice," she said, grinning at him over her menu.

"You too?" he asked.

"I think so," she said.

"Good," Nick said. "I'll go order." he hopped up and headed over to the bar.

Julie watched him go and couldn't help but admire how handsome he looked even dressed as casually as he was. She was having a very nice time and she was getting the impression that he was as well.

A few hours later found Nick and Julie walking back towards Hillsdale. "It's a nice night," he said.

"Really nice," she agreed.

"Are you chilly at all?" Nick asked.

"A little," Julie admitted. "I should have brought a jacket."

"If I had a jacket I'd give you mine," Nick said. "But since I don't..." he slid an arm over her shoulders. "How's that?"

"Very nice actually," she whispered with a smile.

"Good," Nick kept his arm there as he walked her back to her cabin. "So um... I had a really nice time tonight."

"I did too," she said shyly. "You're not a bad date, Malfoy."

He grinned. "Well... since we had such a nice time and I don't want to ruin things between us so that we have to start over yet again... would it be all right if I kissed you goodnight?"

She nodded. "I'd like that..."

"Okay," Nick said softly. He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss, his lips lingering on hers for a few moments.

She felt a little dizzy when he finally pulled away. Finally opening her eyes, she smiled at him. "Good night, Nicholas."

"Good night Jules," Nick grinned back.

*** *** ***

While her son was out on his date, Ginny spent the evening drinking herself into a stupor. It had been a week or so since she'd last written to Draco and he had yet to respond. She tried to tell herself that her husband was a busy, important man and that was the reason why he'd not been able to contact her yet. But, she knew that wasn't the case. They'd rarely seen each other over the past few months and Ginny had a feeling her marriage was really in trouble.

If he'd only agreed to come to Hillsdale, they might have been able to work out their problems, she thought miserably to herself.

Here she was, however, in a place where no one liked her and treated her as if she had the plague. Her own son was behaving like a traitor. Dating that plain Potter girl was an embarrassment to the entire Malfoy family. She'd raised Nick better than that, hadn't she? The little voice in the back of her head reminded her that she really hadn't had much hand in raising her son.

With all this going around in her head, it was no wonder she'd turned to the bottle on another lonely night.

Nick was grinning as he went back to the cabin. His date with Julie had been a complete success and he was glad that she'd had a good time as well. He was in such a good mood that the thought of facing his mother didn't even faze him.

Until he walked in the door that is. "Mum..." Nick stared at the empty bottles on the table. "What... what are you doing?"

She smiled dazedly up at him. "Having a couple of drinks, of course. Did you want one?"

"No," Nick grabbed the wine away. "What are you doing Mum? Why are you drinking like this?"

Ginny frowned. "Your father hasn't owled me back. I've written and written and he hasn't written me back. He thinks I'm hideous, doesn't he? Doesn't he?"

She started to cry and buried her face in her hands.

Nick sighed. "I don't know," he said. "Come on, you need to get some of this back up or you'll be sick in the morning."

Ginny nodded and allowed Nick to help her get to her feet. "You know what I don't understand, Nicholas? Why he never let us get one of those ...what are those things called that Muggles use to talk to each other...mobiles? Yes! One of those! But, he couldn't be bothered to have anything that a Muggle used, could he? If we had one of those, I'd know where he bloody well was, wouldn't I? Cheating, lying bastard!"

Nick rolled his eyes. "I don't know anything about what my father is doing." he said shortly. "Come on; let's get you into the loo."

Ginny nodded and they walked toward the bathroom. The lights weren't on in the hallway, however, and Ginny stumbled and hit her head on a table.

Nick had to hold himself steady as his mother slumped forward. "Mum?" he asked, shaking her a little. She didn't reply. Nick wound one arm around her waist and tipped her head back with the other.

"Shit..." he swore. Ginny was out cold. He dragged her into the bedroom as quickly as he could, laying her face down on the bed. "Shit... what do I do?" he looked around the room wildly for a moment.

In his and Luna's cabin, Ron had just checked on the kids to make sure everyone was present and accounted for. He'd just been about to join his wife, when he heard a light tapping on the door.

"Uncle Ron!" Nick knocked harder. "Are you there?"

Ron swung open the door and saw his nephew looking very upset. "Nick?" Ron asked. "What's happened?"

"It's my mum," Nick said. "She's gone and gotten herself pissed and then she stumbled and hit her head on the table and she won't wake up!"

Ron didn't even take the time to tell Luna what was going on. He quickly put his shoes back on and followed Nick back to Ginny's cabin.

"I put her in the bedroom," Nick said as they flew into the room. "I faced her down... I didn't know what to do though!"

"That's good, Nick," Ron said, gently turning Ginny over to get a better look. Her skin was white and blood was trickling down from her forehead. "Does she get like this often?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Nick replied. "I hardly ever see them but I remember a few years ago after a party she was pissed pretty badly."

Ron nodded. "I'm really not that good at this, I'm afraid. The sight of blood, even my own, makes me a bit skittish. We might need to call someone, Nick. Hermione's really good at this sort of thing."

"Okay," Nick said nervously. "Should... should I go get her right now?"

Ron had a feeling that his sister wouldn't welcome any help from Hermione, but he was frankly at a loss for what to do. As if sensing who they were about to go to for help, Ginny began to stir.

"Gin?" Ron asked, gently shaking her. "Come on, Gin. Wake up."

Nick crossed his arms, tapping his foot nervously as his uncle softly patted his mother's cheeks. Ginny groaned as Ron gently helped her sit up.

"Merlin..." she whimpered. "I think I'm going to--" Nick grabbed the wastebasket right by the door and shoved it at her just as Ginny began to retch.

"Nick," Ron said, turning to look at him. "Go and get your mum a glass of water. And how about a cold rag, as well?"

"Okay," Nick ran out of the room.

"What happened," Ginny mumbled.

"Apparently, you got really pissed and fell and hit your head," Ron answered. "And nearly scared your son half to death, Ginny."

"I did?" Ginny put her hand to her forehead. "Oh Merlin I'm bleeding!"

"Yes, you are," Ron said, as Nick came back into the room and handed his uncle the cold rag. Ron dabbed at the cut on Ginny's forehead. "That's going to look really pretty tomorrow morning."

"She drank a lot of wine," Nick held out one of the small bottles he'd seen on the table. "Six of these."

Ron grimaced. "Ginny, what in the hell are you doing? Trying to kill yourself?"

Ginny snorted. "Why would I want to kill myself? Because my husband ignores me and is cheating on me and won't have anything to do with me?" she flung her arm out, nearly hitting Ron in the process. Nick shook his head, disgusted at her actions.

"I thought you were living the good life," Ron said, shaking his head. "You said that you and Ferret boy were having the time of your lives and that everyone either wanted to be with you or be like you, isn't that what you said, Ginny? Don't tell me you've been lying to us all the entire time?"

"Why would you care if I was?" Ginny retorted. "Ugh, I feel just awful..."

"You should feel awful," Ron said. He knew it was horrible to kick his sister when she was down, but this was inexcusable. "And why wouldn't I care? You are my sister, remember?"

"Whatever," Ginny tried to push him away.

"What's it like in Australia, Ginny?" Ron asked coldly. "Have many friends to help you out? You can't exactly owl Mum and Dad to let them know how you are, can you? You don't even know how many nights Mum has cried herself to sleep, sick with worry over you. Hell, if you did, you probably wouldn't have cared."

"Stop it Ron!" Ginny hunched over on the side of the bed. "I don't need to hear this from you!"

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Ron asked bitterly.

Ginny didn't reply, only staggered to her feet. "How could you do this to me Nicholas?" she glared at her son. "How could you go get him so he could kick me while I'm down?"

"I didn't know what else to do," Nick said, not understanding why she was getting so upset. "Would you rather I had gone to get one of the Potters?"

"Ugh, that just makes me feel sick again," Ginny leaned against the wall. "Oh, Nicholas, your little date. Did it go well?" she asked her tone snide.

"Don't you try and turn this on him!" Ron exclaimed angrily. "You should be thanking him for what he did for you tonight. I can't believe you, Ginny!"

"Uncle Ron, it's okay," Nick said, looking at his mother. "I'm used to it by now."

Ginny scoffed as she began to try and walk out of the room. "Right," she sneered. "Go off and become one of the precious Potter clan Nicholas. Don't come crying back to us when they shove you away."

Nick sighed and shook his head as his mother stumbled into the hallway. "Sorry for pulling you over here," he muttered.

"You don't have to apologise, Nick," Ron said. "I was happy to help. Luna and I will always be there for you. I hope you know that."

"Thank you," Nick said. "I appreciate that. I've never seen her this bad before. She's been talking nonsense about my father."

Ron nodded. He had a few choice words for Draco Malfoy as well, but he certainly didn't want to say them in front of Draco's son.

"You should probably keep an eye on her tonight," Ron said. "She may have a concussion. You don't want her going back to sleep..."

"Are you sure we don't need to call in someone?" Nick asked. Despite the fact that Ginny was so hateful, she was still his mother. "A doctor or whatever the Muggle word is?"

"I don't think so," Ron said. "She's awake now and she's thrown up. Like I said, just make sure she stays awake. In the morning, you might want to have one of the resort medics check her out. Steve mentioned they had someone on call 24 hours a day."

Nick nodded and walked Ron out of the cabin.

"So what's this I hear about a date?" Ron asked, smiling at him. "Surely, you didn't finally talk old Julie into a date?"

Nick turned red. "Yeah," he said. "We went out tonight."

"And?" Ron asked. "How did it go?"

"It went good," Nick smiled. "She's really something."

"That she is," Ron said, smiling at Nick. "And don't let your mum do anything to wreck that, you hear me? She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"I know," Nick replied. "If I listened to her then you'd all hate me right about now."

"You did the right thing, Nick," Ron said, wanting so badly to take his nephew away from all of this. Nick was too good a person to have to deal with all of this drama. "I'll come by and check on you tomorrow."

"Thanks," Nick said. "I'll do my best to keep her awake."

"That's a good lad," Ron said, smiling at him. "See you, Nick."

"Bye," Nick watched his uncle leave, then went back inside and started cleaning away the wine bottles. He wouldn't let his mother ruin what he had with Julie. She already meant too much to him for that to happen.