Authors' note: We hope you enjoy the next chapter in the Last Dance saga! Cliffhanger ahead!
Saffron felt like a fifth wheel as she followed her friends down the sidewalk toward the club. Alexa and Gabriel were walking beside her while Mimi and Jake and Beth and Peter were talking animatedly with each other. The visit with the Grants that afternoon was still firmly on her mind. She could still see the pride in Mr. Grant's face as he talked about his son and the tears in Sean's mother's eyes as she looked at the photograph of her son.
She bit down hard on her lower lip and willed her own tears to stay away. She'd promised herself she was going to enjoy being with her friends that night, not wallow in misery.
"Miss Potter!" Saffron heard someone shout from behind her. She turned around to see a flash of blinding light. A bloody photographer.
"Go away," Saffron muttered, using her hand to cover her face.
"Hey," Gabriel reacted angrily. "Leave her alone!"
"Let's have a smile, Miss Potter," the photographer ignored Gabriel.
"Let's just have that camera," Jake said grabbing it out of the photographer's hand.
"HEY!" now the photographer was the one glowering. "That's an expensive camera!"
Jake took the film out and pocketed it. "Here you are. No harm done."
"Get the hell out of here," Gabriel said glaring at the man.
"Thanks guys," Saffron said quietly.
Alexa put her arm around her best friend. "Come on. The club's just another block away."
"Right," Saffron mustered up a smile.
Mimi smiled at her. "It's going to be a great night, Saffy. I promise."
"Right Meems," Saffron nodded. "I promise to try and be fun."
"You are always fun," Mimi said nudging her.
Saffron smiled gratefully. "Thanks you guys."
At least she didn't have to worry about seeing Andrew out with Natalia. She knew that RJ was having a party. He'd invited her, but she'd politely declined. She didn't think she could spend the whole evening watching Andrew with someone else.
"Here we are!" Beth announced. "Ooooh I am SO excited!"
"Look at the queue though," Mimi said frowning.
Jake grinned. "I have that problem solved," he said, producing seven passes from his pocket. "My sister knows the owner."
Mimi beamed at him. "Jake! I love you!"
He blushed. "Yeah..."
Beth shot a smug look at the people in the queue as she and her friends walked up to the doorman.
"Go on in," the doorman said, waving them past.
They checked their coats inside and Mimi grinned as she heard the music. "This is wicked!"
"Totally," Beth agreed. She turned to Peter. "Come on!"
Gabriel was looking around in awe. This was his first time being in a magical club.
"It's pretty incredible, isn't it?" Alexa asked, squeezing his hand.
"Very," Gabriel said happily.
She smiled up at him. "I'm so glad we're here together."
"Me too," Gabriel said putting his arm around her. "And you look absolutely beautiful tonight."
Alexa snuggled against him. "Thanks." she said, a warm feeling spreading over her.
"You're going to show me the ropes, right?" Gabriel asked.
"Sure," Alexa said.
"And I thought I'd seen everything living in California," Gabriel mused as he walked with her to their table.
Alexa giggled. "I wish you could see Hogwarts."
"Maybe someday," Gabriel said with a grin.
She rested her head on his shoulder when they sat down.
Saffron looked around at the people and wished she could feel as happy and carefree as they seemed to be.
"What'll it be?" Peter asked. "I'll get the first round."
"Ooooh!" Beth squealed as she looked over at the next table where a girl was drinking something pink out of a frosted glass. "I want one of those!"
Peter laughed. "One of those... all right. Saffy?"
"Hmmm?" Saffron asked distractedly.
"What would you like to drink?" Peter asked.
"Firewhisky," Saffron replied.
"Saffy," Alexa said taken aback. "You don't---"
"I'll have Firewhisky," Saffron repeated firmly.
"Okay then," Peter said. He took everyone else's drink orders and then headed for the bar.
Alexa touched her friend's arm. "Saffy, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Saffron lied. "Absolutely fine."
Alexa didn't look convinced.
"Why don't you and Gabe go and dance?" Saffron suggested.
"Sounds like fun to me," Gabriel said. "Lexie?"
"I--I don't know," Alexa said reluctant to leave her friend alone.
"I don't need a babysitter," Saffron told her.
"I don't think you do," Alexa replied. "But--"
"She'll be fine," Beth said. "Besides, I'm here."
"Okay," Alexa said, taking Gabriel's hand.
"They're so adorable, aren't they?" Beth gushed. "And he is soooooo hot!"
"Nice, Beth." Saffron shook her head.
"I can look," Beth giggled. "Besides, I have Peter and he is absolutely fabulous."
"I'm glad you two are having fun," Saffron told her.
"I miss him while he's away at University," Beth confided. "And he's so smart. Sometimes, I feel stupid because I don't know half of the stuff he's talking about."
"You shouldn't," Saffron said. "Trust me... despite what happened when he and I were dating, Peter's one of the good guys. He likes you for who you are, not what you know."
"Thanks, Saffy," Beth said smiling at her.
Peter came back, drinks balanced in his hands. "Man, we're so lucky we're in a magical club," he joked.
"You'd never have made it with all those," Beth teased.
"Never," he grinned at her.
Saffron downed her drink with one gulp. The liquid burned her throat and made her cough.
"Wow," Jake said. "Even I can't take it down that fast."
"I don't know how you can drink that stuff," Mimi said shaking her head. "I tried it once and I threw up."
"It's not bad," Saffron said as her little glass refilled itself.
"This pink stuff...now it tastes good," Beth said happily. "What's it called, Peter?"
"A pink pixie," Peter said rolling his eyes. "I kept telling the bloke at the bar that it wasn't for me."
Beth gave him a kiss. "I'll prove it wasn't."
"The music's great, isn't it?" Mimi asked.
Saffron nodded. "You guys can go and dance. I'll be okay."
"We don't want to leave you alone, Saffy," Beth objected.
"I'm okay," Saffron told them. "Go. Besides, you might be killing my action. Some bloke might approach me if you lot aren't hovering."
Mimi laughed. "All right."
When she was finally alone, Saffron took another sip of her drink.
The Firewhisky was awful, but by her third glass, she was already feeling better than she had in months.
"What's a beautiful girl like you doing all alone on a night like this?" a male voice asked.
Saffron rolled her eyes. This bloke honestly didn't think lines like that worked, did he? She looked up and felt as if her heart had stopped beating.
"Sean?" she whispered, wondering if she was already pissed.
He gave her his most charming smile. "Daniel. Daniel O'Neal."
Saffron shook her head. "Um... hi."
"Mind if I sit down?" he asked.
"If you want to," she said as her glass filled again.
"You know that I really shouldn't be talking to you," he said taking a seat. "Given as you took my position..."
"I beg your pardon?" Saffron raised her eyebrow.
"You have no idea who I am, do you?" Daniel asked with a grin.
Saffron rolled her eyes and pushed back in her seat.
"Wait, wait," he said putting a hand out to stop her. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm Daniel O'Neal. The reserve seeker for Puddlemere."
"Oh," Saffron said nodding. "RJ told me about you."
"About a quarter of it is true," Daniel said smoothly.
Saffron raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "You can ask me anything."
He looked so much like Sean it was scary. "Anything?"
"I'm an open book," he said.
Saffron smiled. "Um... well..."
"Go ahead," he said leaning back in his chair.
She had no idea what to say. "What sort of movies do you like?" she asked lamely.
"Comedies," he replied. "And you?"
"I used to like scary movies," she said. "Now... historicals."
"And you like Firewhisky," he said motioning toward her glass.
"Sometimes," Saffron said.
He leaned in to say something else, but Alexa and Gabriel had returned to the table. Alexa did a bit of a double take as she looked at the older boy. He bore a strong resemblance to Sean.
"Hi there," Gabriel said.
"How was your dance?" Saffron asked them.
"It was great," Alexa wrapped her arms around Gabriel's waist.
"Oh, Daniel," Saffron said. "This is my friend....Alexa O'Leary and her boyfriend, Gabriel Boyd."
"I've met you before," Daniel said to Alexa. "You used to go out with RJ Weasley, right?"
Alexa blushed. "Awhile ago..."
"He's my cousin," Saffron said motioning to Gabriel and then giggling for no apparent reason at all.
"Saffy-" he began.
Saffron giggled again and looked down at her glass which had just refilled itself again. "Look at how cool this is!"
"It's very cool," Daniel said, leaning towards her.
"And so are you," Saffron said patting his leg with her hand.
Daniel grinned. "Very much so..." he leaned in further.
Alexa and Gabe exchanged worried glances.
"Saffy," Gabriel said. "How about you dance with me."
Saffron ignored him and giggled when Daniel whispered something in her ear.
"You can really do that?" Saffron asked pulling away and looking at him.
"Oh you bet I can, sweet thing," Daniel winked at her.
Alexa grabbed her friend by the arm. "Saffy, would you mind coming with me to the loo?"
"I'm fine," Saffron laughed. "Better than I've been in AGES!"
"Humour me," Alexa said pulling her friend to her feet and practically dragging her through the crowd toward the loo.
"Ow," Saffron giggled. "What are we doing?
"What are YOU doing?" Alexa asked her. "Saffy, how many shots of Firewhisky have you had?"
"Four?" Saffron asked. "Or um... six?"
Alexa looked at her friend in surprise. "Saffy!"
Saffron laughed. "You should try it!"
"Saffy, I know that you had a rough day today," Alexa said gently. "Seeing the Grants couldn't have been---"
"Sean Grant is RIGHT HERE!" Saffron spun around.
"What?" Alexa asked, concern etched across her face.
"Everything is okay now!" Saffron said happily. "Sean's okay and he's here!" she turned and headed for the table.
"Saffy!" Alexa called out, but her friend got lost in the crowd.
"Hello there," Saffron said as Daniel joined her on the dance floor.
"Hiya, beautiful," Daniel said huskily. "I thought I'd lost you."
"Never," Saffron said, throwing her arms around him.
He held her close as a crowd of people danced around them. Saffron rested her head against his chest. He even smelled like Sean.
"You are even hotter than I thought," he said into her ear.
Saffron looked up at him. "Really?"
"Oh yeah," he said, grinning at her.
"I'm so glad that you're here," Saffron said smiling back at him.
"I can tell this is going to be the best night of my life," Daniel said, kissing her neck.
At the table, Alexa watched with concern as she saw Daniel O'Neal working his magic on Saffron. Although she didn't remember ever meeting Daniel O'Neal, she'd remembered RJ speaking about him. RJ had said that O'Neal had a reputation as a player.
"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked.
"I don't like that guy," Alexa said quietly.
"Why not?" Gabriel also looked over at Saffron and the dark haired bloke.
"He's got a reputation," Alexa said. "And I wouldn't put it past him to take advantage of her."
Gabriel put his arm around her. "I'm just glad to see her having fun. Let her be, Lexie. She can have fun tonight."
"I don't know," Alexa said looking out onto the dance floor where Saffron was dancing with Daniel.
"You've got some amazing moves, baby." Daniel said.
"So do you," Saffron said dreamily.
Daniel ran his hand through her hair as he pulled her closer.
"I haven't felt this happy in a long time," Saffron whispered. Daniel didn't hear her over the loud music.
Alexa continued to watch with her arms crossed. "This isn't good."
Jake and Mimi had joined her and Gabe back at the table. "I saw him earlier," Mimi told Alexa. "Right when we got here, he was snogging some redhead in the corner."
"We'll keep an eye on her," Gabriel put a hand on his girlfriend's arm.
"Let's get them back to the table," Mimi said. "That way we can definitely keep an eye on her."
"We'll do it," Gabriel said, pulling Alexa to her feet.
They worked their way through the crowd on the dance floor until they reached Saffron and Daniel who seemed oblivious to everyone around them. "Saffy?" Alexa tapped on her friend's shoulder.
"We're busy," Saffron said.
"We wanted to invite you and your... friend to sit with us," Alexa said, practically shouting so she could be heard over the music.
"What?" Saffron asked, finally pulling away from Daniel.
"Why don't you and Daniel come and sit with us at the table?" Alexa asked again.
Saffron stumbled a bit. "Yeah... I need another drink." she laughed.
Alexa held on to Saffron and led her back to the table. Gabriel looked at Daniel. "I don't know if you're coming back with us is a good idea."
"I beg your pardon, mate?" Daniel said.
"She's been through a lot lately," Gabriel said. "I think you might be trying to take advantage of her vulnerability right now."
"Are you a healer or something?" Daniel asked sarcastically.
"I'm her friend," Gabriel said. "And I'm looking out for her."
"Well then look out for her with me on the dance floor later," Daniel shoved past him and followed Saffron.
"Asshole," Gabriel muttered, glaring after him.
Saffron was downing her second shot when Daniel arrived at the table.
Mimi, Jake, Beth and Peter looked expectantly at the older boy, but he didn't have eyes for anyone, but Saffron.
"Have one," Saffron said, holding up the glass.
"Thanks, love," Daniel said taking it from her.
Saffron moved over so he could sit down next to her. "I took his job," she explained, giggling.
"Daniel O'Neal, right?" Peter asked.
"That's right mate," Daniel stuck his hand out.
Peter shook his hand. "I'm Peter. This is my girlfriend, Beth."
"Nice to meet you both," he said with a charming grin.
"I'm Mimi," Mimi said. "And this is Jake."
Daniel winked at her. "Good to meet you two as well."
Saffron punched him playfully on the arm. "Stop that! You know them already! Remember?"
"Sure," Daniel slid his arm around her.
Alexa looked at Gabriel. "She---she thinks he's Sean," she whispered.
"Obviously," Gabriel muttered. "This is crazy."
"We have to do something," Alexa whispered.
"Should I go get RJ or something?" Gabriel asked. "I... I don't really know what else to do."
"I'll go," Alexa whispered. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Make sure not to let her out of your sight."
"Okay," Gabriel squeezed her hand.
Alexa knew that RJ would at least get Daniel O'Neal to back off. She just hoped that she wouldn't make Saffron angry in the process. In the long run, her friend would thank her.
She Apparated just outside the club and arrived at the front door of RJ and Andrew's flat. From just inside, she could hear voices and music. She'd forgotten that they were having a party.
She knocked on the door, but the music was too loud and no one answered. Alexa hesitantly pushed it open and entered the foyer.
"Lexie," Andrew spotted her. "What are you doing here?"
"I need RJ," she said. "It's um... it's Saffron."
Andrew paled. "What's wrong with her?"
Alexa shook her head. "It's the guy... the one who's been filling in for her. She thinks he's Sean... she's completely pissed."
"Saffy doesn't drink," Andrew said.
"She's been taking shots of Firewhisky," Alexa told him.
"What?" Andrew asked taken aback. "How many?"
"I'm not sure," Alexa shook her head. "At least eight or nine... just in the past hour."
Andrew ran a hand through his hair. This wasn't Saffron-like behaviour. He didn't know what was more troublesome. The fact that she was drinking or the fact that Daniel O'Neal was sniffing around her. He knew all about O'Neal's reputation and that was one of the main reason's the reserve seeker for Puddlemere wasn't in attendance at tonight's party.
"I'll go with you," he said. "I'm not sure where RJ is right now."
"We should try and find him since he's his team-mate," Alexa said.
"He's off somewhere with Audrey," Andrew replied.
Alexa nodded. "We should hurry then."
Andrew nodded. He knew he should go tell Natalia he was going but he was worried about Saffron.
"She saw the Grants earlier today," Alexa told him. "I think it's really messed with her head."
"Oh man," Andrew shook his head.
Alexa followed him out of the flat and together they Apparated back to the club. Alexa showed the doorman her ticket.
"Where do you think you're going?" the doorman asked, grabbing Andrew by the arm. "Where's your ticket?"
"I don't have one..." Andrew said. "But my friend is in there and she's in trouble."
"And he's Andrew Kirke," Alexa said grinning at the doorman. "The Andrew Kirke."
"Who?" the doorman was unimpressed.
"OH MERLIN!" one of the girls in line shrieked. "WIZARD MCDREAMY!"
"Told you he was famous," Alexa said. "Does someone like him really need a ticket?"
"If he goes in I HAVE to get in," the girl said covetously.
The doorman considered this for a few moments before motioning for Andrew to go on inside.
"Thank you," Andrew said in relief, hurrying after Alexa.
Saffron was thankfully still at the table, but she was sitting on Daniel's lap.
"One more!" she laughed, leaning in.
"A girl after my own heart," Daniel said leaning in as well.
"Mmmhmmm..." she murmured as his lips brushed hers.
Andrew felt red, hot anger pulsing through his veins as he watched this.
"Come on," Alexa tugged at his arm.
Saffron felt warm and fuzzy feelings in her stomach as she looked at Sean.
"I missed you," she said softly.
"I haven't gone anywhere," Daniel said huskily.
Saffron leaned in and kissed him again, more deeply this time.
"Saffy," Andrew said tapping her on the shoulder. "Saffy!"
"We're a bit busy, mate." Daniel said coldly.
"I can see that," Andrew said glaring at him. "Why don't you run along?"
"I don't think the lady here wants me to go," Daniel smirked.
"Hi, Andrew!" Saffron waved.
"Hi Saffy," Andrew said. "Why don't you come with me."
"Where are we going?" Saffron asked him, giggling. She looked at Sean. "Andrew doesn't dance."
"Obviously," Daniel shook his head.
"Let's get a bit of fresh air," Andrew took her hand. "Come on Saf. I could use the company."
"Ooooh," Saffron giggled.
"That's right," Andrew smiled at her. He looked at Alexa and Gabriel. "I'll take care of her..."
"I'll be right back," Saffron promised Sean. "Don't go anywhere, okay? Promise?"
Daniel didn't say anything, only crossed his arms.
Andrew put his arm around his ex-girlfriend to steady her. "Come on, Saffy."
"Just for a minute," Saffron held up a finger. "One... one minute."
Andrew led her over to a quieter spot.
"Where are we?" she asked, stumbling against him.
"You tell me," Andrew said sitting down with her.
"Not outside," Saffron giggled.
"What are you doing?" he asked her softly. "Hmm? This isn't you, Saffy."
"I'm having FUN," Saffron said.
"That bloke isn't Sean," Andrew said gently.
She narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"That's Daniel O'Neal," Andrew said. "Not Sean Grant. Alexa told me you saw his parents today..."
Saffron looked away.
"Let me take you home," Andrew said softly. "You don't need to be here, Saffy."
"I don't know what I need anymore," she whimpered.
"Saffy," Andrew said pulling her into a hug.
Saffron clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder.
Andrew held her tightly, wishing he could do something to take away her pain.
"Take me out of here," Saffron looked up at him.
"Okay," Andrew said. "Come on then."
Saffron allowed him to lead her out of the club. "I don't want to go home, Andrew." she said, stumbling a bit.
"I'll take you back to my place," Andrew said. "We'll sober you up, okay?"
"You're having a party," she said.
"It'll be okay," Andrew said softly. "You can hang out in my room. It'll be fine."
"Okay," Saffron leaned against him.
Alexa caught up with them. She was carrying Saffron's cloak and bag. "Thank you for doing this, Andrew."
"Lexie," Saffron said. "Have funnnnn..."
Alexa gave her friend's hand a squeeze. "You're going to be fine, Saffy."
"I'll remind her to ring you tomorrow," Andrew said. "Happy New Year, Lexie."
"You too," Alexa said before hurrying back inside.
"Come on Saf," Andrew took her arm again.
Saffron leaned against him. "Andrew, I--I'm so messed up."
"No you're not," Andrew said. "You're just pissed."
"I don't feel so good," Saffron mumbled.
"I'll help you when we get back," Andrew said.
"Okay," Saffron nodded.
Andrew knew Saffron was in no shape to Apparate so he struggled to get them both back to his flat. "There we go," he said, opening the door.
The party was still in full swing. RJ saw them and crossed the room in a few quick strides. "Saffy?"
"Hmmm?" Saffron let her head fall back. "Hi RJ..."
"Is she---pissed?" RJ asked taken aback.
"Quite so," Andrew said. "I'm taking her to my room to lie down."
Natalia came forward. She'd been looking for him everywhere. "I'll---I'll help."
Andrew froze at the sight of her.
"I was looking for you earlier," Natalia said.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I just... I had to go."
"It's okay," Natalia said quietly. "She--she needed you."
Andrew nodded. "She does."
"I'll help you," Natalia said. "I'll make the sobering potion."
"Thanks," Andrew replied.
Natalia nodded and headed for the kitchen.
"It's so loud," Saffron moaned, her eyes closing.
"It'll be quieter in my room," Andrew said putting his arm around her and leading her through the crowd. RJ followed them.
"Who got her pissed?" RJ asked.
"O'Neal," Andrew said angrily.
RJ's jaw flexed. "That fucking bastard."
Andrew opened the door and helped Saffron over to his bed.
"I saw Sean," Saffron muttered. "He's---he's okay, Andrew. He's okay."
RJ shook his head. "I didn't even think to tell her about the resemblance between Sean and O'Neal. I should have. This is my fault."
"No it's not," Andrew told him.
"It's my fault," Saffron said, her head lolling back on the pillow. "I drank... no one forced me to."
"Why did you, Saffy?" RJ asked. "Aunt Hermione said you were doing so well..."
"I just wanted to have some fun," Saffron cracked her eyes open.
"The kind of fun O'Neal offers, you don't need," RJ said taking off her shoes.
"Stop talking so loud," she moaned. "Please..."
"Sorry," RJ said. "Let's get you comfortable."
Natalia came back in the room. "Here you go." she handed Andrew a steaming mug.
"Thanks, Talia,'" Andrew said gratefully. "Saffy, drink this slowly, okay?"
"Okay," she struggled to sit up.
RJ helped her. "There you go."
Saffron brought the mug to her lips and wanted to retch. "Ugh..." she said as she drank.
Natalia moved over to stand beside Andrew.
"Thanks for making that for her," Andrew said to her.
"It's no problem," Natalia said softly. "I know how important she is to you."
Andrew nodded.
Natalia squeezed his hand.
"Doesn't taste as good as Firewhisky does it, Saf?" RJ teased.
Saffron shuddered. "Hardly." her eyes fixated on Andrew and Natalia holding hands and she looked away.
"You'll thank us for it when you wake up tomorrow without a massive hangover," RJ told her.
Saffron only nodded.
"Get some rest," RJ said.
"I'll stay with you," Andrew volunteered, sensing she didn't want to be alone.
Saffron shook her head. "No, you should get back to your party. I'll be fine."
"Come on Andrew," Natalia said.
"No," Andrew insisted. "I'll stay with you."
Natalia nodded. "Oh. Okay."
"I'll come in a bit and relieve you," RJ told his friend.
"Thanks, mate," Andrew said gratefully.
"Come on, Natalia," RJ said. "You haven't danced with me yet. In fact, you haven't danced all night."
"That's because my boyfriend doesn't like to dance," Natalia said smiling in Andrew's direction.
Andrew shrugged. "Just no good at it, I guess." he said sheepishly.
"You never were," Saffron interjected from the bed.
Natalia silently followed RJ out of the room. She was a little nervous leaving him alone with his ex-girlfriend, but she trusted him.
"It'll be okay," RJ assured her.
"Thanks, RJ," Natalia said smiling at him.
Once they were alone, Andrew placed the covers over Saffron. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay," Saffron shrugged. "I feel like a fool."
"You shouldn't," Andrew told her. "You've been through quite an ordeal."
"It was so hard today," she said quietly. "Being with Sean's parents when I'm the reason he's dead."
"That's not true, Saffy," Andrew told her gently. "He was protecting you."
Saffron's lower lip trembled. "He shouldn't have had to die."
"Did his parents say something to make you feel bad?" Andrew asked.
"No," Saffron said. "They were wonderful. It's just so hard..."
"I know," Andrew said reaching for her hand.
Saffron looked at him. "Why am I so messed up? Why can't things be how they were before?"
"Because of Gordon Devereaux," Andrew said. "He did this. But, you can get past this, Saffy. You are the strongest person I've ever met."
"I screwed up so many things," Saffron shook her head.
"You didn't," Andrew tried to reassure her.
"With you I did," Saffron said quietly. "It was the worst mistake I ever made."
"You and I both did that," Andrew told her.
"I was stubborn and stupid," Saffron said as he moved next to her. "You tried to apologise and I wouldn't accept it because of my stupid pride."
"We both made a lot of mistakes," Andrew said putting his arm around her. "But---we're still friends, Saffy."
"Friends," she nodded, looking away.
"You should get some sleep," Andrew said.
"I hate sleeping," Saffron said. "I have these horrible dreams nearly every single night."
"About Devereaux?" Andrew asked her.
"He's always there," Saffron said. "Calling me my mum's name... sometimes he grabs me and won't let go."
"He can't get you, Saffron," Andrew said softly. "He's in Azkaban and he can never hurt you again."
"He took me away from everyone," Saffron said, her eyes filling with tears. "He took Sean away from his family... and because of him I never got to say goodbye to my Gran."
Andrew hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Saffy. I'm so sorry for that."
Saffron sobbed into his shoulder.
"It will get better," he promised. "It will."
"It doesn't feel like it will," she drew in a shuddery breath. "I just want to be happy again, Andrew."
"You will be," Andrew said holding her close. "You will be. You have so many good things in your life, Saffy."
Saffron shook her head.
"Yes, you do," Andrew said brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You have a great family and good friends that love you. And you're about to start your dream career."
Saffron stared into his dark eyes. "What... what about you?" she ventured to ask.
"I'm here for you," Andrew said softly. "You know that."
"You're the only person I really feel like I can open up to," Saffron admitted as he held her closer.
"You can always talk to me," Andrew said.
"I'm lucky to still have you in my life," Saffron said, her voice low.
"You'll always have me," Andrew told her.
"If I had a second chance," Saffron said softly. "I wouldn't let you go this time."
"Saffy," Andrew began.
She looked away but he caught her chin.
"Saffron," he whispered, feeling those old feelings for her again. Truth be told, they'd never really gone away.
"Yeah?" she asked hopefully.
"I--I should get back to the party," Andrew stammered.
"Of course," Saffron said, feeling stupid.
He didn't want to leave her though which was precisely why he should get out of this room.
She didn't want to look at him, she was so embarrassed.
"What is it?" Andrew asked her.
"Nothing," she said, fighting back tears again.
Andrew cupped her face in his hands. "Saffy..."
"If you don't want to be here, just go," she choked out.
"I do want to be here," Andrew said using his thumb to wipe away a tear from her cheek. "Saffy..."
"What?" she asked, her green eyes focused on his. He was so close and it was making her entire body tremble.
Andrew leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.