ivy | theo nott

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.