One And Only

Chapter Two | Avalon Beach

T W O

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness

Like resignation to the end, always the end

So when we found that we could not make sense

Well you said that we would still be friends

But I'll admit that I was glad it was over.

"Can I get some service around here?"

That voice. He knew that voice. It had haunted him for years, and had never left his memory. The voice that belonged to that one person that had made him fall in love. Grace.

Turning around, Fred looked at her. Auburn - copper hair, hazel eyes. Full lips. High cheekbones. Exactly as he remembered her. She hadn't changed one bit since Hogwarts. Or maybe she had, or would, and he wouldn't notice.

"Grace. It's good to see you." Fred replied stiffly, addressing her as an acquaintance, instead of a friend.

"Fred? Fred Weasley?" Grace asked, looking at him in disbelief. "No way? What are you doing here?"

"I work here." Fred said, gesturing to the cafe. "The real question is what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm working at the surf school on the beach. Freaky, right?" Grace laughed, brushing her hair out of her eyes before continuing. "Dom send me an owl saying she and Jess were coming to stay as well, but I wasn't expecting to bump into you! Frank and James passed me on the beach, but they didn't say you were here. I wonder why..."

Fred listened, realising Dominique had definitely brought Jessica Finnigan along with her for the holiday. James would have a hard time denying his feelings for her, especially when now that they weren't in school any longer.

"And then I walked in here, and found you!" Grace finished, a slight smile on her face, or was it a smirk? Fred could never quite tell with her. "But anyway, can I get a smoothie?"

"Yeah, sure." Fred said, turning around to face the smoothie bar. "What flavour would you like?"

"Umm... Mango and pineapple, why not?" Grace asked, surveying the menu. "Sounds good."

Fred nodded, washing his hands before turning around to mix the fruit together. He was well aware of the tapping of Grace's fingernails against the table, and the fact that this would take no time if he used his wand, but this was a cafe for Muggles, and if any walked in, he didn't really fancy performing a memory charm on them. He chose to chop, slice and dice the fruit before placing them into the blender and washing his hands again.

The blender whizzed round and Fred waited for it to finish. When it finally came to a stop, he grabbed a glass and poured the smoothie into it. He placed a couple of mango cubes on top, and balanced an umbrella on the side, before slipping a straw in and handing it to Grace. "One mango and pineapple smoothie, with no artificial flavouring or whatever they claim everything is nowadays."

Grace laughed, taking the smoothie and having a sip. "Mmm, delicious!" She said, smiling up at Fred. "Are there any cakes I can have with this?"

Looking over at the various cakes and muffins on display, Fred began to call them out to Grace. "Blueberry muffin... Raspberry and white chocolate muffin... Flapjack... Carrot cake... Chocolate muffin... Chocolate cake... Red velvet cake... Rocky road..."

"Raspberry and white chocolate muffin, please." Grace replied, taking another sip of her drink. As Fred set it down, she gave a thanks as best as she could while taking a bite. "Yummy." As Fred walked towards the counter, she stopped him and called after him. "Wait, why don't you sit with me and we can catch up? See how we are?"

Fred was stunned. Who was this, and what had they done with Grace Longbottom? The real one seemed to constantly hate him and bicker with him, and here she was, acting as if they were best friends. It was confusing, but he didn't know quite what to do about it, and if he had to chose a Grace to prefer, he would chose the new one without hesitating. He just had to hope she stayed this way

~*~*~*~

"So, are you free tonight?" Fred asked her, watching as she finished her drink. Grace nodded while drinking, before discarding the glass to actually reply.

"Yeah, I'm free. Why, what were you planning?"

"Summer's organised this party on the beach tonight, to welcome us all to Avalon. Want to come? It'll be really fun, you can meet some new people, become more involved in the community... You'll really enjoy it!" Fred asked, a pleading tone in his voice as he looked at her.

"Oh... No, I don't think I can make it." Grace said, pulling her purse out of her pocket and putting a couple of dollars on the table. "I think I'm busy after all."

"Grace, wait!"

"Sorry, I have to go!"

Fred watched as she ran out of the door, and he stared at the place where she had sat in shock. He didn't know why she'd decided to just run off like that, but he knew that it wasn't just because she was busy. She'd always been like this.

He could remember clearly the first time he met Grace Longbottom. He'd first seen her during the Sorting, when he and Frank watched as she was Sorted into Hufflepuff, but he'd first met her when they were second years. They were paired together in Herbology, and she had wasted no time in telling him that 'you have some mud on your face and I hope you pay attention because I am not doing all the work for this and no we can't cheat just because my dad is the teacher thank you very much'. He'd been a goner ever since, and had spent most of his Hogwarts years trying to impress her. Though it had often ended up badly, he remembered his attempts as some of the highlights of his Hogwarts career.

He'd gotten close to asking her out in Fourth Year. Professor Longbottom had just become Headteacher, and he had reinstated the tradition of a Yule Ball each Christmas. Fred was just about to ask Grace to go with him when Aiden McLaggen got there before him. He'd ended up going with Elizabeth Corner, while he watched Frank dance with Dominique, James dance with Jessica Finnigan - he couldn't stop gloating all night long about how she'd said yes to him - and watch as Grace twirled and laughed with McLaggen.

When they were in sixth year, she'd agreed to go on a date to Hogsmeade with him, but at the last minute she'd cancelled on him. His younger cousin Molly passed on the message that she wasn't feeling well and so wasn't going. She'd avoided him after that, and he'd never had the chance to ask her out again.

It was only after reminiscing about his Hogwarts days that he realised a simple fact. He shouldn't care if Grace Longbottom was coming to a beach party or not. She was just a girl he'd gone to school with; somebody that he used to know.

~*~*~*~

The beach was thriving. Word had got out about the party, and it seemed half the town had turned up. James was even managing not to use magic, which Fred saw as quite an achievement. From his spot on the log by the fire, he could see Jessica helping out on the barbecue, and Frank lugging a load of drinks down with Summer from the cafe down to the beach before handing them out to the various people around them. The only person he couldn't see was Dominique.

"Hey." Looking up, he saw his cousin sit down on the log next to him, the cool breeze blowing her hair away from her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright." Fred replied, gazing into the horizon. "Could be better, I suppose." The duo sat in silence for a few moments, neither knowing quite what to say. "Do you know why Grace isn't here?"

"Oh, Grace? She said she wasn't up for anything, that she was just going to have a quiet night in. Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Fred wondered why she had told him she was busy - it might not have been a lie, but it sure felt like one. He pondered over it for a while before realising that once more, he didn't need to think about her. She was just somebody that he used to know.

But you didn't have to cut me off

Make out like it it never happened and that we were nothing.

I guess I don't even need that though

Now you're just somebody that I used to know.