Violet enjoys the morning breeze through her hair as she steps off the bed, placing her bare feet on the cold marble tiles. Her cheeks are flushed along with her nose because they had forgotten to close the window before bed. She steps quietly – careful not to wake Adam who's sleeping so peacefully– and reaches the open window. However, she doesn't close it right away but instead enjoys the view of the lake being frozen into thick ice. She loved skating over that lake with Adam, showing off her skills while he struggled to keep up. But, there's one thing she loved to do more and that's what she'll be doing this morning.

There's a loud sigh from Violet's mouth as she shuts the window quietly, turning the lock and walking away. After learning how to apparate items, it's become of great use to Violet every time she needs something. She lifts her hand beside her head and gasps when the hard handle of her trunk hits the palm of her hand and with a quick reaction, she grips it. Violet tosses the trunk on the empty bed and unlocks it, revealing piles of endless clothes. She searches through it and grabs white leather pants with white mock neck along with a white corset.

Shivering of the cold while she remains naked with her clothes in hand, she starts to slide on her pants and wiggle into them. Once her mock neck is on, she wraps the corset around her torso and ties the white ribbon behind her back, squeezing her figure thin. In all white, she looks almost innocent that it scares her. She bends down and adds on some fur socks before putting on white cowgirl boots with diamond designs all over them. Finally, Violet puts on white gloves and grabs her white cloak before walking out of the room with a toothbrush in her mouth, enchanted to brush on its own.

Violet steps down the spiral staircase towards the foyer and the short heel in her boots click loudly, echoing the through the tall ceilings. She holds onto the banister as she stays on the last step and looks both ways, wondering which exit to take. Deciding, she walks towards the back exit while putting on the cloak, tying it around her throat while the large hood covers her pale face and long brown hair.

Once she reaches the horse stalls, she shakes the snow off her boots and runs towards the last stall where white horse is neighing loudly at the sight of her. Violet giggles happily and throws her hood off to rest her head against the horses.

"Hello, my beautiful baby!" Violet gasps as she massages the horses head and mane. "How are they treating you? You're groomed nicely my love." She opens the stall door and walks in. "Gosh look at how much you've grown!"

Violet grabs a saddle off the hooks on the wall and throws it on the horses back, careful not to do it hard enough to hurt him. This horse has been Violets since the day she stepped foot in Beauxbatons and the first years were taken to select the one they wanted. She chose this horse and named him Khione because he's as white as snow. This was another loved one that made her hurt when she left. She whished she could have taken him but she had no idea what England was going to be like.

"Alright let's go for a ride Khione." Violet puts her foot on the foot socket and jumps up, landing right on the saddle with a small grunt. She smacks the behind of the hoarse and shouts. "Atta boy! Come on!"

The horse whines before stomping its back feet and kicking off with a fast speed, just how Violet likes it. She throws her hood back on and leans her upper body forward to hold herself while the horses speed flows her cloak behind her. Finally, the hoarse exits the stall house and steps into the snow, making Violets cheeks and nose turn even more pale with the freezing wind. To Violet, there's nothing better than horse rides in the morning snow at full speed. It makes her feel like everything else doesn't matter, only the ride.

The sound of hooves hitting the inches of snow – trailing cold speckles on Violets back – it makes Violet feel alive. Something she hasn't felt in months. Khione runs faster into the woods where icicles are hanging from the frozen trees and the birds are chirping in the distance. Violet gasps when she hears howling and pattering footsteps near them and she looks around scared.

"Slow down." She whispers as she grips the rope around Khione, causing him to halt to a stop with a shivered neigh. Khione spins in circles and Violet drops her hood. "Where are you wolves?" Violet picks up her hood and taps Khiones' back. "Go boy! Now!"

Khione kicks off and turns back around to exit the forest where the wolves are howling angrily that the horse and Violet are leaving. One thing Violet forgot, Beauxbatons woods are cursed if gone into alone. Violet breathes unevenly and looks back into the trees that are slowly becoming blurry figures in a distance. She turns back around and yelps as she pulls the rope back, causing Khione to burry his hooves in the snow to stop before he hits Adam who's on his horse in front of them.

"My goodness Adam!" Violet gasps as she makes the horse turn so she's side by side with Adam. "You frightened me. How long have you been out waiting?"

"Not too long, my darling." Adam leans over and places a kiss on Violets cold cheek. "I woke up and you were gone and I remembered there was only one place you could have gone to this early in the morning."

"Will we be going on a ride together?" Violet asks with a smile on her face as Khione stomps his feet, making her shake. "Sun will be fully out soon; we still have time."

"I thought a breakfast ought to be better. I've prepared a lovely breakfast on the top terrace." Adam raises his eyebrows and licks his bottom lip. "I'm sure you'll love it just as much as you used to."

Violet tugs at the rope around Khione and he starts dancing around, waiting for the command to walk off. "See you in the stalls lover boy." Violet giggles before commanding Khione. "Go boy!" She whistles and holds on as Khione runs back to the stall house as Adam and his horse rush behind them.

Khione walks into his stall and stops before Violet jumps off and turns to the door where Adam is standing. She drops her hood and runs over, throwing her arms around his neck to place a smiling peck on his lips. Violet turns back around and hums excitedly as she takes off the saddle from her horses back and hangs it on the nails. She takes off her gloves and Adams eyebrows raise high when he sees the diamond ring on her finger.

"You didn't tell me your were engaged?" He tilts his head before walking over and lifting her delicate, beautiful hand to see the ring up close. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Violet shakes her head and closes her hand with Adams. "This was an auction item at a ball I went to recently." She sighs. "Meaning, there is no lucky guy. Not yet anyway."

"Of course, darling. Sorry for even asking." Adam grabs the back of Violet's head forcefully and brings her forward as he places a kiss on her forehead. He puts the tip of his nose against hers and closes his eyes as his jaw clenches. "We should go eat."

********************

"Breakfast was amazing." Violet sighs as her and Adam walk down from the terrace where they just shared an intimate time. It was wonderful, Violet's not lying. "This is what I've been missing. All of this, my real life."

Before Adam is able to answer they're interrupted. "Violet Blishen!" Madam Maxine shouts from the other side of the corridor. She walks towards the pair and towers over both in her fur coat. "Comment avez-vous été ? C'est un plaisir de vous voir ici.

"Le plaisir est entièrement le mien." Violet responds with a bow of her head before taking Madam Maxine's enormous hand and placing a kiss on the back of it. Adam does the same and they both step back to get a better look at her face. "Pour répondre à votre question Madame, je vais beaucoup mieux maintenant que je suis ici merci."

Madam Maxine starts walking and waves her hand for them to follow her and they do. She hugs her coat around her torso and continues talking. "Et vos parents? Comment sont-ils mon chéri ?"

"Oh, ils le sont, ils vont bien." Violet lies. "Je suis sûr que la France leur manque autant que moi."

"Violet, je suis sûr que je t'ai bien appris à ne pas mentir à ta directrice."

"Pardon." Violet sighs as she puts her head down. "Je n'ai pas parlé à mes parents depuis un certain temps. Cependant, j'espère qu'ils vont bien."

Madam Maxine hums and shakes her head in disbelief of what has become of the Blishen family. Violet's mother was once a close friend of Madam Maxine's; they shared secrets and went everywhere together. It's a shame they left.  However, Violet does wonder if Madam Maxine knew about her mothers other child, or if she lied to her as well?

"puits –" Madam Maxine lights a cigarette in between her lips and blows out the smoke to continue speaking. "J'espère que vous et vos parents parlerez à nouveau. Bonne journée vous deux."

She sighs, letting her breath be visible in the cold December air and walks away from the pair, disappearing into the garden. Violet and Adam both turn back around and continue walking the way they were before they were interrupted. That is, until Violets cellphone starts ringing, startling Adam and her.

Violet picks up her phone and gulps nervously before looking back. "Let me take this." She sighs and walks towards a corner where Adam hopefully can not hear. "Theo, is everything okay?"

"Hmm, lets see." Theo growls, causing Violet to turn back to make sure Adam isn't listening to the conversation. "I woke up this morning, knocked on your room door to apologize about last night and there was no answer. Draco went home and I stayed back, waiting for you like and idiot! Thinking you were going to walk through that door and you haven't! So, where the hell are you?"

"You have no right speaking to me this way Theo! What I do with my life is none of your business." Violet walks farther away from Adam and puts her hand over her mouth and the speaker. "You wouldn't have to be waiting to apologize if you didn't do something you needed to apologize for! Leave if you want to Theo! Really I couldn't care less!"

Theo scoffs and pauses for a second before responding. "Fine! You want me to leave I'll leave!"

"No, I didn't mean that –" Theo hangs up the phone on Violet and she gasps and runs back to Adam, whose arms are crossed in front of him. She stops breathlessly and starts texting Theo on her phone as she speaks. "I uh- I have to go. I'm so sorry but it's urgent."

"You said you'd be here all of December? You just got here; we still have about three more weeks together." There's a quiver in Adams voice as he speaks. "Why do you need to leave? Huh?! Tell me the truth!?"

Violet flinches when he lifts his hand and he grabs her head, trying to read her mind like he used to when they dated. He never trusted her, it made her have trust issues. Every time, he lifted his hand to grab her head or pull her by the back of her neck, it made her trust him less each time.

"Please –" Violet sobs and her bottom lip shakes as tears form in her eyes. "Adam, don't do this. I'll tell you why I must go back home."

"This-is-your-home!"

Adams shouts make Violet scream and begin to sob as his hands crush her head. He has her paralyzed with her hands hanging by her sides and her eyes beginning to roll back, turning into complete whiteness. Adam continues crushing her between his hands and Violet lets out quiet whimpers. Violet's breathing stops and Adam inhales sharply as her memories flood through his mind, making him freeze with her. He groans angrily when the memories from the first day she met Draco, to losing her virginity to him, to the threesome with Theo and Draco, all the way to bailing them out last night.

Once he's finished seeing it all, Violet collapses onto the ground and groans as she clutches her side and turns on her back. She cries and cries as she watches Adam leave her there and continue walking away through the large corridors. After months, she had forgotten how the pain felt when he would do that to her; she just didn't remember it to hurt this much. Violet gasps when she feels her body jolt up from the floor and she hugs her knees to her chest as she wipes the tears away from her cheeks. Her head is pounding as her memories go back in their place.

"Oh mon Dieu!" Bridgette's recognizable voice shouts and it's followed by running taps of heels against the ground to get Violet. She drops beside her and puts her arm around Violet's shivering body. "Adam did this?"

Violet nods slowly and grips Bridgette's hand which is on her shoulder. "I n-need to go back to England. Come with me." She uses Bridgette's strength to pull herself off the ground and hangs on her. "My friend needs me. I can't lose the person that's been there for me. Please."

The truth would have been 'I can't lose the person who makes me who I am' but it's not going to be admitted soon.

"Of course, Violet." Bridgette lifts her hand and apparates Violets belongings to her. She is more experienced than Violet in apparating; it's better than a portkey now. "One second." Bridgette lifts her hand once more and a large trunk appears in her hand – a trunk that belongs to her. "Hold on and try not to let go."

Violet swallows nervously and wraps her arm tightly around Bridgette's thin figure; holding on for dear life with a grip. Her other hand wraps around the handle of her trunk and she squeezes her eyes shut when Bridgette focuses and their world closes in on them. Violet watches as the world around them starts to form out of Violet's mind, aweing her that Bridgette is experienced enough to do something like that.

Cold, fresh snow meets the bottom of their feet as they land, facing the wooden doors of Violet's apartment building. Bridgette hums adorably and fixes her iconic French beret before stepping towards the doors with Violet behind her.

"So how does this work?" Bridgette speaks in a thick French accent as she turns to Violet and smiles widely. "It's a lot lifeless here; in the muggle world I mean." She hugs her body and exhales into the cold air, leaving a mist behind her as Violet opens the doors and they walk into the warm building.

Not in the right condition to walk, Violet heads towards the elevator from the previous night and presses the button. Bridgette stands with curiosity in front of the metal doors and giggles excitedly when the metal doors open. A couple of middle-aged muggles walk out, angrily grunting at Bridgette's happiness in such a grey day. Violet scolds them and pulls Bridgette into the elevator with her before pressing the floor number and leaning against the glass walls.

"The muggles here aren't very friendly." Violet replies in a low tone. "Don't lose your smile for them. They don't understand our curiosity."

A wider smile curls on Bridgette's lips and she nods at Violet, looking around the box they're in and examining every inch of it. It's all so new to Bridgette. The cars in the street, the elevator, the cellphones the muggles had clutched in their hands. It even spooked Adam when Violet's rang. So, she'd have to get Bridgette used to them.

The doors open up once again, revealing the hall in which Violet's flat is. There's a red – run on – rug over the cherry wood floors and dimly lit lanterns hanging on chains from the ceilings. The building is a bit historic but Violet loves the warm vibes it gives her when she's in it. Bridgette follows Violet out of the elevator and she walks backwards, looking around excitedly and shocked that there are no portraits hanging.

Violet stops at the end of the hall and grabs the key under her mat, making Bridgette hover over her shoulder to curiously watch Violet unlock the door with it. She gasps when Violet pushes the door open and reveals the wonderfully decorated home. A brown leather set of couches, glass coffee table, all expensive brown wood furnishings. Violet's home excites Bridgette.

"Uhm, there's a vacant bedroom –" Violet drops her key on the table like always and points towards the hall. "First door to your left. It's furnished but feel free to decorate it however you please. The kitchen is fully stocked if you're hungry." Violet points at a sliding barn-like door in the living room. "There's a very small library behind that door if you want to read. I have an errand to run but I will be back tonight. Make yourself at home."

Violet let's out an exhausted sigh and grabs her car keys off a silver plate by the door. She waves goodbye to Bridgette – who's excitedly looking around – before leaving and shutting the door behind her. Feeling braver now that it's down, Violet runs down the stairs with her car keys jingling in her hand and she runs out of the building. The muggles passing by give her concerned stares, likely because of her clothing. She looks as though she's going to the country side.

She reaches her car and kicks the snow off her boots before stepping in to the black interior and locking the door as she sits. Theo couldn't have gotten too far if he had just left. He can never apparate with a hangover, especially not one as bad as this one. Violet starts the car and is in too much of a hurry to let it heat up before reversing and driving off with a screech of her tires, leaving smoke behind her. She races through the streets and gets a couple of honks along the way as she passes the other cars going at a regular speed.

Her phone starts ringing and she turns to pick it up in hopes that it's Theo calling her. When she reads his name, she takes her hand off the wheel and reaches over for it but her attention is caught when she hears screeching tires and soon everything's black.

****************

Theo's POV

Minutes before.

Theo grabs the keys to his car as he arrives home after walking such a long distance and he hesitates to walk to the front door to leave. He want's to speak to Violet, reason with her because she made some fair points. She doesn't need to tell him what she's doing at all times. Violet may be younger and he may be in love with her but even without all of that, she's his best friend and he'd hate to be on bad terms with her.

He stops hesitating and runs back outside with his long coat loosely hanging on his body. The snow beneath him crunches satisfyingly as he runs to his car and unlocks the door. He gets inside and turns on the car, not caring about letting it heat up; the car's engine roars as Theo drives out of the gates of his home and races down the long street. Violet must be home and he knows how stubborn she'll be to try to find him too, so he has to get to her before she leaves.

Finally, he enters muggle streets and hits the wheel repeatedly when he sees the cars slowing down at a red light. He groans angrily and swerves them all, causing them to shout at him and he flips all of them off. As he continues speeding, he picks up his phone and dials Violet before putting his phone to his ear. It rings for a couple of seconds and he pulls it down before looking it at, wondering why it's taking so long. However, when he looks back up, he sees a car speeding towards him and it's too late to stop without contact.

After long minutes, Theo opens his eyes and hears distant shouts of passing muggles who are trying to help but don't know what to do. He groans and slowly lifts his head off the steering wheel, seeing it covered in his blood. The hood of his car is completely crushed upwards that his windshield is covered and cracked. He opens his door and painfully steps outside, holding onto the top of his car as he drags his body out.

"Are you alright?" A muggle asks, trying to help him but Theo shoots an obliviate spell her way so he can be left alone.

Theo walks towards the other car and sees Violet with her head against the steering wheel, blood dripping down her face. His heart drops and his adrenaline kicks in, causing him to pull open the car door with no trouble and carry her out carefully. He uses an Accio charm to grab her belongings out of the car and puts them in his pocket.

"Violet!" He gasps and takes off his coat to wrap it around her and lay her down on the snow. The cut on her head bleeds out turning the snow red. "I'm so sorry! Come on, wake up!"

He puts his hand over her gapped lips and he feels her cold breath fan against the back of his hand. A sense of relief takes over his body and an even bigger one does when she groans loudly and opens her eyes. He sighs and pulls her body against his chest, rocking her and burying his face in her hair. He looks up and sees a muggle coming towards them and he lets the man come closer, because he needs him too.

Theo grabs his wand and aims it at the man, uttering an imperius curse. The man tenses and smile, waiting for a command.  "Give me the keys to your car and take the blame for the crash. You will believe it was your fault and you will say the other person was an old man and fled the scene. Go."

"My pleasure." The muggle replies as he tosses his keys and slowly walks into Theo's car, sitting down and closing his eyes.

Theo picks up the muggles keys and takes Violet with him into the mans old car. He sets Violet down in the passenger seat and runs around to the drivers seat, wiping his blood away from his eyes. Violet groans and winces when she tries rubbing her face but her nose is cut across the middle.

"We're going to your place." Theo grabs Violets hand as he starts the car and he rubs his thumb on the back of her hand. "Just relax we'll be there soon."

He reverses the car and does a fast, screeching U-turn back towards the direction of Violet's apartment building. Police cars with their sirens beaming, pass them fast and Theo nervously continues driving until he turns into the parking lot where Violet parks her car.

"Why do I end up hurt or sick every time we're together?" Violet questions, following a laugh that makes her head throb once more. "Sorry." She sighs and opens the car door on her own. "I hope my neighbors aren't out."

Theo struggles to get out of the car and when he does, he helps Violet into the building and they take the elevator once again. Maybe muggle inventions aren't so bad. They come in use for situations like the ones they've had these past two days.

When they walk into her flat, Bridgette jumps up from the couch and furrows her eyebrows at Theo and then gasps when she sees Violet. Theo says nothing and he drops Violet on the couch, moving Bridgette out of the way and using his wand to grab some rubbing alcohol and rags.

"What happened?" Bridgette asks, looking over at Theo stitching Violets head with string from his wand and putting alcohol under her nose to prevent her from hurting. It's an old trick he learned. "And who the hell are you?"

"Theodore Nott. Pleasure." He replies as he cuts the string and runs his hand through Violets hair. "I crashed into Violets car. Apparently, we were driving to each other." Theo turns to Bridgette and eyes her up and down with a wrinkle between his confused eyebrows. "Who are you?"

"Bridgette Perreault." She gulps and eyes him back. "You look old. How is it you know Violet? I never heard her mention you."

"That's insulting." Theo scoffs and hands Bridgette a pile of string with a needle. "Stitch me up will you, Perreault? Maybe I'll tell you a story or two about Violet and I."

Bridgette nods, curious of what Theo has to say. She sits closer and pokes the needle into his skin, yet he doesn't let out a single wince of pain. Nor does he show he's in pain either. "So, tell me. How did the two of you meet?"