For Your Love

Chapter 19 - Balance Shift

Harry opened the door to his room to find Ron kneeling on the floor, tossing things haphazardly out of his trunk.

"Alright there, Ron?" he asked, dropping his bag next to his bed and shrugging off his robe.

"Have you seen my Spellright Quill?" Ron asked, sifting through his belongings. "I know I had it in Transfiguration and now I can't find it anywhere."

"No," Harry said.

"This is the third time this week I've lost something!" he growled in exasperation, sitting back on his feet. "First my Charms notebook, then my new Quidditch Monthly, and now this! It's really starting to piss me off."

"Oh, that reminds me," Harry said, rummaging through his bag. He pulled out a tattered pad of parchment and handed it to Ron. "Here's your notebook. Hermione said she found it in the library."

"The library? What the hell was it doing in there?"

"How should I know?" Harry shrugged. "You could try asking her," he added brazenly.

"Lay off it, Harry." Ron snapped the lid of his trunk shut. "Maybe I left it downstairs," he mumbled as he slouched out of the room.

Harry flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes. End of term exams had everyone on edge these days, and the holiday break couldn't come soon enough. He let his mind drift toward Christmas, the Burrow, Ginny, Ellie...

His thoughts were interrupted by the door swinging open as Seamus and Dean sauntered in, chuckling and shaking their heads.

"Leave it to Weasley, the poor sod," Seamus said. "He can't even break up with the girl but he lands himself right back where he started."

"What happened?" Harry asked, sitting up.

"Ron caught Hermione downstairs with his missing Quidditch Monthly and one of his quills in her bag," Dean explained, his eyes full of mirth. "Started in on her about it and accused her of nicking his things."

Harry's jaw dropped open. "You're joking. Did she hex him?" he asked.

"That's the thing," Dean continued. "It seems he was dead on. She said she'd only done it because he's been ignoring her and being a right git."

"What?" Harry exclaimed.

"Actually, what she said was," Seamus cut in, adopting a Hermione-like tone, "'If you had any sense, Ron, you'd have dropped this silent treatment days ago. Now I've had to become a thief just so you'll talk to me!' Blimey, there's no rest for the weary with those two." Seamus shook his head as Dean continued to chuckle to himself.

Yes, Harry thought, it would definitely be good to get away for a holiday.

* * *

"Ron, wait!" Hermione yelled as she ran out of the portrait hole after him. She had succeeded in making him angry, but now she was afraid she'd taken it too far. Nevertheless, she was not going to let him walk away from their friendship again.

Ron stopped abruptly, whirling to face her. "Why, Hermione? Why in the world... I'm so bloody angry at you right now I can hardly see straight. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Ron, just because I can't be your girlfriend doesn't mean I want you out of my life! I've been going spare trying to get you to say more than one syllable to me for the past week. You're my best friend, and I will not give that up." Her chest was heaving with adrenaline, but her countenance changed from determined to desperate. "Ginny said if I made you angry then you'd be forced to talk to me."

Ron stared at her, not believing his ears. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

She raised her chin in defiance. "It worked, didn't it?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, Hermione, this is fighting. Not talking. Maybe if you'd put as much effort into our relationship as you have into this, we wouldn't be not speaking in the first place."

Hermione deflated a bit and lowered her eyes. "Okay, I deserved that," she admitted flatly. She looked up again and bit her tongue, waiting for him to continue as he stood there clenching and unclenching his jaw.

"I don't know, Hermione," he said finally. "I don't know if I can go back to just being friends."

"Don't think of it as going back," she said softly. "Think of it as going forward... and maybe we can do it better this time." She took a step toward him and grasped his arm. "Please, Ron."

He shrugged her hand away, but met her eyes for a long moment.

"I'll think about it," he said warily.

"Alright," she agreed.

They stood awkwardly for a heartbeat until Hermione broke the silence.

"So, do you... want to do some revision together later tonight?" she asked.

Ron pressed his lips together into a tight smile. "Don't push it," he warned.

"No, sorry," she relented.

"I have to go. See you later," he said, brushing against her arm as he headed down the corridor.

"See you," she said as she turned to watch him go.

"Hey, Hermione," a voice called behind her. Turning, she saw Colin striding down the corridor toward her and was struck by the tenseness in his shoulders and worry on his face; he had always been amiable and enthusiastic to a fault but, she thought sadly, his easy-going manner seemed to have deteriorated over the past few months. As much as she loved them, the Weasleys did seem to have a knack for turning one's world upside down.

"Hi, Colin," she said tiredly. "What's up?"

"I was just looking for Ginny," he sighed. "We were supposed to meet in the library to revise for our Potions exam. Have you seen her?"

She shook her head sympathetically. "No, sorry."

"Right, thanks anyway." He started to go, then changed his mind and turned back. "Hermione, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You know Ginny pretty well. Am I... missing something?"

Her first instinct was to ask what he meant, but then realized that it was a pointless question; she knew exactly what he meant and why he was asking. She sighed. "I don't know, Colin. She hasn't seemed like herself lately, has she?"

"No. I don't know if it's something I did... or didn't do... or if she's just not interested anymore."

"Oh, I don't think it's you," Hermione tried to reassure him. "Sometimes I think Ginny just doesn't know how to reach out to people for help. It's that Weasley pride, you know." Colin smiled ruefully and nodded. "It's almost like when she..." Hermione continued, but then stopped herself.

"When she what?" Colin asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing." She wasn't sure how much Colin knew about Ginny's involvement with the Chamber of Secrets and didn't think it was her place to enlighten him.

"Well, if you see her..."

"I'll tell her you're looking for her," Hermione nodded.

"Thanks," he said and continued on his way.

* * *

Ginny hurried through the library doors and rushed to the Potions section, causing several heads to turn and earning a disapproving tut from Madam Pince, the librarian. She searched the stacks for any sign of Colin, and when she didn't find him, slumped into a chair at the table where they had arranged to meet. She knew she was horribly late for their revision session and couldn't blame him for not waiting. Taking a deep breath, she propped her elbows on the table and lowered her head into her hands.

"Full moon out tonight. Lovely evening for a stroll along the cliffs, don't you think?"

Ginny's head shot up and straight into the smug gaze of Draco Malfoy, who had seated himself across the table from her. She snapped her head to the left and right, wondering if he had been addressing someone else. Unfortunately, there were no likely candidates nearby, and she was forced to conclude that he had meant these words for her alone.

"I know where you've been going at night," he said in a low voice, leaning across the table, "and if you don't want anyone else to find out, you should really be more careful."

Ginny's eyes grew wide, but before she could formulate a reply, a dark-haired girl approached the table and folded her arms.

"Draco," Pansy said coolly, "I thought we were ready to leave, but when I turned around, you'd disappeared." She cast an appraising glance at Ginny. "What are you doing with her anyway?"

"Just passing along a message," he said, giving Ginny a penetrating look as he rose and took Pansy's hand, who narrowed her eyes at the other girl once more before allowing Draco to lead her away.

Several minutes later, Ginny pushed the library door open, still shaken from her encounter with Malfoy. She thought she had been deflecting attention from her whereabouts with her "homework" and "time alone" excuses, and her friends had seemed to buy it. But if she was on the Slytherins' radar, especially one as malicious as Malfoy, she was treading in dangerous waters. Still, why threaten her, if indeed it was a threat? Even if he knew where she was going, he couldn't possibly know why, could he?

"Ginny!"

At the sound of her name, she looked around, startled.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Colin said with concern, approaching her from the other end of the corridor. "Did you forget we were going to revise for Potions?"

"No, I..." she stammered. "Well, yes, I did. I remembered too late and when I got here, you'd already gone. Sorry."

"Are you alright? You don't look well."

"I'm fine, Colin," she said tersely. "You don't need to hover over me, you know. I can take care of myself."

Colin frowned in agitation. "Well excuse me for being concerned about my girlfriend. Though at this point, I'm beginning to wonder if we really are dating at all, since we hardly ever spend time together and don't exactly communicate when we do." Ginny frowned and avoided his eyes, but she was clearly unsettled about something. "Would you at least talk to me and tell me what's wrong?"

She met his eyes with a stern look. "Nothing's wrong."

"I see. So I should just accept that and drop it, is that it?"

She folded her arms across her chest and the color rose in her cheeks, but she said nothing more.

"Listen Ginny, you know how I feel about you," Colin said in a lowered voice. "I care about you so much, but I can't hold up my end of this relationship much longer if you're not willing to meet me halfway. I thought you at least valued our friendship more than that."

Ginny's shoulders relaxed and she gave him a plaintive look. "I do, Colin, our friendship means a lot to me. You have to know that."

"What I know is that friends don't lie to each other or push them away. If you're going through something that you're not ready to share with me yet, that's fine. I'm not asking you to spill your innermost secrets to me. But don't lie and say nothing's wrong."

Ginny felt a lump rise in her throat and tried to swallow it down. She was hurting Colin terribly, she knew, but wouldn't it hurt him more if she told him that they couldn't be together without being able to tell him why? Did she even want that? She wasn't sure what she wanted anymore; everything had become so mixed-up and distorted.

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you the answers you're looking for." Colin snorted in frustration and she felt tears pricking at her eyes. "Do you still want to be with me?"

"Yes," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "That's all I've ever wanted. The question is, do you still want to be with me?"

She took a deep breath, and a sadness weighed on her heart. "Colin, maybe we need a little break from each other." She saw the hurt and anger flicker in his eyes. "I'm not saying I want things to end between us, but maybe some time apart will do us good."

He stared at her hard for a moment. "Yeah, maybe it will," he said in a rough voice as he turned away and strode out of sight, leaving her to sag against the wall in exhaustion as the sound of cruel laughter echoed triumphantly through her mind.

* * *

Harry took a deep breath as he entered the Great Hall for breakfast. He felt good; exams were nearly over, Ron and Hermione were on speaking terms again, a glittering snowfall had blanketed the grounds in white, and in two days time he would be boarding the Hogwarts Express for the Christmas holidays. But in spite of all this, there was something that had been weighing on his mind; he felt that the time had come to make a decision. A decision about Ellie.

He had been thinking about it for a few days now and had come to the same conclusion each time. What he and Ellie had together was growing steadily into something more than a convenient arrangement. They had shared so much together that he found himself wanting more - more than quick snogs in darkened closets, more than the occasional glance across the room or notes passed in the corridors. Maybe it was foolish to think that she could ever really understand him. Maybe it wasn't fair to expose her to what his life really was. But no matter what arguments he presented to himself, the fact remained that he wanted to try; to see if they could get past being just a distraction for each other and really be together.

Sometimes he toyed with the idea of what it might be like to have that with Ginny. He treasured her friendship, and he knew that Ginny would always hold a special place in his heart. They had experienced things together that few other people ever could, and he shared a connection with her that he didn't with anyone else.

But being with Ginny brought so many other things with it, complicated things. There was her family to consider, their role in the war, and their vulnerability to Voldemort because of their support of him. Yet even if those obstacles had not been there, the fact was that Ginny had moved on. She had found someone who loved her, who was good to her. And despite his feeling that Colin wasn't quite good enough for Ginny, he couldn't begrudge her that if it's what she wanted.

What was it that Ginny had said? That maybe he just wanted to find someone too, someone to be happy with. He already knew that Ellie liked him and wanted to be with him, and he couldn't deny that he felt happy when he was with her. She made him feel normal and alive at the same time; she gave him a release from the burdens of his life. And so, after some debate, he had made up his mind to tell her how he felt.

His eyes roamed over the Ravenclaw table, and he soon found Ellie's dark head bent over several sheets of parchment as she did some last-minute revising and nibbled on a piece of toast. He smiled warmly at the sight of her.

"You're looking very pleased this morning for someone who's about to endure a two-hour Potions exam," Hermione said as he sat down across from her.

Harry blinked and brought himself back to the present. "With all the revision you've put me through this week, I could pass this exam in my sleep," he said, pouring himself a glass of juice. "I'll just go in there and keep my head down, Snape will find some excuse to take ten points from me, and that will be the end of it. Besides, Ellie will be my partner for the practical part, so I can't muck it up too badly."

"You two make a good team," Hermione said shrewdly.

Harry smiled. "I suppose we do."

The whooshing sound of wings announced the arrival of the morning mail. A brown barn owl swooped over Harry's head, dropping a note onto his plate before soaring out the window again. He unfolded the parchment to see Ellie's now-familiar handwriting.

I need to see you tonight, I have something to tell you. Can we meet in the Astronomy Tower after dinner? Let me know, I hope you can.

E.

He glanced at the Ravenclaw table, but Ellie's head was still buried in her notes. No matter, he could tell her in Potions. He read the note again and a contented smile played over his features.

"Who's that from?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Just Dumbledore, wishing me a Happy Christmas," he said, hastily refolding the note and putting it in his robe pocket.

She furrowed her brow at him, but decided against interrogating him further. "Ready?" she asked, standing and gathering her notes.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he responded and gulped down the last of his juice.

* * *

Several hours later, with the last of his exams behind him, Harry anxiously finished his dinner and headed for the Astronomy Tower. Ellie had been very quiet during their Potions exam, only nodding when he told her he would meet her later, but he chalked it up to nerves. She was always nervous before an exam, just like Hermione, though he thought they had done well enough to earn more than a passing mark.

As he climbed the winding staircase to the top of the tower, his feet slowed. Was he doing the right thing? No, he couldn't second-guess himself again. He wanted this. After all, she had wanted to meet with him, too; she had something to tell him. Maybe she felt the same way. For once in his life, Harry thought perhaps he was getting something right.

He stepped through the door at the top of the stairs and saw that she was already there, standing out on the observation parapet. He crossed the classroom and opened the double glass doors, breathing in the cold, still air as he stepped outside.

"Hi," he said softly, his breath rising into the night.

She turned, and he was struck by the beauty of her face in the moonlight. "Hi," she smiled, and he felt a sudden shyness come over him. He cast about for something to say.

"Glad exams are finally over," he began. "Potions was alright. How was Arithmancy?"

"Alright," she nodded.

He moved closer to her and noticed that she had her arms wrapped around herself. "Are you cold?" he asked. "We could go inside."

"No," she said, turning to look up at the sky. "I was just looking at the stars. The sky is so clear tonight."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "it's really beautiful." He reached out his hand to touch her hair, causing her to turn toward him again. "I'm really glad you asked me up here tonight. There's something I want to talk to you about."

Ellie's eyebrows raised faintly in surprise. "There is?"

Harry nodded and reached for her hand, enveloping it in his own. "I've been thinking about you... about us... a lot. I really like you, Ellie."

Her eyes widened and he could see her breath quicken, but she kept silent so he plunged on.

"I think we should try being together, you know, as a couple. I... I want to be with you. For real, no more sneaking around."

"Harry..." she whispered, her brow knitting together.

"No, it's just... I see you in class or in the corridors, and I want to be near you, I want everyone to know that we're together. This thing that we've been doing..." He paused and gestured between them. "It's been great, but I want more. I think we could be good together, and I'm hoping you feel that way, too. I know this wasn't the plan, but I really, really..." He looked into her eyes and brought his face closer to hers until his lips felt her warm breath, and he kissed her, softly and tenderly. A small noise escaped her throat, but before he could deepen the kiss, she pulled away.

"It's too much, I can't do this," she said in a strangled voice.

"El," Harry breathed, "I'm starting to think I could fall in..."

"Harry don't," she said urgently as a look of utter panic crossed her face. "Please. Don't say it. You weren't supposed to... I told you, no strings."

Harry's stomach lurched, and his mouth dropped open in surprise. "Can you honestly tell me you don't feel anything for me?" he asked, the hurt evident in his voice.

A sadness came over her eyes, and it tore at him. "No," she whispered. She pushed away from him and turned to stand at the edge of the wall, looking out into the starry sky. "Reed owled me. He wants me to come visit him over Christmas hols. He wants to see if we can try again, to see if we can make it work. He says he's miserable without me." She turned to face him, her cheeks stained with tears. "I have to try, Harry. I love him."

Harry's shock immediately gave way to something else. "You don't love him. If you did, you wouldn't be with me," he said harshly.

Ellie's face twisted in despair. "Just because I gave up on him doesn't mean I stopped loving him. I needed you take that pain away from me and make me feel wanted again. And you did... you did. But I have to try. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Harry bristled at her words and took a step back. "I don't know."

Her chest hitched in a sob. She moved toward him, but he folded his arms protectively across his chest. "If he let you go once, what makes you think he won't do it again?"

She shook her head but didn't answer his question. "I don't want to leave you like this."

"Why not?" he asked, his voice rising. "That's what you wanted, isn't it? For us to use each other until something better came along?"

"No, Harry..."

"Just go." His voice wavered, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold it together.

She picked up her bag and moved toward the door, pausing when she reached it to whisper, "I'm sorry." And with one last look over her shoulder, she was gone.

Harry listened until her footsteps died away. Only then did he allow his body to slump against the wall and down to the floor, resting his elbows on his knees and covering his face with his hands.

* * *

Ginny rummaged through her schoolbag once more. Not finding what she needed, she threw it aside and got on her hands and knees to look under her bed.

"What'd you lose?" Maura asked.

"My Astronomy book. I have to revise for that exam tomorrow." She straightened up and brushed the hair out of her face. "I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"You can borrow my book," Maura offered.

"No, all my notes are in mine. Maybe I left it in the Astronomy Tower; I was up there talking to Professor Sinistra earlier today. I'll go look."

Ginny walked briskly through the corridors, grumbling to herself. She couldn't wait to get these exams over with and then be off to the Burrow for a well-deserved holiday. The thought of being in her own room again, surrounded by her family and her mother's cooking, and being with Harry almost made it seem like things would be alright again.

As she approached the tower staircase, the sound of footsteps caused her to pause. She saw a figure emerge from the doorway and rush off in the other direction toward Ravenclaw Tower. The girl seemed to be upset, and the only feature Ginny could identify was her long, dark hair. She shrugged and climbed the winding stairs to the top, entered the classroom, and began searching under the desks for her book.

"Aha!" she exclaimed softly, finally finding it on a shelf near Professor Sinistra's desk. She turned to go but was halted by a feeling of confusion tinged with sadness washing over her. She looked around, but the room was empty, and she had almost convinced herself that it was just her mind playing tricks on her when a movement out on the parapet caught her eye. Slowly, she moved toward the window and saw a lone figure sitting in the shadows, hunched against the cold. Her instincts told her to go and leave whoever it was to themselves, but there was something familiar about the emotions she felt radiating toward her. It almost felt like it was...

"Harry?"

Ginny hurried through the door and crouched in front of him in alarm. "Harry? What's wrong, what's happened?"

He looked up at her, and her insides wrenched at the sadness and anger on his face. He stood quickly, moving away from her toward the edge of the wall, and looked out over the grounds. She waited, not wanting to push him. Finally, he spoke in a bewildered voice, looking to the sky.

"Gin, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Hermione told me a few years ago that you had given up on me."

She paused. "Yes, I suppose I did."

He turned to face her. "Did you..." He stopped and looked at her for a moment, her trusting eyes waiting for him to continue. Jumbled thoughts bounced around inside his head. How could he have misread things so badly? Ellie still loved Reed even though she said she had given up on him. He wanted to believe it was a lie, and yet, it felt oddly familiar. He looked at Ginny again and felt that the world had shifted so that he was now starting to see things from her point of view. But no, he couldn't drag her feelings for him into this.

He shook his head. "Nothing. It's not fair of me to ask you that."

Ginny frowned. "Ask me what?" He shook his head again and turned back to the wall, but she stepped forward and placed her hand on his arm. "Harry, look at me," she prodded. "Ask me what?"

Harry exhaled deeply and searched her eyes once more before asking the question. "Did you love me?"

Ginny was caught completely off guard. Harry had never spoken to her so directly before nor allowed himself to be so vulnerable in front of her. Whatever had happened, it had hurt him deeply, and she felt a need to be very careful with her next words.

"I thought I did." His eyes still held hers, looking for answers. "Yes," she admitted finally. "I did."

"And when you gave up on me, did you stop loving me?"

"Harry..." she said gently, unsure of what he wanted her to say.

"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head in embarrassment. "You don't have to answer that."

Ginny could see that he was searching for something; he needed honesty from her, and she desperately wanted to give it to him, regardless of the fact that it would mean laying her heart on the line for him. Again. She tightened her grip on his arm. "No, I didn't stop. But I moved on. I had to."

Harry turned away and gripped the edge of the wall where Ellie had stood, looking out over the grounds. "No," he repeated to himself, bending low so that his forehead touched the cool stone. Ginny could see his fingers turning white as he squeezed them tighter. "How could I have been so stupid?"

Ginny felt her heart break for him. She wanted to wrap him in her arms and cast a spell to banish whatever was hurting him. She kept silent, waiting for him to let her in. After a few moments, Harry felt her hand on his, gently lifting his fingers from the wall. He straightened and looked at their intertwined hands, his face downcast.

"Harry, what happened?"

He shook his head. "I don't think I want to talk about it yet."

Impulsively, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him to her. "I would take it away if I could," she whispered.

He buried his face in her hair and held her tighter, grateful for the chance to hold her again and to feel the security and warmth that radiated from her. "I know you would."

* * *

The train ride home from Hogwarts was a somber affair. No one felt much like talking; Harry and Ron spent the ride playing mindless card games while Ginny wandered between compartments in an effort to keep the uncomfortable silences with Colin to a minimum.

Only Hermione was her usual self. She tried to engage the boys in conversation about their exams, but they finally shooed her away. Claiming that she had Head Girl duties to attend to anyway (which wasn't strictly true, but made her feel less ignored), she made quick rounds of the train before heading to the Prefects' compartment. It was mercifully empty, and she settled into a seat by the window, watching the passing landscape and allowing herself a rare moment of peace.

Her eyelids had just begun to droop when the compartment door slid open, and Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson stepped inside. Hermione eyed them disinterestedly.

"If you're looking for a place to snog, go somewhere else," she said, turning her gaze back to the window.

Pansy snorted. "Granger, only you would do something so common as to snog in a train car," she said derisively.

Draco chuckled at Hermione's look of indignation, but admired her coolness in dealing with Pansy. He turned to his girlfriend. "Pans, go back and sit with the girls, I'll see you later." She opened her mouth to protest, but one raise of his eyebrow shut it again, so with a regal air and a possessive peck on his cheek, she left.

"Who's got their significant other trained now?" Hermione asked, not bothering to hide her smirk.

"I was just looking for a little peace and quiet, but she will insist on following me everywhere," Draco sighed, taking a seat across from her.

"I don't think there's enough room in here for both of us, Malfoy. I'll leave you alone," Hermione said, rising.

Draco shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Hermione considered for a moment. "Alright, I will," she said and sat back down.

They rode in silence as Hermione did her best to ignore his presence, but only succeeded in becoming more aware of him by the minute. What was he playing at? It was so unlike him to voluntarily remain in her presence for longer than absolutely necessary, but she reflected that for all their protests to the contrary, they really had formed a semblance of a working relationship over the past term.

"So, what does a Malfoy do for Christmas holiday?" she ventured. "It's a whirlwind of fancy parties and lavishly expensive gifts I suppose?"

"It's not necessary to make conversation just because we're both here, Granger," he replied dismissively.

They lapsed into silence once more, until a thought sprang to Hermione's mind. "How's your mother, Malfoy?"

He looked up sharply, but instead of a scathing retort, he quickly schooled his expression. "I don't know how that could possibly be any of your business."

His voice had become as silky smooth as his father's, Hermione realized with a start. The little boy who had taunted them, belittled them, and often made life hell for them, was gone. But in his place was a man who had learned the art of being calculating and subtle - a much more lethal combination, to be sure. Hermione knew it should have put her on edge, but surprisingly, it gave her confidence. She knew how to play his game.

"There was a break-in at Malfoy Manor several weeks ago, wasn't there? The Prophet said she was hurt. Was anything taken?"

"My mother is fine. And as for anything that may or may not have been taken from my home, that's hardly something I'm going to discuss with you."

Hermione cocked her head and eyed him curiously. "You're becoming more like your father every day."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he replied without emotion.

"It wasn't meant as one," she stated.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "You're right," he said, standing. "It is getting crowded in here."

"Malfoy," Hermione called as he walked toward the door. He paused with his back to her. "Happy Christmas."

A shadow came over Draco's eyes, and his mouth tightened into a slight frown. He turned his head slightly, but didn't reply as he slid the door shut behind him.

Hermione lifted a finger to her mouth and chewed on it in thought as she watched the fields give way to houses. They were nearing London.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Next week... Christmas at the Burrow with some quality time for Harry & Ginny.