Antares

Chapter Four ~ Bittersweet Christmas

Aki lay on her side, hugging a big ball of blankets. In one hand, she held the letter from her mother that she had received two days ago; the day the Hogwarts train back to London had departed. In the letter, her mother apologized profusely for not letting Aki come home and for the rubbish letter that she was sent before the holiday. After all, her father had written it in haste. Apparently what had happened was that Aki's father got into a dispute with a muggle, a Chinese one, and he used his wand on him to do a mild curse. Mild or not, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic was not pleased, and he had to be taken in for discipline. Hence, it would've just been better for everybody if Aki just stayed at Hogwarts. Aki shook her head; her father was a stubborn man who acted on first instincts.

She forced herself off of her bed and looked around, contemplating the drab Ravenclaw bedroom. The sight of the room was depressing. Four of the beds were neatly made up; leaving Aki's the only one in a mess. Christmas boxes and presents still lay all over Aki's bed. She dug through the mess of wrapping paper for the bottle of peppermint rum she had received that morning. It was an odd package; it was the only one she'd received with no indication of the sender. Aki concluded that Victoria must have left it as a nice gift before leaving for home. She tore off the cap, and with jittery hands, brought it to her lips. For that moment the sweet liquid slid down her throat, she completely forgot that she was away from her family and all alone with Rachel. It felt good, but it was short-lived, as her nerves started to act up again after five seconds. She pondered taking another drink, but she hadn't eaten anything all day, and overindulging in rum probably wasn't the best idea right now. Aki replaced the cap and put it back into the muddle of Christmas wrappings. She stepped over towards the window and stared drearily into the full-length mirror that stood there. She was dreading the walk down to the Great Hall. It was a simple feast, and she was feeling a bit peckish, but the presence of Rachel downstairs made her hesitate. She wished that she could just get some turkey and potatoes and take it back to the dormitory. She really did not feel like going down at all. She urged herself to go soon however, since Rachel would get angry if she showed up too late. Aki could picture it clearly; Rachel towering over her, green eyes piercing into her like dragon fangs, and harsh, obscene words being spat at her. In the mirror, Aki saw that her hands were shaking.

"Stop it!" she asserted herself.

Her reflection looked apprehensive and seemed to quiver. Aki balled her fists to feel some sense of inner strength. Remembering what Victoria had told her, Aki said one last affirmation before heading to the waiting feast downstairs.

"Rachel is a friend."

*****

The entrance doors to the Great Hall were wide open, calling to everyone who passed by. Aki timidly stepped in; the room was only about half-full, but the noise level was similar to when everyone was there. Twelve intricately decorated trees sat along the perimeter of the room. The suits of armour lined up against the sidewalls had strange lights poking through the chinks. Aki listened; over the bustling chatter, mesmeric tenor voices were singing Christmas carols. A tiny, fluffy white thing fell into her hair. Aki touched it; it was dry, warm, and quickly disintegrated. She looked up for the source, snowflakes, falling delicately from the ceiling. Hogwarts had created the most perfect setting for Christmas. If there was ever a room more filled with joy and happiness than this one, she hadn't seen it.

"Aki!" Rachel ran up the path between the tables. "Keep me waiting, eh?"

Aki cowered as Rachel snaked her hand out and grabbed hold of Aki's arm. Rachel ran quickly back to her spot at the table, having to drag the sluggish Aki behind her. Aki looked as if she was being led to the slaughter. Rachel sat down near the end of the rightmost table and gestured for Aki to sit across from her. Aki nervously took a seat and noticed that Rachel already had a plate of prodded food in front of her. Normally, Aki would be sampling food off of the plate by now, but since it was Rachel's plate, she fought off the temptation.

"What took you so long?" Rachel asked, a bit irate.

"T-took me a long w-while to get here," Aki said waveringly.

"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "It took me a long time to get my arse down here as well. Why do they have to make the damned Great Hall so far from the dormitories?"

"D-d-don't want us eating all the time and get-getting thick."

Aki spoke like Quirrell, and even threw in the nervous laugh that he'd usually do as well. Aki's observation was received well by Rachel, who smirked and made a "hmmph!" noise. Rachel resumed eating, and Aki saw that Rachel's plate had only one turkey drumstick, chipolatas, and some buttered peas; nothing she'd have to cut up. They were moderate portions too; Rachel knew how to feast lightly. The food looked delicious, but Aki sat there drumming her fingers on the table. She didn't have much of an appetite since Rachel was making her edgy.

"Aren't you eating?" said Rachel with one brow raised.

"Err... y-yes, of course."

"Go on then. You'll get stuck with the lousy stuff if you don't hurry up."

Aki deferred for a second, then slowly reached over to one of the nearby platters. She slapped some turkey on her plate and spooned cranberry sauce on it, not really paying attention to how much she was getting. She was staring off somewhere, frantically trying to think of some topics of conversation.

"Sure you can clean all that off?" Rachel said, surveying Aki's plate.

Aki looked down; a single slice of turkey with a five-inch high pile of cranberry sauce lay on her plate. It really looked quite disgusting.

"Ah... ahrum..." Aki stuttered. "I-I-I suppose not."

Aki swept the sauce away to the side of her plate and began to cut up her turkey slice. Rachel was eating quietly, and so the only noise was the occasional squeak of Aki's knife when it sliced into the plate. Everybody else in the hall was laughing and chatting loudly, leaving Aki and Rachel looking a bit out of place. Rachel was just sitting there, dining peacefully as if she was not bothered by the absence of conversation. The silence between them was the most awkward that Aki had ever experienced, and she began to feel sweat poking through the pores at the back of her neck. It seemed like ages that neither of them spoke. The turkey that Aki was cutting up was already in bite-sized morsels by now, but she cut them into even smaller pieces to make it look like she was too busy to talk. Aki began to rack her brain for an excuse to get out of there. It may have seemed anti-social, but she really wanted to just eat alone in her bedroom right now.

"How are you enjoying Christmas so far, Aki?" Rachel said finally.

"I-it's alright."

"Did you get lots of presents this morning?"

Aki was relieved at Rachel's follow-up question, as her answer to the first wasn't that impressive.

"I definitely wasn't e-expecting that many presents."

"Was a nice surprise, wasn't it?"

"Definitely, b-but where d'they all come from, anyway?"

"I'm thinking McGonagall has something to do with it, but I can't say for sure."

Rachel had nothing more to say on that topic, and started biting off some chipolata. The uncomfortable silence had returned, and the shred of calm that was growing on Aki instantly vapourized. She hoped that that wasn't the extent of their Christmas feast dialogue, as that would just be pathetic, but Aki couldn't really think of much to say at this moment, and went back to putting her full focus on her supper.

"Did you get some presents from Victoria and Daphne?" a conversation-initiating Rachel said.

Aki lowered her head even further, not wanting to meet Rachel's eyes. Aki hadn't gotten anything for Rachel this Christmas, since they weren't that close. The guilt and uneasiness was substantial, but Aki pretended like it was nothing.

"J-just a couple nice things."

"Feh. You should've seen the girly junk Daphne gave me, eh? Although, I thought Victoria's present was interesting. Got me a book of astronomy she was telling me about, she did."

Aki face had a flouting look to it.

"A book of astronomy?"

"Yeah. And don't give me that look either. I don't actually read it; I just look at the pictures. Hardcover too... fun to throw."

"You throw it around?"

"Just at people who get me shirty."

Aki laughed, but it was probable that Rachel wasn't joking. Aki brought up a piece of turkey stained red from the cranberry sauce but stopped when she noticed something odd. The caroling voices were extremely close, almost humming in her ear. She turned in her seat sharply but saw no one. She looked from side to side; the boys pigging out next to her were definitely not the ones singing. The only other thing nearby was the glowing suit of armour. Aki gasped and moved in closer. She listened carefully; she could hear the sound echoing inside the suit, bouncing off the metal.

"Couldn't be," Aki whispered to herself.

The armour was completely still and lifeless, but such a moving sound was coming from it. She leaned in and scrutinized it.

"Rachel... is it just me, or is that armour singing?"

"It is," she answered unconcernedly.

"How'd they do that???"

"How do they do anything in this place, eh? It's nutty here, I tell you."

Rachel took a swig of water and listened to the armour with her full attention for a moment.

"Ah. This is one of the good carols, I'll say."

She drew in a breath, and started singing along with the caroling armour. Aki had never heard Rachel sing before, but she couldn't believe that Rachel's singing voice was for real. It was surprisingly light and mellow, which was a vast difference from the screams and curses of her normal speaking voice. She sort of wished everyone, including the metal suits behind her, would shut up so she could hear Rachel more clearly. Unfortunately, Rachel only sang a couple of lines, and then took a ravenous bite of turkey drumstick. Aki's mind was thrown back to reality, and everything now sounded so dull in comparison to that wonderful noise.

"Blimey, Rachel," Aki said. "You ought to be singing on the Wizard Wireless!"

Rachel just gave her usual scoff and rolled her eyes. They went on with their meal; Aki snuck a few peeks at Rachel, waiting to see when, and if, she was going to talk again. After one particular glance where Rachel had almost caught Aki watching at her, Aki turned away quickly and observed the stack of oversized, wrapped objects.

"What are those, Rachel?"

"Wizard crackers."

Rachel took one from the pile and tossed it to Aki.

"Try one."

"What do I do with it?" Aki said, examining it curiously.

"What? You've never had crackers before? Just pull on each end."

"Like this?"

"Yes," Rachel said quickly, not taking her eyes of Aki.

Aki pulled hard on both ends and yelped as a blue smoke exploded in her face. Rachel threw her head back and clapped her hands. She looked very amused.

"I was just waiting for that to happen! You should've seen your face!"

Aki coughed and fanned her hand around, trying to disperse the smoke.

"What was that???"

"That's wizard crackers, Aki," Rachel said happily.

"A bit extreme, aren't they?"

"Who cares! Look at the nice present you've got now."

Aki picked up the small two-by-two inch box and read the label:

Confetti Snowball

Remove packaging, toss at surface (preferably a ceiling), and enjoy your own instant celebration!

Warning: Should not be thrown at people

"Ohh, wow!"

Rachel had pulled open a cracker of her own, and inspected the bag of non-explodable balloons she had in hers.

"Are there presents in all of them?!?" Aki asked.

"Hmm, yes. I would think so."

Aki made a giddy noise and jumped up from her seat. She was practically climbing over people to get an armful of wizard crackers. Rachel grabbed Aki's arm and shook it once.

"Christ sakes! Do you think you could tone down the greed just a bit?!"

Aki let all the crackers drop from her hold. She quickly snatched up one and held it protectively.

"I'm keeping one."

"All right, then," said Rachel in a sarcastic tone.

The main course finished up, and all the turkey skeletons disappeared off the table. An endless array of every imaginable sweet soon followed. Cakes, tarts, pies, brownies, stretching from one end of the table to the other; it was time for dessert.

"Doughnuts?" said Aki hopefully, stretching over to browse the entire length of table.

"No doughnuts!!!"

Aki felt that same letdown whenever she was denied jam doughnuts. She helped herself to a couple of brownie squares, vanilla fudge, and a trifle. Rachel stuck mostly to the pies. The both of them were not completely finished until Rachel had tried each of the three different pies, and Aki was leaned back, fighting to breathe.

"You ready then?" Rachel said.

"I... I think so," said Aki with hardly any breath.

Rachel stood up and took a stretch. Aki made her way around the table to stand beside her. She browsed the room; everyone had pretty much finished their meal too, but was still hanging around. Aki wanted to see who else had stayed over the holidays, and she wandered around the Great Hall aimlessly, with Rachel following. Aki walked through each aisle, scanning the clumps of people for a familiar face. There wasn't one she could put a name to, except when she spotted Harry Potter and some red haired kid inspecting a 'Grow-Your-Own-Warts' kit. She gasped softly, getting a little giddy at the school celebrity. He was like a dream, yet so tangible. Just a few strides over and she could be standing right next to the legend.

"There's Harry Potter..." said Aki.

Rachel didn't say anything, but she stuck her tongue out in repulsion as if she had tasted spoiled sweets.

"Let's go wish him a Happy Christmas..."

"Let's not," Rachel said curtly, pulling Aki away.

Aki stood on her tiptoes and twisted her neck to get a look at Potter until Rachel had led her too far away. Her frivolous admiration had passed, and Aki resumed back to normal. Rachel was starting to admire the indoor snow, and stuck out her hand to catch some.

"Hah!" Aki pointed somewhere. "Look at Dumbledore there."

A flowered bonnet sat atop Dumbledore's head and replaced his usual pointy hat. He was bellowing with laughter at something, a hand over his belly.

"He looks like my grammum!" Rachel said.

Aki rested from her strolling.

"Everyone's getting a little silly."

"Must've been something in the food, eh?" Rachel said.

Aki smirked. All she could hear was untamed chortles and lively chatter. The joyous spirit was definitely drilling its way into the students and staff. Rachel shifted into a leaning slouch. She flicked her finger at Aki's arm and then pointed to Hagrid.

"Look. Look at him there."

Hagrid was about as red as a tomato. Crumbs still hung in his thick beard. He was swinging a big cup of something and throwing his head back to guffaw.

"The man's as drunk as a house-elf on a day off," Rachel said.

Hagrid swaggered a bit in his seat. He leaned over and planted a little kiss on McGonagall's cheek. She giggled and turned as red as he.

"Did'ye see that?!" Aki exclaimed.

"There's something I wasn't expecting!"

It was a rarity to see the Transfigurations professor like this. Her top hat was askew, and her stony face was actually smiling.

"I would've thought she'd slap him for trying something like that!" said Aki.

"Well, I can guess that she's as drunk as that big oaf!" Rachel said.

The hall was emptying out at a steady pace. Aki was surprised at her disappointment at how the feast was over so fast. The feast was supposed to be the highlight of the holiday, and now it was gone. It was the only event where everyone who stayed over the holiday was together. Everybody was pretty much going to be doing their own merry thing from now on. Aki wished she could prolong the feast as much as possible, but knew that was beyond her control. She gave a sigh and let her whole body sag. She shook the sleepiness out of her head, trying to keep herself awake so she could take in the feast for as long as possible. Rachel gently elbowed Aki in the arm.

"Hey Aki..."

She pointed her index finger upwards. Aki followed it. A tiny sprig of a plant with white berries on it hung several feet above them. Aki looked at Rachel, confused.

"Mistletoe," Rachel said.

Aki grinned, for she knew what the up-for-anything Rachel had in mind. Rachel tipped her chin up in quick, beckoning motion.

"Whadd'ya say?"

"Sure," Aki said. "What the hell."

Rachel smiled crookedly and started to bend down to get to the appropriate level with the short girl, but stopped abruptly.

"I'll give you a coward's kiss... on the cheek," Rachel said, "since you're probably new at this."

"What? Kissing girls?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Rachel clasped her hands behind her back in a very dainty manner; similar to the way Victoria would if she were kissing a boy. Rachel jerked her head back, as if she smelled something nasty coming off of Aki. She stuck her finger in Aki's face like she was scolding her.

"Don't close your eyes or nothing. This isn't no romantic crap or anything."

"Clearly, Rachel."

Rachel leaned in a bit more, getting up right beside Aki's cheek, before pulling away.

"I think my lips may be crumby or greasy--"

"Oh bloody hell, Rachel, just do it already!"

Rachel huffed and gave Aki a swift, friendly kiss on her cheek. Her head remained next to Aki's cheek, as if waiting for something. Rachel cleared her throat in an insistent, demanding sort of way. Aki got the hint and returned a kiss on Rachel's cheek. Aki could hear her do a kind of rough giggle.

"Happy Christmas, Aki."

"Happy Christmas, Rachel."

Rachel straightened up and placed both hands on her hips, looking a bit proud of herself. A toothy, mischievous grin grew on Rachel's face.

"You liked the way I kiss, eh?"

"Pardon me?!"

"You heard me," Rachel said arrogantly. "You're wishing I would snog you senseless right now, aren't you?"

"I'm wishing for more than a snog, Rachel."

Rachel laughed and playfully smacked Aki on the arm. Aki had this strange feeling in her; it was the feeling of steady nerves. For the first time, Aki was completely at ease with her Slytherin friend.

*****

Rachel and Aki came down the long stone corridor. They passed a group of three Slytherins; Pucey and two girls. The group greeted Rachel cordially, but they looked at Aki disapprovingly. Seeing their discontented faces, Aki scuttled to keep up with Rachel.

"Right... err..." Rachel said as they hit a solid wall. "Plug your ears."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Aki confusedly complied and stuck a finger into each of her ears. Rachel furrowed her brow and pressed her palms over Aki's ears as well, not trusting her. She got behind Aki and turned her away from the boring wall, so that both of their backs faced it. Rachel peered over her shoulder and cautiously mumbled something to the bare wall. Aki strained as much as she could to hear what Rachel was saying, but couldn't make out anything. The grinding sound of stone on stone ensued; Rachel removed her hands and gently yanked on Aki's arm.

"What was that about?"

"I was sayin' the password."

"The password!" Aki exclaimed, getting excited. "What is it?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes and stepped through the new archway that had formed. Aki hurriedly followed, eager to hear if Rachel would reveal the password. Aki looked around room they were in; the whole room was dank gray stone with some forest green furniture thrown in for Spartan comfort. The remnants of a long dead fire hissed on the far wall. It was dark, and even felt a little drafty, which was strange considering there were no windows that she could see. The ceiling was low; Rachel could probably touch it if she stood on her tiptoes. It was definitely not the most inviting place.

"Home sweet home."

"Are you sure I'm allowed in the Slytherin dormitory?" said Aki.

"'Course. It's Christmas holiday, nobody gives a crap."

"Ursallaround?"

"What?"

"Is Ursula around?"

"No, Aki. She's back home in Wales."

"Hmm. Shame."

Rachel snorted and paced around the room, rubbing her stomach and hiccupping softly once or twice.

"I'm tired," Aki yawned.

It was contagious, and Rachel yawned as well.

"Me too."

Aki waved her finger at the green furniture.

"D'you mind if I take a kip out here?"

She dropped onto one of the sofas, sinking her face into the back cushions. She shifted uncomfortably; it was harder than she expected.

"Don't do it here," Rachel said, tapping on Aki's shoulder.

Aki heard that sound of grinding stone again, and lifted her head from the couch. Two boys were at the entryway; one was a blonde boy, the other was Marcus Flint.

"There's always idiots coming in and out of this place," Rachel joked, smiling to the boys.

"Hello, Rachel," said the blonde boy, bowing his head respectfully.

"Higgs," Rachel acknowledged, nodding her head once.

Rachel was about to give Flint a hello as well, but then she noticed that Flint didn't seem to want to be bothered. He was staring at the girl lying on the sofa. Rachel didn't care much, and tugged on Aki's arm.

"Geddup you."

Aki silently got up off the sofa, keeping one eye on Marcus. A sly little smirk crawled onto his face.

"If you want some good kip, Aki, go up to my room." Rachel said. "No one will bother you up there, go on."

Rachel gently pushed Aki towards the dark, winding stairs. They looked quite foreboding, as if they led to some sort of execution tower.

"Aren't you coming?" said Aki.

"I will... just... ah... gimme a minute in the loo." Rachel puffed out a heavy breath and rubbed her midsection. "I have to take care of some...'business.'"

"Oh..."

"Now where's that...?" Rachel searched around for something. "Ah! Perfect."

She took something large from off the desk behind Aki. It was the book Victoria had given to her for Christmas. She didn't dawdle in getting to where she needed to go. She held the book close to her chest, and kept a soothing hand over her tummy.

"Do me a favour, Rachel?"

"Wussat, Aki?"

"Remind me to never borrow that book."

"Pscht!"

Rachel closed the bathroom door, and it was just Aki, Marcus, and his Slytherin friend. She turned slowly to look at them. The blonde boy was negligently staring at one of the dangling chandeliers. Marcus was already looking back at her and grinning.

"Enjoy the feast, Aki?"

"Yes."

"I saw that little show you and Sparrows put on under the mistletoe."

"Did you?"

"Yes. I didn't know you were like that."

"I'm just getting into the Christmas spirit."

"Phwoah..." Marcus stuck out his pelvis and took a step closer to her. "I'd love to get some 'Christmas spirit' from you."

Aki's face was appallingly distorted as she turned her heel and stomped up the winding stairs to the girl's bedrooms. She could feel his eyes on her as she ascended. Marcus started to chuckle as he smoothed his clothes.

"What was that?" Terrence said, dropping onto the sofa.

"Just some girl I--err--fancy."

"You think you could've been more subtle with it?"

"If I did it the subtle way--your way--I'd never get anywhere."

"Your way of getting girls to like you is just painful to watch."

"Oh really, Higgs?" Marcus snapped. "When was the last time you had a girlfriend, hmm? Do tell me!"

Terrence tutted and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Heh? What's that? I can't hear you!" Marcus taunted.

"Shut the hell up already, Flint!"

"Fucks sake, Higgs, I'll bet you're still a damn virgin."

"Fuck off, Marcus," Terrence retorted hotly.

Marcus came around and stood behind the couch Higgs was on. He put his hands on the back of it and pushed all of his weight on it so that the couch tipped back slightly.

"That's the difference between you and me, Higgs. Look at you; you sit there, waiting for things to happen, never taking charge. Me, on the other hand, I do my work, and I get what I want."

"Like shit you do."

Marcus pushed harder on the couch, and Higgs gripped the cushions to keep from falling off. Marcus lowered himself to grumble close to Terrence's ear.

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you, Higgs. You don't want the next few Quidditch practices to be... rough... do you?"

Terrence turned his head around slowly, gritting his teeth harder than he had ever before. Terrence said nothing, partly because he indeed did not want any bad practices, but also partly because he had enough dignity to not savagely punch Marcus in the jaw.

"This is what I'm talking about, Higgs. That is why you're the seventh year seeker... and I'm the sixth year captain of the Quidditch team."

Marcus let the couch fall back down with a thud. He poked his finger into the back of Terrence's head and strutted away, snickering to himself. Terrence made a face of vexation as he rubbed the spot Marcus had poked. He followed Marcus' figure moving away through reduced eyes. Unless you were Marcus' lackey, like Bole for example, you were bound to get the disagreeable side of Marcus' attitude. Marcus was a real dick if you didn't lick his shoes all the livelong day.

Terrence always got the dick-Marcus.

~ ~ ~

Aki was digging through all the drawers of the night tables in the Slytherin bedroom. She was supposed to be taking a nap, but there were so many things in the foreign bedroom that she had to explore. She had come to the bed second from the right when she found something of interest.

"Oy! What's this?"

She reached in and pulled out the thin, glossy paper. In Aki's hand was a wizard photograph of Rachel's family. Aki examined it more closely; Rachel had some distinguished-looking parents. Her mother, this twiggy thing, had bouncy blonde hair but a face that sagged. Her dad had a strong chin and a little bit of silvery hair at his temples. Rachel was standing beside her dad in the picture, wearing red lipstick that was too bright for her complexion. Her brother had a buzz cut and heavy build, kind of like a rugby player. The moving picture showed Rachel and her dad waving. Her mother looked on with a vain smirk. Ethan, her brother, was flexing his muscles to nobody in particular. Aki smiled as she placed the photo back where she found it. Rachel never seemed too thrilled about her family, but she obviously missed them enough to keep a photograph close by. Perhaps there was more to Rachel Sparrows than what Aki had once thought.

The thick bedroom door was pushed open. Aki's breath caught in her throat when she saw the big, muscular frame of Marcus Flint.

"Hello," he said.

"What are you doing here?!"

"I just came to tell you that what I said downstairs was a bit inappropriate."

"Okay."

"I just can't help myself. I want you."

"Really?"

Marcus bit his tongue.

"Yes."

Aki took a step back and fiddled with her fingers. She found it odd that a popular Quidditch captain like Marcus, someone with whom she rarely spoke to, would want her. She did feel a little flattered though that he overlooked all of the other girls and chose her. However, Marcus was a touch too scary for Aki to be jumping with joy.

"Why?" Aki's voice had come out in sort of a squeak.

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose not."

Marcus trudged over to the mirror on the east wall. He ran his fingers through his short hair, grooming himself in front of the reflective surface. He gave a look to Aki, who was still over beside Rachel's bed, fidgeting.

"Come here, Aki."

Aki stood frozen, just staring straight at him.

"Come here," he repeated, more aggressively demanding.

Aki could feel a chill washing over her skin as she did what she was told. When she had reached Marcus, he put a tight grip on her wrist and pulled her to stand in front of the mirror, with him behind her.

"D'you know what I see right now? I see myself, and the most gorgeous girl at Hogwarts."

Aki got a bit light-headed. She had never once heard those words come from a boy. Sure, she had heard it many times about Daphne, but now that it was directed to her, it was most exciting.

"Look at us," Marcus continued smoothly. "We would look incredible together. We would be incredible together."

Aki swallowed hard as Marcus' hand ran up and down her arm once before settling on her waist. His touch was light, sending shots of tickles up her nerves. She gaped into the mirror, and the reflection of her wide-eyed self and a grinning Marcus stared back at her. He was a bit good-looking; his deep eyes were very abstruse and his chiseled face gave him a sort of dangerous appeal.

"What d'you say? How about it just be you and me?"

He nuzzled the side of her face, and there was the brief moment when she felt his lips brush against her ear. She didn't stop it. The thought of having tamed the unruly Marcus Flint intrigued her.

"You'd bring wonderful things for me," he said.

Marcus' lips slid down onto her neck, planting little kisses on it. Aki felt herself be taken over by a wealth of new feelings she had never experienced before, and she gasped sharply.

"Marcus..."

Marcus sniggered from within his throat and focused on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. Marcus seemed to definitely know where all the good spots on a girl were. He moved closer and she felt his stiff chest press up against her back. Aki thought about telling him to stop, but all the blood in her brain made words fail her. No boy had ever touched her like that, and she wanted to see how it was like. It was discouraging enough to be an unknown Ravenclaw who never did anything significant, but also having Daphne as her good friend drew even more attention away from Aki. With Marcus' strange new attraction, she finally felt like her presence was acknowledged.

Marcus slithered his hands under her shirt and pressed on her stomach, so that her lower half was pushed harder into him. She made a squeamish groan at the lump in Marcus' trousers that was digging into her. It was getting a little too personal for her liking.

"Marcus..."

All she could utter was his name. It proved futile, since it only served to make her appear as if she liked it. Marcus made a noise sounding like one he would make after having a good meal.

"Having you right now would be my Christmas presen--"

Marcus' suddenly stopped short and ceased doing that delightful little thing to her neck. Aki watched him stand completely still with his eyebrows furrowed hard. She wondered what the hell was going on with him. He turned and looked into her eyes. Aki felt something stir in her stomach.

"You will keep this between us, right?" he said.

Aki gave a quizzical look. She wondered what incited his impromptu request.

"Right???" he said again, more assertive.

"Y-yeah, sure."

He skulked away into the shadows of the dark room, making his way to the door. Just as he was about to grab the doorknob, he turned around and gave an expression of deep seriousness.

"Think about what I said."

He pulled open the door and slipped out. The loud, obnoxious voice that he had heard from within the bedroom was so much louder, now that he was in the hallway. It was obvious whose it was, and when he heard it, he knew that he needed to get out of the room. It was the one person who most definitely could not know of his intentions, but yet was so close to finding out.

"Christ sakes! Don't make me beat your arse red, Higgs!" a girl's voice said jokingly.

The girl was still laughing as she came around the corner. She stopped with a jolt when she saw Marcus standing right outside her bedroom.

"Good day to you, Sparrows."

"What wer'ya doing in the girls bedroom?"

"Ah...went into the wrong room accidentally."

"Hah. I expect that from you, Marcus."

Rachel sidestepped him and entered the room he had just exited. She slammed the door shut, making a flat bang noise. Aki was still standing by the mirror, fiddling with her fingers tensely.

"Thought you were going to nap, eh?" Rachel said

"I--err--decided I wasn't too sleepy after all."

"Marcus didn't burst into the room and wake you up, did he?"

Aki opened her mouth and was about to let a flood of information slip, but she decided to keep it quiet like Marcus had told her to. It really wasn't anybody's business. Besides, Aki was a bit afraid of what Marcus would do if she did tell someone.

"Well--actually no," Aki said.

"Good. He's a duffer sometimes, if you ask me."

Rachel took a seat by the floor-to-ceiling window and admired the snow that was falling softly. Aki soon joined and sat so that they were facing each other. Rachel took a deep breath and made a kind of satisfied hum.

"It's quite nice, the snow, isn't it?" Rachel commented.

"I like the way it comes down so feathery."

"I always liked snow. When I'm inside to enjoy it, that is."

Rachel brought her knees to her chest and hugged them. There was a nice minute of quiet as she took in the darkening winter sky with sheets of white snowflakes fluttering down.

"So what d'ye want to do for the rest of the holiday? We have lots of time together."

Rachel put a lot of emphasis and drawled out the word 'lots'. Normally, what Rachel had just said would be enough to bring on buckets of sweat, but Aki was surprised to feel nothing.

"I'm not sure," Aki said. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking maybe tomorrow I'd take you around and show you all of the decorations. Perhaps one day we could sit by the fireplace in the Great Hall and look through my astronomy book. It has some really nice pictures, I think you'd enjoy them."

"Could we... ah... go for a piss up sometime over the holiday?"

Rachel rocked a bit as she guffawed heartily.

"It's like you read my mind, Aki."

Aki smiled broadly, happy to hear that a much-needed bender was on the way. She didn't really expect Rachel to want to go for one.

"You know what I like about you, Aki? It's like... Victoria is good to talk to and all, but you could never get her to do anything fun. Daphne, on the other hand, is a great person, but all she does is talk about boys. I like how you and I can have fun and have a real conversation."

"Well..." said Aki, shrugging and smiling sheepishly. "That's just me."

Rachel made that "hmmph!" noise again. She still hadn't turned away from the window.

"You and me, Aki... we've always been the same, you know?"

It took a second for Aki's brain to comprehend this, but when it did, she smiled bigger than when she saw her Christmas packages that morning. It was really something for Aki to hear Rachel say that they were on the same wavelength.

"Both purebloods... who like to just piddle about... and both of us can drink our weight in Firewhiskey, eh?"

Aki gave a goofy chuckle and said, "That's right."

"By the way, Aki, I hope you enjoyed my Christmas present. I hope that rum isn't too strong for you. Hah, what am I saying? You'd still drink it up, rummy."

Aki's mouth dropped open as she realized that the peppermint rum was from Rachel. She had no idea that Rachel would actually buy something for her. The guilt inside had grown like a rabid Herbology experiment.

"That was from you?!" Aki shrieked.

"'Course. Who else would send you that? McGonagall?"

"But... I didn't get anything for you, Rachel. I feel terribl--"

"Don't worry about."

Rachel at last broke away from the window and looked at Aki with her green eyes. They weren't piercing this time; they were more mild and shimmering. Rachel was quite pretty when she wasn't angry or scowling. She gave a lopsided smirk; it wasn't a full smile, but Aki was glad to get something other than the usual sour face.

"Ye friendship's good enough for me."

Rachel let that sink in for a second as she regarded Aki with a cordial expression. Aki had no words; her heart was so incredibly touched. Rachel looked away and resumed gazing out the frosty window, still looking contented. She wasn't sure how Rachel felt about it, but from that moment on, Aki would never look at her Slytherin friend the same way again.