Author's note:
This is my second-ever fic published to ! I really hope you guys like it, because I had the best time writing it. Please send reviews, they make me soo happy, and would be a perfect Christmas present. Ahhh...thanks to all my TNG friends for letting me borrow their characters and reading rough drafts to make sure it was okay, and J.K. Rowling for writing such a fantastic series. No copyright infringement intended!

Another year.

I grinned at myself in the mirror. Another year.

I could already hear the music blaring up the staircase from the common room. The Gryffindor reputation as being big partiers was not undeserved. This one was a pre-Christmas-party party. The kind of party which was only had for the purpose of having a party. Drinking, dancing, and sex. I wanted little, if anything, to do with it.

"Al, Delilah's waiting downstairs."

Huey's spiky head poked around the doorway from the dormitory. He was one of my roommates. A nice kid...a little over-eager sometimes, but I liked him well enough. At a harsh glance from me, he amended, "I mean Severus. Severus, your girl is downstairs waiting for you. She says hurry up!"

I doubted it. Delilah was always way too sweet.

I looked in the mirror again, and thought fleetingly about changing my tie, which was a bright, glaring red (in celebration of the holiday, of course). But if Delilah was waiting, I didn't want to keep her waiting any longer. I shrugged and went to meet her, unconsciously running my fingers through my hair, trying futilely to smooth it, on the way.

I have to admit, my jaw dropped a little. She was wearing a satiny green, strapless, knee-length dress, complete with long gloves, high heels, and sparkly, dangly earrings. It was a bit of a shock to see her in something so flashy, but I definitely liked it. "Merry Christmas!" she said brightly, leaning closer and kissing me on the lips.

It seemed like my heart sank a little, when she had to lean down. I'd just recently, finally, caught up with her in the height department. Those heels were not on my side tonight.

I had an idea. "Hang on, one second," I said, and ran back up to my dorm. I found the other tie quickly – the one I'd thought about wearing. It was a silky, foresty green, with darker stripes in it, and it almost matched the color of her dress. She'd love it. I threw it around my neck and tied it hurriedly, almost falling down the spiral staircase as I went.

"A-Sev, your tie!" she said delightedly, straightening it out and flattening it to my chest. "We match." She tilted her head to the side, her hands lingering on my shirt. I grinned at her.

"Let's go, Lilah," I said, putting my arm around her waist and navigating through the pit of raging hormones that had once been our common room. Outside, it was much quieter, though we could still hear the sounds of the party going on beyond the portrait of the Fat Lady. She smiled jovially at us, as another witch stepped into her frame with her arms full of dusty bottles.

It was Christmas Eve at Hogwarts. Really my favorite time of year, but...there were few times of year that I disliked anyway. Everything seemed perfect. Happy and fun and beautiful. Except...

I distinctly heard James yell something obscene from behind the Fat Lady, and cringed.

"Hello Al," said Lily in her high, dreamy voice. It was sometimes annoying, but I'd never say something like that to her. She was right behind us, and I turned around and rolled my eyes at her exaggeratedly. "Lily, I've asked before, could you please call me Severus?" Cute as she was, my patience with her was wearing thin. At the beginning of the year I'd started asking people to call my by my middle name, Severus. Albus just seemed so...old man-ish. It hadn't really caught on yet.

"Oh, sorry...Sev. I'm just used to calling you Al, I guess." She looked around with wide eyes at Delilah, and smiled. "Hello Delilah. Are you heading down to the party?"

"Hey Lil. Yeah, we are. Do you wanna join us?"

I groaned internally. 'Delilah, why oh WHY must you be so nice all the time?' Don't get me wrong, I love my sister Lily – maybe more than anything – but...nobody wants their little sibling on a date with them, right?

Lily, being the smart, amazing, intuitive little girl she is, glanced at me in a way that told me she understood, and politely declined. "I think I'll just wait for Rosie..."

I had already turned around when she started talking again. "Er, Sev, Scorpius was asking for you. Are you going to meet him there?"

"Definitely not." That little prat wouldn't be any fun on a date either, would he? Sure, we were friends now. Sort of. But not tonight, tonight was for Delilah and me.

"Oh." I turned around to see that Lily had turned to look up at a portrait of a woman hanging long, braided hair out a tower window. It was one of her favorites. I grinned and led Delilah down to the Great Hall, watching carefully – but trying not to let her catch on – to make sure that she wouldn't trip over her heels. Delilah's never been known for her grace, let's put it that way.

The Christmas party was nothing like the house parties that we so often got in trouble for. It had been established several years ago, before I ever came to Hogwarts, as kind of a get-together for all four houses. The point was to let loose and drop house prejudices, and have a lot of fun. And, for a lot of students, a chance to get really, really wasted, and try not to get caught. There would be music, and sometimes live entertainment of some sort, and a big dinner. Tons of goofing off.

It actually worked, too, in getting the houses to intermingle. Most of the students had gone home for the holidays, so there was a lot less peer pressure from fellow house-mates. My parents had given us a choice. Delilah was staying, so I wanted to stay and spend Christmas with her. James decided to stay, too, because a holiday without parental supervision sounded perfect to him. Lily wanted to go home at first, but Mum and Dad urged her to stay here with us. I thought maybe they saw some opportunity to have the house to themselves on Christmas. Lily missed them, and I understood. It was Christmas, after all, and Lily firmly believed that families should be all together for Christmas. But I was happy to be with Delilah.

A few of my cousins had also decided to stay for Christmas. Sometimes, with such a big family, it was a relief not to have to all crowd in at the Burrow. As for Scorpius, his parents had gone on romantic holiday to Switzerland. His sister Lucille was at home with the baby of the family, Rachelle, but Scorpius said he didn't think it'd be any fun to spend Christmas with just them.

The Great Hall was filled with indistinguishable chatter. It wasn't nearly as loud or raucous as the common room upstairs. The party wasn't a dance, like the New Year's ball. It was really more like a dinner party. There were round tables all over, and It was decorated lavishly in greens and reds and golds, with huge Christmas trees here and there (I think Hagrid said there were twelve, but I wasn't interested enough to count), and snow falling from the enchanted ceiling to where it evaporated just above our heads. There was a little platform – kind of like a small stage – at the front of the hall, and Delilah and I sat at a table near it.

My cousin Jeri was running around across the stage, enchanting what looked like ear trumpets on stands to amplify the voices of her choir. I almost laughed at her, the way she seemed to dance gracefully across the stage, and yet had a sort of frenzied look on her face. She was panicking, which was strange to see in Geraldine Weasley.

I heard someone clear their throat behind me, and turned to see a blond boy with a pointed nose and cold, ice-gray eyes looking down at me. I grinned – involuntarily – and pushed out the chair next to me with my foot. "Sit down, Scorp."

A small smile lit his face, and he did so, eying Delilah with some expression I didn't understand. He leaned closer. "So, if I were able to sneak in a cursed dragon tongue, would you want it?"

I blinked at him a few times. "What the hell would I want a cursed dragon's tongue for?"

"Shh!" Scorpius looked around – I didn't miss that his somewhat hostile gaze lingered on Delilah for a moment – and said, "I'm sure you could think of something to do with it. For example, we could use it in our..."

My mind unfocused as I felt Delilah slide her hand into mine, and I looked over at her. She was smiling at me, and she leaned her head on my shoulder. I absently rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb.

"Are you listening?"

I turned my eyes back to Scorpius, who was looking frustrated. "Yeah, of course," I lied.

"Then what did I just say?"

I rolled my eyes at him. He could be such a prick sometimes. "You said something about..." For a moment I tried to think of what I'd heard. "Oh, I don't fucking care, can't we talk about this some other time?" He was interrupting valuable Delilah time, and he should've known better.

He scowled, and stood and left, just in time for James – obviously intoxicated, as could only be expected – to take his seat. I swallowed back a groan.

"Hey Albus. Hey, Del...ilah." He put on a big goofy smile, and she smiled in return. I twisted a strand of her hair in my fingers.

"What, James?"

"Damn, Albus, I can't sit with my own fucking little brother? Shit." Yeah, his language always worsened with alcohol.

"Could you watch your mouth, please?" I glanced at Delilah, who seemed to be trying very hard to ignore James without being rude about it. She was watching Fred and Fiona cross the room towards us.

"Oh, don't get like that with me, little brother. I just fucking heard you going...going off at Malfoy," he slurred. "Good job at that, too." He rubbed my head in a very unpleasant manner.

Alright, then, can you just go away?"

Of course not. He leaned back with his hands behind his head, and tried to put his feet up on the table but didn't quite make it. 'Thank God.' Fred and Fi joined us then, sitting on the other side of Delilah.

"Merry Christmas!" said Fred, smiling at us. He was always a nice guy. Fred was my cousin. A Weasley, but one of the un-Weasley-ish looking Weasleys I'd ever met. Actually he looked like a Malfoy. He and Scorpius were distant cousins. Fiona was his date. They'd been going out for several months, now.

Jeri's friends, Price and Emma Reese, came and sat down at our table, but didn't say anything to us. They were Ravenclaws, and in our year, but we'd never been particularly friendly with them, except where Jeri brought us together. Jeri and Emma were roommates, and Jeri had a thing for Price. He was nice enough, sometimes, but a bit of a smart-ass. Normally I would've greeted them, but the headmaster stood up on the raised platform just then.

"Good evening, students," Professor Maverick's voice boomed. "Now that I see you are all here, we can begin the festivities! As you know, this is a celebration of the holidays, whatever holiday it is that you personally celebrate. This is an opportunity for houses to mix, and students to get together. Let us not waste it! It is such a treat to be in the company of so many unique and gifted people, and you are all together every day." He smiled around at us. Professor Virgil Maverick was well known to be a strict, but fair educator, and I think we all respected him, even if we didn't all like him. He was constantly talking about coming together, and dropping prejudices, and equality. I admired his beliefs.

"Now, let's hear from our own magnificent Chamber Singers."

He stepped off the stage, and I watched as Jeri led about fifteen other students across the stage, with the same anxious look on her face. She hated to be in charge of things. She was good at it, but she disliked it. The choir arranged itself, and began with Carol Of The Bells. Delilah sighed, and leaned into me further.

After Carol Of The Bells, Jeri had a solo in What Child Is This. She sang it beautifully, but I knew that later on she'd tell me about all the ways she'd messed up. She wasn't usually a critical person, but when it came to music...

"Severus," said Delilah after a while, "can you get me something to drink?" There were drinks and snacks at a table in the back of the Great Hall; the dinner portion of the party hadn't started yet.

"Er, sure. I'll be right back."

I tasted the punch. It didn't seem like anyone had spiked it. Besides, would it kill Delilah to have a few drinks of alcohol? Definitely not, she wouldn't even notice. I got two glasses – I was thirsty, too – and was headed back to the table when someone stepped directly in my path, and I ran into him.

"SHIT!" I'd spilled bright red punch all down my front, and looked up to see the offender. "Damn, it's you. What the fuck is up with you tonight?"

It was Scorpius. "Why do you just obey her like that?" he asked. 'What is he talking about?' "Like a dog," he spat. He had the weirdest expression. He looked amused, and like he was going to be sick, and defiant, all at once. "What are you on about?" I said loudly, and then got a better look at him. "Are you drunk?"

His eyes darted around us, and he grabbed onto my sleeve. "Come with me."

Before I could answer, he'd grabbed my hand and was pulling me through the tables full of students, and out of the Great Hall. While he dragged me along he spoke. "I was referring to Delilah. You do anything she asks you to, and drool over her like a sick puppy."

"I like to call it being nice, Scorpius. Try it some time?"

He stopped in the middle of the Entrance Hall, and glared at me. I wrenched my hand out of his. "She's a bitch, Severus. You think she's sweet and all, but she's fucking using you. You're too nice."

I knew he had problems with Delilah. He didn't like her, or he was jealous that I spent more time with her now, or whatever. But who could ever just stand there and call her a bitch?

"Peter Nott is any different?" I said quietly. His eyes narrowed at me, and he grabbed my shoulder roughly and pushed me into a broom closet off the hall. 'What is he doing?' I thought maybe I'd hit a nerve there.

"So, are you? Drunk, I mean."

He shook his head, and shut the door behind himself. "Lumos." The tip of his want lit up bright enough to see him, but not much else. "No, I just had some punch." But his words carried more than just his usual drawl. 'James definitely got to the punch, then,' I thought. Or maybe he was just lying.

He grabbed a cloth off a shelf, and used the aguamenti spell to dampen it, and started dabbing at my soiled shirt. I pushed his hand away. "What are you doing?" But he grabbed my wrist and held it up against the wall behind me. I rolled my eyes. It wasn't as though I couldn't wrench my arm away from him, if I'd cared. I was definitely stronger than him.

But he was taller than me. A fact that I was reminded of by how close he was to me. And I could smell the alcohol on his breath. It was sweet, but strong. How had I missed that in the punch?

"You really know how to ruin a party, you know?"

He only smiled crookedly, and something somewhere in my stomach area seemed to kick me from the inside. It was almost a familiar sensation, but I couldn't place it. What was he doing? He went on dabbing at my shirt and tie. I didn't know why, it was probably useless. I'd have to look up a spell later to get the stains out. Or have Jeri do it, she was really good with that sort of thing.

"You know," he said, looking down, running his fingers over my tie, "green suits you." He paused, and we both watched his long, pale finger trace one of the darker stripes on the tie. "Kind of...brings out your eyes, really nicely." I just stared, as he brought his eyes up to meet mine, and before I knew what was happening, he was pulling on my tie, pulling me closer until his lips touched mine.

And I froze.

All I could think about was his hand on my tie in between us, and my heart suddenly pounding in my chest, and his tongue lightly tracing my top lip. 'WHAT IS THIS, WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS HE DOING?' My head was screaming, but my eyes closed, my lips parted of their own accord, and for some reason I didn't fight.

That is, until I felt his hand move from my wrist, slowly down my side, and felt him tug at my shirt. My eyes flew open and I put all my strength into shoving him off me, into the door behind him.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

He stood in shocked silence. In fact, he even looked a little scared, but not ashamed. I dragged my sleeve across my lips to get the taste of him off me, and shoved past him out the door, slamming it behind myself.

I went straight up the marble staircase, not sure where I was heading, but all thoughts of the party going on downstairs had fled my mind.

This was meant to be a one-chapter deal, but, if I get good reviews, I just might continue it! Or, maybe I'll do it anyway, just for me. If you leave reviews, please be honest! Criticism is quite welcome, so long as it is constructive criticism! Thank you!