"Oi! Harry!" Ron's shout jerked Harry into back into the land of the wakened. The black-haired teen blinked blearily, raising his head from a mound of blankets.

"What…?" answered, looking around.

"You fell asleep in the Common Room. It's the day before holiday break, and McGonagall wanted to know if you were going to stay here, or leave. I told her you wanted to stay, but she asked how exactly I knew that, and I chose to wake you up over explaining. She's coming in about 15 minutes, enough time for you to clean up… or at least wake up." He appraised Harry; his normally bright and clear green eyes blurry with sleep. He smirked and held out a steaming cup of tea. "Fresh from the kitchen."

"Thanks…" was all he could mutter as he took the cup and stumbled to their room. Halfway up the stairs, he paused. "Wait, so you didn't explain to McGonagall why I wanted to stay?" He was fully awake now.

"No. No way, mate. If she found out you were staying for a Slytherin, she'd probably transfigure you into a snake or something. Or worse- tell Snape."

"Yeah… and then we'd have to get her mad at Hermione for changing me back." Harry allowed a small smile.

"Well, c'mon, McGonagall isn't going to wait. If you're not on her staying list, you're leaving. And that would ruin your Christmas plans, now wouldn't it?" Ron waggled his eyebrows at him, and the two continues onwards, up the staircase that led to their room, relatively close to the Common Room. They two entered their room to see Neville's bum, the rest of him under his bed.

"Um… Neville? What are you doing?" Ron asked. Neville let out a small yelp as he hit his head on the bed, trying to get out.

"Looking for Trevor." He answered, rubbing the back of his head. "We leave tomorrow, and I still can't find him." He cast his worried gaze around the room before walking over to the window. "Have either of you seen him?" he looked back at them.

"Um, no actually… Have you talked to Hermione though? She might be able to do a spell that would get him back." Harry suggested.

"Thanks! I'll go do that!" he grinned briefly before running out of the room.

"Hey, Ron?" Harry turned as something struck him.

"Yeah?"

"Does Neville know that the girl's staircase turns into a slide whenever a guy tries to walk up it?" the two looked at each other. A loud yell told them that he didn't.

"Does now." The laughed, and Harry pulled on his robes, and they walked back into the Common Room to see a surprised Neville rubbing both his head and his elbow.

"Apparently you can't get into the Girls Dormitory unless you're a girl." He grimaced.

"Yeah… just yell…HERMIONE!" Ron yelled up the stairs. They heard a muffled thump, and then a shriek as someone- Hermione- slid down the staircase, and landed on a pile of pillows, which she had conjured as she slid.

"What is it?" she asked, rather annoyed, and glaring.

"Well, I was wondering if…" Neville drew back, nervous.

"He was wondering if there was a spell that would allow him to find out where Trevor was before he left tomorrow. Now, can we go and find McGonagall?" Harry said, irritated and tired.

"Oh. Well then. Yes, there is one that I've been meaning to try… Invenio Trevor." A picture came up of the toad, nestled in under a dark bed in the Boys Dormitory. Next to him lay a large box, filled with Fred and George's many inventions.

"Well then… Just ask Fred or George if they could look under their beds. Good luck." She smiled at Neville, who looked grateful as he ran back up the stairs.

"Now, why do you need to find Professor McGonagall?" Hermione turned to Harry.

"Because, I need to sign up to stay here over the holidays." He was still irritable.

"Oh… is it perhaps because a certain Slytherin is staying over the holiday break because their parents are in the States on a 'Parent's only' trip?" She smiled, and mussed his hair. "Don't worry, she's probably in her classroom. I'll go with you."

"Thanks." Harry smiled, and felt marginally better.

"Ok then… does the fifth staircase move on Friday or Thursday? I can never remember…" Ron broke in, slightly jealous, and the three laughed as they walked to her classroom, and barely noticed the tall figure until they ran into her.

"Potter? Granger? Weasly?" Professor McGonagall peered down her glasses sternly at the three. "Do you need something?"

"Um, yes actually… I was wondering if I could sign up to stay here at Hogwarts over the holiday break." Harry spoke up.

"Oh, of course." She conjured up a paper, which had very few names on it. "Hmm… there are only 4 in your year staying this break. And none from Hufflepuff… though none of them really do stay over any of the breaks…" the Professor broke off, and whipped the scroll back into her robes once Harry had finished and walked away.

"Well… That was certainly strange." Hermione looked confused, an expression rarely seen on her intelligent face.

"Yeah… I've never thought her one to get into another professor's business, much less Professor Sprout's." Ron looked confused as well.

"Well. What are you three doing here? Waiting for some money to arrive, Weasly?" The three jumped and spun around, where they were met with a tall boy, with clear blue-grey eyes and light blonde hair.

"Shove off, Malfoy." Hermione gave him a dirty look as she pulled Ron away. He smirked and moved past them, and as he did a small piece of parchment fell out of his pocket. Harry picked it up as Draco marched off; unaware that he had dropped it.

"Oh, what does it say? Something dreadful that we could use against him?" Ron asked, half-jokingly.

"Oh, Ronald. Don't tease him. How would you like it if I dropped a piece of paper, and someone asked if you could use it against me?" Hermione pursed her lips.

"Yeah… true… Sorry, mate, I still don't like him." However, Harry had frozen. "Harry?" Wordlessly, Harry held out the piece of parchment, covered with beautiful script.

How, how could I fall in love with such a person? A Gryffindor much less. Father would be absolutely disgraced. And him much less! We're supposed to be enemies, for Merlin's sake! And if I come out, I'll be absolutely ridiculed in Slytherin. I can barely come to terms with it myself. But, I guess if you think about it, love and hate are easily interchangeable… So, I must come to terms with it. Yes, diary, I am absolutely in love with –

At this it was ripped off.

"Oh. My. God. Harry he could be in love with you!" Hermione jumped up and down as she embraced him.

"Blimey mate, and here I was, thinking you didn't have a chance." Ron smiled at him as well. "Harry?" his smile faltered. "Harry? You ok? You don't look so good…" This was all that Harry heard. He fainted on the stone corridor, and was saved head injury only by Hermione's quick thinking. He drifted off into peaceful oblivion.