Chapter 7

"So how was it?" Ron asked as he, Harry, and Hermione sat around a table in Gryffindor Tower Tuesday evening. Mallory was at Quidditch practice and even though Harry had wanted to be there for her, Hermione and Ron had insisted Harry tell them how the talk with Mallory had gone the previous evening.

But while Hermione had been more concerned with Mallory's relationship to her mother and ankle disability, Ron had been fixated on the kiss shared between Mallory and Harry.

"It was wet," Harry replied to Ron's question. Hearing his best friend give a snort of laughter, Harry added, "Because she was crying."

"You'd think a bit of snogging would cheer her up," Ron said, smirking. "Really that bad at it, were you?"

"Honestly, Ron, you are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet," Hermione said, frowning at Ron and repressing the urge to smack him.

"What are you talking about?" Ron said, looking at Hermione, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "What kind of girl cries when someone's kissing them?"

"Well, think about how she must be feeling," Hermione said with the air of a teacher explaining a problem to a perpetually confused student. "Obviously Mallory's angry at her mother for causing her disability yet at the same time, she also probably feels abandoned by her. Then Mallory also feels guilty for hiding being part of the Quidditch team, afraid that her father's right about her getting hurt, and all this while trying to pinpoint her exact feelings for Harry."

Harry sat there, dumbfounded, as Ron said, "One person couldn't feel all that… they'd explode."

Hermione again frowned at Ron. "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon…"

Not having received any mail from her family so far during her time at Hogwarts, Mallory was therefore surprised to get a letter from her father the Monday before the American holiday of Thanksgiving.

Opening up the parchment envelope, she pulled out a Thanksgiving card and read the note aloud so that Harry could hear. "'I know that you probably feel abandoned since I haven't written prior to now but I've been wrapped up in the divorce which was just finalized just a few days ago. However, I thought we could have just one last Thanksgiving together as a family. I don't know if you'll be able to get away, so your mother and I are coming to England. All my love, Dad'."

"Your mother's coming as well?" Hermione said, looking at Mallory cautiously. Thinking of what Mallory had said about the tenuous relationship with her mother, Hermione looked concerned as she asked, "Are you… okay with that?"

"No," Mallory replied, trying to sound like she didn't care. Angrily, she crumpled up both the envelope and the card. "But I don't have a say, apparently, do I?" Getting up, she grabbed her bag and headed off to DADA, wishing her family could just leave her alone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Mallory's upset about seeing her mother for Thanksgiving," Harry told Mac after his tutor asked how the couple was doing later that day.

"Did she tell you what her mother did to her?" Mac asked as she and Harry sat on the floor of their classroom, Sirius curled up and pretending to sleep in the corner while they worked.

"Yes, but… I don't know," Harry said, sighing. "I mean, at least her mother is still alive. Isn't it… I don't know… better to have a mother who ignores you than no mother at all?"

Mac shrugged. "I guess it depends. You should know better than anyone, Harry."

Harry didn't say anything to that, but he understood what Mac was trying to say.

"So, we have work to do," Mac went on, thinking of what she wanted to work with Harry on today.

"I've gotten really good at the wandless and wordless spells and focusing my magic," Harry wondering what else he needed to know. "What else is there that I need to learn?"

"Occlumency and Legillimency," Mac replied. "I overheard Snape and Dumbledore talking about it during dinner last week, and while they wanted to wait, I believe in preparing for the unexpected."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, uncertainly, wondering if this had anything to do with Voldemort.

"Had any dreams lately, Harry?" Mac asked, knowingly. As Harry turned his head away, she added, "If you can see into Voldemort's mind then eventually he'll be able to see into yours. We need to make sure he can't get anything useful out of your head."

"So… what first?" Harry asked.

"Occlumency," Mac replied. "Now… this will be tricky. You must clear your mind and make it calm and blank."

Harry nodded and tried to rid himself of all thought. Clearing his mind best he could, he suddenly felt a magical pulse trying to force its way in. Pushing back, Harry tried to keep it out. To protect his mind and his thoughts… Especially those thoughts of Mallory. In the instant Harry thought of his girlfriend, the pulse forced past and Harry was sent back to the moment that they finally kissed. Only this time, he gasped as he actually saw the event.

It was the first time in months that Harry had actually been able to really see something and he found that Mallory was even more beautiful than he'd imagined. Her brown eyes spilled tears down her cheeks, but there was a smile on her face as her lips met Harry's

Suddenly, the pulse and the image vanished as Mac ended the spell. "That was good… till you focused on your girlfriend."

"I couldn't help it," Harry protested. It hurt in ways he couldn't even articulate as he thought about what he had seen. To have one shining moment when he could see the girl he cared about only to be suddenly thrust back into his darkened world…

"No… I know you couldn't," Mac said, kindly. "You wanted to protect that memory. And that's good." Thinking for a moment, she said, "Let's try this a different way, alright?"

"Okay," Harry replied, eager to work, if only to help keep his mind off of things.

"Okay," Mac repeated. "This time, Instead of just using your own mental strength, use a mental guardian."

"A what?" Harry asked, confused.

Mac sighed then said, "Think of your mind as a small room. Then imagine something or someone standing guard over your thoughts and feelings. You understand?"

Harry nodded and closed his eyes—a useless gesture, he knew, but it helped—and did as he was bidden. Strangely enough, the room he'd chosen was the Weasley's kitchen. There at the only door in the room was Sirius, looking as he had right after he'd escaped from Azkaban—bedraggled and ragged, looking every bit like a deranged killer. The pulse was back and Sirius had his wand out, keeping the magical pulse at bay. It grew stronger and even in the room Harry could feel the pulse trying to get at his thoughts. But Sirius seemed to grow larger as well and eventually the pulse weakened before disappearing entirely.

Thrown suddenly back into darkness once again, it took Harry a moment to realize that he was back in the classroom at Hogwarts.

"Better," Mac replied, grinning broadly. "Much better." But noticing how quiet Harry was, she realized that his few moments of sight were weighing heavily on him. "I know this is hard for you, Harry," she said, putting a compassionate hand on his shoulder. "But you can't let your desire to see win out. If Voldemort gets in your head, he can make you see whatever he wants and you wouldn't be able to know the difference. You have to be strong, Harry."

Harry didn't say anything in reply, but he couldn't help thinking that he was tired of being strong.

The snow started falling early Thanksgiving morning and by the time Bethany and Daniel Harper arrived in the Entrance Hall, the grounds were a blanket of white.

"Welcome!" Said the jovial voice of Albus Dumbledore as he came down the main staircase, smiling at Mallory's parents. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School."

"Nice to meet you, Professor Dumbledore," Daniel replied, stepping forward and shaking the older man's hand. Turning to Bethany, he added, "This is my ex-wife, Bethany."

"Ahhh…" Dumbledore replied, as he took and kissed the woman's offered hand. "Your daughter apparently received your good looks."

Ignoring the comment, Bethany looked around. "And where is Mallory? We told her we would be here at noon."

At that moment, Mallory came down the stairs with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She and Harry were walking arm in arm and looked happy while Ron and Hermione seemed to have been arguing about something or other. "Mom," Mallory said, stopping short. Not sure how to greet her mother, she just said, "Hi."

"Hello, Mallory," Bethany replied, politely. Looking at the other students, she asked, "Who are your friends?"

Sirius woofed at Harry's side and Mallory reached over and scratched him behind the ear. "Well, this is Harry's guide dog, Orion, and—"

"Harry… Harry Potter?" Daniel asked, looking slightly surprised as he turned to the teenager with his daughter.

"Hi, Mr. Harper," Harry said, grinning as he gave a short wave in greeting.

"Nice—Nice to meet you, Harry," Daniel replied, still caught off guard a bit that Mallory was dating Harry Potter himself.

Mallory smiled at her father, pleased that he seemed to approve of her choice for a boyfriend—before looking back to her friends. "And this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

"Nice to meet you all," Daniel replied, sincerely. "So, is it lunch yet?" Indicating Bethany he added, "We haven't eaten since an early breakfast, so…"

"Great Hall's this way, Dad," Mallory said, pointing the way.

As they all headed to lunch, Daniel pulled his daughter aside. Giving her a gentle, yet firm look, he asked, "Honey, are you going to ignore your mother all day?"

Mallory shook off her father's hand and gave him a sharp look in return. "I said 'hi', didn't I?" With that, she walked into the Great Hall and went to sit with her friends and mother. Platters of chicken, potatoes, beans, and other foods started filling the Gryffindor table and Mallory ate lightly, not really wanting to be so close to her mother.

But the uneasy silence that had settled on the Harper family was broken when Angelina Johnson walked up a short while later and said, briskly, "Mallory, there's a Quidditch practice tonight. Don't be late."

Mallory froze, her mouth full of chicken, as she saw her parents react to the news. Giving a quick nod, she said, "Um… Thanks, Ang. I won't be."

"Are these your parents?" Angelina asked, curiously, looking from Bethany to Daniel.

"Yeah," Mallory replied, still getting looks from her mother and father. Turning to face them after Angelina headed off, she said, "Okay! Yes, I should have told you guys! I play Quidditch now. Happy? Okay, let's get back to that wonderful awkward silence now."

Going back to her lunch, Mallory was shocked when her father asked, "What position are you playing?"

"Keeper," Mallory replied, confused. "Wait… you're cool with this? What happened to always being so worried I'd get hurt?"

Daniel and Bethany exchanged looks. "Well, We've been talking lately and maybe… maybe I was wrong about that," Daniel replied. "You know how to be careful, Mallory, and it's your decision."

"Okay, I need to think," Mallory said, getting up. As usual when she was dealing with her mom and dad, she felt overwhelmed and looked over at Harry, giving his arm a squeeze as she said, "Um… Harry, I'll see you at History of Magic." Grabbing her bag, she quickly left the room.

Before dinner that evening, Bethany tracked down Mallory and found her up in one of the astronomy towers, her back towards the door. "We need to talk, Mal," Bethany said, being gentle, yet firm.

"About what?" Mallory said, looking out over the grounds. She didn't want to face her mother right now.

"What I said… to you and your father…," Bethany began, apologetically. "I was high. I was stressed out and doing drugs—"

"And you'd had too much to drink and you never meant what you said," Mallory said, turning around. "I've heard it all, Mom. I hear it all the time. You're sorry. You'll try harder. You really do love me and Dad. You'll go to rehab. It's a broken record. It means nothing to me anymore. Because it's all words to you."

"Mallory, I never thought that I would hurt you like I did," Bethany said, trying to get her daughter to understand. "I tried to be a good mother, but seeing you struggle with your disability and the pain you had… I felt that too and I just wanted it to go away,"

"Mom, every time you helped me it was to bury your own guilt!" Mallory shouted. "YOU did drugs. YOU drank. You were warned how many times that doing that stuff while you were pregnant could lead to birth defects and you didn't give a shit!"

Bethany ignored her daughter's language as she went on. "I was messed up for a long time, Mal—before and after I got pregnant. But I got clean after you were born and I realized I had to take care of all the medical stuff. Doesn't that say anything to you?"

Mallory nodded as she crossed her arms, still not giving in. "Yeah. It says that you realized that you couldn't very well take care of a crippled daughter when you were high. So what happened when I was 11? You figured I was old enough to take care of myself?"

Bethany sighed as she saw her daughter's cold look. She knew there was a lot of crap the two of them had to work through, but she knew they had to at least try to get along. "I slipped, honey. My life was so stressful… At first it was just to relax, mellow out. Then it went downhill from there."

"Yeah… whatever," Mallory muttered, heading for the door. "I'm done, Mom. I can't deal with this crap anymore and maybe it's best if we just stay away from each other."

"Mallory…" Bethany said, wishing she could find the right words to say.

But Mallory had already slammed the door behind her and started down the stairs.

"You're missing a fantastic Thanksgiving feast," Daniel Harper said as he walked up the stands of the Quidditch stadium to where Mallory was sitting, her broom next to her. "Never imagined the Brits could to a traditional Thanksgiving," he added with a smile. "—but apparently Dumbledore is full of surprises."

"Not really hungry, Dad," Mallory replied, quietly, looking out at the Quidditch pitch.

"Spoke with your mother," Daniel went on, the smile fading from his face.

"And?" Mallory asked, not really caring what her mom had to say.

Daniel sat down next to his daughter, looking out at the pitch as well. Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, he replied, "She told me she tried apologizing… and that you didn't accept her apology."

"She's said it so many times, Dad," Mallory said, quietly. "She says it all the time and just when I think I can actually start believing her, she turns around and blows that trust up into tiny little pieces. I've just had enough."

"She IS trying, Mallory," Daniel insisted, looking at his only child. "It's not easy. Drug and alcohol rehab is hard enough but trying to do it while you're caring for a disabled child is even harder."

"Yeah, well… like Yoda said," Mallory muttered, not giving an inch. "'Do. Or do not. There is no "try".'"

Daniel nodded, understanding what his daughter meant. "I know. And I won't pretend to know how you've felt about all this over the years… But this has been hard on me, too."

"They say… biological imperative to protect the young starts in the mother almost immediately after conception," Mallory said, still not looking at her father. "Mothers are supposed to protect their kids." After a few moments, she turned to her dad. "Fathers, too…"

Daniel looked away, knowing what was coming. He'd always felt a deep-rooted guilt over his part in Mallory's disability and now it seemed as though she was finally going to call him on it.

"You could have had Mom committed to a drug rehab center," Mallory said, eyes narrowed. "You could have done something to make sure Mom stayed clean and sober while she was pregnant, but you didn't. Why? Dad, how could you do that to me?"

"I thought… she could do it on her own," Daniel said, shrugging, knowing how weak the excuse sounded. "She wanted kids and I thought that once she'd found out she was pregnant, she would do whatever it took to have a healthy baby. But I told her… the doctors told her…But Bethany didn't listen."

"Look, it's done, we can't change the past, but that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive and forget," Mallory said, pointedly. "Mom made her choice… and I'm making mine."

Turning back to his daughter, Daniel asked, "So… how long are you going to be mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you, Dad," Mallory admitted, even though she didn't want to. "I'm… disappointed."

"Okay," Daniel replied, nodding. "I can deal with that. Is that why you haven't written any letters?"

Mallory nodded. "I guess I've just been…"

"Hurt?" Daniel said, pulling Mallory into a hug which after a long moment she returned. "I'm sorry, honey."

"Thanks, Dad," Mallory said, a hint of a smile on her face.

"For what, honey?" Daniel asked, curiously.

"For meaning it," Mallory replied, quietly.

Deep in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic, Arthur Weasley stood guard near the Hall of Prophecies. Even though there had been no sign of any of Voldemort's Death Eaters lately, the Order of the Phoenix had decided to post someone just in case.

Tonight, though, had been even more quiet than usual and all Arthur could think about was finishing his shift so that he could go home to the Burrow and get some sleep before Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Harry arrived for the Christmas holidays the following day.

Feeling drowsy, Arthur decided to sit down against the wall for a while. After all, no one would be here tonight… He could afford to take a few minutes to rest his eyes.

In his dormitory at Hogwarts, Harry's sleep was fitful. He saw flashes of Voldemort sitting on what looked like a throne of sorts… the Death Eaters were gathered around… and Voldemort's snake, Nagini, was circling the lot of them, hissing softly. They all spoke too softly for Harry to hear, but they seemed to be excited by something

Suddenly, the dream changed and Harry was following the snake down a long hallway to a closed door at the end. The hallway was empty to the human eye, but the snake could tell that there was a man there, sleeping under an invisibility cloak.

The snake seemed to pause as though checking to see if the man would awaken soon, but no… the man's breathing was soft and even. But as the snake moved past the sleeping man, he awoke and stood quickly, wand out and ready to strike.

The snake reared up and bit the man… once… twice… The man fell, bloody, and in pain…

xx

"Harry! Harry, wake up!"

Harry was thrust back in to darkness and he sat up, arms out-stretched as he suddenly couldn't remember where he was. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"Harry, you're at Hogwarts," said Neville Longbottom as he put a hand on Harry's shoulder to calm him. "You're safe. It's okay."

"No, it's not," Harry said, still shaking as Sirius jumped up onto the bed and started nuzzling Harry, licking his ears and neck. "Ron… Your dad was just attacked. I saw what did it—it was Voldemort's snake."

"What?" Ron said, disbelieving. "What are you…?" After a moment, though, Ron said, "Come on. We need to find Dumbledore. You'll see, Harry… He'll show you Dad's okay. It was just a bad dream, mate…"

Harry didn't even bother to grab his cane, instead just getting up and holding on to Ron's elbow, and soon, he, Ron, and Sirius were on their way to Dumbledore's office. Just down the hall, however, Ron asked, "Do you know the password to Dumbledore's office?"

Harry stopped, shaking his head. They should have thought of that before setting out. "No," he said, dismally.

"Mr. Potter! Mr. Weasley!" McGonagall's crisp voice rang in the hallway as she walked briskly towards the two students. "I want to know what the two of you are doing out of bed at this hour!"

"Ron's dad was attacked," Harry said, quickly, yet quietly. "We have to tell Dumbledore!"

McGonagall noticed that Harry hadn't grabbed his shades and without them she could see that his eyes, though mostly blank, still had a pronounced look of alarm. Realizing that this wasn't some sort of ruse—although she suspected as much from the fact that neither Harry nor Ron were wearing shoes or slippers. "Very well, Potter. Come with me." Once outside Dumbledore's office, she gave the password and the three of them headed up quickly to find the headmaster still awake and at his desk.

"Harry…" Dumbledore said, apprehension in his voice. "What did you see?"

"You knew?" Harry asked, curiously, as he heard the tone in the older man's voice. How had the headmaster known about the vision so quickly?

"I suspected," Dumbledore replied, slowly. Not wanting to get into the details at that exact moment, he asked, "What did you see?"

"Ron's dad was attacked by Voldemort's snake," Harry said, before giving the details of the dream.

Dumbledore rose swiftly and soon he had reports back from some of the portraits on the walls of his office. Turning to his headmistress, he said, swiftly, "Minerva, please rouse the other Weasleys and bring them here."

"Of course, Albus," McGonagall said before turning and leaving the room.

"Harry…" Dumbledore's voice was kind and gentle as he put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know," Harry replied, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess, it's just… it was bad."

After a few minutes, the office door opened again and Fred, George and Ginny came in flanked by McGonagall. "Harry, what's going on?" Ginny asked, looking worried.

"Your father has been attacked while on duty for the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore said, succinctly. "Now we do not have much time so I will be sending you all to Grimmauld Place."

"What about Dad?" George asked, feeling panic well up inside.

"I will inform your mother about the situation," Dumbledore promised. "I am sure she will tell you as soon as there is news."

The sun had just started to rise when Molly Weasley closed the front door of #12 Grimmauld Place. Sighing with relief, she headed down to the kitchen to find Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Sirius waiting anxiously. The whole lot looked like they'd been up all night waiting for news.

"Molly," Sirius said, looking up and stretching. Once away from Hogwarts he'd changed back from his dog form and he was still stiff from being four-footed for so long. "How's Arthur?"

"He's alive," Molly said, a wan smile crossing her face. "He's going to make it. Harry… thank you. If it hadn't been for you it would have been too late by the time they found him. You saved Arthur's life."

Harry blushed, feeling a bit put off that he was being praised for saving Mr. Weasley's life, when all Harry had really done was forget to put up his mental barriers before he went to bed. "It's nothing…"

"Harry, what's wrong?" Sirius asked as he got up to start making breakfast. Harry seemed preoccupied and bothered by something.

"Nothing," Harry said, shrugging. "I'm fine."

xxxx

Ron stood in the doorway of the room he shared with Harry, watching his best friend for a moment before announcing his presence. "Dumbledore sent our things over a few minutes ago."

"Great," Harry said, quietly, as he lay on his bed staring blankly at the ceiling. He wished Ron would leave him alone.

"Mum wants you to come with us when we go see Dad in an hour or two," Ron added as Harry finally sat up. "That is, if you're up to it."

"Okay…" Harry felt for his cane on the nightstand but after not finding it, he asked "Where's…?"

"You left your cane at school, remember?" Ron said, stepping forward as Harry got up, arms outstretched.

"Right…" Harry muttered, feeling a bit lost. As much as he was getting used to getting around without his sight, there were still times he felt exceedingly helpless.

"Harry?" Ginny came in behind her brother and handed Harry some of his clothes, along with the long white cane he used for guidance, and his shades. "I brought these up for you from your trunk downstairs. Mum's waiting for us. She said we'll grab some lunch before we leave for St. Mungo's."

Harry nodded and Ginny turned to leave while he changed clothes. "Ron…" Harry said as he finished tying his shoes. "I'm sorry about your dad."

"You heard Mum," Ron said, optimistically. "Dad's going to be fine. If you're thinking about that dream…"

"Mac said if I was using Occlumency correctly then I shouldn't be having dreams at all," Harry argued, pulling a sweater on over his t-shirt. "But I did."

"Harry, if you hadn't seen Dad he could have died," Ron replied as Harry unfolded his cane. "You saved his life."

Harry didn't reply as he donned his shades and headed out of the room and down the stairs, his cane out in front of him.

Christmas Eve brought fresh snow to Grimmauld Place and a few hours before dinner that evening, Hermione and Mallory stepped off the Knight Bus outside #12. Once inside, Hermione went to find Ron and Ginny while Mallory went in search of Harry.

Upstairs in one of the bedrooms, Mallory found Harry sitting on his bed in his room, his fingers moving over the pages of his Transfiguration textbook. "Hey, good lookin'," she said, smiling as she leaned against the door frame, rapping lightly on the wood. "Merry Christmas."

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, closing his book after marking his place and setting it aside.

"Told Dad I wanted to spend the holiday with my boyfriend," Mallory replied, shrugging.

"And you didn't want to see your mum?" Harry asked, knowingly.

Mallory nodded as she stepped closer to Harry. "That too," she admitted.

"I know you told me what happened," Harry said, sadly. "But… I don't know. I feel bad that you hate your mum so much, Mallory."

"I don't… I've been thinking about that, Harry," she said, sitting down next to him. "And lately I've been thinking that it might hurt less if I just don't care. You know, I don't expect her to keep her promise to stay clean and sober—no disappointments. Don't expect her to be there to pick me up from school—no disappointments." Turning to Harry she added, "I know you think we should make up and have a nice family hug, but… the fact is that I've given her enough hugs. She's given me enough disappointments."

Harry felt for his girlfriend's hand and gave it a kind squeeze. "I understand. Really, I do. I just would hate it if something happened to your mum before the two have a chance to reconcile."

"Thanks, Harry," Mallory said, smiling. "But for right now I think distance is the best thing for the two of us." Seeing Harry's look, she laughed. "For my mom and me! I love you, Harry. I…" Mallory's face froze in shock at her own words and Harry blinked in surprise.

"You… love me?" Harry repeated, his heart beating faster. He'd been thinking of how he felt about Mallory for a while now but he hadn't been able to properly articulate his thoughts.

"Well… yeah… You're a really, really good guy," Mallory said, blushing to the brown roots of her hair as she leaned forward to kiss her boyfriend. Harry kissed back and slowly reached up a hand to the back of Mallory's neck before deepening the kiss. After a while Mallory whispered, "You're a great kisser for a blind guy."

"Thanks," Harry said before resuming the kissing.

xxxxxxx

Before dinner, Percy arrived and invited Ginny for a short walk around the block. "Just to catch up," he'd replied when his mother had inquired as to his motives.

After bundling up, Ginny left with her older brother, curious as to what was going on.

"Ron told me that you were kissing Draco Malfoy," Percy said, without preamble, trying not to show his extreme displeasure at the situation.

Ginny sighed. "I was… trying to make Harry jealous, I suppose. Ron has a big mouth."

"Never mind that Harry can't see to actually be jealous," Percy said, calmly. "Why Malfoy?"

"It just happened, Percy," Ginny replied as she kicked at the snow. "I was angry… hurt… It was stupid—I know that now."

"Love makes people do things they may not be proud of," Percy said, sagely.

"You and Penelope Clearwater still together?" Ginny asked, not quite trying to change the subject.

"Yes," Percy replied. "And I have to apologize since you and everyone else won't be receiving any Christmas gifts from me."

Ginny stopped walking and Percy looked slightly ashamed. "What?" Ginny asked, puzzled. "Why not?"

Percy dug into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a small ring box, opening it up so Ginny could see. "I… had to use just about all the money I had available for this. Didn't leave much left for gifts, I'm afraid."

Ginny studied the diamond ring. It was simple—a thin gold band with a heart-shaped diamond set in it. "It's beautiful, Percy. Penelope will love it."

"I asked her to Christmas dinner," Percy added, putting the ring back in his pocket. "You think there will be enough room for one more?"

"I should think so," Ginny said, as she and her brother set off again. After a while she looped her arm through Percy's as she added, "It's nice to have you back in the family again."

xxxxxx

Late that night, after everyone else was sound asleep in bed, Mallory snuck down to the kitchen to finish setting up the Christmas gifts she'd brought. For Mrs. Weasley there was a stack of 4 muggle cookbooks and Mr. Weasley would be getting a magic-powered portable DVD player and a starter supply of movies and muggle TV shows. Not sure about the rest of the Weasleys—except for Ginny—Mallory had opted for gift cards to a local muggle mall.

Hermione would be getting monthly subscriptions to 7 different science magazines to be either mailed to her house—over the summer—or by owl post during the school year.

Ron would receive a WGBA (Wizarding GameBoy Advance) as well as a few games including a Quidditch game.

Harry would be receiving a magical MP3 player—fully loaded with a wide selection of music.

As for Ginny… Since Mallory had claimed Harry as a boyfriend, Mallory had thought that it was only fair that she set up the only Weasley daughter up with one of the guys from the companion school to the Rouge Valley Academy. Therefore, Ginny would be getting a small photo album of guys from the Red River Wizarding Institute so she could pick who she wanted to correspond with.

Once everything was set up and ready, Mallory cleaned up the scraps of wrapping paper and headed back upstairs to grab a few more hours of sleep before Christmas morning.

xxxx

As the Weasley family plus Harry and Hermione trooped into the kitchen Christmas morning, they were surprised to find breakfast already started and Mallory putting out pots of tea and coffee and carafes of orange juice.

"You didn't have to do this dear," Mrs. Weasley said as she bustled forward to help finish the meal.

"It's a habit," Mallory said, smiling as she put platters of eggs and bacon on the table. "Dad can't cook and Mom was usually hung-over Christmas morning, so…"

"Well, sit down, dear," Molly said, smiling back as she retrieved the sticky buns from the oven. "I'll finish breakfast."

Once everyone was seated at the table and had eaten a filling breakfast, Mrs. Weasley and her oldest son, Bill, passed out the gifts to the others.

Harry had gotten Mrs. Weasley a new apron with a special pocket for her wand along with a set of new cookware.

From Ron, Hermione had received a bead necklace in Gryffindor colors, complete with a small lion pendant on it. "It's beautiful, Ron," Hermione said, kissing him on the lips as she hugged him. "Thank you."

Ron blushed as he muttered, "Made it m'self."

"Really?" Hermione asked as she put the necklace on.

"Well… I've got a bit of free time now, don't I?" Ron said, grinning. "Mum showed me how to make it."

"Mallory…" Harry said, questioningly as he unwrapped her gift and felt the small device and accompanying headphones. "What is this?"

Mallory poured herself another cup of coffee and said, "It's an MP3 player. It plays music. I put some of everything on it. Country, blues, rock, soul…"

"Oooh!" Hermione had just opened her gift from Mallory. "I've always wanted this subscription!" Hermione exclaimed, happily. "Thank you!"

"Thought you'd like that," Mallory said, cheerfully. Looking over at the only Weasley daughter, she said, "Ginny, you look confused."

Ginny looked up from the photo album she'd just unwrapped. "I don't understand why you gave me this."

Ron leaned over and saw all the pictures of handsome male teenagers waving and smiling. "What the…? Who are these blokes?"

"They go to Red River Wizarding Institute," Mallory explained. "Since I came here and stole Harry away I decided to let Ginny pick a boyfriend from the available guys. You can owl them anytime you want."

"What's that gift?" Fred asked, pointing to a large box in the corner that hadn't been opened.

"Gift for your dad," Mallory replied. "I mean since he's still in the hospital I figured I should get him something. It's a magic powered DVD player. It's for playing movies. I also put a bunch of those in there."

"I'm sure he'll love it," Mrs. Weasley said, magically clearing the table with a wave of her wand.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At dinner that evening, Percy kept stealing glances at his girlfriend, Penelope, who was sitting across the table from him. The conversations around them were filled with cheer and laughter but the two only seemed to notice each other. Once dessert was over and the table had again been cleared, Percy stood and—unaware of everyone watching him—walked around the table and knelt down on one knee beside Penelope, pulling the ring out of his pocket. Despite the speech he'd prepared and practiced for days, Percy suddenly found himself unable to speak and could only stare into Penelope's hazel eyes, watching her gaze go from his eyes to the diamond ring.

Finally, Percy croaked out, "Will you…?"

The rest didn't matter as Penelope let out a ringing laugh, nodding as her eyes filled with happy tears.

Grinning, Percy took the ring and slid it onto her hand and kissed his fiancée.

Next to Harry, Mallory took his hand under the table and gave it a squeeze before she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

xxxxxxxxxx

"How'd you know what to get Hermione for Christmas?" Harry asked, thinking of the gifts Mallory had gotten the others.

It was after midnight and while everyone else had gone to bed, Harry and Mallory were still on the couch in the living room before the slowly dying fire. They'd been talking all evening and didn't feel like going to bed yet.

Mallory smiled as she leaned back. "Because Hermione strikes me as the type of person to absorb any bit of information she can get her hands on. She's also the type of person to attack any crisis with research." Looking over at Harry who had his shades off and was now staring blankly at the fire she said, "She probably looked up everything she could on progressive blindness. Am I right?"

"She couldn't find any precedent to what happened," Harry replied, quietly. "But she did try, even when I told her the doctors and healers had already tested me for everything possible."

"Harry, can I ask you something?" Mallory asked, watching her boyfriend. "What happened to you… at your aunt and uncle's house?"

Harry didn't reply for the longest time and the glowing embers from the fire cast only faint flickers of light around the room. Finally, he said, "They never physically abused me. Most of the time they pretended I didn't exist."

Leaning forward, Mallory took Harry's hand. "I was thinking… You and I are pretty similar." Seeing Harry's questioning look she explained. "You and I were both let down by people who were supposed to take care of us."

"I guess," Harry said, still facing away from Mallory.

"Okay. What gives?" Mallory asked, curious about why Harry had been so distant of the past few days.

"What?" Harry asked, confused by the question.

Mallory sighed and after a moment, clarified the question. "Why are you being distant? Something's bugging you, I can tell. What is it?"

"I shouldn't have had that vision," Harry said, almost in a whisper. "If I'd been using Occlumency like I should have—Ow!" He said, suddenly, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?"

Mallory smirked. "Oh, the smack upside the head? That's for complaining. You saved your best friend's dad! So what if you lapsed a bit? Just do better next time!"

"But what if Voldemort had gotten a better hold on me?" Harry countered. "What if he knows that I saw his snake attack Mr. Weasley?"

"Harry, just mellow out," Mallory yawned. "It's too late to argue."

Harry yawned as well and he lay back against the arm of the couch. "I don't even feel like going upstairs," he said, sleepily.

Yawning again and laying slightly away from Harry, Mallory closed her eyes, murmuring as she curled up a bit. "Me neither."

Soon, the two of them had fallen asleep.

xxxxxxxxx

"Did the two of you sleep down here all night?" Hermione said the next morning as she came down and saw Harry and Mallory asleep on the couch.

Mallory opened her eyes and blinked in confusion as she noticed that she was leaning against Harry who had apparently thrown an arm around her. "Okay…" she said, quietly, slowly moving Harry's arm.

"Did the two of you…?" Hermione asked, as Mallory got up leaving Harry to continue sleeping.

"We just slept as far as I know," Mallory whispered. Once she and Hermione were in the kitchen, Mallory put tea and coffee on and asked, "So what did cause Harry's blindness? Do you even know?"

"The best guess," Hermione replied, shrugging. "—is that Voldemort's Killing Curse had a latent effect on Harry. But somehow, the curse only affected his eyes. But no one knows for certain."

"So there's no way to restore Harry's sight?" Mallory asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"No," Hermione said, sadly. "I wish there was though."

After a while, Mallory nodded in agreement. "Me, too."