A week after the first Quidditch game, Kisa woke up feeling upset. Everyone around her was growing more and more excited for the holidays, but Kisa was another story.

Kisa could wait for the holidays to start. It's not that she hated her dad, but they always spent Christmas Day with the Malfoy's and one could say she wasn't the happiest, only to be rivaled by Draco himself. While the Great Hall and Ravenclaw common room were warm and toasty even whenever you didn't sit in front of the fire, the hallways had become extremely cold and a freezing wind rattled windows in the classrooms, especially Professor Snape's, where everyone could see their breath rise in front of them whenever they breathed. Everyone was practically hugging their warm cauldrons, just so they wouldn't die of hypothermia in the middle of Potions.

"I do feel sorry," said Draco, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

Kisa caught him looking over at Harry. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled loudly, their guffaws echoing in the small classroom. Kisa scowled and looked down at the note her father sent her that morning, telling her that she was going to spend the holidays with Draco and his family. The whole holiday- not just Christmas Day. She wanted to throw up. She had torn up the letter as soon as she read it, hoping that if she could erase evidence that she had received the letter, she would just be able to go home, stay in her room, and read the whole time.

When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told everyone that Hagrid was behind it.

Kisa watched as Ron, Hermione, and Harry conversed with the large man while Jake watched Malfoy's group pass them and Blake scowled at them.

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind the Golden Trio. Kisa scowled at Malfoy's back.

"What a toad."

"Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be game keeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose- that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to," Malfoy continued, sneering at the red head.

Ron lunged at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs and pushed past Kisa and the twins.

"WEASLEY!"

Ron let go of Malfoy's robes and Kisa urged the twins along before Snape could yell at them for loitering in the hallways. Kisa ran her hand though her hair and groaned.

"Snape is an old bat and Malfoy's a toad… I wonder what other animals we'll run into." Jake laughed. Mrs. Norris passed them just then, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What a strange cat," Kisa muttered as they turned the corner and headed towards Transfiguration. The three joined up with Marcus at the door and entered the classroom, Blake very excited. This was his favorite class, after all.

The four enter the classroom and take their seats at their desks. Kisa smiled at Marcus, who was looking at the front of the classroom nervously. He saw her out of the corner of his eye and turned to her, smiling.

"Why are you so nervous?" she asked, breaking eye contact to get a new quill and parchment out of her bag.

"I don't know," said Marcus, shrugging.

"Well, relax," Kisa said and chuckled.

Her laughter died down whenever Malfoy strolled into class, Crabbe and Goyle absent. This was the only class he was alone with Pansy in, it seemed. Kisa bit her tongue and stood up as he sat, then took a deep breath and walked over to him.

She felt sick at the sight of Pansy flirting with him. Malfoy didn't deserve that kind of attention. Pushing that thought out of her mind, she approached his desk and nodded Pansy's way before looking at Draco.

"May I speak to you alone?" asked Kisa, watching Pansy give her a look of disgust out of the corner of her eye.

Annoyed, Malfoy rolled his eyes. "If you must."

Kisa grabbed his arm in a death vise and pulled him away, only to have him complain loudly that she was sure to leave a bruise if she didn't let go that second. Everyone in the classroom was chatting loudly before Professor McGonagall would come in, so that left Kisa to speak with Draco in private without anyone butting in. She saw her friends giving her a confused look while Pansy was glaring at her.

She just shook her head at the twins and Marcus while ignoring Pansy, then turned to Draco. She kept on an indifferent expression, but she felt her stomach lurch.

"You know about the 'surprise' for Christmas h-holiday, right?" asked Kisa, mentally cursing herself for stuttering.

"Is that what you dragged me away for?" Draco spat, narrowing his eyes. "Of course I do. My father sent me a letter. I'm not looking forward to a whole holiday with you."

Kisa glared at him, then shook her head. "The feeling's mutual, Malfoy," she said before walking off quickly back to her seat angrily.

"He's such a jerk," she muttered, sitting down and grabbing her quill.

Her friends couldn't question her because Professor McGonagall walked in at that moment and told Blake to come to the front to show everyone how to correctly transfigure a mouse into a tea cup. Kisa tried to pay attention, but the whole vacation disaster was still creeping back into her mind, distracting her often.

At lunch, Kisa quickly ate the food and rushed out again before anyone could question where she was going. She quietly snuck down the hall towards the door that held the green light. She had to know what was behind that door- the curiosity was killing her. She took a deep breath, but right before she could reach the door handle, she heard someone clearing their throat.

"Miss Sinclair, what are you doing?"

She sighed and turned to face Professor Snape, then quickly stared at her feet. She was irritated at getting caught. She'd need to think of someway to become undetected so she could finally find out what was behind that door-

"I'm taking twenty points away from Ravenclaw," Snape said. "There will be no sneaking around the hallways while I'm here at Hogwarts. I will also see you in detention Saturday. You're lucky that I know your father; otherwise, you'd be in more trouble."

Kisa scowled at the floor as Snape turned and walked away briskly. She looked up, hoping to sneak in now, but saw Filch round the corner and decided that the door could wait.

"My luck is horrible," she groaned that night in the common room. She was laying on her back on the floor in front of the fire. Blake, who was sitting in the chair closest to her, used his foot to roll her onto her stomach and grinned whenever she gave him a sharp look.

"Maybe you should just stop lurking through the hallways like some sort of raccoon," Jake said, flipping through his Herbology textbook like his life depended on it.

"Careful or you'll get a-"

Jake yelped and started sucking on his finger, scowling.

"-paper cut," Marcus finished and sighed.

"It's okay," Jake said, sighing and taking his finger out of his mouth. He crossed the room and opened a first aid kit hidden in one of the larger books in the bookcase.

"Why is a Muggle health kit in the bookcase?" Blake asked as Jake turned around, a bright pink band aid on his finger.

"Well, that girl Lucinda is in Muggle Studies and decided to make one, but hid it in a place she would remember so no one would find it and mess it up," Jake explained.

"That's pretty cool. What does it look like?" Kisa asked, standing up quickly and walking over. Jake opened the small white metal box and Kisa saw that it was full of gauze and other things.

"So this is what you used?" Kisa asked, picking up a neon green band aid.

"Yes, those are called bandages, or most commonly referred to as band aids," Jake said and Kisa nodded, amazed.

For the next hour, the group sat discussing the ethics of band aids and whether they're useful or not to wizards. After a while, Kisa yawned and stood up.

"I'm going to head off to bed. Good night," she said and disappeared up the staircase. She enters her dorm to see Elizabeth's bed a mess and a crazed Marie walking around, holding her hair in clumps.

"Kisa! Look at my hair!" the girl cried, pulling out clumps. She had a bald spot on the top of her head and another was starting near her left ear.

"What did you do?" Kisa asked and Marie shrugged.

"I just tried some of Elizabeth's shampoo and my hair started falling out!" She let go off her hair and grabbing Kisa's shoulder and shaking her. "I don't want to go bald, Kisa!"

"Then go to Madam Pomfrey!" Kisa shouted and Marie let go at once.

"Excellent idea!" Marie walked across the room and grabbed a knit hat and left the room right whenever Elizabeth entered.

"I see someone got into my prank shampoo," Elizabeth said, snickering. "These two twins- Fred and George, I think- taught me how to make it and I can't believe she actually tried to use it! That was awesome!"

She laughed and saw her messy bed. "I see she tried to find an antidote as well, huh?"

"That was mean," Kisa said, shaking her head. "I can't believe you did that. It looked like she was about to have a heart attack."

"But she's okay, isn't she?" Elizabeth said and jumped onto her bed, then scrambled into a relaxed pose.

"But what if she wasn't?" Kisa muttered as she undressed and slipped into her pajamas. She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut after pulling her curtains closed.


"But I don't want to go to Draco's party Daddy!" a six year old Kisa screamed, struggling against her father's grip on her hand. "He's mean and I hate him! Don't make me go in there!"

Andrew sighed, exasperated. "Kisa, we are going in there and we're going to have a good time."

"No Daddy!" Kisa shouted but was dragged into the house anyways.

Once inside, Kisa scowled at Draco, who was standing behind a giant chocolate cake at a large ornate table. Andrew disappeared into a room across the house to talk with the other parents while Kisa frowned and took a seat beside a seven year old Goyle, who grabbed her pigtails and yanked on them until she started crying. The parents were in another room, of course, so no one came to help her.

"Stop it Goyle!" Kisa shouted, hitting the boy in the face. At first he was shocked, but then he scowled at her.

"You'll pay for that, runt!" he shouted back at her and Kisa screamed. Draco frowned and hit Goyle's head.

"Stop Goyle. It's not worth it," Draco said and Kisa frowned.

"You only think you're better than me because your bigger," she said, crossing her arms. "All of you. I hate you."

"I don't care," Crabbe, a seven year old version, said and laughed. "You're only jealous because Draco and we have a mom and you don't!"

Kisa frowned and stood up. "That's not true! Don't talk about my family!"

Crabbe shrugged and Kisa sat down begrudgingly.

"You guys, don't fight. It's my birthday," Draco said, looking towards the door as his mother walked in.

Kisa kept her eyes on the table and the other parents paraded in after Narcissa, then circle around the table.

"Time to eat cake, then onto presents," Narcissa said happily, pinching Draco's cheeks before using magic to cut the cake and pass out the pieces. Kisa stuck a fork in her slice and happily ate it, her face lighting up.

Draco smiled at her and she smiled back.

After the cake, all of the children sat in a circle while the parents talked. Draco had all of the presents that he already opened surrounding him and all that was left was the one from Kisa and Andrew. Kisa handed him a present wrapped in pretty light blue wrapping paper.

"Here Draco," said Kisa, smiling at him.

"Thank you," Draco said as he ripped it open. Inside sat a book. He just stared at it while Kisa beamed.

"I picked it out myself!" Kisa said. "I have the same book at home! It's one of my favorites!"

"Books as presents are stupid," Draco muttered and Kisa's face falls.

"You're mean Draco." Kisa said and stood up, walking towards her dad and grabbing his hand.


Kisa sighed. She'd always hated that memory. She shook her head and stared at the ceiling, not able to fall asleep. She looked over at Elizabeth's dresser, which had a small clock propped up, and saw that it was two thirty in the morning. She groaned and laid back down on her pillow.