George took her hand and led her quietly up the familiar hallway to the seventh floor. Addie recognized the route and was not surprised when the two of them stopped before the familiar blank space of wall. George stood quite still, his eyes fixated on the empty stretch until a tall, polished door appeared.

George smiled at Addie and opened the door. The room was unrecognizable. The long shelves that usually contained thick volumes on magical defense were gone, and in their place, war floating candles hung in the air. The empty space that usually occupied the middle of the room had been replaced with an ornate table for two. George pulled out one of the chairs and Addie took her seat.

"I'll be right back," George said, and ran out of the room.

Addie looked around. The room was much cozier than it had been for D.A meetings. A fireplace let off a warm glow not far from where Addie and George would be having dinner, and the springy floorboards that had been so perfect for defense practice had been replaced with a lush red carpet.

A light music seemed to be coming from the walls themselves and Addie sunk comfortably into the heavily cushioned chair as she waited for George to return.

When he did, he was followed be two or three house elves each holding ornate dishes.

"They love stuff like this," George winked as he sat down. "They cooked this all up right on the spot."

"George" Addie said breathlessly as one of the elves placed a bowl of the most delicious smelling soup in front of her, "This—all of this—for me?"

"Well—yeah—" He blushed, "I thought you know…it works for secret defense groups…why not work for dates?"

Addie laughed and the two enjoyed their meal. George told stories of old pranks he had played with Fred, and Addie told him about her past and home school. The two realized that they had much more in common than they had ever imagined. They both had the same favorite Quidditch team, liked the same music, the same books, and had the same love of life.

Throughout the course of dinner Addie learned to love the mischievous that spread across George's face as he spoke of old pranks he'd pulled with Fred, and the quiet protective nature of his gaze. She never felt as though she was under his scrutiny, the way she did with Harry, or that she was an object, the way she did with Malfoy. When George and Addie locked eyes she knew that he was thinking only of her. She learned to love the loud boom of his laugher and the spattering of sprinkles across his nose. The only thing she didn't learn to love, was George Weasley himself.

She couldn't help but think back to Harry, suffering alone in the Gryffindor common room. She couldn't help but feel like ending the dinner all together so that she could sit by Harry's side and help him deal with the terrible loss he'd endured that day.

Despite her obsession with Harry, Addie felt comfortable with George and knew that she could indulge her love of adventure with him just as much as she could with Harry. She could see that George was kind, smart, brave, and had an unyielding desire to experience a life beyond what he had been born into.

"You see," He said, through bites of turkey, "I'm going to travel everywhere. Fred and I are going to open up a joke shop, you know, and we're going to go everywhere."

"Don't forget me!" Addie laughed. "I am your publicity manager."

George looked up. His hazel eyes were wide and earnest.

"Then come with us." He said quietly. "I'll always protect you, Addie."

She froze. The light happiness of the dinner vanished and she felt something hard settle in the pit of her stomach. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but finally locked eyes with George.

"George, I'm only fifteen. I'm just trying to pass my O.. I'm not ready to plan my whole life yet." He kept his eyes fixed on hers.

"You're always welcome." He said quietly, then turned toward one of the house elves to ask for dessert.

The pair attempted to continue the casual conversation that had made the start of the dinner so pleasant, but the damage had been done. George's voice had taken on a soft, defeated quality, and Addie compulsively shot nervous glances at the door.

The conversation on the way back to the dormitory was strained, and in a final attempt to end the night well, they both resorted to a casual discussion of muggle batteries.

"I'm pretty sure they run out after a while." Addie said as they approached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"No, No, No!" George exclaimed, "Why would you want an energy source that ran out after you used it too much? Muggles are stupid but not that stupid."

"George I don't think you know what you're talking about." Addie laughed, hoisting herself through the portrait hole.

"My father collects batteries." George said following close behind. "If anyone doesn't know what they're talking about it's you!"

Addie raised and eyebrow, "Your dad collects batteries?"

"Ah well…" George laughed, "Among other things…rubber ducks…those odd things muggles use to make the click noise on there computers…remote controls…"

I raised my eyebrow and laughed, "I'm going to bed."

George yawned, "Ah yes I do need my beauty sleep."

"Thanks for a great time…." Addie smiled, "I really enjoyed myself."

"So did I…" George muttered his ears going slightly red at the top, "Goodnight Addie…"

"Goodnight George."

"Wait!" he called after her.

Addoe turned around slowly, "Yeah?"

"So…after tonight…we're still…"

"Friends" Addie told him, "Best friends."

"With benefits?" He asked. The mischievous crooked smiled appearing on his face once more.

"Goodnight George" Addie sighed.

"See you tomorrow, Addie."

xxx

Addie awoke the next morning to the familiar sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione huddled by the fire. She smiled sadly to herself and passed by them without a second glace. She had resigned herself long ago to the notion that she was not wanted in the trio's private conversations. She could hardly mask her surprise when, just as she was about to pass them by, Hermione called out to her, "Addie! Addie come here!"

Addie turned slowly. She saw them beckoning for her to join them, but felt frozen in her spot. What had changed? Why was she now included?

It dawned on her, almost moments after she had posed the question to herself, that the answer was simple. Addie had gotten into trouble alongside Harry. Addie had fought injustice by his side and, as a result, had earned the trust of the Golden Trio. She was in, if she wanted to be.

Addie paused. She thought briefly of turning her back on them and walking toward the table where Fred and George had begun a loud game of exploding snap. Then, an idea dawned on her. If she was going to be accepted now she was going to be accepted on her own terms. And why deprive herself of what was sure to be an interesting story?

"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow as she sat a little ways out of their circle.

"Hagrid came back last night." Hermione whispered.

"Who?" Addie asked, leaning back on her hands.

"Hagrid! Remember our friend who was missing? The Care of Magical Creatures teacher?" Hermione explained, forgoing her usual aggravation at Addie's lack of background.

Addie merely nodded in response.

"Well he told us where he's been all of this time and…he was trying to recruit giants for the Order."

Addie's curiosity had be peaked. Her cool demeanor vanished as her brown eyes grew wide, "He was doing what? Isn't that extremely dangerous?"

"Well he's part giant himself, but yes it was very risky." Hermione whispered biting her lip.

"So, did he—you know—did he get to the giants?" Addie asked, moving herself closer to the circle.

"They got there," Harry began, bitterness evident in his tone, "But the Death Eaters had gotten there first."

"They?" Addie asked, eager to understand everything. "Whose 'they'?"

"Madame Maxime, another part giant, went with him." Ron told her. "But that's not the most important part. About halfway through our talk with him last night….Umbridge showed up."

"What did you do?" Addie asked, feeling more and more like a child being read a particularly good bed time story.

"We hid under my invisibility cloak." Addie made a mental note that Harry had an invisibility cloak. "We were able to hear the whole conversation and, well, we think she knew where Hagrid was all this time."

"No!" Addie cried.

"Yes, and what's worse we think she's going to try to get him fired." Hermione said. "And he won't let me help him with his lesson plan."

"What are you going to do?" Addie asked.

"Well I'm going to go down there today." Hermione said. "In fact…I should get going. Goodbye everyone!" She grabbed her book bag and hurried out of the portrait hole.

As a result of Hermione's absence, and Addie's happiness at re-admittence into Harry's circle of friends, she spent the rest of the afternoon editing and re-editing both Harry and Ron's homework.

"So…" Addie began as she scratched out a sentence in Ron's Potions essay. "Aside from starting secret societies, preparing for O., saving the wizarding world, and generally irritating high ranking ministry officials…what else do you all do?"

"I used to play Quidditch…" Harry muttered darkly as haphazardly flipped through pages in his Potions book, "But I'm on a life time ban."

Addie placed a tentative hand on his shoulder and the two exchanged a quick glance, "Aren't we all?"

Ron's ears flushed red at their tips, "It's all my fault…" he said sadly.

"It is not!" Addie assured him. "It's Malfoy's, and no one else's."

Ron looked up at her, "You two used to be friends."

"He changed." Addie replied shortly over top of his essay.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, closing the Potions book all together.

"Well," Addie began, "The Draco Malfoy I knew wasn't—he just wasn't—well I'll give you an example. There was this one time when I was around nine when I went to his birthday party."

"You went to his birthday parties?" Ron gaped.

"I told you my mother is very involved in pureblood politics—anyway back to my story." She cleared her throat, "I was still nine and he was turning ten. I had gotten really sick on the trip over to his house, and well…the thing about Draco's birthday parties was that they weren't really for him. They were more of a way for his dad and mom to invite people over and show off how well behaved their son was. So I got quite sick and I had to stay up in their guest bedroom the whole time because my mom didn't want to leave and well…instead of staying downstairs at the party and eating cake and opening presents and all of those sorts of things….Draco stayed with me."

Harry and Ron exchanged startled glances.

"MALFOY….did that?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Addie smiled nostalgically, "Draco did that…."

There was a pause and Addie realized it was her turn to ask a probing question.

"So Ron," She began, deciding it was best not to try and crack Harry just then, "What's it like at your house? With all those brothers and sisters….does it get really hectic during the holidays?"

"Ah well I'm used to it…" He replied quietly.

"No, I really want to know." Addie placed a friendly hand on his knee and he blushed. "How was it growing up with all those brothers and sisters?"

"You really want to know?" He asked. His voice grew suddenly stronger. "Well I'll tell you then. See I'm the fourth boy in my family—the fourth!—I came right after a set of twins so there was really nothing special to be done about me. My dad really loves his job but it doesn't pay well so everything I own is a double hand me down, you know it was passed from Bill to Charlie, Fred or George then me? Well anyway—nothing I have started out as mine and what's worse there's nothing I can do to set me apart from any of my brothers. I mean Charlie was this big Quidditch star when he went to Hogwarts and—well you saw how well I did with Quidditch—"

"You weren't bad Ron!" Addie sympathized.

"You're right I was complete rubbish." He sighed. "And then Bill—well if you've ever met Bill he's just really cool and he works and Gringotts and is really successful. Then there's Fred and George and they're really well known for the pranks they pull here, and that joke shop they're starting is bout to be a hit. So what's left for me to do? I mean, there's always Ginny but she was the first Weasley girl in ages so she has her own legacy. And, of course, she's really popular and talented just like the rest of my siblings so—"

"Ron," Addie smiled. "You're just as good as any of your brothers. Look at what you've done so far, and only at the age of fifteen! You're a hero, Ron!"

"Nah," His ears tinged red, "Harry's the hero…I'm just the sidekick."

"Better then the no-name loser who just stands aside and watches it all happen. There are people who would kill to have gone on the adventures you've gone on. Really Ron, you've actually made a difference in the world by doing half the stuff you've done…really…"

Before anything more could be said Hermione came tumbling through the portrait hole. She was shivering and covered with melted snow. Her hair, which was normally frizzy, was now sticking out at all sorts of strange angles and she sat down with a dull thud in the armchair by the fire.

"He—is—impossible!" she exclaimed tossing down her books, "He refuses to listen to a word I have to say! He's going to get fired because he's so stubborn!"

The next morning at breakfast there was a buzz of interest surrounding Hagrid's reappearance. Fred and George were delighted to see him and ran down to greet him at the start of the meal, but others, like Parvati and Lavender just shot him disapproving looks from their end of the table.

"Harry?" Addie asked over breakfast. "Why isn't everyone else as excited about Hagrid as you are?"

"Well…" Harry began, "Hagrid had a tendency to err—get a bit—dangerous—with his lessons…"

"Dangerous?" Addie inquired. "How so?"

"Well…he underestimates how powerful certain animals can be…"

"And how stupid certain students can be." Hermione added throwing a dark look in the direction of Malfoy.

Addie eagerly awaited her first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, and practically ran to the familiar hut when it came time for class. She was immediately greeted by Hagrid's daunting size. She had been told that Hagrid was part giant, but it had hardly prepared her for the reality of his size. He smiled hopefully as the students took their places around the hut. His face was covered in bruises and he carried a dead cow on his shoulder. Addie attempted to slip to the back of the crowd, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione insisted on standing up front.

"We'll be in the forest today!" Hagrid informed them once all the students had arrived, "The creatures we're doin' today prefer the dark…" He trailed off and led them toward the forest.

Addie could hear Malfoy standing behind her, "D—did you hear what he said preferred the dark? I didn't quite—"

"Scared Malfoy?" Addie laughed as she hurried to catch up to Ron and Hermione.

"A'righ" Hagrid began, "I've bin savin' a trip inter the fores fer yer fifth year. Now, wah we got ere today is pretty rare. I'm the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter git 'em trained…"

"And you're positive that they're trained?" Malfoy's panicked voice came from the back of the group, "You've brought wild stuff to class before how're we supposed to know what's safe and what's not?"

"Oh shut up Malfoy." Addie snapped. "The man says they're trained then they're trained."

"Addie, considering you have no knowledge of what this class was like before Professor Grubbly-Plank, why don't you keep your nose out of other people's business for once?" Malfoy sneered.

"Why don't you shut your fat mouth for—"

"As I was sayin'" Hagrid interrupted, "We're goin' inter the fores today cuz I got sem creatures in der I'm sure yer gonna like. Now follow me."

The entire class, willingly or not, followed Hagrid into the forest. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Addie walked briskly behind Hagrid while other students lingered behind. They walked deep into the forest to a place where the trees stood close together and only small slivers of light illiminated the clearing.

"Come 'ere, gather roun', "Hagrid said, "Now they're attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter call 'em anyway…"

Hagrid let out a loud cry that started most of the class. To Addie's amusement, Malfoy had been so frightened that he had tripped and fallen into a puddle of muddy snow. Hagrid paused, and gave the call once more.

Addie looked around. She couldn't see anything. Harry, on the other hand, was staring determinedly at one corner of the clearing. He nudged Ron. Addie looked to where Harry had pointed but saw nothing at all.

To Addie's relief, she was not the only student who was having trouble with the lesson. Her fellow classmates were looking around wildly, all aware that there was something moving behind the thick brush that led up to the clearing, but all unable to make out what it was.

"Now…if yeh can see 'em raise yer hand…" Hagrid instructed.

Addie looked around the group. Neville, Harry, a tall Slytherin boy, and two others raised their hands.

"Yeah," Hagrid said knowledgeably, "I knew you'd see 'em Harry. An' Neville too? Ah an'—"

"Pardon me for asking." Malfoy's voice came from the back. "but what exactly can they see?"

Hagrid dropped the cow's dead body from his shoulders. The class waited anxiously for a few moments and then were horrified to watch as the body began being ripped to pieces by some unknown force. The smell of the cow's innards hit the crowd and blood flew from and unknown source. Parvati screamed. Addie, out of pure instinct, grabbed Harry's hand and was surprised to find that he didn't let go.

"Its fine." He whispered in her ear. "They're not going to hurt you."

"What's happening?" People demanded, "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals." Hagrid announced, "We 'av a whole heard here at 'Ogwarts an—"

"B—but aren't they supposed to bring bad luck." Parvati interrupted.

"Nah," Hagrid chuckled, "Tha's jus an old wives tale. They aren't unlucky at all. 'Course all they do here is pull the carriages…ah! Here's another one."

Addie watched the leaves rustle and heard the soft crunch of footsteps in a place where nothing appeared to be standing.

"Now they're not dangerous." Hagrid told us, "Now ten points ter whoever can tell me why some o' ya can see 'em an' some can't."

Hermione's hand shot up in the air.

"Alrigh' Hermione give it yer bes shot." He said.

"Only people who have seen death can see thestrals." She said.

"Exactly right. Ten points to Gryffindor."

Addie looked quickly at Harry. His eyes had gone hollow beneath his glasses and he was staring even more intently at the spot where the cow's body lay. Addie had learned to recognize that look. At the slightest mention of the year before, of Cedric or the terrible events of the Triwizard Tournament, the same hollow look would appear in Harry's eyes. He was beyond the forest, beyond Hogwarts, beyond his hand which was still holding hers. He was deep in thought, deep in memory, deep in a place that Addie was quite certain no one else would dare go.

Hem Hem

The life returned quickly to Harry's eyes. He spun around and his eyes narrowed in disgust as they landed on Professor Umbridge. A sickening smile was spreading across her round face. It was the same smile Addie had watched spread across her fat face as she'd delivered the Quidditch ban. Harry let go of Addie's hand.

"Hello!" Hagrid greeted her happily.

"Did you receive my note this morning?" She said in a slow, condescending tone. It became apparent that Umbridge was under the impression that Hagrid would have difficulty understanding her.

"Yeh I got it." Hagrid replied, "I was worried yeh wouldn't fin' where we were meetin'. Not really sure if yeh can see 'em but we're doin thestrals today—"

The remainder of class was utter chaos. Umbridge circled the class, intimidating both the students and Hagrid, and ruining the lesson for everyone.

Harry's free hand was now balled into a fist. He watched Umbridge with all the hatred he possessed as she talked to Hagrid in her slow, didactic tone. Hermione's eyes were tearing as she muttered about Umbridge under her breath and Ron was giving her various looks of shock as every one horrible thing she did exceeded the one before it.

Addie watched, seething, as Umbridge walked up to talk to Pansy Parkinson, "Do you understand Professor Hagrid when he talks?"

"No…because…well it's mostly grunting isn't it?" She replied, tears of laughter springing to her muddy brown eyes.

Umbridge smiled and scribbled down a note on her clipboard. Hagrid looked down at his feet sadly and pretended as though he hadn't heard.

"Well the good thing abou' thestrals is that once they're trained they'll never get lost. They have a 'mazin sense o' direction so you jus have to tell 'em where yeh want ter go 'an they'll know exactly where it is."

"You can see the thestrals can't you, Longbottom?" Umbridge asked.

"Yeah…I saw my granddad die when I was about five an…"

"How do they make you feel?" Umbridge asked.

"Well…" Neville stuttered, "They're okay I suppose…"

"Students….too….frightened…to…admit….dislike…" Umbridge said as she made note of Neville's answer on the clipboard.

"I can see them!" Addie cried out. "And I think they're wonderful!"

The class turned to face her.

"No you can't!" Pansy spat, "You didn't even raise your hand!"

"I didn't want to bring back painful memories!" Addie spat back. "It was only a year ago when my mother's dear friend—her dear friend—"

Addie looked around frantically for inspiration on a name. She looked into the tall trees and saw a few tiny clovers sprouting from the branches.

"Her dear friend Clovis passed way!" Addie finished her sentence quickly.

"Clovis?" Pansy asked skeptically, "Oh please!"

"Out of respect for the dead, Pansy, I would ask you not to speak lightly of my mother's dead friend."

"Fine then," She smirked and folded her arms across her chest. "What do they look like, then?"

Addie's eyes shifted from Pansy to the rest of the class, "What do they look like?"

"Well if you can see them, you shouldn't have any trouble telling us what they look like."

"Right, well, since I can see them it'll be no problem to err—to tell you all what they look like."

Addie looked around frantically for any clue as to what these creatures could look like. She left no corner of her memory unturned, but was certain that she had never heard of a thestral before. Harry shifted uncomfortably next to her and Ron and Hermione shot each other worried glances.

"Well," Pansy spat, "Get on with it then."

"Well…they're…err"

"Black…" Harry whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Black winged skeletal horses."

"They're black." Addie said quickly. "They're black winged horses, and they're very…err…skeletal…"

"Is that right?" She turned to the tall Slytherin boy who had raised his hand.

"Yeah…" He muttered, "That's right."

Addie smiled and flipped a black curl over her shoulders. "Told you."

Umbridge coughed again loudly and scribbled on her clipboard, "Class….appeals…to…delinquents….."

She smiled. "Professor Hagrid you will receive your notice of inspection in ten days time."

She bustled happily from the clearing humming something under her breath. Addie watched narrow eyed as she disappeared into the deep thicket of forest. Malfoy and Pansy were on the floor with silent fits of laughter. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were actually shaking with fury, and the rest of the class looked thoroughly confused.

"Oh she makes me so mad!" Hermione fumed as they stormed back up to the Gryffindor tower, "She's just a prejudice old hag! She's so…so..."

"Evil?" Harry suggested.

"Slimy?" Ron put in.

"Tacky?" Addie laughed.

"Is all you think about that ridiculous sweater?" Hermione spat, "There are much worse things about that woman than her sweater."

"Coming from the daughter of a model, there really isn't." Addie replied.

"YOU ARE IMPOSSIBLE!" She screamed, running up to the girl's dormitory.

Harry and Ron looked uncomfortably from the dormitory steps to Addie.

"I should start on my homework." She said.

"You're not going to go after her?" Harry asked, "She seemed pretty upset."

"I'll talk to her." Addie told him, "After she has some time to cool down. If I go up there now there will be a big yelling match, and I run on a short fuse…."

"Yes…I suppose you're right."

xxx

December for Addie usually mean pureblood parties and an empty home. During the holiday season, Sherri White worked overtime endorsing products and attending Holiday events. Addie had become accustomed to seeing her mother very rarely during the one time of year that was meant to be about family.

This year, however, things were different. Addie's new status as a celebrity meant that the packages that were flooding the White household were not only for Sherri, but of her daughter as well. Every wizard company from Gladrags to Wonder Witch wanted Addie to be seen wearing their products before the end of the holidays. Addie reveled in her new celebrity. Package after package arrived with free gifts, and Addie allowed her confidence to soar as she strutted down the halls of Hogwarts with only the most expensive accessories.

Addie would be going home for Christmas in the large old house that she hadn't seen since she'd arrived at Hogwarts. Harry was staying with Ron at "the Burrow" which Addie had come to learn mean the Weasley home.

To Addie's delight, Ron and Hermione found themselves unusually occupied with their prefect duties, which mean that Addie had begun to spend a considerable amount of time alone with Harry. The holiday spirit, however, had overtaken Hermione and she became obsessed with the creation of her house-elf hats.

"Hermione…" Addie began, "What if they…don't want to be free?"

"Of course they want to be free!" She cried, knitting furiously.

"Don't even bother," Ron whispered, "She's absolutely bonkers when it comes to house elves. When she was staying with me over the summer I swear I saw her putting on big fake ears and dancing around her bed—"

"I never did that!" Hermione cried, turning a deep shade of red.

"You know Hermione," I said, "if you think about it…maybe during the Christmas season it's better for house elves to not be free."

"What does that mean?" She asked incredulously.

"Well," Addie started, "it's horribly cold outside and what are a bunch of newly freed house elves going to do? They don't have a home. They don't have anywhere to go. If they don't starve to death first they'll freeze."

"Well if they were allowed a wand they could—"

"No they couldn't Hermione!" Addie retorted. "They wouldn't know how to use them, and even if they did they'd still have a place to live!"

Hermione grew quiet and continued to silently knit her hat.

"Ron!" Hermione leapt up from her chair, "Ron we have to help decorate the Great Hall today we're going to be late."

Before he could reply she had scooped him up and thrown him out the portrait hole.

Addie turned to Harry, "You know I'm really worried about those house elves…she doesn't realize it but a lot of them don't have a place to go and…"

"Don't worry" Harry stopped her, "I'm friends with one of them. His name is Dobby. He's rather—odd. Odd for a House Elf I mean. He's been taking all of the hats."

"Really?" Addie laughed, "All of them?"

"Yep" Harry replied, "Every last one."

Harry and Addie sat by the fire and exchanged casual stories about their lives prior to meeting. Addie made sure to guide the conversation, and to steer clear of any mention of the darker aspects of Harry's past. This proved difficult, and soon the discussion shifted to a lively re-telling by Addie of Malfoy's first go on a broomstick.

"Malfoy thinks he's so hot on a broom." Addie sneered, "But I know the truth. I was there for Draco's first flying lesson, and it didn't go very well."

"Really?" Harry asked, "What happened?"

"Well, he had been begging his mother for lessons for ages, she's very protective of him, you see, but she finally gave in, or Mr. Malfoy put his foot down—that's how things go in the Malfoy house."

"I could have guessed that." Harry snorted.

"It's very traditional." Addie said. "So, Draco is all ready for his first Quidditch lesson which he was receiving from my mum's boyfriend at the time (which is why I was there) and he decides that he's going to put on these ridiculous sun glasses so that he can look cool while flying."

Harry laughed again.

"Wait, it gets better." Addie smiled. "So he puts on these sunglasses and hops on the broomstick way before his instructor is even ready and zooms off into God-knows-where."

"How did he get down?" Harry asked.

"Well he didn't, not for a long time anyway, they ended up having to call in some Ministry officials to track him down. Turns out about halfway through his little adventure he got stuck in some muggle family's chimney and had been sitting in it crying for about two hours before the ministry showed up to get him down. The family, of course, was completely flabbergasted and they ended up having to alter the memories of every last one of them. It cost the Malfoy's a pretty penny, let me tell you…"

Harry laughed uproariously and Addie followed suit. The two doubled over in front of the fireplace, and held their stomachs until they could talk again.

"You should laugh like that more often, Harry." Addie said once they had both calmed down. "I read in a book once that people who laugh regularly are able to complete spells more effectively than those who don't."

"I don't usually have many reasons to laugh." He muttered.

"Oh," Addie said quietly.

"You never seem to run out of reasons to laugh though do you?" He asked. "Every time I see you, you always seem to be enjoying yourself."

"If there isn't a reason for laughing, Harry Potter, I don't see a reason for living at all. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, some people just choose not to look for it."

He stared at her with wide-eyed curiosity. Addie, feeling bold, moved a few inches closer to him. She could feel his intake of breath.

"You're a very mysterious person" Addie whispered. Her face was only an inch from his.

He opened his mouth to say something but then stopped himself, "I have to go get ready for the last D.A meeting, and I'll see you there."

He got up quickly and hurried off to the boy's dormitory leaving Addie alone, confused, angry, but most of all, in love.

xxx

Addie needed to prepare for the D.A meeting too. She scurried up to the girl's dormitory and tore open her pink trunk. As far as she was concerned she had just had her first almost-romantic-encounter with Harry Potter, and she wasn't going to let him forget it easily. She ripped through the piles of new clothes, unable to find anything she thought was good enough. Finally, she settles on a pair of slim, dark jeans and a powder blue t-shirt with the Gladrag's Wizard Wear emblem on the front. She let her dark hair fall in loose curls around her face, and nearly slammed into Harry as she was running to make sure she wasn't late for the meeting.

Angelina Johnson was with him. Addie stood by nervously as she overheard talk of the new Gryffindor Quidditch team. Her blood boiled.

"Ginny Weasley is the new seeker…crazy I know…and we have Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper as Beaters…though Fred and George could run circles around them, and as Katie's grades still haven't picked up we got Colin Creevey as Chaser."

"Colin plays Quidditch?" Harry asked.

"Yeah." Angelina said unenthusiastically, "but not very well…

The room began to fill as everyone waited for the last D.A meeting before Christmas. Harry stood, as always, at the front of the room, and smiled graciously at the compliments he received on the room's Christmas decorations.

"Well I was thinking we should just go over what we learned so far." Harry said calling the meeting to order.

"Addie!" George called, "Come be my partner!"

"I can't believe we're not doing anything new!" Zacharias called, "I wouldn't have come if I'd have known!"

"Well then we're all very sorry you weren't informed." Fred called loudly.

Addie practiced Impedimenta and was delighted to find that George could not break her spell and remained frozen for at least a minute. Harry congratulated her on her progress. Addie flushed. George returned quickly and took Addie by the arm. They both took turns hexing Zacharias from behind and watching his confusion. George remained very protective of Addie for the rest of the evening.

Addie had no idea that George had been watching her fawn over Harry for most of the evening. Her blood boiled as she watched him help Cho with the position of her wand, and as she giggles when he touched her hand. George had watched the color rise in Addie's cheeks and had followed her gaze to Harry's hand clasped in Cho's.

"I think," George whispered, "You're getting a bit too worked up over Cho Chang. Why don't we get back to practicing stunning?"

Addie's eyes widened in shock. She stumbled through and apology and George smiled sympathetically at her. His eyes, though, were very sad.

I'm sorry George. Addie thought. But you're just not Harry.

Harry instructed everyone to split into two groups to practice stunning. One group would watch the other and give critique while the other practiced the actual spells. When it was time for Addie and George to perform before the group, Addie felt a familiar swell in her confidence. She had learned to love the feeling of people watching her. She had learned to revel in her newfound fame and always tried to be just as wonderful and those around her wanted her to be. She smiled charmingly and waved at the crowd as she pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. She adopted a confident stance and pulled her wand out of her back pocket. Her eyes narrowed as she watched her target.

"Stupefy!" She cried.

George went flying backward into the crowd. Addie smiled and looked to Harry for approval. He did nothing but nod. Addie felt some of her once-abundant confidence disappear.

"Take your best shot, Weasley!" She called, trying to save face in front of the crowd.

He did take his best shot, and she felt herself flying backwards into the wall just as he had done. She waited eagerly for Harry's comments, but all he said was "well done" and the pair sat back down. He wouldn't give Addie a second glance. He fixed his eyes straight ahead and refused to look at her. She almost felt as though she was going to cry. She took several deep breaths and allowed George to place a tentative hand on the small of her back.

Addie walked back to the Gryffindor common room confused and defeated. Various members of the D.A passed by to wish her a Merry Christmas and she half-heartedly returned the sentiment. Fred and George had gone off to steal from the kitchens but she had neglected the invitation in hopes that she and Harry could walk back to Gryffindor together. Unfortunately, Harry was nowhere to be found, and neither, Addie noticed painfully, was Cho.

Addie silently completed her homework. She sat only a few feet away from where Ron and Hermione sat, huddled together, whispering about Harry. She pressed her pen harder to the parchment, trying not to hear what they were saying. A half an hour later Harry returned to the common room.

"What kept you so long?" Ron asked as Harry plopped himself down in the armchair next to Hermione. He didn't answer.

"Harry?" Hermione asked timidly looking up from her letter, "a—are you alright?"

Addie saw Harry shrug out of the corner of her eye.

"It was Cho wasn't it?" Hermione asked curtly, "What happened after the meeting?"

Ron stifled laughter as he asked, "W—well what di—did she want?"

"She—" Harry began, his voice shaking.

She turned around for the first time to see that all the color in Harry's face had drained away and his lip was quivering slightly as he spoke.

"She—well—" He stuttered.

"She kissed you didn't she." Hermione laughed.

Ron was so startled by the news that he knocked over an ink bottle and it spilled all over the rug. Addie, on the other hand, turned and fixed her eyes on the fire. Harry had kissed another girl. Harry had kissed another girl after spending the entire afternoon laughing with Addie. She felt hot tears fill her eyes, but knew she couldn't go back to the girl's dormitory without passing right by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She remained in place and tried painfully to give the impression she was doing her homework.

"Did you?" Ron demanded staring avidly at Harry.

He nodded slightly and Addie's stomach dropped.

"How was it?" Ron asked in awe.

"Well…." Harry confessed, "It was rather wet actually…"

Addie felt as though she was going to be sick.

"She was crying…" he continued.

Ron gave a self-satisfied smile, "Who cries while kissing?"

"Cho cries all the time." Hermione said absently finishing the third roll of parchment for her letter, "She cries during meals, in the loo, everywhere she sees fit."

"You'd think a bit of kissing would cheer her up," said Ron, grinning.

"Ron," said Hermione in a dignified voice, "You are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet."

"Well honestly!" Ron cried, "What sort of girl cries while she's kissing someone?"

"Don't you understand how Cho is feeling?" Hermione asked, "She's very upset because of how she felt about Cedric, and now she's feeling even worse because she likes Harry. And now she'll probably be guilty because she kissed someone so early after Cedric died and she can't really work out how she feels about Harry since he was the one who saw Cedric die, and to top it all off she's not playing well in Quidditch so she might get thrown off the team!"

"One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode." Ron said.

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have." Hermione said nastily.

"S—She started it" Harry told them gloomily, "I didn't—I wouldn't have—I was just there—and then she was crying all over me—do you think she's really upset over all that?"

Addie felt the words fly out of her mouth before she could stop them

"Either that or you were just a really horrid kisser." She said loudly.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned to look at her. Ron stifled laugher while Hermione shot Addie angry looks from behind Harry.

Harry stared at her, horrified, "You don't think—"

"Well, had you ever kissed anyone before?" Addie asked, closing her book and turning to look Harry in the eyes. Everything about her revealed the firey anger that had taken the place of her original sadness. She locked her eyes on Harry's, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, no—"

"Well, she has kissed more than one person before." Addie said curtly. "In fact, she's kissed more than one person before. Chances are she could tell you were an amateur."

Harry looked horrified, and Addie felt a slight pang of guilt through her anger.

She got up, and walked passed the trio on her way to the dormitory.

"I'm sure you were fine, Harry, I was just playing with you." Addie said dejectedly as she passed. "I'm—I'm—happy for you." She added with disgust.

Hermione's gaze turned from anger to pity and she shot Addie a watery smile as she walked dejectedly up toward the dormitory.

"So are you going to see her again?" Addie heard Hermione ask.

The words stung her chest and with every step she took they cut deeper. The confidence she had gained over the Christmas season left her quickly and she felt alone, ugly, and underappreciated. She lay on her four-poster and was happy to find the silence of the dorm. She hoped that for some reason none of the girls would come back that night. She'd hoped she could have had the night alone.

"Are you okay?" Hermione's timid voice came from the doorway.

"Fine," Addie replied lifelessly. "Never better."

"That's a lie." She took a seat at the foot of Addie's bed. "I saw how you looked down there. Would you like to talk about it?"

"Hermione," Addie sat up. "I don't really—I'm not really the type of person who—who shares their feelings with—with others."

"There's a first time for everything." She smiled.

"Look," Addie told her, "I'm done. No more chasing after Harry Potter, no more pretending there's something between us; no more making a fool of myself following around a boy who will never look at me as more than a friend."

"You shouldn't. You really love him and I'm sure he'll come to love you…"

"No Hermione, there are some things more important than love, and my pride is one of those things."