Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Maybe Bella, definitely my own plot twists, but mostly no.

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long. I was actually planning on having it done more than a month ago, but due to my work schedule, it didn't happen. Now I've got a new job doing….Internet stuff! So I will probably be updating more now if I get enough reviews. Please Read & Review! I hope you enjoy Chapter 10: Christmas and a Tentative Truce!

KK

Christmas break was fast approaching and, Bella realized sadly, most of the students were heading home for the holidays. Nothing like being alone when it's a family holiday, she thought.

Her parents had written to say that they would love it if Bella could come to Africa for Christmas break, but Bella didn't feel like camping out in the Saharan heat. Not her cup of tea.

"What about you, Bella?" Hermione asked.

"Sorry, what? My mind was wandering."

"What are you doing for Christmas holiday?"

Bella sighed a little. "Staying here. My mum and dad are in Africa doing safari shots for some magazine or another, and I've got no where else to go."

Ron put a friendly hand on her shoulder and smiled a little. "You can come stay with us for break, though you'll have to share a room with Ginny and Hermione."

"Won't your parents mind?"

"Not a bit," Ron declared with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Mum always says 'The more, the merrier'. Even Fred and George will be staying at the house for the holidays. Charlie is somewhere in Russia, so you won't get to meet him, but Bill has been stationed back here in England, so you'll meet him and his wife."

That cheered Bella up immensely. "Sure. I'd love to come. When are we leaving?"

"Taking the train home tomorrow morning."

Bella made an inarticulate noise of panic. "Oh! I've got to go pack!" As she dashed out of the Great Hall, she called back to her friends, "See you at dinner!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione all exchanged confused expressions. The rest of the day was free from classes, so Bella would have had plenty of time to pack.

"Bella's been acting kind of strange lately," Harry commented. "Kind of like her mind is somewhere else entirely."

Ron and Hermione nodded their agreement.

"Now that she's gone though, we need to talk about the horcruxes," Hermione all but whispered. "What have you learned about the locket so far Harry?"

Harry massaged his temples. Something about the locket was tickling his memory, if only he could find out what it was.

"Well…"

Meanwhile, in the Slytherin girl's dormitory, Bella was pulling clothes out of her trunk that were buried in the bottom. They were clothes that she couldn't wear at school due to the uniforms.

Out came three pairs of denim jeans, two khaki's, a fluffy white sweater, two t-shirts for bed, pajamas, shoes, some more sweaters, snow boots, jewelry. It all got crammed into a large crimson muggle suitcase. After all, the suitcase was bound to be lighter than the trunk full of everything, when essentials would fit into the suitcase quite well (a/n: Bella's version of essentials: clothes, make-up, toiletries, hair products, seven different pairs of shoes….etc. You get the picture…).

"Leaving, Bella?" A familiar voice drawled.

"Go away you stupid git."

"C'mon, Bella. You can't still be mad at me after a month and a half," Draco cajoled.

Bella's answer was to glare at him and continue packing. Her movement were jerky with restrained anger, where before she could hardly contain her excitement at staying with the Weasley's over Christmas holidays. She could hear Draco slowly walking towards her. Knew he was going to do it the moment before his hands came to rest on her shoulders.

"Isabella, don't stay mad at me." He began to massage her tense muscles. "You don't need to deny your attraction to me, you know."

That was it. Bella snapped. A gust of icy air tore between her body and his, forcing him to take a few steps back. When she turned, the first thing that Draco noticed was that her irises seemed to glow. The glow pulsed with the rhythm of a heartbeat.

"I never denied that I was attracted to you, Malfoy, nor did I ever encourage your attentions. I didn't want this, and I won't have it. You are to leave me alone."

The wind was now whipping Bella's hair back. She looked like a vengeful goddess. Under any other circumstances, Draco would have sat back and enjoy watching the beautiful siren destroy her prey; except that this time, it seemed to be his blood she was out for.

As he thought about what he could say to calm her down, he pondered on the magic she was using. It had to be magic, but none that he had ever seen before. Or even heard of for that matter…

"God you're gorgeous."

The words just popped out. He hadn't planned to say anything of the sort, seeing as how that would likely get him into more trouble than he was all ready in. To his surprise though, the arctic wind slowed and disappeared, and the bright light coming from deep within her eyes dimmed to a soft glow, vanishing all together after a few moments.

Now, instead of looking like a wrathful deity, Bella just looked tired. "Draco, you need to go," but her words were lacking conviction. Much like the weary sound of someone who had recently been in battle. "I'm sorry I lost control, but I can't trust you, and I can't trust myself around you."

As she turned back around, she heard Draco say her name softly.

"Bella, I…the bet I made with Zabini, it doesn't…it wasn't for real."

She just stared at him for a heartbeat, then another. Was he trying to apologize? Bella thought that this might come as close as it got to hearing the words 'I'm sorry,' cross the Prince of Slytherin's lips.

"Look, Draco," Bella started, walking back over to him. She had to tip her head up to look him in the eye. "I don't think you are a bad person, but you are, at the risk of sounding like my mother, misguided. You haven't had the best examples, and god knows everyone in Slytherin bows and kisses the ground you walk on. But you can't live your life that way Draco. You can never be truly happy until you've discovered what you want out of life, not what others want for you. You can never be loved until you learn to love someone other than yourself."

Draco stood, a denial on the tip of his tongue at her ridiculous accusations, when he realized that she might have a point. Then he watched as she took his left hand in her own and raised it to her face.

"I thought so."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You thought what?"

"That you would have this. The Mark."

Draco jerked as if he had been burned. "How do you know that?"

"People are not as stupid as you seem to think, but I tend to know things I shouldn't, and don't know a lot of the things I should. I can't explain it." She shrugged. "It's something that I've always been able to do, but it comes and goes in spurts."

"Like what you did when you were angry?"

Bella froze. She had completely forgotten that she would have to explain that. "That was different. I keep it in check. You were lucky though." Bella's sunny features clouded over as she summoned up painful memories. "The last person that got the full brunt of my…unique talents…barely survived."

"What exactly is it?"

Bella looked up at him with haunted eyes. "I don't know."

They were silent for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts, when Bella said,

"You can't tell anyone about this, Draco." When he looked as if he was about to protest, she said quickly, "Please, no one can know of this. At least until I figure out what it is."

Draco wanted to protest, that she should use her advantage to advance in life, but instead found himself promising his silence.

"Unless a situation comes up that the knowledge needs to be made public." There. That was a little wiggle room at least. Bella didn't look to happy about it, but there was really nothing that she could do.

She held out her hand, presumably to shake his, and said, "Truce?"

Draco took her hand, but raised it to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. "Truce."

He waved a jaunty good-bye and left her gaping after him, the door shutting behind him the most satisfying noise he'd heard all day.

Yep. The quaffle was definitely in his hands once again.

It was so good to be the Prince.

A/N: Well, this chapter didn't go as I had planned. It just seemed to start writing itself somewhere in the middle, but I'm fairly pleased with the outcome. Let me know what you think!