Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy skies to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

Harri and Hermione both agreed that owl mail was ridiculous. Muggles had certainly figured out the better solution.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all was Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

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

"Five points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy," Snape had sneered, before commenting that Hermione's potion had turned the correct shade of purple. Harri felt more certain than ever that Snape had not tried to kill her.

Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harri as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harri had managed to stay on her bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harri about having no proper family and both Harri and Hermione for being Muggle-raised.

"The traditions around wizarding Yule are incredibly intricate and important. I can't imagine settling for a plain muggle Christmas after taking part in my families ritual," he had said loudly as he passed them in the corridor the week before.

Hermione, of course, had researched everything she could about wizarding Yule, but hadn't found much.

"Well you wouldn't," explained Neville when Hermione vented her frustration one night in the common room. "It would only be in the family grimoire. And we don't share those. It's rare to even take them out of your Gringotts Vault."

"There weren't any books in my vault!" Harri had exclaimed.

Neville's eye twitched. "They wouldn't be in your trust vault Harri," Neville said slowly.

"My what?" Harri had asked.

She wasn't imagining it, Neville's eye actually twitched. "Your trust vault. They wouldn't let you have access to all your families magical items before you're of age. That would be dangerous. So when a witch or wizards parents die or are… incapable of caring for them," and here Neville seemed to be struggling to explain, "the goblins take about five percent of the gold and put it in a trust vault. Some arrangments are different if your parents specifically set something up."

Harri realized that Neville was raised by his Gran. Not his parents. And she had never asked.

"Neville… are your parents dead too?" she asked.

Neville shook his head, he looked rather like he wanted to cry. "No. They're in St. Mungo's. This is the longest I've gone not seeing them. But Gran promised we'd go at Christmas."

"What happened to them?" Hermione asked gently.

"They… they were in the war. Something happened to them. Gran won't tell me much about it. But I think… I think they were tortured. They're mentally not okay. They don't… they don't know who I am. My mum, she gives me gum wrappers. She does every time we visit. But what if she doesn't this time? What if she's forgotten that we do that? It's been months!"

Neville was crying.

Surprisingly it was Ron who spoke first. "I'm sorry, mate." And Ron hugged Neville. Hermione and Harri quickly followed.

"Get a room," Fred shouted from across the common room.

"First years are always so soppy!" Added George.

"Shut up!" Ron called, ears pink.

Harri was quite relieved that she wasn't going anywhere near the Dursley's for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harri had signed up at once. She didn't feel sorry for herself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas she'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.

Professor Snape had even informed her that she would be going to the Ministry for her custody review over the break.

"Will I be a ward of the school then? Or will I get emancipated?" she had asked him.

Snape looked rather pained. "No. The Headmaster is unable to take on wards of the school. And no governing body would emancipate a young witch without full training. Who knows what you would get up to over the summers," Snape glared at her as if he thought she would run around Muggle London turning people into toads.

"Then who would be my guardian?" she asked.

"I am sure people will come forward. The court usually takes the wishes of the child very seriously. Since you are… Harriet Potter, the number of petitions that would come in for you would be quite extraordinary. If you have a preferred family it would be best to make that known now. To keep the petition process closed."

Harri bit her lip. In a way, she wanted to ask the grumpy professor if he would be her guardian. She didn't always like Snape. Sometimes he reminded her of Vernon Dursley when he reacted in anger. Yet, he also understood her. He didn't look at her with pity very often. He didn't treat her any differently from the other students in class. There were no soft touches on the shoulder like with Professor McGonagall, which always made Harri jump.

He might have tried to kill her though. Hermione, Ron, and Neville still seemed convinced.

But he had loved her mother. Harri knew that with certainty. Professor Snape talked about her mother with adoration and sadness. He had even once, in a quiet voice, said that sometimes she looked like her mother.

Severus Snape had loved Lily Evans. Harri felt certain that he would not insult her mother's memory by trying to murder her daughter.

So she asked.

"Would you?"

"Would I what, Potter?" Snape asked.

"Would you apply. To be my guardian. You were friends with my mother. Surely she would want someone who was her friend. Not a stranger."

There was that pained look again. He got it a lot around Harri.

"We can discuss this later," Snape had said, ushering her out of the classroom into the corridor where Hermione was waiting for her.

Harri and Hermione left the dungeons, catching up with Ron and Neville who had convened at the warmer top of the stairs. The corridor ahead was blocked by a large fir tree. Two enormous feet were sticking out at the bottom and a large puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.

"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper 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."

Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.

"WEASLEY!"

Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.

"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Malfoy, control yourself. We have discussed comporting yourself in a more Slytherin like manner. Move along, all of you."

Malfoy's cheeks went pink, and he and Crabbe and Goyle pushed past the tree, scattering needles everywhere.

"I'll get him," said Ron grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him-"

"Get in line," Hermione hissed, still glaring at Malfoy's back.

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

So the tree of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree- put it in the far corner would you?"

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood all around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me- Harri, Ron, Neville, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.

"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh we're not working," Neville told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicholas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."

"I'm fairly certain he and Dumbledore worked together," Harri added. "Which makes sense why he would be hiding whatever he's hiding here at Hogwarts."

"You what ?" Hagrid looked shocked. "List here- I've told yeh- drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's gaurdin'."

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harri added.

"We've been through hundreds of books," Neville said looked at Hagrid a little desperately. Neville was glad to be going home for Yule if only to get away from Hermione's library mania.

"I'm sayin' nothin'," said Hagrid flatly.

"Just have to find out for ourselves then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.

They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what someone- "Snape!," Ron insisted with a nodding Neville- was trying to steal. The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing too from Important Modern Magical Discoveries and A study of Recent Developments in Wizardry.

Also sparse was any information about who Dumbledore had trained with and under. While the Professor was featured in many books, Harri couldn't find anything about his early days and who he had trained with. It was rather like Dumbledore had suddenly appeared in 1945 to defeat Grindelwald and then faded into politics. Nothing on his research was readily available at all.

Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Neville was methodically taking books on Herbology off the shelf to study. Harri was beginning to suspect that he was just reading for pleasure to avoid looking at more boring histories. Harri wandered over to the Restricted Section. She had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there.

"What are you looking for, girl?"

"Nothing," said Harri.

Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at her. "You'd better get out, then. Go on- out!"

Wishing she had been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harri left the library. The group had agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk someone hearing what they were up to.

Harri waited outside in the corridor to see if the other three had found anything, but she wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks. Or a good catalog system like the Muggles had, Harri thought with longing. The only good part of Little Whinging had bee the library after all.

Five minutes later, Ron, Neville, and Hermione joined her, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.

"You will keep looking while we're away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."

"And ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."

"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione with a laugh. Neither Ron or Nevill knew what a dentist was, but Harri laughed.

Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harri were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. They both had their dormitories to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a roasting fork- bread, English muffins, marshmallows- and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled (for Hermione of course), which was fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.

Harri also learned that Ron knew who his soulmate was, despite his silver covering.

"Her name is Luna," Ron confessed. "She lives in Ottery St. Catchpole, where my family is from. Bit of an odd bird honestly. Known her for ages."

"How did you know that she had said your words," Harri asked, surprised.

"Well Pureblood families catalog these things. There is a spell that you cast on your kid so that a quill will write down the first words anyone says to them. My mum keeps them all out of the way in a shed. But every time one of us gets our wand bonded, she goes and grabs it and tells us to look through and see if we find our match."

"So you know for sure that it's Luna!" Harri exclaimed.

"Well, not for sure yet. She's a year behind us, and she'll get her wand bonded and will check to be sure. But probably. Not many people tell you that you have Wrackspurts floating around your head."

"Do you like her?" Harri asked.

"I don't know," Ron replied. "You girls, you don't make any sense to me at all. And Luna makes the least amount of sense of any girl I've ever met."

"I guess we are a little young for all that," Harri said with a laugh.

"Yeah, we are. There isn't any pressure till after Hogwarts anyways. Most families agree that kids shouldn't put too much stock in it until they're older. Plus, those Slytherin families ignore them half the time and just arrange marriages for their kids."

"So Malfoy wouldn't be allowed to date Hermione even if he wanted to," Harri realized sadly. "Hermione doesn't have a choice even if he is a prat?"

"Probably not. Probably why he was so put out on the train. No one wants an arranged marriage when they have a perfectly good soulmate running around. Magic divined match and all that."

"But you and Luna won't have that problem?" Harri asked.

"Nah, Mum and Dad don't care. And her father is a loon, he won't care either. I'll probably get her a gold covering forever from now once we know each other better. But until then, Mum just wants us to try and be friends."

"That actually sounds nice Ron," Harri told him. "I wish…" and she trailed off. She didn't want to tell Ron what she wished. That her soulmark was normal. That magic hadn't… done what it had done to her. It was terribly unfair. It was nice to know that it didn't seem unfair for Ron though.

Ron's ears went pink as he looked in the fire. "I probably shouldn't have said all that Harri. It's a bit inappropriate."

"No, I appreciate it, Ron. I'd never learned these things if you and Neville weren't catching us up. Hey! Does that mean Neville knows who his soulmate is too?" Harri asked. This quill thing sounded so useful.

"Well, yeah. Did you notice how he Hannah hang out sometimes? Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff?" Harri hadn't noticed and felt like a poor excuse for a friend.

"He never said anything!"

"Of course he didn't!" Ron's ears were red now, a good indication that it was time to change the subject.

"Teach me about Wizard Chess then Ron," Harri said with a smile and ran up to her dormitory to get the chessmen that Seamus had lent her.

On December 23rd Harri met Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall in the Entrance Hall at promptly eight. They were going to the Ministry of Magic for Harri's case review. Both Professor's looked grim. They led Harri to a fireplace where they would be 'flooing' to the Ministry. McGonagall went first, showing Harri how she threw the powder into the grate, the fire turned green, and witch stepped in. Harri was nearly amazed enough about that, but then McGonagall called out, "The Ministry of Magic," and she was away.

Harri replicated her with some trepidation and was treated to an uncomfortable sensation of whizzing up a chimney. She was spat out of a large fireplace, and she stumbled to the ground in front of her stern Professor. The woman didn't look ruffled at all. She helped Harri up and spelled the soot off.

Snape arrived, also looked perfectly composed. He looked as bat-like as ever. They were in a large atrium with a fountain in the middle. Witches and Wizards were coming and going very quickly, and pieces of paper were flying around faster than Harri could keep up with.

The Professors led Harri to an elevator, and they got on along with two witches in purple robes that were complaining about faulty cauldron bottoms and potions accidents. Harri could tell Snape was listening in and had to suppress a giggle when he absentmindedly nodded in agreement to one of the witches comments about improved regulation.

They got off the elevator at the second level, Department of Magical Law Enformcnemt. They came into a long corridor with several doors on each side. At the end of the hall were two large oak doors. But they didn't go through the big doors. Instead, they turned in on the third door to the left in the corridor and knocked.

"ENTER," a voice called. Inside was a portly man with thick glasses sitting at a very cluttered desk.

"Ah yes," he said when he saw them. "Good, Good. Hello, Miss. Potter," and here he stared pointedly at her forehead. "I am Jeffery Williamson. I am your caseworker in all this." He extended his hand, and Harri took it. He then vigorously pumped her arm up and down. "Nasty business, I am so sorry. But having reviewed your file from Professor Dumbledore it should be rather straightforward."

"Er… well, that's very good to hear sir," Harri replied uncertainly.

"Yes yes, well all of you come in and sit down," he motioned to Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall. "My dear Minerva, how good to see you again. Not since Elphinstone's passing, I think,"

Professor McGonagall's thin lips got thinner. "No, I think not Jeffery. In any case, to the matter at hand."

"Yes, yes always business with you Minerva," and he winked! Harri was sure that Professor McGonagall's lips would disappear. "Now, I take it you are representing that school as in lieu magical guardian for Miss. Potter. And Severus here is acting the part of the applicant?"

"That is correct," Professor Snape answered silkily.

"Perfect, perfect. Now the committee has already reviewed your memories, Miss. Potter and voted unanimously that you must be removed from the custody of your relatives. That part of the process has already been pushed through. Special Case and all that. None of us can believe that this happened to YOU of all people."

Her of all people. It made her stomach do knots. The wizarding world always seemed to expect a certain image of her. Certainly, not one who had dealt with the Dursleys for ten years

If Jeffery Williamson was expecting an answer, he hadn't paused long enough to get one. "Well, really the only thing we have to confirm today, Miss. Potter, is if you are serious about having Severus Snape as your guardian. It's a bit of an unexpected choice. With your colorful past, Professor." Snape's sneer intensified.

"Professor Snape was a good friend of my mother's," Harri replied softly.

"Yes indeed. Forth in line for custody too. Your parent's will doesn't give us any viable options before Severus either. What with Sirius Black being listed as your godfather and that werewolf being listed as the second option. And the third, well the Longbottoms are in no fit state."

Sirius Black? A werewolf? The Longbottoms!?

Snape looked surprised. "Lily listed me in her will?" he asked.

"Yes, yes. That's why this can go so simply. Makes it easier for all of us in the Department too. Can you imagine, having to accept custody applications for the Girl-Who-Lived!? Every family in Britain would want to apply."

Professor McGonagall took Harri's hand, and she looked down, surprised. Oh, it was transparent. She hadn't noticed her magic doing anything at all. It was overwhelming to think of being 'The-Girl-Who-Lived'. Of all of wizarding Britain thinking of her. Well, these thoughts weren't helping. Harri took a couple of deep meditative breaths.

When she looked back up, Williamson was looking at her with unguarded pity. It took all of her fragile control and concentration to not go invisible right there.

"Well, all looks in order here. You'll just need to sign here Minerva, relinquishing the school as Harriet Potter's magical guardian. And then you'll sign here Severus, taking on full guardianship both physical and magical for her."

They signed, and it was done.

Harri was certain that Ron, Hermione, and Neville would be aghast that she had allowed Severus Snape to become her guardian. Especially since they were certain he was trying to kill her.

Harri was just pleased though. Legally, she could never return to the Dursleys. Snape was even in her parent's will. Maybe not their first choice, but he was there! Everything was really looking up.