Laura had been hoping for a white Christmas. Up in Scotland, the snow had often fallen at Hogwarts, but she hadn't stayed over for the holidays. London didn't quite have the same luck. Out in the Surrey countryside, it hadn't fallen there either. If it had, though, Harry's cottage would have been an incredible sight.

Her breath shivered in front of her. Firelight lapped upon the window, warm and inviting.

It hadn't been long since she last saw him, only a couple of days, but she felt anxious. Her fingers gripped the present tightly. The words in her head, so carefully thought through, jumbled together into a mess. But, she walked forward with a smile. Knocking on his door, she breathed easy. There was no point in being worried, not any more. She tried to remember that.

Harry opened the door, smiling. 'Hi. Are you coming in?'

'No, no, I don't want to keep you for long.'

After a moment, he said, 'Okay.'

Before she changed her mind, she offered him the present. 'This is for you. Merry Christmas.'

'Thanks,' he said, carefully taking it. 'I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you to… did you want a bottle of wine?'

She laughed, shaking her head. 'It's fine. This is, um, it's…' she said, trailing off.

There had been so much she wanted to say, and none of it came to her. Cheeks red with embarrassment, she swallowed her reluctance, and spoke what she felt.

'I wasn't happy. Moving out, and starting a job, and I didn't have any friends. I tried not to think about it, and, when I did, I thought there wasn't anything I could do to change it. So, I decided to wait until I wasn't so lost.

'But, I had a lot of fun with you.'

Pausing, she rubbed her eyes, still smiling.

'I really did. And then, I began to think about what I would do if you didn't want me around any more. Well, you saw what I was like. And, I shouldn't be like that. You're great, really you are, but I should have a life I love too. Does that make any sense?'

He gently nodded. 'Yeah, it does.'

'Good, I'm glad,' she said, lowering her head, trying to keep smiling. Then, she looked up. 'Ah, you can open it now.'

'Are you sure?'

'Well, I want to explain it,' she said, a little hesitant.

'Okay.' Tearing the wrapping paper off, he muttered, 'A book?' It wasn't quite as big as a normal hardback, red in colour and without anything on the front or back. Opening it to the first page, he pulled out a brochure.

Pointing to the brochure, she said, 'That's for a Muggle adventure park. Um, it's full of things like rope swings, and these nice, wooden climbing frames, and it has indoor halls for when it's raining. If it looks like something Teddy would enjoy, I'll get a pass for you, so you can take him there to play.'

He stared at it, for a long moment. 'Thank you, I'll check it out,' he quietly said. He blinked a few times, and then turned the book around in his hand.

'Oh, that's a blank book, for writing in,' she said. Taking a breath, she tried to sort out the words before she said them. 'It's that, you love Teddy so much, and I know he loves you to bits. So I just thought you might want to write down these happy times. Then, you can remember them when he's older.'

Nervous, she could barely keep still, but she waited. After a bit, he slotted the brochure back in, and held the book close to his chest. 'Thank you, this is… really thoughtful of you.'

'I'm so glad you like it,' she said.

'I wish I had something for you.'

Reaching out, she rested a hand on his elbow, drawing his eyes to meet hers. 'Harry, you've been so kind to me. This is just me paying you back.'

They stayed like that, looking into each others eyes, for a moment. Then, he crouched to carefully put down the book inside, and he stepped out. 'Can you cast a Patronus?'

'What? No, of course I can't. And go back inside—you'll freeze.'

He chuckled, taking out his wand, tapping it against his leg. Moving to the side, she let him pass, and he walked a little down the path. Swirling his wand in small, clockwise circles, she felt a gentle calmness gather with every passing moment. Then, he pointed it straight ahead. 'Expecto Patronum.'

Mist erupted from the tip of his wand, glittering in the moonlight, and then she realised the mist itself shimmered, casting off its own, silvery light. From the torrent, a stag emerged at full gallop, made of the same silver. A few paces out it turned around, and slowed to a trot as it returned to him. He reached out, petting the Patronus as though it were real, and so solid-looking and life-like she couldn't say it wasn't real. The more she gazed upon it, the more familiar it felt, until she finally remembered the fireworks.

'This is my dad,' he said. 'He and his friends were Animagi, and this was his form.'

'It's beautiful,' she said.

As though called over by those words, it trotted past him and to her. She almost wanted to step back, intimidated by the size and antlers. But, the closer it came, the more at ease she found herself. Like he had, she reached out. Though she couldn't feel it, she could convince herself she could—cold and smooth like water, but with a little give. Then, like frost on a window pane, it melted into nothingness.

'Your turn,' he said.