Chapter 20: Winter Break

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me to Sarah's house, Harry?" Jane asked while sitting down on the red couch in the Gryffindor common room.

Harry looked at Jane and then at his two friends who were warming themselves up in front of the crackling fire.

"I'm sure I don't want to go, Jane," he answered sounding a bit depressed.

Jane looked at Hermione and Ron one last time before saying goodbye.

"Well, I better get going. I don't want to miss the train back to King Cross's Station," said Jane as she got up and gave Hermione and Ron each a hug goodbye.

"Have fun Jane," said Hermione giving Jane a big hug. "It was fun having you here, but also, I will see you after Winter Break is over."

"Yeah," agreed Jane receding from Hermione's arms and moving onto Ron.

She gave the same hug to Ron and said goodbye to him.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye to her brother.

Jane looked into those emerald green eyes of her brothers. Her brother looked into her hazel-brown eyes. A tear came rolling down Jane's cheek and vanished onto the ground below her feet.

"I will miss you," she finally said while squeezing Harry in her arms.

"Ah Jane," coughed Harry. "You are crushing my lungs."

Jane instantly lets go and blushed a light pink color. "Oh sorry Harry," she apologized.

"No problem."

There was an awkward silence as the four stood by the fireplace, watching the flames lick the wood.

"Well, you better get going. You don't want to miss the train," Hermione said breaking the silence.

"Oh right," Jane said grabbing her bags and heading out. Right as she was about to head out she heard her name being called. She turned around to see Harry hurrying toward her.

"I thought you might need help carrying your things to the train," Harry suggested.

"That would be great," as she handed him her owl's empty cage. They both headed out of the common room and towards the Hogwarts Express.

On the way, they passed by many students with their suitcases trailing behind them while they were holding other bags in their hands as well as pet cages. You could hear the chitter-chatter of the students' conversations. Most of it was about Winter Break and what they were hoping to get from Santa.

"So," Harry said abruptly.

"Oh, yeah Harry," Jane answered looking at him, making sure that he knew that she was listening and not to anyone else.

"What are you going to do over Winter Break?"

"Well…um," Jane stammered. "I don't really know for sure, but I might just stay with Sarah for the most part. Spent time with her."

"Oh," was all he could manage to say.

"Yeah. I did miss her. Quite a lot actually, now that I think about it," Jane stated. "I just want to spend time with her. We might do something together. I do know what she has planned."

"Sounds like fun," commented Harry.

"Thanks." She looked at Harry. He looked a little sad if Jane was correct. It could be because she was leaving. "That must be it," thought Jane.

Before Jane got onto the train, Jane locked her eyes onto her brother's eyes one more time and said goodbye. She gave him a hug and to her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her. Jane smiled. Finally, when they released each other, Jane kissed Harry on the cheek.

"I love you brother," she whispered in his ear and left.

As she got on board, she could see out of the window, Harry's hand still at the place where she just kissed him. Jane giggled and tried to wave her hand to get his attention.

Harry saw Jane and waved back. She was him mouth the something when the whistle blew, but she couldn't tell what it was.

As the wheels started to move, the boxcar that Jane was in, pasted Harry. She could finally see what he was saying.

He was saying, "I love you too, sister!"

Onboard the train, Jane walked down the car she was in, trying to find an empty booth where she could relax and have the rest of the time to herself. She finally found one and walked in.

As she sat down near the window, Jane looked out of the glass window to realize that it had started to snow. She watched in awe as the tiny little white snowflakes twirled round and round in the air. Dancing. Having fun while they slowing float down to the ground and softly land. Oh, how beautiful those snowflakes were. They just looked so peaceful and calm like flowers waving in the cool breeze on a hot summers day.

Jane rested her head on the window with her feet close to her chest. While her head was on the window, she could feel the vibrations of the wheels on the tracks. Once in a while, there would be a bump and Jane would hit her head on the glass.

After quite some time, the lady pushing the trolley cart came to the door of the compartment. Jane was still staring out the window watching the snowflakes swirling round and round.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Jane turned around to see the lady with the trolley cart on the other side of the door. She got up and opened the sliding glass door, careful not to bump into the trolley or the lady.

"Would you like anything from the trolley dear?" the kind lady asked in her usual voice.

"Um," Jane said looking around on the trolley. There was so much to choose from. There were Chocolate Frogs to Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to Pumpkin Juice and a whole lot more!

"I guess, I won't get anything," Jane finally answered the question.

"Are you sure sweetie?" the lady asked, making sure that Jane had made up her mind.

"Yes, I am sure, but thanks for asking," thanked Jane.

"Oh, you're welcome. Anything for a pretty girl like you."

Jane was about to close the compartment door when Jane heard what the lady had told her.

"Wait," Jane said when the lady was about to leave. "You think I'm pretty?"

"Of course dear," the lady told Jane.

"Thanks," Jane thanked the lady, but Jane wasn't finished with her yet. "How come you think I'm pretty?"

The lady stopped pushing the trolley and turned around.

Jane was right behind her with the door compartment still open.

"Why would you ask such a question? Don't you think you're pretty?" the lady questioned Jane back.

"Well, I was just curious to know why you think I'm pretty. That's all," Jane replied confidently.

"You sound like your father and brother," said the lady.

"Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment, but in what way am I like them?"

"Well, deary, that was a compliment."

"Oh," was all Jane could manage to say.

"And to answer your other question, you just have so much bravery in you and confidence that you remind me of your father and…" she paused looking at Jane's eyes.

Jane noticed this and asked, "Is there something on my face?"

"Oh no, sweetie. It's just that you have your..."

"Father's eyes," Jane interjected.

"Yes," answered the woman.

"And I have my mother's hair," said Jane.

The lady nodded. "That's why you are pretty. You are a combination of your parents."

Jane could feel a slight blush coming on, but she tried to make it go away.

"Thanks," Jane was the one word that came out of her mouth.

The lady nodded once again and then started to go to the other compartments.

Jane watched as the woman walked up to the compartment next to hers and knocked on the door like she did to hers. The door slid open and the students that were in the compartment, walked up to the trolley to get what they want. One of the students noticed Jane standing in the walkway.

He had short blonde hair with dark blue jeans and a long black and yellow sweater.

He waved and a warm smiled appeared on his face.

Jane waved and smiled back before going back to her compartment. After shutting the door, she sat down back in her seat, but something occurred to her. That boy. That student looked vaguely familiar.

Jane tried to remember who he was. She thought back to her classes. She knew for a fact that he was in one of the classes, but wasn't sure which one.

"I could go ask him what his name is," thought Jane.

"No," was the response she got back. She thought a bit long while listening to the wheels on the train tracks.

Then the answer hit her like an arrow being shot through a balloon and the balloon making a loud popping noise.

Jane had seen the boy when she had got to Hogwarts on the first day of school, the night of the big feast. His name is, as Jane remembered, James Geldal and he was sorted into Hufflepuff.

Jane sat down, relieved that she knew his name.

"His name is James Geldal. James Geldal. James Geldal," she kept on repeating in her head.

"Ugh," sighed Jane. "I'm bad at remembering names."

She looked outside the window, folding her right leg over left leg. "At least I remember my brother's name," she gave in. "And I guess I was just at Hogwarts for a few mouths. I still have a few more mouths to go."

Jane curled up close to the window again dreaming of what she might get from Santa for Christmas or from Sarah.

Just the thought of Sarah made Jane happy and excited because she was going to see her.

Except, some part of Jane didn't want to leave Harry behind at Hogwarts. That's why she had asked him if he wanted to come with her. But, Jane understood why he decided to stay behind.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry were making a potion and Harry and Ron were turning into Crabbe and Goyle to find out if Malfoy was the heir.

"I mean, Malfoy, no I mean Draco, no," Jane paused remembering what Draco had told her to call him.

"You can call me Draco."

"Right then, Draco. I will call you Draco instead of Malfoy," said told herself making sure no one was watching her through the glass door.

She didn't like people staring at her very much. It gave her the creeps.

"Okay getting to the point her. Draco seems like a nice student, but to Harry, Ron and Hermione, he's not. He's evil, cruel, and mean to them," said Jane. "But, to me, he is nice and friendly."

Jane pondered on this for a moment until the idea came to her.

He likes me.

"No! This can't be!" shout Jane in her head. "He can't like me!"

But, this idea soon became clear to her as she remembered that Ginny had told her the same thing after she had run into him in the hallway at school.

"What I was going to say was that Malfoy might like you," was what Ginny had told Jane after Draco and Jane's little conversation.

Jane sat down wondering why in the world he would like her. She stared out the window watching the passing mounts of snow as they go by them.

Before drifting off to asleep, Jane dreamed she was outside on a snowy cold day watching the tiny little snowflakes float down like small little ballerinas dancing. Spinning. Twirling. Falling peacefully until they land on the ground with a soft landing. "It's like a White Christmas," thought Jane.

AN: I don't own Harry Potter. The only characters I own are Jane, Sarah, and any other characters that I made up. (Last edited 3/20/17)