Chapter Twenty-Five—
Holiday Bound

The first thoughts of Christmas came with the first snowfall of the season in mid-November. From there on out, the holidays were almost the only thing that was thought of among the students. After the fright at Halloween, almost every student was going home. No parents wanted their students to be at Hogwarts when they could be safe at home, away from the possibility of another break-in. And, truth be told, no students really wanted to be there themselves.

Sooner than anyone knew it, December was upon them. Meril began another countdown until the day they left, singing whenever there was a silence and any other time she felt it necessary. The fourth year boy was once again a victim of Meril's screeching voice, along with countless others. Many of the younger students attempted to shrink away whenever they saw Meril skipping down the corridor; they were terrified.

"Just a few more hours now!" Meril exclaimed on the night of December 13 as she crawled into bed.

"Don't you dare start singing now," Angelina grumbled. "I don't want to have nightmares again tonight." She rolled over on her bed so that her back faced Meril.

"Oh come on, Angie! It isn't that bad!"

"Yes it is," she grumbled, pulling her blankets closer around her. "It's ruining the idea of vacation for me."

"I would have thought it would make you more eager to get away from me."

"Yes, you would think so. Now good night, Meril."

"Nighty-night Angie!" Meril smiled and settled down into bed. Christmas was on the horizon. Finally. "I'm just so excited!" she exclaimed. She propped herself back on her elbow and looked over at Angelina. The Chaser's body tensed noticeably.

"Meril?"

"Mm-hm?"

"If you say anything else I am going to kick your teeth into your pretty little face. Just so you know."

"Well, alright," Meril replied, a little stunned by this reaction. She fell onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. "Alrighty then…"

She wished that she was sleeping outside so she could see the stars. Or that the ceiling was enchanted to appear like the sky, as it was in the Great Hall. Whenever she was too excited to sleep, just looking at the stars soothed her. They whispered their stories in her ear, lulling her to sleep. She searched for the constellations, racking her brain for the legends that went with them all. Astrology fascinated her; calmed her; humbled her. It always had, for as long as she could remember. Her father would take her hand late at night when she should have been asleep and lead her outside to the backyard. There he would lay flat on his back in the grass, his arm wrapped tightly around Meril's small frame. For the longest time, neither spoke. They just watched and listened as the stars whispered their stories into the night.

"They are always telling their stories," Meril's father would say, whispering into his young daughter's hair. "But not everyone cares enough to listen."

They were violent tales; tales of destruction and terror. They were tales of a journey. The stars were constantly on a journey.

"But they look so peaceful," Meril commented, awed by what her father had told her.

"They are very good at putting on a show. But they have been through a lot of pain."

Meril shut her eyes tight, doing her best to remember one of those nights. It was so fuzzy, though. She had been so young, and each night was so unspecific. But she suddenly felt as if she needed to remember. She needed something to hold onto.

What really fascinated her were the constellations. Each night her father took Meril outside, he told her a different story. He never planned ahead of time which he would say. It all depended upon which he could find in the sky that night. The stories were etched in his memory. He could never get them out if he tried. Not that he ever would try. Astrology fascinated him, too. Meril always felt that their love of Astrology was what connected them. When she looked at the stars, she remembered all those nights as a little kid laying out in the yard. Maybe he was up there, looking down on her. It was improbable, but the idea still brought her peace.

Slowly, as the memories played like a movie in Meril's head, she unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Come on, everyone! Hurry up! Get moving!" Madame Hooch bellowed over the chaos at Hogsmeade station. She was, for whatever reason, in charge of getting everyone back on the train for the holidays. Meril suspected it was because of her whistle. She eyed the shiny silver deafening piece warily. Her ears were still ringing from the last blow Madam Hooch had used the whistle for, when they all first arrived at the station.

Hagrid stood near by, gently hurrying everyone along. He helped the younger people get their trunks onto the train and smiled, telling everyone to enjoy their holiday. Meril slowly walked towards him, smiling softly.

"Bye, Hagrid," she said as she approached the giant man. He looked down at her over his scraggly beard and smiled warmly.

"Come 'ere, Meril," he gruffly demanded, spreading his arms wide. Meril stepped into the hug. She was used to not being able to breathe when embracing him. The bone crushing barely fazed her anymore.

"You enjoy the 'olidays, you 'ear?"

"I will, Hagrid. You make sure that you do, too, alright?"

Hagrid shrugged, making no further response to Meril's request. "What are yer plans?"

Before Meril could answer, though, there was that horrible, shrill whistle. She felt as if her ears were going to burst.

"Miss Lizlow!" Madam Hooch screeched. There is no time for socializing! The train is leaving VERY soon! If you don't want to spend your holidays here, I suggest that you get on now!"

Meril grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you around, Hagrid! Happy Christmas!" She smiled brightly and waved. Hagrid lifted his large hand, waving good bye.

Meril lifted her trunk and dragged it to the train. Fred and George met her at the door and helped lift her things in before lifting her up as well. She could barely hear Madam Hooch as she shouted, "All holiday bound aboard!"

"Thanks, boys," she said smiling widely.

"Oh, anything for you, Your Majesty," Fred said, giving a mock bow.

George curtsied, batting his eyelashes. "A pleasure, milady."

Meril rolled her eyes. "You two have learned well." She held out her hand. The twins stared blankly at her, unsure what she was doing. Quickly, Meril put it in her pocket, saying nothing. She had thought maybe the joke would continue and one would kiss her hand. It hadn't, and she felt like an idiot.

"Has anyone gotten a compartment yet?" she asked, changing the topic as she lifted up her trunk. The twins appeared on either side of her, each holding a suitcase.

"Lee went on ahead. He said he was going to get a compartment," Fred began.

"But he might have just went off to find Angelina," George finished.

"So Heather said she would get us one."

"But she is probably sitting with Cedric, so we don't know--"

"—if we want to sit with her."

Meril was well aware of the disdain the twins felt for Cedric, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was that made them feel that way. Of course, his win over Gryffindor in early November could only have added to their dislike.

"Well, it's pretty crowded. If Lee has not successfully found a compartment, and you don't want to sit with Cedric…well, you're going to have to find someone else. Jennifer, perhaps? I, personally, have no qualms about sitting with Cedric. He's very nice." She smiled slightly, more mocking than sincere.

Fred and George exchanged looks. "Jennifer?" they simultaneously asked, disbelieving. It had been a long time since that name had entered a conversation. Meril had accepted that the twins did not like her; she didn't want to talk about that horrid girl. But still, something inside of her was jealous of Jennifer Crisp. She hadn't realized that until then.

Meril shrugged. "It was just a suggestion," she said innocently. "I don't know who you would sit with. Ron is staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, isn't he?"

"Yeah…"

"So you couldn't stay with him, clearly. It was just a suggestion. Don't get your knickerbockers all into a twist." She smirked, her lips curling. She didn't want to give them the impression that she was still mad at them; at her.

None spoke again for a few minutes as they traipsed down the corridor, searching for a compartment with people they knew. Eventually, Lee popped out, smiling widely at them as he waved them over.

"That smile…" Meril began, eyes widening.

"That can only mean…" George continued

"He found Angelina," Fred finished. The three stepped into the compartment and this was confirmed. Angelina sat in between Alicia and Lee. Heather and Cedric sat by the window, whispering to each other and laughing. There was just enough room for Meril and the twins, what with all of the trunks and suitcases piled into the compartment along with everyone.

Meril sat down beside Heather. George plopped down beside her, and Fred beside him. Meril's whole Hogwarts family had managed to squeeze into one compartment. She had to wonder how that had been managed. Angelina and Heather didn't get along; Fred, George, and Lee disliked Cedric; Angelina and Alicia were constantly ogling Cedric.

It seemed the only person everyone got along with was her. She suddenly felt very pressured, as if she had to make sure that the train ride wasn't disastrous. Like it was her duty; her responsibility. Like she was the mother and they were all her misbehaving children.

Let's just see how this goes, Meril thought. She didn't want to feel like she had to control her friends; her friends who were all older than she was. So she just sat stock still, watching her friends with a cautious eye.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Everything seemed to be going smoothly. They had been on the train for nearly two hours, and everything was mostly pleasant. Angelina and Heather exchanged a few glares, and Meril felt her body tense, mentally groaning as she felt her "motherly responsibility" about to kick in. But nothing happened.

Fred and George completely ignored Cedric, so nothing bad was happening there. Lee glared at Cedric once or twice, bothered by the fact that Angelina kept glancing at him, smiling and giggling with Alicia.

Which was what caused the glaring matches between Heather and Angelina, I realized. The blonde clung possessively onto her boyfriend, playing with his hair and kissing his cheek. Heather didn't need to do that to make anyone jealous of her.

"So what is everyone doing for the holidays?" Heather asked as she snuggled closely to Cedric. She flipped her ponytail a little. Meril rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to the Swiss Alps," Alicia responded after a long pause in which everyone just stared at Heather. "My family loves skiing." She shrugged, as if she really didn't care either way. Angelina gave her a sharp glare. She was clearly bothered by the fact Alicia was leaving.

"I am doing absolutely nothing," Angelina grumbled. "My family thinks Christmas is a time to spend at home in reflection as a family." She sighed as Alicia patted her sympathetically on the back.

"Same with mine," Lee said miserably.

"Well are you allowed to leave to visit friends?" Angelina inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah…"

"I'm not. And they can't come to see me until after Christmas. It's horrible," she pouted. "I can't wait until I don't have to go back every Christmas vacation."

Lee attempted to console her, but she got over it rather quickly, leaving him no reason to sit rubbing her back. And he was not yet sure if she would beat him for doing it without a reason.

"We're staying at home, too," Fred and George said in that slightly creepy, simultaneous way of theirs. They cast a glance at Meril, smiling ever so slightly. Meril felt her insides turn, her heart thudding against her ribcage.

"What about you, Liz?" Heather asked, turning towards Meril. She had really gotten into addressing her best friends with other nicknames recently.

"You know what I'm doing, Lettie," Meril pointed out.

"So? Not everyone here does! Come on, share your plans!"

"It isn't anything big. I don't know why you're so pushy. It's not as if I'm traveling anywhere."

"Lizlow. Come on."

Meril rolled her eyes again. "I'm going home through Christmas. Then, December 26th through December 28th I am going to the Scarlett household. From there, the two of us are going to the Weasley household, where I will not be leaving until January 10th—the last day of our wonderful break. But you all knew that." She pointed at Heather, Fred, and George. The latter two grinned and nodded. Once again, her heart kicked against her ribcage.

Cedric didn't have great plans, either. He was spending the holidays at home, like many others. His parents didn't want to risk anything, what with Sirius Black still on the loose. Though Cedric had tried explaining to them that he was at Hogwarts, they didn't care.

"Well, my plans are very similar to Meril's," Heather said. "I am spending through Christmas with my family. Of course, I'll be seeing Cedric almost daily through then." She gave the quiet boy's hand a squeeze, smiling up at him. He smiled back, his gray eyes twinkling as he looked at Heather. "Then Meril is coming. Then we are going to see Fred and George. On December 31st, I have to go home to spend New Years with my family. But on January 5th I am returning to my lovely gingers and staying until the end of break." She grinned widely at the twins.

George grimaced slightly at the term 'ginger' but grinned and nodded, seemingly pleased with these plans. Fred, however, blew her a raspberry teasingly.

"Oh, yuck!" Meril exclaimed, wiping spit off of her face. George grimaced again, having received the majority of the spit. He wiped his face on his brother's robe sleeve.

"Thanks," he said, looking up at his older twin with a grin. "I always knew these robes would have a use."

"Oh, you're right!" Fred exclaimed. He wiped his face on George's robes with a satisfied smile. "Very efficient."

"Aren't they?"

Meril snorted as she watched the twins' exchange. They were the perfect pair; a dynamic duo. Even if they hadn't been twins, they would have been best friends. Their souls were made at the same time; the same design. There was no way they couldn't have been best friends.

Meril glanced over at Heather and subtly grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. Heather looked over at her, a startled expression on her face. Meril just smiled and shook her head. Heather nodded, squeezing back.

Heather was Meril's soul sister. They weren't related, but if they had been Meril swore they would have been twins. She imagined Fred and George's relationship would be a lot like theirs, had they not been born as twins.

Meril still held onto Heather's hand as she looked over at the Weasley twins. Fred and George. Gred and Forge. Her best friends. The boys who had saved her as a first year, lost and confused in the corridors. Not just her best friends…more. So much more. Everything more.

She stood suddenly, releasing Heather's hand. The blonde looked at her, eyebrows knit tightly together. Fred and George suddenly whipped their heads around to look at her, both confused.

"You okay?" Alicia asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?

"You look…panicked and confused."

"No, I'm fine. I'm just…going to go to the bathroom." Meril gave Heather a pointed look and hurried out of the compartment.

Heather followed after her, closing the compartment door. She walked up to Meril tentatively, pulling her aside. Meril was almost hyperventilating. She ran her fingers through her hair repeatedly with one hand, fanning herself with the other.

Heather grabbed her shoulders and guided her to the ground. "Meril, what the hell is going on? Why are you freaking out suddenly? You were perfectly fine. What's wrong?" Her voice was soft. She pulled Meril closer, stroking her hair gently. Meril leaned into her, her breathing still erratic.

"Meril? Calm down. Close your eyes and try to take deep breaths." Meril listened. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breaths, but, even with Heather stroking her hair, hugging her, she couldn't stop. Heather hummed and continued to stroke her friends hair. She didn't say anything else, and eventually Meril rested her head on Heather's shoulder. Slowly her breathing steadied. The two best friends sat in silence for a minute.

"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" Heather asked quietly. Meril sighed.

"Yes. Just…not out here."

"Alright." Heather gently pried herself from Meril's grip and got to her feet. She held out her hand, which Meril accepted, and pulled her to her feet. "I think there is an empty compartment nearby we can talk in."

"Seriously? But the train is so packed."

Heather shrugged. "We'll make an empty one if we have to. This seems too serious for just bathroom talk. Anyone can hear bathroom talk. It doesn't take a mastermind to conceal themselves in there."

The two walked slowly down the corridor, looking carefully for an empty compartment. No surprise, there was none. Heather sighed loudly. She threw open the door to a compartment filled with a group of older guys and a few girls.

Their heads all whipped towards Heather and Meril. The girls eyed them suspiciously. When they saw Heather they scowled. Meril didn't blame them. The boys all stared in wonder at the blonde. Again, Meril didn't blame them.

"Can we help you?" one nasty girl asked in a nasally voice. She glared at Heather and flipped her hair.

"Yes, you could. Could you all just…find somewhere else to sit for a minute or so? We really need to talk about something in private."

"Why don't you just go to the bathroom?" another girl asked, looking at Heather as if she was an idiot.

"Since when is that private? Please?"

If they didn't agree to leave, Heather would undoubtedly pull the 'prefect' card. The chances of one of them being a prefect, too, were pretty slim. To her, it didn't matter that they all were probably older. She was very bold.

The boys all caved quickly. They all got up, grinning at Heather and Meril as they exited the compartment. The girls, however, were not so quick to leave. There were only two of them, and they were glaring harshly at the two fifth-years.

"What right," the girl with the nasal voice began, "do you have to kick us out of your compartment?"

"I didn't kick you out. I politely requested. And your friends were very nice to grant that request. Wouldn't it look bad on you if you just stayed in here? I doubt that the guys would think that was very nice…"

The girls exchanged looks. Then they looked over at their guy friends, who stood out in the corridor, waiting for them. Grumbling complaints under their breaths, the two girls followed their guy friends out into the corridor. Heather closed the compartment door and put a silencing spell around the compartment.

"Okay, Babs. What is going on?"

Meril sat down, taking a deep breath. "I don't know why I started freaking out in there, honestly. I was just thinking and I felt my chest like constrict and I was panicking for no reason."

"Well what were you thinking about?"

Meril sighed. "There's something I think I should have told you a long time ago…"

Heather paused, catching her breath. She arched an eyebrow curiously, staring at Meril. "There's something you haven't been telling me? Mer, what is it? Is it big?"

"Well, I guess kind of. Maybe. I don't know." Meril laughed nervously. She was confusing herself.

"Well, spill!"

Meril took a deep, steadying breath. "I am kind of…in love?" She laughed nervously again, running a hand through her hair.

Heather's hazel eyes widened. "You are in love?! Meril Emeline Lizlow! That is huge! Who is it?"

"Well, there's kind of…two people?" There was that nervous laugh again. She couldn't stop it. This was not something she discussed with anyone. At all. Ever. No one knew any of this but her.

Heather's surprised look fell. She suddenly appeared slightly bored, as if this was old news. "And would these two happen to have red hair, hazel eyes, and freckles? Maybe perhaps they are even twins?"

Meril's face flushed bright scarlet. She felt her ears burning and her eyes started to water a little. "How did you know? Is it obvious?"

"Babs, you have to remember that I am your best friend. We are like, soul sisters. If I didn't notice these things I would be ashamed of myself. It would be like me not noticing that I liked someone. So it was obvious to me. I have no clue what the others have noticed. I just know what I have observed. And, Liz, you are most definitely in love."

Meril groaned, holding her head in her hands. She hated that Heather noticed; that she had been so obvious in her feelings that she had given it away. She tried so hard to lie about it to everyone; especially to herself. She didn't want to be in love with two of her best friends. Why would she? Their relationships were amazing as they were; to risk sacrificing that. The very idea scared her. She didn't know what she would do if she ever lost either of those twins.

"Hey…Heath?"

"Hm?"

"You wouldn't have happened to have observed which one I love more, would you have?"

Heather laughed, as if this were some sort of bizarre question. "No, Babs. I have not noticed which you love more. Why? You don't know?"

"Lettie, I have no clue. Sometimes it is so hard to distinguish between my feelings for the two. I know perfectly well which is which; I know the differences in their personalities; I can easily distinguish everything between the two, but when it comes to my feelings…they are always together and my feelings just mix together. So I don't know. Maybe I love them the same amount."

"Maybe," Heather said, but she didn't seem too convinced. "But I don't really think it is possible to love two different people the same amount, not at the same time, and not in the same way."

Meril groaned, holding her head in her hands. She hated that Heather was making sense; it just made her more confused about how she felt. Heather sensed this and grabbed her hand, rubbing it soothingly.

"Look, Meril. There are two keys here, but only one lock. You just need to find out which key has the right fit."

Meril blinked, quickly converting what Heather said into real, non-metaphoric terms. Two keys, one lock. The two keys were clearly Fred and George, and she was the lock? Her heart was the lock? And she just needed to figure out which of the two was right for her.

"That's so hard though!" Meril whined. "How am I supposed to figure it out when they both seem to be so perfect for me?"

"Hey, I didn't say it would be easy," Heather said, holding up her hands defensively. "Did you hear me say it would be easy? No. This is where it really gets hard. You have to be willing to risk just about everything."

Meril blinked. A confused expression once again spread across her facial features. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Heather shrugged. "That, Meril, is up to you. Fred and George are different from the guys I have gone after; I haven't the slightest idea how to test them in a romantic sense. That, you'll have to figure out. And who better than you? You know them better than almost anyone, right?"

Meril nodded hesitantly. That was true. She and the twins were incredibly close. The only person who might know them better than she did was Lee. This was, of course, excluding the twins themselves, who knew each other like the backs of their hands.

"Alright. Come on Babs…Let's give these nice people their compartment back." Heather grabbed the brunette by the hand, lifting her to her feet once more. With a swish of her wand she removed the silencing charm and then the two left.

"Thanks, again," Heather said as they passed the people.

"Yes. Thank you…" Meril shadowed, nodding at them as she was dragged quickly down the corridor, back to their compartment. Meril's stomach did a flip as she thought about returning. She felt that, now that she had told someone about her feelings for Fred and George, that they would somehow notice. That they would be able to look at her and just see everything; like she was an open book for them to peruse at their pleasure.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The compartment was very lively when Heather and Meril returned. Fred and George had somehow managed to get a hold of two cases of butterbeer and they were passing around bottles. Both were grinning like mad, singing Christmas carols at the tops of their lungs.

George grabbed onto Meril when she stepped back into the compartment and started swinging her around, dancing and laughing.

"Are you drunk?" Meril asked, laughing as she was spun.

"No; the butterbeer isn't strong enough for that!" George replied as he tripped over a rogue trunk. Meril snorted, just barely avoiding the trunk herself.

"Then why are we dancing?" she asked; she felt as if it was just her and George in the room.

"Because it's fun!"

He passed her off to Fred, who was acting just as jolly. He spun and twirled Meril, laughing and teasing her. George lifted Alicia to her feet and began spinning her around; Lee soon joined, pulling Angelina with him. Cedric and Heather sat for a moment, silently whispering. At last, Heather pulled Cedric to his feet and the whole compartment was dancing. They were constantly hitting each other and tripping in their crammed quarters, but they were dancing and they were having a jolly good time.

There was a constant exchange of partners. Meril danced with everyone in the room—everyone. Girls included. She burst into hysterics when she saw George and Cedric dancing. George decided that he was the man, forcing Cedric, tall dark and handsome, to be the female. Fred and George bumbled and fumbled with each other when they were partnered, purposefully tripping themselves and others.

Meril couldn't remember a time where she had had more fun on a train. She couldn't remember ever having fun dancing. But she was, now. Fred and George soon lost interest in the actual singing and just made noises, which everyone joined in on.

The time flew by very quickly. Soon, everyone was exhausted and collapsed back onto their seats. Heather looked at Meril expectantly, as if she expected her to have already made a decision. Meril just grinned, laughing.

"Come on, Mer. Let's play exploding snap. Me and Fred against you and Heather," George panted, pulling a deck of cards from his robe pocket.

"You did come compared, didn't you?" Meril observed. "Well, how about it, Scar? You want to play a round of exploding snap with me and the twins?"

Heather smirked. "I would love to."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Barely an hour and a half later, they pulled up to King's Cross Station. It was dark outside and snow lightly blanketed the ground. So many people crowded the platform, Meril had trouble navigating herself through them all. She and the other members of her compartment stayed close to each other. Meril held onto one of Heather's hand, the other laced with Cedric's.

"Oh, here's my family. I'll see you all in January!" Alicia said, stopping short. She hugged Angelina tightly and pecked her on the cheek. Meril detached herself from Heather and went to give her friend a quick embrace goodbye.

"Bye, Mer. Have fun! And Happy Christmas."

"You, too, Alicia. Have a good time in the Alps. Happy Christmas! I'll see you in January!"

Alicia smiled and nodded. Meril walked back to Heather, grabbing onto her hand once more.

"Happy Christmas, everyone!" Alicia called out, waving to everyone else.

Angelina found her family soon after. She hugged Meril and reluctantly received a hug from Lee before disappearing with her parents. Cedric was the next to go. Heather stayed with him to say a long goodbye, saying she'd meet back up with Meril soon.

Lee was gone soon after, leaving Meril alone with the twins. Once again, her heart started thudding against her ribcage. She felt her face burn red and she worried once more about them seeing through her, reading her thoughts and feelings.

Percy had already said goodbye to his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, and was standing by his parents, along with Ginny. Bill stood with them, his hair long and tied back in a ponytail. Meril smiled brightly at the Weasley clan, waving.

"Meril, dear! How are you?" Mrs. Weasley asked, warmly enveloping Meril in an embrace. Meril smiled into the stout woman's sweater.

"I'm great, Mrs. Weasley; how are you?"

"Oh, I've been good. Look at you! You're so thin! Don't worry about that, dear; I'll plump you right up when you come by for the holidays." She paused. "Oh, dear, you are coming by, right?"

"Of course! I can't wait!"

Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly before turning Meril over to the others, pulling her twins in for a big hug before starting in on the scolding which was always waiting for them.

"Bill! How are you?" Meril asked, turning towards the eldest of the Weasleys. He hadn't been around much since Meril met the Weasleys, but he always acted like an older brother to her.

Bill was good; he told her a quick story about Gringotts before pulling her in for a hug. Meril talked to him for a minute or so before moving onto Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was still scolding the twins about something or other.

"Well, Meril, we'll be seeing you soon," Fred and George said once Meril had finished talking to everyone. She looked at them, frowning slightly. It would be fourteen days until she saw them again; that was a long time.

"I'll see you in fourteen days," she replied. She hugged them simultaneously, somehow stretching her arms across them both. They encircled her, tightly squeezing her both at once, as they did so many other things.

"Happy Christmas," she said.

"Happy Christmas," they answered. George gave her shoulder an extra squeeze with his strong hand, a small smile dancing on his lips. Fred winked at her.

"Happy Christmas, everyone! I'll see you soon!" Meril waved at the Weasley clan. They all waved back, all, with the exception of Percy, smiling brightly at her.

She turned, looking around wildly for Heather or her mother. It took a few minutes, but she found them together. Heather stood in amongst her family. Her mother was talking to Meril's intently.

Meril smiled as she slowly approached the Scarlett family, a family she had learned to recognize as her own second family. They all stood together, beautiful in every way imaginable; noble. Joseph Scarlett, Heather's father, was listening to one of Bradley's wild tales, one which he had probably already heard, as Eliza, the youngest at age ten, latched onto him.

Caroline Scarlett and Melody Lizlow were absorbed completely in a conversation; so much so, neither noticed as Meril approached. The brunette slipped into the circle of Scarlett children. Sometimes, especially when she was younger and her mother was off at work, she liked to pretend she was one of them. She looked enough like the father to be one; brown hair, blue eyes; they both had them. It could work. It would be like she was the only one to take after the father, the rest having blonde hair like Caroline did.

One day she had even asked if they would adopt her. It wasn't that she didn't love her mother; she did very much. Melody was an excellent mother, when she was around. It was just that though, she was so often gone, Meril felt like she needed a permanent settlement.

Meril shook her head, remembering it all too well. It wasn't something she liked to think about. Caroline had told Melody, obviously; the two were best friends, just like Meril and Heather. The look of hurt on Melody's face was too painful to think about.

"How have you been, Meril?" Mr. Scarlett asked. He smiled widely. It had been a very long time since she had seen him. Meril smiled back, hugging the tall man then going on to hug Eliza. "Boot Camp and Germany all good?"

"Oh yeah; they were a blast. But Hogwarts is much better."

"That's right; it most certainly is." Joseph Scarlett still swelled with pride every time Hogwarts mentioned. He loved being a Hogwarts graduate. He had been a Ravenclaw; a prefect; Head Boy. But he never mentioned that when he went on a Hogwarts rant. He didn't speak of himself; he talked only about the teachers and the education. He was proud.

"Dad," Heather said warningly, rolling her eyes. Bradley grinned, winking at Meril.

"Here we go again," he said. He wrapped his arm around Meril, grinning. He didn't say 'hi'; there was no 'how are you.' Just a typical Bradley Scarlett hello; the arm around the shoulder and a sarcastic comment. It was how he was.

"Meril!"

Meril looked over at where the word had come from. Her mom finally realized that she was there. Her beautiful face was lit up with a radiant smile that made her eyes twinkle. Her nose was red from the cold. Meril smiled widely in return.

"Hey, Mam," she said. She excused herself from the Scarlett circle and hugged her mom tightly. Because even though she was never around, she was family. It wasn't a second family, like the Scarletts were; it wasn't a large, warm, bustling family like the Weasleys. But it was all Meril had when it came right down to it.

It was home.

a/n Okay, so not the best chapter I have ever written, but there it is. I hope you enjoyed anyway. I had some fun writing some of these parts. :) Please review; I love feedback. If anything confuses you, please let me know and I will explain. I have done it before and I am willing to do it again.

xox