Veronica and Dana skipped into Grimmauld Place.
"Hey! We're here!"Veronica said.
"Better late than never. You were supposed to be here hours ago," Emily said.
"Oh, hush up," Dana said.
"Did you bring Danielle?" Harry asked.
"Sure did. She's upstairs unpacking," Veronica said. She looked over to Draco. "Bugger me, you're like the spittin' image of Lucius aren't you?"
"No, Lucius wasn't nearly so handsome," Dana said.
"But you must be Draco. I'm Veronica, Danielle's aunt and Harry and Hannah's godmother," Veronica introduced herself.
"And I'm Dana. I'm Emily's mother," Dana said.
"And just so you know, don't worry about marrying Hannah. Sirius and Remus are harmless. They will not follow through on the threats I'm sure they've given you," Veronica said.
"Oh, it's fine. The fear of being murdered keeps me on my toes," Draco said.
"He's adorable," Dana said. "I approve."
"So, I hear you play Quidditch don't you?" Veronica asked.
"Yeah. I'm Captain of Slytherin. I play seeker," Draco said.
"Draco's got the second most wins of any seeker in the past five years," I boasted.
"I wonder who could have the most wins," Harry said.
"Probably the same kid who choked on a snitch his first game," Draco said. "You're the only seeker I know who plays with the grace of a wide mouthed toad."
"That joke wasn't funny in first year and it's not funny now," Harry said, laughing.
"then why are you laughing?" Draco asked laughing.
"Because it is kind of funny now that I don't hate your guts and all," Harry said.
888
"Do any cute guys work at the ministry?" Danielle asked later that evening. I was sitting in the lounge with the girls listening to them talk.
"Why?" Tonks asked.
"All the dudes I see there are either old or ugly," Danielle said.
"Well I suppose there are a few nice looking gentlemen there. I don't really pay attention," Tonks said.
"Yes, Tonks chooses to set her sights elsewhere," Veronica said.
"Shut up you," Tonks said.
"Yes, Tonks has grown up past the point where she's shallow," Dana said.
"Are you saying we're shallow, mum?" Emily asked.
"Well you girls kind of are," Tonks said.
"How? Danielle won't date anyone with grades lower than hers. Emily is marrying Fred. Ginny is-."
"No, Hannah, I'll be honest. I'm a little bit shallow," Ginny said.
"Interested in anyone Ginny?" Dana asked.
Ginny looked over to me and we both giggled.
"Oh, tell us," Tonks said. "We won't tell."
"No way. I couldn't," Ginny said shaking her head.
"Oh, you must not be sure if he fancies you then," Veronica said.
"No, he definitely likes me," Ginny said,
"How d'you know?" Emily asked.
"We made out like once or. . . Four times," she said.
"Four Ginny? I only heard about one," I said.
She shrugged.
"Well if you like each other why aren't you together?" Tonks asked.
"Because I have six brothers," she said.
"Well that never stopped you before," Danielle said.
"Yeah, but if Ginny went out with this guy they would all have a conniption and more than likely try to strangle him," I said.
"Why? Is he in Slytherin?" Dana asked.
"No. I'm not Hannah," Ginny said.
"I love you too," I said rolling my eyes.
"Then who is it?" Tonks asked.
"Yes, I want to know too," Emily said.
Ginny sighed. "Okay, so it's. . . Harry."
"Shut up! No way," Dana said.
"I totally should've seen this coming. No wonder you two've been being all weird this year," Emily said. "Harry's so sweet though."
"But it's so against the rules. It's like, you don't date your best friend's sister. Ever, that would be like if I were with Ron. It's not cool," I said. "And to be honest, when Harry first told me he had feelings for Ginny I wasn't completely comfortable with it. I'm still not. It's weird but – come on they're so good for each other."
"Look, that's enough about me and my life. I'll work things out with Harry in my own time," Ginny said. "Hannah, tell me, how are things with Draco."
"You know how things are with Draco," I said.
"I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be honest about it," Tonks said, "do you really love Draco?"
"Of course I do," I said. "Like. . . have you ever thought of your future and felt painful anxiety if you tried to imagine it without someone there? Or like have you had a bad night but just before you fell asleep they popped into your head and your whole horrible day just seemed to disappear? And sometimes you ramble on about something ridiculous and stupid and you stop yourself because you don't even make sense to yourself but they're able to tell you exactly what you were thinking? And they can smile at you or tease you and poke fun at you and even though you should be angry you can't help but laugh. . ."
I stopped talking. I felt like I was embarrassing myself.
"Adorable," Tonks said.
"Do you know anyone who makes you feel that way Tonks?" Veronica asked.
Tonks leered at her and got to her feet. "I guess that's my signal to head home."
"Aw, don't go, Tonks, please," I begged.
"No, I'll be back tomorrow," she said.
"No, you can't go. You have to tell us who this you're going on about is," Ginny said. "I told you."
"This is completely different. I am an adult. I don't have to tell you anything," Tonks said.
"That just means we probably know who he is," Emily said.
"What? No you do not. Why?" she asked.
"Because if we didn't know who it was there would be no harm in telling us because we'd never meet them anyway," Ginny said.
"So you're lying. Tell us who it is," I said.
"No," Tonks said. "It's none of your business."
"It would probably relieve a great deal of your stress if you just told him how you feel," I said.
"Not that it matters but I have," she said.
"Wait? So someone rejected you? You? Really? I find that hard to believe," Danielle said.
"I was not rejected," Tonks said.
"So you like each other and you're not together?" I asked. "Why? Is he like older than you or something?"
"What does that matter how old he is?" Tonks asked as Veronica and Dana laughed.
"Well you look like the kind of woman who might be into older guys and he might like you but feel weird about it because you're younger," I said.
"Wow, right on the money," Dana said.
"She's more and more like Lily everyday," Veronica said.
"Look, drop it everyone, even you two," Tonks said motioning to a giggling Veronica and Dana. "And you Hannah, Queen of prying and figuring things out you stop because you know too much already."
"Fine," I said.
"I'm going to get something to drink. Do you guys want anything?" Tonks asked.
". . . That explains your hair," I said.
"What?" Tonks asked.
"I mean, I thought maybe you were really stressed out and that's why your abilities have been off, but I hardly suspect that to be the reason anymore," I said.
Tonks cleared her throat. "Stop prying. Now."
888
"I've never made a gingerbread house before," Draco said Christmas eve. We were spending Christmas Eve and Christmas at the Burrow and since we'd been at Grimmauld so much we were in a rush to make the house look nice for Christmas.
"Really?" I asked.
"It's alright. I didn't even get gifts for Christmas until I was 11," Harry said.
"You also slept under your stairs until you were 11," I said.
"Touché," he said.
"What kind of stuff did you do at your house on Christmas?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
Draco shrugged. "Nothing really. The house was always decorated and everything but usually life just went on as usual. I never decorated anything. Never hung any stocking. Never had Christmas dinner. None of that."
"You poor deprived thing," Mrs. Weasley said.
"Ewe, Hannah, look at this," Ron said. I walked over to him at the tree and he held up and ornament that had our picture in it from when I spent my first Christmas with the Weasleys.
"Oh! Look at us! We don't have any teeth," I said. "And that's my first Weasley sweater. We had to be like seven, Ron."
"You guys have been inseparable," Fred said.
"Yeah, and Hannah's always been better looking than you too," George said. I laughed.
"What's your favorite Christmas memory, Malfoy?" Sirius asked.
Draco shrugged. "Dunno. I don't really do much with my parents. Other than that I've been at Hogwarts so. . . Can't say that I have one."
"Aw, that's so sad. I'm gonna make this the best Christmas ever for you," Emily said giving Draco a hug.
"Uh, thank you Emily," Draco said.
"Do you guys remember our fifth year Christmas?" Veronica asked.
"When you almost burned my house down and Lily lost her mind?" Sirius asked.
"Yes, it was so funny," Dana said. "James accidentally dropping that hot poker on the dead Christmas and it exploded into flames."
"Everyone was running around all crazy like, it spread to the carpet," Lupin said.
"Thank goodness Narcissa was paying attention or it would've been a disaster," Veronica asked.
"And you remember dinner the first night where Lily almost attacked her?" Sirius laughed. "That's still like number three in my top ten favorite memories ever."
"Your mum almost attacked my mom?" Draco asked.
"It was hilarious! Let me tell you. We were all at Sirius' house for Christmas, us, Lily, James, your parents, Wormtail, and Snape and your mum made dinner," Dana said. "So,your mum made dinner and as an attempt to try for some civility in a house full of people who loathed each, Lily compliments your mother dinner and your mom totally spits it back in her face."
"Lily's like 'what did I ever do to you?' and Narcissa is like 'you exist'. Then Lily went off the wall. Sirius is like telling her to calm down but Lily and Narcsissa are going back and forth. And then Lily lunges across the table at her. Remus had to scramble to pull her down," Veronica went on.
"Finally, your mum is like 'well you're a mudblood and your kids'll be mudbloods and always' and so Lily says, this makes the story really funny present day, 'well I hope our kids meet, fall in love and procreate so all of your descendants will be mudbloods too, so fuck you Narcissa.' And then she reaches over to your mum's plate and flips it over and says 'and your fucking chicken is dry'. And she stomps away," Dana laughed.
"So that's where Hannah gets her attitude from," Draco said. I rolled my eyes.
"My favorite Christmas was last year," Ron said.
"I liked Christmas Eve," Tonks said.
I groaned. "I hated Christmas Eve. I'm trying so hard to repress it. Dinner was horrible."
"Remember your Lupin poem?" George asked. I scoffed.
"Don't even talk about that," I said.
"What poem?" Veronica asked.
"That poem will not be recited again by anyone under pain of death," I said.
"It was still so cute," Tonks said.
"What poem?" Draco asked.
"It's not important," I said.
"What is important is that Hannah had the most adorable crush on Lupin," Tonks said.
"I wish you could've heard the poem," Lupin said.
"I wish you could've heard Tonks and Lupin singing 'Barbie Girl'," I retorted.
"Okay, so maybe it was pretty hellish for everyone involved," Tonks said.
"I'm sorry but I definitely got the bulk of everyone's crap last year," I said. "Sirius was going to strangle me over Draco, the whole Barbie Girl thing, Harry and Cho, you teased me about playing Quidditch."
"Oh! Ron and Hermione have been together a whole year!" Ginny suddenly exclaimed.
"By gum you're right," Mrs. Weasley said.
"You and Hermione, a whole year. We were sure you would've killed each other by now," Harry said.
"The way you two always went at it," Danielle said. "Back and forth all of the time."
"You were even arguing when you hooked up," I said.
Ron nodded.
"Does someone miss their Hermione?" Emily asked. "Go on admit it Ron. Swallow your stupid pride before you choke on it and admit you miss her. We all want to hear you say it. You miss Hermione."
". . . Yea. . . I guess I do," he said, turning red.
"Awe," Ginny said. "Don't feel bad Ron. Remember how emo Hannah was last year?"
"Oh, yeah Draco. Give yourself a pat on the back. She was a Scrooge last year on Christmas Eve she missed you quite terribly," Sirius said.
"Oh! And that card you sent her made me want to kill myself," Ginny said.
"Why?" Lupin asked.
"Because they are the most disgustingly cute couple ever. Right alongside Emily and Fred," Ginny said.
"We are not disgustingly cute," Fred said.
"You are. You blow kisses at each other which I can't stand and then you really irk me by catching them and putting them in your pocket," Ginny said. She turned to me and Draco. "You two with the petnames."
"We don't have any," we protested.
"Yes you do! You don't notice it because you've incorporated it into your vocabulary. You just naturally call each other 'Babe' and 'Love' when you see each other," Ginny said.
"You're just jealous," I said.
"Puh-lease," Ginny droned.
