Disclaimer: I own nothing except my characters.

Note: You were certainly chatty Miss SiobanPhelps the last few chapters. I loved it. I'm glad you still root for George and Melinda is nice but Melinda cannot be with George. lol. We're getting so close to figuring out what's up with Matt. Big twist! Anyway, here comes another batch for ya!

Never Alone in Diagon Alley

"I'm so sorry and I didn't mean to scare you" he whispered as I closed my eyes and took deep breathes into his shirt. "I didn't want you to see me like this" he said rubbing my back.

"What happened?" I asked pulling away so I could look at him proper.

"Nothing" he said. If he had been anyone else I would've instantly protested, possibly even slapped him, but it was different with Matt. Something about the way he looked at me, something in his eyes that begged me not to press him for more details. "What can I do?" I asked quietly. He looked at me for a long minute, torn between two possible answers that I could see spinning in his mind.

"I don't know…" he finally said as he ran a hand through his hair. I reached out and squeezed his hand, I watched Draco take a step forward out of the corner of my eye. Matt shook his head and dropped his hand. "I wish things were easy, I wish they weren't so complicated" he said quietly, now looking off. "I didn't mean to sound so harsh about what I said" he added.

"But you meant it" Draco said from behind him.

"I know, but I don't want to, I don't want to feel that way" Matt explained. I watched him sit back on the couch, he seemed more careful, slower at moving and when he finally settled into the cushion he started rubbing his temples as he closed his eyes. "I don't want this…" he mumbled still rubbing his temples. I looked at Draco who seemed to be still only focusing on Matt. I knew without him even looking over at me that he too knew whatever Matt was going through.

"Let me help you" I pleaded sitting down on the couch with him, moving so close enough so our knees were touching.

"You can't" he said not moving, just continuing to rub his temples. I was tempted to rub my too; I thought maybe after last year and all summer he'd be more willing to accept my help or at least be honest.

"Okay" I said angrily as I shrugged and leaned away from him, crossing my arms and looking away. "So, Draco, what do you want for Christmas?" I asked looking over at him as he suddenly just remembered I was there too.

"I dunno?" he replied questionably looking from me to Matt.

"Right, well, I'm only going shopping once more you better let me know something soon" I said standing up and wiping my hands on my pants. "See me out, will you?" I asked him not bothering to look back at Matt as I walked to the door, and down the steps, Draco a few feet behind me.

"Do you have to be like this?" he hissed once we were near the gate.

"Be like what? Mean and unemotionally after I'm continuously denied to know things about my friends, by my friends?" I asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, okay? It's that, we promised not to tell" he said, then turned pale. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"We?" I asked, my hand on the gate. He shifted from one foot to the other, his mouth shut tight as his eyes shot back and forth.

"Yeah" he said after a moment or two.

"Don't make me drag it out of you Draco" I said pulling out my wand. Granted I didn't know the first step to try and get anything out of him. The Cheering and Tickling spell were certainly helpful, but it would take forever to get him to calm down once he started in a fit of giggles. Professor Flitwick always commented on my excellent ability to perform extremely powerful Cheering Charms and Tickling Spells. "C'mon, you know how good I am at making people laugh" I said with a wiggle of the eyebrows.

"Talk to your boyfriend about it" he said simply, still not making eye contact. I lowered my wand as I stared at him.

"He won't talk to me" I replied as Draco gave a satisfied smile.

"Good," he said when he noticed me looking at him. "Listen, he loves you, I'm your cousin; we're not going to tell you yet" he said.

"But, but, when?" I asked but Draco didn't reply. "So you two have been writing?" I asked needing more of a confirmation.

"It's not really important okay? It's not about him and us, it's about you listening to us when we don't tell you anything" Draco explained.

"That doesn't make sense" I shot back.

"We don't tell you anything, take that as a hint. If Melinda wasn't so smart I doubt anyone would have told her either" he said.

"Haven't you realized by now that the more you tell people the better off you'll be?" I asked, feeling my anger rising again.

"Not in this case" he said quietly. I sighed, I didn't know what he was talking about and I wasn't sure I wanted to know. "All that matters really is that you don't know, because that's the safest opinion for you. The second thing that matters is that…Melinda keeps everyone on track" he said with a nod. I shook my head out of annoyance, this secretive stuff was going to make my head explode.

"Fine Draco," I said as I walked over to where I had laid my broom.

"That's not yours" he said frowning at the broom.

"Nope" I said as I picked it up and mounted it.

"So you stole Fred's broom because you knew you couldn't invite him to come along?" Draco asked. I looked at him; the reason had been in my head since I left The Burrow but I pushed it away so I could stay mad at Fred longer.

"No" I said back, too quickly, too unconvincingly.

"Right" Draco said, a little smile crossing his face. I shook my head at him, trying to not let him brighten my mood. "If I don't see you tomorrow or the day after: Merry Christmas" he said knocking on the broom. "Er, tell…er…"

"I will" I said with a nod as Draco nodded and looked down at the ground.

"Be careful okay?" he added looking up, the seriousness practically screaming through his eyes.

"What fun would that be?" I smiled back as he let out at a worried sigh and backed up to give me room. "I'll send you an owl when I get back or tonight or something" I shouted as I rose several feet off the ground. "Draco…" I said stopping and looking over at the house.

"I know, and I will" he said with a nod and small smile. I nodded back, giving him the smallest smile of thanks as I made a giant circular loop once around before shooting off, now anxious to get back.

"See, she's fine," Fred said as I opened the door. I stopped dead upon seeing Mrs. Weasley's slightly panicked face.

"Where have you been?" she hissed, dropping her arms and running over to hug me, wrapping her old tattered cloth around me.

"I'm fine" I said unwrapping the cloth from around myself and attempting to hand it back. "I just went to visit Draco" I said as Melinda and George walked into the room, both visibly relaxing. Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to relax. "Oh for heaven's sake; Mr. Tumble said Sam and Matt were talking and Matt went off to the Manor" she explained.

"Yeah, I know, I saw him" I said avoiding eye contact with my friends. "He didn't do anything Mrs. Weasley, I swear" I added.

"We don't know that" she quickly responded.

"I do, he told me, he said it was his sister, she was just looking out for him" I said as Fred made a grunting sound. Mrs. Weasley nodded and rushed back into the kitchen, though I couldn't tell what she was doing.

"You were at the Manor?" Fred asked in annoyance as he shook his head.

"Yeah, I was visiting my cousin" I replied.

"Without telling us?" George snapped.

"I'm sorry, do I need your permission now to leave?" I asked, feeling so overwhelmed I could start crying.

"It's just that it's dangerous now, you can't just go wondering about without letting someone know, you could get hurt" Melinda said quietly. In my mind I automatically thought of saying I have immunity but something rang in my mind signaling to me that she already knew.

"Sorry" I said with a shrug. "I forgot" I added, and even though I knew it was the stupidest defensive I could make everyone seemed to settle down.

"Just don't be so reckless anymore" Fred said reaching out to touch my arm but I jerked away. "Well, it's going on three, we were supposed to be an hour ago, so, now that I know you're safe I'll just be going" he said sarcastically as he walked around me, careful not to make any contact as he left, George waving goodbye to Melinda as he followed his brother out.

"What did you go and do—"

"Draco said Merry Christmas" I shot at her before heading to the stairs knowing she wouldn't follow if I snapped at her too.

I stayed in the attic for the remainder of the afternoon and only came down for dinner when Mrs. Weasley filled the air with the amazing smells of her cooking. I didn't eat much, most swallowing before chewing, breaking record time of finishing a meal; all before the twins could arrive home.

I started to go back downstairs to talk to Melinda, apologize even but then I remember she had went off to America. I wondered if she felt totally safe with Matt, especially everything that happened with Sam but it seemed no one else shared in my concern so I let it go. Before I could head back upstairs Mrs. Malfoy was offering me apple pie. I couldn't really resist so I quickly had some and then headed back upstairs, a little surprised the twins weren't back.

I wrote a letter to Draco, which mainly stated how much of a jerk he was and the fact he, nor anyone else, could tell me what was going was more than annoying. I immediately sent it off and about an hour later my owl came back saying it wasn't him who dampened things tonight and then proceeded to ask why I didn't go to America.

I was a little more than grateful when my mood picked up the next morning. I got dressed and headed out, only too happy upon realizing it was Saturday. That meant I could visit the shop and see Savannah. "I'll be later!" I told Mrs. Weasley as I disappeared into the fireplace.

"Be safe!" she shouted back. I smiled to myself as I looked around the streets of Diagon Alley, it was always nice to wander about by myself. Quickly, I walked along the path and toward the joke up.

"Oh hey!" Savannah popping out as I was halfway there.

"I was just coming to see you" I told her with a bright smile.

"Lucky me" she grinned as she walked over. "Hold on," she said pausing to look into the door. "Fred, I'm on break, your girlfriend is kidnapping me, see you in an hour!" she shouted as I blushed.

"Alright! You two have fun!" I could hear him shout back, but just barely.

"You are so lucky Tammie, Fred is really wonderful, I know it's not obvious, but you know" she said as I nodded and followed her to a little café a few blocked from the shop. "And he loves you" she added brightly.

"You could've been with George; he's not all that bad" I told her.

"George wanted me at a time when I wasn't ready. Had it been a year later or even two, maybe. But, we were at different points in our life and he thought he wanted more but, I wasn't ready" she said with a shake of the head as we ordered soup and salad. "I still care about him, but, just as a friend" she said.

"Have you dated anyone since?" I asked fully interested in her history.

"Oliver Wood for a while" she said casually as I felt myself chock. "It was more like a fling thing, but I stopped when he left for Ireland" she explained as I gave her an uncertain look. "He got on team, The Woodley Spikes but I guess switched for the Irish; anyway, we were in the same area for like a month, we hooked up. It was chill, no pressure" she said with a light smile.

"Oh cool" I told her as she nodded and we continued with our food.

"Now, what's this big secret with Matt? I'm dying to know why the twins particle their wand tricks on a picture of him." I raised both my eyebrows as I looked at her. "They may be nice to that kid, but they hate him" she said. "Though to be fair, I think Fred is just frustrated the boy gets to spend more time with you than he does; you know, his built up sexual tensions" she said as I again chocked.

"You're fresh" I said as she let out a laugh and nodded.

"I tell Fred the same thing; anyway, Matt, what's his deal?" she asked but I shrugged. "Oh c'mon, you know him, everyone keeps saying that."

"Yeah but whatever secret this is, I don't know it" I replied as she frowned in disappointment but then shrugged it off.

We talked for a bit longer, mostly about Christmas plans and how I would attempt to visit the shop more regularly, especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays. When we finished I walked her back to the shop but it looked too crowded so I continued on my way window shopping.

Later, that evening when I returned to the Burrow I mostly read and listened to everyone else but ended up falling asleep before the twins came home.