Hello again! Sorry it's been a few months! Just a warning, this chapter is more of a filler so just bear with me! Enjoy!3

He was dreaming again.

Draco's first night at the Burrow was also the first night that Anna hadn't slept beside him in months. In fact, he was fairly certain they hadn't spent a single night apart since returning to Hogwarts in September. Which would explain why he couldn't sleep.

Apparently, he'd gotten too used to sleeping without having nightmares, he'd forgotten how horrible they were. Having Anna there always seemed to help. If he felt himself being sucked into the dark corners of his mind, all he had to do was wrap an arm around her and she'd pull him back in. She was the reason he could sleep at night once again and now they were stuck sleeping apart for two whole weeks.

It hadn't taken long. Within minutes of closing his eyes, the dreams began to plague his already troubled mind. Red eyes. Flashes of green. Evil laughter. Terrified screams. Anna's screams. They always had to do with her being tortured by Voldemort or his father or even sometimes, himself. Those were the worst of all.

"Stop fighting it, Draco," Voldemort or Lucius would say. "It's who you are."

Draco tried to fight them off, tried frantically to wake himself up but he couldn't. He was stuck in a never-ending reel of darkness that he couldn't escape.

"Draco."

He swung his arms out, desperate to connect with something. Anything. They were in reach and then they weren't. And Anna's cried only grew louder inside of his head.

"Draco!"

Something hard smashed against his face and his eyes flew open as pain blossomed in his left cheek. He lurched forward, automatically reaching for his wand but dark hands on his shoulders shoved him back onto the bed.

"Bloody hell, Draco. It's me."

Blaise stood at the side of Draco's bed, clad only in a pair of boxer briefs and a t-shirt. Draco immediately relaxed though his chest was heaving with uneven breaths. Sweat beaded on his skin and he could feel hair sticking to his forehead. The sheets beneath him were wet from his own perspiration, something that was becoming increasingly uncomfortable though it was nothing a quick scouring charm wouldn't fix.

"Shit," he mumbled through clenched teeth, wincing as the movement jarred the tender spot on his cheek. "Did you hit me?"

Blaise nodded. "You wouldn't wake up. I didn't know what else to do."

Draco pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes as his heartrate finally began to slow. He threw off his blankets and sat forward on the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees. "It's been weeks since I've had a dream like that."

"What was it about?" Blaise asked, sitting back down on his own bed.

"The same thing they're always about," Draco said, thinking about Anna's screams. "Death."

Blaise let out a shaky breath. "Seems like it's something everyone's thinking about these days."

"That's because it's exactly what the Dark Lord wants. He wants everyone to be afraid, to fear death so much that they'll do anything to avoid it, including follow him."

Blaise shook his head. "Not me. I won't do it."

Draco agreed silently as Blaise went back to sleep. It still felt awkward to say it aloud but he knew where he stood. And more importantly, so did Anna. That was all he cared about.

The rest of the night he slept restlessly and by the time the sun shone in through the foggy Burrow windows, Draco had already been up for a few hours. Blaise slept soundly in the other bed and Draco envied him for it. He longed for the nights he spent with Gilbert's head on his chest and his nose buried in her brown hair.

Staring up at the wooden ceiling, he tried to wrap his head around the fact that he was really there, in the Burrow, seeking hospitality from a family who owed him absolutely nothing. A family who had been treated terribly by his own for longer than Draco had even been alive. And yet, they'd allowed him to stay. It wasn't without difficulty but the fact that he was even there just proved what Anna had said about the Weasley's being different from the Malfoys.

He wouldn't admit that to her, though. She'd never let him hear the end of it if he did.

If the tables were turned and it was Anna seeking a place to stay at the Manor, Lucius would have never allowed it. Unless, of course, Anna was willing to become a servant of the household or something even more degrading than that. She wouldn't have been welcomed inside, or been given a bedroom or fed a homemade meal that tasted absolutely divine. And she sure as hell wouldn't have been able to speak to Draco.

Given the chance, my family won't let you down. That was what Anna had told him. He hadn't believed her then but he was starting to.

A soft knock sounded at the door, followed by a creak in the hinges before a familiar brown head of hair poked through. Anna's green eyes were a welcome sight after a night without her in his arms.

"How long have you been awake?"

He paused. "A while."

Her lips flipped into a frown and she entered the room, tiptoeing lightly across the floor with such precision that she didn't make a sound. Years of walking along these creaky floorboards must have made her an expert on which sections to avoid. She all but threw herself onto the bed beside him, though there wasn't much room so Draco tucked himself closer to the wall to keep her from falling off the edge.

"I missed you," she said quietly, as to not wake his sleeping roommate. She snuggled close to Draco, resting her chin on his chest and looking up at his face.

Draco smiled. "I think we both got a little too used to our living situations back at school, yeah?"

"We should definitely keep that part to ourselves," she said, trying not to smile. "If they find out we've been sleeping in the same bed for months Uncle Arthur will never let me go back."

He sighed and tucked one arm behind his head. "Trust me, I won't be saying much of anything to your uncle. I'm afraid he might set me on fire the moment I open my mouth."

"He's not that bad," she smirked, knowingly. "You just have to give him a chance to get used to it, that's all. This is a very…challenging situation."

"Challenging? I suppose that's one way to put it."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, we've got a big day." She pressed a quick kiss to his jaw before getting to her feet. "We have to pick out a tree."

"Who is we?"

"You, me, Ginny, Blaise and the twins."

Draco sat up with a frown. "You really think that's a good idea, Gilbert?"

She shrugged. "Probably not but we don't have a choice. Aunt Molly's orders."

"She does realize that Fred and George hate me, right? That thought hasn't slipped her mind?"

"She's just trying to keep some semblance of normalcy, Draco," she explained, eyes sad. "With Ron gone and everything else going on…it's something we all need."

Draco's throat felt thick with emotion but he buried it deep. He couldn't remember the last time he had a normal holiday with his family. It always seemed to end in some sort of fight, either between him and his father or Lucius and Narcissa. He wasn't even sure when the last time he actually decorated a Christmas tree was.

Could he really fault Molly Weasley, a mother whose children were separated all over the world during a time like this, for wanting a sense of normality? Draco was used to everyone around him pretending things were okay, this couldn't be much different.

He dressed quickly and followed Gilbert downstairs to the kitchen where the long table was already set with an array of breakfasts foods. Homemade muffins, yogurt, eggs, bacon, sausage and toast. A note was attached to a meta pitcher of orange juice.

Anna picked it up and read, "Shopping in Diagon Alley with Dad. Be back later. PS, don't kill each other today."

Draco snorted. "You see? She knows."

"Shut up and sit down," Gilbert said, taking her own place at the table. Draco sat next to her and began filling his plate. If breakfast tasted anything like the roast and veggies Molly made last night, he knew he was in for a treat.

The Burrow smelled delicious once again. Gradually, the rest of the house occupants began making their way downstairs, Fred and George being the first. They greeted their cousin warmly but barely batted an eyelash at Draco. He didn't mind though. Being civil with someone didn't mean he had to speak to them.

Ginny came down next, followed shortly after by Blaise. Soon, they were all sitting at the table, eating a hearty breakfast in almost complete silence.

"So," Fred finally piped up with a mouthful of muffin. "We putting the tree up today or what?"

Ginny glared at her brother. "Don't we always put the tree up the day after we get home from school?"

Fred rolled his eyes and glanced at Draco. "You never know these days. There's a lot that's different about the holidays this year." Fred meant that as an insult to Draco but he kept quiet. As much as he'd love to put the Weasley twins in their place, he knew Gilbert wouldn't approve of his methods to do so.

"As soon as we're done eating and dressed. And we're doing it the Muggle way this year so we should go before all the good ones are gone." Anna said, drinking some of her tea as the twins both groaned.

"The Muggle way?" Blaise asked.

Anna nodded. "Don't worry, it's fun."

George glanced beside her for a quick second. "I assume…everyone is going?"

"Of course," said Anna without missing a beat.

George didn't look very happy about that but he didn't say anything more as they all finished their breakfasts. Since Draco and Anna were the only ones dressed, they stayed and cleaned up while everyone else went back upstairs to change. A few quick scouring charms and the kitchen was once again tidy.

"Well," Draco sighed, grinning at Anna. "Now that that's over."

He didn't give her a chance to say anything more before grabbing her by the waist and pulling her in close. He caught her lips on a gasp, drinking it down as their mouths molded together perfectly. How long had it been since he'd kissed her? To him, it felt like ages since they'd been at the Burrow with limited contact and it had barely been a day.

Gilbert kissed him back timidly and he knew it was because she was scared of her family seeing them. But Draco couldn't give any less of a fuck about that and slid one hand to the back her head, holding her to him. His arm wound around her waist, meshing their bodies together until there was no space between them.

Anna came alive then. Her kisses grew more frenzied, her clumsy hands made their way up his arms to his back, then to his neck and up into his hair, unable to choose where she wanted them. Draco moved, backing her up until the counter stopped him. He lifted her easily with the arm around her waist and sat her down next to the sink. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him as close as she could as he kissed her again.

Desperation consumed them, neither one having the power to control their want for the other. His hands dropped to her waist, fingertips sliding underneath the hem of her shirt and trailing up her sides. When he felt the underwire of her bra he almost cursed out loud but moved his hands downward again, teasing the elastic band of the thick leggings she was wearing.

He felt her smile against his lips and she pulled back slightly, her ragged breath tickling his tongue.

"Draco," she whispered. "We have to be careful."

"Fuck that," he said, chest heaving. "It's been too damn long." He kissed her again, trying to push her back into that hazy state of hunger and desire by moving his hands inside her shirt again.

Anna grabbed his wrists, stopping him before leaning back to meet his eyes. "You know we can't."

Draco sighed. "Is it ridiculous to say I actually miss Hogwarts right now?"

Anna laughed and hopped down off the counter. "If it makes you feel better, I miss it too." She gave him one last kiss before heading off to do Salazar knows what, leaving Draco more frustrated than he's been in years.

Blaise walked into the room then with a smug look on his face. "Alright, mate?"

Draco glared and shook his head. "If I'd known meeting the parents meant I was going to be cock-blocked by them for two weeks, I never would have agreed to this."

Blaise's smirk only widened as he patted Draco on the shoulder. "Chin up, Drake. It's almost Christmas, you can't be sad on Christmas."

A snarky retort sat plainly on his tongue but Draco couldn't bring himself to say it as Blaise's words settled into his mind. Christmas. It was only a few short days away and he didn't have anything for Gilbert.

So much for getting on the Weasley's good side.

"What about this one?" Fred asked, gesturing to what had to be the twentieth pine tree in a row.

Ginny and Anna studied it for a moment, looked at each other and shook their heads at the same time before Ginny turned back to her brother. "No."

"What?" Fred whined.

"What's the matter with that one?" asked George.

"It's too tall," said Anna, pointing to the top. "It'll never fit through the front door."

"Anna, do you remember there's this thing called magic that we can all do?" George asked sarcastically. "We can make any tree small enough to fit in the door if you'd just pick one!"

"We can't just pick one. It has to be the perfect tree," Anna explained as she kept walking, her chest starting to feel heavy. "Plus, no magic, remember?"

George followed after her. "We've pointed out plenty of perfect trees. That one that Zabini just saw wasn't too tall and would have looked great in the living room."

"I agree," Draco piped up.

"Thanks, mates," said Blaise proudly.

"Seriously, you two," said Fred, leaning against the hand saw that Anna had forced them to bring along. "You've dragged us out here in the middle of nowhere, we're freezing our arses off and you won't even pick a bloody tree. What gives?"

Anna stopped and pressed her lips together as she looked at Ginny, who shrugged. "We just haven't found the right one," said the redhead, covering for her cousin.

Draco, who had been watching Anna the whole time, stepped closer, his blue eyes hard as he studied her. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide from him and it was only a matter of time before he figured it out, if he hadn't already.

"What's going on, Gilbert?" he asked calmly.

She felt her eyes welling up with tears and it was all she could do to keep them at bay. "I just…this is what we did."

"Who?" asked George.

"My…"

"You and your parents," Draco finished for her.

Anna nodded as a couple of tears escaped the corners of her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. Everyone was quiet now, having realized what the outing was actually all about. They weren't complaining anymore and Anna had a feeling they wouldn't do it again.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking at everyone. "I didn't want this to be about me and my…issues. I wanted us to have fun and do something together."

Draco reached for her and she immediately went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face against his chest. He was wearing one of his thick black coats and it smelled heavily of him, that smell that was so distinctly Draco, she'd never be able to forget it.

After a few seconds, he pulled away and looked back at the boys. "Let's go find the perfect bloody tree, mates."

Nobody protested and they all continued walking. Fred and George each kissed the top of Anna's head, a silent apology for being so difficult. She knew they didn't mean it, it was her own fault for not being honest in the first place.

"What about this one, Gilbert?" Draco asked, pointing to a tree that was just a few inches taller than the twins, thinner on the top and wider at the bottom, the perfect triangle shape that her mother always looked for.

She nodded and smiled.

"Can we use magic to cut it down or-" Fred started to ask but was abruptly cut off by George's fist colliding with his shoulder.

"Just shut up and help Malfoy," he said as Draco lay down on the ground and began sawing at the trunk of the tree.

"Look at that, they're actually working together," said Ginny as she linked arms with Anna.

Anna laughed and rested her head on her cousin's shoulder. "Thanks to my mental breakdown."

Ginny paused for a moment, lowering her voice. "Nobody blames you, Anna."

She sighed and tightened her grip on Ginny's arms, holding her closely. "Yeah, well, that doesn't make it any easier."

Two hours later, they were back at the Burrow with the tree standing tall in the living room. Once they got home, Anna had caved and allowed the boys to use magic to make the tree stand on its own since it was easier that way. They were all currently going through the totes that were filled to the brim with Christmas decorations.

"Aw, Fred, George, look!" cried Ginny, holding up a homemade ornament with a moving picture of the twins as babies inside. They were both naked and had chocolate all over their faces.

George rolled his eyes. "That ones not going on the tree this year."

"We'll see about that. Aunt Molly loves that ornament," said Anna, who was perched on the arm of a chair where Draco was sitting. He had his hand on her back, rubbing small soothing circles. Every now and then he would play with her hair, making her shiver but she refused to move. His touch calmed her in a way that nothing else could.

In the corner, Blaise sat on the floor looking through photographs from past Christmases. Anna was staying far away from them, knowing that her parents were in a lot of them. She couldn't handle that right now.

She turned and looked back at Draco, who was sitting quietly, watching. He and the twins actually got along for the most part but Anna knew better than to push it. They still had a lot of days left at the Burrow and anything could happen.

Draco met her eyes, his hand stilling on her back. "Alright, Gilbert?"

"I've just been wondering," she started and Draco rolled his eyes playfully.

"That's never good."

She smiled and turned slightly in her chair so she could face him. "I was wondering if there were any kind of traditions that you had with your family."

He scoffed. "You mean besides having to tiptoe around my father in fear of saying something wrong to piss him off?"

Anna sighed, unsurprised by his answer. "What about when you were younger?"

"Not really," he said, shaking his head. "We have house elves that do most of the decorating for us. My mother doesn't have a decorative bone in her body and my father could care less. We surely don't do all this." He gestured to the scene around us, at the twins who were hanging the ornaments that Ginny gave them, at Blaise who was attempting to hold back a smile as he looked through the photo album. It felt so natural, so easy and it pained Anna to know that Draco had never had something like that.

"What about Christmas morning?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I always got presents. Expensive things that they expected would buy my love. The newest broomstick, robes made from exotic furs. It worked for a while, until I realized what it all really was."

"What?"

"Ways to keep me obedient, to keep me in the little Pureblood bubble they'd created for themselves. They could hang it over my head every chance they got, make me feel obligated to do their bidding because I owed that to them for treating me so well."

"Exactly like Voldemort does."

Anna and Draco both looked over at Ginny, unaware that she'd been listening. In fact, they were no longer only talking between themselves, everyone was listening in now and Anna wondered how she hadn't noticed before.

Draco let out a long breath. "My parents learned from the best of them."

"They all do," said Blaise from his spot on the floor. Everyone turned to look at him as swallowed thickly. "My mother was the same. Granted, she was nowhere near as bad as Lucius but the men she dated or married weren't far from it. They were all dark, wealthy wizards who thought they could buy my affection with their money and power."

"But you loved your mother, Blaise," Anna said.

"Of course, I did," said the Slytherin, his eyes watering slightly. "She was my mother. You think that Draco doesn't love his mother? His father? He may love you more but that doesn't mean his feelings for them have dissipated any."

Draco shook his head. "I don't. I can't love him, not anymore."

"You don't have a choice, mate. They've drilled it into your skull, no matter how much to want to think otherwise."

Anna reached out and took his hand, wishing she could take away all of his pain. "I promise I'll never force you to love me," she whispered, not caring if her cousins heard.

He squeezed her fingers and smirked although it didn't reach his eyes. "You already have, Gilbert. And it's the best thing you've ever done."

She opened her mouth to disagree but the familiar chiming of the grandfather clock had Anna looking towards the doorway as two of the hands moved back to the "home" section. Sure enough, her aunt and uncle stumbled into the kitchen seconds later with various packages under their arms. Uncle Arthur looked flustered while Aunt Molly was clearly upset about something.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, eyes wide with concern.

Uncle Arthur looked at his wife and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We've just heard from Bill."

Anna and her cousins were on their feet at once, with Draco standing at Anna's back still holding her hand.

"What happened?" Fred demanded.

"Is everyone alright? Fleur? Bill?"

"Everyone's fine," Arthur said quickly. The cousins relaxed almost immediately and Anna's heart began to slow back down to a normal pace. "He's just sent an owl saying that he and Fleur are staying at Shell Cottage for Christmas."

"What?" Ginny asked, looking sad. "But…but they promised they'd be here."

Arthur sighed. "It's too dangerous right now. With Shell Cottage and the Burrow both being used as safe houses for the Order, it's too big of a risk to jeopardize them."

Anna looked over at Ginny who was visibly trying to hold back her tears. Christmas was her favorite holiday and she'd been looking forward to seeing Bill and even Fleur in a few days. The Weasley's were split up all over the country and the affects of the separation were starting to get to both Ginny and Molly.

"It's alright, Ginny," said Aunt Molly, who had a look on her face similar to her daughter's. "It's alright. It's better that they're safe. We'll see them soon."

"But Mum-"

"Ginny, it's okay," Molly said, gently, offering her a sad smile. "Please, dear, just…keep decorating." She looked around them, Draco and Blaise included. "All of you, just keep doing what you were doing before. We're in desperate need of something normal around here."

Normal. Anna wasn't even sure she knew the meaning of the word anymore.