* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *

PART THREE

The Eighth Year

Chapter 29: Potter Manor

Harry was lying on his bed, reading a book, when a thought struck him about New Year's.

"Hey, Draco..." Harry called out.

"Yeah?" Draco called back.

"You decent?" Harry asked, and when Draco said he was, with a flick of his wand Harry pulled back the curtain that Draco had erected to separate their halves of the dorm room.

"I was thinking of having a New Year's party."

"That's a good idea," Draco said thoughtfully, "Here? At Hogwarts?"

Harry shook his head, "Nah, that's where I was struggling...I was trying to think of somewhere to have it. Grimmauld Place has a drawing-room, but it's not really a safe place for a party."

Draco nodded, "Hmm," he said, "Do you mind if I go get Hermione and Daphne?"

"Sure," Harry said as he watched Draco get up and stretch, "Why?"

Draco shrugged, "Well if we're going to brainstorm this properly, we need them."

Harry chuckled and said Draco was probably right. Then the Slytherin vanished from the room. Harry went back to his book, but he was too busy thinking about the possibility of the party to read it. Draco returned to their dorm room with the two girls about 15 minutes later.

"Here's the thing, Harry, I have an idea, but it would involve giving you your Christmas present early," Hermione said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Okay," Harry said, "I don't mind."

Hermione smiled at Draco and Daphne. Were they all in on this?

"Well, we can go now…if you'd like," Hermione suggested.

Harry nodded eagerly, "Are we apparating there?"

Hermione nodded, and Harry said, "We'll go from the balcony then."

"Harry," Hermione sighed, "You can't apparate in or out of Hogwarts."

"You can from our balcony," Draco said with a grin as he explained, "Did you not notice that this balcony just suddenly appeared?"

"That's right," Daphne realised, "It wasn't here before this became your dorm room."

Harry nodded and elaborated, "Some theorists believe that after having magic used on her and inside her for so many years, Hogwarts has become sentient, so for some reason, we can apparate from this balcony."

Hermione didn't believe them until she stood on the balcony and held Harry's hand then twisted to apparate, thinking nothing would happen. Then she opened her eyes, and they were standing outside the building where she had wanted to take them.

Harry gaped, "Potter Manor," he breathed. He could tell that something was different about the house, he had been here only once, and it had been a ruin. It hadn't been completely destroyed, but the roof had large parts missing from it, and all of the windows had been blown out.

It was by no means as good as new, but the roof was repaired, as were the windows. It still had a slightly wild look about it, though, with the garden entirely overgrown and ivy still creeping up the walls.

"It isn't entirely finished on the outside,' Hermione said quickly, "But the inside is finished. It's not huge, of course, not like Malfoy Manor. But there are about ten bedrooms in there and a big ballroom, oh and there's a drawing-room and a tapestry room."

"I've never been inside," Harry said as his feet began to carry him towards the house, "I just looked at it from the outside the last time I was here."

"Well, we tried our best to restore all of the furniture that we could," Draco said, "But the stuff in the flooded wing was beyond repair."

"So we replaced it all instead," Daphne said with a smile.

Harry sped up and paused at the door, "Did you install blood wards?"

"Yes," Draco said, "At the moment, I can access the house too because I'm a distant relative, same with Daphne. But you can lock us out if you want."

Harry shook his head and placed his hand on the door. It immediately recognised him and swung open. He took a slightly shaky breath and stepped into the modest entrance hall. There was a large staircase in front of him, and candles lit the walls in golden chandeliers. The stairs were made from marble and had golden railings. Three doors led off the entrance hall—one to the right, one to the left and one behind the stairs.

"That little door there goes to the elves kitchen," Draco said as he pointed to the door behind the stairs.

"This one goes to the drawing-room, which also doubles as a ballroom," Daphne said as she pointed to the right.

"And that one goes to a huge library with a little study inside it," Hermione finished as she pointed at the door to the left.

"What's upstairs?" Harry asked eagerly.

"There are three more floors. There is a living room and a dining room on the next floor. There are a couple of bedrooms up there too," Hermione said.

"And the third and fourth floor are basically filled with bedrooms," Draco added, "But there's a basement too, a huge one."

"And we decked it out for you," Daphne grinned, "Come on. We'll give you the tour."

They led Harry through the house, which felt foreign to him even though it was Potter Manor. The first room he saw was the drawing-room/ballroom, which had white walls and a large marble fireplace at the end of the room. On one wall was his family tree. The background was white, and the tree and all of its branches were golden.

"It's enchanted," Hermione said softly, "The leaves change with the seasons. In the winter, it is bare as you see it now. In spring, it will have some leaves. It will be in full bloom in summer, and in autumn, the leaves will go red and fall off. It's to symbolise an oak because the Potter family emblem is an oak tree."

"Thank you, Hermione," Harry choked. He didn't even bother hiding his tears as he admired the wall.

The only furniture in the room were a few gold and red sofas and some oak coffee tables. The next room on this floor was the library which was probably about half the size of the Hogwarts library. High bookshelves were lining every wall, and it also doubled up as a study with a few oak tables and chairs dotted around the room.

The house-elves kitchen was accessed through a small door by the staircase. They ducked through into a large, grand kitchen. The floor and worktops were white marble, the cabinets were oak, and a huge range stood proudly at the centre of it all. There was a large oak table in the centre of the room with matching oak chairs.

"You can make that door standard size," Hermione explained, "We weren't sure if you would want to use the kitchen yourself or have the house-elves do it all."

"I'll make it standard size," Harry said with a nod, "If Molly has taught me anything, it's that the kitchen is the heart of the home."

Daphne smiled slightly, "That's a good lesson to have learned," she said as she led him upstairs.

There was the formal dining room on the second floor, which also had white walls and a large oak table with matching oak chairs. The portraits on the walls all had names under them, and they were his ancestors, going right back to Ignotius Peverell.

Also on the second floor was a small bedroom with its own bathroom attached to it, with white walls and a four-poster bed with gold hangings. There was also a smaller living area than the downstairs drawing-room. This floor was minimal, though, because the drawing room/ballroom had a high ceiling which took up most of the second floor. There was also a small room that Daphne said was traditionally used as a potions lab.

The third floor was mostly filled with bedrooms, all of which had ensuite bathrooms. The fourth floor had a large master bedroom which Hermione had decorated with the same white walls and four-poster. This one had red and gold hangings, however. There was also a small coffee table and a red and gold sofa, and a large oak wardrobe and chest of drawers. Several other bedrooms filled the floor too.

As they stood in the master bedroom, Harry swallowed a lump in his throat and said, "I can't thank you enough for this, Hermione-"

Draco cut in, "We aren't done yet; you haven't seen the basement."

Harry frowned. He wondered how much work you could do to a basement as he followed the others back down to the bottom of the house. All of the floors that didn't have carpets were marble, and all of the candleholders and railings were gold; it certainly looked like a grand manor. When they reached the entrance hall, Hermione led them into the kitchen.

There were four doors in this room. One which led into a lobby and gave access to the back garden. Another was the pantry, and a third was the house-elves sleeping area. The fourth door led to a set of narrow which Harry followed Hermione down into the basement.

Harry was amazed. It was a duelling room, and it looked amazing. This room was long and thin, with a large platform in the middle. The platform was wooden with a red mat adorned with gold stars. At the end of the room was a bar. Hermione knew Harry so well.

Harry, suffice to say, broke down into tears and hugged Hermione, Draco and Daphne in turn. Draco got them all a glass of firewhiskey, and they sat at the bar.

"How did you do all of this?" Harry asked as he hurriedly wiped his eyes.

"Well, I organised it all with Kreacher. Draco funded it, Daphne came up with the interior design, but Kreacher and I did the hard work. This room was all Draco's idea," Hermione said.

Harry grinned at the Slytherin, "Thanks, mate."

Draco shrugged with a sheepish smile and sipped from his glass of firewhiskey, "So, are we having this party or what?"

Harry grinned, "Definitely," he said, raising his glass and saying, "To the most amazing friends in the bloody world!"

The others echoed this sentiment and drained their glasses of firewhiskey.

"So when's Ron picking you up for the Yule Ball, Lilly?" Hermione asked her friend cheerfully as December marched on rapidly.

"He isn't," Lilly muttered. She rolled her eyes at her Ancient Runes translation worksheet.

Hermione frowned, "Did McGonagall say he couldn't come? That's a bit harsh. I mean, he was an eighth year up until-"

"No, she said he could come," Lilly cut in, "But he said no when I asked him."

"He said no?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

Lilly nodded, "He said he wanted to spend Christmas Eve with his family."

"He said that?"

"Yep," Lilly said, "And got quite snappy about it too...it's a long story."

"Well, I've not got anything to do tonight," Hermione said honestly.

"Alright," Lilly frowned, "Well, this is how it started..."

"What do you mean, no?"

"I mean, I want to spend Christmas Eve with my family this year after all that happened last year!" Ron said irritably.

Lilly watched him with a frown from where she stood, leaning against the gates that separated Hogwarts from Hogsmeade. The snow was falling all around them, and they were both wrapped up to keep the cold out.

"Well, I understand that," Lilly said honestly, "But won't you just come for an hour or so?"

"No," Ron said simply, "I don't want to waste my time at some stupid ball Lilly! Why don't you come to the Burrow me?"

"I've already bought my dress," Lilly frowned, "And I really want to go to the ball, Ron. I never went in fourth year because I didn't have a date. I don't want to miss this one."

"Go on your own then," Ron said irritably.

"Fine!" Lilly snapped, "Enjoy Christmas with your bloody family!"

"Wait, Lilly-" Ron called as Lilly turned on her heel and began to head back up to the castle. She responded by sticking her middle finger up at him behind her back...

"Well, it sounds like he was being selfish and inconsiderate, as usual," Hermione said with a shake of her head, "Have you two broken up?"

"I don't think so," Lilly admitted, "But that did happen two days ago, and he hasn't written since, so I don't know. Do you think I should write to him?'"

"No," Hermione said, "He's stubborn...he would just ignore your letter. He'll come crawling back when he cools down."

"Yeah, and how long does that take?" Lilly sighed.

"Days if you're lucky and weeks if you're not," Hermione admitted sheepishly.

"I can't be bothered with this," Lilly admitted with a shake of her head, "I wanted an adult relationship."

"With Ron?" Hermione asked in surprise, "Well, I hate to break it to you, Lilly, but I think he'll always be a little immature, as nice as he is."

"I'm starting to think so too," Lilly said as she touched her head with a groan, "This stress is not helping my migraines."

Hermione sighed, "I'm sorry. I feel like this is my fault. I feel like I should have warned you about Ron."

"No, don't be daft, Hermione," Lilly yawned, "I'm big enough to make my own mistakes."

"Are you saying dating Ron is one of those mistakes?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Yeah," Lilly said as she gathered her books and got to her feet, "I'm beginning to think so."

Classes ended on Friday the 19th of December, and at dinner that day, an announcement was given that shocked Harry and Hermione. McGonagall called for attention and stood up, "I would like to pass over to Hagrid, who has an announcement to make."

Hagrid stood up. He looked a little embarrassed as he nodded to the hall, "I just thought ter let yer all know that I'm stepping down as Care of Magical Creatures Professor and that ye'll have a new teacher after Christmas."

Hermione and Harry had gaped at each other as the students politely applauded, and Hagrid sat back down. They silently agreed to get the invisibility cloak out later and visit him, for old times' sake.

There was a party planned for that night set to kick off at 8 pm, so as Neville and Draco were sneaking alcohol into the common room, Harry threw the cloak over himself and Hermione. They made their way through the empty castle and across the freezing cold grounds to Hagrid's hut. They knocked on the door, and when he opened it and saw nothing but air, he said, "Come in, Harry."

Harry shot Hermione a grin under the cloak, and they took it off then walked into the warm hut. They sat down at the table instinctively, and Hagrid asked them if they wanted a cup of tea. They said yes, and he got to work boiling the kettle.

"Hagrid, you're not leaving, are you?" Harry asked, rather vulnerably. Hagrid had been a constant figure in his life. Every year he had been there to give him tea or talk to him when he felt alone. No matter what role he played in Harry's wizarding life, he had always been there.

Hagrid turned around to face them with a frown, "No, o' course not!" he seemed appalled at the suggestion, "I'm stayin' as the gamekeeper. I'm jus' retiring from teachin'."

"Why?" Hermione asked curiously.

Hagrid blushed as he set down two large mugs on tea and some rock cakes in front of Harry and Hermione, "Well ter be honest, it's so I can spend more time with my fiancé."

Harry and Hermione gaped some more, "Fiancé?" They asked in unison.

Hagrid nodded, his face went pink, and he said, "Olympe has been comin' over every so often, and I asked her ter marry me, and she said yes."

"Oh, Hagrid!" Hermione gushed, "That's brilliant! Congratulations!" she bounded at the half-giant and hugged him, embarrassing him even more.

Harry just smiled and said, "That's great Hagrid, congratulations."

They sat and talked over tea and rock cakes for a little longer, and then they made their way back up to the castle to get changed and have a damn good party.

The party that night didn't get out of hand too quickly, but it did get out of hand. Professor Sinistra, who taught Astronomy, was the first to come up to put an end to their party.

Sinistra, however, was one of the youngest teachers. She was around the same age, Harry assumed, as Charlie Weasley. Harry and Ron had often talked about how she was the only teacher in the school they would ever consider an illustrious affair with because she was extremely attractive. Sinistra had tanned skin and long brown hair; she had brown eyes and high cheekbones and Angelina Jolie lips.

"Guys, I know it's the end of term," She called over the noise, "But I think you should quieten down a little."

They solemnly agreed, but the moment Sinistra had left the common room, the party was in full swing once more. Her appearance had sparked an interesting discussion, however.

"She's in my top five," Draco said casually.

Harry grinned, "Oh, I know, mine too…and Ron's, I bet."

"And mine," Theo piped up in amusement.

Hermione was frowning at them, "And what exactly is that?"

"You've never heard of a top five?" Draco asked in astonishment.

Hermione shook her head, so he explained, "The five people you would have sex with if you had the chance. Who are yours?"

Hermione didn't look annoyed. In fact, she linked her arm through his and gently pulled him towards the boys' dorm rooms as she whispered, "Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Draco grinned, "That's only four, love."

Hermione smirked, "Oh yeah, and Harry Potter."

"Hey!" Draco objected, sounding mildly offended.

Hermione grinned as she pushed him into the dorm room and kissed him.

Not everyone had so much fun at the party. Lilly hadn't spoken to many people throughout the night, so Neville got worried and went to look for her when she disappeared without warning. He glanced behind him to make sure that Hannah didn't see him leave; she was a bit territorial after all. He laughed because his girlfriend was far too busy dancing with Susan to notice anyone else.

Neville slipped out of the common room and headed for Lilly's favourite hideout. Surely enough, he found her atop the Herbology Tower, and she was crying.

"Lil," Neville said softly.

Lilly wiped her eyes, "I'm fine, Neville," she said evasively, "Just an emotional drunk."

Neville sat down next to her, "Nah, I know you, Lil. It's more than that."

Lilly had her legs pulled up underneath her. Her head was resting on her knee as she looked out at the snowy landscape.

"This reminds me of a chat we had during the war," Neville said as he followed her line of sight, "It was snowing then, too."

"Yeah, it was," Lilly agreed. She sniffed and said, "I hate crying."

"I know, but I do know you do it, despite how tough you act," Neville said, he kicked her foot, and she smiled slightly. She kicked him back.

"What's going on?" Neville asked, now he had her smiling.

"Ron doesn't want to go to the Yule Ball. He wants to spend time with his family," Lilly said with a shrug, "Which is fine, I guess. I understand it; I'm not a cold-hearted bitch, but I just…. I really wanted to go."

"Because you didn't go to the Yule Ball the first time," Neville finished.

"Because I didn't have a date," Lilly sighed.

"I wish you had told me before I asked Gin. I'd have taken you," Neville said casually.

"Would you have?" Lilly asked.

Neville nodded, "Course, you were my best friend."

Lilly looked down and nodded, "Yeah, I suppose."

"I think you should just go to this one anyway," Neville said, "And if you're so bothered about a date, go with Susie. You know she'd love the attention."

Lilly laughed weakly, "I know, she suggested the same thing."

"So go," Neville said with a smile, "Fuck Ron, he's an idiot who doesn't know what he has."

Lilly laughed humourlessly, "Oh right, cause I'm such a catch, right Nev? I ended up with Michael Corner after the perfect Ginny Weasley had already dumped him. You took Ginny Weasley to the ball over me, and now Ginny Weasley's brother is fucking me over. Do you think I'm cursed?"

"You're not cursed," Neville said. He shuffled a little closer to her, "And you're not a sub-standard Ginny Weasley. You're fucking brilliant, Lilly, you're funny and witty, you're so smart. Any guy would be lucky to have you, and you deserve one who treats you right."

Lilly scoffed and got to her feet, "Right, if I was so great I would attract decent guys instead of scumbags. I guess I'm just destined to end up dating losers forever like my mum."

Neville grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving, "Nah, Lil. You've had a couple of false starts, but you'll find a decent guy one day."

Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment too long, then Lilly shrugged, "Thanks Nev," she said.

He let go of her wrist, and she slipped out of the tower without another word.

After the party, the group decided to do their Christmas shopping, so they got up, got dressed, ate and made their way to the gates to apparate to Diagon Alley. Once they arrived via the Leaky Cauldron, they split up into men and women to get their other halves presents first. Harry, Draco, Theo, Neville and Dean went off in one direction and Daphne, Hermione, Sadie, Tracey, Hannah, Lilly and Susan off in another direction.

They shopped for a while, taking a long time to pick the perfect gifts, but when the boys made their way to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, they were satisfied. The girls took a bit longer, but when they came back laden with bags, they seemed happy too. They were all about to sit down and eat some lunch when they heard a familiar voice a few tables away.

The voice rasped, "Can I get you a drink?"

An unfamiliar voice replied, "Yes, a sherry, please."

The raspy voice of Filch gave the order to Tom, the barman, and Harry glanced behind him to get a quick look. He didn't recognise the woman with Filch. She had long, wavy blonde hair and dark black-rimmed glasses. She was wearing pale lilac robes and a dark violet cloak.

"How are you holding up today?" Filch asked the woman, and Harry had to admit. He barely recognised the caretaker. He was wearing black trousers, a black shirt and his dark brown overcoat, he had combed his hair, and it looked less grey, he looked ten years younger.

The woman replied, "I'm okay, all things considered. I still miss Marlene and Matthew every day."

Filch nodded, "The McKinnon's were good people."

It seemed that everyone at their table had gone quiet to listen to this conversation which was kind of unfair, but it was interesting, and they were all nosy.

"It takes me back to it all," The woman said, sounding sad and fed up, "Marlene and Matthew were the first to go, and I still had Alice and Lily…but then in one night, I had lost my closest friends and my fiancé."

Filch looked sympathetic, but they couldn't see the woman's face because of how she was sitting. This woman, she had been friends with his parents…and Neville's parents.

Trelawney sipped at her sherry as there was silence at their table.

"Is that why you..." Filch trailed off, but Trelawney nodded, "I locked away that part of me to protect myself, and everyone thought I was crazy."

She couldn't stop the flashbacks as she told her story properly for the first time. She remembered the night she had turned up at Godric's Hollow to find Lily and James dead, Alice and Frank, being shipped off to St. Mungo's and their two baby boys being sent off to different parts of the country.

She remembered the guilt; she had given the prophecy that had killed two of her friends. She remembered how angry he had been, how much he had blamed her.

Trelawney was sitting with a cold cup of coffee in her hands when Remus Lupin walked into the small cottage they shared.

He had just come from the wreckage. He looked distraught, angry, tired and fed up. He had just lost everything, all of his friends, in 24 hours… just like she had.

She stood to hug him, to find comfort in him, but that wasn't what she received. He pushed her back when she tried to hug him and screamed at her at the top of his lungs. This was a man who she had never seen angry before. She could smell the firewhiskey on his breath, his eyes were red and bloodshot, and he looked terrible. He had just spent hours in a pub trying to drink away his misery.

"YOU KILLED THEM! YOU KILLED THEM ALL WITH YOUR STUPID PROPHECY! YOU KILLED OUR CLOSEST FRIENDS!"

Trelawney shrunk back as he magically packed everything he owned in the house into a suitcase in the space of 5 minutes.

She begged with him, tried to reason with him, "I didn't know! When I gave it, I didn't know, and I didn't realise Snape was listening. Remus, please, I lost everything tonight too. Please, Remus, don't go! Remus, don't leave me like this, Remus, REMUS!"

In the end, she was left in the pouring rain on her knees, watching him walk briskly away with his suitcase in his hand. He apparated when he reached the gate, and she didn't see him again for several years.

"What happened to you?" Filch asked. He sounded curious but not just in a nosy way. In a caring way, like he wanted to find out more about her.

Trelawney sighed and looked down as she took a breath to compose herself, "I'm not quite sure. I know that Dumbledore found me and that he took me to St. Mungos."

When Albus Dumbledore arrived at the cottage Sybil Trelawney shared with Remus Lupin, he was shocked and horrified at the sight. The entire house was gone. All that was left of it was ashes and bits of blackened timber. In the middle of the wreckage sat Sybil Trelawney, curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth with a picture of herself, Lily, Alice and Marlene. She kept repeating the same phrase over and over again.

"I killed them. I killed them. I killed them."

Dumbledore had gone over to her, and she had jumped when he touched her face. She was covered in soot and ash as Dumbledore picked her up and carried her down the path, away from the burnt wreckage. She was as light as a child, and he felt genuinely sorry for her.

The healers took her away and performed tests, and Dumbledore waited for hours until they were done. He sat in the waiting room and read magazine after magazine.

When the healers finally came out, they had bad news.

Trelawney continued, "The healers told Dumbledore that I had locked a third of my brain away; it wasn't functioning anymore. I could still live and perform everyday tasks, but the part of my brain that contained my memories and emotions was shut off, and because of that, I was no longer a seer."

Filch nodded. He was intrigued by her story, "So when you made those few real predictions? Was that the part you locked away coming back?"

Trelawney smiled; she was glad that he understood, "To an extent, yes. After I made a real prediction five years ago, little bits slowly began to come back, but then something changed. Once Harry Potter defeated Voldemort, it was as if I had closure, and the part I had locked away came alive again."

"So, when you weren't yourself, and Lupin taught at Hogwarts, you didn't recognise him?" Filch asked.

Trelawney shook her head, "No, I had no idea who he was."

Remus Lupin approached her cautiously when he got the first chance to talk to her alone, in a corridor somewhere on the fifth floor.

"Sybil?"

Trelawney smiled at him, "Yes? Do I know you?"

Remus frowned, "I'm Remus Lupin."

Trelawney thought very hard and shook her head, "No, I don't think I remember you," she said.

Remus had been told all about her breakdown, so he just nodded a little sadly and said, "We went to Hogwarts together."

"Oh, yes," Trelawney said, "I recognise your face."

They didn't speak much for the rest of the year, and Remus was in love with Nymphadora Tonks when Trelawney regained enough of her memories to understand who he had been to her.

Trelawney smiled and pushed the thoughts of Remus away, "Anyway, that's enough about me," she said, "What's your story?"

Filch sighed and looked embarrassed, "I never knew my father; he was imprisoned when I was four months old. Dumbledore was close friends with him, so he took me in, but he realised I was a squib when I never got a Hogwarts letter. So he sent me to Muggle school, and when I left at 18, he gave me a job at Hogwarts," he gave her a wry smile, "He thought it would stabilise me."

Trelawney chuckled, "He's good that way," she said, "He gave me the job at Hogwarts to keep me in a stable environment, so I didn't relapse."

Filch gave her another wry smile, and they sipped their drinks silently for a moment before Trelawney spoke again, "That can't be all there is to your story. I might have been a fake for years, but I am a seer, and I can tell something happened that left you bitter and angry."

Filch shrugged, "Nobody knows it apart from Dumbledore, but my father was Grindelwald. He'd have been so ashamed if he ever found out his son was a squib; he probably would have killed me. Dumbledore changed my second name to protect me from the inevitable hate that would come my way if anyone knew of my true parentage."

"I can understand why you would need protection," She said as she glanced thoughtfully at the opposite wall.

Filch sighed and drank deeply from his glass of firewhiskey. Now that he had started talking, he couldn't stop, "I met an incredible witch when I first started working at Hogwarts. She was called Miranda Norris, and she was the flying coach before Rolanda took over."

"Norris," Trelawney said, smiling too, "Like your cat."

The smile fell away as Filch's face darkened. He nodded, "We got married, and she fell pregnant. She was seven months pregnant when she got dragon pox, and the baby had to be delivered prematurely. The process killed Miranda, and I was left on my own with a baby girl."

"I never realised you had a daughter," Trelawney gasped, he had never mentioned it, and she had never seen a girl with Filch.

"She's gone now," Filch said, his voice was raspier than usual, "She went to Hogwarts and became a Ravenclaw like her mother. She was about to sit her N.E.W.T's in seventh year when she got dragon pox…like her mother."

"I'm so sorry, Argus," Trelawney said, "It must be awful, your child dying before you."

"She isn't dead," Filch said, his eyes darted from the table to the floor and back again, "But she might as well be."

At the look of shock and confusion on Trelawney's face, Filch elaborated, "Abraxas Malfoy offered me a miracle cure to save my daughter. He told me it was ground-breaking new magic that would pave the way for St. Mungos. That much was true but what he didn't tell me was that it was still very much in the experimental phase. He transformed her into a cat because they are immune to the virus, and after a week, he realised that he couldn't change her back."

Trelawney looked horrified, "So Mrs Norris is..."

She didn't need to finish the thought because Filch nodded; he was unable to look at her, "So I understand your pain. It's my fault my daughters imprisoned the way she is. It wasn't accidental that Malfoy couldn't change her back. He found out that I was Grindelwald's son, and he was enraged that I was a squib; he decided to punish me by taking the magic out of my skilled daughter. She'd gotten an O in every single one of her O.W.L's."

"That's disgusting," Trelawney said. She was close to tears at the end of his tale.

Filch shrugged; he had grown accustomed to the fact his daughter was a cat.

"How long has it been?"

"13 years."

"Is that why you hate magic, because of what it did to your daughter?"

Filch only gave her a nod as he drained his glass of firewhiskey.

"What was her name?" Trelawney asked softly.

"Melody," Filch replied, and his eyes swam with tears.

"That's a beautiful name."

"It was."

Everyone was silent when they got back to Hogwarts. They didn't talk as they trudged up the snowy path to the warmth of the entrance hall. Nobody wanted dinner, so they made their way to the common room, where they split off into smaller groups.

Draco made his way upstairs, and although Hermione knew he wanted to be alone, she also knew he needed someone to talk to, so she followed him up the stairs and into his room.

"I'm sorry…about your grandfather."

Draco just shook his head. He was angry but not at her, "I thought he was perfect. You know how it is, you can point out the faults with your parents, but it seems like your grandparents can do no wrong."

Hermione nodded; she did understand. Draco seemed close to tears as he had been in the pub, "He taught me how to fly, he took me to every Quidditch match…he used to sit up all night with me and tell me stories."

Hermione gently placed her arm on Draco's as he said, "I can't believe he did that to someone, a girl our age, just to advance medical magic."

"He was ambitious and would do anything to achieve his ends, Draco. Isn't that how Slytherins are described?" Hermione asked, although the question was rhetorical.

"I always thought he was different," Draco mused, "I didn't think he was pure evil like I thought my Father was."

"He wasn't a Death Eater," Hermione said, not sure if it helped or not, "He wasn't exactly a nice person, and Melody Filch wasn't the first person sacrificed in the name of research, but if it helps you sleep at night, he wasn't a Death Eater."

"How do you know all of this?" Draco asked; he sniffed and pretended to stretch as he dried his eyes.

Hermione looked sheepish, "I researched you a little before we started dating."

Draco's eyes widened, "You did what?" he asked in a dangerous whisper.

Hermione shrunk back slightly, "Draco; the war had just ended. Nobody knew if you had reformed. I had to be careful. You dating me could have been some big plot for revenge."

"You thought I'd do that?" Draco asked; the hurt in his voice was painful to Hermione. She didn't get a chance to speak as he continued, "You thought I would pretend to love you? And what do you think now? Do you still think it's just a big plot for revenge?"

Tears began to fall from her eyes as she said, "No, no, of course not! But everything changed, Draco! I was falling in love with someone I had hated for years. We were becoming friends with people we hadn't spoken to in seven years, and it was all so confusing, and I was scared!" she said all of this very quickly and flung herself at Draco, who held her close and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, I do understand," Draco sighed gently as he hugged her.

When Harry came downstairs on the 21st of December, the common room was in the middle of a massive transformation. There was a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the room that most of the eighth years were helping to decorate. There were banners all around the room, and Daphne was whistling a Christmas tune to herself as she hung mistletoe over various doorways.

Harry grinned. He walked up behind her, grabbed her around the middle and pulled her off of the stool she was standing on. She squealed as he spun her around, set her down on the ground and kissed her, "Good morning," he said.

Daphne giggled, "Good morning," she replied, "What do you think?"

Harry grinned, "I think it looks fantastic, and you are brilliant."

"I know, I know," Daphne joked. She kissed Harry again and climbed back up onto her stool to finish the mistletoe she was working on. The common room did look fantastic. It reminded him of the way Muggle's decorated their fake Santa's grotto.

Harry, who had gotten up closer to lunchtime than breakfast, had made his way to the kitchens for brunch and then spent the rest of the afternoon helping the others finish off the common room. When it was finished, they all had dinner and sat down to relax in their new winter wonderland that night.

Daphne and Harry were snuggling on the couch when the conversation started that caused them to have their first argument as a couple.

"I can't wait until the New Year's party," Harry was saying to Draco as he sat with one arm around Daphne and the other writing a list of invitations to be sent out after Christmas to the guests.

"Me either," Draco agreed as he thought about who else they needed to put on the guest list. He leaned over and tried to make out Harry's scrawled list. It read:

"Weasleys + partners.

Eight years.

McG, Flitwick, Sprout, Tree, Sinistra, Polia, Hagrid.

Luna & Ginny.

Daph fam.

Mr + Mrs G.

Draco fam.

Sad fam.

Theo fam.

Trac fam.

Andy + Teddy.

King Shackle.

Krum.

Cho?

Dud + Pet.

Wood, Spin, Bell.

Abe."

"Harry, your writing is unbelievably bad. What is sadfam?"

"What?" Harry asked. He then looked to where Draco was pointing, "It's Sadie family, fam means family and the names are shortened."

"Who is King Shackle?"

"Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"Why have you put Trelawney down as Tree?"

"Because Trelawney is too long, and I can't spell it."

"Why is McGonagall called McG?"

"Because I know she prefers it to Minnie."

Draco raised an eyebrow at him, but before any more could be said, Daphne interrupted, "Aren't you going to be excited about Christmas before you get excited about New Years?"

Harry shrugged, "I prefer New Year. I've never really been big on Christmas."

"Why?" Daphne asked. She seemed to take it as a personal blow.

Harry shrugged, "I just don't think it's worth all the fuss."

"But why?" Daphne asked. She was getting more annoyed by the second.

"I just don't see why it's such a big deal, alright?" Harry snapped. Her tone was making him a bit annoyed too.

"Whatever," Daphne said. She stood up, slammed her book shut and stormed up the girl's staircase.

"Daphne, what the hell?" Harry called. He hurried up the stairs after her into her dorm.

"Maybe you don't like Christmas Potter, but I do!" Daphne shouted, and Harry couldn't fathom why she was so angry.

"Okay, fair enough, you are allowed to like Christmas! Calm down!" Harry shouted but not angrily. It was just so that she would listen to him.

Daphne glared at him and sat down on her bed.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Just because you like something doesn't mean everyone else has to," he explained, "Now, what the hell is the big deal about Christmas with you?"

Daphne was silent for a while, and Harry didn't think she would speak, so after 10 minutes of silence, he turned to leave. Daphne chose that moment to start talking.

"When I was a kid, my Dad hated Christmas. He didn't let us celebrate it. We got one present every year, and apart from that, it was treated as a normal day. There was never a tree or decorations or a fancy meal; it was just an average day," Daphne said quietly.

Harry sat down next to her on the bed and put his arm around her.

"So when I got to Hogwarts and saw how it was celebrated, I loved it, and I threw myself into it, and every year I enjoy Christmas like it's the last one I'll have because it only comes around once a year," Daphne explained, she leaned into Harry.

"Do you know what age I was when I got my first Christmas present?" Harry asked Daphne, who shook her head.

"I suppose I got one for my first Christmas before my parents died, but I don't remember it. So excluding that time, I got my first Christmas present when I was 11 years old."

"Really?" Daphne asked in surprise.

"You know all about the Muggles I lived with," Harry said, "They used to give their son piles of presents every year, but I never got anything. They used to sit and watch television and phone their family members and friends while I slaved all day in the kitchen cooking their Christmas dinner, and after all that hard work, I didn't even get a proper meal. I got the odd potatoes that were burnt and the bits of turkey that were too chewy or had too much fat on them. Then they had a huge trifle after, enough to feed six, but they ate it all. I didn't even get offered a tiny portion."

"Is that why you don't like Christmas?" Daphne asked. She suddenly felt very sorry for her boyfriend.

Harry nodded, "It did get better when I came to Hogwarts and don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Christmas day, but this year especially, I can't wait for New Year. I've always preferred celebrating the day the old year dies, and the new one starts with so many fresh starts and new possibilities, over the birthday of some incredible religious figure called Jesus."

Daphne smiled; she leant over and kissed him, "I'm sorry."

"So am I," Harry said as he kissed Daphne once more for good measure.

They agreed not to argue about stupid things again, but all arguments and disagreements were soon forgotten about as the Yule Ball loomed ever closer...

* ~ TBC ~ *