After clearing the air with Draco, Harry thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of his Christmas holidays. Draco and Theo became regular visitors at The Burrow, much to the annoyance of Ron. He seemed to be struggling with an internal battle between his long-standing hatred of the two Slytherins and the happiness that they brought his sister and best friend, but despite butting heads a few times, they managed to keep things civil for the most part. Draco probably didn't help himself, however, when he insisted on wearing his Weasley jumper at every possible opportunity. Ron would draw the jumper dark looks as though it had caused him great personal offence, which Draco absolutely delighted in. When the pair weren't slinging snide remarks at one another, they would take their frustration with each other out in the apple orchard playing Quidditch with Harry and the other Weasleys. Once Draco had proved himself a worthy opponent on a broomstick, the Weasley clan gradually warmed to him, too. Not that the Weasleys' opinions would have changed his mind about Draco, but it did come as a relief when they began to accept that he'd be a more permanent fixture in his life.

The start of the new school term came all too quickly for Harry's liking. It was always the same way when he visited The Burrow; as much as he considered Hogwarts his home, the Weasleys were his family, and it was always difficult to wish them farewell at the train station when the holidays ended. As always, Mrs Weasley saw them off at Kings Cross Station on the morning that the Hogwarts Express was due to depart. As she gave all of her children warm hugs and reminded them to write to her, Harry caught Draco scanning the platform again.

"No sign of them?" he asked quietly.

Draco's jaw tensed and he shook his head. "I didn't expect them to be here. I just hoped...it doesn't matter."

Harry gave Draco a sad smile and rubbed the small of his back. In the two weeks since Draco had left the Manor, he hadn't heard anything from his parents—no owl post, no fire calls, nothing. Although Draco feigned indifference, Harry could tell that their silence hurt him deeply. He wished that there was something that he could do to help but knew that there was nothing to be done. In the real world, Christmas miracles were few and far between.

Seeing the despondent expression on Draco's face, Mrs Weasley pulled him into a tight hug. Draco looked taken aback by the gesture but he tentatively returned the embrace. When she pulled away from Draco, she noticed that he was still wearing the jumper that she had knitted him.

"You're awfully fond of that jumper, aren't you?" she mused.

"Quite," Draco smirked when he caught sight of the irritable expression on Ron's face. "It's very cosy and comfortable. You're a veritable master with knitting needles and wool, Mrs Weasley."

Mrs Weasley blushed and tapped him affectionately on the cheek. "Well, that's awfully kind of you to say, dear. Since you liked this one so much, I'll just have to knit you another! When's your birthday?"

"Not until June."

"Well then, maybe I can knit a nice cardigan for you."

"You're too kind, Mrs Weasley," he preened.

"Oh, for the love of Merlin," Ron grumbled as he boarded the train. Evidently, he was keen to put as much distance between himself and Draco as possible.

A loud whistle blew and the students still standing on the platform rushed towards the train. Harry and the others clambered on board as Mrs Weasley waved and blew them kisses, wishing them a safe journey. As the train jutted forward, they leaned out of the open windows and waved to her until the train rounded the bend and she disappeared from sight.

"Right," said Ron, clapping his hands together. "Hermione, Ginny and I are off to the Prefects' carriage. Catch you later, Harry."

"What about me?" Draco teased. Ron drew him a withering look.

"Oh, yeah. See you later, Malfoy. Feel free to get lost between here and Hogwarts," he sneered, earning him an amused laugh from Draco.

Harry waved them off before he and Draco headed in the opposite direction. "I managed to find us a compartment."

"Just the two of us?" asked Draco hopefully.

"Mm, not quite."

Harry stepped into the nearby compartment where he'd stowed their luggage before the train had departed. Inside, Neville and Luna were waiting for them.

"Hey," Harry greeted them. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," Neville replied, giving them both a small wave.

"Hello, Harry," Luna greeted him dreamily. "Hello, Draco. You both look well."

"So do you," Harry added conversationally, taking the seat opposite Neville and Luna. She fixed her protuberant, unblinking gaze on him and Draco, which always gave him the sense that she had x-ray vision. "What?"

"I was just wondering if you and Draco are still seeing each other in secret, or are we allowed to talk about it now?"

Neville snorted with laughter at the shocked expression on Draco's face. Although Harry knew Luna better than most, she still had the unique ability to leave him speechless from time to time. He and Draco looked uncertainly at one another before turning back to Luna, who continued to stare back at the pair. They had expected the topic of their not-so-secret relationship to come up at some point, but certainly not before they had even reached Hogwarts. Luna, however, was more intuitive than the average witch; knowing her, she probably knew what was going on between Harry and Draco before they did.

"What gave us away?" asked Draco curiously.

"Nothing in particular," she shrugged before adding, "That's a fine jumper you're wearing. Did Ron's mum knit it for you?"

Draco's cheeks flushed pink and he instinctively crossed his arms. Okay, maybe what was going on between them was more obvious than either of them realised.

"So, it's true?" Neville pressed. "You two? It's official now?"

Harry and Draco looked at each other. Draco still appeared nervous, but he gave Harry a slight nod in confirmation. Harry relaxed a little and smiled at his friends. "Yeah, I suppose it is official now."

"That's nice," said Luna mildly. "I know that you value your privacy, Harry, but I was beginning to wonder when you were going to tell us."

"Better late than never, I suppose," Neville chuckled.

"So, you don't have a problem with it then?" asked Draco cautiously.

"A problem with what?" asked Luna.

"With Harry and I...you know...being together."

Luna frowned. "Why would I have a problem with that?"

Draco hesitated. "Well, I just thought...since it's me…"

Luna cocked her head and gave him a curious look. "You and Harry make each other happy, why would anyone have a problem with that?"

Draco blinked a couple of times, for once in his life at a loss at what to say. Whatever explosive reaction he had been afraid of, it never came. It was, however, as Harry had always expected, but knowing that his friends were so accepting still came as an immense relief. Mercifully, Luna swiftly changed the focus away from Harry and Draco onto more familiar territory— the world of the fantastical and imaginary.

"Well, you won't believe what Neville and I saw when we were in my back garden on the Winter Solstice," she began.

"What?" asked Harry curiously.

"Guess!"

Draco cocked an eyebrow at her. "If we won't believe it, then how are we expected to guess what it is?"

Luna stared blankly at him for a few moments before bursting into fits of laughter. "You're funny, Draco! I've missed your silly jokes."

Draco drew her a bemused expression, unsure of how to respond to that. Harry, on the other hand, knew that it was better just to humour her. "Okay, let me think...was it a Crumple-Horned Snorkack?"

Luna chuckled and shook her head. "No! Guess again."

"Alright...was it Nargles?"

"Nargles?" said Draco. "What on earth are they?"

"They infest mistletoe," Harry explained, earning him a confused look from Draco. "Nevermind, I'll explain later."

"Not Nargles," Luna replied. "Try again."

Harry proceeded to rhyme off every imaginary creature that he could recall Luna ever mentioning, everything from Moon Frogs to Dabberblimps, Heliopaths to Umgubular Slashkilters, to Gulping Plimpies and Wrackspurts, but to no avail. The more creatures Harry incorrectly guessed, the more excited Luna became. When he ran out of ideas, he shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Luna, I don't have a clue. What did you see?"

Luna leaned forward and said in a stage whisper, "A Blibbering Humdinger!"

Draco pulled a face. "A what?"

"A Blibbering Humdinger!" she cried. "They're extremely rare and very dangerous."

"They look a lot like hedgehogs," said Neville thoughtfully. "In fact, they look entirely indistinguishable from the common hedgehog, but Luna insisted that it was actually a Blibbering Humdinger. Who am I to argue with the expert, eh?"

He and Luna smiled goofily at one another, having seemingly forgotten about the other two occupants of the carriage. Draco drew Harry a bemused look, but Harry just shook his head and whispered, "It's better not to argue with her." He turned his attention back to Luna and asked, "What are you still doing here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in the Prefects' carriage?"

Luna's eyes lit up then and she grinned at him. "Oh, I'll be heading along there in a moment, but I have something that I want to give you first." She rummaged through her handbag which was shaped like a large turnip, pulled out a sheet of paper that was a lurid shade of pink and held it out to him. "Professor Tonks knows my dad's the editor of The Quibbler, so she asked me to design and print some posters to advertise the play. I wanted to show it to you first."

Harry took the proffered paper and his eyes widened with surprise when he saw his and Draco's faces front and centre on the poster. "Where did you get the pictures from?"

"Old issues of The Prophet," she shrugged. "They're forever taking photographs of you two, so there were plenty to choose from. I tried to pick two of the nicer ones."

Harry read the contents of the poster aloud. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Presents 'Romeo and Julien'..."

"My only love sprung from my only hate," Draco muttered, reading the tagline. He scrutinised the poster closely before musing, "Well, at least you got my good side."

"What do you think?" she asked Harry keenly. "Do you like it?"

Harry squirmed in his seat. Despite what some people might think, he really didn't enjoy being the centre of attention, so having his and Draco's photographs plastered across the poster was more than a little embarrassing.

"Does it really need to have our faces on it?"

"Of course, it does. You and Draco are the title characters."

"I suppose," he mumbled, folding it in half and stuffing it in his trouser pocket. At least that was one less poster that would make it into circulation. "How many did you print?"

"Oh, not many," she assured him, pulling a huge bundle out of her handbag. "Just a couple of hundred."

"A couple of hundred?"

"Enough to put up around the school," she explained, unperturbed by Harry's horrified expression. "In the common rooms and classrooms, and a few to hand into the shops on our next visit to Hogsmeade."

"Hogsmeade?" he croaked. "Is that really necessary?"

Luna drew him a withering look. "Of course, it is! We've all put a lot of work into this play, everyone should know that and see it for themselves." She glanced at her watch and rose to her feet. "I better head down to the Prefects' carriage, I'll hand out some more posters on the way."

"That's really not necessary—"

Harry called after her but Luna had already slammed the door shut in his face, cutting him off mid-sentence. He watched with mounting horror as Luna wandered down the busy corridor, handing out posters to anyone who crossed her path. Sinking back into his seat, Neville gave him a sympathetic smile before pulling a deck of cards from his pocket.

"Exploding Snap?" he offered.

After a few rounds of card games, Draco got bored and wandered off to hang out with Theo and the other Slytherins further down the train. Neville and Harry spent the remainder of the journey talking about their plans for after they graduated. Well, Neville talked while Harry listened for the most part since he didn't have any jobs lined up after graduation. Not that he hadn't received plenty of offers—he'd received letters from prospective employers as far afield as South America and Antarctica, offering him work that seemed to consist primarily of hunting down dark wizards. Kingsley was particularly keen to get Harry started at the Auror Academy as soon as possible. But while Harry wasn't entirely opposed to the idea, there was still something holding him back...

Harry was pulled from his reverie by the sound of the door sliding open again as Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Luna piled back into the cramped compartment.

"Where have you lot been?" asked Neville curiously. "We've almost reached Hogsmeade, Harry and I were beginning to wonder if you'd come back."

Hermione, looking more frazzled than usual, shook her head and sat next to Harry. "Sorry we couldn't come by sooner but it's been pandemonium out there! We've been running ragged dealing with students sprinting up and down the corridors, setting off Dungbombs and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder every few minutes. You'd think being a Prefect warranted some level of respect but the younger students just don't listen! They have absolutely no respect for authority!"

"Careful, 'Mione, you sound scarily like Percy when you talk like that." Ron flopped down into the empty seat next to Hermione and asked, "Did Malfoy actually take my advice on board and get lost?"

Harry shook his head. "He's hanging out with Theo."

"Pity," Ron pouted. "Ah well, I'll savour these precious few minutes without him."

"Dungbombs are nothing," Ginny argued. "Luna and I have spent most of the journey on guard duty outside Dennis Creevey's compartment."

Harry frowned. "Dennis is back?"

Luna nodded. "I passed on one of the posters for the play to him, but he didn't seem particularly interested."

"I'm surprised they let him board the train," Ginny continued. "People are still pissed about that stunt he and his friends pulled on Halloween. I lost count of the number of people who tried to get into his compartment to pick a fight with him."

"His head was just covered in Wrackspurts," Luna noted gravely. "One of the worst infections I've ever seen, it was like a dark cloud over his head."

The sound of the train's brakes scraping and screeching to a halt announced their arrival at Hogsmeade Station. As they disembarked the train, Harry waited for Draco on the platform and they walked up towards the Thestral-drawn carriages together. Draco remained a little hesitant when he caught sight of the skeletal winged horses, but was more easily persuaded to mount the carriage this time around surrounded by his and Harry's friends. As they entered the Great Hall and everyone wandered over to their respective house tables, Draco and Harry paused to look at each other.

"Well," Draco hesitated and nodded towards the Slytherin table. "I suppose I better be heading this way."

"Yeah. Okay."

Harry wanted to kiss Draco then, but he resisted, letting Draco decide for himself how far they were going to push this. Draco looked like he wanted to do it too, but at the last moment, his courage failed him and with an apologetic smile he turned away and headed towards the Slytherin table to sit with Theo. Harry stared after him for a few moments before shuffling over to the Gryffindor table to sit with Ron and Hermione, disappointment settling in the pit of his stomach. They might not be actively keeping their relationship a secret anymore, but it was evident that Draco wasn't at the point where public displays of affection were within his comfort zone.

The noise in the Great Hall faded away as Professor McGonagall rose to her feet, casting her stern gaze across the returning students.

"Good evening, everyone. I trust that you all had a lovely Christmas," she began in her usual polite but firm tone. "Before we begin our feast, I have a few important announcements to make. I am pleased to inform you that during your absence, construction of the Quidditch pitch has finally been completed."

"Does that mean Quidditch matches are back on?" cried a student from the Hufflepuff table.

Professor McGonagall drew them a disapproving look for their outburst before answering. "While it is too late in the year to play for the Quidditch cup, friendly matches are allowed to recommence—"

Whatever else Professor McGonagall said was drowned out by a deafening cheer from all four houses, Ron the loudest of them all, whistling and hollering as though Gryffindor had just won the Quidditch final. Professor McGonagall stood waiting patiently for the racket to die down before finally speaking again.

"On that note, I am happy to announce certain improvements have been made to the arena," she continued. "In addition to playing future games, we have installed a retractable pitch, which will allow for a variety of events to take place there, including Swivenhodge and Stichstock, as well as concerts and theatrical productions..."

Harry leaned closer to Ron and whispered, "Swivenhodge and Stitchstock?"

"They're a bit like Quidditch, but Swivenhodge is way harder," Ron replied. "You need to ride your broomstick backwards the whole time."

"...and finally, I am delighted to announce that this Valentine's Day will be an extra special one," Professor McGonagall continued. "For the last three months, our final year students have been hard at work readying a production of the Muggle playwright, William Shakespeare's, most famous works, Romeo and Juliet. That production will be performed for us all on the newly built stage at the Quidditch arena on February fourteenth. I'm sure you're all as excited as I am to see what our students have to show for their labours. Attendance is compulsory."

That sparked a predictably less than enthusiastic response, particularly in comparison to the news that Quidditch friendlies were back on. With that, Professor McGonagall took her seat and the feast began.

"Bugger," Ron grumbled as he began piling food onto his plate. "I'd forgotten all about the play!"

"Haven't you been practising your lines over the holidays?" asked Hermione.

Ron snorted. "'Course I haven't."

"You say that like it's something to be proud of," she said accusingly.

"It was Christmas!" he cried. "I was too busy relaxing to get any work done."

In Ron's defence, Harry had forgotten all about the play, too. He'd been too busy enjoying his time at The Burrow with his family and seeing Draco to spare it any thought. But Luna and Professor McGonagall had brought Harry crashing back to reality; in a few weeks time, he and his friends would be centre stage, under a level of scrutiny that he'd seldom experienced before. Playing Quidditch was nerve-wracking but he knew that he was good at it. Acting in a play, however, in front of every student and teacher in the school, was another thing entirely.