The first snow of December came faster than Willow had expected. She spent the entire Saturday playing in it, throwing several chunks of ice and snow at Paige, who did not appreciate the cold in the slightest, let alone being pelted with it. Willow couldn't believe it when winter break suddenly arrived, Christmas right around the corner. Her homework was finally beginning to simmer down to only a bit each night until it was gone completely for the holidays. Draco constantly bragged loudly about how he was going to have such a good Christmas in his fancy mansion with both of his parents. Willow had restrained Harry from tearing his head off on more than one occasion.

"How can you stand that insufferable prick?" Harry seethed on the last morning before everyone went home.

"I have a high pain tolerance, and a very good dose of patience," Willow shrugged. "He definitely pushes the limits, though."

"If he didn't, you'd be going mental."

Willow ate a rather large breakfast for once, the excitement of going home to see her father giving her quite the appetite. She was sad that she wouldn't be spending the holidays with all of her new friends, of course, but she was beginning to dearly miss her father. As used to him not being around as she was, it still hurt not to see him at all for several months.

"I can't believe Mum and Dad are taking Ginny to Romania and leaving us here," Ron grumbled. "That's got to be one of the coolest places to go for Christmas!"

"Is that where your brother Charlie works?" Willow asked, remembering Ron having told her about his other brothers at the beginning of the school year.

"Yes, and he's got his hands full. That's why they're going to him instead of Charlie coming to visit us."

"I hope that I get the chance to work with dragons someday," Willow wished wistfully.

Just then, the last mail of the year came flying through the windows. Iris surprised Willow by landing on her head.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out.

Iris cocked her head, as if to say, Duh. Delivering mail. Willow shook her head and stuck out her arm, allowing Iris to move herself onto it, then removed the small parcel attached to her leg. Her stomach dropped when she saw her dad's name on it.

"Why would my dad be sending me mail this morning?" she wondered out loud.

"Beats me," Fred shrugged.

"What does it say?" Paige asked.

"Let's see..." Willow trailed off, ripping the letter open.

Dear Willow,

I'm sorry to give you such late notice, especially on family matters such as this, but you cannot come home for the Holidays. It's not safe at this time to return home. I am perfectly safe, as are Abuela and Abuelo, but the risk is too high that your mother will try to interrupt. Have fun at Hogwarts! I hope some of your friends will be able to keep you company. Happy Christmas, mi hija!

Te amo.

Willow sat back on the bench, dejected. Of course, she shouldn't have given her hopes up. Her mother was getting increasingly dangerous these days. She wrote a quick response to him, wishing him a Happy Christmas as well and to be safe, then sent Iris off again. A few tears tried to leak out of her eyes.

"Excuse me," Willow said, then ran off, her friends giving her pitying glances as she left.

Willow made her way to the bathroom, then leaned over the sink, splashing some water on herself. She needed to calm herself down. One of her worst fears was to get emotional in front of anyone other than her father, and it had almost happened in a space of five seconds. Her chest heaved deep breaths in an attempt to soothe herself. But the pain was too much. Her father was always the one she turned to in times on need, and he was the one person she couldn't see over the Holidays, a time that was supposed to be for family and happiness and love, not sorrow and separation. She missed her family and her mansion more than she previously thought was possible.

"Willow, you okay?" someone called.

"Fine," Willow choked out, not daring to let anyone know she was crying.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"Well, you better believe it, because it's the truth."

"Since when do I listen to anything anyone says?"

Paige appeared behind her. Her expression surprised Willow, as it was not one of pity like everyone else's. There was something else there that Willow couldn't pinpoint.

"Mind telling me what you're being a crybaby about?"

Willow playfully punched Paige's shoulder, secretly thankful for her rough and tough attitude. "It's nothing."

"If it's nothing, then why are you trying to hide?"

Willow couldn't meet Paige's eyes. She glanced at her feet, emotion lacing her shaky voice.

"It's just...my dad...my mum...I miss the old days, when everything was happy and fun."

"You seem to have a lot of fun now."

Willow swallowed a lump in her throat. "That's just really good acting on my part. Ever since my mum..." Willow stopped herself. "Every since two years ago, things have been dark, dreary, lifeless. My mum used to be so full of life, used to cherish every moment, used to- used to love my dad and I."

Paige nodded slowly, closing her eyes and listening. Willow unwillingly found herself continuing on.

"Every day I look for a letter, hope to see my mum's name, hope that she's back, but...she's- she's..."

Willow couldn't take it any longer. The tears cascaded down her face, her knees hitting the floor. Willow managed to form a few words through her sobbing.

"She's not my mum anymore."

Paige sank to the floor beside Willow and surprised the twelve-year-old by holding her close. She stroked Willow's hair nostalgically, waiting patiently for the first-year to calm down. Willow was eventually able to stop her tears, instead hiccuping, the torrent gone nearly as fast as it had come. She found herself staring deeply into Paige's chocolate brown eyes, getting lost in the memories and emotions swirling within them.

"Do you remember when I told you that I don't live with my parents?" Paige asked softly, still petting Willow's head.

"Yeah."

"Will you stop being an ickle first-year girl if I tell you why?"

"I'll try. I can't really change my age, you know."

Paige rolled her eyes and pretended to swat at Willow. "You know what I mean, you emotional little pest."

Willow gazed expectantly at Paige, who seemed to be internally struggling with opening up about this sensitive subject. "Don't you dare tell anyone this. No one else knows. You're a special little snowflake because only people like you will understand. And I can't stand it when you decide to go from emotionless to a mess, so this better work."

"I'll take the secret to my grave," Willow promised.

Paige inhaled deeply, then began her story. "My parents are super rich. They're CEO's of two businesses and own half of London, nearly. The only problem is they act like it, too, and expect me to be exactly like them. I was adopted as part of an initiative to promote their business. They didn't even want me. I was supposed to be sent back the day that campaign ended, but my nanny fell in love with me and convinced them to keep me. Even to this day I wonder why. They fired her when I turned eight, and it tore me apart. She had been my mother more than my 'real' one had. They dolled me up, drug me along everywhere they went, made me some sort of supermodel child. I hated every bit of it, so I turned to soccer to let out my anger. My nanny had taught me how to play when I was four years old and I've loved it ever since. Everywhere we went, I'd sneak out to play with the local children. I've played soccer in at least five different countries. I loved it."

Paige's sad smile faded into melancholy. "They were so happy to send me off to this school, they actually locked me in my room and threw a party for themselves and all their rich friends. I hated every day I lived with them. They were awful to me, enforcing strict rules and making me feel like a spoiled little brat for not 'appreciating everything they've done for me'. No matter how big and fancy of a house I lived in, I'd rather have been living with the poorest parents on Earth if it meant they actually loved me."

Paige's expression flitted to regretful, longing sadness for a moment. Then, her voice turned bitter. "I got kicked out long before I received my Hogwarts letter, though. They had the highest standards for me. I had to be a perfect human being, act like the perfect girl, be feminine in every way. That's the reason they hated my playing soccer- it wasn't a sport for 'perfect little girls like me'. But I played it anyway. There was one major flaw in me that tipped their scales, however."

Paige's voice disappeared, as if she was trying to push it through a wall that was almost impossible to knock down.

"What is it, Paige?" Willow asked, her sorrows vanished in the face of this new information.

"It's that...I'm..." Paige trailed off. She turned away, and Willow saw her face screwed up in pain, as if someone was forcibly shutting her up. Why was this secret buried so much further than the rest of the already deep secrets Paige had shared? The older girl winced, as if someone had slapped her. Willow's curiosity peaked, but her heart told her not to push it, that this was something Paige had to tell her when she was ready.

"Paige, you've already shared a lot more with me than you've told most people," Willow said. "If this is purely to make me feel better, don't tell me anything that you might have second thoughts on. Your secrets are your secrets, and it's up to you to decide whether to share them or not, when you share them, who knows, and everything else. Don't force yourself to say anything."

Paige's now emotional eyes turned to Willow. "I won't tell you yet, then. Thanks for understanding. Most people get made when I do that and try to force it out of me. I think that's why so many people hate me, actually. They start sharing things, then expect me to, so I start unwillingly opening up, and I'm halfway through a story when I realize it could reveal something very personal about me."

"I get that. It's happened to me multiple times, too."

Paige glanced at Willow, a deeply hidden fear in her eyes. It killed her to ignore it and not point it out. "You don't hate me, though, right? Some people drift away from me after I tell them some things about myself."

"Why would I hate you for that?" Willow said. "It's not your fault. Your parents are literally worse than my mum's family, and that's saying something, because they're the ones that helped her kidnap me. My aunt Margret might be the only decent one of the bunch, and I think she murdered someone. It's never okay to kick your child out of the house, biological or not. That's lazy parenting and on the parents, not the kid."

Paige nodded, her walls beginning to rise again. "I don't consider them my parents. The only person I consider my family at the moment is my nanny, and my parents made sure that I couldn't find her. When they fired her, they relocated her to a different house and hid the records somewhere in their office. They-" Paige stopped, reconsidering what she was about to say, and reworded her sentence. "I got in trouble quite a few times when I broke in to find it."

"Are you sure you can't legally have a case against them for child neglect?" Willow asked. "If I were a dictator, I'd put them in prison for life for 'torturing' you, which is pretty much what they did. Those quotations might be unnecessary."

"No, and I wouldn't bother. They're scum that will never be happy with their lives, and that's the best revenge I can think of for them. For them never to be happy and always stressing about their jobs...that's the best kind of punishment for what they did to me."

"I like that positive take on things for once," Willow said, nudging Paige, who was now back to normal. "I'm still sorry that you had to go through all that alone. When my mum went crazy, at least I had my dad and my grandparents there to lean on. You had nobody. From now on, you're not allowed to keep things like this to yourself. You're spilling the story each time you revisit your family, got it?"

"Maybe," Paige said. "I'll try, but they're going to be dull and dreary. I only go to them when I can't get proper nutrition otherwise. They've got some legal requirements, and I'm giving them a heck of a job keeping the press from giving them bad publicity about me being a runaway."

"That's good." Willow stared at Paige, who had a sad half-smile on her face. "I'm sorry that you've had to keep that hidden for so long. That sounds bloody awful."

Paige shrugged. "I'm used to being tough."

"But you shouldn't have to be."

"I know, it's ridiculous, but- "

Willow cut Paige off by hugging her tightly. Paige froze for a second, not reacting, then gently wrapped her arms around the younger girl.

"Thank you for making me feel better," Willow whispered into her ear.

"Don't mention it. Really, you better not," Paige warned.

"I won't. Your secret is safe with me."

The two girls stood up, brushing themselves off. Willow washed the saltwater off her face.

"Any secrets you need to spill, Guerrero?" Paige asked, her usual mannerism returning.

"None worth sharing."

"Please, anything short of what I just told you is definitely worth sharing."

Willow's heart froze for a second, but recovered quickly. "I'd rather share it with the whole group when I'm ready."

"So you do have a secret? Are you absolutely sure you don't want to share it, now that you know even someone like me can share and not spontaneously die of embarrassment?"

Willow giggled. "Yes, Paige, I'm one hundred percent positive."

"As long as you're sure..."

The girls exited the bathroom, finding everyone heading off to their first classes. All of her roommates were upon her within seconds, tearing her away from Paige, who laughed and wished her luck with them as she joined the twins and Lee.

"Where did you go?"

"We heard you were crying!"

"Is it true?"

"Are you staying at Hogwarts?"

"Guys, slow down!" Willow pleaded, wriggling out of their grasps. "I'm fine. To answer your questions, bathroom, maybe, staying at Hogwarts."

Fay rolled her eyes. "Willow, you are such an introvert."

"I'm well aware."

"Just because you're an emotionless rock doesn't mean you need to hide when you're not for two seconds!" Lavender scolded.

"That's exactly what it means."

All the girls groaned. "Willow, you are a mystery."

"Since when do you guys care about me this much?" Willow inquired.

"Duh, you share a dorm with us, you're pretty much our sister at this point," Mia said.

"Yeah, we're your Hogwarts family, Willow!"

Willow half smiled, liking the idea for once. She had always wondered what it would be like to have a sister. Sharing seven years of schooling with these girls might be the perfect chance to see, and it wasn't horrible so far...

The girls arrived in Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall sat them all down and gave them a few assignments to work on for the day. They were allowed to work with partners, and everyone was eager to gobble up all the time they could with their friends before break, so the room was full of groups more than partners. Willow decided to head over to the Ravenclaw side of the room where Sue Li was working with her friends.

"Hi, Sue!" she greeted.

"Oh, Willow! Happy Holidays!" Sue exclaimed. "You have met my friends before, correct?"

"Not formally, no, but I'll give it a shot."

Willow examined the two girls on either side of Sue. The one on the left caught Willow's eye first, as her hair was a bright shade of red, the short messy strands demanding attention. She was rather pale, tall, and super skinny. The girl's grey eyes were gentle and kind.

"Mandy Brocklehurst, correct?" Willow guessed.

"I've heard a lot about you, Willow," Mandy replied, shaking Willow's hand.

The other girl was rather timid and shied away from Willow's gaze at first, her dominating presence not to go unnoticed by those who first meet her. She had very long brown hair and beautiful brown eyes that reminded Willow of hot chocolate on a cozy winter night. They were slightly sunken, however, and gave her a sad appearance. She was a tad overweight and radiated stress that even Willow's new, weak powers could strongly detect.

"So you must be Lisa Turpin," Willow said. Lisa nodded, keeping her eyes down.

"Sorry, Lisa is pretty shy," Sue informed. "She'll warm up to you soon."

"No harm in that," Willow chuckled. "Have you figured out how to do this yet?"

Over the course of the class, Willow got to know the three Ravenclaw girls a bit better, Lisa even managing to speak to Willow in full sentences before the end. They tried time and time again to transfigure their textbooks, but they only completed the task right as the bell rang to signal the end of class. Neville had somehow thrown himself across the room during his attempts at transfiguring the objects. Willow wished her friends a Happy Christmas before they parted ways.

On her way to Potions, her last class since she had the afternoon off, she happened to be glancing out the window when she caught sight of three figures running in the snow. Two familiar shocks of orange hair and laughter were chasing a purple-turbaned man towards the school, magically hitting him in the back of the head with snowball after snowball. Willow covered her mouth to stop herself from snorting.

"BOYS!" a loud voice boomed.

Willow glanced to her left to see Professor McGonagall running down the stairs and out into the cold. The three stopped. Professor Quirrel keeled over, panting. Fred and George glanced at each other, then at McGonagall storming furiously towards them, and made the wise decision to run in the opposite direction. A throng of students had gathered to watch the event unfold outside.

"Um, Willow, are- aren't those your friends out there?" Oliver Rivers asked, appearing beside Willow.

"Oliver! Oh, yes, they are, entertainingly enough," Willow replied. "How have you been lately? It seems like ages since I've last gotten to see you outside of class."

"Oh, um- fine, I think," Oliver said, awkwardly looking at his feet.

"'You think'?" Willow chuckled.

Oliver raised his eyes to meet Willow's. "Sorry, I haven't talked to anyone in a while."

"Why is that?" Willow recalled her roommates telling her about Oliver's shyness towards the beginning of the year. "Do you not talk to any of your Hufflepuff friends?"

"Not really, no."

Willow caught sight of some of her roommates gawking at her now, nearly drooling over Oliver. She hoped to God that Oliver wouldn't look their way.

"Well, are you staying at Hogwarts for the Holidays?" Willow asked.

"Yes."

"I've had a change of plans, so now I am, too. Maybe I'll get to talk to you a lot more with no classes and less people around."

Oliver's face lit up. "That would be great!"

Fred and George were about to cross the boundary into the Forbidden Forest when Professor McGonagall caught up with them, grabbing them both by the collars of their shirts and dragging them back to the school. Oliver's eyes lingered on the bare trees in the distance.

"I loved the colors of those trees' leaves this past fall," he sighed wistfully. "All the oranges and reds and yellows were more beautiful than the ones back home."

Professor Quirrel emerged at the top of the stairs, a furious McGonagall towing two high-fiving third years behind him.

"Off to class now, all of you!" Professor McGonagall ordered.

Willow turned back to Oliver. "I'll see you later, Oliver."

"Bye, Willow," Oliver said, a sheepish smile on his face.

Willow made her way into the dungeons, her roommates whispering behind her about how hot or cute Oliver was, how lucky Willow was that he would talk to her, etcetera. Rolling her eyes, Willow entered the chilly Potions classroom. Draco Malfoy was already at their shared table.

"Still shivering, Draco?" Willow teased.

"You wish," Draco replied, visibly trembling.

"Looks like my wish came true."

"Shut up, dork."

"Prick."

The lesson began promptly, Snape having them scribble down the ingredients and steps for brewing a new potion. As soon as he was finished, Willow gathered the supplies for them. Draco took up his usual role of actually brewing the potion while Willow prepared the ingredients.

"It's a shame that you can't go home for Christmas," Draco drawled.

"Here we go again," Willow sighed. "I can't wait for you to go home to your precious Mummy and get out of my hair. I'm sure you'll have such an amazing Christmas, getting loads presents and all."

Draco's features contorted in anger. "Watch your mouth, traitor."

"Keep yours shut for once and I will, you son of a- "

"Not fighting here, are we, Miss Guerrero?" Professor Snape suddenly droned.

Willow furiously clamped her mouth shut, shaking her head.

"Good. Carry on, Mr. Malfoy. You're not failing miserably."

Snape floated away to torture the Gryffindor side of the room. Both Draco and Willow fumed silently, their potion bubbling away. When they finally finished the potion, they had a half hour of extra time before class ended. Draco slumped into his chair while Willow sat on top of their table. They faced away from each other, tensions high.

"Why do you have to brag about everything and make people feel bad?" Willow breathed.

"I don't know, why do you have to be so annoyingly sensitive?" Draco shot back.

"Do you seriously want me to be sensitive? Trust me, you haven't seen anything even close to resembling sensitive."

"Believe me, I have..." Draco muttered.

"For real, though, what is your problem with asserting your dominance and blood status? Is that some sort of guy thing? Because Harry and Ron certainly haven't been doing that, so I'm guessing it's just a Slytherin thing. Or am I wrong, Draco?"

"You're wrong, Wisp, dead wrong," Draco growled, staring Willow straight in the eyes.

"Then tell me how I'm wrong, exactly. I'd love to hear it."

Draco turned his back on Willow. "Leave me alone, Willow."

"I'd rather not."

"I said leave me alone."

Willow sighed. "Look, Draco, if you don't want to tell me what's up, that's fine, but I can't help you if you won't let me. Do you hear me? I want to help you."

Draco wheeled around to meet Willow's eyes, a clear cut of two evenly expressed emotions blasting Willow's senses. "What can you help me with?"

Willow had to remind herself to keep her mouth shut, in shock. There were only two things clearly expressed by Draco in that moment, and they were regret and anger. Draco was split. What was going on behind the scenes that was making him this way?

"You can't help me," Draco said, his manner deescalating into his normal, smug self. "After all, I'm perfect."

"I totally believe that," Willow said sarcastically.

"Wisp, are you jealous that I get a boatload of presents and you don't?"

"I don't know, Blonde, does it look like I care?"

"It does, actually."

Willow rolled her eyes at the smirk on Draco's face. "God are you annoying."

"No one could possibly be more annoying than you."

"Take a look at my roommates and tell me that again."

"Okay, besides them."

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Willow was on her feet immediately.

"Happy Holidays, Blonde," Willow called over her shoulder on her way out.

"Happy Christmas, Wisp!" Draco sneered back.

"Willow, teach me your ways!" Fay whined. "First the Weasley twins, then Oliver, now Draco! How do you get all the guys?"

"I'll have to tell you all about it sometime."

Willow headed to lunch, not feeling up for a chat with her roommates. She was exhausted and dejected for some odd reason. It was a given that she would get absolutely nowhere with Draco before the Holidays. So why was she so upset about getting snippy with him like usual instead of holding a progressive conversation? The boy wasn't willing to compromise, and everyone knew that. Willow wished that she knew his backstory a little better, maybe some way to get into his head, or even have an edge on him to force him to talk.

She shook her head. Spending all that time with Draco was making her think like the little prick. Willow arrived at the Great Hall, where she found Hagrid trying to bring an enormous tree through the double doors.

"Oh, Hagrid! Let me help you with that."

"Hey, Willow! That woul' be loverly. I've only got a few more trees ter get through."

Willow helped flatten the branches of the pine trees and maneuver them through the doors, Hagrid carrying each tree to a new place within the Great Hall. A crowd began to build up down the hall as students gathered in wait for lunch. Willow was about to help Hagrid with the last tree when a piercing whistle got Willow's attention. She cast about for the source of the noise until she pinpointed Fred and George beckoning her from the top of the stairs in the Entrance Hall.

"Sorry, Hagrid, someone's calling me," Willow apologized.

"That's quite alright, Willow," Hagrid boomed, his ruddy face cheerful as ever. "I think I see Harry and Ron coming this way, anyway. Go on! Happy Holidays!"

"Happy Holidays to you too, Hagrid!"

Willow ran across the hall and up the few steps to where the twins were standing, mischievous smiles on their faces.

"I'd know that look anywhere," Willow said. "What did you do this time?"

"Well, it's kind of complicated," George began.

"You see, we were having a bit of fun with Professor Quirrel- "

"Bloody timid, that man is- "

"Anyway, you probably saw the snowball fight- "

"And Professor McGonagall dragging us back in here."

Willow nodded. "I'm pretty sure half of Hogwarts saw that. Brilliant, it was."

"We thought it might be."

"But Professor McGonagall took us up to her room and gave us warnings instead of deducting points- "

"And now we have a punishment to serve."

"Wow, I never would have guessed!" Willow said sarcastically. "What do you have to do this time? Clean the toilets? Scrub the dungeons? Write lines?"

"Actually, it's not that kind of punishment at all."

Fred and George exchanged a knowing look. Willow raised her eyebrows, curious now as to what they had to do.

"What kind of punishment is it, then?"

"Professor McGonagall has a special assignment for us, since it is the Holidays and all," Fred explained.

"She has requested that we spread Christmas spirit in any way that is within reasonable boundaries."

Willow's pulse quickened. They were getting specific instructions from Professor McGonagall herself to disregard some rules in order to entertain the school? She couldn't have picked a better pair of students to do it.

"Are you asking that I join you in this conquest?" Willow said.

"Only if you're in the mood for some flying, avoiding teachers, and surprising students."

"When am I not?"

"Let's get going, then!" Fred urged, leading them off towards the Gryffindor locker rooms.

The group of three dashed through the corridors, startling several students. They picked up Paige along the way. She didn't even ask what they were doing before tagging along, realizing they were about to execute a grand scheme of theirs. They reached the locker room and flicked on the lights.

"Okay, so we're going to need four brooms, Paige, can you grab those?" George said.

"On it," Paige replied, opening the broom closet. Fred set down his pranking bag that he had brought and unloaded a few things.

"Alright, so here's the plan."

Fred and George discussed the few simple steps with Paige and Willow, and they were off.

"Are they in position?" Willow asked Paige.

"Yep. Here comes the signal."

The two girls waited on their broomsticks, opposite the twins, poised to dive through the windows and into the Great Hall. A pack was loaded onto each of their backs.

"You sure you've got fancy enough flying for this, Hot Shot?" Paige questioned.

"Positive."

"Just remember, if you fall, I will watch and laugh," Paige reminded her.

"Good thing I won't fall," Willow retorted playfully.

The twins gave them a thumbs up, and they began their journey. Willow unzipped her backpack and darted across the room, banners trailing each of them, fireworks exploding in the space above her head. Astonished faces goggled at the sudden show.

"Happy Holidays!" the twins shouted in unison.

The biggest firework yet exploded, revealing a red-suited Santa flying his sleigh that actually moved across the Great Hall before bursting into more red-and-green lights.

"Hard left!" Paige shouted.

Willow remembered at the last second to swerve around the window directly across from where she started and back into the Great Hall through the adjacent one. The banners continued to unravel and stretch themselves along the ceiling, cheers erupting from the audience below as more fireworks banged into fun Christmas shapes. Willow could hardly wait when she reached the other side of the Great Hall and stopped in the window. Fred and George paused on the opposite side, wearing goofy grins, then gave the double-thumbs-up-signal. The four of them released their final fireworks at the same time, all four exploding in one big BOOM! that nearly shook the Great Hall.

"CANDY!" one of the first years shouted.

Indeed, that was their grand finale. The special fireworks they had just ignited explode to create a massive rain of candy. It showered the excited students below them, who nearly all abandoned their meals to catch as many chocolates as they could. Paige let out a joyous laugh that made Willow's heart do that weird jump again. She cursed at herself mentally, wishing she knew why it did that.

Maybe it's because she never laughs like that...? Willow thought. Or that she never laughs at all?

Whatever it was, it was immediately pushed out of Willow's mind, as the final steps of their plan had to be completed. Paige and Willow waved as they did a final fly-by, then rejoined the twins amid a loud chorus of applause from the students below. They flew out of the windows and into the night sky.

"That actually went according to plan!" George exclaimed once they were far above the castle.

"That's new," Paige commented.

"You can thank McGonagall for making it easier on us," Fred said.

"Still, that was one of your best ones yet!" Willow said.

The four students returned their broomstick to the locker room, then high-fived each other on the way out, excited as all get out.

"Winter Holidays are going to be so much better this year," Paige said.

"Well, duh, you have us to hang around this time," Fred dramatically said.

Paige smirked at Willow. "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that Willow is here. She's more interesting than the both of you combined."

Willow merely smiled at the twins' dumbfounded expressions. "I couldn't agree more."

"You stuck-up little first year," Paige teased.

"Hey, you said it, not me!"

The four students were met with much praise and enthusiasm when they entered the Great Hall. Lee had to usher them to their spot at the Gryffindor table in order to not be overtaken by too many excited students. Willow put up with her roommates badgering her about sharing some of her new popularity with them, then enjoyed the amazing brisket that only appeared during feasts like this one. She chatted a bit with Hermione and Neville about their Christmas at home. Eventually, the feast ended, and the Gryffindors all headed to the common room.

"I'm exhausted," Willow yawned upon arrival. "I think I'm going to turn in early and unpack my stuff since I'm staying here."

"Alright. Nice flying with you, Willow," Fred winked.

"Goodnight, Willow. I'll handle the paparazzi for you," Paige promised.

"Night."

Willow unpacked her trunk, replacing everything into her dresser as it had been before. Then, she flopped face-first into the pillow, shut her eyes, and was asleep within seconds.

Her sleep was not exactly restful.

Willow's eyes fluttered open, her surroundings unfamiliar. Her ears were bombarded with explosions and loud crackling sounds. Fear punched Willow in the gut with an iron fist, launching her onto her feet and into a sprint. She was completely disoriented and had no idea where she was running to or from what.

Smoke and soot clogged the air, burning Willow's lungs. Her eyes were shut tight against the cloud of darkness. She refused to open them until she was out of the majority of the pollution. When she did, Willow wished she hadn't.

A battlefield was laid out before her, stretching from the base of the hill to a point at least two kilometers beyond where Willow was standing. Witches and wizards dressed in old garments charged at each other from opposite sides of the field. Wands were casting spells every which way, filling the air with jets of light that hissed and sizzled, banged and cracked. Craters dotted the field with black holes full of carnage. Bodies were cast here and there, some being trampled in the new onslaught. Willow thought she was going to be sick. She started to run away from the screams of dying witches and wizards when a woman's voice echoed crystal clear in her ears.

Stop, please!

Willow froze in her tracks, slowly turning on her heel. A woman was keeled over, a cruel-looking man directing his wand at her head. He twisted his mouth in a frown.

You made your choice. Step aside.

Willow's eyes widened when she noticed a child cowering beneath the woman's torso, trembling with fear. She choked on her own air. Was the man about to kill the child?

Please, I beg you! Take me instead! the woman pleaded.

I do not show mercy to traitors like you! Move!

The woman cried out as she was shoved aside. Willow felt tears run down her face just as similar ones dropped off the woman's nose. The man raised his wand, pointed it at the back of the now running child, and grinned wickedly as a jet of green light exploded out of the end of it. Willow covered her hand with her mouth, a large, painful lump stuck in her throat, preventing her from even breathing correctly. The woman was beside herself, holding her limp child in her arms. Pangs of empathy buckled Willow's knees as she found that she, too, was unable to stand anymore. The man fired another spell at the woman and purposely missed by a few inches.

Stand up and fight, coward!

The woman tensed, her tears suddenly ceasing. She slowly stood up, fists clenched, a fiery anger in her eyes as she faced the man. He took a step back in surprise.

May this be a warning to all the generations, the woman commanded in a voice that sounded as if it carried the weight of the planet. Willow thought the whole world must have heard it, as the entire battlefield halted in its tracks, staring at the scene that was unfolding. Even the wind held its breath.

From this day on, every new war that springs up among wizards will be cursed. A child will be born with the powers to sway the outcome. But wherever they may go, death follows. You have been warned!

The man bristled with a mixture of fear and anger. Lies!

Strike me down, and you will learn the truth.

The man, infuriated and wild with uncontrollable insanity, raised his wand and screamed, AVADA KEDAVRA!

In a blast of green light, the woman was dead. But her body fell, as if in slow motion, and shook the ground when she fell. Her words echoed through the very core of the Earth. There wasn't a single witch or wizard standing after the powerful vibration rocked everyone's world. Then, when the dust cleared, a single sentence could be heard.

You have made your choice.

Willow gasped awake, cold sweat running down her body. She panted hard, her chest heaving, her mind racing. What did that dream even mean? Willow wondered who, or what, was showing her all of this in her dreams. Was it the voice in her head, or someone else? Whoever it was, Willow wanted them to either stop completely or explain themselves before she exploded. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't anyone tell her anything?

The time was nearly seven, and the rest of the girls were beginning to stir. Willow sighed as she realized that they were going to be gone within the next few hours. As much as they bothered and annoyed her, she was going to miss their company. They were right about what they said yesterday- they were like a miniature family. A dysfunctional, ridiculous, goofy, magical Hogwarts family. Willow promised herself that she would make more of an effort to spend time with her roommates after the Holidays.

"Morning, Willow," Parvati mumbled.

"Good morning, Parvati."

"Do you have everything packed yet, Mia?" Lavender yawned.

"Yeah," the girl replied, face-down on her pillow.

Willow had to help drag a few of the girls out of bed. They woke up fairly quickly once they got up and moving, however, as the prospect of going home motivated most of them even more than a new hair style.

An hour later, Willow was standing by the doors of the Great Hall, hugging Hermione and Neville goodbye.

"I'll miss you guys!" Willow said. "Don't eat too much chocolate without me!"

"I'll try not to," Hermione giggled. "You'll keep searching for any book on Nicholas Flamel, correct?"

"Correct," Willow promised.

"Happy Christmas, Willow," Neville said, awkwardly hugging her with bright red cheeks.

"Happy Holidays, Neville!"

The two were gone within minutes, the Hogwarts express whistling and chugging away. Willow sighed, wishing she could go with them, maybe see her father for a change. But he was right. This was for her own personal safety, not to mention his. Willow was so distracted by her thoughts that she almost ran into Paige.

"Oh, hi!" Willow burst out.

"Watch where you're going, first year," Paige teased.

The girls spent the day together, mainly lounging about in the library. It was a ghost town in the castle that was usually busting at the seams with students running about from class to class. Willow liked the change, mainly because she didn't have a an older Slytherin in her face about something, anything they found "wrong" with her. Paige was much nicer than at least ninety-five percent of the lot, despite her grumpy attitude. Willow would take her over Draco any day.

That night, Willow couldn't sleep. She was all alone in her dorm for the first time in what seemed like forever. Yes, she had slept alone for years on end before, but now that was used to sleeping in the same room as other girls, she didn't want to revert back to the loneliness. Willow gave up trying to rest around midnight and escaped into the common room. The last few coals were glowing softly in the fireplace, illuminating Willow's gem-like eyes. She added a log to the fire and slumped in the couch closest to the window.

As her eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of life, Willow wondered what all of her friends were up to. They were most likely home by then, catching up with their families, enjoying each other's company. Willow desperately wished that she too was at home, getting ready for Christmas with her dad and grandparents. What she wouldn't give to take a stroll in the garden, maybe search out a few good books in the library, even spend some time climbing the beams in her high-ceilinged living room. She dearly missed everything about home. The thought of her mother ruining it for all of them, though, was enough to keep her firmly decided to stay at Hogwarts.

You should not dwell on unhappy thoughts, the voice said.

Willow nearly jumped out of her skin. For the love of God, stop doing that!

It's not like I can give a warning.

At least introduce the fact that you're about to speak to me before reading my mind! Willow retorted.

I'll try.

Willow felt a sudden tugging in her chest, as if her asthma was acting up again. But this was different. It was triggering something in her brain to pull her towards the Forbidden Forest, her chest tightening further as the sensation grew stronger and more precise. Willow was on her feet fairly quickly, clutching her chest, shouting at the voice in her head.

What are you doing!

I'm not doing anything. Maybe if you'd let yourself try new things for once it would go away.

Willow's hands twitched with the pleasing thought of strangling the woman that was speaking to her.

That's not going to work, you know.

Stop reading my mind!

I'm in it. That's a rather difficult request.

Screw you.

Just go get your map and your jacket already! I promise the pain will go away! God, are you ornery!

Willow unwillingly obeyed, grabbing her jacket and map from her room before nearly tripping herself to get out of the common room. She allowed her feet to naturally follow the direction of the pulling. It was as if a rope was tied in between her lungs and a person was reeling her in. Willow cursed for the millionth time whoever was doing this to her, missing being in control of her own body and mind.

Once outside of the castle, Willow's legs broke into a run, carrying her increasingly faster towards the end goal. The pain in her chest lessened considerably by the time she streaked past Hagrid's hut. Willow was still sprinting uncontrollably after she crossed the Forbidden Forest's boundary.

Um, what's happening?! Willow shouted.

You'll see. Let it happen.

I don't have much other choice!

Willow's limbs were moving themselves by the time she found herself standing at the base of the tree she had climbed all those months ago. She scrambled up the trunk, not even breaking any branches in the process. Suddenly, Willow emerged from the canopy of the tree, and a feeling like cold water being dumped on her head washed over her entire body, returning the ability to control her extremities to Willow. She blinked slowly, unsuccessfully trying to process what just happened, and pulled herself up the rest of the way until she was sitting on top of the tree.

Now what? Willow asked.

Duh, what did you do last time? the woman replied.

Why do I get the feeling that I'm only going to hate you more in a few short minutes?

Your feelings are usually correct, are they not?

Willow shook her head to get the conversation out of it, then fished the constellation map out of her pocket. Glancing up at the starry universe above her head, Willow's eyes shone with wonder, the scene appearing even more magnificent than the last time she had seen it. Willow tore her eyes away from the glittering expanse of space with great effort. She tapped the piece of metal that was the map and watched it unfold into a sturdy rectangle half the size of a classroom blackboard, weighing almost nothing. Then, she held it up, comparing it to the sky.

"Woah," Willow breathed.

The constellation map was exactly the same, but it had another feature that made it more interactive: every time Willow moved it, the entire map would zoom in on whichever area she was looking at, the names and background information on every feature showing up in turn. Willow wondered if her astronomy teacher knew about this ultimate cheat-sheet. Probably not.

Mesmerized by the beautiful expanse that was an exact copy of the sky, Willow brought her finger up to the map and gently brushed it with the tip of it. She accidentally yelped out loud when it sent out a lightning-fast ripple that changed the face of the map completely.

There was no longer a map of the stars, but several squares depicting very different scenes. First, Willow saw her father's downcast, exhausted face glowing in the light of a candle, a book under his nose. Then, there was her mother, cackling along with her family at the dinner table. Last, there was Willow, staring back at herself. She gaped confusedly at all the scenes trying to grab her attention at once. There were at least ten squares, and Willow couldn't understand what most of them were even trying to show her.

This will make sense, all in due time, all in due time, the voice assured.

Why can't you explain it to me now? Willow frustratedly demanded.

It will not be so easy to understand all at once. First, you must gain knowledge through your experiences. During the summer, when you return home, you may begin to realize what all of this is.

Willow crossed her arms, letting the map collapse into the wallet-sized piece of metal it usually appeared as. There it was again; would anyone ever be able to tell her anything without talking in riddles?

Willow was so unhappy that she was able to concentrate her emotions into shape-shifting. She was soon a hawk, screeching into the night sky, flying nowhere in particular, her only aim to let off some steam. She fumed, beating her wings with all the strength she possessed.

Be careful, you might-

Shut up, I don't want to talk to you! Willow cut off. All you do is draw me in, get my hopes up, and then leave me out in the cold. Can't you sense emotions, lady? Or are you just as heartless as I thought you were?

There was no answer for a long while. Pent up with anger, Willow bellowed with an ear-splitting cry that must have woken up half the world. She bashed through trees, scattering leaves everywhere, disturbing several animals' sleep. Willow didn't care at that point. She was nearly seeing red, she was so angry.

I never got the chance to raise a teenager. It's been a long time since I've worked with one.

Willow literally fell out of the sky. She thudded hard into the ground, back in her human form. Groaning, Willow slowly rolled over, rubbing her joints.

Since when did you get all touchy-feely on me?

Never. But you're right. It is unfair. I would tell you everything at once if it wouldn't get you killed.

Willow's blood ran cold. What do you mean, get me killed?

If you knew the truth about everything, Willow, you and everything you hold dear would be at risk of dying a painful death. That is why I can't tell you anything.

Willow swallowed, the gravity of the situation shifting from light to crushing. I see.

Now you understand. I will reveal things to you slowly. When the time is right, you will know all you need, and the rest will reveal itself to you. Trust me when I say that you will know everything soon, that this will not remain a secret much longer.

Good. Because I'm about to explode. This is important, life-changing information about myself, you know!

Willow swore she could hear slight laughter in the back of her mind. You are a funny one. Fly back, Willow. You've discovered enough tonight. You need your rest.

Alright. Goodnight, voice-lady.

Goodnight, Willow.

Transforming back into a hawk, Willow glided above the treetops until she was back inside the walls of Hogwarts. She flew through the corridors until she exited the stairs only a hallway away from the Fat Lady. Not wanting to risk being seen and reported on by the big-mouthed woman, she changed back into a human before waking her up and giving the password. Willow crawled through the portrait tunnel and emerged in the common room.

The first thing she noticed was that the fire was much bigger than she had left it. Second was shadow lounging on the couch. Third and final was the tsking of a low, familiar female voice.

"Well, well, it looks like our very own Willow Guerrero has finally made an appearance," Paige said.

"You got me," Willow surrendered, staying put next to the portrait. "What are you going to do now? Turn me in?"

"Nah, I was thinking more along the lines of keeping this a secret so that you owe me a favor in the future."

"You sadistic little- !"

Willow was cut off by Paige's laughter. "Come here, ickle first year. You've got plenty to learn."

Paige got up off the couch, scooped her up wedding-style, and carried her up the stairs into the third-year girls dormitory, which was also empty at this time of year. Willow giggled as Paige threw her into one of the beds.

"Now you really owe me," Paige declared, flopping into her own bed.

"You're the one that's dragging me everywhere against my will!" Willow reminded her.

"Eh, you didn't put up a very good fight to stop me."

Willow conceded the point, letting a comfortable silence fall between her and Paige. Finally, right before she drifted off to sleep, Willow spoke in a sleepy mumble.

"Paige?"

"Yeah?"

"Were you lonely too?"

A deep understanding passed between the two before Paige admitted, "Yes."

Willow floated into a deep sleep, a comforted smile etched into her face.