(A/N - Jeez, how long has it been? A month since the last chapter? ::ducks as things are thrown at her:: Sorry, but I couldn't find any way to move along this story! So here it is, the part all of you have been waiting for (yeah, right) -- "Healing"! I'm putting the last part of the last chapter so you can remember what happened without reading the entire chapter over again ^^;)

"I...love...you..." Harry voiced what his heart had been hiding ever since they had met, and he touched his lips hesitantly to hers. It was so simple, yet so pure. Their mouths were two matching pieces to a jigsaw puzzle that were just fit together. He broke away, wiped an unavoidable tear from his eye, and saw Marielle grin a tiny grin.

Her eyes opened again, and she sat up slowly, leaning on one arm. Her trembling hand took his cheek, and she whispered, "I love you, too."

~~~

Reality took over as the situation at hand sank into Harry's fuzzy consciousness.

"I need to get you to the hospital wing, Mari." He pulled her up into a sitting position and she winced.

"No, Harry, I'll be fine... you'll blow your cover if you take me up there..." Harry noticed her pursing her lips together, as she often did to deal with stress or pain.

"But you're injured! You need help, and Madam Pomfrey could heal you in just a few minutes!"

"I'm a Muggle, Harry. I'll -- I'll heal the Muggle way." She looked away and her eyes fell. Harry took her hand. He didn't want to push her into such a sensitive issue.

"Then I'll take you to Hermione. She could probably do something, okay?"

Marielle's blue eyes radiated gratitude towards Harry, lighting up her battered face.

"Okay."

~~~

Hermione was able to set Mari's arm in a splint and clean up her cuts, so that she was "right as rain", as Hermione put it, in just a week. She had told Harry and Ron, in secret, that she did use a bit of magic to speed up the process simply because she hated to see Harry so finicky about Marielle. He still blamed himself for Marielle's injury, however many times consoled otherwise by Ron, Mari or Hermione. He didn't even attend to the wound in his leg and took care of Mari whenever he wasn't in class.

The Yule Ball was fast approaching, and the holiday spirit took over in and out of the classrooms. Harry especially was affected by the pre-dance jitters, and his clumsiness got the better of him one afternoon when he traipsed up to the Gryffindor dorms between classes to fetch a quill. Harry pulled open the door, and was met with a girl's shriek and a splash of bubbles in his face. After he had wiped the bubbles off of his glasses, he came face to face with --

"MARI?!"

"What the heck do you think you're doing in here, Harry Potter?!" Marielle had been taking a bath in a tub (obviously conjured up by Hermione) and certainly didn't expect any company. She sank lower into the bubbles, until her orange, narrowed eyes were all that could be seen under her hair.

Harry turned scarlet, and turned back around quickly, stammering things like 'I had no idea...' and '...the girls dorm...'. To his utter surprise, stifled laughter rang out and crescendoed from behind him, and Marielle was positively howling with laughter.

"It's...ohahaha!...okay, Harry, eeheehee! You can turn now...ohahahahoho!" She was properly wrapped in a towel, and clutching her sides from giggling so hard.

"Mari, I'm-I'm really, really s-sorry...I must have gotten the wrong door..." Harry was still beet red when Marielle finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but the look on your face...! It was priceless!" And Harry couldn't help but chuckle bashfully as well.

(Sorry so short; I have the next part ready, but I didn't want it to merge with this one because of the significant difference of mood. I hope you enjoyed this little funny bit. XD I certainly thought it was amusing! Next chapter -- Who does Harry go to the Yule Ball with? And what does the holiday spirit bring to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Marielle? It may not turn out quite as you expect. Thank you's go to Tara, lee-ann, Danny and Greg, who kicked me in the bum to start up this series again, and my pal Princess Lily, who sent me fanfic during my stay at a two-week camp without computers! Arigatou!! ^^ )