As they neared the end of the term, the weather improved considerably and the muddy ground was replaced by snow covered ground, much to everyone's delight. And to make it even better, there would be another weekend trip to Hogsmeade and Ciel was already looking forward to restocking his stash.

"Are you going home for the holiday?" Harry asked his friends.

"No, I'm not going to spend the holiday listening to Percy talking non-stop about how perfect of a prefect he is." Ron said.

"I need to do some extra studying, so I'm staying too." Hermione said.

"Who studies during the holidays? It's called the holidays for a reason, Hermione." Ron said. "Ciel, how about you?"

"If everyone's staying, then we're staying too." Ciel said.

"Oh, don't you want to spend the holiday at home?" Harry asked.

"It's fine. It's not like we have anything to do there." Ciel said absently. He debated with himself for a while before coming to a decision. "Hermione, can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

"Huh? Okay." Hermione said and she and Ciel got up from their seats. Sebastian made to follow, but Ciel waved his hand, telling him to stay.

Ciel and Hermione left the Great Hall and walked a little further down the corridor, at Ciel's insistence, and pulled her into an empty classroom.

"What is it?" Hermione asked curiously.

"The thing is, now that you're also staying here for the holiday, I, uh, I have a request to make of you." Ciel said.

"What kind of request?" Hermione asked.

"Do you mind If, err, if I borrowed your cat on Christmas day?"

"My cat?" Hermione looked confused. "Why would you want to borrow Crookshanks?"

"Well, you see... Sebastian loves cats, like a lot. So, I think it would be nice if he could play with your cat for a bit." Ciel had toyed with the idea, but he was hesitant. But when Hermione said that she'd be staying for the holiday, he decided to go ahead with it. His demon had been so good and he more than deserved it. "He'll take a good care of him, promise. Just for a few hours and we'll return him to you."

Hermione was surprised at first, but then a wide smile spread across her face. "Oh, of course, Ciel! I'm sure Crookshanks would love to play with Sebastian! And just so you know, you could always ask to borrow him. I don't mind at all! And I think that's very nice of you to do this for him!"

"Ah, it's just... He's been very good..." Ciel blushed, which made Hermione smile wider.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Hermione asked.

"I have no one else. Sebastian is all I have." Ciel said honestly.

Hermione nodded. "You can borrow Crookshanks at anytime, Ciel."

"Thank you." Ciel said sincerely. "Please don't tell him anything."

"It's our secret." Hermione said.

They left the room and went back to join their friends.

In the morning of their visit to Hogsmeade, Ciel was excited. He had made a list of the things that he wanted to buy at Honeydukes and it was so long, he had needed two rolls of parchment.

Sebastian just shook his head, but didn't say anything. It was rare for Ciel to be this excited about something and the more they spent time here, the more relaxed the young demon had gotten, so Sebastian didn't say anything and let him have his fun.

They bid Harry goodbye and left the castle, bundled up in warm clothing. Ciel was dressed in jumper and winter coat, complete with a knitted hat on his head.

They arrived at Hogsmeade and Ciel made a beeline for Honeydukes. He checked his list, filling up a few baskets with all kinds of candies and chocolates. He also bought extra to give to his friends as Christmas presents.

"Looks like Mr. Potter has managed to sneak out of the castle." Sebastian informed him.

Ciel turned and saw Harry blending in with the other students in the crowded shop.

Ciel would've joined him, but he was still busy filling up his baskets. By the time he was done, Ron and Hermione had spotted Harry too. He joined them just in time to hear Harry talk about the Marauder's Map.

"What an interesting device." Ciel commented.

Ron and Hermione started arguing about Sirius Black and Ciel suggested that they leave as to not attract any attention to themselves.

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks." Ron said and they headed there.

They chose a table at the very back, near a cheery Christmas tree and the fireplace. Ron and Sebastian left to get their drinks and came back five minutes later with four foaming tankards of hot butterbeer.

They drank and chatted, but then the door opened and they all turned to see Professor McGonagall entering the building with Professor Flitwick, along with Hagrid and…

"Who's that?" Ciel asked.

"That's Cornelius Fudge." Ron said. "The Minister of Magic."

They forced Harry to hide under the table and Sebastian shifted the Christmas tree to cover their table, hiding them from view.

"Sit down. They're going to see you." Ciel hissed and Sebastian sat down on Harry's previously occupied chair, since there was no other available chair.

McGonagall and her companions sat down at one of the tables, and Madam Rosmerta – the bar owner – delivered their drinks and Fudge invited her to sit down with them.

Ciel listened as they talked about Sirius Black. The conversation turned to Black's youth and he was just as surprised as everyone else when Madam Rosmerta said that Black had been best friends with none other than James Potter, Harry's father.

Ciel linked the information with what he had known previously and deduced that Black had betrayed his best friend that night. His suspicion was confirmed when they talked about how Black had been trusted with the Potters' hidden location as a Secret-Keeper and he was the one who had tipped them off to Voldemort.

All eyes turned to Harry, who seemed to have frozen under the table. Ciel glanced at Sebastian, telling him silently to get ready in case Harry decided to do something drastic. But the boy remained silent and unmoving.

After their talk, the three professors and the minister left and everyone looked down at Harry, who was white as a ghost.

"Sebastian." Ciel said, recognizing that the boy was probably in shock.

Sebastian pulled Harry up gently and sat him down on the chair.

"Mr. Potter, can you hear me, sir?" Sebastian asked.

Harry didn't respond.

"Harry…" Ron tried to get his friend's attention, but the bespectacled boy remained unresponsive.

"We need to get him out of here first." Ciel decided. "Come on."

Sebastian picked up Harry in his arms and they rushed out before anyone noticed what was going on. They brought Harry to an empty alleyway and Sebastian set him down on his feet.

"Harry, can you hear me?" Ciel asked urgently.

This time, Harry nodded.

"Alright, listen to me." Ciel's voice was firm and brooked no argument. "This is what you're going to do. You're going to go back to the castle through the same way you came. Sebastian will go with you to make sure you'll get there safely. Do you understand, Harry?"

Another stiff nod.

"Tell me you understand." Ciel said.

"I understand." Harry said, his voice was devoid of any emotion.

Ciel nodded. "Go, now. We'll be along shortly."

They watched as Harry left with Sebastian.

"Is he alright?" Ron asked.

"Don't be stupid, Ron." Hermione admonished him. "Of course he's not alright. How would you feel if you find out that your parents' best friend betrayed them and got them killed?"

"You're right, that's a stupid question…" Ron admitted.

"Come on, we better go back now." Ciel said and the other two agreed.

The following day, everyone went home for the holiday and Ciel decided to join his friends in the Gryffindor common room. He had been here a few times. It was a nice room, warm and cozy, with plush armchairs scattered around the room.

Currently, Hermione was doing her homework, Ron was eating Peppermint Toad and Ciel had brought some of his own sweets. Sebastian was sitting in front of the fireplace, rubbing Crookshanks' belly and making some cooing noises.

Harry showed up a few minutes later and joined them.

"Harry…" Hermione started. "We know that you must be upset over what we heard yesterday, but you won't do something stupid, right?"

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"Like trying to go after Black." Ron said bluntly. "He's not worth it, Harry."

"Not worth it?" Harry asked, his voice shaking. "Not worth it?! Do you know, do you have any idea at all what happened when a Dementor gets close to me?!" He started yelling.

Ron and Hermione shook their heads silently.

"I hear her… I hear my mum screaming! Begging for her life! She, they died because their supposedly best friend betrayed them! Are you telling me to just forget about it and move on with my day?!"

"Nobody is telling you that." Ciel said calmly. "Nobody is telling you to forget. In fact, you mustn't forget. What they're trying to tell you is, don't be stupid. Your mum and dad, they died to protect you. They gave their life so that you could live, so that you could have a future."

"I…" Harry seemed to be at loss of words. But then something dawned on him. "Malfoy knows."

"Malfoy?" Ron asked, frowning in confusion.

"Malfoy knows. Remember what he said during Potions? He said, if he were me, he'd want revenge." Harry recalled.

"Well, his dad could've told him." Ron said.

"Are you going to listen to his advice instead of ours?" Hermione asked. "Do you think this is what your mum and dad would've wanted? For you to go after Black and avenge them?"

"I wouldn't know that, would I now? Thanks to Black, I've never spoken to them." Harry said bitterly.

The room fell silent.

After a few seconds, Harry seemed to have come to a decision.

"I'm going to find him." Harry said.

"Harry, no…" Hermione said, her tone pleading. "I know that you're angry, I know that you're upset, but…"

"You don't know that!" Harry screamed at her, making Crookshanks jump slightly. "You don't know how I feel, so don't even pretend that you do! None of you know how I feel! I lost my parents and this is my chance… my chance to… to…"

"To seek revenge?" Ciel asked.

"Yes." Harry said.

"And you really think that's going to help you? Is it going to bring them back?" Ciel asked. "Do you think you'll stop hearing her scream once you've gotten your revenge?"

"You…" Harry stalked towards Ciel. "I thought, of all people, you'd understand!"

"Oh, I do." Ciel said evenly. "I understand revenge very well."

Harry grabbed the smaller boy by his shirt collar and yanked him up. "What do you know then, Ciel?!"

Ciel allowed it and raised his hand to stop his butler, who had gotten to his feet. Sebastian would defend him from foes and friends alike. Whether it was Malfoy or Harry, it was all the same to the older demon. If they laid a finger on his master, he wouldn't hesitate to intervene.

Ciel looked at Harry and said, "I know what revenge would do to a person. I was there once. I wanted revenge so, so badly, I threw away everything, sacrificed everything for it. You want your revenge? Go ahead then, Harry. Throw away your life, your future, and your parents' sacrifice and get your revenge if that's what you want. Nobody will be able to stop you anyway. But remember, once you've chosen that path, you can never go back."

Harry glared at him, but he said nothing.

Ciel continued, "I did everything for my revenge and do you know what revenge gave me in return? Nothing. No closure, no satisfaction, and definitely not my parents. It gave me nothing but regret. I had friends, I had family, but they're all gone now. I threw them all away in the name of revenge. I was so obsessed with the dead, I forgot about the living and by the time I realized my mistake, it was too late. I was a fool and I've paid dearly for it."

"You said I must not forget…" Harry said. He let go of Ciel and took a step back.

"You must not forget. You must remember them." Ciel said. "Remember what they had given you. Remember that they'd given you a chance to live, so live. For them, for yourself, for your future, for your friends."

"Did you?" Harry asked.

"No." Ciel shook his head sadly. "It's too late for me now."

"No." This time, it was Ron who spoke up. "It's not too late for you, Ciel. You can still live, you have us now. We're here with you, and you too, Harry. I might not understand anything that you're going through, what you've been through, but no matter what, I'm here with you."

"So am I." Hermione said, nodding her head enthusiastically.

Ciel was taken aback. These people didn't even know him, didn't know what he was capable of, but they readily declared that they cared about him. He started laughing, a small chuckle at first, but when the others joined him, the four of them laughed until their stomach hurt, at least, Harry's, Ron's, and Hermione's did.

After they sobered up, Ron suggested that they went to visit Hagrid. Everyone agreed and they left the castle and headed down to Hagrid's.

"I'm sure it's going to be alright, Hagrid." Hermione tried to cheer the man up. "They might want to ask a few questions and that's it. You just have to be prepared with a good defense."

"You said Buckbeak is not a bad Hippogriff. I'm sure they're going to see that." Ron chimed in.

Upon their arrival, Hagrid informed them that he and Buckbeak had been summoned to London over the incident with Malfoy and they would decide on Buckbeak's fate.

Ciel approached the Hippogriff and knelt beside it. Since nobody could see his face, he let his eyes turn into their demonic shade and once the Hippogriff lowered its head in submission, they turned back into their normal blue. He reached out and stroke the soft feather.

"I'm sorry." Ciel murmured. "Didn't mean to scare you. But we couldn't do the whole bowing thing all over again, could we now?" He smiled.

"Oh…" Hagrid said when he noticed. "He really likes yer, Mr. Phantomhive." He said.

"I think it's time we become less formal, isn't it? Please call me Ciel." Ciel got up.

"Yeah, okay, Ciel." Hagrid said with a sniffle.

"You just have to put up a strong defense, Hagrid. I'm sure you can convince them that Buckbeak is safe." Hermione said.

Hagrid shook his head. "Won' make no difference! Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! And if I lose the case, Buckbeak…" He made a movement of slicing his own throat and then broke into a wail.

"I take it Lucius Malfoy is Draco's father?" Ciel asked.

Harry nodded in confirmation.

Both Harry and Hermione tried to comfort Hagrid as Ron sat there, until they all turned to him pointedly.

"Err, I shall make a cup of tea?" Ron offered, earning himself a glare from his friends. "What? That's what my mum always does when we're upset!" He defended himself.

"Then please allow me, Mr. Weasley." Sebastian said. "Mr. Hagrid, would you like honey with your tea?"

They stayed there for a couple of hours to keep Hagrid company, listening to his story of his brief time in Azkaban, before going back to the castle in the late afternoon.

They spent the rest of the day hanging out in the Gryffindor common room. Ron and Ciel played chess, Hermione did her homework, and Harry read. They ate dinner together before Ciel and Sebastian went back to their room.

"Did you mean it, Master?" Sebastian asked as he bathed Ciel.

"What are you talking about?"

"That you regret it? Your revenge?"

"I did." Ciel nodded. "But before you get any wrong idea, let me clarify. I regret not spending enough time with Lizzie or my aunt and uncle when I still had the chance to. I regret not trying to help Madam Red when I could, although I know that wasn't even my fault. I regret not living for myself, but for my revenge and my duty. In the end, they brought me nothing but suffering." He tilted his head up to look at his butler's face. "But I do not regret summoning you to me, making a contract with you, getting to know you, falling in love with you, spending the rest of eternity with you. Those, I will never regret. How about you?"

Sebastian smiled. "I've found myself bound to serve a stubborn, infuriating, and highly demanding little demon for the rest of eternity and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Do not call me little!" Ciel protested. "There's no need to insult me."

Sebastian laughed. "I love you, my little master."

"Sebastian!" Ciel said indignantly, but before he could protest further, his butler kissed him.

On Christmas morning, Ciel told Sebastian to take a day off.

"I'm not going anywhere anyway. I'm just going to hang out with the others." Ciel said. "Stay here, enjoy your day off, I'll call you if I need you."

"Very well. Thank you, Young Master." Sebastian said.

Ciel left to go to the Gryffindor common room carrying a bag full of sweets for his friends. Sir Cadogan let him pass and he found Hermione already waiting for him, with Crookshanks in his crate.

"Thank you so much, Hermione."

"No problem at all, Ciel. Besides, the timing is perfect. Ron has been going on and on about how Crookshanks has been attacking Scabbers. I think having some time away would do everyone some good."

"I'll drop him off and come back quickly." Ciel said and took the crate from her and hurried back to his room.

Sebastian opened the door. "Did you forget something, sir?"

"No, but here…" Ciel held out the crate. "I've borrowed him from Hermione for the day. Take a good care of him."

Sebastian stood there in shock. "I can… spend the day with him?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, that's why I'm giving you a day off today. So that you can spend the day with him." Ciel said with a smile on his face, a warm fuzzy feeling spread inside his chest at Sebastian's happy expression. It was just a cat, but the butler looked like Ciel had given him the greatest Christmas present in the world. At this moment, Ciel was glad that he had gone through with this. "Just make sure that he doesn't mess up my stuff, stay away from my sweets, and clean up after him. I don't want to find any cat hair on the bed or something."

Sebastian nodded. "Yes, sir. Thank you." He took the crate carefully from Ciel.

"I'll see you later then." Ciel said and left.

When Ciel got back to Gryffindor common room, the trio told him about Harry's new Firebolt. Harry excitedly showed it to him, while Hermione was more cautious.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it." Ciel said, running his hand across the wood. He didn't sense any dark energy coming from it.

"Neither do I, but Hermione here thought that it's been cursed or something." Ron said.

"I mean, think about it logically." Hermione said. "It's an expensive broom. Why would anyone give it to Harry for no reason at all and without telling him?"

"The reason that the person gave it to Harry is because his Nimbus has been destroyed, Hermione." Ron argued. "And who cares why they didn't tell him? The present clearly is meant for him! Not everything has some dark hidden meaning behind it, you know!"

They continued to argue and Ciel shook his head. Harry didn't seem to be interested in their argument either as he was too busy inspecting his brand new broom.

At lunchtime, they went to the Great Hall and instead of the usual set-up, they found a long table with twelve chairs standing in the middle of the room. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick were all there, along with Mr. Filch, who had traded his usual brown coat with a very old and rather moldy-looking tailcoat. There was only one other student, a sullen-faced Slytherin fifth year.

"Ah, you're here." Dumbledore greeted them. "Mr. Phantomhive, would you care to call your butler to join us?"

"Very well." Ciel said and stepped out of the hall. He was about to call for his demon when he recalled that one couldn't Apparate within Hogwarts' walls. So, could Sebastian answer his call? Was it even the same thing? Oh, well, only one way to find out...

Ciel lifted up his eyepatch to expose his seal and summoned his demon. "Sebastian, come to me."

The butler was there in an instant. "You called, Master?"

So apparently, whatever charms that had been put around Hogwarts, it didn't affect them. Or Sebastian wasn't even Apparating. It was probably both, Ciel mused.

"Yes. I know I said it's your day off, but everyone is gathering together to eat and we have to keep up appearance." Ciel said. "How's the cat?"

"He's sleeping." Sebastian said as he followed Ciel back into the hall.

"Not on the bed, I hope?" Ciel asked.

No reply.

Ciel sighed. "Remember what I said earlier."

"Of course, sir." Sebastian said.

Sebastian pulled out the chair beside Ron for Ciel and the young demon sat down. The older demon stayed where he was, standing behind Ciel's chair.

"Would you care to sit down, Mr. Michaelis?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, thank you. I'm merely a butler, sir, and it's inappropriate for me to be seated in the presence of my master." Sebastian said.

"I'll allow it." Ciel said when people were looking at them weirdly. "Sit down."

"Yes, sir." Sebastian said and sat down beside Ciel.

"Now that everyone has been seated, let's begin." Dumbledore said and just like that, the plates and goblets in front of them were filled with food and drinks.

Just when everyone was starting to take some food, the door opened and Professor Trelawney strolled into the room.

"Sibyll… What a pleasant surprise." Dumbledore got up, clearly surprised to see her.

"There I was, looking into my crystal ball, when I suddenly felt this… pull. Yes, yes, that must be it, the pull of fate. It's fate that I have been summoned out of my solitary lunch to join you down here. Please forgive me for not answering the summon earlier."

"Come and join us. Let me draw you a chair." Dumbledore said and did just that. He drew a chair in mid-air with his wand and the chair landed with a soft thud on the floor, between McGonagall and Snape.

Trelawney looked around the table. "Oh, no, no… I dare not join you! If I did, there will be thirteen of us! A bad luck would befall us all! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first one to rise will be the first one to die."

"We'll risk it." McGonagall said impatiently. "The turkey is getting cold. Do sit down."

Trelawney did so with apprehension. She looked like she was expecting a thunder to strike down anytime soon. She looked around the table and frowned. "Oh, but where is Professor Lupin?"

"I'm afraid the poor fellow has gotten ill again." Dumbledore said sadly and gestured for everyone to help themselves.

Lunch was alright. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and the conversation. Ciel even let Sebastian put a cracker hat on his head.

An hour later, after everyone had had their fill, Sebastian got up, eager to go back to his room to spend time with Crookshanks. It was his day off, after all. He paused mid-stand when Trelawney started screaming.

"Oh, dear! My dearie!"

Ciel hid his snicker behind his hand. "My dearie…" He muttered under his breath.

"Why must you stand?!" Trelawney cried. "Did you not heed my warning, good sir?! The first one to rise will be the first one to die!"

"I shall take the risk." Sebastian said, now annoyed. He moved to pull Ciel's chair out as Ron, Harry, and Hermione got to their feet too. Hermione said she needed to talk to McGonagall, so the others left first.

"I'm home… my dearie." Ciel said and fell into fits of laughter. They had some terms of endearment to call each other with, but not that.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Master."

"Come, we need to return the cat to Hermione." Ciel said after he sobered up.

"He's ready to go." Sebastian said and picked up the crate.

The two demons left to go to Gryffindor common room and heard the tail end of an argument.

"… and Professor McGonagall agreed with me, that the broom was sent to Harry by Sirius Black!"

The room fell silent, until Crookshanks meowed. Then the trio realized that Ciel and Sebastian were there.

"What happened?" Ciel asked.

"Hermione told McGonagall that Harry got the Firebolt and she just came here to confiscate it." Ron told them. "Think about it, why would Black send that to Harry? For one, that's an expensive broom. Where did he get the money from?"

"Who knows, he could've stolen it, robbed someone… He's a criminal, Ron. It's not like he hasn't done anything bad before." Hermione said. "And isn't it clear enough? He might've jinxed it to... to explode or something if and when Harry got onto it."

"She has a point." Ciel had to agree.

"But you said it yourself, the broom isn't cursed or anything!" Ron said.

"I could be wrong. We've brought Crookshanks back, Hermione."

Sebastian handed the crate to Hermione.

"Thank you very much for letting me spend the day with him, Ms. Granger."

"You're welcome, Sebastian. Did you have a good time?"

"I did, very much so. Thank you." Sebastian said with a bow, making Hermione blush slightly at the gesture.

Ciel and Sebastian excused themselves and left. They went back to their room and Sebastian proceeded to show his master how grateful he was for Ciel's unusual Christmas present.