[A/N: This chapter will answer some of the questions you may or may not have been asking yourself. If it doesn't, perhaps I will in future chapters. This was incredibly entertaining to write.]

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Chapter XI: The Christmas Party

The Great Hall was magnificent. Oliver couldn't really think of words that could describe how awe inspiring the room had become. There were hundreds of candles suspended in the ceiling, which was dark, but sprinkled fluffy white snowflakes down. The flakes dissolved about ten feet before they hit the ground. The atmosphere was simply amazing. The seventh year class was quite a bit larger than he expected, even without the presence of the younger students it would have been a lot. Sleigh bells and chimes sounded from around the hall as everyone's favorite carols radiated through the air.

A giant Christmas tree was bedecked with ornaments with house colors and students' names on them. The quidditch players got a pleasant surprise, their ornaments were figurines dressed in their house colors on broomsticks that flew in circles. Each and every ornament seemed to have a life of its own. The Gryffindor ornaments had roaring lions, the Slytherins had hissing snakes, Ravenclaws: squawking eagles, Hufflepuff had badgers just sitting there. Nobody really knew what badgers actually did, but they were there nonetheless.

Some of the Slytherins, it seemed, had charmed the small quidditch players in the red and gold uniforms to crash into the tree repeatedly. Oliver didn't mind really, he was still marveling at the site of the Hall. Katie, on the other hand, noticed her ornament knocking into the tree and made her way over to it with her wand out.

Oliver pushed his way through the crowd and over to a table and waited for Percy to show up. He a bit thirsty and began to crave a butterbeer. Seconds later, one appeared on the table in front of him. He twisted off the cap, somewhat unsure of, and somewhat grateful for some of the flat out bizarre things his Headmaster could think up.

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Percy made his way into the Hall after being waylaid by Professor McGonagall, not so amazed at the decorations because he himself had helped create this masterpiece. Once again, he was proud to be Head boy as he saw the glowing looks on the faces of his peers.

Over the heads of several students, he saw Oliver Wood sitting alone at one of the round tables stationed to the side of the hall. The boy was casually sipping a butterbeer and looked like he was in deep thought. Percy smirked; wondering if there was any time that Wood was not thinking about quidditch. He walked over to the table and sat next to his friend.

"Where's Katie?" he asked, putting his hand onto the table expectantly and picking up the butterbeer that appeared there.

"Went to go bitch at the Slytherins for charming the ornaments," Oliver couldn't help but snigger at this, the girls on his quidditch team were so immature.

"Those were Penelope's idea," Percy said, taking a swig of his drink. Oliver was shocked. He was shocked that Percy could speak of Penelope so nonchalantly. And he was shocked that Percy was not running over to the tree and reprimanding the Slytherins. But in spite of that, he was happy that his friend could relax once in a while and have a good time without slipping into responsibility mode.

"Look who's just arrived," Oliver pointed towards the doors to the Hall. He had looked over there in the first place because some of the girls from the Slytherin table had begun chattering madly, obviously jealous.

Percy turned to see Xanne walk in happily on the arm of the new Slytherin quidditch captain, Terrence Higgs. There was no doubt that the two of them cleaned up nicely from the way they had looked after their win earlier that day. Higgs was positively glowing, a solid grin shone from his face.

"Good for her," Percy said sincerely. "I was wondering who she was going with. As long as it's not Flint I'm okay. And Higgs is a prefect!"

"They're also the enemy," Oliver said, frowning. "They're two sevenths of the Slytherin quidditch team."

"Oh, calm down," Percy said, motioning them over. He truly hoped things had been getting better for her since the incident. Higgs nudged Xanne and she waved to Percy as the two walked to the table and sat down.

"Hi Xanne," Oliver said, unenthusiastically, before turning to the boy and grunting. "Higgs."

"Good evening Wood," Xanne tried not to smile at the boy's behavior.

"Wood," Higgs simply nodded firmly.

Percy turned to the girl and they both burst out laughing. The other members of their table looked clueless so Percy paused to explain that the Higgs and Wood were hilarious with their house rivalries. For a moment, the two continued to act ridiculous. Higgs softened and smiled. Wood folded his arms, scowling again.

The music became louder more elegant and the lights dimmed. Percy told the group that it was time to dance. Oliver grimaced before explaining that he simply would not dance. Before there was another word about it, Katie Bell appeared behind him, having presumably solved her Slytherin problem. She wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him clear out of his chair, dragging him onto the floor. The other three chuckled.

Higgs, taking his cue, stood up and bowed dapperly, extending his hand in a Victorian fashion. His blue eyes were sparkling and he spoke in a smooth baritone voice.

"May I have this dance milady?" Xanne was almost claimed by another bout of laughter, but thought better of it. She turned to Percy, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, go, I'll be alright," he waved his hand at her.

She turned and took the hand extended before her in a mockingly dainty manner before standing up gracefully and having him lead her out into the middle of the floor. Her nose was so far up in the air in her extremely fake regal demeanor, Percy feared she might inhale some of the snowflakes. He watched them go and took another sip of his butterbeer, surveying the party. Everything seemed to be in order.

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Penelope and Roger arrived a bit later than everyone else did; she needed a bit of time to collect herself before setting out. One thing was for sure, she wouldn't miss the party for anything; it was her seventh and final year. Davies obliged willingly when she had told him to wait a bit longer for her, he was just glad she had considered him for her date.

Walking through the front doors, Penelope glanced over at Davies and her heart eased when she saw how blissful he looked. This party would be one that they remembered for a while.

The snow was still falling from the enchanted ceiling, still touching none of the heads that danced gracefully in the center of the hall. This sight alone made Penelope feel a great deal better about her own misfortune, though without even thinking about it, she found herself looking for Percy.

She saw him sitting alone at a table, dark from the lack of light. He was clutching a butterbeer in his hands, looking smug about something or other. Apparently his friends had left him for the dance floor. She fought the urge to rush over to him and invite him to dance; instead, she guided Roger over to a round table near to Percy's that held a few Ravenclaws from her year.

"Penny darling, you look fabulous!" Evelyn Brocklehurst gushed as Roger pulled out a chair for Penelope. Her eyes shone with what could almost be envy as the dashing quidditch player gallantly took his seat, but did not take his eyes off of his date the entire time.

"Thank you Eve, you're looking splendid yourself." Then she greeted the rest of the table, which seemed to include lots of Ravenclaw girls lacking dates. Each and every one of their faces seemed to bore into hers and the longer she sat, the more discomfort she felt. Then, as if reading her mind, Roger spoke.

"Penelope, do you want to dance with me?" he mumbled nervously. She merely nodded and followed him out onto the floor. He didn't look back until they were at the center, and he took her hand in his before placing his arm around her waist. It was not a sensual dance, or a melancholy dance, it was rather touching actually. He held her as they rotated around; casually meeting eyes every once in a while, but mostly just observing their surroundings.

Marcus Flint was looking morose as a younger girl with dark red hair clung to him, pressing her face into his chest. This could hardly constitute as dancing, but the girl seemed content with not letting the older boy go. His eyes roamed and eventually locked on Penelope's. Realizing that there was at least one person witnessing this sheer embarrassment, he scowled at her, as if daring her to keep watching. She looked away and made a note to leave Flint alone.

Across the floor, past Flint and the girl, there was a cluster of Slytherin pairs who seemed to be enjoying themselves. One of the couples, Martin Avery and Aremie MacDougal, were attached at the lips as their hands moved over the other's body. Penelope had to bite her lip before she said something, or worse, walk over and scold the pair.

A cute twosome was arguing with one another about something. She saw only the back of the boy and heard the nature of the argument and grinned. Only one burly boy with scruffy brown hair would be arguing with quidditch in the middle of such an elegant atmosphere. The two turned slightly and Penelope saw Oliver Wood and Katie Bell having a good-natured quarrel about bludgers and quaffles or something of that sort.

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"I want to tell you something," the dark-haired girl said to the boy so close to her. Terrence looked back with a sort of apprehensive look upon his face as she solemnly took her hand out of his and wrapped it around his neck with the other. Her voice was little more than a whisper, but still audible over the music. "I had a bit of trouble recently, you know the Marcus scenario, correct?"

"I had heard rumors."

"Well, there was more than that, the rumors I mean. It's more than just those rumors. You see I'm not very good at sharing things. That sounds like I'm a selfish five year old, I mean I don't open up to people very easily unless I have a good reason to. If truth were told, I was never fully open even with Marcus, but though we had our difficult times, I've never felt closer to anyone before. We just understood each other somehow, and it doesn't quite fit, but I never felt the certain something that could let me tell him things."

"If you don't feel it with me, you don't have to tell me, I understand," he looked grave and a bit upset.

"No, I want to tell you. I want to tell you because I do feel something with you. But something happened to make me realize. Someone told me something and I found that I'm not ready to be intimate yet, I need to sort some things out first," her eyes wandered past his head and she saw Percy Weasley sitting alone at the table, looking at something on the dance floor. Xanne turned and saw Oliver and Katie laughing at something as they slowly revolved. "All things aside, I'm not doing so well Terrence. I'm being faced with a lot at the moment. I'm taking year two O.W.L.'s soon. We're going to play Gryffindor for the quidditch cup I just know it. People are talking about Head Girl. Marcus and I went our separate ways. There was a point a few days ago when I was running on empty; about two weeks without any sleep.I'm beginning to crack."

"I had no idea," he choked out. "I had assumed that everything was.you know, great. You seemed like you had it all."

"But it's not really that bad. I'm fine now actually. There was one hurdle actually," she said grimly, shifting her arms a bit and eventually taking her left arm from behind his neck. "I-I.There was one night when I couldn't do it anymore. My eyes were bloodshot from crying so much, and I was bruised like mad from quidditch and I just. I just let go."

In the soft light he could make out a serrated white line across her already pale wrist. His blue eyes widened as it dawned upon him what this meant.

"You've always had a place to go you know. Dumbledore, Snape, hell, you could've even gone to McGonagall, Flitwick or Sprout if it was that bad."

"You don't understand," Xanne murmured, looking down into his chest and avoiding his piercing eyes.

"Oh, no, I understand perfectly. You tried to rid the world of yourself. But what I don't understand is why. You have everything. You play quidditch, you're doing well in your classes, not top marks, but you do well. You're very pretty, or at least I think so, and Marcus must have because.you know." He was becoming quite irate. After seeing the look on her face, though, he softened a bit. "If you say that it was that bad, it must have been. I'm sorry."

She pulled away and walked over to a large table of Slytherins in the corner, he followed. Their faces were harsh and calculating, wondering if they really wanted two prefects to come and spoil the fun. Two faces that they recognized immediately were Leanor de Sade and Marcus Flint, staring directly at them.

"Evening Xanne, Higgs," he grunted, swirling liquid around in a glass he had before him, seeming far too eloquent.

"Good evening Marcus, Leanor," Xanne smiled as warmly as she could, a bit shaken from what she had just gotten off of her chest. Higgs simply nodded, and put his hand atop Xanne's where it rested on the table.

"How are things?" Marcus asked, taking a long sip of whatever it was he had in his glass.

"Just fine," she answered.

"Look, I've been meaning to talk to you about-." He began.

"Look Marcus, I've been meaning to talk to you as well, but this isn't the time or the place." She reached over and took the bothersome glass he was swirling from his hand. Bringing it up to her nose, she sniffed it, and almost gagged at the alcohol content. Then, surprising everyone around her, Flint especially, she brought it to her lips and threw it back as if it were no more than pumpkin juice. "There is no alcohol allowed at Hogwarts."

"How noble of you, disposing of the evidence," Leanore quipped, snuggling closer to Flint.

"How noble of you, easing our minds and becoming the slattern we always knew you were," Xanne said bitingly. Higgs' jaw dropped and Flint shuddered with silent laughter.

"How dare you?"

"Actually it's quite easy, you see, it just comes to me and I say it. That last one was oddly fitting, was it not?" She raised an eyebrow at the enraged Leanor.

"You never could be outdone could you," Leanor fumed. She reached down and picked up her goblet, flicking it as hard as she could across the table, sending pumpkin juice in a stream towards the dark-haired girl. The juice never did hit her, instead it froze in mid air and Leanor turned to face Marcus Flint who was now holding his wand rather tightly. "She's just jealous. She's jealous that I'm prettier than she is. She's jealous that I brought the quidditch captain as my date."

Higgs, Flint and Xanne all looked at Leanor as if she had lost her mind. Once she realized that everyone was staring at her, she stomped her foot and stormed off.

"Slattern?" Flint mused. "I'll have to use that one some time."

"If you happen to use it referring to me, and I hear about it, you might not have a broomstick at the end of the day, and I don't mean to play quidditch with." Xanne said nonchalantly, inspecting her fingernails, still very much amazed that there hadn't been a catfight.

"Point taken," he pulled a flask out of his pocket and began to take sips from it. After eyeing the looks the two across from him had painted on their faces, he pocketed the flask once again and sat back. "How is the team doing?"

"Fine," Higgs said simply. He couldn't help but feel the conversation was extremely awkward. Also, he was amazed that the girl was actually speaking in jest to this person. This person who had hurt so recently, but then, there were a lot of things he just didn't understand.

"Fine?!" Flint demanded, leaning forward and losing some of his composure and gaining the maniacal glint Xanne knew all too well. "How the fuck is my team doing, Higgs?"

"They're doing well, Flint," Higgs stated, scowling. "Keep your voice down and watch your language."

"Excuse me," he said, leaning back and clearing his throat. "Terribly sorry for that outburst."

"I'll leave you two to quidditch talk," Xanne interjected, standing and walking off.

"Exactly," Flint uttered. "Quidditch talk."

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"Malloy! Er, Xanne!" he called as he hurried over to her.

"What is it Percy?" she asked, a bit alarmed at the look on his face.

"I need to tell you something," he seemed so excited it almost radiated from his face.

"Percy, we're in the middle of the dance floor, I should hardly think-."

"Oh, right," he said, taking her into his arms and shifting from foot to foot slightly. "But anyway, I've realized what my problem was. Remember I said that I was going through some things as well.of course you remember. Well, I see that I've only had eyes for one person. It's a pity I didn't see it before."

"I'm not going to ask," she said, seeming a bit unsure.

"Oh, don't worry, it's not you," he said, dismissing the thought.

"Thanks for the reassurance," she replied sardonically.

"But what should I do? It's been so long you know, Penny and I began dating so long ago, and we never actually 'got together.' It just sort of happened."

"You know Weasley," Xanne grinned. "Forgive me for saying this, but you're beginning to sound like a schoolgirl."

"Oh sod off!"

"Alright then," she shrugged, taking her hands from him and turning to walk away.

"No, no, no! Don't go! What should I do? No, let me rephrase that a bit, what would you do?"

"Think about who you're asking, Percy," she calmly whispered.

"I know exactly whom I'm asking, what would you do?" His blue eyes were frantic and sparkling. This was the first time she had ever seen him virtually ecstatic, his dark red hair fell in strands into his eyes and his mouth was grinning so broadly she feared he would never be able to frown again, if that was a bad thing. "How did you and Marcus.you know?"

"That is not what you want to do. But if you feel this strongly, just go for it. Go and tell her, go and sweep her off her feet, hell, go and snog her senseless for all I care. This is for you."

"I'll keep that in mind, and I won't even ask why you smell like vodka," he said quickly, planting a kiss on her cheek and rushing off.

That was a happy ending in itself. Percy was no longer the loner he had become since the split from Penelope (not to mention ignored the chance to tell her off). But then, he wasn't really a loner if he had friends. But then, maybe for Percy it was friendship that he needed to get back on his feet. They always said a man who has friends is the richest of all.

"Abandoned on the dance floor," someone said behind her. She turned and found familiar black eyes waiting for her. He held out his hand and she did the logical thing, taking it.

Marcus Flint pulled her into him, guiding her arms around his neck before clasping his own hands in the small of her back. They did not speak, just moved with the constant stream of music that had ceased only to change songs for almost two hours. It seemed so wrong and yet felt so natural, so right.

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Percy's eyes scoured the room. Everything was so dim he could barely make out anything. Trust it to get dark right when he needed light the most. The person was not on the dance floor that was for sure. There was no sign of them over near the door. He was actually about to give up when he caught sight of their back, standing near the back entrance, most likely waiting as their date used the loo.

He rushed across the dance floor, almost elbowing couples out of the way in his rush. His eyes were blazing and determined and his hair blew back from his face in frenzy. First twenty feet away, then ten, then five, then two, he reached out an arm and grabbed their shoulder, spinning them around swiftly.

Then just like that, he caught the gaping mouth of a surprised Oliver Wood with his own and wrapped his arms around the back of his neck with pure satisfaction.

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[I hope that explains a bit of whatever you were wondering. It just felt like the next logical step. I love it, love it, love it! Keep REVIEWing like you have! Thanks for even reading this far.]