The next few weeks were some of the dullest in her life, excluding the weekends. She had little to do everyday and quickly went through every song that she knew. She begged Dumbledore to let her get a music maker of some sort and he finally consented. Angela magicked up CDs with various mixes of songs on them. She played them almost constantly to relieve herself of the silence.
She occupied herself during the day by redecorating the rooms in her "house". She quickly tired of the crimson and gold and experimented with different colors. One day it would be decorated in bright yellows and blues, the next in soft lavenders, and the next in bright oranges and reds. She would often make the furniture blue and white, or blue and silver, as this reminded her of the high school that she had left behind. She also tried to match colors to the personality of the friend that would be visiting that day. She often made it silver and green on Tuesdays when Draco would come and visit, or softer colors on Monday's when Hermione would come. Her wildest decoration days were when Dumbledore or Ron were coming.
Her friends visited on their designated days and Angela quickly learned how to prepare for each visit. Mondays Hermione came. She and Hermione would have deep, involved intellectual conversations, so Angela was always sure to read and do her schoolwork before Hermione came, so they would have something to talk about.
Tuesdays would bring Draco, with him she could always be herself. She never knew what kind of mood Draco would be in when he came, and this was often one of the least predictable days. She would often listen to him as he got a week's worth of frustration off his chest, and then he in turn would listen to her. She found she could tell him anything easily and he often told her the same. Angela thought that maybe it was because they had the bond, but more often she thought that it was because they were so alike. Neither had had very satisfactory childhoods, fathers who didn't particularly care for them like they should, mothers who cared about nothing but themselves. Soon Draco knew almost all of her secrets and she knew that she could trust him with them, just as he knew he could trust her with all the secrets that he told her.
Wednesdays would bring Albus Dumbledore. They would often sit and "reminisce" about the days when her parents were at Hogwarts. Angela enjoyed these, as they allowed her to dig deeper into her memory and she would often recall tidbits that let her know more about her parents. She always gave Dumbledore a hug before he left, and she now called him Albus all the time. She felt as if she had discovered a best friend from long ago when she talked to him.
Thursdays she could always count on having fun. Ron would always cheer her up, no matter what mood she was in. She often had Melissa send Muggle board games or other things and Angela and Ron would play for hours, laughing until they cried. So far, Scrabble was the only game she could beat him at regularly, as it was more a game of intellect AND skill than just skill. Ron's years of chess playing had made him a better player at games where more skill was required.
The weekends with Harry were what Angela looked forward to the most. It was often as if they were always together, instead of only three days a week. They talked and laughed as if they had all the time in the world during the day, and would spend their nights in each other's arms. Harry would often spend the entire weekend with Angela, never leaving the small "apartment" that she had.
One day, Angela's curiosity over came her prudence and she asked the question that had been nagging at the back of her mind for some time. "What do you tell the guys you are doing, to be gone the large part of three days?"
Harry had shrugged nonchalantly and said, "I just tell them that I'm training for Voldemort. Which is sort of true, since we'll have to do it together."
It was true that they had spoken of how they would defeat Voldemort. Harry had dreams about Voldemort currently and told Angela he was very frustrated at the fact that she had just disappeared. Angela saw Voldemort in the future, though not far, sometimes only days or even hours. She often heard Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy discussing whom the secret keeper would be and she had to laugh at the fact that his own son was betraying him. She also laughed at the fact that they were looking for only one person.
They also frequently discussed what spells could be used to kill him. They figured that a simple Avada Kedavra would not kill him, just as it hadn't fifteen years prior, though Harry had argued the point well.
"He has my blood in him, so he's mortal. And more human than he was back then."
"Yes, well, he's had a year and a half to try to make himself immortal again. And since he knows how, it wouldn't take him as long as it did before. I'm sure Tom Riddle was perfectly human at one point, so it's not somewhere that he's never been before." Angela had pointed out.
Harry had snorted at the idea that Tom Riddle was human, but he had to admit that she had a point with the fact that Voldemort had had plenty of time to become immortal again. Angela spent some days going through every spell that she knew, listing them all so that she and Harry could look over them together. So far they hadn't come up with anything more promising than Avada Kedavra, which would merely kill his body, which he could get back again, as he had already proved once.
The weeks passed slowly, but as they did the holidays approached. As bad as life had been in America she had always been with her family at Christmas. She had a hard time explaining to her grandmother in a letter why she wouldn't be able to come home for Christmas and had an even harder time explaining it to her mother, who was right there in London. Angela would have rather stayed at Hogwart's anyway, as the friends she had there were more her family than any of her real family, but she knew that she would not be able to spend the holidays with her friends.
She considered asking Dumbledore once, but she knew that the answer would be "No." and that she would feel dumb for having asked. She had resigned herself to a lonely holiday when Dumbledore brought the subject the Wednesday before school was to let out for the holiday.
"I was thinking, that you shouldn't have to spend Christmas alone. However, it would be dangerous for you to simply go out and see all of your friends. I was thinking, however, that the four student secret keepers could spend the holidays here with you. Extra bedrooms could be arranged and I would join the reverie on Christmas, perhaps along with Remus."
Angela was stunned. "You…you really mean that? I mean, that they could all stay here? What about the memory charm?"
"Another could always be performed easily. I know that it is difficult for you to be here alone most of the time, and it would be a pity for you to be alone during the holidays."
Angela had jumped up and given Dumbledore a hug at that. "Thank you, Albus! This means so much!"
He had chuckled and said, "I'm sure you can handle informing the other students, as I don't know who they are?"
Angela grinned up at him. "Yeah, I can do that. Thank you again."
He smiled at her kindly. "Anything for you, Angela." With that he had left her alone to think about how to tell the others.
After thinking for a while Angela figured that the best way would be to send them all notes by owl the next morning. Ron would be coming the next day, but she didn't want any one of them to find out before the others. She was sitting in the kitchen that night, wondering where she would get the owl, when Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, a school owl and Falco, Draco's eagle owl, flew in through her window.
"You guys really are good, you know that?" she said to the owls, which patiently (well, for the most part…Pigwidgeon was zooming around the kitchen, occasionally hitting the wall) waited while Angela quickly wrote notes to all of her secret keepers. They all said the same thing, except for the names on them.
Hey! Good news! Dumbledore is letting all of the secret keepers stay here for the winter holidays. I'm setting up extra bedrooms, and each will have their own. Please come on Saturday around noon. I will have lunch ready when you get here.
She had added a P.S. to Harry's telling him to come on Friday as normal before sending the owls off with the letters. She couldn't help smiling as she ate her dinner, thinking about the time that they would all have.
She spent the day Thursday putting up a Christmas tree and decorating it carefully. She had to use her wand to put decorations on the high branches, but when she stepped back to admire her handiwork she had to admit that it was lovely. She had used reds and greens and silvers and golds, which were all thankfully Christmas colors. She hoped that all of her friends would feel at home, though she had a feeling there would be another "Malfoy's a secret keeper?" incident on Saturday.
Ron came that afternoon and they visited for a while. Angela noticed that he had a worried look on his face and that he also avoided the subject of staying over the holidays.
Angela got tired of it after a while and just blurted out, "Alright, why don't you want to stay?"
Ron looked down, avoiding her eyes as he answered. "Well, it's just that…I really wanted to spend Christmas with Harry and Hermione. I…I don't know."
Angela smacked herself in the head just then, making Ron look up at her quickly, with a concerned look on his face. "Of course! How could I be so stupid? Damn!"
"Um, Angela? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just debating with myself. Give me a minute."
If she told him that Harry and Hermione were secret keepers now, she risked exposure if Voldemort got to them before Saturday. Of course, Saturday was only a day away. She finally concluded that they would be safe until Saturday, and that she would see Voldemort before he could get to them.
"Well, I guess," she began, "since Saturday's only a day away it wouldn't hurt to tell you who the other secret keepers are."
Ron looked worried again. "I don't think that we should though. I mean…I really don't think that it will change my mind. Unless…" his eyes suddenly got wide, "Harry and Hermione are secret keepers." He finished in almost a whisper.
Angela smiled at him before speaking. "I'm surprised it took you that long. Who else would it be?"
Ron just shook his head, still looking shocked. "Well, there's someone else…two someone's actually." He raised his eyebrow a bit and smiling, trying to hint that he wanted to know who the others were.
Angela laughed while she thought to herself. "It might actually be easier to deal with his reaction to Draco now. I mean, I can tell Harry tomorrow, and Hermione will understand."
"Well, I guess it won't hurt to tell you one other. The other you will simply have to wait until Christmas to find out."
"Alright, deal."
"Alright. I'm only telling you this because I think it would be better for you to get mad now, instead of on Saturday."
Ron got a suspicious look at that, but continued to listen.
"Well…" Angela paused, looking at Ron for a minute, "It's Malfoy."
Ron reacted just as he had when she had first told him. "MALFOY?!?!?! How could you let Malfoy be your secret keeper? He finds out who we are and he'll go running straight to his Daddy!"
"No, he won't Ron." Angela stood and looked Ron in the eye. "He's nice and I want you to be nice to him while you two are here. Please?"
Ron was furious and beginning to turn a dark shade of red. "Angela, what were you thinking? Why do you trust him? After all the things he's said about you? And not to mention how he's tortured Harry, Hermione, and myself the past six years!"
"I don't know, Ron! I don't know why I trust him, but I do. He saved my life, and I don't think, no, I know that he wouldn't hand it to Voldemort, or his father!" Angela yelled at Ron.
Ron looked surprised for a minute. "He- he saved your life?"
"Yes," Angela said, "That night in October when I was out late and Voldemort was there, he was the one that woke me up. He was willing to die to save me. The least I can give him is my friendship."
Ron was speechless. He kept opening and closing his mouth and finally gave up and shook his head. "I had…no idea. I didn't know he cared about anyone but…well, himself."
"Yeah, well, it's not something he's made a habit of…"
"You can say that again." Ron still looked shocked and had sat, or more collapsed, into a chair behind him. "Why is he still a bastard to us?"
"Well, he does have an image to keep up. He can't have everyone thinking that he's gone soft. And if you tell anyone but Harry and Hermione what I just told you, I will hex you into next week."
Ron looked at her, a wry smile on his face. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." Angela smiled back. "But," he continued, "that doesn't mean that I'm going to be nice to him. I'll tolerate, but there's only so far I will go. Even for you."
Angela nodded. "That's fine, as long as you two don't fight."
"I can't promise anything for Harry though."
"Don't worry. I'll talk to Harry about it tomorrow." Now it was Angela's turn for the wry smile. Ron grinned at her, knowing just what she was talking about. Angela was fairly sure that Ron and Hermione had gone "all the way" already. She and Harry hadn't, but she didn't feel as if she were missing out on too much. She told Harry early on in their relationship that she didn't want to have sex until she was married and, as hard as it was some nights, she had stuck by her promise to herself.
"So, what game do you have for me to beat you at today?" Ron's question brought her out of her thoughts of Harry and back to reality.
"Oh, um…I think Mel sent me Clue. Yeah! I love this game."
They set the game up and Angela explained the rules. It took a few games but Ron finally beat her, though she could see that this was one that she would have a chance at. They were soon laughing quite loudly and played until around ten, when Ron decided he should go back and start his schoolwork.
"I'll see you on Saturday, Ron."
He smiled and said, "Yeah. Oh, and nice tree by the way," before walking out the door.