Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Harry Potter world, including Hogwarts, Draco and Ginny. I do own the plot to this, and some of this characters I own as well, but nothing else.

Author's Note: The sixth chapter! Thanks for the awesome response! I repeat once more, I KNOW Ginny's name is Ginevra, but for the sake of not having to change every single chapter, I am leaving it as Virginia. Again thanks to NB for the wonderful ideas for this story! The mistletoe and Krys' gift to Mike were her idea too!

It Wasn't Unexpected

Summary: SEQUEL TO MARRIAGE TO A MALFOY Krystal and Michael are in their 5th year at Hogwarts and they still are as "polite" as they ever were to one another. Being in different Houses does not help the situation, but maybe Christmas can. R&R please!

Dedication: This chapter is very special! It is a (rather belated, true) birthday gift for Amirah! Her sister Nadia told me that as a birthday present I wrote a chapter for Amirah, and here it is! So… HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMIRAH! Her birthday was on August 29th, and even though this is a bit late, I hope you like it all the same. You sister is very sweet and it was she who put me up to this. Happy Birthday! There's a special little something inside for you.

Chapter Six:

What are you doing?

"Michael, what are you doing?" she breathed. He froze for a moment… She had said his name. Apparently, she noticed it too, for she widened her eyes very slightly, but then she let it pass, she had already said it, so what more could she do?

"You said my name," he said, Krystal laughed sourly to herself, so much for stating the obvious. She sighed deeply and looked up at him with feigned indifference.

"Yeah, so?" she said, trying to be as cool as possible, Michael merely stared at her, his hand resting upon her arm gently. She wanted to go, to turn away, but his stare was just too deep and she found herself glued to the spot. "What do you want from me?" she asked in the same tone, trying with all her might to not let her emotion show in her expression.

"I don't want anything from you… I just…" he sighed, apparently frustrated and shook his head. "Why can't it be like it was when we were little?"

"Because we're not little anymore," she replied, biting her lip slightly. A frown became apparent in her features. "Look, Mich-Potter… why can't we just go back to hating each other in peace?" He looked up at this, skepticism all over his features.

"In peace? There is no such thing as peace with us, Krystal. We either argue, or yell, or disagree at everything. I don't know what your meaning of peace is, but that is not certainly it for me," he said, his voice becoming rather exasperated. "You don't know how much I wish I could hate you 'in peace', Krystal, but I can't bring myself to do so after you've been haunting every conscious and unconscious moment since Hogsmeade!"

Krystal stared at him in wonder. Haunted him? She had haunted him? Was he even listening to himself? Nevertheless… she was rather glad to know that she wasn't the only one with such thoughts. Even though, this was just simply too much, she couldn't fathom how it was possible that this was happening to them.

She felt his hand as it slid from her arm and he retrieved it toward himself. She turned around, her back facing him once more, and she bowed her head, staring at the floor and biting her lip, trying to let all the information just… sink in.

She heard Michael sigh behind her and he echoed that exact thing.

After some consideration, and some heavy thinking, she decided to speak. "I lied to you, Potter."

"What do you mean?" he asked, and she heard his voice faintly. She took a rather deep breath.

"I did buy you a present, I was thinking of sending it with your sisters… but now that the occasion presented itself… well…" she dug inside her pocket and pulled a small parcel. Turning around, she handed it to him. He stared at it simply and then unpacked it.

Within lay a small silver crest. Labored on it was a snake, forming an S and moving constantly, its eyes glowing silver and its scaly, textured body colored in a rather bright green, winking into darker green before his very eyes. Rather flabbergasted by it, he carefully put it away. "Thank you… it's… amazing," he said. Krystal just shrugged. "I also bought you a present… it was not the mistletoe…" he handed her a small parcel much like the one she had given him.

Within this one, however, were two golden hairpins, each with moon and stars flashing in blue and bronze. She marveled upon them and managed a small, but hesitant smile. "Er... thanks."

Silence now reigned in the room. Neither knew what to do, nor what to say. It was uncomfortable. She felt too odd by being civil to him, it was just… weird. Sighing, she played with her feet. Upon her confusion and her thoughts entered the sneaky shadow of doubt. What if indeed she was kind of starting to like him?

That was impossible! It was simply unfathomable! It would be completely preternatural!

Shaking her head, Krystal cleared her throat, causing Michael to look up at her. Underneath the firelight, his eyes shone dully, the bright, piercing green characteristic of them was now rather opaque. His skin took on a golden color and his auburn unruly hair stuck out everywhere, much like his father's. She stared at him for a long time, and did not seem to mind if he noticed.

Letting her stare, Michael took his time to stare at her too. Her middle-length fiery red hair fell gracefully in a curtain around her face, untouched, unbothered. Her translucent eyes glinted brightly, reflecting the color of the embers in the fireplace. Her pale skin took on a more tanned glow, even if it was just the effect of the fire and the batch of freckles in her nose and cheeks danced in and out of focus by the effects of the dim light. Her lips… why was he staring at her lips now?

He willed himself to look at anything else, but that didn't help either.

Shaking his head, he looked now towards the fire and after a moment, at her. "So… what now?" he asked. She shrugged almost instantly and he saw as he old character began to fight its way into the surface once more.

"What do you mean? Nothing now, Potter. Nothing is going to change," she said as coldly as she could manage. Truth was that she could not let this get to her and she needed to; if possible, stop anything else like that from happening.

She did not, I repeat, did not want to fall for him.

Not that, she said to herself, she was doing it now.

Michael raised an eyebrow and looked at her skeptically. "Things are going to change, Malfoy, you can be sure of that. You might not accept it now, but you will come to see they will change." He took a step closer to her, but she stood her ground, putting a hand in his chest to stop him.

"Not this time, Potter," she said, kind of glaring up at him. "We'll forget this ever happened and we'll go back to be as we were with each other before Hogsmeade."

"Tell me you didn't like it, Krystal," he said, allowing her hand to stop him. She furrowed her brow.

"I didn't like it…" she lied, but she didn't let that show in her features, she was staring resolutely at him now.

"You're lying, Malfoy. You're lying and I know it!"

"I'm not." Krystal shook her head and took her hand away from his chest. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted.

"Krystal, your mum and dad are looking for you," said one of her cousins, a girl of some 14 years of age. Krystal and Michael immediately took one step back from one another. The girl looked at them with raised eyebrows and shook her head.

"Thank you, Amirah," said Krystal as she walked up to her. The girl nodded silently and walked out of the room, Krystal following in her wake. Before going out of the room, though, Krystal turned to Michael. "Happy Christmas, Potter." Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she exited the room completely.

Michael sighed to himself and mumbled, "Happy Christmas indeed, Malfoy." He took one last glance after her and then eyed the crest that now lay on his open palm. Blinking, he put it inside his pocket for safekeeping and then, waiting until he was sure he wouldn't encounter her, he went out of the room out to the backyard, where his parents were expecting him underneath an oak tree.

"You okay, son? I was about to send Aurors to the bathroom to see if you were alright," Harry joked, patting Michael on the back as he came close to them. Michael immediately gave him a half-smile.

"I wasn't in the bathroom all that time, Dad, I stopped by the living room and… thought about some things." Michael shrugged and Harry was happy enough with that answer. Saying they ought to say goodbye, Harry left along with his twin daughters. Michael began to follow in their wake, but Hermione put a hand on his shoulder gently.

Michael looked at his mother, raising an eyebrow and she smiled kindly. "Did you have a good time, dear?" she asked. He nodded lightly. "You know... perhaps both of you are in denial. Take it from me… it could take a while." And still smiling, she slid her hand down until she cupped her hand in his and dragged him gently towards where Harry and the twins were.

And now Michael was left to wonder if his mother did know or if she just had a vague idea of what was happening. He shrugged both options off; he didn't want to think about that now.

What did he want to think about?

Searching absentmindedly through the small crowd that now was left in the backyard, he spotted Krystal. She was holding one of her little brothers and cradling him while he slept, his head drooping over her shoulder and his legs straddling her waist. He could see her frown, with her gaze lost somewhere into the woods nearby. Perhaps she was thinking.

He hoped it was about him.

He stopped himself in the middle of that thought. What was he saying?! Not some days ago, they didn't even LIKE each other… and now THIS?! He shook himself off his trance and looked away. Groaning, he shook his head, he could only ask himself:

What are you doing, Michael Potter?

---Don't forget to check and keep track of my blog because there'll be quite a bit of important info in there and you guys can comment in a more direct way there. It also states every time I update and it has the story mapped out as well as some other tidbits important to the MtaM series storyline---

Author's Note: Review, please! Some of you may have noticed (and if you haven't I suggest you check it out) that both on my Author's Page and on my blog, I've declared a small Hiatus for my stories, which means I won't be updating as regularly. For more information on this, do check out my Author Info on my profile, thanks.

Don't forget to leave me a nice juicy review, whether it is to insult me for making you guys wait or to simply say: "HI!".

-Blue