READ THIS PLEASE!: This is a small Christmas special! I hope you all enjoy it.

Christmas before Harry Potters Return: Alice Niete's first year.

Intermission: Bedtime Christmas

"I don't know why you want to see him, he's a Slytherin." Said Julie. She pushed a brown lock behind her ears and looked down at Alice who was packing her bag.

"If you didn't care about him, then you shouldn't even have brought him up." Growled Alice exasperatedly. "I am not going to just leave someone in the infirmary who is there because he tried to help me. I don't care what house he is supposed to be from." Alice Niete quickly stood up from the chair in the library and ran to the infirmary. Alice had stayed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the holidays and was lucky that so many other students had as well. Several olderHufflepuff students didn't like that she had been taking a few of their classes and cornered her the day before. A second year boy had stood up for her that day and was attacked by the same Hufflepuff students this morning. Alice didn't know why the Slytherin stood up for her, but was grateful for it.

Julie gave up on chasing after her when she left the library. Alice smiled weakly at that. Julie was the only friend she had made since she first started Hogwarts that September but was quickly finding that Julie had narrow views on things Alice did not appreciate. Alice's advanced abilities in magic being a major one. It also did not help that everyone who would whisper behind her back would come around and ask for help with their homework. When ever Alice balked at the audacity her fellow class mates showed, they would just harass her for thinking they were better than her. Alice puffed a breath of air to push away a longer than normal bang that hanged over her eyes. She unconsciously fixed her robes as she entered the Hospital wing.

Madam Pomfery swooped on the incoming student like a bird of prey. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Alice was surprised by the sudden challenge. "T-there is a boy who was brought up here, can I see him?" Madam Pomfery raised her eye brow at the request but nodded and escorted the first year to the boy. His bed was cornered off into a private room by walled curtains. Alice gasped when she saw the boy was severely cursed and had welts and gashes on his body. "Why haven't you healed him yet?" Alice said in a shaky voice.

Madam Pomfery sighed and said, "There were so many hexes that were cast, that if I tried to heal any of them at least another one would react to it, I am using salves for now. We just have to wait for the body to heal itself before I can actually start healing spells. He has been unconscious when he came in and will likely sleep for the next few days."

Alice looked at the blond Slytherin. She touched his head before looking up at the matriarch, "What's his name?"

The medi-witch said softly, "Owen Yellow." Madam Pomfery check Owen quietly then left.

Alice sat next to Owen's bed for the rest of the day. When she returned to Griffindor tower, Julie was in a right fit that Alice was gone for so long. "I can't believe you missed dinner to stay with some Slytherin."

Alice's nose flared when she closed the book she read and looked up at her friend who was close to endangering the status of their relationship. "If you think that I should not go and visit someone who had protected me from a bunch of upperclassmen then bugger off! I can't believe that you could be so thankless for someone who did not let me end up like him." Alice stalked up to her dorm room and slammed the door shut. Several other students who had stayed for the holidays looked up at Julie expectantly but she merely huffed and went back to reading her book.

The next few days had Alice spend breakfast with a silent Julie and lunch and dinner with an unconscious Owen. Alice found that she would often speak to Owen as if he was awake and silently wondered if he could actually hear her. Two days before Christmas, Alice walked into the infirmary and waved to Madam Pomfery who just smiled. Alice walked around the curtain and was surprised to see that Owen was sitting up. He silently sipped a bowl of soup with the occasional slurp. Alice stood there a few minutes watching him and wondering what he would say to her visiting him for the past week. She knew no one else visited him and wondered if he had any friends. Many of his classmates in his house had not visited. She also knew for a fact that they were all there since they would make sure to harass her in the hall ways when she went to visit him.

Owen finally set down his cup of soup. Several lacerations had healed nicely with no scars marring his face. Suddenly, Owen looked up to her. Alice caught her breath when he smiled. "Hello. Your the girl that those Hufflepuffs were harassing right?" She nodded mutely. He laughed lightly. "Don't be afraid I don't bite, well I did bite the prefect when he disarmed me…" He winked at her and Alice felt herself relax around him. Alice walked next to the bed and grabbed a chair near him. She just looked at him and was about to mumble an apology. Owen saw the 'sorry' coming and said quickly, "You don't have to say your sorry for anything, your not the one who attacked me. And I am the one who nosed into your business right?" Alice was still a lost for words. "I am right. Yeah, I know that your supposed to be smart, but I am never wrong. I guess your just going to have to live with it." he said in a mock snooty voice.

Alice didn't know how to respond to him and finally let out a giggle. "O.k. I won't apologize since its obviously your fault that you're in here."

Owen smiled, "Obviously." He looked at her for a moment. Alice blushed under the gaze not sure why he was looking at her so intently. Finally he smiled and said, "Thanks for visiting me the whole time." Alice looked up at him. "I recognized your voice."

Alice blushed again. "So do you have a tendency to save girls in distress?" She teased.

Owen smirked then said, "I just don't like people being bullied, yeah I know it doesn't go with the Slytherin motto, but being a muggle myself and in Slytherin isn't a picnic either. I have never seen such bigoted people in my life." he said mater-of-factly.

Alice snorted, "You should meet my aunt. The epitome of bigot." she said darkly. Her expression changed when she said, "My aunt was really mad when I didn't make Slytherin." Owen raised an eyebrow. Alice shrugged. "I come from a long line of purebloods."

Owen nodded. "So what did you do to earn the aggression of a few prefects?"

She grinned at him and the two began to talk about themselves for the rest of the day. The next day was Christmas eve and Alice found herself wearing her best robes to visit Owen who will be stuck in bed for another four days. She waved to Madam Pomfery again and took her usual seat next to Owen and brought her homework to help him with his charms. "Sorry for dragging you into this Alice, but I really am hopeless with Charms."

Alice grinned at him and took her seat next to him. She opened her fourth year charms book and handed it to him. "Its not that hard from what your learning right now. You just need some confidence and a relaxed wrist." She demonstrated the flicking movement and Owen copied it with out a wand.

She smiled at him and he grabbed his book that his head of house retrieved for him. He flipped it open to repelling charms and Alice guided his wrist movement. "You see?" she said gently. She used both of her hands to move his wrist. She looked up to smile at him encouragingly and saw his face turn a brilliant shade of red. She looked confused for a second then looked down to her hands still holding his. She let go slowly and smiled at him. "I don't bite."

Owen looked up to Alice and they stared at each other before they both laughed nervously. Owen did the wrist movement precisely and smiled at her. "Your right, not so hard."

"I guess that dispelled the 'youare always right' notion." Alice raised her nose imperiously. Owen chuckled. "All right, now you just need to take the charm slower. Its easier to make more precise movements."

Owen followed her instructions to the letter. After several hours with lunch and dinner serving as breaks, Alice had to go back to her tower before curfew. She waved to her new friend quickly before she packed up her things and left. Alice sighed on the way up to the tower. The past two days had been the best she has had since she got to Hogwarts. And Alice couldn't help but feel that she knew Owen for several weeks rather than a few days. When she entered the common room Julie looked up at her then looked away. Alice sighed and walked over to her friend.

"Julie?" Alice leaned over her friend. Julie sighed then moved over on the couch to allow Alice to sit. "Look I am sorry that I yelled at you…"

"Alice, don't, your right. I was being a prat." Alice looked at her and smiled.

"I am still sorry for yelling." She nudged her friend.

"So how is the Slytherin?" She looked at Alice expectantly then thought. "What's his name anyway?"

Alice blushed slightly and said, "Owen Yellow."

"Oh…" Julie looked over to her and smiled, "So that's it." She winked at Alice who just looked down at the table. "O.k. I am really sorry then, I didn't know."

"Will you be quiet. It's not like that!"

Julie smiled and said, "I don't suppose you got him anything for Christmas?"

"What are you talking about I just met him little over a week ago!" Alice almost shouted. She quickly lowered her voice and looked down. "It's not like I 'don't like him', it's that we just met. He is a nice guy and I am really grateful that he saved me." Alice sighed.

"Nothing to give your beau for Christmas, some way to start off your relationship." Alice just choked out some noises but Julie ignored them. "O.k. so you don't have anything to give him." Julie perked up a moment, "Does he have any favorite foods?"

Alice was about to argue that she wouldn't know then realized with embarrassment that she did. "He likes chocolate cake." She said in a small voice.

"Perfect!" Julie shot up and ran across the room. She quickly ran back with an older student. "Pam, Alice. Alice, Pam." Alice smiled weakly at the curious upper classmen. "Alice needs to get a chocolate cake to her new boyfriend Owen, who is in the infirmary."

Pam hmm'ed excitedly. "The Slytherin right? I heard he saved you." Alice just nodded still feeling red from all the excitement the two girls were exuding off them. "Ok follow me!" Pam grabbed Alice's hand and dragged her out of the portrait.

"But its after hours!" protested Alice. As the painting closed.

"Good luck Alice!" called Julie.

Pam quickly guided her down several flights of stairs to a painting of fruit. She grinned at Alice and said, "Look at this." She tickled a peach and the painting flew open. Alice gawked at the kitchen and house elves busily cleaning dishes. Pam walked in confidently and Alice followed with the painting closing behind her. "Ogg!" called Pam. A portly house elf appeared. Pam squatted and said, "Ogg, do you think you can whip up a small chocolate cake for my friend here? (its for her boyfriend)." She whispered to him conspiratorially. The house elf smiled and appeared a few minutes later with a small Christmas tree shaped chocolate cake with candied fruits decorating it as ornaments and a box to place it in. Alice and Pam awed at it before Alice placed it carefully in the box and the two Griffindor girls left the kitchen with a thank you to Ogg. They started walking towards the tower when Pam placed a hand on Alice's shoulder. Alice looked up to a grinning Pam. "Go to the hospital wing now, its late enough for Pomfery to be sleeping." Alice was about to protest, when Pam said, "Go, shoo."

Alice sighed and started heading towards the Hospital. The closer she got there, the more excited she became. By the time she reached the hospital doors she was giddy. She easily avoided Filch and his cat on the way down and only had to juggle the cake to open the enormous door. The door silently opened a crack and Alice slipped inside the dark room and was only able to navigate it because of the white snow outside. She walked quietly to Owens' bed with the giddy feeling fluttering her stomach.

He laid there legs and arms sprawled out and sticking out of the blankets. He snored lightly and Alice couldn't help but giggle. She walked up to him and noticed that two sets of tableware appeared next to Owens' bed. Alice grimaced. One of the house elves must have followed her. She set the cake on the table that held the plates and forks. Alice carefully leaned over Owen who still slept oblivious to her presence. She giggled again before touching his arm. It moved slightly and he continued to sleep. Finally, she took in a deep breath and shook his shoulder gently. He stirred, confused that the lights were still out. He rolled his head to her and almost shouted in surprise but caught himself.

"Alice, what are you doing here? Its got to be late."

Alice grinned at him in the dark room. "I just thought I would wish you an early Happy Christmas." She gestured to the cake and Owen looked at her in surprise them smiled. He got out from under his blankets and sat properly as Alice dragged the table to the bed so they could sit together and eat.

"This is great Alice, I feel bad now that I didn't give you anything."

Alice just grinned at him, "Its not like you could really do anything with you being in bed for most of the time I have known you."

"Is that cheek Miss Niete?" Owen teased. Alice simply stuck her tongue out at him. Owen chuckled and took a bite out of his half of the small cake. "This is great! Where did you get this?"

Alice smiled, "My secret, maybe I'll show you someday." She winked at him and they both laughed.

Owen looked at his watch. "Its 12:03. Happy Christmas Alice."

Alice blushed again, "Happy Christmas Owen."

Owen set his fork down and took a deep breath before he quickly placed a small peck on Alice's cheek. She looked at him with a mix of awe and surprise. He grinned back at her and they both laughed nervously.

When they finished their cake, the two sat there talking for a time before it was almost 1:30 in the morning. Owen prodded her to go to bed already. "Alright, but you need to promise me that we can do this again sometime." said Alice.

"If you insist. But I reserve the right to spend my free time with you when ever we both have it." Alice blushed and nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning, er in a few hours." Alice waved then crept out the door to the tower.

Owen laid back against his bed wondering where he got the courage to kiss her. He smiled back to the memory of her smile and thought, That's where. He fell asleep quickly knowing that he found a friend and hopefully something more this Christmas.

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Alright had enough time to put up a intermission piece. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Schnuff: Snape will start making a few appearances in the following chapters.

zero-skillz: Glad to see that you liked the small scene with Alice and Susan. I feel bad how neglected I have had Owen in all this. Hopefully this will allow a little background information on their relationship.

SlythsRule: Thanks for the compliment. I am glad to see that I am attracting new readers to my story.

A-man: Thanks for the review.

Next full chapter is still scheduled for Jan. 2, 2005. Have a Merry Christmas and New Year everyone.