Author's Notes: Sorry guys about the wait but it took some time before I could find an internet café where fanfiction actually worked. I am sooo amazed at the number of reviews I got and will personally thank everybody next time when internet isn't so damn expensive!

Thank you again and again! Enjoy!

..~**~..

Chapter 24

It was finally the Christmas holidays and Abigail felt happier than ever as she entered the Great Hall for breakfast. She sat by herself, away from the Slytherins. She was too lost in her thoughts about last night to notice Pansy sending her jealous glares or Blaise trying to catch her eye.

..~**~..

Abigail stormed out of the Great Hall to the gardens nearly stumbling on her ball gown. To hell with Malfoy! What a pompous ass! She fumed silently as she stepped into Hogwarts gardens, avoiding the couples sitting on the benches.

Harry soon caught up with her and smiled amused as she continued ranting about the Slytherin Prince. He finally gave her his cloak as she began to shiver from the cold and held her in his arms, trying to keep her warm.

"You know, if someone saw us like this, we'd be in so much trouble," she began, looking up into his gleaming green eyes.

They looked even more alive and powerful than ever and Abigail suddenly realised how close Harry was standing before her. He leaned in casually and she couldn't stop herself from smiling as she felt his body pressed against hers through the cloak.

"I don't care about the others," Harry whispered softly in her ear. "Do you?"

Abigail looked back at him surprised. It was the first time she had ever heard Harry speak with the same confidence and near arrogance as in fifth-year. She was even more surprised as he suddenly leaned in to kiss her. His warm soft lips seemed to melt against hers and deciding that she didn't care either about what the others could say, she kissed him back.

..~**~..

Sitting at the Slytherin table, Abigail realised Malfoy was missing, which seemed strange as he rarely missed any meals. She looked up at the Gryffindor table and spotted an empty space next to Ron and Harry. However, she forgot about Malfoy and Granger the moment she caught Harry's eye. He winked at her and then pointed discreetly to the main door. Abigail quickly understood that he wanted her to follow him.

Waiting for him to leave the hall, she got up and followed him out several minutes later into the main corridor, which was always empty during breakfast time. Looking around for Harry, she suddenly felt a hand grab her from behind and pull her back.

Spinning around, Abigail came face to face with the grinning Gryffindor.

"Hi!"

"Hey!" she greeted, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"I just wanted to say that I missed you," he said, dropping kisses down her neck.

Abigail giggled softly, but eventually pushed him back.

"I'm sorry Harry, but I need to find Malfoy before he leaves Hogwarts. I need to settle a few things with him," she said, taking his hand in her own.

Harry's face fell at her words. "Malfoy? What for?"

"I'm going to his house, or rather manor in a couple of days. My father is there and I need see to him," she answered trying to sound casual about it.

However, Harry's reaction wasn't quite the one she had expected. He dropped her hand and furrowed his brows, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Harry, there's no need to be upset. I think my father is being held there against his will and Draco is going to help me get him out."

Oh no, did I just say Draco? Abigail mentally kicked herself for saying his first name as she watched Harry try to control his rising anger.

"Well, if you need to settle things with – Draco, what are you waiting for then?" he said between clenched teeth, stepping aside.

"Harry, come on, you know it's not like that," Abigail tried to defend herself. "He finally agreed during our last lesson to help me with my dad and –"

But she abruptly fell silent as she realised her own mistake.

Harry's eyes narrowed at her words. "Lesson? You don't have any lessons in common with Malfoy."

Abigail took a deep breath, not too sure what to say next. What the hell! I can't keep my deal with Malfoy from him forever.

"No, it's not what you think," she told him quietly. "I'm actually teaching Malfoy some magic."

She felt so guilty as she spoke that she could barely look at him. Harry paused as he battled with his mind about this new piece of information. Abigail thought she had made a mistake before, but now, this seemed far worse.

"You're teaching Malfoy your family magic?" he demanded coldly, his green eyes narrowed at her.

Abigail panicked at the harsh sound of his voice. "I thought you knew," she lied, feeling her heart beat rapidly against her chest. "I thought I'd made it quite clear to you, Harry. My family is neutral to this war, but I saved Ginny and killed a Death Eater and so in order to remain neutral, I have to help the other side by teaching Malfoy."

"And when were you planning on telling me this?" he suddenly shouted at her, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Does Dumbledore even know about this?"

"Snape does," Abigail breathed out, fearing another outburst.

"Great!" he yelled once more backing away from her. "This just keeps getting better and better! Tell me Abby, with how many more of my enemies do you spend time with behind my back? No, don't tell me: you also meet up with Voldemort for tea every Tuesday!"

She deserved every ounce of his anger, but it still stung her badly and Harry wasn't finished yet. "Do you realise that this could all get us killed!" he whispered furiously as students began to file out of the Great Hall. He was starting to frighten Abigail. She had never seen him so angry before.

"No I swear, no one is going to die!" she cried out, her face turning pale at his words.

"Oh, of course!" Sarcasm seethed through his words as his bright green eyes glared down at her. "And last year; all those friends we used to know Abby, what do you think happened to them?"

He glared at her intently, a look of revolt on his face. His words had had the same effect on Abigail as a slap across the face and she merely stared back at him, speechless, and with tears glistening in her eyes.

"Harry, you're not being fair," she said quietly, looking up at his angry face. "I wouldn't help Malfoy if it was up to me, but I don't have any choice in this!"

"No, you're the one not playing fair, Abigail. How very Slytherin of you!" he said in disgust before walking away from her.

Abigail watched him disappear amongst the crowd in a daze until she felt hot tears fall on her cheeks.

..~**~..

Barely an hour later, Abigail finally spotted Malfoy in the main hall, waiting by his school trunk.

"What happened?" he asked as he saw Abigail's red eyes.

"Nothing, nothing at all," she answered softly. "Are you leaving?"

"Yes, right now," he said, looking troubled. "I'll see you in a couple of days. We'll meet as planned. If you want to save your father, then everything HAS to go as planned. Do you understand?"

He looked at her sternly, but Abigail noticed something about him was wrong. Somehow, he didn't seem as cold anymore, but much more nervous. What was going on?

"Fine, I'll see you soon then," she told him as he enchanted his trunk and left the castle. She watched him disappear down the muddy path until he reached the Hogwarts entrance gates where Apparition was possible.

Watching him leave, Abigail secretly wished that she were Malfoy for a second - he was going home to his family for Christmas - her family, on the other hand, would never be the same again.

"Have you seen Dr - er, Malfoy?" a voice suddenly asked behind her.

Jumping back to reality, Abigail turned around to see a very anxious-looking Hermione, with wild bed hair and a tired expression on her face.

Looks like Granger's experiencing the delights of a hangover.

"He's just left," she told her, raising a curious eyebrow at her. "Hermione, I don't mean to be rude, but you look awful! Exactly how much did you drink last night?"

"Oh no, it's not the alcohol!" Hermione answered quickly, trying to smoothen down her hair. "I just – didn't sleep very well."

She seemed very odd and confused, but Abigail thought nothing of it. Before she could bid her goodbye, the Gryffindor girl suddenly grabbed her arm and led her aside, away from the other students.

"Abby, I have to tell you something," she whispered quietly to her. Her mind seemed to battle on whether or not she could reveal her secret and then, she remained silent for several seconds.

Abigail rolled her eyes. "Hermione, I don't have all day. What is it?"

The Head Girl quickly snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, I – I just wanted you to know that – well – that – that –"

She paused avoiding Abigail's eyes. What on earth is wrong with her?

"That time you saw Dumbledore, before you went to hospital, well it wasn't him!" Hermione eventually blurted out.

Abigail blinked back at her. "What?"

"I talked to McGonagall after and we're sure about it. The man you and Harry saw that day you were brought to the hospital wing wasn't Albus Dumbledore," she explained more slowly.

"Merlin's beard!" Abigail breathed out quietly. "Who do you think it was?"

"I was going to ask you the same question," Hermione answered, shrugging her shoulders. "But I do hope that he wasn't a Death Eater."

They stared at each other in silence, lost in their thoughts before Hermione finally spoke up.

"I need to go and get changed otherwise I'm going to miss breakfast entirely. Happy Christmas Abigail, I hope you enjoy your holidays," she said politely, although her eyes were full of worry.

"And please be careful," she added as an afterthought. "Remember you're not all powerful and Death Eaters will surely come after you for saving Ginny."

Abigail was surprised at Hermione's sudden honesty but didn't let it show on her face and smirked instead. "And who said I wasn't all powerful like the Death Eaters?" she teased, laughing as she spoke.

Chocolate brown eyes filled with pity gazed back at her.

"Abby, you're just a sixteen-year-old witch."

Her deadpanned voice struck Abby like ice-cold water and instantly wiped the grin of the Slytherin girl's face. Turning her heels, Hermione quickly stepped back up the stairs, leaving a baffled Serpent behind.

..~**~..

Abigail spent the next couple of days by herself at Hogwarts. Nearly all the students had gone back home for Christmas and the castle was oddly empty. She managed to return to St Mungo's to see her mother, whose condition had not improved since the previous visit. Abigail swore to thoroughly read the Serpent books once she was home again to find some sort of potion that could help her get better, although she already knew that there were none.

All day long she couldn't help thinking about Harry and the argument they had had. The Boy Who Lived surely hated her now. She tried not to think about it too much, but it bugged her day and night and she finally decided to write him a letter to say how sorry she was and ask for his forgiveness. It was the least she could do after all.

Finally, it was time to meet with Malfoy. Before noon, Abigail packed her bags and left the castle for Hogsmeade where she could safely Apparate to their rendez-vous point. It was a small Muggle town not far away from Malfoy Manor. Lucius wasn't supposed to be back from some sort of Ministry business until the following week and so Malfoy would pick her up from the Muggle town and help her rescue her father kept in the manor.

When Abigail Apparated to the small town, she quickly took off her black school cloak, revealing denim jeans, heels, a thick winter jacket and a shoulder bag where all her belongings had been shrunk in size to fit in. She walked down the town's high street, looking curiously around although she had been to the Muggle world several times. She sometimes preferred it to the magical one. Looking at the Christmas decorations in the shop windows, she smiled. It reminded her of home and it suddenly hit her how much she missed it.

Out of nowhere, Abigail slowly heard the sound of a roaring engine and screeching tires approaching behind her. She turned around and made a face as she saw a silver Lamborghini speeding down the street and abruptly halt in front of her.

Dear Merlin, you have got to be kidding me! And I thought he hated Muggles and everything that belonged to them!

The driver's black tainted window rolled down, revealing a devilish smirk.

"Hey Malfoy," Abigail greeted with sarcasm. "Did Daddy buy you a new car?"

He opened the door for her and she walked around the car to hop inside.

"Talking about Lucius, we have a problem," he told her quickly as he took his foot off the brakes and sped off down the road again. "He came back from his 'business' trip last night."

Putting her seatbelt on quickly and cringing in fear every time the car swerved round a corner, Abigail cast him a concerned look. "Okay, well I guess we'll just have to deal with him first."

"Remember, there's no 'we' in this. He mustn't know I'm helping you," he cautioned her, turning left onto the motorway.

"Okay, okay!" Abigail cried out annoyed and she switched on the radio, which suddenly blasted out some latest Muggle song.

"Merlin, you actually listen to that stuff?" Malfoy exclaimed, looking at her in disgust.

"Hey! I'm not the one driving some Muggle means of transport!" Abigail cried back in disbelief.

He shrugged as they came to the gates of the Malfoy estate. They were enormous, bigger than anything Abigail had ever seen, and a large 'M' was engraved in the middle. It took them more than twenty minutes to actually cross Malfoy park and reach the house or rather mansion Abigail realised as she stepped out of the car.

"Wow," she exclaimed looking at Malfoy Manor in admiration. It wasn't the creepy and dark house she had pictured at all, although it did seem rather old. The snow-covered park around it was beautiful and Malfoy, stepping out of the car, smirked back at her.

"Like it?" he bragged before leading her to the large front door. It opened straight away before they even reached it and a tiny creature, a house elf, stood behind the large dark mahogany door looking frightened as anything.

"Oh, you have a house elf!" Abigail said excitedly, smiling brightly. "My mother never allowed us to have one!"

Malfoy looked at her strangely before turning back to his elf. "Where's Father, Speck?" he bellowed at him.

"In his office," the petrified creature squeaked before rushing off into the house.

"Malfoy!" Abigail steamed, hitting him in the arm. "You frightened it!"

He shrugged before making his way into the house towards his father's study, literally dragging Abigail along with him as she kept pausing to admire each and every room.

"We have to be quick and surprise him before the house elves tell him that I'm back!" he reminded her before finally reaching another pair of large oak doors.

"Just walk in and stun him or something," Malfoy suggested to her.

"What? You're a Death Eater and that's the best plan you could come up with?" Abigail exclaimed in a whisper. "I already have a plan anyway so stop worrying!"

She entered the large room and immediately saw Malfoy Senior, Voldemort's second in command with his back turned to her, ruffling through some papers.

"I already told you not to disturb me!" he barked loudly, making the mistake of keeping his back turned.

Abigail smiled at his stupidity as she pulled out her wand. "I think you can probably make an exception for me," she called out amused.

Spinning around furiously, Lucius took his wand out in a flash, but it whipped out of his hands and into Abigail's before he could use it. "What are you doing here?" he growled at her.

"How rude! You're the one who invited me over for Christmas, remember?" she reminded him, stepping closer to him. "But in all honesty, it was only a matter of time before I eventually came to see my father."

She was only a few metres away from him now and held her wand dangerously pointed at him.

"Now if you don't mind Lucius, I'd like to see him without you being in my way. Stonificus!" she cursed at him.

Caught off guard, Lucius screeched out in pain as his body slowly changed from pale white flesh to pale grey granit. Within a few seconds, the study fell silent again as Lucius's body had completely transformed into a stone statue. Malfoy rushed in at the cry and stopped abruptly as he saw the statue of his father before him.

"How the hell did you do that?" he demanded, his eyes wide open with shock.

"I already taught you that spell," Abigail answered quickly, turning her heel on Lucius.

"You mean the 'Stonificus' spell can even be used on people?" he stated in disbelief as she walked past him and out of the study.

"Yes," she said with unease as she realised Malfoy's enthusiasm. "But it takes time and practice and it only worked for your father because the idiot let his guard down and didn't have a wand to defend himself."

Malfoy looked dumbstruck at his father and suddenly turned around, a frown on his face. "Can he hear us?"

"No," she answered impatiently, looking for a way back to the main entrance. "Can we find my father now?"

..~**~..

What did you think? I had a lot of fun adding the Lamborghini in, it just screams 'Malfoy', don't you think? Lol! Its been a while since I wrote this chapter and there were things I wanted to change but I can't remember. If I do, I will.

Next chapter will be up hopefully in a week's time when I'm back! Review...