¤ I'm SO sorry that this chapter took so long . . . I meant to post it two weeks ago, but I didn't have timesince I was in the Children's Musical (I was Cinderella's Setp-Mommy, in case anyone was wondering) and then we left for vacation. If it helps any, this chapter is twice as long as most chapters are.¤

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. Harry Potter™ is the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.


§ ¤ § Chapter Eleven: To Be Continued . . . § ¤ §

"I'm so excited! I can't believe the villagers are all coming home today!" KayKay said happily, stepping into a freshly laundered sky-blue uniform and zipping it up over her clean jeans and tee shirt.

"I know, isn't it crazy when you think of the fact that we've been here for nearly two months?" Harry agreed, adjusting the armband that marked him as a member of the relief team. It was true—they'd begun working on October 30, and it was already December 19.

KayKay nodded, fastening her supply belt around her waist for what was hopefully the last time. With completely clean clothing and the promise of happy faces that evening, the day seemed far more bearable than any day had for a long, long time . . . even days before the relief project had started.

"Well, either way, that won't be until tonight. We have work to do before then . . . like adding the finishing touches to Mr. Archer's shop," KayKay said, securing her hair in a ponytail and grabbing a tool kit from one of the many empty bedside tables.

Harry laughed. "You'd never let us forget that, would you?"

KayKay grinned, but her reply was evasive of the question. "Quick, let's get down there before somebody else tries to finish the sign!"

Harry rolled his eyes but looked amused all the same. "Alright, alright, let's go."

KayKay danced lightly out the door and skirted around a rather large snowdrift as she glanced up at the sky. It was nice and clear, which meant that it was cold but that they didn't need to worry about another blizzard . . . they'd certainly had plenty lately.

"So," Harry said, catching up to her with his own tool kit in tow, "you're going to finish the sign, and I'm going to . . .?"

"Mount the posts by the front door that the sign will hang from," KayKay finished for him, not once breaking her stride.

"Sounds good. How much do you have left?"

"A bit more shaping on the edges, then I need to finish up the small details of the letters. Oh, I can't wait for him to see it!"

"You don't say," Harry muttered, not quietly enough to evade KayKay's hearing. She promptly punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey! What was that for?" he demanded, rubbing his arm.

"For being your impeccably annoying self, Harry dear," she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. He responded by packing a snowball quickly and throwing it at her.

"Potter!" she gasped in indignation. He laughed and took off running down the street as she scooped up some snow, but he wasn't fast enough to escape her pitch. It caught him in the back and made him trip and fall, scattering the tools from his box.

KayKay walked towards him at a leisurely pace, smirking down at him once she reached the place where he sat. He scowled.

"I know, I know," he sighed as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Constant vigilance," they said at the same time. KayKay chuckled, and a few moments later, Harry joined in her laughter. Together they gathered the fallen tools and continued to Mr. Archer's new shop.

"Nice day, isn't it KayKay?"

"Doesn't look like we'll be getting a blizzard today, does it, guys?"

"Big day today!"

Comments came flying to Harry and KayKay as their fellow students passed by on their way to do this or that. The pair would glance up briefly from their work, offer an appropriate response, and then continue with their tasks.

KayKay had just finished carving out the area behind the letters that marked the store as "Archer's Antiques" and was starting on finishing the edges of the sign when Harry got off of his stepladder.

"Done," he announced, looking up proudly at the rod from which the sign would hang. "How's the sign coming along?"

KayKay growled in frustration at her wand, which she was gripping between both hands like a staff and using to carve away the edges.

"I can't get it to cut smooth!" she said, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "The blade keeps digging to far into the wood and it gets caught!"

The "blade" she referred to was magical and invisible. It was simply a means of her moving her wand and the blade following the motion.

Harry watched for a few moments, then crossed behind the stack of wood she was using as a seat.

"Here, try it like this," he suggested, guiding her hands. Immediately, KayKay's blade was being pressed against the wood much more lightly, and it was taking far less of the wood on each pass.

KayKay furrowed her eyebrow, trying to concentrate exactly on how to do it. Tap, brush, lift—no, that wasn't right, that took out blocks of wood.

"See, nice and gentle . . . imagine that it's a soft breeze rippling over a lake," he said softly, his whisper tickling her ear.

"How very poetic," she deadpanned. However, his low volume took the edge off of her sarcasm.

KayKay arms were just beginning to adjust to the rhythm of the work when an elderly voice behind them commented, "My, my, my. This looks cozy."

The movement stopped, and KayKay became suddenly aware of Harry's warmth and bulk against her and his arms the surrounded her down to where his hands covered hers.

As immediately as if she was on fire, KayKay sprang away, almost falling over in her haste.

"Mr. Archer! You're just in time, we were just finishing up your sign . . ." KayKay said hastily to the old man, throwing a glance at Harry as she did so. He seemed unperturbed and was brushing imaginary sawdust off of his jumpsuit. As if sensing her gaze, he looked at her levelly, then arched a single eyebrow as if to ask why she was acting bizarre.

What he didn't know—or at least, what KayKay thought he didn't know—was that she saw the grin that was tucked inside the corner of his mouth when she looked again at Mr. Archer.

"Would you do the honors of hanging it up, sir?" she asked.

The old man's eyes roamed across the front of the building slowly, a world of memories expressed in each tiny detail they took in. Finally, he looked back down at KayKay and Harry.

"What would be an honor," he replied with joyful smile, "would be if two very extraordinary young people with hearts of gold were to hang it up for me."

§ ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ §

The night passed happily for everyone—student and villager alike. Every volunteer was moved by the looks on everyone's faces . . . to Harry, it made all of the hard, long hours worth it.

There wasn't a single person who wasn't in high spirits. Hermione and Ron came over from Hogwarts along with all of the victims, and students interacted with all of the members of the community. Some helped children build snowmen, others talked with adults or joked with people close to their age.

Amidst the celebration, Francisca appeared and tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Yo dijo que vería tú otra vez!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly. Harry must have looked utterly confused, because she laughed—a friendly, musical sound.

"I say we meet again. And I was right!" she clarified. She'd obviously noticed that KayKay was nowhere nearby to translate.

Actually, Harry hadn't seen KayKay all night, which relieved him. The moment she'd realized that he was touching her was an awkward one, even if he'd pretended it wasn't. He'd noticed how uncomfortable she'd looked when she was no longer paying attention to her work and became aware of him.

That wasn't what made it awkward to see her, however—what made it awkward was that it hadn't made him uncomfortable.

"Buenas noches, Francisca," Harry said carefully, remembering his previous mistake.

" 'Buenas noches'! Muy bueno, Harry!" Francisca said, looking genuinely happy. She paused, almost as if trying to decide whether or not to repeat her words in English, but Harry spoke up before she could.

"Gracias. Hablo un poco de español ahora—just a bit, though!" he added in English, laughing along with her.

As her giggles subsided, Francisca asked, "Dónde está KayKay?"

Harry shrugged hopelessly. His meager grasp of Spanish didn't expand to whatever Francisca had just asked.

"Where KayKay?"

"I don't know—no sé."

"Ah. Gracias, Harry," she said, looking around distractedly. "Hasta luego . . ."

She turned then and headed down the street. "Hasta luego!" he called after her.

Harry glanced around, wondering where to go next, when Dumbledore's voice, magically amplified, called over the noise.

"Students! Students to the meeting square, please!"

Harry joined the people walking down the street towards Dumbledore. Villagers were gathering to hear the headmaster's announcement as well.

"Oy! Harry!" someone shouted. Harry scanned the crowd for the source of the voice, then saw Ron waving at him. Grinning, Harry wove through the crowd to join his red-haired friend.

"Hey, what do you think Dumbledore has to say?" Ron asked.

"I dunno," Harry said, looking over the crowd at the doorstep of The Three Broomsticks, where Dumbledore was positioned. "Some sort of speech?"

"Dumbledore? A speech? Never," Ron chuckled sarcastically. "So what have you—"

Ron stopped his question immediately as Dumbledore began to speak over the crowd and conversation died out.

"Greetings witches, wizards, and students!" he said jovially. "I wish to take this opportunity to welcome all villagers back to Hogsmeade—"

He paused gracefully as applause broke out, punctuated by cheers from some of the students.

"And I also wish to thank all students that worked to help this town and the people in it."

The noise that rose now from the villagers was much louder than the acclaim that had greeted Dumbledore's previous comment. Students all around the square were having their hands shaken or shoulders patted as men smiled and women cried. A small girl dashed over to Ron, hugged him about the knees, then hurried back and hid her face shyly in her mother's skirts.

As the hubbub died down, Dumbledore continued, "In these times more than ever before, we need to show the kind of love and sacrifice for friends and strangers alike that these fine young people showed here—sacrifice that very little of our world shall recognize them for.

"You see, fear shall not repel Voldemort, nor will fame nor fortune donated to a cause. It is only incontestable sacrifice and love that will drive him back—a love demonstrated by these young people who spent hard hours, days, weeks, and months to fight the evil of Voldemort. They did so for the greatest prize—peoples lives."

Everyone was silent, even the young children who seemed to be able to tell that this was a solemn moment. Dumbledore surveyed the crowd a moment in the stillness.

"A fire may destroy the wood, but in its wake, new flowers grow."

Harry paused and turned this over in his mind for a few moments. Leave it to Dumbledore to say something both the same and totally different every time he talked.

The headmaster stepped away from the doorway of The Three Broomsticks, and Madame Rosmerta took his place.

"On behalf of all of Hogsmeade, I'd like to thank all the volunteers from Hogwarts who helped us by rebuilding our homes and lives. It's my pleasure to announce that the adult members of the village, along with Dumbledore, have decided to give you a bit of respite after all you've done for us."

Harry and Ron looked at each other curiously, then back at Madame Rosmerta.

"So, we have arranged for all of you to spend Christmas Eve in Diagon Alley, followed by a Yule Ball at Starlight Arbor. Everyone would then spend the night at The Leaky Cauldron."

Whispers broke out among the students.

"Diagon Alley? Why Diagon Alley?" Ron asked.

"Probably because we don't go there as a school—and we can't very well spend a day here, can we? None of the stores have anything yet." Harry replied.

"But why isn't the ball at Hogwarts?"

"Think about it Ron," a new voice piped up suddenly. "Only a couple dozen students were involved in this. Imagine trying to keep other students away from the dance, and trying to rearrange their meals, and trying to decorate the Great Hall for such a small affair . . ." KayKay propped her arm on Ron's shoulder and leaned against it leisurely. "Actually, I think it's exciting that it'll be someplace besides Hogwarts. And I've only been to Diagon Alley once."

"Poor deprived child," Madison deadpanned. Hermione simply rolled her eyes.

"And what have you three been up to?" Ron asked, cocking an eyebrow.

" 'Up to'? Why Ronald, you say that as if you doubt the veracity of our innocence," KayKay said, batting her eyes sweetly. Harry snorted.

"And what isn't to doubt? Hermione may be Head Girl, but the two of you can't be a good influence on her."

"Harold James Potter, I am insulted. Are you insinuating that KayKay and myself are not faultless?" Madison gasped, putting a hand to her chest.

"Gee, why ever would I think that?" Harry replied sarcastically. "And don't call me Harold."

"Whatever you say . . . Harrison," Madison said with a smirk. KayKay burst out in laughter, doubling over and clutching her stomach. Hermione merely sighed and rolled her eyes again.

"Let's," KayKay gasped between bouts of giggles, "let's—go to the Three"—more laughter—"Three Broomsticks. M-Madam—"

"Madame Rosmerta is giving free Butterbeer to everyone," Hermione finished for her with a slight grin.

"Yeah, that," KayKay said breathlessly, starting recover.

"Come on, Harrison," Madison said impishly.

KayKay began laughing again.

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

Hermione sighed impatiently and stood up, crossing to look out the window for the umpteenth time before straightening an already perfect stack of book s and flopping down again. She rose again immediately and re-perfected the books, then sat down in a chair, crossing and uncrossing her legs and sighing intermittently.

"Bored, Hermione?" Harry asked, the corner of him mouth quirking up in a grin.

"There's nothing to do!" she burst out as if she'd been waiting for him or Ron to ask this question all along.

"Get a book," Ron suggested sleepily, opening one eye to observe her from where he was sprawled in an armchair.

"The library is closed."

"Read one of your own," Harry said.

"I've read all of them at least five times each."

"Even the ones you got just three days ago?" Ron asked, both of his eyes popping open in surprise.

"Yes, even the ones I got just three days ago." She fidgeted a bit more, then stood up yet again. She pushed the window open wide and leaned out, breathing deeply of the cool air.

"We have no Christmas shopping to do, KayKay has already gone off to send in the paperwork for the mail-order gifts we're sending people, there are no rambunctious children to keep track of, no people to take care of, no lessons to catch up on, no homework to do—"

"I'll still never understand why you complain about not having homework," Ron interrupted.

"Ron, it's not that," she sighed, turning away from the window. "I just wish that something interesting would happen."

As if anticipating her very words, an owl came barreling through the open window, nearly knocking Hermione over as it tumbled head over talons in an attempt to break its momentum. It knocked over the perfected pile of books and shuffled around on the table for a few moments, looking disoriented.

Hermione set a hand on her chest, breathing deeply to recover from her shock. "What on—"

"Oh, no," Ron groaned, looking at the owl.

Harry had a pretty good idea of why Ron seemed dismayed. The owl might have had white or brown feathers originally, but now it was colored with a conjugation of feathers, none of them natural—fuschia, neon orange, bright green, violent purple, and vivid blue. If its coloring left any room for debate, the band around its leg that had an emblem bearing "WWW" clearly marked it as a delivery owl for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"I'm almost afraid to open it," Ron said, glancing at Harry, then at the owl. "Fred and George have an uncanny ability to test their products on me, even if I'm not around."

Hermione sighed yet again and lowered herself into a chair. "I'm sure that if it is something bad, you not opening it won't stop Fred and George."

Harry laughed. "That's right. It'll probably only make it worse. Heaven knows they've received enough Howlers to get a good idea of how they work."

Ron paled at the thought and hastily took the package from the owl. It ruffled its feathers pompously (and Harry would have sworn that it stuck its tongue out at them, too) before wheeling out the window.

"Well . . . here it goes. Pink hair, soap-bubble hiccups, flower-sprouting ears . . . who knows what else it could be . . . Harry, I leave all of my Quidditch stuff for you. Hermione—eh—you can have all of my schoolbooks—"

"Just open it and stop being dramatic," she said.

"Right. Er . . . yeah."

Still holding the package as if it was a grenade, he untied the twine that held it closed. He jumped about three inches off his seat when Fred's voice sounded from the box.

"'Allo, Ron!"

"Didn't think we'd forget our baby brother for Christmas, now did you?" George chimed in.

"Good thing you opened this early—of course, that's why we sent it to you—"

"Wanted you to get as much use from it as you could—"

"—Merlin knows you need all the help you can get—" Fred muttered.

"So here's our gift to you."

"Good luck."

Their voices faded, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione could finally get a good look at the box, which had been glowing as Fred and George had spoken. It was made of wood and decorated with holly around the edges. It looked harmless enough . . .

"Good luck? What's that supposed to mean?" Ron wondered aloud. Harry shrugged, and Ron slowly opened the box, holding it far away from his body as if he was still terrified of it. Therefore, Hermione got the first glimpse of what was in the box, and it was her confused voice that questioned the contents.

"Mistletoe?"

Ron's eyes went wide and he tried to slam the lid shut, but the sprig of mistletoe popped out of the box with a triumphant giggle and lodged itself to the ceiling right above the couch where Harry was sitting.

"If anyone sits by me, they're dead," Harry said quickly, looking specifically at Ron, who'd gone quite white.

"That's not a very nice attitude, Harry," Fred's voice suddenly chimed in from the vicinity of the mistletoe.

" 'All the help you can get'?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow despite her cheeks turning slightly rosy.

Ron went, if possible, paler, but was saved from any reply because at that moment, the Portrait Hole opened ad closed.

"You would not believe how long it takes to do anything when Peeves is lurking around every corner and you're the only student in the corridors. I don't think anyone stayed around besides the Hogsmeade volunteers," KayKay said, shaking wet hair out of her face. Her Christmassy mood was, surprisingly, not dampened by Peeves antics.

"At least I got all of our mail orders sent out," she continued, not leaving any room for interruption in her chatter. "And I always promised myself I wouldn't be the type to shop from catalogs," she snorted, depositing a stack of magazines and her bookbag on the couch next to Harry.

"So," she said, finally looking up from wringing her wet hair out and seeing their gaping faces, "what's up?"

§ ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ §

Ron, Harry, and Hermione stared back at KayKay with wide eyes, saying nothing.

"Uh . . . guys? Is something wrong?" KayKay asked, putting her hands on her hips and surveying them with exasperation.

The three of them stared at her for a moment, looked simultaneously at the ceiling above her head, then back at her. Hermione and Ron's eyes flicked towards Harry for a moment.

With a sense of foreboding, KayKay slowly tore her gaze away from them and looked up. She yelped when she saw mistletoe on the ceiling right between herself and Harry, and she tried and failed to step away. The magical prank mistletoe held her fast.

"What bloody idiot put up prank mistletoe?" she growled, trying to pull away again. Harry looked surprisingly calm and resigned.

"Ron," Hermione said blandly.

"Hey, it wasn't me! It's Fred and George's fault! They sent the package!"

"And you opened it, ergo—"

"Say what?" Ron interrupted. KayKay chimed in.

"Ergo—an adverb. Latin, literally meaning 'therefore.' "

Ron looked between the two girls, then cried in mock-terror, "The madness is spreading!"

"Yeah, no thanks to you," KayKay muttered, jabbing a thumb towards the ceiling. "Hermione, isn't there some way to break the charm?"

"Now KayKay, be sport, eh?" a voice said from above her. She yelped and ducked, covering her head with her arms.

A second voice, almost identical, chuckled, "Be afraid, be very afraid!"

"Can't blame her though, look who she's stuck with."

"Hey!" Harry said, sounding quite insulted.

KayKay, who finally recognized the voices, returned to a normal upright position. "They have a point there, Harry."

Fred laughed. "It doesn't matter whether you want to or not—"

"—Although everyone knows that our bachelor here does want to—" George added.

"—You won't be able to move until you follow the rules."

Harry pushed himself to his feet and KayKay covered her eyes and began shaking her head.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Fred and George's voices replied.

KayKay sighed in exasperation and put a hand to her forehead. Harry went down on one knee and took one of her hands.

"Fair maiden and comrade, forgiveth me for doing as these audacious jesters command," he said in a gallant voice, bending over in a bow and brushing his lips across her knuckles.

"Good sir, do not let it happen again, or mayhap thou shalt find thyself at the mercy of my wrath," KayKay replied, rolling her eyes.

"I believe it," he said quietly.

"Now, now Harry—" George said.

"—That will never do," said Fred.

"This is no time to be a gentleman—and you won't get away with something as small as that."

KayKay moaned and Harry shook his head, laughing softly. He turned his face up towards hers, then got to his feet slowly.

"Come on . . ." Fred said impatiently.

Harry smiled slightly, then placed his hands on KayKay's shoulders and bent down slightly so his mouth would meet hers. The moment their lips touched, his right hand moved to her chin to tilt it up, but she used one hand to shove it away and the other to push him away.

"That's more than enough," she said. "Fred, George if you don't mind . . ."

"But we do mind."

"Very, very much."

"Tough," she snapped, looking up at the mistletoe where the voices were coming from. "You know how this works."

"Fine, fine," Fred sighed, "don't get your knickers in a bunch."

"Sorry mate, we tried," George added to Harry.

The mistletoe moved to another corner of the Common Room with a pop, and KayKay walked towards the staircase to the Girl's Dormitory, feeling that she couldn't move quickly enough. She was almost there when she realized she forgot her bag, but the smile she saw on Harry's face when she turned back to grab it was enough for her to abandon all thoughts of it and flee.

As soon as she was in her Dormitory, KayKay flopped onto her bed and began hitting herself repeatedly with a pillow as if it would vicariously pound some sense into Harry through their power connection. Just what did he think he was doing? Friends couldn't kiss friends they way he'd just tried to! It just wasn't natural!

There was the click of the Dormitory door opening and closing again, and Hermione sat down on her own bed.

"Well, that was certainly an unpleasant moment," KayKay said, pausing her pillow bashing. "Mistletoe and friends do not mix."

"Unpleasant for you, maybe," Hermione replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" KayKay demanded, sitting up.

"Oh, settle down. I know as well as you do that you regard Harry as nothing more than a friend. However, he may beg to differ."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" KayKay asked, fearing that she already knew the answer.

Hermione sighed. "I'm saying that I've noticed—and this isn't the first time I realized it, and I'm not the only person who sees it—that he still likes you, and he's the only one who doesn't know it."

"Aurgh!" KayKay growled, throwing her pillow at the door, "That dolt! Why can't my life ever be normal?"

Hermione left her bed and sat down by KayKay. "If it helps any, I don't think that it ever was in the first place."

§ ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ §

"So, is that what you'd call an awkward moment?" Ron asked with a smirk as soon as KayKay was out of earshot.

"No, that's what you'd call a negative reaction," Hermione replied, grabbing KayKay's things and following in her wake.

" 'Fraid Hermione's right, mate," George said.

"Yeah. Not much you can do with a reaction like that—"

"—except trap her again."

"Ron, your brothers are mad," Harry muttered, flopping back down on the couch.

"The grin on your face begs to differ," Ron commented wryly.

"Oh, sure, everyone gang up on Harry, eh?" Harry said, trying to establish a straight face. "And what smile?"

"The one you are finding oh-so-much difficulty hiding," Ron said lazily, propping his feet on the coffee table. "I mean, let's face it. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"What was bound to happen?"

"Come on, Harry, everyone knows you fancy her," Fred said.

"Even Sirius," George added.

"We've all simply been waiting for you to realize it."

Harry glared up at the ceiling in the corner where the mistletoe was hanging. "We're friends."

"Yeah, friends with perks," George muttered.

"No, just friends. End of story," Harry snapped.

"Beginning of story," Fred corrected.

"Shut it! She doesn't think about me like that, and you know it!" Harry exclaimed, tossing a throw pillow in the mistletoes general direction. Ron snorted.

"Oh, you think all of this is funny?" Harry asked his friend peevishly.

"Actually? Yes." He began laughing again, "It's funny because it's true."

"And I quote my dear friend Harry, 'She doesn't think about me like that' . . . hmmm, funny, and in the summer it seemed to go both ways. My, my, my," George said.

"Of course, that was merely a slip of the tongue, right Harry?" Fred said seriously.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest as all three Weasley brothers laughed.

"What are you boys doing now?" Hermione asked, suddenly appearing from the doorway to the Girl's Dormitory.

"Trying to knock some sense into our good friend here," Fred said.

"And trying to get ickle Harry to realize what everyone else already knows," said George.

"Good," Hermione said crisply, crossing to the pile of messy books and straightening them once more. "All I can say is that it's about time. Really, Harry, sometimes the tension you radiate when you're around her is thick enough to cut with a chainsaw."

"That I radiate?" Harry asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, naturally. She doesn't feel the same way, now does she?"

"Way to be encouraging, Hermione," Ron deadpanned. Hermione opened her mouth to reply when George cut in.

"Oh, nonsense, we guys like a challenge. That's why Percy is such a prat, don't you know? Makes it difficult for him to attract the ladies," he snorted.

"George and I took a shortcut. Seems that some people do like class clowns—"

"—so we simply became the best of the best—"

"Not that we needed much work," they said together.

"So, Harry, what are you going to do?" Hermione asked.

"Do about what?"

"About KayKay!" Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione exclaimed simultaneously.

"We can tell her for you, if you like," Fred and George offered.

"Merlin help us," Harry groaned, covering his face with his hands. "How long are you two going to be hanging around?"

"Well, wouldn't you like to know, Harry-Warrykins."

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

All of the Hogsmeade volunteers woke early the next morning in order to go to Diagon Alley. Those in Gryffindor Tower glanced cautiously in every direction before sprinting across the Common Room, much to Fred and George's amusement. Their riotous laughter still echoed in Harry's ears.

"Diagon Alley looks so nice at Christmastime," Hermione said appreciatively as she gazed up at the garlands hung between shops and the icicle fairies floating about.

Ron shook a bit of soot out of his hair as he stepped out of the fireplace. "I can't wait until we know how to apparate. Floo may be easy, but it's not the fastest way to travel."

"Ooof!" KayKay stumbled out of the fireplace, sending up clouds of ashes and barreling right into Ron, who had yet to step away from the hearth. As the dust settled she clutched her head and shook it vigorously. "I hate Flooing," she muttered darkly, trying to dust off her robes.

"Scourgify!" Hermione said, pointing her wand to instantly tidy up KayKay's appearance.

"Thanks, 'Mione. I'll have to remember that one," she said gratefully.

"You'd better. You have a tendency to make a mess of yourself," Madison said as she stepped gracefully out of the fireplace and gave KayKay a hand up.

"Ha, ha, ha, that's so funny that I forgot to laugh," KayKay deadpanned. "Well, see you later boys. We have to go do some serious damage to our wallets," she added, grabbing Madison and Hermione's hands and pulling them out the door with her. The three girls disappeared into the thick crowd, laughing and smiling.

"I'll never understand girls and shopping," Ron commented.

"Me neither," Harry said, shaking his head slowly.

"So . . . what do we do now?"

"We could get what we need for the masquerade ball tonight . . . or we could go to Quality Quidditch Supplies."

The two boys glanced at each other before coming to a silent agreement and simultaneously setting off down the road to look at broomsticks.

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

"Well, shall we contact your parents and warn them in advance that their savings accounts will be considerably lower this winter?" Harry asked Madison as she, Hermione, and KayKay sat down at their table in the Leaky Cauldron.

"My parents won't be concerned in the least, in case you've forgotten," Madison sniffed. "And KayKay and Hermione came out even."

"Oh? And why is it that I think you were responsible for that?" Harry asked. Madison smiled innocently and fanned herself with something that looked quite a bit like a credit card.

During their exchange, Ron had been studying a menu, and Hermione had been reviewing her purchases and checking her receipts. KayKay had done barely anything, since she'd been glancing over her shoulder at the doorway every five seconds.

"Oh, cool it, KayKay," Madison said.

"Yeah, why all the paranoia?" Harry asked.

"Oh, she's just waiting for—"

"Matt!" KayKay cried, nearly knocking her chair over as she jumped up and hurried across the room.

" . . . Matt," Madison finished blandly.

The person in question had swept KayKay up off her feet into a hug so tight it was a wonder to Harry that either of them could breathe. He forced himself to look at his menu and not think of the couple as they finished their greeting with a kiss.

It's their business, he thought, not yours. She's—

he thought,

"Hi, Harry," Matt said as he sat down across the table, right next to KayKay.

Harry glance up, gave a small smile in return to Matt's grin, and replied, "Hi."

"Matt, you remember Hermione and Ron, right?" KayKay asked.

"Of course, how can I forget?" Matt laughed. "We had some crazy memories from your birthday party . . . Hermione, you wound up with purple hair, right?"

Hermione paused for a moment, then nodded and laughed. "I'd almost forgotten about that! Wow, Fred and George will never change, will they?"

"I'm still disappointed that all of the pink washed out of Harry's hair before school started," KayKay said impishly. Harry must have laughed or responded in a similar way, because no one looked at him oddly while they laughed, but he couldn't remember it for the life of him. He felt like he'd gone into auto-pilot and didn't have a close grasp of his reactions.

Eventually someone must have taken their sandwich orders, and Harry must have said something, because ten minutes later the six of them were talking and eating.

"So, what has law school been like?" KayKay asked curiously in between bites of what looked like a BLT.

"Not bad, but not exceptionally good, either. To tell you the truth, Escondito was loads better, O'Connor included."

"Ugh!" KayKay exclaimed—this obviously was a negative comparison.

"Yeah, I know, but . . ." he shrugged. "Three and a half years to go. I think I can stand that much Latin."

"Ugh!" KayKay restated.

"Yeah . . . but enough about law school. How have you guys been? How did the work at Hogsmeade go?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" Madison asked.

"Corrupt ministry, remember?" Matt said. "I think the most that was said was a five-line paragraph on the tenth page of the Prophet. Fudge is still trying to downplay You-Know-Who. I'm just glad that there will be elections this spring."

Everyone was silent for a few moments until Matt prompted, "So . . .? What was it like?"

"It's—it's not something that's exactly light conversation, Matt," KayKay said quietly. Matt looked surprised.

"Oh, no—I'm sorry, I didn't mean—it's just that I want to be out there, doing something. I don't mean for you to tell me all the details, I just mean—something good. Something positive."

"Oh," KayKay said. "Well . . . Ron and Hermione were in charge of survivors once they were healed. They'd be transported to Hogwarts to fully recouperate. Madison was on the search and rescue team; Harry and I were in charge of the Hospital Tent. You wouldn't believe some of the things that had happened to the people who came in," she said, her eyes looking somewhat haunted.

"But you also wouldn't believe the people who came out," Hermione added. "KayKay and Harry made a great team—KayKay was amazing at healing people, and Harry has a gift for helping them recover emotionally. I was surprised at the state of survivors who came in to Hogwarts."

KayKay glanced at Harry and grinned, startling a smile out of him (something that didn't go unnoticed by Matt).

"It felt so good, being able to help out—and then we also rebuilt all the homes and shops. We just finished less than a week ago," she said.

"The only problem is that now there isn't enough to do," Hermione said. "We're back at Hogwarts, it's holiday break, and nothing interesting is going on."

"Careful, Hermione. Remember yesterday when you complained about nothing interesting happening?" Ron smirked.

"You'll never let me forget that, will you?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Forget what?" Matt asked, looking between them with an expression of eager anticipation.

"Oh, yesterday Hermione was going on and on about being bored and wanting something to happen when—"

"—when Fred and George decided to send some prank mail," Madison interrupted, realizing better than Ron did the thin ice they were treading on by getting into this particular subject.

"Better than prank mail—prank mistletoe!" Ron said, obviously not getting the hint. KayKay immediately began to make slashing motions with her hand in front of her neck.

"Ah, prank mistletoe—I have fond memories of it," Matt said, glancing at KayKay who immediately changed the motion to scratching the back of her neck innocently. "So what happened?"

"Well, nothing at first," Ron said, obviously pleased at the interest Matt showed. (KayKay started up again with her hand motions.)

Hermione cleared her throat significantly and shot Ron a look, but he plowed on.

"But then—well, you see, KayKay had been gone sending off some Christmas gifts—"

"Ron . . ." Harry said warningly, quietly enough that Matt wouldn't hear.

" . . . so when she came back, she had no idea," he continued. KayKay's throat-slashing motions were getting larger, Hermione cleared her throat again, and Madison was fiddling with her drink straw a bit more violently than was normal.

"Now, what did she do, of course, but walk right in and plop her bags down on the couch, right next to where Harry was sitting. Well, you can imagine—"

"Ron!" Harry said, more loudly this time. Ron finally glanced over at him.

"But Harry, it was hilarious, the looks on your faces when you realized you were stuck, and then the way you smiled after—"

Madison had obviously decided that enough was enough and kicked him hard in the shins.

"Owww . . ." he whined. "You brute, what was—"

She kicked him again and he stopped in sudden realization. Matt, no longer grinning, turned to look at KayKay, catching her mid-hand swipe. She smiled nervously and lowered her hand slowly to her lap as she virtually shrunk down in her seat.

"KayKay? Would you care to take a walk with me and talk for a bit?" he asked levelly. KayKay gulped and nodded, and Matt tossed a few coins onto the table before standing up and leading her out. The moment the door closed behind them, Madison rounded on Ron.

"You idiot! What were you thinking?"

"I—"

"I'll tell you what you were thinking—you weren't thinking! Not one, single, measly thought runs through that head of yours, does it Weasley!" she demanded, standing and rapping her knuckles against his forehead.

"Lay off, Madison," Hermione said, rubbing her face as she sighed.

"Excuse me for a moment while I don't care about a thing you say, Hermione," Madison said venomously. "If he stopped one moment to think, I wouldn't have had to damn near shatter every bone in his leg!"

"He's human, Madison! You're not perfect either!" Hermione snapped, getting to her feet.

"Are you saying that he was right to say that kind of thing when it concerns someone else's relationship!" Madison asked, resting her hands on the table and leaning across it to face Hermione.

"Are you saying he was wrong to?" Hermione countered, leaning in as well.

"It wasn't his place to tell!" Madison exclaimed angrily

Harry growled and kicked a chair, snapping them both out of their heated argument. Realizing they were three inches from each other's faces, they both sat back down.

"I'm sorry, mate," Ron said quietly.

"She's going to hate me for this," Harry said by way of reply, raking his hands through his hair. They were lucky that the pub was almost empty and that they were in a less-visible corner.

"I knew it!" Madison said triumphantly, jumping to her feet. "You care! You like her! Ha!"

"Yes, you're a genius, now shut up," Harry said. Madison flopped back into her chair in a sulky manner.

"So, the damage is done," Hermione sighed. Now the question is . . ."

" . . . how do we make it work to our advantage?" Madison finished with a grin as she looked over at Hermione. They nodded to each other, then grabbed their bags simultaneously and rushed out of the pub.

"Women!" Harry exclaimed in astonishment, unable to fathom how females could tear each other's hair out one moment, then be best friends the next, all without speaking.

"You're telling me!" Ron said. "They left us with the bill!"

§ ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ §

"KayKay, you left your things in the pub," Madison said, holding out KayKay's bags the moment she walked in the door of their room.

"Oh . . . thank you. I was wondering where they were," KayKay replied distractedly, dropping a wrapped package carelessly onto the bed and then turning to take her bags. Hermione at that moment came out of the bathroom.

"KayKay, perfect timing! The shower's free," she said, patting her wet hair with a towel.

"Oh, no thanks," she replied, shaking her head and glancing around in search of something. "If I get my hair wet now there's no way I'll be able to make it cooperate for tonight. When do we leave for Starlight Arbor?"

"In about . . . two hours," Madison said, checking her watch. "KayKay, I'm sorry I didn't think to kick Ron sooner. I thought he'd shut up before he caused any serious damage, but . . . well, I forgot that this is Ron we're talking about."

"What did Matt say?" Hermione asked as she dug around in her overnight bag.

"Oh, he started off with this, 'I consider myself to be a pretty reasonable guy' stuff. He said that he thought that the 'unspoken rules' between couples should remain constant, even long-distance . . . et cetera, et cetera," KayKay huffed, pulling a hairbrush out of her bag and starting to yank it mercilessly through her hair.

"KayKay, calm down," Madison said gently, taking the brush away and ushering her cousin to a seat. "So, what did you say?" she prompted as she began to brush KayKay's hair for her.

"I told him that for someone who considers himself reasonable, he wasn't being reasonable at all. I reminded him that the exact opposite situation took place last Christmas at my party and that it was perfectly fine with everyone then. If I couldn't help it, why should it be a crime now?" She sighed and slumped lower in the chair, crossing her arms moodily.

"And . . .?" Hermione urged.

"He said that now that I put it that way, it brought a 'whole new perspective to light'." She paused and took a deep breath, both to maintain her composure and build a little suspense. "And he said I was . . . what was it again? Oh yes—an excessive flirt!" she screeched angrily, jumping to her feet.

"What!" Hermione and Madison exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yeah. Charming, isn't it?" KayKay said with feigned sweetness. Then she kicked the door.

"Why?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Well, apparently, if I can say that I'm so deeply involved with a new guy after less than a year, I'm suddenly a bad person lacking sincerity . . . Oh, but never mind that he was the one who was interested in me for so long," she fumed as she paced the room. Madison and Hermione wisely chose to stay out of her path.

"Well . . . then what?"

"For a while I did about the same as you two—I gaped at him for a bit, then finally said, 'Excuse me?' and he went into the whole two guys in two years thing . . . . By the time he was done, I was starting to recover from my shock, and I asked what that made him, seeing how he'd chased after me for almost a year while I was dating and then asked me to date him the first time he saw me after my previous relationship had ended."

KayKay's fuming anger was slowly simmering down as she cut a path across the floor, and she found herself slowing down as she tried to take deep breaths to calm herself. The moment she saw Hermione open her mouth, KayKay sat on the edge of the bed with a plop and continued.

"He went into some gibberish and said that that was 'completely beyond the point' and that I wasn't even trying to understand what he was saying to me. So I said, 'Then what is the point? That I got trapped under prank mistletoe that I was totally unaware of and that Harry might like me, both of which aren't my fault?' " KayKay sighed. "And then he just kinda' . . . tossed my gift to me and muttered 'Merry Christmas' in the most insincere way you've ever heard before heading down some residential street to go home." She sighed and flopped back, grabbing a pillow and covering her face with it.

She had only a moment of muffled darkness before a hand pulled away the pillow gently.

"KayKay, don't you dare go blaming yourself," Madison said quietly, sitting down beside her on the bed and pulling the pillow onto her lap. "Matt was being completely unreasonable. He doesn't seem to trust you very much."

"Oh, gosh, that must be hard," Hermione said, sitting on KayKay's other side. "I can't imagine what it would be like to date someone who wouldn't trust me—you and Harry got into fights, was it about stupid things like this? No trust?"

"No, he and I would mostly fight about—hold it!" KayKay exclaimed in sudden realization, sitting up with a jerk. "No. Absolutely not. Don't even try it."

"Try what?" Madison asked, blinking.

"Don't try to play matchmaker between me and Harry!" KayKay exclaimed angrily, yanking the pillow out of Madison's hands and standing up. "Been there, done that, remember?"

"We never said we were—"

"No, you didn't say you were trying to, but that doesn't mean you weren't!" KayKay said, throwing the pillow back at her cousin and turning to look out the window. "You know how they say 'we'll cross that bridge when we come to it?' "

"Yeah?" Madison asked.

"Well, I've already come to it, crossed it, burned it, and kept walking! You think I haven't noticed him acting different? Huh? I have, and while I'm trying to make it clear to him that we're only friends, you're encouraging him!"

"So . . .?" Madison asked, obviously not caring.

" 'So'? 'So'! I'll show you 'so'!" KayKay exclaimed, bouncing onto the bed and tackling her cousin into the tangle of blankets. They both began laughing as KayKay began tickling her, and Hermione joined in mere moments later. After much pillow hitting and hair tousling, the three girls finally flopped back, exhausted and out of breath.

Hermione was the first to move. "Aurgh, look at my hair!" She jumped up and bustled back to the bathroom. Madison smirked and rolled off the edge of the bed, standing once she'd hit the floor.

"We should probably start getting ready as well," she said, pulling out her shopping bags and sorting through them. KayKay resigned herself to getting dressed and was just about to sit up when an owl swooped in the window, dropped a package on her stomach, and swooped back out.

"What is it?" Madison asked, craning her neck to see better.

"I don't know," KayKay replied in bewilderment, studying the silver wrapping. The box was quite small.

"What's what?" Hermione asked, coming out of the bathroom. She'd pulled her hair up and it was piled atop her head in curls.

"Oh, Matt's sent KayKay a concealed Howler," Madison said seriously.

"Oh, shut up. It isn't a Howler," KayKay said. Carefully, she slit the tape with a fingernail and unwrapped the small box. Inside there was a note.

KayKay:

When I heard that you liked the necklace, I decided you needed something to match. Happy Christmas to my favorite dance partner!

Your friend,

Brian

KayKay handed the note to Madison, nearly certain that she knew what the box held. Her suspicions were confirmed when she lifted the cover to reveal a pair of dangling crystal-shaped earrings that matched her pendant perfectly.

"Oh, they're gorgeous!" Hermione exclaimed as KayKay took them out of the box.

"I'll wear them tonight. They'll match my outfit perfectly," she said appreciatively.

"Oh, quite a conspiracy you have going on here," Madison said dramatically. "How deliciously scandalous!"

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

A little over an hour later, the girls looked themselves over one last time in front of the mirror in their room.

"Are we good, or are we good?" Madison said with a grin, adjusting the swallow-tailed sleeves of her gauzy crimson dress robes.

"Oh, we're good," Hermione agreed. She picked some imaginary lint off of her own dress robes of glittering violet.

KayKay laughed and pulled her final accessory from her bag. "Okay—mask time!" She pulled her own on as Hermione and Madison did the same, and she smiled at the result.

She was wearing dress robes that were a gorgeous shimmering black. The neckline was square and the tight sleeves flared out just below the elbows and trailed a few inches past her wrists with a jagged hem. The bottom, which also featured a jagged hem, was full, making it appear like she was dancing on light feet.

KayKay rather liked the uneven zigzag of the hem. It gave the robes the animal-like appearance of fur—which of course was the point.

"Do you think they'll recognize us?" Hermione asked.

"They won't right away, at least," KayKay replied, beaming. They looked at each other, grinned, and headed down to where they'd catch carriages to Starlight Arbor. If Ron or Harry was in the crowd of people that Hermione, Madison, and KayKay passed on their way down, they didn't recognize the girls—and with good reason, too.

Madison had chosen to go the masquerade ball as a Phoenix. She'd added scarlet streaks to her golden hair, and had donned a mask to help her look the part. The large sleeves of her dress robes looked almost like wings when she raised her arms (the light fabric didn't hurt the image, either).

Hermione had actually found wings to enhance her appearance as a butterfly—and she'd found a whimsical mask and a magical accessory to make it look like antennae were poking out between her curls.

KayKay was most proud of her costume. She'd found furry black wolf ears that attached magically to her head. She'd used a spell to make her hair black and she'd pinned it up to look shorter. Best of all, her wolf mask (which, of course, was also black) had small totem beads and crystals hanging on blacks ribbons on the sides that matched her crystal jewelry exactly.

If their costumes weren't enough, the girls found a rather fantastic magical item in—of all places—a vision store. They were special eye drops, intended to change to color of the user's eyes for six hours at a time. That meant that Madison now had golden-honey eyes, Hermione had amethyst eyes, and KayKay sported icy blue eyes.

Yes. Figuring out who they really were would definitely be a challenge for everyone at the Masquerade.

"Everybody out!" Madison said excitedly as they pulled up to their destination. She was the first to hop out. "Next stop—boogie fever!" She did a cheesy disco move, and KayKay giggled and gave her a gentle shove to make her keep moving.

"Save your moves for the dance floor," Hermione joked as they walked up the stairway and through the majestic entrance.

"Wow," KayKay said appreciatively the moment they'd entered the ballroom. The floors were made of a deep, rich wood, and the ceiling glittered with brilliant stars. A Renaissance waltz was playing softly, and a few people were dancing while others ate delicate snacks that circulated the room on floating platters. Across the way was a winding staircase with a small sign that read, "Balcony."

"Oh, it's so beautiful," KayKay murmured. Hermione and Madison nodded.

"Do you see Ron or Harry?" Hermione asked, craning her neck.

"No . . . but then again, I do recognize a fairytale princess, a wood sprite, and Robin Hood," KayKay said sarcastically.

"I see a rather dashing Renaissance hero making his way toward us, however," Madison said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. "Or, more appropriately, towards you, KayKay."

"Madison, if you say one more word about Potter—"

"A thousand pardons, ladies, for infringing upon thy council," the aforementioned Renaissance man said, falling to one knee and bowing his head before rising again. "But I do so desperately wish to inquire something of this fair wolf-maiden. Milady, is this dance already taken, or might I request thy company in this number?"

"Good sir, I may do nothing but comply," KayKay replied, mirroring his accent as she curtsied. She couldn't recognize the voice right offhand . . . but then again it seemed like all the people were masking their voices at least a bit.

He extended a hand to her and she took it, sweeping out to the dance floor before beginning a spirited waltz.

"Maiden fair, forgiveth me for mine unwavering gaze if it makes thee uncomfortable. In truth, I cannot help but gaze upon thy loveliness," he said after they'd been dancing for a bit.

"Kind sir, I do fear that thou speakest much flattery," KayKay said, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she smiled. "However, the night is young and promising, and thy words are hardly inconceivable—since I, too, reciprocate them."

Her dance partner smiled and swept her into a turn along with the swelling of the music. "Again in truth, milady, thou art a magnificent dancer, lighter then the laughter of children, a line of music, or the sweeping of a midsummer's wind."

KayKay's smile slowly grew bigger and her eyes twinkled behind her mask. "Mine ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of thy tongue's uttering, and yet I know the sound. Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?"

"Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike," he grinned back.

"Milord knows Shakespeare!" KayKay said, feeling delighted as she looked at him—and she was pretty certain that she now knew who he was. "But pray thee tell truthfully, sir, didst thou know whom I was before thou invited me to dance?"

"Truthfully I did, milady," he said, looking down in what would be called shame were he not acting. "Thine earrings gave thee away."

KayKay beamed and laughed. "Brian? I knew it was you!"

"Alas, I am discovered!" he said dramatically before slipping into a grin. "You look wonderful."

"Thank you!" she smiled. "You look very dashing indeed—quite the Renaissance man."

"Thank you," he said, giving her a twirl as they continued to dance.

"But I don't understand—why are you here?" she asked curiously.

"Like I'd miss a dance like this one?" he said incredulously. "Besides, I was one of the teacher volunteers for the project. You guys aren't the only ones who got out of classes."

" 'Got out'?" KayKay asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean to say that teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts isn't your cup of tea?"

"Oh, I love the subject, don't get me wrong! It's just that I feel really . . . out of my element when I'm teaching the older classes. It's still awkward to teach people who were my classmates and friends just last year. It's hard for me to remember that as a teacher, there are new rules to follow."

The music was slowly ending, and Brian stepped back and bowed.

"And now, fair maiden, I must take my leave of thee. It is time for mine head to recall that we are scholarly opposites before my heart recalls that we are friends, as society sees us as my head does, not my heart."

He turned to leave and KayKay grabbed him by the hand. "Milord!"

Brian stopped and faced her again.

"I wish thou to remember this, and remember it always—thou art always my friend before thou art mine instructor."

"Dost thou mean thy words truthfully, milady?" he asked, looking her in the eye.

"With all mine heart, I do," she said honesty, meeting his gaze. He smiled widely and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it softly before asking her, "Then, fair lady, wouldst thou care to join me in another dance?"

"It would be my pleasure," she said happily, falling back in step with Brian.

§ ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ §

"Do you see them anywhere?" Ron asked Harry.

"Probably—but I wouldn't know it if I did, now would I?" Harry said, feeling only slightly better than he had before they'd come to the masquerade. "At least we're not out of place."

It was true—they'd felt quite foolish dressed up silly, but now that they were around other people in costume it didn't seem quite so bad. There were people dressed as princes, princesses, and mythical creatures—there was even a wolf.

"Funny, and I thought I was being original," Harry commented, looking at the wolf-girl and then at his own silver costume.

"Hey, I think I see Hermione and Madison!" Ron said, oblivious to Harry's musings.

"Where?" Harry looked around. "I don't see them."

Ron pointed to a couple of girls a few yards to their left. "Right there, that phoenix and that butterfly!"

"That doesn't look anything like them!" Harry exclaimed. "Besides, where's KayKay, then?"

"I don't know—and it is them."

"How do you know?" Harry asked shrewdly, still unable to see any resemblance between their friends and the two girls Ron was indicating.

"Because . . . because I heard Madison say Hermione's name, alright?" Ron said. His ears turned pink beneath his Robin Hood hat. "Do you believe me now?"

"I suppose that's proof enough," Harry said with a shrug. Ron led the way and stopped right in front of the butterfly.

"Would—would you like to dance?" he said, blushing furiously.

The butterfly and phoenix exchanged a look that was adorned with dangerous smiles, and the butterfly closed the fan she was holding with a snap.

"All right, then," she said coolly, but for all her aloofness, she, too, was blushing.

They went out onto the dance floor, and the butterfly—Hermione, as Harry was finally certain when she spoke—guided Ron in how to waltz.

The phoenix made a small noise of disapproval, and Harry looked at her in confusion.

"So," she said loftily, not waiting for him to ask what was wrong, "I see how it is. There's positively no chivalry left in the world. A man looks right at a girl left without a dance partner and doesn't even blink." She sniffed dramatically and looked away.

"Er—forgive me, dear lady. May I have this dance?" Harry asked, feeling slightly confused. Madison looked back at him quickly with what may have been surprise, but she recovered so quickly that Harry couldn't be sure.

"Well . . . I suppose," she said, still acting like the insulted maiden. Harry offered her his hand and they went out to the dance floor.

"Where's KayKay?" Harry asked once they'd settled into the dance steps.

"Well, aren't you just full of decorum? Humph! Simply incorrigible!" Madison said seriously, before breaking down and laughing. "Actually, we thought she was . . . well . . ."

"What? Where?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Well—Harry, if this is you, then who is that?" she asked, nodding to indicate somebody else on the dance floor as the song they'd just begun dancing to ended.

"Who?"

"The wolf with the Renaissance man," she said as a new song began, nodding again. Harry located the couple just as the "Renaissance man" kissed the wolf-girls hand and they began dancing again.

"I wouldn't know," he said, starting to dance again. Madison laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You!" she exclaimed, grinning. "You're so . . . pompous about it. For the love of Merlin, just find a convenient time to cut in! That's how these things work!"

"It's not that simple."

"Of course it is!"

"No, it's not. I doubt that she's been extremely anxious to speak to me—or haven't you noticed how she's been avoiding me since the mistletoe incident?" Harry said.

"Harry, you're her friend at the very least, and she won't know who you are until you let her know—or haven't you noticed that people are slightly harder to identify tonight?" she asked sarcastically.

"But—"

"Oh, you big baby! You just get us closer to them, and then tap . . . whoever it is on the shoulder. He'll step back, probably dance with me, and then you can start dancing with KayKay. It's easy!" she exclaimed, sounding impatient.

"But I—"

"Go! Now, now, now!" Madison hissed, turning him around and poking him in the back. He hesitated, and Madison sighed and tapped the other man quickly on the shoulder before darting behind Harry. Another jab in Harry's back once KayKay and the man looked at him reminded him that he needed to say something.

"May I?"

The man looked slightly unhappy, but nodded and stepped back, bowing to KayKay.

"Maiden fair, wilt thou save a dance for me?"

"Indeed I shall, milord," she replied, curtsying. The man turned and saw Madison standing alone, so he bowed to her and they began dancing.

Harry stood frozen for a moment until a polite cough reminded him that KayKay was without a partner. He hastily bowed, and she responded with a curtsy before they began dancing. After a long, awkward silence, KayKay finally spoke.

"I must say, your attire is wonderful . . . quite original."

Harry laughed. "I had thought so, up until this point. You look nothing like you usually do."

"Oh," she said, sounding somewhat confused.

"I mean, you look great," he quickly amended.

"Er . . . thanks."

"I mean, not that you usually look bad," he said hastily, feeling rather trapped in a corner. "I just mean . . . er . . ."

"Oh, it's all right, just calm down Harry," she laughed. "I get it. Thanks. You don't look to shabby, either."

"Thanks," he said, feeling like he'd just survived a great ordeal.

Change the subject, change the subject, he thought to himself hastily.

"Er—so, did you see who's finally dancing together?" he said quickly. KayKay raised and eyebrow and looked around the room.

"Is that Robin Hood actually Ron?" she asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"Finally!" KayKay exclaimed, looking quite relieved. "It's about time, that's all I can say."

Their dance became much more relaxed as they kept talking. "Yeah, I think the mask finally gave Ron some confidence—not that he's the most difficult person to pick out of a crowd, costume and all."

"Well, at least he doesn't seem to know that," KayKay grinned. "First thing when we get back to Hogwarts, we're trapping them under the mistletoe."

"Don't you think that with Fred and George, that sort of plan might backfire?" Harry asked.

"No. You and I won't be standing together, and Fred and George want them to get trapped."

"I see," Harry said slowly. "But what do you mean, 'first thing'? Aren't you coming to Sirius's for the rest of the holiday?"

KayKay looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you hear Dumbledore? If we want to, we can go home tomorrow morning and stay there until classes begin again."

KayKay smiled, "That sounds nice. With Sirius around, there's Ialways/I something interesting to do."

Harry nodded and they lapsed into a comfortable silence as they continued dancing. After a long moment, Harry said, "Can I try again?"

"I beg your pardon?" KayKay asked.

"Your compliment. May I try again?"

"Oh! I . . . suppose so," she said slowly, taken aback.

"Okay . . ." Harry closed his eyes, cleared his throat, and began dramatically. "Beautiful KayKay, you look positively ravishing. Your attire is so convincing that were it not for your grace and surpassing beauty, I would never have picked you from the crowd."

KayKay laughed. "Potter, you're too much," she grinned. "And I suppose Madison had nothing to do with finding me?"

"No!" he said. She raised an eyebrow. "Well . . . okay, maybe a little. Oh, fine, maybe a lot." KayKay shook her head.

"You are, without a doubt, the wackiest kid I know—except me, of course," she said amusedly.

"From you, I'll take that as a compliment," he responded, and they resumed dancing in silence. The song ended soon after, but instead of releasing KayKay, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"Walk with me?"

§ ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ §

KayKay hesitated—then, she relented. He'd used the same words before they'd broken up, but they weren't dating now. What was the worst he could do?

She nodded, and he took her hand and drew her through the crowd. She wasted only a moment unlacing her fingers from his, and they resumed with their hands cupped as he led her towards the staircase to the balcony.

The snow was falling lightly outside, but magical wards kept KayKay warm despite the flakes that gathered on her clothes and in her hair.

"Isn't it lovely out?" KayKay asked, looking at the haze of the moonlight that was slightly visible through the clouds.

"Yes. It is," Harry said quietly. KayKay groaned inwardly, quite certain that no good could come of this "walk."

"KayKay, I—I need to talk to you."

She tried to keep her voice light and unconcerned, "Oh? What about?" she asked, looking over the edge of the balcony at the snow-covered gardens.

"KayKay, this is serious," he said, gripping her chin and turning her face so she'd look at him. "I—will you take off that mask?" he said distractedly.

KayKay grudgingly untied the ribbon holding her mask in place, and Harry did the same. She leaned back against the balcony rail, and he studied her face for only a moment before speaking.

"This—well, this may seem a bit abrupt, but I've really been thinking about it for a long time—probably since this summer," he began, immediately beginning to pace. "And then I simply thought it was nothing, but I know now that it isn't."

"And what, pray tell, is 'it'?" KayKay asked. Please don't say what I think you will, PLEASE don't say what I think you will—I don't want to hurt your feelings, she thought desperately to herself.

"This! This . . . thing that's between us. Maybe it looks different from your side, but from over here it's been getting clearer and clearer."

"What has?" KayKay asked, bracing herself.

"You know what," Harry said, stopping his pacing and looking at her. "You know, otherwise you wouldn't be avoiding me lately, and you wouldn't be distancing yourself from me right now."

"I . . ." KayKay said slowly, trying to buy herself some time, "I don't know what you—"

"KayKay, you might be fine with labeling me as a friend and leaving it at that. Who knows, maybe you think that despite everything we've both been through, 'friend' is a fair assessment. But . . ." he trailed off and raked his hands through his hair in frustration.

"But . . .?" KayKay prompted.

"But 'friends' isn't enough for me, KayKay! There, I said it!" he exclaimed, managing to sound frustrated and relieved at the same time.

"Harry—I'm sorry, but I—"

"KayKay, right now I need to talk and you need to listen. Do you have any idea how many time in the past half a year you've terrified me? First there was the morning after my birthday when Sirius and I came home and saw your front door hanging open and a bloody sword tossed on the sidewalk—"

KayKay almost interrupted, but thought better of it when she saw the look on Harry's face.

"And then the day in Hogsmeade when you were bound and determined to run straight into one of Voldemort's attacks—and that night at the movies, when that man almost killed you. KayKay, I was scared half to death that his gun was going to go off, and I knew that there was nothing I could do to stop it."

KayKay turned her head away from his intense gaze. Feeling sympathetic would only make things harder.

"That thug almost took this," Harry said. KayKay looked back at him. In his hand was the promise ring he'd given her exactly a year before, the ring she thought she'd gotten rid of ages ago.

"Where did you get that?" she asked sharply.

"I found it in a corner of the Common Room," he confessed. "I—it belongs to you," he said, holding it out to her.

"It belongs to no one," she corrected, closing his fingers around it and pushing his hand back to him. "A promise is like the circle a ring makes—it has no end. The promise that ring stands for did end." She shifted her weight back to her feet and shook the snow off of her robes, ready to leave.

"KayKay . . ." he said, and he said it in such a pleading way that she sat back down. "KayKay, this belongs to you. My—my promise to you still stands, even if yours to me doesn't."

"Your promise?" KayKay asked in a small voice.

"Yes, my promise. My promise to—to always love you," he said, placing the ring in her hand and closing her fingers on it.

KayKay buried her face in her hands. "Oh, damn it, Potter," she whispered. "I don't want your charity."

"Is that what you think this is? Charity?" he snapped.

"No—yes—it's just—yes, it is!" she exclaimed.

"And how is that?" he asked, his eyes locked with hers.

"Charity! It's . . . it's when you give more than you receive," she said. "And that's exactly what you're doing!"

"Oh, am I?" he said, stepping closer to her.

"Yes, you are," she snapped. He stepped back slightly, and she sighed.

"Listen, Harry . . . I'm sorry, I really am, but—I've moved on. I can't see you as anything besides a friend now. I'll always care about you in that sense, but I can't be in love with you anymore. It's just impossible for me."

Harry finally backed down, shoving his hands into his pockets with a sigh. The air behind him rippled, like someone taking off an invisibility cloak, and two dark figures appeared.

KayKay comprehended what she was seeing just a moment too late. "Harry! Behind you!" she pointed as the Death Eaters raised their wands. She plunged a hand into her robes, but was unable to do anything as the intruders cast their spells.

"Stupefy!"

The world went black.

§ ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ § ¤ §

This might come as quite a shock,
But I've given it a lot of thought.
This thing that's come between us can't be ignored.
I've taken all I can;
This is where it's gotta end.
Cause I can't be your friend anymore.

And I can't be accused,
Of not bein' there for you.
How many nights have you shown up at my door?
I hope you understand,
That this wasn't in my plans,
But I can't be your friend anymore.

And it's killing me to know you,
Without havin' a chance to hold you.
An' all I wanna do is show you,
How I really feel inside.
You can run to me,
You can laugh at me,
Or you can walk right out that door.
But I can't be your friend anymore.

So, baby, now it's up to you:
Do I win or do I lose?
Will my heart fly or lie broken on the floor.
Well, take me as I am,
Cause I wanna be your man.
But I can't be your friend anymore.

And' it's killing me to know you,
Without havin' a chance to hold you.
An' all I wanna do is show you,
How I really feel inside.
You can run to me,
You can laugh at me,
Or you can walk right out that door.
But I can't be just friends anymore.
We can't be just friends anymore.


Okay! Once again, I'm VERY sorry that this took so long to update. . . in fact, I feel so bad that I'll do something that I've never done before . . .

¤ whispers ¤ I'll tell you the title of the next chapter.

¤ random, invisible audience "Ooohs" and "Ahhhs" apppreciatively ¤

Thank you. Ready?

§ ¤ § ChapterTwelve: The Last Laugh § ¤ §

¤ DUN DUN DUUUN ¤

Sorry, I'm in a strange mood tonight (big surprise, huh?)

Okay! So, now that we're past the chapter of ULTIMATE FLUFF ¤ surpresses a gag ¤ which was so mushy-gushingly topped off by Rushlow with this song, we can get into a chapter I've been planning for . . .

¤ stops, thinks for a bit and gets slightly confused by the math ¤

Well, for a very long time. So!

Nick: Well . . . as for your question about Harry looking at KayKay strangely—I believe that this chapter explores the concept quite thoroughly, don't you?

And as for the second nightmare . . . I'm afraid that I made it too unclear. Both KayKay AND Harry dreamed that KayKay was being tortured and killed. Harry wasn't angry with her, just silent and pensive—and perhaps . . . avoiding the topic? ¤ tee-hee ¤

Phoenix: Thanks!

siriusfanatic: Don't you hate being the one that keeps it together when your friends are busy with their own "soap operas"? Oy! I know the feeling all too well (I seriously think I'm the only one immune to crushes . . . hmmm . . .)

And the same thing with the dryer happened to my uncle! ¤ laughs ¤Except he was playing "Hide-and-Go-Seek" and his cousin "turned on" his hiding place.

You know what's the MOST fun about being weird though?

Scaring the normal people. ¤ grins wickedly ¤

Try to keep from getting too overwhelmed by school though, 'kay?

And thanks!

siriusfanatic (take two): ¤ gapes ¤ AUSTRIA?

Whoa. I was about to say, "You get to go the Europe and I can't?" but judging by your schooling system, you probably don't live in the U.S.A. anyhow, huh?

¤ Open mouth, insert foot. ¤

Well, as they say, "An apple a day . . ." ¤ shrugs ¤

siriusfanatic (take three): Ugh, I know the WHOLE feeling . . . one of my friends—I swear she must say to herself, "Hmmm, what boys should I go after THIS week?"

MAYBE I'll try snowboarding sometime . . . someplace . . . perhaps . . .

And I live by randomness—don't worry.

(I think my Chemistry teacher does too . . . yesterday he told us "Now, while Matt's putting that problem on the board, I'd like you all to think happy thoughts about lobsters.")

Then again, maybe he's just crazy . . . ¤ shrugs ¤ Meh.

Is that it for reviews? Oh—oh I'm sad now . . .