"Weasley. Hey! Weasley!"

Ginny turned around as soon as she saw who was on the quidditch field. She had intended to practice-Angelina Johnson had said she wanted to hold try-outs before the end of term-but suddenly she no longer had that desire.

Unfortunately, Draco Malfoy had much longer legs than Ginny did and quickly caught up with her. He took her by the shoulder to spin her around.

"Don't touch me, Malfoy," she hissed.

"I don't know you're so angry for, Weasley," he shot back, even as he removed his hand, "this is the second time you've blown me off-"

"And I wonder why that is?" she said sarcastically. "It can't be because you've been talking shit about members of my family."

Malfoy had the audacity to smirk for half a moment before he went more solemn at the expression on her face. "C'mon, Weasley, I said your brother was our king-"

Ginny herself had to quickly clamp down on the snicker at that phrase-she was still rather hacked off with Ron as well and for all the shit her brothers had given her about being a girl playing quidditch, the chant had been dreadfully accurate-and glared at him instead.

"Ron was the one you were nicest to," she said emphatically.

"Banish the thought," he said, dramatically placing a hand over his heart. Ginny glowered at him, reminding herself that she was angry with him before she was tempted to laugh again.

"I don't particularly want to play quidditch with someone who insults my mother when he loses," she said, forcing herself to put every bit of anger she had felt the last few weeks into her voice. She turned to leave the pitch again.

"Well, it's a good thing I don't lose," he said cockily. This time he had the sense not to touch her.

If Ginny hadn't put her wand in her bag, she would have hit him with her signature Bat-Bogey Hex in a moment. As it was, she turned and slugged him in the stomach as if he were one of her brothers at the Burrow, taunting her that she could not hit the quidditch hoop. Air left his lungs in a soft whoosh.

"You'd think you'd have learned Weasleys know how to hit, Malfoy," she growled as he straightened, groaning.

"Weasley-look-I didn't mean-"

"What? You just wanted to insult my brother's mother, not mine?" she scoffed. "Well, guess what Malfoy-you can't pick and choose which blood traitor you want to insult. You insult one of us, you insult all of us."

She was surprised to see a flash of shame on his face. "I-I never called you a blood traitor."

"No, I'm just so poor that I'm not worth the dirt on your shoes, right, Malfoy?" she hissed. "Get stuffed, Malfoy."

She didn't look at him again as she left the quidditch pitch.

Evanna POV

In preparation for going home, Evanna had started reading the book on the leithor aigne again, hoping to find that her powers lent her some form of natural Occlumency. Of course, her ancestors had recorded such useless powers as hearing the thoughts of dormice and being able to convince a cranky cow to release her milk, but there was no inherent occluding ability. She would have to learn the old-fashioned way, she supposed. She had to hand it to Professor Snape for not even raising an eyebrow when she asked him for a pass to the Restricted Section.

As the Castle Centre had been rather crowded with those she could ill-afford being seen with so close to break, Evanna was sitting in the Common Room when Draco stormed through the Common Room, looking for all the world like a man on a mission. Deciding to give up on reading for that evening, Evanna stood to meet him.

"Draco?" she said. "Any particular reason you are acting like your namesake?"

Her brother's grey eyes flicked to her, shaking his head. "Girls. They are impossible."

Smirking, Evanna reached toward his mind with her own and was not as surprised as she perhaps should have been to see bright red hair. They had been playing quidditch together since the previous term, and Evanna knew Ginny could not have been happy with Draco's behavior at the Gryffindor-Slytherin match.

His eyes narrowed. "You're a girl."

"Thank you?" Evanna replied, not entirely sure where her brother was going with this line of thought.

"So you would know what girls want when they're angry with you," he said. "Like flowers or chocolates or jewelry or whatever."

Evanna was fighting the urge to laugh with each word out of her brother's mouth. "Did you try apologizing maybe?"

Draco opened his mouth to say something and quickly closed it again.

"Ah, I forgot that those words may never cross your lips lest the Morrigan's prophecy come to pass," Evanna crooned, finally laughing as Draco glowered at her.

"You've been reading too much damn mythology. If you're not going to be helpful-"

"I'll give you one tip," Evanna said merrily, finding her brother's aggravation rather entertaining. Perhaps that made her a masochist after all. "Gi-our redhaired friend is not really one for chocolates and flowers and jewelry. And she is rather angry with you."

Draco did not have the chance to reply as Theo had joined them at that moment, looking somewhat bemused.

"Sibling rivalry?" he said, looking between the two. "Can't say I can relate."

"No, Draco just learned that I am, indeed, a girl today," Evanna said dryly.

Theo blinked then coughed. "I can't say I relate to that either."

Evanna snickered as Draco gave a long-suffering sigh.

"I just thought my sister would be willing to offer me some empathy and advice-"

"I offered the latter," Evanna quipped. "But I don't typically empathize when someone digs their own grave."

Draco rolled his eyes dramatically, nearly walked into the wall as he turned, and went on to his dormitory, leaving Theo and Evanna to laugh at him as he left.

"What in the name of Salazar was that all about?" Theo asked.

"Draco is still trying to figure out how not to be a pompous arse to everyone around him."

"And he thought you could help?"

"Is that any way to speak to your lady?"

Theo stiffened for a moment before he realized that Evanna was teasing him. He shook his head.

"That was what I was wanting to speak to you about," he said. "Are you going home for winter holidays?"

"Of course," she said. "My father says there is more training he wants me to have, outside of the Hogwarts curriculum."

Theo nodded. "And… erm… what do you plan on telling your father about-well-us?"

Evanna paused. She had given the situation quite a bit of thought. She could not outright lie to the Dark Lord, but then again what was teenage romance in comparison to a war for the fate of their world? It would only make sense that he would not have time for school yard gossip.

But it wasn't just schoolyard gossip, not since the betrothal arrangement. This had become some sort of political power play, and one Evanna did not fully understand. But, she had spent enough time in Malfoy Manor and in Slytherin House to understand it was a dangerous game being played.

"I-I have not ever really discussed my romantic life with my father," Evanna said neutrally.

"But your father had not ever put you into a betrothal contract before," Theo replied, his tone just as light.

"I won't say anything that would damage your standing, if that's what you're asking," she said. "But, if I can find a way, I intend to convince him to end it."

"You think you have the power to do that?"

"Well, I've at least three years to work on it. I think I can manage it," she said; this time she recognized the haughtiness in her own voice. But, Theo did not make any comment on it, instead choosing to nod and leave her standing alone in the Common Room.

Harry POV

Harry had avoided his friends since that awful conversation in the Common Room, instead taking to spending more time with Ginny and her friends, including Evanna. He found the more he joined them, the more Evanna had disappeared. Ginny said she just had to always put in a certain amount of time amongst the Slytherins. Bridget-their Hufflepuff friend-had called it useless posturing meant to turn eleven year olds into politicians. Luna, bless her, had gone on about the nargle infestation becoming unbearable when both Harry and Evanna were in the room together.

The last DA meeting of the term quickly approached. Dobby, apparently, had taken it up himself to decorate the Room of Requirement for Yule, draping mistletoe and garland and fairy lights over every surface.

"Merlin, is this supposed to be a training room or a holiday party?" Evanna's voice was loud and clear as soon as people began filing into the room.

"Quit being so stuffy, Evanna," Bridget said. "It's the holidays."

"But we're supposed to-"

"I don't think the mistletoe will stop us from hurling jinxes at each other," Harry said, a teasing glint in his eye. The thing in his gut roared in satisfaction when twin spots of color appeared on her cheeks.

"Well, I don't know about that one," the tawny Hufflepuff mused.

This time, Harry blushed and Evanna glared at her. At that moment, Hermione-who Harry was barely speaking with-had come to the front of the room, giving Evanna an obvious look of suspicion when she passed. As Harry suspected, Evanna noticed it almost immediately, jutting out her chin in the most obvious sign of aristocracy Harry had ever seen.

There is no way that she is the child of a half-blood orphan, he decided. Hopefully she doesn't oppose too much to one fancying her though.

"Alright, everyone!" Hermione called. "Yes, the decorations are all very exciting, but we've got work to do. C'mon, c'mon!"

The meeting was very successful. There had been several new members from the lowest years. Harry was happy to see Evanna helping a first year with her stupefy, and being altogether gentler than she had ever been with Harry in their own training sessions. As though sensing him watching her, she met his eyes, those purple orbs of hers swirling with mischief.

You are not a nervous first year who's never even played a prank.

Who says I'm some sort of prankster?

That look in your eye does.

Harry snorted and continued his rounds. Hermione had managed to blast Ron off his feet in their last duel. Begrudgingly, Harry offered his oldest friend a hand up.

"You should try standing with your feet spaced a little further apart, it will be harder to knock you over," Harry said. "Footwork is important. It could save your life."

"Like this?" Ron demonstrated.

"More like this," Harry corrected.

"Who taught that?" Ron said as he corrected. "Professor Lupin?"

"No," Harry said plainly, turning to look at his teacher. Ron followed his gaze and went a little red.

"She's really been helping you?"

"She really has."

Ron frowned as he looked from Evanna to Hermione and then back at Harry.

"Still a bloody Slytherin, I say."

Somehow, those words were as ringing an endorsement as Harry ever heard. And he was not surprised as Ron bustled Hermione out of the Room of Requirement when the meeting was over. Harry nearly laughed out loud at the obviousness of Ginny asking Evanna to see if she could find the earrings Bridget had loaned her.

"For all that Hufflepuffs are supposed to be kind, Travers is a bloody menace!" Ginny said. "She'll kill me."

"Her family has been full of Slytherins for generations," Evanna mused. "You should really know better than to wear a friend's earrings to a duel."

"Please, Ev, I've got quidditch try-outs tomorrow and I've got to practice-"

Evanna laughed. "Go on. Just remember who is your very best friends."

"As I am yours," she said with a wink to Harry before charging out of the room. Harry and Evanna were left alone.

"Let me help you," he said.

"Alright," Evanna replied, a hint of wariness to her voice.

On their hand and knees, both began to search the floor for a pair of earrings. After a few moments of silence, Evanna spoke.

"You've been spending an awful lot of time outside of Gryffindor Tower lately," she said.

"You've been spending an awful lot of time inside the Slytherin Dungeons," he replied.

"Slytherins can be… tetchy when ignored," Evanna replied.

"So can Gryffindors."

"I didn't mean to ignore you Harry. I-"

"No, I didn' mean me," he said. "Ron and Hermione haven't exactly been happy with me lately."

"Oh? Why not?"

"They-" he coughed. "They think I've been spending too much time with you."

Evanna was silent for a moment. Harry didn't dare look for her as his fingers dug along the carpet for some earrings.

"And do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you…. Do you think you've been spending too much time with me?"

Fingers-narrow, with slightly chipped sparkly polish-had entered Harry's field of vision. He placed his own hand near those fingers, marvelling at the differences between them. His hands were calloused, nails bitten down, a little bit of dirt. Hers were neat, even with the chipped polish, and he could easily imagine them playing a piano, or filling the spaces between his own so well.

"No," he said. "I don't think I've spent enough time with you."

There was a small intake of breath as Harry looked up at Evanna. Her eyes were wide. She had worn makeup today, he noted. Not a lot like some of the girls he had seen in his year, but her eyeliner made her eyes pop all the more and her lips had the faintest hint of glossiness to them.

He reached further forward to her hand, daring to wrap a pinky around her own. Her hands were cold, but her skin was so soft.

"Harry," her voice trailed off as her eyes flicked toward his own. In that moment, the thing that had been growing in his gut roared for what it wanted, what it needed, and Harry reached forward, making his intentions more than clear, eyes closing as he breathed her in.

"I-I can't."

Harry opened his eyes to see Evanna scrambling backwards, nearly tripping on the hem of her robes as she struggled to stand up.

"Evanna-"

"Happy Christmas, Harry," she said hurriedly.

And then she was gone.