New Slytherin Girl

by AnnyBee

Not all Slytherins are evil; then again, they're not always so nice. But isn't that how all humans are? We grow, we learn, we adapt. At times we're hated and others we're loved. Seven eventful years, all seen through a Slytherin's eyes. Sometimes it's good to look at life from a different perspective.

139. Calm

Upon my return home, I stopped at the front of our fireplace. Taking a moment, I began to dust off the floo powder from my robes, when a force crashed against me. In the same motion, a pair of arms were thrown around me, pulling me in tight. I paused out of surprise, before pulling myself away. But my frown stopped as I realized who the culprit was. My mother stood in front of me, on her face a worried expression. Now I was truly in shock.

"What happened?" I asked, looking around for the source of this unusual sight. But my mother waved her hand. With a deep breath, she reached a hand to my hair, caressing it gently.

"Oh, darling… I was so worried," she patted my hair down, keeping the same expression.

"Worried about what? Worried about me?" I blurted out the latter, realizing that's what she meant. But despite how ridiculous it sounded my mother gave me a nod, confirming the absurd remark. Taking a slow step back, I frowned at her. "I'm fine, mum. Really. I just got a bit held up, but it's nothing for you to worry about. I just—"

"Office!" my father's voice called out from behind her. With a breath, I followed the source to see him standing in the corridor. The expression on his face was not pleasant. His frown deepened as our eyes met. "Now!"

My father stood glaring in my direction just long enough to see his demand had been registered. Silently, he turned and walked into his office. I let out a sigh. With how much later I had been than I had originally guessed, I knew I was going to have to deal with something like this. I had just hoped for some time to prepare. But, this was worse than I had expected.

My mother reached out, patting my head gently before gesturing the way. We both knew, no matter how angry, my father was not one to raise his voice. He was probably more upset than even she could help. Giving my mother a nod, I marched myself forward. My feet paused at the entrance to his office, my hand on the door. I knew what was waiting for me inside, I just needed a second to prepare. Taking a breath in, I braced myself, pushing the door open and forcing my way through it.

"I can—"

"Door!" my father interrupted.

I bit my lip and turned my back to him. One word sentences were not good, and so far he had used three. I had only ever heard him resort to that with Nikolai, and even then it had been a handful of times at most. He had never been this angry with me. That only made me worry more; this was uncharted territory. Taking a breath, I reached out and pressed a hand against the wood of the door, leaning forward until it closed. Hearing the click that followed, I closed my eyes and braised myself once more. Slowly letting out the breath I had been holding, I spoke still facing the door.

"Papa, I—"

"I do not need to hear whatever lie you thought convincing enough to tell me—Turn!" he interrupted the only complete sentence he had spoken thus far to instruct. I did as he said and turned in place. Looking up at him, his expression perfectly matched the irritation in his voice. With a look at the space between us, he pointed. "Sit."

Following orders, I walked myself slowly to the chair facing his desk. Not thinking it smart to say anything just yet, I took the seat without a word. Papa moved to rest against the edge of his desk, now standing in front of me, and looking directly down on me. He leaned his back against the desk, crossing his arms as he did. Not knowing what to do, or what to say, I lowered my head waiting for him to continue.

"I am not inept," my father began slowly, and I took in a breath. Already we were off to a bad start. "I am well aware you have been using this internship as a way to see your brother. I let you continue because I know how stubborn you can get, and how reckless you are when it comes to anything relating to your brother. If I had physically stopped you from going, it is very likely you would have done something far more dangerous, or at the very least stupid, as a means to see him. But this time you took it too far. You were careless. Your mother was worried."

"Worried about what? If you knew where I was—"

"Enough!" my father interrupted. I bit my lip as he took a step closer. Still looking down on me, he continued. "You are not a fool, yet you insist on acting like one. Your brother made a decision. He left. Now he has to live with the consequences."

"He left because you said—"

"He made a decision," he interrupted again, speaking slowly. My father looked down sternly and I frowned up at him in return.

"Papa, he didn't decide—"

"I gave him two options," his voice grew louder, "to leave or to stay. He chose to leave. That was his decision."

"Does that mean he should—"

"Yes," he interrupted again, "that is the consequence."

"But if he—"

"Your brother made a decision, Katerina—"

"Is it really a decision when you're given an ultimatum," I snapped, tired of being the only one interrupted.

But I only realized what I'd done as my father narrowed his eyes at me. Silently, I shrunk down in my seat. I shouldn't have spoken out of line, but he just wasn't listening. Nikolai didn't have a choice. He wouldn't have left if he truly did. From his place, my father watched me for a moment. Aside from his reaction earlier, and a higher than normal volume, his expression had otherwise remained even. I wasn't sure how long that would last. But after a second, my father gave me a sigh.

"I have my reasons for doing what I did," my father spoke, his voice low. "Regardless of how you view it, I gave him a choice and he took it. As such, he forfeited any right he had to meet with this family; that includes you."

"I didn't choose this," I replied just as softly, no use in feigning ignorance anymore. "He's my brother, Papa."

"And he is my son. Yet he chose to be with a muggle instead of us," my father spoke down clearly.

At the comment, I held a breath. I didn't like hearing that. I could already feel my jaw begin to tighten. I swallowed, not that it would help. But no matter how I tried to keep it together, I wasn't fooling him. My father let out a slow breath.

"Your brother can take care of himself, Katerina. You cannot," my father spoke clearly down to me. I looked back scornfully, but the look on his face made me bite my tongue. "You are still young, far too young to understand the kind of situation you are putting yourself in by involving yourself with muggles."

"Why not just call yourself a Death Eater if you hate muggles so much," I snapped again, standing from my seat. But my father's expression didn't change. He continued to look calmly down at me.

"You are not to see your brother again."

"But—" I began to argue, but my father raised a hand, stopping me. At my sides, I gripped my fists.

"The internship will continue as planned. We reinstated it last-minute and it would not be right to cancel," my father spoke, ignoring my obvious glare. "However, from now on you will be escorted to and from the hospital, no exceptions. Try to convince anyone otherwise and both them and you will be severely punished. Once the internship period concludes you will spend the remainder of your holiday either with your mother, or with myself at the Ministry. And that is the last we will have of this conversation. Do I make myself clear?"

I didn't respond. My attention was focused on keeping myself from lashing out, as I deeply wanted to. Only recently had I been able to see my brother, and our final meeting was supposed to be one where we were barely able to say two words to each other? That was unacceptable. I could not, would not, accept another five years of silence between us. But movement caught my eye, and my attention back, as my father rested himself back against his desk. Looking down at me, he crossed his arms.

"Must I repeat myself?" my father asked, his voice far too gentle. I glared up at him in return.

"No, it's clear, may I be excused?" I replied quickly, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

My father watched my face silently. His calm expression only made me angrier. But after another moment, he let out a long sigh.

"I understand how you must feel, and I know how you get in regards to your brother, but you should know I am not doing this for myself," he spoke slowly. "There are circumstances involved which you cannot begin to understand, Katerina."

"Am I excused?" I repeated through my teeth. My father looked at me for a moment more before giving me a nod.

"You may go."

As soon as he uttered the sentence, I hurried out of his office. I didn't bother closing the door behind me, and I didn't look back. Up the stairs, I pushed past anyone on the way to my room. The moment I stepped inside I slammed the door behind me. Without another thought, I rushed forward, tossed my things to the side, and threw myself against my bed. I buried myself in between the pillows and covers, hiding, and trying to control the emotions I felt. That is how I stayed.

A few hours later, I woke up.

Sitting myself up on my bed I realized I was still fully clothed. I hadn't expected to fall asleep, or deal with things the way I had. But a larger part of me didn't care. Rubbing my face I noticed no light; it was the dead of night. I pushed myself up lazily, figuring the least I could do was change.

My mind felt blank, as if it was trying to control the overwhelming amount of emotions by not letting me feel any of them at all. Attempting to ground myself, I took a look around the room. It paused below the window, where I noticed a tray of food I was sure hadn't been there before. Sometime during my tantrum induced nap they had let themselves in. It was probably cold by now, not that I cared, or was planning on having any.

Ignoring the dish, I crawled my way to the edge of the bed. Over the corner I noticed my bag still tossed over, out of place. I stared at it for a moment before standing, making my way towards it. I sat on the floor, wanting to look at it more carefully, and reached for the parchment inside. Draco's gift… I hadn't realized I would have needed so quickly.

Getting a better grip on it, I turned towards the door. It was closed, but it wouldn't hurt to check. I stood, grabbing my bag as I did. Nearing the door, I pulled out my wand and locked it. After, I turned back down at the parchment in hand. Pressing my back against the newly secured door, I slowly slid down the frame until I sat. From the bag I had dragged over I grabbed a writing set, not sure where I would start. But taking one long breath in, I dipped my quill in ink and placed it on the parchment.

"I'm glad we could finally spend Christmas together. Even if it wasn't how we planned."

I frowned down at the parchment, staring at the letters on the page. Still not allowing myself to get overwhelmed, I studied every detail of the letters in front of me. Closely I examined the ink as it lay on the bumps and creases of the parchment. Watched as it slowly began to dry, leaving some parts shining and others matte. I wasn't sure how long my attention had been on them until suddenly I froze. Slowly, the ink began to move. One of the corners of a letter began to lift, disappearing as it did. One by one, until all together, the words were erased from the page. It stayed for a moment, empty, before new ink took its place. This time, I wasn't the one writing.

"I am too. I was glad I could see you again." Nikolai's handwriting appeared on my page. I gave a small smile as it did, but the words continued. "But it's late. What are you still doing up?"

At his words I let out a breath. I didn't know what time it was, but I hadn't expected him to be awake. I certainly hadn't expected an explanation. But now was as good of a time as any. I raised my hand, knowing what I had to say. My quill tapped the parchment a couple of times before a proper sentence was formed. Only two words.

"Papa knows."

"Figures. You should get some rest." Nikolai replied after almost no pause. I frowned down at the words, grabbing my quill once more.

"I can't see you anymore."

"That's alright. Go to bed." Once again Nikolai brushed off the reply. If I didn't know his handwriting so well, I might have thought his wife was the one making the idiotic remark. My frown grew.

"Are you not reading what I've said? He knows. I'm going to be escorted to and from St. Mungo's from now on. Who knows what other restrictions he will think of later. I can't see you anymore Nikolai!"

"Katerina,"

My brother's handwriting began but paused, as though he were taking in a breath. I waited, and the words soon continued. Just below my name, they quickly filled the page.

"From the moment I left home he has known where to find me. If he had ever stopped looking, I knew the day I sent you that wedding invitation that he would begin to track me again. I can promise you he has been aware of every meeting we've ever had. One of the main reasons why I agreed to cast the Fidelius Charm with you was because I didn't want him showing up to my door unannounced. I have known that man some years longer than you have, I am not surprised he knows so I am not asking about that. I am telling you it's late, and that you need to sleep. If nothing else, because you have your internship in the morning. Now, listen to your big brother, and get some rest."

I looked down at his words a moment, even after having finished reading them. He was right. Who did I think I was? Had I really thought my father wouldn't notice all of this? After all, he had known about my purchase of Nikolai's muggle home, even after I had tried so hard to cover it up. How would he not have thought I would go and visit him there? Papa must have known this whole time. I took a deep breath in before letting it out just as slowly. Once again, I put my quill to the parchment.

"I just woke up from a nap. I'm not tired." I answered honestly. "I'm just disappointed, you could say."

"It has been a while since you left for home… So what did he say to you exactly? Did he yell?" Nikolai asked, and I could already picture his frown. His loving, protective, concerned frown. I smiled down at the parchment.

"I'm alright, you worry too much. He was upset, clearly, but I've seen him far more upset with you."

"That's not really helpful considering some of the arguments we've been in."

Nikolai responded by drawing a doodle below his words. It was a mirror of what I was sure was the expression currently on his face. As if I couldn't have pictured it already. But that was something he had always done to make me feel better. Even as a child, he had always been a talented artist, one of the many traits I envied. While together, he would often draw something ridiculous on the corner of his page when he caught me reading over his shoulder. And without fail he would always turn around and give me the same self-congratulatory smirk. I smiled down at the parchment just as I had smiled back at him then.

"He was upset, but it seemed less at me and more at the situation." I answered honestly, considering how strangely calm Papa had been at certain points. And if he had truly known until now that meant he had been letting me continue, until I crossed some line. "Still, he's upset. So now I have to spend the rest of my holiday being guarded like a child."

"You need to be punished so you don't end up like that miscreant older brother of yours." Nikolai wrote as though he agreed. I held back a laugh.

"Seems you didn't set the bar low enough."

"Damn. What do I have to do? Marry a second muggle? Do you think it would count if I married Daisy twice?" Nikolai wrote, and this time I couldn't help but giggle.

"Try inviting them to the next muggle Christmas dinner. I'm sure they'll have as much fun as I did."

"If only to spite my mother-in-law, I just might."

At his reply my smile got bigger. Looking down at his words, I let out a slow breath. I had calmed down, I could feel it. In just a few words, he was already making me feel better. This was why I needed him. No matter what the issue was, no matter who was involved, he had always been the one to make me happy. So even if it wasn't exactly the same, even if this was just an exchange of messages in parchment, I was grateful to Draco for his gift.

"It's late. Go get some sleep. We can talk about everything in the morning." Nikolai's words concluded, and I sighed. He was right, now we would have that luxury. I nodded to myself but, with a heavy hand, I raised my quill.

"Goodnight. I love you."

"I know, I truly am fantastic."

Reading the page I let out a giggle. A noise, barely audible, came from the other side of the door. I paused, and keeping quiet I listened closely. For certain I heard something, but couldn't be sure they were footsteps. If they were, they seemed to be walking away. I let out a sigh before turning back down to the parchment. On it, a new line had been placed.

"I love you too, Princess. Get some rest."

. . .

As the days passed, through the remainder of the holiday, Papa kept true to his word. I was not allowed out unless accompanied, nor was I allowed any visitors. Not that I would have invited anyone into that prison. I was barely given enough space to breathe, as there always seemed to be someone around. The only peace I received was at night, but that only made sleep feel like time wasted.

Thankfully, even though I was being watched so closely, Nikolai and I were still able to communicate. We made good use of Draco's gift, and I was eternally grateful to him for it. Another gift I received, this one unintentionally, had been my brother's coat. I had stored it away after we had arrived at the muggles' home, and had forgotten about it until after returning. Guessing how my parents were sure to react at the sight of it, and sure of how it would go if I tried to send it back, I kept it hidden away for the remainder of my stay. And deciding it probably wasn't the best idea to leave it home either, I packed it along with the rest of my things for Hogwarts.

Once on the train, Lev and I paced the corridors. The Hogwarts Express was getting ready to move, yet I still hadn't found who I was looking for. Even after exchanging a couple of letters, there was someone I still felt I should talk to. And with my parents deciding I didn't deserve privacy anymore, I thought it best to wait on that conversation.

"Not here either…"

Grumbling as we neared the last cart, I let out a sigh. He wasn't anywhere to be found. I had paced from one corner to the other and I was sure, he wasn't on the train. Lev would have at least started growling if we'd been near enough. With a frown of defeat I turned around and marched forward, now on a separate mission. Having remembered passing by one, I searched and fell into the nearest empty compartment.

"You can pick your spot," I sighed at Lev, gesturing him forward.

Tossing my things into the corner, I fell back against my seat. With a small bark, Lev jumped up, taking the empty spot beside me. I let him make himself comfortable as I placed my feet on the seat across. Though they barely reached I felt it both symbolically and physically represented me blocking the entrance. I had enough to deal with, even without the usual crowd.

During my earlier pacing I had seen Lee, along with some others I believed to be Gryffindors. They seemed like ones I had seen during Quidditch practices but I couldn't quite remember if it was as players or spectators. Either way, George wasn't among them. Neither was Fred. Even Potter was nowhere to be seen, making me guess their whole group was involved. I hadn't exactly been keeping an eye out for the rest of them, but three seemed to imply more than a simple coincidence.

For my own sanity, I decided worrying about it now wouldn't solve anything, and instead chose to rest. I leaned myself back, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing. Every so often the sound of footsteps would echo the halls as students passed by, sometimes idling near the compartment door before carrying on. I ignored them, trying my best to keep my mind blank. But it was harder than expected to ignore the headache that kept nagging my thoughts.

I had wanted to talk to George. After the meeting we had at the hospital we had exchanged letters. Both apologized, for the most part. He subtly insisted my reaction had been an overreaction, and I reminded him I didn't much appreciate having my work belittled. Though I couldn't say I entirely disagreed, I could see where the misunderstanding had occurred. But Papa had kept to his word, as he always did, and hadn't let me out of his sight during the remaining holiday. That didn't leave me much time to discuss matters with George. And with how my father had reacted, I didn't put it above him to go through my owls, so I decided to put the argument with George on hold.

With a sigh, I slid further down my seat. I could feel myself about to fall into the space in between but wanted to make a point; this was not an invitation to join. Adjusting himself as well, Lev leaned himself closer to my stomach. But this didn't seem to be a change for comfort. Beside me, I felt his body vibrate as he began to growl. It didn't seem to be letting up, instead growing more profound. I reached a hand over to pet his head, frowning when he didn't stop. That's when the compartment door flew open.

"Can't you shut that damn mutt up?"

"Don't speak to him that way," I frowned, already recognizing the voice.

Opening my eyes I found Draco standing front and center. Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle stood at either side. I looked at them with an empty expression before shutting my eyes again.

"Sorry to disappoint, but the compartment is full."

"By who? You can't even take up half the room properly," Draco scoffed, I assumed looking down at my feet barely reaching the other end.

"I'd rather be alone, Deedee," I sighed.

"Too bad," he answered, just as I expected he would, "we need a compartment."

Opening my eyes to look at him again, I frowned. He ignored me, placing an arm below my knees. Unfaced by my look, he moved my legs out of his way. Walking himself into the compartment, Draco placed the remainder of me on my side, keeping me to one seat as the boys made themselves comfortable on the other. Crabbe and Goyle, carrying their things inside, brazenly took the seat. Smiling, having gotten his way, Draco gave a nod at the two before turning back to me. He glanced down at where he had placed my legs before turning up to me with a silent question. His query being not to ask permission, but would I comply or would he have to move me again? I rolled my eyes in response before lowering my legs from the seat.

"Just what is your definition of 'alone'?" I asked, watching him fall into his newly earned place. He responded to my look with a shrug.

"What's yours? You always insist on treating the mutt like its own person, yet you don't include him?" Draco pondered down at Lev, who had moved to sit on my lap. Having had his previous seat disturbed by the lot, much like I had, he had turned to ignoring them.

I didn't respond, not that it had been an actual question. I absentmindedly scratched Lev's head as the others made themselves comfortable. After shuffling everything into an appropriate place they began to talk amongst themselves. Crabbe and Goyle joked with Draco about nonsense as I drifted in and out of their conversation. From what I had gathered the two weren't exactly the shy type, but only ever seemed to carry on a conversation with him.

Grabbing onto Lev, I pulled him closer to my chest. Turning away from Draco, I leaned my back against him, placing my feet up on the seat again. Acting as though he hadn't noticed, Draco continued his conversation with the two, at this point turning to gloat about all of the things he had been gifted during holiday. Not just in quantity, but in quality. I listened to him drone on for a minute more before a break in their conversation appeared.

"I used your gift," I spoke up blandly, but he knew what I meant.

"Did it work alright?" Draco asked, copying my tone. I nodded back at him. It had already gotten more than enough use. And if I hadn't received it when I did…

"More than was expected. Thank you again," I replied honestly. Draco gave me a simple nod. Putting an arm around me, he patted my head, before turning back to the other two.

As their conversation continued, Draco's arm remained around my shoulders. The comforting weight of it, along with the train's soothing movement, lulled me. Somewhere along the train ride, I fell asleep. But I didn't fight it, I was too tired to think, and instead chose to let it all go dark. It wasn't until I felt Lev's paws nudging against me that I began to wake. But my body still took some more convincing. Eventually, Lev's light yelping along with Draco's gentle but insistent tapping on my cheek made me begrudgingly open my eyes.

"Wake up, I'm not carrying you in again," Draco smirked down at me, realizing I was awake enough to hear him. I stuck my tongue out at him in response, but complied. Sitting up, and eventually standing, I stretched my arms above my head to better wake myself up. Looking down at me, Draco's smile grew. "Must be nice not to have to worry about bumping your hands against the ceiling."

"Shut up," I yawned back, using the motion of my arms to hit his stomach. Draco gave me a chuckle and walked forward, opening the door for us.

I paused for a second, turning back to the compartment. Only then did I notice the other two were already gone, along with all of our things. Draco noticed my confusion and explained they had gone to get us a carriage. Seemingly entertained by my sleep-induced confusion, Draco grabbed my wrist and led me forward. I followed behind as we made our way out of the train. Still not fully awake, I watched his back as he guided me through the sea of other students, until suddenly we stopped. I frowned as his back became his front before looking up at his face. Draco turned back with a smirk, also realizing I hadn't fully woken up yet, before nodding to the side.

Following the gesture, I noticed we were near the carriages, all being boarded. Draco walked forward again, leading us to where one, in particular, was only half boarded. The two stood at the sides of the thestral, our things already inside. In front of the steps, Draco held out his hand towards me. Rolling his eyes at me as he did, Draco helped me on before climbing into the carriage himself. After finding his seat beside me and Lev, Crabbe and Goyle climbed into their seats themselves.

As the thestrals started on their way to the castle, the boys continued their conversation from where I assumed they had left off on the train. Once again I chose to ignore them, knowing it wouldn't be of any interest to me, as I tried not to fall asleep for the remainder of the carriage ride. But eventually we reached the castle, and I left Lev to watch over things, sure the house-elves would give him plenty of treats while we made our way to the Great Hall.

Following the boys forward, I dragged my feet falling slightly behind. Draco slowed his stride as he walked, lingering to match my pace, not wanting to leave me completely behind. But not having the patience of a saint, already having lasted longer than I had expected, he turned to frown at me. Grabbing onto my arm, Draco dragged me forward to better match his speed.

"Would you hurry up? And stop rubbing your face like that," he lectured, watching me trying to force the tiredness out of my eyes. "You're going to make a mess of it."

"Isn't this where you tell me my face is bad enough already?" I yawned halfway through my response. Draco chuckled a little, either at my words or the gesture, but continued to pull me forward into the Hall.

We walked alongside the Slytherin table, scanning for our place. The others hadn't arrived yet, we were the first ones there. I reached my seat before realizing not even Draco was beside me anymore. Frowning around in search of him, it was a moment before I noticed him hurrying to my side of the table. He glanced behind him a couple of times before reaching me, not saying anything in regards to his absence.

"Where are Vincent and Gregory?" I asked, seeing as he wasn't going to be the one to offer.

"I told Crabbe and Goyle to wait for the others," he responded matter-of-factly, looking down at me. "I wanted to talk."

"About?" I prompted once more, not missing the vagueness in his statement. Draco was silent for a moment. Finally, he sat down beside me, focusing his attention directly on me.

"You've been awful quiet the whole ride up."

"I was asleep?" I responded, though it came off as a question. But he shook his head at me.

"You know what I mean," he frowned in response. Draco looked forward, and I followed his gaze. He was looking at George sitting at the Gryffindor's table. I frowned down, sure he had not been on the train. "It's because of him again, isn't it."

"What do you mean 'again'?" I asked, ignoring his actual question.

"Why don't you just break up already?"

I snapped my head back up, turning a frown to him. But he wasn't looking at me. Draco had turned his expression to the front of the Hall, towards the door, where the others were now walking in.

"I don't tell you how to ruin your relationship, don't butt into mine," I responded in a low but sharp tone. Draco sighed at me.

"He's not good enough for you to start with, and now he's even upsetting you," he continued, still not turning to me. His voice was soft as he spoke. "It's so obvious, it's been happening for a while now. But no one has the guts to say anything since you'll just bite their head off about it. But you bite mine off regardless, so I'm the one telling you. He's not worth it."

"George and I are fine, we've just had some disagreements—"

"All I know is, he's not making you happy," Draco interrupted, turning to frown at me. "I've kept shut about it until now—"

"Oh did you?" I scoffed, interrupting him this time. Draco rolled his eyes at me.

"Fine, do it your way, be stubborn," he leaned in, frowning down at me. "But the sooner you admit you're not happy, the better."

"And then what?" I glared back.

"Then do what you want," Draco continued to frown, but his expression changed slightly. "Move on. Date someone else if you want to. I don't care. Just make sure next time it's actually someone worth your time."

"How'd you beat us here?"

The rest of our usual group gathered together; Crabbe and Goyle must have fenced them in. They all began silently taking their seats, filling the spaces around us. But among them, one in particular let out a frown. Daphne turned to look between us, realizing our expressions, and that we still hadn't answered her question. Realizing that too, Draco spoke first.

"We found good seats," Draco shrugged at Daphne. He turned his expression towards the staff table, leaning against his hand nonchalantly, and pretending as though the conversation we were just having hadn't happened. I frowned slightly at him but someone else spoke first.

"Or, we got held up," Theo spoke up, with a particular tone.

"Oh, don't give me that! Those… those things! I still can't believe those things are real," Daphne whined across from me. "This whole time… Thestrals… Makes me shiver."

"Next time walk, then," Blaise turned a glare to her, answering the question of what had taken them so long.

"Did you two have a row again?" Pansy suddenly asked. She had her expression fixed on Draco, sitting directly across from him. Draco turned his expression from the staff table to glance at her. With a small smile, he shook his head.

"Every talk is a row with this one," he gave her an exaggerated sigh.

"Enough with you," I swatted at his arm. In turn, Draco reached behind me and pulled the hood over my head. I shook it off, hearing chuckles around me, as my glare landed on the culprit. He gave me an unapologetic smile. I gave him an ironic one in return before answering with a kick.

Draco didn't bring up our discussion for the rest of our dinner, though I caught him glaring a few times at the Gryffindor table. Most of the others spent the time complaining and boasting about their individual experiences during holiday, as I filtered in and out of the conversation.

After dinner we all went our separate ways. Most went up to the boys' room to finish off the conversation for the night. Pansy went off somewhere with Draco, saying there was something they needed to talk about. I didn't need more information than that, deciding to take the chance to excuse myself for the night. Although I still needed to speak to Theodore about our schedule, and I was sure Daphne would have more to say about her trip, I felt as though I needed a bit more rest. Only taking a minute to check up on Lev and sort through my things, I went straight to bed, deciding to leave the rest for the morning.

The next day, our official first day back, I woke up exhausted. Most likely leftover holiday fatigue, or simply exhaustion from all that had happened, I didn't exactly wake up the most chipper. Certainly not in the spirit some others seemed to have. Daphne, in particular, hadn't stopped talking all night. I had woken up to her already in mid-conversation, yet she still had managed to save enough to keep her rant going into breakfast. I did catch a mention of Draco's gift, her version of the parchment set, which seemed to have worked well for her over holiday. She claimed there had been a few dropped sentences, though I honestly just guessed that was more of an excuse on Theodore's part to stop a conversation with her, as that was hard to do on its own. Even through midday, as we settled into lunch, she continued.

"…it was just lovely. It really was a wonderful idea I had to agree to go. The beaches were just so beautiful, and I bought so many dress robes—"

" Sounds great, Daphne," Pansy mumbled into her food, clearly not fully paying attention.

Pansy hadn't said much herself. Sure, when compared to Daphne, no one said much, but still. I wasn't sure if the distance Draco had mentioned had worked well for them, but at least they weren't arguing anymore. Certainly they weren't glued to each other like before, so that was nice for me, but they did seem to be talking more.

"Is she still at it?" Draco smirked beside me, taking a full bite from his plate.

Even after our return from holiday, we seemed to have kept our previous seating arrangement in the Great Hall. Though I wasn't sure what that had to say about their relationship, neither one had yet to make a comment on it, and I certainly wasn't going to be the one to bring it up.

After more of a rant from Daphne, and a quick lunchtime snack, I hurried out of the Great Hall. For one, I usually wasn't very hungry during midday, but aside from that, I had plans to meet George. It was the only time I would have free for a while, and it wouldn't be for very long. That was honestly probably for the best, keeping our conversation more contained. That's where we had gone wrong last time. Besides, I had plans to meet Theodore in the library after dinner, so this was the best I could do. I thought he might protest somewhat, but George greeted me as if nothing of interest had happened in the last couple of months.

"You weren't hungry?" he asked as we met. I shook my head at him.

"Not particularly," I mumbled. George looked like he didn't quite believe me, but followed me out anyway.

It was a bit of a walk into the grounds. Eventually, we were able to find a nice quiet place to talk, past the courtyard near the tree line of the forest. We mumbled small talk most of the way there. I didn't know exactly what to say or where I should start. Distracted, I continued to follow behind until I was met with his back. But it took until I felt his arms sliding around my waist for my attention to focus back.

"George!"

Without warning, George leaned against me, a smile on his face. Ignoring my glare, he kept his arms around me, adjusting them under my cloak. Unashamed, he tugged at me, pulling us closer together.

"What? You said it was cold out here," George smirked back at me, no longer able to avoid the look I was giving him, his arms tightening their grip. "This will keep you warm."

"That's not what I meant," I responded, feeling my face grow a little warmer. I tried to look around, though his body was blocking most of my view. George chuckled in return.

"I like this better," he responded still with a smile. I looked back up at him with a frown but didn't fight back.

This was better than the alternative. At least that's how it seemed on the surface. Part of it felt dishonest, like an act. It was as though he wanted to go back to just playing along with me instead of arguing through things. But now that I knew that was a common practice of his, I wasn't so sure I agreed. Looking up at him, he seemed to read the thought on my face. In turn, he gave me a small smile.

"Are you still upset?" George asked, putting some distance between us. He didn't completely let go of me, but there was enough space to get by. "I said I was sorry."

"No, I know," I nodded, ignoring the fact that he obviously didn't mean it. "And I said I overreacted. It wasn't your fault, not entirely. I've just been stressed."

"About?" George asked. I frowned down at the ground between us.

Well, for starters, there was my brother. Not just my brother, but his muggle. And not just his muggle, but her mother as well. All of the walking on eggshells around her family, trying to keep a secret that shouldn't even need to be a secret. Not to mention whatever secret my parents seemed to be keeping from me. The secrets my boyfriend also seemed to be keeping from whatever his family was involved with. Draco's secrets he was keeping to himself. And, of course, there were all of my own as well, some learned to keep from those previously mentioned. All mixing into a sort of feeling of frustration and… guilt.

"It's nothing," I lied. George didn't look like he believed me. I turned up to give him a small smile. "It's just a lot of little nothings, but together they make a bit of a mess."

"If you say so," he responded, still not buying it. I gave him a bit more of a smile before leaning up towards him. George leaned down to give me a quick kiss. With that, he smiled back down at me.

"We've talked enough about my issues, I'd say," I mentioned with a sigh. "What has been happening with you?"

"Nothing," he responded, a little too quickly. George frowned at himself, realizing that same thing. We were both hiding things, and we both knew it. I nodded between us before taking a step back.

"So nothing new with the shop?" I prompted, as a distraction. It worked.

"Actually," George spoke up, his face brightening, making me smile, "Fred and I made a deal for that set I mentioned, for our Headless Hats. Got the lot for a steal. We're still working on some, but got the first batch all done. Bit difficult to do at home though, right under our mother's nose."

"I know the feeling," I sighed, thinking back to my father. "But I'm glad to see you expanding past making yourself sick."

"The Skiving Snackbox is still our passion project," George smirked down, grabbing my hand, "but we need galleon to work through the ingredients and all. We can pass the hats off for a decent profit, get us something to work with. We're thinking a galleon a pop, maybe two."

"I'd say two," I shrugged. "The Invisibility Charm is not easy to master, much less alter. Not many would be willing to take the time to attempt it themselves, and would rather pay the two galleons. You may even be able to ask for three, if you want to try your luck. It would give you more to add to your 'passion project' funds."

"I don't know if I've shown you the hats, but they're not the most attractive accessory," George said, his tone sounding doubtful.

"They don't have to be, do they, they'll turn invisible," I reminded him. George gave me a thoughtful nod. "Besides, say things the right way and you can get people to do almost anything. I think you could make it work. You are very charismatic."

"Oh? You think I'm charismatic?" George teased, leaning into me. "What else do you love about me?"

"Technically I didn't say—"

"Is it my handsome face? My entrepreneurial charm?" George continued, pulling me closer to him with each question. I let out a giggle.

"I would say it's the fact that I can never take you seriously," I smiled in return.

"Well, at least one of us likes that," George replied, but smiled down at me.

Taking advantage of the moment, he leaned down to give me a kiss. The kiss lasted only a second, before a nearby snapping sound startled us. My eyes darted towards the sound as a bowtruckle scampered across the branches of a tree. Beside me, George let out a sigh. Unbothered by the interruption, he looked back down at me.

For a moment I paused, realizing something. We were alone now, and it felt as though I should bring up the subject of the train. He hadn't been on the Hogwarts Express, of that I was almost certain. I wanted to talk but… It was possible he had been avoiding me. Or there was the possibility that he arrived at Hogwarts through other means. Sure it was rare, but it was very much a possibility.

I frowned thinking through all the possible scenarios, ones that could very easily be answered if I simply asked. But this was most likely going to involve things that shouldn't be said in front of just anyone. And looking around, though I didn't see anyone, it didn't mean we were truly alone.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" George asked, noticing the look on my face.

"I'm just tired is all," I lied, turning back to him. "Everything about the last few weeks has made me exhausted."

"You're too small to be working so hard," he shook his head, leaning himself down to me to prove his point. I scowled in return.

"You're hilarious," I answered, with as much sarcasm as I could muster. George ignored my tone, keeping the smirk on his face. "Has anyone ever told you people who aren't at the same height don't normally appreciate being talked to like this?"

"But down here I can do this…" he spoke softly, before leaning the rest of the way towards me and into a kiss. George took a step closer, erasing some of the space between us. I waited a moment more before pushing lightly against him. When he stepped back he gave me a pout. Knowing what I was going to say, he turned down to complain. "No one is here."

"You always say that, but when do you ever really know," I argued, but George rolled his eyes at me.

"Fine, you little paranoid peony, come on," George called, grabbing my hand.

Taking me by the hand, George pulled us further into the Forbidden forest. He led us somewhere clearly more private. In the alcove only trees surrounded us, and the sounds from the school were muffled at best. Behind him, I couldn't see the castle anymore. We weren't much farther than we had been, but we were certainly deep enough into the wood. Now we wouldn't be bothered. I took a breath before fixing my look up towards him, deciding now was the time.

"So… Now that we're alone…" I let my words fade, still not sure how to finish my sentence. George turned down to give me a smirk.

"I have a feeling you're not thinking the same thing I am," he responded, leaning himself back against a nearby tree.

"What are you thinking?" I asked curiously, watching him make himself comfortable. George shook his head in return.

"You were first," he reminded, gesturing me on. I opened my mouth to answer but paused, watching him slide down the length of the tree until sat. After a second longer, I opened my mouth again.

"Aren't you worried about getting your robes dirty?"

"That's what you wanted to talk about?" he answered my question with one of his own. George looked up at me with a patient smile. He noticed it too; I was stalling.

"No," I sighed, shaking my head. Taking in a breath, I pushed the words out of me. "Why weren't you on the Hogwarts Express? I went looking for you."

"You were looking for me?" he asked, sounding almost flattered. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I think you're focusing on the wrong point," I insisted, crossing my arms. "Why weren't you on the train?"

"We rode the Knight Bus?"

"What?" I blurted out, not having expected that as an answer. "The Knight Bus? Why?"

"It wasn't that bad. If you don't mind getting gut-punched by an old witch as frogs jump around on your lap," George replied with a smile. I frowned back. That response seemed too specific to be made up. At my expression, George's smile widened. "It wasn't that bad, really."

"That doesn't answer my question," I spoke slowly, trying to put the matter of the old frog witch aside for a later time. "Why take the Knight Bus of all things? Were you late to the train?"

"Yeah…" he mumbled the response, looking up at me. Seeing the doubt clear on my face, George decided to elaborate. "There were a lot of us, you know. Having us all pack and get ready can take up a lot of time. Not to mention Harry and Hermione were—"

"Hermione?" I interrupted, making George immediately stop.

Potter had disappeared at the same time they had, so it wasn't a surprise to hear he had been with them. But Hermione… I had asked her to pass along a message knowing she would eventually reach out to them during holiday, not expecting her to stay alongside Potter. She had stayed at Black Manor. It wasn't hard to tell something was going on, but now it just seemed completely unfair. Hermione was invited to stay with them, doing Merlin knows what, while I was left behind to piece together traces of information.

"Hermione…" I repeated softly, looking back at George. He had stayed quiet, watching for my reaction. I let out a slow breath before continuing. "I wasn't aware she had stayed with you all. I suppose that explains how she passed along the message."

"I think we've talked about my family enough," George interjected, in a not very subtle attempt to change the subject.

George reached a hand to me. With a smile, he took mine in his. Gently he tugged at my arm, but I responded with a frown. Knowing what my expression was in regards to, George let go of my hand. He slovenly began to remove his cloak, laying it down on the space next to him. For a moment he unnecessarily patted down the fabric, getting rid of any visible sign of dirt from it, before turning his expression up at me. Once again he raised a hand to me, but this time I obliged.

"Tell me about your holiday," George prompted, watching me settle into the spot next to his. "Get anything good?"

I frowned slightly, thinking of my response. In all honesty, things weren't so great. There had been a few fun moments, but most had ended up with a bitter aftertaste. Ignoring the fact that the last half of holiday had been spent as a prisoner in my own home, I couldn't find much good in the rest. Besides, I couldn't mention much to George in terms of details, not when I knew they would just upset him. I didn't think George would much appreciate being told how I spent my Christmas Eve, Nikolai certainly hadn't taken it well. The rest wasn't much better, and the only tolerable parts had involved Draco…

"Actually, it wasn't all that great," I sighed, looking down. I noticed George's hand slid a little closer to me, making me look up.

"Go on," he smiled in encouragement, leaning slightly closer to me. I nodded back at him, taking in a breath.

"Well, you know how I told you I was planning on seeing my brother during the internship," I began, hoping to ignore any other subject relating to said internship.

"Did you go?" he asked softly, offering only enough to let me continue.

"A couple of times," I nodded before taking a pause. "I was able to spend Christmas with him, actually. Him and… his wife."

"And you didn't have fun?" George asked. I smiled in response.

"What gave it away?" I asked sarcastically, letting out a sigh. "No, I didn't have fun. It was awful. Not only was I forced to interact with the muggle's family, but he spent the entire day being harassed by them. Constantly being berated with questions, criticized, and made to pretend he's some sort of lap dog who's just there for his wife's family's convenience."

"And?" George asked unbothered. I frowned up at him in return.

"And he shouldn't have to do any of that!"

"Maybe not, but wouldn't anybody try their best to get along with their significant other's family?" George shrugged, not seeing an issue with his statement. "Of course he would do all of those things, what's so wrong about it?"

He didn't understand. George couldn't understand why his words made absolutely no sense. Sure, anybody might behave that way, but Nikolai wasn't just anybody. Those muggles were not on the same level as him, not in the slightest. My brother had so many great qualities to him, countless talents, and all things they would never be able to see from him. That was their fault, not his. Nikolai shouldn't have to gain their approval, they should be begging for his.

"His muggle… Her mother… " I sighed, trying to think of the least insulting way of wording my thoughts.

"His wife's mother?" George clarified for himself.

"Yes, she… Because of how things unfolded between him and my parents, when he left…" I began to drift off, not liking having to think back to that time. But once again, George spoke up in my silence.

"When they kicked him out," he repeated, making me frown. Not how I would've liked to word it, but I continued.

"He didn't have much of anything when he left home. Apparently, at the start of their relationship, she had to deal with most of the financial responsibilities. Because of that, her mother doesn't have… the best impression of him," I concluded in the most courteous manner I could think of, as opposed to how I was really feeling.

"Well that's common, isn't it?"

"Is it?" I frowned up at George. Not only unsure of if that statement was true, but because of how carelessly he seemed to be disregarding the subject.

"Some parents believe no one will ever be good enough for their children," he explained with a shrug.

"But he is good enough. Better than good enough. And to go to that extent…" I turned my frown down, still not content with the place we had arrived at.

"But you got to see him," George interjected on a lighter note, leaning closer to me. I gave him a small smile up in return.

"I suppose I should be thankful," I agreed, thinking about what the alternative would have been, before giving him a sigh. "Although, I still say they're to blame."

"To blame?" George repeated, needing a bit more context.

"That little dinner of theirs hadn't been part of my plans. Specifically, it ran a bit long," I grumbled. "When I returned home I had been out for much longer than I had originally guessed. And I couldn't just form a believable lie about why the Hospital would keep me so many hours past what was normal for my shifts."

"Do your parents…" George half asked, a frown growing on his face. After a pause, I gave him a nod.

"I wasn't allowed out after that," I mumbled, still annoyed at the punishment. "I was supervised for the remainder of my holiday. I also have a suspicion they've been monitoring my letters. That's part of the reason why I didn't mention any of this before. And why I left most things sort of vague."

"I see," George mumbled, in a tone I couldn't quite place. When I looked up to him, he turned to smile down at me. "Well, it's fine, we get to talk now."

"You're right," I agreed, thinking of how strangely thankful I felt being back in school.

George looked back with a thoughtful expression for a moment. Silently, he reached out to me, placing his hand at my side. Taking the hand on my waist, he gently tugged me closer before fully wrapping his arms around me and pulling me in. Keeping his arms where they were, George leaned against my shoulder and let out an audible grumble. As he loudly let out a sigh, I felt my hair move along with it.

"I wish things were less hectic around us," George grumbled against my hair.

"All we can really do is try to ignore it," I sighed in return.

At the comment, George pulled his face from my hair. Curiously, I turned my head up towards him, and he stared back at me. For a moment he didn't say anything. There was a hint of thought behind his eyes, a thought that he wasn't sharing. But before I could ask, I felt his body lean towards me. Closing the distance between us, George gave me a kiss.

A moment passed before a sound made me pull away. Not too far from us, there was a hint of chatter from other students. We hadn't walked far into the forest, we were still near the edge of the grounds. From between the trees, a few students looked to be walking to the Herbology Greenhouses. It seemed most were just about finished with their lunch, meaning I would have to go soon.

Behind me, I heard a sigh. I wasn't sure if he had seen them as well or had simply read my expression correctly, but George must have thought the same thing. Making the first move, he pulled away from me and stood himself up. He reached down a hand and pulled me up alongside him. George looked down and watched as I dusted off what bits of the forest had clung to my robes, not bothering to himself. Even after I finished he didn't say a word as I looked back up at him.

"I have a class to get to," I spoke first, figuring he wouldn't.

"Don't suppose I could convince you whatever lesson you're going to is a waste of time," he half smiled in return.

"Study of Ancient Runes is not a waste of time," I replied, watching as his smile grew bigger.

"It most certainly is! And here I thought you'd say something impossible, like Potions!" he joked, and I rolled my eyes in return.

"It is not, and I really should go," I continued, as George scoffed. I gave him a smile in return. "And you have some ugly hats to make, don't you?"

"That I do," he nodded certainly to himself, making me giggle. George leaned closer to me, grabbing my face just long enough to give me a quick kiss. "I'll see you later?"

"Why are you making it sound like a question?" I asked, watching him duck under a few tree branches and into the courtyard. "Do you think I'm suddenly going to go missing or something?"

"It could happen," George defended, holding the leaves out of my way. I gave him a smile and stepped under them. We were only a few steps out of the forest but already a number of students rushed by, making me think it was later into the hour than I thought.

"Out of the two of us, I think you're the one with a knack of disappearing," I reminded, turning back to look at him. George looked around a moment as if avoiding my gaze. He continued to walk forward, passing by me without a word. Knowing he was avoiding the question, I called after him. "Well?"

"Love you," he called out with an impish smile, knowing he couldn't much argue with that. Once again, I rolled my eyes in his direction but smiled, waving him away.