READ THIS: Okay, here's the thing. There are two major reasons why I haven't put out anything else with this fic.
1- I never wanted this to be a long story, but I did have an ending to NKW in mind. Remember, this was supposed to be a oneshot, and as it stands right now, it's over 50 pages in my Google Docs. Crazy long, and truthfully, the plot isn't strong enough to support 70k+ words.
Which leads me to...
2 - That scene where Demelza asks Harry out after beating down Romilda in the first part/chapter? I loved that. It was - in my opinion - an awesome ending point, and frankly it was (likely) better than the ending I had planned.
So why put out another... what, 6,500 words of NKW? I had a great conversation with Majerus (a reviewer), who I explained the above to. They basically said "I can respect that, but I enjoyed it and wanted more". So here's about 3/4 of what was the 'unpublished half' of NKW. Consider it a bonus, just like... extras for the people who took the time to read my Rare-Pair Oneshot Winter. I'm grateful to you all for reading and telling me what you think of my work. Consider this a 'thank you' to all of you.
I may never come back and add more, or I might finish it in a year. I did love the 'anxious!Demelza' character, though. Would be great if some of you picked up that trope and ran with it. #AnxiousDemelzaIsTheNewIceQueenDaphne
Enjoy! ~Frickles
The owl landed next to her, extending its leg for Demelza to remove the checkered Owl Express envelope tied to it.
"Who's that from?" Ginny asked.
"Got to be a reply from Mum. Harry let me borrow Hedwig to send her a letter asking about a dress for the Christmas party."
Ginny's lips pursed, but a second later her face transformed into a bright smile. "I still can't believe you did that. In front of the whole House, no less!"
Her cheeks felt warm, but for once Demelza didn't hide behind her bangs. "Neither can I."
"I thought it was awesome. Maybe we can double up and go together!" Dean said.
"Yea, maybe so-" Demelza started, nervously glancing at Ginny, but before she could continue McGonagall interrupted.
"Miss Robins, time to go."
With a sigh, she stood and followed their Head of House, giving one last wave as they walked out of the Great Hall. It was the last of her week's detentions for her actions in the second floor lavatory.
Once McGonagall was satisfied she'd settled in to begin her task of organizing transfiguration materials for the next term's lessons, Demelza unfolded her mother's letter, slipping it onto her lap so that she could read it while still looking busy. In it, her mother promised to have one of her own old dresses resized to fit Demelza with the assurance it would arrive the day before the Christmas party.
Her mother's obvious excitement only magnified her own. Demelza reminded herself, time and time again, not to read too much into Harry's 'invitation'. It was obvious to anyone that paid any attention - or, she admitted to herself, a lot of attention - that Harry was still interested in Ginny. To him, she was likely nothing more than a useful shield to keep Slughorn's groupies at bay.
He probably should have thought it over a little more, if that was the case. She was hardly able to summon the courage to eat in the Great Hall as of late. It had been hard this past week; everywhere she went, students stared at her and whispered when she passed. It was constant, inescapable. Ginny warned her before, and she hadn't been exaggerating.
Nonetheless, Demelza couldn't remember ever looking forward to something as much as she was about going to this party.
"That's two hours, Miss Robins," McGonagall said, emerging from her office. "I trust you will think twice next time, before turning to physical violence to resolve disagreements with your Housemates?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Very well. You may go." McGonagall waved her wand, and the sorted transfiguration materials floated over to the shelves. Just before Demelza opened the door, her professor offered a parting word. "Off the record, I hope you and Mister Potter have a wonderful time at Professor Slughorn's party."
"Thank you, Professor."
Demelza stepped out into the corridor and paused, evaluating the expression of the person waiting against the wall for her. 'Well, out of the cauldron, into the fire.' "Hello, Hermione. Were you waiting to speak with Professor McGonagall?"
"No, I wasn't."
Taking a deep breath, she motioned for the older girl to follow. "Okay, then can we walk and talk? I have to use the facilities." Hermione fell into step beside her. "So what's this about?"
Hermione walked stiffly alongside her. "You're really a piece of work, aren't you?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Ginny's supposed to be your best friend, and you go behind her back like this? Don't you have any shame?"
"What?" Her hostility took Demelza by surprise.
"You know how she feels about him. You had years to make a move, but now that he finally notices her, now you decide it's your time to go after him?"
"I spoke with Ginny, she told me it was okay." Demelza didn't bother denying that Ginny still harboured feelings for him. "I don't want to talk about this with you, it's really none of your business."
Hermione scowled at her. "What happened to loyalty? Is there something in the air in Gryffindor Tower that turns girls into no-good sneaks?"
Demelza remembered well what happened to Marietta Edgecombe, and couldn't repress a shiver. "I haven't done anything wrong. All I did was ask if he'd take me to a party; Harry could have said no. Maybe he-" she hesitated, then stood up straight and corrected herself. "He wants to go with me."
"He wants Ginny! You're not even a placeholder! All you're doing is hurting the person you're supposedly friends with. You're no better than B-" Hermione cut herself off, glancing away towards a tapestry to avoid her gaze.
Ah. That's what this was about. Hermione felt like Lavender stole Ron from her, and now, she thought Demelza was doing the same thing to Ginny. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I talked to Ginny weeks ago, told her how I felt about him. She encouraged me!"
"She was only trying to be a good friend. You should have had enough decency to treat her the same way!"
"This doesn't have anything to do with you, leave me alone!" Demelza turned away, pushing open the door to the restroom.
Hermione grabbed her arm and jerked her out of the doorway. "We're not finished-"
"Hermione, stop." Both girls turned, seeing Ginny standing at the end of the corridor. "I don't want this."
"But-"
"I appreciate your loyalty. It means a lot to me, but so does Demelza. She hasn't done anything wrong."
Hermione took a deep breath, exhaling slowly through her nose, then released her and stormed off in the opposite direction. "Are you alright?" Ginny asked. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"
"No." Demelza felt intensely uncomfortable. Hermione raised many things she herself had wondered over the past week. "I, uh, I have to go," she gestured to the bathroom, heading inside.
She'd just closed the stall door when she heard footsteps enter the lavatory. Ginny's scuffed, second-hand shoes appeared in front of her stall. "Mouse?"
"Yea?"
"I'm proud of you, for handling Vane that way."
"Thanks."
"I guess-" Ginny's voice was thin, halting. She cleared her throat before continuing. "I guess you really care about him, if you were willing to go that far."
"He's… There's something about him. He's special."
"I know." Soft sobs came through the door, so quiet that if the bathroom weren't empty, Demelza wasn't sure she'd have heard them.
"Ginny, could you- could you not call me that anymore?" Demelza's own eyes were burning, and when she closed them a tear slipped down her cheek.
A sniff, a hiccup. Then, "I'm sorry. I won't- that was the last time, I promise. I have to go."
"Wait- Ginny, don't go!" Demelza pulled up her skirt, but by the time she opened the stall door, Ginny was gone. She ran a sleeve across her eyes, wiping away her tears.
Suddenly, she wasn't quite as excited for Christmas.
Demelza gave herself the once-over, spinning around one way and then the other, examining her gown for any imperfections, or for any areas that her mother's re-sizing charms may have missed.
Her reflection blew a kiss at her. "You'll knock him dead, I know it!"
While she internally thought that sentiment to be a bit of an overreaction, she was proud of how she looked. The red ball gown was backless, with a mermaid silhouette that masked her heels, making her legs look longer than they were. It had a conservative decolletage, deemphasizing her modest bust, instead framing her petite shoulders and her slender neck.
Leanne had helped wrangle her hair into what she called a 'waterfall braid', which was a series of descending circular braids holding back her wavy tresses. She'd never had a friend do her hair before, but if this was the result, it certainly made sense why the other girls were always so eager for help.
She felt like a princess from the stories her father read to her as a child. She felt beautiful.
It was time. She walked carefully, still getting used to much higher heels than she'd normally wear, holding onto the bannister as she descended to the common room. Harry was there, waiting for her, giving her the first look at her date for the evening.
His hair was - it was Harry, so of course it was a disaster. The dress robes he wore looked fairly conservative, black over a black vest and a burgundy tie. Dress robes were much tighter and form-fitting than standard robes; it was part of why they were considered luxurious, given that they required tailoring and restricted movement enough to prohibit casual wear.
She knew that in romantic dramas and Wireless serials, it was the man who was supposed to be struck speechless when his date arrived, but Demelza felt like her brain stopped working when she saw him. Girls talked a lot about his heroism, his reputation, his magical ability, but anyone that saw him tonight wouldn't care even if he was a squib, he looked that handsome.
Thankfully, her legs continued operating even when her mind went blank, and when she blinked she was standing directly in front of him. "You look brilliant!" he said, with a bright smile that nearly Confunded her.
"Thanks, you look, um, really… brilliant!" she said, cursing her slow wit.
Harry didn't seem to notice her sudden lack of vocabulary, reaching into the breast pocket of his vest and withdrawing something. "I got you something for offering to come with me, as a thank you."
"You didn't have to!"
"I owe you, trust me. You don't remember what a mess I was before the Yule Ball, trying to find anyone willing to go with me. I'm really glad I've got a friend like you." He opened his hand, holding the necklace on both ends for her to see. "What do you think? I got the idea from Luna Lovegood, a friend of mine. She uses butterbeer corks, but I thought, well, with how you've shown everyone this year the talent you'd been hiding away…"
"I love it!" she said, and that wasn't a lie. A simple chain ran through a half-dozen toy-sized quaffles. It was perfect. "Clasp it for me, would you?"
She carefully lifted her hair with both hands, doing her best not to muss Leanne's hard work, and turned around. Goosebumps rose as his rough, calloused fingers brushed against the sensitive skin on her neck, and Demelza had to fight hard not to shudder.
"Hey! You two look wonderful!" Dean, accompanied by Colin Creevey holding his camera, greeted them with a big smile. "I gave Creevey a few Sickles in exchange for taking some pictures of Ginny and I; care to join us?"
"I don't know…" she started, but her weak objection was quickly ignored by the approach of the young woman in question.
Ginny's dress wasn't nearly as flashy as her own, a simple knee-length, forest-green affair, her hair relaxed and falling around her shoulders as it did every day. She wore regular flats, meaning Demelza stood even with her in her heels as she came down the stairs and took Dean's arm. "You look stunning, Demelza."
"Thanks, so do you."
Dean was speaking with Colin, negotiating for extra pictures since Demelza and Harry were now taking part. Rather than speak aloud, Ginny waved hello to Harry.
She glanced up at him, and Demelza's heart fell as she took in the way his eyes locked onto her roommate and Ginny's onto him, even as they shuffled to a position next to the other couple for the photograph. Colin arranged the girls in the center with their dates on the outside, and for all the effort she'd put into standing out for once in her life, Demelza felt utterly invisible standing between the two.
"Three, two, one, Happy Christmas!"
The flash bulb popped, and like a bubble bursting, Demelza felt all of the excitement and anticipation inside her immediately vanish.
Harry ran a nervous hand through his hair, finally looking down at her. "Want to wait for them to finish up with Colin so we can walk there together?"
"Actually," Ginny cut in, overhearing his question, "We'd rather have a little privacy while we get the photos done. I don't want Colin to feel like he has to rush, to keep you from waiting too long. Hermione already left, you should go find her."
"Oh, err, right, sure," Harry said. "I'll- I mean, we'll do that, then. I'll see you there."
"Sure," Ginny said, her response sounding more like a reply from Professor Binns than her normal outgoing self. Dean merely shrugged and told them to have fun without them.
Harry extended his arm to her, but Demelza walked ahead of him, moving as quickly as she could for the exit. This night couldn't end fast enough.
"You look like you're having about as good a time as I am," Hermione said, leaning against the wall next to her.
"A lot of people want to meet Harry," she replied, rubbing at the condensation coating her drink.
They'd barely taken a step into the converted Potions laboratory before Slughorn had dragged Harry away, shepherding him from introduction to introduction. Demelza was left, standing awkwardly at the entrance, eventually getting a drink from the refreshment table and retreating to a corner.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm having a miserable time, too." She wasn't the only one trying to blend into the background.
Demelza wanted to tell the older girl that was a foregone conclusion with Cormac McLaggen as a date. Instead, she simply said, "Sorry, Hermione."
"Ginny's over there talking to Gwenog Jones," Hermione said. "You should go join them. I met her at one of Professor Slughorn's earlier meetings. She's nice enough." Coming from someone as unenthusiastic about quidditch as Hermione Granger, that was saying something.
In another setting, maybe that introduction would've been exciting. Tonight, though, Demelza only had eyes for her absent date. Her eyes followed him from person to person, watching his polite smile deteriorate into a grimace after every meeting then reappear when the next person rolled along. "I'm okay."
Hermione tried to make more idle conversation with her, but Demelza wasn't in the mood. This was exactly how she imagined Slughorn's parties would be, but not at all how she thought going with Harry would be.
There was a commotion at the entrance, and she watched Slughorn - Harry still in tow - confront Filch and Malfoy. Under her watchful gaze, Snape joined the group, speaking in low tones with an irritated look on his face. For the first time since they'd arrived, Harry looked intensely focused, glaring at Malfoy in concentration.
Her view was suddenly obstructed by a hulking figure. "Robins! Nice to see you finally got an invite. You seen Granger around?"
Unsurprisingly, Hermione had disappeared. Giving McLaggen a frustrated glance, she tried to stand on her tiptoes to try and see over him and nearly fell over. Her heels were so high that trying to raise up further set her wobbling precariously. "No, sorry."
"Eh, she'll turn up. You're lookin' pretty fit tonight. You know, I've been meaning to sit down with you, help you out with quidditch. You made a lot of mistakes in the last game."
"Just- just move out of the way, would you?" McLaggen obligingly stepped closer to her, but mercifully out of her line of sight to the entrance. Harry was gone.
"Looks like we both got ditched by our dates," he whispered.
"I didn't- Harry wouldn't-" McLaggen made her skin crawl. "Sod off, you creep!"
"What's the problem, here?" Dean asked. "You messing with my teammate, Cormac?"
"Just keeping the lady company, Thomas."
Dean took one look at Demelza's face and then glared at the Seventh Year. "She doesn't seem desperate enough to warrant your attention. Take a hike!"
Muttering angrily, the older boy gave in, wandering away to renew his search for his date.
"Thanks, Dean. You haven't seen Harry, have you?"
"Last I saw, he was with ol' Sluggy." They quickly located their gregarious professor, but there was no sign of Harry. "Let's ask Ginny."
Dean helped her navigate through the party-goers, but they had a hard time locating his girlfriend. It took them two passes through the room before they found her. "Have you seen Harry?"
Ginny sipped her drink. "I saw him leave, after that whole thing with Malfoy crashing the party."
Demelza's heart sank. "I think I'm going to head back to the Tower."
"You don't have to leave early! Stay with us, it's a great party!" Apparently even Dean was able to see how crushed she was.
"No, I- this isn't really… I don't belong here."
"C'mon, don't go!" He turned to Ginny. "Can't you talk some sense into her?"
Demelza didn't bother to wait for her reply, slipping through the crowd with a lifetime's experience of passing by unnoticed. The walk back to the Tower was long, even taking the most direct route, and two hours standing in her heels had left her with painful blisters.
She paused, leaning against a suit of armour to hike up her dress and remove the uncomfortable shoes. The floors were cold, but with how much her feet hurt, it was a welcome coolness.
"Demelza! Wait!" She turned, seeing Harry rushing towards her, his awkward and stilted stride constrained by the dress robes. "Where are you going?"
"Back to the Tower."
"But- why?" Harry seemed honestly confused. Demelza wanted to be angry at him for that, but more than anything she was angry at herself. She'd let herself be fooled into believing in something that wasn't there, allowing her heart to trick her brain into ignoring what was obvious.
She was tired, and all she wanted was to crawl into bed and pretend the last several months never happened. "I wasn't having a very good time, so I left." She turned away from him and continued walking.
Harry followed, quickly matching her pace. "Then that makes two of us! It wasn't really my kind of party," he said. "Is that why you left?"
"You left, first," she pointed out. Even to her own ears, she sounded bitter.
"I didn't leave, I- I was following someone."
Demelza looked over at him, seeing the cagey expression on his face. She didn't need to guess who he'd been following. Maybe that's why it took her and Dean so long to find Ginny. "You should go back, I'm sure she's still there."
"Who? Would you stop so we can talk?"
She obliged, but didn't meet his eyes. "I know you didn't want to come with me. I shouldn't have asked you to take me."
Harry looked confused. "Why would you say that? I thought- I thought you felt the same way I do."
Now he had her full attention. "What do you mean?"
"I've never made it a secret that I don't like the way Slughorn treats me. There's a reason I've avoided his gatherings all year. All those people staring at me, expectations I'm supposed to fulfill. I hate it!" He ran an agitated hand through his hair. "But I shouldn't have assumed you felt the same way. I guess Parvati had the right of it - I make for a pretty lousy date."
She didn't want to say to his face that he was right, so she stayed silent. Harry must have sussed out her feelings anyway, judging by his abashed look. Eventually, she said, "Lousy or not, it was my first date."
Harry looked guilty at that, but only for a moment, then his face brightened. "C'mon!" He tugged at her hand, leading her away from the route to the Gryffindor dorms, but not back to the party.
"Where are we going?"
He said nothing, just shot her a sly smile over his shoulder and continued walking. Eventually, they came to the staircase leading to the Astronomy Tower, and she pulled him to a halt. "We're going up there? In December?"
"Yes. It'll be okay, I can cast a mean warming charm."
"But why?" She followed him up the steps, curious despite herself.
He didn't reply, instead leading her to the center of the tower. Without the telescopes and work benches, the top of the tower was a wide open space, beneath the clear moonlit sky. Harry made a show of letting go of her hand, taking a step back, and then extending his own hand once more, this time in invitation. "Would you care to dance?"
"Wha- here?" Harry, with his other hand, cast a strong warming charm over her. "We don't even have any music!"
"We can use our imagination," he said with a shrug. Still, she hesitated, and his smile dimmed. "It looked like the others were having fun on the dance floor. You deserved that - let me make it up to you."
Demelza was embarrassed, but she took his hand anyway, placing her other on his shoulder and jumping a little when his hand came to rest on her waist. It was awkward, and she was embarrassed even though he was the only one with her. They had two false starts - first him, then her, neither quite able to match the other's rhythm.
He chuckled, and Demelza loosened her grip on him. "I don't think it's going to work," she muttered.
"No!" Harry tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer. "I wasn't laughing at you. Let's try again."
With a reluctant nod, she gripped his shoulder again. "Maybe we should, um, count down or something? So we know when to start moving?"
"It'd be nice if we had a Wireless."
"Yea- wait! Kreacher!" A wrinkled old house elf appeared next to them with a pop! "Is there a Wireless at Head- at the house?"
The elf glared at Harry so malevolently Demelza instinctively squeezed him harder, but Harry showed no sign of discomfort. "Filthy half-blood brat makes demands of Kreacher, a bad master, dirtying the Noble House of Black-"
"Shut up!" The elf instantly went silent. "Answer my question: is there a Wireless at the house, or not?"
"No. Not-Master lets trash steal from the Blacks, lets them dirty the glorious and grand heritage-"
Harry groaned. "Go back to the kitchens, Kreacher. My earlier orders still stand." After the elf disappeared, he shot her an embarrassed glance. "Sorry. I inherited him this summer, and he makes it clear every chance he gets that he'd prefer a pureblood master."
Demelza was curious about the story behind the strange elf, but now was hardly the time. Rather than reply, instead she started to hum a tune, taking the lead as they danced a slow circle around the tower. Harry was a surprisingly good dancer; at least, he didn't step on her toes once, which was a real concern given she was still barefoot.
Once they found their rhythm, she fell silent, and he smiled brightly down at her. "That was nice. What song was that?"
She instinctively ducked her head before remembering this hairstyle didn't allow her to hide behind her bangs. "It's just an old Celestina Warbeck tune."
"What's it called? I liked it."
When they made their next turn, Demelza stepped closer, mumbling inaudibly into his robes. Celestina wasn't exactly modern; Harry likely preferred the Weird Sisters, like everyone else born in the last twenty years.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that."
"It's called 'A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love."
"I'll have to remember that. It was nice." She looked up at him but couldn't detect any sarcasm.
They finished their second full circle around the tower and she let him go, stepping back to a more appropriate distance. "Thanks for the dance."
Even though she'd stepped out of his reach, Harry's arms were still extended. "We don't have to stop - I mean, unless you want to. But I'd be okay with another round."
Rather than reply, Demelza did what she'd been longing to do since that fateful quidditch practice months back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stiffened, but when she guided his hands to the small of her back Harry relaxed against her.
They shuffled together, swaying side to side, her head resting against his chest. This is what she'd imagined! For the first time since she'd descended the staircase in Gryffindor Tower, a spark of excitement ignited with her.
"Demelza?"
"Hmm?" she murmured. "Yes?"
"We should probably head back, it's getting late."
Maybe it was her imagination, but as they walked back to the Gryffindor dorms, Harry seemed almost as distracted as she was. It was probably their collective inattention, therefore, that made Harry lead her down the most direct route from the Astronomy Tower. They turned a corner with one more corridor to traverse to the Fat Lady's portrait, when a light tinkling of bells above them rang, shattering the silence.
Harry groaned, and Demelza looked up, seeing the silver bell attached to the mistletoe. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking-" he began.
"You don't have to-" she started simultaneously.
They both laughed uncomfortably, each taking an involuntary step away from the other.
"There's nobody around," she said, offering him the obvious out. "It's not like it's a rule just because we walked underneath it."
"Right," he agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Still… it'd hardly be the end of the world if we did."
The spark of excitement exploded into an outright conflagration, and she stepped closer, tilting her chin upward. "That's true."
Harry leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. "Thanks for coming with me tonight."
'That was it?' She didn't even have time to close her eyes! He smiled at her, offering his arm, and after a moment's hesitation she accepted, leaning her head on his shoulder for the brief remainder of their walk.
Her disappointment was easy to tamp down. All in all, it was a pretty good first date.
"I'm sorry about last night," Ginny said, once Dean had wandered off to wish Seamus and Neville a happy Christmas. "I didn't think it would go that way."
Demelza looked up in confusion. "What do you have to be sorry about?"
"Not me, Harry," she said. "I suppose even the best person couldn't live up to the expectations he carries around. But to ditch you like that… He acted like a real bell-end."
"Oh, right," Demelza said. "It wasn't really a big deal."
Ginny had been asleep when she got back to their room last night, and they'd spent the morning going over her conversation with Gwenog Jones. The Harpies' star was happy to 'talk shop' with a passionate young player, and Ginny was just as excited to pass on her advice to the other Gryffindor chasers.
"Not a big deal? After the way you stood up to Vane and asked him out? I should give him a proper hexing, to make sure he never treats another girl like that!"
Demelza shrugged, not interested in sharing what happened after she left the party. Ginny was in such a good mood, and after their encounter in the bathroom before the party, Demelza wasn't eager to relay the more personal details with her roommate. She was sure that by the time Ginny came back from the holidays, she'd have forgotten all about Harry supposedly ditching her at Slughorn's party. Either way, Demelza wasn't eager to talk about Harry with Ginny.
"Hey, did you hear the Express isn't returning to Hogwarts?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Ministry decided there was too great a chance that the Death Eaters might attack the Underground, you know, to keep the muggleborns from boarding the train, so everyone's taking the Floo back. Colin said all the muggleborns got a letter to take home to their parents about it."
"Dean didn't mention that…" Ginny said, playing with a strand of hair. "Seems like a bad idea. It's not exactly easy for nonmagical families to access the Floo Network."
"At least they won't all be in one place. I'm letting Colin and Dennis use my Floo; if you want, you can tell Dean he can, as well." Getting to her family's flat just outside of London was easier than traveling to the rural places most wizarding families lived in, after all.
"I'll pass that along, thanks."
The two girls were quiet for several long moments, unhappy at the reminder of the civil war their country was falling deeper into, until Ginny remarked that she'd finagled Hermione's OWL notes from the previous year.
Though their conversation continued on from there toward lighter, safer topics, the mood never recovered and the pall cast over their compartment carried through all the way to King's Cross.
Their flat was quiet, silent and still when Demelza arrived via her mother's apparition. It looked the same as it had been when she left it last, itself a sign that something was wrong. "Where's Dad?"
"He'll be along shortly," her mother, Tamsin, replied. "Why don't you put your things away and then join me for a cuppa? I've been waiting on tenterhooks to find out how your date went!"
"Mummmm," she whined, dreading the teasing sure to result from such a retelling. "It wasn't really a date. We just went to a Christmas party together."
"Don't keep me waiting, hurry now!"
Demelza dropped her schoolbag on her bed, set her wand securely on her nightstand, and changed into an oversized jumper she liked wearing around the house. Despite her mother's attempt at gossip, the absence of her father - first at Platform Nine and Three Quarters and now at their home - left her anxious and upset.
"Where's Dad?" she asked again when she returned to the kitchen. "The Ministry always gives parents the day off to meet the Express, he can't be at work."
Her question elicited a grimace from her mother, who slid a cup of tea and the milk pot over to her. "He's in Drogheda, he'll be back late tonight."
"Where's that?" She'd never heard of anywhere by that name.
"Ireland, about twenty minutes north of Dublin as the broom flies," her mother said, taking a sip before going on. "Your father resigned from the Ministry last month."
"What?!" Demelza sputtered. "But- why?" Her father, Hugh Robins, may have been a low-ranked official within his department, but few people loved quidditch more than he. She couldn't imagine him willingly leaving.
"Do you remember Mr. Wright? From the Broom Regulatory Control office? We had supper at his family's home the year before you started Hogwarts."
"Kind of." Vague recollections of a cottage somewhere in the Midlands came to mind.
"He and his entire family were killed on Halloween night."
A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. "He- he was muggleborn?"
"Yes. He joined the Ministry a year after your father took a position in Magical Games and Sport."
Demelza tried to brace herself. "Has Dad been threatened?"
"Not outright, no. But the war isn't going well for the Ministry. We're losing three aurors for every Death Eater. If You-Know-Who takes over… well, we just want to be prepared, that's all."
"So we're going to move to Ireland?"
"Not yet, no. Your father and I are just planning for a worst-case scenario. But in the meantime, we're going to have to get by on what I make at Sugarplum's. I'm sorry, sweetheart, but Christmas is going to be lean this year. That's why we didn't decorate."
"You think that matters? Are you going to be safe working there? It's in Diagon Alley! You work in the front of the shop, anything could happen!"
Tamsin waved away her concern. "It's going to be okay. I'm a half-blood, it's not the same as it is for your father."
"Mum- I…"
"I know, sweetheart. I know."
"Thanks again, Demelza!"
"It was no big deal, I'll see you around," she said, waving to Colin and his younger brother. She turned to Dean, who'd also Floo-ed from her flat. "Want to wait for Ginny with me?"
"Yea, absolutely. Did you have a good Christmas?"
Demelza thought about the quiet days, at home alone, and the uncomfortable nights with her parents, making awkward small talk and trying to avoid the looming calamity hanging over their heads. Of a Christmas with no decorations, few presents, and insubstantial meals. "It was fine."
The fireplace flared green and Ron emerged. "Hey guys! It's good to be back!"
"It's great to see you again, too. Lavender's really excited to see you."
"Err, that so?" Ron suddenly looked nervous. "S'pose I better be off, then."
Dean shot Demelza a sly grin, and chuckled once Ron left with his shoulders drooping. Next to emerge from the fire was Ginny, stepping out of the flames with a big smile, one that dimmed when she caught sight of who was waiting on the other end.
"Dean, Demelza- you were waiting for me?" She gave her boyfriend a loose hug as he approached, turning her face so he could kiss her cheek. "I hope you had a happy Christmas-"
From the still-green flames, Harry stepped out.
Demelza looked between him and Ginny. "Did you Floo from the Weasleys?"
"Yep! I spent the holiday with them. I usually spend at least part of every holiday break with the Weasleys."
She was still weighing this revelation when Harry came closer. "Do you have a minute before we head back to the Tower?"
"Yea, sure."
As they walked through the corridors, Demelza vacillated between fear and excitement. Was he going to kiss her again? Would he tell her something happened between him and Ginny during the break? Arriving at an empty classroom, he gestured for her to take a seat, practically bouncing in anticipation.
"What's up?"
"It's kind of a long story, so settle in." Harry sat down on the teacher's desk, pulling out his trunk and unshrinking it with a silent wave of his wand. "I wanted to get you something for Christmas, but we haven't spent all that much time together. But I kept thinking about that night, the song you were humming. So I had Hedwig take a letter to Celestina Warbeck-"
"What?!"
"-and her agent replied a few days later with an autographed picture."
She couldn't believe it. "You got me a signed photo of Celestina Warbeck?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… no. I mean, I did, but then the Minister for Magic came over for Christmas dinner, and Mrs. Weasley was so upset afterward-"
"Wait, why was Missus Weasley upset that the Minister spent Christmas with you?"
Harry furrowed his brow in confusion, but shook his head. "It's a long story. Longer than this one, anyway," he said with a wink and a smile. "So it turns out, Celestina Warbeck is Mrs. Weasley's favourite singer, and her and Mr. Weasley used to dance to her songs all the time. So I gave her the autographed picture in the hopes of cheering her up."
Why would he tell her this? "Oh. Well, that's okay. I appreciate you thinking about me."
"I'm not done!" Harry opened up his trunk, digging around for several seconds, peeking at her over the lid. "I needed a new gift, so I tagged along with Fred and George one day, and went to Diagon Alley and got you this!"
Demelza's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious!"
He grinned. "Does that mean you like it?"
Demelza took the broomstick from him, cradling it like it was the most precious thing in the world. She admired the graceful lines and the flawless construction for almost a full minute before she reluctantly held it out to him. "I- I can't accept this. It's too much."
"But- I got it for you! Don't you like it?"
"I do, but this is a brand-new Cleansweep Eleven! I can't- this is way too expensive!" It was true; even when both her parents were working, a pre-owned, older broom was the best they could afford. "Why would you get me something like this?"
"I wanted to do something nice for you."
Demelza leaned the broom against the desk and took a step closer to him, fully intending on picking up what they'd started beneath the mistletoe the previous term. She couldn't believe he'd do something so…. so grand! No one, especially not a boy, had ever given her something like this!
'Why, though?'
Her mind came up with innumerable reasons, some fanciful, some terrifying. Would he expect her to treat him differently? Was this a sign he was interested in her? What if she made a move and he took offence? What if she didn't make a move and he took offence?
"Whaddya say? Want to take your new broom for a spin?"
For all her racing thoughts, she really, really did. "Sure!"
"Great! Let's put our stuff away. I'll tell Ron, you tell Ginny, and we'll meet at the pitch!"
She found Ginny in their dorm, chatting with Hermione.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you wanted to go flying?"
"I'd love to, but I'll need a few minutes to-" Ginny abruptly cut off as she took stock of Demelza's new broom. "Is that a Cleansweep Eleven? Did you get that for Christmas?"
"Um, yea, I did."
"Wow! That's fantastic! I can't believe your parents gave you a new broom!" Ginny immediately forgot about Hermione, accepting the broomstick from Demelza to examine it more closely.
"It was Harry, actually."
The broom fell to the floor with a clatter. "Harry gave you this?"
"Wow," Hermione commented. "He only got me some Honeyduke's chocolate and a set of quills."
Ginny, whose gaze was locked on the fallen broomstick, said in a strained voice, "I forgot, I was supposed to hang out with Dean. Tell Harry I'll fly with him next time."
She returned and sat down across from Hermione, and Demelza picked her broom up off the floor. What should she do? Given what Ginny thought happened at Slughorn's party, it was clear she was taken aback by Harry's gift. Still, this was hardly the time for that conversation, she thought, shooting a wary glance to Hermione.
When Demelza got to the pitch, Harry was already floating in the air.
"Where's Ron?"
Harry made a face like he'd just bit into a lemon. "When I got to our room, he was already with Lavender. I guess it's just us today, sorry."
She'd make do. Mounting her new Cleansweep, Demelza gave a whoop of joy as she shot into the air.