Chapter 31.

Magnolia was glad when the Christmas Break came; the Professors had thrown more homework then ever at the Fourth Years and the upcoming Yule Ball had everyone more excited and boisterous. The worst thing for Magnolia over the last few weeks of term was how tense her friendship group had been.

Magnolia hadn't told anyone what she had heard the night of the Hogsmeade trip between Pansy and Malfoy. The effects still rippled through their group though. Pansy was treating Magnolia worse than she had when they had been shopping and was only talking to her to insult her now.

Tracey and Theo had also been getting the brunt of Pansy's wrath. They had both stood up for Magnolia on separate occasions, which Pansy had seemed to take as a personal attack on herself. Daphne had tried to ease the fracture in the group, but when Pansy had begun to turn on her, she had quickly stood by Pansy's side.

Magnolia tried to talk to her friend, she didn't want her to know that she had heard the conversation with Malfoy, but she wanted to put this behind them. Their friends were at a loss of what to do, none of them really knew what had caused Pansy's attitude change. She and Malfoy had notably not been sneaking off together, so they had thought that was the reason.

Magnolia didn't mention it to Malfoy either. She continued to meet him for their Occlumency/Defence/Dance lessons but made sure to steer clear of any topics that could led to it. He had tried to bring up Pansy's behaviour the week after the Hogsmeade Trip, making sure she was ok, but she had responded quickly and changed the subject.

She had been spending more time with her Gryffindor friends, and had found out that Hermione had an incredibly special date for the Yule Ball. Magnolia had practically screamed when Hermione told her that Krum had asked her and had been sworn to secrecy. Harry and Ron had managed to find dates, the Patil twins, but Magnolia wasn't sure how enthusiastic they were about it.

At the beginning of the Christmas Break, Magnolia saw Pansy walking up the staircase alone and decided to take her chance. She ran up the stairs, trying to catch up with her friend before she disappeared down a corridor.

"Pansy!" Magnolia panted, "Slow down!"

Pansy ignored Magnolia and carried on walking up the stairs, spurring Magnolia on to run faster. She managed to catch her just before she stepped off the staircase, taking hold of Pansy's arm to stop her from walking away.

"Pansy, I just want to talk." Magnolia huffed.

"Tough luck- I don't want to."

Pansy shrugged Magnolia's hand off, causing Magnolia to frown. She moved her hand back, holding on to Pansy's arm.

"Pans, this is ridiculous! Please, talk to me!"

Pansy span around, thrashing her arm so Magnolia let go and brandishing her wand, "Locomotor Mortis!"

Magnolia screamed as Pansy's spell hit her and bound her legs, sending her tumbling down the staircase. She lay at the bottom of the stairs breathless, with pain spreading across her entire body. Opening her eyes, she looked up to the top of the stairs, Pansy had already disappeared.

She groaned as she tried to move, until a shooting pain spasmed through her back and she dropped back to the ground. Lee Jordan ran down the staircase and dropped to his knees next to Magnolia.

"Are you alright? Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere." Magnolia grumbled.

Lee cast the counter curse to Pansy's Leg Binding Curse, and gently picked her up to take her to the Hospital Wing. He looked at her with confusion, his mouth opening and closing like he wanted to ask her something.

"What is it?" Magnolia snapped.

"I just, I thought you and Pansy were friends."

"We were- are." Magnolia cringed, "It's none of your business."

Magnolia let Lee carry her a bit longer, until they were round the corner from the Hospital Wing. She wiggled in Lee's arms when she heard Theo shouting across the hallway. Theo and Blaise ran up to Magnolia and Lee, Blaise scowling at the older Gryffindor.

"What the hell is going on? What have you done to her?"

Lee scoffed, "It wasn't me that did this, you'll need to look closer to home."

Theo sighed, shaking his head, and told Blaise to get the others and Magnolia to stop wiggling. Her skin was reddening already, and she gasped in pain when she moved to quickly.

"What's happened?"

Madame Pomfrey called when Lee carried Magnolia into the Ward followed by Theo. She was placed on a bed, and Madam Pomfrey quickly started to look over her. Magnolia shook her head at Lee, who had begun to tell the Healer what had happened.

"I tripped on the stairs." Magnolia told her, "I wasn't paying attention when it started moving."

Madame Pomfrey tutted, "Honestly, you've been here long enough to be used to that, haven't you?"

The snow blanketed the Castle overnight whilst Magnolia spent the following day in the Hospital Wing, and she wished she could get out so she could see the Grounds. She didn't want to think how cold it must be on Durmstrang's ship now, but they must be used to it.

Magnolia had a few visitors whilst she was in the Hospital Wing but began to pretend she was asleep when her friends came in to see her. She was enjoying the peace of spending time alone and couldn't bear the sympathetic glances her Slytherin friends were giving her when they realised what happened.

Magnolia was frustrated with herself too. Every time she heard her Slytherin friends approaching the door, her heart would speed up, hoping that Malfoy would be coming to see her. He had been the only one, other then Pansy, who had not made an appearance. Magnolia didn't want to feel the sinking in her stomach every time she realised he wasn't there.

The Gryffindors were the worst part of the entire thing, they were furious for her. Lee had told them everything he had seen, and when they saw her in the Hospital Wing a few hours later, her body was starting to purple from the bruises. Harry had exploded in rage instantly, and George had vowed to protect her from then on.

They moaned to Magnolia about not only Pansy, but all her Slytherin friends. Harry had commented that it was good that she was going to the Ball with George, so that she could start to distance herself from them. She rolled her eyes at her twin.

Madame Pomfrey had given her a potion, and paste, to help the bruises go down, and the other injuries to heal nicely. She had sprained her wrist in the fall, but there was no other major damage.

Magnolia was getting herself ready to leave the Hospital Wing when Harry ran in, rushing up to her brandishing a piece of parchment. He looked his twin over, focussing on the bruises that still stood out on her skin.

"Sirius replied." He whispered when he got close enough to her.

Magnolia read through his reply, he was impressed with how Harry dealt with the dragon but was still concerned that the Tournament would throw more at him. He told the both of them to keep an eye out for anything strange and to be careful.

Magnolia frowned, maybe she was worrying too much but it sounded like Sirius knew something that he wasn't telling the twins. Maybe he'd heard more whispers or rumours. She knew that he was listening out for these sorts of things, and as a dog he'd be able to listen in to so many conversations.

The thought plagued her the following days, but she also had her Annual Slumber Party with the Slytherin girls on her mind. Usually they had the slumber party on the last day of term, but as all the girls were staying they had decided weeks ago that they would do it on Christmas Eve night and then spend the following day getting ready for the Yule Ball together.

It hadn't been mentioned since Pansy's attitude change though and when Magnolia returned to her Dorm from the Hospital Wing, Pansy just ignored her like nothing had changed.

On Christmas Eve, Magnolia had taken herself to the Room of Requirement to do some homework away from everyone else. Her own mood had been diminishing as Christmas Eve evening drew closer and she had decided that she needed space from her friends today.

Magnolia always looked forward to the Slumber Party and was frustrated that it wouldn't happen this year. More than that though, she was worried that she was losing her best friend permanently. Pansy, Tracey and Daphne had been so close since their first day in Hogwarts, Magnolia felt like they were the first girls she'd ever known that truly accepted her.

Daphne and Tracey were sure that Pansy regretted what she did to Magnolia, and she hoped that they were right, but she had a horrible feeling that they weren't. Pansy was obviously angry about what Malfoy had said, but Magnolia couldn't understand why she was taking it on her.

Magnolia had tried hard to not give Pansy any hints that she might like Malfoy as anything other than the annoying boy they shared a House with. Pansy had been around the entire time that Magnolia had been having dates with George.

She was angry herself though. Pansy had cursed her! She could have been severely injured when she fell down the stairs, and Pansy had just walked away. She would never curse Pansy if they were arguing, or if the situation had been reversed.

Magnolia tapped her quill on her textbook. Things weren't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be getting ready with her friends tomorrow for the Yule Ball, they were supposed to dance and laugh and have fun together. There group shouldn't be this fractured.

She looked around the Room, noticing the subtle changes from what it usually looked like when she came in with Malfoy. It was slightly smaller, cosier, with blankets thrown across the deep sofa and comfy armchair.

The Room obviously picked up on her unease and was trying to comfort her. She liked it in the Room of Requirement and was glad that Malfoy had shown it to her last year. Magnolia often felt like she was pretending to be someone she wasn't around her friends, but in the Room she could be completely herself.

With her brother and the Gryffindors, she was always on her best behaviour. Sometimes, she bit her lip when she wanted to say something or react in a way she knew they wouldn't appreciate. It had happened a few times, never as bad as the incident with the Dursley's before their Third Year, though. She had been very careful about that.

It was easier with the Slytherins, it always had been. They understood that she wasn't as good as her brother, but they also didn't know how dark her thoughts went sometimes, and they didn't understand what she truly felt about Tom Riddle.

She had managed to get away with almost calling him Tom in front of George, but she wasn't sure if that was just because he didn't want to hear it. Magnolia had noticed that sometimes, the Gryffindors were particularly good at ignoring the things that didn't fit the vision they had of things.

She was trying to focus on her Transfiguration work, but her mind kept wandering. Eventually, she pushed her work aside and laid her head on the back of the sofa. She closed her eyes, deciding if she couldn't focus on schoolwork to not focus on anything. She cleared her mind, settling into a meditation.

She tried to strengthen her mindscape, focusing more on the small details, trying to make the mind scape as much like a memory as possible. Malfoy had told her the more something seemed like a memory, the harder it would be for a Legilimens to truly invade her mind.

A while later, she was interrupted by a soft knocking. Magnolia's eyes flew open as the knocking continued and became more insistent. She didn't know that people could knock on the door of the Room of Requirement. A moment later, the door opened, and a familiar blonde head peaked around it.

"Thought I'd find you in here."

Malfoy strode into the room, collapsing onto the armchair opposite Magnolia. He stared at her with narrowed eyes and a slight frown on his face.

"Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding." Magnolia scoffed.

"Oh ok," Malfoy replied, holding his hands up, "My mistake."

He carried on watching Magnolia, both of them in silence until she jumped up from where she was sat and started ranting.

"Maybe I am hiding! And so what!?" She exploded.

She began pacing around the room, throwing her arms around as she spoke. Malfoy stayed where he was, watching her as she fumed.

"I think I deserve to hide a little bit; you know. This is the only place I can get some peace! Everything is so wrong right now; I can't relax with Slytherins or Gryffindors! Harry still hasn't worked out the egg, Ron and Hermione are arguing, and everyone is so damn pleased that I'm going to the Ball with George. Which is great. He's great; he's funny and sweet and caring, he's romantic, and he cares for me. But it's just a Ball, it isn't like we're getting married or even in a relationship!

And our group is so tense now, waiting for someone to snap at someone, or attack someone again. My best friend has turned against me for… for what!? Some guy!? I never told her I liked you, I never told anyone I liked you because she's liked you so long, you're supposed to be hers! So, I've tried to push it aside, to ignore it, for her but you're the only one I can truly trust. Truly be myself with.

"This year was supposed to be fun and I was supposed to focus on school, not guys! Not the two most polar opposite guys I could possibly find! And the Tournament! What sort of a crack pot came up with a Tournament that literally-"

Magnolia was interrupted from her rant by Malfoy grabbing hold of her and pressing his lips to hers. She froze for a moment, before clenching her hands into his shirt collar and kissing him back. Seconds later they split apart, both letting each other go and panting.

"Can I tell you something you won't tell anyone else?" Malfoy smirked, "I've been desperate to do that for ages."