14 – The Calm After The Storm

The days following that disastrous Christmas morning, Sirius had been suspiciously absent. Haley suspected he was spending all of his time in that little room where Buckbeak was staying but she was too scared to check. Once, Hermione had carefully asked Haley about her godfather but the girl had only shaken her head sadly, not being able to reply. She hadn't been asked about him since.

The days went by sometimes too fast, sometimes too slowly until the day of their return to Hogwarts finally arrived. It was only a couple of hours before they were supposed to leave. Haley had been fighting with herself all day, wondering if she should seek her godfather out or leave him be. Then, just as she was looking under her bed if there was anything she had forgotten to put inside her trunk, there was a soft knock against the open door frame.

"Come in," she called, her head still stuck under the bed. She heard the door close and a pair of feet nearing her bed. Then someone cleared their throat.

Haley freed her head from under the bed and looked up. Right into the eyes of her godfather.

"Sirius…" she breathed, regarding him out of wide surprised eyes. His beard looked like he hadn't shaved in the last couple of days and there were dark circles underneath his eyes.

She jumped to her feet, feeling like a deer that was caught in someone's headlights.

"Um… why don't you…" She mumbled, gesturing toward the bed opposite hers. Her godfather let himself sink onto Ginny's bed, while Haley slowly sat down on her own.

"You're still not done with packing? James, always delayed that until the last possible second as well," he commented fondly.

Haley chuckled nervously. Then it was quiet again.

"Look –" – "I –" They both said at the same time.

"You go first," the girl said, gesturing for her godfather to talk with a sheepish grin.

Sirius sighed, running his hands across his face. "Merlin, this is hard," he mumbled, before letting his arms sink and interlacing his fingers in his lap. "I've been thinking hard about what you told me the other day and… well, let's get to the point, shall we?" He proposed, the hint of a smile ghosting around his bearded mouth. "I hate the thought of you going around with that Malfoy boy and doing who knows what with him. And let me assure you, James would have shared that opinion."

Haley tried not to let any disappointment show. She had expected something like this.

"However," Sirius continued sternly. "As I know from experience, when something is forbidden, people – and teenagers especially – tend to want it even more… which is why…" He stopped there, letting the sentence hang in the air unfinished. Haley's heart beat painfully in her chest. Did that mean what she thought it did?

Sirius exhaled audibly. "I'm not… I'm not going to tell you what to do… or not to do." He added in a resigned tone.

Haley gaped at him speechlessly. "But – but – does that – does that mean you'll let me – you'll let me keep seeing him?" She asked, almost too stunned to believe it.

"Well, I won't stop you if that's what you really want," he grumbled, turning his face to the side. "Wouldn't be a point in that anyway. You're just as stubborn as your mum," he replied with a snort. "She, too, couldn't help looking for something good in even the darkest souls." He muttered, his voice going quieter toward the end. He also mumbled something about 'James' and 'thrill' and 'dating Slytherins' but Haley was occupied with other things.

She couldn't believe it! Was she dreaming? It didn't feel like a dream but… could this really be true? Maybe he didn't approve of her choice of company but at least it seemed like he somewhat accepted it. Which was a start. With a face-splitting grin, she got up from her bed and attacked her godfather, throwing her arms around him.

"You're the best!" She exclaimed happily. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She could barely stop herself from squealing.

"Not so fast. There are some conditions," Sirius muttered, somewhere above her.

"What conditions?" She asked, wondering where this was going.

Sirius cleared his throat importantly. "First, you contact me at least once a week so I know you're still alive." She rolled her eyes but nodded once. She could do that.

"Second, you can't tell him anything – and I mean not the slightest bit – about the Order, this place or anything else that could be relevant for Death Eaters."

Haley bit her lips. Did he think she was stupid? "I haven't," she emphasized. "I haven't even told him about our DA meetings."

"You haven't?" Sirius seemed surprised.

"No," she confirmed. "I guess… it never came up."

"Well, that's good," he remarked.

"Is there more?"

"Of course," he replied with a chuckle. "Third, if he tries anything funny or hurts you in any way you tell me at once so I can make sure he won't be able to do it a second time." Sirius eyes looked so dark at these words, that Haley shuddered.

"Okay," she agreed with a sigh, silently hoping it wouldn't ever come to this.

"And finally," Sirius said, pushing his goddaughter slightly away so he could look into her eyes. "I want you to think about whether you're really sure about this. About him. You know, as well as I do that his father is a Death Eater. He's a dangerous man and if you ever," he paused, his grey eyes full of urgency, boring into her green ones like he was trying to look into her soul. She swallowed nervously. "If you ever feel only the slightest doubt about him or his intentions, you can't hesitate. You have to end it immediately. Do you understand?"

Haley stared at him, the words silently replaying in her mind. She didn't know if she could do it. Only the slightest doubt? Wasn't it normal to have doubts?

"Haley, do you understand?" Sirius, repeated his question, urgency colouring his voice.

It felt like one of the hardest things she had ever done but after what felt like hours, she nodded.

"Good," Sirius breathed. A heavy sigh, emphasized his relief. "Oh right, before I forget," he said, taking a small box from the pocket of his sweater. "Here."

"What's that?" The girl asked, reaching to open it.

"Open it later," Sirius suggested, stopping her hand with his. "I should probably leave you to pack." He dropped a scratchy kiss to her forehead and got up. Before he could make it to the door, Haley got up and went after him. "Sirius?"

"Hm?" He turned around only to find himself with an armful of Haley. "Oof." He chuckled, catching her before they both tumbled over.

Haley clutched her godfather tightly. She was endlessly relieved he was still talking her and she hadn't lost him after all. She didn't know what she would have done if he had turned his back on her. "I'm so glad I have you," she mumbled against his chest, her voice breaking at the end.

"Me too," he said simply but his voice sounded equally emotional as hers. And the way he held onto her almost seemed like he never wanted to let her go. She hated that she had to leave him here. But eventually they had to say good-bye. And as much as she wished she could stay for a couple of days longer she had no choice but to go back to Hogwarts and leave her godfather behind. All alone. Inside the big, cold house that was filled with painful memories.

…

They were all relieved when they were finally allowed to leave the Knight Bus. Haley didn't understand why that bus was so fascinating to Ron. All it did was make her nauseous and throw its passengers around like billiard balls.

"Blimey, that was a ride!" Ron exclaimed. Haley wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic or serious. "What? We have to walk? Where are the carriages?"

That was the downside of not arriving together with all the other students. They had to walk all the way from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts in the snow. Hopefully they would still be back in time for dinner.
The Entrance Hall was packed with students from all houses, chattering around cheerfully like they hadn't seen each other in ages. Which was only slightly exaggerated.

"Man, I'm hungry," Ron complained, trying to get through the mass of students. "Oh, hey Luna!" He greeted, waving at someone.

"Hello," said a dreamy voice, that was soon accompanied by blue eyes in a face framed with long blonde locks. Luna. "Did you all have good holidays?"

"Oh, yes! I mean, well – apart from dad being at the hospital over Christmas… But he's all better now."

"That's great! I already heard from Ginny. Did you try the herbs I sent?" Luna asked.

"Oh..." Ron seemed lost for a moment. "Well... dad was already better before we had the chance to try them… but thank you anyway," he replied with a grin. "Also for the present. What was it? A tuning fork?"

Hermione snorted, sending Haley an amused look.

"Oh, no problem. You're welcome," Luna answered sweetly, which only caused Hermione to chuckle more.

"It's used by musicians, right?" He said, remembering what Hermione had told them.

"Yes, mostly." Luna nodded. They both looked so earnest that Haley couldn't fight her own grin any more. Ron seemed to finally notice the state of his two friends.

"What's wrong with you two?" He asked with a frown. Hermione could only shake her head, while Haley hid her grin behind her hand.

Ron shook his head and turned back to the blonde. "Don't mind them. They're mental," he said dismissively.

"Oh?" Luna said, raising an eyebrow. It oddly reminded Haley of the way Malfoy always raised his blond eyebrows at her. "That's ironic," Luna said quietly in a way that didn't sound amused at all.

"Why's that?" Ron asked, confusedly, then he seemed to notice his mistake. "Oh, you mean because that's what people call you."

Haley grimaced. Ron just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

Something clouded over in the Ravenclaw's eyes. She smiled softly, almost pityingly at the boy, before turning to Haley. "When is the next meeting going to be?" She asked, her tone light.

"Oh. We haven't decided yet," she replied, slightly surprised that she was addressed so suddenly.

Luna nodded once. Then she seemed to remember something. "Oh, I almost forgot." She opened her shoulder bag and rummaged through its contents.

"Could you hold this for a moment?" She asked, holding out two thick books for Haley.

"Sure," she agreed and took the books. Hidden behind the books, Luna slipped something else into her fingers. A piece of paper. Haley's eyes widened but Luna wasn't even looking at her and instead kept sifting through her bag.

"Oh, and this," the Ravenclaw said, handing three shrivelled turnips to Ron, before delving into her bag again.

"What's that?" Ron asked, inspecting the turnips curiously.

"They're tingling turnips. We've got plenty of them in our garden at home. You can keep them," she mumbled absently. "Oh, there it is."

Triumphantly, Luna held up a pink quill with glitter all over it. "Could you give this to Ginny? It's hers. I found it in my bag when I was packing this morning. She probably thinks she lost it."

"Sure. No problem," Ron replied, taking the quill from the girl's hands.

"Thank you," the Ravenclaw answered with a cheerful smile. Ron dropped one of the turnips. He didn't even seem to notice.

"You dropped something," Luna informed him politely.

"What?" He looked down. "Oops," he said, picking it up. What the-?

Haley cleared her throat. "Um, your books," she said, handing said books to the blonde girl, while making sure the piece of paper was hidden in her sleeve.

"Thank you," Luna replied, smiling even wider and putting the books back in her bag. Looking around, Haley noticed that a new flood of students was coming out of the Great Hall. This had to mean dinner time was almost over.

"Oh, you should probably hurry if you still want to eat something," Luna advised. She had followed Haley's gaze.

"Right. I'm starving!" Ron declared. "Do you think there's still roast beef?" He asked, his mind completely focused on food now.

Haley rolled her eyes, and turned to Hermione to share a grin with her. But Hermione wasn't looking at her. She was studying Luna.

"Hermione, are you coming?" Haley asked, suddenly afraid her friend had noticed Luna slipping her the note.

"Oh. Yes." She replied absently.

"See you, Luna," Haley said warmly, before turning around and steering her friends in the direction of the Great Hall.

"See you," Luna replied, giving a small wave, while Ron turned back to shout, "Bye, Luna!"

Hermione was quiet. Haley wasn't sure she wanted to know what her friend was thinking about so deeply.

…

The willow. 9 o'clock. The note didn't say more than that. But it was enough. Enough to make tingles of excitement run all over her body. Sneaking out proved to be easier than she had anticipated. Hermione had almost fallen asleep over knitting more of her elf hats and Ron had called it a night shortly after. Fred and George had started to test their products on students again and he had been reluctant to be the one to tell them to stop. Which was how Haley found herself slipping through the Fat Lady's portrait with a bag around her shoulder and two cloaks draped around herself. One kept her warm and the other invisible.

"Midnight stroll?" A voice asked smugly. A familiar voice. Damn. A figure appeared from an alcove to her left and blocked the hallway. She sighed in relief. It was only George. She contemplated, staying quiet and waiting until he left on his own. But somehow she didn't think it would work.

"Let me past, George," she said, removing the hood of her Invisibility Cloak so he could see her face.

"After you told me where you're going this late at night." He grinned at her cheekily.

"Out." She really didn't have the patience for this.

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Fine, I'm meeting Malfoy. Happy now?" She almost growled in exasperation.

"I guess." He chuckled. "But not as happy as you." He winked at her, before stepping to the side. It was weird. But somehow it did make her happy to be able to talk about this. To share her excitement with someone. With a friend.

"Here." George held out his hand. There was a toffee in his palm. It was the same he had offered her last time, when he had comforted her after her talk with Sirius. She still hadn't tried it.

"You should try it sometime. Maybe tonight?" George winked at her again. As she slipped it into her pocket she wondered what the effects of eating it could be. It wasn't anything… dirty, was it? With a blush she pushed it deeper into her pocket.

"You're not going to follow me, are you?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well… your godfather might have asked me to look out for you."

"What? Sirius asked you to spy on me?"

"Hm, that's not how he phrased it but… I guess you could say that."

"Wow. That's… going a bit far, don't you think?" She should have known Sirius wasn't going to let her off that easily. "And you agreed?"

George shrugged. "It worked out, didn't it? He didn't disown you after all."

"So, you're spying on me for my own good, then?" This was ridiculous.

"Yes, basically." He grinned. "And you know, so he won't tell mum about our latest invention for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

Haley snorted. It looked like they were in the same boat. More or less.

"Well, I guess I could make up a convincing story, if you'd rather enjoy your date alone." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Honestly, I could do without watching the two of you snogging beneath the stars-"

"We're not going to – I mean – why must you be such a – ugh!" Haley sputtered, feeling her face heat up.

"I guess, this is my cue to leave." Her strong reaction seemed to amuse him. "Well, then. Have fun." He wished, before playfully ruffling her hair.

"Hey! Stop that."

But George was already walking back in the direction of the common room, before she could do any more than stomp her foot.

As she made her way down the long staircase she felt a warm smile settle on her face. Despite him acting as a spy for her godfather, this was nice. It was how it should be. Her friends teasing her before she went out on a date. Sharing the giddiness and distracting her from feeling too nervous. It seemed so easy. She wished she could have the same with Ron and Hermione one day.

…

DRACO

This time he hadn't forgotten his cloak. Just his hat. And his scarf. And his gloves. But he did remember to bring the present. Would Potter like it? He really hoped she would. He had never been this anxious about giving someone a present before. It was mixing with the anxiousness of finally getting to see her again after so many days. She hadn't been on the train. He had checked. And at dinner he had only gotten a short glimpse of her because the Gryffindor table was so far away from his own. Leaning back against the willow he checked his clock again. Ten past nine. Where was she? Lovegood had said she had received his note. So what was taking her so long?

A soft crunching noise made him look up. Were those footsteps? But there were no footprints in the snow besides his own. Crunch. There. He heard it again. He walked around the tree but there was nothing either. Then he heard an amused laugh and felt someone take his time machine from his fingers.

"Potter?" He turned around again, sure that he felt someone's presence. But there was no one. Just a voice whispering in the dark. "Sugar Tea."

There was a flash of lightning, a chuckle and then the snow vanished, leaving coloured leaves and September air in its wake.

When he next opened his eyes, she appeared out of nowhere like a phantom or a ghost.

Haley Potter. And she had the nerve to grin. What was that fluttery feeling, bubbling up inside his stomach? Oh, right. The butterflies were making a return.

...

HALEY

She couldn't help it. Seeing Malfoy always awakened the – very mature – urge in her to mess with him. Which was why she had carefully stepped in his footprints in the snow so he wouldn't see that she was coming. Well, it had been funnier in her imagination. Now, they were back in Hogsmeade and an annoyed scowl darkened the Slytherin's face. Haley slid off her Invisibility Cloak.

"You don't look happy to see me." She noted thoughtfully. The boy said nothing. Instead he watched her like he was contemplating whether to hex or hug her.

"Well… if that's how it is, I might as well go," she said, turning around and taking a step away from the willow tree.

"Don't be stupid, Potter," said Malfoy and she knew without turning around that he was rolling his eyes. She grinned. Then there was a hand on her wrist, pulling her back and turning her around.

...

DRACO

Potter was leaning back against the tree now, smirking like she had won something. He didn't know why he was letting her do this to him. He blamed the butterflies. Those treacherous creatures.

"Your fingers are ice cold!" Potter exclaimed, pulling off one of her gloves and grabbing the hand that had been holding onto her wrist. Her fingers were like fire on his skin. His hand was now sandwiched between her hands; one gloved and one bare.

Draco shrugged. "I… might have forgotten to wear gloves."

"You forgot to wear gloves. In winter." Potter stated sceptically.

"Yes." He admitted reluctantly. "It can happen." It usually didn't happen though. He hated being cold. But he had been so eager to meet her that he had barely remembered pulling on his cloak. It wasn't something he planned to tell her.

For some reason Potter grinned. "Well, I guess I know now why they call you the Ice Prince."

Seriously? Draco rolled his eyes. "Nobody calls me the Ice Prince," he replied, furrowing his brows. Had she been talking to Lovegood? Or was there really anyone out there who called him that? He highly doubted it.

...

HALEY

"Besides, it's more likely a reference to the temperature of my heart," Malfoy continued like this was a serious matter worth pondering over. Haley chuckled. "If you say so." We both know that your heart isn't as cold as you'd like everyone to believe, she thought to herself but she bit her lips before the words could slip out. He would probably contradict her anyway.

There was a soft crease between the boy's light eyebrows that told her he was still contemplating the meaning behind the words. It looked kind of cute. Haley felt something warm pool in her stomach that most likely had nothing to do with the autumn sun. The hand she was holding seemed a bit warmer now. But Malfoy's other hand was probably still cold. Why hadn't he warmed his hands in his coat pockets? That would have been sensible. Boys, she thought with a sigh.

"Here," the Gryffindor instructed, while reaching for Malfoy's other hand. "Put them in your pockets." Haley wanted to shove the boy's hand in his coat pockets herself but just as his fingers were vanishing inside the fabric, he took a step back and shook off her fingers.

"What's wrong?" She asked in confusion. Why was he reacting like that?

The boy shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Interesting. Hadn't she heard something crinkle, when his left hand had touched the insides of his pocket? Was he hiding something there?

"Is there something in your pocket?" She asked, watching him calculatingly.

Malfoy shook his head again but there was definitely a hint of pink, dusting his pale cheeks. That told her everything she needed to know. Haley suddenly jumped forward and reached for his pockets. To her dismay, Malfoy stopped her by grabbing her wrists. She glared at him.

"What is it?" She asked again. Could it be something for her? A present maybe?

"It's nothing," the boy whispered, his head turned to the side.

Haley sighed. "Come on, just tell me," she urged softly, looking up at him, her lips slightly pouting. She didn't know what changed – maybe it was the tone of her voice – but Malfoy turned to her, his eyes wide and lips slightly parted. His eyes wandered across her face like he was seeing her only now. She had missed him, she realised. Missed him looking at her like that. Like she was special. Like he never wanted to stop looking at her. The thought made her blush. But even so, she didn't look away. Not even when he closed his eyes and sighed. How odd. The sigh almost sounded like he was surrendering.

...

DRACO

Potter looking up at him with those grass green eyes, framed by delicate lashes and with her pink lips in a pout was his undoing. All this time he had been longing to see her again. The memory of her face slowly fading day by day. Now his mind had gone blank and he didn't understand why he was doing anything but kissing her. He slowly leant down without having decided to do so and didn't even try to fight the irresistible pull of her lips. He felt like a butterfly that was drawn to the sweet nectar of a beautiful spring flower.

He closed his eyes and before his lips connected with hers, he sighed. In anticipation. Or perhaps because giving in to her felt like such a relief. It didn't matter. His fingers wandered down to curl around hers. While he took a step forward, pushing her backwards against the tree, his other hand found her jaw, angling her face just right so he could comfortably reach her lips. Haley snaked one arm around his neck, burying her fingers in his hair and pulling him even closer. His heart ached pleasantly. How much he had missed this. How much he had missed her.

...

HALEY

She had known just from the look on his face that he was going to kiss her. It scared her a bit, if she was honest. How much she was learning about this boy. Was he learning about her in the same way? Somehow this kiss reminded her of their first kiss. When it had felt like he was telling her how he felt through kissing her. It was the same now. It felt like he was giving up parts of himself and offering them to her. As she was kissing him and pulling him closer she suddenly became scared. Wasn't it too much? Too soon? He was giving her the power to hurt him. Hurt him badly. How could he trust her with this?

When he pulled away, he gently cupped her face in his hands and rested his forehead against hers. A soft smile was pulling up the corners of his lips. He looked so relaxed and happy.

"I…" He started to say, before stopping himself, seemingly surprised.

"Yes?" Haley asked curiously, she sounded embarrassingly breathless.

The boy shook his head, biting his kiss-red lips. She wanted to kiss him again. But she also wanted to know what he had been about to say. And while they were at it she wanted to know what he was hiding inside his pocket.

"I'll tell you next time," he said with a smirk, as he pushed a dark lock behind her ear. Haley frowned.

...

DRACO

She needed to stop looking at him like this. Or he would never be able to stop himself from kissing her. Which wasn't a bad thing in itself. But it made him feel pathetic and vulnerable. And he didn't like feeling like that. That was also why he had stopped himself from telling her these three little words just now. I missed you. Or more accurately: I missed you so much. How foolish that would have been. He couldn't admit how deep his feelings went. Not yet.

Instead he leant in to kiss her again, smiling against her lips as he felt her arms come up around his back. Then he heard a crinkling noise… Draco opened his eyes, noticing Haley's hand inside his coat pocket.

"You-" He exclaimed, reaching for her hand. "Give that back!" But the girl was already jumping backwards. She held the small festively wrapped up box up in the air and shot a triumphant grin at him.

"I knew it!" She gloated, while Draco took a step forward so he could reach her. Haley took another step backwards and promptly stumbled over the roots of the willow tree. Her eyes widened comically and while she steadied herself by holding on to a low hanging branch, the box fell into the grass.

Wide green eyes looked up at him guiltily. "Oops," she said, biting her lips sheepishly. It should have annoyed him but her expression was just too endearing.

She quickly knelt down to pick up the box and offered it to him.

Draco sighed. Then he shook his head and slipped his hands into his now empty pockets. "It's yours," he whispered, staring at the ground. He hadn't wanted to give it to her like this.

"You mean… it's for me?"

"Yes." Of course it's for you, he wanted to hiss, as Potter did nothing but stare at the present in disbelief.

"You can open it," he grumbled impatiently. "It's not dangerous or toxic or anything." He didn't mean to be this grouchy but he was so anxious to see whether she liked the present.

Potter snorted. "I didn't think it was," she said while pulling at the silver ribbon. Draco wondered if she was taking more time opening the present on purpose. To drive him mad.

Once the wrapping was completely gone, the girl stared at the small box that was covered in dark red velvet like she didn't know how to open it.

"Just open it," he urged. "There's a clasp on the side." He added, not being able to stop the sarcastic remark.

"I know how to open the stupid box," she replied with an eye-roll. Oops, it seemed like his mood was starting to darken hers, too. He hadn't meant to do that. He bit his lips.

With one swift movement the box was open but Draco found the girl's face much more interesting. Did she like it?

...

HALEY

Inside the case that fit into her open palm was a fairy. Well, not a real fairy but one made of… gold? No, this didn't look like gold. Was it bronze? Or silver? The material seemed to glow in different shades, depending on where the light was coming from. The fairy reminded her of the one she had seen with Malfoy on the night of the Yule Ball all those months ago. She was half the size of Haley's thumb and her delicate wings were spread out as if she was flying.

"It's not much…" Malfoy whispered. She looked up into his grey eyes, that were fixed on the figure in her hand. Was he kidding her? This looked like it had cost a fortune! She couldn't be sure but it might even be custom-made. "But I wanted to get you something… something with meaning."

He met her eyes, biting his lips. "Do you remember?"

"How could I forget," she replied, remembering the events of that night like it had been yesterday. How Michael Corner had crushed her hopes, before Malfoy had stepped into the picture and turned her world upside-down.

The boy smiled, "Do you remember what I said back then?"

"You mean after you found a fairy in my hair?" She chuckled. Malfoy shrugged nonchalantly like finding a fairy in someone's hair was something completely normal.

"I think… I think you apologised. And also," she cleared her throat, mockingly. "You said it was a sign of your… sincerity."

"I did," he breathed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"You've always been a bit dramatic, haven't you?" She grinned.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "So?" He seemed a tiny bit offended. Haley bit back a sarcastic remark and instead picked the fairy up from the box. She was dangling from a delicate silver chain that had been hidden before. The fairy twirled around from the movement like she was actually alive and dancing. How beautiful.

"What's that?" She asked, gesturing toward the single word that was engraved into the fairy's back, almost too small to be seen. She couldn't decipher it.

"Oh, that's just..." the boy answered sheepishly. "The signature of the manufacturer."

"Oh." Haley was surprised and possibly a little bit disappointed.

"Well, at first I wanted her to inscribe something but… nothing seemed to fit… So I just left it like that." He concluded thoughtfully. "So..." He added, while looking at her with an expectant expression. "Don't you… want to put it on?"

"Oh! Yes, sure," she replied, handing the necklace along with the velvet box back to the boy. Then she pulled off her coat and carelessly dropped it to the ground. This time zone was much too warm for a winter coat and she would actually be able to put on the necklace like this.

When she held out her hand to take back her present, Malfoy shook his head and took a step closer to her instead. He placed his arms around her neck and fastened the clasp with quick fingers. Haley swore he took a deep breath before stepping back again. The boy's eyes lingered on her collar bone, where the fairy was sitting, for a moment. Then he looked up into her eyes.

"What… do you think?" he asked, sounding unusually shy. Haley's gaze wandered down to the pendant. Then her fingers followed, touching the small figure cautiously.

"I… It's beautiful," she whispered. Why was she whispering?

The boy's lips curled up into a soft smile. "So, you like it?" He asked, not quite hiding his excitement.

Haley bit her lips. "Yes," she breathed, with a small smile of her own.

Malfoy's smile widened, and he sighed in a way that Haley swore was full of relief.

"So…" the boy said again, shuffling his feet on the ground. "Is there perhaps… something in your bag… for me?" He asked, his gaze dropping to where her bag was lying on the ground.

Haley laughed. He made it sound like she was Santa Claus or something.

"I don't remember owning a red robe, you know? And I don't even have a white beard."

The Slytherin rolled his eyes, not even gracing her with an answer. Haley chuckled but sank to the ground, where she sat on her discarded coat and gestured for him to join her. As he sank down beside her, she reached for her bag and fetched a box that was wrapped up in brightly coloured wrapping paper. As she handed the present to the boy next to her, her heart started to beat uncomfortably in her chest. What was making her this nervous all of a sudden?

The wrapping was torn off in no more than a second. Haley couldn't look. It had been a stupid idea. She knew it! Malfoy was lifting off the top now…

...

DRACO

He had to admit he had not expected her to give him biscuits. The box was full of them in all shapes and forms. Some with chocolate or icing in different colours. What a surprise.

"Um… you should try one," the girl suggested, picking up one of the biscuits, that was shaped like a cat with a painted on smiley face and whiskers, and breaking it into two halves. "See, they're not poisoned," she said with a nervous undertone, as she bit into one half of the biscuit, offering him the other.

He took the biscuit and held it in front of his nose, pretending to smell it sceptically. Then he bit off a small piece and chewed it, letting the sweetness fill his taste buds. Was this cinnamon he tasted? He loved cinnamon!

"I don't know how many biscuits we baked during the holidays. Ron's mum probably knows every biscuit recipe there is in the world. But you know, I asked her to show me how to make these. Because I think they taste the best. You see, this one is with cinnamon and these are with vanilla and chocolate and these over here are with cardamom, do you like cardamom?" Haley stopped her rant for a second, looking at him questioningly. This was a bit much to take in. Draco didn't think he had ever heard the girl ramble like that.

"What?" He asked foolishly.

"Cardamom," she repeated. "Do you like it?"

"I…" He shook his head, in an attempt to make sense of the things she had said before. "You mean… you've made them yourself?"

Haley nodded. "Yes."

Draco blinked at the girl, not knowing what to say. She had made biscuits for him. For him. And a whole box of them, too. A strange feeling filled him up. But he couldn't put a name to it. He could only stare at her, like he had lost the ability to talk.

Potter bit her lips, frowning slightly. "I knew it was a stupid idea," she mumbled, before reaching for the box and taking it away from him. He wanted to protest but he still hadn't found his voice. Fortunately, the girl only removed something blue from below the biscuits as it seemed, and gave the present back to him, placing the blue thing on top of the biscuits.

Were those… gloves? He saw now, that the material was a light blue, streaked with silver and patterned with little snow flakes.

"I know, it's silly but I just thought your hands are always so cold so… maybe you'll find them useful…" Haley whispered. "You know, I made them with wool that keeps extra warm. Luna helped me pick it out."

The strange feeling from before returned, filling him with an ache that seemed to pull at his insides. Was this real? Had the girl really made gloves for him because she had remembered that he tended to have cold hands?

...

HALEY

Malfoy was awfully quiet. Why didn't he say anything? It would be better if he told her that he didn't like the present. Or perhaps it was because of the colour? Or the shape?

"You don't mind that they're mittens, do you? I only started knitting recently so I couldn't make them with separate fingers…" Haley admitted sheepishly.

The boy still said nothing, he only stared at the mittens like the sight of them saddened him for some reason.

Haley sighed. "I knew it. You hate it." The disappointment was loudly resounding in her ears.

Malfoy looked up, finally meeting her eyes. "Hate it?" He echoed, seemingly having found his voice again.

"The present. All of it. You hate it, don't you? I knew it was silly," she mumbled, trying not to let it affect her too much.

"You're right." His voice seemed to come from far away. "You're being silly."

"Well, I'm sorry if I thought-" She fired back but then she noticed something about his eyes. They weren't red, were they?

"Don't be foolish. I don't hate it," he whispered, almost tonelessly.

"Then why…?" She started to ask.

The boy tried to form words but in the end he only shook his head silently. In the next moment his blond head fell forward and she felt a pair of arms circle around her.

...

DRACO

He couldn't keep looking at Potter. Potter with her honest green eyes, who made him feel like gloves and biscuits were the best Christmas presents one could ever wish for. Never would he have imagined that something so trivial could make him feel this much. Was it because of her? Because she had given them to him? Or was it the fact that she had put so much thought into the present and had actually made it herself? He wasn't really a fan of self-made things. Or so he had thought. Then why did this touch him so deeply? And Potter thought he didn't like, even hated the present! He didn't think he could ever hate something from her. Even if the biscuits tasted awful they would make him happy.

Draco hid his eyes that were starting to tear up against Haley's shoulder. Her familiar flowery scent that reminded him of Hogwarts calmed him somewhat. Wasn't it pathetic that he reacted like this over something that little children received from their grandparents every year? But if he was honest, he couldn't remember anyone putting so much effort into any present he had gotten before. He had always received what he had written on his list, yes, but that only showed that his relatives were able to read. It didn't show that they cared enough to actually wonder what he might like. Or that it was important enough to try and make it themselves.

Draco hadn't known that he could want this girl even more. He was almost drowning in the all-encompassing affection he felt for her. What did anything matter if he had her? He didn't need anything else if he could just hold on to this one girl forever.

...

HALEY

She didn't know how long they sat there like this. At some point she heard Malfoy softly whisper, "No one ever gave me a present like this."

"Like what?" She whispered in return, her hands resting on the boy's back.

"So warm and…" He seemed to look for the right words. "Just warm."

Warm? "How do you know that, you haven't even tried them on."

He clucked his tongue impatiently. "I'm not talking about the mittens. Well, I am but… you know… not like that."

She didn't know how to answer. What exactly did he mean?

He seemed to feel her confusion. "I meant that… the present… it's like you care. As if you actually thought about giving me something I would like."

Ah, now it made sense. Did that mean-? "So… you like the present?" She asked cautiously. She hadn't misunderstood, right?

"Of course, I like it," he muttered, somewhere next to her ear. His grip on her had loosened. It didn't seem like he was trying to squeeze all the air out of her any more.

"Really?" She asked happily.

"Yes." He answered. "Although, I do prefer actual gloves." He added teasingly. It wasn't even true. He had always found mittens to be much warmer than gloves. Even if it was true that gloves were more practical.

Haley pushed him away with a glare. "Give them back then," she demanded.

"I don't think I will," the boy replied with a grin, while he quickly put on the mittens. "They're so warm," he added happily.

The girl bit her lips but the smile came through anyway. "I told you. It's special wool that keeps your fingers extra warm." Looking at the boy who seemed so delighted over a pair of knobbly mittens, Haley felt a warm pull in her stomach and a sudden desire to keep seeing that expression on his face. She liked being the one who put it there.

"You know," she said, gazing at the mittens, so he wouldn't notice how much his reaction pleased her. "Ron's mum actually asked who I made them for because they seemed too big for my hands…"

Malfoy looked up. "And…?" His tone seemed somehow cautious, as if he thought, she had told Mrs Weasley about the two of them.

"Well, I said that they were for someone…" She drew out the last syllable for dramatic effect. "Someone whose hands were always cold." She revealed with a wink.

The boy blinked at her. Once. Twice. Then he snorted derisively, averting his eyes.

"You know, what she replied?" Haley didn't even wait for him to answer. "She said that people with cold hands are the kindest, because their hearts are warm."

Malfoy's gaze turned back to her in less than a second, eyes wide and mouth slightly opened. Then he frowned, fixing her with a sceptical look.

"I must be an exception then," he said mockingly.

Haley bit her lips, hiding her amused grin.

"What?" Malfoy scoffed. "No objections?"

She shrugged, leaving her response for him to interpret however he liked.

"What's this anyway?" The blond grumbled moodily.

"Hm?" Haley wasn't looking at him, her gaze focused on the rain that had started to fall instead.

"You didn't make this as well, did you?"

"Huh?" The girl finally turned back toward the Slytherin who was holding a chocolate candy in his hands. No. He was taking a bite off it. She didn't even register that he had taken off the mittens. Slowly, almost in slow motion Haley's eyes fell on the gold wrapping in the boy's other hand. George's toffee. Had it fallen out of her coat pocket?

"No! You can't eat that!" She exclaimed, waving her hands frantically back and forth.

But it was too late. Malfoy was already chewing on the candy.

"Spit that out!" She yelled, anxiously worrying what the toffee might do to him.

Malfoy dropped the remains of the chocolate and met her eyes in alarm. He had already swallowed. For a painfully long moment nothing happened. Then a forest of white blond hairs sprouted on his face and all across his hands. He let out a surprised cry that made her freeze, a cold feeling filling her. He tried to speak but this time he seemed to have lost his voice for real. His fearful grey eyes were one silent scream for help. Haley panicked. Shit, shit, shit. What was she supposed to do? She frantically looked for her wand, which had to be somewhere in her coat pocket…

There was a quiet meow coming from behind her. Frowning in confusion she turned around only to see a small white cat sitting where the Slytherin had been before. The cat was glaring at her, fixing its grey confused eyes on her. It seemed like she knew now what kind of effect George's toffee had. She only wished the boy would have told her. Or given her a hint as to how the effect could be reversed. Malfoy, the cat, looked at her accusingly, his tail swinging back and forth like a whip.

"Well, I didn't tell you to eat that!" She burst out at a loss for words.

The cat hissed at her, baring its fangs. Was that Cat for 'You're right. I'm sorry'? She doubted it. She had thought extra lessons with Snape would be something to worry about. Now, the Gryffindor had a much bigger problem.

…

A/N: Hey everyone ! Look at the fluffiness! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm trying my hand at cliffhangers atm, so sorry for that... You might've already guessed but... occlumency lessons are coming up so you can look forward to that. And look at all the subtle hints that are placed in here. Did you pick up on them? Thank you for reading and let me know what you think :)

The chapter title is inspired from "The Calm After The Storm" by the Common Linnets