Chapter 18
The Accusing and Confusing Christmas
Mr Weasley was ok. He was pretty bad when the Order found him, and if Harry…Wonderful Harry hadn't have said anything, or hadn't dreamt it, Mr Weasley would have been dead.
We went to St Mungo's, a light green hospital that reeked worse than a Muggle hospital a lot, and when we weren't going to visit Mr Weasley, we were hanging up Christmas decorations and listening to Sirius belting out Christmas carols as he and I together put up and trimmed the Christmas tree.
I really wasn't in the mood for Christmas and the twins' jokes with Mrs Weasley. I was personally more in the mood to crawling under the covers and refusing to come out until we went back to Hogwarts.
I was taking to playing Evanescence so often, and now I was playing Taylor Swift's Last Christmas and Christmases When You Were Mine. And I was also back to not eating much (I ate a little to keep Mrs Weasley happy.).
It was Christmas Eve and I was sitting alone in my room as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ivy, and the twins stayed downstairs talking to Mrs Weasley, and Mr Weasley (who had just returned from St. Mungo's just before dinner.), and I was alone, pouring my heart out into my guitar.
"He was, a shining knight to me, and now, there is no light for me, nowhere close since I felt the fatal blow! Right now, he's probably chilling out with the Pugson I knew once upon a time. Right now, he's probably enjoying Christmas while I struggle to even make a rhyme. Or maybe now, he's snogging some hussy pureblood just like him! He's probably going to find some bitch who'll obey and listen to his every whim!
What he don't know is that: I kissed his worst enemy's brother, I guessed he started to believe as well as I, he's been a rotten little ferret, and I wouldn't kiss him again if my god daddy dared it. He's made me laugh, he made me cry and now I know I'll see him in hell! Cause I'll never be a guest again, at his heartbreak hotel!"
Someone started applauding from the door and I froze.
"Well, I guess Prongslette's got something Prongs doesn't have." Sirius said, leaning against the door and smirking.
I blushed "What?" I asked, putting my guitar away.
"An ear for music. I never thought you of all people, the Quidditch playing toddler tomboy…could play guitar." Sirius came in and sat down. "I liked the song."
I shrugged "I meant to make it more sad, but, I guess the anger came out of me and…well, that." I said, looking down. "I guess you'd know why I'm so out of it."
Sirius nodded "Yeah, Harry told me."
I sighed "I wish Harry would let me tell people about the break-up. It's so annoying when he doesn't let me tell people about the goings-on in my own life." I said, crossing my arms and sighing.
Sirius nodded and touched my arm "I know." he said "I know."
I sighed "I don't know if you do, Sirius." I said, turning to my side "It's like my heart's been-"
"Ripped from your chest, stomped on it and put it back?" Sirius asked.
I turned to him and gaped "Y-Yeah…how did you know?" I asked, nervously.
Sirius smirked "I had to put up with this with your father with your mum." Sirius said "James may not have looked it, but he was a hidden romantic…I guess you get that from him."
I nodded. "Yeah. But I'm not, though, a romantic!" I said, sitting up and hugging my pillow "I'm a tomboy and nothing like those hopelessly in love teenage girls like in the romance novels I read."
Sirius smirked and nodded "You may not look it, but I saw you around Hogwarts as I was disguised, and when you were with Malfoy-"
"Please, don't say his name." I said, burying my face in the pillow.
"All right, The-Ferret-That-Will-Never-Be-Named. Whenever I saw you with him, your eyes seemed to light up like James's did with Lily around."
I nodded "Yeah…" I said sadly. "But what do I do now, Sirius?" I asked "I can't get him off my mind."
Sirius shrugged "Move on, I guess. That's all you can do. You know what they say, if you love something, set it free, and if they really love you, they'll come back."
I smiled and hugged him "Thanks, Sirius." I said. "I never knew you to be this good with relationship advice." I said.
Sirius smirked "Your father gave me a bit of training." he said simply. "Come on, we're missing the jokester princess downstairs and we hate seeing her secluded."
I smiled and stood up "Yeah, I guess I'll come down." I said, starting down before I heard a knocking on the window.
I turned and saw an eagle owl with a rose and a piece of parchment in its beak, Sirius paused.
"You go on," I said, going to the window. "I'll catch up." I added.
Sirius nodded and left, closing the door softly.
I opened the window and let the owl in, taking the three pieces of parchment, the one with the rose being set aside as I opened the first one with my name on it:
Dear Hannah,
It's been months since you've talked to me. How many times must I say I'm sorry?
Here it is again, I'm sorry. Malfoy was all over me, I tried to tell him it was wrong, that he was with you, but he wasn't having it and he kissed me anyway. He said he'd hurt my falcon if I didn't snog him, and I was stupid, but I agreed without a word.
I'm so sorry, Han. I never wanted to hurt you and I never expected that Malfoy would smack you like that. I don't know how long you'll hold the grudge for, but I hope it's not forever.
Please, Hannah, please answer this owl. I'm really, really, REALLY sorry for what I did. Please forgive me.
Happy Christmas,
Scar
I rolled the parchment back up and threw it on the bed, taking the other parchment with my name on it, and another two rolls fell out.
I opened the letter and was shocked to see Blaise's handwriting:
Hannah,
You and Potter and Ivy and the Weasleys are very bloody lucky that you got out when you did. Umbridge was royally pissed when she saw that you had left.
God, Malfoy's not leaving me alone! He knows I spend a lot of time with Ivy, and therefore you, and he's always asking "Did Hannah say anything about me?"…ALWAYS! It's driving me nuts!
Han, Malfoy's sorry. God damn it, if he were any more sorry he'd kill himself.
No matter what we're doing, revising for OWLs (which can you help, by the way, when you get back, please? I think I'm gonna absolutely bomb my Potions exam, even with Snape's favouritism points and I know how good you are at it.), practicing for Quidditch (again, I need help, I'm losing my Beaters' touch!) or whatever, he always seems to drag you into the conversation.
He's been frantic over trying to make it up to you, but you're ignoring him. (I really don't care, after the stunt he pulled, I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to him again, but you didn't hear it from me.).
I enclosed a couple of letters to Ivy. Tell her to open the one from me last, because Umbridge knows what I'm doing and who I'm
so she asked to send her letter to Ivy. I don't think V will like what her letter says, so please, Han, tell her to keep my letter for later?
Please, think about talking to Malfoy at least? I don't say you have to forgive him, just think about it, please?
Happy Christmas, your gift's coming tomorrow,
Blaise.
I rolled Blaise's letter back up and tucked it in my trunk and put Ivy's letters on my bed to bring downstairs.
I took the other letter with the rose and my name on it and opened it, knowing what I'd see when I opened it:
Hannah,
I know you're not talking to me, but still I had to write and I have to warn you.
SCARLETT IS A DEATH EATER! I saw it! I saw her Mark, Hannah, I did! She's at the Manor right now, she's in my house with me! Don't listen to anything she tells you! It's a lie! She's trying to woo you over to the Dark Side!
She's playing you, Han, like a two-bit violin, listen to me, whatever she tells you don't-
Nothing. The letter just stopped without a signature.
I wanted to rip up the letter, I wanted to Apparate to Malfoy Manor and yell at Draco for deciding that then was a good time to talk to me after he slapped me, and that he didn't know what he was talking about.
I started out of the room, not bothering to look back, but I was upset and hurt…not to mention very confused.
"No way, Scar can't be a Death Eater." I said to myself, going back into the bedroom "I saw her arm just last term and it was perfectly pale, not an ounce of ink."
But things change, Hannah. Maybe Draco's trying to warn you that Scarlett's after you!
"You shut up!" I said to my common sense "I didn't ask you!"
Just like you didn't ask me when you wanted to apologize to Draco?
"Shut the Skinner up! I don't want to relive that day!" I snapped, turning off my brain and walking down the stairs to overhear Sirius, Remus and…Snape arguing in the dining room.
"Absolutely not! I'm not having my godson taught by the likes of you!" Sirius shouted.
"Sirius, it'll close his mind from You-Know-Who!" Ivy chirped into the conversation "But I don't get why I can't teach him, I'm a Legilimense as well."
"Because you stupid girl!" Snape's voice snapped "You aren't experienced enough for this!"
I walked into the dining room and stared from a livid Sirius, a shocked Remus, an annoyed Harry and a confused Ivy.
"What's going on?" I asked, gripping Ivy's letters in my hands.
"Snape wants to teach Harry Occlumency." Ivy said coldly.
"Occlumen-What?" I asked.
"Just what I said!" Harry snapped, glaring at Snape.
"Occlumency is the art of being able to block your mind." Ivy said "It's especially used against Legilimenses like me." she explained "And Snape also wants you there as back up, in case things go too far."
I sighed "Why do you need me if you're teaching Harry Occlumency, Professor?" I asked.
"You are apparently not being used by the Dark Lord, your brother, however, is." Snape explained "Professor Dumbledore wants him to close his mind. You, however, can let me know when I get in too far with your Twin Telepathy."
I sighed "Fine. Fine, I'm in." I said "But if anyone asks-"
"Potter is coming for remedial Potions and you are helping me tutor him." Snape said, collecting his cloak and starting out "A very happy Christmas to you, Ms Potter." he said before walking out.
I turned to Ivy "Well, this is completely off topic, but these are for you." I said, handing Ivy the letters "Save the one from Blaise till later." I said, passing on Snape's message as I sat down at the dining room table.
I kind of wanted to tell Ivy about what Draco had said about Scar, but I just didn't know if he was right or not. That, and dinner was served and I never got a chance.
…
My dreams weren't as sweet as I would have liked them to be. They were haunted with Draco writing frantically on a desk with Scar with a torn sleeve, exposing a Dark Mark doing something gruesome to him, like the Cruciatus Curse…another bundle of painful hexes…and then…even the Avada Kedavra curse.
I was barely aware I was muttering Draco's name all that night.
