Christmas this year seemed almost tense since everyone was still so nervous about Sirius Black not being recaptured. In lieu of this, Remus had been granted access to use the Floo to get home, so we didn't have to take the train back. I guess there were a few minor perks to having Harry stalked by a mass murderer.

The nervous energy however did not stop Harry and I from bolting down the stairs Christmas morning. We had woken up with the first peak of sunlight and were excited about the prospect of Harry joining us at the Weasley's for Christmas supper.

Remus and dad were unsurprisingly already awake and were busy getting breakfast ready when we came downstairs. While we waited, we sat in the living room and eagerly picked up the hot cholate that was already waiting for us.

"Good morning, you two!" dad said as he came in to greet us.

He was wearing a worn apron over his red and green striped pyjamas and shuffled his feet in his ratty slippers.

"Breakfast is almost ready!" Remus hollered from the kitchen as I saw him dish up a pile of pancakes. Amazingly, they were stacked in an alternating pattern of red and green.

"That's brilliant!" I exclaimed, already sitting in my chair as I eagerly anticipated the arrival my breakfast.

"Just a little food colouring," my dad said modestly as he poured tea for himself and Remus.

The plate hadn't been on the table a few seconds before I was grabbing the first few off the top.

"I thought you would outgrow your habit of eating like a lion," dad chuckled as he watched me.

"Well, I am a Gryffindor," I replied proudly, pouring a good helping of syrup across my plate.

"We always wait for Marnie to have food on her plate before serving ourselves at school," Harry added cheekily.

I gave him a withering look but couldn't help but laugh at him. He was right.

Breakfast was over quickly and we dashed off towards the tree. It was my turn this year to hand out the presents and I started with the brown-papered ones from Mrs. Weasley. I was surprised however to see that she had chosen blue for my sweater this year and was reminded of the sweater Fred had received during the first Christmas I had known the twins.

It was a very pretty colour.

I pulled the sweater over my pyjamas and basked in the heat it provided. I then looked over to see Harry had received a green coloured one, just like George had that same year.

I was also excited to receive three new books from each of my family and couldn't wait to get started reading them. I would have to share them with Luna when I saw her tomorrow for Boxing Day.

Soon there were only two presents remaining and I blushed when I grabbed the small one and saw that it was from Cedric. This year at least, I had also sent him a present of my own. I had gotten him some candied hearts I had seen at Honeydukes along with a picture I had drawn of him flying around on his broom. I had drawn it one day during a practice and had waited to give it to him.

I opened his carefully and was in awe when I uncovered a small box with a charm inside.

It had been two months ago, when Cedric had commented on the bracelet that I always wore from Harry. He suggested that I put a charm on it to make it less plain. After that, I hadn't given it much thought since I loved my bracelet that said sister. But I felt I might tear up at the sight of this small little fairy charm, no bigger than my pinky nail. It also came with a note.

Dearest Marnie,

I am wishing you a Happy Christmas and wanted you to know I am counting down the days until 1994 when I can see you again. You are the very best thing that happened to me this year and I wanted to make sure you knew how special you are to me. Like a fairy, you are my light.

Love,

Cedric

I was thankful that everyone seemed focused on Harry's last present and couldn't see my face turn as pink as a peony. However, I was startled out of my thoughts when I heard everyone gasp. I looked over to see Harry holding a brand new Firebolt in his hands.

"Where did you get that?" I asked in amazement.

I knew, as much as my dad and Remus tried to take care of Harry, they definitely could not have afforded this.

"There's no note," he said, obviously in awe.

I was still watching Harry as he marvelled at his new broom before I heard Remus clear his throat.

"Might I have a look at that?" he asked, a hint of worry in his tone.

I looked furtively over at my uncle and father before I realized what they were thinking. If none of us gave Harry that broom, then there were very few people left who would.

"Do you think?" I asked cautiously, not wanting to alarm Harry.

"I can't help but admit there is a strong likelihood Sirius Black somehow got this for you," Remus said solemnly.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked fretfully.

I could see his grip tighten over the broom.

"Harry, I have to make sure this broom can't hurt you," Remus said more authoritatively.

Dad was already moving to take the broom from his grasp.

"Will it get destroyed?" I asked, wanting to stand up for Harry since he had seemingly become at a loss for words.

"Only if it's jinxed or been tampered with," Remus said reassuringly.

I could see the turmoil roiling through Harry's mind, but he eventually relinquished the broom to my father who quickly brought it upstairs.

XXX

The rest of the day wasn't nearly as filled with excitement, but even brooding Harry couldn't deny his anticipation for heading to the Weasley's for Christmas dinner. We arrived shortly before five and knocked on the door. Remus had driven us here in his car, which had only taken about twenty minutes as opposed to the hours it was to walk.

"Happy Christmas!" Mr. Weasley greeted us at the door. "Remus is that yours?" he asked excitedly before any of us could say anything back.

Mr. Weasley was eyeing the car eagerly and Remus obliged him by walking him over.

The rest of us went inside and dad went to deposit our pie in the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was no doubt finishing with supper.

"Marnie!" I heard Ginny exclaim as she came into the front entryway.

She was wearing a new, gray sweater that her mother had no doubt made her for Christmas. I let her take my hand and guide me into their sitting room with Harry close at my heels. I turned around and saw Harry taking everything in. This was the first time he had ever been to the Burrow which caused me to remember my first time. It had always felt so inviting, almost like a second home with its boisterous laughter and endless smells of cooking. It was much different than our small, quiet cottage.

"Harry! Marnie!" we heard Ron greet us as he came rushing down the stairs.

"Happy Christmas!" I said as I walked over and gave him a friendly hug.

When I released him, I saw he was the colour of a plum. The poor boy was still not too familiar with how to act around girls. I felt bad for poor Hermione who obviously must be hermaphroditic in Ron's mind, or else one of the boys.

"Are they upstairs?" I asked Ron who simply nodded.

Ginny joined me up the stairs and waited with me when I knocked on their door.

"Sod off Ron!" George said, obviously annoyed from earlier antics from his younger brother.

"Oh, I guess I'll just go back home then," I replied mockingly.

I heard a set of feet bolt towards the door and the unlatching of the lock. I was surprised Mrs. Weasley even let them have a lock on their door. Or what was more likely was that she didn't know about it yet.

"Hare!" Fred greeted with obvious excitement.

He beckoned both Ginny and I through the door before locking it behind us again.

"What are you two up to?" I asked curiously since they were both acting so secretive.

"We're just working on some ideas," George said non-chalantly.

"Have you made anything yet?" I asked, already knowing the boys must be talking about their prank project.

Around my birthday, the twins had confided in me about their aspirations for producing joke products. I thought it sounded brilliant and had since been posing ideas to them as well. So far, nothing was out of the proposal stage.

"Fred! George!" we heard their mother yelling from downstairs before either of them could reply to my question.

"Better get downstairs before she becomes suspicious," George said before standing up and leading the way out of the bedroom.

Before I could follow him and Ginny, I felt a hand clasp onto my arm.

"Can I talk with you a minute?" Fred asked, somewhat hesitantly.

"Of course," I asked, interested in what Fred wanted to talk about.

But, without saying anything, he rooted under his bed and pulled out a small, wrapped parcel. I took it from his outstretched hand hesitantly and unwrapped the tiny ribbon. Inside was a small box holding an even smaller charm. I looked up at him warmly. The charm was a shamrock, similar in size to my fairy.

Fred picked up my wrist and went to attach the newest charm.

"What's this?" he asked curiously, spotting the fairy charm.

He sighed with a smile before I could answer.

"Of course, pretty boy got you a charm as well," he said knowingly.

I was relieved to hear that Fred's voice was devoid of its usual annoyed tone whenever he talked of Cedric. In the meantime, I would have to leave the new nickname alone since there was already progress.

He silently attached the new charm.

"You know, shamrocks can be brewed in potions to help with head colds," I blurted nervously.

I had no clue why I suddenly felt uncomfortable with the silence between the two of us.

"How do you keep track of all these facts?" he asked amusedly.

The new charm was on the opposite side of the silver plate Harry had originally had inscribed.

"You know, you should work in a hospital making all these potions," he added thoughtfully.

"Is that a real job?" I asked curiously.

"I would suppose so. There has to be a witch or wizard out there discovering all these cures and potions. Why couldn't that person be you?" he stated simply.

I was thoughtful of his words as he pulled on my arm to lead me downstairs. But all was forgotten once we joined the rest of the party and enjoyed the jubilance of the Weasley's Christmas. I also noticed that everyone except Mrs. Weasley, Remus and my dad were all in new jumpers and sat in any vacant spot in the sitting room.

"Hey, you have a blue jumper this year," George observed with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Yea, mum always makes you an orange one," Ginny added.

"I like the blue," I replied, looking down at my new sweater and feeling defensive against George who was now giving me a smirk.

"It suits you," Fred added kindly pulling my attention from his suspicious brother.

I turned to Fred and returned a soft smile before he changed his expression into a scowl. I could hear the reason. Mrs. Weasley had turned up a Celestina Warbeck song.

"Mum, you're going to force me to cut off my own ears," George added, following suit with his twin.

I shook my head while Mrs. Weasley chastised the both of them before announcing dinner was ready.

Harry's eyes almost popped out of his head when he looked at the feast. Obviously, we had all seen this much food at Hogwarts, but it almost seemed more impressive on the Weasley's limited dining table.

Once we all sat down, we were able to open our magical crackers which floated across the room when pulled open and came with individual paper crowns. Mine was a sparkly purple and fit itself over my head once I put it on. I looked around to see everyone else had a different colour and were already piling food onto their plates.

As always, the evening was unforgettable, and I was absolutely stuffed by the time the last pie was cleared from the table.

The grownups enjoyed one last fire whisky while us kids were given hot chocolate with some added peppermint. The overall volume had decreased slightly as everyone digested and sunk into their seats in the sitting room. Ginny was standing behind me while she braided my hair, which felt very soothing and was making me sleepy. I was watching Harry and Ron play a game of wizard's chess while I noticed the twins were talking in hushed tones with one another, no doubt talking of their prank plans.

By the time dad stood up to announce that we should leave, I was almost asleep in my chair. Harry grabbed my hand and led me all the way to the car where I fell asleep minutes later in the backseat.

XXX

Everyone was excited when we returned to Hogwarts after the holidays. Harry had his firebolt returned to him which caused everyone to be ecstatic. Apparently, dad had owled it back to the school where many of the professors had tested the broom for tampering. It had thankfully gotten the all-clear and Harry was ready for the upcoming match against Ravenclaw.

"Marnie!" I heard my name being called as I entered the Great Hall for the return feast.

I looked over to see Cedric heading towards me with a wide grin. I went over to him in an attempt to have an ounce of privacy from my friends who I knew were watching the entire encounter. Cedric leaned down and planted a lingering kiss on my cheek. I couldn't help but notice that after, he kept his head beside my face for a lingering moment, as if disappointed in having to pull away. I hugged him back once he lifted his head and took the opportunity to kiss his cheek. I saw a light blush form where my lips touched his face.

"Would you care to join me?" he asked kindly, offering his arm for me to take.

"Of course," I answered obligingly.

I took his arm as he guided me towards the Hufflepuff table. I was unaware of my friends' reactions since I never looked back.

xx

"Why does Marnie date that tosser?" Ron asked glumly as he went over to sit with Harry and Hermione.

"He seems to treat her well," Neville added sincerely.

Ron just scowled and put his head on his hands.

"Leave it alone Ron," Fred said as he took his seat next to Harry.

"You've changed your mind then?" Angelina asked, surprised by Fred's levelheadedness on the matter.

Fred just shrugged.

Previously, Cedric had always been a sore subject between the group. Angelina had suspected Fred might have feelings for Marnie, but Cedric was honestly a great match. He treated her friend well and was insanely good looking to boot. She would be lying if she said she wasn't a little jealous.

xx

I had met most of Cedric's friends over the past few months, but I hadn't shared a meal with them yet.

"Hey Marnie!" I saw a boy with short, black hair and big dimples greet me.

I knew his name was Liam Newton, Cedric's best friend. He was quite skinny and loved to talk to anyone who would listen.

"Hey Liam," I greeted back before sitting down across from him.

Cedric sat beside me, pulling my hand into his and setting them on my leg.

"How was your Christmas?" I asked, causing a large smile to cross Liam's face.

"Brilliant! My sister came back from Madrid for a visit," he answered excitedly.

I had known his sister, Olivia, was abroad working on some sort of project concerning international magical relations.

"Natalie's was pretty good too," he added, looking beside him at the pretty girl with long blonde hair tied back off her shoulders.

It also wasn't a secret that Liam had a big crush on Natalie, at least to everyone except the two of them.

"What did you do Natalie?" I asked before the girl returned a friendly smile.

"Just stayed at home with my grandparents. But my aunt and uncle came to visit, and I hadn't seen them since last year, so it was really nice," she explained.

The Hufflepuff's seemed less boisterous than the Gryffindor table always seemed to be. Cedric's friends were very polite and were never rushed to get an entire conversation out in two minutes flat. The Gryffindor's however were always energetic, even at seven in the morning when I was still half asleep. Plus, you always had to be alert for the sudden occurrence of food being thrown. Of course, food fights were prohibited, but it was common enough for Gryffindor's to throw a bagel or something similar at you to get your attention. From the outside, we must look downright unruly.

After the feast Cedric ended up walking me back to my common room and I felt relieved to finally have a minute alone with my boyfriend.

"Thank-you for the charm," I said sincerely, holding it up to show him.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied.

If he saw Fred's charm, he didn't say anything.

"And thank-you for the picture, you really have a talent," he praised while I tried not to blush.

"Well, I guess I should go to bed," I said, trying to think of something that would keep me out here a moment longer.

However, Cedric didn't say anything and instead bent down and inched his face towards mine. At the last moment, I closed my eyes and realized what he was doing.

His lips felt soft and warm as he gently moved them over mine. It was almost like a soft zing of energy being transferred over from his skin onto mine and I briefly wondered if that's what Alicia had meant by feeling the electricity.

Cedric was obviously being respectful, but I could feel the want in his movements before he pulled back. Once he released me, I expelled the breath and I hadn't known I had been holding. I opened my eyes to see his shining back at me. Unexpectedly, I realized that was not nearly enough and I quickly filled the gap between us again. I stood on my tiptoes and found his lips with mine. This time, he enveloped his arms around me and pulled me closer while I relished in his woodsy scent. Through my nose, since I remembered to breathe this time, I could smell something that could only be described as winter, and it was very enticing on him.

I finally pulled away and could see his face was flush. I didn't want to know what mine looked like. However, the amusement was also evident in his wide grin.

"I didn't expect that," he said in a breathy voice.

I smiled ruggedly back at him.

"Neither did I," I replied truthfully.

He stepped back towards me, careful with his movements this time and planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Goodnight Mar," he said before walking away.

It took me a moment, after he had disappeared to head into the common room. I hadn't even finished coming through the door when Alicia and Katie approached me, followed closely by Angelina.

"Tell us everything," Katie commanded while already taking my hand and pulling me towards our dorm.