Christmas Holiday was a little more than a week away. Harry felt pretty good as he and his friends reached Hogsmeade for their last visit before Break. He felt good about his classes, now that he didn't have Quidditch to distract him, and he'd begun getting real sleep lately. It wasn't anywhere near normal sleep, and his quitting Quidditch had led to the majority of Gryffindor being angry at him even months later, but he took this in stride. Better was better, even with a downside. Snape had spent a few of their talks after his remedial lessons beating that into his head.

"Harry?"

The Wizarding Savior looked over at his two friends, who were hanging on each other, as lovesick as ever. He frowned when he realized that they were both staring at him nervously.

"What's up?" He asked.

Hermione chewed her lip as Ron avoided meeting his eye.

"Harry, we have something to tell you," The witch said carefully. "We both…Ron and I are going home for Christmas. We-we're not staying at the castle this year."

Harry felt a sharp pain in his chest that smacked of betrayal. "You are?"

Hermione nodded. "I know you were looking forward to the three of us spending our last Christmas at Hogwarts together, but, well…My mum and dad are always sore when I don't come home, and Ron's brothers are coming home for the holiday, so he wants to be there to see them. Ginny's going, too."

The stab of betrayal struck Harry again and he looked away. It wasn't fair of him, feeling this way. They were their own people, and it wasn't like they'd made any definitive plan to stick together for the holiday. And it sort of made sense, in a way. If this year was anything like the last, most of Hogwarts' students would be leaving. He already knew that the rest of the Gryffindor Seventh Years were going. Still, Harry couldn't help the betrayal he felt. He had nowhere to go for the holiday, no family with which to share it. Ron and Hermione were the closest things he had to real family, and they were choosing to be elsewhere.

With a sigh, Harry lifted his head and forced a genuine smile. He couldn't change their minds, and even if he could the sign-up sheet had already been passed around. There was no point in lingering on the issue. His friends stared at him dubiously.

"Okay," He said brightly. "I understand your reasons, and I appreciate you telling me ahead of time. What do you say to visiting Zonko's first? I need Ron's help picking out a Christmas present for Ginny. Something that will maybe get her talking to me again."

"You're really okay with this?" Ron asked incredulously.

"I really am," Harry lied smoothly. "Now come on, I want to get there before the other's buy out all the good jokes."

His friends smiled and together they headed towards the joke shop. With his friends' help, he found a number of gifts for different people. Unfortunately, by the time they left and headed to Honeydukes, Ron and Hermione's careful attention to him had begun to vanish in light of one another. When Harry tried and failed to get their opinion on what treats he should get for the coming holiday, he started to realize that he'd been utterly forgotten. He followed his lovesick friends for over an hour as they traversed the streets. Twice, he tried to engage them in conversation, only to be dismissed.

"I'm thinking of wearing my shorts on my head and declaring an undying love for Trelawney," Harry announced after his second attempt to get his friends' attention.

"That's nice, Harry," Ron mumbled, staring lovingly into his girlfriend's eyes.

Hermione didn't respond at all and Harry scowled as they started exchanging light pecks repeatedly. He hated when they did that, it made him want to shove their heads together and force them to actually kiss. It was actually kind of nauseating to watch. Betrayal stabbed at him again. Giving up on getting to spend any real time with his friends, who were too busy with each other to even notice him, the Wizarding Savior stopped.

"I'll catch up with you guys later, all right?"

Neither of them paid him the slightest mind.

"Guys!" Harry growled angrily.

Hermione jumped, looking at him as if just realizing he was there.

"What?"

"I said I'd catch up with you later," Harry ground out.

Hermione blinked. "Oh, all right, if you're sure."

Harry rolled his eyes as his friends returned to staring at each other adoringly. He stifled a gag as Ron cooed at the intelligent witch, who giggled obnoxiously. It still amazed him that the smartest witch of their year could be reduced to little more than a giggling ball of goo just because the redhead looked at her the right way. Turning as his friends continued on without him, Harry moved back down the street towards The Three Broomsticks.