It was interesting, Draco mused as he made his way to Charms class a few weeks later, how a single person's death could so thoroughly change the dynamics of an entire house. Prior to Lucius' death, Draco had largely gone ignored by his housemates – sure, there were a handful who firmly believed that Draco was a traitor to his own name for willingly hanging out with the likes of Saint Potter and his pet Mudblood, but most of the other Slytherins didn't find it an issue worth pressing. They'd been intrigued when Draco had first come to Hogwarts and the rumors about his lineage had begun, and they'd been quietly impressed by the blond's thorough verbal thrashing of Nott and Parkinson a year later, but that was about it. Now, though, their collective attitude had shifted almost completely, and Draco was not only noticed, but almost revered. To the ambitious Snakes, wealth meant power, and with Draco's newly inherited fortune…well, that was a lot of power. Overnight, Draco had incontestably taken over the top spot in Slytherin's hierarchy – he only had to step into the common room for the best chair by the fire to be vacated immediately, the prime seat at the Slytherin table was his for the taking, and nobody dared question his words or his actions. Even Theodore Nott didn't dare speak out against the blond anymore, though he made his displeasure known through dirty looks whenever he could. For his part, Draco found all the sudden attention to be rather annoying, but he knew that telling his housemates to bugger off was pointless – Slytherin House had had such a system for centuries, and the best he could do was accept his newfound status graciously while otherwise acting like nothing had changed.

The only truly unwanted side effect of the whole thing was Pansy Parkinson, who seemed to have forgiven Draco all his 'transgressions' and was now following him everywhere like an attention-starved puppy. It was no secret that Pansy had fancied him since mid-second year, and he suspected she still did, at least to a degree – Draco knew for a fact that she'd only initially pursued Nott last year in an attempt to make him jealous, and he was pretty sure that even now she didn't hold any degree of real affection for the dark-haired boy. Ever since a subsequent article declaring Draco the heir had been published, Pansy had become his shadow, glued to his side as they traveled from class to class, and though she tried to look surreptitious about it, it was obvious what she was doing – she was under the impression that the spot of the next 'Mrs. Malfoy' (Black, whatever) was open and hers for the taking. She talked to him at every opportunity and scowled deeply at Blaise and Tracey at every meal – the other two Slytherins, of course, had claimed the seats on either side of Draco's for themselves, and Pansy took it as a personal insult.

Pansy's sudden refusal to leave him alone drove Draco up the wall, and he was forced to come up with increasingly creative excuses to ditch her so that he could get where he needed to be. The hardest, of course, was getting to the Room of Requirement – as far as Pansy was concerned, Slytherins never had a reason to be anywhere near the seventh floor unless they had patrols, and the patrol schedule was common knowledge amongst the prefects. As Pansy was also a member of the Inquisitorial Squad, Draco had to be doubly careful – feelings for him or not, the girl wouldn't hesitate to rat out his friends if she found out what they were up to.

As it so happened, the opportunity to get rid of his newfound shadow presented itself that very night. The last DA meeting of the term was to start at eight, and Harry had promised something fun in light of the upcoming holidays. Draco had just left the Slytherin common room and was almost to the staircase leading up to the entrance hall when light footsteps caught his attention. He turned and bit back an irritated sigh when he saw Pansy running up to him.

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to keep his tone even.

"Where are you going?" she replied, deliberately not answering his question.

"Library," he said shortly. It was a believable excuse, and the best one he could come up with that was upstairs from their current location.

"Perfect," Pansy said, falling in step beside him. "I told Macmillan I'd meet him there to start our-"

"Pansy, you don't have rounds until ten tonight," Draco interrupted, stopping abruptly and turning to face her, his arms crossed over his chest. "We both know it would take even Crabbe and Goyle less than two hours to get to the library from here, so cut the bullshit and tell me what you want."

For a moment, Pansy's expression faltered, but it was quickly replaced by hardened resolve, and she threw herself into his arms without a second thought. Draco yelped, both in shock and pain as his back collided hard with the stone wall of the corridor, and her lips were mere inches away when he finally managed to regain his footing and throw her off. Pansy tumbled to the floor, and she couldn't contain her surprised gasp when Draco drew his wand and pointed it straight at her chest.

"I don't like to hex women if I can help it, Parkinson, but you are trying my patience," he said, barely containing his anger. "What the hell were you thinking?" Pansy's dark eyes were wide as she stared up at him.

"I…I thought that…"

"That just because I've inherited the Malfoy fortune, I'd suddenly become the perfect little pureblood?" Draco finished. He lowered his wand and ran his free hand over his face with a sigh. Obnoxious as she was, he wasn't really being fair to her – after all, she had no way of knowing the extent of his relationship with Hermione.

"Look," he said, his tone softening a little, "the person you want me to be doesn't exist, because he was raised in circumstances that never happened."

"But if you just-"

"No, Pansy. I can't – I won't be that person. I'm sorry." He offered a hand to help her up, but Pansy swatted it away, her confused look replaced by one of indignant anger.

"Fine," she huffed. "I told you that you would regret hanging out with blood traitors and Mudbloods, I told you that you would regret not embracing who you were meant to be. Push me aside all you want, Draco, but you will regret doing that too – just you wait." Without another word, she turned around and flounced back towards the common room, her nose in the air. Once she was out of sight, Draco leaned his head back against the wall and sighed again – what was he supposed to do with her?

Draco was still annoyed when he finally reached the Room of Requirement fifteen minutes later, and Hermione noticed almost immediately.

"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling him aside so they could talk privately. Not everyone had arrived yet, but she suspected that he didn't want to discuss whatever was bothering him with the whole group.

"Parkinson," he said. "She tried to feed me an excuse about rounds so she could follow me just now, and-"

"She tried to kiss you, didn't she?" Hermione interrupted. Draco stared at her.

"How-"

"She's had a thing for you for more than two years now – oh, don't look at me like that, of course I noticed – and you recently became one of the single richest wizards in all of Britain. To her, you recently became one of the single richest single wizards in all of Britain, and you tick every last box on the 'perfect pureblooded husband' checklist – I'm just surprised she didn't try it sooner."

"How are you not mad at me for this?" Draco asked. "I couldn't not tell you, but I thought you'd be furious."

"Dragon, unless she actually did kiss you, and unless you responded, the only person I can be mad at is her," Hermione said, quietly but firmly. "I know the truth, and that's what matters – I'm not going to let Parkinson of all people ruin my Christmas." She gestured around the room, and Draco noticed for the first time that it was decked out in garlands, ribbons, ornaments, and other festive accoutrements. There was even a small Christmas tree in the far corner, and though it was nothing like the twelve massive evergreens adorning the Great Hall, it still twinkled merrily and added something special to the décor.

"Dobby," she said, smiling fondly. "He did it as a surprise for us." Draco couldn't help but smile too at the mention of the odd little elf, and he brushed one of Hermione's wayward curls aside with his knuckles before giving her a chaste but lingering kiss, hoping it conveyed how grateful he was that she understood the situation.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips. He felt her smile again.

"I love you too. Now let's forget about Parkinson and have fun tonight, shall we?"

As it was their last meeting, Harry decided to devote only half of it to actual learning, leaving the other half for fun. They'd been working on Shield Charms, and he put them through twenty minutes of hard practice, hoping to see marked improvement before everyone went home for the holidays. As it turned out, Harry saw far more than just marked improvement, and he was so pleased with everyone's progress that he turned the last ten minutes of instruction time into a free-for-all. This turned out to be far more fun than he'd expected – lights of all colors shot through the room as people shrieked, darting this way and that as they dodged their friends' hexes. Several people made use of their newly perfected Shield Charms, and Ginny hit three different people with her signature Bat-Bogey Hex before Padma Patil finally brought her down with a well-placed Stunner. By the time the instructional block was over, everyone was sweaty and sore, but they all agreed they'd never had such fun, and Harry agreed to let them have other similar duels in the future.

"In the meantime, though, it's time to celebrate," he said. He closed his eyes and concentrated, and a long table filled with snacks materialized at the back of the room.

"Dobby brought them up ages ago, but he helped me hide them so that they wouldn't get ruined during the duel," he explained. "Happy Christmas, everyone – dig in!"

Due to the impending curfew, the party that followed was shorter than anyone wanted it to be, but it was still great fun. Fred and George persuaded the Room to give them a wireless so they could dance, and the food, as it always was when house-elves were involved, was absolutely delicious. House and age barriers broke as the DA members mingled in small groups or joined in the Christmas jigs on the dance floor, and it was with genuine regret that Harry finally called attention to the time.

"We should probably get going if we don't want to get in trouble," he said. "Happy Christmas again, and keep an eye on your coins for our first meeting in January!" Hermione had finally gotten them around their communication issue when she'd come across the Protean Charm in the course of her reading – with it, she was able to charm a set of fake Galleons, the master of which would communicate the intended message to all the rest. The idea was very similar to that of the charmed parchment they owned, and provided nobody lost or accidentally spent their coins, the results would prove far more reliable than playing games of telephone every time they scheduled a meeting.

Harry intended to personally wish each of the others a happy Christmas as they left and therefore reached the door first, unaware that he triggered one last spell by doing so. Hermione, however, noticed right away, and she grabbed Draco's sleeve to make him stop.

"Look up," she whispered. Draco's eyes followed her gaze to the sprig of mistletoe that had just appeared above the doorway, and he smirked. His satisfied expression grew even more when he noticed who stepped forward first, the spell immediately ensnaring the petite redhead.

"Did you have anything to do with that?" he asked Hermione quietly. Hermione raised her eyebrows and put on a look of innocence.

"Not at all," she replied, though she smiled.

"Hey," Ginny protested then. "How come I can't move?"

"Can't move?" Harry repeated. "I don't-"

"Ooooh, look up!" one of the Weasley twins said, much louder than Hermione had done. Harry turned scarlet when he caught sight of the plant hanging over his head, and Ginny bit her lip, looking thoughtful.

"Best get it over with," Luna advised, her voice as serene as always. "Nargles live in mistletoe, and they get upset if you try to get out of it without kissing."

"They can't get out of this one without kissing," Susan pointed out. "That's magical mistletoe."

"What is it with everyone and snogging my sister?" Ron groaned, but he was almost immediately drowned out by his brothers, who started up a chant:

"Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!"

Others joined in until almost everyone had taken up the chant, and Ginny gave Harry a long look.

"Oh, what the hell," she said with a grin, and without another word, she grabbed Harry by the collar and pulled him close. Harry was shocked for only a moment before he snapped out of it, wrapping his arms around her waist and responding enthusiastically. They were both bright red when they broke apart, but neither seemed to regret it, nor did they make any move to let go even though the spell had long since released them. Their friends were cheering, clapping, and wolf whistling, but they hardly noticed.

"Happy Christmas, Harry," Ginny said softly. Harry grinned and brushed a loose strand of hair off her forehead.

"Happy Christmas, Gin."

Two days later, the Hogwarts Express departed for London. As usual, Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ginny, Blaise, Tracey, Neville, and Susan had all crammed themselves into one compartment, and the boisterous atmosphere was infectious as they shared excited plans for the holiday. Harry himself was in particularly high spirits – after a decidedly un-Gryffindor bout of shyness that had lasted almost a full twenty-four hours, he'd finally gotten up the nerve to ask Ginny out, and he was still in shock that she'd said yes. The witch in question was currently sitting sideways on the bench with her back against the window, her legs tented over Harry's lap and her fingers loosely entwined with his, and though she was heavily engaged in conversation with Susan, she'd occasionally send a glance his way or squeeze his hand affectionately.

"Anyone for a game of Snap?" Neville asked, pulling out his cards. Draco quickly agreed, and he and Susan changed spots so that the two boys could rest the cards on the bench between them. Harry and Blaise broke out the chess set while Hermione and Tracey discussed the DA, Hermione running her fingers through Crookshanks' thick fur as he snoozed beside her. When the trolley arrived, everyone made sure to stock up, and they swapped chocolate frog cards and braved their way through a box of Bertie Bott's Beans as the afternoon wore on. The atmosphere in their compartment grew steadily calmer as the journey continued, and by the time they pulled into Kings Cross, they were more than ready for supper and bed.

"Happy Christmas, everyone," Tracey said as they pulled the last of their things from the luggage racks.

"You too!" the others chorused. They joined the queue in the corridor and were soon stepping off the train. The platform was packed with families, but Harry spotted Sirius standing by a pillar near the far end.

"Over there," he said, pointing. Hermione and Draco caught sight of Padfoot as well and made to move that way.

Just then, several distinct pops sounded, and a scream cut through the chatter as the bright light of a spell shattered the scene. Instantly, everyone was on high alert, flinging spells at the newcomers as best they could, but the attackers had the element of surprise on their side, and they all seemed to be incredibly gifted witches and wizards. Harry ducked as an angry red spell soared over his head and smashed into the windows of the train car he'd just left, shards of glass raining down and forcing him to separate from Draco and Hermione. He jumped into the fray and began firing off spells, thanking his lucky stars that the DA had worked so hard on their Shield Charms the other day and hoping that they might make a difference. People were screaming, crying, and shouting for others all over the platform, and Harry felt his heart lurch when he tripped over a small girl in a Ravenclaw uniform. She was sobbing and cradling her left arm, which was torn open from shoulder to elbow and bleeding steadily.

"Hey, it'll be alright," he tried to assure her as he attempted to study her wound. She couldn't have been more than twelve, he thought. "What's your name?"

"S-Sarah," she squeaked, brushing away her tears with her good hand as best she could. "W-w-what's h-h-happening?"

"Never mind that," Harry soothed, using a spell to siphon off some of the blood and another to close the wound as best he could – he really wasn't familiar with any decent healing spells, but it would do until a Healer could look at her. Another spell flew over their heads and smashed into the train, and he curled himself around Sarah to protect her from flying debris.

"I want you to go find someplace safe to hide, get some help if you can," he said. "Do you think you can do that?" Sarah stared, her wide eyes still very wet, but she nodded. She took off into the crowd at the first opportunity, and Harry took a moment to pray for her safety before rejoining the fight.

Harry tossed spell after spell at the attackers, wondering who they were and where they had come from. Bits of debris, both from the train and the platform itself, littered the area, and the ground was slick with blood. The sight made Harry feel sick, and he fervently hoped that nobody was seriously hurt. One of the cars further down the train was on fire, the smoke choking the air as the flames ate away at wood and metal, and he didn't recognize most of the curses being used, but the attackers' numbers were dwindling – Harry supposed that the sheer number of people who'd been waiting on the platform had something to do with it. He managed to Stun two of his opponents and was charging after a third when a rogue spell hit him in the back, causing him to tumble to the ground, where he hit his head hard against the platform.

"Ugh," he groaned as he attempted to sit up. Thankfully, he still had his wand, but his vision was already swimming, and he knew he didn't have long.

"HARRY! SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE!"

Harry almost threw up then and there – he knew that voice. He forced himself to turn towards the sound and saw Draco and Ginny some fifteen yards away. Harry couldn't see his brother's face, but he could tell that Ginny was crying, and they were crouched beside a bloody, mangled body – a body topped by a very familiar head of curly brown hair…

The pounding in his head overcame him then, and Harry knew no more.

A/N: Oh, hot damn...& I can't even blame all the snow, since I've had this chapter planned for far longer than that. Yikes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful youngest sister Julia - she's 15 today! Love you Squirt. :)

K, you all know the drill - I want to know what you think! JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)