A/N: A short chapter here because it's the start of my work week, and it's typically a little bit hectic when I don't have the time to sit and plan out things out as I wanted. But here's a short little piece to tide you over as I work and think up some more.

Meeting Up Again

The autumnal breezes and chilly winds gave way to a frigid winter in what seemed like no time flat. The great lake had frozen over, and Lily could only assume that the giant squid that inhabited it had gone into hibernation for the winter... that is, if squids even hibernated.

Classes were slowly but surely wrapping up as well. Lily had once again dazzled in Transfiguration, earning the praise of McGonagall on her mid-term exam. However, it was Defence Against the Dark Arts that found her most lacking. Such a thing was absolutely shocking to Rachel, who seemed to have an easier go of it than most. Rachel had really taken a liking to Tonks, and hearing tales of the ghost's days as an Auror seemed to really click with the girl.

Despite Lupin's help, it seemed that the biggest thing Lily lacked was the confidence to be able to perform a proper defensive spell. After all, Lupin had said, it's the conviction of your spell that generates the power. Lily's biggest problem was that she would lack the confidence and perform a spell so poorly, and then get frustrated and perform the spell a second time with such fervor that it would come out with twice the power. She hadn't yet found a happy medium.

It seemed that Theresa had a real knack for Charms as well. If it weren't for her success in Transfiguration, Charms would be her favorite subject. In both classes, she was able to pair with Theresa, and the fact that the two of them were able to do so well seemed to enhance their charms even further.

If Lily had any bit of jealousy in her body, it would be for Megan, though. While Lily struggled through Potions class with an increasingly mischievous Rachel, Megan seemed to have a knack for brewing the perfect potion. It wasn't so much her potion-making ability as it was the fact that she didn't have to put up with Rachel improvising her potion with ingredients like strands of her own hair.

And yet, there was something endearing about the class clown, though Lily couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that she was loyal to her "number one Sheila," or whatever she wanted to refer to Lily as on a given day.

At last, the coursework winded down, and it seemed that everyone in Hufflepuff house was off to visit their families for the holiday. Everyone, that is, except for Rachel. Her parents had opted to go visit her brother who was off in France studying herbs for a possible cure for lycanthropy, and Rachel believed that she would have more fun in England for the holiday.

Once Lily got word of this, she immediately wrote a letter to Mrs. Weasley and asked if it was okay for Rachel to join in on the holiday festivities at the Burrow as well. Nike seemed to be appreciative of the work, and a reply came back a day later with the response that Lily expected – Rachel was always more than welcome to come.

The Hogwarts Express was very different when traveling on winter holiday. The nerves and excitement of a new school year were nowhere to be found, and instead, students only talked about seeing their families and what presents they hoped to receive for Christmas.

It also seemed that the train moved faster than usual, as they were in King's Cross Station in no time flat. Lily and Rachel loaded their bags onto a trolley and quickly made their way to the station entry. Once the guard waved them on, Lily looked for the familiar red hair of Mrs. Weasley, but what she saw instead surprised her.

"Mom! Dad!" Lily forgot all about the trolley and ran over to her parents, wrapping her mother in a big hug before hugging her dad. "I've missed you a lot, but thank you so much for the letters. I hope mine have gotten to you okay, but crossing the ocean with an owl is pretty tough work!"

Lily's father laughed and ruffled her hair. "We got your letters just fine, bud. So, who's your friend here?"

Rachel had appeared behind her and stuck her hand out. "Rachel Tanner. Nice to meet you. Lil-"

Lily gave the girl a glare that was possibly more intimidating than McGonagall's worst.

"Andrew has told me so much about you," she quickly recovered. "Thank you so much for letting me spend the holidays with you!"

"Oh, don't thank us," smiled Lily's mother. "We'll be staying with the Weasleys, and they were so excited to tell us that Andrew's made friends."

The awkward moment was broken up by Mrs. Weasley, who pulled Lily into a quick hug.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "Your secret is safe for me. You tell them when you're ready."

Lily had a feeling that her parents would support her no matter what, but the thought of just telling them, especially at a young age, would do nothing but freak them out and try to convince her otherwise. It was certainly going to be an awkward holiday, but at least she was with family and friends.

"So," asked Rachel. "Are you the one that was shouting all that advice about Peeves? He really likes me now that I told him I knew your sons!"

Mrs. Weasley gave a nervous look to Lily, who had forgotten to use that excuse during her first run-in with the poltergeist. Rather than make anymore small talk, the welcome party led the girls to a couple of cars. The Weasleys packed the girls' things into their car and took the lead, while Lily and Rachel slid into the backseat of her parents' car. They were on their way to the Burrow at last.

Postscript: Yes, yes. I know. Short chapter. Like I said, I'll be working on a longer one to be posted probably sometime on Wednesday or Thursday. I just wanted to play up how awkward it is to have to live a double life, so there will be a bit more drama when it comes time for the holiday party and all that fun jazz.

Thanks as always for reading. A special thanks goes out to my lone reviewer in the past day, Amelia. Hopefully I'll get a few more. C'mon... you know you wanna see yourself here! Review away! XD