It was about three in the afternoon on December 31. Gwen was in the kitchen, helping her mother get food ready to take to the party.

Unfortunately, Gwen's family was meeting at her Aunt Kathy and Uncle Arthur's house, so she got to spend the evening with the cousins who hated her. Oh, joy. Luckily, the two oldest ones, already out of Hogwarts, wouldn't be there. Sometimes they were the worst. However, that still left four snobby cousins who treated her like dirt. Gwen could only hope today would be one of the days when they ignored the fact that she existed.

"Mum," Gwen began, sliding a batch of cookies into the oven, "are the Woods coming?" She stopped tossing the salad to look at her daughter.

"Yes," she said slowly. "I know you and your cousins don't get along very well." That was an understatement. "Sean and Maura didn't have any plans for tonight, and I thought it would be nice if Oliver were there for you to hang out with." She gave Gwen a knowing smile, which she did not like at all. She couldn't possibly know that she and Oliver were becoming more than friends... could she?

Feeling that her cheeks were beginning to color, Gwen turned away from her mother. She started dropping balls of cookie dough onto a sheet, popping a bit into her mouth. "Oh."

Several hours later, Gwen walked downstairs, ready to go. Not feeling a need to dress up, she wore dark blue, flared jeans, and a Happy Bunny tee that read, "Crazy doesn't even begin to describe it." That should make them laugh, she thought wryly. Sean, Maura, and Gwen's parents waited in the living room. They went quiet when they saw her.

"Oh, Gwen, Oliver is next door, getting ready. Could you tell him to get a move on? It's nine already," Maura suggested.

"Okay..." Gwen answered slowly. Putting on her grey Vans and grabbing her coat, she gave them all a worried look as she stepped outside; they were all giving her that odd, knowing smile. Okay...

Gwen stepped inside the Wood house, looking around at all the Quidditch paraphernalia. So it's hereditary.

"Oliver?" she called.

"Gwen? I'm upstairs."

She walked upstairs and down the hall to where Oliver's bedroom door stood half-open. She quietly pushed it open the rest of the way, thinking to scare him. His back was to her, his arms through the sleeves of a black turtleneck sweater. Who knew a guy's back could be so beautiful? She could see dark blue boxers over the top of his khaki cargo pants. He saw her reflection in the mirror and jumped, then spun around. He was not at all hurrying to pull his sweater down, so she got a nice look at his abs, too.

"You scared me," he said.

"That was the point," Gwen replied with a smirk. Without realizing it, she crossed the room to stand two feet away from him.

"Is it time to go?" he asked quietly, moving a foot closer. Gwen looked up at him and nodded. "We have to go right now?" She thought for a second and shook her head slightly. "Good." He almost whispered the last, slowly reaching out to put a hand on her waist. She put her hand on top of his head to ruffle that gorgeous brown hair.

"I've been wanting to do that for some time now," she confessed. He pulled her closer so their bodies almost touched and started moving his face toward hers. Gwen tilted her head until her lips meet his in a soft kiss. He kissed her a little more firmly, then abruptly pulled away.

"You're not thinking about Michael?" Only Oliver could inadvertently kill a mood by showing concern. She wanted to forget she ever knew that bastard Michael Havelock.

"Michael who?" He smiled and she kissed him again. This went on for a little while until Gwen realized they should be getting to the party.

At about nine thirty, they arrived at Kathy and Arthur's house. Well, it was almost a mansion, really. They liked to flaunt both their excessive wealth and the fact that they were a Wizarding family. As they walked into the house, they were greeted by Chloe and Zoe, Kathy and Arthur's identical twin daughters. They were a year ahead of Gwen and Oliver, in Hufflepuff House. Thankfully, she hardly ever saw them, only at meals. Even then, they liked to pretend they didn't know her.

"Hey, Squib," Chloe said. Okay, so it wasn't exactly a greeting.

"I can't believe you're in your fifth year," Zoe added. "I thought you would have flunked out long ago." They laughed at the insult.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere trying to raise your IQ?" Gwen retorted. The twins really weren't very smart. "You should stop bleaching your hair; it's leaching away what little intelligence you do have." They stared at her blankly, so she pulled Oliver past them through the foyer.

Gwen wound her way through the crowd of obscure relatives, looking for her mother. People she vaguely remembered kept stopping her to comment on how much she had grown, or how much she looked like her mother. Gwen did her best to smile and nod to each or thank them for compliments. She seemed to have lost Oliver and started looking for him, only to find herself face to face with an old, kind-faced woman. The only relative she liked...

"Grandma Wendy?" Gwen had not seen her grandmother for a very long time because she had been traveling.

"Is that my Gwen? It's been so long since we've seen each other." Gwen bent slightly to hug her grandmother, who was considerably shorter than she was.

"I've missed you, Grandma."

"And I you, my little pixie." She called Gwen that when she was little because she loved to wear fake faery wings. "Let's go sit down somewhere, I have something for you." Gwen followed her to an empty sitting room, taking a seat on a brown leather sofa. "I've just been to Ireland, traveling the countryside and sort of studying their mythology. I actually met a few real faeries, though they're very skittish around humans. Anyway, I got this for you."

Out of nowhere, she produced a silver necklace with a small faery charm holding a tiny crystal ball in an uplifted hand.

"Oh it's beautiful! Thank you, Grandma!"

"Don't gawk at it girl, put it on," she laughed. Gwen did so, and then began catching up on things that had been happening in her life: starting school at Hogwarts, hanging out with Oliver, going to town the other day. Some time passes before Oliver walks in.

"There you are, Gwen. This place is a madhouse," he said.

"Oliver! This is my Grandma Wendy. Look at the necklace she brought me from Ireland."

"Pleased to meet you," Oliver said politely. He extended a hand to Wendy, which she accepted.

"What a handsome young man! He's a keeper, Gwen," she whispered to her. Then louder, "Well, I'll leave you two alone, shall I?"

"But, Grandma, it's been so long," Gwen protested. "Can't you stay?"

"I'm sorry, dear, I wish I could, but I really must be gong," she said sadly. With that, she got up and walked to the door, one last approving smile for Oliver before she left. Gwen stood to follow her but when she opened the door, her grandmother was gone. She told Oliver as much.

"Wow, your grandmother moves fast. Unless she Apparated somewhere," he said. Frowning, Gwen headed down the hall, Oliver following along behind.

"As far as I know, she couldn't Apparate. I need to find my mum."

Eventually she found her mother in the library, talking to her Aunt Kathy. She looked as though she had been crying, Gwen's father gently rubbing her back. Oliver's parents also seemed to be trying to comfort her.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Gwen asked, crossing the room to her.

"Maybe you should sit down, Gwen," Kathy suggested. A bit confused about what was going on, Gwen slowly sat on an over-stuffed sofa. Oliver took a seat next to her.

"Gwen," her mother began, sounding a little hoarse. "I have some bad news. We just... got an owl..." She broke into sobs and Gwen's father stepped up.

"Gwen..." She could tell he was searching for the right words. "Grandma Wendy... passed away this morning while traveling in Ireland. We just got the news. Oh, Gwen..." Her mouth hung open; she was utterly shocked.

"That's impossible," Oliver interjected. "I just met her."

"You must've been mistaken, Oliver," Maura said reproachfully.

"No," Gwen interrupted. "We just talked to her, not 10 minutes ago. She gave me this necklace!" She stood up and grabbed the faery, Oliver following suit with a hand on her shoulder.

"Gwen, I know you're upset. It's okay. You don't have to make up-"

"I'm not making it up!" Gwen yelled. "She was here!" Suddenly the charm felt warm and the windows flew open, then slammed shut again. Everyone flinched when the windows slammed shut again, attributing it to teenage magical hormones. Gwen had slammed doors and windows when she was angry before. Luckily, she had never caused any serious damage or personal injury. Oliver made shushing noises and rubbed her back. Gwen took a few deep breaths. "I can't believe she's gone..." Tears started rolling down her cheeks and she buried her face in Oliver's sweater. Somewhere a clock struck midnight. Happy New Year.

Two days later, January 3, arrangements had been made for Grandma Wendy's funeral. That was it; Gwen was now alone outside of her immediate family and the Woods. Her grandmother was the only other relative she loved, or even liked. One of her fondest memories was the summer she spent with her when she was nine going on ten, the year before entering Hogwarts. It was also that summer that her grandfather had gone missing.

Peter Grey was an Auror, hunting down what was left of Voldemort's supporters. He was last seen in Germany, and after Gwen left her grandmother's, Wendy went looking for him. Many had given him up for dead, but not she. Three years she searched until finally learning of his death, a victim of some nameless Death Eater.

Even after receiving the news, Wendy continued to travel. She did not like coming home to an empty house. On the rare occasions that she was home, she worked in her garden. Wendy loved flowers.

Tears welling up in her eyes, Gwen made sure no one was around. Tabitha and John, her two younger cousins, had already been by to laugh at her grief. No one spent as much time with her grandmother as she did, though her travels made it difficult. She wrote as often as she could.

Gwen felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up from where she knelt in front of her grave, heedless of the snow and her numbing legs. With blurred vision, she could just make out Oliver's form. He knelt next to her, studying the headstones of Wendy and Peter, though his was empty; no body was ever found. Oliver then noticed the tears she held back and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, Gwen," he whispered. She let the tears fall, holding him close.

"I just feel so alone," she managed in a weak voice.

"But you're not alone. You'll never be alone. I'll always be with you," he said softly. "And so will she, as long as you keep her in your heart." Gwen let that sink in, crying against his chest. "We should go in before you catch frostbite." He helped her stand and wipe away tears, then they walked into the house. Removing her shoes and cloak, Gwen avoided the family gathered in the parlor.

She led Oliver through the kitchen of her grandmother's Victorian-style house and up the back stairs. For a brief moment, she saw herself as a little girl, baking cookies with her grandmother. Blinking back more tears, she reached Wendy's bedroom and walked to the alcove at the corner of the room, windows all around. She looked up at the ceiling.

"Pixie," Gwen pronounced, and a trapdoor opened, a ladder dropping down in front of her. Oliver looked at her, but she simply climbed up into the secret tower room where she used to read with Wendy. He followed after her, and both door and ladder disappeared, leaving a solid floor. She avoided looking out the window since Wendy's grave could easily be seen in the middle of the garden. She settled onto one of the many cushions littering the floor.

"Gwen?" Oliver said quietly, sitting across from her. She looked at him, repressing tears.

"I don't think I want to talk right now," she whispered, not sure she could make her voice steady enough to speak louder. He nodded in understanding and they sat in silence. Gwen decided to lay her head in his lap and he stroked her hair.

Suddenly Gwen's mother's head appeared.

"I thought you might be up here," she said, climbing the rest of the way up. Gwen sat up and wiped her cheeks. "They've just read Grandma Wendy's will. She left the house to you." Gwen's jaw dropped, leaving her gasping like a fish out of water.

"Me? What am I going to do with a house!" she exclaimed. "I'm not old enough to live on my own!"

"Shh! Calm down, Gwen," her mother said, chuckling. "When you're older, out of Hogwarts. The house elf will take care of it until then. She left you a small fortune, as well. Too bad you weren't down there to see your cousins. They're rather jealous. Your Aunt Patricia and Uncle Gregory were hoping to get it; they've just left with Tabitha and John. Kathy's getting ready to leave, too. I should see them out..." She left Gwen alone with Oliver to ponder her inheritance.

"Wow, Gwen," Oliver said in awe. "This is your house now." Gwen nodded, still in shock.

A short time later, she and Oliver went down to the parlor to find their parents talking.

"Would you like to spend the night in your new house tonight?" Gwen's father asked.

"All by myself?" Gwen questioned.

"Oliver could stay with you," Maura said. Were they actually suggesting that Gwen and Oliver stay there alone all night? Gwen was not sure her father was entirely comfortable with the proposal, but the women seemed to be in control.

"Umm... okay..." Gwen responded slowly. "If Oliver doesn't mind..." She looked at him, and he was trying not to seem too eager in nodding his head.

"I wouldn't mind keeping her company," he said in a rush.

"It's settled then!" Gwen's mother said. "Well, it's getting late, we should go home. If you need to come home for any reason, just use the fireplace." They said good night to everyone, noticing that it was only eight.

"It's been a long day, I just want to go to bed," Gwen yawned. She went back upstairs and showed Oliver the room she always slept in on visits. A large four-poster resided on one wall, opposite an already lit fireplace, with navy blue velvet hangings. Tapestries and paintings of forests scenes and magical creatures adorned the light blue walls. Heavy curtains covered the windows.

"So... is my room next door or something?" Oliver asked nervously.

"I don't want to be alone tonight," she replies quietly. This was a new step. Gwen and Oliver had fallen asleep on the couch while watching movies together tons of times, but they had never purposefully gone to sleep together in a bed before.

"Shall we sleep in our clothes then?" he inquired shakily. For answer, Gwen stripped down to a black camisole and matching boy short undies, then walked to the bed and pulled back the hangings. Oliver stripped down to his boxers and followed, pulling the curtain shut again after him. In the darkness, Gwen snuggled against his bare chest, listening to his racing heartbeat as she fell asleep.

Gwen woke the next morning to find herself half-naked in bed with Oliver, his arms wrapped around her waist, her head steadily rising and falling with his chest. After breakfast and dressing, she and Oliver returned home, still wondering what drove their parents to trust them so far.

Christmas break finally ended. Gwen and Oliver had just stepped off the train in Hogsmeade and into a carriage. A light snow began to fall as they passed through the gates and onto the Hogwarts grounds. Throwing back her cloak, Gwen walked through the front doors and then into the Great Hall for dinner. Searching for a seat, she noticed Katie, Alicia, and Angelina glaring at her. She figured Katie would still be upset with her, but she was hoping Alicia and Angelina wouldn't take sides.

"I am not looking forward to going to my dorm tonight," Gwen muttered to Oliver; he frowned.

"Let's sit with Fred and George." Taking her hand, Oliver led her to the redheaded twins. She sat next to him, across from the mischievous Weasleys.

"Enjoy your break?" Fred asked.

"Not entirely," Oliver began. "Gwen's grandmother died New Year's Eve."

Gwen could see the grins sliding off their always-happy faces. "Wow, Gwen, we're really sorry to hear that," George said sympathetically.

"The past few days must have been rough for you," Fred added in a solemn tone.

"Thanks guys, but I'd rather not talk about it right now," she said. They nodded slowly and she began piling food onto her plate. It was kind of hard to believe that they didn't try to make at least one joke.

After dinner, they found themselves in the common room.

"I'll be right back," Gwen said. "Mom and Dad wanted me to send an owl when we got back to school." With that, she headed upstairs, dreading what would happen when she entered the dorm. Slowly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The three girls in the room fell silent upon her entrance, but otherwise ignored you. Gwen hoped that some day she could call them friends again.

Walking to her nightstand to retrieve parchment and quill, she noticed something on the nightstand: a smallish box wrapped in silver paper. Curiously, Gwen reached out and picked it up, frowning at the tag. Forgetting all about the parchment, she turned around and went back down to the common room. She took a seat next to Oliver, still staring at the box.

"What's that?" Oliver asked.

"Michael's gift," she responded slowly.

"Oh," he said lamely. Now he was staring at it, too. No one spoke for about a minute.

"Well, are you going to open it?" Fred asked, a bit impatiently. Gwen looked up at him, then nodded. Lifting off the lid, she saw blue tissue paper. This she removed, then she realized Oliver wasn't breathing. Odd, that. She set the box down in her lap and pulled out the contents: a silver heart-shaped locket on a box chain.

Gwen carefully opened it, dreading what she knew she would see. Sure enough, one side showed Michael blowing kisses; the other, Gwen smiling and waving. Looking at the images, she felt a rush of anger. Gwen stood up and took a step toward the fireplace, the faery charm under her sweater suddenly warming against her skin. On impulse, she threw the necklace into the fire, and it started melting the instant it left her hand.

Gwen felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Oliver. She didn't really need to see his face to know it was him.

"What just happened?" Fred asked. Both twins were wide-eyed.

"It just started melting," George said, "before it even got near the fire."

"Why don't you guys go to bed," Oliver suggested. Well, it sounded more like an order.

"But we don't want- Good night, then." Gwen didn't see which twin spoke since she had turned back to the fire, but she heard them walk upstairs.

"Let's go for a walk," Oliver said softly. When she made no sign of consent or protest, he took her hand and led her through the portrait hole.

"You have an hour and a half!" the Fat lady called. Gwen had forgotten about curfew. Oliver guided her silently through the castle and she paid little attention to where they were going. Eventually they ended up in the owlry.

"What are we doing here?" Gwen asked.

"You're going to write a letter to your mother and ask her about that necklace," he replied. "First the windows flying open at your aunt's and now that necklace melting- not that I mind- but I don't think those are your average emotional magic powers. I think it's that necklace your grandmother gave you."

"Oh." Gwen stared at him for a moment then dumbly searched for Pegasus, her snowy owl. She flew down to her and Gwen fed her a treat. "Wait, I haven't got parchment and a quill."

"There's always some here," Oliver said, and brought the items to her. Gwen thought for a moment before she began writing.

Dear Mum,
We're back at school, but there's another reason I'm writing to you. I'm not sure how to go about it, really. You see, it's that necklace I got from Grandma Wendy. It seems to be responding to my emotions. Well, only anger so far. It just melted silver. Do you know anything about this sort of thing? Hope to hear from you soon.

Love,
Gwen

She tied the letter to Pegasus's leg and sent her off, watching her through the window until her snowy form disappeared. Gwen and Oliver walked back to the common room, and ended up falling asleep together on a couch.