Hey guys! Just so you know, my Christmas one-shot is up! It's the alternate ending to the Yule Ball scene, and it's my Christmas gift to you :) I feel like you'll like that ending a lot better... I hope guys enjoy it and please let me know what you think :)

Also, I'm looking for a Beta reader. If you'd like to be my Beta reader, send me a private message.

Another thing: If anyone has or knows of or wants to make some Malec Hogwarts fan art, please let me know where I can find it. I would like to use it for the cover art for this story. And if you did design it, I'll credit you :) And maybe I just helped someone with artist's block.

One last thing: I'd like to thank everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story. It means the world to me. So thank you for that.

Anyways, on with the story!

Alec POV

The darkness began to slip away as Alec slowly gained conscience. When he opened his eyes he was immediately blinded by the bright sunlight of the morning. He blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the brightness.

He took in his surroundings, not remembering how he got there or why he was there in the first place. His eyes focused on the figure in front of him, slowly drifting to sleep.

Magnus.

His heart fluttered at the sight of him. He noticed that Magnus was holding his hand, but he didn't let go. He couldn't bring himself to.

Just like how he couldn't bring himself to take Magnus back during the past few weeks.

He knew this would happen if he was close to Magnus like this again. All he wanted was to take Magnus back, all previous worries and doubts and common sense flying out the window. There was no question about it. He knew he would jump at the chance if Magnus asked for him back again. That's the exact reason he had been avoiding getting to close to him. He didn't let himself take him back for weeks… because he was afraid. Afraid of what could possibly happen if he did. Alec never wanted to experience the same pain he felt on Christmas, and he couldn't risk it, no matter how much Magnus loved him, or how much he loved Magnus. But at the same time, his heart ached for Magnus, and it crushed him to see Magnus so… broken. It got harder and harder to keep his distance as time went on. He felt his caution slowly slipping away, going to the wind. And with Magnus so close, gripping his hand like it was all that mattered in the world, it was all he could do not to kiss him right then and there.

He forced himself to take in the rest of the room. It didn't take long for him to realize he was in the infirmary, with its white walls, white beds, and white floors. He just didn't understand why he was there, laying in one of those white beds.

And then the memory came flooding back into his mind.

He remembered the cheering of the crowds, the smile on Jace's face, and his own self joy. He remembered watching Jace's face fall, his face suddenly screwed up in fear. He remembered the piercing in his shoulder, the welcoming darkness, the scream of his name over the audience. He remembered himself falling to the ground. But most of all, he remembered the pain. That kind of an unbearable pain that has one thinking they'll die from it. It was like his arm was being ripped off, yet it was still attached to his body. He felt like his arm was on fire, and that fire was traveling throughout his whole body. But this was a fire that sapped his energy, draining him of any strength he had in his body. He remembered how appealing the darkness seemed at that point.

That must be why Alec was in the infirmary. Whatever had struck him had to have had some poison or venom that they injected into his body. But strangely enough, Alec could feel no longer feel any of its effects. Whatever the matron had done clearly worked. The torturous feeling was gone. All that remained was drowsiness. Alec still felt spent, and the effort to stay awake for those past few minutes stole Alec of whatever energy he still possessed in his body.

So, for the second time that morning, he gave himself over to the dark.

The first thing Alec noticed when he next woke up was that no one was holding his hand. He opened his eyes slightly and saw that the sky had turned dark, and he noticed Magnus was no longer besides him. Instead, there was a note card on the table next to the bed. Alec sat up in the bed to grab the note, and he opened it:

Alexander,

I told your sister that I would stay by you until you woke up and I fully intended on doing so, but you were asleep for so long and eventually they kicked me out. They let me write this down before I left though. Tell Izzy I'm sorry and I can only hope you will suggest that she doesn't kill me for breaking my promise.

I don't even know if you would have wanted me here, or if you'll even read this, but I had to try. I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but I couldn't stop myself from asking this.

This Hogsmeade weekend, please, could you meet me at the Shrieking Shack?

Over the last decade, students have been more daring and have been visiting the Shrieking Shack. They realized that there was nothing to fear. The place lost its appeal, its popularity, so people only went there when they wanted privacy or to prank other students.

I know, it's not the best spot, but I really need to talk to you. Please, can you just hear me out? I know I have no right to ask this of you but… I need to. There's so much more I want to say, but I want to say it to you, face-to-face.

I'm so, so sorry, Alec.

Love,

Magnus

Alec reread the letter several times, committing it to memory, his heart skipping a beat every time he read the word "love". His mind was in a war. One side was telling him to go, to be Magnus's, to make Magnus his again. The other side told him not to go. He knew he wouldn't be able to control himself if he went, and all caution of the previous month would be for nothing. But he knew this would happen eventually, didn't he? He saw this coming. He even told Magnus that it wasn't really over, that he just needed time. And what was the point of waiting any longer. Surely now was as good of a time as ever. Didn't he already have time enough? His heart surely thought so.

He knew he would go.

The door suddenly burst open, and Alec quickly hid the note under the pillow. He lifted his head to see Izzy and Jace heading towards him, Clary and Simon following not too far behind.

"Alec! You're awake! Good. How are you feeling? Do you need anything…" Izzy began.

"Izzy, I fine," Alec intervened.

"Are you sure? Are you sure you're feeling okay now? You're not tired or dizzy or…"

"Izzy," Simon said. "Give him some air."

"Alec, you had me so worried! Don't scare me like that!"

"Izzy, I'm fi-"

"Where's Magnus?" Izzy asked, not listening to anything Alec said. "I told him to wait here until you woke up. I swear-"

"Izzy, it's fine. They kicked him out," explained Alec.

Jace stepped towards him. "How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine, honestly," Alec replied. "A lot better than I did a few hours ago."

Jace's face flashed with guilt. "I'm so sorry for what happened, Alec."

"It's okay…"

"I should have done something."

"Jace, you did all that you could. It's not your fault," Alec said reassuringly.

"I should have prevented it."

"There was nothing you could have done, Jace. I don't blame you for what happened. And, see, I'm fine. It all turned out fine."

"And what if it didn't?" Jace asked. "What if you had been killed?"

"Jace…"

"I couldn't live with myself knowing I killed my best friend."

"Jace," Alec interrupted. "I. Am. Fine. I wasn't killed. It doesn't matter what would have happened, because it didn't. No need to worry over what could have happened."

Jace hugged Alec. "Thanks mate. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Thanks," Alec said, smiling. "Hey, how did the rest of the task go anyways?"

The smiles vanished off of everyone's faces. Simon was first to answer.

"Most of us didn't get to see the end, since we came here right after you…" He trailed off, everyone already knowing how the sentence would have ended.

"But I had to stay for the rest of it since I'm one of the champions," Jace said, filling up the silence. "Viria got first place, with 45 points. She arrived not a minute after us… I only received 35 points."

"Why?" Alec asked.

"The goal of the task was to make it back with your rescued "hostage" safely, with little to no injuries…"

"Oh…" Alec said, suddenly struck with guilt. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault, Alec," Jace said, waving away his apology. "I could hardly be mad at you for getting hurt."

"Still, I should have been more careful…"

"No, Alec. Don't blame yourself," Jace said, silencing Alec.

"When did Jean get back?" Alec asked after an awkward moment of silence. "When I left with Jace, Jean was nowhere nearby, and Sebastian was still tied up at the top of the tree."

Clary visibly stiffened when Alec mentioned Sebastian, her normally bright eyes going dark.

"Clary, are you okay," Simon asked her.

Clary just remained frozen and didn't say a word.

"Wait," Alec said. "Do you know Sebastian?"

"His name's not Sebastian," she said softly.

"What?" Isabelle asked, confused, while Jace stared at her with concern.

"His name is Jonathan."

"Wait, when did you even see him?" Jace asked. "You left before he even got back."

"He approached me earlier today," Clary said. "But that's beside the point." She took in a breath. "Yes, I know him."

"How?" Jace said, taking a step towards her, protectively.

"I'm not an only child," Clary began, her head facing the ground. "I had a brother. Well, I have a brother, that is. For the first years of my life, he was everything to me. I loved him. But, one day, when I was seven, something snapped inside of him. He became distant, and anytime someone did approach him, he was so hostile to anyone who tried to talk to him. He ran away within the month."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?" asked Jace.

"Because I thought he was dead!" Clary exclaimed, tearing up. "He was only eight years old; I didn't know how he could have survived on his own." A tear slid down her cheek. "I stilled loved him. How could I not? He had been the best brother to me when I was growing up. I thought his sudden change in behavior was because of me. But he still treated me better than anyone else, but he just wasn't as close as before." She took another deep breath. "I didn't want to think about what had happened to him. I didn't want to talk about it. The more I didn't talk about him, or bring it up, the more I could forget. I knew that if I started to talk about him, I would just fall apart." She was trembling slightly at this point.

Jace put a hand on her arm, attempting to comfort her, and moved to hug her, but she pulled away, wiping her tears off her face.

"Now I know what happened to him," she said, lifting her head. "Why he went to France of all places, I have no idea. But he was eventually adopted by Jean's family, going by the name Sebastian. He seems so different now. He's nothing like how I remembered him. But as soon as I saw him, I knew it was him. It was like I was seeing a ghost, but worse. Had this terrifyingly wicked grin that made me want to run as fast as I could, but I needed to know. I needed to know what happened to him, how he was still alive. And, for a brief moment, I was so happy that he was alive. I thought I had my brother back, after years of believing he was dead. But my brother is gone. He was nothing like him."

"Did he do something to you," Jace asked, noticing how much more she was trembling."

"He started talking about how much I had grown and how pretty I was..."

"Clary…"

She drew a shaky breath. "He tried to kiss me."

Jace's eyes hardened at her words. The room fell silent, everyone speechless. Alec's head was buzzing with thoughts. How could someone ever think about their sibling in that way?

Suddenly everyone spoke at the same time.

"He didn't…" Isabelle said, shocked.

"What was he thinking? Is he insane?" asked Alec.

"That's disgusting!" Simon exclaimed.

"I'm going to kill him," Jace stated seriously.

Clary just shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"It doesn't matter?" said Jace. "Clary, your brother tried to kiss you."

"This is why I didn't want to say anything."

"Clary…"

"Just drop it Jace. He's going to leave in a couple of days anyway, and I'll never see him again."

"That doesn't change the fact that he tried to kiss you!" Jace said indignantly.

"Jace, please, just drop it," Clary begged. She sighed before saying, "I think I'm just going to go to bed now." He turned around and walked out.

"I'm going to make sure she's alright," Jace said absentmindedly before hurrying out. The room fell silent after he was gone.

"So…" Simon said to fill the silence, all the while attempting to change the subject. "Are you sure you're okay, Alec?"

"I'm fine," Alec confirmed, repeating the same words for what felt like the millionth time that day.

"Maybe you should stay here for the night, just in case," Izzy suggested.

"Izzy, I'm fine, I swear," Alec insisted.

"It's just one night, Alec. And what's the point of getting up and out of one bed, only to go to another bed?"

Alec rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll stay. But only for you."

She smiled before leaning forward and placing a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, brother."

"Goodnight Izzy," said Alec, lying back down on the bed.

She got up, grabbed Simon's hand, and walked out, leaving Alec alone with his thoughts.

So much had happened that day, all starting with the second task. But no matter where his mind strayed, it always found its way back to one person.

Magnus.

Alec sighed to himself. Why was he always thinking about him? It seemed like his life revolved around him, and everything seemed to be connected to him in some way. Alec knew it would only get worse, no matter what he did. He knew he was going to follow up on Magnus's request, and there would be nothing to stop him.

So, as Alec lay there, his mind wandering, he slowly drifted into a deep sleep, his last thoughts being of piercing yellow-green eyes.

That next weekend found Alec standing outside the Shrieking Shack. It was Saturday, and this Hogsmeade weekend just so happened to fall on the 14th of February.

Valentine's Day.

He took a deep breath before entering the house. His body was filled with nerves and excitement and fear. With every step he took, he knew he was closer to his final decision.

His heart was beating rapidly and his mind was going at a mile a minute. He couldn't conjure a single coherent thought.

He walked around the house and up the stairs, his pace switching from slow to fast as different emotions took hold, silently raging war against each other. One seconded, he'd be terrified of continuing on, the next he'd be anxious to get to the top.

Finally, he reached the top, and he walked down the hallway until he reached a room with the door open. This was it; it all lead up to this moment. He tried to steady his heart beat and calm his breathing.

He entered the room and immediately spotted Magnus in the far corner of the room, his back facing Alec. His hair was disheveled, barely any makeup on his face, yet he still looked as beautiful as the day Alec had first laid eyes on him. Alec's heart leapt upon seeing him, and it was all he could do not to run to him. No, he had to hear what Magnus said before making any rash decisions. He shouldn't jump to conclusions.

He stayed by the door for a moment, composing himself and his thoughts, before speaking up. He didn't say much really. He said the first thing he thought right for the moment. And all he needed to say right then was one simple word, one name. One simple name to break the silence. The same name that has been haunting his every thought over the last month.

"Magnus."

Please let me know what you thought :)

I don't know if I'll have another chapter out before Christmas, so I'd like to wish you guys a Merry Christmas now just in case. And I hope, to those who celebrate it, that you had a Happy Hanukkah, and also to those who celebrate this next holiday, I hope you have a Happy Kwanzaa. I hope you guys have a wonderful holiday season :)

And, once again, my alternate ending to the Yule Ball scene is up, and it's titled "Maybe This Christmas". Hope you guys enjoy it :)