A/n: Sorry for the delay guys, my roommate moved out and took her wonderful free wifi with her...
Here's some wrap-up before the girls leave for the holidays.

Mariah

'… and if faced with a kappa in the wild, wave it a cucumber and it will do you no harm.' I say, smacking a period on the end of the sentence and sitting back, satisfied with our essay.

'Quite a finisher.' Levi says, leaning over me to scan the paper. 'Hagrid will be proud.'

'We'll get an O for sure.' I roll it up and pop it into my bag, smiling up at him. 'That's the last of my homework before the break. Walk me to the Ravenclaw dorms?'

He sighs playfully, pretending to think. 'Alright.' He takes my bag and heads off to the door. I skip after him, smiling.

'So you play Gryffindor after the holidays, huh?' He asks, inclining his head towards me as we start through the halls of Hogwarts. 'Nervous?'

'Not at all. We've been training so hard I can hardly walk – my legs are chafed from my kit and my bum is sore from spending all hours of the day on a broom!'

'Ah, the perks of being a quidditch player…'

'The party will be fantastic though, when we beat the Gryffs.' I can't keep myself from grinning. 'We Claws may not be the rowdy type, but we rally behind our own and if Amelie trounces Potter we'll go wild. And of course, everyone who cheers for us will be invited. Will you be cheering for us?'

'Why not?' Levi smirks, putting his arm around me for a half-hug. 'Plus, I'd rather like to see a Ravenclaw party.'

'And I'd rather like to see a Slytherin party, so beat Hufflepuff.'

'That match is three months away!' He cries, laughing a little.

'So you'd better get practicing.'

'Hm, and would you have any suggestions for me? As a fellow beater, I'm sure you could give some tips.' He suddenly looks nervous. He'd felt terrible after losing the snitch to Tate during the Gryffindor match and had nearly gone to Malfoy to ask for a retrial on his position.

I place my hand on his arm, looking up at him with a smile. 'You're a fine beater, Levi. Stop worrying about it.'

He simply shrugs.

'Well, I suppose you could spend some time over the break watching quidditch. The broadcasts rarely focus on the beaters, but some players have some really easy tricks which you could probably teach yourself.' I say, trying to get a smile back on his face. 'I've been working on Gyles Keep's – you know, from the Wasps – his hook hit. And I'm moving on to Diana Termer's trick roll after that.'

'Termer is a chaser though.'

'So? Her moves can be adapted to a beater, and perhaps one day they'll call it the Mariah Affey trick roll.'

'Dreaming rather big there.'

'It's better to dream big than small.' I say smartly, tapping my nose.

'Alright, so Keep and Termer – anything else?'

'I don't know, Amelie will probably give me some reading to do from quidditch magazines, and after the break we'll be knuckling down. I'll probably only have a moment a week to spend with you – and maybe not even that. You are the enemy after all…' I smirk up at him, trying to mimic his look.

'Let's hope you're captain has the sense about her to let you have a social life. I rather like spending time with you.' He smirks back, coming to a stop outside of the staircase to the common room and passing me my bag.

'Well, I like spending time with you too.' I flush, staring at my shoes. I can't deny that in the time we've spent together he has grown on me. He can be cold, he can be quiet, he can be distant – he's a Slytherin, so that's not a surprise – but he can also be rather sweet and a very good companion.

'Hey, Mariah?' He says softly, tilting his head and peering under my fringe to meet my eye. 'Thank you for being so kind to me. I can't say that anyone in my own house likes me, so it's nice to have a… friend.'

'A friend?'

He leans in slightly, pressingly his lips quickly to my cheek before ghosting to my ear. 'Maybe more.'

I'm in such a state of shock that I can't find it in me to respond.

'See you later.' He calls over his shoulder, already making his way down the hall.

I open my mouth but nothing comes out so I close it and smile before turning up the stairs and heading for Mallory. It's high time we had a talk about blokes.

Ida

'Are you still mad at me?' Damon asks so mournfully it nearly makes me break. Nearly.

'I already told you – no.' I reply, flipping a page and pressing my nose deeper into my book. He tries to take my hand but I pull it away to flip the page again. He's making it rather difficult to study.

'If you're not mad at me, will you at least stop glaring daggers at me every time I walk in a room?' He says, sitting back on the sofa and crossing his arms. 'Posy's been making comments.'

'Let her make them. Every couple fights.'

'Yeah, but usually it's over hogging the covers, not about his quidditch captain and her friend. I recognise that I made a mistake. You need to recognise that it was for the best.'

'The best?'

'Aye. Weasley is better off without my pratty captain. He's a snake. We aren't exactly known to be nice.'

'As you've proven time and time again.' I say, flipping again. I'm not really reading anymore.

'No one is perfect, not even you.'

'I never said that I was.'

'Can we kiss and make up then? As a not-so-perfect girl and a not-so-perfect guy?'

I sigh, tapping my cheek. He leans forwards and gives me a peck.

'Besides, this will show Posy that we can handle a spat.' He sits back, grinning. I glace at him from the side of me eye and consider commenting, but Hans entering the circle of shelves and sofas distracts me. He selects a tome and settles in on his side of the Hamity sofa to read.

I can't help but interrupt him. 'Where's Amity?'

'Tutoring.' Hans barely looks up at me.

'They do things separately, you know.' Damon says in a snide way that makes me want to hit him with my textbook.

'You're half a minute past our make up and you're already pushing it, you know.' I inform him, raising a brow.

'Darling,' He murmurs, leaning close behind the shelter of my book to whisper. 'You're doing some pushing of your own.'

I poke him with the corner of my book and he yelps.

'So, are we going to that quidditch match over the break? I think that Posy wants to.'

I turn to him, knowing what he wants me to say to that. I say it with sickening sweetness. 'Cannons versus Arrows? Wouldn't miss it for the world.'

'Great. I'll go tell Romeo. You know, it's you're teammate Ruth who is getting us the tickets. Don't know she's managing that, but I won't say no to box seats if she can snag some.' He stands and presents me with his hand.

I shake my head. 'I was studying before you interrupted me.'

'Suit yourself.' He says, pushing my hair back from my temple to kiss me there.

He leaves me to my book but I find myself distracted by the bloke on the sofa across from me. He's always been cold and quiet, but without Amity to brighten him he seems especially distant. I want to talk but can't quite find the words.

I leave in search of Damon.

Amelie

'I'd say we've had a pretty productive season so far.' I clap my hands together, trying to ignore the tight-lipped redhead seeker before me, packing up her things after our practice. 'We've got a win under our belt, got a sponsor for our new kits – which should arrive after Christmas – and you've all improved so much since the beginning of the year.'

'Amelie–' Ruth goes to interrupt me.

'We've got a match a few weeks after we get back, so remember to train a little over the holidays, though I know that can be a struggle what with home cooking and lazy days.'

'Amelie–' Ruth tries again.

'And let's get right back into training after the break. Same schedule as before so that Tuesday night we'll be on the field, snow, sleet or shine – but we'll probably see each other at the feast and in the common room–'

'Amelie, are you seriously going to ignore the fact that your ingenious plan from the beginning of the season isn't turning out so great?' Ruth says, slamming her bag down on the bench and turning on me. 'I think it should be abandoned.'

I stare at her, biting my lip and pressing my fingers together.

Did my plan work out? Depends on how you look at it. I have Albus Potter feeding me information on his brother and Lily Potter at my side. Coraline has easily infiltrated the Gryffindor ranks and I can't wait to cash in on that. Nell has Arne Corner so Hufflepuff is covered. Ruth has Romeo Zabini after her and with a splash of charm could easily get some dirt on his team, Ida has a deal struck with a key member of the Slytherin team, and Mariah has turned out to be very good at this business, taking down Rhet Davies and Levi Walker in just a few months. Rose struck out.

But six out of seven girls is a pretty high success rate.

'Rose had some misfortune.' I say, trying to explain my point of view to my friend. 'But everyone else is doing well…'

'I've gotten over it, Ruth.' Rose comes to my rescue from the other side of the room, shutting her locker with a click and turning towards us. She's wearing a practiced face – calm eyes, tight lips, raised brow. 'I'm as much at fault as Amelie or Scorpius. Besides, it's for the love of the game.'

'That's the spirit!' I agree, smiling pointedly at Ruth as Rose moves past us to the door.

'Happy holidays.' She calls out before pushing into the frigid night air. The other girls follow, leaving the two of us alone.

'Amelie,' Ruth persists. 'I like quidditch as much as the next girl, but I'm not going to let it run rampant over the lives of the people on our team. Because that's what they are, people, not the little dots and Xs from your playbook.'

'I am aware of that–'

'Then start acting like it.' She says, slipping her bag onto her shoulder.

'Since when do you care about how others are treated? You used to egg Nell on every time she went to hex McLaggen, and you laughed for hours after Potter got twenty detentions for charming Flitwick to fly.' I pout, recalling the good old days.

'But weren't they our enemies? These girls are our teammates.' Ruth says, heading for the door. She looks back at me, wrapped up in her scarf, messy wet hair sticking out from under her hat, and leaning heavily to one side because of her quidditch bag. I don't want her to be mad at me.

'I'll do some revising.' I tell her, falling into step with her as we make our way to the school.

Rose

The platform is a buzz with activity as the students leaving Hogwarts for the holidays wait for the train to pop open its doors and take them home. I got there well in advance, my mother has drilled into me the importance of punctuality, and my feet have become sore from standing for so long.

There's a loud commotion passing behind me and I turn to see Nell and McLaggen go by. They're both shouting, she marching ahead proudly and he dragging his trunk behind. That is sure to be one hell of a Christmas. Of course, I can't say much for my own family. They're loud, rambunctious, wild and armed with Wheezes. Every Christmas I wonder if I'm going to make it out alive – so far I've been lucky.

There's the sound of a suitcase being pulled up beside me and I turn, expecting to see one of my cousins there. Instead I find Al's tosser of a best mate. He shuffles under my gaze and we stand in silence.

'You're all alone.' He says finally.

'Coraline is staying at school and Ida is staying goodbye to Vicker.' I say in my defense. 'I don't know where Albus is.'

'That's okay, I'm here to talk to you.'

I don't say anything, waiting for him to explain himself.

'I don't want to be fighting over the holidays.'

'What do you mean?' I ask, dreading his reply.

'I'm staying with Al until the twenty-seventh.' He has the decency to look ashamed.

'I didn't know that.'

'He didn't tell you?'

'I've been busy.' Avoiding you.

'Oh. Still, I'd rather not spend the break with your large, wild family without apologising to you for recent events.' He says standing tall. 'I'm sorry that you walking in on Pamela and me in the astronomy tower.'

I stare at him. I had been expecting more. 'And I'm sorry that you thought I'd go behind your back to James.'

His lips pinch tight. I suppose he had expected me to accept his apology with open arms, desperate for his companionship.

'Friends again?' He asks, but his voice is dead.

Albus pops between the two of us, saving me from my reply.

'Ready for the holidays, Rosie? I can't wait to see everyone again. Uncle George has some new Wheezes he's testing, so watch what you eat, Scorp!' He either doesn't sense the tension or doesn't want to acknowledge it. 'Last year Aunt Audrey–' Ida wheels her trunk up on my other side and he stops talking, leaning around me to look at her. 'Is Ida coming with us for the break?'

'For the first week.' She replies on her own behalf, rubbing her cheek where Damon no doubt gave her a slobbery goodbye kiss.

'I didn't know that.'

The four of us stand in silence as students clatter around us for a moment before the compartment doors pop open. As we shuffle on board, I realise something: forget Christmas, I might not survive this train ride.

A/n: So we've got Coraline staying at Hogwarts; Rose, Ida, Scorpius and Albus at the Burrow; and Nell with McLaggen's family – check for updates to find out where everyone else is and how they're spending their break!