Chapter 20: The Yule Ball

Draco continued with his weekly routine. He and Hermione, most times with Justin, would visit Severus Snape on Tuesday after classes. Mostly, they would review the materials for the past week and be given advanced notice on what to expect in the next few classes. Then there would be tea and conversation. The first question, now that the first task was over, was if Draco had any luck deciphering the clue of the silver chalice. This was followed by an admonition that he shouldn't put it off. Hermione would always follow that statement with a comment that the professor was correct.

Fridays were still spent at Hagrid's. Tea that was always accepted and biscuits that were quietly passed on to Fang when given a chance. Hagrid's first question was always about the chalice. His second question was always about the guitar. After Professor McGonagall made her announcement about the Yule Ball, that became his third question. Hermione said at once that Justin had asked her. Draco blithely commented that he wouldn't bother since all the good girls were already taken.

Hagrid was aghast.

"But ye have ta take someone. All the champions dance the firs' dance."

"Fine, I'll ask someone." Draco's good mood faded as he had another task to perform in this tournament. Who could he ask? Every girl he knew would want to go. He doubted that any of them would want to go with him. He quickly decided on a plan. He would wait for a week or so then ask someone who was hadn't been asked yet. He would assure them they could do whatever they wanted after the first dance. His backup plan would be to explain to Professor McGonagall that he did not know how to dance. It couldn't be that important. That decided, he turned to Hermione.

"Did you tell Justin? If you would go with him?"

Hermione frowned at him. Then she laughed. "Of course I did."

"Lucky, too," Justin added. "Fred came by and asked her just after."

"And Victor Krum," Hermione added in a dreamy voice. "He likes that I can play Quidditch and that I'm smart."

"So does Ron Weasley."

"Victor never asked me to do his homework for him. Although he does like to sit with me in the library. He told me I'm not an unwanted distraction."

Draco was surprised at the news. Then he realized that he shouldn't have been surprised at all. Viktor was always friendly to him. They even talked a couple of times. Once was about Quidditch. The other, now that Draco thought about it, was about his friends, particularly his female friend that Viktor always saw in the library.

It was mid-December, a Saturday. Draco had the silver cup with him as he lugged his guitar to an empty classroom. It was too cold to even think about practicing outside. That would have to wait for a few months. As he walked down the corridor to his favorite place to practice, he heard a noise. It sounded like a sob.

Despite his misgivings, Draco decided to investigate. It would probably be nothing except a waste of his time. He opened the door from where he had heard the noise, fully prepared to apologize, show his guitar case and say he would find another place to play.

Someone turned to look at him. A beautiful French someone.

"Draco?"

"Uh, sorry, Fleur. I heard a noise . . ."

That was good, Draco thought to himself. Throw away all your excuses at once.

Fleur gave him a brief smile. "You are English. You could perhaps help me?"

"Sure." Draco knew his attraction to her was because she was part Veela, but he was still willing to do anything if it would help her to smile. "English as they come. What's the problem?"

Fleur did smile. If she asked, Draco would have jumped out the window just so that smile would remain on her face. "It iz a boy. I know he likes me, but . . . he doez not ask me to ze Ball. 'ow would you think I should handle zis?"

"He's probably an idiot. Who cares if he didn't ask you. Forget about it. You're the champion. Ask whoever you want. Better yet, tell him he has to go with you or he'll dishonour his country or something."

Draco had a sudden thought. He needed a date. She needed a date. And all he had to do was open his mouth.

Fleur spoke first. "Magnifique. It iz a brilliant idea. Not to ask but to tell him." As she walked past him, she gave him a peck on the cheek and thanked him. Draco was now alone. His first thought was that he still didn't have a date.

"Damn."


Rita Skeeter found Draco in the classroom. Her first remark was that he was getting better. Her second question was who his date was going to be. He didn't think to ask how or why she was there. He idly played the scales on the guitar while he told her he had no idea who to ask. She offered to find someone.

Draco paused. He was curious what kind of girl the reporter would find. He was also tempted to ask how much she would cost.

"I'll ask someone. I haven't decided who, yet."

"What a pity. That could have made the front page. I'd have to use stock photographs, but still, it would have been a good story."

She walked over to the cup. "And this is supposed to be the clue? It's too plain for my tastes. It looks more like an expensive souvenir." Rita bid him good day and opened the window slightly. By the time Draco closed the window, the beetle she had become had long disappeared.

The next day, in the Daily Prophet was a story about the upcoming Yule Ball. Ron Weasley was reading it aloud. He noted that Angelina Johnson would be accompanied by his brother, George. Viktor Krum's date was some French girl. According to Rita Skeeter, Fleur Delacour did not have a date. She had turned down over a dozen suitors already.

"At this rate, the high-nosed hussy may end up dancing alone."

"I don't believe she said that," Hermione grumbled. "She likes to cause trouble."

"Trouble makes for good headlines," Draco commented. Then he paused. "Ron, what does she say about me?" He knew he should worry when Ron grinned.

"Draco Malfoy, who recently escaped expulsion for his actions at the first task, admitted that he had not asked anyone yet. According to an anonymous source, he does have a particular girl in mind. And the particular girl is well aware of it. The girl was overheard to say that he knows he doesn't even have to ask. Once he does ask her, then we will reveal her name."

Dean, sitting next to Ron, was grinning as well. "You still don't have a date. Do you?"


Janice,

That was always a good start for a letter, Draco thought. Put down the name of the person you're sending it to so that they know they're reading the right letter. Then he sat there. What should he say? Most of his letters were about nothing. But this was a letter to say he wouldn't be home for Christmas holiday. It had to say something.

I won't be coming by for the holidays like I planned. They're having this big contest here and I got picked to be part of it. It's not just our school. There are two other schools, too. They just told me that as part of being in the contest, I have to go to the Christmas dance. They're on to me, too, so I've no chance to skive off.

Say hi to Mick for me, and to the kids.

Draco


Draco walked up to the Owlery and gave the letter to an owl. There was now one less thing to worry about.

That issue resolved, he finally attempted to find a suitable date. Despite the fact that most of the school despised him. Some hated him for tricking the Goblet of Fire in order to enter the tournament. It took prestige away from the rightful Hogwarts champion, Angelina Johnson. Others hated him because of his smug attitude. He doubted that any of them would accept the excuse that he was being smug to hide the fact that he had never thought about what other people would think. They would believe him but they would not accept the excuse. And there were always those who hated him because he was the Boy-Who-Lived and he was only waiting for his chance to overthrow You-Know-Who and become the next Dark Lord. In all, that left few people he could ask.

There were also those students that thought he was a joke. (Some of them were also in the first group.) They saw Draco Malfoy as the boy who had once apologized to a house elf. He was also the boy who had brought a dragon to Hogwarts only to be treated as though he was her son. Her lazy son. Everyone remembered the time the dragon almost smashed in the walls of the castle trying to wake the boy out of his daydreams.

There were also students who liked him, or at least thought of him as nice. He tried asking some of them.

Susan Bones was very polite. She told him she already had a date. And she said she would have agreed to go with him if that were not the case. He dared to ask her if she knew anyone. Anyone who was at least a third year. Susan laughed. Every third year in her house who wanted to go already had a date. That was because otherwise they could not go. If they and their dates ended up dancing with other people, well . . . these things happen. Draco had to admit it was a clever arrangement.

It never occurred to Draco to ask anyone in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. The Ravenclaws, as a group, distrusted him. The Slytherins were more than willing to be nice to him, but he was already warned that any girls he asked would say yes, simply to place themselves in good standing with Professor Snape.

Draco asked Professor Lestrange. The Professor laughed. He pointed out that his romantic efforts resulted in his marrying Bellatrix. He told Draco to consider the fact that, since his release from Azkaban, he has never even stayed the night in the same house as his wife, much less the same bed.

He dared asking Professor Snape. Uncle Severus offered to order the girl of his choice to accompany him.


Dragon,

Good for you. Show them poshes what you're made of. Janice is a bit off and told me to write this. Between you and me, this won't be a good Christmas anyway. Not that there's nothing to worry about. Just things.

Mick

Draco frowned. Subtlety was never Mick's strong point. Now he had something else to worry about. And it was something he couldn't do anything about.

Angry, he crumpled up the letter and threw it away.


Draco thought of asking Fred or George. They would help. They would also make sure everyone knew he had come to them for help. He compromised. He asked Ron if he knew anyone who was available. Ron smirked. He said that Lavender was until ten minutes ago. He started to suggest his sister, then remembered the history Draco had with Ginny. It could be awkward. Draco nodded his agreement.

All of this occurred in the week before the ball. On the day before the ball, Draco decided to panic. A chance meeting with Ginny Weasley in a sparsely filled common room decided his course.

"Ginny, could I ask you a favor? About the Ball."

She blushed. "Um, I'm sorry, Draco. I already have a date."

"Yeah, I know," Draco lied, hiding his disappointment. "It just that, well, I don't. I knew I wasn't liked by most, but I . . ." He paused. "Do you know anybody?"

"You should have asked Hermione."

"Justin asked her within one minute of finding out about the Yule Ball. If dates were Snitches, he'd be Hufflepuff's Keeper instead of Diggory."

Ginny laughed. Then she paused thoughtfully. "I might be able to help."

Draco was grateful. At this point, his only needs for a date were that she could dance and would be willing to dance the first dance with him. He added that she wouldn't even have to hang around him after that.

The next morning, Ginny told him she was going to talk to a couple of girls she knew. They were third years but were staying for other reasons than the Yule Ball. And the arrangements were made. If Ginny could get back to him, she would. Otherwise, he should wait in front of the Great Hall with her date. And Ginny made a promise that endeared her to him. If she could not find someone for him, she would dance with him, herself. Draco told her he shouldn't grovel but he was grateful. Then he asked who her date was.

"Potter?"

"He has changed, Draco. He's made an effort to control his temper. He even made it a point to apologize to everyone. Almost everyone." She smiled at him. "You should know, if he'd ever bothered to apologize to you, I would not have made that offer. In fact, I'm hoping things work out that I have to dance with you. It might teach Harry something."

Draco had to smile. It was a win-win situation in his mind. If he could not get a date, at least he could embarrass someone.


It was an effort to get dressed that night. Ginny did tell him, just after it had gone noon, that things were looking up but that she had yet to get a firm reply. Draco nodded. He knew the truth. Ginny had spent most of the morning arguing with her brothers. She hadn't the chance to ask anyone yet. But her promise made it so he was not worried. The effort was in putting on his dress robes. Unwanted memories came back of the day he had received them as a gift. He spent an overly long time looking at himself, regretting that he would never be able to share this moment.

When he was ready, he made his way to the Great Hall. The other champions were already gathered. Angelina had George Weasley as her date as expected. The Beaubatons champion, Fleur Delacour, was a surprise. Her escort was also a Weasley. Charlie was the boy who was always hanging back. He had been at the school since the First Task, making sure the no harm was done to the animals. Not that the animals were the only ones in danger. Victor Krum was also there. He smiled in acknowledgment. When he said something to his date, one of the French girls, she also gave him a smile.

And then there was Potter. Standing there in dress robes that were better than almost anyone else wore. He also had a corsage to present to his date. One more thing that Draco forgot. And now that he remembered, he noticed that almost every girl he saw had a corsage as well. Draco decided now it was time for more panic.

As he panicked, things became worse. Hermione suddenly appeared at the top of the stair. She was beautiful. She had a strapless silver dress that set off her hair which had been straightened. With an elegant shake of her head, the hair gently flew off her shoulder. As she reached the bottom of the stair, Justin stepped up from where he had been hidden from view. His dress robes matched, if not bettered, what Potter wore. As Draco watched, Justin reached out a hand to help Hermione descend the last step. He presented her with the corsage of flowers and slipped it over her wrist where the bands held it in place. They looked the perfect couple.

He watched as they entered the Great Hall, then turned back to the stair which was being watched by an ever thinning crowd. And he saw Ginny with someone. A sense of relief that he would have a real date. His face hardened as he saw who it was. The girl from Ravenclaw. The long dirty-blond hair was combed and tied back with a yellow ribbon that matched the dress she wore. It wasn't a ball gown by any stretch of the imagination, but it was clean. Draco's first reaction was that was Potter's doing. The second thing he noticed was that her boots did not match the dress. They were her normal worn-brown pair that she wore almost every day.

And Draco sighed. He was wearing his old black shoes, the only pair of shoes he owned, although he owned two pairs of trainers. If anyone looked at their feet, they would see a perfectly matched couple. Ignoring the snickers that always seemed to follow her, Luna Lovegood walked down the staircase as though she were on her way to breakfast.

Draco walked forward as Luna and Ginny neared the bottom of the stairs. One quick glance at Potter, who gave him a smirk, then he turned back to his date. I am Draco Malfoy, Draco said to himself. This is the person I want to go to the Yule Ball with. And I will make everyone believe it.

Potter held out his hand to Ginny, stopping her as he presented her with the corsage he had. Draco looked up at Luna and held out an empty hand for her to take. At least he could escort her for the last step. She took his hand.

"Good. Ginny told you then." Before Draco could respond, Luna turned to Harry Potter. "I don't mean to be rude but I hate the idea of cutting up flowers just for decoration. They're much prettier when they're still alive in the ground."

Luna stepped off the last step and put her arm in Draco's as they went to join the other champions. "I saw you wore your old shoes. I wore my boots. With all the dancing we may be doing, I don't want to end the night with sore feet. Not that I care for dancing all that much. But you can't be too careful."

Draco was in heaven. This girl was saying exactly the right things to cover Draco's social blunders. This was going to be a wonderful night.

"The last thing we need is to attract Jixxles." Luna added needlessly.

"Definitely," Draco agreed, although he had no idea about what. He corrected his previous thought. This was going to be an interesting night.

"Is everyone ready?" Professor McGonagall asked. She tried to hide her surprise as she spied the girl standing next to Draco. He correctly defined her look as though she was saying he must have been truly desperate. "Form a line and walk forward into the Great Hall as you are announced."

Draco and Luna stood last and waited their turn. They entered together to minimal applause and took their place on the dance floor. The music began. Draco guessed it was a waltz. That was when he understood that he had no idea what to do.

"I don't want to dance like that," Luna said, as the others began to slowly dance arm in arm. "I like something more airy."

Knowing he had nothing to lose, Draco cheerfully suggested that she lead. Luna returned his smile and began to move. His arm around her waist and his hand held out to clutch hers, they suddenly began to whirl around the dance floor. Luna was humming a tune at a slightly faster pace than the music being played. Draco followed her lead. They would pause to twirl in place, then begin again with the dance, almost running around the edges while spinning around each other. They fell into a rhythm and Luna stopped humming. The music had picked up to match their pace. And as the music built up to its conclusion, the two stood in place, spinning in a tight circle, Draco standing almost still while holding Luna so she did not fly away. As the final note faded, they slowed and stopped. It was an exhausting and exhilarating dance.

"You are making your own rules, again," Victor Krum said to them as other couples entered the dance floor. Victor's date, in her French accent, said they were good rules.

Draco had to smile. He turned back to Luna to ask, "again?"

"They're going to play different music now. Are you thirsty?" She looked up of a sudden. "Is that mistletoe?"

"Um, yeah," Draco said nervously.

"We'd better walk around it. It could be infested with Nargles."


Talking with Luna was an experience. Her conversations rarely made sense, although she frequently talked about hunting Crumpled Corn Snacks or something like that. After agreeing to another dance, which again involved making themselves as exhausted as possible, they sat again, this time with Ginny and Potter. Potter, in a generous tone, excused himself. He wanted to talk to the band while they were between sets.

Draco paused to look around. Hagrid was talking with the Beaubatons headmistress. As both were extremely tall, it was hard not to notice them. He spotted his godfather at a table near the doors, a bottle of butterbeer in his hand. He raised it in a toast. Draco grabbed his own bottle and returned it. He turned back to see George and Angelina.

"Just a warning," George whispered, nodding his head toward the stage. "We saw Harry with something that looked like it belonged to you." He made a strumming motion with his hand.

Draco frowned. What would Potter be doing with his guitar? As Potter returned, with a handful of bottles, he gave Draco a smile. He then offered him a fresh butterbeer. As he handed Draco the bottle, the leader of the band walked up to the microphone on stage.

"We were told that we're not the only musicians, here," the man said. "And we have it on good authority that there's someone here who can match us note for note."

Draco grew pale as it became clear what Potter had done. The man was praising the as yet unnamed music star, giving broad hints that he is well know for breaking the rules. But. Draco had been playing the guitar for five months. The song he played the best was over the hills and far away. He could strum two songs, almost three. And those songs were personal favorites that were also fairly easy. And neither of them were as fast paced as the slowest songs played so far tonight. He looked to see the lead singer holding up his guitar and asking Draco Malfoy to come up on stage. To be humiliated, Draco thought as he stood up. But before he could take a step, Luna grabbed his hand.

"Give them what they don't expect."

Draco nodded. They would not be expecting anything from him.

Now he was on the stage. Everyone was looking at him but the lighting made the audience almost invisible. Draco took his acoustic guitar and put the strap around his neck. He strummed to make sure it was in tune. As he finished, the lead singer asked him what he was going to play. Draco told him the name of the song. Hallelujah.

I heard there was a secret chord / that David played to please the lord

He kept his voice even. Almost a monotone. Forcing everyone to be quiet in order to hear. As he sang, he slowly raised his voice but did his best to make no inflection.

But you don't really care for music, do ya.

It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth / the minor fall, the major lift / The baffled king composes Hallelujah

He kept his voice steady as his fingers played the chords. The chords to half the songs he knew

Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelu—jah

His voice changed as he sang the second verse. More correctly, the verse he decided to sing second. He let a touch of anger into his voice, enough to give a harsh tone to the lyrics.

I know that I've been here before / I've seen this room, I've walked this floor / I used to live alone before I knew ya

Memories came to mind as he sang the words. Places he had been. The song was supposed to have sexual references but that never came to mind. Not for him. It always became a smattering of images, connected to words in the song. Of places and people. The next line always reminded him of Alastor Moody. When hr won the cup for his house.

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Somehow he felt Luna looking at him. Or he thought he did. The next line was sung directly to her, the anger in his voice fading to resignation.

Love is not a victory march / it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelu—jah

Now he was back to his memories, the resignation tinted strongly with sadness and cynicism as he pictured Alastor Moody making his plans

There was a time you let me know what was going on below

And a reflection of the funeral service

But now you never show it to me, do ya

Images of Janice entered his head, early memories of her teaching him to read . . .

Remember when I moved in you

. . . Walking down the stairs to confront Professor Quirrell in front of the mirror of Erised . . .

The holy dark was moving too

. . . and through the Chamber to confront Tom Riddle

And every breath we took was Hallelujah

Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelu—jah

His voice became melancholy. He reflected on the fact that someone who was not named wished him dead in the long run.

You say I took the name in vain / But I don't even know the name / And if I did, then tell me, what's it to ya.

As he sang the next line, he had a revelation.

There was a blaze of light in every word / It doesn't matter what you heard

God and Devil both be damned, he was not going to survive his final confrontation.

The holy or the broken Hallelujah

The memories died and Draco's voice lost the sadness but still had the cynical tone.

Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelu—jah

This final verse was all about himself. About how he saw the world. And how he believed the world saw him.

Maybe there's a God above / but all I ever learned from love / was how to shoot someone who outdrew ya

And it's not a cry you hear at night / It's not someone who's seen the light / It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

The final chorus was sung almost as though if he weren't singing he would be crying.

Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelu—jah

As he repeated the chorus he changed his tone to a sense of happiness. Happiness that it was over.

Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallelujah / Hallel---u—jah


The first thing that Draco heard was nothing. No one made a sound. Then the applause started. It was not a thunderous applause, but a scattered affair. And it quickly died. Draco was already walking from the stage. He thought to himself that Luna would be happy. They didn't expect that. As he reached the edge and began to climb down, one of the musicians stopped him. The guitarist.

"That was a muggle song?"

"Mixed up the verses. Make it fit me more."

"Mind if I use it? I already know the tune. It's in C major?" He played F, G, A minor, F. "The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift."

"It's not mine, anyway."

Draco returned to where Luna and Ginny were sitting. Hermione and Justin had joined them. He was stopped by a couple of students along the way who wanted to tell him they were impressed. Three other students didn't stop him but made comments to show his performance wasn't appreciated. Others who were with them would agree. He arrived at the table, happy to have some distance between himself and the crowd.

"I knew you'd play that song," Hermione told him, giving her best smile.

"Where's Potter? He can take my guitar back to the dorm."

Justin smiled, "We'll do that if you like. Potter made himself scarce when you didn't fall on your face. You would have if they wanted an encore."

Draco had to smirk. "Didn't even want me up there."

"It was Alastor Moody," Luna said. "The song."

Draco looked surprised. Loony Lovegood spent most of the dance talking about things that were fantasies in her own mind. Yet she understood something he had never mentioned to anyone. He had to challenge her. "What tipped you off?"

"When you said you used to live alone. It was rather obvious."

"Uh, yeah, care to dance."

Luna stood up. "No, but you do and that's more important." She took his hand and led him to the dance floor. He had a brief glance of four surprised faces as he turned to follow his date.

It was a slow dance, and Luna led him through it, letting him go through the motions. When he decided to smile, she told him, "I warned you about the nargles. Hopefully you've shaken them off by now. They can be very annoying." Draco smiled for real. Everything was back to normal.

Near the end of the dance, Draco found himself with Victor Krum. Victor commented on the thoughtful song. Would he care to join them after the Ball? His date voiced her approval. She wanted to know how much of what Victor had told her was the truth. Draco couldn't help himself. He told her none of it was.


"It's over," Luna said as the notes from the last song died away. "Good night."

Draco watched as she walked out as though class had just finished. He was right. It had been an interesting night. He walked back to where he had left his guitar.

"Mister Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said as she approached him. "Your date left abruptly."

"The Ball's over. She doesn't have to be my date, anymore."

McGonagall kept a straight face. "I did want to comment on your choice of song. While it was . . . nice, couldn't you have played something more appropriate to the season."

"Can't. Only have two songs I can play. Didn't think anyone would care to hear the other one."

"Then your appearance was unplanned?"

"By me? Yeah." Draco picked up his guitar, politely said goodnight, and made his way out of the Great Hall. There he found his godfather waiting for him. As usual, the man was smiling.

"Interesting song," Rodolphus told him. "I enjoyed all the sexual references. And most of the students did as well."

"They showed me by their wild applause."

Rodolphus Lestrange laughed. "Applaud you? The next Dark Lord? The flagrant cheater who tricked his way into the tournament? I'm surprised they didn't shout you off the stage once they realized you weren't going to embarrass yourself. That is what they wanted, you know."

Draco acknowledged the truth of the statement. Potter may have set him up, but plenty of students gave him moral support. "And I ruined it by being half decent."

"You made them think, boy," Rodolphus hissed. "They'll hate you even more for that. Anger is supposed to be mindless, to be pure emotion, and you forced reason on them." His smile had a sense of evil. "Had you played some ditty for them, they could have scoffed at you with no difficulty at all." He patted Draco's shoulder. "This is sure to add to the chaos when the matter breaks. Good work."

Draco returned the smile. Uncle Rodolphus always reminded him. The government was falling. An orderly transition made the two of them useless. But if it fell the right way, they had a chance at survival.

"A Happy Christmas to you, Godfather."


It couldn't be helped, Draco thought. At least the Ball was over. He had stepped out of the Great Hall to see Sirius Black waiting for him. Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley were with him. Harry was frowning. Ginny was smirking. As he walked over to them, Ginny said, "Loved your song."

"It was interesting," Black noted, "Don't you agree, Harry?"

Potter continued to frown.

"Harry, since you carried Draco's guitar down for him, why don't you take it back up to the dorms." Black's voice became slightly angry. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to it."

"I can carry it, me self," Draco sneered.

Black made a gesture, while not obscene, that told Potter he should leave at once. Potter did not argue. He never wanted to stay in the first place. Ginny, very much amused, waved goodbye to Draco before she left to follow her date.

"Whachuwant" Draco mumbled, once they were alone.

Sirius Black pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "I don't need to talk to Lillian to understand what this means. Although I did ask her to talk to Justin's father."

Draco shuddered. "W-Whot happened?"

"Nothing. And that is what's happening."

Sirius Black started to explain what he meant when Hermione and Justin walked up. Curiously, Viktor Krum and his date were waiting not that far away. Apparently, they had been given the same invitation and accepted.

Black smiled at them and assured them there was no problem. He was taking Draco to visit some friends. Hermione hugged Draco and told him to give Janice and Mick her best wishes. Justin patted his friend's shoulder and wished him a great holiday. Draco watched as they, with Krum and his date, exited the castle.

"You takin' me 'ome?" Draco asked. "Why?"

"If you'd rather not go . . ." Sirius asked, sarcastically. He didn't wait for an answer. He held up Draco's backpack from out of nowhere. "I'll carry this for you. We can't apparate until we reach Hogsmeade."

Draco asked his question again as they rode in the waiting coach. Why? Why do something nice for someone you don't like. Sirius gave a short laugh and asked a question of his own.

"What makes you think I'm doing this for you?"


Draco knocked on the door, trying not to be too loud. Janice answered the door almost at once, claiming he was right on time. She hugged him before she would let him in the door. And she asked Sirius to join them while grabbing his hand so he couldn't walk away.

He could tell. Maybe it was because of how he grew up. As soon as he walked into the house, Draco knew. This was a house where poor people lived. The Christmas tree was there, but it was the same tree as last year. The one in the pot. The one that never seemed to grow. But the stockings weren't there. The stockings where the little treats or small toys would go.

"Mick?" Draco asked.

Janice didn't have to explain. "Picked up a bitta 'oliday work." Then she decided she did. "People talkin' 'bout us, you know. News bloke even found out 'bout Cherry. Asked me, wit' a camera, 'bout her, an' 'bout Cheryl."

"Bashed 'im? Right?" Draco asked, but he knew the answer. Not that he could say anything. After a pause, he tried to change the subject. "'ow?"

"Sleepin'. Ain't worried 'bout Andy. Too young. But Cheryl. Remembers last year." Janice was laughing and crying at the same time. "You'll be a right treat, Draco." She hugged him again. And she said, "thank you", but not to him.

Janice ushered them both into chairs by the fireplace and threw in a piece of wood. She then told them she was making tea. Sirius made an "oh" sound and reached into his pocket for a box. He said his girlfriend thought it would make a nice gift, and since she mentioned tea. Draco couldn't help saying, as Janice reached for the box of 'assorted teas', that gifts are supposed to be wrapped.

It worked. Draco had said exactly the right thing exactly the right way. Janice took the gift without feeling conscious at all. The tea was hot and wonderful. And Draco provided the entertainment by describing his evening. No one was planning on sleeping tonight.

It was when Janice went to get everyone a second cup. Once she entered the kitchen, Draco excused himself. He picked up his backpack and quietly slipped up the stairs. He needed to check on something. He needed to make sure that everything was in his backpack that he normally carried. Satisfied, he stepped out of the bathroom and looked at the two other doors. He carefully opened one. Moody's old bedroom. The crib was in one corner. In it was a young boy. This is how old I was when my parents died. He reached down and made an unnecessary adjustment to the blanket. Just to make sure everything was fine. He couldn't help himself. He smiled as he whispered, "Merry Christmas, Sonny Jim" to the sleeping boy.

As quietly as he could, he slipped out of the room and closed the door. As though it was required, he walked to the other door. He turned the knob, and softly entered what used to be his bedroom. His first thought was that it was now a girl's room. It was millions of miles away from Jennifer Finch-Fletchley's bedroom, but it was still clearly and obviously inhabited by a girl. And the only real difference that Draco could tell was that the windows had curtains.

And Cheryl. Almost three. Dreaming of anything and everything.

This wasn't how Draco planned it. This part was pure impulse. He opened his backpack and pulled out the plastic container on the bottom. The one with the window. It was his first gift. He kept it with him so they could never take it away. It was a compulsion. He had to make sure that no one ever took it.

It took less than a minute. Draco left the room. The box he had carried for so many years was now empty. And a little girl would wake up on Christmas Morning with a doll tucked under her arm.