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Chapter Quote:
"She's got lots of them, but there's only one Harry."
~Seamus Finnigan

Chapter 8

Ziva

Ziva, Jade, and Elliot were relaxing in one of the compartments on the Hogwarts Express train, heading home for the holidays. The past few weeks of school had been interesting, hectic, and annoying. They had been interesting because Harry Potter had formed a secret club for people who actually wanted to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts because Umbridge refused to allow any magic. Ziva was usually paired against Hermione because she was the only one that could really give Ziva a run for her money; sometimes it was Harry although he usually just walked around the room giving pointers about what to do to improve the quality of the spell or even just to get the spell to work. It was a blast (no pun intended) and Ziva felt thrilled by the fact she was thwarting Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad.

For the hectic part of the last few weeks was balancing homework, D.A. meetings, and sneaking out to see Draco. More than once she'd had to reschedule with Draco because of their scheduled meeting conflicting with a D.A. meeting. Her meetings with Draco, although she never told him of the 'illicit' activities she was participating in, she did actually teach him a few spells. More than once they had to quickly use the Disillusionment spells on themselves because their spell casting had attracted the attention of a teacher due to the loudness of either a spell or the spell breaking something in the bathroom. After the last time they'd broken something, Draco whispered after Filch had left, "We should find another meeting place because they'll start getting suspicious."

"I'll start thinking of places. We'll alternate between here and the new place. Maybe there's a place outside that the teachers won't think to check for," Ziva had told him. As of yet, neither had found a place but they still met up in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom on a weekly basis, more than often meeting three or more times a week.

Finally, the annoying part had been Umbridge and the piles of homework the teachers had piled on at the end of the year. Umbridge had been particularly lenient but the only reason why was because she didn't want extra knowledge being learned by anyone that could possibly be used to help build up the army Dumbledore supposedly had. Of course, Dumbledore did have an army, he just didn't know it, nor did Umbridge, nor did Draco or anyone outside of Dumbledore's Army know about the meetings. If anyone outside did know, they hadn't said anything.

"Ziva!" Jade shouted, slapping her best friend on the leg. Ziva promptly returned it but said, "What?"

"We've been calling your name for the past ten minutes. You've been staring at that window for an hour. We were worried you'd gone comatose or something and- Honestly Elliot! Stop itching!"

"I can't! You know that!" Elliot snapped, itching her knee before moving onto her back.

"You really need to go to St. Mungo's and get that checked out Ellie. That surely is not normal, and probably isn't exactly healthy," Ziva pointed out.

"Those bloody doctors don't know what they're doing," Ellie retorted as she itched her head.

"If you don't stop, I'm going to petrify you for the rest of the trip," Jade admonished. Surprisingly, Ellie stopped but it was obvious she was forcing herself to.

"I was just thinking about how I can't wait to get home," Ziva lied. Actually, it wasn't a really lie, she just wasn't telling them everything she was thinking about. They'd kill her ten times over just for talking kindly to Draco, let alone sneaking out to see him.

"Speak for yourself. I have to go see my dad," Jade grumbled.

"Really, Jade, I know you're mad at him for divorcing your mum but you can't hate him forever!" Elliot protested.

"I don't hate him! I just… never mind. It's complicated," she said. "What are you guys hoping to get for Christmas? And Ziva, don't say books."

"Oh come on! But I do want books!" Ziva protested.

"I'm hoping for some clothes. I've been wanting some so badly," Elliot said.

"I want a camera, one from the wizarding world," Ziva admitted. "I've recently become fascinated with photography."

"You better take lots of pictures of us with in it!" Jade declared.

"What about you Jade?"

"I want this amazing perfume but it's really expensive so I don't know if I'll actually get it…"

The girls fell silent as they went to their own thoughts. It was snowing outside; the white flakes became hypnotizing. They made Jade and Elliot fall asleep while Ziva shook herself out of the trance. It was dark out which just made it worse but she knew that if she fell asleep now, she wouldn't be able to fall asleep later when she actually needed to go to bed. Instead, Ziva walked out of the compartment quietly to wake herself up. It was more like she was forcing herself to but she had to stay up.

She didn't really care what compartments she went through. She even walked boldly through the one that was unofficially declared the Slytherin's compartment. The Slytherins gave her evil glares but said nothing. Ziva avoided making eye contact with Draco but she felt his gaze on her as she walked to the end of their train car.

The very end compartment, which was ten cars down from the Slytherin's, was empty; Ziva figured it was because it was so bumpy back here. It would be impossible for anyone to sleep or eat in it.

"What are you doing?" Draco's voice asked softly. She whirled around. What was he doing?! If anyone caught them, it would be calamitous.

"What in the world are you doing here?" she hissed. "If we're caught-"

"No one comes down here anyways and my friends won't be coming down. I just told them I was coming to see why you came through our compartment, which in all honesty, is the truth. Why did you?"

"I was falling asleep in my compartment and I won't be able to fall asleep later if I do now so I took a walk to wake me up. Why were you wanting to know?"

"Most people don't have the guts to walk alone through the Slytherin compartment. Some of them were saying they wanted to go 'have some fun with you,' but I stopped it, saying I'd go."

"Idiots wouldn't have stood a chance against me but I admire their ambitions," Ziva joked. With a smile, she added, "And since I won't be seeing you until after the Christmas holidays, I want to say Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Ziva. Listen, I was wondering, why don't we get together sometime over the break?"

"I could possibly sneak out somehow. We should probably do it before Christmas though. I need to buy presents for them so I think so. Does the twenty-first work?"

"You mean tomorrow?" Draco queried with an amused smile.

"Is that really tomorrow? Oh wow, I'm so out of it. Then yes, tomorrow. My parents won't mind. They know I need to buy presents."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Meet you by the fountain again?"

Ziva nodded. Draco left, leaving her to her thoughts again. Yes, she'd been worried they would be caught but they risked being caught every time they met, whether in secret or in public. Multiple times the two of them had come across each other, both without their groups, and almost said hi to the other in front of the student body. Luckily they managed to catch themselves in time and they would hurriedly look ahead or down at the floor but Ziva knew their relationship wouldn't stay a secret forever. Someone was bound to find out if someone didn't already know.

Deciding she was sick of being tossed about from the rockiness of the end compartment, Ziva went back to hers. She walked through the Slytherin car again and someone grabbed her wrist.

"Better watch where you walk, Herondale," a guy named Theo warned her.

"Watch what you say to me unless you want to be turned into a ferret," Ziva snapped, snatching her hand out of his grasp.

"Really? A ferret? Can you do nothing better than that? That's pathetic," Pansy remarked.

Ziva turned on her. "I'd turn you into bat. You have pointy ears and you can be really blind."

"Blind about what?" Pansy demanded indignantly.

"About people and their actions around you. Honestly, I thought you were supposed to be smart?" Ziva told her with a smirk. She was thinking of how oblivious Pansy was to the fact that Draco just did not want a girlfriend. It was so pitiful.

"Ziva!" Draco interjected. She looked at him innocently, her eyes questioning him. "Go back to your car. You have no business in here."

She held her hands up. "Oh we were just having some fun. I'd see you guys around, but I don't want to. Most of you are really quite annoying and pompous." She turned on her heels and left.

Draco

Draco leaned back in his seat. It was always bad when Ziva was alone when he was with his friends because his friends liked to pick on her and he always wanted to defend her even though she could defend herself well enough.

"Draco? Why did you call her Ziva? I've never heard you call any Gryffindor by their first name," Pansy noted suspiciously.

Draco tried not to show his surprise. He had hadn't he? That wasn't good. When he called people by the first name that meant he was on a relatively good basis with them (except Crabbe and Goyle who didn't like their first names).

"It was quicker than saying her last name," he lied hurriedly but persuasively.

"She thinks she's such a little know-it-all. Too bad she didn't get hurt more falling over that wall," Pansy muttered. Draco held back a nasty retort about Ziva being there for him more than Pansy has ever been but he said nothing and looked down at his wand.

"Cocky little twit," Zabini added.

"Have either of you possibly thought that maybe the reason she's so rude is because you provoke her?" Draco queried casually. They looked at him as if he'd lost it.

"Are you defending her?" Pansy squeaked.

"I'm just trying to make sure you save face for Slytherin. Just because she wasn't able to beat you last time Zabini means nothing. If all of you keep embarrassing yourselves fighting and arguing with her and getting owned, you're going to desecrate the name of Salazar Slytherin."

"Use English please, Draco. Desecrate?" Zabini whined.

"Expand your vocabulary you dim-wit," Draco retorted.

The group fell silent.

Ziva

Her parents were cooking breakfast as Ziva came skipping into the kitchen; her nose led her straight to the bacon. It smelled delicious and she took four pieces. She wasn't one for breakfast until it came to bacon.

"I'm going to London to do some Christmas present shopping for you two since I couldn't find anything in Hogsmeade and believe me, I looked," Ziva said.

"Be very careful Ziva. I don't like you going out by yourself with all that's happening. I don't care if you're not allowed to use magic. Bring your wand for protection," her mum told her. Ziva listened and after finishing her breakfast and hugging her parents, dashed to the train station where she hopped on a train to King's Cross. She took the usual commute to get to the platform so she could get to Buckingham Palace easily. Draco's Christmas present was concealed nicely in her purse. She didn't know if he got her anything but she didn't care. She now considered him a friend, a close one; all her close friends received presents from her.

Ziva had made sure she looked good that day by wearing black heel boots with her jeans tucked into them, a red shirt, and a sophisticated pea coat; she wasn't sure why but being around Malfoy made her cautious about her appearance. She felt the need to dress nicely around him. He always looked sharp in the suits he wore. There weren't many guys Ziva knew who would wear suits over jeans and a t-shirt. Long story short, she appreciated his classy wardrobe.

Like promised, Draco was waiting for her. He was naturally wearing a black suit which contrasted sharply with his white-blonde hair. It made his blue eyes stand out.

"Don't you look dashing," Ziva commented, sneaking up behind him.

"I always look dashing," he laughed. "You look great too. All right, I'm having you lead this expedition. I've never really shopped at a Muggle store before."

"Thank you," she said. "Don't worry, it's not that difficult. Come on."

The sidewalks were slick due to the ice and more than once Draco stopped her from falling ungracefully onto her bum. In the end, she looped her arm through his as a precaution. He laughed but didn't stop her. They entered Harrods and the look on his face was priceless.

"Muggles made this?" he queried.

"Actually, the builder was a witch but she built it for the Muggles' benefit," Ziva explained. Draco followed her carefully, not wanting to get lost because he knew he'd never find his way out of here alone. They went into one store that seemed to be full of toys. Ziva was browsing the puzzles. Her dad loved them for some reason. She looked at the really difficult ones. Her dad usually had her help him with them. She loved it.

Suddenly, she realized Draco wasn't with her. She knew he wouldn't have strayed far. Ziva weaved in and out of the crowd, looking for him. She found him at a rack; he was studying something avidly, turning it around in his hands.

"What did you find?" Ziva asked, resting her hand on his shoulder and standing next to him.

"What is this?" He countered, holding the item still.

Ziva chuckled. "That's a rubber duck. It's a kid's toy for when they play in the bathtub."

"The things Muggles invent to keep them entertained," he mumbled, putting it back on the shelf. He then came across Furby's. He picked one up, studying it, trying to figure out its purpose; his face when it started moving was priceless. He tossed it into the air and barely managed to catch it. He received strange looks from people that passed by but Ziva was busy cracking up. Then there was the SkipIt toy. Ziva and Draco actually tried the demo one out. Ziva turned out to be pretty good at it. Draco tripped himself the first time. He fell to the floor. When he rolled over to look up at Ziva, he was laughing. She helped him up with more strength than she intended and he wrapped his arms around her briefly to stop himself. He took the toy off his ankle and they went to another store.

The trip ended up being very successful. Ziva had bought ten presents for each of her parents. As they were nearing the front of the store again, she saw a photo booth. Without giving Malfoy an opportunity to resist, she dragged him into it. Draco had no idea what was going on so the first picture the booth took was him wide-eyed and confused with Ziva laughing and pointing at him. The second one he actually knew what was happening and he smirked, his cheek right up next to Ziva's, and his eyes looking at her; she was looking back at him. The third picture they made funny faces and the fourth picture, the two friends wrapped their arms around each other and smiled cheerfully. Two strips were printed, one for Draco and one for Ziva. They exited the photo booth and moved out of the way so other people could use it.

"This has probably been one of the most entertaining trips I've ever been on," he admitted, looking around at some more stores. "I'm getting hungry. Do you want to get something eat?"

"I was thinking the same thing. There's a great restaurant down the street. Let's go there. It's quiet too."

The two of them left Harrods and into the frigid cold outside. It was snowing, creating white specks on her and Draco's coats. They hurriedly walked to the restaurant, desperate to get out of the cold. Ziva's nose and ears were numb by the time they entered the restaurant but it was hot inside so she regained feeling in them quickly. The host led them to a table far away from everyone else. Ziva wondered if that was because the person thought she was on a date with Draco. If that was the case, she wasn't really disappointed. She didn't want people overhearing their conversation.

Ziva was watching people come in and out when Draco said, "Merry Christmas, Ziva."

She looked down and a small, rectangular shaped box was wrapped in gold paper with a red ribbon bow. Ziva felt so much better knowing he'd gotten her something too. She pulled out her present and said, "Merry Christmas, Draco."

She pulled out her dainty little wrapped box and handed it to him. He grinned and said, "You have to wait until Christmas day to open it though."

"Fine, but you have to wait too!" Ziva said firmly. He laughed but agreed. However, his mirth abruptly stopped when he looked at the window. Curious, Ziva turned around, barely catching Mr. Carter's blue hair walking by. She faced Draco.

"Are you okay?" she queried.

"Yeah, just saw a Death Eater. I was worried he'd see us."

"I didn't see any Death Eater but I saw Jade's dad, Mr. Carter. Who was the Death Eater?"

Draco looked at, shock etched on his face. "Jai Carter is Jade's dad? Your best friend Jade?"

"Uh, yeah, that would be correct." Ziva scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. What was going on that she didn't know about? She didn't like not knowing things.

"Mr. Carter is the Death Eater I saw," Draco explained quietly. It was Ziva's turn to be shocked. Jade had never uttered a single word about her father supporting Voldemort, let alone him being a Death Eater. His allegiance really explained a lot about why Jade was so awkward with her dad, and he with her. But he'd always been pleasant to Ziva, but now she realized it was because she was a Pureblood. But how would that explain him being nice to Elliot? She was a complete Muggle, no wizard bone in her body.

"You never knew, did you?" Draco inquired gently.

"No…" Ziva murmured. Regaining her composure, she added, "But it explains a lot. I just can't believe she kept it from me. I wonder if Ellie knows. Probably not."

"Are you going to tell her you know?"

"No. I'm going to wait and see if she ever tells me," she declared, pocketing Draco's gift carefully in her purse. She looked up and smiled at him. "Let's just enjoy the meal. I don't think any more Death Eaters will be showing up."

"I hope not or we're screwed," he said. Right after he said that, their meals came and they dug in. It was delicious. Draco was having difficulty getting the last noodle in his bowl onto his fork. After looking furtively around to make sure no one was looking, he used his fingers to pick it up and eat it.

Afterwards, Draco escorted Ziva back to the train station where they hopped onto the same train to King's Cross. However, unlike their last meeting in London in the summer, they went on separate trains to their homes. They hugged goodbye and he promised Ziva he'd send a note for their next meeting as soon as he could.

December 25, 1995…

Christmas morning came quickly. Ziva was downstairs at nine, ready to open presents. Her parents laughed as she unwrapped her first present while Thor flew down next to her and helped her rip open the paper. Ziva gasped when she saw the gift. Inside was her very own wizard camera, one that could take moving pictures. She was completely enthralled. Her next present was a scrapbook with an antique cover. It could hold as many pages as Ziva wanted, the book would expand respectively to the size necessary to accommodate the number of pages she put in it. The rest of her presents were either clothes or books, something she also thoroughly enjoyed. The last present for her to open was the one from Malfoy, although her parents didn't know it was from him. Ziva opened it while her parents were in the kitchen cooking Christmas breakfast.

She practically stopped breathing when she saw the gold locket nestled safely in the box. It was the one from Twilfitt and Tattings that she'd wanted to buy in July earlier that year when she'd been with Draco. Ziva couldn't believe he remembered. She opened the locket, and it was empty, leaving her free to put whatever she wanted inside it.

Ziva put on the locket and went into the kitchen, pondering on which two pictures she wanted to put in there. Then it hit her. She dashed back up the stairs to her room and pulled out the photos from the photo booth. She made a copy of the strip using her wand and then pulled out some scissors. She used the second and fourth picture. It was a pain cutting them into the shape of a heart but it worked. She stuck the pictures in there and closed the locket.

Ziva smiled to herself, blushing at having the pictures in the locket. She hoped Draco wouldn't mind that she'd put the pictures of the two of them in the locket but she didn't want to put anything else in it.

Maybe she just wouldn't tell him.

Yeah, that's what she would do.

But then she felt guilty. She was already keeping her relationship with him a secret from Jade and Elliot, and now she was going to hide what she put in her locket that he gave her from him? She felt awful. She was becoming too secretive.

Ziva didn't like it.

This chapter was seven pages long on Word. I hope you guys enjoyed! Now I have to go study haha please review you awesome people!