Authors Note: I'm sorry if I don't capture the essence of winter in this chapter. I've been looking through books to see how they describe it but you lack a certain amount experience when you live in Queensland. Now all I'm thinking about is snow which is pleasant. Excuse my rambling, it's really late. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed procrastinating from my study and writing it!

Disclaimer: Everything except the original plot and characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

November had passed in a whirl of beautifully bare trees, thought Cordelia, it was quite beautiful, like watching the landscape prepare itself for Christmas.

Well ... no, that's not how November had been.

It. Was. Cold. Students would gravitate towards heat like girls to a boy band. It would have been fun to watch but, alas, she was present at Hogwarts as well so she had to participate in the heat-seeking.

The weather was only comparable to the attitudes of her friends, which were absolutely awful. How could it be up to her to sort it out?

At least, it was two days until Christmas holidays so she could escape all of the petty fights and spend time with her only slightly less crazy family. Merlin, she missed them, probably the most since her first year at Hogwarts. She wanted to hug her mother, to laugh with her father, to watch her brother be an idiot, she felt safe at home. At school she felt like at any moment someone would jump out of the shadows and run a knife through her, that's what happens when you have an over-active imagination. Every shadow looked like the darkness that had consumed her, every creak felt like someone was following her, and she couldn't trust anyone; the recent events had proven that. If Cordelia couldn't trust her friends to be loyal to each other over the tiniest things, how could she possibly trust them to keep her secret?

And, inevitably, there was James.

Since their fight, James had only spoken to her to pester her with questions and that was too much for her to handle. What in the world had happened?

But, it was only two more days and she would be away from this place, free from Ella who was still oblivious, Beatrice who had not spoken to anyone except Hazel and Jasper, and James, who thought he was doing the right thing but was making it so much worse.

Cordelia sighed, she moved from the table in the library to a secluded armchair, looking out over the snow-covered lawns. She smiled sadly as she spotted Hagrid's cabin, hidden by the whiteness. She should visit him again, it seemed like years since she had actually had a good chat with that man, he always had the best advice.

She heard music, probably emanating from one of the common rooms. Cordelia turned an ear to it, trying to pick out something she recognised and grinned as she heard The Beatles. Good taste.

Cordelia returned her attention to her the parchment in her hand which now lay flat from constant use. She still had no idea what secrets it hid because she couldn't find any reference to someone absorbing something in their minds. The diagrams were impossibly far-fetched and the star charts were completely inaccurate, it cleared nothing up.

James' loud voice echoed through the room and Cordelia made her escape; ducking low amongst the bookshelves she ran past the ancient Madam Pince and out of the library.

Really, it shouldn't be this hard but she was just so humiliated about their kiss (which he continued to bring up) and sad about the demise of their friendship that she had to run away.

Two more days.

She walked purposefully across the entrance hall, her stomach rumbling because she hadn't had lunch; too lazy to move from the library.

"Bode! Hey- wait up," called a voice.

"Go away, Michael."

A hand touched her arm and pulled her around, "I just need you to answer a question."

Cordelia stared in disbelief, "No."

"Look, I-"

"Hey!" A voice cut in, "Leave her alone you creep."

Michael scowled but walked to the great hall.

Cordelia turned to Hazel, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Hazel had her tough face on, the one she used when she was upset.

"Hazel, don't let him get to you."

"I'm not," said Hazel roughly. "Stupid git doesn't know what he's talking about."

Cordelia's heart sank, "Hazel, has Michael been bothering you?"

"No."

"Come on," said Cordelia, taking her hand, "Tell me. You're are the only one other than Henry who isn't angry at me."

Hazels' brow furrowed and she took a deep breath, "Alright, he might have said some things about Rory."

"What ... things?" Cordelia pressed her, dreading the answer.

"Just stupid stuff - to wind me up, but ..." Hazel turned to Cordelia, her eyes shining with tears. "It just gets to me and I try to rise above it - I really do! He ... he just keeps saying that Rory must have been a ... an idiot to ever do it and-."

She broke off, trying to keep in her grief. Cordelia stepped forward and wrapped her friend in her arms, completely astonished; she had never seen Hazel cry before, not even after the incident.

After a few minutes, Hazel broke away, "Ah well, can't dwell on it. I'm getting some dinner."

Cordelia watched her go, knowing better than Hazel herself that she was not okay.

Her stomach rumbled and she followed Hazel into the great hall but was stopped by yet another voice.

"Cordelia, my princess."

But this time, Cordelia turned around, "What do you want, James?"

James smirked, "Er ... I didn't think this far, I just sort of called you over ... you can go."

"Good," said Cordelia, annoyed. She started towards the Gryffindor table. She had only walked a few paces when she found she couldn't move her legs, oh no.

Cordelia looked up with trepidation, knowing this wasn't going to be good. She grimaced.

Mistletoe.

But, obviously, Hogwarts couldn't just have the normal mistletoe where one had the option to perform the tradition, they had a magical version which trapped you there until you gave into their wishes.

It was all in the Christmas spirit or so she was told.

"Looks like we have to get passionate again, Bode," said James, grinning maliciously. "Why does this keep happening?"

Cordelia struggled with all her might against the magic but she couldn't escape. They were attracting the diners' attention.

"James," said Cordelia bluntly, "I'm not kissing you."

"Well, it looks like you're going to have to, my flower."

Cordelia faced him, cheeks ablaze. "I don't care!"

"Well, you didn't seem to mind a month ago," he said, eyes glinting with triumph. He was enjoying this.

Cordelia looked him straight in the eyes, not folding. He had been doing this for weeks, snidely hinting that they had been together so that she would give in and tell him so that he would stop. But Cordelia was a strong woman, she would not give in to every single thing James Potter wanted. Yes, he had been sweet this term but when he couldn't have the world his way, he would turn back into the arrogant boy she despised. And when he kept changing like this Cordelia couldn't decide which was the real James.

The crowd had started to chant, "Kiss, kiss, kiss."

"What? We have to get going Bode, pucker up," he leant in but Cordelia pinched his ear. "Ow ... OW. Let go!"

"Did that teach you a lesson?"

"Nah, I like a girl with fire." He redoubled his efforts to reach her lips.

Cordelia felt a great bubble of rage well up inside of her, this was NOT her James and she was never going to do it. This was wrong.

"Come on, Bode, it's just a kiss."

The rage consumed her whole body, fueled by the chanting, the wrong James' smirk, and the fact that none of her friends were standing up for her. With nothing to lose, she took her wand from inside her robes.

"BOMBARDA!" she screamed.

The crowd went silent, James backed away, all looking at the glowing red embers floating to the floor. The mistletoe was long gone.

"Stay away from me," Cordelia said to James before leaving the hall.

Cordelia paced her room, running on adrenaline.

Two more days.

She wanted to hit something, to scream at someone because James Potter was not the man she thought he was. Her James would have never done that.

How stupid had she been? Her Dad was right, you couldn't trust anyone because if you looked away for one second, they disappeared.

Cordelia sat on her bed and gazed out the window. Very faintly, on the wind, there was still some sort of music; she tried to work out what song it was.

Of course.

Hey, Jude.

'The song was wrong,' she thought sadly. 'Letting someone into your heart was not the cure for pain, it was the cause of it.'

But, she still had to make herself better.

Two more days.

Authors Note (again): If you haven't heard the song 'Hey, Jude' (where have you been) listen to the lyrics and you'll understand. Basically, Cordelia is afraid of who she let in because now he's hurting her and, like the song says, she feels like she's carrying the world on her shoulders. Meet both families next chapter!