As the term came to a close, all the students were busy packing for the holiday. Every bed had clothes astray and open trunks, and the dormitories were a buzz with plans for Christmas and traveling back home. For the twins, Uncle Altair made the trip overseas, so they could spend the holiday exploring London. Despite the recent disturbance from Death Eaters in the muggle world, their uncle still insisted he come to them instead of having the girls stay at Hogwarts without anything to do.

"Aster," a first year knocked on their open door. "There's someone at the common room door who wants to speak to you."

Aster happily abandoned her poor efforts to pack. She patted the student on the head then trotted up the stairs to the door.

Hermione Granger was standing quite awkwardly in a woolen jacket, scarf, and beanie. "Hi."

"Hello, to you." Aster responded.

"I'm um," the brunette pulled gloves out of her pockets. "I was about to slip out to Hogsmeade for a bit, and I was wondering if you were available to join me." She spoke at a slow temper, carefully planning each word before speaking. "Harry and Ron are at a holiday Quidditch get-together, and I'm sure you're probably packing, but -"

"No, it's fine." She felt herself smiling. "Let me just grab my coat."

Aster furiously ran back down the stairs and crashed through the door where Io stood, just watching her sister sweating with panic.

"Are you okay?"

"Please, don't hate me, but can you finish fixing up my trunk for me?" She hastily put on her leather jacket and house-color scarf.

Io stepped forward, folding her hands across her chest. "For a price."

"Sis, please, do not do this to me, not today."

"Caramels and sugar quills - the large ones." Io propositioned. "And if you want everything re-folded, you better bring back candy floss and treacles for Uncle."

Aster's face nearly turned red at the ultimatum. "Fine! Fine, fine, just do it, and I'll get you your stupid sweets."

Io positioned herself in front of her sister's messily packed trunk. "Very well, you may leave."

Throwing a stray shirt at her sister's head before departing, Aster ran back towards the common room exit, using her scarf to pat away any sweat.

The two girls started to make their way to Hogsmeade just as the snow started to fall. It wasn't as bad today, and the fresh frost helped with the patches of ice on the road. The square was fairly busy with people visiting and folks buying last minute Christmas gifts. While some shops were closed, Honeydukes was still bright and open for those who had a craving for something sweet.

Aster groaned, motioning towards Honeydukes. "Do you mind if we stop in for a moment? My sister is asking for a few things."

Hermione simply nodded with a smile, already reaching towards the door. Once inside, they separated. Aster grabbed every candy on her list, grimacing as her arms were suddenly full of confectionaries. Each time she passed by the licorice wands, her stomach did somersaults, wishing she could grab just one without something falling out of her grip.

Aster paid without a fuss, giving the licorice display one last look of longing, then found Hermione who was already waiting outside with her purchase.

They made their way over to the Three Broomsticks which was as busy as ever. Taking the only quiet and available spot by the fireplace, they ordered their butterbeer and started going over what they bought.

"I swear, she would've made the contents of my trunk explode if I didn't bring these back for her." Aster waived around the box of caramels, tempted to chuck the box into the roaring fire. For the sake of a peaceful trip to London, she'll swallow her pride. Revenge will have to come later.

Hermione laughed heartily as the two drinks were brought over. Their glass goblets clinked as they cheered to a hopefully stress-free Christmas. "It's nice of you to get those for your sister and your uncle. I'm sure the sweets shops in America have different things than they do here."

Aster took a deep gulp of the warm beverage, sighing with ease. "We always tried muggle candies, but every now and then Uncle Altair would bring home the occasional pumpkin pasty. Those don't compare to the ones made here though."

The girls continued over small conversation - their final Herbology exam of the year, what Christmas was like in America, the usual things brought up during small talk.

Hermione lowered her face, smiling to herself. "Before we head back," she reached into her bag from Honeydukes and pulled out a box of licorice wands. The box had been decorated with a little red ribbon. She slid the gift across the table. "Happy Christmas."

The flush on Aster's cheeks were hidden by the fire's glow, tinting her hair golden yellow and orange. She slowly picked up the candy, running her thumb over the ribbon.

"I hope I got the right thing." She started to say, almost looking worried. "I saw you looking at them while we were in Honeydukes."

"You," Aster took a deep breath. "Definitely picked the right thing. These are my favorite. Thank you." She reached out for Hermione's hand. It was warm and soft as silk.

Hermione gripped Aster's hand with muted joy, trying to hide how relieved she was. "You're welcome."

"I didn't get you anything -"

"It doesn't matter. You're supposed to give gifts without expecting anything in return."

In reality, Aster did want to get her something, but for a person who loves everything academic, it was difficult for her to pick out a gift that truly seemed sincere. "I'll get you something for Valentine's Day."

Hermione laughed again, tilting up an eyebrow. "I fully expect something very romantic then."

The girls ordered a second round of butterbeer but this time with a small platter of chips as the conversation showed no hint of slowing down. Hermione's gift seemed to lighten the mood even more, and they felt more comfortable bringing up topics outside of the usual.

"Hey," Aster slowly chewed. "Whatever happened to… Y'know Ron and Lavender? Last time we kind of talked about it, you were busy hiding behind a curtain to escape your revenge date."

Hermione pressed her lips together, trying to find the words. "To be honest, Ron and I haven't really spoken. He's been busy with her, and I've been busy being frustrated with him. I actually feel bad because Harry has to hear the complaints from both of us separately."

"I'm sure he understands. You can't help how you feel."

"But I feel exhausted."

"Feelings aren't supposed to be this complicated." Aster smiled weakly. It was positively hypocritical for her to say that, but it was the only response she could come up with.

"What about you?" Hermione pushed chips around the plate. "You and Blaise seem to be doing well."

Aster leaned forward, trying to process what she just heard. "What - me and Blaise? We're not - no - Hermione, Blaise and I are friends!"

Hermione stopped chewing, giving her friend a crooked look. "But I thought… You two went to Slughorn's party together, and he was the first person you talked to after the duel!"

"Yes, but we went as friends," Aster covered her face with her hands, muffling the end of her sentence. "Oh, God, do people think we're dating or something?"

"No! I mean, well, I thought you were," Hermione started to get flustered. "I just assumed because when I tried to see you, you'd already run off with him."

Realizing only now what she meant, Aster lowered her hands. "You tried to see me?"

"Of course." Her eyebrows were now scrunched together. "Pansy had just tried to unfairly hex you; I wanted to see if you were okay."

Aster was blushing again. Blaise had come over to her so quickly, she didn't even have time to scan the room to see her. She'd also assumed that Hermione was too busy to come to the duel at all, but she was mistaken. It was a happy mistake nonetheless.

"Blaise and I aren't together. I guess you could say what I feel is complicated."

Hermione just looked at her, waiting for an explanation.

"I can be friends with anyone, but I have a very… distinct feeling when I like someone."

"I'm not sure I understand you."

Aster groaned, trying to figure out how to explain her gift without it sounding like some nonsense from Divination class. "When I am near someone or I touch their hand, I can - um - well, I can feel something. It's just a feeling."

"You mean like Aurology?"

Of course she knew the better term for it. This was Hermione Granger, this shouldn't have been a surprise. "Yes, exactly."

"Isn't that like Legilimency?"

"Io is the full Legilimens. I've always had a knack for Aurology; it just comes naturally to me."

Hermione took a moment to let this sink in. "So when you're near someone, you can actually feel their aura? But what is that like?"

Aster rested a cheek in her hand, trying to put her gift into words. "Take Cormac for example. His aura is… pasty green. It's sour, it's bitter, and it smells like smoke. Blaise on the other hand, his aura is dark like a charcoal gray, and it's the smell of cotton and moss. Everyone is different. I can't always put someone's aura into words because it's more of a feeling. But it's the most genuine way of figuring out who I want to be around."

Hermione almost cracked a smile. She grabbed Aster's free hand with both of hers, her thumbs pressing into Aster's palm. "Well? This isn't some rubbish like Divination, so I want to know. It's kind of fascinating."

Aster hoped the panic on her face wasn't noticeable. Placing her other hand on top of Hermione's, she looked up to meet her eyes. The fire was reflecting in her irises, creating a beautiful golden glow.

"Your aura is… scarlet. And it's sweet like cinnamon, but maybe stronger like fire whiskey. It's comforting and warm, and it's soft like rabbit's fur."

The two sat in a brief silence. Hermione's gaze was fixated on Aster, like it was the most interesting book she's ever read. When Aster described her aura, she had a look of intensity but it was blanketed by sincere curiosity. It was difficult not to grin as the string of descriptions continued, from the taste to the smell to silly little details like the melody to an unknown song.

Under her hand, Hermione found herself stroking Aster's palm, tracing the lines like a maze of stories.

Aster suddenly snapped out of her focus, looking down at the table. They'd been holding hands now for some time, but it felt like eternity. When they pulled away, eternity disappeared into seconds.

By the time the girls finished their drinks and the conversation was over, it was dark. Aster and Hermione walked back to the castle side-by-side in comfortable silence. Aster pulled her scarf over her nose as the winter chill was much more bitter now. She thanked Hermione once more for the gift, and they hugged - a little longer than before- then made her way down to the Slytherin common room where her sister was sitting in bed, playing with one of the house cats.

"Well? How was it?"

Aster chucked over the bag of sweets without comment, still in a daze from the last few hours.

Io opened the bag, tucking the treats into her case then shutting it.

Before Aster could take off her jacket, an owl flew into the room with a small note tucked in its beak.

Io grabbed the parchment and grimaced. "It's from Professor Dumbledore. He wants us to go to his office… And then it says he prefers acid pops?"

Aster's face contorted, snapping out of her daydream. "Acid pops?"

"D'you think that's the password to enter his office?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

After changing into something more appropriate, the twins left the common room. The headmaster's office was quite far from Slytherin, and since most had already left, the castle was nice and quiet.

Once they arrived in front of the giant stone griffin, Io said the password with hesitation. The griffin began to spiral upward, revealing a staircase. She started upward, but Blaise Zabini's voice interrupted.

"Aster, can we talk?"

"You go on ahead, I'll be there in a moment." Aster waved Io off before walking over to Blaise. "I thought you'd gone home for holiday already. Is something wrong?"

"No," he shook his head. He looked at her with a very odd intensity. "I just need to ask you something."

Aster didn't know why, but she started to sweat. Something about the tone in his voice was making her nervous, and it felt like he was about to interrogate her.

"Are you… Are you interested in Hermione Granger?"

An invisible bell tower started chiming in Aster's head, and the ringing was enough to make her ears bleed. This was exactly what she did not need to happen - now, later, or any other time in the day. "Blaise, why would you ask me that?"

Blaise sighed, his arms dropped down to his sides. He shook his head again. "Can you tell me the truth?"

"Can you tell me why you're asking first?"

"If you must know," he pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes clamped shut. "I saw you and Granger at the Three Broomsticks. And you looked closer to her than you did with me at the Christmas party."

It was a nervous tick Aster never shook off. Whenever she didn't know what to say, she'd keep fixing her hair as if it were unruly. She didn't even know how to start her response let alone formulate a sentence that she would be comfortable with. Because Blaise was always so stoic, she just assumed he'd never paid attention to anyone else.

Blaise let out a heavy sigh before taking something out of his jacket pocket. It was a forget-me-not, a small pretty blue flower encased in a small vial. Swirls of silver liquid kept it suspended in the glass. He slowly handed it over to Aster. "It's a Christmas gift. Though I'm sure it doesn't compare to licorice wands."

"Blaise, can I explain?"

"If you can be truthful with me, then do so. But only if you can be truthful."

Aster really felt like there was a frog in her throat. She toyed with the vial before speaking. "I can't tell you everything. And it's not because I don't want to. I just don't know how to say it aloud."

"So you do like her?"

"In some ways. Though I'm not sure what I feel. It could be romance, it could be friendship. I don't know."

Blaise almost looked angry at her vague answer. "How long were you going to hang around me before saying something?"

Aster almost laughed. "What does that have to do with -"

"It has everything to do with me, Aster! You've really never noticed, or are you that thick?"

Taken aback, she matched his muted rage. "And what is that supposed to mean? This has nothing to do with you!"

Blaise grabbed her arm with the vial locked in her fingers. "You know why people like you - why I like you, right? It's because they think you're true, you're authentic, because unlike so many of the other prats here, you don't give a damn - you're just you. And forgive me for thinking otherwise because I must be a prat, too, because I was starting to… I was starting to like you and see you as more than whatever the hell we are."

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but no one here knows me as well as they think they do." Aster's eyes were now blind with bitterness. "Whatever you think you know about me is all that I allow you to see. No one has a right to know who I really am, and I'm sorry if you thought otherwise."

"Do you really think so low of me?"

Quickly biting her tongue to reel back some choice words, Aster took a few deep breaths. "I don't. I thought we were friends, and I didn't realize that I had put you under this impression."

"Forget it." Blaise gritted his teeth. "I'll see you after holiday." He turned his heel to leave.

Aster lunged forward to grab his hand. "Can you just hear me out for one second?"

He stopped, still not facing her.

"Please don't make me say it out loud. I-I'm not ready to yet," she stuttered. This was one of those rare moments where the stress was intense enough to make her eyes water.

"Aster," Blaise was still holding her hand. He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. "Let's just leave it."

"I don't want to lose you as a friend, truly I don't."

Blaise turned to face her. He wasn't a cold person though his face said otherwise. He'd had a hunch that something was going on, but it wasn't to this extent where she'd actually cry. There was never a moment where he thought he was hiding who he was when he was growing up. He was a naturally very calm and reserved person. He'd spare a laugh every now and then, but the moments with Aster made him consider opening up just a bit more.

"Aster, my feelings for you aren't romantic. At least, not yet they weren't." He finally spoke. "Can you just… Can you be honest with me from now on - if we're going to continue to be friends? The last thing I need to do is to get my hopes up. And if things should change, tell me that, too. Just talk to me."

Aster nodded quietly, lowering her eyes to the floor. This feeling was just as bad as how she felt keeping secrets from Io, and it made her realize that maybe the friends she had were never really that close to her. It made no sense to call someone a friend if they didn't see all of you.

"I know I need to work on that."

Both of them, despite the tension, started laughing, and they kept laughing until Aster was crying happy tears. Blaise pulled her forward into his chest. He hugged her quietly, kissing the top of her head as he was at least a head taller. She felt a sudden ease wash over her in this embrace. It definitely wasn't romantic - it was the feeling of friendship.