Chapter 6 – Warm This Winter

It's just like make-believe
Each day is New Year's Eve
Each day is Christmas Day
You make me feel this way

Rose had been pleasantly surprised when Scorpius had suggested they meet in the Room of Requirement that evening. She had never thought to use the room for such a purpose, given that everybody had always seemed so content to just hang out in the Gryffindor Common room—even if it wasn't strictly following the school's protocol.

But Scorpius had explained that Ebony was starting to feel uncomfortable with how much time they spent there, given that they were Slytherins, and she was Head Girl, and the only reason they got away with it was because Bobbin was trying to appease Ebony and she didn't feel comfortable exploiting that anymore.

Rose also suspected Ebony's reluctance was largely in part to James' noticeable absence, but Scorpius was probably too naive to realise that.

But it did make a lot of sense to utilise the room for that purpose, and Rose was surprised that she had never considered it before. She supposed that, because everybody had seemed content with using the Gryffindor Common Room, she had never needed to consider alternative options—but this would actually certainly be better. It probably wasn't the best idea to be so openly and casually flaunting a lack of respect for the school rules given that they were all seventh-years—and most of them were badge-holders, after all. It didn't set a very good example for the younger students. And this would be more inclusive for the Slytherins anyway.

Rose's anticipation at seeing Scorpius that evening did little to relieve the ever-growing anxiety she felt surrounding the situation between Gwen and Janey. Barely twenty-four hours had passed since their big showdown in the Quidditch changing rooms, and the two stubborn girls had been profusely ignoring each other all day.

Rose couldn't be sure whose side she was supposed to be taking—if either—and once she had relayed what had happened to Taylor, they had both come to the conclusion that both girls were completely valid—and completely in the wrong.

It had been a low blow for Gwen to target Janey's relationship with Sam.

Janey had always been incredibly protective and sensitive when it came to Sam. It had taken a lot of encouragement from the Gryffin-Girls for her to even consider revealing how truly she cared for him and entering into a committed relationship. It had been entirely foreign to her to break her string of flings for a boy she actually cared for on a deeper level, and it constantly scared and overwhelmed her to be so openly vulnerable with her heart. For Gwen to take shots at that, and to belittle her for her past attitude towards dating, given that it stemmed from insecurity over her parents' separation, was unbelievably cruel—and a side of her that Rose had rarely seen.

But Gwen was also right that Janey wasn't nearly as committed to the team as she should have been. At the end of the day, it was Gwen who would suffer from Janey's carefree attitude. If she wanted to be considered for professional teams once she graduated from Hogwarts, she would need to cement herself as a prodigy—and captaining a team to victory, even at a school level, was going to catch recruiters' eyes. Janey was—or at least had been—arguably, the most valuable player on the team. It rarely mattered how well the rest of the team played if the Seeker failed to catch the Snitch—not with regards to the overall outcome of the match. And for her to compromise the entire team out of careless indifference was selfish beyond belief.

It also hadn't been appropriate for Janey to take shots at Gwen's own dating life—or lack thereof—even though Rose was sure she had only done it in bitter retaliation for Gwen's own remarks. Whether or not there was any truth in it at all, Rose couldn't be sure, but it certainly hadn't been nice for Janey to humiliate her like that in front of the whole team. Rose herself had done something similar to Taylor back in their fourth year, and it was the argument she regretted the most.

It had been rash but understandable for Gwen to kick her off the team. And it had been rash but understandable for Janey to storm out in the way that she had.

As Rose approached the Room of Requirement with Taylor by her side, she wasn't sure what to expect. Not from the room that lay within, nor for the dynamics of their friendship group. Scorpius had obliviously extended invitations to all of their usual friends, unaware of the new tensions between Gwen and Janey, and Rose wasn't sure whether either of them would even show, and, if they both did, how exactly it would go down.

It was certainly not turning into the Christmas Rose had been so looking forward to. She had finally found harmony with Scorpius, and now the turmoil was back—even if it didn't directly concern her—in her own dorm room. Why could nothing ever just be wholly good in her life?

Scorpius was waiting for them with a huge grin on his face when they made it to the familiar corridor.

Rose hadn't set foot in the Room of Requirement since before the summer—when they had all been training to embark on a reckless adventure the likes her parents had frequently indulged in during their own time at Hogwarts. It was the first place Rose had interacted with Scorpius since their one-and-a-half-year's separation, and her stomach flurried with butterflies at the memory.

"Hi," Rose greeted excitedly.

"Hi," Scorpius said back. "I was starting to think you weren't coming."

"I had an essay to finish."

"Of course you did." He planted a quick kiss on her cheek and smiled at Taylor in greeting.

"Who, ah, who exactly is here?" Rose asked nervously.

Scorpius looked clueless as to her anxiety. "Me, Jinx, Albireo, Ebony, Albus, and Gwen. And, now, you guys," he said brightly.

So no Sam and Janey? Rose wasn't sure if she felt relieved or worried. She certainly didn't want the pair to be excluded from the group over Christmas, but she wasn't sure putting Janey and Gwen, and their clashing personalities, in the same room was such a good idea. Not so soon after their explosive argument.

But if they refused to go anywhere near each other, how would they ever resolve their differences and form a truce?

"Do you know if Sam and Janey are coming?" Rose asked.

"I haven't a clue."

Well, Rose supposed there was no point dwelling on it. "Okay," she relented. "Well, show us what you've done with the place!"

Scorpius looked incredibly pleased with himself. "You'll be pleased to know I've used a lot more imagination than the last time you asked me to think up a room."

Rose felt herself blush. The very first time she had ever used the room was when James and Janey had thrown her a birthday party for her fifteenth. Even though they had been dating at the time, and he had promised to come, Scorpius had failed to show, and so Rose had opted to show him the magic of the room afterwards, asking him to envision a room—any room he could possibly think of. What had resulted was a boring, grey room, not much bigger than a cupboard, and with no windows or lighting. But they had certainly made good use of it regardless…

"I don't think I want to know," Taylor said with distaste, reminding them both that she was very much still there.

"Alright, let's go," Scorpius said excitedly. With much grandeur, he flung the door to the mysterious room wide open, allowing the girls entry.

Rose's face lit up with delight. It was a beautifully cosy room, slightly smaller than either of their common rooms, but exhibiting the best aspects of both. There were no distinguishing house colours, rather one, large, Hogwarts crest above the largest fireplace Rose had ever seen—the centrepiece of the room—with a large rug spread out before it. And dotted around it were cushioned sofas, and armchairs, and blankets, filled already with most of their group. There was no lighting save for the soft glow of the fire, casting the room into a romantic dim light, and exuding warmth to all corners.

"Scorpius, this is incredible!" Rose said in awe.

Scorpius had come to stand by her side, arms folded across his chest as he admired his work. "I'm glad you think so. I don't know why we didn't think of this sooner."

"You know, if you were rethinking that whole Healer thing, you might have a future as an interior decorator."

Scorpius laughed, and as the three of them went to join their friends by the fire, Rose noticed two things. Firstly, she noticed how tight-lipped and despondent Gwen was—like she was on edge, poised for combat. That didn't surprise Rose at all—none of them knew whether Janey would actually show.

She tried to offer the girl a reassuring smile, but Gwen didn't even look at her.

The other thing Rose noticed was how downcast Ebony looked, and her heart sank. The girl had really been going through it since they'd returned for their final year. Rose got it, she really did, but she didn't know what she could really do. She and Scorpius had been trying their hardest to ensure Ebony felt as included and supported as possible, but she was often morose, choosing solitude and isolation over hanging out with them all. And even when she did, such as then, it was always like she wasn't really there. Her mind—her heart—was somewhere else entirely.

But Rose was just grateful she had shown. She wanted to spend as much time together as a group as possible whilst they still had that freedom. It was already a little hollow having lost James and Mason, and she wanted to make every moment with her friends count whilst she still could.

Rose thought sadly, once more, of Sam and Janey. She really, really, did not want them to isolate themselves from the group—least of all in the lead-up to Christmas—nor did she want to consider the alternative, which was losing Gwen. Couldn't they all just put their petty differences aside for the sake of the holiday season?

Rose gravitated towards the Slytherins, as she hadn't yet interacted with them that day.

"Hi, Ebony," Rose said with her most warm smile, settling herself down by the fire next to the girl.

Ebony offered her a weak smile in response, but she said nothing. Her eyes, normally a piercing green colour, looked just as empty as her smile. Rose felt something unsettling stir in her stomach.

"Are you looking forward to Christmas?" she tried.

"I, uh, yeah," Ebony said, looking a little dazed. Perhaps the smallest glimmer suddenly shone in her pupils.

Rose knew why—Ebony was spending Christmas with the Potters. With James.

"Where's Janey?" Jinx suddenly demanded, clearly noticing the absence of her half-sister. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that Jinx was a Metamorphmagus, she and Janey could be identical twins—in personality at least.

Rose's heart sank. "She, ah, I'm not sure if she's even—"

But a loud disturbance by the door let Rose know she had spoken too soon.

Gwen's criticism of Janey's lack of punctuality had clearly had no impact, because the girl sauntered into the room quite happily, late as ever, and with Sam loyally by her side. Rose found her eyes automatically drawn to Gwen, and her body went cold.

Gwen looked furious, immediately turning her face away to scowl. If there was any chance that some time might have softened their anger towards each other, it was evident that it hadn't happened. It could go one of two ways, Rose considered with a gulp. Either they would profusely ignore each other like they had done all day, or they were going to end up engaged in another explosive argument. The Slytherins likely had no idea what they had found themselves in the midst of.

"I don't see why we have to come here now—what was wrong with the Gryffindor Common Room?" Janey loudly and rather obnoxiously asked as she examined the room.

Rose noticed the almost imperceptible tightening of Gwen's jaw.

"Because if you ever bothered to acknowledge anybody other than yourself, you'd notice that we're not all Gryffindors," Jinx piped up sweetly.

Janey offered her a condescending but amused cocking of her head in response.

"That's, ah, that's a big fire," Sam said nervously, his eyes widening as he took in the enormous fireplace in the centre of the wall which sprawled before him.

Rose's stomach was gripped with anxiety once more. She had completely forgotten about Sam's aversion to fire. It had only come about over the summer, likely due to their encounter with Fiendfyre—the deadly inferno infused with dark magic which had been conjured by and ultimately taken the life of Astoria Malfoy, Scorpius' mother. Rose couldn't say she had particularly enjoyed the experience herself, but it has certainly had a lasting effect on Sam. She didn't know how much Scorpius was aware of that.

"I can make it smaller," Scorpius offered. "Or put it out."

Rose was relieved. Once upon a time, he might have made some snide remark or belittling taunt, but he had changed for the better. She felt a rush of warmth and gratitude for him, grateful for how much he had matured in the time they'd spent apart.

"No, it's fine," Sam said with a brave confidence, though he was still warily eyeing the dancing flames.

Janey slipped her hand into his, and Rose could see how much this simple interaction made his tensed shoulders visibly soften, even if neither of them realised it.

As everybody still standing made their way to sit by the fire, Rose noticed Janey and Gwen lock eyes. Each looked as alarmed as the other upon realising that they'd made direct eye contact, and both hurriedly looked away with a fierce determination. Janey settled herself down by Jinx, as far as possible from Gwen, and Rose could only inwardly sigh. She supposed the silent treatment was better than an argument, but she really, really did not want their hostilities to extend all the way to Christmas. Maybe they just needed a day or two to revel in their anger and then they'd calm down and resolve their differences. Rose could only hope.

At that point, she was just grateful that they were still opting to share space together without kicking up too much of a fuss.

"So," Scorpius said gleefully, slipping his arm around Rose's back as he settled onto the sofa next to her. "I hear the Gryffindor Quidditch Team has been working overtime to try and beat the Slytherins in our friendly in a couple of weeks?"

Rose subconsciously shot him a panicked warning look. Scorpius just frowned in response, perfectly baffled. She supposed he wasn't to know—she hadn't been able to give him prior warning that Quidditch, and the Gryffindor team in particular, were topics to absolutely be avoided at all costs—but, Merlin, he was naive sometimes.

Surprisingly, Gwen actually smiled at his comment, some of her tensions easing. "It's going to be a little teaser of your crushing defeat when we beat you for real in the summer."

The two rival Quidditch Captains beamed at each other.

"Very cocky, Jones—that might be to your detriment. Remind me which teams have won their first matches? And which ones lost?"

Gwen did not look disturbed by Scorpius' taunting, but Rose was on edge, her eyes constantly nervously flickering towards Janey to see how she was responding to it all. She looked emotionless, staring intently into the fire. Rose unintentionally locked eyes with Sam, who looked just as nervous as she did about the topic of conversation. She gave him a slight, reassuring nod to let him know that, whatever happened, they were in it together.

"Shaky start," Gwen said dismissively. "We're just warming up for the real deal. No one could have expected Ravenclaw would play so well."

"It's the new captain," Albireo piped up, lazily lounging in one of the armchairs. "He's only a fifth-year, but his dad played for the Falcons or something, so he's super up on all the professional tactics."

Scorpius frowned. "So he's a nepo-captain," he mused. "That hardly seems fair."

Gwen looked at him very pointedly. Her mother, after all, was Gwenog Jones, a retired professional Quidditch player from the Holyhead Harpies.

Scorpius playfully rolled his eyes when he caught on.

"Technically, James was too," Albus thought out loud.

Rose smiled at the thought. Her aunt Ginny had also played for the Harpies for a few years, and as she was both Albus and James' mum, the same implications applied to the pair of them.

Ebony seemed to look interested at the mention of her husband, and then immediately sad again.

"So," Jinx piped up, "the Gryffindor team currently has two children of retired professional Quidditch players? Shouldn't there be rules against this!"

"Nah," Scorpius dismissed, still grinning. "It will only make it that much more satisfying when our humble team win the league. And besides," he said cockily, "unfair advantages or not, at the end of the day, it all comes down to who the better Seeker is. Isn't that right, Janey?"

Despite the continued warmth of the burning fire, Rose felt the room go cold.

Scorpius alone was looking at Janey with wicked delight, whilst all the others—or at least the Gryffindors—looked mortified. Janey turned her head at the mention of her name, her lips tightly pursed.

"I'm not the Gryffindor Seeker anymore," she said coldly.

Scorpius' brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

Either out of idiotic obliviousness to the tensions in the room, or because he simply didn't care for either of the girls to make a venomous remark first, it was Albus who said, "Gwen kicked her off the team."

Rose looked at him sharply. Albus had gotten a lot more daring over the summer. Maybe it had been the reckless adventure they'd embarked on in their last term, or maybe it was the confidence of being Head Boy or now having a girlfriend. Maybe it was because he no longer felt so sidelined by his older brother.

"Actually, I chose to leave," Janey countered with viciousness.

Scorpius now turned to look at Rose, his eyes full of question. Rose tried her best to convey to him that it was a remarkably sensitive topic and they really shouldn't talk about it, but whether or not he understood, she couldn't be sure.

Unhelpfully, Jinx decided she wanted answers. "Why?" she demanded of her sister with scathing accusation. "We were going to finally kick your arses!"

Janey just shrugged. "It wasn't important to me anymore."

She was being remarkably mature about it, Rose thought with respect.

"At least that's what some people think." Janey threw a dirty glare at Gwen.

Rose cursed herself for being so stupidly optimistic.

"Janey's priorities had shifted," Gwen announced, her tone unforgiving. "So she was no longer a good fit for our team."

Janey opened her mouth, fury brimming in her eyes once more.

"And we're not going to argue about it again," Albus said fiercely, glaring at both of the girls in turn, exuding authority in only the way the Head Boy could.

Rose was impressed. It really was as though Albus was stepping into James' shoes in his absence—the older Potter boy had always been their unofficial leader.

Even more remarkably, both girls obediently fell silent.

"So who's going to be the Seeker?" Jinx demanded, apparently unable to read the room.

Rose hadn't considered that at all. She had assumed they would probably just cancel the friendly—it wasn't like they could play without a Seeker.

"I have some people in mind," Gwen said with an air of mystery.

Rose couldn't be sure whether she was lying or not, but she didn't want to query it—not in front of Janey. The girl was fiercely jealous and competitive if nothing else. Talks of her replacement, hypothetical or not, would be an unnecessary cruelty.

"So what are everybody's plans for Christmas?" Rose asked the room loudly, determined to steer the conversation away from all mention of Quidditch.

"We're all going home, aren't we?" Albus asked.

"Yes," Ebony said quickly.

"When is Victoire due?" Gwen asked politely, apparently having calmed down from her almost-spat with Janey.

Victoire was Rose's oldest cousin, and she was rapidly approaching nine months pregnant with her husband and former Hufflepuff Head Boy Teddy Lupin's baby.

"Christmas Day, actually," Rose answered. "But they're really hoping it comes before." She herself was deeply looking forward to the new addition to the family. She had so many aunts and uncles, and so many cousins, and she was excited for the next generation of Weasleys to come along. Though, she supposed, the baby would technically be a Lupin.

"And they still don't know the sex?" Sam queried.

It was Albus who answered. "Oh, they know—they're just refusing to tell anybody. James has made a massive bet with our cousin Fred that it's a boy, and they're only not telling people to spite him."

Once more, Rose noticed Ebony's demeanour suddenly lighten, like a dog's ears perking up.

"It's weird to think that me and Teddy are cousins," Scorpius mused out loud.

"Second cousins," Rose emphasised quickly.

It was true—Scorpius and Teddy shared common ancestors from the Black family—one of the oldest and purest wizarding families in magical Britain. In fact, Scorpius' paternal grandmother, Narcissa, had been the sister of Teddy's maternal grandmother, Andromeda.

Scorpius suddenly frowned, looking to Rose with slight discomfort. "We're not, ah—we're not related, are we?"

"No," Rose snorted. "Teddy's not my blood relative—he's just married to my cousin."

Scorpius visibly relaxed, and Rose couldn't help but laugh.

"Actually," Albus piped up mischievously. "You two both belong to two of the most ancient pure-blooded families going—there is absolutely familial overlap somewhere down the line."

Rose and Scorpius both scowled at him.

"Incredibly distant," Rose said calmly.

"I'm kind of jealous that you'll all get to spend Christmas together," Scorpius said thoughtfully, moving the conversation along and looking at Rose, but presumably also referring to Albus and Ebony.

The entire extended Potter-Weasley family always spent Christmas together at the Burrow—Rose's paternal grandparents' house in Devon—meaning Rose, Albus, and James were all together. This time, of course, they would be joined by Ebony.

Rose suddenly had a thought, her heart rate already rapidly increasing with excitement. "What if you came too?" she breathed, thrilled at the idea.

Something glimmered in Scorpius' eyes, but it quickly died out. "Oh, your dad would just love that," he teased, but Rose knew it was something more. "In all honesty, I don't think I could leave my dad," he apologised.

Rose instantly felt guilty. It was the Malfoy family's first Christmas without their matriarch—without Astoria. Of course Scorpius would want to be with his dad and sister. Rose felt stupid for even having said anything.

She sighed, sinking into his side, quite forgetting they were surrounded by all of their friends. "It's just—it's our first Christmas together."

"I know," Scorpius said kindly.

It seemed strange to think, but it was true. Even though they had been romantically involved since Rose was just fourteen, they had never spent a Christmas season together. Their first treacherous attempt at romance had ended just weeks before the holiday in their fifth year, and it had probably been Rose's most miserable Christmas to date. The following year, she had been far happier and content with where she was in her life, but she and Scorpius still hadn't yet reconnected. And now, there they were, their first Christmas together, and their last one at Hogwarts. And she wouldn't get to experience either him or the castle on the actual day itself. It seemed a cruel fate, given how much she loved the warmth and joy that Christmas brought her—the same exact way Scorpius always made her feel.

"It's weird to think we won't be here in the castle for our last Christmas," Sam said, sounding a little lost.

"I think I might stay."

Everybody turned to look at Janey in surprise at her comment.

Even Sam turned to look at her with confused questioning. "What?" he asked gently, like he couldn't believe what she'd said.

"I might stay," Janey repeated, that time with more confidence. "Here. At Hogwarts. For Christmas."

"By yourself?" Sam asked, looking deeply saddened by the thought.

Janey shrugged. "Sure. My parents are never around—I'd only be bored. I might as well just stay here for one, last time."

Rose felt her heart go out to the girl. No one should be alone on Christmas.

"You could come home with me," Sam tentatively offered before Rose could suggest the same.

"Absolutely not," Janey said with a playful smile. "I already met your family over the summer—that was a big enough step for the year."

Rose couldn't help but smile. Janey had never been so serious with a boyfriend before—coming home with him for Christmas would definitely be putting her out of her comfort zone.

"Then I'll stay here with you," Sam declared.

Janey looked at him with awe in her eyes. "What?" she asked breathlessly.

Sam offered her a warm smile. "I'm not letting you spend Christmas alone, don't be ridiculous. If you're staying then I'm staying too."

Janey looked enthralled by his suggestion, but then somewhat guilty. "But won't your family miss you?"

"I mean—sure, of course," Sam contemplated. "Me and my mum have always spent the holidays together since my dad died—but she'll have the others."

Sam had a big family, Rose recalled. Since his mum had remarried, he'd gained a stepdad, two step-siblings, and even two younger half-siblings.

"She'll understand," Sam assured Janey with kindness. "It's our last Christmas to spend in the castle after all."

Rose didn't think she had ever seen Janey look at Sam with such tender devotion in her eyes. Something stirred in her heart.

"You know, in that case, I might stay too," Taylor declared. "It'll just be me and my mum otherwise—and she's got other family she can be with."

Janey flashed Taylor an appreciative look.

"Well, then, I want to stay too!" Jinx chimed in with a slightly whiny edge to her voice. "We're in, right?" she demanded of Albireo.

The boy looked startled but offered a small shrug of his own. "Sure," he said, though Rose suspected he felt like he didn't have much of a choice.

Taking them all completely by surprise, given that the declarations to remain in the castle for Christmas had stemmed from Janey, and looking a little wary of it herself, Gwen said, "I could stay too."

For the slightest moment, hers and Janey's gazes met, some silent understanding passing between them.

"It's our last Christmas," Gwen repeated. "It would be nice… to all be together."

Rose could have been mistaken, but she thought she saw the flicker of a smile briefly pass over Janey's lips before she turned to Rose with expectation.

The redhead felt incredibly torn. As appealing as the thought of them all spending Christmas in the castle for their final time was to her, she simply couldn't imagine not spending the holiday surrounded by her massive family—her parents, all her aunts and uncles, James. Not to mention Teddy and Victoire's new, tiny addition.

"I…" Rose began uncertainly. "I don't know. I've always spent Christmas with my family…"

"Come on, Rose," it was Taylor who pleaded. "The Gryffin-Girls all together—one last Christmas in the castle?"

Ron and Hermione would be devastated at first, Rose considered. But, ultimately, they would understand. Of course they would understand.

The fact that Gwen and Janey were willing to put their differences aside to spend the holiday together was also very moving, and Rose knew she would feel immensely hollow at the thought of them all spending Christmas together without her just the same.

"Let's do it, Rose," Albus encouraged her. "I will if you will."

"Really?" Rose asked.

Albus was in the same boat as her, of course. He nodded encouragingly. "With the new baby, they'll hardly notice we're missing anyway," he laughed.

Rose smiled. It would be incredibly meaningful for them to all spend their last Christmas together at Hogwarts. But only under one condition. She turned her head to stare into Scorpius' beautiful glass-green eyes.

"I'm in," he vowed.

Rose's heart swelled. "But your dad," she reminded him in a weak voice.

"He'll spend it with his parents," Scorpius said with certainty. "And I'm sure Serephina will still go home. He'll understand."

Rose felt a warmth spread through her body which had nothing to do with the fire still flickering away before them. "Alright," she said, beaming. She looked around the room at all her friends with uncontained happiness. "Let's do it then!"

Scorpius must have noticed, at the same time as Rose had, that only one member of their party had not yet pledged to spend Christmas in the castle. One person who had barely spoken all evening. Their eyes settled on her at the same time.

Ebony looked completely heartbroken, her face eerily pale.

Scorpius, who was sat closest to her, extended a reassuring hand to stroke her arm. She didn't move at his touch, like she hadn't processed it at all.

"Ebony?" he asked gently. The unspoken question lingered in the room, the only sound to be heard being that of the gentle cracking in the fireplace.

"I…" She looked truly dazed.

Rose felt immensely guilty. In her and Albus' hasty declarations to all stay together, they had completely overlooked Ebony and the turmoil she would now be facing with this decision.

"Please?" Scorpius asked her—the only one who could. "It wouldn't be the same without you," he said sadly.

"I… I can't," Ebony eventually stuttered. "I—no," she said with more certainty. "I have to be with James."

She looked at Scorpius with sincere apology in her eyes, perhaps even a sense of guilt.

"I have to," she said breathlessly.

Scorpius did not look reassured.

"James would understand," Albus offered weakly.

Rose knew, just as Albus did, that this was absolutely not true. James would be pining for Ebony as desperately as she was for him, impatiently counting down the days until they were reunited. In fact, he would be devastated that even Rose and Albus had opted out of Christmas at the Burrow—but if Ebony did too? He would be a wreck.

"No," Ebony repeated, looking even more distressed. "I'm spending Christmas with James," she said fiercely, apparently more to herself than anybody else. "With my husband."

Rose wished there was a way for James to spend Christmas at Hogwarts, but Bobbin had already been incredibly firm on the topic. Ebony has already asked, after all, and been brutally shot down.

It would mean a lot to Bobbin for Ebony to spend Christmas in the castle, to be a family with her and Professor Roberts, Rose knew. And even more so if she knew all of the rest of them were too. But Rose also knew how much they were all asking by suggesting Ebony eschew seeing James for another two weeks in favour of them. The next time Ebony would be able to see him, if she agreed to stay, wouldn't be until their next Hogsmeade weekend—which wasn't scheduled until February. Another two months without him.

"It won't be the same without you," Scorpius repeated, offering her arm a gentle squeeze.

If anybody could convince her, it was Scorpius. Rose was holding her breath. As desperately sad as she had been lately, it really wouldn't be the same without Ebony.

"You have your whole life to spend with James," Scorpius pointed out with deep kindness. "But you only have one last Christmas to spend in the castle with all your friends—with Bobbin and Roberts too."

Ebony looked, very briefly, like she was considering it, and Rose felt hopeful.

"Come on, Eb," Jinx urged, just as kind as Scorpius had been. "Potter can't be that great of a snog that you can't go a few more months without sucking face."

Ebony actually did briefly smile, but, just as quickly, the sadness was swimming in her eyes once more as she contemplated her dilemma.

"James will understand," Rose assured Ebony. "He'll sulk at first, but he wouldn't want you to miss out on this." She knew it was true and hoped Ebony would believe her. James, as self-centred as he often was, would absolutely want Ebony to be with her friends as much as she could. He would wait for her forever.

"Just say you'll think about it," Scorpius asked, retracting his hand.

Ebony looked at him, some of the colour returning to her face. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll… I'll think about it."

Whether or not she really would, Scorpius seemed satisfied, and Rose felt the same.

Janey suddenly let out a squeal of excitement, which took them all by surprise. "Christmas at Hogwarts!" she declared excitedly.

Rose couldn't help but smile too, nestling her head into Scorpius' shoulder and feeling truly content.

Everybody looked just as thrilled by the idea as Janey did, exchanging warm smiles all around. All save for Ebony, who still looked deeply unsure about her decision.

Scorpius planted a kiss atop Rose's head and allowed it to linger. "I love you, Rose Weasley," he murmured into her hair so nobody but her could hear.

Rose felt an even bigger smile creep out onto her face. One Scorpius couldn't see, but hoped he could feel. Her heart has truly never felt so warm.

It really was looking to be the best Christmas ever.

Author's Note: Title and epigraph inspired by Gabriella Cilmi's 'Warm This Winter'