I awoke to Mother holding my hand. My eyes felt so heavy. Father stood nearby, talking to Dumbledore.
“How did this happen?” Father growled.
“I can assure you…” Dumbledore’s voice drifted away from me until all sound faded.
I awoke to darkness.
Mother sat beside me, holding my hand, but I could barely feel her. The numbness had spread through my middle finger and halfway across my hand. I could barely feel her touch.
“You never said they’d put an Aracni-Syne on her,” Mother growled in hushed tones.
“I didn’t know. Not until that thing showed up with one,” Daddy said.
“You should have stopped it.”
“What did you want me to say? ‘Oh no, Dark Lord, don’t enact your plan!’ I couldn’t…” He stopped when I looked at him.
My vision blurred.
I worked my mouth, but my head lolled.
I doubled over, and Mother held up a bucket. I vomited. She patted my back.
The world spun, and everything went dark.
I came to and saw Mother talking to Madam Pomfrey.
“No!” they shouted.
Mother gestured towards me, and the nurse simply stood in silence.
The world faded to black.
I woke to the sensation of a weight pressing against me. A nurse changed my IV bag, and glowing fluids dripped into my vein. Mother watched her leave. The moment Pomfrey turned her back, Mother sniffed and dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.
She saw me looking and said something.
My eyes grew heavy, and when I opened them again, she was gone.
I looked outside. The leaves were deep orange.
I wanted to get up. To move, to call out to her, but I had no energy. I tried to sit up, but my head spun, and I fell back onto the bed.
I closed my eyes.
I opened them what felt like seconds later, but the trees had no leaves. I glimpsed snow.
I closed my eyes again, and when I opened them, snow lined the windowsill.
I sat up, and my head hurt. I flexed my left hand, but it felt numb.
No, I couldn’t feel the whole hand.
Panicking, I touched my fingers. The numbness had spread all the way to my wrist.
Flowers and stuffed toys lined the foot of my bed. “Get well soon” cards and boards clustered around my cot.
I staggered to my feet, only to realise I was wearing a hospital gown.
I did a double take when I spotted a Christmas tree in the corner. Decorations covered the hospital ward.
I walked towards the tree, each step feeling as though my legs had weights attached.
“AHHH! You’re awake!” Madam Pomfrey gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth.
The woman had tears in her eyes.
“Hi.” I waved.
“It’s a Christmas miracle!” She hurried over and clasped my hands.
“Christmas? What happened to December?” I asked.
“Oh, right, it’s Christmas Eve. We couldn’t risk sending you home. The Noxocia poison settles in the muscles. If we moved you, we risked spreading it. It looks like the detoxification finally worked. Oh, good heavens, I was so scared. I’ll let your family know, and they can…”
She stopped when I gripped her hand.
“Maybe give me some time?” I asked.
“Yes, of course. I’ll let the others know.”
“Others? Wait, people stay here for the Christmas holidays?”
“A few, yes.” She nodded.
“Why?” I chuckled.
She looked as though she wanted to tell me something very important, but thought better of it.
“I’ll be sure to let Mister Potter know as well. He’s been visiting you a lot.” She patted my numb hand and turned to leave.
“Harry… is… here?” I gasped.
I sat in the Great Hall. I felt cold despite having my back to the fireplace. I wore pyjamas, with a jumper and a heavy cloak draped over my shoulders.
I stared at the tiny bite marks on my middle finger.
I didn’t feel like myself.
For a start, I felt weak. Just walking here had taken three times as long as it should have.
“Hey?” Harry came over and sat opposite me.
“Hi.” I gave him a faint smile.
I didn’t take my eyes off my hand.
He watched me. He swallowed, and I noticed his Adam’s apple bob up and down.
“How are you?” he asked.
He wore jeans and a T-shirt with a yellow scarf. He looked cute and gave me a toothy smile.
“You up for a walk?” he asked.
Totally not up for a walk.
“Yes.” I nodded.
We walked in silence down the long corridors. I glimpsed students playing board games. Outside, others threw snowballs, built snowmen, or simply wandered around the school grounds.
“I’m surprised people stay here,” I said.
“Yes, some do. I did a few times.” He chewed his lower lip.
“You didn’t spend it with your family… ah… sorry, I forgot. You have friends, right?”
“Normally, yes!” He shook his head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“You can talk to me.”
“I…” He regarded me.
I realised how this looked. Harry and me. Enemies since practically the first day of school. How many fights had we had? How many rows in public and behind closed doors?
Everyone knew I hated his guts.
I’d literally die of embarrassment if anyone knew I had feelings for him.
“No, sorry. I’m being stupid.” I shook my head.
He simply nodded.
I regarded him, wondering why he’d stayed here. What was going on with him and the Pot-heads?
I spotted an elf carrying plates.
“Dobby?” I asked.
“Ahhh!” Dobby squealed and threw his hands into the air, sending plates flying upwards.
Dishes smashed.
Harry grimaced as the elf hastily gathered the pieces. He waved his fingers, and the plates restored themselves.
“Sorry, miss, sorry!” Dobby mumbled.
I eyed the elf.
I wondered what had happened to him. Father had said he’d sold the elf, but here he was, of all places.
“Come on.” Harry tapped my arm.
We entered the kitchen, where elves bustled about. A few gasped when they saw me. The rest tried their best to look inconspicuous.
“This way.” Harry nodded towards the back.
He led me to a bench between two stone ovens. Elves climbed step ladders and slid trays of pastries into the ovens using flat wooden paddles.
“I saw you were cold, so I figured this would be a good place for you.” He nodded towards the bench.
I sat down, and the warmth seeped into me. I pulled my cloak around myself and smiled at him.
His face lit up.
My heart literally skipped several beats.
He pulled up a chair, and we simply sat in silence.
“So, going home for Christmas?” he asked at length.
“Well, I’ve spent Christmas Eve here. There’s no point going back just to come back in a week or so.” I shrugged.
“Right.”
“And you?”
“I’ve…”
“Harry.”
“No first names, remember?”
“Harry, Harry, Harry.”
“Fine, Draconia… It’s a bit long, though. How about Draco?”
“Excuse me?” I folded my arms.
“What?”
“Draco’s a boy’s name. Draconia is a perfectly dignified girl’s name.”
“All right, all right, if you say so. I’m not… you know, raised with this stuff.”
“Oh… right! Sorry.” I visibly relaxed.
We stared at each other, occasionally looking away. I couldn’t stop blushing. My cheeks felt like fire.
“Hey, we can do the thing. If I get better before the end of the holidays, it’s the perfect opportunity for the mission. Ah… Save My Life,” I said.
“That’s a terrible name. How about… hmm… Project Hollow?” He held up a finger.
“Yeah!”
“Just like that?”
“What? It’s a good name.”
“All right, then. I hate it. It’s a terrible name. Now convince me.” I smirked.
He chuckled.
We looked at each other, and we both laughed.
We discussed absolutely nothing for hours, and I had a blast.
Soon, dinner time came, and we found ourselves back in the Great Hall. The ceiling resembled the snowy sky. Candles danced overhead. Socks had been hung around the fireplace, each bearing a name.
I did a double take when I found one with my name on it.
Students feasted on sticky pudding, tarts, turkey with cranberry sauce, steak, and just about every delicacy imaginable.
I stuffed my face and then lay across the table. Harry sat beside me, munching on chips slathered in ketchup.
“Wanna see something cool?” he asked.
“Yep,” I said.
“Just like that?”
“I’m here with you, aren’t I? Let’s enjoy the day.” I nodded.
We walked down a dark corridor. Harry’s wand summoned pulses of light, illuminating the way.
We reached an abandoned classroom, and he unlocked the door with a spell.
Inside, chairs had been placed upside down on desks. A thick layer of dust covered everything, and giant cobwebs connected the corners.
Taking up the centre of the room was a covered object. It stood taller than me, concealed beneath a black tarp.
“Ah… actually, I’m realising this isn’t really a good idea.” He reached for the cloth but hesitated.
“What, is there a Dementor or something under there?” I laughed.
“No, no! It’s not bad, it’s just… ah…”
“Ah? What?”
“The Mirror of Erised shows you your heart’s desire. I thought it would be cool, but looking at it too long… well, it might make you long for things. So just… keep it brief.”
“No worries.” I shrugged.
“All right, then.” He yanked off the fabric.
I saw myself standing beside Harry Potter.
He looked at me and smiled, then reached out and took my hand.
“WHOA!” I staggered away.
“Whoa?” he asked.
I glanced at him, then back at his reflection.
He wasn’t standing in the same place as his reflection.
As my reflection came into view, he approached me and took my hands.
Then we kissed.
I jumped out of the mirror’s line of sight.
My cheeks burned.
“What did you see?” he asked.
“N… nothing!” I squealed.
I pulled my scarf over my face. He couldn’t see me blushing.
The room felt as though it were on fire. I fanned my cheeks.
Oh no! What if he saw it? He couldn’t have seen it!
Right?
“You… you… you didn’t see it? Right?” I asked.
“Only you can see your desires. For me, it’s my parents.” He looked at the mirror and furrowed his brow.
“Normally…”
His eyebrows shot up.
“Maybe not!” He threw the tarp over the mirror.
“What did you see?” I asked.
“Nothing. Yep. Maybe we should go. I think it’s broken.” He ushered me out.
We walked in silence back to my dormitory, and he stopped near the Slytherin entrance.
I tugged at my dress. I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Let’s… ah… let’s meet up tomorrow,” I said.
“Yeah. Definitely.” He nodded.
EEEE! He said YES! Girl, this is the BEST!
I turned to walk away but paused at the door.
He’d already started to leave when I lingered at the entrance.
“Harry!” I yelled.
He turned.
“I get to be the first to say it to you. Merry Christmas!” I called.
He chuckled.
“Merry Christmas.” He waved.