Guilty. | D.M.

Twenty two.

Ah, Christmas time.

The Hogwarts Express was decorated in tinsel and garments, sparkles and glitter as the ground around were covered by a blanket of snow, gently falling from the cloudy skies above.

Christmas Eve, one of the busier days at the station, students were carrying their luggage onto the train and saying their goodbyes to friends as some have decided to go home for the holidays, while others decided to stay put.

As Maisie handed off her luggage to the porter, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Happy Christmas, Roux," Harry greeted her as she spun around to face him, "How are you spending the holidays?"

Maisie smiled gently at Harry as he tucked his hands into his pockets to gather some warmth from the cold. She looked to the sides of him and by the lack of luggage, she understood that he wasn't going to be boarding the train with her. "I'm actually spending it with Malfoy, as I do almost every year."

Harry nodded his head disapprovingly, and sported a soft scoff at the end of it. Maisie wasn't sure if she heard the noise clearly and was intrigued, "What? Do I have to get your approval for that?"

Harry shakes his head, "No, I'm just surprised, is all. It seems you two spend a lot of time together."

"You're acting suspiciously jealous, Harry. There's no reason to be... as I've told you many times before that we—" Maisie points between their two bodies, "—are friends."

Harry looks up to Maisie, with a bit of disappointment in his face. Flashbacks of the image of Maisie and Draco in the library was still burned into his mind. The mention of being only friends with Maisie embodied him with annoyance that Draco has already bested him in a category he was so sure that he could've won.

"Maybe missing me over Christmas will change your mind about that..." Harry takes a step closer to Maisie and grazes his pointer finger to lift up her chin slightly, "...Cause I'll definitely miss you."

Maisie rolls her eyes and begins to walk towards the train. She turns to face Harry once more before waving goodbye and climb up the few steps before searching for the compartment where her friends were waiting.

Harry walked back over to where Ron was patiently waiting for him, casually leaning against the bricks of the station wall. Once Harry grew near, Ron stood up on his own two feet again.
"What was that about?" He asks.

"The beginning of the end..." Harry begins to explain. He looks back towards the train and slyly chuckles, "Planting the seed. Now she'll be thinking of me until she gets back."

-

After the long trip back to Kings Cross, students began to get off of the train and reunited with their families that were waiting for them patiently.

Maisie and Draco both said goodbye to their friends, just for a short while, as they all knew that the were going to be seeing each other very soon and often over the next few days.

"Christmas at the Manor should be interesting, don't you think?" Draco smirks while putting down his briefcase beside him.

Maisie scoffs, "Don't get any ideas. Narcissa will be home and I will not disrespect her in her house."

"She won't be present half of the time... the entire Manor, all to ourselves..." Draco's voice trails off and his mouth was just millimeters away from Maisie's ear, sending shivers down her spine.
She quickly nudges Draco to step away from her, hitting him right in the core, causing him to grunt and fix his coat jacket in the process.