You're My Destiny↣ Harmione

Chapter Seven

Chapter 7 - Nuts?

Ron Weasley woke on Christmas morning to silence, not something he was accustomed to. This was his first Christmas away from home, and also his first without his parents' presence. His mum and dad had taken his young sister to visit their dragon handling brother in Romania, where they would all be spending the entire holidays. With all his dorm-mates away home for the Christmas holidays too, he had the entire dorm to himself. This resulted in the unusual silence, not something Ron was familiar with - either in Hogwarts or at the Burrow.

He had hoped Harry would be staying in Hogwarts too, instead both he and Granger had left the day before the express. Ron didn't even get a chance to wish him a Merry Christmas, and hopefully start to rebuild their once strong friendship. Ever since Granger got her hooks into Harry at Halloween, he was like a different person - a person who didn't need Ron Weasley in his life.

After having basked in the notoriety of being the boy-who-lived's best friend for two months, to have that snatched away from him in an instant was hard to take. What was even harder to take was his once best friend claiming he had no memories of those two months, or that close friendship they'd shared. Now Harry and Hermione were certainly a package deal, yesterday's Prophet announcing she was his intended made the entire country aware of that.

Harry had appeared to go out of his way since Halloween to make new friends, Ron was sure that certainly helped see this unbelievable news almost casually gain acceptance amongst their peers. Then again, most students' attentions were held by the fact Snape had changed his plea to guilty, and was therefore heading for Azkaban - ending once and for all any possibility of him ever returning to Hogwarts as a professor.

Having to ask his twin brothers for advice on anything was always going to be fraught with danger, their reputations for making mischief being well earned. Ron didn't see any other options open to him though. Fred and George were certainly people both Harry and his new intended counted as friends, he would need to ask the twins how they managed it. That would be for later since there were currently gifts to open. Ignoring what he guessed by shape and feel was another Weasley jumper, Ron made straight for those packages that might contain sweets or cakes.

-oOoOo-

Draco Malfoy was another first year student who wasn't having the Christmas he'd imagined, and again Harry Potter was at the centre of his troubles. The Malfoy Christmas Ball was normally the highlight of the British magical social calendar, but not this year. For the first time ever, owls had been busy delivering scroll after scroll offering invited guests' apologies - apologies that they wouldn't be able to attend. There had usually been the odd one or two, neither family emergencies nor ill health being unavoidable - even at Christmas. This year however over half of those invited were not going to be attending.

The scroll from the Minister of Magic, citing the lame excuse of a previous engagement, really had his father swearing. All three Malfoys knew that, in previous years, it would be the other engagement that would be receiving the excuse scroll. That the minister was suggesting there actually was another engagement worthy of his attendance tonight really brought home just how far their star had waned.

The Malfoy Annual Christmas Ball was usually such a success, with everyone who was anyone attending, no one would dare run another ball on the same evening. It wouldn't be until later tonight they would discover just where all their missing guests had gone.

-oOoOo-

Severus was spending his first, and hopefully last, Christmas as a guest in Azkaban. While he wasn't being held in the high security wing, this level was easily bad enough for the potions master. He would keep his head down and strive to become a model prisoner, there was no way he wanted to spend an additional two years in this place. Severus was still trying to get over the shock of being betrayed, both back in Hogwarts and again in that courtroom.