Smoke and Stars - A Theo Nott Story

Christmas Alone

The castle was quiet. Most of the students had left for the holiday, leaving the dormitories empty and the Great Hall sparse. Aria was the only Slytherin there for Christmas. Since most of them were purebloods with families at the center of their very lives, it was understandable. She figured that if she had a family to go home to, she would spend the holidays with them as well. But she didn't have a family to go home to. Only Enzo.

It had taken hours of convincing on her part to tell him to go home for Christmas. She didn't want her brother's holiday experience to be dampened purely for her sake; Enzo had always loved Christmas and she had a feeling that Christmas at Hogwarts would be a tad lackluster. Plus, she could use the time to get ahead on her studies and enjoy some peace and quiet before the inevitable drama began when she revealed her and Theo's relationship. They had decided that the ball was the best time to tell everyone; perhaps Enzo wouldn't be as angry if he had a glass or two of punch.

So Aria sat at the Slytherin table alone one morning two days before Christmas Eve, a book about the Peverell brothers. She was so engrossed in her book that she didn't notice the shadow lingering above her table. "You look lonely over here," a man's voice said. Aria glanced up from her book to find a man in a blue sweater with a golden "H" on the front. He was half-smiling, looking down at her with glasses that suggested he was very friendly. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," she said quietly, gesturing to the many open seats around her. He sat down across from her and studied her intensely. She squirmed under his gaze but didn't say anything.

"Do I know you?" he asked. "You look familiar but I don't seem to recognize your face."

Aria didn't think she knew who this boy was at all. "I don't believe so. I just started at Hogwarts this year."

"Really? And you're in Slytherin?" 

She nodded. "Just like my brother."

His eyes brightened. "Oh, who's your brother?"

"Lorenzo Berkshire."

The boy smiled. "Enzo! We all love Enzo." 

Aria smiled back. "I love him too."

He laughed. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter." Aria could have sworn that she heard Draco toss around that name, perhaps angrily, but she didn't let that affect her opinion of him. She took his outstretched hand and shook it.

"Aria Berkshire."

"Nice to meet you, Aria," he said in a friendly manner. "Why are you spending Christmas at Hogwarts?"

"I'm not very close with my family," she said vaguely. Internally, she remarked on how proud Enzo would be to see that she was conversing with someone. She had come a long way since September. "You?"

"I don't have a family at all. I normally go with Ron Weasley to the Burrow—" Another name that Draco had scorned, a Gryffindor. "—but they're visiting Ron's brother Charlie in Romania. I'm not very fond of dragons so I decided to stay back and catch up on Slugworth's many potions assignments."

She laughed. "Slugworth does like his busy work. So what house are you in?"

Harry took a roll from the center of the table and bit into it with a smile. "Gryffindor. I'm their seeker. Enzo practices with me sometimes, actually. He's friends with a lot of Gryffindors."

"Enzo could talk to a brick wall and become best friends with it by the end of the day. He's great at making friends. And Quidditch too."

The boy nodded. "And Quidditch too. Have you been to any games?"

She smiled thinking about her kiss with Theo under the Quidditch bleachers. That was the last game she went to since Quidditch matches were a rare time when she could be with Theo without having to worry about Enzo finding out. Even if he wasn't playing, he was up in the stands watching intently. "Yeah," she said softly.