Till Forever Falls Apart

Third Year: The Marauders Map

*I HOPE YOU HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ME:)

December 6th, 1993

November passed in a sleepy gray haze, giving way to the frigid winter that had come to replace brown autumn nights. The first days of the month came quickly and sped by without trouble, which Val found comfort in after the dramatics of the previous month.

They were mere weeks away from holiday and another Hogsmeade trip had been planned so students could take one last visit before going home. Children planned to stock up on the last sweets and toys of the season before returning with full sacks for family and friends.

Harry put a hand underneath his chin, sighing as he watched Hermione and Ron walk alongside each other with their own coin purses, promising to buy him something in honor of the Christmas spirit.

Val saw his glum form pressed against the stone fixture with eagerness, knowing he had been scolding himself for being so foolish as to misplace his school form. She walked closer to him, shivering as she pulled her father's old jacket closer to her body. "I still think my dad could sign it."

"No," Harry huffed, his glasses fogging slightly. "You heard Filch. The forms had to be turned in months ago."

They both sat quietly as they watched older students who had gotten bored of the village charm snowballs, willing the ice to do their bidding while others retreated with their loves and close friends to the warm rooms of the castle.

"Where is your dad? He'll have something to do."

This is what Val and Harry had resorted to when they had nothing else to entertain them. They often found themselves spinning in Remus' chairs or chatting endlessly about the mystical creatures he had somehow acquired for the next day's lesson.

"He's not in his office," Val replied. "I checked. Haven't got the slightest idea where he is."

Harry patted the stone exterior, creating a rhythm with his mitten-covered hands. "Care to go inside? I'm getting cold."

The girl was beyond relieved, praying he would notice her shivers and return with her to a much more comforting corner of the school.

Walking in synchronization with the other, her feet skidded lightly across the corridors layered with a thin sheet of frost. She paid no attention to Harry's silence as she listened to the shouting of first years who had gone out to the lake to test the thickness of its ice.

Harry stopped abruptly, his green eyes expanding behind his round frames. "That's it! Why didn't I think of that earlier?"

"Pardon?" Val frowned, watching as he ran undoubtedly towards the Gryffindor Common Room. "Hello?"

He came to a halt at the corner where he had planned to make a sharp turn. His face was glowing, out of breath as he gazed expectantly. "Coming?"

"Never much of a choice with you, is it?" She mumbled, unable to help the mischievous smile that mirrored his own.

Val's feet kicked back underneath her until she had fully broken into a run, catching up easily to Harry as they jumped up the stairs together, careful not to get caught in the steps that changed without warning.

Harry told the painting the password, smiling maniacally in such a way that made the girl suspicious of his plans. A smile like James' never meant anything morally good.

The entrance was revealed, and the surety of the fire's ever-burning presence calmed Val as she sat near the hearth. She was always at ease knowing that entering Gryffindor's tower during the cold months meant the welcoming fire was waiting for her.