The Malfoys and Me

11. Winter Holidays

**A/N**
This is the music that Y/n is listening to in the beginning of this chapter 🙃
https://youtu.be/A4ej-ZftQRw?si=VUt5TMpUBWaD_NwX

You bob your head in time to the bossa nova version of Happy Xmas playing through your headphones, and silently thank your muggle aunt for giving you her old ipod shuffle. You are currently sitting in the great hall in a study hall period, and admiring the decorations Prof. Arabelle (the charms professor) and the house elves are putting up. Even though you've looked at the calendar in the common room about a thousand times, you still can't believe that the winter holidays are almost here!

Adelaide Marandez (the Gryffendor prefect supervising study hall) turns your way, and you quickly busy yourself with your History of Magic essay, letting the sounds of yet another jazz-ified christmas tune drown out your surroundings. The paper isn't too difficult this time, but three lines in and you realise that it's still going to be a struggle. If only—

And then (just as Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You comes on) a scroll plops down in front of you, only to be followed by the person who wrote it. You give a slight sigh of relief, and pull your headphones out by their coord before Scorpius can see you with a muggle device. For some reason you feel self-conscious about using it, but he doesn't seem to notice it.

He smiles at you from across the table and opens up a transfiguration textbook. You smile back and unroll the paper he gave you. You sigh in relief again as you see that it's a History of Magic essay, written in your friend's neat, concise handwriting. With an even wider smile, you pull a notebook out of the pocket of your robes and hand it to him. He nods in thanks, and you both exchange a mischievous grin over the only bit of stereotypical Slytherin stuff you two do; cheating off of each other's work.

As soon as you're sure there are no prefects looking, you both open each other's notes and get to work; bonding over the thrill of misbehaviour.

~-----------------------------------~

"Hey Y/n," Scorpius says suddenly, breaking both your focus and Cayla's on the book you're supposed to be turning into a rabbit. You both turn to look at him, and he continues, "where are you going to spend your winter holidays?"

"Oh," you say, "at home. My grandmother and aunt on my father's side are coming down for Christmas, and we're going to do all sorts of muggle activities! What about you?"

He smiles a bit, and says, "I'll be at home, as usual. We don't usually have any of my father's family over because..." he trails off, but then regains himself. "Mum's family is nice enough as family goes though; maybe they'll come over this year!" Before you can say anything else, Scorpius turns to Cayla and says, "where are you going to spend your holiday?"

"Oh," she says, her smile dropping from her face, "I-I'm just going to stay here, I think."

"Why?" You ask before you can stop yourself, "Shouldn't you be with your family?"

"My mom left for the states to visit my grandparents a few days ago and so she can't pick me up from the station. But staying here should be fun," she says, forcing a smile. "They decorate so nicely!" You see her pained expression, and wish you could help. Then you realise something!

"Hey!" You say suddenly, making Scorpius jump. "I could write to my mum and ask her if you could stay with us!"

"Really?!" Cayla asks, jumping up in her seat. "Could you really? "

"Yeah," you say with increased excitement. "I'll get the paper now!" You leap out of your seat in the great hall, and practically run down to the dungeon and through the Slytherin common room to your dorm. It's just about empty, and you grab a sheet of parchment and a quill, and go back to the common room to start writing.