𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝐿𝐼.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙮-𝙤𝙣𝙚

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

AFTER GREETING SIRIUS and Mrs. Weasley when they arrived at Grimmauld Place, both Harry and Caroline immediately retired to their seperate bedrooms. The other Weasley children were scattered across the house, after just getting back from visiting Arthur at St. Mungo's. Ginny and Hermione occupied the sitting room while the adults talked and Fred and George sat in their room. Ron was with Harry, Marie with the latter.

Caroline brushed Penny's calico fur with a brush, sitting on her bed in the cold room. She wore one of Andy's jumpers, her dark coils tied up in a messy bun on top of her head. She would probably braid her hair again at some point during the holiday. The house was gloomy, and Caroline knew that Harry would come to her room at one point for some comfort.

Christmas was in a few days, but Harry couldn't wait any longer to give Caroline her gift. He needed to make her smile, and he needed to see her smile. He was in his room with Ron, discussing what had happened after the meeting of Dumbledore's Army.

"So, she wanted to snog you?" Ron questioned, pacing in front of Harry's bed, which he laid on.

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. I think so, I mean, it looked like it." he said, tossing Caroline's gift in the air repeatedly.

Ron frowned. "But you wanted to snog her?"

Catching Caroline's packed gift, Harry paused. "Obviously I wanted to snog her, Ron. She was sad, and then she looked at me, and before I could do anything, she ran away," Harry explained, running a hand through his hair. "I already explained this to you and Hermione."

"I know, I know. Maybe you just go snog her right now." Ron suggested, sitting on his bed that was across from Harry's.

Harry furrowed her brows. "She's doing her angry thing. She's brushing Penny, then she's going to make some tea and probably change her hair." Marie crawled onto Harry's chest, collapsing with a sigh.

Ron smiled at the fact that Harry knew all this about Caroline. "So go make her un-angry." Ron said, and Harry rolled his eyes, swinging his legs off the bed and standing up.

He left Marie in the room, and walked down the cold and dusty hallway towards the girls' room, where Caroline sat. She was right on schedule with her anger, drinking a cup of tea leant up against the uncomfortable headboard of her bed. "Look who stopped by." Caroline said jokingly, placing her mug on the nightstand.

Harry let a smile slip. "Catch." he tossed Caroline's packaged smile at her, and she scrambled to catch it.

"It's not Christmas yet." Caroline said, twirling the wrapping in her hand. She sat up, one leg falling to the ground below her bed.

Shrugging, Harry sat across from Caroline on her bed, petting Penny's head. "I needed to give it to you now. Just with everything going on." Harry frowned, and Caroline reached for his hand.

"Mr. Weasley's okay. We're safe, we're with our godfathers. Yeah, everything outside of this house is crazy, but in here, it's just you and me." Caroline promised him, rubbing his hand. She didn't need her ring to glow to know that Harry needed the reassurance. Though Caroline was miserable, she would always put on a smiling face for Harry. It was just instinct.

Harry nodded. "Open it." he pointed to the gift, adjusting his glasses.

Caroline opened the wrappings, smiling when she saw what Harry had gotten her. A pocket-sized enchanted black stallion figure that had a faint glow to it. "A black stallion. You got me a black stallion." Caroline said, her soft voice having a child-like edge to it.