Forbidden Love: (a Harry Potter love story.)

Chapter 11) Christmas.

CHRISTMAS WAS COMING! CHRISTMAS WAS COMING! It was finally mid-December and I woke to find the castle covered in several feet of snow and the lake frozen ice. Don't tell anyone, but the Weasley twins and I sort of got detention for bewitching snowballs to follow Quirrell around all day, bouncing off the back of his turban.

No one could wait for the holidays for to start, especially me. This was the first time I got to witness the joy of Christmas properly and maybe, just maybe, get a present. But my hopes weren't too high on that last one.

While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the draughty corridors became icy cold and a bitter wind rattled the windows in classrooms. Snape's dungeon was worst of all. It was literally freezing down there. Our breath kept on rising in mist in front of us and we all had to huddle as close to our fires under the cauldrons as we could to keep warm.

Malfoy kept on taunting Harry about him having to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because he had no family. He was babbling on about how wide-mouthed tree frogs would be replacing Harry and I in the next match, but when no one found this funny because they were all to impressed about the fact that Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick, he went back to taunting the two of us about having no family that cared about us.

I wasn't going back to Malfoy Manor for Christmas. No way. I am not spending my holidays cleaning ash out of the fireplace and polishing the Malfoy's shoes. Nuh uh. What made it worse was that he kept on hinting to my friends that I was a slave for him, saying things like "it's awfully cold down here. Black, fetch my coat. Oh wait, I can't tell you to do that here, can I? I'll just wait until we get home."

I tried to punch the git in the face. Harry and Ron stopped me.

Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive and was staying at Hogwarts as well, which was great news. I will admit it. I might have a teeny weeny crush on him. Don't tell anyone!

Ron was staying too because his parents were visiting Romania to see Charlie, the Dragon Tamer.

When we left the dungeons at the end of potions, we found a large, fur tree blocking the path. Two enormous feet sticking out of the bottom and a loud puffing sound told us that Hagrid was behind it.

"Hi Hagrid, want some help?" I asked as Hagrid stuck his head through the branches. "Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Silvia."

"Would you mind moving out of the way? Trying to fit in, Black? Not surprising. Servants don't have many friends, do they?" Malfoy's cold draw came from behind me. I clenched my first, span around, and punched him straight in his rat-like face.

He stumbled backwards, clutching his bloody nose. Snape came, and I got five points taken away from Gryffindor. Lunch had just started, and I was hungry, so I wiggled my fingers at Malfoy and skipped into the Great Hall.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed me, Ron's mouth hanging open, Hermione looking shocked, proud, and disapproving, and Harry looked all of the above. It was kinda funny. Out of no where they all burst out laughing. "That was amazing!" Ron gasped, Harry pulling me into a quick hug.

When we had finished dinner, we headed to the library. I loved the library. When I was in Malfoy Manor alone, I always used to camp out in the library when I wasn't cleaning, reading hundreds of books about great adventures, daring battles, damsels in distress. It was the kind of life I wanted to live, but would never happen.

We had been spending a lot of time in the library lately, researching Nicolas Flamel. Ever since Hagrid let slip who he was, Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were trying to find out everything about him. The trouble was, it was incredibly difficult to know where to begin.