As the Leaves Change Color So Does Your Love

Christmas was just around the corner and everyone was packing up to go home. Over time, I’d seem Draco a couple times, but he never made eye contact with me. He hadn’t even tried to talk to me again. My birthday was approaching, seeing as it was on Christmas day. My parents had sent me a letter inviting me home for the holidays and I agreed willingly, unable to take the tension on the Hogwarts grounds.

“So, are you going home?” I asked Eve nonchalantly.

“No, not home. I’m going to visit Blaise’s family for Christmas.”

“Oh… sounds nice,” I said quietly.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been so quiet lately.” The worry was evident in her voice.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, but maybe too quickly. She raised her eyebrows suspiciously.

“Come on, tell me.”

“I’m just- not sure about Johan.”

“What about him? I know you’re lying, Rahenna. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. It takes a friend.”

“Oh, fine! I kissed Malfoy!”’

She gasped, unable to believe her ears. She just shook her head mutely.

“Well, he kissed me,” I added, trying to change her reaction somehow.

“When?” she asked slowly.

“A while ago.”

“And you haven’t told me?” She gasped again.

“I’m sorry.”

“Girl, tell me everything..”

So I did. I told her everything about how he had been acting lately, how he had taken me into an empty room on pretense of Snape and then kissed me. I did, however, leave out the part where he used the ‘Avada Kedavra’ curse on me, about Lord Voldemort and him being a Death Eater. Again, the need to tell someone came through, but I couldn’t tell anyone. He trusted me not to. And for some reason, his trust meant a lot to me.

Eve and I went around saying our good byes to everyone when we were done packing. After we exited the common room, we met with a swarm of students in the entrance hall.

“Rahenna,” someone said and I turned to see Johan standing there. He hadn’t mentioned our near-kiss again and our prospective relationship status had just about disappeared.

“Johan!” I pulled him in for a hug. His body was warm and in the winter weather, it heated things up just the tiniest bit. He held on for some time and as I stood in his arms, I realized Draco was staring at me. Before he could look away, I smiled at him slightly. He mouthed something to me but I couldn’t figure out what it was.

‘What?’ I mouthed back.

He just shook his head. Johan let go of me and stood to face me, blocking Draco from my view.

“Ready to go home?” he asked,

“Definitely.” I smiled, and added, “I’ll make sure to write to you and send you your Christmas present.”

“Same here,” he said. “Hey, looks like everyone’s starting to leave. We should get going.”

“Rahenna! Oy, Rahenna!” I turned to see Harry, Ron and Hermione walking towards me.

“Haven’t talked to you guys in a while, hi,” I said.

“Sorry about that, been kind of busy,” Harry chipped in.

As we all walked towards Hogsmeade station, we chatted casually. In the back of my mind though, I was still trying to figure out what Draco had tried to tell me.