Christmas break was upon them, and everyone was gathered on the platform in Hogmeade, awaiting the train back to London. He pulled her into a corner at the end of the platform, hiding them away from all the other students. His adoring eyes fell upon her as the snow slowly fell to the ground, and her wool coat hung around her shoulders. Her Gryffindor scarf was wrapped tightly around her neck to warm her, and her brown messy curls appeared from underneath her knitted beanie. He looked stylish as always, dressed in a black coat and leather gloves, the ones that his mother bought him.

"I wanted to wish you a merry Christmas Ellie"

"You too Draco, merry Christmas" she said, a smile upon her lips "I will miss you over the holidays, I suppose you will not be able to visit?"

"No uhm unfortunately not, but I will miss you too, dearly"

His eyes wandered around the cold corner where they were stood as he pulled something out of the left pocket of his black coat.

"Here, I got this for you"

"A Christmas present?" she asked as he handed her a small square package wrapped in silver wrapping paper and a deep green slim ribbon. He nodded his head as she took it from him.

"Open it on Christmas day" he said quietly.

"I will, thank you Draco, that's really sweet of you" she said, putting the present in her pocket before she leaned forward to place a kiss on his cheek "I actually got you something too"

"Me?" he asked, looking slightly surprised "I've already told you Ellie, I have plenty as it is"

"And I know Draco, but Christmas is about giving alright?" she laughed as she grabbed his present from her bag and handed it to him "so merry Christmas"

"Thank you" he smiled, his eyes searching hers for something.

They stood in silence for a moment, the snow falling on them as it descended from the cloudy sky. He put his gift in his black leather book bag before he turned his gaze back to her, breathing heavily.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, as he scratched the back of his neck "one last time before Christmas please"

She nodded her head, and he kissed her in the falling snow.

Soon enough they were separated, him going to sit in the Slytherin carriage alongside his friends and her going to look for Hermione, Harry and Ron. She found them in an compartment, and as she opened the door the three of them looked at her with curious eyes.

"Oh hi Ellie" Ron said, sinking back into his seat.

"Hello" she mumbled, sitting down next to Hermione.

"Where have you been?" Hermione questioned, turning to look at her "I was worried you missed the train"

"No" she shook her head "I was with my sister"

It of course was a lie, for she could not possibly tell her friends the truth. Whatever it was that she shared with the pale boy, it was eating away at her to keep it a secret, but she knew she had to. Things were going on inside his head, things that she could not understand, and things that Harry could possibly use against him. They all think Draco is the enemy, he really isn't. He's just misunderstood, not seen as who he really is.

....

Christmas came and went with it's cold days and carols. She was at home with her large cluster of family, and she knew by the letters that she received that Hermione was at home with her family and then traveled to the Burrow where Ron and Harry was at with the Weasley family. She learned that the twins, Bill, Charlie and Percy were all home at the Burrow to celebrate.

On Christmas day she opened the gift from Draco in her room. She didn't want the rest of her family to ask questions, for their questions would just get messy. She sat on her bed as she carefully removed the deep green ribbon and the glossy silver wrapping paper, revealing a black velvet box. With trembling hands she popped it open, and a small note laid on top of a piece of jewelry. She picked it up, letting her eyes scan over it.

Dear Ellie,
Merry Christmas to you my darling. Excuse me for being distant, I wish I could be with you all of the time. However, here is something from me to ensure that you will always carry a piece of me with you wherever you go. I hope you like it.
Yours,
Draco Malfoy.

She put the note down and took out a necklace from the black velvet box. It was a thin silver chain with a silver heart pendant in the middle. She let her fingertips trail the small heart, noticing a small emerald in the middle of it, as green as her dress had been that night of the Slug club Christmas party. She couldn't help but smile as she put the necklace on, tucking it underneath her shirt.

He was right, she felt closer to him, like a part of his Slytherin heart was with her, resting in the crevice between her collarbones.

She wore the necklace every day, only taking it off for her showers and baths. New year's eve passed, and at midnight when 1996 turned into 1997 she held the silver heart in the middle of her palm, carrying him with her into the new year. She beamed at the colourful fireworks dancing across the dark night sky, and all she could think of was him. And right as he entered her mind, flooding it with memories of them together, a deep green firework exploded in front of her, in the exact colour of his Hogwarts house.

January came and it was once more time to bid her goodbyes to her family and head onto the train for another few months at Hogwarts. It was as heartfelt as ever, and Rebecka promised her sniffling mother that she would write every week.

"Goodbye my dears"

"Goodbye mother, goodbye father, we will be home soon"

They waved to them as the Hogwarts express began moving, leaving platform nine and three quarters on King's Cross Station behind them. The train soon left London behind them, and rolling hills next to deep lakes came into view once more. Her sister had ran off to see her friends, and she sat down next to Hermione, Harry and Ron in a empty compartment.

The compartment was quiet, Hermione was reading once again and Harry was just sat staring out of the window. Ron was eating a sandwich, he always gets a few from his mother. She was looking around the compartment for a moment, wanting to say something to Harry who looked deep in thought, but she didn't know what. So instead she reached for her book bag and got one of the expensive healing books that Draco had given her last Christmas out and began to read. She had read all of them at least two times, they were so incredible good and well detailed, she could probably read them a million times more in her lifetime.

Outside of the window it was getting darker and darker by the minute, the daylight slowly slipping away and turning into a starlit evening. Ron and Harry talked about Quidditch for a while, and her and Hermione discussed something that she read in her book as the train came to a halt at Hogsmeade station. The four of them got off the train, and the chilly evening air hit their cheeks.

Hogwarts laid before them, as glowing and warm as ever. Their second home.

....

On a Tuesday afternoon she bumped into Draco in the seventh floor corridor, however he was not alone as usual. By his side were two girls wearing big Slytherin robes. She did not recognize them, but she hardly recognized any Slytherin students besides him and his friends and the boy who's friends with her little sister.

She met his eyes, and she saw him shake his head ever so slightly as to tell her to not speak a word. So she didn't, she instead ducked her head down to look at her shoes as she passed the three Slytherin students. 

Later in potions class he slipped her a note, one written with his usual black ink, a perfectly neat handwriting covering the small piece of parchment.

Ellie, 
I'm sorry about earlier, but you are my secret.
I miss you dearly, and I wish to talk to you.
Meet me in the astronomy tower at midnight.
D.M

She folded the note and put it in the pocket of her black and red robes before she looked up. He was gazing at her, awaiting an answer. She nodded her head discretely in his direction, as to tell him that she would be there at midnight awaiting him. He gave her a quick smile before he turned his focus back to professor Slughorn and whatever he was scribbling on the black board in front of them.

The hours passed slowly, but once the Gryffindor student home was quiet she sneaked out of bed. She got dressed and passed the dying fire in the fireplace, sneaking out without the fat lady noticing. All the paintings were sleeping as she quietly tip toed through the cold stone corridors, careful to avoid mr Filch and his angry cat. 

She met Draco at the top of the astronomy tower and they sat next to each other on the cold stone floor, gazing at the stars and the moon that adorned the dark night sky. 

"Thank you for your Christmas gift" he said after a moment of silence "I've slept with that blanket every night"

"Well I figured that sleeping in the dungeons could get rather cold" she shrugged, looking over at the pale boy "so what's more fitting than a warm blanket?"

"Did you make it?" he asked, reaching over to hold her hand.

"Yes" she nodded "I knitted it"

"Well thank you, I love it" he smiled, intertwining their fingers "it has kept me safe from quite few nightmares"

"I'm glad to hear" she hummed as she gazed up at the moon once again "and thank you for your gift, I love it too"

"The necklace?" he asked, peering at her neck "I'm glad you like it"

"I've worn it everyday since Christmas day" she told him as she reached her hand underneath the collar of her shirt to show him.

And as she held the small silver pendant in her hand, showing it to him with a overjoyed smile upon her lips, he looked at her like she was the most captivating thing in the whole universe surrounding them. He knew that he was caught right in between two worlds, the cold and dark gloom that was his life and the sweet, warm glorious epiphany that was her. He had made his mind up a thousand times, to let her be in order to keep her safe, but his selfish heart always craved more, and he could not seem to stay away from her. Wherever he went in this castle, she always showed up. And no matter how hard he tried to push her away, she kept coming back with more understanding for him. 

And now he was stuck, unable not to love her, for his heart beat for her.