"So, you gonna invite anyone?"

Ron licked his thin lips, looking enviously down at the invitation to Slughorn's Christmas party in Harry's hands. But before Harry could say he was welcome to be his plus one, Ron's face was sucked off by a giant squid.

Well, Lavender Brown, but same difference.

Trying to ignore the slurping sounds which reminded him of a plunger unblocking a toilet, Harry glanced around the common room, tapping the invite against his thigh as he contemplated a potential date.

Hermione had warned him there was lots of interest. Even talk of some desperates thinking of slipping him a love potion.

Harry shuddered. And then he recalled Draya accusing him of doing that exact thing to her. Who the fuck did she think he was? He was the Chosen One and could have any one he pleases.

But oh fuck, he had never kissed anyone quite like he had kissed her. Cho had been wet and sloppy, Ginny too awkward and bumpy. And then there was Padma or Parvati (he could never remember which) who purposefully bit his tongue when he tried to grope her tit.

Draya Malfoy, on the other hand... kissing her alone was far better than that awkward sexual encounter he'd had with Ginny.

He glanced guiltily at his best friend (whose hands were somewhere inside Lavender's robes). Ron never knew that Harry had fucked his sister - or 'deflowered' one another (as Ginny called it). It had been nothing like Harry had fantasised about. She'd lain stiff as a plank, and when he'd finally managed to do it, she'd gasped out in pain, head-butted him and he'd gone floppy again so had to finish off in the shower after she'd left.

The truth was, Ginny was far too much like a sister to him for him to really want her in that way.

Thankfully, since then, she'd started dating Dean but often hinted that she'd like to start things up again between them.

But Harry made it clear he wasn't interested, and that all his free time was spent having private lessons with Dumbledore. Which was partly true. But he liked to put any other time aside for watching Draya's movements on the map.

He was convinced she was a Death Eater. More so now that she'd clearly only stopped things between them when he'd started undressing her. But tattoos had been the last thing on his mind when he was kissing her.

He gave himself a mental shake. He needed to prioritise things, and she wasn't helping.

"How about Loony?"

Harry blinked, realising that Ron had finally extricated himself from the giant squid who was still straddling his lap, stroking her fingers through his hair, both of them panting heavily.

"What about Luna?" Harry muttered, trying not to focus on his best friend's swollen lips.

"Ask her to the party."

Harry sighed heavily. Well, it wasn't as though he could take who he really wanted on his arm.

*******

I crumpled up the letter which coldly informed me that I needn't bother going home for Christmas if Dumbledore was still breathing by the time the Hogwarts Express departed the station.

Thanks for nothing, Mother.

But, sadly, it seemed that Dumbledore was refusing to drop dead, and the cabinet was just as broken as it was on September the first.

And all everyone in the castle was talking about was Slughorn's bloody Christmas party.

"Blaise has invited me," Pansy shared, causing my heart to give a dull, unexpected twist. "Isn't that exciting?!"

"Yeah," I muttered dully, pushing my untouched scrambled egg around my plate. "Congratulations."

When I said nothing further, she turned to Daphne to talk excitedly about dress options.

Even Pansy was giving up on me. But I didn't blame her. I literally had no time for anyone anymore, the threat to my family looming heavily over my head.

Snape tried to corner me on occasion, but I managed to always get away. He was oddly persistent in trying to help me, but I couldn't trust him. I couldn't trust anyone.

All my focus was now on the fucking cabinet, yet every time I walked up to it, I had the urge to burn it down to the ground.

One night, I was so exhausted that I found myself wandering around the castle when there were still people awake. Oh fuck... had I not timed it correctly? Usually I made sure it was past curfew before I snuck out.

Before I could quickly turn around and disappear to back to where I came, however, I was grabbed.

"Well, well, well, we are in a heap of trouble Miss Malfoy, aren't we?"

******

Harry tried to stifle a yawn as he took another swig of Butterbeer.

The party was shit, if he was to be honest. Hermione spent the entire time hiding away from her date who was throwing up all over the place, and Slughorn kept insisting on treating him like some kind of trophy, introducing him to the most mundane people in the world who all just wanted to hear what it was like having your parents blown up.

And then there was his date - who was positively beautiful, but was also positively dotty ("...and that's why I always wear two pairs of unicorn knickers whenever Daddy and I go in search of the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.").

Spotting Neville making his way around the room, Harry quickly flagged him down, clicking his fingers in the air.

"Nev, you lifesaver," Harry said, grabbing a glass of punch from Neville's tray. "Just follow me around all night, would you? I intend on getting shitfaced tonight."

Neville gave a respectful nod, his gaze temporarily distracted by Luna who cheerily greeted him.

"Hi Neville. Are you a waiter? Oh, how thoughtful of you to do such a kind thing for Mr Slughorn!"

His eyes widened, and he nearly dropped the tray. "Uh, Luna. You look- you look utterly mesmerising."

Harry arched an eyebrow. Was Longbottom hitting on his date?

Ah, well. Harry couldn't seriously give a toss. Luna wasn't really doing anything for him and at least it would give Neville some company whilst Harry drank himself into a much needed coma.

But before he could really get started however, there was a commotion at the other end of the party. At first, Harry didn't take much notice, but then Neville said, "Is that Draya Malfoy?" and suddenly Harry's attention was fully alert.

Jumping to his feet, Harry pushed his way through the party in time to see Filch roughly dragging Draya towards Slughorn.

"Professor Slughorn," Filch wheezed excitedly. "I discovered this girl lurking in an upstairs corridor. She claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue her with an invitation?"

"Wait-" Harry interrupted loudly, pushing himself to the front, not entirely sure what was driving him to do this. "Leave her alone - I invited her."

Everyone looked up at him in surprise, including Draya herself, but all Harry could see was Filch's clearly painful grip on the Slytherin's upper arm. Seeing nothing but red, he seized his hand upon Filch's arm and wrenched it free from Draya. "You dare touch her."

"Harry, Harry," Slughorn soothed, stepping up behind him, "it's fine, Filch is just doing his job-"

"She was gatecrashing!" Filch spat, his eyes bulging disbelievingly up at Harry. "And she's not exactly dressed up-"

"How dare you!" Draya snarled, her face pinched with rage as she proudly fixed her robes around her. "I'll have you know this is a Twilfitt original, you filthy squib!"

Harry continued to glare down at Filch, his pulse racing furiously. "Are you accusing me of being a liar?!"

"Actually, Filch is correct," Draya said coolly, folding her arms across her chest. "I wasn't invited. I was trying to gatecrash, happy?"

The entire party gasped.

"No, I'm not!" Filch bellowed wheeling around to jab his finger accusingly at her. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the Headmaster say that night-time prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," Slughorn said, waving a hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draya."

Harry was seething, although at whom - he wasn't entirely sure. He angrily went to shrug off a hand that had landed gently on his shoulder, only to find that it belonged to his startled date.

"Harry-" Luna gasped, her eyes wide, "are you okay? If you want to invite Draya Malfoy to thrupple with us, then I'm fine with that, even though she calls me mean names."

Behind her, a breathless and red faced Neville appeared, tray in hand. "S-Sorry, Harry. I lost you back there. Drink?"

Harry's head was spinning. He did not want to thrupple with anyone, whatever that meant. He didn't even want to get shitfaced anymore. What he wanted to do was find out exactly why Draya was roaming the halls at this time of night - yet again.

Turning back to the Slytherin in question, he was dismayed, however, to discover her following Snape out of the party.

Taking his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket, he threw some half hearted apology at Luna before scarpering.

He was determined to learn the truth.

******