I was woken on Christmas morning with a kiss to the cheek. Sleepily, I opened my eyes to see Fred already awake with his ginger hair messy and a sweet smile on his face.

"Merry Christmas, golden girl."

"Merry Christmas, pumpkin."

Fred whacked me with one of my pillows. "That is not a cute nickname."

"You called me potato pie the other day."

"Potatoes are cute. You're my little potato."

In return, I whacked him back. Both still giggly, we decided to exchange gifts quickly before joining everybody else downstairs. Fred was absolutely thrilled with the bracelet I'd made for him: it was woven with magic and had tiny wooden charms: a lion and badger holding hands: a beater bat and keeper glove, a brown bead and a golden one.

"You're so thoughtful." Fred said, nuzzling his head against the crook of my neck. "You managed to put the two of us on this tiny bracelet."

"Mum helped," I confessed. "She knows more fiddly charms. I thought you deserved some nice jewelry too."

"Open mine." Fred said, passing me a tiny package, about the size of a coin.

Very confused, I opened it, and gasped. It was a tiny magically charmed circle of gold, with tiny writing inscribed on it: 15th July 1993, something amazing started it said, with a tiny heart underneath it. That was the date we got together. I looked at Fred, lost for words.

"It can fit on your pendant—see?" Fred said, and gently he attached the charm to the pendant he'd gotten me so long ago. The cool gold sat on my chest, and despite that, made me feel warm inside.

"Thank you, Fred—so much." My eyes watered again, and I was threatening to be a human water fountain. "I love you."

"I love you too, Lyra." Fred grinned. Then he handed me another parcel. "Open this."

I frowned. "I thought we were only getting each other one present?"

Fred gave me a pointed look. "Ron sent it—it's from Harry."

Eagerly, I ripped open the paper. Inside I found a silver photo frame, with a collage of photos of the two of us in. There we were on Harry's first Quidditch match—him in his shiny uniform and me with a nervous smile—and at Christmas with Weasley jumpers on. There we were with our friends after first year exams, and stupid photos we'd taken together in the hospital wing after the disastrous Quidditch match with our smiles playing on a loop.

My eyes watered again as I read the note that surprisingly Ron had written.

Lyra,

Harry's still angry, but he's angrier at your Dad than you—you're just somebody he can actually yell at. He didn't want to send you your Christmas present, but I stole it and sent it anyway haha. He does really care, but he just needs time.

Just wait.

Merry Christmas, Ron.

Folding the note up, I placed the photo frame on my bed-side table. There I could see Harry and I immortalized in good times. While Harry was still angry, he was rightfully so. He thought I'd lied to him. But to see how much effort he'd put into that present....

There was hope that everything could be okay again.

**

The rest of our house was already up, tearing into presents. Sasha had put on her favourite Christmas movie ever—Elf—and was in high spirits, telling a rumpled looking Cedric trivia about the film.

"Lyra!" Cassie beamed as the two of us entered the living room. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" the two of us chorused back.

Fred and I sat cross-legged next to Cassie, who I'd never seen look so happy. Any sort of sadness or bitterness that had been on her face the last week had vanished. Lightly pushing Fred out of the way—who understood, girl time was girl time—she cupped her hands around my ear.

"Look at what Kat got me for Christmas!"

Glancing down at her lap, I couldn't help but smile. Katherine had knitted Cassie a Hippogriff. With two golden beads for eyes and soft grey (if lopsided) wings, it was obviously Buckbeak. I thought of all the times I'd seen Kat knitting the last few months...

"I think she'd been planning this for a while." I told Cassie softly, knowing they still hadn't spoken since their passive aggressive conversation on the train.

"I'm going to talk to her later." Cassie pressed her face into the soft wool of Buckbeak's head. "She can't hate me if she sent this, right?"

I blinked at Cassie, puzzled. "Katherine Moran could never hate you, Cassie. She looks at you like you're the sun."

"What she squints at me and complains?"

Playfully I shoved Cassie's shoulder. "You know what I mean, idiot. She cares about you. I don't know what happened... But she cares about you so much."

Cassie smiled into the wool once more, seeming satisfied with what I'd said.

"Lyra!" Sasha called across the room. "Come here!"

For once, Sasha had detached herself from Cedric, pushing him in the direction of Fred, a cheesy grin on her face. Her hair was more unruly than normal, and her socks didn't match, but she looked more like my sister than she had in the months following me waking up.

"Look what Cedric got me!" she declared as I sat on the armchair next to her. I was almost blinded as she showed me a silver band on her finger, with a small pearl resting on the metal.

"Mum will actually kill you if you're engaged."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "It's a promise ring, silly. It means that Cedric wants to be with me forever, and he's promising that to me."

"I didn't realise you needed a ring for that." I said, examining the ring. It was quite old-fashioned and plain, nothing like Sasha's usually bright taste.

"When you know, you know." Sasha said. and on instinct, I looked over at Fred. She caught me with her eagle eyes. "Oh my God—you've both said I love you haven't you?"

"Maybe..."

Sasha grabbed me by both of my hands. "Okay—I need all these details later. God—Lyra, I'm so happy for the both of us. We're both so happy with good, decent boyfriends—despite Dad."

My stomach dipped. "What do you mean?"

A dark look passed across Sasha's face, and she twisted the ring around her finger. "I mean, for a long time I didn't think I deserved somebody who makes me feel so safe and grounded as Cedric does. We're the daughters of a murderer. I thought that tainted us. But it doesn't—we've both found normal relationships. The sooner he's captured, the better."

Now I was afraid I was going to throw up all over my pyjamas. "You... you can't mean that."

"He's going to get caught at some point." Sasha placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know you used to worship him before you knew the truth, Ly... But it's going to happen—and things can go back to normal. Guilty men can't run forever."

"But what if he's not..." I mumbled under my breath.

"What?"

Before I could try and speak again, Mum emerged from the kitchen with a tray laden with beautiful breakfast foods. Croissants, pain au chocalat, toast with honey, crumpets all piled up high with six mugs overflowing with hot chocolate.

"Tuck in, kids!" Mum was wearing a penguin jumper I'd convinced her to buy when I was six and had flour in her hair from already starting to make the Yorkshire puddings for dinner. "There's plenty for everybody!"

We all piled onto the food, alternating between presents and eating, and my sister's attitude to our Father slowly slipping out of my mind. If anything, this made me want to prove my Father's innocence more. I didn't want Sasha to feel so bitter and closed off about everything.

"Girls," Mum called to Sasha and me as I demolished my second crumpet. "Come here a second."

We both got up and followed Mum into the small kitchen. Already smells were wafting out of saucepans and pots, and the Christmas cake we'd made last week stood proudly on a cake stand. An odd expression was on her face, hard to place.

"These arrived this morning, by express owl delivery." She held out a small box to each of us.

Apprehensively, I opened the small box, unsure what to expect. Inside I found a silver necklace—clearly real silver—with tiny glittering stones joined together by thin metal. It took me a second to realise it was a constellation.

Attached to the chain was a small note:

Stardust, this is what the sky looked like the day you were born. I intend to be there for your next birthday, as a free man. Padfoot.

A lump came to my throat. Padfoot... I looked up at Mum, and saw a similar necklace was dangling from her neck. I opened my mouth and pointed to the box. She nodded, tears in her eyes.

"This is bullshit." Sasha said loudly, dropping the necklace on the floor. The metal curled up like a snake on the floor, Mum and I stared at it.

"Sasha..." Mum sighed and reached for her.

"No!" Sasha said loudly, her voice hitting a high note, flinching away from her touch. "He—he ruins our lives, kills and destroys, he—he probably fucked me up beyond repair—and now, and now he thinks a bit of jewelry will fix things?"

Mum tried to look dominant, but she just looked exhausted. "Sasha, I don't think its like that. Whatever your Father is doing, it's for a reason."

Sasha took a deep breath and kicked the fridge. It shook under her kick and she did it again, and again, and again until it felt like the whole world was shaking. Mum grabbed her by her arms, and Sasha squirmed under her touch, her hurt face lost in her curls. I stood with the necklace in my hand, speechless.

"Sasha James Black—stop acting like a child—"

"Stop it, Sasha." I said quietly. "It's Christmas."

"You—You believe all this bullshit!" Sasha shouted, whirling on me and I heard the volume lower on the TV, our boyfriends and Cassie obviously listening. "He left you as well, Lyra!" when I didn't reply, she turned her anger back on Mum.  "He—he broke you, Mum! He left us and we were evicted had to live in those shitty muggle hostels!"

I leaned against the kitchen drawers, pleased at the pain from the knobs pressing into my spine. I liked to try and forget those years before the Malfoy's, when Mum renounced the wizarding world and we lived in hostels and she worked in a low-paying retail job. Sometimes I still felt the itch of bed bugs and lice in the night like a bad dream.

"But, Sasha--" I began. 

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Sasha tugged at her hair. 

"Don't speak to your sister like that!" Mum whirled onto Sasha, her voice a whip. "The only reason we have a life in this world--that you have Cedric and Hogwarts--is because of her." Mum was trembling, but carried on. "It's only because she started healing muggles in that hostel that I knew we were safer here--that there wasn't any point trying to be a Muggle! And you know what—yes, your Father fucked me up, Sasha. But no matter what happened thirteen years ago—he's trying to get us back! When you love somebody, you fight for them!"

Straining my memory, I could remember reaching my hands out to those who were hurt in the hostel. At the time I thought I was giving them a hug, but I knew better now. I remember their smiles as their cuts and sores faded, and remembered the joy I felt.

I remembered Mum taking us in the middle of the night, and us staying in the Leaky Cauldron while she interviewed for the Malfoy's tutoring position. I remembered a warm bed of my own, two grey eyed children smiling at me.

"It all worked out in the end." I said quietly, trying again. "Mum was in an impossible situation. What would you do if Cedric left you like that?"

I'd touched the wrong nerve. "Well he wouldn't." Sasha practically spat. She kicked the fridge one last time before turning her angry grey eyes to me. "Your blind optimism is going to get you nowhere, little sister. He'll just let you down."

Then she stormed from the kitchen, throwing the necklace box onto the floor. Picking it up, I couldn't help read the note.

My Sasha-Star. Please try to understand. I never meant to leave you. I will fix this, and we can celebrate your seventeenth birthday together in the sunlight. 

"Mum?" I found myself talking without thinking as I clutched the note tight in my fist. "I overheard you in The Three Broomsticks, on the visit before Christmas. I know what he did to Harry's parents."

Mum swore and began loading potatoes into the oven. It took her a few minutes to look at me. When she did, she looked empty and hollowed out.

"The day James and Lily died was a strange one. He was gone for half of the day, claiming he was getting Sasha's birthday cake. Then he returned at night without a cake and a smile. Then... well you know the rest. Even now, that day confuses me."

"Do you think he betrayed them?" It was the one topic I couldn't touch on with Fred, with anyone, least of all Harry.

Mum twisted her engagement ring around her finger. "If he did—he did it unwillingly. James was like a brother. He wouldn't have put them in danger.... Unless somebody terrible told him they'd hurt us."

My mouth was very dry. "Do you think he did?"

"He loved us, and he loved James." Mum said quietly. "But—but I—I can believe he didn't kill those people, but... But if he didn't betray James and Lily, then who did?"

That was something I was going to try and find out.

**

The rest of the morning was not as festive as it'd appeared from the outset. Sasha locked herself in her room, not even letting Cedric in. He loyally sat outside her bedroom door, while I supplied him with hourly hot chocolates.

Mum cried in the kitchen while cooking, while Cassie, Fred and I tried to save Christmas by watching Arthur Christmas, which Fred was watching with the intensity of somebody studying for an exam. It was a good distraction from the argument, which Cassie and Fred had yet to bring up.

I'd put the necklace on, and it sat next to my one from Fred. If anything, this was more proof there was good in him.

"But how do they get around the world in one night?" Fred asked for the fifth time. "Even with that fancy sleigh thingy. Why can't he just send them through the Floo network?"

"They'd be a little sooty, Fred." I giggled.

"That's your cat."

Rolling my eyes, I looked towards Sooty, who was gnawing on some wrapping paper. Cassie was taking pictures of him, giggling as he posed. She'd gotten dressed in her fanciest red velvet dress for lunch, which I felt was for Katherine's admiration.

"Sasha!" Mum finally emerged from the kitchen, her hair frizzing with humidity. "Please come downstairs—Helen and Katherine will be here soon!"

There was a slam from upstairs, and two sets of whispers came trailing downstairs. Pausing the film as Arthur found the missing bike in the workshop, the three of us watched as Cedric and Sasha came in holding hands.

Sasha's had applied much more make-up than usual, her eyes massive and black with liberal streaks of eyeliner. She'd gotten dressed into one of her only dresses but hadn't bothered brushing her bushy hair.

"I'm still angry at you both." Sasha said, staring at the floor. "And you're both wrong."

"Sasha." Cedric nudged her in the ribs. "It's not the time."

Sasha huffed, but carried on, "But its Christmas, and I won't be a bitch. Today. I'll be nice and perky for our guests."

As if by magic (but coincidence) the doorbell rang. Mum squealed and dropped all the cutlery in her hands. Cedric, ever the lifesaver rescued them and began laying the table with Sasha as Mum hurried to the door.

I joined her, while Fred sneakily pressed play on the dvd player (he was getting the hang of it—he was no longer turning the tv off every time) while Cassie scrambled to her feet, smoothing out her dress.

"How do I look?" Cassie asked, panicked.

"Beautiful." I told her honestly. The worry in her face faded. "You'll sort it out, I promise."

We joined Mum, just as she opened the door. Kat and her Auntie Helen stood on the doorstep. Helen was wearing a very modest green dress just below the knee which set off her dark skin and eyes. Her dreadlocks were piled behind her head and a cross glistened at her throat.

"You must be Cara." Helen said, sounding nervous. She had a faint twang of a Jamaican accent. I remember Kat telling me that Helen, her mother and parents had emigrated to London after the War in the 50's. "My niece has told me such positive things."

"That's good to hear!" Mum said brightly. She extended her arm. "Do come in from the cold, Helen—dinner is almost ready." She beamed at Kat. "Katherine—always lovely to see you."

Kat shyly stood from behind her Auntie. To my side, I heard Cassie audibly gasp. Kat was wearing a beautiful Midnight blue dress patterned with silver stars, which glistened in our hallway. Her curls had been tamed into smoother, looser curls tied back with a silver clasp.

"Hi," Kat said, stepping into the hallway. She let out an odd squeak. "C—Cassie, I—"

Cassie strode forward, and firmly grabbed Kat's hand. She stood there, stunned for a moment, before her face relaxed into a smile.

Introductions were made, wine was poured for the adults (Cedric, Fred and Sasha were allowed a glass each) and dinner was dished out. Cassie and Kat were sat next to each other, their elbows touching. Hopefully this was the start of reconciliation.

Dinner went well, the conversation flowed, and Helen soon became relaxed and at ease. It made sense for her to previously be so apprehensive of wizards—they had taken her sister and given her niece deadly powers.

"Cara, I must thank you for indulging Katherine's vegetarianism." Helen said as we started devouring the cake. "I myself find it hard to do my mother's Jamaican recipes without meat—it just doesn't taste the same."

"It's no problem." Mum said. "Katherine's a good girl."

"She's sentimental—not that's a bad thing." Helen was starting to get tipsy off the wine. "She thinks because of her powers she should minimise the suffering of animals. It's quite noble."

"Auntie..." Kat said, clearly embarrassed.

"Though I meant to ask, Katherine—how long have you and Cassie been a—what do the kids say—an item?" Helen asked.

Cassie inhaled her glass of water and coughed loudly. Kat tapped her on the back, turning a dark shade of red. Fred nudged me, quirking an eyebrow. Sasha and Cedric looked equal shades of shocked opposite us.

"We—we're not." Kat choked out. "We're not, Auntie—"

Helen waved her wine glass around. "Don't be silly, Katherine—I may be old, but I'm not blind. I see how you two locked gazes in the hallway. It's very endearing, young love."

"We're not dating." Cassie said quietly. "Katherine seems to think I'd want to hide her from my family---"

"I didn't say that—I just pulled away when you tried to kiss me—"

Helen gasped loudly, drowning out Kat. "Turn this young girl down—Katherine, are you quite alright?"

Kat seemed to blush down to her neck as she turned to Cassie. "I wanted to talk to you about this in private, but well... It was my fault, not yours. I'm the one who's broken. I could hurt you Cassie---this poison inside me... I can't control it as well as I'd like to. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you."

The whole table was silent, listening with rapt attention to Kat and Cassie's conversation. "You hurt me when you wouldn't kiss me." Cassie said quietly, staring down at her plate. "I—I thought maybe I was damaged goods."

"Cassie—" Kat's voice was strangled. "I would never think that of you. I'm just so scared. What if—"

"We can't live by what ifs." Sasha spoke, tracing the edge of her wine glass. "Life is too uncertain for that."

"Let me make my own mind up." Cassie said firmly. "And just be my girlfriend, Katherine."

Kat, still lost for words, leaned forward and gently pushed Cassie's hair behind her shoulder. As gentle as I'd ever seen her, Kat pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. Cassie turned a light shade of pink and nuzzled under Kat's arm.

"Best Christmas ever." I whispered to Fred, and he squeezed my hand under the table.

He gasped. "This feels like the end of a movie!"

Smiling, I turned my attention back to the table drama, Kat turned to her Auntie. "But—But I thought you didn't approve of same-sex relationships, the church—"

"Is a very old and out-dated institution—if we followed every rule in the Bible, we wouldn't wear linen and wool together." Helen drawled. "I only care about your happiness, sweetheart, whether that is with a boy or a girl. I care more about you than that Mother of yours—running away when you were six to be with her love child—"

I could almost feel the ground shake under our feet, Helen's drunken words creating a tornado of revelation, swirling in the room like a thousand buzzing flies.

In contrast to minutes before, Kat had gone very pale. Cassie's grip tightened on her hand, and even Mum's eyes widened in shock.

"What child?" Kat's voice was a squeak.

Helen waved her wine glass around again, wine sloshing onto the table like drops of blood. "Well when she returned, years after that Novak monster kidnapped her—she had you, you were maybe... almost a year old, and she was pregnant again."

"I have a brother or sister?" Kat's voice pierced the silence. "What happened to them?"

"She gave the baby up." Helen sounded disgusted. "I told her I would raise the child as my own, as I was pretty much doing with you, Katherine—but she refused. Her reasoning? The child wasn't special like you, and deserved a better home."

Mum's hands shook, and she put a hand up to her mouth. "She—she wanted to see if she had another child born with powers, didn't she? Like our Katherine and Lyra?"

Helen shrugged. "My sister was a shadow of herself when she returned home--I imagine she wanted her children to protect her. I imagine the child was happy being adopted—the Father was a complete layabout. A wizard man—he called at the house a couple of times. He was terrified of Katherine... Well I imagine he was afraid of babies in general. He seemed that sort of man."

"So, she left me—to find them?" Kat sounded like a little girl. "To be with her other child?"

Helen downed the rest of her glass and poured herself another. "I'm only telling you this because I'm too cowardly too without a drink, sweetheart. But she left a note that morning---I've found my other child. I must be with them."

"How horrible." Mum downed her glass as well. "I know she was kept in that Manor for much longer than I was..." she reached across the table and clutched Helen's hand. "What was the Wizard's name? I have friends in high places. We could try and find her."

"His name was Peter Pettigrew." 

------------

A/N  So..... that happened. 

Wormtail's child will appear in the next book..... But I'd really like to hear your ideas or theories about this revelation..... 

I'm in the process of the next chapter, which is just as dramatic as this (though will have more sweet moments with Kat and Cassie)