HARRY POV:

(a few months time skip)

I sit in the snowing courtyard with Ron and Hermione. I had another nightmare last night, and I'm glaring at the snow like it'll solve my problems. I see Y/N enter the courtyard with Nott. I now know he's not her boyfriend, because I saw him snogging some other girl in the hallway.

A snowball goes airborne and smacks Y/N in the face. I can hear her swear even from the distance we're at, and she spins around to find who hit her. Nott helps her, and she uncovers Malfoy behind a snowbank. Y/N fires snowballs and obscenities at him, and I resist the urge to laugh.

Nott throws a few snowballs in Malfoy's direction with such force I'm surprised I never knew he didn't like Malfoy. It slowly escalates as any Slytherin who passes by feels the house urge to join.

A few first and second year Slytherins wander into the courtyard, and Y/N dives towards them, pulling them behind her snow bank. She yells a few words at Nott and he reluctantly protects the younger students.

Y/N packs a few snowballs and hands them to the first years, cheering when they hit anyone on Malfoy's team. It's really cute how she acts with them.

"Whatcha watching Harry?" Ron nudges my shoulder. "You got this stupid smile on your face."

I frown. "No."

"He's watching the Slytherin snowball fight. It's rather idiotic if you ask me." Hermione answers.

"Well I didn't." Ron replies. Hermione looks hurt and I hold back a laugh. "It looks bloody brilliant to me. The Slytherins are finally taking it out on each other, not us."

Hermione frowns but shrugs. "I suppose." Her eyes skitter over the Slytherins. "Ohhh." She smiles to herself. "I know what Harry was looking at. Or rather who." She looks very proud of herself.

"Blimey, who?" Ron looks wildly at the group of Slytherins and back at me. "You fancy a Slytherin?" He asks, a mix of surprise, disgust, and maybe even admiration in his voice.

"No!" I shout. "I'm not looking at anyone. Not anyone there, anyhow." I shove my hands into pockets. A certain Ravenclaw enters my thoughts. Cho Chang. She's really pretty, even if she does seem a bit sensitive.

"Mhm." Hermione nods. "He's looking at Y/N." Hermione whispers obnoxiously loudly to Ron.

"Really?" Ron looks shocked. I guess I wasn't being that obvious.

"Yes, really." Hermione looks exasperated. "It's obvious."

Well never mind then.

"I mean... she's gorgeous, Harry. If it weren't for her being a Slytherin, I'd say go for it." Ron says.

Hermione looks disgusted. "Seriously Ron?"

"What?" He looks baffled. He turns towards me, his eyebrows raised. "What did I say now?"

I shrug and Hermione sighs and rolls her eyes. "For one, why does it matter so much that she's a Slytherin?"

"Because everyone knows their Death Eaters." Ron answers for me. "You-Know-Who himself was one."

"So was Merlin, what's your point?" Hermione sighs.

"Everyone knows they can't be trusted, Hermione." I remind her. "They're bullies."

"All of them? You personally know every single Slytherin to be a bully?" Hermione retorts. Why does she always have to argue about everything?

"Well, no..." I admit.

"I'm going to dinner." Hermione smiles in satisfaction. "You coming?" Ron nods and picks up his things to follow her.

"I'll be there in a minute." I sit back on the stone wall, nodding for those two to go ahead.

"Leave him be, Hermione, he wants to stare at his Slytherin girlfriend." Ron teases.

"She's not my girlfriend!" I shout, probably a bit too loudly for the close proximity. Those two gits laugh and head off to the Great Hall. I feel like a silly first year.

I redirect my attention to the Slytherin snowball fight once more. Y/N is laughing and protecting a third year from the onslaught of snowballs.

She grabs her wand and uses a spell to whack Nott upside the head with a mound of snow, which makes them both burst into laughter so hard I almost laugh.

After a while, the fight finally seems to be dying down, despite having a good crowd watching, full of people from all houses.

Y/N is laughing, her face lit up under the cold, dimming sunlight. She looks... really—

"Potter!" My reverie is broken by the very Slytherin shouting at me. "Come to enjoy the show?" She asks, that ever present self-satisfied smirk across her face as she leans against the stone wall next to me.

"Uh, sure." I shrug, praying my cheeks aren't red. "It's sort of cold to just be outside for a show, don't you think?"

"I do think," She agrees, jumping up and sitting beside me. "So what're you doing out here?"

"Oh y'know," I shrug again. "Just avoiding my arsehole friends."

Y/N nods. "Understandable." She looks up at the snow. "You ready for Christmas?"

"Not really." I answer honestly. "I'll probably just stay here since I don't want to go home, but I don't know if any of my friends are staying."

"Mm." Y/N nods. "Christmas sucks if you're alone."

"Yes it does." I agree. "Why, what do you know about spending Christmas alone?"

"Not much." She replies. "But I could infer it wouldn't be fun."

"Then what are you doing this Christmas?" He asks.

"Oh, y'know, throwing snowballs at innocent people, maybe burning some poor family's Christmas trees." She shrugs. I must look surprised, and can't find any words to answer with, which makes her laugh."I'm joking Harry," Y/N nudges my shoulder with hers, causing my face to grow warm. "I'm sure you think that's just an average Slytherin holiday."

"I..." I begin, but trails off, still not being able to find a reponse.

"No, I'm just going to be at home with my mum. Maybe visit some friends." She kicks her feet lightly against the stone. "But look, I love talking to you, Harry, but it's too cold, so I'll be heading inside."

I stand. "Me too. The Great Hall and a warm meal sounds magical right now."

"I love talking to you, Harry" echoes in my thoughts for some unknown reason.

"I agree." Y/N stands and follows me inside. We conversate lightly on our way, but say goodbye before we enter the Great Hall. I take a seat beside Ron and watch Y/N sit at the Slytherin table. She sits by one of her friends, and I feel a small smile on my face as she laughs at something one of her friends said.

She looks so happy.

"Still staring at Y/N, Harry?" Ron nudges my side. "I suppose I could get used to her."

"No." I reply, grabbing my fork and attacking my food. Ron and Hermione share a look, and I "accidentally" knock my pumpkin juice over with my elbow, which spills on Ron's lap. Hermione bursts into laughter, and I can't help but grin.

"You're a git." Ron glowers, but I can tell he's trying not to laugh. I can hear the Weasley twins roaring with laughter at the other end of the table, and Hermione giggles for a good minute before she casts a spell to dry Ron.

"You deserved it." I smile.

~~~~

"Hey, I gotta head back now so I can finish packing." Daphne nudges my arm. I drop my wand into my pocket.

"Didn't we intend to finish packing before we went to this meeting so we wouldn't have to leave early?" I question. Admittedly, the D.A. meeting is almost over, but still. Today's the second to last day before Christmas holiday, and both Daphne and I are going home.

"Yeah, but we got distracted." Daphne shrugs, a playful smile on her lips.

"You got distracted." I correct, and wave goodbye as she excuses herself from the room. Without a partner to practise with, I stand stupidly with my back against the wall to observe the other students for the last few minutes.

"Remember everyone, tomorrow is our last meeting before the holiday!" Harry eventually dismisses the class, and I wait for everyone else to file out before turning towards the door.

"Y/N!" Harry calls out, surprising me. I turn around slowly, placing my wand back into my pocket.

"Yes?" I smile curiously.

"Can I talk to you? Privately?" Harry asks, and nods at Hermione and Ron, who leave with everyone else. The room is suddenly larger now that it's empty, and a small rock of nervousness creeps into my stomach.

"Sure." I shrug, and walk towards him, leaving about an arm's length of space between us.

"Have you been telling other members of your house about us? As in, about the meetings?" Harry accuses.

Wow, straight to the point, Potter. I immediately become defensive. "No, what the hell? What gives you that idea?"

"Well, it's been obvious that the Inquisitorial Squad has been more nosy about the D.A. as of late, and I just had to wonder—"

"If I had anything to do with it?" I finish.

"Well..." Harry trails off, suddenly defensive, as if he's not the one who attacked me.

"Well, what? You're accusing me of ratting out the D.A. only because I'm a Slytherin? If I had told on the D.A. you would know because of the jinx that Hermione placed on the parchment." I fold my arms.

"Yes, but—"

"But what, Harry?" I sigh because I really don't want to be arguing with him. Why is he always causing problems? Did that little scar on his forehead give him brain damage? "You can literally just not fathom that there's a Slytherin who's not out to get you?"

"I didn't say that." Harry snaps. "I'm just worried someone's tipping off the Inquisitorial Squad about us, and you know if we get found out there's no more meetings for any of us, including you."

"I know that." I retort. "And would you be shocked to learn it's not me?"

But Harry literally can't shut up. "All I was trying to say is it's more likely you had something to do with it since you're—"

I grab the loop of emerald fabric around my neck and yank. "There!" I rip my tie off my uniform. "Am I less threatening to you now?!" I turn around and stomp away before he can even reply. I know I acted like a fool, but I'm so pissed I don't even care.

Silence greets me in the hallway, my tie dangling from my fingers pathetically.

~~~~

"Y/N?" A second year knocks on my dorm door the next evening. I'm sulking in my room pathetically. I decided to skip the D.A. meeting, and Daphne stayed with me like the darling she is.

"What?" I ask as I open the door, much more rudely than it sounded in my head. "I mean, can I help you?" I try for a nicer tone, but I don't think it works, because she still looks slightly frightened.

"Uh, A Gryffindor is asking for you outside the common room. She looks kind of sad." She explains.

"What is her name?" I question.

"I don't know. But she had curly hair and a bow in her hair." She describes.

"Thanks, sweetheart." I pat the second year's head and report back to Daphne. "Lav is waiting for us outside the common room." Daph and I hop down the stairs and greet our favorite Gryffindor in the corridor. "Hi."

"Hi Y/N." Lav looks at me regretfully.

Daphne picks up the mood before I do. "What's wrong, Lav?"

"I think it's best if we go to your dorm. I have some bad news." She bites her lip anxiously and shrugs towards the wall.

I nod, an anxious feeling in my stomach. "Sure." Daphne and I lead her back to our dorm, successfully avoiding any glares as most of our housemates are familiar with this particular Gryffindor since we've had her over for sleepovers a few times.

"It's about Harry." Lavender announces once her back is against the closed door.

"What'd that dimwit do now?" Daphne sighs and flops on her bed. She hasn't liked Harry for a while due to how he acts towards me sometimes.

I know if I were a Ravenclaw I wouldn't have any of these problems.

Lavender knows us well enough to know not to try and soften the blow or whatever. "I overheard him in the common room saying he kissed Cho."

I must have a bitch face on, because Daph nudges me. "Y/N?"

"Who's Cho?" I ask. My bitch face is also my confused face.

"Chang?" Lav tries to explain. "Y'know, the Ravenclaw seeker?"

"OHHH." I nearly smack my forehead with my palm. "Hm..." I elaborate intelligently. I don't know how to feel.

"But..." I kick my slippers off and bite my lip, lying on my stomach to think. "Uh, I dunno." I sigh, propping my chin on my hands. "He's just a dumb boy."

"Quite dumb, if you ask me." Daphne reclines next to me. "He kissed her instead of you."

"But you didn't let me finish." Lav suddenly has a devilish smile on her lips. "I also heard him saying how he didn't like it, and he didn't seem so sure he even fancied her."

I shrug, but can't hide the smile betraying my charade. "We'll see." I stifle a giggle before inviting Lav on the bed and we move onto other topics of gossip.

Eventually we get hungry and scurry down the kitchen for snacks. The elves have a soft spot for Lavender, I just know it.

I'm so grateful that Christmas holiday is tomorrow.

The next day Daphne and I board the train, wide smiles on both of our faces. 

~~~~

A/N: 

sorry this isn't a real update since its only like a few new paragraphs, but i had to cut the previous chapter in half and add some stuff to start the next chapter (which will begin adding the song lines from the inspo song "accquainted" by the weeknd) 

thanks for reading im so excited for this fic <33

- wheezely