December arrived, and the weather around Hogwarts grew steadily colder. Snow settled over the grounds, the windows misted with frost, and students were already talking about going home for Christmas.
The D.A. meetings continued whenever they could find the time.
Harry had taken over most of the teaching by then, while Victor stayed nearby to correct mistakes, demonstrate spells when necessary, and occasionally point out that Harry was being far too forgiving with someone who'd spent ten minutes failing the same Shield Charm.
A different problem was developing during those meetings, though — one Victor found harder to deal with.
Cho Chang had started spending more time around Harry. It wasn't subtle.
She'd find reasons to speak to him after meetings, ask about spells she was struggling with, sometimes stay behind while the others packed up.
Harry, never particularly good at reading this sort of thing, seemed both pleased and nervous whenever she did.
The complication was that Ginny had begun to like Harry too.
Victor noticed long before Harry did — Ginny went quiet whenever Cho was around him, and had developed an impressive talent for finding something else to look at whenever the two of them talked.
It didn't help that Cedric was still alive in this timeline. Cho had never gone through the grief that reshaped her feelings in canon.
She still cared about Cedric, but she'd also developed an interest in Harry after everything that happened during the Tournament and the training since. Her feelings were, as a result, a mess.
Victor watched it all unfold like someone who'd walked into an argument mid-swing and already decided getting involved would be a terrible idea.
During one D.A. meeting, Harry was helping Cho with a Shield Charm while Ginny practiced her own a few feet away.
"Like this?" Cho asked, raising her wand.
"Yeah, just keep your wrist a little firmer."
She tried again. The charm appeared, weak but successful. "Got it."
"See? You're getting better."
Victor, standing beside Hermione, glanced at Ginny. She'd seen the exchange.
Hermione noticed him looking. "Don't."
"I wasn't going to."
"You were thinking about it."
"I was thinking Harry has absolutely no idea what's happening."
"That's probably for the best."
Victor sighed. "I miss when our biggest problem was Umbridge."
Hermione almost smiled.
Harry's problems didn't go away, though. Cho kept seeking him out, Ginny kept trying not to show her feelings, and Harry stayed stuck in the middle, baffled by why ordinary conversations kept turning awkward.
Victor eventually decided there was nothing to be done — getting involved in Harry's love life seemed more dangerous than fighting Death Eaters.
By mid-December, Hogwarts was winding down for the holidays. Lessons eased up, trunks got packed, and the common rooms filled with talk of home. Umbridge stayed as unpleasant as ever, but even she couldn't stop Christmas from coming.
On the last day before the holidays, the corridors were crowded with students hauling luggage toward the Entrance Hall, where the Hogwarts Express waited to take most of them back to London and the families gathering at King's Cross.
Victor stood beside Hermione with his trunk while Draco waited nearby, looking far happier than he had at the start of term.
"Finally," Draco muttered. "Two weeks without Umbridge."
"Don't celebrate too early. You'll probably dream about her."
"Then I'll spend Christmas making sure I forget her."
Hermione adjusted her bag strap. "Are you two finished?"
"Yes," Victor said.
"No," Draco said at the same time.
Hermione shook her head and headed for the train. Behind them, Harry, Ron, and Ginny pushed through the crowd while Cho said goodbye to a few friends.
Christmas had arrived, and for a little while, Hogwarts would be quiet.
Harry didn't return to the Dursleys. He went to Grimmauld Place instead, to spend the holiday with Sirius and the rest of the Order — more than happy to stay away from Privet Drive after the year he'd had.
At Malfoy Manor, Christmas was unusually quiet.
Lucius had invited no guests this year, largely because Victor wouldn't let him — most of the people Lucius normally invited had either followed Voldemort or had close ties to those who did, and with Voldemort back, bringing them into the Manor would have been idiotic.
There was no reason to invite potential enemies into their own home.
So Christmas dinner was just the Malfoys and the Lovegoods. Victor sat happily eating the roast Dobby had prepared, Draco beside him, Luna across the table with her father Xenophilius, who seemed perfectly at ease despite the odd company.
"I'm very happy I get to spend Christmas with Victor," Luna said, smiling at him.
"I'm glad you're here too."
Draco glanced between them and kept eating, clearly enjoying the evening.
Luna and Xenophilius were the only guests who seemed genuinely happy to be there — Victor and Draco were enjoying themselves too, but Lucius and Narcissa stayed quiet, neither of them pleased with how things had turned out.
Voldemort was back, the Ministry was denying it, and people who'd once vanished were starting to move again. Lucius knew exactly what his old associates were like, and Victor's decision to keep them out had left him with nothing much to argue about. Narcissa said nothing beside him. There was nothing to say.
Victor reached for another piece of roast.
Draco eyed his plate. "You've already had two."
"It's Christmas."
"That doesn't mean you have to eat the entire house."
Victor ignored him and kept eating, while Luna smiled quietly at the exchange.
For one evening, at least, Malfoy Manor was peaceful.
*****
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