Lizzie's POV:

Getting off of the train proved tough. I knew my mum wasn't going to be on the platform, but I still found myself searching the crowd for her familiar face and doing a double-look every time my eyes fell on a woman who looked remotely like her.

"I'll see you on Christmas for dinner, alright? And no gifts this year. It just seems inappropriate for some reason," I mumbled, lacing my arms around Draco's neck and speaking directly into his ear.

"Okay," he replied, hugging me tight. So tight, in fact, that I could feel his ribs through both of our clothing.

I took a deep breath of his peppermint scent, saving it in my memories for the moments I would miss him over this break. "Bye," I whispered, not sure if he could actually hear me over the noise of the crowd, and kissed his cheek.

"Bye," he repeated.

We released each other from the hug and departed ways, not knowing what might happen to the other in the time we spent apart.

I shuffled my way through the mass of people on the platform, looking for my brother, and telling myself that that woman looks nothing like my mum. And neither does that one. Nor that one.

I suddenly felt very lonely. Draco had gone to his own home for the holidays; Harry, Hermione, and Ron were still missing (for better or for worse); my mum was dead; and my brother was hidden somewhere in this mob, waiting to take me home with him so we could celebrate our first Christmas without our mum. The hole in my gut where she had been ripped from me seemed as tangible as ever.

"Hey, Squirt," Grayson spoke from behind me and ruffling my hair.

I turned around and smiled up at him. "Hey," I repeated, reaching out and embracing him. As much as we may have despised each other in our childhood, the death of our mum and this oncoming war had forced us to grow up and showed us just how much we care for each other.

"You ready?" he asked, taking my trunk from me.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied with a sigh.

"Cheers to that." And together, we left the Platform.

-----

The only decoration in Grayson's flat was the medium sized Christmas tree, adorned with silver and gold baubles. I didn't see any of the ornaments that he and I made in our childhood. No macaroni noodles strung onto strands of twine. No gap-toothed school pictures pasted onto little, foam, Christmas trees. No paper stars scribbled with crayons.

"Your room is down the hall to the left," Grayson explained setting my trunk down with a dull thud. "Sorry it's a bit dull. I didn't know how you'd like to decorate it. You can do whatever to it, I guess. Just nothing permanent or my landlord will murder me."

"Sounds like a deal," I replied, pulling out my wand and levitating my trunk into my room.

The room was bare: white walls devoid of any type of decoration, beige carpeting, and a white door that led to a closet. There was a twin sized bed with navy bedding on the far wall and that was all.

"The loo is across the hall and the kitchen is by the living room. You're welcome anywhere in the flat except my room is fairly filthy so if, for some reason, you want to go in there, you have been warned," he chuckled with a shrug, turning from the doorway and walking down the hallway.

"Sounds like a deal," I repeated with a laugh, which echoed back at me like a mocking snicker.

Sitting down on my bed, I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth, my eyes welling up as I suddenly remembered why I was here in Grayson's flat and not in my own bedroom in my own home.

The tears began to fall down my face. Crystal droplets tracking their way down my cheeks.

I missed my mum. I missed her so much. I closed my eyes and pictured her face in my mind, but for a scary moment, I struggled with that. My breath hitched in my chest and the tears began to fall more quickly.

"Liz?" Gray called from the doorway. I quickly turned my head away from the door and wiped my tears, not wanting to show him that I was crying. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied with a shaky voice.

"I miss her too," he whispered shuffling his feet into my bedroom and sitting down beside me on the bed. "Sometimes I swear I can hear her voice. I try to imagine that it's actually her. That she's actually talking to me and I'm not imagining it."

I almost laughed. "I used to talk to the fire in the Slytherin common room like it was her."

He gave a small chuckle. "We're mad, aren't we?"

I turned my head to look at him and saw that his face was in his hands. "Bonkers."

"Well, Squirt, this madman is hungry. I'm gonna go order us some take away," he said with a grin, ruffling my hair.

"Chinese?" I asked, looking up at him.

"You got it," he replied with a wink.

-----

"Hey, Liz," Gray said with a piece from his chow mein hanging from the corner of his mouth. "I've got something to tell you."

"I- I'm sorry," I chuckled, "I'm sure that whatever you've got to say is extremely important, but I- I can't take you serious with that cabbage hanging from your mouth."

"What?" he blanched, bringing a hand up to his face and brushing away the food. "Oh," he laughed.

"So what'd you want to tell me?" I asked, taking another bite of my orange chicken.

"Well, I met a girl a few weeks ago-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I interrupted. "A girl? You met a female? Is this female interested in you? Are you interested in this female?"

"If you'd just let me finish-"

"Where'd you meet her? What's she like? What Hogwarts house was she in?"

"Lizzie! Let me finish."

"Finish quicker then!"

"Her name is Charlotte Donoghue. I met her at a pub in Hackney. She's amazing and she's a muggle."

"A muggle?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, she's a muggle," he replied.

"And you guys are a- a thing?"

He laughed heartily, "She's my girlfriend, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, Merlin. Grayson's got a girlfriend!" I extolled. "Merlin! When can I meet her?"

He gave a quick snort, "I invited her over for dinner on Christmas. Is that alright? I thought we could both have celebrate with our significant others."

"That's brilliant," I smiled in reply, "Does she know that you're a wizard?"

"She does. It was a right surprise when I pulled out my wand and proved it. Until then I think she thought I was some freak."

"Thank Merlin my boyfriend is a wizard," I laughed.

"I think she's finally accepted it though."

"I'm not sure she'll ever accept it, but this means you're serious about her. How long have you been seeing her?"

"Uh, let's see... about 6 months," he said after a few moments of thought.

"Wow, this might actually last," I joked. "Do you love her?"

"L-love? It's only been 6 months, I think it's a bit early for love."

"Well, when she looks at you, does it feel like your stomach has disappeared? Like you're all empty and you have this warm and cold feeling at the same time?"

"I guess," he replied, pursing his lips.

"When she says your name, does it feel like you're running on air?"

"Well, sure, but-"

"When she laughs, do you get that feeling that you get when you jump into water and the bottom is further down than you think it is and your heart skips a beat?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Grayson?

"What?"

I gave a great grin. "You're in love."

"You really think so?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in a scared expression.

"I think I know so."