Draco's POV:

I looked at the silver numbers decorating the white door to confirm that this was indeed Grayson's flat before raising my hand and knocking. I heard a hearty laugh inside before the lock on the door clicked and the door swung open.

Lizzie stood there in a simple red dress and smiled up at me. "Don't you look dashing," she said quietly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Don't you look magnificent," I replied with a soft smile, happy to finally see her again. I leaned forward and hugged her tightly, smiling into her hair.

"Come on in," she hummed, waving me in. "Draco's here, Gray."

"Welcome, Malfoy. We're just-" Grayson began, standing just inside the door.

"Oh, just call him Draco," Lizzie humphed to her brother, who was wearing black dress trousers and a navy button-through shirt. "And you call him Grayson," she said to me with narrowed eyes.

"Well, Draco," Grayson corrected himself with a pointed look to Liz. "We're just waiting for my girlfriend to arrive and then we'll begin dinner. Mind you, Lizzie made it, so you'll have to watch for egg shells."

"Spicul-" Lizzie began with a glare.

"I mean Lizzie is a brilliant cook," Grayson corrected himself with a roll of his eyes. I looked to Liz with a raised eyebrow, but she didn't notice.

"I can't wait," I replied with a polite smile.

"I made roast beef and a load of smaller side dishes," Lizzie explained while walking me towards the sofa. "Grayson wanted to order pizza, but I wouldn't let his since this is the first time I'm meeting Charlotte. I've got to make a good first impression."

A knock echoed around the flat. "Speak of the devil," Grayson said, a smile creeping across his face. I watched as he walked towards the door, put his hand on the door knob, took a deep breath, and pulled it open.

A young woman in a black dress stood there with a grin. The combination of her blonde hair, which was chopped close to her head, her high cheekbones, and her short stature made her resemble a pixie. "Happy Christmas, Gray," she said, leaning forward and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Happy Christmas," he replied, a slight blush flowering on his cheeks.

Grayson shut the door behind Charlotte as she came towards the sofa where Lizzie and I were sitting. We both stood up to greet her. Liz, who was taller that Charlotte, walked around me and hugged the woman. "Hi, Charlotte. I'm Gray's sister, Lizzie," she gushed.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you," Charlotte quipped with a bright smile. "Grayson talks so much about you."

"He does, does he?" She looked at Grayson with raised eyebrows. "Anyway, this is my boyfriend, Draco," Lizzie continued, turning to me with a smile that made my stomach bubble.

Charlotte cocked her head and shook the hand that I extended. "Draco like the constellation?"

"Exactly like the constellation," I affirmed. "It's a family tradition to name children after astronomical bodies."

"Are you a wizard like Grayson?" she asked, nodding her head towards Lizzie's brother, who was still a bit pink in the face.

"I am, indeed," I nodded, clasping my hands behind my back.

"And you are too?" she questioned, turning to Liz.

"Actually, since I'm a girl, I'm a witch, but yes, I am," Lizzie replied politely.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm still trying to catch on to all of your guys' stuff. Just the other day, Gray tried to explain quidditch to me. The only thing I've retained is that it's played on brooms, right?"

"Yeah, it is," I said.

"Goodness," she sighed. "I can't imagine."

"It's actually quite enjoyable," I stated, reminiscing on the days that I used to spend on my broom. "I used to play as a seeker in my younger years. I didn't enjoy anything more."

"I don't think I'd be able to hurtle through the air 30 metres above the ground. Don't you get frightened?"

"Once you're on the broom, you hardly notice anything except for the quaffle or the snitch," Grayson inputted. "Anyway, now that we're all acquainted, why don't we start dinner?"

Lizzie slipped her hand into mine. "Sounds brilliant," she smiled.

We all walked into the kitchen area where a wooden table was set with delicious smelling, steaming food. I took a seat beside Lizzie and across from Grayson. "Smells fantastic," I declared.

"Agreed," Charlotte said.

As we all began to dig into the incredible food, the conversation steered back to what life was like in the wizarding world.

"So what's Hogwarts like?" Charlotte asked between bites of mashed potatoes. "It seems like Grayson never stops talking about it." She smiled at the man sitting beside her, who blushed once more.

"Right now or a few years ago?" Lizzie asked with pursed lips.

"What do you mean?"

"When Draco and I first arrived at Hogwarts in our first year, it was absolutely magnificent. It was every child's dream come true. We were living in a castle where we learned how to use magic. The people in the paintings moved and talked, the candles floated in mid air, the stairs shifted constantly, the ghosts were friendly, and the suits of armor sang. The feasts were beyond terrific, the classes were rapturous and very interesting, the overall atmosphere made everyone feel at home. In fact, I used to consider it my second home. But more recently, a dark wizard has risen and has started a war, so Hogwarts has become a hell. The professors use torture and starvation as discipline for the smallest of mistakes, they teach us horrible things about muggles, and everyone is constantly terrified," she explained slowly, with her eyebrows furrowed. I suddenly became very conscious the Dark Mark on my arm.

"Oh. Gray didn't mention any of that," Charlotte frowned. "Wait, does this war have anything to do with all of the people who keep disappearing?"

"It has everything to do with them. The dark wizard thinks that wizards are above all non-magical people, and wants to change the world so that we become superior. He wants to kill muggles, so he does. He kidnaps them, tortures them, and when they finally go crazy from it all, he kills them."

"That's horrible," Charlotte sputtered. "That's absolutely horrible. I can't imagine that kind of world. Who's winning? How are you going to stop him?"

"I have a friend who was born the subject of a prophecy. He was born to destroy the dark wizard. He has recently gone missing with two of his friends and no one knows why. Some wonder if he's ran away from his fight and left us to the dark wizard, but I know that he would never do that. I think he's out there preparing to come back and defeat You-Know-Who once and for all."

"You-Know-Who?" the young woman questioned.

"We do not ever speak the dark wizard's name, so we call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named," Grayson explained.

"Why don't you say his name?"

"There is rumor that it is cursed, so that if someone were to say his name, he would be able to find them instantly," Liz muttered.

"This is all so horrible," Charlotte gaped. "I'm speechless."

"How do you think we feel?" I muttered under my breath. No one but Lizzie, who looked at me with a sad expression, heard.

"On a happier note," Grayson noted, "I've been meaning to show you a spell that I think you'll really like."

"What's that?" Charlotte asked curiously, seeming to have forgotten the depressing conversation we had been having only seconds before.

"It's called the Patronus Charm. It's made from the caster's happiest memories. It's literally a physical form of happiness," he explained. "Wizards use it to ward off dementors and as messengers."

"Could I see it?" Charlotte begged.

Grayson pulled his wand from his pocket, pointed it to the air above the table, and closed his eyes. He thought for a moment before uttering the words "Expecto Patronum."

A silver wisp slowly trailed from his wand and gathered into a ball of smoke which took form as a hummingbird, which began to dart around the room, almost too quickly to follow.

"Is that a hummingbird?" Charlotte asked, her mouth open wide in awe.

"Yeah," Grayson replied, smiling vaguely at the small bird. "A patronus takes its form as the caster's spirit animal."

"So you're spirit animal is a hummingbird?"

"It sure is." Grayson let the bird fade away until the silver smoke was gone from the air completely.

"That was amazing," Charlotte stammered. "Can I see you guys cast it?" she asked Liz and I.

"Oh, I never learnt to cast it," I replied, slightly startled.

"Really?" Liz asked, turning towards me.

"Really," I affirmed.

"Remind me to teach you," she stated, while lifting her wand and pointed into the air beside the table. "Expecto Patronum." Hardly any of the smoke came from her wand. "Hmm, that's odd. Let me try again." She closed her eyes. "Expecto Patronum." This time a bit more of the smoke trailed from the tip. She cracked one of her eyes open. "What in the name of Merlin?" she snapped, looking at the tip of her wand as if there was something clogging it.

"Third time's a charm?" Charlotte pointed out hopefully.

"Maybe," she frowned. Liz squeezed her eyes shut and thought for a few seconds. "Expecto Patronum." This time, there was a flash of silver light as a large animal leapt through the air. I heard Charlotte gasp as I tried to place the animal.

"You have got to be kidding me," I deadpanned. "A Hippogriff? Really?"

I saw the corner of her lips lift, but she kept her eyes on the animal prancing through the air. It was so detailed that I could even see the folds in its feathers.

"What's a Hippogriff?" Charlotte asked.

"It's half-horse, half-eagle," Lizzie spoke. "It is very, very proud and gets offended when it's insulted. It's really dangerous." She dropped her wand and the creature disappeared abruptly.

"One almost killed me in fourth year," I muttered bitterly, thinking back to the day that Hagrid had showed us the herd of Hippogriffs.

"Don't be such a drama queen." Lizzie rolled her eyes. "He hardly even scratched you. And besides you shouldn't have called him a 'great ugly brute'."

"How was I to know it would try to bloody kill me?"

"Hagrid might have mentioned a few times not to be disrespectful."

"I remember hearing about that whole ordeal," Gray said. "Didn't it disappear before it could be executed?"

"Executed?" Charlotte blanched.

"Draco was a very dramatic person when he was 14," Lizzie inputted. "Still is."

"My father found out it had almost killed me and went mad. He wanted the thing beheaded and wanted Hagrid's job. But the Hippogriff disappeared before it could be executed."

"Well, that's good," Charlotte nodded, taking a large bite of the roast beef. "I'm glad it didn't have to die."