When you found out you were going to have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas you were a little worried. It wasn't your first Christmas away from your family, you parents tended to travel for their work over the holidays. But this time, none of your friends were staying and so you were relatively on your own.

Slytherin house wasn't necessarily known for its friendliness, and so when your friends had all gone you resigned yourself to a couple of weeks roaming around the castle in silence.

You were surprised when the next morning at breakfast, whilst you were sat on your own the Gryffindor quidditch captain came over to sit with you.

He chuckled at the puzzled look on your face. "Forgive my brashness," he apologised in a sweet Scottish accent. "But I saw your sat all on your own, and I know I don't know you, but no one should eat alone in the morning."

You smiled at him, grateful for the company but not quite knowing how to put it into words. He seemed to accept your silence, smiled at you and continued on with eating his breakfast.

At the end of breakfast, he made to leave but you decided to speal up.

"Thank you for sitting with me," you told him sincerely, which made him smile.

"Same time, same place tomorrow," he stated in that accent you found intriguing, and you couldn't help but watch his retreating back as he made his way out of the great hall.

And so, for the next few days, Oliver joined you for breakfast but also lunch and dinner after telling you that no one should eat alone at any point in the day.

You truly did appreciate his company; you were surprised he was so willing to spend time with you given your houses and the clear rivalry throughout the school, but you definitely weren't going to tell him to go away.

One afternoon, you were sat out by the black lake enjoying the scenery and watching as snow fell around you.

"Care for some company?" you heard Oliver's voice behind you, so you turned around and gave him a smile, shaking your head.

He chuckled, coming to sit next to you and casting warming charms over the both of you. "I like the peace of it out here."

Oliver nodded in agreement with you. "It's rare that the castle sees any form of peace and quiet, so I'm sure its grateful when Christmas comes around."

"The dungeons are often quite peaceful, something about the water makes everyone calmer."

"I can't say the same for the tower," Oliver mused. "There always seems to be something going on in there."

You laughed at his grimace. "You don't like the madness of it all?"

He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Not so much, sometimes I'm grateful for the distraction but other times it's the last thing I want."

The two of you sat in a companionable silence for a while longer but then a thought popped into your head. "Are you still going to speak to me when everyone else is back?" you asked Oliver; whilst you didn't want to admit it, you would miss his company.

Oliver looked surprised but there was a small smile on his face. "Only if you tell me to do one," he joked. "I spoke to you because you looked lonely, and now I want to get to know you because you're interesting," he told you sincerely. "So, no Y/N, you're not getting away from me any time soon."

His answer made you smile. "Well, that's good then," you stated but more to yourself than to him.

He chuckled, leaning back slightly so he could catch a glimpse of you unawares. "It is," he mused. "It is good indeed."

~*~
Written by Hannah.