Pegasus is a Northern constellation, and depicts the famed winged horse from Greek mythology. It is said that its hooves dug the spring, Hippocrene, which waters blessed its drinker and enabled them to write poetry.

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The rain had made the forest floor squishy and slippery. The tree roots and branches were slick with water as they stepped over them, Draco steadying her with his arm.

"It's awfully dark, Malfoy," she said to him in the semi-darkness.

"We're almost there," he called back, and she cocked an eyebrow. "If this is another of your tricks, Malfoy, I swear I'll hex all your hair off."

"No, you wont."

She giggled, breathless with anticipation. They finally came upon a large clearing. Dead in the center was a large pond. Its waters shimmered a strange silver, as if it were molten metal.

On one side of it, a large root curved out of the soil. It made the perfect bench, and they both lowered themselves carefully on it. "It's exactly how I remember it," he said.

She looked up, waiting for him to explain. The water cast a white halo onto the surrounding trees, making him look even paler than ever.

He focused ahead and took a deep breath. "Um- you see, growing up, I was never really a fan of coming home for the holidays. Because er... Having this big, beautiful house didn't really make up for... well, other things, you know?"

He paused and cleared his throat, not really sure how to continue. She laid her hand on his lap gently, letting her gaze travel from his face to the mirror-like waters. He fidgeted and played with her hands, entangling and unentangling his fingers with hers.

"It was the Christmas Holidays. We were in our first year. I was flying around the house on a broomstick - this old, useless thing - but it was my first one, and we'd just learnt to play Quidditch. Just a bit of fun, you know? Anyway, my father came home angry, I didn't know why. He called me over and confiscated it. And then, he just... snapped it over his knee. I was gutted."

She gave his hand a supportive squeeze, not really sure where this story was going.

"It was Dobby who brought me here that night. Said this pond was magic, and that if I looked into it and wished for something, it would come true. So that's what I did. I wished for a new broomstick. After that, I started coming down here whenever I was upset. It's like an escape from the real world, you know?"

"And did you get it?" she asked.

"Get what?"

"A new broomstick."

He chuckled, turning to her with a glint in his eye. "The next school term, he bought the entire Slytherin team Nimbus 2000s."

"Is that why you wanted Slytherins to win so badly?"

Draco nodded, quickly becoming somber again. "I was scared, you know? When you fell." They were silent for a moment, remembering, before he went on. "I truly hadn't meant to hit you that hard. I came down to the infirmary immediately to see if you were alright, but your friends just wouldn't leave."

Her lips broke into a wide smile. "It doesn't matter anymore. It's a lovely story, Malfoy." Gripped by impulse, she pulled out her little pocket knife and twisted around to the trunk behind them.

"Carving our names? A little old fashioned, don't you think?" Draco said amusedly.

"No." She dragged the blade carefully across the rough, ancient bark and leaned back to admire her work. "Polaris."

They both looked at the symbol of the star - two long lines in the shape of a 't', intersected with a smaller 'x'.

"Home doesn't have to be a house," she said, folding the knife back into her pocket. What she did not know was that Draco's home was no longer even a place.

He tilted his head to the sky suddenly. "It's almost time."

"Time? Time for what?"

He shushed her, concentrating at the trees on the other side of the pond. She squinted, trying to make out what he was looking at.

"Malfoy, what are you-"

"Sssh, look! There!" Something was moving in the trees beyond the pond, before pushing out into the clearing. She gasped softly, gripping his hands in excitement.

It was a Thestral. And not just one. A whole herd of them now stepped soundlessly towards the pond, their hooves barely making any noise.

"You can see them, can't you?"

"Yes," she whispered. "My grandma, when I was very young. You?"

Draco remained silent.

The first one reared its head, looking curiously at them. She stiffened, remembering her Care of Magical Creatures lessons. "Um, are they tame? They can smell us, you know?"

"It's alright. They've seen me before. We're no bother," he assured her. They watched the Thestrals craned their necks down to sip the silvery water. They all seemed mellow, content as they drank. All except for the first one, which kept inclining its head to them in curiosity.

"Really? Because it seems like- Malfoy...? I think it's headed our way." The beast had stopped drinking completely, and was now slowly plodding its way through the water towards them.

"They've never done this before. We should go." Draco had shot out of his seat and started backing away into the forest, but she remained where she was, not daring to draw even a breath as it came up towards her. Silver beads of water trickled off its glossy coat as it panted heavily, sniffing her scent.

It blew against her face, cold as winter wind. She lifted her hand as slowly as she could, holding it in front of its nose.

"I don't think you should do that," Draco called nervously from behind. She barely heard him, completely enthralled by the creature in front of her. She had never been this close to one before.

To her surprise, it touched its long snout to her hand, as if to say 'yes, you can pet me'. She did so, feeling its boney features against the soft flesh of her hand.

"You're alright, aren't you, darling?" she spoke to it gently, feeling the vibrations of its bones as it responded with its unusual neighing. It sounded very much like blowing through a cardboard funnel.

"Malfoy, come! I think it likes us."

She heard him groan in protest, but crunching leaves told her he now stood right behind her. "Here, I think it wants us to pet it."

"Are you mental? It's gonna kill me!"

Now feeling a little bolder, she held its face between her two hands. "You're not gonna hurt the widdle Slythewin bwaby, are you, darling?"

Draco scoffed behind her, but she reached behind and snatched his hand. He resisted, but with her palm to the back of his, she slowly pushed forward, inch by inch, until it finally rested on the Thestral.

"There. See?" She moved his hand to gently stroke the creature's snout. When he started to repeat the motion on his own, she let go. With more confidence now, he began to pet it, letting out a surprise laugh.

She stood, moving her hand down the Thestral's neck and feeling the big bones under its slippery coat. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

It made that noise again, a deep rumbling from the back of its throat. Draco stood at the nose of the creature, still stroking it, but when she caught his eye, she realised he was really looking at her.

His neat hair had come a undone, a fallen white-blond strand grazing his lid. His smile was like moonlight and stardust in the silver reflections.

There was something different about the way he looked at her now. Those light grey eyes, a melting ice cube in the sun. A gaze she had seen a hundred times, always cold and distant. Now, it was warm and tender, full of adoration.

She felt like the trees around them had disappeared. The pond, and even the Thestral were no longer there. It was just him, her, and the air that invaded the space between them.

His smile had since faded, but everything he felt about her, she knew, if only just from the way his irises bore into hers.

It was the same look her Mum used to have as she waved her off at King's Cross; the same one dad used to give her when she kissed his cheek goodnight.

It was warm and familiar in the pit of her belly, like hot chocolate on a cold night. She accepted it, letting it wash over her. Right then was when she finally allowed herself to believe that Draco Malfoy truly and wholly loved her.