Bound by Soul

A New House For Yule

A bit of fluff. I think after Christmas, we'll pick up a bit more speed in the passing of time. Try to wrap this year up before too long.

I've hit a wall at the moment, but it's relatively close to where the end will be, so I have a couple chapters before that. I'll do my best to get past this, but it might take couple weeks. 

Before that, of course, enjoy!

Harry knew the holidays were approaching, yet when Theo and the rest of Slytherin house left he still felt strange, watching them all troop out of the common room, luggage packed, and scarves wrapped tightly around their shoulders in anticipation of the cold.

Only a few older students remained, most of them intent on studying for their coming exams.
At dinner, Harry learned he wasn't the only first year spending the holidays at school, the Weasleys were all staying, including the youngest, Ron. There were a couple of Ravenclaw first years as well. Plenty of older students seemed to have decided to stay, and Harry picked unenthusiasticly at his dinner, watching the older students and teachers talking.

Harry spent most of the first days of the holiday inside, finishing his essays, and reading ahead a bit. It was about a week into the holidays, when Harry decided to brave the cold for a walk around the lake.

He looked out at the frozen water, snow slowly drifting down around him, collecting in small mounds on the boughs of a large beach tree. Without anything to focus his mind his thoughts began to wander, and he started to rub his forearm unconsciously.

He had been hurting himself less since November, filling his time with homework and friends instead, but now that the castle was almost empty, he didn't have much to distract himself, aside from books. He had taken to reading the book Draco had given him over the summer whenever his interest in the textbooks waned.

'The Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Magic' was very interesting. It named the families who had been pureblood for centuries, and the old families that were pureblood, but married halfbloods and muggleborns every few generations or so.

He had been surprised to find the Potter name under the latter category, but then remembered that his mother had been a muggleborn. Which brought his thoughts around to what Rakip had said back in september.

Harry paused under the beach tree, leaning back against its trunk, he tilted his head back, his fingers tracing the pattern he knew lay beneath his sleeves. It had been nearly a week since he had last cut, and an odd itchy feeling had begun to gather in his arms, as if his bones themselves were prickling, he just had to dig deeper to relieve the feeling.

Coupled with the building ache in his chest, Harry wasn't sure he would last until dinner, never mind after. Some, deep part of himself knew that it wasn't right, he shouldn't hurt himself. But at the same time, it made everything better. The weight in his chest would ease, and the choking pressure would fade. And it would feel as if he was taking his first breath of fresh air again.

It was so simple.

"Alright there, Potter?"

Harry jerked upright in surprise. Turning, he saw the Weasley twins staring at him. He nodded, unsure what to say.

The slightly taller one, whom he thought was called George, stepped over to his other side, as both twins leaned against the tree next to him, giving him space while staying on the same side of the tree.

"If anyone asks," the other one, Fred, Harry thought, started, "we had nothing to do with the snowballs."

He winked at Harry conspiratorially, a mischievous smirk on his lips.