ghost stories - h. potter

Twenty

One by one, the group that sat outside disappeared into the house as it became more and more obvious that Harry was waiting for Belle and Belle, for Harry. Sitting on the back porch, Belle looked over at Harry as he settled down next to her, a small smile on her face.

"Are you okay?" Belle asked and Harry was quiet for a moment.

"It's always harder around this time of year. There are so many families that have people missing because of the war and it always reminds me of what I could have done. I could have saved them all and stopped all the death, but..." Harry trailed off with a sigh and hesitantly, Belle reached out and took one of his hands. Staring down at their interlocked fingers, Belle squeezed it gently, before she looked up at Harry and smiled gently, heat rushing into her cheeks.

She tried her very best to ignore the catcalls that Fred, Sirius and James were sending her way.

"You wouldn't have been able to save everyone. The Death Eaters were hurting others because they wanted to - because they believed it was right. If the war hadn't have turned out in the way it did because of you, none of the Weasleys, Hermione or myself may be sitting here." Belle reminded him as they both turned back to the snowy scene in front of them, their hands still intertwined.

"I suppose I have Merlin to thank for making me choose your compartment earlier this year," Harry stated casually and Belle glanced over at him.

"Speaking of, why did you choose my compartment? Surely there were other empty ones around?"

"There were," Harry admitted, his cheeks beginning to flush.

"But I didn't want to be approached by other students because I was alone. Everyone else was staring at me when I walked past and you were the only one who didn't."

What Harry didn't add was how pretty he thought she was.

"Oh, well, I was reading a book," Belle tried to excuse her actions and Harry nudged her with his shoulder.

"Don't try to worm your way out of it, Belle. You know how much it meant to me that you treated me like I was normal."

"Because you are normal," Belle replied, having to stifle a smile as Fred threw a translucent snowball at James' face.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, admiring the snowfall that had yet to cease. Suddenly remembering that she still had yet to give Harry his present, she pulled away from him and sat up.

"Now that we're alone, I should probably give this to you," Belle said suddenly, pulling her wand out of her boot. She waved it, causing a small, gift-wrapped parcel to appear on his lap. She, though rather reluctantly, pulled her hand away from his, immediately missing the warmth that his body gave off.

"I have something for you, too," Harry said, before he too pulled out his wand, a messily-wrapped package appearing out of thin air.

"Er, don't mind the wrapping. I did it myself."

"It's... unique," she said, earning a slight chuckle from the raven-haired Gryffindor.

"Go on," he urged. "Open it."

Pulling off the wrapping paper, Belle's lips parted in shock at the item that lay on the velvet cushioning of the small, glass box that she held in her hand.

"How did you... Harry I don't - I don't know what to say!" Harry smiled at her flustered state.

"I found it a few weeks ago in the room of requirement. I thought it had been destroyed, but clearly whatever it's made of can withstand being a Horcrux and Fiendfyre. I asked Helena Ravenclaw if I could take it and give it to... someone special, for Christmas. She had no use left for it and didn't want to see it after everything that had happened, so I thought you might like it so you could remember your roots at Hogwarts, or something like that." Harry's cheeks had gone pink as Belle raised the glass box that held Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem inside it.