So Many Secrets.

November passes too soon.

"Harry!" Draco calls. "Do you have a minute? I want to talk to you!"

"Yeah. I've got some time before practice."

He gestures with his hand for me to follow him. I do, until we're in a mostly abandoned corridor.

"So... I was wondering if... Maybe you want to come over for the holiday? I don't know if you celebrate anything or if you're religious or something, but we celebrate Christmas. Not for religious reasons anymore, but it's really fun! There are presents and food and Father takes me out sledding every year on the best hill ever!"

"Religious?"

"Oh, it means you believe... I'm pretty sure it means you believe in some sort of God. I think my mother's parents did, but my parents don't and I don't either. But there's loads of different ones. There's Christianity and Judaism and Hinduism and Islam. The list goes on, really."

"Oh... I think... they believe in someone called Jesus, but I never learned... I don't think there's a god, anyway.

"Are you sure your parents would be okay with it? They don't even know me, and... And..."

"And what?"

"Dray... I'm sorry, but... But everyone... everyone says your parents hated mine! What if they hate me too!? What if they say we can't be friends anymore!?"

He rolls his eyes. "Oh, please. They won't hate you just because they didn't like your parents."

I mess with the strap of my bag. "Why... Why did they hate my parents?" I ask.

He shifts, looking uncomfortable. "Well... both my parents were raised in households with really racist views... like being against Muggles and Muggleborns and half-breeds... I don't know why they changed, maybe because they know it isn't a choice or something, but their trying really hard to stop thinking like that."

"Is that why you were mean to Hermione and Hagrid?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry I was, it was stupid..."

I chew my lip before answering. "I'll ask Severus..."

Saying that instead of Snape has been getting easier. I'm not sure why, really. I don't talk to him and he doesn't talk to me.

He grins. "Great! I'll see you when you get back from practice, okay?"

"Yeah. Are you going to be in the dorm or in the library?"

"Blaise and Pansy and I are studying in the library. You should join us, Maybe if we finish early we can do more confidence exercise things."

We say our goodbyes and stuff, then I head out to the Quidditch Pitch.

They players are actually nice. I like them, but I really have to get a lot better in two days. In two days it's my first game. My first game.

They had a substitute player play for me most of the last game. My broom went haywire and I fell before I could catch the Snitch. No one knows why it did that, but Severus told me someone was messing with it. 

This game is extra important because they're getting a new Quidditch kit, finally. Snitches have 'touch memories', so if I catch it this game, it'll remember me forever.

I have to catch that Snitch.

"You're late," Flint says once I get out of the Quidditch changing room. 

"I'm not that late, Flint. I tried to be on time." I put my bag in my locker. "Sorry, I'll be on time next practice. I promise."

"It's fine, just try and get here early if nothing else. We want you to play this weekend, got it?"