Harry and Melody sat on the couch watching a movie late Christmas Eve night when Celeste came in under piles of gifts.
"The owls ‘ave arrived,” she said timidly as she neared the table.
Both Melody and Harry rose from their seats, but Celeste was gone in minutes muttering about something in French. Melody was gently dragging her fingers over the tops of the gifts until her index finger fell on one from Marcus. She glanced at Harry, and swiftly buried the gift with others.
Things seemed awkward now that they had kissed. Neither of them had even mentioned the night since. Harry occasionally kissed her forehead, but neither of them talked about what Harry had told her, until now.
“Melody, you remember what I said the other night, about loving you?” Harry said gently.
“Of course,” Melody whispered as she placed her head on his shoulder.
“You never told me if … if you loved me.”
Melody froze. Certainly, she loved Harry, he had been all she thought about, but this was sudden. She had never even told Ron she loved him, but then again, Melody was almost certain, that wasn’t love. Harry had prepared himself for days to say those three little words. Now, Melody had seconds.
“Those are big words,” Melody finally choked out.
“You’re telling me! I’m the one who said them.”
Harry’s humor reminded Melody why she loved him. All caution was erased from her head as she said, “I do love you, Harry.”
*****
Melody woke the next morning, showered and dressed quickly. She hurried out into the sitting room and found Harry placing a small package under the tree.
"What's that?" Melody said sweetly.
"It's for you."
"Really?"
Harry nodded but noticed that behind her back, Melody held a large present.
"What's that?" Harry asked mischeiviously.
Melody kneeled next to Harry and placed the Asteroid under the tree. Startling her, Harry kissed her cheek and stood. He returned to his own room and Melody took a seat on the couch.
Melody's parents were visiting relatives, so the three teenagers were left alone to open gifts. Once Celeste was up and Harry had returned, they began to make their way through the stack of packages.
Simply throwing the gifts from her parents aside, Melody first opened the one from Marcus. Harry was occupied with gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, so there was a chance he wouldn't notice.
Marcus was Melody's ex-boyfriend. The only other boyfriend she told she loved. Christmas was not the right time to tell Harry that he wasn't her first love.
Inside the box, was a photo album filled with pictures from Melody's last year at Beauxbaton. Struggling to fight back tears, Melody quickly placed the album under the gifts from her parents, and watched as Harry opened his gift from Hagrid.
Eventually, Melody had opened all her gifts, even the ones from her parents, and all that remained was the one from Harry. Harry had also saved Melody's for last and waited patiently until she was ready to open hers.
Celeste noticed the sincerity of these gifts and casually strolled into the other room. Melody took the small box in her hand and played with the ribbon.
"You open first," Harry said anxiously.
Melody giggled and ripped away the shiny paper. A small black box was revealed and Melody delicately opened it. It was a small locket with two small music notes.
Looking up at Harry, Melody saw his delight as she put it on. She reached over and kissed him deeply on the lips.
"I hope'd you'd like it," Harry said beaming.
"It's perfect, Harry."
She kissed him again and then urged him to open his own gift. Excitement rushed over him as he tore the paper away. In seconds he knew what it was. His jaw dropped.
"I thought you might need this to win the Inter-House Cup," Melody said as Harry swiped his hand over the handle.
"What about you? Did you get a new broom?"
"No, I think I'm done with Quidditch."
Harry stared at her for many moments before he spoke again, "Melody, I was reading this book Ron gave me for my birthday about Quidditch teams all over the world. In there it lists future prospects and you were listed under the French Fire-Breathers."
"I know."
"Won't you need this then?"
"There are more important things that Quidditch, Harry. Besides, I think you will make better use of it that I would this year."
"You're giving up Quiddich?"
"Yes."
Harry was stunned. He had seen Melody glide through the air on the Asteroid. He knew how important Quidditch was to her, and now she was giving it up for him. There were no words, just silence.
The rest of the holiday was spent admiring each other’s gifts and drinking hot chocolate. It passed quickly as Harry and Melody only grew closer. It wasn’t until they were all packing that they realized they would soon be returning to school and all the anguish it stored.
Harry held Melody’s hand on the plane, and they tried desperately to hide it from Anna. Whenever Anna would go speak with the captain or disappear into the back room, Harry would steal a kiss.
Harry placed his arm around Melody as they walked up to Gryffindor Tower. They were nearly there when McGonagall came rushing around the corner.
“Good! You’re back! Dumbledore needs to speak with you. Follow me,” she said wasting no time.
Harry glanced down at Melody, but they followed without a word. Memories of the night by the willow flooded Melody’s mind as they reached the gargoyle, and she tensed. This time she wasn't going to run and hide.