Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

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Dear Lucky,

I don't know a single person who thought much of Zacharias Smith's announcing capabilities. I have no idea what McGonagall was thinking in selecting him. I'm no fan of Gryffindor, of course, but I was pretty amused by the way Weasley plowed into him at the end of the game.

Rumors are flying hard and fast about what happened to the Slytherin team. I've actually heard that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle have taken themselves off of it this year. I can't imagine why they would do such a thing, and why they wouldn't even come to the game. It was very odd.

You had questions about D.A.D.A. Here are some of the things I think you missed.

Sincerely,
Hope

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Dear Hope,

Thank you for the notes on D.A.D.A. They were exactly what I needed. For some reason I find it easier to do the spells than explain how they work. I notice you're pretty good at all of it.

I've been buttonholed into going to that party in Slughorn's office right before Christmas. I hope I can still go home afterwards. I want to see my parents in the hospital and I really want to see my other friend.

Speaking of friends, you seem to be seen with your one house mate a great deal, lately. Are you a couple?

Sincerely,
Lucky

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Dear Lucky,

No, we're not dating. He's just a really nice to me. His family has put a lot of pressure on him to join a group we've discussed, but it's completely not his scene. He's staying at school over the Holidays because he's so tired of hearing about it. I think he's just a loner like me and needs someone to talk to.

I'll be at the party in Slughorn's office, too. It will be interesting to see what sort of people he has come. He said he's got some former students coming. If it's just my parents, well, thanks, but I've met them.

That's pretty rough, what your one friend is going through. I would be pretty upset if it happened to my family, and I think Daddy would all but fall apart. I hope she gets to come back to school or something. I guess I'll see you at Slughorn's party.

Sincerely,
Hope

---

Margo Snape never did see Neville at Slughorn's party. She went with Ted and found herself cornered all night by people like Sanguini, whom Ted thankfully shooed away, and the Holyhead Harpies player who couldn't speak without going over her best game highlights. After an hour, her face was flushed and she was feeling hot with the press of the crowd.

“Why don't we go into the halls? It's cooler out there and we might get some air,” suggested Ted.

She consented and they slipped out the door of Slughorn's office. They wandered the hallways somewhat aimlessly. Margo slipped a look at Ted. He was quite sophisticated in his dress robes. They were clearly made for occasions like this evening, and fit him perfectly. She hoped that she looked as nice.

She had requested and been given dress robes like the ones her mum had in sixth year. They were garnet red and the low square neckline showed that she was finally getting the curves she had craved for so long. Mum even let her wear her great-grandmother Prince's pearls for tonight. It was all a waste, though, since Neville didn't even see her.

They turned a corner and Ted stopped. Margo looked up and her breath caught in her throat. He was looking at her in a different way than he ever had before. It was scary and exciting and made her tingle. She backed up to the wall and Ted stood beside her, his one arm leaning on the wall near her head. She looked toward the floor and wondered what she was supposed to do. She thought she might know what was coming, but she had no idea whether she wanted it or how she could prepare or what she should do.

Ted tipped her chin up with his free hand and lowered his face toward hers. He looked into her eyes and saw her indecision. She wasn't forbidding him, though, and there was excitement and expectation in her face. He lowered his face a little more and brushed his lips over hers. He raised his face and looked again. She wasn't overcome with emotion, but she wasn't repulsed either. He tried again.

They were interrupted by the sound of a voice they both knew well, scolding another person and coming closer. They glimpsed around the corner and saw Margo's father leading Draco Malfoy into a nearby classroom and finishing what must have been a long-winded monologue.

“...You should know better than to lie about what you were doing in this hallway...”

The door shut and they could hear Draco yelling back, but not what either was saying. They returned to where they had been standing moments before. Ted looked at Margo and realized that whatever moment had existed was completely gone. He hid his disappointment.

“I guess we're not meant to date?”

“I'm so sorry, Ted. It was pleasant and all...”

“It wasn't what you were looking for. It wasn't really for me, either. My parents seemed to think I should try for you, though. They're under the impression that your family will practically be royalty by the time we graduate, and what do pure-bloods do but try to climb the social ladder?”

“Will you be in trouble?” Ted thought that if Margo would stop looking at him with such sympathy and kindness, it would be easier not to try to kiss her one more time.

“No, I don't think so. They suggested I try, they didn't demand it or anything. I'm actually interested in Lisa Turpin,” he said, naming the first pure-blood girl he could think of.

“Oooh, Cousin Ernie would hate that. He's been begging her to go out. You should definitely ask her.”

“I might.” There was an awkward silence.

“Can we still be friends?”

He smiled. “Absolutely. Do you want to go back to the party?”

“Not really, it's kind of a bust, isn't it?”

“Let's head back to the dungeons, then.”

They continued down the hallway they were in, rather than returning the way they had come. Therefore they never stumbled onto the fellow student who was crouched near the doorway just around the corner. The two inside that room continued to argue, never realizing they had so much of an audience.

---

“You were pretty cozy with Nott at Slughorn's party. Where did you disappear to?”

Hope blushed as she bent over some flowers in one of the hospital greenhouses. Apparently, even though she hadn't seen Neville at the party, he had seen her. “It was sort of a trial. We went to the party together. Then we got hot and tired of the crowd so we sort of walked down a hallway. He kissed me and we decided we really shouldn't date. He took me back to my parents' rooms, and then he said goodnight and went back to his dorm.”

“You kissed?”

“It wasn't that great. Not like—“ Hope looked up and blushed some more and then looked down again.

Neville watched her carefully. “Not like what?”

She turned away and shrugged. “Nothing really.”

“I didn't imagine that you kissed me in the Hospital Ward last spring, did I?”

“I don't know what made me do it. I just wanted to and I did.”

“And it was better than Nott's kiss?” She looked up at him helplessly, as her face blanched and then turned a rosy hue. He took a step closer. “Hope?”

A new voice hailed them from the doorway. “I thought I might find you here. Neville, it's been ages!”

Margo backed away and looked unseeingly at some healing herbs. She was very aware of Neville's reunion with his girlfriend, but she wanted to at least give them the impression of privacy and space. She need not have worried. Hannah filled the room with the chatter of what she had been doing since leaving school, and questions for Neville about his activities and how their friends at Hogwarts were doing.

In the face of a conversation that left her completely outside, Margo quickly regained her composure and nodded a farewell to Neville as she slipped away under the cover of the conversation. She wouldn't come back to St. Mungo's during the Holidays. Neville should have time alone with his girlfriend, and Margo needed to avoid certain questions, at least until she could face the answers calmly.

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Dear Hope,

I shouldn't have asked you about that one thing that happened. Maybe some things are just too personal. We're still friends, aren't we?

Sincerely,
Lucky

Hope set the note down on her bed and stared at it as if it would bite her if she turned her back on it. She didn't know. If she and Neville stayed friends, she would at least be near him from time to time. She would get to have that sense of wellbeing that his presence always brought her, even if just for short moments, and even if it didn't really belong to her. However, she would also feel the dread of knowing Hannah was somewhere around, ready to show who Neville really liked. It was a lot to suffer. Hope sighed and blinked her eyes hard. There was really no question of which she would choose. She took up her quill and found a piece of parchment.

Dear Lucky,

Don't be silly. Of course we're still friends. One friend who's worried about the other friend might be inspired to kiss him if he's hurt. It's nothing major, is it? It needn't affect our whole lives or anything.

I suspect you need some notes about what we did in D.A.D.A. the other day. Here you are.

Sincerely,
Hope