Lady Weasley sat at her kitchen table, staring at the nicks that littered the table from years of use. Her tea had long grown cold in its cup. Two letters laid in front of her. She was unsure of how to respond to either.

Ginny had finally broken her silence, to write home and tell her that she refused to spy on Lady Potter, going as far as to call the girl her sister, her family.

Family. As if Ginny knew anything about family.

Clearly, she didn't care about her family if she would refuse to do this for them. Their scholarships had already been allotted for the year, there was no taking that back, but what would happen next year?

The Headmaster oversaw the budget, and she was sure he could take away the boys scholarships if he wanted to.

The other letter was from the Headmaster himself, asking why he had not heard from the youngest Weasley yet. She could not force her, perhaps she could force the issue during the winter holidays. She would make her see sense, no matter what.

Yes, that's what she would do.

Molly sighed heavily and put her head in her hands. She wondered, not for the first time, what would have happened if her soulmate hadn't died in the war, if things had turned out differently.

She shook her head, it did no good to dwell on such things.

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"We've got an idea," Blaise declared as he jumped onto Draco's bed, crushing Draco into the mattress. Theo hopped on after him and peeled his soulmate off their friend.

"That hurt mate," Draco whined, rubbing his shin.

"Good. Now get over it, we've got an idea!"

Draco glowered, but motioned for them to continue. They could be rather brilliant when they put their heads together.

"Ok so Samhain is in a few days, and you remember last year Holly got all upset."

Draco nodded, "Well it is the anniversary of her parents death, I think she's entitled."

Blaise rolled his eyes dramatically in response.

"Obviously, mate. That's why we think this year we should have a sleepover in the Common Room the night before Samhain. We can all sleep in the common room together. The house elves can set up camp beds in there, that way Holly can be near you. Besides, you know her bodyguards are going to stay in there too to make sure nothing gets near her."

Greg grunted his agreement from his bed, where he was attempting to nap.

Draco thought about it for a moment. Pansy and Daphne had admitted that it seemed to help Holly when they got in bed with her last year, so maybe this would be a good thing. It was hard to know without asking Holly, though. Perhaps she wanted her privacy.

"Have you asked Holly?"

"Not yet oh wise one, we wanted to see what you thought since you are her soulmate," Blaise deadpanned. Draco hit him hard with a pillow, which only caused Blaise to laugh loudly.

"If Holly wants to do it, I'm in. Don't forget the bribe for Slughorn, though."

Theo and Blaise cackled in triumph as Draco shoved them off his bed.

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Professor Slughorn was properly bribed with candies and liquor, and he did not venture out of his office on the eve of Samhain.

Pansy stood on one of the table's directing the Slytherin Quidditch players on where to hang blankets and sheets, so that they created a giant blanket fort in the Common Room.

They took her direction obediently after it became clear that Marcus would punch anyone who was rude to his young soulmate. He was very protective of her.

"Okay," Pansy finally declared after an hour of direction, "this looks perfect."

The Quidditch team sagged in relief, and drifted off towards their dorms. Some might come out and join later, but they needed at least a few moments without Pansy's shrill tones.

Their work was not in vain, when Holly entered the room with Vince and Greg, she was astounded. She knew they said they were going to have a sleepover in the common room, but this looked absolutely astounding. It was like they were inside of a massive tent formed of blankets.

Camp beds and sleeping bags had been placed throughout the common room, and the furniture had been pushed to the edges of the room. Holly strongly suspected that Pansy must have enlisted some of the older students in her efforts. She was the only one bossy enough to get this done efficiently.

"Do you like it?" Pansy asked as she and Daphne rushed to give her a hug, and pull her towards a pile of pillows by the fire.

"I love it, this was an excellent idea."

"Knew it," Blaise boasted as he, Theo, and Draco entered the Common Room and came to sit with their friends.

"Now Holly, if you are going to have a magical explosion tonight, may I humbly suggest you direct it at your soulmate. He ate the last piece of bacon this morning...and also you probably can't hurt him."

Holly tossed a pillow at Blaise, but he dodged and it hit Theo square in the face. She apologized profusely, but Theo brushed her off. It wasn't her fault his soulmate was an idiot.

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Holly woke in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. She was screaming, and her hair was glowing bright in its braids.

Draco was kneeling next to her, holding her hand, and the rest of her friends were gathered around her. She had woken them several moments ago with her screams, and no one had been sure whether or not to wake her.

"It's okay Holly, it's okay, it's over."

Holly collapsed into Draco's arms, and he looked down at her feeling helpless.

His father always said that making your soulmate happy was one of the highest callings a wizard could have. But he was starting to understand that there were some things he just couldn't fix.

He wondered if this was how his mother felt when his father thought about the war. They couldn't take away the pain, they could only be present through it.

Holly's body shook with terror at the memories of Lily's screams and the bright green flash of the killing curse. She felt as if she could explode. Her magic thrummed through her like an electrical current with no outlet.

The boys looked on in shock, they had never seen Holly have one of these episodes, though Holly's roommates had experienced it last Samhain. Mipsy had been on standby throughout the night, and brought a cup of tea with calming drought in it to Holly.

Draco coaxed it into her hands, and she drank it dutifully. She didn't want to feel this way, and she didn't want to keep her friends up. Her hair slowly lost it's glow and her tremors subsided until she was asleep in Draco's arms. Mipsy helped him lay her back down beside him, and tuck her in.

Draco looked around and realized the boys were still looking at him.

"What....what was that?" Greg asked. He knew Holly had a hard time on Samhain, but this was something new.

"She gets these nightmares...she relives the night her parents died."

Vince shuddered, and Marcus gulped audibly. To remember her parent's death must be awful.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, and looked around at his friends. It was going to be a long day. It was now Samhain, and they would celebrate tonight in the Common Room again.

"Look, she trusts all of you. That's why you're here. Let's just try to make this day okay for her. It might never be a good day, but it can be tolerable. Now let's get some sleep."

Draco laid back down beside Holly, and everyone else followed his lead.

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When Holly woke the next morning most of their friends had already risen, and returned to their quarters to get ready for the day. Draco was reading a book at her side, already dressed, but put it down when woke up.

"How do you feel?" he asked gently.

"Exhausted," she told him honestly. Draco drew her into a hug.

"I'm sorry Holly. I'm so sorry. I wish I could make it better."

Sally poked out her head from the pocket of his robes, and wound her way up his arm and onto Holly's shoulder. She slithered over to rest on Holly's shoulder.

"It will be okay Mama, I will kill whoever has offended you."

Holly laughed despite her exhaustion, and Draco pulled back and looked at her curiously, a silent request for a translation.

"She says she will kill whoever offended me," Holly offered. She hissed back an answer before anyone could come in the Common Room. The monster who killed her family and offended her was dead. She had done it herself at the age of one.

Her snake regarded her with a look Holly interpreted as something akin to awe, "Good job Mama."

Holly laughed, and put Sally in the pocket of her pajamas. She informed Draco that she would be out just as soon as she could get dressed, and made her way to her dormitory.

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When Holly emerged from her dormitory she was wearing the comb Cissa had given her to represent her parents, and she had a ribbon woven through her braids that bore the Potter crest.

Draco smiled at her affectionately. It was a beautiful, yet subtle homage to her parents. She carried an extra ribbon in her hand and when she saw Ginny, she offered it to her. Ginny smiled and turned around so Holly could reach her updo.

Holly wove the ribbon through Ginny's updo. She upheld all the Potter values that she had read about in her family's journals. She was true to herself, she was honourable, and she always did what she thought was right.

Potters never gave up, ever. Nor did Holly or Ginny.

They were two of a kind.

Daphne tried not to tear up as she watched her friend weave the ribbon through the younger girl's hair. She missed her younger sister Astoria terribly, and couldn't wait until she came to school next year. Clearly, Holly considered Ginny a younger sister, and that was good enough for her.

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Professor Minerva McGonagall walked the rows of desks, watching the First Year Slytherin's as they attempted to master their new spell.

Her eye was caught by the ribbon woven into Miss Ginny Weasley's braids. It bore the Potter Crest, something she hadn't seen worn in decades, since Lily and James were in attendance.

So Lady Potter had taken her in as a sister, had she?

James had done the same with Sirius, and when they had completed their blood brother ritual, James had fairly emblazoned the Potter crest on Sirius's chest. He was so proud of his brother. He wanted everyone to know that Sirius had become a Potter.

When Dorea and Charlus died unexpectedly, the companionship eased the ache in James' soul. He wasn't alone. He wasn't the only Potter.

Professor McGonagall wondered, not for the first time, if she had erred in letting Headmaster Dumbledore take young Holly to those muggles all those years ago. She didn't know what to do at the time. A war had just ended, and she had grown used to deferring to Headmaster Dumbledore in all things. It was how they had survived.

When Lady Potter strode into her room later that day, her hair the same dark black as James, and her eyes the same emerald green as Lily, wearing the Potter crest, her heart clenched in pain. She should have done more for the girl.

But she still had time, she was only a Second Year. As the class progressed, a course of action formed in the Professor's mind.

"Lady Potter, stay after class please."

All her friends tensed around her. They were afraid to leave her alone on a day like today. Professor McGonagall was both pleased and amused to see that they were so protective of her.

"Heir Malfoy may stay with you, the rest may wait outside the classroom."

Vince and Greg grumbled, but left with the rest of the class. They did, however, close the door behind them. They stood with their backs to the door so that no one could enter without their approval.

Holly dallied with Draco, she wasn't sure what this could be about. She was sure her work was more than adequate. Professor McGonagall took a breath, and attempted to marshall her thoughts.

"Lady Potter, I want to apologize for not reaching out to you earlier. I assumed Headmaster Dumbledore knew what he was doing when he sent you to those muggles. It's increasingly clear that he should not have been allowed to make such decisions."

Holly was shocked. She had no idea the Professor cared so much.

"I know today must be hard for you, and just, if you need anything. If you need an ally..." Professor McGongall trailed off. It was not often she had to make amends. She looked at Lady Potter again, who was wearing a small smile.

"For what it's worth, I think Lily and James would be very proud of you. I see what you've done for the Weasley girl. James would be thrilled."

Holly's eyes filled with tears, and for once she let them come. This was something that bothered her in her lowest moments. She had wondered and wondered if they would be proud, or if they would have been ashamed that she was a Slytherin that followed the Olde Ways.

The Professor rushed forward and hugged the petite girl, which shocked Draco thoroughly, but Holly just leaned into the hug.

"I miss them too dear. All the time," Professor McGonagall told her as she patted her back reassuringly. "They loved you so, so much."

Holly cried until she exhausted her supply of tears, and when she pulled back she saw that the Professor had been crying as well. Draco still stood with his mouth hanging open. Holly laughed weakly at him and chucked his chin.

"Take care of each other," Professor McGonagall instructed as she looked at them fondly, "I'm here if you need me."

Holly nodded, and she dismissed them. Holy took the still dumbfounded Draco's hand and led them out to the corridor where their friends waited. They really were a cute little couple.

She was sure James would have been extremely dramatic about Heir Malfoy being his daughter's soulmate. Which was ironic, because James was just as spoiled a child as Heir Malfoy, though he cloaked it in chivalry.

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Mister Ronald Weasley sat and fumed at the Gryffindor table. He had noticed the ribbon in Ginny's hair, and he was livid.

Just because he and Percy didn't talk to Ginny, she suddenly had jumped ship to his rival, and now considered herself a Potter?!

Well she was a Weasley, and he would remind her of it!

It's not like he was blind to the way she was changing, even if he didn't talk to her. He saw that she put her hair up in traditional braids, and spent all her time with her Slytherin friends.

He waited till he saw her get up from the Slytherin table and followed her out into the Great Entrance. She was just about to take her first step onto the stair that led to the dungeons when he reached her.

He put out a hand to pull out the ribbon in her hair, but received a shock that sent him flying back. His back hit the stone of the opposite wall. He slid down the length of it, and laid in a heap at the bottom.

Holly had felt the alert of the bracelet through her magical core. With Ginny's permission she had imbued it with her magic, so that she would know if Ginny was in danger. She stood from the Slytherin table and raced towards the Great Entrance without explanation.

Ginny had just left, what could have happened?

Greg, Vince, Draco, and Pansy raced after her. Holly found Ginny standing shakily by the stairs that led to the dungeons. Draco and the boys pulled their wands upon seeing her state, and looked around for what had caused her terror.

Draco's eyes fell on the pile of Gryffindor robes slumped against the opposite wall. It was Mister Ronald Weasley, and he was beginning to stir.

Draco scowled, of course it was him. It was always him.

"What happened?" Holly asked Ginny, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I was just going back to the Common Room. My bracelet activated, and when I turned around Ron was on the ground."

Vince and Greg grimaced. They had kept the brute away from Holly all year, but they couldn't protect everyone all the time. They had never imagined his own sister might be in danger from him.

Mister Weasley woke up, and pushed himself up to his feet.

"Ginny, what the bloody hell was that?"

Holly spun on him, her wand drawn and her face thunderous. Her braids were sparking again, and Draco motioned for Pansy to go get a Professor before Holly killed the nuisance. Pansy scurried off dutifully in the direction of the Great Hall.

"What did you do to her?! That bracelet wouldn't activate unless you tried to touch her against her will!"

"I didn't do anything!" Ron protested.

Holly strode forward and pushed her wand into his chest hard, singing the fabric of his robes. Her excess magic and strained emotions were overflowing. She couldn't hold back any longer. It was one thing to hurt her, but quite another to hurt Ginny.

"Tell the truth," she ground out through clenched teeth. She took a deep breath, and attempted to think clearly. "That bracelet is connected to my magic. I felt it."

Draco stood just behind Holly. He wouldn't stop her. It was her right. She claimed Ginny as a sister, and therefore had every right to defend her. He just hoped a Professor would get here before she did something she would regret later.

"I was just going to take that ribbon out of her hair!"

Ginny gasped. It didn't matter if he was her brother, he should never touch her hair, and certainly not to yank out the hair ribbon given to her by her dear friend.

"She's not a Potter! She's a Weasley, and apparently she needs to be reminded of that! You wouldn't understand, you've got no family!"