Julia had been prepared to answer him when she saw the dementors appear. Dementors....? At Hogwarts? She gasped as Caelum grabbed her arm and the two of them started to run back towards the school. When they were blocked off by the second one, she felt her heart drop to her stomach.

She heard Caelum's words and saw the hood of the dementor's hood fall. She yanked out her wand, pointed it at it while pulling Caelum back, and yelled, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A large beam of light appeared from her wand, formong into the shape of a phoenix, fiery and fierce. It shot beams of light through the dementors, causing them to vanish. She panted softly and looked over at Caelum, "Caelum....? Caelum..." she shook him gently to make sure he was okay, "Caelum, let's go.... before more show up...." She gently dragged him back towards the school

(( Sorry this took so long ... ))

Caelum was in a daze. Everything felt cold from his fingertips to his ears, especially his soul, however strange that sounded. He was dragged along by Julia, unaware or anything else, until the warmth of the school hallways crept into his skin. And just as they turned the corner, they were greeted by Professor Prince, the Head of Slytherin House and Potions Master.

"What are you two doing-" he started with a quirked eyebrow, suggesting the two participated in ... private activities, but the atmosphere changed when he noticed how pale the Malfoy was. Yes, the members of that family was pale, but not this pale.

He turned his attention to Julia. "Miss Potter, help me bring him to the infirmary, and tell me what just happened." he spoke as he half dragged half carried the cold wizard.

Julia saw the Professor and was about to protest when she aaw he realized it was not as he thought. As she helped get Caelum upstairs to the hospital wing, "I was outside working on schoolwork. Caelum came over to talk to me. We were preparing to head inside when a dementor came at us. We ran towards the school and anothee appeared... I used the patronus charm to get them away and dragged Caelum into the school to safety." She looked worried, "I don't understand... I thought the dementors were under minstery control."

"Dementors." The professor frowned at the word. He had heard rumors about dementors chasing after an escaped prisoner, but rumors were supposed to be rumors. What brought those two dementors to Hogwarts? "I will have to speak with the Headmaster about this." he continued as they entered the infirmary, the healer rushed to the blonde boy and brought him to one of the beds.

The professor had made his way to the door when he stopped and looked at Julia. "A patronus, hm? Twenty points to Ravenclaw."


The moment Professor Prince left, Caelum had awoken from his stupor and was slowly munching on a bar of chocolate, no meeting anyone's eyes as he continued to stare at his pale fist that clenched at the blanket on his lap.

After the professor left and Caelum woke up, Julia hurried over to his bed. She sat down with him quietly, letting him eat his chocolate. She felt so awful. Why didn't she react faster? Maybe he wouldn't have been so affected if she had. Why was she outside like that in the first place? She looked down at the floor, feeling guilty. He had been trying to protect her, and he almost got his soul sucked out because of her. It made her feel sick to her stomach from the guilt,"Caelum I'm so sorry." She murmured quietly,"I wish I had acted faster... I wish I had just gone to the library instead so this whole thing couldn't have happened." She felt tears burning in her eyes as they fell,"I just hope you feel better soon."

He heard a soft voice, barely recognizing it, but when he did, she had his full attention. Seeing the tears fall from her eyes made his chest hurt, as if something was crushing it from within, but he didn't know why. No. He dared not accept the reason why though he clearly knew the reason his heart ached. Any girl apologizing so sincerely would make anyone's heart melt. But he was a Malfoy. Malfoys don't accept looks of pity apologies from Potters.

But Potters don't apologize to Malfoys as well ... another voice buried deep in his mind whispered.

The walls he erected around his heart wavered yet again, the small tremors since the start of the school year made it weaker and weaker, sometimes daring to crumble whenever he saw her. And in this moment of weakness, his hand dared to cup her cheek, wiping away a warm tear with his thumb. "None of this is your fault, Julia," he spoke, her name rolling off his tongue. A certain warmth enveloped his eyes as he said those words, but the warmth left just as soon as it came.

He retracted his hand and a cold look appeared on his face. He lifted the blanket over his head and faced away from Julia, wishing he had never spoken. The walls around his heart grew sturdier and thicker. He cursed at himself for being so stupid. Why should he care how the Potter feels? He's a Malfoy for goodness sake. He shouldn't care how anyone feels!

And just then, two Slytherins barged into the infirmary and ran to their friend, the room drowning with their unintelligible words.

Julia had heard his words and blushed lightly as he touched her face. Just as quickly as he had done so, he turned away, turning into the cold Malfoy he was always supposed to be. Julia looked up as his friends came into the room. She quietly got up without a word and left the hospital wing.

As she headed back to her common room, she was able to see whatever friendship she thought she and Caelum had was over. She had seen the cold, almost disgusted look he had given her, and the crushing realization took all the air out of her lungs. "I'll never speak to him again." She murmured firmly to herself,"He doesn't want this friendship, I won't force it upon him." Once back into her common room, she spent the rest of the night focusing on her schoolwork, trying to ignore how much her heart was hurting. It was then she realized she was growing feelings for Caelum, which caused her to focus even more harder on her work.

As the days went on, Julia became withdrawn, keeping more to herself. When she wasn't studying in the library, she was studying in the common room or her room in the dormitories. She made sure to stay away from Caelum and his friends, even doing things to avoid having to walk anywhere near him. In the Great Hall she ate a little bit and would dash out so she didn't have the chance to even see him. She was dying for Christmas break, hoping he would end up going to his family for Christmas instead of being at the castle.

(( Will we be having the Yule ball during the last day before Christmas break? Or shall we move it after Christmas? (Haha~ A Yule Ball after Christmas) ))

Christmas break was nearing and the trio was taking their sweet time eating breakfast in the Great Hall. The scheduled time for the owls was yet to arrive and the three were anticipating for days for letters that would hopefully arrive. They had high hopes that their parents would accept their request of spending the holidays at the Malfoy manor.

They could hear it, the hoots and squawking of the owls as their made their way into the Great hall. Bundles wrapped in paper and cloth and letters in different colors rained upon the students. The three laid their eyes on a familiar owl.

"It's here, Caelum!" Frank had applauded, almost standing to greet the owl if Aren hadn't pulled him back to his seat. A letter was exchanged for a few pieces of bacon and Caelum opened the emerald and silver letter in his hands.

• • Dearest Caelum,
    
    Your father and I have decided to visit Aunt Amelie in Switzerland for the holidays. We have spoken to both the Longbottoms and Zabinis and they have informed me that they will also be visiting their relatives. Do tell Aren that he will be visiting their relatives in the Amazon and to Frank that they will be going on a trip around the world with Bob.
    
    You will have to stay in Hogwarts for the Holidays, my son, but I promise we will make it up to you next year. Wherever you want to go! That's because we wuv you ♥
    
    We will be sending your gifts at a later time as it would be very inconvenient for the owl to bring them over as you are eating breakfast.
    
    Love,
    Your beautiful mother.

Caelum sunk in his seat as he finished reading the letter. Frank and Aren had moved to comfort him, promising to stay at Hogwarts instead of going away for the holidays, but Caelum refused.

"Go visit your relatives. You don't always get to meet them. And besides, we've been together for fifteen years, don't you think it's time for a change in atmosphere?" he chuckled as he spoke, masking himself with a smirk.

"We just worry for you, Caelum."

"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourselves, you bumbling buffoons. You'd barely pass Transfiguration as it is."

That morning, Julia had received the letter from her parents, agreeing that she could remain at the castle if she wished to. She quickly sent them a reply back, making an excuse that she had a lot of homework to get caught up on. In all honesty, she probably wouldn't have been too much fun for her family anyways. After the dementor incident, she just wanted to spend more time to herself until she felt better.

After sending off her letter, she ate a hasty breakfast and then said goodbye to her friends before hurrying off back to her dorm room. After she had left, one friend turned to the other. "I'm really worried for Julia." She said softly,"She hasn't been the same since the dementor attack... It's like she just doesn't want to talk to anyone anymore."

Her best friend, a young witch name Olivia, nodded,"I blame Malfoy for that." She frowned sadly,"Julia told me what happened...She thought that after all this time, they were becoming friends...She said he just looked at her like he was disgusted she was sad about what happened to him and he coldly turned away from her... That broke her heart, because she cares about him." She shook her head sadly,"If he didn't want to be friends, he should have kept up his whole 'my family is better than yours' charade he had been using since first year." The two girls got up and started for the grounds, walking passed the Slytherin table as they walked. "I just hope Julia cheers up soon." Olivia murmured,"I hate seeing her so depressed...so broken... over someone that didn't deserve her friendship." They left the great hall and headed out onto the grounds.

(Yup. Last day before Christmas break)

Aren and Frank were goofing off at the dining table yet again when Caelum overheard the two Ravenclaws. His eyebrows furrowed worriedly when he heard what the two had to say, finding it hard to breather as he felt guilt flood into his lungs and put on a mask of indifference when he noticed the stares of a few Slytherins.

He had a reputation to keep. Though most students stared at him like a circus attraction, what bothered him more was the isolation within Slytherin. The house of snakes have their own hierarchy, their own set of rules that remained unspoken to the rest of the school. It may seem like they're all banded together - a unity unlike every other house, but on the inside, every student fends of for his or herself. And Caelum was starting to get on everyone's bad side. They approved of him when he was hexing the other houses and cheered whenever he got away unpunished. But when he started talking to Julia, they started giving him odd stares and glares, sometimes even mysterious additions to potions he was brewing.

He left the Great Hall with determination written all over his face. I won't care about what they'd think of me anymore. What harm can a few students do anyway? I'm going to apologize to her. I don't know how or when, but I will ... Maybe after dinner. Then I'll ask her about the Yule Ball.

He had made it to the dungeon hallway, a corner's turn from the common room entrance, when three seventh years blocked his path. Frank and Aren had stayed at the Great Hall, feasting on bacon and eggs, while he went to return to the common room to retrieve his Transfiguration papers. The three pushed him into an unused classroom and stood dominatingly over him.

"So it seems his majesty, Caelum Malfoy, decided to grace our presence without his usual entourage."
"You getting soft, Malfoy? Spending too much time with Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs?"
"What was that, Malfoy? You depressed you 'aven't spoken to the Potter in a while?"
"Maybe we should greet her a Merry Christmas for you~"

"Shut it! Don't you dare bring her into this!" Caelum had shouted in a rage, and what he got in return was a spell to the face, knocking him into some stacked chairs and desks behind him.

"Oh, but she is the reason we're doing this. Well, one of them at least. Do you know how wonderful it feels to finally beat up a Malfoy? You bunch of pompous wand-wavers! You sent my father to Azkaban! Crucio!"

Caelum barely took notice of the panicked shouts of the other students as they raced out of the classroom and did not even register his two friends arriving and trying to carry him out of the room before he passed out from the indescribable pain.