The sentence was cleared and the accused was innocent. Sirius Black was freed and Peter, punished. School classes stopped for a while when the trial was going on. Christmas time was nearing Hogwarts School.

With help from Sirius, our favorite trio made enough Polyjuice potion for them all. With unanswered questions, Harry, Hermione and Ron were beginning to become suspicious.

They signed up to stay for vacation and were surprised to see Malfoy and Rose's name on the list. They figured they do the same as they did two years before. The hall was decked and carols sung. The lights filled Hogwarts in a new light with waves of colors. A delicious aroma filled the air with smells of cinnamon and spice.

Christmas was soon among our friends. It was a couple days before Christmas. The few students that were left ate breakfast at their leisure. The unusual amount of owls flooded the hall dropping letters and gifts here and there.

This morning Harry noticed that Rose received a pale letter in front of her. He watched her in the corner of his eye, as she picked it up gently. She carefully opened the letter. She scanned the page quickly and bit her lip. There was a worried look on her face.

Harry watched as Malfoy asked if something was wrong. She just ignored him and gave him an evil glare. Breakfast was soon finished and Rose went back. It took a minute or two for Malfoy to realize that he was alone.

~~~~~

Malfoy looked around, seeing that Rose was away he asked Crabbe. Getting an unsatisfactory answer, he went off to find Rose. He wandered through the halls. Finally he made it to the familiar stone wall.

"Azkaban," Draco said impatiently. The stone door slid open, which revealed their common room.

He marched in and with a quick glance around; he went up to Rose's room. Draco slowly knocked on the door. He placed his ear near the wood and listened carefully. He heard an unfamiliar sobbing. He slowly creaked open the door.

Draco stepped inside. The dorm was decorated with a color scheme of green and silver. Rose's bed was the one closest to the window. He walked quietly towards her bed. The curtains were down, so nothing could be seen.

He stopped for a moment pondering whether to go on or not. He carefully pulled the velvet green fabric to the side and peeked inside. It was a pitiful site. Rose was lying face down sobbing into a green pillow. On the bedside was the same pale letter, the same one she got at breakfast.

Draco sat down on the bed, not quite knowing what to do. He gently laid a hand on her shoulder. The crying stopped for a moment. She turned her head and looked up at him. He watched her ponder. In her green eyes, he knew she was pondering whether to let him stay or not. He held his breath as they stared on.

Rose decided to let him stay. She regained her posture and sat on the side with him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Awkwardly Draco placed an arm around her neck. The two sat there enjoying the bittersweet silence. She turned looked up at him. The two stared at each other again.

The moment seemed right, after all the magic was there. All it took was two simple movements and the rest of the pieces would fall into place.

His hand brushed up against her dark hair. He played with it for a brief moment or so before he made the movement. He leaned down and she leaned in. The two met at the center. They kissed, but just then, the door opened.

In walked an astonished Crabbe, shocked Goyle and a confused Millicent. Rose quickly regained her posture and scooted over to the other side of the bed, looking shocked at the Malfoy's behavior.

Malfoy angrily walked over towards the small audience. Knowing this was not the time to stay and chat. Instead they spread out and ran.

~~~~~

"Well, that was interesting," Hermione said.

"I agree," Ron replied.

"So what did we find out?" asked Harry.

"Not much," said Hermione.

"Now what?"

"I don't know," she replied, "Well there goes a month's work on Polyjuice potion!"

"I have to agree with you on that," added Ron.

Harry nodded.

As they sat up in Ron's and Harry's dorm, they heard a tapping sound on the window. Hermione got up and saw that it was Hedwig. She quickly opened the window and let her in.

The white owl flew into the room, flapping around quite a bit before landing in front of them with a letter in its mouth. Surprised at the urgency, Harry reached out and took it. On the front of the envelope was the familiar handwriting of Sirius Black.

Harry opened the envelope and pulled out the parchment. The letter said:

Dear Harry,

It looks like my name is cleared. Peter is now in Azkaban. I have gotten a house. I think you will like it. Buckbeak is also safe with me. Why don't you come and visit for the rest of vacation? Send a letter A.S.A.P. I hope you can visit! Tell your friends that I wish them a merry Christmas.

Sirius Black

P.S. I think you have already met Rose, my daughter. She'll be visiting as well.

Harry stopped reading. He handed Ron and Hermione the letter. They started reading the short letter anxiously. Within a few moments, they looked up from the letter.

"Well we did find out that Rose is related to Black," Hermione said.

"Yeah," said Harry, "I wondered what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he paused, "Sirius was in Gryffindor, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, if Rose was his daughter, then why was she put in Slytherin?"

There was a silence in the room.

"Well," Hermione began, but she stopped because she could not find a good reason.

"I guess you can find out more about this Rose person while you're visiting," Ron said, knowing how much it meant to him.

Harry nodded. Hermione and Ron left the room so Harry could get a chance to write a letter back in privacy. His quill scratched at the paper. When he was satisfied, he sealed the letter and gave it to Hedwig, who flew off into the night sky.