Christmas Dinner

It was time for Christmas dinner at the Burrow, and Ara was happy she was with her grandmother in Paris. She didn't think she would be able to go to the Burrow where James would be and not fall into a million pieces and start crying. The rest of the term had gone by incredibly slow, trying to avoid him at all costs. Every time she saw him, she would start crying. She hated how much she had hurt him. She could finally see the hurt that had been written across his face, and she hated that she had been on that date. Scorpius, Hyperion, and Mary had barely left her alone after her disastrous date with Mike. She wasn't upset about it, though. She didn't ever want to be alone with him.

Her Mother and Father had been reluctant to allow her to go with her grandmother to Paris, but they came around when Cissy said it would be alright. Draco was extremely worried for his daughter and was trying to hide the fact about her. He didn't want her to be more upset if she found out how upset she was that she was hurting. He tried everything to make her feel better when she arrived home, and nothing had worked. His two oldest sons had been telling him since she had broken up with James how much she was struggling, and he couldn't believe it when he saw just how miserable she looked. 

"Ara, are you ready to go to dinner?" Cissy was calling from the other room. They had decided to have their own Christmas dinner, just the two of them somewhere nice in Paris. 

"Yes, Grandmother," Ara was happy for the first time in a while. She had really enjoyed exploring the city with her grandmother. She had learned so much in the short time that she had been there and was grateful for the distraction. The restaurant they went to was amazing, and Ara couldn't believe how beautiful it looked. 

A young boy, around Ara's age, sat them at a table, and the two talked quietly to one another while they waited for their food. 

"Grandmother?" Ara had wondered for many years why she had never come to the dinner with them and started spending more and more of the Christmas holiday away from her family. 

"Yes, dear?" 

"Why don't you ever spend the holidays with the family anymore?"

Narcissa sighed and figured her granddaughter was old enough to know the truth and braced herself for the tears that were bound to follow, "Well, it's hard to spend it with so many people that lost so much in the war. Many losses at the hand of your grandfather. I don't feel as if I deserve to spend the holidays happy. I don't deserve it."

Ara was astonished by the answer. She had never heard her grandmother even mention her grandfather, let alone the fact that he was a bad person. Of course, she knew the story and why she had never met him, but she had learned all of that from her parents. 

"You deserve every happiness," Ara said with a small smile. She loved her grandmother, and she knew that everyone else did as well.

Narcissa smiled at the young woman that sat across from her and thought about how she had deprived herself of so many Christmas's with her family, and this would be the last one. She came here as an escape, and she knew Ara had as well. Maybe it was good for both of them that they were here together. 

"Let me ask you something in return," Ara nodded at her grandmother and listened intently for what the question was going to be, "What happened between you and James? You both were so happy with one another."

"I ruined everything," Narcissa was surprised at her grandaughter's answer and urged the girl to elaborate. "Well, I was just so jealous of all the girls that were always trying to be with him and wanting to talk to him. He never understood why it made me so upset, and one night I just lost it and accused him of wanting to be with all of them over me, and I just broke up with him. I broke his heart, and he'll never forgive me."

"Darling, people are always going to want to be around him. It isn't his fault that he is the son of Harry Potter. He didn't choose that for himself, and if it were up to him, I bet he would wish to have normal ordinary parents so that all of those people would leave him alone. Did you ever think about how it makes him feel?"

Ara thought about it and realized that she hadn't. Her grandmother was most likely right, and now she felt even worse for accusing him of everything she had. She missed him terribly and just wanted to be back with him. 

After dessert, Narcissa went to the restroom, and Ara has pulled into her thoughts again. That was until the young boy from earlier came over and smiled at her. 

"Are you alright?" He asked. Ara was confused before realizing that she had tears running down her face. She nodded to the boy and told him that she was alright. 

"You look very pretty," He blushed at his comment, and Ara smiled at the boy. 

"Thank you," 

"My father told me to ask you how everything was?" The boy continued. 

"Wonderful. Is he the chef?" Ara loved cooking and was amazed at how everything was just amazing. 

"No, he owns the restaurant. My mother is the chef, though." 

"Well, you should tell them both that everything was perfect. My grandmother and I enjoyed it very much. 

"Are you just visiting Paris?" The boy didn't look as if he was continuing the conversation professionally anymore. 

"Yes. I live in London."

"This is not something I would normally do, but do you think you would like to come to hang out with me one day while you're visiting?"

Ara was unsure. Her last date was terrible, and she really missed James. She figured this would help the time though, and she would perhaps get James Potter off her mind, and then someone they could go back to being friends. 

"That sounds nice; I'm Ara." She placed her hand out for him to shake, and he smiled at her. 

"I'm Ames." 

Ara smiled at the boy, and they set up a time to get together in a couple of days. Narcissa was happy that her granddaughter would have fun, but she felt sad for James as she watched on. She knew how much he loved her, and she wished they would work it out. As much as she hated her husband for everything he had done and put her family through, he understood her, and that was something rare you would find in a partner. She believed that her granddaughter and the Potter boy really understood one another in a way that no other person would be able to do for them. 

BACK AT THE BURROW

"What do you mean she isn't coming?" James huffed as he sat down in one of the chairs in the living room.

"She went to Paris with my grandmother," Hyperion explained to James for the 5th time in the last ten minutes. 

"I thought we might be able to work it out here, you know. Back at school, she avoids me as if I'm carrying the plague. How am I ever going to tell her how sorry I am and that I love her?"

"Mate. We have gone over this." Scorpius wanted them back together as much as Hyperion did, but they didn't want either of them to get hurt again. 

"James, everything is alright. Maybe go to Diagon Alley with us in a couple of days to take your mind off of her. If she doesn't want to talk to you, you need to start getting over her." Lily still hadn't forgiven Ara for hurting her brother, and she was personally glad she wasn't here. She admired the girl a lot, but she really hurt James. 

James nodded, and they all went and took their seats at the dinner table. It was strange to everyone that Ara was missing, but no one said a word about it, and James even smiled a few times with all his family around him. 

"So, how long are you staying?" Ames had taken Ara to a park near the restaurant on one of his breaks. 

"Just a few more days. I have to go back to school after the first of the year." Ara smacked herself mentally. Where was she going to say that she went to school? After all, Ames was a muggle, and she couldn't say anything about magic, magical creature, or anything that had to do with the wizarding world. Her grandmother had told her numerous times before she left to be careful with what she said. 

"Do you like it?"

"School?" Ara was confused by the question. 

"No, Paris. I am not sure anyone likes school," Ames laughed, and Ara joined in. They got along great, and she was happy. The only thing that was wrong with it was that James was in the back of her mind the entire time. She really liked Ames, but she knew that she probably wouldn't ever see him again, and when she did go back to school, she would see James all of the time. 

"Yes, it is lovely here." Ara closed her eyes as they sat down on a bench and breathed in the winter air. It was crisp and clean, and she thought about how it reminded her a lot of Hogwarts. 

"So, what is your favorite subject in school?" Ames brought her back out of her trance. She was flustered for what to say, and she tried to remember all of the subjects her mother had told her about. She figured. Potions wasn't an acceptable answer. 

"Chemistry," She finally said, remembering that her mother told her it was similar to Potions. 

"I have always been good at science. Mom says it is because I have a natural talent for baking. Since you have to follow precise steps in both, it is why I am so good at it." 

Ara nodded as he continued to tell her about everything he loved to bake and couldn't help but start to miss Mrs. Wealsey's pie and cakes that she would have had if she had been to Christmas dinner the Burrow. She was about to respond when she saw her grandmother coming up to them. 

"Ara, we have to get going. Your father just called and said something is going wrong at the business, and I am needed." 

"Alright," Ara frowned slightly. She didn't want to go back yet. "It was very nice to meet you. If I ever come back, I'll be sure to look you up, and if you are ever in London, you should do the same."

"Goodbye, Ara. I will," She smiled at the boy, and he kissed her cheek. There was something magical about her, and he wished that she lived nearby. The couple of dates they had shared were wonderful, however, and he would never forget them.