(A/N): So I was originally going to put a chapter before this one, because it needed to happen before Leo left for the holidays, but then I thought to myself, 'why does Leo need to be in it?' just because Leo is the main character in this story, doesn't mean he has to be the one to solve every issue. So, with Leo not needing to be in the chapter, I can push it back a bit and put the chapters I've actually written up first.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Leo

Christmas holidays were less hectic than summer holidays, but it was still a flurry of activity, even though packing was always less stressful. I mean, you probably didn't take your entire wardrobe with you to Hogwarts, so other than toiletries and other everyday essentials, you were pretty much set.

Although, in the Entrance Hallf, I was entombed in a hug by my friends and Mia, before we broke apart so I could give them their goodbyes separately.

"I still think you should come with me, Meese." I murmured into Mia's ear as we hugged once more, and I felt her smile even as I sensed her underlying reluctance.

"They're your family, Leo... Besides... Some time alone might be beneficial." I grimaced.

"For you, or for me?" I questiond as I pulled away, and Mia looked like she wasn't one hundred percent sure of the answer either.

"Me next!" Sirius piped up, immediately swindling me out of a hug, and I fought back the urge to pet his hair in order to comfort him. Even though I had made Moony promise not to kill or maim him while I was gone, they had still been unable to reconcile as of yet, and he was feeling the pain. "If your mother forces you into attending another pureblood event, promise you'll try to owl me first, okay? I'm not fond of the idea of dying of a heart attack when I spot what looks to be your evil twin from across the room." I winced, but kept the smile up in case the others were watching.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon, but yeah, I'll definitely try to let you know ahead of time." He nodded firmly as he pulled back, seemingly satisfied as he passed me onto James.

"Don't forget to write." He reminded me very seriously, before he cracked a grin. "Lily's meaner to me when you forget to write." He then proceeded to hand me onto said redhead after a chaste (if there is such a thing) hug.

"Don't listen to that idiot. Well, I mean, you should definitely remember to write, but... Oh, Leo!" I blinked in surprise as she jumped at me, throwing her arms around me. "I'm going to miss you so much!" I was confused, but also extremely touched.

"Calm down, Lil. The others will keep you company... and you always have Mary, Alice and Marlene." She tilted her head like she was weighing it up as I mentioned her dorm mates.

"Yeah, but..." She shrugged, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Lily, it's only for Christmas. You'll be fine." She nodded, and I kept one arm around her even as I pulled Peter in for his hug. "Take care of the kids while I'm gone, Pete." He nodded rather seriously, and gave me an actual, full on, real life salute.

"Good to know you're in safe hands." I mused aloud to the others, and Peter looked somewhat sheepish.

"Come over here and hug me, you big softie." Remus demanded, and I dropped Lily in favour of giving him the bear hug of his life. "Oof!" He puffed out as he dangled a good foot off the ground, wrapped securely in my arms, and I grinned into his shoulder.

"Serves you right for being so pushy, Moony." I murmured, jokingly of course, and he clapped me on the back somewhat awkwardly.

"Look, Leo..." He seemed unsure of himself as I set him back on flat ground. "You don't have to talk to us-" I stiffened a little, and he hurried to try and make sure I didn't tune him out before he got his point across. "Just... try to talk to someone, okay? It isn't healthy, keeping everything bottled up inside- no matter how hard it is." My expression softened, knowing his sentiment came straight from the heart, and that everyone circled around me felt much the same way.

"Thank you, Moony." I heaped as much sincerity into those words as I could possibly manage. "And- I promise I'll try." His lips twitched downwards almost imperceptibly, even to me, but he managed a stiff nod.

"I guess that's all I can ask for." The next I knew, Elaine was bundled against my chest.

We didn't need words, we'd already said all the sappy stuff earlier in the morning, before leaving the common room, but it was nice just to hold her in my arms one last time before I left. I rested my chin on the top of her head as I talked to the others, trying to soak this feeling in, to ingrain it into me so I could keep it with me while I was gone.

Mcgonagall's voice rang clear through the hall, despite being no louder than our own conversation, and I said my last goodbyes, dropping a kiss on Elaine's hair before I pulled me into one last hug.

"Stay safe." I whispered in her ear, to which she responded with a somewhat sad smile, and a plea of, "Don't do anything stupid." She knew me well enough to know her request wouldn't be headed to the best of my ability, but I also knew her well enough to know she couldn't help but ask anyway.

"Merry Christmas." Was the the last thing we all said to each other before we parted, even though, more than anything, I wanted to tell them all, individually, just how much I loved them and why.

But I couldn't.

Because I was going home.

And I had someone to meet.

(A/N): Also, yes, Leo does call Mia 'Meese' sometimes. It's from when they were kids, and Leo had trouble pronouncing Miasenna (especially if he had recently lost a tooth or something). Mia sometimes calls Leo 'Eo' or 'Nise' and on one occassion accidentally called him 'knife'. Just a fun fact for you there.