‘It’s not brand new,’ he told her apologetically. ‘I got it from that little bookshop down by the market. I hope you like it.’

‘I love it,’ she assured him.

He grinned. ‘That’s all right then, and thanks for me scarf. It’ll be just the ticket these cold mornings.’

‘Come on, you pair,’ Betty’s voice interrupted them. ‘Get yourselves to the table. We’re goin’ to have a game o’ cards afore we start the clearing away.’

And so with a happy smile the two went to do as they were told.

‘Hasn’t it been a wonderful day?’ Ruby said happily as she and Betty got undressed for bed later that night. The snow had started to fall and outside it looked like a sparkling winter wonderland.

‘It certainly has! An’ all that food has made me tired.’ Betty gave a big yawn as she hopped into bed and within minutes her gentle snores were echoing around the room as Ruby lay in the darkness thinking about Bill, a thoughtful expression on her face.

At that moment in the rooms he had made his own above the stables, Bill was also thinking of her. Just like Ruby, the feelings he had for her were making him feel confused. Each time he had seen her lately he had noticed how much she had changed. Gone was the shy little girl he had first known and in her place was a very attractive young lady, who looked to be hovering on the brink of becoming a very beautiful woman. But at the moment she was just sixteen years old, although no one who didn’t know her would ever guess it. Ruby had been forced to prematurely leave her childhood behind her long ago. Bill sighed as he tried to put his feelings into some sort of order. When he was with her, he felt happy and when they were apart, he missed her. He had never felt like this about any girl before but he was sensible enough to realise that they were still far too young to think of entering a relationship – a romantic one at least. He was now nineteen years old, considerably older than her. But then, he consoled himself, she wouldn’t be sixteen forever and they had all the time in the world. Perhaps next year when she was seventeen, he would declare his feelings for her and ask her if she would be his girl. In the meantime, he would spend as much time as he could with her so they could really get to know one another. On that happy thought he finally slept.

*

The holidays passed quickly and before Ruby knew it, it was almost time to return to Hermione’s.