DISCLAIMER: All things Potter belong to JK Rowling.

~ Purify ~

"I got you something," she says as she presses a tiny object into my palm.

"It's not Christmas yet."

She shrugs.

I know her well enough by now to know that acting like she doesn't care about something means that she does care - very much. Whatever this thing is that she's given me, my having it is somehow important to her.

I raise my hand to face level and open my fist, finally looking at the object cradled within my palm. It is a tiny glass bottle. I pinch it between two fingers and hold it up to the light to get a better look at the bottle's contents. The pearly liquid clings thickly to sides of its prison as I tilt the jar back and forth.

"Impressive," I tell her. "I won't ask what you went through to get this."

She grins up at me, apparently pleased that her gift has gone over well.

"It's useless to me, you know. Not even phoenix tears can cure lycanthropy."

Her smile fades and she turns away to stare out the window. It is a dark night with no snow. There is nothing out there to see.

"Did I say I was trying to fix you?"

I tuck the bottle in my pocket for safekeeping and lay my hands on her shoulders.

"Then why give it to me?"

"I just..." She trails off, then releases a shuddering sigh and leans back against me. I wrap my arms around her shoulders and lean down to nuzzle the top of her head; a faint scent of fire still clings to her. "I just wanted you to have it," she whispers.

Finally I understand. She wanted me to have something untainted and pure, which our love can never be.

~end~

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated.