White Christmas
Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. This story was inspired by the song "White Christmas." I do not own anything.
Author's Note: I can't believe the holidays are here already! I know, I know...I've not been around much this year. On the plus side, I wrote and published my own book: Once by Alyson Serena Stone.
Time: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Genre: Romance, Drama, and Friendship
Rating: PG-13
Date Finished: November 6, 2017
Adrian Pucey stared down at Marcus Flint's chessboard, rubbing his chin as he tried out a way to get Marcus's king. He was completely unaware of the fact that his best mate was focusing on something else besides their game. It had been Adrian's idea to bring up to the Great Hall and get out of their rather cold common room. It seemed like most of their house had had the same idea.
"There!" Adrian yelled, earning himself a few dirty looks.
Marcus jumped, taking his eyes off a certain blond Chaser for a brief moment. His eyes flickered down to the board. He still really didn't see what Adrian had done. He didn't say anything as he moved his pawn. "Took you long enough."
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you keep losing focus. What are you even looking at?" He paused. "Or who? Are you looking for an early Christmas present?"
Marcus narrowed his brows. "There's no one."
Adrian shook his head. "What about Allison McCann? Didn't you two sneak off last weekend? I know Avril was trying not to notice."
"Um, maybe." He did actually sleep with Allison that night and a few other nights for that matter, but she wasn't his girlfriend or anything like that. Avril had made it pretty clear that she had moved on from him and what she thought of him during their very public breakup in the Slytherin common room.
"You do realize she's the hottest girl in the house?" Adrian asked. "She wants you for some odd reason."
Marcus frowned. "She just likes Quidditch players." It sounded really lame as he said it.
Adrian just shook his head. "You don't know how lucky you are. Every bloke in the school wants a piece of her and, yet, she picked you."
"Are we going to keep playing or talk about Allison?" Marcus muttered.
Adrian just shook his head as he turned back to the chess board, a smile danced on his face. Marcus let his eyes flicker over to the blond Chaser. Much to his surprise, she was actually watching him. She pointed toward the Entrance Hall, then left. He nodded, then pointed to the chess board. She returned his nod, before turning back to her friends. His eyes flickered around to his housemates, hoping that none of them had just seen the exchange.
"I've been thinking. You need a rebound, not a steady lay or anything like that, but someone else in your life," Adrian said.
"Why are you so involved in my love life all of a sudden?" Marcus asked.
Adrian shrugged. "What else is there to talk about? The Chamber of Secrets? It's not like either one of us has to worry about that."
Marcus knocked Adrian's king to the side. "Checkmate." He got to his feet. "Now, I have somewhere else to be."
Adrian was still looking at the board, trying to figure out how Marcus had gotten around him. "This is your set of chest. What about it?"
"Just put it in my bed."
Adrian looked up. "Where are you going?"
"None of your concern."
"I see. Allison calls."
Marcus just scowled as he walked out of the Great Hall, trying to ignore Wood's glares, which were going to have to be taken care of at another time. He had seen her leave a few minutes ago and knew she wouldn't wait too long on him.
He dodged Hagrid, who was bringing in yet another Christmas tree. The groundskeeper gave him a dirty look. It wasn't his fault that the oaf couldn't see where he was going.
It was taken him longer than more to actually get to the room. His knee was hurting again and it was taking everything in his power not to limp. Not too many people knew he had sprained his knee in practice last week and he wanted to keep it that. It probably didn't help that he wasn't resting like Madam Pomfrey had instructed; though she had healed it, it was still weak. She warned him that overusing it would prevent it from healing and could result in a more serious injury. He would worry about all of that if and when the time came.
He ducked into the classroom. She was staring out the window. "I wish it would snow already. It's not Christmasy without it." She turned and came over to him. "And you're hurt."
He hadn't even noticed he'd taken most of his weight off of his knee. "I'm fine."
Katie looked at him just shaking her head. "You really shouldn't be on that." She took out a wand and a chair appeared behind him. It gently knocked his knees out from behind him, forcing him to sit. "There, that's better."
She sat down in front of him, taking his hand into hers. "I didn't know if you would see me. I tried to get your attention earlier, but Pucey kept blocking me."
Marcus just nodded. Her hand was cold. He looked at her in her Quidditch gear, which clung to her body in all the right places. "He has a habit of interfering."
Katie moved her chair closer to his. "I'm make a note of that." Her eyes flickered down to his knee. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine. It's just a sprain."
"Right." She paused. "I feel like I have so much to do before term is over."
"Just wait until you get to N.E.W.T." He still had a pile of homework to do before tomorrow and would probably be up most of the night working on it, but he had wanted to see Katie tonight. They were still in the early stages of their relationship, the whole getting to really know you stage, but he couldn't stop thinking about her.
Katie just smiled."If you have that much to do, then why were you playing chess in the Great Hall?"
He did have to admit that she did have a good point. "I just wanted to see you." He leaned into her, kissing her.
She returned his kiss. He liked the way she felt in his arms, against him. It felt so right, a kind of the right feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time. There was something about running his hands through her soft blond hair that made him feel different; it was a kind of different that he really couldn't explain. It just made so much sense.
She broke the kiss a few minutes later. "I probably should get back to the others. Angelina wanted to give a book or something."
He nodded. "Adrian is probably waiting to discuss my love life." He paused. "He really does need a girlfriend or something."
Katie laughed. "He has you."
Marcus frowned. "Do you realize how wrong that sounded?"
Still laughing, she got to her feet. "We probably should go before they do actually come looking for us." She held out her hand as he got to his feet. "You really should ice that knee. While I'm sure that Oliver would be happy to see you hurt, some of us will not."
He just shook his head as he followed her out of the room, knowing that it was probably not his best move. However, the hallway was empty. He looked at his watch. They had missed curfew. With this Chamber of Secrets business, it was hard to do much in the castle after hours. He looked at Katie; she wasn't in danger any monster but Flich. Even though she was half-blood, he didn't like the idea of her being the halls on her own.
"Hopefully, Flich is at Moaning Myrtle's," Katie said. "I don't fancy getting a detention."
Marcus nodded. "Hopefully, we both can sneak back without getting caught."
Katie hugged him. "I'll see you later then."
"Yeah."
He didn't move until she was out of sight. He should follow her, just to make sure she made it back in one piece. Of course, Harry Potter was in her house and they all had seen how that had gone at the Duelling Club. While he wasn't sure if he actually believed the rumours about Potter, there had always been something off about that boy, something that he couldn't quite figure out.
He turned and headed for the dungeons. Snape tended to make rounds about this time and though he was the Quidditch Captain, he was certain that Snape would not show him any mercy.
!
Katie let the Fat Lady shut behind her. She was rather surprised that the Fat Lady hadn't said anything to her, but the term was ending tomorrow after classes and she guessed that no one really cared at this point.
The common room was on the quiet side. She guessed that everyone was up in their dorms packing, which was what she should had been doing too.
Angelina was sitting in front of the fireplace, reading a rather thick book. Katie was once again glad that she wasn't a O.W.L or N.E.W.T; they couldn't even slack off at the end of the term. "I was getting worried."
Katie shrugged. "It took longer than expected."
Angelina slowly closed her book, eyeing Katie. Katie had told her that she needed to return a library book. "Everyone must be thinking the same thing you are. Get them back before break or face Madam Pince's wrath."
"Yeah, it was a rather long line and she doesn't really care about curfew."
"Just as long as she gets her books."
Katie's eyes flickered out toward the window. There was still no snow. She sighed; she hated the thought of not having a white Christmas. It just didn't make it seem like Christmas. "Have you packed yet?"
Angelina nodded. "I did that earlier."
"I probably need to get started." She got to her feet.
"Let me get that book for you. I think you will like it."
As Katie started up the steps, she could feel Angelina's gaze boring into her. She suspected that Angelina had seen Marcus looking at her earlier. She willed herself not for it to come up.
Katie's dorm mates weren't there, she sat down on her bed, enjoying the silence. Angelina came in just a few seconds behind her, carrying a book.
"I saw Flint leave not to long after you left the Great Hall. I thought he was going to give you trouble," Angelina said, after a moment of silence.
"No, I didn't even see him." She was going to have to talk to about being a bit more careful.
"Huh, maybe he just went to his common room." She paused. "Anyway, I was thinking we could meet us a few days after Christmas. Alicia should be back by then."
Katie just nodded. Since Christmas was in the middle of the week that would put it on the weekend. She didn't really know what Marcus's plans were for the holiday; she supposed that she really hadn't asked him about it either. "I don't think I have anything going on."
"Good, it will be nice to hang out without having the boys around."
Katie got off her bed and starting throwing random clothes into her trunk. "Do you think maybe we've gotten it all wrong?"
Angelina frowned. "Gotten what all wrong?"
"The Slytherins. Don't you ever wonder if they are as bad as we make them out to be?"
Angelina laughed. "Why would you ask something like that? Of course, they were just what we make them out to be. Why else would they be in Slytherin?"
Katie shrugged. "Because they fit into Slytherin's values."
"Which is being evil."
Katie just shook her head as she threw a pair of socks into the trunk. There was just simply no convincing her that not Slytherins were bad and there was no chance of convincing her that Marcus really wasn't that bad. He wasn't perfect, but he wasn't the monster they made him out to be in their heads. He was just him.
Angelina looked at the window. "What's the point in it being this cold if it's not going to snow?"
"I was wondering that as well. It would make going to class a little bit better and we wouldn't feel as depressed during practice." Katie sighed. "Maybe it's snowing at home."
"Maybe," Angelina mused. "It just doesn't really feel like Christmas without it."
Katie nodded as the wind beat against the window. Maybe that would drive in the snow. She tried to stay positive through all of this, but it really was looking like their white Christmas was slipping away. Marcus hadn't really understand her problem, but he also hated anything wet and cold.
The Christmas tree in the corner of the room twinkled at them, almost as if it were asking them where the snow was, where the Christmas feeling was. A lot of people didn't understand why the house elves brought trees and decorations to the dorms and common rooms for people to decorate if most people weren't actually going to be here on Christmas Day. Katie like it because it did actually remind them of what was coming and lifted the chilly December spirits.
Katie ran her fingers along the stuffed penguin that Marcus had gotten her for her birthday. She had been eyeing it in Hogsmeade for weeks, but it had been way too expensive. She had been completely surprised whenever he gave it to. She hadn't even realized that he noticed.
Angelina shifted around on the bed. "Not only is there no snow, but no snowball fights or anything like that."
"I know." Katie was actually missing being hit by snowballs on her way to class and making a large snowman on the Quidditch pitch, just to annoy the Slytherins.
"All there is lessons and boring stuff."
"Don't remind me. It's already too depressing as it is."
"What are we to do though, besides complain about it?"
Katie shrugged. "Complain I guess. We could have it worse. At least, our common room is actually warm. Just think about the Slytherins in the dungeons."
Angelina laughed. "They have to be freezing!"
Katie carefully placed the penguin in her trunk. "Just keep thinking things like that."
"This whole Chamber of Secrets thing could really scare a lot of people away over the holidays. It's just completely mental to think that Harry is behind it. It's the Heir of Slytherin, so the person doing it is probably in Slytherin."
"Probably." Marcus really hadn't talked about it, but she guessed that his housemates were.
"I just think you should be careful, especially if Flint is following you around. It's hard to tell what is going through his mind. He very well could be the Heir of Slytherin," Angelina went on.
Katie didn't say anything as she stared down at her half packed trunk.
!
Marcus kicked at his trunk as he passed it. He didn't know why he had waited until now to start packing. He always went home over Christmas and he always waited until the last minute to pack. Not only that, but his knee was hurting and stiff.
He threw out all of his school books onto floor. He didn't need them over break, since he didn't intend to do any studying. His small room simply wasn't big enough for this. It was one of the perks of being Quidditch captain.
Wincing he knelt down as he threw another one of Lockheart's books out. He didn't read those on the best of days and he had no intention on starting now.
Adrian appeared in the doorway. "I have your chess set." He stepped over the pile of textbooks, staring down at Marcus with a frown. "Are you supposed to be doing that?"
"Doing what?" Marcus muttered as he started stacking up his jeans in the corner of the trunk. He wasn't even sure if they were all clean or not.
"Kneeling like that."
"I don't know."
Adrian settled himself on Marcus's bed. "It's cold in here."
"It's cold everywhere you go." Marcus stood up, frowning at Adrian. "Why don't you just make yourself at home?"
"I've already done that."
"Don't you have your own room?"
"With five other people. Besides, you're much more interesting to talk to." Adrian paused. "I guess Malfoy's not going home over Christmas."
Marcus just nodded as he picked up his broomstick, which was about the good thing that Malfoy had brought to the team. He wouldn't had even been on the team had Terrance not suffered a career ending injury during summer league. Still, it really did surprise him that Malfoy wasn't going home; he would had thought he would like to go home and brag to his father about all that he was doing for the Slytherin Quidditch team.
Adrian sat up. "Do you really believe?"
"Believe what?"
"Believe all this nonsense about Potter being the Heir of Slytherin. If he was the Heir of Slytherin, then why isn't he here?"
"I guess it just shows that the Gryffindors aren't as perfect as the rest of the world thinks."
"Did you see the Daily Prophet after the game? People are still accusing us of tampering with the bludger." Adrian paused. "My question is why would we tamper with it and get in the way? Three of us were hit by it. My stomach still hurts and you most certainly wouldn't have turned it on yourself. I don't think Graham can bend over yet without grunting. We could say that someone was attacking our Chasers."
"Well, they probably think we launched the attack and put ourselves in the way so that way no one would dare suspect us." He paused. "Is it getting colder in here?"
"I think so." Adrian sighed. "Great, I'm running out of blankets. They would never dream of letting the other houses freeze like this. When are they going to be get the heat fixed?"
Marcus pulled on a hoodie. It was getting colder and the coldness had a certain dampness to it. That could only mean one thing: snow. Add that to the mountain of homework he had to do tonight and it was sure to be fun evening. It would make Katie happy though; she seemed to be one of those crazy people who actually liked the snow. Maybe he would only do the homework whose absence would not give him a detention.
Adrian got to his feet. "I'm going to my room before I freeze."
Marcus nodded as he looked around the room. What else did he need?
Adrian gently closed the door shut behind him.
He closed his trunk, happy that at least one chore was done. Now, he had just had to get to that homework.
Gathering up his books, he sat down at his desk and stared at them. He really didn't fancy having Snape and McGonagall come down on him. Sighing, he opened his Potions textbook and began to read about some kind of theory that went over his head. He frowned. This was strange, because he normally did understand Potions; he supposed he was going to have to Snape explain it to some time. He picked up his quill and began to write.
Marcus didn't know how long he worked on homework, but he did start to nod off just as he finished his final essay. Without even bothering to get undressed, he crawled into bed. This was the last day of the term; it was bound to be an easy day.
!
Morning came far too quickly for Marcus's liking. However, it did seem like everyone was in a good mood. It really was amazing how happy something as simple as Christmas made people.
"Sit," Graham commanded the moment Marcus entered the common room. "I need some help."
Marcus frowned as he lowered himself down onto a couch. Adrian and Damon Knightly were seated opposite of them. Damon was shuffling Exploding Snap cards.
"They are killing me," Graham went on. Damon and Adrian just smirked at that.
"And what do you want me to do about it?" Marcus asked with a frown. It was way too early for something like this.
"I need a teammate and you are the first possible one who I've seen this morning. Everyone must be having a lie in."
"Just like the Miles is having with a friend," Adrian said as he started to deal the cards. A few exploded before he even had them passed out. The ash blew around his face.
Marcus picked up his cards, wincing as one threatened to burn his fingers. With the Christmas tree in the background and the dampness in the air, who needed to go to lessons today?
!
Katie stared out at the wet looking grounds. The sky was grey and hinted at snow, but it had yet to fall. The grounds just said and rather unpleasant without a winter blanket to warm them.
She followed Alicia and Angelina around a group of carolling ghosts into the Great Hall. Everyone did actually seem to be in a good mood. None of the teachers were complaining about the even louder than normal roar of the students. The Great Hall seemed to be somewhat empty. She guessed that a lot of people were having a lie in. Her eyes flickered over to the Slytherin table, which was almost empty. She frowned. It wasn't like the Slytherins to miss a chance to get out of their cold common room.
The ceiling above them was painted in a prefect winter wonderland and the twelve Christmas trees were decorated in an over the top manner. Christmas carols seemed to trickle out of the walls, sounding a lot more on tune than the ghosts.
Katie sat down across from Alicia and Angelina.
Leanne looked up from the reindeer shaped toast she was buttering. "Happy Almost Christmas," she said.
"Happy end of the term is more like it," Angelina said. "Where are the Slytherins? Maybe they were all kicked out for being behind the Chamber of Secrets."
"There are some over there," Katie pointed out.
Angelina shrugged. "Maybe they couldn't find anything against those ones."
Alicia frowned. "No, I saw more of them in the halls. I don't know what they are doing, but they went back to the dungeons."
Angelina rolled her eyes. "Why don't they do something about them? All of this trouble going on is because of them."
"Can we talk about something else?" Leanne asked. "It's Christmas. We shouldn't be talking about something so depressing right now."
Katie poured herself some cereal, which looked like little Father Christmas. "Do you think it's going to snow?"
Alicia shrugged. "I don't know. It looks kind of depressing out without it."
Angelina groaned as about a dozen Slytherins walked in. "I guess we couldn't get that lucky." Her groan only grew louder as the Slytherin Quidditch team walked in a few minutes later.
Katie watched as Marcus laughed at something Pucey was saying, before turning to a blond boy who she didn't know. A few seconds later, they all sat down at the end of the table closest to the teachers.
Leanne added some more jam to her toast. "I hope they don't give us homework over the break. I don't think I can bear to do anymore."
Angelina rolled her eyes. "They have been bad about the homework this term. It's like they think if we're all kept busy, then their won't be any more attacks."
"Well, it's worked, hasn't it?" Katie asked. "There's been no more attacks."
"I guess," Leanne said with a shrug. "I'll still glad to get home and out of here for a little bit. It's just disturbing to have to stay here knowing there's something out that, watching us and just waiting for the right moment to strike."
Angelina just sighed as she got up and threw her backpack over her shoulder. "But for now, lessons call."
Katie looked at her watch. She was surprised how late it was getting and she had to go across the grounds to Herbology. "I guess I need to get going too."
"Oh, I don't fancy walking across the grounds in this," Leanne said as she got to her feet. "Hopefully, the weather holds off until he can get back."
"At least you have Herbology, we get Snape as a Christmas present," Alicia grumbled. "He's just been horrible since Slytherin lost the match against us."
"Maybe we'll actually beat Slytherin and get the Quidditch Cup," Angelina said.
Katie just nodded as Marcus and his friends started coming in their direction. His limp was even more pronounced than it had been yesterday. He and Pucey were talking about something.
"And speak of the devils," Alicia muttered as they got closer.
Oliver Wood appeared next to Katie. "Is Flint limping? I hope he's hurt."
Marcus's eyes narrowed as he brushed past Oliver. Katie held her breath as she waited for something to happen between the two captains, but nothing did. Marcus's eyes did flicker to hers for a brief moment.
Oliver looked as if Christmas had come early. "He is limping. I hope Ravenclaw sees that and goes after his leg. Hit him in the right place and his season will be over." He paused. "I'll make sure to point that out to Davies."
Katie looked at Oliver. "You really won't do that will you?"
"Of course, I am. He would do it to us, Katie. Don't tell me you're getting soft on the Slytherins? The Quidditch Cup is within grasp and we have to do everything in our power to will it."
Katie bit the inside of her mouth. She was going to have warn Marcus the next time she saw him, but for now Herbology was waiting.
"I think it's sleeting now," Leanne said as she peered out the windows in the Entrance Hall.
"Great," Fred Weasley said with a sigh. "Let's add ice. On the bright side, we can just slide and not have to walk." He looked at Katie and Leanne. "Are you going out there now?"
Katie nodded. "Yeah, Herbology waits for no one."
"Well, don't break anything." He paused. "At least, you don't have Snape first thing."
Katie and Leanne watched as their friends disappeared into the mass of students rushing toward class. She could already feel the dampness coming in around the windows. This was going to be a fun lesson.
"Let's get this over with," Leanne said as she moved toward the door. "Maybe it's not as bad out as it looks."
Katie just snorted at that.
!
Flitwick was actually giving them the day to play games. Marcus could not remember a teacher ever giving them a day to play games. The Chamber of Secrets must really be messing with the teachers' heads. Damon Knightly and Chris Derrick sat opposite of him as they stared down at a Muggle board game that none of them could figure out. The few Muggle borns in the class weren't much help either. He could feel the Ravenclaws staring at them and laughing.
Damon frowned at the directions. "I think we're supposed to move this way." He paused. "Why do Mudbloods insist on making everything so complicated?"
"I think they just exist to make our lives difficult," Chris mused. "What kind of self respecting wizard would come up with something like this?" He picked up one of the pieces. "I mean, their faces looked possessed or something."
Marcus looked down at the brightly coloured board as he looked around at the rest of the class, many of who also seemed confused by the games. At least, they weren't alone in their suffering. "Why not just let us hand in our essays and let us go? That's what I want to know."
Chris shrugged. "Who knows? I bet Snape is going to do something today. I don't see him letting us play games."
Damon set the directions down. "I know he's going to make us do something. When has he ever given us the day off?"
"Never," Marcus muttered as he looked at his watch. They still have a good forty-five minutes of this. He just wanted to go back to bed. He didn't have a break until ten and it was a short one, just under an hour. He supposed that would have to do.
Damon took the game pieces from the other two boys and set them on the board. "I think this is how we play. If we're going to be stuck here, we might as well play something."
Marcus looked around the room. It seemed like now that everyone had some kind of game going, though he could tell right away that many of his classmates were playing them wrong. Flitwick was walking around the room, talking to students every now and then.
"The youngest goes first," Damon said, handing the spinner to Marcus.
Marcus didn't say anything as he flicked the spinner and moved his piece. The bright colours from the game were hurting his eyes. Why couldn't Muggles use darker colours like wizards did? No one ever stopped playing wizards games because of it hurting their eyes.
Flitwick hovered their shoulders. "I see you have figured this one out without any problems, boys." He smiled. "See, we can have fun without magic."
"Even if the faces are on the disturbing side," Damon muttered.
Flitwick moved away from them without a comment.
"I don't think he likes us," Chris mused.
Marcus moved his piece. "What gave you that idea?"
Chris shrugged. "I just have this feeling."
The rest of his lessons were not like Flitwick's. Snape had made them brew a rather complicated potion, while Mcgonagall had spent the hour reviewing human transfigurations. In Ancient Runes, he found himself translating a Christmas message. He was just happy that he didn't have to see Lockhart today, who, if rumour was to be believed, was making the students act out scenes from his books.
Outside, a little bit of snow was beginning to fall. It had coated the grass and many students were wondering if they could have a snow ball fight before they boarded the Hogwarts Express. The mixture of snow and ice had cancelled all outside classes, which made the Great Hall even more crowded by the time Marcus arrived. Not only was there more people there, it was a lot loader. It was almost as if the Christmas had over taken everyone.
The ghosts had even decided to move their choir into the Great Hall and were singing Jingle Bells at the top of their lungs. Peeves had his own rude vision of the song and was singing it as he whizzed over the heads of the students. Marcus noticed that he didn't dare go near the staff table.
"Just a few more hours," Chris muttered as he sat down next to Marcus. "At least, we don't have any more classes."
Marcus helped himself to the mashed potatoes. "Yeah." His gaze flickered over the window. "I think flying is out of the question though."
"I guess so. If only the train left now, I could do for some peace and quiet."
Graham groaned as he sat down opposite of them. "You guys are lucky that you don't have Lockhart today."
Adrian smirked as he lowered himself down onto the bench. "I found it rather amusing."
Chris looked up at them, pausing his buttering. "Why?"
"I have to play a werewolf and this one was Lockhart who was supposed to be killing me." He jabbed a finger at Adrian. "Only he took his role very seriously and ended up hexing me."
Adrian shrugged. "Hey we got a good grade on that performance. Lockhart loved it and said it was one of the best he had ever seen."
Graham just scowled.
"Too bad we don't have Lockhart today," Marcus said, sarcastically. "We're done."
"Shut up, will you?" Graham muttered. "We've still got three more hours of lessons."
Adrian's gaze flickered out the window. "What are you two going to do? I doubt you have any homework and weather isn't fit to be out."
Chris shrugged. "We'll think of something."
Marcus watched as Katie and her friends stepped into the Great Hall. She was laughing; well, the weather did seem to be best out in her. She shook the snow and ice out of her blond hair as she made her way over the Gryffindor table. When she caught his eye, she smiled.
He kept watching her until she settled in with her friends, still laughing about something. He picked up his fork and started to eat. He knew that Katie had a free period after lunch now, with Care of Magical Creatures being cancelled. Maybe he could sneak a couple of minutes with her.
!
Katie caught up with Marcus just as he left the Great Hall. He had been trailing behind his friends and by the time she reached him, they were long gone.
"Marcus," she whispered as she reached his elbow. She looked around, hoping that no one heard her call out to the Slytherin Quidditch Captain. She pointed to their left.
He nodded and started to push his way through the masses.
The people around them just kept going on about their normal business as the pair of them slipped into a small nook that was completely blocked from view. Katie couldn't believe how easy it had been. The halls were starting to grow quiet as they looked at each other.
"You're getting your Christmas wish a little early," Marcus muttered.
Katie nodded. "It made for a horrible Herbology class though. I don't think I'll ever be warm again."
Marcus smiled. "I'm sure you will. It's been colder for Quidditch before and wetter."
"That's different. You're actually moving, not taking care of plants. Today we just to keep measuring them every five minutes, not a lot of excitement there."
Marcus put his arms around her waist. "I'm sure you will be fine. Just think, it a few more hours it will be over for two weeks."
"There's a rumour going around that a lot of the students will not be coming back." She bit her lip. "They are all afraid of the monster."
"Well, if they aren't Muggles, then they shouldn't have anything to worry about," Marcus pointed out.
"I guess, but it's still not making people feel any better." She paused. "You're really warm by the way. I'm taking that you haven't been outside." She leaned into him, letting his warmth race through her body. It felt so good and so right. She didn't care what anyone said about him. He was hers and she wasn't going to let anything change that.
Marcus let his bag drop to the ground. "How long do you have before they start missing you?"
"I'll give Leanne about ten more minutes before she comes looking."
Marcus nodded.
Katie sighed. That wasn't a lot of time and she didn't know if she would get to see him before the holidays, let alone during the break. She wasn't sure how her parents would take to him and she hadn't met his. She didn't know how they felt about their son dating a half-blood, even though Marcus had told her that it would okay.
She stood tall and kissed his lip. He pressed back, leaning further into her. She closed her eyes, enjoying just how right he felt pressed against her.
"I really do have to go," Katie whispered as she broke the kiss. "It wouldn't end well if they caught me here with you."
Marcus nodded. "No, I suppose it wouldn't."
Katie grinned at him. "I really did like seeing you again. Maybe we'll see each other soon."
"I hope so." Marcus just stood there and watched her walk away, knowing that he should say something.
Christmas Eve, Thirteen Years Later
Thud...Thud...Thud...
Groaning, Marcus rolled over onto his back, looking at the clock. Why didn't his children understand that today was the day to sleep in? They were going to be up very early in morning to see what Father Christmas brought.
"I think the kids are up," Katie said, opening her blue eyes.
"I noticed."
The bedroom banged up.
"Mummy, Daddy! Guess what?" Renee asked as she bounced onto Marcus's side of the bed. She was a Daddy's girl.
"It snowed!" Anna yelled.
Kasey and Aiden jumped them with the guidance of Emily.
"You're going to wake up Colton," Katie said, reminding them of their one year old little brother.
"He's already awake and waiting for you," Anna said, bouncing on the bed.
Kasey tugged on Marcus's arm. Her eyes wide. "Daddy, there's marshmallows on the ground." At the age of six, she liked to play make believe a lot.
Aiden rolled his eyes at his twin. "It's just snow."
"Be nice to your sister," Katie said.
Emily, the oldest at ten and the only one to be adopted, sat on the edge of the bed. "We have to do something about this."
"About what?" Katie asked.
Marcus sat up, pulling Renee off of him.
"We should build a snowman!" Anna exclaimed. "We haven't done that in forever!"
"Snowman!" Aiden, Kasey, and Renee exclaimed.
Marcus and Katie exchanged looks. It looked like they were going to build a snowman.
Marcus slid out of bed. "I'll go get Colton."
Katie nodded. "Everyone get dressed and be downstairs for breakfast."
"What about the snowman?" Kasey asked, her voice soft.
"We'll build it after breakfast."
Marcus padded out of the room and down the hall to his youngest son's room. Colton was standing up in his crib, waving as Marcus stepped into the room. He bent down and picked up his son, he simply could not believe how fast his children were growing. It just seemed like yesterday that the Dark Lord had fallen, instead of over eight years, almost nine for that matter.
Time was just passing too quickly for his liking. Why in July, he would be thirty and Katie had just turned twenty-seven in November.
Colton tightened his grip on Marcus, as he dug around for a pair of warm clothes. Finding some, he quickly dressed his son before heading back to his own room. He sat Colton down on the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and long sleeve shirt. He touched his face, he probably could skip shaving this morning and just do it tonight before going over to Katie's parents.
He bent down to pick up Colton and headed downstairs to the madness of the kitchen. Don't get him wrong, he did like being a father, but sometimes it was just downright crazy around here.
Today it was different. The kids were all sitting at the table, waiting quietly for their breakfast. Marcus put Colton into his high chair and stared at them. Quiet children made him very nervous. Plus, the focused looks on their faces made him even more nervous. They were plotting something, something that was going to probably cause him a lot of pain and suffering.
Katie appeared hovering bowls, boxes of cereal, milk, juice, spoons, and a few pieces of fruit above her head. She carefully sat each item down on the table, so that each was placed in a proper place instead of the mound that it would have been had Marcus brought it in. He wasn't one for household spells, never mastered them no matter how many times someone showed him.
The kids all dug in, still ever so silent.
Marcus gave Katie a concerned look, which she returned with one of her own. So, it just wasn't him...
Katie sat across from Marcus and bit slowly into an apple. Neither one of them were much for the head of the table, preferring to sit on one of the sides. The kids were all still chewing, slowly.
"So, how do you guys want to go about building this thing?" Marcus asked.
Anna swallowed. "It's not a thing, Daddy. It's a snowman."
Colton played with his cereal, staring at them with eyes wide.
"We can't take too long," Kasey started in. "Father Christmas comes tonight."
"How long you think it takes to build one?" Katie asked.
Kasey shrugged. "I've never build one, so how am I supposed to know. You and Daddy are older so that's something that you should be telling me."
Katie smiled. Sometimes, well most of the time, their kids could be really cute, expect for those times that they wanted to murder each other.
Emily poked Marcus's arm. "Can you make the snow different colours like you did last year?"
"Of course." Last year, Marcus had entertained the kids by making the snow behind the house turn all different colours, every colour he could think of for that matter. He was surprised that Emily remembered him doing that.
Marcus started peeling an orange, while looking outside at the snow, which had started falling again. If this kept up, there was going to a lot of snow, more than they had had since he moved in at the age of eighteen.
The kids, however, stared at the falling snow with their mouths hanging open. It wasn't a big snow, so to say, but enough to make it look like a winter wonderland. Even though Marcus didn't really like the snow, he did like a white Christmas. There was just something about Christmas that implied snow. Sand was just not Christmas.
"Go rather up your coats and stuff," Katie said a few minutes later, once they had finished their breakfast.
The kids ran off.
Marcus bent down and picked Colton out of his high chair. "Is this going to be an all day project?"
Katie shrugged. "I have no idea what this is going to be."
"Great."
"Don't be such a downer. It's Christmas and, besides, one day they are going to be so embarrassed by you that they won't want to be with you at all."
"What about you?" Marcus asked as he put Colton on his hip.
"Oh, trust me, I will always be the cool one in this relationship."
Marcus just snorted.
"It's the truth."
By the time they made their way into the entry way, the kids were already dressed and waiting.
"You guys are getting old and slow," Emily said.
"Excuse me?" Marcus asked as he sat down on the floor and placed Colton beside him. He started to pull on his boots.
"Yeah, Daddy, you don't have as much spunk as you used and I'm pretty sure that you are going to start getting grey hair."
He laced up his boot. Emily always told him that he was he getting older and it was the truth. There was still on the Quidditch pitch that he couldn't do anymore because it just downright hurt. Granted, he had had his fair share of injuries and did have a bad back as the result of one, but, still, he was not that old.
Katie smirked at him as he started pulling on her own heavy winter clothes. She looked just as lovely as ever. It seemed like time had just simply stopped her aging.
Marcus picked up Colton's clothes and started putting them on him. Was it even wise to be taking Colton? He knew that little ones shouldn't be out in the cold, but Colton would be covered up. Did it even matter all that much? Oddly, Marcus couldn't remember what they had done with the other kids.
Maybe he was getting old.
Once they were all dressed, Kasey pushed open the front door and they stumbled out into the winter wonderland. It had stopped snowing and the temperature wasn't all that low. The snow crunched under their boots, reminding Marcus of stepping on a bed of pine needles.
The family walked behind the house, to the edge of the hill, right before it started its gently slope down toward the lake.
Emily put her hands on her hips and looked around. "This is good."
Kasey looked up at the sky. "She'll have the perfect view of Father Christmas when he comes."
Aiden rolled his eyes. "I am not building a girl."
Kasey rounded on him. "What's wrong with girls?"
Aiden didn't answer.
Marcus and Katie exchanged small smiles, before Katie clapped her hands together. "Okay, we need to figure out how big you want to make her."
"Him," Aiden muttered.
Kasey gave him another look.
"It doesn't matter if it's a boy or girl," Anna complained, rolling her eyes. "I just want to buld something."
"We could always build both," Renee offered up in a small voice.
"Yeah!" Kasey exclaimed.
"Two it is," Katie said. "Now, how big do you want to make them?"
"As tall as Daddy!" Kasey yelled.
"Are you sure?" Katie asked. "That will take a lot of snow."
Kasey got a thoughtful look on her face, well as thoughtful as a child could look. "Maybe we'll try to something like my size."
"I think that would be a good idea."
Kasey nodded as she kneeled down in the snow and started to roll it into a ball. The rest of the kids followed her lead and some they were all engaged in making the snowmen.
Katie put her arm around Marcus's waist, much to his surprise. Sure, they touched and everything, but tried to keep it to a minimum in front of the kids. "It does bring back the memories, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Don't you remember when we built our own snowman?"
"I believe we have done a lot of things over the years."
"I think you're right, but you have to remember that."
"I do." He leaned in and kissed his lips. "Very much."
"Ew! Mummy and Daddy just kissed! Yuck!" Aiden yelled, grossed out by in the way that only a little kid could be.
Marcus bent down and scooped his youngest shoulder over his shoulder. "You think it's gross, huh?" He tickled him.
"Yes!" Aiden attempted to say, his voice shaking from the tickling.
Marcus gently put Aiden back down. "You just wait."
"Girls are icky, so I'm never going to have a girlfriend, let alone kiss one." Aiden made another face. "Yuck!"
"Aiden, quiet being lazy and help us!" Emily yelled. "You're going to make us do all of the work!"
Aiden ran off over to his sisters.
Marcus looked down at Colton, who was playing in his own little snow bank, unaware of what the others were doing. Katie had rushed over to the help the others, who were starting to stack the snowballs.
Colton threw a little bit of snow in the air and watched in wonder as it danced back toward him. He smiled and giggled as a few flakes landed on him. He looked up at Marcus and held his little gloved hand out to him. Marcus took it and Colton buried both of their hands into the snow.
Marcus's eyes kept shifting from Colton to the rest of the giggling kids, who now had two snowmen standing, close to each other. A few of them had darted off a few metres to the trees and were digging through the snow for small limbs or something. Katie and Emily were smoothing down the sides of the snowman.
Colton yanked their hands out of the snow and ran his mitten over Marcus's gloved fingers, brushing the snow off of them and watching as it feel back down to the ground.
"It's snowing on you," Marcus said.
Colton looked up at Marcus. "Snow!"
"Yes, that is snow."
"Snow!" Colton tossed a few flakes of snow up into the air, most of it managed to find its way into Marcus's mouth. Colton pointed at Marcus's face and laughed.
Katie looked over at them and shook her head. Now, what was that all about?
Marcus reached up and brushed the snow off his face, which didn't really help anything because his gloves were soaked. He picked Colton up out of the snow bank and they made their way over the the rest of the family.
Kasey and Aiden came running over to them with sticks in their hands, their faces red from the cold. "Here, will these work?" Aiden asked, breathless.
Emily took the sticks from him and looked at them very carefully. "They should."
"What about mine?" Kasey asked, proudly displaying her own.
Emily looked at them closely. "They will be lovely."
Kasey looked over at Aiden. "Mine are lovely."
Aiden kicked at the snow. "That's such a girly word."
Kasey just stuck her tongue out at him.
Marcus shot a look, but there really wasn't much else he could do.
Anna and Renee stuck the sticks into the snowmen and stood back to look at their work. It was still missing something, Marcus could see that written clearly on their face. They slowly turned and looked at each.
"Eyes! He needs eyes, a nose, and mouth!" Renee exclaimed.
Katie pulled out her wand and with a few quick taps of it coal and a carrot appeared in her hand. She bent down and the children rushed over to her, taking the items from her hand and placing them on the snowmen. Sure, the stuff wasn't straight, but it did look pretty good to Marcus.
He pulled his own wand out of his pocket and soon a scarf and hat were in his hands. He bent down and handed them over to Anna, who ran over to the snowmen, which were not much taller than she was and placed the items on.
Standing back, they all stared at their work.
Emily looked over at Marcus. "Okay, can you do it now?"
"Do what?"
"The colours!"
Marcus nodded and pointed his wand at the snowman, an explosion of colour covered the snow. The kids clapped their hands in delight as the snow shifted from hot pink to neon orange.
Katie put her hand around Marcus's waist. "I think we might just have this all figured out."
Marcus smiled at her. "Have what figured out?"
She leaned into him. "Everything."
The snow started to fall again. There were better things than a white Christmas, family and all of that stuff, but still there just something downright magical about snow during the holidays.