This was written as a challenge response for a quick quill contest at a site called the Hideaway, I would give you a link, but the documents editor here keeps deleting some of the stuff I'm writing, so I'll try to post one in my bio. If you join, tell them during the sorting that mmadshipper sent you!
The challenge was to choose a HP ghost and write about their Christmas at Hogwarts, so here it is! Hope you enjoy it. The word count was supposed to be 400-800wds, this is 800 exactly-the slightly extended version can be found at te ADMM fanfic site (link in my bio)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters...if I did, I would be very rich. But I'm not, so clearly I don't.
Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, or Nearly Headless Nick, as he was known around the castle, stood hidden and watched the two students standing nearby with a forlorn expression.
The two sixth years from Ravenclaw were engaged in an activity that Nick had heard referred to these days as, "snogging". The ghost had been floating along the corridor when he had noticed the two standing under the mistletoe and had hid himself so as not to disturb them. As he watched them, there was another Ravenclaw in the castle that Nick was thinking of.
She was known to the students as the Grey Lady, but Nick knew her real name to be Lady Charlotte. He had been in love with her for many decades now and it was Nick's private Christmas wish to share a kiss with Lady Charlotte under a sprig of mistletoe. But Nick was terribly shy and had never before dared to try such a thing, so he was left to watch unhappily as others enjoyed the romantic holiday tradition.
The Ravenclaws finished their kissing and continued down the hallway hand in hand. Nick sighed despondently and floated over to a window where he gazed out at the snowy grounds.
"Oh hello there, Sir Nicholas!"
Nick turned to see the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore standing nearby.
"Hello, Headmaster," Nick replied, "What brings you to this part of the castle today?"
The Headmaster's blue eyes twinkled as he held up the mistletoe that had previously been charmed to the ceiling.
"I thought I might borrow this mistletoe for a bit," he told Nick with a small smile, "I'm hoping to run into my Deputy later on."
Nick sighed again as he imagined the headmaster holding Minerva McGonagall under the mistletoe and wished that he had the courage to do the same with the Grey Lady.
Albus seemed to sense the ghost's thoughts and smiled gently.
"I do believe there is another sprig of mistletoe near the Astronomy tower," he told Nick. "Lady Charlotte often passes through there, why don't you go find her? Meet her under the mistletoe this year."
Nick looked up at the Headmaster's kind face and knew that he should stop being so ridiculous and just go after that kiss.
"I think I will," he told the headmaster after a pause. "If you will excuse me, Headmaster, I have a date with a lady."
Nick set off; he rose upward two floors and passed through several classrooms before he arrived at the entrance of the Astronomy tower, one of the Grey Lady's favorite places. Nick immediately noticed the mistletoe, magically charmed to float near the ceiling. While he waited for Lady Charlotte to appear, so he floated along under the mistletoe and thought about the delicate features, quiet manner, and immense intelligence of the ghost he so admired.
Twenty minutes later Nick saw the Grey Lady appear at the bottom of the steps leading to the astronomy tower. When the lady ghost noticed Nick, her pearly features flushed white as she blushed.
Nick stared at her and promptly forgot all the words he had planned to say. The two ghosts floated in place and looked at one another for a moment before Nick finally spoke.
"Good afternoon, Lady Charlotte," Nick said. He gave a small bow, careful not to let his head slip off as he did so. "I hope you are well?"
Lady Charlotte bit back a smile at Nick's choice of words; being dead, she could hardly be otherwise.
"I am thank you, Sir Nicholas," she replied in her soft voice.
Another silence fell as Nick tried to hold onto his quickly fading resolve. The ghost of Lady Charlotte looked at Nick curiously, wondering what was on his mind. Then she noticed the mistletoe.
"Sir Nicholas!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Did you realize that you are standing under a bough of mistletoe?"
Nick flushed and fiddled with the ruff at his neck.
"Well…yes, actually," he told her, his voice sounding a bit strangled. "As a matter of fact, I came up her looking for this very bough of mistletoe; I came here looking for you."
Lady Charlotte's pale eyes widened.
"For me?" she whispered.
Nick nodded and for the first time, spoke his Christmas wish aloud.
"I was hoping for the honor of standing under the mistletoe with you."
Lady Charlotte blushed again.
"Would you do me that honor, my lady?" Nick asked hopefully.
Lady Charlotte accepted his outstretched hand and moved closer to him so that they were both underneath the mistletoe.
"Sir Nicholas?"
"Yes, my lady?"
The Grey Lady's eyes darkened as she lifted her face to his.
"I thought you would never ask."
With that, the lady pressed her ghostly lips to his and all of Nick's Christmas wishes came true.