Jubilation

Summary: On a snowy evening while he and Sofia are enjoying some downtime, Cedric recalls a happier time many years ago with Greylock and one of his former classmates. *Many references to my story "Juliana the Just"*

Disclaimer: I only own "Juliana." ;)

A/N: So! Since "Lord of the Rink" was the last episode of the year and there happened to be NO mention of Wassailia (*grumble*), I figured I'd take it upon myself to write not one, not two, not THREE, but FOUR Wassailia-based stories. :D This is the first one. Hope you enjoy! (PS—If you've not read "Juliana the Just" yet, this may be a bit confusing for you… Suffice it to say, Juliana is a childhood friend of Greylock and Cedric whom I made up. And there are other things about her as well… ;) Anyway, enjoy!)

"Cookie?" Sofia asked, handing her friend one of the specially made cookies Chef Andre had prepared.

Cedric chuckled and accepted. "Thanks, Sofia." He glanced out his window and shook his head. "It's really coming down out there, isn't it?"

"Mm-hmm!" Sofia was far more thrilled with the snow than Cedric was. She loved it. To her snow was peaceful and beautiful; to Cedric it was somewhat of a nuisance and potentially dangerous. Well, of course it was…he'd slipped in it enough when they'd gone outside earlier to collect some herbs. She giggled at the memory.

"And just what is so funny, Princess?" The sorcerer glanced back at her and took a bite from his cookie.

"Nothing. Just thinking about something…" She shrugged and smiled. "I know you don't care much for the snow, Mr. Cedric, but you have to admit…it is kind of pretty."

"Eh, I feel like Greylock would be more inclined to agree with you on that." He smiled briefly and tapped his chin. "Come to think of it, that reminds me of a story…"

The young girl's eyes lit up. "A story? Is it about when you two were younger?"

He nodded, seeing her enthusiasm. "Actually, yes. And it also includes Juliana."

Sofia's face fell slightly. She remembered his previous story about the fallen sorceress-in-training from his childhood. She'd been good friends with him and with Greylock, but she'd succumbed to an illness she'd had for a long time. It made Sofia upset to think that sometimes bad things really do happen to good people. "Mr. Cedric…"

"It's a happier story this time—I promise." He picked up another cookie as Sofia nodded. Sensing her reluctance, he smiled. "I promise, Sofia."

"Okay, Mr. Cedric." She smiled. "Tell me the story."

"I can't believe everyone is so mushy this time of the year," Greylock complained as he and Cedric headed to their next class. They had to venture outside momentarily, and the ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow. "Must be all the cold weather."

Cedric rolled his eyes, hoisting his books a little farther up in his arms. "Or it could be because, I don't know, there are so many couples around here lately." He yawned. "Just look around, Greylock. There's Florence and Eli, Adam and Grace, and even Winston got together with Sandra. Who saw that coming?"

"Not me. I thought Amelia had better taste than that." He laughed. "And what about little Wiley and his new little female friend, Viola? I really wasn't expecting that."

"Wiley is too young to date," Cedric argued. "He's like five."

"He is not. Maybe you're just jealous with all these couples around."

"What? Like you and Juliana?"

"Shh!" Greylock reached out, clamping a hand over the other boy's mouth. "Don't say that out loud." He pulled his hand back. "And we're not a couple. We're…friends."

Cedric shot the boy a pointed look.

"Cedric, we're friends." He waved his hand flippantly as they re-entered the building. "Besides, I saw Lyle talking to her the other day, and she seemed kind of smitten." He sighed.

"Now I see why girls get so exasperated with us all the time." Cedric rolled his eyes. "You're really thick, aren't you? Even if Lyle is interested in her, with whom does she spend most of her time lately?"

Greylock paused and glanced at the other boy, his mouth hanging open. "You!"

The shorter boy blanched. "What?! Greylock, we're lab partners, and that's all."

"She spends most of the time with you though." He folded his arms. "Some friend you are, Cedric."

"Oh, for Merlin's—Greylock, you're an idiot. Juliana likes you. She just doesn't know how to express it yet. She spends her free time with you: practicing spells, eating lunch, and from what I understand, taking walks through the gardens." He grinned when the other sorcerer blinked with a blush on his face. "Yeah, I saw."

"Oh, hush. Look, even if that's the case…" His face fell. "She…doesn't have much time to spend with me."

"Then you're going to have to make time, of course."

"Cedric, there's something you don't know…" Greylock paused, making Cedric run into him as they stood still in the hallway.

Cedric seemed confused about the sudden stop, but he realized what was happening when he saw the subject of their recent conversation approach. He smiled. "Hi, Juliana."

The dark-haired girl smiled brightly at both boys before standing before them. "Hi, Cedric. Hello, Greylock." She gently placed one hand on the brown-haired boy's shoulder. "Greylock, could you meet me after school? I have something to give you."

"O-Oh, sure, Juliana…" He blushed a little as Cedric snickered.

"I'll see you two in class in a little bit." She waved and left.

Greylock sighed and then glanced at the still-grinning Cedric. "Not a word."

"Oh, but Greylock, you're to meet the fair Juliana after school. Yeah, there's nothing going on." He smiled playfully.

"It will never work."

"Why not? She's a kind girl, and you're…well, maybe she can work on your sloppy demeanor."

Greylock grabbed Cedric's arm and pulled him aside, into a small corridor. "It will never work, Cedric."

"Why not?" the other boy asked innocently, obviously oblivious to what was going on.

"She's… She's dying, Cedric."

Cedric blinked a few times, his face slowly losing its color. "…What?"

"Juliana… She told me at the dance." He glanced out into the main area of the school to make sure no one was listening before glancing back at Cedric. "She doesn't know how much longer she has, but it isn't much. So…it will never work between us."

The shorter boy pondered his words before frowning and folding his arms. "I can't believe you."

Greylock blinked, baffled at the change of tone. "What?"

"I can't believe how selfish you are."

"Me?! Selfish?!" He took hold of Cedric's shoulders, tightening his grip just slightly to get the boy's attention. "Don't you realize what this means, Cedric? It means she's going to die and I'm going to lose her!"

"She's not gone yet, Greylock," Cedric replied calmly, forcing the other boy to still his motions. "Maybe she's not going to live much longer… Maybe she will. We don't know. But to just give up on her like that, simply because of circumstances she can't help… That's cowardly."

Greylock's jaw dropped. Did Cedric just call him a coward? Seriously? "I…"

"She deserves the best, Greylock. Juliana is one of the kindest people I know, and she'd do anything for anyone. You owe it to her to tell her how you feel, because maybe finally someone will be returning the favor to her for a change." Satisfied with the stunned look on the taller boy's face, the dark-haired sorcerer pushed past him and walked away.

A few moments later, after having collected himself, Greylock also left the abandoned corridor.

After school, Cedric suggested that Greylock talk to Juliana in privacy. The library would be a good place, because no one would be around. Agreeing, the young brunette led his ailing friend to the library.

"What are we doing in here?" Juliana asked curiously as she saw Greylock pull out a chair at one of the numerous tables for her. She smiled and sat down in the offered chair, watching as he sat across from her. "Greylock, what's going on?"

"Juliana, I… I wanted to tell you…" Something falling out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned, seeing the first sign of snowfall outside. "Wow…"

Juliana followed his gaze and smiled. She loved the snow. It was peaceful and steady, something she lacked in her uncertain life sometimes. After a few minutes passed, she glanced back at her friend. "You were saying?"

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah." Adjusting his spectacles, Greylock looked at her carefully. "Juliana… I know what you told me a few months ago…" He saw her smile start to fade, though it didn't completely disappear. Seeing her small nod, he continued: "A-And I know how precious time is for you, so…" He reached over, grasping her hands in his. "I…just want you to know how much you mean to me."

The girl smiled, her amethyst eyes sparkling with a new sense of hope. "Really?"

"Y-Yeah… And…I have something for you." He released her hands, producing his wand from his robe. Muttering a few words, he tapped her hands, a gift forming in them.

Juliana giggled. "For me?" Seeing his nod, she tugged gently at the ribbon and let the paper fall away. She then unlatched a sparkling red box and opened it, revealing what appeared to be a small snow globe with a pretty good likeness of the two of them standing in the center. She beamed at him, her smile returning fully. "Greylock…"

"It… I thought about breaking it, Juliana… I didn't want to give it to you, because it hurts to know that you're not going to be able to see it anymore one day."

The dark-haired girl sighed and smiled softly, a sense of understanding washing over her. She stood up and walked over to him, hugging him tightly. "My heart may be weak," she whispered gently, her eyes locked on his, "but it's never felt better than right now." Without giving him any warning, she leaned forward and kissed him once.

Greylock was stunned. The kiss had been so unexpected, so fast, so…nice. He blushed furiously as she smiled toward him. "S-So…you like the gift?" he asked weakly.

Juliana laughed once again. "I love it." She hugged him one more time. "Thank you, Greylock."

"Happy Wassailia, Juliana…"

Sofia drummed her fingers on the table as Cedric watched her with a baffled look on his face.

"What?" the sorcerer asked, chuckling.

"You think just because you throw a little romance in at the end, that makes this one a happy story?"

"You know, Princess, you're really hard to please." He grinned as she sighed. "I'll have you know that Juliana truly appreciated Greylock's gift. She also liked mine too!"

Curious, Sofia perked up. "Oh? What did you get her?"

"Winter-resistant socks!" He smirked proudly.

Sofia laughed, not able to control her amusement at his obviously-excited response. "Oh, Mr. Cedric…" She beamed at him. "So did Wassailia go all right for Juliana?"

"For her and for Greylock, actually. They got to go ice skating together, make snowmen, and use magic to make said snowmen dance… Actually, that was rather creepy. I asked them not to do that again." He smiled when Sofia giggled. "They didn't listen. I had nightmares about singing and dancing snowmen for weeks."

The princess laughed harder. "Mr. Cedric…" She grinned at him. "Now I know what to get you for this Wassailia!"

The sorcerer pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Don't even think about it, Princess. You forget, I know magic."

"And you forget: so do I." She grinned at his deflated look, his hand dropping back to his lap.

"…Good point. Nonetheless, I'd appreciate it if you'd just stick to your usual thoughtful gifts rather than trying to recreate my childhood nightmares, if you please."

Sofia nodded at her mentor. "Okay, Mr. Cedric. I've got something special planned for you this year anyway."

He chuckled. "Funny you should mention that… I have something special planned for you too."

"Really?" She leaned forward, her hands pressed against the table. "Really? What is it?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

Sofia sighed, resigning to the fact that he wasn't going to tell her anything. She smiled. "All right…" She glanced out the window and saw that the snow was beginning to fall harder. "You think snow has memories?"

Taken aback by this question, Cedric pondered and smiled thoughtfully, his hand resting in his hand. "Maybe it does, Sofia… Maybe it does."

The end

A/N: The end of this story is my caffeine wearing off. :p By the way, just as a suggestion, do NOT listen to "The Christmas Shoes" when writing, especially if it's a story like this. OH, MY GOSH… I'm not a completely emotional/cry at little things person, but wow… lol. ANYWAY, yep, our little Greylock got a tiny bit of romance. :D Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. :( Ah, well. Maybe Cedric should set him up with Miss Elodie or something. Haha. That would actually be kind of cute now that I think about it… Okay, let me stop. Lol. Anyway, that was the first "Wassailia/Christmas" related story! Cedric was hinting at something that will happen in my THIRD story, and I'm super excited about it. :D Next story is full of fun: "Amber's Giftwrapping Extravaganza!" Keep a watch for it. Never know when it'll be coming your way. ;) Later! ~AquaTurquoise