-"Professor McGonagall came into our dorm in the middle of the night and told Fred and George to come with her, they haven't returned yet.", Lee said.-


I jumped when suddenly a tiny hyperactive owl fluttered before my eyes. The little bird squeaked enthusiastically when I carefully untied the letter that was securely tied to one of his tiny legs. I sighed of relief when I recognized Fred's untidy handwriting on the back of the envelope. It was lunchtime and I still hadn't heard of him up until then. I opened it with trembling hands and saw a relatively short note.

Heeb',

I realize that you're terribly worried right now so before you continue reading this : relax. chill. breathe in….aaaand out. In…aaaand oouut.
Good. You can carry on now.
I have good and bad news for you. Let's begin with the bad news, shall we? - Unfortunately I can't tell you exactly what's going on or where I am because this letter can be intercepted - by a pink saggy old toad for example - and we wouldn't want that.
It had something to do with my dad, but the good news is that everything is alright now. He'll be fine.
My family and I are staying here for the rest of the holidays. Promise me that you'll get home safely and enjoy Christmas with your sister and your dad.
Don't write me back for the same reason I mentioned above. I'll see you at Hogwarts - I'm counting the days already.

I love you, Merry Christmas,
Don't forget to Jingle those Bells

Fred

(George tells me to say hi, so, - Hi.)

I read the letter over and over again until I almost knew the words by heart. I didn't know how to process all the emotions I felt at that particular moment.
Obviously, I felt relieved to know that he was alright and that his family was as well. I also felt annoyed and slightly angry by the lack of information he was giving me. I felt sad because I wasn't able to talk to him before I had to go home and now it seemed that I couldn't even write him. I finally decided to follow his written instructions and took some deep breaths in order for me to relax. I laughed, he obviously knew me well.

"He's alright, Fred's alright." I told my friends who were all enjoying lunch at our Hufflepuff table, they've all been worried about him as well.

"Where is he then? What happened?" Hannah asked relieved.

"He writes that he can't give me any information through a letter and that I'm not supposed to write him during the Holidays." I sighed, "It's odd… I wish I knew what's going on."

"Thats quite obvious, isn't it? Your boyfriend is a Weasley." Ralph stated blankly.

"Yeah, so?" I asked him, trying to sound less irritated than I was. I cared about Ralph a lot but he could be such a know-it-all sometimes.

"The Weasley's are known to be the biggest blood traitor family there is. They're not only interacting with muggles but they've fought against You-Know-Who's first regime as well, I wouldn't be too surprised if they'd try to fight him again now he's back." he explained.

"So you think this has something to do with You-Know-Who or his followers?" I asked carefully.

"I can't be sure of course but like I said, it wouldn't surprise me at all." he said.

"Oh please Ralph, can you shut it please? You're ruining the Christmas spirit for everyone here." Hannah complained.

"The DA is not only about fun and games Hannah, we're learning to defend ourselves for a reason" Ralph answered firmly, " You-Know-Who keeps himself silently on the background right now but I guess it will only be a matter of time before he gets into action again."

I shuddered, I didn't know what to expect if there would be a war again in our near future. Would the students remain at Hogwarts under Dumbledore's protection or will our school have to be closed down? What would happen to Harry and the family that protects him the most, the Weasley's? I tried to shake off these thoughts by following Fred's advice once again (in and ooout). Christmas is coming, a time for love and peace and we'd better be enjoying it while we can.


"Our common room is circular and very cosy 'cause it has this huge fire place and many squashy armchairs and the walls are decorated with beautiful tapestries…"

" …The Fat Lady guards our entrance, she likes to sing a lot but it's always out of tune…"

" …There are a lot of parties at night but the prefects often tell us to go to our dormitories because we're not aloud to stay up too long because we're first years…"

"…Harry Potter usually sits in the same armchair with his friends and he's always very nice to us…"

It was Christmas Eve and my little sister couldn't stop rambling about how she experienced her first term at Hogwarts. Dad and I were listening intently and exchanged amused and proud glances. Hemera was only five years old when our mother died but she turned out to be a lovely and brave young lady, she was the first member of our family to be sorted into the Gryffindor house.

My father wore a blissful smile, he loved to have his girls around during the holidays. Our terrible loss will always put a damper on the festive spirit but we always try to make the best out of it together. I had cooked a wonderful meal for Christmas Eve and Hemera was silenced by the desert, a delicious chocolate cake, so I took my change to talk.

"Dad, do you know the Weasley family?" I asked my dad timidly. My sister giggled softly, she obviously knew what I was about to tell him.

"I do know them yes. Arthur Weasley works at the Ministry of Magic as well, it's been a while since him and I had a chat, t's a shame really we used to have great contact back in the days." he said.
My father works at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures where he encounters many difficulties at the moment thanks to his believe and trust in Albus Dumbledore.

"Do you know his children as well?" I continued to ask while I was starting to get a little bit anxious, I had no experience at all at telling a parent that you're in a relationship with someone.

"I know that there's a bunch of them and that they all got ginger hair like their parents - quite remarkable, isn't it?- one of them works at the ministry." he answered. "Why are you so interested?" he asked, my sister let out another giggle which made him frown.

"Well..it's.. I'm dating one of them. Fred, one of the twins." I muttered shyly while looking nowhere else expect at my plate in front of me.

"Oh…" he sighed,

"The twins? I've heard about them now I think of it, Arthur once told me that they had given some sort of sweet to a muggle boy which caused his tongue to swell to incredible proportions." he said carefully.

I chuckled, that sounded like a very Fred and George-like thing to do.

"Aren't those two full of mischief, mayhem and trouble?" he asked me rather seriously raising his eyebrow.

I shrugged nervously, "It would be a lie when I'd say they aren't but I swear that they're good guys, they'd never hurt somebody on purpose unless.. well, unless they'd deserve it.", I rambled earnestly, maybe a little bit too earnest because my dad didn't say anything.

"They're truly very talented and clever wizards, they only express their talents in an unconventional way…" I continued.

"Calm down, love." he chuckled, "Does he make you happy?"

"Yeah he does, I'm happier than I've ever been, dad. I love him." I said earnestly.

"I'm happy when you're happy." he answered simply, I could feel the sincerity in his voice and I knew it was alright.


"I'm scared…" I confessed. Hemera had gone to bed already but my father and I were enjoying some eggnog to conclude our lovely family evening.

"The Weasleys…will they be in danger when You-Know-Who regains his former power?" I continued terrified at the thought of it.

My father sighed and I didn't take that as a good sign.

"Are you familiar with The Order Of The Phoenix?" he asked lowering his voice. I shook my head causing him to sigh again.

"Promise me that you'll keep this conversation between you and me, alright?" he urged, the wrinkles on his forehead betrayed that this was a very serious subject.

"The Order Of The Phoenix is a secret society founded by Albus Dumbledore, a society that fights against Voldemort and his many Death Eaters, it stands for everything that he wanted to destroy and played a crucial part during the first wizarding war. You may know some of its former members." he explained.

"Who then?" I asked curiously, flinching because my dad had said You-Know-Who's name aloud.

"Lily and James Potter, Remus Lupin, Arthur and Molly Weasley and your mother and I for example." he sighed.

"Yes" he said when he noticed my surprised expression, "your mum and I were part of the Order.

Those were horrible times but we supported each other, we would've died for each other and the values and actions we stood for - a lot of us did, we've lost so many." his voice was almost a whisper.

"Dumbledore wrote me a letter last summer after Cedric Diggory's death telling me that the Order would re-convene." dad continued.

"So you're back and the Weasley family is as well?" I asked astonished.

"I have not yet replied although I would want to join them again." he confessed, I could sense that he was feeling terrible about it.

"Why not, dad? It seems like an honorable thing to do - I'd want to join too if I can, I want to do something about this." I said earnestly, it sounded to me that the Order was something similar to the DA, only bigger.

"You have to understand the danger and risk that comes with it, Hebe. When you join the Order you put everything at stake, even your own life. I can't leave you and Hemera behind, the risk of my possible death would be too big and my greatest fear is that you two will end up alone in this world." he said in a soft and slightly pained voice.

I swallowed hard, trying to process everything my father had just said.

"Maybe it's a selfish decision." he added, "But it seems to be the only option."

Thanks to this knowledge Fred's vague letter was starting to make more sense. Presuming that his family had joined the Order again he obviously couldn't explain anything in a letter because the society had to remain secret, especially for the Ministry. The sentence 'It had something to do with my dad' hovered before my eyes once again and I started to tremble, Arthur Weasley probably got harmed while he was working for the society, I had no doubt about it.

"He's really back, isn't he? I whispered.

"I'm afraid he is, love." my father answered, "I'm afraid our future is uncertain, but tonight is not the night to worry about times to come. Merry Christmas, my dear Hebe" he smiled reassuringly.