Percy's quill scratched the yellowed parchment as he looked at the wizard on trial. The guilty wizard looked as if it hadn't been washed for days. His beady black eyes looked as if they were rebelling against the Minister himself. "You are sentenced to five years in Azkaban," Cornelius Fudge announced. Percy handed the parchment to the minister before he stood up. Both Minister of Magic and the Junior Understudy looked at one another as they entered the elevator shaft. The doors clanged shut as Percy took a deep breath.

Cornelius Fudge looked upwards as the elevator began to ascend. He adjusted his robe and looked at the red-haired young man. "Do you have any plans for holidays, Mr. Weasley?" he asked in an awkward attempts to break the silence. Usually, Percy would have said something about the trial and wizarding law, but today he was being unusually quiet.

"No sir," Percy answered. Christmas was only a week away. Everytime he thought about the holiday, he felt sickened by a sudden wave of depression. He had no one to spend the holidays with. He had thought about asking Audrey over, but she probably wanted to spend Christmas with her family. He probably would spend Christmas in his office getting work done, or he would be alone in his apartment drinking firewhisky.

"Too bad," the minister replied as the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. Percy stepped out of the shaft and walked to his office in long strides. His pale hand grasped on to the door handle. For the first time in his life, he wanted to run away from work. Wasn't work what tore him from his family? He was resigned to being alone. Despite how awful spending Christmas alone was, he had to accept it..

With a turn of his wrist, he opened the door to his office. He didn't notice Audrey's eyes brighten or her smile widen when he walked into the room. "How'd the trial go?" she asked although he doubted she actually cared. She casually turned her chair around as Percy sat down at his desk.

"Nothing unexpected," he answered although she didn't know the details or what was expected. For some reason, he hated being the scribe for that trial. He was a firm believer that law-breakers should be punished, and he liked taking notes. In facts, his notes were highly detailed and meticulous. Normally, he loved his work, but he felt like vomitting being in that court room. When he at the trial, he wondered whether any good, honest people that followed laws existed. He continued to doubt it as time progressed.

Audrey pulled her hair in a loose ponytail and nodded softly. "So Percy," she said with a mischevious, "I was thinking..." She got out of her chair and perched herself on her boss's desk. Percy's face turned a bright shade of red when he noticed Audrey sitting on the corner of his desk.

"Uh, oh," Percy replied getting nervous at the unprofessionalism that was taking place in his office. "What kind of plan did you concoct with your sick, twisted little mind," he teased. The secretary couldn't help giggling at Percy's rare jesting tone.

She slinked off his desk and leaned against the wooden furniture. "My, my," she replied shaking her head, "haven't we gotten skilled at teasing others?" She casually crossed her arms across her chest and her crossed one leg over the other. If Percy didn't know the woman hated to keep still, he would have assumed that she was flirting with him by the way she kept inching closer to him with every changed posistion. But then again, he was terrible at reading body language.

"Anyways, I was thinking you should spend Christmas with me," she suggested, but Percy knew that she wasn't actually giving him a choice. "I know you won't spend it with your family, but we can't have you spending Christmas alone." She smirked victoriously as she eyed her boss.

"Are you sure?" Percy asked. "I don't want to intrude."

"Don't be daft. This is an invitation; therfore, you will not be an intruder," she corrected him. Percy examined the proud young woman. He felt as if he had never really noticed her before, but he felt like that nearly every day it seemed. Her hazel eyes reflected more light than the room actually possessed. Her pale skin looked like cream, and he could detect a faint scent of pomgrenates on her. Despite her straight posture, she seemed completely calm and relaxed.

"I'd be honored to join you," Percy replied.

He arrived at Audrey's parents small cottage around midday. Snow covered the ground and the roof of the house. He could barely make-out the white house especially since the red shutters were covered in snow. He trudged up to the house and nervously knocked on the door. As he expected, Audrey opened the door. She wore a dark grey turtleneck sweater and a loose faded pair of jeans. "Merry Christmas," she greeted pulling him into a hug. She pulled him inside and closed the door. "You must be freezing out there," she said brushing the snow off his black peacoat.

"Merry Christmas," he replied with less enthusiasm as he unbuttoned his coat. As the coat rolled off his shoulders, she took the coat and hung it on the metal coat rack. He picked up a small box that had fallen to the floor. "I got you a present," he said handing it to her.

"Perfect, I got something for you too," she replied pulling him by the wrist into the living room. She picked up a long rectuangular box under the Christmas tree. "Here," she said handing him the box covered in red and green striped wrapping paper. "Open it."

He gently unwrapped the present making sure he didn't wrapping paper didn't rip. He opened the box and pulled out a dark green sweater. "Thank you," he said pulling the sweater over his light blue shirt. He smiled and gave her a tight hug. If he wasn't so against men crying, he would have started bawling. "Open yours," he said.

She opened the box that Percy had given to her. She pulled out a dark blue scarf. "Thank you so much," she said wrapping the scarf around her neck. "I haven't worn one of these since my Hogwarts days."

Percy couldn't believe how simple the Davis family Christmas was. Of course, Audrey was an only child so it was much quieter. No one had to fight to be heard. There was no magic involved in actually cooking the food so it took longer than expected, but everyone helped make the Christmas dinner. He couldn't believe a holiday could be so relaxed without magic.

After Audrey's parents decided to go to bed, Percy and Audrey left the cottage. "Did you have a good time?" she asked as they trudged in the snow. Her eyes met his momentarily as white snowflakes landed in his curly red hair.

"I had a lovely time," he replied, "thank you." He rubbed his hands together as he cursed the cold. He noticed one of Audrey's hands were buried in her coat pocket and one was holding on to a bag that held her presents. She looked ready to apparate home.

"Not a problem," she answered before she was gone in a flas.