Chapter 10
The train ride was full of laughter and fun as the train pulled up to the station. Rose waved good bye to Hermione and Neville as she walked back through the wall separating King's Cross from Platform Nine and Three Quarters. She heard her name being called and a smile appeared on her face. Everyone was waiting for her, Agatha, Quincy, Julia, and Miss Flora too all with smiles on their faces like Rose.
Back at the orphanage Rose was overwhelmed when she found out that they had waited to decorate with her. Rose lugged her trunk upstairs and raced back down to help them put the tinsel on the tree. By night outside the orphanage looked like a winter wonderland so after dinner all the girls got bundled up and went outside to play in the snow.
The next morning Agatha, Quincy, and Rose woke up to a pecking from a tawny owl on the window. "Augh, Rose it's for you, "Agatha groaned. Rose groggily got out of her bed and opened the window letting in a cold chill that cause all three girls to shiver. She let the owl in and it dropped the letter onto Quincy's face.
Rose picked up the letter addressed to her and opened it. The letter read:
Rose,
How has your holiday been? I know we just got off the train yesterday but mine has been full of sweets like chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans since I got back from Hogwarts. How is your family back at the orphanage? Do you have some manageable snow because all we have got is a terrible snowstorm in Wiltshire. Please reply with the same owl and there should be a chocolate frog in a parcel unless Wartson, the owl, has dropped it.
Happy Holidays, Draco Malfoy
Rose chuckled at how badly he had signed the letter at the bottom and began to pet Wartson while Quincy and Agatha's snores made background noise around her. She had expected an owl from Hermione or Neville but not Draco at least not so soon. She fed Wartson the chocolate frog that had been enclosed in a parcel along with the letter and as the owl choked it down she wrote her reply:
Draco,
My holiday has been great, the orphanage waited for me to come home until they decorated which is usually what we do the night we all got out of school for break. thank you for the chocolate frog by the way but I can see card was missing which makes me think Salazar Slytherin was the card enclosed in the package because that was the only one you didn't have yet even though everyone else did.
Here in Dartford we do have snow but right after Christmas a storm will hit so come around Dartford before Christmas in order to have the perfect snow day. Wartson seems to be a really sweet bird, and I hope you feed him one of your chocolate frogs when he comes back with my reply.
Happy Christmas,
Rose Evans
Rose sealed the envelope and gave it to Wartson. By the time he flew away back to Draco's family manor she had already collapsed back onto her bed and drifted back to sleep.
On Christmas morning Quincy woke Agatha and Rose up until Agatha slapped Quincy with a pillow. "Sheesh Quince it's winter break let us sleep in,"Rose groaned as she shoved her head under her pillow.
"Rose did you of all people forget what day it was today?"Quincy stated.
"Of course,"Agatha stated as she sat up with an excited look on her face.
"Wait am I missing something,"Rose groggily said as she peeked her head out from underneath her pillow.
"It's Christmas,"the two girls yelled and Rose groaned at her own stupidity. Of course it was Christmas it was all Julia could talk about in her letters. Rose quickly slide on her robe and rushed downstairs into the dining room where everyone sat excitedly waiting. Rose picked out Julia as she was bouncing up and down in her seat looking as if she was gonna pee her pants. Julia excitedly raised her hand, they hadn't broken her of the habit after school started. "Yes Julia,"Miss Flora acknowledged.
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS," Julia yelled.
The joyful day was spent opening what little Christmas presents they had but filling up on warm milk and hot chocolate. As the sunset the all built a snowman and began to pelt it with snowballs. However they all stopped throwing the snowballs as three figures wrapped in cloaks and scarves pushed through the fence and crossed the threshold of the orphanage.
"Hello,"the smallest one of the three figures said as the group of three.
"Do I know you,"Rose asked pushing aside some of her flaming red hair. The smallest person pulled their hat off showing off the white hair that Rose instantly knew belonged too. "Draco!"
"So this is what your orphanage is like," he stated.
"Yeah, this is Agatha, Quincy and the little one by my feet attempting to make a snowball is Julia,"Rose told him.
"So you're the famous Draco,"Agatha said and Draco nodded. Rose peered over his shoulder looking at what probably was his parents. They had their noses turned up as if the place smelled like a dog pound that hadn't been cleaned in months.
"Let's go Draco, darling," a feminine voice said.
"Bye Rose, see you at school," Draco said before they got lost in the snow.
"Wow Rose,"Agatha sighed. Julia pulled on her pant leg from where she sat on the ground and Rose looked down.
"Who was he?" Julia asked.
"My friend, now let's go inside before your hands freeze off, "Rose told her.
After Draco's visit the break went by and was full of questions about her school. Still she couldn't get the look of Draco's parents faces out of her mind, what she could see at least. She never felt insecure about where she lived until they dropped by. Still the girls made her forget about that by the time she had gotten onto the train to go back to Hogwarts.