Entry for the "Christmas Collection Competition" - Prompt: 25. Stocking
Entry for "Speed Drabble" - Prompts: Sleep, tired, outrageous
Entry for the "Chocolate Frog Card Club" at "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)"
(Silver) Yaxley; Challenge: Your story must focus on the time that Voldemort had control of the Ministry.
Fay would never have thought that she would be glad to leave Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. But with the changes in the wizarding world, which were not that recent any more, Hogwarts was not the wonderful place full of wonders any more.
Under the reign of Severus Snape, Hogwarts had become a cold place, the castle's walls not emitting its usual warmth any more. Terror and anxiety were reigning and she had felt as if a huge weight had been taken off her as soon as the Hogwarts Express had started to move.
It had been sad to see the castle without the usual Christmas decorations, and not a single student was staying over the holidays.
She was so unbelievably happy as soon as her parents took her home, glad to have their daughter back – Gryffindors were known to not be exactly safe with the new Headmaster, but no one was in the position to do something against the outrageous things that happened at Hogwarts at the moment.
Her family's home was warm, wonderfully decorated and smelled of biscuits and punch, and over the next days, Fay nearly forgot that the Dark Lord was controlling everything at the moment.
On Christmas morning, her little sister's excited screams ripped her from her sleep and she went downstairs in her pyjamas, rubbing her tired eyes.
Linda, her sister, was jumping around with joy, holding the ballet dress she had wished for. Fay smiled as she went to take a look into her own stocking and was surprised to see a small package in it, next to the gift from her parents.
Pulling out the small box and opening it, asking herself who would send her a gift, she discovered that it was a trick wand from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, though it looked as though it was made of crystal. A small note lay beneath it, saying:
Swing it, fairy. Wish you a wonderful Christmas – F.
Fay did not know what to say – she of course knew exactly who had sent her this gift, though she had thought that Fred Weasley was not that interested into her, even though he had been clumsily flirting with her when she had last visited the twin's shop in Diagon Alley.
But obviously he had not forgotten about her – just as she had not been able to stop thinking about him.
Raising the trick wand, she swung it tentatively and was even more surprised to see it transform instantly, turning into a slender pendant – a crystal fairy hanging on a silver chain.