Chapter Eleven
Christmas
On the evening of the last day of term before the Christmas holiday Lily, Hugo, Louis and Mia gathered in the House Common Room with some other first years for a massive game of exploding snap. By quarter to eight they all had singed eyebrows. As Hugo helped Alexander pack up the cards, which were still exploding regularly, Louis turned and surveyed the group.
"So," he said. "Our first term at Hogwarts. It's gone quick, hasn't it?"
"Not that quick..." Lily said, continuing plating Zoe's hair.
"Well, I thought it was pretty quick," Louis said. "One term down, however many to go."
"Twenty," Cassie said quietly.
Louis rounded on her. "How did you do that so quickly?"
Cassie shrugged. "Seven years, three terms in each, so twenty one, one down, twenty to go."
"I guess we better get back to Gryffindor Tower," Hugo said, standing up. First and second years had to be back in their own common rooms by eight o'clock.
The first years parted at the end of the corridor, with Zoe, Cassie and Ben Finch-Fletchley headed down to their basement common room and the others continuing up the next flight of stairs. The Gryffidors said goodbye to Louis on the fifth floor, as he was taking a shortcut to Ravenclaw Tower.
When they reached Gryffindor tower, James, Fred and Chris were selling some Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes seasonal products – bouncing baubles, magical seasoning which claimed to make sprouts taste like chocolate and a whole range of trick crackers James and Fred had spent all summer helping Fred's dad develop. They appeared to be doing a roaring trade.
Lily pushed her way through the crowd towards James, Fred and Chris, Hugo and Mia following in her wake, as usual.
"Sold much?" Lily asked her brother as they finally reached the front.
"Heaps," James grinned. "And we've persuaded Uncle George to up our cut to 15% this year because our time is more precious now we're fifth years."
"Yeah, cuz you're really studying hard for your exams," Lily grinned, picking up one of the bouncing baubles.
"Six sickles," James said, holding out his hand.
"I'm your sister," Lily protested. "And I don't want it anyway." She returned the bauble to the pile, where it was soon snatched up by an eager second year, who paid James the required six sickles quite happily.
Lily pushed her way back out of the crowd, and the three of them found a quiet corner of the common room and spent the next few hours pretending they weren't tired and refusing to admit defeat and go to bed.
The next morning was a flurry of activity as everyone who was going home for Christmas (which was most of the school) got onto the Hogwarts express and headed back to Kings Cross. Mia discovered that it was a Weasley tradition to all share a compartment on the way back for Christmas. The rest of the year they mostly sat with friends in their years, but, as Lily put it: 'Christmas is a family time.' Mia had begun to mumble 'I'll go sit with Zoe and Cassie then,' but they had all assured her that she was family.
When they reached Kings Cross Station, Mia saw her parents waiting on the platform, along with Lily's parents. She was one of the first off the train, and ran straight into her mum's outstretched arms.
"I've missed you, Mia," her mum said, hugging her tightly.
"I've missed you too, Mum," Mia said.
"Have you had a good term?" her dad asked, picking up her truck.
"Yeah!" Mia said enthusiastically. "I've got so much to tell you!"
The three of them headed through the barrier and out into Kings Cross Station proper, Mia carrying Felix, who was hooting dolefully in his cage. "Go to sleep," she told him firmly. "You're meant to be nocturnal."
"Well, there's definitely stuff from your letters I'd like clarification on," Mia's dad said, lifting her trunk into the boot of the car. "Apart from all the words I don't understand, your handwriting's not that easy to read."
"You can talk," Mia's mum grinned. "She obviously gets it from you."
The three of them get into the car, and Mia's dad pulled out into the London traffic.
"This is so slow," Mia yawned. "If we had brooms we could just fly in and out of all the cars."
Her dad laughed. "I think the word 'broomstick' has appeared in every single one of your letters," he said.
"Well, I like flying," Mia grinned. "Will thinks I'm pretty good, so..."
"Who's Will?" her dad asked.
"The head boy," her mum told him. "Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. You see, I don't just read you letters, Mia; I remember them."
Sitting in the back of the car, Mia smiled to herself. She was glad her mum was taking an interest in what was taking an interest in what she was doing at school – it showed she was accepting the fact that her daughter was a witch.
When they eventually got home, Mia discovered that the Christmas decorations weren't up – they usually went up at the beginning of December.
"There's no Christmas!" was the first thing she said when she walked through the front door.
Her mum laughed. "We thought we could put them all up together," she said. "Maybe tomorrow?"
"Yeah!" Mia said enthusiastically.
"And we've invited Harry, Ginny, James, Albus and Lily round for tea on the 23rd," her dad said.
Mia's dad helped her take her trunk up to her room.
"Do you like sleeping in a dormitory?" he asked her, as she set Felix's cage down on her desk.
"Yeah, but it's good to have my own space again."
The week leading up to Christmas was a flurry of activity – putting up decorations, buying Christmas presents, visiting relatives. Mia was really looking forward to having the Potter's over on the 23rd, so much so that when the day came, practically camped out by the front door all afternoon.
When the doorbell finally rang, she bounded to open it.
"Hey, squirt," James was stood on the doorstep, the rest of his family behind him.
"I'm not a squirt," Mia said indignantly, letting him hug her all the same.
"Sure you are," James grinned. "Quick, let's get inside – it's flipping freezing out here.
Mia stood aside to let them all in as her parents came out into the hall.
"Hi Harry," Mia's dad said. "Ginny."
"Let's go to your room," Lily said, grabbing Mia's hand.
"Tea will be in about half an hour, girls," Mia's mum said.
"Okay, Mum," Mia said, running up the stairs with Lily following.
"Wow, your room's massive!" Lily said.
"Not really..." Mia said. "And anyway, so's yours... yours and Rose's..."
"Yeah, but you haven't seen my really room, in Godric's Hollow... that's tiny. Definitely the smallest room. Before I went to Hogwarts, I kinda stole James'room, but last summer he demanded it back, so..."
"How's Christmas at Grimmauld Place?" Mia asked
"Crazy," Lily grinned. "Mum, Dad, Gran, Granddad, me, James, Al, nine aunts and uncles, nine cousins, plus Teddy. It's amazingly crazy. We've put up a tent in mine and Rose's room, to make more space."
"How does a tent make more space?" Mia asked.
"Undetectable extension charm," Lily explained. "It's bigger on the inside. And it has to be – as well as me and Rose, there's Vic, Dom, Molly, Lucy and Roxy."
"Seven of you sharing a room?" Mia asked.
"Uh-huh," Lily grinned. "I told you – it's crazy. And the boy's room's just off the kitchen, you know – and the room itself's been extended. There's seven of them in there too, including Uncle Charlie and Teddy."
"I'm glad it's just me and Mum and Dad for Christmas," Mia said. "But part of me wishes I could experience the crazy."
Lily laughed. "I think my parents are talking to your parents about you guys all staying for a couple of days in the week after Christmas – Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey are leaving after Boxing Day cuz Uncle Percy's got to go back to work, and Aunt Audrey would rather be at home, so they'll be a spare bedroom.
"I hope they'll say yes," Mia said, as they heard her mum calling them downstairs for tea.
On the 28th, Mia packed a rucksack as they were heading out to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. She'd enjoyed a quiet few days at home with her family, but was now looking forward to being back in the Wizarding World; even though she and the other underage wizards weren't allowed to use magic, it would be fun to be around adults who were.
"Mia, are you ready?" her dad called.
"Almost!" Mia called back. She shoved her wand into her jeans pocket. It didn't matter that she wasn't allowed to do magic; she still wanted to have it with her.
Mia was just getting into the car when she remembered Felix's cage was still on her desk. She raced back upstairs and grabbed it, hoping Felix would be able to find her in Grimmauld Place. Lily had told her owls were pretty smart – they could find anyone, anywhere – and anyway, she'd sent him to deliver a letter to Lily, Hugo and Louis last night, so she'd probably arrive to find him waiting for her.
Sure enough, the first thing Lily did when they arrive was to drag her all the way up to the top of the house, where Felix was roosting with at least a dozen other owls.
As they stood there, a small black feather ball flew right into the closed window from the outside. Lily laughed and opened the window for him, whereupon he zoomed around Mia's head a couple of times, before landing on her shoulder, holding out his leg with a letter tied on, his chest puffed out importantly.
Mia opened the letter, puzzled at who would be writing to her.
'Hi Mia. Just to say I'll have some time on the first night back after Christmas, so I'll see you on the pitch at 6:30, whatever the weather. Hope you're having a good Christmas. Will.'
"Who's writing to you?" Lily demanded.
"Cassie," Mia lied. She wasn't exactly sure why she was lying to everyone about the whole Quidditch thing, but she liked having it as her own little secret. "Just saying Merry Christmas. I guess the owl must've got lost."
"Mmm," Lily agreed, looking up at the black feather ball, who had now settled himself on her shoulder. "He looks like the kind of owl who'd be good at getting lost. Ow!" The owl had just nipped her ear. "Go on, get lost." Hooting indignantly, the little owl took off out of the open window.
"C'mon,"Lily said, grabbing Mia's hand. "Let's go downstairs and find Teddy and Vic, so you can meet them... except we probably won't find them, because they'll probably be snogging in a cupboard somewhere..."
