December 11th
The Great Hall was particularly chilly one evening, so chilly that Rose found herself wearing her cloak to dinner. A chill ran up her spine and she shivered. It was almost as though someone had left all the windows open and were letting a draft in. She pulled her cloak tighter around her body to try and keep in as much warmth as possible.
Decorating the tables were beautifully constructed gingerbread houses. Each one had its own assortment of gumdrops and candy canes glued onto the walls and roofs with pure white icing. Rose never had the artistic talent to make a gingerbread house look somewhat pleasing, never mind having the ability to get one to stand up. Just as she was about to snake an arm out from under cloak to break off a piece to try, she felt someone's warm breath on the side of her face and the contrast with the cold air made her jump.
"I've always wondered," drawled Scorpius Malfoy. "Are gingerbread men made out of housing material or are their houses made out of flesh?"
"If this is today's attempt at wooing me, Malfoy, I can honestly say you're starting to lose your touch," Rose said coolly, ignoring the fact that Scorpius sitting there made her entire body feel warm.
"It's a legitimate question that keeps me up at night, Rose," he responded with a shrug before reaching over her and breaking off a piece of a roof and popping it into his mouth.
