– Chapter Twelve –
Christmas
Romi and Neville spent less days outside by the lake as it was getting colder and colder by the day and Neville couldn't stand long study periods sitting on a cold rock.
Of course every time they were outside wasn't spent in studying, or going over homework. Neville and Romi had spent a few times searching around their little grove, and other parts of the lake to see if something unusual was there.
The most they had found was that the plants that were living in the water, were starting to die off, and turn grey.
"It has something to do with time," Romi told Neville. "I overheard Severus talking about it back in the summer."
"Why don't you just ask him?" Neville questioned.
"Because he'll tell me it's none of my business," Romi answered.
"Then at least time him what's happening out here," Neville suggested.
Romi was quiet. She wasn't sure why she didn't tell Severus, or any other teacher for that matter. But it didn't seem to be noticed by anyone else and Romi was beginning to wonder if she'd made it up in her mind.
As December approached, everyone had new things to think about, and her curiosity about the lake was pushed to the side with the approach of Christmas.
Everyone was swapping stories about what they were going to do for Christmas this year. A large group of students were going stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas Holidays, but many were going home to their families. Romi was part of that group, she had told Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville that she'd be going to her grandfather's place in Canada, and spent a great deal of time explaining the exact layout and wonderfulness of the ranch in the Northwest Territories.
The day when it first snowed, found all of them at breakfast at the Gryffindor table. Hermione was creating a list of everything she was going to take back and what she wanted to show her parents. Harry and Ron were talking about having Gryffindor Tower to themselves, and Neville was trying to remember everyone who was going to be at his Gran's Christmas dinner. Romi was just thinking happily that it would be herself, her parents and her grandparents when a large tawny owl landed in front of her.
It looked exhausted from flying through the blizzard and hooted dolefully at her, waving its leg. Romi untied the letter and read the address.
"Who's it from?" Harry asked, interrupting Ron's rant about sleeping in the common room on Christmas Eve.
"It's from my mum," Romi answered and she opened the letter.
My Dear Romi
I am so sorry to have to write this to you, but your father and I are stuck in Bermuda. There has been a severe complication with this visit, work related, and we will be here for another three weeks at least. But this is not the reason I am writing. Your father and I wish you were here – Grandpa died. Yesterday, just before dawn. It was peaceful, he died in his sleep – and happily I am sure. Grandma is staying with friends for the Christmas holiday, and I do not want to burden her with people she has to host, as much as we are family.
Grandpa will be cremated, meaning they will burn his body, and we will be able to have his ashes. When Grandma is feeling up to it, we will be having a funeral, probably around the end of January. I have sent a letter to Severus, and Professor Dumbledore. I am sure that Severus will be able to bring you to Canada for the funeral.
I'm so sorry sweetie, but I cannot think of a solution to get you for Christmas this year – I have asked Aunt Narcissa and she said you should come to their house for the holidays.
Your father and I love you very much and we will be visit as soon as we possibly can. I know this situation is terrible, but sometimes life gets in the way of what should be, and what we want. I know Draco and Severus will be there for you over the break.
Mum
Romi just stared at the letter. She didn't feel much of anything. She just stared at it. It didn't seem plausible.
"Are you alright, Romi?" Harry asked. Romi looked up to them, all of them were watching her worried. She paused for a moment and looked back down to the letter.
"Romi?" Neville asked putting a hand on her shoulder.
"My grandfather died," she said quietly.
"Oh, Romi, I'm so sorry," Hermione said immediately, looking extremely worried, her hand to her mouth. "You were close, weren't you?"
Romi nodded. Suddenly she wasn't hungry, and the smell of breakfast made her nauseous.
"Excuse me," she said quickly, and pushed her chair back. She walked quickly towards the exit of the Great Hall. But it was like the floor was made out of jelly and the walls were dipping in around her.
Just before she made it to the door, someone wearing black robes appeared in front of her, and them arms encompassed her.
The smell of cinnamon filled her nose, and Romi started to cry.
"Hush," murmured Severus, and he guided her out of the Great Hall.
Severus took her to his office, and sat with her for a very long time, just let her cry. Finally when she didn't seem to have any more in her, he conjured her a cup of hot chocolate and made her drink.
He dried her tears with his handkerchief, and smoothed her hair out of her eyes.
"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.
Romi thought for a moment. "Sad," she said finally, her eyes filling up again. Severus nodded.
"That will last a while," he said, "but it'll be alright. Remember all the good things about your grandfather? How he always chuckled to himself when he was alone? The way he always ate pie backwards?"
Romi nodded smiling, still crying slightly. "He used to take me to look at the stars every night in the summer when we visited. We'd sit on the porch and he'd make up constellations, and come up with stories for each of them."
Severus smiled. "Remember those things," he said. "He'd want you to remember the good times you had."
Romi nodded. "Where do you go when you die?" she asked, looking up to Severus. He would always have answers. Severus looked away from her and sighed.
"I don't know," he said. He smiled, "I've talked to a lot of ghosts – they say that when you die, you have a choice. Whether to stay as an echo, longing for the life that you once had, or to move on."
"Move on where?" Romi asked.
"Think of it like a closed door," explained Severus. "You can't know what's behind it until you open it. But you can't open it unless you go through it. No one can know here what it's like there because the door closes once you've walked through it."
Romi nodded trying to understand the metaphor.
"Lots of people think that it's a much better place. There are many religions – groups of people who believe in different values, and all of them have ideas on what might happen after death. Muggles have loads, because they don't have the proof that there is something after death. While we have ghosts to explain the choices."
Severus watched Romi for a moment. "Do you understand?"
Romi nodded though really she didn't have a very good grasp of what he was talking about. Severus smiled knowingly.
"I'll just say, I believe that your grandfather, wherever he is, is enjoying home cooked pie, having loads of cats, chuckling and watching over all of us."
Romi smiled, she didn't feel much like crying now.
"Why don't you go to Madam Pomfrey and get a nice sleeping potion, then go curl up in bed with Zhi," Severus suggested.
"But I have class," Romi said.
Severus shook his head, "Not today," he said. "I'll come check on you later, alright?"
Romi nodded, and Severus got up, ready to accompany her to the Hospital Wing. Romi stopped at the door out of his office.
"I have to tell Professor McGonagall that I'm staying for Christmas," Romi said miserably. "Mum and Dad are in the Bermuda."
"The Malfoys will have you over for Christmas," Severus said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Romi shook her head, and looked down. "Draco won't want me there."
Severus' grip went tight. "Why not?" he asked.
"He doesn't want to be friends. Cause I'm in Gryffindor," Romi said. "I don't want to go there for Christmas."
"Hmm," said Severus, "I might have to talk with him. Why don't you think on it, before you tell Professor McGonagall? We'll figure something out."
Romi nodded and led the way out of the office.
Madam Pomfrey was more than accommodating and insisted that Romi stay in the Hospital Wing in one of the closed off beds. Severus said she may and he went to retrieve Zhi for her.
It seemed like almost no time had past before Severus returned with Zhi. She cuddled up close to Romi and went to sleep.
"Just relax," Severus said. "I'll come back later."
Romi nodded and lay back on the bed, staring into the ceiling. This Christmas wasn't going to be a very good one.
It was after classes that Severus appeared. Romi had slept most of the day, but had been up the last two hours, looking at Madam Pomfrey's medical books. She had lent them to Romi to keep her mind occupied; most of it was very interesting.
"How are you feeling?" Severus asked, sitting down on the bed beside her.
"Did you know that the body could produce so many white blood cells that they can start attacking healthy tissue for something to do?" Romi asked staring at the page in front of her.
"I don't think they do it for kicks," Severus said, closing the book. Romi looked up to him. "How are you?"
"Alright," Romi answered. "I think."
"Have you thought about Christmas?" Severus asked. Romi looked away and shook her head. Severus nodded.
"There is a very terrified looking boy wanting to come in and see you, but he looked like he might have wet himself when I came alone, and started to run away," Severus said with a little smile.
"Neville," Romi said returning the grin. "He's scared of you."
"Hmm," said Severus, "why is that?"
"Cause you're always yelling and looking all creepy-like during potions," Romi answered.
"I look creepy during class?" Severus said with a smile.
"You didn't know that?" Romi asked incredulously.
Severus laughed, "of course I do. Potions isn't a class for the clumsy – that boy is going to seriously hurt himself one day, and I don't want it to be on my watch."
Romi nodded. "Is he still out there?" she asked.
"I will go," Severus said, "And I'll send Madam Pomfrey to go get him, wherever he's fainted. Are you going to be okay?"
Romi nodded.
"Alright, you'd best go back to your dormitory tonight, and back to regular school tomorrow. But if you need anything, just ask. The teachers know," Severus explained.
Romi nodded again and smiled. He gave her a kiss on the head and then swept out of the Hospital Wing. It was at least ten minutes before Madam Pomfrey found Neville and brought him in.
He looked very pale as he walked up to Romi.
"How are you?" he asked.
"I'm alright," Romi answered, and looked away. She didn't really want to talk about it.
"So, you can't go home for Christmas?" Neville asked. He looked like he was leading up to something.
"No," Romi answered. "I guess I'll stay here."
"Um…" Neville stalled.
"What is it, Neville?" Romi asked patiently.
"Do you want to come to my house for Christmas break?" he asked quickly. "It gets really crowded on Christmas Eve, there is like forty people, and we have to visit my parents on Christmas day, and it can be really loud and obnoxious and a little crazy, all my cousins are either ten years older than me, or ten years younger and it's easy to get lost – but the food is good, and everyone's always welcoming new people…" Neville trailed off and waited as though ready to accept Romi's judgemental refusal.
But all Romi could feel was a little bit of glow inside, and she smiled, hardly daring it to be true.
"Really?" she asked, quietly. "You'd want me to come for Christmas?"
"Yeah – I mean I'd have to double check with my gran, but she always loves to have people over, especially if I said you couldn't go home for Christmas," Neville said.
"I'd love too!" Romi squealed, hugging him. "Thank you, Neville!"
As the days to Christmas grew shorter, Romi wondered exactly why she was so happy now. She was of course, very sad, when she thought of her own family; her grandmother staying with friends, away from her only daughter and her parents away from their child. But she couldn't help but feel excited for Christmas with the Longbottoms. Neville had got a response almost immediately, saying that Romi must come.
She was excited to meet Neville's parents, and the rest of his intensely large family. He'd named off thirty-two that would be there for sure, all children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of his gran, or his great-aunt and uncle.
The last day before Christmas Holidays began, the Great Hall was decorated beautifully with twelve huge Christmas trees and tinsel that hung down from the ceiling. The food was delicious, but most people were too anxious to make it home and so not much of it was eaten.
The next morning the students going home gathered with their luggage in the Entrance Hall and the Courtyard. Argus Filch was checking people's names off a list, and they were all sent down to Hogsmeade station on hundreds of horseless carriages. Neville and Romi rode with Hermione and two Hufflepuff girls whose names Romi couldn't remember.
The train was exactly the same as when they had left it in September, and they all boarded it, spirits high and with the feel of Christmas in the air.
Hermione spent half the trip doing her homework and trying to get Romi and Neville involved, but Neville was too busy explaining to Romi what traditions his family had for Christmas. As exciting as they all were, she couldn't help but notice, he never mentioned his parents on their Christmas Eve celebrations.
Lunch was from the trolley again and it was nearly dark when the train arrived in King's Cross Station. Hermione, Neville and Romi gathered up their things, Romi slinging Zhi over her shoulder, as she was too big now to fit inside her robes.
The platform was full of students. At the booth at the exit to the Muggle Station, there was a watch wizard, letting people through in twos and threes.
They joined the line and waited chatting excitedly about seeing their families again, and having all the Christmas dinners.
Hermione, Neville and Romi went through together and reappeared in a very busy station. It was clear that all the Muggles were doing their Christmas travelling too, and it was packed.
"There are my parents!" Hermione said waving through the crowd. A man and a woman who looked remarkably like Hermione waved back, and Hermione said a hurried goodbye to Neville and Romi before scurrying off to greet her parents.
"Where do we go, Neville?" Romi asked, looking around.
"There," Neville said, pointing to a severe looking woman, wearing a large feathered hat and a red handbag.
"That's your grandmother?" Romi asked.
Neville nodded. He checked his coat pocket for his toad and set off in the direction of the stern looking woman. Romi took a deep breath and started after him.
The woman didn't notice them for a moment, and then she saw her grandson and gave a small, acknowledging smile.
"There you are, Neville," she said, briskly, "I was starting to get worried. And you must be Romi." She said turning to her.
"Yes ma'am," Romi replied quickly.
"I'm so sorry to hear of your family's misfortune," she said, with a sweeter smile. "But I am very glad you could join us for Christmas. Let's go."
Neville's gran led them off the platforms, and searched for an empty room. Once she found one, she ushered Romi and Neville inside.
"Now, hold tight," she said, holding out both arms. Neville took one, and Romi followed his lead. There was a moment where they just stood there, in an empty room.
Then there was a great pop, and Romi was being squeezed through a tube without any air.
She was then standing on a snowy lane, looking at a very large three-floor cottage.
"We're just outside Frogmore," Neville said to her as his gran started striding to the house. He readjusted his bag to start carrying it to the house. "Lots of open space, but there is a small part of town that's completely magic."
"It's wonderful," Romi said with a grin and the two trudged up the path to the house. The house smelt like baking cookies, pumpkin pie and nutmeg. Romi just took a deep breath the moment she arrived and couldn't help but smile.
"Come in, come in, you two will catch a cold – and Neville you know how quickly you get sick!" She sounded almost annoyed when she said that, but a moment later she had taken their coats and ushered them into the living room.
Apparently, one of Gran's sons, and their family had already arrived. And she introduced her husband, Herbert, Neville's grandfather. Then there was Horace and Maggie, who looked like they were in their late fifties, and their three children, Grant, Greg and Georgina. They were in their late twenties, early thirties, Grant's wife, Melissa was apparently in the kitchen, and Greg's girlfriend, Eleanor was sitting very quietly by the fireplace. There was also Georgina's husband, Robert, and their two children, Heather, four and Herbert, two.
Romi had been introduced to them all, and by the time she learnt Herbert's name, she'd forgotten Neville's grandfather's name.
"You must be exhausted from your trip," Georgina said, jiggling Herbert on her hip. "Gran, you have anything to eat for these two? Sit! Traveling is such tiring work."
"So how was your first term, Neville?" Grant asked. "Up to crazy shenanigans?"
"Well-" Neville started.
"Don't be ridiculous," said Gran, "Neville's has been very diligent in his studies, he doesn't have time for that sort of riff-raff. He'll be just like his father."
"Hey Grant, remember that time when we raced to Hogsmeade in the middle of the night?" Greg asked with a laugh. "Went to meet up with Lucy Mill and Elisapee Yates."
Grant laughed, "yah and that didn't turn out for us very well at all."
"You bet it didn't," said a woman that could have only been Melissa, bringing her husband a cup of something hot.
"Thanks, sweetheart," he said. "And no, of course nothing happened, but you have to admit, those secret passageways were incredibly fun."
Gran appeared with a plate of food for both Romi and Neville. "Come sit at the table dears," she said. "And then it's off to bed with you. George and Fanny will be here tomorrow bright and early."
"There's more?" Romi whispered. Neville nodded looking exhausted.
They followed Gran to the kitchen table, and settled into salmon sandwiches with milk.
"I've set up the extra bed in your room Neville, all the guest rooms are going to be taken up when the rest of the family gets here," Gran said to him. She turned to Romi; "there's a bathroom right next to his bedroom, top floor on the end. Neville will show you later."
Zhi adjusted herself on Romi's shoulders and started to climb down her front to sniff her salmon sandwiches.
The older people around them began to talk loudly while little Heather played with blocks on the floor. No one paid attention to Neville and Romi eating at the table.
"How many more people are coming?" Romi whispered to him. Neville stopping eating to bite his tongue and think.
"Well, there's Great Uncle Algie and Aunt Enid," Neville said. "And they have Lillian, Stefan, Harley and Ashton. All have wives, even Aunt Lillian, and Aunt Lillian and Aunt Sherry have Bradley. Who's like forty and still lives at home. Then Uncle Harley and Aunt Erica have Ethel, Eammon and Enid – and I think all their spouses are coming, and Eammon's little girl, Jessica. And then my Uncle George and Aunt Fanny – Uncle George is my father's oldest brother, and their son Fitzwilliam, with his wife Agnus and their baby girl Elliot." Neville counted again on his fingers, double-checking. "I think that's everyone…"
"And I thought my family was big, with my Father's four sisters," Romi mumbled, "but we never went to see them at Christmas time. Except Aunt Narcissa."
Neville nodded, "it is very confusing," he said. "Sometimes I can't get everyone straight."
Romi thought for a moment and then said slowly. "What about your parents? Aren't they coming?"
Neville looked away, down to his sandwich and then shook his head.
"Why?" Romi asked.
"They are in the Hospital," Neville mumbled.
"Oh," replied Romi unsure what to say to that. "Were they hurt?"
"Sort of," Neville answered. "Happened at the end of the war with You-Know-Who. Couple of Death Eaters, tortured them, cruciatus curse – they were aurors, you know. Amazing ones, powerful, strong and smart… and well, they just didn't recover."
"I'm sorry, Neville," Romi murmured.
"I don't even remember them," Neville answered. "I was only a year old…"
Romi didn't speak after that. She felt like she shouldn't have pushed him to tell her. He picked at his food now. Romi thought hard to say something that would diffuse the tension, but then Neville spoke.
"Gran takes me to see them on Christmas day," he said. "In St Mungo's… do you want to come?"
He looked up hopeful. Romi smiled and nodded.
"Alright you two!" Gran said appearing beside. "Off to bed with you. Christmas is only three days away! You'll need plenty of sleep."
"She's not kidding," Neville said looking deadly seriously.
Neville's room was on the top floor of the house, the farthest room from the stairs. Neville explained that it was his father's room growing up and Gran wanted him to stay in it.
There were five other rooms on this level, and Romi could only assume that the second level was also another set of six bedrooms. Peaking in on of the rooms on their floor, Romi could see three beds in it.
Neville's house was more like a comfy bed and breakfast hotel than a normal house.
Neville's room was fair-sized, but it looked squished with two beds at opposite sides of the room. In the middle was a desk, pushed up against the window. There was a wardrobe standing in the far corner, at the end of Neville's bed. His nightstand was littered with old newspapers and magazines. He had one picture pinned to his wall; it was of a young woman and man, holding a tiny baby. Romi assumed that this was a picture of him and his parents, before they were tortured into insanity.
"Well, here it is," said Neville dumping his stuff at the end of his bed. "Not much, but it'll do."
"It's awesome," Romi said, tossing her cat onto her bed and then crashing down next to her. "I could sleep for a week."
"I'd like to see you try," Neville answered.
He was, of course, right. Romi woke to the sounds of people entering the house. The clock on the wall said nine thirty am, and even though they were three floors up, the sound of people floated through.
Romi looked over to Neville's bed. It was empty, the covers strewn over the floors. Suddenly the door opened and Neville came in, dressed and brushing his teeth.
"Umcle Gormge amd Aumt Fammy arme hemre," he mumbled through the toothpaste.
"I'm up," Romi said. She got out of bed, grabbed and change of clothes. Neville left the room, closing the door and headed back to the bathroom.
Ten minutes later they were both heading downstairs. According to Neville, it being the 23rd, everyone would be arriving today and there would be a small Christmas dinner. Tomorrow they had a tradition of playing a giant snowball game outside while Gran and half the women cooked the most enormous Christmas meal ever. He described it as though he was part of a great community social gathering, rather than his family Christmas.
Neville was not wrong either. Romi met Uncle George, Aunt Fanny, Cousin Fitzwilliam, Cousin Agnus and Baby Elliot at ten o'clock in the morning. By four o'clock in the afternoon, Romi had encountered and hugged by more people than everyone else she knew combined.
Everyone was extremely friendly, and talkative. But Romi couldn't help but notice that she and Neville were the only ones who were of school age. All Neville's cousins were in their late twenties and early thirties, and his second cousins were all under five years old, without anyone in between.
So Romi found herself spending a lot of time with Neville; he showed her the grounds outside, the places he used to play when he was younger.
The two of them also got the job of minding the young children as the adults joked and laughed and drank together. One of Neville's uncles – Romi couldn't remember his name – actually brought out a fiddle and began to play before dinner.
Romi spent most of the night with Baby Elliot, who was four months old, in her arms, while Neville chased around Jessica, Heather and Herbert, the other babies. Romi couldn't help but laugh, because they were all faster than him, even when he was trying.
Dinner was a lasagne, and Romi wondered as they each had a piece on their plate, if it was made all at once or Gran had spent a week making it. But she didn't care when they all started to eat.
Neville's cousin Grant sat next to Romi, and he asked her about her mum and dad. Romi was glad to tell him what her father did, and he seemed equally as glad to entertain an eleven-year-old.
Neville sat next to Romi, but on his other side was his Great Uncle Algie, who spend a great deal of time telling his four children how he always knew that he'd be able to squeeze some kind of magic out of Neville.
Neville was very bright red through the whole of dinner, especially after dessert was served when Great Uncle Algie got it into his head that he should prove his wife and children that he did it, by re-enacting the event that caused Neville to bounce down the lawn.
Thankfully Gran called both Romi and Neville to come help in the kitchen and Neville escaped being dropped out a window again.
"I thought you two could help with the clean-up," Gran said. "A huge family like this can be a bit overwhelming for a new comer," she said with a smile at Romi. "Frank was always good with this," she said with a sigh, "whenever someone new was added to family, he made sure to make them comfortable. He learnt everyone's name, even the girlfriends and boyfriends that didn't stick around."
Gran went off into the living room still reminiscing about her son, leaving Neville and Romi to the wash.
"Sorry," Neville said, staring at the pile of dishes. "I know were not allowed to magic, so this might take a while."
"It's alright, really," Romi answered.
The party went on into the night, after they were finished the dishes, Romi and Neville joined again, to watch the adults dance, and nearly fell asleep on their chairs, until Georgina gathered up all the children and tucked them away in bed.
Christmas Eve dawned with the house smelling like roast beef and turkey. It was nearly noon this time when they got downstairs, and almost immediately, the older cousins packed everyone up in their snow clothes and brought them all outside. The Aunts stayed inside to help Gran, and the Uncles were all sitting playing chess with Neville's grandfather.
Romi couldn't remember the last time that she had so much fun at a Christmas party before. They had extensive snow forts built, and an incredible, and sneaky snowball fights. Neville had terrible aim, but Grant and Greg gave him plenty of opportunity to hit them, which improved his mood greatly.
They spent the entire afternoon outside, and at four ran inside to get dried off for Christmas dinner. Gran had laid an enormous table with so much food Romi wondered if it was at all possible to get a bit of everything and still have room on the plate. There was ham, roast beef, pork roast, lamb roast, three roasted turkeys, half a dozen roast ducks and even a roast goose. Potatoes of every kind of preparations littered the table, and vegetables of all sorts; carrots, cauliflower, squash, corn, peas, broccoli, pickles, salads, onions and peppers, cabbage, and turnips. Cranberry sauce, jelly, all kinds of gravy and pickled beetroots were also on the table. And in the middle was a mountain, a true mountain, of Yorkshire puddings.
"I wonder what dessert will look like," Romi said, staring at all the food in front of her.
"There will be probably just as much," Neville answered. "I know there is like forty people here, but Gran still cooks twice that much."
Dinner took two hours. Everyone was very jolly and cheerful. Crackers went off every ten minutes or so, revealing small creatures, proper hats and candy.
Dessert, as Romi had guessed, was everything imaginable. Cakes, pies, and puddings, followed by brownies, cookies, candy canes, hard candies and chocolates adorned the table. Romi wasn't even sure if she could manage to make it through all the dessert, but with a lot of effort she managed to eat a plateful.
The party had moved to the comfier seating of the living room, and once everyone had meandered from the table to the couches, gran removed the table with a wave of her wand.
For some reason, now that the table was gone, Romi saw the Christmas Tree in the corner. It was gigantic, and filled with ornaments, candles and tinsel. There were letters in the tree as well and Romi wondered briefly what they were for, but she was then surprised for Grant had walked over with a large present in his hand from under the tree and handed it to Romi.
She was completely taken aback, and didn't even know what to say to him.
"Of course, guests are the first to receive presents," he said with a smile.
"Thank you," Romi said, shyly, blushing greatly as she took the present. It wasn't long before presents piled up in front of other people as well. Romi only had one present, but she didn't mind; she hadn't expected any.
It took a very long time for everyone to get presents, and they had all started unwrapping at different times.
Romi wasn't sure whether she should unwrap hers or not. Neville had three presents beside him already open; one was a compass which not only said which way was North, but told you where to go if you asked it too; another was a large comfy looking sweater, and the third was a thick book that was all about magical jungle plants. He was opening a set of pyjamas when he noticed that Romi was just watching everyone else.
"You can open that, you know," Neville said. "You don't have to wait until tomorrow."
Romi smiled and looked at the present in her lap. She carefully peeled the spellotape back from the wrapping and unfolded the paper.
Inside were two things. One was a box of chocolates, and the other was a textbook. It was a medical textbook, one for beginners. Romi looked at it surprised and looked over at Neville.
He had watched her open it.
"How did your Gran know that I am interested in anatomy?" Romi murmured to Neville. Neville leaned over and then shrugged at her.
"I didn't even know you were interested in it," he said.
"It's a passing fancy," Romi replied. But her question was answered a few moments later when Gran came over to her and smiled.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
"Yes, very much, thank you," Romi said earnestly.
"You're Godfather told me that you liked medicine," Gran said. "It's a very honourable career if you choose to be a Healer."
Romi smiled, unsure what to reply to that. But she knew now who had given Gran the idea. Severus would do something like that, and if Gran hadn't said it, Romi suspected that she would never have found out.
Presents were done soon afterwards, and Uncle Harley, so Neville said, brought out his fiddle again. Romi sat on one of the couches next to Neville, Zhi asleep in her arms, and herself falling asleep too, thinking that this was one of the best Christmases she'd ever experienced.
