The past few weeks had been quite a rush. Word had gotten around that Harry Potter had gotten a Firebolt for Christmas, and Caitlyn, being the Seeker, had the most pressure lying on her shoulders. How she could compete with a Firebolt when she only had a Nimbus 2000, she did not know. Catherin's song had flown around the whole school. People everywhere were singing it, causing much distress for the teachers.
The day after the Quidditch game, Caitlyn sat in the library looking at nothing. They had lost the game, basically because a couple of stupid third year Slytherins dressed up as dementors and distracted her. She learned to never underestimate the power of Harry Potter. He had done some kind of a spell that Caitlyn knew they weren't supposed to learn until their later years, so how did Harry know it? She pulled the brim of her hat over her eyes in a frustrated manner, but immediately lifted it again when she felt the warmth of someone sit next to her and kiss her cheek. She smiled faintly. "Hullo, darling,"
Fred poked her forehead. "Why do you look so down? Look, sorry we won and everything-"
"Don't apologize, it was a fair game." She said, crossing her arms and looking at the table.
"I don't think so. You would've won if Malfoy and his stupid followers hadn't disturbed the game."
"Yeah, right." Fred tugged on Caitlyn's blonde hair, attempting to at least make her smile.
"Why're in such a bad mood? Cheer up!" He parted her lips with his fingers and popped a crystallized pineapple in her mouth. "Eat it." He said, grinning.
Caitlyn sucked on the pineapple, not saying a word.
Fred frowned. This called for more desperate measures. He cocked his head, placing a hand on Caitlyn's knee. "Caitlyn…do you know how much I love you?" Caitlyn said nothing. "More than you'll ever know." This made Caitlyn smile the slightest bit.
"I know…I love you too, Fred. Did you know that?" She said. Fred pursed his lips in mock concentration.
"No. I didn't." Caitlyn grinned now. "So tell me; why/re you so down?" Caitlyn's grin faltered.
"Well, I don't seem to…take Quidditch too seriously anymore." The Golden Snitch she had in the pouch at her waist hummed. "It's not on the top of my priority list anymore. I might pass the roll of the Seeker to Cho. I mean, she's good and everything…" Fred nodded.
"I've seen her when you are playing against each other. She is pretty good. I mean, she has a Comet Two-Sixty, that's nothing, and I don't like her theory of just following to try and get the Snitch." Caitlyn nodded in agreement.
"It IS a bit stupid, but I don't have the heart to tell her that. She should just use her eyes." Fred randomly hugged Caitlyn out of nowhere, causing Caitlyn's teal eyes to widen in shock. She slowly brought her own arms around his back, and Fred pulled her to her feet, not breaking the hug, as impossible as it may sound. His words tickled soft on her ear, whispering four words, "I love you, Caitlyn." Caitlyn felt her eyes tear up with joy, and she buried her face into his chest.
"I love you, too, Fred…" She muttered. A small first year boy had walked by, looking quizzically at the couple.
"PDA! PDA!" The boy shout-whispered. Caitlyn giggled, breaking her hug from Fred. She placed her palms together, her pointer fingers at her lips.
"Fred, darling, just imagine; one day we're going to have a little boy in Hogwarts." The boy's eyes widened, he shook his head quickly, and scurried away. Fred was grinning.
"You're messed up…you know that?"
Christmas break was coming up in just two hours. All classes that day had been canceled, and Caitlyn was packing her things to go home for Christmas. She felt a scarf get thrown on her head by Marietta. She tugged the scarf off, throwing it around her neck.
This year's Christmas would definitely be different. For one thing, there was a new baby in the house to deal with. Second, Caitlyn would be going to the Weasley's house for the first time ever. Third, Satoshi would be spending this Christmas with them at the Lumbach's house. As they were leaving the school and heaving their trunks to the train, Caitlyn couldn't help but wonder what her father would say about a boy spending this Christmas with them. It was with good reason, too. Satoshi, being an orphan, really had no one but Shiro and Sakura left in the house. Naturally, being a fifteen year old boy, he would get bored. So he gave himself permission to stay with the Lumbach's.
"Catherin!" Someone called out from behind them. Catherin, who was beside Caitlyn wearing a heavy fur-lined jacket, whipped her head around. Their breath was visible as they caught up to the twins, huffing for she was running. The girl had longish black hair and hazel eyes, and when Catherin saw her, she went pale. "Um, hi…are you Satoshi Ueda's girlfriend? Bloody heck, I know you are. Anyways…I'm sorry for kissing him out there. On the Quidditch field the other day? I couldn't help it…he was there, and I just ha-"
"He's not my boyfriend," Catherin interrupted hastily. The girl's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to say something, closed it, but then opened it again.
"Catherin…I, um, always see you two together and…stuff. You guys, um, you KISS! I've seen you! And he's so happy when he's with you." Caitlyn looked up at the sky with just her eyes.
"Do you stalk them, girl?" She said simply. She looked the girl straight in the eyes. The girl's face was turning red, and she buried her face in her hands. When she lifted her face, a small grin played at the corners of her mouth.
"O-of course not. You must be Caitlyn, no?" She said, but as soon as she said it she turned on her heels and left. Phantom was hissing in her carrier, Persephone flitting around hers.
"Hush, you can come out on the train." Caitlyn said, lightly hitting the carrier. She felt the weight go to the back of the cage, which meant that the white cat was cowering in the corner. She rolled her eyes and proceeded to the train, unaware that her twin was still behind, staring at the girl as she ran off. "CATHERIN." She yelled impatiently. Catherin jumped slightly, rushing up beside Caitlyn. She smiled nervously. "What was that all about?"
"Er…I'm not too sure. That was a girl who was…erm…snogging Satoshi on the Quidditch pitch." Catherin explained quickly. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her neck.
"NINJA HUG! Hey girls." Catherin didn't have to turn around to know who spoke these words. She turned around and gave Satoshi a quick peck on the cheek. Caitlyn gasped in mock surprise.
"Catherin, you two aren't allowed to do that until you start dating!" She said in a high tone. Satoshi waved a hand at her as if to say, "Who cares?"
"We've both agreed that we will not date until we're older," The Gryffindor said. "Besides, I'm your best friend for like, EVER, so be nice to me."
"For like, EVER, huh?"
"Shush. I'm spending Christmas with you two. Be nice to me." He fingered Catherin's rainbow scarf that hung around her neck, also noting the rainbow earrings in her ears. He walked up the steps of the train and entered a compartment, the twins trailing behind. When they all got comfortable (including Phantom, who was let out of her cage), Satoshi leaned forward eagerly. "Catherin, do you like rainbows?" He said simply. Catherin laughed slightly.
"Er, I guess…"
"Well, first, rainbows are totally a turn on. Second, you must meet Doodles. I think you'll love him." Caitlyn stared at Satoshi.
"D-Doodles? You mean, like, a dog or something?" She asked, a look of mild interest on her face. Catherin turned to Caitlyn, smiling.
"Of course that's what he means! Right, Sato?" Satoshi grinned widely, looking out the window.
"Sure. That's what he is." He muttered. The compartment door flew open, and the Weasley twins stepped in.
"CAITLYN LEIGH-ANNE LUMBACH. Why didn't you wait for us?" They both said in unison. Caitlyn pulled Fred's scarf, forcing him to sit next to her. She moved her face as close to his as she dared, both of their noses touching.
"Maybe I didn't want to," She whispered, pulling his lips towards hers. She pulled away, unraveling the scarf from his neck. "Fred, darling, I am able to come to your house for Christmas, right?" She inquired. Fred nodded quickly.
"Of course you are! You still have to meet Bill and Charlie and stuff…" Fred answered. George looked at his twin.
"And 'stuff'? What kind of 'stuff'?" He said, a mischievous grin on his freckled face. Caitlyn let a laugh escape her throat, quickly covering her mouth.
"You weren't supposed to tell them, love!" Catherin's eyes widened as she pulled off her gloves.
"Ew, you sicko! That's just…ew…" She muttered, putting her head in her hands. Satoshi pulled her hands away from her face, lifting Catherin's face just the slightest and poked her nose.
"Then you better not tell them what we were going to do, Catherin." He said, grinning. Catherin's whole face went beet red, and the train began to move. Caitlyn looked at everybody, noting that they were missing people.
"Where's Lee, Gaia, and Jeffrey?" She asked. The two Weasley's sighed.
"Well, Lee stayed-"
"-and Jeffrey did, too." They said.
"Gaia's in a compartment with Seamus." Catherin said, hiding a giggle. Caitlyn looked at Catherin, and just by being sister they knew what the other was thinking without saying a word. They both cracked up laughing, falling back on the boys at their sides. Satoshi patted Catherin's head, smiling.
"They're so cute when they do that." He said. Fred chuckled, stroking Caitlyn's hair.
"Stay away from Caitlyn, got it?" Fred said. Satoshi saluted with two fingers, nodding.
"Yes, sir!" The twins' laughter died down, and when Catherin realized that she was lying on Satoshi, she quickly jerked up, her face reddening even more. Caitlyn giggled, still lying on Fred's lap. She loves him…and he loves her. How cute…Caitlyn thought. Of course, these thoughts always played through her mind, day by day. It was almost pointless to think these thoughts, but of course it was a teenage girl's instinct to. She turned her head slightly to look out the train window, smiling at the snow-coated trees.
"I love winter," She sighed. Fred looked down at her, expressionless except for the compassion showing in his dark eyes. He ran his fingertips along her jawline, watching Caitlyn's eyes as they closed gently. She smiled just the slightest bit at his touch, and at that moment something clicked. Fred realized that this girl, this little blonde Ravenclaw that he had only really started to know at the beginning of last year, really loved him. And he really loved her. While Satoshi, Catherin, and George were chatting about their plans for Christmas, Fred sat in silence, watching Caitlyn as she slept on his lap. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Caitlyn's eyes fluttered open, and she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position using Fred's shoulders as a brace.
The other three students in the compartment didn't even notice when Caitlyn leaned against the window with Fred kissing her lips. She had wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back passionately. As much as Caitlyn loved this, it somehow felt wrong. She was fourteen, and already she was snogging her boyfriend in a train compartment. Caitlyn, however, didn't stop. Caitlyn felt Fred's fingertips run along the length of her spine, sending chills down her back. Fred pulled her closer to him, so they were practically hugging, except kissing. Caitlyn ran her hands through his red hair, the soft tresses falling between her fingers. The two pulled away from each other, but only their lips separated. They leaned together, their noses touching.
"'If you love somebody,' my mum always told me, 'show them.'" Caitlyn whispered airily. She kissed him one final time. And that's when she heard the giggling.
"Oh, how romantic!" Catherin sighed, clasping her hands together.
"It took a whole six minutes! That's a new record!" George exclaimed.
"Even I haven't snogged that long…" Satoshi trailed off, receiving a death glare from Catherin. Phantom jumped up on Satoshi's lap, purring and rubbing against his chest. Catherin rolled her eyes, picking the white cat up and cuddling it to her cheek.
"You're such a stupid cat," She muttered, handing the cat over to Caitlyn. She placed Phantom on the seat beside her, stroking her long white fur. She stared out the window, glancing at the cat beside her.
"You know…your fur is the same color as the snow."
The train ride had been long and slow. When the train reached King's Cross, everyone flooded out in a rush. Caitlyn had given Fred a good-bye kiss and George a good-bye hug before she ran off to her parents. Catherin dragged Satoshi by the wrist to her parents after Satoshi had said his good-byes to his siblings, telling them to be good and not get into trouble. When the three of them reached the Lumbachs waiting at the gate, they all gasped in admiration at the small baby boy in a carrier held by Mrs. Lumbach. Catherin buried her face into Satoshi's shoulder, smiling. He looked at Mr. and Mrs. Lumbach awkwardly, patting Catherin's head. "Oh, Satoshi, look how CUTE Ethan is!" She squealed. He nodded, grinning. He had been through this sort of thing so many times. He was used to babies. Catherin and Caitlyn, however, had never been around too many babies. Satoshi walked slowly to Mr. Lumbach, taking his hand and shaking it politely.
"Oh, thank goodness…a man in the house…But if you do ANYTHING to my daughters-" Anthony Lumbach started, but he was interrupted by Satoshi.
"Don't worry, sir. I specialize in taking care of young children, being a charming young man, and just being the light of the party. And I won't even think about hurting your daughters who are just two splendid young women." Catherin felt a blush rise to her face, but Caitlyn started dying of laughter.
"Sato, if you really meant half of those things…" She started, but was cut off by more laughing. Satoshi grinned at the Lumbachs.
"Oh, please. Without me, your life would be boring." Dianne laughed at his statement.
"Anthony, he reminds me so much of you when we were young…" She sighed, smiling. A look of shock flashed across Anthony's face. The twins looked at him.
"Daddy, you were a ladies' man?" They both said in unison, causing Satoshi to smile slightly. Ethan started to whimper, and Dianne looked at the clock on the wall.
"Oh, it's almost time to feed him…Come along everybody, join hands. We Apparated here, just to be quick," She said, and with that they all linked together, Disapparating out of King's Cross and to the Lumbachs' house.
A fire burned in the fireplace, filling the house with warmth. Anthony pointed down the hall, nodding at Satoshi. "There's a guest bedroom right across from the girls' room. You can put your things in there." Satoshi saluted, dragging his items down the hall. The twins followed him, turning into their own room. They noted how clean it was, with new sheets on the bed and the desks cleared off.
"Looks like Mum cleaned up a bit…" Caitlyn murmured. Satoshi peeked in the room.
"So this is the legendary Lumbach twins' room. Fred's told me so much about it!" He said, smiling at Caitlyn. Caitlyn covered her mouth with her hand, attempting to hide her blush. Satoshi moved towards the window, gazing out into the snow-covered yard. "And he wasn't kidding when he said you had a great view…Although I'm sure that's not what he meant," Caitlyn hit Satoshi lightly on the arm.
"Ew, sicko…We don't do that kind of stuff yet." She said, smirking. Catherin gasped slightly.
"'Yet' is the keyword in that sentence." She said. From the living room came a soft cry of a baby, but the cry moved off into the distance as Dianne swept into her bedroom to feed her son. Satoshi sat on the end of Catherin's bed, looking around the room.
"So what are we planning to do for Christmas? I've already got you guys your presents and everything…" He said, looking down at his feet. Caitlyn clicked the lock on her trunk open, pulling her clothes out and setting them on her bed. Satoshi watched her eagerly, cocking his head the slightest bit. Caitlyn glanced at him, pursing her lips.
"What, you waiting for me to pull out my underwear, you pervert?" She said. Satoshi nearly fell off the bed when she made this statement, just out of thin air.
"No, of course not! Question is…were you waiting for me to see?" He said, smirking. Caitlyn jerked her head around, refusing to look at Satoshi. Satoshi leaned back the slightest bit, crossing his right ankle over his left knee. "You know, you never answered my question."
"Oh, we're probably just going to have the whole dinner thing on Christmas Eve, then the whole present thing on Christmas…basic stuff like that." Catherin answered, swiftly sitting next to him on the bed. Caitlyn rolled her eyes.
"Blimey, mate, could you be any more specific?" She said, shutting her trunk and filing her clothes away in a drawer. She pushed the drawer shut with her foot, walking to the door. "I'll leave you two alone. Buh-bye." She waved with her fingers, exiting the room. Catherin blinked after her, feeling her heartbeat going faster and faster by the minute.
On the morning of Christmas, the twins awoke early and cheerfully. They both dressed in their best attire, which included curling their hair and wearing dresses. For Caitlyn, a knee-length crimson dress and bracelet of bells on her left hand. For Catherin, a knee-length emerald dress and a bell bracelet on her right hand. They both had a shimmering pink gloss on their lips, and each had strappy gold heels on their dainty feet.
Caitlyn ushered Catherin over to Satoshi's bedroom door (where he was still sleeping tiredly) and put a finger to her lips. She turned the doorknob, opening the door just a crack and peeking in. She giggled under her breath. "Alright, let's do this." She whispered to Catherin. Catherin nodded firmly, sneaking into the room. Caitlyn followed her, and they both sat on either side of Satoshi, leaning over him. Catherin brushed her hand over his cheeks, grinning with a sappy, acted smile.
"Sato, darling, wake up," She muttered sweetly. You can only imagine how Satoshi felt when he woke up and saw the two girls with their hair curled and all dressed up leaning over him.
"Bloody hell, is this a dream?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. Catherin wrapped her arms around his neck while Caitlyn hugged his arm.
"Sato, what makes you think that?" Caitlyn said, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"There are two pretty girls in my room on Christmas morning…" The twins both kissed his cheek simultaneously, getting up from the bed. Satoshi sat up, gripping a rainbow teddy bear in his arms. Catherin looked at the bear. When Satoshi saw her expression, he smiled. "This is Doodles…" He said. Catherin's lips curled into a smile. As they proceeded to leave the room, Catherin stopped at the door and looked down at the ground.
"Get dressed, love. It's Christmas." When she left the room, Satoshi couldn't help but smile at the nickname Catherin had given him.
When Satoshi entered the living room, the smell of bacon, eggs, and biscuits filled the air. Anthony was bouncing Ethan on his lap, Dianne was in the kitchen cooking, and the twins sat happily in two rocking chairs beside the fireplace. When he saw the twins, he felt his heart skip a beat. He was not dreaming that morning when they were in his room.
"Morning, Sato." Catherin giggled. Satoshi blinked.
"Uh, yeah. Morning." He glanced at Mr. Lumbach, grinning. "Ohayō, Mr. Lumbach." Catherin's eyes lit up.
"Oh, that means 'morning', right, Satoshi?" She exclaimed cheerfully. Satoshi nodded, sitting on the couch next to Anthony.
"Mind if I hold Ethan?" He asked politely. Anthony looked uncertainly at the boy, but then smiled, handing Ethan over to Satoshi. Satoshi rocked the baby boy in his arms. The baby's eyes were opened just the slightest bit, peering at Satoshi. His small lips formed the smallest of smiles, making Satoshi laugh under his breath. Catherin sat next to him on the couch, placing her hand on his shoulder and looking at the baby lovingly.
"You're so good with children, Satoshi." Catherin whispered. Satoshi gazed at her with his blue eyes.
"I've had a lot of practice." He said, grinning. "I remember when I was little I tried to hold Shiro when he was first born, but my dad said I was too young, so I threw a fit. And then when I was like eight I remember holding the twins…" Catherin leaned against his shoulder, brushing a few curls out of her face.
"You're going to be such a good father one day." She whispered. Anthony got up from his place on the sofa and entered the kitchen with his wife to help her cook, leaving the two alone except for Caitlyn, who was staring into nothingness, not paying attention to them.
"He's so beautiful…he looks a lot like you, Catherin." Satoshi murmured, letting Ethan suck on his finger. Catherin blushed, noting the hint from Satoshi. Dianne suddenly entered the room, grinning widely at Catherin and Satoshi. She clapped her hands together.
"Breakfast is ready, children. Let's eat!" She said. They all got up from their seats, Satoshi handing Ethan to Mrs. Lumbach, and went to the dining room to eat the well-prepared breakfast.
When everyone had finished eating, they all filed into the living room to open presents. They handed the presents out, gleefully singing Christmas carols as they did do. Dianne and Anthony sat on one couch while Ethan rolled around happily on a play mat hitting at toys suspended above him, the twins sat on the other couch, and Satoshi sat on the floor, leaning against this couch. They all opened the gifts, gasping in unison.
Catherin pulled out a pair of rainbow-striped knee-high socks of the box, hugging them close to her. She suddenly remembered what Satoshi had said about rainbows, how they were a total turn on. Satoshi looked up at her. "You like them?" He asked. Catherin leaned forward and kissed Satoshi on the head.
"Of course I do!" She giggled. She opened her gift from Caitlyn, which was a set of new makeup. She smiled, shaking her head. "Thank you, Cait, you seem to know exactly what I need." Anthony opened his gift from Caitlyn, grinning as he pulled out a pair of new gloves.
"I knew those were the ones you wanted," Caitlyn said. Satoshi unwrapped a present from Catherin, laughing at the rainbow ribbon she had used to make a bow. Inside the box was a book. When he opened it, the pages were blank, with small labels on the side for writing.
"A photo album…" He muttered, grinning to himself. "Catherin, I'll be sure to have cameras in your dorm, room, bathroom, and any other place you happen to be," He said. Anthony stared at Satoshi.
"Boy, don't you dare even think about it…" He started, but Satoshi got up and hugged him.
"I'm gonna call you Dad. Can I call you Dad?" Satoshi said. Caitlyn put her head in her hands, attempting to hide her laughter. Dianne shook her head, laughing.
"Catherin, why can't you like Shiro? Oh, God…" She said between gasps of chuckling.
"Satoshi, I got Catherin new makeup. That should be enough for you." Caitlyn spoke up. Satoshi smiled slightly, just gazing at Caitlyn. Caitlyn laughed, pointing to a small box.
"I'm just kidding…here, that one's from me." Satoshi bent down to pick the box up and slowly un-wrapped it. Inside was a little Golden Snitch in a display case. He stared at it, his mouth hanging open slightly. "It cost me a fortune, but I just had to." Caitlyn said, waving her hand at him, causing the bells on her wrist to jingle.
"Thanks, Lyn." He said, grinning. Caitlyn nodded firmly. Dianne opened a box containing several feeding bottles, gasping and crying out with joy.
"Oh, thank goodness. I needed these so bad…" She sighed. Caitlyn picked up a box for her from Satoshi and sighed happily when she opened it. She had gotten Quidditch Through the Ages.
"I remembered when you checked it out from the library you said that you wanted it." Satoshi said, shrugging. After everyone had opened the gifts and the parents left the room, Satoshi fished out two small boxes from his pockets. He handed them to the girls, and they looked curiously at him.
"Open it." He urged. They both opened the boxes, and gasped when they saw that they each had their names written in cursive hanging from a silver chain. "Now people will be able to tell which one of you is which." Satoshi said.
"Oh," Catherin gasped. "Thank you…" Caitlyn had clipped the chain around her neck already, fingering the cursive letters, but Catherin was still holding hers in her hand. Satoshi held his hand out for Catherin to take, and he pulled her to feet. He took the necklace from her, wrapping it around her neck and putting it on for her. Satoshi wrapped his arms around her neck and held her hands. Catherin sighed happily. "Satoshi, if I had a Sickle for every time you made my heart race…" She muttered. Satoshi kissed her on the cheek, falling back onto the couch.
"You will wear those rainbow socks every day, right?" He said. Catherin nodded quickly.
"Every day until I have to wash them, of course." She smiled at Satoshi.
Caitlyn figured that this would be a long Christmas break.