Disclaimer: All that is not JKR's is mine-and that mainly consists in the human character of Nagini and the influence she exerts on the magical world.
Chapter 21: Christmas Surprises
He was waiting for her where he usually was, standing tall in the center of the clearing. Nagini paused between two trees at the edge of the clearing. Looking at him reminded her of the reflection she saw in the Mirror of Erised, in which her father was alive and with her. She smiled sadly, wishing that day might come soon, and stepped into the clearing to join her father.
Voldemort watched Nagini stop at the edge of the trees and stare at him, but it was as if she wasn't really seeing him. He brushed her mind and caught a glimpse of a large mirror. Only Nagini stood before it, but the reflection showed both her and him. Intrigued, he stepped closer as Nagini approached him.
"Father," she said looking up at him.
"Hello, my daughter," he replied. "What is it that troubles you?"
Nagini looked at him confused, her brow furrowed. "Nothing troubles me, father," she said shaking her head.
Voldemort examined her. "What is on your mind then?"
Nagini glanced up at him quickly. It was almost as if he knew what had gone through her mind as she entered the clearing. "A couple weeks ago," she began slowly, "I couldn't sleep, so I began exploring the castle. In one of the rooms I found a mirror. For days afterward, I searched the library to learn what the mirror was. The Mirror of Erised is its name; it shows the viewer his or her deepest, most desperate desire."
Voldemort listened patiently as Nagini related her story. When she stopped, he didn't say anything for a moment. He stared out at the trees, thinking to himself. What was a treasure like that doing at Hogwarts? What exactly was Dumbledore planning? His thoughts then returned to the mirror itself. His deepest, most desperate desire? Voldemort supposed that if he looked into it, he would see himself regaining his body and his former strength. Voldemort looked down at his daughter curiously. "What did you see in the mirror, Nagini?" he asked, remembering the image he had glimpsed in her mind.
Nagini colored slightly and looked at the ground, the trees, anywhere but at her father. "I saw us," she said quietly. "I saw you come back for me."" Voldemort looked down at his daughter, an unidentifiable emotion rising up within him. He put a finger Nagini's chin and tilted her face toward him.
"What you dream of will come true," he told her, looking into his daughter's eyes. "Soon, I will regain my strength and come for you. I swear to you, my daughter."
Nagini smiled slightly. "I know," she replied. "I look forward to that day."
Voldemort smiled, cold and calculating. He would rise again, more powerful than ever before, and he would have Nagini by his side, his most loyal follower. She would go where the others wouldn't, do anything he asked, and no one would be able to stop him.
For the rest of the night, Voldemort had Nagini tell him more about what was happening at Hogwarts. They sat on the fallen tree at the edge of the clearing, and Nagini told him about the classes, the teachers, the other students, and her explorations of the castle. He only half-listened, nodding along, as Nagini talked. His mind kept straying back to the Mirror of Erised, why it was in Hogwarts, and what that might mean.
Nagini sat up in her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. It was Christmas morning. She slowly got out of bed and stretched, yawning all the while. To her surprise, when she went to pick up her wand from the bedside table, she found a flat tissue-wrapped package and a separate piece of parchment. Curious, Nagini picked up the parchment and unfolded it to find a short note written in emerald ink.
Nagini,
To make up for ten years' of birthdays and Christmases, here is this note. In itself, it is not much, but it will lead to the gift that is the greatest of all. During the night, go to the library. In the Restricted Section in the third aisle from the back on the fifth shelf from the top, you will find a book entitled The Most Bewitching Enchantments. Start with this one, and then move on to the ones next to it.
Seek the knowledge.
Nagini flipped the parchment over, but she could find no signature. Mentally shrugging, she refolded the parchment and placed it in her pocket for safekeeping. She had an idea who had sent the note, but how it had happened, she had no idea. She would go to the library that night, she decided, when everyone was asleep that way no one would catch her.
Nagini now turned to the small package and picked it up, tossing it lightly in her palm. She gently tore the paper and let it fall onto her bed. Nagini drew in a sharp breath. In her hand, she held a beautiful leather bookmark. It was a deep violet with a silver inscription. Friends don't judge each other by the cover, but rather by the pages of the heart inside. Under the bookmark, Nagini found a tiny note written in Tracey's recognizable print.
You spend more time in the library than you do anywhere else, so I hope you find this gift useful. I saw this in the store, and it made me think of you. I'm really sorry for everything. I realized something this week, and I need to talk to you.
Happy Christmas,
Tracey
Nagini felt tears come to her eyes, reading the note. Tracey really was very sweet. Nagini regretted not trying harder to prevent her from falling in with Parkinson. Even then, she could have done something for Tracey. And she hadn't even thought of getting her something for Christmas! She called herself Tracey''s friend, but what kind of friend was she really. Nagini sighed and began rummaging through her drawers. What could she give Tracey that the other girl would like? She brushed aside rolls of parchment, and her fingers came upon something cold and hard. Nagini pulled it out—it was one of the crystals from Charms.
Slowly, an idea began to take hold in Nagini's mind, and she quickly reached in for the others. Tossing the crystals in her hand, Nagini made her way to the door and nearly tripped over two small packages lying on the floor. Happy Christmas, Theo was written on the outside of one and Hope you''re enjoying the peace and quiet of the castle, Blaise on the other. Nagini smiled in delight. She hadn't expected to get any presents, but her friends had all given her something. She opened the packages quickly and found a box of Sugar Quills from Theo ("To enjoy in History of Magic") and a small collection of chocolate frogs from Blaise.
Her smile slipped as Nagini remembered once again that, like with Tracey, she hadn't thought to get either of them something for Christmas. She would make it up to them all, she thought. They'd get presents, just a little late. Nagini quickly stood up and after placing the candy next to the bookmark, she raced out of the dorm, the crystals bouncing in her pocket.
Nagini didn't meet anyone on her way to the kitchens. She figured the rest of the castle was sleeping in and enjoying their own gifts right then. Just as well, she thought. She didn't want to have to explain herself to anyone at the moment or have to stop to wish everyone, even complete strangers, happy Christmas.
Nagini entered the basement floor and approached the portrait of the fruit bowl. On the third day of break, she was wandering around when she spied the Weasley twins sneaking around. She followed them, and unbeknownst to them, they showed her the entrance to the kitchens. Smiling, she tickled the green pear, making it giggle. The frame swung forward, and Nagini ducked through. Everywhere house elves were running to and fro, hurrying to finish preparations for the feast later that day. One elf, however, broke away from the crowd and approached Nagini.
"What can Bitzy do for you, miss?" she squeaked.
"Do you have some small cakes or something that you could spare?" she asked. "I need to send some last minute gifts to two friends.""
The little elf bobbed her head. "Of course, miss! Bitzy will be right back."
Nagini watched as the elf scurried away to the other side of the kitchen and began stuffing a couple boxes full of little cakes and pies. Holding the boxes high above her head, Bitzy weaved her way through the crowd and back to Nagini, who took the packages from her.
"Can Bitzy do anything else for you, miss?" asked the elf.
"No," said Nagini, smiling and shaking her head. "Thank you and Happy Christmas." Nagini left, careful to not drop the two boxes, and slowly shut the portrait door behind her.
Then came the long walk to the Owlery, at the top of the tower farthest away from where she now was. Nagini traversed the castle, again not meeting anyone along the way. In the Owlery, she quickly scrawled a note to both Theo and Blaise: Sorry for the delay. Have a Happy Christmas, Nagini. Looking up at the owls, she wandered around looking for the school owls. She spotted a few in the corner and stroked the feathers of the first one. With a smile, she sent two off with packages.
Nagini reached into her pocket and pulled out the handful of crystals. She set them on a ledge and pulled out her wand. She began muttering spells over the stones, and after a moment, they glowed briefly before fading back to normal. Nagini scooped them up and tossed them in a small bag. She dug a quill and piece of parchment out of her bag and wrote a note to Tracey.
I wanted to give you something beautiful and could find nothing more so than these. If you blow on the crystals in the dark, they will glow, lighting your way. Have a happy Christmas. I'll see you when term begins.
Nagini
This time Nagini chose a small brown owl to make her delivery and smiled. The owl rather reminded her of Tracey, and she hoped that the owl made her smile as well. Nagini sent the owl off and took a moment to stare out the window at the grounds below. In the distance, she saw a group of people, many of them redheads, engaging in a ferocious snowball fight. It looked fun but also extremely wet.
Nagini stayed there watching the snowball fight until the combatants decided to head in. At that point, Nagini also chose to return to the main castle. She headed toward the Great Hall but stopped suddenly when she reached the entrance way. It was beautiful. There were a dozen trees that reached to the ceiling. They were covered in magical snow, gold and silver tinsel, and all manner of ornaments. The candles floating above the tables were red, green, and silver, and there were party favors and centerpieces every few feet. Snow fell from the ceiling, disappearing when it hit the floor.
It was certainly the most elaborate Christmas dinner Nagini had ever enjoyed. There were hundreds of roast turkeys, mountains of boiled potatoes, platters of chipolatas, bowls of buttered peas, boats of gravy and cranberry sauce, and piles of wizard crackers. Today, Nagini sat with the other Slytherins and laughed at the older boys' antics. She pulled a few crackers with the other girls. After the first cannon blast and blue smoke, they found a small bottle of faerie dust, which the other girl took, and a pair of silver chopsticks, which Nagini immediately wound into her hair. She also collected a bottle of color-changing ink, a blood red quill, and a bag of gobstones. Nagini ate more that meal than she did the past few days, but somehow she still found room for flaming pudding afterward.
What did it matter what Draco had said that day in Potions before break? Nagini wondered a few hours later. After all, Christmas at Hogwarts was wonderful. She bet she was having more fun than he was even. Wrapping herself in her cloak and scarf, she wandered outside and over to the frozen lake. She stared out at the snow gently falling down on the castle and the grounds and smiled happily. She loved Hogwarts. She wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
When she thought it was late enough that everyone would be asleep and the corridors would be empty, Nagini slipped out of bed and crept out of her dorm. Quickly but quietly, she made her way to the library. She peered around every corner to check to see if anyone was coming before silently running down the corridor. She kept close to the walls and froze at any sound. Finally, she made it to the library, and Nagini ducked inside.
She paused to catch her breath and looked around at the rows and rows of bookshelves. Slowly, she made her way to the back to the golden gate that separated the Restricted Section from the rest of the library. Nagini drew her wand and pointed it at the lock, murmuring, "Alohomora." The gate silently swung open, and she slipped through, closing the gate behind her with a gentle click.
Nagini pulled the note from her pocket and squinted down at it. The third aisle from the back on the fifth shelf from the top, she read. Holding the note in one hand and her wand in the other, Nagini walked toward the back of the room. She stopped at the third aisle from the back and looked up. Counting the bookshelves, she found that the fifth from the top was right at her eye level. Convenient, she thought.
Nagini stuffed the note in her pocket and, placing her fingers on the books, began to search for the one mentioned in the note. Thankfully, the moonlight streaming in through the windows provided her enough light by which to see. About halfway down the aisle, she found it. Nagini pulled The Most Bewitching Enchantments from its spot on the shelf. Book in hand, she sank to the floor and leaned against the bookshelf. Excited, Nagini opened the book and began flipping through it. There were spells to turn one invisible, to hide in the shadows, to mesmerize someone, to scry both the present and the past, and much more.
Nagini was just flipping to the front of the book to read the introduction when she heard footsteps. Her eyes widened—there was someone in the library. Slowly, she stood up and put the book back on its shelf. Holding her wand high, Nagini crept to the end of the aisle and peered around the corner. She couldn't see anyone. She opened her mouth to call "Is anyone there?" but then shut her mouth hurriedly, realizing how utterly moronic that would be.
Nagini heard the footsteps getting closer and gasped when the gate swung open. She pulled away and pressed herself against the bookshelf, heart beating, and prayed that whoever was there hadn't heard her. There was the sound of a match being struck, and Nagini looked around the corner once again. A soft yellow glow came from the first aisle. Careful not to make any noise, Nagini snuck over to the adjacent aisle and peeked around the bookshelf.
Shocked, Nagini pulled back quickly but then after a moment, looked again. Harry Potter was kneeling on the ground in front of the bookshelf, running his hands over the books' spines. Beside him, the lamp glowed softly, and a silver cloak lay bundled up on the floor. What was Harry Potter doing out of bed in the middle of the night, wondered Nagini, and why was he in the library of all places?
She watched, interested, as he paused then with some difficulty pulled a large black and silver book from the shelf. He balanced the book on his knees and let it fall open. A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek filled the air, and Nagini clapped her hands over ears and screwed up her face, trying to block out the sound. Potter quickly snapped the book shut and shoved it back in place, but the scream continued. He hurriedly stood up and knocked over the lamp, plunging them in darkness. Stumbling a bit, he left the library at a run.
Knowing that someone would come to investigate after the racket that Potter made, Nagini silently followed him out of the library. While she heard his footsteps slapping against the stone, Nagini quietly snuck down the stairs and back to the Slytherin common room. What was he trying to find out? Nagini wondered. Now that she thought about it, she realized she had been seeing Potter and his friends in the library quite often. They were always poring over the books, but they never seemed to find what they were looking for. And now, she thought ruefully, he had interrupted her own quest. Fortunately, she didn't think Potter would be going back to the Restricted Section in the middle of the night, anymore. She smiled slightly. She, however, would be.
~Kasyntra