Here's Chapter 25! Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER:

I own nothing but my OCs and this plot line.

Chapter Twenty-Five: House of Holidays

Nina's POV:

The remainder of being a Fifth Year went by smoothly, and we all did very well on our O.W.L.s. Now, we were all in our seventh and final year at Hogwarts - well, everyone else was in their seventh year, while my friends from Anubis and I were only really in our third - and it was about a week before the winter holidays.

Al and I were sitting by the fire, studying for our N.E.W.T.s. in the common room.

"I can't do this!" he exclaimed, slamming his Potions book shut and angrily shoving it aside. He held his head in his hands.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," I said calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Nines? I was wondering… Would you like to spend the Christmas holidays with my family and I?"

What an abrupt change of subject, I thought. "If it's alright with everyone…" I trailed off. "I don't want to impose."

"You won't be, trust me," he replied, pecking my cheek. "All of Sibuna can come if they want."

We'd included Joy in Sibuna and gave her the initiation back in our fifth year after figuring out that she'd been under the Imperius Curse. Apparently The Sorting Hat hadn't realized it at the time and had placed her in Slytherin when she'd meant to be in Gryffindor, and had since been given permission to switch Houses.

"We'll ask them," I answered, smiling brightly. "Thanks for the invitation!"

"Of course, Love."

As if in cue, Amber came skipping happily down the stairs from our dormitory.

"OI, AMBER!" he shouted across the half-empty common room. She turned to look in our direction after getting over the initial fright.

"Yeah, Albus?" she shouted back.

"WANT TO COME SPEND THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS WITH THE POTTER AND WEASLEY FAMILY?"

"Alright then!" she exclaimed running off through the portrait hole to probably ask the others if they wanted to join.

"That was easy," he said, beaming at me. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on!" Joy was dragging Fabian by the hand into the common room from the direction of the portrait hole. "Let's ask him!"

"Ask who what?" I chimed in.

"Hi Nina!" she greeted. "Al," she turned to him. "Is it true you're inviting all of Sibuna to stay with you for the Christmas holidays?"

"Yeah," he answered. "We always have Christmas at The Burrow… Would you care to join us?"

"I'd love to," Fabian piped up. "I'll just send an owl to my parents and ask them, just to make sure they're fine with it."

"To the Owlery!" Joy exclaimed, taking his hand and pulling him from the room. "Thanks guys!"

"No problem!" we called after them in unison.

"Do you think Joy's become a lot… happier… since she was lifted of the curse?" he asked as soon as the portrait hole closed.

I nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, she was also kinda bitchy when she first returned to Anubis House… Maybe she's been under the Imperius Curse longer than we thought."

"And when her father died-"

"The curse was lifted."

"So can we study Charms now?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Sure," I smiled. "I can't take another minute of Potions. And you've already surrendered to possibly getting a failing grade on your N.E.W.T., so Charms it is!"

The week flew by in a flash, and before I knew it, I was up in my dormitory with Amber, Dominique, and Rose, packing for the Christmas holidays.

"You're not staying at school again this year, Nines?" Tarra asked as she strode into the room.

"Nope," I replied. "Al and his family invited all of us to The Burrow for the holidays."

"Sounds fun!" she exclaimed, grabbing her trunk and throwing clothes into it. "Our family's going to Ireland again."

"You're not excited about it?" Amber asked. She was now over at her vanity, grabbing all the makeup and beauty supplies she could and fitting them into a separate suitcase.

"I'M READY!" Joy shouted, bursting into our room with her trunks and winter cloak, scarf and hat on. "LET'S GO!"

"Joy," Dom started off, clearing her part of the room of all makeup and hair supplies, "we're not done packing yet. Why don't you go check on the boys and see if they've even remotely started?"

"Alright!" she exclaimed, making a dash for their dormitories. "See you guys later! The train leaves soon!"

Amber went over to close the door, then leaned against it and turned to me. "Nina," she started off, flipping her hair, "Joy's… different."

"I know," I answered calmly.

"No kidding," Tarra mumbled.

"It's weird!" Dom exclaimed. "I mean, back when we were Fifth Years… She was so rude!"

"It's because of the Imperius Curse," I told them, attempting to close my suitcase.

"Nina, why don't you just use your wand for that?" Rose asked, seeing my struggle.

"Oh," I mentally kicked myself as I took my wand from the pocket of my robes and flicked it to close the piece of luggage. "Thanks, Rose."

Everyone who was going home for the holidays met in the entrance hall with their luggage, and after McGonagall and Filch did a head-count, we all walked through the grounds and gates to Hogsmeade Station, the train awaiting its departure.

Albus, Fabian, Joy, Amber, Alfie, Dominique and I all got a compartment and decided to spend most of the journey playing Exploding Snap, to which the guys won. Dom eventually got fed up with Albus' gloating, so she left to go find Tarra and Sean.

"Do you think she fancies Sean?" Rose asked as she came into the compartment, Scorpius right behind her. "I mean, they've been spending quite an awful lot of time together, don't you think?"

"Or," Fabian Started off, putting the Exploding Snap cards away, "she could just want to go talk to Tarra."

"I think I agree with Rose's theory," Amber said.

"Of course, Ams," Joy piped up. "You're the matchmaker around here anyways."

"DOMINIQUE FANCIES SEAN!" Tarra shouted, bursting into the compartment. She promptly slammed the door behind her. "I JUST SAW THEM SNOGGING!"

"Really!" Albus exclaimed in mock sarcasm. "Do enlighten us, Tarra!"

"Well, we should probably go back to my other cousins," Rose said, making a dash for the exit. "Come on, Scorp!"

Joy made a move to follow them.

"Where are you going?" Fabian asked, his expression falling.

"I have to get all the Prefects together and put them on Patrol," she explained. She turned to Al. "Tell Lily and Hugo, if you see them before me, to meet me in the compartment at the front of the train. I need to go find Lysander as he's Head Boy. See you!"

They kissed, and she skipped off happily down the hall.

I got up to close the door. "I think she's a lot happier now than before," I realized.

"Yeah," everyone else agreed in unison.

"It's because of the Imperius Curse though, isn't it?" Tarra asked. "I mean, her father kept controlling her, and when he died…"

"We know: The curse broke," Al finished.

I don't really remember much of what happened for the rest of the train ride, but I must've fallen asleep on Albus' shoulder because when we stopped at Platform 9¾, he was gently shaking me, trying to wake me up.

"Nina?" he called my name softly. "We're here."