Chapter 11 – Christmas
Once Christmas Eve finally arrived, Mia and I were one of only a few Slytherin's left and if we were being entirely honest, the solitude was rather pleasant. We had three spare beds in our dorms which quickly became temporary lounging areas for Iris and Jinx and additional space for our school uniforms that had instantly been tossed aside once our final lesson of the year had concluded. Mia and I were both able to have the large sofa right in front of the fireplace to ourselves (the only other Slytherin's who stayed were exam-anxious seventh years) and we'd made it quite comfortable. The furs from our beds had been dragged into the common room to create a territorial blanket fort and only Iris and Jinx were permitted access.
"How come you haven't gone home for the holidays?" I questioned Mia during the evening as she sat sketching on her knees whilst Jinx purred at her feet, providing quite the toe warmer. The fire was roaring underneath the garland that Mia and I had hung our stockings from. Silver and green candles lined the mantelpiece and their gentle flickering light cast shadows against the glistening statuette of the serpent on the wall.
"My parents decided to go on a cruise or something to somewhere hot. My Dad hates winter, he just can't function in the cold. How come you're still here?"
"Alec has gone back with his girlfriend to meet her family; I think they're getting quite serious. My parents wanted me to go home but to be honest, I wanted to see what Hogwarts was like at Christmas. It's a whole different place when there's hardly anyone here Besides, when it's just me at home there's no one to distract the attention from me and when that happens, I basically get interrogated on every little thing I've done so…no thank you."
"It's so much more peaceful being here." Mia replied before looking to the corner of the common room. "The tree looks great, too. It feels so Christmassy…I love it." I nodded in agreement, we had all tumbled out of bed on the 1st December to find the huge Norwegian Spruce scattered with green and silver decorations. It looked rather glamorous with delicately wrapped gifts underneath and intricate ornaments handing from the branches. The rest of the common room had seemingly decorated itself as well, tinsel was draped from the walls and the mantle place whilst garland was wrapped around the concrete pillars that bordered the tall windows. When we had returned from our classes on that same day at the beginning of December; we'd found our dormitories decorated too. Stacks of Christmas cards, mostly generic ones from teachers were sat on our bedside tables and Mia and I had been surprised to see that even Professor Snape has signed a card. It had a hissing serpent on the front with tinsel wrapped around its neck. We quickly suspected that it had been written out of obligation than sincerity and the message inside was very blunt and minimalistic.
Professor S.
Though the forced sentiment was sweet enough, it was admittedly one of the odder gifts we'd received. But it was hung with the others none the less across the piece of string fastened along the window of our dorm. The card from my parents had been considerably funnier. My father had decided that as Alec and I weren't going home for Christmas, he would have to replace us in the family Christmas portrait and so the card had my parents sat in our front room, roaring fire behind them. An eagle was sat on my father's shoulder, its wings spread out behind his head and my mother had a snake curled up on her lap, resting its head in her palm. Both were smiling gleefully and even from a distance I could see them trying to conceal their laughter. They were so proud of themselves. It had taken some explaining to Mia but she too appreciated my father's humour and I knew he would be thrilled about that when they eventually met.
"Do you suppose you'll get many gifts?" I asked, breaking the prolonged silence that had fallen between the two of us in the past half hour. Mia was engrossed in her sketch and I had lost myself in one of Mia's muggle books, she had brought a lot of them to school and I had been working my way through them since September. I was currently on War Horse and regretting my decision.
"Well, I have asked for some new sketching parchment and quills. Flourish and Blotts always do a huge Christmas sale so my parents normally get most of my stuff from there. What about you?"
"I always expect at least one weird present from my grandparents, they always send me the weirdest things that come in surprisingly useful."
"Which grandparents?" Mia questioned causing me to look up from the book.
"What do you mean?"
"Is it you Dad's parents or your mums? We have different names for each…set. Dad's Mum and Dad are Granny and Gramps, but Mum's is Gran and Grandad. It saves a surprising amount of time when we're having one of our larger family dinners."
"Oh. Mums. My grandfather on Dad's side of the family died before I was born, and my grandmother doesn't speak to us."
"Why?" Mia questioned and I smiled lightly, recalling the time my Father had explained the same tale to me when I was younger. It had been an incredibly sad story.
"It's a long story. For another time I think." I sighed slightly before looking up at her again. "Do your grandparents know about your magic? Your muggle grandparents of course." Mia smiled.
"Yeah. They didn't to begin with, but then when Bellamy was about to go to Hogwarts, Mum and Dad figured they'd have to explain where he was going. I remember them watching as Bellamy got an apple to peel itself. Honestly, I think everyone was anticipating them to have a heart attack or something."
"And they don't mind, they don't think it makes you different?"
"Well, of course they think it makes us different, but only in good ways. My Granny says she loves listening to the other ladies in her knitting group talk about how proud they are of their grandkids who go to University and she just sits there knowing she had a witch and a wizard for her grandkids."
"Bless her." I smiled. "I love that she has a knitting group – that's adorable."
We spent the evening in quiet contentment, silently enjoying each other's company as we lost ourselves in our own hobbies The few times we spoke it was mostly to suggest yet another trip to the Great Hall for the endless supply of Christmas Food that was continuously refreshing on the tables. Ghosts lined the halls singing carols from the days they had lived and even the remaining teachers seemed in merrier moods. All apart from Snape and Quirrell however and I couldn't help but let myself think back to that night I'd spotted them in the hall. Snape had looked at me on more than one occasion that told me he knew it had been me who had seen them, but I wasn't going to confess to it unless I was presented with indisputable evidence that I couldn't argue with.
Dumbledore, however, was merrier than most, wishing every student he came across a very merry Christmas and a joyful new year. He always seemed to have a goblet in his hand which led to Mia and me, deciding he had a twenty-four-hour supply of fresh mulled wine at his disposal. I personally preferred eggnog, my parents always put a 'capful' of Brandy in on Christmas Eve to help Alec and I sleep when we were younger. We never believed in a strange man who broke into people's homes and gave them presents, we knew that what our parents had brought us would be far more exciting.
"Wake up, Mia! It's Christmas!" I grinned as I pulled the blankets from my sleeping friend. Ice had formed around the edges of our windows as the lake's surface had frozen over and made for an underwater winter wonderland outside our room. Christmas music was in the air, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. Iris and Jinx were unhappily awoken from their deep slumbers with a kiss from their respective owners and a modified festive collar around their necks. Neither of them appeared to appreciate their gifts very much but they followed us to the common room none the less, mewling around our ankles.
Before Mia and I delved into the gifts that were under the tree and those we'd received from our families, we exchanged the gifts we had brought for each other. In the run-up to the holidays we had both written to our parents with strict instructions for what they were to purchase on our behalf's. I smiled as I unwrapped the gift I'd received from Mia, exposing a delicate silver quill. A small ink well of liquid gold ink tumbled into my lap as well.
"The quill won't write any other ink than the gold one in the pot." Mia quickly explained, clearly proud of her thoughtful gift. I wasn't very good at keeping any real routine but one thing I did every night without fail was write in my diary. To this day I had accumulated about nine that were held together with a band of ribbon and kept concealed in my room at home.
"And when you write, it vanishes into the parchment and will only appear again if you ask it to."
"How will it know that it's me?" I questioned. Mia thought about it for a moment.
"I think it senses your touch from when you write with it. But it means you'll be able to keep your diary without ever worrying about anyone reading it. It will just look empty to them."
"Thanks, Mia." I smiled as I draped an arm over her shoulder, and we shared a quick hug. I scurried under the tree and pulled out my present to her. My mother had wrapped it before sending it to me, due to my innate dislike of wrapping gifts. I couldn't help but smile expectantly as Mia unwrapped the paper, exposing the green leather notebook with a silver metal serpent embossed on the front and a tiny lock.
"It doesn't have a key." Mia noticed and I couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, but it does. Here." I handed her a ring box that held a tiny silver band that would just fit on her little finger, in the shape of snake. "The ring is charmed, when you hold it near the padlock, it slides of your finger and unlocks the notebook. No other key will fit it; it can't be charmed open or forced. So, you can write down all your evil plans and your hit lists and no one will ever be able to see it. You'll never be able to be incriminated for what you write in that book."
"Awesome. I can plan my world domination in peace." She grinned and I laughed.
"That's exactly what I thought." Once we had got the formalities of thanking one another for our gifts, we began ripping into the paper of the items that our families had brought for us. True to my thoughts, I received a jar from my grandparents - it was sealed shut so I couldn't open it and my eyebrows furrowed as I sloshed the contents around inside.
"What is that?" Mia questioned. I picked up a small piece of parchment and read the barely legible scribble that was my grandmother's handwriting;
Darling Nina,
Your grandfather and I are so proud to hear you have been sorted into Slytherin. You continue on the long line of Selwyn women who find themselves drawn to the water so we thought you should have some with you always. I collected this on the most recent full moon from the sea that separates us. It is a gift that every girl with Selwyn blood has ever received and I hope you find that expands your horizons as it did with them.
We look forward to seeing you and your brother soon - we really don't see one another enough anymore.
Our pride and love are with you always.
Reyna & Ignacio
"It's seawater from the Irish Sea. Collected under a full moon. She says I should carry it with me always." I glanced at Mia.
"I told you, every year I always get something strange but everything up to this point has provided a purpose - I don't see what I'm going to do with a jar of sea water. Mia shrugged her shoulders as she ripped open her present from her own grandparents. An expression of caution was clear on her face as she read a letter that came with it. I remained silent whilst she read the letter but watched closely as she opened a dark glossy box, pulling out a delicate silver chain from which hung an ornate pendant that looked very much like an heirloom. A snake decorated it; its two tiny eyes replaced with glinting green stones.
"It's beautiful." I commented as she passed it to me, requesting that I connect the clasp around her neck. She admired it for a few moments before examining the extensive mess we had made. We didn't need to speak to know that we'd have to start clearing it up. As we both began clearing away the shreds of wrapping paper, tossing them into the fireplace, I came across one last present that had been put at the back of the tree. As I unfolded the label, I saw it was for Mia.
"Mia? You have another gift."
"What? I thought we agreed on just one each." Mia said as she came back over the tree.
"We did. It's not from me." I handed her the gift as I sat in one of the many armchairs, opening my box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from my Dad. Mia ripped open the paper and opened the box. She pulled out a snow globe, revealing two little figures running around the glass dome, throwing snowballs at one another. They didn't have faces or hair but wore little black school robes and when Mia shook the globe, green and blue glitter filled it and the figures stopped throwing the snowballs and held out their hands as if the glitter were snow and they were trying to catch the flakes in their hands.
"That is one of the cutest things I have seen." I said, Mia just stared at her new gift.
"It's beautiful." She whispered, before placing it gently on the table. As soon as the glitter settled, the two figures started throwing snowballs again and we could actually hear them laughing through the glass.
"I love magic." Mia sighed.
