Disclaimers: See Chapter 1 for more info.
Acknowledgements: To TooLazyToLogin for giving me the original idea for this series. To DoctorWhovian18, for her ideas on pranking, ideas on other things about the story, her advice and helpfulness, and the list go on. To LOTCR, for her ideas for this story. I'd also like to thank ValueMyHeart for reviewing, following, and favoriting this story. To all my readers who are favoriting, following, and reviewing this story. And I'd also like to thank Frodo and the hobbits for their help with this story as well. Yes, that sounds crazy to the normal readers, but I'm still thanking Frodo and his friends anyway. I also want to thank DoctorWhovian18 and the hobbits for their ideas for this chapter. They'll know which ones are theirs. Yes, I know that sounds crazy with the hobbits, but I don't care. :)
While it is true that a lot of my self-insert is the younger me, back then I hardly had anyone to really confide in. When I met DoctorWhovian18 and finally told her everything I needed to say, the story I have is quite amusing now that I think on it. I honestly wish I could have told Frodo about it back then and gotten the whole thing over with, but now we get to see it. This might also change a couple of things for my self-insert, but then this is an alternate look at things and how they could have turned out in my life. :) Also, since it was later on that I tried tea the first time, instead of my younger self, this one also alternates from my life a bit. Also, I'd like to thank DoctorWhovian18 and the hobbits for their ideas for Christmas gifts. :)
Later that evening, Frodo found Aria in the dining room, writing in the same blue hardbound book she carried the first time they met. Frodo already guessed she was writing about him, and the event that occurred that morning. It must have been a very good memory, as Aria was writing furiously on the page with the hawk's feather quill.
Frodo asked Aria, as polite as he could, "Mind if I sit here?"
Aria glanced up at him and said, also polite, "Go right ahead. It's been a good idea, even though I didn't get any presents today. I guess that's all right." She jotted down some more words.
"You celebrate Christmas?" asked Frodo, curious about the holiday.
"Well… in my family, I celebrate on both days: Christmas Eve and Day. But that didn't happen this year," said Aria.
"So, I'm guessing you have a gift for me tomorrow," said Frodo, a bit curious on this matter.
Aria stopped writing. True, she did snap out of her traditional receiving gifts. Giving gifts was still new to her. Of course she wasn't sure what to get Frodo, since the possibility arose. Looking at him, not wanting to disappoint him, Aria asked, "What would you like to have?"
"Nothing too big from you," said Frodo.
"Try me," said Aria, returning the sentence rather chidingly.
Frodo was stunned. Could Aria really give him anything he wanted? Maybe it was wise to start out small, "Well, maybe a new broomstick. Since I'm the new Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, a new broomstick would be nice."
"Okay," said Aria, grinning from ear to ear.
Frodo caught the grin fast. "What? Why are you smiling? What is it?"
"No, I shouldn't," said Aria, still grinning and not able to control it.
Frodo chuckled. "Come on. If you have a present for me, you should spit it out. What exactly is in that trunk of yours?" He was right to be suspicious.
At that, Aria stood up, telling Frodo fast, "I'll be right back and don't touch anything." She ran off into the hallway, disappearing for a few moments.
However, Frodo's curiosity got the better of him. Now he could see what Aria had been so secretive with the book in his name. They weren't long notes, but they were accurate to the events that were transpiring. He set the book back in its place on the table, leaving it open to the page Aria was on, as Aria returned with a wrapped broomstick with an enclosed envelope attached.
Before she sat down, Aria asked Frodo, suspicious, "You weren't diving into that book, were you?"
Frodo shrugged. "I couldn't help myself."
"You're a terrible liar too, Frodo," said Aria, admitting to her own ability to not tell a lie. She set the wrapped broomstick down in front of him.
"As if you're not hiding something," said Frodo, catching on fast to Aria's own secretive behavior. "You are hiding something, aren't you?"
"Later," said Aria, not ready to admit the truth yet. Changing the subject, Aria informed Frodo, "Open it."
Frodo was about to start unwrapping, but stopped and decided something else. "I think I'll wait until morning. I know you want to, and I know it's tradition for you, but it's probably better to wait until morning, when everyone's up and before everyone does their work."
Aria was a little sad by this news. At the same time she was furious. Well, she wasn't getting her way now, and yet she didn't want to disappoint Frodo. "All right. Sure. That's fine."
"Are you all right?" asked Frodo.
Aria looked down at her copy. She nodded silently.
Frodo, stunned, told her, "You know you can tell me anything." He leaned over and whispered to her, "I trust you."
At that, Aria looked up and told Frodo, doing her best to stay calm, but nervous. She wanted to tell him the truth, but she didn't know how. But at least now she could be more herself. "Six years ago, I bought this… toy, this beanie baby named Snip. Now Snip is a Siamese cat and I did voice-overs for her as any one of us kids would do. Well, before I got to Hogwarts, I agreed – well, she did actually, one of the cats did – that I should try speaking by thought to them. And now my life is being controlled by her, like I don't have my own voice in my head again. There, I said everything." Finally, after months of having that stuck and no one to tell it to, it was as if her mind was unblocked and freed up, like she broken something too. Maybe that was good, but she didn't know.
As for Frodo, his first reaction was understanding, then confusion and by the last sentence, he burst out in laughter. Aria was alarmed and distressed. She didn't know why he was laughing at her. This didn't feel right. She thought she could trust him. But did he believe her?
Calming down and seeing the distressed look on Aria's face, Frodo admitted, "I believe you, Aria. But that is the funniest story I have ever heard. You know, I think that voice inside your head is you voicing her. The mind can play tricks, Aria, if you're not careful."
Aria sighed in relief. Finally, someone understood her situation. "So maybe I should just stop and let my mind clear up."
"That would be good, but that is really funny." Frodo quoted Aria rather jokingly, "'My life is being controlled by an annoying, talking cat named Snip in my head'." He burst into laughter again.
At that, Aria couldn't help bursting into laughter. Finally, she could be herself again and put it behind her. For once, life felt good again.
The two stopped upon hearing Drogo's voice, "Keep it down out there!"
Frodo and Aria stopped laughing and looked at one another. Aria let out a few giggles here and there, still reminiscing over the relief. Her mind never felt so free again until that moment.
o-o-o
The following morning, Frodo rushed into the guest room Aria was in and woke her up. She gave him a crabby look, rolling over in an effort to go back to sleep. Frodo, too eager and instead of rolling Aria back over, as that would have been rude, he reminded her in a soft whisper:
"It's Christmas morning," said Frodo.
At that, Aria bolted out of bed. Frodo chuckled happily, reminding her, "My mum's out in the kitchen, making breakfast. She told me to get you out of bed, so we could eat."
"Okay, but let me go to the bathroom first," said Aria, rushing out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, double time. She closed the door fast so she could have her privacy.
Frodo waited until Aria was done before the two entered the dining room. Drogo was already sitting at the dining room table, sipping his tea and eating his breakfast. Once again, Frodo and Aria sat next to each other. Drogo wondered about this pattern and why his son was sitting by a girl this soon. He looked up at Primula, but Primula shushed him quietly as she placed another dish out on the table. Frodo and Aria filled up their plates with toast and scrambled eggs. Aria was still a bit iffy on having tea, but instead went for the berry juice.
Hoping to correct Aria's rather rude manners, Frodo whispered to her, "You know, we drink tea here."
She whispered back, "I've never drank tea."
Frodo chuckled, whispering right back, "What? Then you don't know what you're missing." He spoke to his mother aloud, for all to hear and surprising Aria, even though she was behaving shyly, "Mum, how about giving Aria some tea? She hasn't tried it before."
Primula agreed, passing to Aria a clean teacup. "You don't know what you're missing, dear." She poured some tea into her cup.
Aria was nervous about trying new things. Then again, she didn't want to disappoint Frodo or his mother. Carefully raising the teacup to her lips, Aria tried the tea. It was hot! It was burning her tongue! Then the flavor came, and she found it was a little bitter but also sweet. She didn't really like tea that well, but it did taste good. Maybe she could grow into it. She downed it in no time.
Frodo was impressed. "So you like it?"
Aria shrugged. "I'll adjust, but it is good." She set down her empty teacup, as Primula poured more tea into it. She asked Frodo's mother, "What's in that?"
"Herbs and a special mixture of mine," said Primula. "I also added a few lemons to the tea as well."
"I thought I tasted lemon. It helps with the flavor," said Aria, admitting freely.
"So, you're a food expert?" asked Frodo.
"Not really, but I do enjoy food and drinks. But I am a picky eater," admitted Aria.
Frodo told her, grinning her way, "Well there, you tried something new."
Aria nodded, a little too eager. She delved into the food she had, enjoying it but not really savoring it that much.
After breakfast, Drogo and Primula told Frodo to head out into the parlor, Aria too. The two rushed into the parlor, only to discover several presents waiting for them, along with a special guest with grey curly hair on his head and the tops of his feet. Frodo was ecstatic when he saw his uncle, actually his cousin, Bilbo Baggins, stand up and hold out his arms. Frodo ran up to him so fast that he nearly made Bilbo trip over the chair. Aria was not surprised by this reaction. She knew, after doing all her research, that Frodo actually did like exploring new lands. She wondered what Frodo was really thinking when he received his acceptance letter to Hogwarts.
When Bilbo and Frodo released, Bilbo spoke to his nephew, "My, my Frodo, how you've grown! Last I saw you, you were two inches shorter than me and now you're a wee bit taller. The letter you sent me was most distressing. Did you not like Hogwarts?"
"Sorry about that, uncle. I was distressed because I was leaving Hogwarts for the holidays. Really, when I got the acceptance letter, my mind went ballistic. I was doing what you did when you set out on your adventures, so that made me excited," said Frodo, sounding more chipper than ever. "I did make friends while at Hogwarts, but I've also made a mess of things there. I felt so lonely for a while, being in a new place." He turned to Aria and introduced her to Bilbo, "Uncle Bilbo, this is Aria Breuer. She's the one that's writing my book."
"You mean those books where the information is given to you by an unknown author," said Bilbo, not surprised by the news.
Frodo was stunned. "What do you know of it?"
"Well, the authoress I had was female, she was a hobbit Muggle without magic, and very attractive. Our only ties were that she was interested in studying books filled with magic and elvish wonders, but sadly that's as far as we got. That was seventy-eight years ago and I was about your age when I met my authoress," said Bilbo, retelling his tales at Hogwarts.
"You were at Hogwarts, too, Bilbo sir?" asked Aria, being polite.
"Why, yes I was, way before the First Wizarding War," said Bilbo. The moment he saw Drogo and Primula enter the parlor, Bilbo greeted them. "Drogo, you're looking spiffy. How much food have you had recently?"
Drogo chuckled. "It's good to see you, too, cousin."
Bilbo approached Primula and kissed her hand. "Primula, my dear, you're looking as lovely as ever. I see you've raised Frodo well."
Primula blushed. "Why thank you, Bilbo." She turned to Frodo and Aria, informing them, "Now before we open presents, make sure everyone is seated. Frodo, since Aria and Bilbo are our guests, you can be the gift giver."
"First time celebrating Christmas?" asked Bilbo to Frodo's parents.
"We wanted to wait until Frodo actually arrived at Hogwarts before celebrating both holiday traditions. Besides, these presents arrived this morning, most of them. Primula and I are saving Frodo's Shire presents until Yule. We'll come to visit you then, I'm sure," said Drogo, explaining his and his wife's plans.
"Ah yes, that sounds reasonable. I plan on making this the best Yule Frodo has ever had. Now that he has brought a guest with him from Hogwarts, it will be even better," said Bilbo, cheerful.
"You will take Frodo and Aria back to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters," said Primula, concern drawn in her eyes.
"Yes, that is my intention, Primula," said Bilbo.
Primula sighed in relief. Good. Then Drogo and she wouldn't have trouble bringing Frodo back home the long way. She nearly considered using the door's bell, but thought against it as it would make other hobbits suspicious. Besides, getting to Hobbiton from Buckland took about two to three days' travel to complete on foot, but not so by cart. It was only fair to Frodo and Aria that they stay with Bilbo until they needed to return to Hogwarts.
Aria, in the meantime, blushed at Bilbo's earlier words – she blushed out of respect actually, as Frodo passed to her his gift. At the same time, Aria gave him the broomstick she wanted to give to him the other night. What surprised Aria was Frodo's parents also had a broomstick wrapped up. Had they gotten the same broomstick? Aria was certain she had gotten Frodo a nice broomstick. Once everyone had their gifts, Frodo returned to his chair. The gift unwrapping began almost immediately. And the gifts proved to be quite splendid:
Frodo first unwrapped the broomstick his parents gave him. As soon as he unwrapped it, he was stunned. It was a racing broomstick and fairly new. Peering at the end, Frodo was delighted to find it was a Nimbus 2000, made from mahogany wood. Aria stared at the broomstick in agony. She hadn't given Frodo a broom that decent. After thanking his parents, Frodo unwrapped the broomstick Aria gave him. When he did, he found it was a weather-beaten broomstick, probably second-hand.
Aria explained, sheepishly, "I didn't have a lot of money and the wizard at the Quidditch supply store gave me a cheap broomstick. It was the only way I could think of getting you a broomstick. I'm not sure it flies, but… I'm not rich, not like you."
Frodo gazed at her with a small degree of affection. "I like it. Even if it isn't flyable, I'll still keep this broomstick as a keepsake, a reminder that you thought of me." He grinned at her.
Aria was still sheepish towards him, feeling like she hadn't given him a proper gift. She only had thought of him and didn't really think of anyone else. She felt so small, and her presents were just as small.
Setting both broomsticks down, being gentle with the broomstick Aria gave him, Frodo opened Aria's card next to find that it was handwritten by her. She made this card herself and the care that went into it showed as Frodo examined it. He was touched, truly he was. Thanking Aria for the card, Frodo moved onto the next present, which turned out to be a book on Sindarin words and their translations from Bilbo. Frodo was pleased. He was curious about Elves, and this book would certainly help him out. The book had turquoise leather binding with gold lettering on the front. He appreciated this gift and would thank Bilbo soon enough with his own gift.
Next Frodo opened a present from Mrs. Weasley – Fred, George and Ron's mother – which turned out to be a blue knit jumper with a gold F letter on the front. The jumper was small, but it was just his size. He was amazed, but also wondering if magic was responsible for getting his size just right.
From Fred and George, Frodo found there to be a box filled with liquorice wands. From Harry, Frodo received some owl treats for Prim, his brown owl. Frodo also received some wizard sweets from Ron, including a box filled with Bertie Botts' Beans. To no surprise, Frodo received a book from Hermione, only to his greater surprise the book had his name on it, with blue hardbound leather. It was the book he had been curious about and now he had his own copy! He would need to thank Hermione for this. As for his last gift, Frodo found it came from Sam, Merry, Pippin and Fredegar, who wouldn't be born yet in the Shire. They had pitched in and gave him a gift basket, filled with a collection of items. There was a garden starter kit from Sam, some prank items specially made by Pippin, a horse book and a boater's guidebook from Merry, and a study guide from Fatty. Frodo was indeed blessed to have such good friends.
Peering over at Aria, Frodo found she had only received a few presents. Dumbledore had given Aria some lemon sweets, something which she despised at once. Those at the authors' house that Aria told Frodo about pitched in and gave her a blank journal with kitten photos on the front and back covers. Since she hardly knew anyone at Hogwarts, and since she couldn't go home, that was about everything she received. However, Aria waited until Frodo was watching her before opening her present from him: it turned out to be a new quill, from a dove's feather, and a parchment set. Aria was especially fascinated with the quill and enlightened. She looked at Frodo fondly, feeling as though she had come across a good friend. Frodo gave her the same glance.
As for the rest of the family, Bilbo received a pocket Sneakoscope from Frodo. Bilbo was amazed and impressed with Frodo. Frodo's gift to his mother turned out to be the book A History of Magic, since Primula had been meaning to get a copy, only she never got around to it. As for Drogo, Frodo had given him a box of cauldron cakes, which made Drogo laugh merrily in delight.
In all, it was a merry Christmas. But the day had only begun.
When Frodo finished packing his trunk, same as Aria, they followed Bilbo outside the hobbit house, where they followed him to a cart. Frodo embraced his mother and father, before waving to them as he strode over to the driver's seat of the cart. His parents waved back, his mother in tears. As soon as everyone was seated in the cart, Bilbo drove out to the Brandywine Bridge. Aria, due to the circumstances, had to sit in the back with hers and Frodo's trunks, as well as Bilbo's Christmas presents. She wasn't particularly pleased with being in the back of the cart, but then she knew there was nothing she could do about it, except sit silently, doing her best to hold on as the cart rolled over the bridge.
About the Christmas gifts, some were DoctorWhovian's idea and Samwise's idea, but the rest of the gifts are my ideas. So, in all, it's a combination of ideas. As for Frodo's present from Molly Weasley, I know DoctorWhovian and I had the same idea, but then I remember in the first Harry Potter book that Molly gave Harry and her sons jumpers that Christmas. So really, I'm following what was written in the book. Okay, bye, until the next chapter. :)