"Willow! Pst! Willow, wake up!"
Groaning, Willow sat up. "What do you want?"
"It's Christmas! There's presents under the tree in the common room!"
Willow sat bolt upright. "Oh my goodness! You're joking!"
Harry and Ron raced into their dormitory with Willow directly behind them. They scrambled to get a good position on the tree rug and started opening presents. Ron had a rather large pile of boxes while Harry and Willow had almost small ones, but Harry seemed shocked to see any presents with his name on them. She filed that information away for a later discussion. It was Christmas, for God's sake! She couldn't dwell on sad, trivial things on such a holiday. Glancing over her gifts, Willow decided to begin with the ones from her least favorite people on up, which meant the one from her mother's parents was first.
"Here goes nothing..."
Willow tore the wrapping paper off, discovering a tiny box inside. She opened it to reveal a skull ring.
Well, that's better than last year's present, Willow thought to herself.
Putting the ring back in the box and tossing it aside, Willow grabbed her mother's gift to her. Her heart rate quickened. From year to year, her mother's presents would change. It all depended on her mood: if she was reminiscing on the good times she had with Willow before she went crazy, the gift would be thoughtful and heartwarming, something Willow would have received had her mother not been through what she had. If her mother was her usual self, however, the gift would be terrifying or worrying. Willow sucked in a breath.
God help her.
Slowly, almost putting the hastily wrapped present down, Willow agonizingly tore off the paper. A handwritten note fell out, along with another brown parcel. Willow scooped up the letter and unfolded it. Pausing for a moment to take another deep breath, Willow's eyes hungrily lapped up the content of the parchment.
Dearest Willow,
Merry Christmas, darling! I hope you're having a good time at Hogwarts. May your holidays be filled with joy and cheer! Have fun with your friends in the snow!
Love, Mummy
Tears brimmed Willow's watery eyes as she put her hand over her fluttering heart, smiling. She couldn't even begin to describe how happy and sad she felt at the same time. A single glimpse of her mother had found its way through that Christmas, bringing Willow a brief, but nonetheless super important, ray of hope. She wanted to curse herself for getting that way every time her mother would do that, but it was impossible and insignificant in the face of all the good memories that came flooding back. Willow clutched the note close to her chest. She would cherish it until the day her mother that lived in those words came back.
Wipe your eyes, you emotional fool, she chided herself. No need to get sappy just because it's the Holidays.
"Wow, look at that!" Ron said.
Willow's attention was directed to a hooting sound coming from Harry. He held a brown whittled wooden flute in his hands, and every time he blew on it, Willow swore there was an owl hooting from somewhere in the room. She laughed, which made Harry stop.
"What do you have there, Willow?" he asked.
"Oh, I haven't opened it yet," she replied, realizing the box was still sealed in her hand.
"Go on, then, open it!" Ron encouraged.
Willow gently removed the tape from the sides of the box, then lifted the lid and removed the object inside. She gasped and slapped her hand across her mouth when she realized what it was.
"Is...is that your mother?" Harry said.
Willow nodded, to stricken to form words. Dangling from her hand was the most precious heirloom in her mother's house, the very thing Willow had grown up seeing her mother wear every day of her life- a locket. This wasn't just any locket, though. It was a thousand years old, having been bought as a wedding gift by her mother's ancestors, and passed down from each female to their daughter when they were old enough to go to school. Willow was supposed to have received it when she went off to Hogwarts, but obviously the situation had altered. Now that she held it in her hand, the diamonds polished to perfection, the gold glinting in the light of the roaring fire, Willow finally felt like a piece of her mother had worked her way to the surface. She stared deeply into the picture inside. Her mother's brilliant green eyes and dazzling smile beamed back at her. The photo moved a bit, her mother laughing while tickling a younger Willow in the grass in their backyard. It was a moment Willow had wished every day to go back to, when everything was perfect and right with the world, where her mother was still present in her life. Now, it was at her fingertips whenever she needed it.
Thank you, Mum, Willow said. She wished that her mother could hear her.
"Are you going to open your other presents, Willow?" Ron questioned.
"Oh, yes, sorry!" she said, snapping back into reality.
After two more presents, Willow had gotten a Gryffindor outfit from her grandparents and her favorite Muggle snack, Doritos, from her dad. Ron was already opening a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans from Hermione. He spotted three similar packages sitting in front of the three of them and groaned.
"What's the matter, Ron?" Willow asked.
"I think my Mum's done it," was all he said, his cheeks turning pink while he began to open his.
Confused, Willow opened the one he had pointed to and discovered an emerald green hand-knit sweater with a yellow "W" on it. She glanced at Harry and noticed he had gotten almost the exact same one but with an "H" on it. They exchanged a silent message through their eyes, then excitedly threw them on, digging into the rest of the packages as they did so. Mrs. Weasley had sent both of them homemade fudge. Their eyes sparkling, Harry and Willow counted down from three and tried it at the same time, melting into heaps of complete and utter satisfaction.
"Ron, your mom could make millions selling this fudge," Willow mumbled through a mouthful of the heavenly sweet.
"She sent you two some fudge?" Ron said incredulously. "That's not fair! She always makes that for us around holiday time, but I didn't get any!"
"Oh Ron, look in your package!" Harry urged. "I can see it from here!"
Ron exclaimed delightedly when he found the sweet treat in the bottom of his parcel. He set it aside with the rest of his gifts for later.
"I've got one more, Harry," Willow declared. "How about you?"
"Same here. It's from Hermione."
The two ripped open the boxes to find wizarding sweets. Harry received chocolate frogs, Willow a pack of toffees. They each ate one and saved the rest for later. With all of their gifts unwrapped, the three cleaned up their mess. They had a quick competition to see who could levitate the most paper into the rubbish can without spilling any of it, then sat on the couch, trying and failing to stop eating the tantalizing sugary treats they had gotten. While Ron was munching on some more beans (and making some entertaining faces at the nasty ones), he suddenly leapt up from the couch and darted to the tree.
"Ron, what- ?" Willow started.
"There's one more- it's got your name on it, Harry- I don't know how we didn't see it before- go on, open it!"
Ron dumped the parcel in Harry's arms, who promptly unwrapped it and snagged a note that dropped out of it. Willow listened as he read it, but was just as confused as they were. Who gave a Christmas present to someone without signing their name?
Harry kicked the box aside and held a most interesting article of clothing in front of him. It was silvery and shimmered in the light streaming through the window, catching it and refracting it in the most peculiar way. Willow thought it to be almost fluid. When Harry gave her permission to, she reached out and touched it. She very nearly recoiled, though, for it was icy cold and shocked Willow's senses into numbness.
"What is that?" she wondered aloud.
"Apparently something of my father's," Harry replied. "It looks like a cloak. I guess I should try it on, then."
Harry swung it around his shoulders and held it in place. When he glanced in the mirror, though, all three of them gasped.
"Harry, your body is invisible!" Willow cried.
"Bloody hell! That's an Invisibility Cloak!" Ron said.
Willow stared as the two boys went back and forth about what the Invisibility Cloak was. She had barely learned that they were extremely rare when there was a tap at the window. Turning around, Willow discovered a familiar owl with a package fastened to her back waiting outside. She let Iris in, allowing the beautiful tawny creature perch on her arm, petting the bird as she did. Willow removed the parcel from Iris set her down so she could open it.
"To my beautiful daughter. Feliz navidad! Te amo!" she read out loud. Opening the package, she excitably told the boys, "Aw, Dad sent me a photo album and my camera! He's so sweet. He knows I love to document fun times."
"Awesome, Willow! You can start by taking a picture of me!"
"Not you, you numskull! I'm the one that's going to be famous!"
Willow laughed. "Merry Christmas, Fred, George."
"Oi, Freddy, hers is green! No fair!"
Willow listened and faded into the background while the twins interacted with Harry and their younger brother. She let Achelous, whom she had almost forgotten she'd brought with her, crawl into her hair and get comfortable, tickling her nose with its long tongue. Iris got jealous and would have pecked the Puffskein to death if Willow hand't threatened her. Willow couldn't contain her laughter as Fred and George made comments on how awful it was that their mother treated the children who were not her children better than the ones who actually are. They forced Ron to wear his, although he grumbled about it quite a bit, and pretended to be highly offended that Mrs. Weasley had included a note on whose sweater was whose for them and no one else. Percy strolled in, looking sleepy and unreasonably grumpy for the occasion.
"Merry Christmas, Percy!" Willow greeted.
Percy mumbled something inaudible back, which Willow decided to take as a reciprocated greeting. Fred darted towards his brother and grabbed the sweater he was holding on his arm. George soon joined him, the two of them forcing the sweater over Percy's head and pinning his arms to his side. The prefect looked furious, and it didn't help matters when Harry, Ron, and Willow burst into fits of giggling. Fred and George marched Percy from the room.
"It's not funny!" Percy called from down the hall.
"I better- go- help them," Willow choked out between fits. "See you in the Great Hall!"
"Merry Christmas, Willow!" the boys shouted after her.
Willow ran after the twins, who had thrown a disabled Percy on the couch. They greeted Willow and put her in charge of guarding Percy.
"We'll be right back!" they promised.
Willow ignored Percy's complaining and pleas to get the sweater off of him, knowing full well that he could get it off of himself if he chose to. Fred and George returned a couple of minutes later, George dragging a sheet with several presents stacked on it, Fred towing a sleepy Paige on her mattress. George handed Percy a few of his presents and helped him get his arms through the sleeves so that he could open them. Willow, however, didn't even let Fred finish his sentence before she took his suggestion and jumped on Paige's mattress.
"Paige, wake up! How can you sleep in on Christmas?" Willow whined.
"Go away..." Paige moaned, pulling the sheets over her head.
"No. You've got presents to unwrap."
"I don't care. Sleep is more important."
"You can sleep after breakfast! Come on!"
"Fine..."
Paige sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, which widened when she recognized where she was.
"Fred! George! I know this was your doing!"
"Merry Christmas, Paige!" the twins chorused merrily, alternating throwing presents on their brother and her.
"I will never stop wondering how I became your friend..." Paige trailed off.
Willow helped Paige get out of bed and handed her each present to unwrap. When she was finished, Paige gathered up all of her stuff and piled it on her mattress, dragging it back upstairs and onto the bed frame. She returned a moment later and leaned on the railing.
"So, are we going to get dressed and go to breakfast or what?" Paige said.
"Did I hear 'breakfast'?" Ron burst, poking his head out of the door frame.
"Ickle Ronniekins, always obsessed with food," Fred chuckled. "Come on, Prefect Percy, it's time to get dressed and get to the Great Hall before our ickle brother eats his entire store of sweets."
Minutes later, the entire gang was dressed and descending from the Gryffindor wing. They ran through the hallways, to Percy's lament, and found several people already flooding into the large room. Willow's senses were welcomed with the scent of freshly cooked sausage, bacon, honey ham, eggs, and so much more. Her friends were just arriving.
"Happy Christmas, Willow!" Mandy called.
"Merry Christmas, you all!" Willow said back, hugging each one of them in turn.
"Wow, would you look at this fancy feast!" Mandy remarked. "Oliver, Lisa, isn't it incredible?"
The two nodded, and all four friends took a place at the Gryffindor table. They piled food onto their plates. Even Lisa did, who normally didn't have much of an appetite at any time of day. The Great Hall was somehow even brighter and more cheery than ever before, with the Christmas tree lit up with vibrant rainbow lights, wreaths glowing gold, tinsel shining on the walls, and so many more decorations placed here and there adding some extra light. Willow had never been in such a good mood before.
"Happy Christmas, everyone!" the Smith twins announced as they appeared across from Willow.
"Merry Christmas!" the entire Gryffindor table said back.
Willow finished up her eggs, toast, and honey ham, then grabbed some bacon and sausage to put on her plate. Lisa continued to eat at her usual slow pace. Oliver and Mandy, as usual, were already done.
"What did you get today, Oliver?" Mandy asked.
"Oh, just a potions set from my other grandparents and a little bit of spending money from my grandparents that I live with."
"That's awesome! You really like potions, then?"
A little bit of blood rushed to Oliver's cheeks. "J-just a little more than the other classes."
"What about you, Mandy, what did you get?" Willow butted in, saving Oliver from having to stutter.
"I got lots of candy, but a few of the newest novels from my grandpa. Hopefully I can restrain myself from reading them all before the Holidays are over."
"You sound like me when I get a new book series in the summer," Willow remarked. "Nothing except soccer practice can get me to leave my library! I've...read most of it. It only has half of it's books since the other half was sent to my mum in her library."
"Was that part of the agreement?"
"Yeah. I hated that agreement. My mum figured out how to get everything she wanted with no problem at all."
"Yuck."
"But enough of that! What are you planning to do later?" Willow inquired, changing the subject.
"Nothing, really. How about you, Oliver?"
"Nothing," he quietly replied.
"Would you like to hang out in the Gryffindor common room?" Willow invited. "There's a lot more people there."
"Sure! That would be fun!" Mandy enthused.
"I'll come!" Oliver said.
"Perfect! Just follow me after breakfast."
An hour later, the Gryffindor Tower was full of first and third years celebrating Christmas. Fred and George had somehow acquired non-alcoholic butterbeer and were sharing it with everyone. Willow introduced each of her friends in turn to Sally and Samuel Smith, and they were talking with each other about how much nicer the Holidays were at Hogwarts than at home. Other than Willow, Lisa was pretty much the only one who loved having Christmas at home with her family. Oliver was rather shy as usual around the new people, so Willow opened up for him, explaining that Oliver loved Christmas but hated having family gatherings because his family would always argue about politics, which she had learned at some point while getting to know him. Mandy told a funny story about one particular Christmas where her unmarried parents had tried to butter her up with the best presents to win her in a custody battle, which ended in both of them getting locked out on the front porch in a snowstorm for twelve hours. Sally and Samuel kept their stories to themselves. Willow assured them that they didn't have to share, comforting them enough to put the smiles back on their faces.
The six of them discussed much around the topic of Christmas, which went a lot better than Willow expected, all of her friends getting comfortable enough to speak at least once. They seemed to work well together, flawlessly continuing the conversations without small talk and never interrupting one another, which was rare from any conversation Willow had experienced with a new group of people, and there was never a lull in interest or attention from any single person. She wondered if their group dynamics would work out enough to gel as an entire group of friends. There was already the relationship between her, Mandy, Lisa, and Oliver building fast, and Willow had already gained quite a bit of trust from the Smith twins. That would certainly be cool to suddenly gain a whole crowd of good people to have her back in such a short time. Add Sue Li into that mix when she got back, and Willow would have a very large cross-house group of friends. Willow's heart leaped in excitement at the mere thought of making five times the amount of friends in one year than she had made over the six-year course of Muggle school. How was this happening to her, and since when did she have the power to bring together several shy kids her age? It was a mystery Willow didn't care to solve as long as she was able to keep going with the way things were falling into place. Maybe her life was finally taking another unexpected turn, but this time for the better.
"Oy, Willow!" Fred called from across the room. "Are you going to sit in the corner and blab all day or come and join us?"
"Lo siento, estoy viniendo!" Willow rapidly apologized in Spanish.
"What?" everyone said at once.
"Oh, I spoke in Spanish again, didn't I?" Willow realized out loud, her cheeks turning red.
"Yes, and please do that more often," Paige requested in a mock seductive voice.
"Paige!"
"Is this news to anyone else?" Sally asked.
"Just Ron and Harry. I believe I've slipped up or scolded everyone else in Spanish."
"Cool!"
"Vamos al sofá," Willow said, jumping over the back of a couch and plopping next to Paige, who raised her eyebrows and smirked at the first year. Willow pretended to slap her.
"I think she said sit on the couch," Mandy determined.
"Close enough. Have a seat, we've got a lot of couch space," Samuel invited.
The first years found places among the other Gryffindors. Fred and George handed everyone more butterbeers, then decided to get out a deck of cards. Ron's eyes lit up at the sight of them.
"Exploding Snap!" he exclaimed.
"Exploding what?" Oliver said.
"Exploding Snap! Only the greatest wizarding card game of all time!"
"I think you're going to have to explain it to us," Willow said.
"Okay," Ron began. "There's three ways to play the game: Classic, Patience, and Bavarian. Since you guys haven't played before, I'll explain them all, but you're going to want the safest one. The Classic rules of Exploding Snap are simply to tap two matching cards with the tip of your wand. One point is yours. But if you tap two cards that are not the same, jump back as fast as you can, or the cards will explode. The Patience rules are that there are twenty cards and you must reveal them in pairs, trying to find the identical ones. Soon after you find a match, the cards will explode, so jump back. The Bavarian Snap rules are that the cards are placed in a circle with their matches in the center. If you don't match all of the cards within a certain time frame, they all explode."
"Wow, that's a lot of explosions," Mandy commented. "I'm in."
"Are you sure this won't set anything on fire?" Lisa asked.
"99% sure!" Ron said. "And we're playing the Classic game anyway, so it should be much safer than the other two."
"There's always a one percent..." Lisa whispered under her breath.
"Okay! Who's ready to play?" George announced.
A chorus of, "Me! Me!" went up around the room. George set the cards on the ground in a square, and the game began.
Willow was the first to go. She drew out her wand, searching the expanse of identically-backed cards for the two real twins. Trusting her gut for no other reason than she had to, Willow touched her wand to the bottom left card and the top right. She quickly back away from the rectangle just in case, but the cards simply turned over to reveal a match. Everyone let out the breath they were holding and clapped for her.
"Beginner's luck, Willow," Paige said to her. Willow smugly smiled back at the third year.
"After you, loser."
"You wish."
Paige confidently stepped up to the cards and tapped her wand to two of them. She stepped back, and the cards flipped over, revealing two drastically different cards. They exploded into two different shapes, a cyclops and a centaur, then reappeared in their original state. Paige sulked back to Willow's side while the rest of the room burst into laughter.
"Your failing arrogance is refreshing," Willow teased.
"That window is calling your name."
"Merry Christmas to you too, Paige."
Oliver, Mandy, and Ron had cards explode in their faces, narrowly missing singing their eyebrows. Harry and Lisa, however, successfully managed to turn up matching cards. The Weasley twins purposefully chose cards they hoped were different for the sake of making an explosion happen. On the other hand, the Smith twins both failed to run up identical cards. The game continued on, Willow consistently turning up pairs, Fred and George consistently making theirs explode, until there were no cards left. Willow had won with a score that was nearly all to none.
"Now that's something I've never seen," Fred commented once all the cards were returned into their fire-proof package. "A perfect score. Did you cheat?"
Willow spread her hands in defeat. "Nope. I've never cheated on a single game in my life."
"You have a lot to learn, then. Cheating is the lifeblood of any game!"
"Well, if you happen to be telling the truth, then you are a really good guesser," Mandy said. "All I did was cause explosion after explosion!"
"So did Fred and George!" Sally and Samuel reminded her at the same time.
"Wow, there are a lot of twins at this school," Harry said. "I'd swear I took my glasses off, because I'm seeing double."
"Good one, Harry," Ron chuckled. "I'm starving already! Dodging exploding cards takes a lot out of you."
"You're always hungry, Ron," Paige said. "But it is noon already."
"What? We need to get to the Great Hall, then!" Fred said.
"Vámonos! I mean, let's go!" Willow said.
Her breath creating a trail of steam, an extra coat tucked under her arm, Willow trudged through the snow. Ron and Harry were right beside her, their eyes alight at the prospect of a snowball fight ahead. Their snow boots sunk deep into the crunchy powder and left clear footprints. The going was slow, and it took a lot longer than Willow expected to reach the Forbidden Forest. Paige continuously complained from the moment they stepped outside to the moment they arrived at the edge of Hogwart's campus. Willow shook her head, wondering how someone could hate the cold so much.
"...Hermione's going to kill us," Ron said.
"Oh no. What did you two do this time?" Willow asked.
"Nothing."
"Then why would Hermione want to brutally murder you?"
"That's exactly the problem," Harry explained. "We haven't been going to the library to search for anything on Nicolas Flamel like we promised her. She's going to be bloody livid if we don't turn up anything."
"Well, what have you learned so far? I believe I'm a bit behind on the advancements of this big secret."
"Basically, we know that Hagrid and several other teachers are guarding a super secret item, which is why Fluffy the three-headed dog is guarding that trapdoor. Someone must really want it because they broke into Gringotts and tried to rob the vault Hagrid removed the item from. The other day, Hagrid let it slip that some Nicolas Flamel was working with Dumbledore on this thing. We've been stuck trying to find out anything we could on him ever since."
"That's certainly a lot of unknowns," Willow said. "Maybe I'll help."
"Please do," Ron said.
"Oh, and for God's sake, let me know everything you learn as soon as you learn it. You're not the only ones stupid enough to face a mountain troll."
The boys smiled to themselves, well aware that Willow was more than capable of helping them figure out this mystery. George finished talking with his twin, then, seemingly coming to a decision, he took the reins and got the snowball fight rolling.
"We're going to separate into two teams," George announced. "Twins are required to split up."
"That's a given!" Sally interrupted. "I want to pelt Sammy in the face!"
"Perfect. I would personally love to bury Fred in the snow."
"Hey!"
"Just kidding, Freddy! Here are the teams: with me are Paige, Sally, Harry, and Mandy. The rest are with Fred."
"So we're just 'the rest' now?" Willow asked cheekily.
"You know what I mean! Get started on those snow forts!"
Fred, Willow, Ron, Samuel, Lisa, and Oliver raced to start on their fort. They somehow set up a quick system where Willow and Oliver gathered mounds of snow and pushed it to Samuel and Lisa, who would distribute it to Fred and Ron wherever they would need it. All wands had been left in a safe place back at the Gryffindor dorm so that no one could cheat and build a castle out of snow (Willow had no doubt that Fred and George would try and end up spending the entire fight trying to make a bigger and better castle than each other). Their fort was a considerable wall within a few minutes. It was tall enough to shield them, short enough to allow for throwing over it, thick enough that it could sustain damage, and wide enough to provide cover for all six of them. George called out one more minute of preparation time from where his fort stood, twenty meters away. Willow and her team crouched down and rapidly made snowballs.
"Five...four...three...two...one...fight!" George shouted.
Willow stood up and drew back her arm, aiming for the spot slightly above George's team's fort. She threw it as hard as she could, and Harry popped up just in time for it to smack him in the face. His glasses were caked with snow. He ducked out of sight to fix them, laughing as he did.
"Hey! Samuel!" Sally called.
Samuel narrowly dodged a ball zipping towards his head. Pretending to be incredulous, he retaliated and pelted his sister. Fred and George were showering each other in bursts of snow. Willow could have sworn they were in a snow globe.
"Oy, Willow, Oliver, more ammo!" Fred ordered.
"On it!"
Oliver crouched down with Willow and gathered piles of snow. He was rather unlearned in the ways of making a snowball, as Oliver's were lumpy and crumbling apart. Willow snorted.
"Here, Oliver, let me show you how to do this," she offered.
"Please do, or Fred's going to bombard me instead."
Willow cupped her hands and showed the boy how to pack the snow into a dense sphere, then let him try it on his own. Oliver was soon making them faster than Willow, throwing Fred two snowballs every five seconds, now and then dumping a few on Willow.
"Hey, I'm on your team!" Willow complained.
"That doesn't stop me from getting snow in your hair!"
"Willow, Oliver!" Ron said. "More snowballs! Now!"
The two got back to work, rapidly making ammunition for their friends. After a few more minutes of incessant firing, there was a lull in the match, everyone staring at the opposite end with arms raised, their panting breaths visible in the air.
"What's going on?" Willow whispered to Oliver.
"I don't know, I can't see," he breathed back.
"Maybe- "
"Get down!" Fred commanded.
It was too late. A hailstorm of giant snowballs sailed over their parapet, missing everyone crouched along the wall, but slamming into Willow and Oliver with full force. The two were buried under mounds of snow. Their cries were muffled from snow rushing into their mouths.
Willow could only see white everywhere. Her breathing caused just enough snow to melt to allow her to breath. Movement beside her alerted Willow to Oliver's similar state of being trapped, fueling her to dig her way out. She started digging as fast as her arms would allow, clearing away pounds and pounds of snow. Suddenly, within a millisecond, her body changed into a small creature.
Damn it! Willow cursed to herself.
She tried to change back, but nothing worked. Her claws automatically dug away. She realized that she was making ten times the progress she was earlier, so she kept with it.
Never mind. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it!
Willow's tiny muscles burned with exertion. The snow was becoming lighter and lighter. She would have seen the light at the end of the tunnel if she wasn't the one digging it. With one final swipe of a paw, Willow broke the surface of the snow. Gasping, she managed to reverse herself back into a human before anyone could notice.
"Willow! There you are!" Lisa said worriedly, hugging her tight and squeezing what little breath remained out of her lungs. "Where's Oliver?"
"Shoot!"
Willow dug at the snow with her bare hands beside the tunnel she had made. She didn't have to go far before Oliver poked his head out. He inhaled a shaky breath, gasping for air after being deprived of it for so long.
"What do you think you're doing, burying yourself under all this snow?" Willow teased.
"Trying to get out of it," Oliver panted. "You?"
Willow chortled. "Come on, get out of here, you snowy badger. Or are you trying to become your House symbol?"
Oliver chuckled and allowed Willow to help him get to his feet. Lisa enveloped him in another bone-crushing hug, surprising the boy. Willow looked on while the two shy first-years interacted. Of course it took an event like getting buried in snow to force them out of their comfort zone and get them to talk like that. Willow made a mental note to use that in the future.
"George! You arsehole, you!" Fred cried, hurling snowballs at his brother.
"Dear brother, there is no need for your language!" George said, mocking innocence.
"That's it, you're dead!"
Fred and George charged at each other, the latter knocking his brother into the snow. They tussled about, throwing snow on one another, calling each other names, the usual brotherly love. Glancing at one another, Willow's entire team was in silent agreement. They burst from behind their wall and sprinted towards the other team. The two teams met with full force, falling into the snow, wrestling with each other and laughing. Oliver simply laid in the snow, cheering on Lisa as Mandy tossed boatloads of snow onto her friend. Harry and Ron were full-on trying to pin one another down with neither one showing any interest in losing. Sally and Samuel were, of course, calling each other names and chucking snow on one another. Despite all the fighting, everyone was in an uproar of laughter, having the time of their lives. Willow stood by and watched until she was flung into the snow by a strong blindside.
"You should be watching your back, Guerrero! I thought you were a Spanish warrior!"
"Think fast, then!"
Willow sprang to her feet and slammed Paige into the snow, who promptly rolled Willow over with a quick defensive move, now positioned on top of the first-year. She struggled against the older girl, but gave up when she realized she was pinned.
"You got me."
"You're dang right I've got you."
"Paige, I can't breathe."
"I make you breathless, do I?"
Paige raised her eyebrows questioningly, causing Willow to scoff.
"Yeah right. I'm calling you fat."
Paige turned onto her back and laid across Willow's stomach, stretching her arms lazily. "Now you really can't breathe."
"I hate you sometimes."
"You're such a liar."
Willow smiled. "Nothing gets past you. I bet you've already figured out my deep, dark secrets."
"I'll bet I have."
"Now you're a liar. If you get off me, I might forgive you and spill later."
"Hmm, tempting, but I'm kind of comfortable."
Willow pretended to wheeze. Paige simply smirked and made herself more comfortable. Willow was completely immobile as the older girl dumped a handful of snow on her face, making her sneeze and shoot the snow everywhere. When she cleared it away, she found Paige staring at her face.
"You look good with snowflakes on your eyelashes and hair. Maybe you should do it more often."
"I will if you get off of me."
"Fine," Paige sighed, getting up. Willow had barely gotten to her feet before Paige shoved her down again.
"I never said anything about letting you up," Paige said slyly.
Willow could only chuckle to herself, jumping to her feet and getting a good distance away from Paige. The older girl made no move to put Willow in the snow again. Others around them started to abandon their scuffles, helping each other to their feet and making their way to their forts. They destroyed them with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm, then headed back to the castle, up to the Gryffindor Tower. Fred gave the Fat Lady the password after she fretted over their cold, wet state, and they huddled in front of the roaring fire. They took their coats and snow gear off and hung it in front of the fire. George had luckily remembered a spell to make a magically suspended drying rack. The eleven of them retired to the couches, completely exhausted. One by one, they drifted off to sleep, both sets of twins falling asleep on one another. Ron laid himself across a couch and used Harry's lap as a pillow. Paige rolled onto the floor but was still in a dead sleep, which made it hard for Willow to contain her laughter. Mandy and Lisa reclined in some of the comfiest chairs the common room had to offer, leaving Willow and Oliver as the last ones awake, although Oliver sleepily yawned and ended up flopping on the nearest couch. Willow watched them all peacefully dream away, warm smiles upon their faces.
At one point, Oliver began shivering. Willow tiptoed up to her dorm, grabbed a few blankets, and brought them downstairs. She gently laid them across Mandy, then Lisa, and finally Oliver. He was muttering in his sleep by the time she reached him.
"No, please, no," Oliver whispered. "Please, don't hurt them. No!"
Frowning, Willow considered waking the boy, but decided against it. Maybe it was just a passing nightmare.
"No, Mum, Dad! How could you?"
Willow noticed Oliver's face was wet with tears. She desperately wanted to wake him, but knew that he wouldn't react well to it. Willow painfully looked on.
"N-no, get a-away from me. I don't want to. Why are you doing this to me? I want to go home!"
Willow's stomach felt sick. What was he dreaming about, and was it something that had really happened to him, she wondered? Oliver would wake the others soon with this muttering that had evolved into loud talking. She had no other choice but to wake him before everyone found him in this state. Willow shook Oliver, his eyes flying open as he gasped.
"No- what- please- what?"
"You were talking in your sleep. I thought you might be having a bad dream," Willow explained. "Are you okay?"
Oliver stared deep into Willow's eyes, desperately searching with his terrified, confused ones for something, anything. When he found it, tears leaked from his troubled green irises.
"I- I don't know."
Not wanting to push him, Willow didn't pry any further. Oliver was shy, and if rushed, he would come out of his shell slower than ever. He would open up if and when he wanted to.
"Alright. Sleep well, Oliver. I'll wake you up when it's dinnertime."
Willow turned to go, but she was stopped by a small voice that said, "Wait."
Swiveling back, she saw Oliver's beautiful bright eyes spark with hope. "Do you need me to get you something?"
"Can you stay here?"
Willow gazed into those pleading emeralds and saw a little boy, scared and alone. Her heart broke in two for him. This boy needed someone to care about him right now.
"Of course I can."
Willow laid down next to Oliver, making sure not too much of her body was touching his. The boy's eyelids slid closed, tears still running out of them. He let her brush the them from his cheeks. Willow stroked his head for a long time, his breathing eventually evening out until his chest was rising and falling steadily. Oliver's face became one of complete and total peace. A slight smile made its way into his expression, giving the impression of a sleeping angel. He almost had a glow about him.
Whatever you're hiding, I hope you can tell me one day, Willow thought. You deserve a guardian angel.
"Come on, I know that you know there's no dress code around the Holidays. Heck, Snape is still stuck in his Christmas sweater that you cursed him with."
"Do I have to, though?" Willow whined.
"I will force you, Willow," Lisa said.
"Fine..."
"Aha! I knew your dad would have sent you with this!"
Lisa fished around in Willow's closet for a moment longer, then revealed a simple dark blue dress. She handed it to Willow.
"Please put it on!" Lisa begged.
"I want to see you suffer!" Mandy commented from the corner of the room.
"Thanks for that vote of confidence," Willow said. She sighed heavily. "I'll put it on. At least I don't have to do my hair, right?"
"Nope."
Willow went into the bathroom and changed into her formal attire. The dress fit perfectly to her upper body, but didn't show off anything she didn't want it to. Glancing in the mirror, Willow saw that her skin tone had evened out and become paler over the past few months of little sunshine. It brought out her soft freckles that ran from cheekbone to cheekbone, under her eyes and over her nose. They gave her that cute appeal, the one that Mia complained about her not using to have boys chase her like lovesick puppies. Her cheeks were already a light shade of pink. If Lavender and Fay were there, they wouldn't be so pushy about putting on any makeup. Willow's hair and face were naturally beautiful that day. Slipping on her shoes, Willow stepped out to be examined.
"How do I look?"
Lisa narrowed her eyes, a calculating expression of scrutiny on her face. She circled Willow slowly, flattening out invisible wrinkles, brushing away stray pieces of hair, then, at last, enveloping her in a hug.
"You look gorgeous!"
Willow let out a small laugh. "Thanks. You must have changed, too! Look at you!"
Lisa waved the compliment away dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing. I always wear something nice for Christmas dinner."
"You're stunning, though!"
Lisa really did look amazing. Willow thought she had the glow of a goddess about her complexion, which was flawless. Lisa had put on a modest dress that was a fiery shade of red. It suited her features well, bringing out her dark chocolate eyes.
"You two need to have more confidence in yourselves," Mandy said, making Lisa and Willow turn. "You're going to catch more than a few eyes tonight."
"Oh, shut it, Mandy," Willow said. "You're only wearing your nice Ravenclaw robes and you're killing it."
"If you insist. Come on, Willow, let's go get your boyfriend and get some food."
"I do not have a boyfriend!" Willow exclaimed.
"Save it. You're so into one of those Weasleys, I can see it from a kilometer away."
"What- no-"
"You're getting flustered!" Lisa pointed out.
"Since when do you two gang up on me?"
"Since now. Come on, Willow! Let's go!"
Willow shook her head, following her friends. If this is what it took to get Lisa to come out of her shell, then she would allow it. Quite frankly, Willow was very surprised when Lisa suddenly started stringing sentences together and helping get her wardrobe together. The girl was a special type of shy, one that would only come out of their shell in spontaneous moments of courage. It was different from Oliver, who would only talk at all around certain people, and it was different from the Smith twins, who would open up for good once they get to know you. Willow wondered if she was going to be able to keep all of these differences straight in the future. For the moment, she was busy trying not to trip down the stairs as she was dragged by a proud and excited Mandy and Lisa.
"There you are!" George greeted. "Blimey, you took forever!"
"It was five minutes," Willow countered, rolling her eyes. "I think you can wait that long."
"But I could die of starvation at any time!" Ron said.
"Now that I can agree with," Lisa chipped in.
"Come on already!" Fred urged. "The food is probably being served already! It will be cold by the time we get there!"
The group filed out into the corridors, making their way down the spiraling staircase. Willow noticed that the Weasley twins had changed from their knit sweaters, unlike Ron and Harry, into some nicer clothing. Naturally, they wore identical sweater vests. Paige went more along Mandy's route, sporting more formal Gryffindor robes. The Smith twins followed suit, and Oliver was a startling contrast walking alongside them in his suit and tie. Willow purposely bumped into him.
"Looking good in your fancy clothes, Oliver," she complimented.
"Oh, uh- thanks!" Oliver said, his face reddening.
"How can you give out so many compliments without the ability to take them?"
"You're the same way!"
"You caught me red-handed. I'm such a hypocrite," Willow chortled. "I didn't know you liked dressing up."
"Well, it's not something I like all the time, just every once in a while. And these a super comfortable. I thought they were fancy pajamas when I first tried them on."
"Lucky! I wish any dress was somewhat comfortable, but beauty is definitely pain."
"Is that why you never like dressing up?"
"Definitely. That, and you can't freely move in them however you want without fear of it flying up in a rouge wind or something. I mean, if I can't play soccer in it, then I don't like to wear it."
"That's a good rule."
"Glad that you think so."
The group reached the Great Hall. They went through the wide-open doors and were instantly met with the most amazing combination of smells Willow had ever experienced before. Every table was laden with turkeys, mashed potatoes, roast beef, carrots, gravy, rolls, and so much more that Willow's mouth was salivating. Ron was the first one to sit down and start eating, while the rest followed his lead. Willow sat between Fred and Paige then started filling up her platter with enormous quantities of food.
"This is amazing!" Ron said through a mouthful of food.
"More like this is the most food I've seen in one place ever!" Lisa exclaimed.
The first round was quickly devoured, followed by seconds and thirds. Willow had eaten so many rolls that she felt like one herself by the time they brought out dessert. She was able to down a mince pie, then called it quits.
"Dear God, I'm so full I could explode."
"Me too," Paige groaned.
"I'm still good for four more desserts!" Fred teased.
"Please, no more food," Paige whined. "Don't even talk about it right now. I don't think I could handle it."
When the desserts were finished, there was still one more surprise left in store. Each witch or wizard suddenly had a bag with their name on it appear in front of them, replacing their plates. Fred and George warned everyone not to open them yet.
"They explode! We'll open them all together!"
Willow excitedly waited for them to start a countdown. In the meantime, she caught sight of the professors laughing their butts off at one of Flitwick's jokes from the book he was reading. Dumbledore put his flowered bonnet on display for everyone to see while supervising a drunk Hagrid, who kept calling for more wine. Willow had wondered if Hagrid drank at all. There was her answer: Hagrid did, in fact, drink red wine at the very least, and he was a happy, ridiculous, silly man while drunk. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.
"3...2...1!" Fred counted down.
Willow jumped back as an explosion of blue smoke enveloped the Gryffindor table. The sound of excitable gasps and cheers reached Willow's ears shortly after, and she realized she hadn't opened hers. She quickly exploded hers while the students from other Houses began opening theirs. A small white mouse dropped out of it, joining up with other ones and scurrying under the table. Willow all but put her prizes on the table and encouraged the mice to gather together.
"Are you seriously trying to herd mice?" Paige questioned.
"Yes."
"At least see what you got from you Wizard Cracker first. That's what the party favors are called, by the way."
Willow reluctantly stood up and sorted through her gifts. There were some luminous balloons, a lot of things Willow didn't recognize, chocoballs, cauldron cakes, and a pot full of dragon dung fertilizer. An idea struck Willow so hard in the head that she put a hand to her temple, literally feeling like something had hit her there. She came up with an excuse to remove herself from the Great Hall.
"I'm going to get the mice out of here. I'll be back."
"But Mrs. Norris could easily- " Paige started.
"I'd rather her not," Willow cut in. "If I'm not back by the time you go back to the Tower, just take my stuff up for me, please!"
Taking out a roll she had originally been saving for Achelous, she tore it up until all that was left were crumbs, then put them in the pot and crouched down towards the mice. They recognized the smell of food and swarmed towards it immediately. Willow began backing away, allowing all the mice in the Great Hall to find her, then started speed-walking towards the courtyard. The mice scrambled after her, an adorable mass of white critters. Willow didn't know why she love them so much; most people hated vermin, but she had a soft spot for any animal that wasn't a bug. Even bugs won her over sometimes. She was simply a nature nut.
Willow didn't mind the cold air that blasted her in the face when she crossed the courtyard. The mice made their way over the snow with her, sticking on her tail until she reach the Forbidden Forest. So far, no teacher had found her yet. They were probably still feasting in the Great Hall. The very thought of food made Willow's stomach quake, but she pushed the feeling down and focused on the task at hand. She set the pot on the ground to let the mice eat the crumbs while she set off into the woods. Her eyes were glued to the ground, searching for something very small, hoping that it would stand out against the snow. Eventually, she caught sight of an acorn. She picked it up and shooed the remaining mice away from the pot into the forest. They would be much happier in there than getting tortured by wizards and cats in the school. Tipping the pot right-side-up, Willow shoved the acorn into the soil deep enough to be covered well, but shallow enough that its roots would have room to grow.
Do you think this will work? Willow asked.
You've never tested this area of your power before. Have you even thought that your only power is shape-shifting?
Stop right there. You're the one that knows all about me. Don't try to confuse me. I'm getting used to reaching out and feeling whether something is there within me or not, so I'm 99.9% certain this will work.
Then why are you asking me whether it will work or not?
You are so unhelpful sometimes!
I value being an aggravating addition to your life at the moment. I'll rue the day that you no longer hate me.
Willow rolled her eyes to the Heavens, wondering if she was ever going to make any progress with this woman. She cleared her head, sucking in a deep breath, then letting it out. Focusing all her energy on the acorn, Willow put her hand over it and tried to remember the pulsing feeling in her hands from when she had healed the Smith twins. She bit her lip, hoping the memory was vivid enough. There was no going back no. Willow strained her brain to concentrate all of its energy into her hands and pulsed.
Her fingers buzzed with power. Her hands glowed the creamy yellow color. Warmth and heat radiated from her hands, reaching deep into the pot. The light outlined the acorn, and when Willow commanded it to, the acorn started growing. Its roots reached out. The shell melted away. A small green shoot breached the surface of the soil. Small leaves sprouted from its sides, then small branches. The fuzzy green stem became hard, brown wood within seconds. Sweat ran down Willow's cheek with effort. At last, she sat back and admired her work, the glow in her hands slowly fading. A juvenile oak tree stood in the pot, its leaves alternating shades of red and orange as they were in fall. Willow's eyebrows shot up when she realized every single detail she had imagined was incorporated in the plant.
It worked. All of it.
I told you so.
You didn't tell me anything!
In my head, I did.
You are talking to me in your head!
Am I, though?
If you start me on one more paradox, I swear, that will be the last thing you ever remember.
Don't swear. You're eleven years old.
I'm done with you!
Willow picked up the baby oak and trudged back through the snow into the school. She passed back through the courtyard, towards the Great Hall, then veered off towards a staircase that descended into the dungeons. Willow made her way past the kitchens where the house elves were clanging dish after dish after dish as they washed them, arriving at last before the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. She knocked in the pattern that Oliver had before, hoping that he hadn't changed it, and breathed a sigh of relief when the barrels rolled to the side to reveal the door. She opened it and went inside.
Once she was in the common room, Willow put the potted plant on one of the many coffee tables that laid around the common room. She pulled out a piece of parchment and a pen, thanking God that her dress had pockets to keep her usual stuff in, and composed a short message for Oliver.
Merry Christmas, Oliver! I remembered you saying something the other day about loving the Forbidden Forest in fall. Enjoy the fall colors!
Willow
Satisfied, she exited the common room, bubbling with good emotions. Her entire body felt like it was pulsing with power and happiness. At first, it was fine, but Willow suddenly got the feeling that something out of the ordinary was about to happen. Her body never felt that powerful before.
Um...little explanation, please?
Oh, this is one of the many power shift moments you'll go through. You've already slept through one.
What do you mean?
If I were you, I'd make sure you get out of sight. You're done for if someone sees you go through this.
That's not helping! Willow retorted as she found a broom closet and locked herself in it. I need encouragement, not fear for what's coming! Technically, I've never gone through this and don't know what to expect!
If I tell you, it will only make it worse that it's already going to be.
Great. That gives me so much hope.
Get ready! Here it comes!
"What- " she said out loud.
Willow was cut off when a surge of power slammed into her with the force of a category five hurricane. She doubled over in agony, her body rippling with energy. Her pain levels skyrocketed, her entire body sizzling. Willow cried out.
Stay quiet! Don't let anyone hear you!
What do you think I'm trying to do? Get myself caught?
Willow abandoned trying to talk to the woman. Her muscles spasmed, her brain played ping-pong with electrical signals, and everything felt like it was charging up for an explosion. She desperately hoped she wouldn't actually explode.
Willow writhed on the floor, barely managing not to scream. It was downright horrendous. Out of nowhere, Willow's powers started executing themselves, and she started shape-shifting without control. Her entire body started glowing like her hands had not too long before. Plants started growing through the floors, inching up walls, enveloping some dusty supplies. Willow tried to make it stop, but fighting it only intensified the pain and damage. She had no choice but to let it happen.
Visions started flashing before her eyes. None of them made any sense, and it didn't help that they were only there for a second before another one replaced it. Willow was completely disoriented and in extreme pain. She wanted it to stop.
Just then, Willow's body sent out a ripple of energy stronger than she had ever felt before. It visibly traveled from her head to her toe, the ripple glowing with the same creamy gold color of her body. Then, with a burst of pain like no other, Willow's body returned to human form and was slammed into the floor. The moment she touched it, she was thrown back in the air, the golden ripple rocketing in all directions as a giant circle. It was out of sight by the time Willow fell to the ground again. Everything was suddenly very still.
It's done. Your powers have increased.
Willow sat up, clutching her sore chest, which had been the biggest source of pain throughout the entire transformation. When she thought about it, that was also where the glow had originated from that spread across her body. That was a weird bit she decided to remember for next time.
What was that ripple thing? Willow asked. Is it gone?
No. It goes all the way around Earth.
Holy-
Don't ask any questions about it. I can't tell you anything yet.
I wasn't.
Good. Go get some rest. You'll need it.
Willow stood up, wincing at the soreness in her muscles. She definitely wasn't going to run tomorrow. Her stomach suddenly didn't feel so full. That's when she realized the time on her watch.
Hold up, how did two hours pass during that whole thing?
Time bends to make it seem faster for you. Now, no more questions. Go. Your friends are probably worried sick.
Willow acknowledged the truth in her words and headed back up to the Gryffindor Tower. She barely made it up the steps, having to crawl and use her hands for the last flight. The Fat Lady was pleased to see her for once and let her in right away. Willow crawled through the portrait tunnel and was immediately tackled to the ground.
"Willow!"
"You're alive!"
"Where have you been?"
"Woah, guys! I'm fine!" Willow insisted. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
Oliver, Mandy, and Lisa back up and allowed Willow to get up. She tried to not let on how tired she was, knowing that it would lead to them figuring out what had happened with her powers. They didn't even know she had them yet. If any more people learned about them, she would be at serious risk of exposure to the entire wizarding community.
"Where did you go?" Mandy demanded. "Paige said you went to let the mice out of the castle."
"I did do that," Willow admitted, coming up with a lie on the fly. "Then, I went for a walk because I was miserably full. I must have lost track of time. You know how I am, always getting lost in my thoughts out there."
Thankfully, no one seemed to detect the lie. They invited her to sit down and relax with them. She watched as Harry broke in his new chess set with a decisive loss to Ron. Percy even raised some eyebrows by making an appearance to help Ron in his chess game. Fred and George brought out some Christmas cake, which Willow ate a small piece of, stashing a little for Achelous's dinner. The twins approached her during a discussion on how the professional quidditch teams were doing at the moment.
"Hey, Willow!"
"Come here for a moment!"
Willow got to her feet and sauntered over to the twins. They had mischievous smiles in the making on their faces.
"What am I to do now?"
"We think that Percy needs a little bit of livening up," George began.
"He's also such a pig-head about being Prefect Percy-"
"More like Perfect Percy-"
"So it would be wonderful if you could take his badge for us."
Willow's face lit up, the last reserves of her energy kicking in. "Consider it done."
The twins returned to the couch, talking and laughing with the others. Willow found a place near Percy and hid herself from his view. He paid no attention to her as he animatedly argued with Ron why the Chudley Cannons were better than the Holyhead Harpies. She had no problem snagging the badge cleanly off his robes, leaving no tears, no marks, no nothing. Willow casually made her way back to where she had been previously sitting among Oliver, Mandy, and Lisa.
It wasn't until the argument dissipated and Percy sat down again that he realized his badge was gone. Feeling around for it, he found that it was missing, and stared accusingly at the twins.
"Fred! George! You stole my badge!"
"I believe you are mistaken, dear brother," George said innocently.
"We haven't been anywhere near you in the past few hours!" Fred added.
"I know you did it! I'm going to get you for this!"
Percy launched himself towards the twins, who shot to their feet and dodged their slower brother. The twins shouted after Willow, trying to rat her out, but making no progress. Percy was intent upon capturing his younger brothers. Willow doubled over laughing as she watched the twins fearfully outmaneuvered their older brother. Everyone else joined in, busting their guts. Percy chased Fred and George up the stairs, into their dorms, out of their dorms, back down the stairs, into the common room party area, and back into the living room, where he almost caught them. But the twins were simply too quick for Percy. He was outmatched and angry. Willow decided that Percy needed to cool down, so she pulled out her wand and said, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Percy's limbs snapped into a perfectly straight, tight position, freezing there, and his entire body fell backwards onto the floor. Fred and George stared at Willow, then back at Percy, and finally burst out chortling. The entire room followed suit. Ron and Harry tried not to but failed miserably as they dragged Percy into his room, respectfully shutting the door.
"Thanks, Willow," George said.
"It was the least you could do since you were the one who should have been chased!" Fred added.
"Hey, you gave me a mission, and I completed it," Willow reminded them, spreading her hands in defeat. "You're the ones who said the genius behind the plan is always responsible for it, remember?"
George sighed. "It's always going to come back to this, isn't it?"
"Yes. I'll never let you forget it!"
The party went on into the night, ending only when half the guests started falling asleep. Willow walked her friends back to their dorms. Mandy ended up carrying an exhausted Lisa the rest of the way through the Ravenclaw tower until she put the smaller girl in bed. She rubbed her skinny arms, telling Willow that next time they had to carry someone, it was Willow's turn. Willow promised Mandy that she would stick to that promise. Then, she left the Ravenclaw tower and took Oliver to the Hufflepuff common room. She let him knock on the barrels, bade him goodnight, and left, taking her time walking back to the Gryffindor Tower. Willow hadn't even made it past the kitchens before Oliver exploded out of the Hufflepuff room, calling after her.
"Willow, wait!" Oliver yelled, sprinting towards her with her letter in her hand.
"I see you got my present," Willow observed, smiling.
Oliver slowed down when he reached her. Puffing, he asked, "How did you do that? The fall colors? Isn't that impossible?"
"Nothing is impossible if it's being done for a friend," Willow smartly replied.
"Aw, Willow, I love it!" Oliver squealed, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Merry Christmas, Oliver."
The boy's emerald eyes shining with emotion, he parted from Willow and headed back towards the common room, glancing over his shoulder several times until his tall, skinny frame disappeared and shut the door gently behind him.
Something woke Willow. Her ears had picked up a sound that would have been imperceptible to anyone else. She found that her body had morphed into a cat, her ears flicking while she tried to pinpoint the sound. Her cat form hissed softly.
Is this something that's going to happen, now? Random changes whenever the sensory details are better detected by an animal?
Yes. You'll have to learn to control it. It might automatically do that in life-or-death situations as well, which will take the most concentration on your part to prevent.
Great. That explains a lot about the snow burying incident.
Hurry up! You're going to lose that sound!
Willow realized the woman was right, that her feline ears were having increasingly more difficulty detecting the sound. She scampered out the door and door the stairs, pausing at the bottom to listen again. Footsteps could be heard in the portrait hallway, but there was no one in sight, which was throwing her off. All of her cat senses detected someone there. Who or what was there?
Then it hit her: Harry was using his invisibility cloak that he had received the morning before.
Better follow him and make sure he doesn't get caught, Willow thought.
Padding noiselessly behind him, Willow followed Harry out of the common room. He made straight for the library. Willow had an inkling as to what he was doing, and it was proven correct when his floating lantern veered off into the Restricted Section. She willed her tiny body to move forward and watch what he was doing. If he found something about Nicolas Flamel, she wanted to be there to lend a helping hand if Filch found them.
All of a sudden, an ear-splitting screech blasted Willow's cat ears. She flopped into the ground, covering her ears with her paws. Through pained eyes, Willow saw Harry snap a book shut and put it back on the shelf. The shrilling continued despite this. Harry dropped is lantern, which shattered and went out, leaving her with no way to tell where he was except for the sound of his running feet. Filch entered the library. Panicking, Willow cast around for somewhere to hide, but caught the sound of Harry running out in the hallway. She had to follow him! He could be in trouble and need her help at any moment! Ignoring the frantic yowling of Mrs. Norris as she passed her, Willow dashed into the corridor and traced Harry's footsteps. Almost immediately, Willow knew that he was lost and only thinking about fleeing the library. Even she hadn't been to this part of the castle yet. It would definitely take the two of them to get back to the Gryffindor Tower.
Snape and Filch suddenly appeared around a corner, causing Willow to skid to a stop and hide behind a suit of armour. They didn't stick around long, though, and ran off to find Harry together. Willow thanked her lucky stars that they were going in the other direction.
Her cat ears flicked when the sound a door opening echoed in the hallway. She whipped around and caught sight of Harry's hand pulling the door until it was slightly ajar. Curiosity may kill the cat, Willow thought, but she wasn't a full cat, so she decided to go ahead and follow Harry into the room. She squeezed through the crack and sat in the shadows, watching as her friend took the invisibility cloak off and folded it up. Then, he gasped and stared at a large object sitting awkwardly in the middle of the room.
Willow squinted her eyes and was surprised to see that it was an enormous mirror. Some words were written in an arc across the top of the wooden frame, but Willow couldn't decipher them. It was almost like they were backwards...
Just then, Willow realized they were backwards and a bit jumbled up. It read, once figured out: I show not your face but your hearts desire.
Harry stood at the mirror for several minutes, clapping his hand over his mouth a few times and frantically glancing behind him, but he saw no one, and he didn't bother to glance by the door where Willow sat. She decided to inspect the mirror a little closer and crept towards it until she was just out of range of seeing herself in it. When she looked into it, her limbs froze in place.
Harry was staring at himself in the mirror, but he wasn't alone. At least twenty people stood behind him, ghostly in their appearance, yet whole enough that they had some color to them. The two front-most people stood on either side of Harry, their hands on his shoulders. He touched his shoulder, seeming disappointed that he could not feel their physical touch. Willow was unable to suppress the purr that escaped her.
Unfortunately, Harry heard it. He tore his eyes away from the mirror and stared at Willow in horror. Confused, Willow cocked her head and backed up a few paces.
"No! Mrs. Norris! Don't rat me out to Filch, please!" Harry begged.
Feeling bad, Willow ran forward a few paces and commanded her body to transform back into a human while she ran. She stumbled a bit, but otherwise appeared in front of a dumbfounded Harry, saying, "Harry, it's me, Willow! Sorry for scaring you!"
"B-blimey, Willow, you scared me to death! I keep forgetting you can do that. How long have you been following me?"
"Since you left the common room. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't get caught. We can't leave a fellow Gryffindor to serve detention alone, now, can we?"
Harry smiled. "Thanks for that."
Both first-years glanced at the mirror. Harry was the first one to speak again, asking, "Could you see my parents?"
"Those were your parents? No wonder they looked so much like you! Everyone's right about you, though; you're the spitting image of your father but you have your mother's eyes. She was very pretty."
Willow stepped in front of the mirror, expecting to see only Harry's parents, but instead the scene changed. Then it changed again, and again, and again. It wouldn't stay on one particular thing long enough for Willow to process it. The only thing that Willow could make out was that one scene kept popping up every few times: her mother laughing and playing soccer with a miniature Willow. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered that day. It was the summer before her mother had left, the best summer she had ever had in her entire life. Willow remembered the letter her mother had sent to her earlier that morning. A spark of hope burned in her chest, but it was trembling. This mirror showed her heart's desire; it couldn't tell the future, but that didn't mean the future wouldn't hold this happy scene.
"Willow? Are you alright?" Harry said, snapping Willow out of her thoughts.
"Oh, yeah," she lied.
Willow moved to the side to allow Harry to look in the mirror again. After a few moments, she remembered something she had been itching to ask Harry since the morning prior.
"Harry...have you really never received presents before?"
Swallowing, Harry paused for a moment, then never took his eyes off the mirror while replying, "Yes."
"So...you've never had a birthday, never enjoyed the Holidays?"
"No. Aunt Petunia always makes me cook for them. Uncle Vernon will send me up to my room before I can eat it."
Willow's heart broke in two, and even she felt a lump form in her throat when she choked out her final question.
"Did they- did they abuse you, Harry?"
This time, Harry looked directly into Willow's eyes, eleven years of pain and loneliness hidden in them. "I don't know at this point. They'd make me go without food as punishments sometimes, but they'd never beat me. Uncle Vernon's come close to doing so a few times, but he's never actually done it. All I know is that they treat Dudley like an angel and me like...like..."
"A slave?"
Harry sighed. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that."
"I think they're awful people, Harry," Willow said. "And I think they've abused you by neglecting you. That's not okay. You've said it before, you live in a cupboard under the stairs, locked in it for days sometimes! That's punishable in the Muggle world, and I'm certain it is in the wizarding world, too. You shouldn't have to go through that."
"I can't do anything about it. They're my legal guardians, and unless anyone can prove that they've hurt me, they're going to be stuck with me."
"No. You will be stuck with them. They're the awful, inhumane Muggles, not you, Harry. Don't let them ever make you think differently."
Harry glanced at Willow with a sparkle in his eyes. "You're right, Willow. I don't know why I put it that way."
"Now you know not to ever again, because you're so much better than them. You know, they don't know that you can't use magic outside of school. It's always an idea to threaten them with it if necessary..."
"I've already thought about that. I think it'll come in handy in more than one occasion."
"Good."
Harry walked over to Willow and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you, Willow. You're the one person I know that would understand this."
Willow hugged Harry back. "Anytime."