I disclaim any profit of using the stories in this fanfiction and Harry Potter .
One Snowy Morning Part Four
Deticated to : My sister Sora Potter . She has always backed me up and supported me , even in a time of saddness and pain .
Tommrow was the begining of holiday . My father " Lucius Malfoy " would come and take me home . I never wanted to go I wanted to stay here with my girlfriend . I wanted her to stay by my side . I wanted her to be with me forever . It had been a month since we had started to go out . A most wonderful month actully . We had even gone to Hogsmeade togather it was quite a wonderful trip . But of course everyone knew now that we were going out , and they detested Meahera for it . It had started when Lavender saw us kissing for the first time in the corridor .She of course spread it around the school in no time . Right now we were about to go to Hogsmeade to buy Christmas gifts . I have not decided what to buy Meahera yet . I will probley get her a necklace , maybe sapphire to match her azure eyes . Or ruby to match her exotic hair . I couldn't wait till tonight when I will give it to her with a flower . Probley a rose or a tiger lily . I know I am accesive but you should see her , she is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen . Well we finally got there a hour later . Meahera went off to look for a gift for me while I went into the jewelry shop . It was a magnificent shop . It had priceless crystals here and beautiful metals . I looked at all the selections . There was a gold necklace interlayed with sapphire I liked the looks of it but it just wasn't meahera . Meahera needed something rare and exotic . I looked down again at the counter I saw a bronze necklace interlayed with obisan . It was quite pretty but wasn't what I was looking for . I than saw a necklace made of emeralds and diamonds . It wasn't bad looking but it wasn't her . I kept looking I even looked at the other invortory . They had a lot of beautiful jewels here in fact they were all equal but none surpast Meahera's beauty . I finally went up to the clerk and asked if he had any rare necklaces that was not on display . He looked down and said of course do you wish to see them , I answeared yes . He brought them out there was a necklace made out of pure blood red diamond . Then a necklace made of gold interlayed with a rich red star of India ( a quite rare sapphire that is red with a star in it ) . Then there was a emerald necklace with diamond stripes going through the whole necklace wrapping around the emerald like a candy cane and between the diamond and the emerald was a thin layer of gold . It was a rare necklace indeed . Then I saw the final necklace it was made of peacock ore (peacock ore is a ore found in copper when held up to any light it has a rainbow of colors like a peacocks feathers )but it had been made very smooth . Interlayed was a was a very dark emerald of amazing darkness almost dark as her her looks allowed . I looked up again and asked how mush the man looked down he said 300 galleons , 7 siskles and 3 kunt . I payed the man and left the store after I had it gifted wrapped . I looked for the flower shop for a flower to present her . I found it soon enough and entered . It was full of exotic flowers but I wanted a desert rose for her . I soon found one of the color violet it went right with the peacock ore and her . I bought a banquet for her of them for 6 galleons . I lefted the store I put them in a bag and went to find Meahera . I would present them to her in the great hall tonight we all got to choose where we sat at I would sit at the Gryfindor table tonight with her .
What to get the boy who has everything . Now that was a million dollar quiston I looked all over . But I could not decide . I looked at books , robes , and magic spells . That is when I found a strange little shop . I entered it . It was small and cozy but pretty run down even for a old shop . It was a costume shop I looked around a bit . But I found nothing . Then I saw a door , it was in the back of the shop . It had a sign on it " rare coustumes and dress " . I entered that door it was very dark and gloomy here . I saw it had once been the orginal store . It was then I saw it . I saw the most beautiful cloak . It was silver . I took it off its rack and examed it . It was in very good condition . I left the room and went up front to buy it . The old grizaled lady at the counter looked up . She said " you are buying that old piece of junk " with a laugh . I answered " yes I am ."
She took it out of my hands and said 3 galleon . I happly paid her and left I put the cloak away until I had it wrapped . Than I set out to find Draco . I found him later he was holding a bag to . He hugged me . We started to walk . He put his arm around me . We walked without saying words . He finally said after a few minutes " shall we go for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks ?" I smiled a said " yes " for it was good to get out of the freezing coldness . He lead me there it was it was a large crowded place . He looked down at me and said I will go and buy us some drinks , will you find us a place to sit ?" He went up to a large booming lady " 2 butterbeer please Madam Rosmerta ?" She looked down at him and said my how you have grown Draco . He started to blush she smiled at him and asked is the little lady sitting alone in the corner your lady . He turned a even deeper crimsom " shes your first girlfriend eehh ." " Well considering that your drinks are on the house ." She bent over and produced 2 large drinks and replied " now get over there youngone ".
When he finally found his way through the crowd . He handed me a drink . I had never had butterbeer . I took a sip of it , it tinglied while going down my throat it also warmed me up . It was extremaly delicous . Draco smiled at me , and said
how do you like the butterbeer ? I looked at him and said just fine . He looked at me and said how about we wait till christmas to give each other gifts . But how exactly would we do that I will leave my present with the school and you can borrow someones owl . Agreed , agreed . We got up and left with the crowd soon as it was time to leave . We rode back togather , like ussual .
" Tonight shall be grand " muttered Lavender , "we shall have to sit at the same table as a Slythrian , Don't forget his girlfriend " said one of the other girls . I personaly do not see why they hate him . Just because of what he used to be . But he was not his father he had proven that to me . He had helped me understand myself this past month and in doing so he understuad himself , also . We had figured that everything had a destiny , even in death . I got dressed . I was wearing a emerald dress to the dinner with a bright red mantle . In my hair was a taira to bring out my hair color it used to be my mother's . Dumbledore had found it laying outside on the ground the night she had been kidnapped . He said that night had been the saddest night in Cheniski families history . For my mother was the sole heir to the Cheniski's fortune . That fortune had been given away to the poor even before I was born . Well you already know the story . Well I got up and left for the Great Hall . Draco saw me and joined me at the table . He had a large smile on his face . He whispered to me " I love you ." I smiled at him and whispered in his ear " I love you too ." We looked down at our plates and started eating . It was a grand meal . It was full of rare Arabian and Asian delicates . It was a wonderful meal . Draco and me talked about time . We both thought time was a beautiful subject to talk about . Plus it was never ending and it didn't mind you talking about it . The meal was over to soon we were sent to study and get ready for bed .
The next morning Draco had already left before I got up along with everybody else . The only other person here in Gryfindor was Harry . Harry was the only other person that I could talk to other than Draco . The days past quickly with merriment until it was Christmas Eve and I needed a owl . I went to Harry . " Harry will you please let me use Hedwig please ". " Why do you want to use him "?" I need him to send my gift to Draco " . "Okay but you have to repay me somehow" ." How about I tell you a story ". "Okay but you have to tell stories until he comes back "." Agreeable " I answered . I attached my present to Hedwig and sent him off . I started my story . The story I am going to tell you first is Saint George And The Dragon . . . . .
Long , long ago the King of England had a little daughter , Sabra , whom he loved better than anyone or anything in all the world . For Sabra was as fair as a lily , as sweet as a rose , and as kind and true as she was beautiful .
But one day a terrible thing happened . Down from the mountains,and strait through the gates of the city , came a dragon ! It was black and horrible to look at , with eyes like two red coals and a mouth that breathed out fire . Its jaws were wide open , its claws were sharp , and it was as tall and huge as a forest tree .
Through the king's fields it raged and destroyed the harvest of barley and rye and wheat . It killed the cattle and uprooted grapevines . Then it lay in wait by the river bank in the tall reeds , and no one in the whole kingdom was brave enough to kill it .
The king sent his nobles to beg the dragon to leave , but , no, it would not ; and this is the message the dragon sent to the king : Each morning the king must send one of the fairest girls in the whole kingdom and fasten her to an old oak tree by the bank of the river , for the dragon to devour at his pleasure . Unless the king did this , the farmers should not be allowed to go back to the fields , and there would br no food in the land .
There was great sorrow in the kingdom . Each mother held her daughter more closely , lest she should be the first one to go , and there were hunger and distress , for no one could plant or harvest the crops . But Sabra still laughed and sang as joyously as ever .
"Father , dear ," she cried , " let me be the first girl to go . I know if the dragon has your little princess he will ask for no other child . I will go in their stesd ,father ."
Then the people came crowding to the palace gates , begging the king not to send Sabra , for they loved her as much as their little ones , but still Sabra said " I will go to the dragon ."
At last , the king's high priest said : " We will bring a mother pigeon into the palace yard , and set her free . If she flies north , south , or west , Sabra shall not be given to the dragon . If she flies toward the east and the sunrise Sabra shall go . "
So they took a brooding pigeon from her nest , and set her free in the courtyard . She spread her white wings and circled about in the air , and then flew straight to the east ! Poor , sweet Sabra ! They carried her out to the river bank and fastened her to the oak tree where the dragon could find her , so that she might save the other little girls . Then they went sorrowfully back to the city again .
But then pigeon flew on and on , through the field and forest , until she came to a brave knight riding through the woods . The knight was tired , and his good horse was , too , for they had been in a far country and had fought many brave battles . He had stopped to rest under a tree , so that his horse could drink at the spring but as he rested , the mother pigeon flew straight to his shoulder and begun cooing softly in his ear .
" I wonder what she means " , said the knight to himself , as the pigeon flew off a little way and then returned , cooing . At last he jumped on his horse and followed the way the pigeon led .
Straight through field and forest the pigeon flew , until she brought the knight to the place where the princess Sabra was fastened to the oak tree and the dragon raged close by , ready to devour her ! The dragon's breath was so hot that it burned the knight , and the smoke from its nostrils blinded his eyes , but Sir George , for that was his name , was brave and strong . He made a huge ball of the sticky pitch from the pine tree . He thrust the end of his spear through it , and he rode straight toward the dragon's angry jaws .
The dragon reached out its sharp claws for him , but the knight hurled the ball of pitch down its throat and the dragon was not able to open its mouth again or use poisonous fangs . Then the knight killed the dragon with his spear , and he unfastened the little princess . He lifted her to his saddle and carried her home to her father once more .
Oh , there was great rejoicing in the kingdom ! The people crowded the streets and strewed flowers in front of the knight as he rode to the king . The old king held little Sabra close to his heart , and she put her arms about his neck and kissed him . Then the king said knight should now be called Saint George , and he gave him a gold cross to wear on his chest .
It was many , many years ago that Saint George killed the dragon , but still the people in England remember him , and today the English soldier who is the bravest may wear on his chest the cross of Saint George .
Well how did you like your story , Harry . We were in the commom room by the fireplace sitting across from each other in the great seating chairs . " You must tell another story for Hedwig is not back yet ." "Okay ." This story is called The Story Of Arahne . . . . .
There was once a earth-child named Arachne who could weave the most wonderful tapestries in the world . She lived with her father in a far-away forest and she set her loom out under the trees , so that she could see the birds , the flowers and the sky , and match her thread to their colors .
As her fingers flew in and out among the bright threads , the fairies left thier play under the trees to watch her . The cloth grew wide and long , and Arachne wove such beautiful pictures of woods and gardens into it that you could almost hear the rustling of the trees and smell the gay flowers .
" The goddess Minerva , the mother of all weavers , must help her , "cried those who watched Arachne ; but Arachne was a proud child . She tossed her head . " No one helps me ,"she cried , " and no one can weave as well as I , " she said scornfully .
One day an old woman in a long , dark cloak came through the forest and stopped by Arachne's loom .
" It is a wonderful tapestry ," she said , "but you must not expect to outdo the gods , my child . "
Proud Arachne laughed scornfully .
" If the goddess Minerva was herself was here , " she said , " I would show her my work is better . "
In a second the long , dark cloak fell from the old woman's shoulders , and there stood the beautiful goddess Minerva !
" We shall see ," she said .
So Arachne and the goddess Minerva begun weaving . Minerva wove the picture of a palace where everyone was doing a kind deed for someone else , but through proud Arachne's cloth there ran a thread that tangled and knotted until it quite spoiled the picture .
Then Arachne threw herself upon her loom and hid her face in the cloth , and tried to choke herself with the threads because she was angry to see that anyone could weave better than she . But the goddess Minerva touched her on her forehead , and Arachne begun to shrivel and twist about the treads in her loom , until she changed to a spider - the mother of all spiders , who must spin and spin , from morning till night ! And that , they say , is why the spider is always weaving webs .
Where did you get that story , Meahera ? I got it from my mothers storybook . What is it called ? Favirote Stories For the Children's Hour . But you don't have it with you . It rotted a long time ago I remember , before she abandoned me , that she would read those stories to me often . Will you tell another one , please ? A long one . Yes I shall it is called How The Winter Came On Earth . . . . .
Once upon time when it was summer all year round , there lived a goddess called Ceres , who took care of all the crops on the earth . Not a kernel of corn nor a grain of wheat could ripen unless she touched it with her fingers . Not an orchard could blossom and bear fruit , not a flower could bloom in the fields , not a single , tiny blade of grass could sprout until Ceres rode by in her chariot and bade them grow . She wore a wreath of poppies upon her head , and she carried a torch in her hand to light the autumn fires . Oh , she was very busy from morning till night , taking care of crops .
Ceres had one little daughter , Persephone . Ceres was obliged to leave Persephone alone a great deal , and she always told her that she must not stray far from home . In those days , when gods and goddess were in the world , there were also other strange creatures : the dryads who lived in the oak trees ; the naiads who lifted their dripping bodies from streams ; the fauns with feet like a goat's and little horns upon their heads , whi gamboled about the woods , and the ugly old satyrs-so it was not safe for a child to be far from home .
Usually Persephone remembered , but one day she forgot . She had been sitting for a long time upon the doorsill , making daisy chains , but she had picked all the daisies in the garden , and she thought she would go a little way outside for more . On and on through the fields she went , until she saw-gleaming away off , at the end of a meadow- a great bush quite covered with bright red flowers .
" I must pick just one ! " cried Persephone , running over to the bush and tugging with all her might at one of the blossoms .It was very hard to pick it , and , all at once , as Persephone tugged and pulled , there came a great crack in the earth at the roots of the strange bush . Wider and wider it grew , and there came a sound of horses' hoofs and the rumbling of wheels up through the ground . Persephone gave on last tug , but , just as the flower came off in her hand , the hole in the earth grew larger and deeper and deeper . The sound of the wheels became louder , and up through the ground came a team of coal-black horses drawing a chariot of gold .
There was a man in the chariot , wearing rich garments and a crown of diamonds upon his head . Before Persephone could run away he had seized her and drawn her into the chariot , and was driving away with her , down through the hole in the earth and away from the fields and the daylight .
" Mother Ceres ! Mother Ceres ! " she called , but Ceres was a long way off and could not hear her .
" Mother Ceres , come ! " she called , but Ceres was a long way off and could not hear her .
" I am King Pluto ," said the man in the chariot . " The gold , and the silver , and the diamonds , and all the precious things of the earth are mine . You shall have them all Persephone , if you will only live with me in my palace . I am lonely , and I have wished for a little girl like you ."
But Persephone only cried the louder , as she said : " Oh , no , no ! I want my mother , and the flowers , and the sunshine ! "
It grew very dark where they rode . They passed a still , black river , and King Pluto said : " Let us drink , Persephone . The waters will make you so happy that you will forget your mother and the flowers . " But Persephone would not drink .
They reached King Pluto's palace at last , which was really very beautiful , lighted with diamond lamps , and having the long halls encrusted with every sort of precious gem . King Pluto ordered a great feast to be spread-all sorts of sweets and preserves , and a golden goblet of the magic water , but Persephone would not eat or drink . From morning till night she wandered about the palace-a lonely little girl who wanted her mother.
Now , in some way or other , Mother Ceres had imagined that something was wrong . She hastened to finish her tasks , and she came home-to find the house empty , and Persephone gone ! No one knew where the child was . Poor Ceres ! She lighted her torch freshly and started out to look up and down the world for Persephone .
Ceres never stopped to rest . Her garments were wet with night dews , and her wreath of poppies became withered and faded . At every cottage shev stopped to ask of the peasents , and at every forest to inquire of the fariy folk if they had seen Persephone . One had heard a child crying , another had heard the sound of chariot wheels , but no one had seen Persephone . On and on traveled Ceres , and the earth was barren , for she neglected all the crops .
The farmers ploughed and planted , but no grain came up . The flower beds were empty . The cows and sheep starved , because there was no grass for them to eat . And Ceres cried : " There shall nothing grow upon the earth until my little girl comes home again ! "
At last King Pluto heard of the terrible blight upon the earth . He was not such a wicked old king , after all , so he called Persephone to him , and he said : " Would you like to go to your mother , child ? You may go , if you wish , but you must eat with me , first . Here is a fresh pomegranate . Eat , Persephone ! "
Persrphone , althrough she had been living with King Pluto for six long months , had not eaten a mouthful of anything , but she was so happy at the thought of seeing her mother that she took the pomegranate from King Pluto and ate a part of it that held six seeds . Then she rode with King Pluto up to the earth again and started over the fields to Ceres . And as she went , all along the path where she stepped the brown fields that had seen no verdure for so many months blossomed into violets , and the waving grain arose , and the orchards burst into bloom .
Poor Ceres was sitting on her doorstep holding her torch when , all at once , it flickered , and then went out altogather .
" What is this ? " she cried . " My torch must not go out until I find Persephone ! "
But just then Persephone ran straight into Mother Ceres' arms and told of her adventure .
" My child , did you eat with King Pluto ? " asked Ceres , after she had held Persephone close for a long time .
" Only six pomegranate seeds , mother , " said Persephone .
" Ah , Persephone , " cried Ceres " then , for each of those six seeds , you must spend one month of every year at King Pluto's palace , and I may have you only for the other six . "
So , half the year , Persrphone lived with her mother , and Ceres drove over the earth and bade the crops grow and flourish . For the other half , Persephone went to King Pluto's palace to make him happy ; but Ceres mourned at home for her little girl , the flowers died , and the fields turned brown and were covered with snow .
And that is how the first winter came upon the earth , because Persephone went away , and Ceres bade the earth sleep and mourn . But that is , too , how the first springtime came-because Persephone came home , and the violets blossomed wherever she stepped .
All of a sudden Hedwig appeared carring a piece of parchment . It said
Dearest Meahera ,
I miss you my love . I am having a awful time with my father . Well I recived your present I shall open it in the morning .
Love ,
Draco Malfoy
I smiled and thanked Harry for letting me use Hedwig . Then all of a sudden Minerva stormed into the dorm and demanded that we go to sleep . We got ready for bed and went to sleep with happy thoughts .
One Snowy Morning Part Four
Deticated to : My sister Sora Potter . She has always backed me up and supported me , even in a time of saddness and pain .
Tommrow was the begining of holiday . My father " Lucius Malfoy " would come and take me home . I never wanted to go I wanted to stay here with my girlfriend . I wanted her to stay by my side . I wanted her to be with me forever . It had been a month since we had started to go out . A most wonderful month actully . We had even gone to Hogsmeade togather it was quite a wonderful trip . But of course everyone knew now that we were going out , and they detested Meahera for it . It had started when Lavender saw us kissing for the first time in the corridor .She of course spread it around the school in no time . Right now we were about to go to Hogsmeade to buy Christmas gifts . I have not decided what to buy Meahera yet . I will probley get her a necklace , maybe sapphire to match her azure eyes . Or ruby to match her exotic hair . I couldn't wait till tonight when I will give it to her with a flower . Probley a rose or a tiger lily . I know I am accesive but you should see her , she is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen . Well we finally got there a hour later . Meahera went off to look for a gift for me while I went into the jewelry shop . It was a magnificent shop . It had priceless crystals here and beautiful metals . I looked at all the selections . There was a gold necklace interlayed with sapphire I liked the looks of it but it just wasn't meahera . Meahera needed something rare and exotic . I looked down again at the counter I saw a bronze necklace interlayed with obisan . It was quite pretty but wasn't what I was looking for . I than saw a necklace made of emeralds and diamonds . It wasn't bad looking but it wasn't her . I kept looking I even looked at the other invortory . They had a lot of beautiful jewels here in fact they were all equal but none surpast Meahera's beauty . I finally went up to the clerk and asked if he had any rare necklaces that was not on display . He looked down and said of course do you wish to see them , I answeared yes . He brought them out there was a necklace made out of pure blood red diamond . Then a necklace made of gold interlayed with a rich red star of India ( a quite rare sapphire that is red with a star in it ) . Then there was a emerald necklace with diamond stripes going through the whole necklace wrapping around the emerald like a candy cane and between the diamond and the emerald was a thin layer of gold . It was a rare necklace indeed . Then I saw the final necklace it was made of peacock ore (peacock ore is a ore found in copper when held up to any light it has a rainbow of colors like a peacocks feathers )but it had been made very smooth . Interlayed was a was a very dark emerald of amazing darkness almost dark as her her looks allowed . I looked up again and asked how mush the man looked down he said 300 galleons , 7 siskles and 3 kunt . I payed the man and left the store after I had it gifted wrapped . I looked for the flower shop for a flower to present her . I found it soon enough and entered . It was full of exotic flowers but I wanted a desert rose for her . I soon found one of the color violet it went right with the peacock ore and her . I bought a banquet for her of them for 6 galleons . I lefted the store I put them in a bag and went to find Meahera . I would present them to her in the great hall tonight we all got to choose where we sat at I would sit at the Gryfindor table tonight with her .
What to get the boy who has everything . Now that was a million dollar quiston I looked all over . But I could not decide . I looked at books , robes , and magic spells . That is when I found a strange little shop . I entered it . It was small and cozy but pretty run down even for a old shop . It was a costume shop I looked around a bit . But I found nothing . Then I saw a door , it was in the back of the shop . It had a sign on it " rare coustumes and dress " . I entered that door it was very dark and gloomy here . I saw it had once been the orginal store . It was then I saw it . I saw the most beautiful cloak . It was silver . I took it off its rack and examed it . It was in very good condition . I left the room and went up front to buy it . The old grizaled lady at the counter looked up . She said " you are buying that old piece of junk " with a laugh . I answered " yes I am ."
She took it out of my hands and said 3 galleon . I happly paid her and left I put the cloak away until I had it wrapped . Than I set out to find Draco . I found him later he was holding a bag to . He hugged me . We started to walk . He put his arm around me . We walked without saying words . He finally said after a few minutes " shall we go for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks ?" I smiled a said " yes " for it was good to get out of the freezing coldness . He lead me there it was it was a large crowded place . He looked down at me and said I will go and buy us some drinks , will you find us a place to sit ?" He went up to a large booming lady " 2 butterbeer please Madam Rosmerta ?" She looked down at him and said my how you have grown Draco . He started to blush she smiled at him and asked is the little lady sitting alone in the corner your lady . He turned a even deeper crimsom " shes your first girlfriend eehh ." " Well considering that your drinks are on the house ." She bent over and produced 2 large drinks and replied " now get over there youngone ".
When he finally found his way through the crowd . He handed me a drink . I had never had butterbeer . I took a sip of it , it tinglied while going down my throat it also warmed me up . It was extremaly delicous . Draco smiled at me , and said
how do you like the butterbeer ? I looked at him and said just fine . He looked at me and said how about we wait till christmas to give each other gifts . But how exactly would we do that I will leave my present with the school and you can borrow someones owl . Agreed , agreed . We got up and left with the crowd soon as it was time to leave . We rode back togather , like ussual .
" Tonight shall be grand " muttered Lavender , "we shall have to sit at the same table as a Slythrian , Don't forget his girlfriend " said one of the other girls . I personaly do not see why they hate him . Just because of what he used to be . But he was not his father he had proven that to me . He had helped me understand myself this past month and in doing so he understuad himself , also . We had figured that everything had a destiny , even in death . I got dressed . I was wearing a emerald dress to the dinner with a bright red mantle . In my hair was a taira to bring out my hair color it used to be my mother's . Dumbledore had found it laying outside on the ground the night she had been kidnapped . He said that night had been the saddest night in Cheniski families history . For my mother was the sole heir to the Cheniski's fortune . That fortune had been given away to the poor even before I was born . Well you already know the story . Well I got up and left for the Great Hall . Draco saw me and joined me at the table . He had a large smile on his face . He whispered to me " I love you ." I smiled at him and whispered in his ear " I love you too ." We looked down at our plates and started eating . It was a grand meal . It was full of rare Arabian and Asian delicates . It was a wonderful meal . Draco and me talked about time . We both thought time was a beautiful subject to talk about . Plus it was never ending and it didn't mind you talking about it . The meal was over to soon we were sent to study and get ready for bed .
The next morning Draco had already left before I got up along with everybody else . The only other person here in Gryfindor was Harry . Harry was the only other person that I could talk to other than Draco . The days past quickly with merriment until it was Christmas Eve and I needed a owl . I went to Harry . " Harry will you please let me use Hedwig please ". " Why do you want to use him "?" I need him to send my gift to Draco " . "Okay but you have to repay me somehow" ." How about I tell you a story ". "Okay but you have to tell stories until he comes back "." Agreeable " I answered . I attached my present to Hedwig and sent him off . I started my story . The story I am going to tell you first is Saint George And The Dragon . . . . .
Long , long ago the King of England had a little daughter , Sabra , whom he loved better than anyone or anything in all the world . For Sabra was as fair as a lily , as sweet as a rose , and as kind and true as she was beautiful .
But one day a terrible thing happened . Down from the mountains,and strait through the gates of the city , came a dragon ! It was black and horrible to look at , with eyes like two red coals and a mouth that breathed out fire . Its jaws were wide open , its claws were sharp , and it was as tall and huge as a forest tree .
Through the king's fields it raged and destroyed the harvest of barley and rye and wheat . It killed the cattle and uprooted grapevines . Then it lay in wait by the river bank in the tall reeds , and no one in the whole kingdom was brave enough to kill it .
The king sent his nobles to beg the dragon to leave , but , no, it would not ; and this is the message the dragon sent to the king : Each morning the king must send one of the fairest girls in the whole kingdom and fasten her to an old oak tree by the bank of the river , for the dragon to devour at his pleasure . Unless the king did this , the farmers should not be allowed to go back to the fields , and there would br no food in the land .
There was great sorrow in the kingdom . Each mother held her daughter more closely , lest she should be the first one to go , and there were hunger and distress , for no one could plant or harvest the crops . But Sabra still laughed and sang as joyously as ever .
"Father , dear ," she cried , " let me be the first girl to go . I know if the dragon has your little princess he will ask for no other child . I will go in their stesd ,father ."
Then the people came crowding to the palace gates , begging the king not to send Sabra , for they loved her as much as their little ones , but still Sabra said " I will go to the dragon ."
At last , the king's high priest said : " We will bring a mother pigeon into the palace yard , and set her free . If she flies north , south , or west , Sabra shall not be given to the dragon . If she flies toward the east and the sunrise Sabra shall go . "
So they took a brooding pigeon from her nest , and set her free in the courtyard . She spread her white wings and circled about in the air , and then flew straight to the east ! Poor , sweet Sabra ! They carried her out to the river bank and fastened her to the oak tree where the dragon could find her , so that she might save the other little girls . Then they went sorrowfully back to the city again .
But then pigeon flew on and on , through the field and forest , until she came to a brave knight riding through the woods . The knight was tired , and his good horse was , too , for they had been in a far country and had fought many brave battles . He had stopped to rest under a tree , so that his horse could drink at the spring but as he rested , the mother pigeon flew straight to his shoulder and begun cooing softly in his ear .
" I wonder what she means " , said the knight to himself , as the pigeon flew off a little way and then returned , cooing . At last he jumped on his horse and followed the way the pigeon led .
Straight through field and forest the pigeon flew , until she brought the knight to the place where the princess Sabra was fastened to the oak tree and the dragon raged close by , ready to devour her ! The dragon's breath was so hot that it burned the knight , and the smoke from its nostrils blinded his eyes , but Sir George , for that was his name , was brave and strong . He made a huge ball of the sticky pitch from the pine tree . He thrust the end of his spear through it , and he rode straight toward the dragon's angry jaws .
The dragon reached out its sharp claws for him , but the knight hurled the ball of pitch down its throat and the dragon was not able to open its mouth again or use poisonous fangs . Then the knight killed the dragon with his spear , and he unfastened the little princess . He lifted her to his saddle and carried her home to her father once more .
Oh , there was great rejoicing in the kingdom ! The people crowded the streets and strewed flowers in front of the knight as he rode to the king . The old king held little Sabra close to his heart , and she put her arms about his neck and kissed him . Then the king said knight should now be called Saint George , and he gave him a gold cross to wear on his chest .
It was many , many years ago that Saint George killed the dragon , but still the people in England remember him , and today the English soldier who is the bravest may wear on his chest the cross of Saint George .
Well how did you like your story , Harry . We were in the commom room by the fireplace sitting across from each other in the great seating chairs . " You must tell another story for Hedwig is not back yet ." "Okay ." This story is called The Story Of Arahne . . . . .
There was once a earth-child named Arachne who could weave the most wonderful tapestries in the world . She lived with her father in a far-away forest and she set her loom out under the trees , so that she could see the birds , the flowers and the sky , and match her thread to their colors .
As her fingers flew in and out among the bright threads , the fairies left thier play under the trees to watch her . The cloth grew wide and long , and Arachne wove such beautiful pictures of woods and gardens into it that you could almost hear the rustling of the trees and smell the gay flowers .
" The goddess Minerva , the mother of all weavers , must help her , "cried those who watched Arachne ; but Arachne was a proud child . She tossed her head . " No one helps me ,"she cried , " and no one can weave as well as I , " she said scornfully .
One day an old woman in a long , dark cloak came through the forest and stopped by Arachne's loom .
" It is a wonderful tapestry ," she said , "but you must not expect to outdo the gods , my child . "
Proud Arachne laughed scornfully .
" If the goddess Minerva was herself was here , " she said , " I would show her my work is better . "
In a second the long , dark cloak fell from the old woman's shoulders , and there stood the beautiful goddess Minerva !
" We shall see ," she said .
So Arachne and the goddess Minerva begun weaving . Minerva wove the picture of a palace where everyone was doing a kind deed for someone else , but through proud Arachne's cloth there ran a thread that tangled and knotted until it quite spoiled the picture .
Then Arachne threw herself upon her loom and hid her face in the cloth , and tried to choke herself with the threads because she was angry to see that anyone could weave better than she . But the goddess Minerva touched her on her forehead , and Arachne begun to shrivel and twist about the treads in her loom , until she changed to a spider - the mother of all spiders , who must spin and spin , from morning till night ! And that , they say , is why the spider is always weaving webs .
Where did you get that story , Meahera ? I got it from my mothers storybook . What is it called ? Favirote Stories For the Children's Hour . But you don't have it with you . It rotted a long time ago I remember , before she abandoned me , that she would read those stories to me often . Will you tell another one , please ? A long one . Yes I shall it is called How The Winter Came On Earth . . . . .
Once upon time when it was summer all year round , there lived a goddess called Ceres , who took care of all the crops on the earth . Not a kernel of corn nor a grain of wheat could ripen unless she touched it with her fingers . Not an orchard could blossom and bear fruit , not a flower could bloom in the fields , not a single , tiny blade of grass could sprout until Ceres rode by in her chariot and bade them grow . She wore a wreath of poppies upon her head , and she carried a torch in her hand to light the autumn fires . Oh , she was very busy from morning till night , taking care of crops .
Ceres had one little daughter , Persephone . Ceres was obliged to leave Persephone alone a great deal , and she always told her that she must not stray far from home . In those days , when gods and goddess were in the world , there were also other strange creatures : the dryads who lived in the oak trees ; the naiads who lifted their dripping bodies from streams ; the fauns with feet like a goat's and little horns upon their heads , whi gamboled about the woods , and the ugly old satyrs-so it was not safe for a child to be far from home .
Usually Persephone remembered , but one day she forgot . She had been sitting for a long time upon the doorsill , making daisy chains , but she had picked all the daisies in the garden , and she thought she would go a little way outside for more . On and on through the fields she went , until she saw-gleaming away off , at the end of a meadow- a great bush quite covered with bright red flowers .
" I must pick just one ! " cried Persephone , running over to the bush and tugging with all her might at one of the blossoms .It was very hard to pick it , and , all at once , as Persephone tugged and pulled , there came a great crack in the earth at the roots of the strange bush . Wider and wider it grew , and there came a sound of horses' hoofs and the rumbling of wheels up through the ground . Persephone gave on last tug , but , just as the flower came off in her hand , the hole in the earth grew larger and deeper and deeper . The sound of the wheels became louder , and up through the ground came a team of coal-black horses drawing a chariot of gold .
There was a man in the chariot , wearing rich garments and a crown of diamonds upon his head . Before Persephone could run away he had seized her and drawn her into the chariot , and was driving away with her , down through the hole in the earth and away from the fields and the daylight .
" Mother Ceres ! Mother Ceres ! " she called , but Ceres was a long way off and could not hear her .
" Mother Ceres , come ! " she called , but Ceres was a long way off and could not hear her .
" I am King Pluto ," said the man in the chariot . " The gold , and the silver , and the diamonds , and all the precious things of the earth are mine . You shall have them all Persephone , if you will only live with me in my palace . I am lonely , and I have wished for a little girl like you ."
But Persephone only cried the louder , as she said : " Oh , no , no ! I want my mother , and the flowers , and the sunshine ! "
It grew very dark where they rode . They passed a still , black river , and King Pluto said : " Let us drink , Persephone . The waters will make you so happy that you will forget your mother and the flowers . " But Persephone would not drink .
They reached King Pluto's palace at last , which was really very beautiful , lighted with diamond lamps , and having the long halls encrusted with every sort of precious gem . King Pluto ordered a great feast to be spread-all sorts of sweets and preserves , and a golden goblet of the magic water , but Persephone would not eat or drink . From morning till night she wandered about the palace-a lonely little girl who wanted her mother.
Now , in some way or other , Mother Ceres had imagined that something was wrong . She hastened to finish her tasks , and she came home-to find the house empty , and Persephone gone ! No one knew where the child was . Poor Ceres ! She lighted her torch freshly and started out to look up and down the world for Persephone .
Ceres never stopped to rest . Her garments were wet with night dews , and her wreath of poppies became withered and faded . At every cottage shev stopped to ask of the peasents , and at every forest to inquire of the fariy folk if they had seen Persephone . One had heard a child crying , another had heard the sound of chariot wheels , but no one had seen Persephone . On and on traveled Ceres , and the earth was barren , for she neglected all the crops .
The farmers ploughed and planted , but no grain came up . The flower beds were empty . The cows and sheep starved , because there was no grass for them to eat . And Ceres cried : " There shall nothing grow upon the earth until my little girl comes home again ! "
At last King Pluto heard of the terrible blight upon the earth . He was not such a wicked old king , after all , so he called Persephone to him , and he said : " Would you like to go to your mother , child ? You may go , if you wish , but you must eat with me , first . Here is a fresh pomegranate . Eat , Persephone ! "
Persrphone , althrough she had been living with King Pluto for six long months , had not eaten a mouthful of anything , but she was so happy at the thought of seeing her mother that she took the pomegranate from King Pluto and ate a part of it that held six seeds . Then she rode with King Pluto up to the earth again and started over the fields to Ceres . And as she went , all along the path where she stepped the brown fields that had seen no verdure for so many months blossomed into violets , and the waving grain arose , and the orchards burst into bloom .
Poor Ceres was sitting on her doorstep holding her torch when , all at once , it flickered , and then went out altogather .
" What is this ? " she cried . " My torch must not go out until I find Persephone ! "
But just then Persephone ran straight into Mother Ceres' arms and told of her adventure .
" My child , did you eat with King Pluto ? " asked Ceres , after she had held Persephone close for a long time .
" Only six pomegranate seeds , mother , " said Persephone .
" Ah , Persephone , " cried Ceres " then , for each of those six seeds , you must spend one month of every year at King Pluto's palace , and I may have you only for the other six . "
So , half the year , Persrphone lived with her mother , and Ceres drove over the earth and bade the crops grow and flourish . For the other half , Persephone went to King Pluto's palace to make him happy ; but Ceres mourned at home for her little girl , the flowers died , and the fields turned brown and were covered with snow .
And that is how the first winter came upon the earth , because Persephone went away , and Ceres bade the earth sleep and mourn . But that is , too , how the first springtime came-because Persephone came home , and the violets blossomed wherever she stepped .
All of a sudden Hedwig appeared carring a piece of parchment . It said
Dearest Meahera ,
I miss you my love . I am having a awful time with my father . Well I recived your present I shall open it in the morning .
Love ,
Draco Malfoy
I smiled and thanked Harry for letting me use Hedwig . Then all of a sudden Minerva stormed into the dorm and demanded that we go to sleep . We got ready for bed and went to sleep with happy thoughts .