JKR owns the people and places...I own Karista and the dream
Chapter 17: The Christmas invitation
Karista woke up the next morning with a tapping on the window. She new it must have been Petrey, so she tipped the window open big enough so he could fly in. The air that came in was freezing, and when Karista looked at the owl that had just flown in, he was practically shivering.
"Oh dear," Karista murmured, wrapping a blanket around the shivering owl. She then opened the letter that he had been carrying.
Karista
Unfortunately, I will not be bringing you home for the Holidays. In light of bussiness and your stepmom, I cannot afford to bring you home. I hope you understand.
Father.
Karista dropped the note angrily onto her bed. Of course he wouldn't want me coming back muttered Karista angrily, hastily flinging the hangings away from her and heading down the to the common room with Petrey cradled in her arms. It was a Sunday, thankfully, and as she looked out onto the grounds, she realized that the first snow was falling. She headed back upstairs to her dorm room and changed into some random robes and headed out the portrait hole to breakfast.
Once in the great hall, she noticed that the teachers were awake and one Slytherin, who she immediately recognized as Malfoy. Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore watched her curiously as she moved stealthily towards the Gryffindor table and sat down, not noticing the staff was staring at the bundle in her arms. She opened the blanket a little around Petrey enough to see that he wasn't shivering.
"Have some food," she murmured, picking up a piece of bacon which he hastily swallowed with a grateful hoot. She unraveled the blanket and petrey stood on the table, looking non-plussed yet all right.
"Alright, if you want to eat breakfast with me, you can stay," she said yawning as she buttered a piece of toast. Petrey stood on the table and started to fall asleep. Behind her, she could hear the shuffling of footsteps and realized someone was standing behind her.
"Hullo," the voice drawled, easily recognizable as Malfoy.
"Hi," she said thickly, as she had just had a spoonful of cereal.
"You staying over the holidays?" he drawled on, sitting next to her.
"Maybe," she said, not bothering to look up, as she was reading the Daily Prophet that had just dropped in front of her.
"I might be too…maybe we can…go to Hogsmeade together this Thursday?" The boy asked, with a slight more enthusiasm in his voice. It was probably his billionth try to ask her out, and each time she got more amused. Why didn't he take the hint that she didn't like him?
"I don't know if I'm going to Hogsmeade."
She glanced up at the staff table and noticed that some of the teachers were watching them. She quickly shifted her gaze at the crossword.
"10-letter word for wanting," she muttered, taking a quill out of her pocket.
"Requesting," Malfoy said irritably. "Why don't you talk to me?"
"I don't feel the need to be romantically involved with someone who I probably won't see every day, and besides that, you don't like my friends," Karsita spoke harshly at Malfoy, staring straight at him. Malfoy seemed to draw back.
"Well, we'll see about that one," Malfoy muttered, strolling haphazardly out of the hall.
"He will drive me crazy", Karista said almost to herself. She didn't understand why he didn't get the hint.
***
"Staying over the holidays, Karista?" Harry asked as he signed the sheet McGonagall handed to him.
"Unfortunately, yeah," Karista said with a smirk.
Harry finished signing and handed it to Karista. He was kinda happy that she was staying.
"So are we…looks like we can have some fun with the Slytherins also," Ron said, with a large grin on his face.
Karista looked at the list and notice that Draco was staying the Holidays, along with Pansy Parkinson.
"Well, this is all the students staying over holidays then," McGonagall said, rolling up the sheath of parchment. "Looks like we will be able to have that party after all."
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Karista shot McGonagall a sharp look.
"What party?" Hermione asked, almost slipping out of her chair.
"Oh, it is a dinner party with some ministry officials on Christmas eve," she said, packing up the papers that were still scattered across her desk. "Dumbledore said that if only a limited amount of students were staying, then Hogwarts would host it, and those students would come."
McGonagall looked at them worriedly, or so Harry thought.
"If you don't want to stay over the holidays for this party, then now is the time to say so."
They all stood frozen on the spot, looking at the sheet of parchment McGonagall was clutching in her fist. At once, they all shook their heads no and left the room.
"Ooh, a party," Karista quipped enthusiastically. "I've been to plenty of those in my day."
Harry looked like he would be sick. A party? With ministry officials? Surely, he knew many of the officials already, but now he would probably meet all their families. Nerves shaken slightly, they sprinted to charms class, realizing they were five minutes late.
***
Ron picked up a letter from his bed that had just landed there. He examined it closely before calling attention to it.
"Oye, Harry! Look at your bed and see if you got one of these," Ron said, nearly ripping it to shreds opening it.
Harry picked up the envelope, which was written in the same green Hogwarts ink with the same seal on the back. Harry quickly glanced at Dean, Seamus and Neville's beds and realized that they hadn't received them, as Harry and Ron were the first in their dormitory since classes ended. Harry read the title on the front:
Mr. H. Potter
Boys Dormitory, top tower
Gryffindor House
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Harry, realizing what the letter was probably for, opened the letter.
The Britain Ministry of Magic
Requests your presence at the annual Ball
Taking place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The 24th of December
Taking place on the front grounds
At 8:00 PM
Formal robes required
Please RSVP With Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster
Ron and Harry both let out a slight cry of delight as they sprinted down the stairs. At the bottom, they met Karista and Hermione, both clutching the letters and running out the portrait hole towards the owlery. Once there, Hedwig came and perched herself upon Harry's shoulder, as he wrote a reply.
Professor Dumbledore,
Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Karista Flannigan and Harry Potter will be coming. Please make room for four more.
Harry Potter
He then gave the letter to Hedwig, who swooped out the window and down. They then, considerably happier, went to the great hall for dinner. Inside the doors, they saw Hedwig up at the staff table in front of Dumbledore, puffed up proudly as she stuck her foot out in front of him. Dumbledore removed the roll of parchment from her leg and offered a gracious, "Thank you, Hedwig," then read the parchment. Harry could unmistakably see a smile creep across his face as he looked down at the Gryffindor table, looking for the foursome.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Karista sat down, and Dumbledore nodded his head then tucked the slip into his blue robes.
Chapter 17: The Christmas invitation
Karista woke up the next morning with a tapping on the window. She new it must have been Petrey, so she tipped the window open big enough so he could fly in. The air that came in was freezing, and when Karista looked at the owl that had just flown in, he was practically shivering.
"Oh dear," Karista murmured, wrapping a blanket around the shivering owl. She then opened the letter that he had been carrying.
Karista
Unfortunately, I will not be bringing you home for the Holidays. In light of bussiness and your stepmom, I cannot afford to bring you home. I hope you understand.
Father.
Karista dropped the note angrily onto her bed. Of course he wouldn't want me coming back muttered Karista angrily, hastily flinging the hangings away from her and heading down the to the common room with Petrey cradled in her arms. It was a Sunday, thankfully, and as she looked out onto the grounds, she realized that the first snow was falling. She headed back upstairs to her dorm room and changed into some random robes and headed out the portrait hole to breakfast.
Once in the great hall, she noticed that the teachers were awake and one Slytherin, who she immediately recognized as Malfoy. Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore watched her curiously as she moved stealthily towards the Gryffindor table and sat down, not noticing the staff was staring at the bundle in her arms. She opened the blanket a little around Petrey enough to see that he wasn't shivering.
"Have some food," she murmured, picking up a piece of bacon which he hastily swallowed with a grateful hoot. She unraveled the blanket and petrey stood on the table, looking non-plussed yet all right.
"Alright, if you want to eat breakfast with me, you can stay," she said yawning as she buttered a piece of toast. Petrey stood on the table and started to fall asleep. Behind her, she could hear the shuffling of footsteps and realized someone was standing behind her.
"Hullo," the voice drawled, easily recognizable as Malfoy.
"Hi," she said thickly, as she had just had a spoonful of cereal.
"You staying over the holidays?" he drawled on, sitting next to her.
"Maybe," she said, not bothering to look up, as she was reading the Daily Prophet that had just dropped in front of her.
"I might be too…maybe we can…go to Hogsmeade together this Thursday?" The boy asked, with a slight more enthusiasm in his voice. It was probably his billionth try to ask her out, and each time she got more amused. Why didn't he take the hint that she didn't like him?
"I don't know if I'm going to Hogsmeade."
She glanced up at the staff table and noticed that some of the teachers were watching them. She quickly shifted her gaze at the crossword.
"10-letter word for wanting," she muttered, taking a quill out of her pocket.
"Requesting," Malfoy said irritably. "Why don't you talk to me?"
"I don't feel the need to be romantically involved with someone who I probably won't see every day, and besides that, you don't like my friends," Karsita spoke harshly at Malfoy, staring straight at him. Malfoy seemed to draw back.
"Well, we'll see about that one," Malfoy muttered, strolling haphazardly out of the hall.
"He will drive me crazy", Karista said almost to herself. She didn't understand why he didn't get the hint.
***
"Staying over the holidays, Karista?" Harry asked as he signed the sheet McGonagall handed to him.
"Unfortunately, yeah," Karista said with a smirk.
Harry finished signing and handed it to Karista. He was kinda happy that she was staying.
"So are we…looks like we can have some fun with the Slytherins also," Ron said, with a large grin on his face.
Karista looked at the list and notice that Draco was staying the Holidays, along with Pansy Parkinson.
"Well, this is all the students staying over holidays then," McGonagall said, rolling up the sheath of parchment. "Looks like we will be able to have that party after all."
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Karista shot McGonagall a sharp look.
"What party?" Hermione asked, almost slipping out of her chair.
"Oh, it is a dinner party with some ministry officials on Christmas eve," she said, packing up the papers that were still scattered across her desk. "Dumbledore said that if only a limited amount of students were staying, then Hogwarts would host it, and those students would come."
McGonagall looked at them worriedly, or so Harry thought.
"If you don't want to stay over the holidays for this party, then now is the time to say so."
They all stood frozen on the spot, looking at the sheet of parchment McGonagall was clutching in her fist. At once, they all shook their heads no and left the room.
"Ooh, a party," Karista quipped enthusiastically. "I've been to plenty of those in my day."
Harry looked like he would be sick. A party? With ministry officials? Surely, he knew many of the officials already, but now he would probably meet all their families. Nerves shaken slightly, they sprinted to charms class, realizing they were five minutes late.
***
Ron picked up a letter from his bed that had just landed there. He examined it closely before calling attention to it.
"Oye, Harry! Look at your bed and see if you got one of these," Ron said, nearly ripping it to shreds opening it.
Harry picked up the envelope, which was written in the same green Hogwarts ink with the same seal on the back. Harry quickly glanced at Dean, Seamus and Neville's beds and realized that they hadn't received them, as Harry and Ron were the first in their dormitory since classes ended. Harry read the title on the front:
Mr. H. Potter
Boys Dormitory, top tower
Gryffindor House
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Harry, realizing what the letter was probably for, opened the letter.
The Britain Ministry of Magic
Requests your presence at the annual Ball
Taking place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The 24th of December
Taking place on the front grounds
At 8:00 PM
Formal robes required
Please RSVP With Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster
Ron and Harry both let out a slight cry of delight as they sprinted down the stairs. At the bottom, they met Karista and Hermione, both clutching the letters and running out the portrait hole towards the owlery. Once there, Hedwig came and perched herself upon Harry's shoulder, as he wrote a reply.
Professor Dumbledore,
Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Karista Flannigan and Harry Potter will be coming. Please make room for four more.
Harry Potter
He then gave the letter to Hedwig, who swooped out the window and down. They then, considerably happier, went to the great hall for dinner. Inside the doors, they saw Hedwig up at the staff table in front of Dumbledore, puffed up proudly as she stuck her foot out in front of him. Dumbledore removed the roll of parchment from her leg and offered a gracious, "Thank you, Hedwig," then read the parchment. Harry could unmistakably see a smile creep across his face as he looked down at the Gryffindor table, looking for the foursome.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Karista sat down, and Dumbledore nodded his head then tucked the slip into his blue robes.