It All Began So Well
Christmas day went fine, and everyone was happy for a change, even Lily and myself. We had promised one another that for Christmas day, we would try our best to forget what was going on, and just have a nice day. We all agreed to open our presents from each other in the common room, and being the only four (The Fates + Ed) 6th year Slytherins who stayed, we had the common room to ourselves. I think that was because the few younger children that did stay were quite fearful of us, and chose to stay in their Dormitories.
Ed typically came bounding down the stairs at top speed, and hurdle- jumped right over and into one of the armchairs, which I thought was very impressive as he had an armful of presents. Severus ambled down as usual; not looking particularly bothered about the whole affair. He never did seem to get that excited about Christmas, but at least he actually enjoyed it back then.
Ed eagerly dished out the presents he had bought for everyone, and we knew we had better open them with caution. However, he had been entirely sensible, and it seemed he had grown up in the past year. His presents were entirely sensible, and I was almost choked by what he bought me. He gave Severus a set of extra strength pewter potion vials that could read the exact potency of any liquid, and he bought Lily limited edition book on Levitation charms (Charms was her favourite subject).
He gave me a beautiful silver necklace, with a spider's web pendant at the bottom. I Thought it was just a pretty necklace at first, but on closer inspection a bit later, I found he had had an inscription etched into the strands of the web. Forgive me, but I would rather not share it with you. He and I will always be the only people that know what it said.
Lily had bought me a box of blood lollipops and as a joke an English phrase book. My English was very good, even then, but as Romanian was my first language, I sometimes made silly mistakes or would say something in Romanian and not notice. This was a source of great amusement to the three of them, and I very often did not realise what I had done. She bought Ed a 10 galleon gift voucher for Zonko's, which he was delighted with, and Severus a
Funny-looking black glass ball.
"I'm not quite sure what it does, but the guy in the shop said it reacts to different potions, and that if you know how to make complex ones, it can be really good fun!"
He looked at it curiously, and was eventually persuaded to put it down. I've no doubt he had every intention of taking it down to the Potions lab that very day and seeing what it did.
Severus had bought Ed a book on how to play practical jokes and not get the blame, for which I was very grateful.
"You two shouldn't be encouraging him! But at least with that book I will not have to spend all my spare time getting him out of trouble!"
Ed shot me a sly smirk, and I had a feeling that I still would be getting him out of trouble!
Severus had bought Lily a Brooch that changed colour to match whatever you were wearing, which was a great move. She had wanted one for ages, and she was very much absorbed with it all morning. He had bought me a book on Apparaton because I would be taking my test some time during the next term (In Romania, the age for the test was 16, not 18, and as I was a Romanian citizen, I would be allowed to apparate in Britain) and some Blood flavoured boiled sweets that he knew I loved.
I had bought Lily a pair of earrings that matched the brooch from Severus. He had seen them both on a trip to Hogsmead, and suggested that we got her on half of the set each. I had bought Severus himself a small Romanian book on Dark Potions and their Properties. I also got him a voucher for the ingredient shop in Hogsmead, though I forget the name of it. For Ed, and I thought that this was very strange, I had bought him a ring, and on it was the same pattern of a spider's web. He loved it, and from then on never took it off. I believe he left it to his son, Robert, though I am not sure.
After we had all swapped presents and been down for the feast, we returned to our rooms. Ed and Severus were intrigued by the black glass ball, and went to find out what it did, while Lily and I returned to our rooms. Lily seemed quite pale after lunch, but said it was nothing.
"Don't worry, Rene. My eyes were bigger than my stomach, that's all. I think I will have a little rest before the ball. Wake me in an hour to get ready?"
She didn't wait for an answer, and it was probably just as well she didn't. I had been watching her at lunch, and she had eaten hardly anything. I made a mental note to keep a close eye on her during the Ball, just in case.
Christmas day went fine, and everyone was happy for a change, even Lily and myself. We had promised one another that for Christmas day, we would try our best to forget what was going on, and just have a nice day. We all agreed to open our presents from each other in the common room, and being the only four (The Fates + Ed) 6th year Slytherins who stayed, we had the common room to ourselves. I think that was because the few younger children that did stay were quite fearful of us, and chose to stay in their Dormitories.
Ed typically came bounding down the stairs at top speed, and hurdle- jumped right over and into one of the armchairs, which I thought was very impressive as he had an armful of presents. Severus ambled down as usual; not looking particularly bothered about the whole affair. He never did seem to get that excited about Christmas, but at least he actually enjoyed it back then.
Ed eagerly dished out the presents he had bought for everyone, and we knew we had better open them with caution. However, he had been entirely sensible, and it seemed he had grown up in the past year. His presents were entirely sensible, and I was almost choked by what he bought me. He gave Severus a set of extra strength pewter potion vials that could read the exact potency of any liquid, and he bought Lily limited edition book on Levitation charms (Charms was her favourite subject).
He gave me a beautiful silver necklace, with a spider's web pendant at the bottom. I Thought it was just a pretty necklace at first, but on closer inspection a bit later, I found he had had an inscription etched into the strands of the web. Forgive me, but I would rather not share it with you. He and I will always be the only people that know what it said.
Lily had bought me a box of blood lollipops and as a joke an English phrase book. My English was very good, even then, but as Romanian was my first language, I sometimes made silly mistakes or would say something in Romanian and not notice. This was a source of great amusement to the three of them, and I very often did not realise what I had done. She bought Ed a 10 galleon gift voucher for Zonko's, which he was delighted with, and Severus a
Funny-looking black glass ball.
"I'm not quite sure what it does, but the guy in the shop said it reacts to different potions, and that if you know how to make complex ones, it can be really good fun!"
He looked at it curiously, and was eventually persuaded to put it down. I've no doubt he had every intention of taking it down to the Potions lab that very day and seeing what it did.
Severus had bought Ed a book on how to play practical jokes and not get the blame, for which I was very grateful.
"You two shouldn't be encouraging him! But at least with that book I will not have to spend all my spare time getting him out of trouble!"
Ed shot me a sly smirk, and I had a feeling that I still would be getting him out of trouble!
Severus had bought Lily a Brooch that changed colour to match whatever you were wearing, which was a great move. She had wanted one for ages, and she was very much absorbed with it all morning. He had bought me a book on Apparaton because I would be taking my test some time during the next term (In Romania, the age for the test was 16, not 18, and as I was a Romanian citizen, I would be allowed to apparate in Britain) and some Blood flavoured boiled sweets that he knew I loved.
I had bought Lily a pair of earrings that matched the brooch from Severus. He had seen them both on a trip to Hogsmead, and suggested that we got her on half of the set each. I had bought Severus himself a small Romanian book on Dark Potions and their Properties. I also got him a voucher for the ingredient shop in Hogsmead, though I forget the name of it. For Ed, and I thought that this was very strange, I had bought him a ring, and on it was the same pattern of a spider's web. He loved it, and from then on never took it off. I believe he left it to his son, Robert, though I am not sure.
After we had all swapped presents and been down for the feast, we returned to our rooms. Ed and Severus were intrigued by the black glass ball, and went to find out what it did, while Lily and I returned to our rooms. Lily seemed quite pale after lunch, but said it was nothing.
"Don't worry, Rene. My eyes were bigger than my stomach, that's all. I think I will have a little rest before the ball. Wake me in an hour to get ready?"
She didn't wait for an answer, and it was probably just as well she didn't. I had been watching her at lunch, and she had eaten hardly anything. I made a mental note to keep a close eye on her during the Ball, just in case.
