Chapter 10. Christmas Time

"Merry Christmas Hagrid!" cried the three girls.
"Merry Christmas! It's kind of you to see me. I wasn't expecting any visitors." said Hagrid.
"We've got presents for you, Hagrid. But it's very strange. Our presents just disappeared this morning." explained Hannah.
"You too??" asked Hagrid, shocked. The girls looked at him.
"Not you too?"
"Yes! I prepare many presents for you guys, but there wasn't one left! I thought someone stole them for a joke."

"Lily!" called Sirius. "Felicity, Hannah! Come out and help us!" Lily look out of Hagrid't window. Sirius was holding bottles of butter beer. Peter, Remus, James, Clarissa and Justin was holding many dishes and put it them in on Hagrid't table.
"Lily, you guys, follow me to get dessert!" cried Sirius.
"Dessert?" asked Felicity. "Where on earth...."
"No time for questions." said Sirius. He brought them back to the castle, and climbed a flight of stone steps. Instead of ending up in a gloomy underground passage like the one that led to Snape's dungeon, they came to a broad stone corridor brightly lit with torches and decorated with cheerful paintings that were mainly of food.

There was a picture of a gigantic silver fruit bowl. Sirius tickle the pear and it squirm, chuckling and suddenly it turned into a large green door handle.

"Ladies, this is what Hogwart is famous for. The Kitchen!" cried Sirius.

It was an enormous, hing-ceilinged room, large as the great hall above it with mounds of glittering brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace at the other end. There were many house elves, working busily, cooking and cleaning.

"Master Black! There's your food!" cried one of the house elves and pointed at a large table with all kinds of dishes and desserts. Chinese dish, western dish, Japanese dish, Ice cream, cakes, cookies, you name it. Sirius winked at the three stunned girls.
"I just love their service." he said. He and the three girls hold as much as they could but the elves kept giving them more.
"Followiscata!" cried Hannah. The dishes followed her in two straight lines. The house elves happily put more on the table and the dishes followed Hannah. When they came back to Hagrid't hut, the house was decorated and there was a huge christmas tree outside, while Remus, Peter, James and Justin busily decorating it. Clarissa was in the hut, shouting out magic words, making the hut larger, the table bigger and more chairs. Hagrid just stood there, stunned at the sudden surprises.

"How are we going to finish all this?" asked Clarissa.
"Keep on eating!" replied James. He handed plates and folks to everyone. Hagrid was near to tears.
"This is the best Christmas I"ve ever had!" he cried.
"More shusi, Hagrid? Justin??" asked James. Lily was surprised at James, being so friendly to Justin.
"Incredible, isn't it?" said Clarissa. "I guess he doesn't want to hate Justin. I think he likes him, but dislike Justin when he's with you." Lily smiled bitterly.

"Presents everyone!" cried Sirius. "Outside!!!" Under the tree there were plenty of presents.
"So that's where my presents were!" cried Felicity. "I thought I have none!"
"Why don't we open our presents later and watch Hagrid unwrapping them!" suggested Hannah. the others nodded. Hagrid excitedly opened their gifts.

"Thank you, Lily! I've always wan' one of these!" cried Hagrid, hugging Lily. He was crying, but in happy feelings.
"Felicity and Hannah helped." they gave him a patchwork quilt to Hagrid, as Lily noticed Hagrid only had a thin blanket for the winter. Hagrid got a cupboard from James and Peter, a craved wolf from Remus, a knitted scarf from Clarissa, a wool sweater from Felicity, a embroidered pillow case from Hannah, a chair from Justin and a cookbook from Sirius.
"A cookbook?" asked Lily, as Hagrid happily thanked all of them.
"I thought he would like something soft for a change. I dunno how he cooks those rock cakes. Maybe he will like some normal dishes better his own cooking!" he explained.
"Thanks, Sirius! Now I can make more rock cakes but in another favours!!" Hagrid cried.
"Maybe not." said Lily as she laughed at Sirius stunned face.

***********

"It was great, wasn't it? Hagrid was so happy." said James.
"Yeah and I bet he never got a party specially for him!" cried Lily.
"Let't make one every year!" suggested James.
"Great, I bet he will be very happy about it." said Lily.
"So, you guys are talking?" asked Sirius. James and Lily looked at each other and then they looked at other directions, not speaking to each other.
"Oh great, you got them quiet now." said Felicity, annoyed.
"Sorry," said Sirius humbly. But the damage was done. Lily and James weren't talking. Worse still, Justin started to start conversations with Lily and completely ignored Clarissa. Clarissa was very quiet. Remus looked at Clarissa sadly. Hannah looked hopeless. James just acted cool and Lily tried to make Justin stop. Felicity sighed.
"You just can't keep your mouth shut, do you?"
"I didn't know it would be so terrible to tease them a bit." admitted Sirius. "But what can I do? Hold any other party?"
"That reminds me. Is that what you wanted to show us in Halloween? About the path to the kitchen?" Felicity asked.
"Yup. James and Peter found it by accident." said Sirius.
"Well, at least that made this Christmas a good one. Not great but just right." said Felicity.
"How can we help them?"
"Why don't we just let themselves to solve their problems?" They are bound to be back together again." said Felicity.
"Wanna bet?"
"You're on. I bet they will be together within the 7 years in Hogwarts."
"Not fair! That's too long!"
"Then don't bet on it if you're afraid you lose."
"Afraid? Ha, that's a laugh."
"So???"
"Deal. The loser got to do whatever the winer wants him or her to do."
"Deal."