As Christmas grew steadily closer, Melissa felt a growing sense of
desperation. Although she was sure it would be special, being her first
Christmas spent with her uncle, she also couldn't help feeling a bit
depressed. Everything would be so different this year, and she had never
liked change much.
In the past, Melissa would always spend Christmas Eve with her parents and close family friends. On Christmas day, Angie and her family would come over and they would all drink cider and reminisce. The previous year, Melissa had even talked her parents into allowing Heather, Libby, Davey, Doug, and James to come as well. It had been a joyous affair, and Melissa had a feeling that this year would be anticlimactic in comparison to last.
Melissa was staying at Hogwarts, because her uncle was also staying to supervise, along with, to both her dismay and relief, Drew. She was relieved that Drew was staying because all the other Slytherins, including Vivian and Draco, would be gone. At least she would have company. On the other hand, she was disappointed because although Drew had been cautious around her lately, she couldn't help but feel a bit spiteful towards him. Melissa was not looking forward to spending time alone with him.
The girl was pleased to discover that Ron, Harry, and Hermione were planning on remaining at Hogwarts for their Christmas vacation. They were the only Gryffindors, along with Ron's little sister Ginny, so they had assured her that she could make refuge of their common room during the time. Melissa was extremely grateful for this.
So it was with very little Christmas spirit that Melissa and Vivian went to Hogsmeade to shop the weekend before Christmas. Melissa's purse was full of heavy gold coins; she would be buying for many people this year.
The hardest to shop for was her uncle. After a while, Melissa decided on a leather lesson planner. She had noticed that her uncle taught off of bits of parchment, which were often disorganized.
For Davey she bought a new scarf, seeing as she still refused to send his back to him. Ginny and Vivian (although Vivian thought it was Hermione's) would both be receiving sweaters, Ginny's a deep green and Vivian's a light blue. Melissa picked out a fancy quill and journal for Hermione and a book about the Chudly Cannons for Ron.
Noticing that most of Harry's clothes looked worn and about five sizes too big, and after finding that he had been given hand-me-downs from his cousin Dudley, Melissa bought him a few nice shirts to wear. For Heather, Melissa found a book titled A Hundred Hexes to Ward off Unwanted Suitors. Melissa picked a love story for Libby, who was what Heather would call a "sentimental fool".
Melissa picked out a pair of boots for Angie that she knew that her friend would love. When they went to the robe shop, she saw a gorgeous scarlet cloak. Angie had always had an obsession with cloaks, and Melissa couldn't help but feed the passion this year.
Melissa found a handsome set of quills to give to Draco, and as they were walking out of the store she realized..
"Vivian! I don't know what to get for Drew!"
The girls looked at one another for a moment. Melissa looked worried, and was chewing on her lip. Vivian, on the other hand, seemed absolutely delighted.
"Oh! You're getting Drew a present?" She teased the redhead.
"Well of course I'm getting Drew a present. I'm engaged to him, aren't I?" Melissa snapped. She didn't like the knowing look the blonde girl was giving her.
"Admit it, Melissa, you're fond of him," Vivian prompted.
"Never," Melissa shot back.
"Come on, you have to like him a little bit, at least," Vivian persisted.
"Not in the least," Melissa replied cheerfully. "He gets on my last nerve." "At least admit that he's cute," Vivian smiled mischievously.
"Well, I'm not blind. Of course he's cute," Melissa said. Seeing Vivian's triumphant look, she hastily added, "but that doesn't mean I like him in the slightest. At the moment I hate him with a passion."
"What evil has he done now?" Vivian asked, rolling her eyes.
"He didn't even hint as to what he wanted for Christmas!"
"Did you give him any clues to let him know what you want?"
"No."
"Then you can't hold a grudge against him."
"Watch me."
"You're difficult, Melissa. Anyways, what do you know about Drew?"
"He's always late to class," Melissa replied sarcastically.
"Then I suppose he could use a watch," Vivian replied happily, pulling Melissa off in the direction of the jewelry store. Melissa's mouth hung open in surprise; she had only meant to insult Drew. How did Vivian manage to discover the perfect gift out of an insult?
Forty five minutes later, the girls emerged from the shop having found an expensive but tasteful gold watch for Drew. Melissa hoped, based on what she knew from his style, that he would like it. It doesn't matter if he likes it or not she hissed at herself mentally. You don't care; you don't have to please him. With that thought, the girls headed back to the castle.
Late that night, Melissa sat on her bed amid a mess of paper, tape, and ribbons. She thoughtfully wrapped each gift, attached a small bag of chocolate from Honeydukes, and wrote cards for each one. She also had bought a bag of chocolate for each of the girls in her dorm, although she didn't expect anything in return. With a flourish, she signed the last card and sighed contentedly. She was finally done. Looking at the clock with a yawn, she noted that it was two in the morning.
The other girls in the dorm were still awake, some still wrapping gifts and others having just finished as well. Seeing as the next day was Christmas Eve, and they would all be gone, Melissa decided to give them their gifts early. From her perch on her bed, she tossed a bag to each of them. They all looked at her in surprise.
"Merry Christmas," Melissa stated simply with a sweet smile.
Pansy picked up her parcel and looked at Melissa asking, "Can we open them now?"
"Yup," Melissa chirped. After a moment she added, "It's not very much, though."
Her dorm mates, although surprised, were pleased with the gesture.
"You didn't have to do that," Blaise stated awkwardly.
"I know, I just wanted to," Melissa replied.
"Well, thanks. It was sweet of you, Melissa," a girl named Jeannie said. The others added their gratitude and Melissa smiled. She always loved this part of Christmas, the giving and seeing other people's reactions.
"Well, I'm going to turn in, girls. Merry Christmas if I'm not up before you leave tomorrow," Melissa stated, pulling her drapes closed. She heard the other girls return Merry Christmases and Good Nights through the curtains as she closed her eyes and sunk into a peaceful sleep.
The next day Melissa slept late, which was understandable considering how long she had stayed up the night before. When she did wake up, the dorm was empty. By her bedside table there was a note.
Melissa,
I was going to wake you up to say goodbye, but Draco told me to let you sleep. Because we all know that Draco is the center of my universe.I tried to wake you up anyways. Let me tell you, when you sleep you sleep. I thought you were dead at first. But then I saw you were breathing. So I decided to leave you a note (obviously). Merry Christmas and your present is under the tree in the common room. Unfortunately for you, you won't be able to open it early because I put a few choice hexes on it in case you decided to peek. They'll have warn off by tomorrow, don't worry. I hope you have a good holiday. And Melissa, be nice to Drew. Try to get along, will you?
Love,
Vivian.
PS-Don't tell Draco that I tried to wake you after he told me not to. I have to visit his family over Christmas, and would rather not deal with his wrath. You know how he can get, after all..
Melissa smiled a bit. She knew that Vivian wouldn't want Draco to be upset with her, especially during Christmas. In fact, she didn't think Vivian would be able to handle Draco being upset with her at any time. Although the boys seemed rather oblivious of the fact, it was painfully obvious that Vivian was fast falling head over heals for Draco.
Melissa sighed, knowing that she had better at least attempt to get along with Drew over the holiday. After all, it was his Christmas as well. With her new resolution in place, Melissa cleaned up for the day and went down to the Great Hall in search of a meal and her friends. She made a mental note to visit Severus later that day to say Merry Christmas Eve.
Later that night as she was preparing for bed, Melissa sighed, going over the events of the day. She was regretting the fact that Draco and Vivian were gone already because Melissa had been avoiding Drew as much as possible lately. He made it easy for her, but it did become quite lonely.
Having become tired of being alone, Melissa had gone off to find Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Unfortunately, they had been no where to be seen. Melissa searched the grounds and castle for three solid hours to no avail. Finally Melissa wandered down to the dungeons in hopes of talking to her uncle.
When she arrived there, Drew was just walking out. When Severus saw Melissa approaching, he quickly closed the door to his classroom. Melissa looked at him in surprise for a moment, asking if she had caught him at a bad time. Severus gave her a quick smile and replied that it was nearly time for supper, and why didn't she and Drew go on ahead?
Before she could even react, Melissa was standing outside the dungeon door, where her uncle had just disappeared. She started towards to door, determined to find out why Severus was acting so strangely. Before she had taken two steps, however, Drew shot forward and turned her around, saying that they really should go get something to eat.
Melissa had been too stunned to argue, so she followed in dumb wonderment. What has gotten into those two? Melissa asked herself. She and Drew walked up to the Great Hall in an awkward silence, which neither of the two seemed to know how to break. Melissa had been relieved when she saw that the House tables had been removed and one long table had been provided for the small gathering of students that had remained at Hogwarts this Christmas.
At dinner, Melissa discovered that Harry, Hermione, and Ron had spent the day devising a plan to help Harry "escape" from his relatives that summer. Ginny, apparently, had been feuding with Peeves all day, who had locked her in a magical supply closet and would not let her out. After dinner, Melissa headed to the Slytherin common room to read Pride and Prejudice before going to bed.
Sighing sadly, Melissa crawled under her covers. She didn't want to think about the next day, which would seem void without her friends and family laughing with her. She was overwhelmed with a desire to see her mother, and the sadness of knowing that she never could again was heart wrenching.
Drew stood outside Melissa's dorm, debating whether or not to go inside and bid her goodnight. He was about to knock softly when he heard her softly crying on the other side of the door. He listened for a moment before knocking.
"Melissa?" He called quietly.
"Just go away, Drew." Melissa replied wearily. Instead, he pushed the door open and walked inside. She glared at him, but the effect was lost when he saw the tears that were gently rolling down her cheeks. Drew walked forward and sat next to her as she tried desperately to stop crying.
"Don't you ever listen to anyone?" Melissa demanded, angrily swiping at the tears.
"No," Drew replied, wiping her tears with his thumb. He cursed silently when she flinched away. Melissa turned away from his gaze after a moment, feeling confused. She couldn't decide if she wanted to hate him, or to be his friend.
"What's bothering you, Missy?" Drew asked gently after a moment.
"Nothing," she replied in a dull voice. Next to her, Drew shifted so he was leaning against the headboard, portraying the message that he didn't plan on leaving until she told him.
"I'm just tired, all right?" Melissa snapped testily. After a moment, she added, "You shouldn't be in here, anyways."
"I know," Drew replied, un-phased.
"What do you want?" Melissa demanded hotly. She was becoming angry, and could feel her cheeks flush hotly. Drew turned his eyes to her, and took this all in.
"You're quite pretty when you're angry, has anyone told you that? Well, at least I'm good for something," Drew stated with a smirk.
"I hardly think that making me angry is useful, Andrew," Melissa shot back.
"You're not crying anymore though, are you? If you won't let me comfort you, at least you'll let me distract you," Drew replied turning away. Melissa simply gaped at him for a moment.
"What do you want?" Melissa asked again, this time soft. She avoided looking at him as he responded.
"I only wanted to say goodnight. I heard you and wondered what the matter was."
Melissa shifted, leaning back next to him, saying, "Don't waste your time worrying about it, Drew."
"Why," he asked with a mirthless laugh, "you won't tell me? You don't trust me? You-"
"-you can't fix it. It's pointless to worry about it."
"Then why are you worrying about it, Missy?" Melissa was surprised by the gentleness in his voice. She chanced a sidelong glance at him, and saw that he was staring at the wall resolutely.
"I'm not worrying about it. I'm grieving over it," Melissa said softly after a moment. Drew turned inquiring eyes to her, and Melissa took a deep breath. She quickly dropped her gaze from him, feeling uncomfortable.
Impulsively, Drew seized her chin and forced her to look at him again.
"About what?" He demanded. Melissa tried to jump off her bed, to get away from his interrogation, but he held her steadily with his other hand. Finally she sat back down, and he allowed her to tear her eyes from him.
"What do you think?" She asked softly, with a soft, un-amused laugh.
"Melissa," Drew began slowly, "I realize that you don't want to get married and that I don't make things easier for you, really, but-"
"That's not it, Drew," Melissa interrupted him. "Against my better judgment, and for some god-forsaken reason, I do trust you."
"What is it, then?" Drew asked with a slight frown.
"I miss them, Drew," Melissa responded simply, looking out a window.
"Of course," Drew whispered quietly. He placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her to look at him once again. Her eyes were shimmering with tears which she refused to let fall. Drew pulled her to himself slowly, and she leaned against him sadly.
Melissa bit her lip, still refusing to cry. Drew rubbed her back soothingly, waiting for her breaths to become even. After a while, he pulled away from her. Drew pulled down the redhead's covers.
"Go to sleep, Melissa," he said softly. "You're tired."
"How is it that you determine whether or not I'm tired?" Melissa asked stubbornly, but climbed under the covers nonetheless. Drew smiled a bit and pulled the warm comforter to her chin.
"Because I know that when you don't seem quite so hostile you must be exhausted," he teased.
"True enough," Melissa responded with a yawn. "'Night, Drew."
"Night," Drew said kissing her cheek and leaving the room.
It seemed that Melissa had just fallen asleep when she was being shaken awake.
"Go away and let me sleep, for the love of all that is holy!" Melissa exclaimed, pulling her blankets over her head. She heard laughter and growled menacingly. Suddenly she shrieked as she felt someone jump on top of her.
Melissa sat up quickly, turning to glare at the intruder. Before her was a girl with black hair cut to about her chin. The girl's long legs were stretched out, and her arms were behind her head. Her bright blue eyes sparkled.
"Merry Christmas, Missy!" The girl exclaimed. Melissa simply gaped at her before tossing her arms around her.
"Angie!" Melissa exclaimed.
"C'mon, Angie, don't hog our Missy!" Said a girl with long, dark blonde hair. She grinned as Melissa's face registered more disbelief than before.
"Heather?"
The other girl simply laughed and joined the other two girls on Missy's bed. Melissa reached out and pulled Heather into a tight hug as well. Suddenly the door to the dorm opened, and in walked a third girl, this one with auburn hair that was long and straight.
"Oh, I feel left out!" The girl pouted. The other girls laughed, and Melissa cried, "Come over here, Libby!"
Libby giggled and jumped on top of the other three friends, causing them all to laugh. Heather reached for a pillow, and tossed it at Libby. The pillow missed and hit Angie, who cried out in mock indignation and seized another pillow. The fight ended when the room, and all four girls, was covered in feathers and laughing until tears came to their eyes.
"How did you get here?" Melissa asked after a while, still smiling.
"All I have to say, Missy, is that your uncle is so awesome!" Angie declared.
"Uncle Sev brought you all here?" Melissa asked, her eyebrows shooting up.
"Yes, he wrote us around Thanksgiving-although I suppose he didn't know that it was Thanksgiving, they don't celebrate it in England," Libby responded.
"Anyways, he wrote Angie and said he thought you would appreciate seeing a few of your friends over the holiday, and to pick a group of five at the most," Heather finished.
"We flooed here just this morning. Did you know it takes three hours to arrive in England from America when you travel by Floo Powder?" Angie added.
"The things we do for you, Missy," Libby teased. Melissa just laughed.
"So it's just you three, then?" Melissa asked after a while. The other three girls looked at one another guiltily.
"Oops," Angie said.
"That's right," Libby said, as if she just remembered something.
"Dave's here too," Heather explained with a smile. "We forgot he was waiting downstairs with.well, you'll see."
Melissa bounded from her bed quickly, not bothering to put on a bathrobe. Dave had seen her in her Pjs plenty of times before. When she entered the common room, her mouth fell open.
Dave and Drew were both sitting in armchairs, making polite conversation. That wasn't what surprised Melissa, though. On the ground, playing with a doll was Dave's three year old sister Amy.
When Amy saw Melissa, her face broke into a grin. The girl squealed with delight and ran forward into Melissa's outstretched arms. Melissa laughed and spun the little girl around.
"Lissa!" The little girl cried, her arms wrapped around the older girl's neck.
"Well, hello to you too, Missy," said Davey, his brown eyes shining with amusement.
"Hi Davey!" Melissa cried. She laughed, her face breaking into a grin. "I can't believe you're all here!"
Davey moved across the room to envelope his sister and Melissa in a hug. Melissa laughed and threw one arm around Dave, the other still holding Amy. Drew watched the warm exchange with feigned disinterest. In actuality, he was fascinated. He had never seen people so happy just to see each other.
Drew also felt a pang of jealousy that he could not explain. Instead of dwelling on it, he pushed it aside instead. Walking forward, Drew placed his hand on her shoulder gently. Melissa pulled away from Dave and looked at Drew curiously.
"Merry Christmas, Missy," Drew said with a smile.
"Merry Christmas, Drew," Melissa replied, giving him a shy smile. She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before the three other girls pulled her into a chair.
"You have to open your presents!" Angie declared.
"You guys too! Just a second, I'll go get them," Melissa began to stand up, only to be pushed back down.
"We already did," Libby said with a grin.
"Figures," Melissa teased. She looked at the pile of presents before her. Amy climbed out of her lap to play with her doll once more. Melissa watched the little girl who used to be her next door neighbor with affection before her friends called her attention back to the task at hand.
They all laughed as they took turns opening their presents and talking, catching up. Heather had gotten Missy a fitted, dark green sweater and Libby had gotten her a pair of black pants. Jimmy had sent a pair of black boots (that Angie had picked out) and to complete the outfit, Dave (and his sister) gave her a black robe.
Angie had provided the accessories for the outfit- a silver necklace with a small emerald gem along with a matching bracelet. Melissa would have insisted that the gifts were too expensive if she hadn't known that Angie's oldest sister was a jeweler. Melissa smiled and was about to thank them all when Angie interrupted.
"That's not all, though, Missy!"
Melissa's mouth hung open, "You guys, you already gave me plenty! How much did you spend?"
"Nothing at all for this one," Libby stated with a smile, "We made this for you."
"Oh dear.." Melissa stated, looking at the three girls warily.
"Come on, Missy, it won't kill you," Heather insisted.
"Open it," Angie prompted, holding out a small bag which Melissa took after hesitating for a moment. It was small, but heavy. Finally, Melissa removed the tissue paper and peered inside the bag. Sitting there was an innocent, crystal bottle. Pulling it out of the gift bag, Melissa noticed it was full of a clear liquid.
"What is it?" Melissa asked curiously.
"Smell it," Libby said.
".do I want to?" Melissa asked with distrust.
"I think so," Angie said.
"All right." Melissa said as she carefully pulled out the stopper. She wafted the air above the opening towards her and sniffed tentatively.
"It's not a lab," Angie said with a laugh, "you can smell it."
Melissa smiled sheepishly at her friends and then smelled the liquid properly. She closed her eyes. She didn't know why, but the smell reminded her of home. It smelled so.familiar.
"What is it?" Melissa asked, awed.
"Perfume," Heather said with a grin.
"We made it," Angie added.
"I've smelt this before, haven't I?" Melissa asked.
"Every single summer, and for ten years before that," Libby said mysteriously.
Melissa inhaled the perfume deeply once more. Summer.yes, it smells like summer, Melissa thought. Suddenly her eyes popped open.
"Mama's roses!" She exclaimed.
Her three girlfriends nodded, smiling with a mixture of glee and sadness. Melissa slowly pushed the stopper back into the top of the bottle and placed it on the neatly folded pile of clothes she had opened. Then, without a word, Melissa gave the girls a hug. They smiled at one another.
"How did you." Melissa let her question trail off.
"We picked about twenty of your mom's roses. We figured that.with, well, everything.that is.after.." Libby bit her lip awkwardly, looking to the other two for help.
"We knew how much your mom loved those roses," Heather filled in. Libby nodded enthusiastically.
"There were always roses on your kitchen table and in all the rooms!" Libby exclaimed with a grin.
"And now with.well, no one to tend to them, we thought we'd preserve them for you. So we found a potion in the school library for preserving an essence, and we put your mother's roses in," Angie finished somberly. She looked at Melissa worriedly, "You do like it, don't you?"
"I love it so much, girls," Melissa smiled. "Now is it safe to say thank you?"
"No," Drew said from behind her. Melissa turned surprised. Although she had gotten him a gift, she really hadn't expected anything from him. She raised her eyebrows curiously and he grinned.
"Hold on. It's in your uncle's office," Drew said, still grinning. Heather gave an excited noise.
"You mean you got-" Heather stopped when Drew nodded. She squealed and hugged him. "You're awesome!"
Drew, seeming embarrassed, looked beseechingly at Melissa. Melissa laughed and stood to pry her friend off her fiancé. Drew smiled gratefully at Melissa and then tugged on her hand.
"Well, come on then!" He urged.
"Why's it in Uncle Sev's office, Drew?" Melissa asked as she allowed him to lead her out of the common room. Heather, Davey (with his sister in his arms), Angie, and Libby were close behind them. As Drew and Melissa walked down to Severus' office, Dave asked how the managed not to get lost. They laughed and said they got used to it after a while. In about fifteen minutes, they reached the dungeon office.
"Professor!" Drew called, knocking on the door. "It's us!"
"Of course it's you," came the tart reply, "who else would it be?"
With that, the door swung open. Melissa was surprised to see her uncle wearing a green robe instead of his usual black. She grinned.
"Well," She drawled, "aren't we festive today?"
"Missy," Severus replied, "must I remind you that I do have a silencing potion?"
"Merry Christmas," Melissa cried, throwing her arms around her uncle. Severus gave a short laugh and tried to suppress his smile.
"Merry Christmas, Missy. So you've come to take it?" The last part was directed towards Drew.
"Yes, sir," Drew replied. "Thank you for watching it for me."
"Not a problem. It slept most of the time. I suspect it'll be much more active when it's older, however," Severus replied, releasing Melissa.
"Slept?" Melissa asked, looking from Drew to Heather nervously.
They both grinned and Severus pointed to the hearth. Melissa turned slowly and gasped. Sleeping on the hearth, curled up in a ball, was a large cat. Melissa grinned and walked forward cautiously.
"Oh my gosh, Drew!" She exclaimed.
"Heather said you always liked cougars," Drew said with a smile. Melissa stopped dead and looked more closely at the cat. Instead of seeing a large house cat, as she expected, she saw a cougar that couldn't be more than a month old.
"I tried to talk them out of it," Severus said disapprovingly. "I even spoke to Dumbledore. He, however, insisted that felines were allowed in Hogwarts, and that cougars were felines."
Melissa laughed, turning to grin at Drew. Drew moved to kneel beside her in front of her new pet, and Melissa hugged him. Drew looked surprised for a moment before squeezing her shoulders gently.
"So, what's his name?" Drew asked casually.
"I don't know," Melissa said as she gently scratched the cub's ears. The cub stirred and turned sleepy eyes to them. It stretched lazily before ambling up to the two teenagers sitting before it. Melissa laughed as it began to attack the hem of Drew's robe.
"Aah, how about Vicious Cat?" Drew teased, pulling his robe out of sight. The cub then moved on to Melissa's hair which was hanging over her face. She laughed and pulled it into her arms. The cub batted at her arm with its paws playfully.
"He's just a big kitten, isn't he? Aren't ya?" Melissa said happily.
"You should name him Kitty," Angie said with a grin, hanging over Melissa's shoulder to look at the cub. Melissa smiled at the disgusted look on Drew's face. She was sure Dave had the same look plastered on his face.
"How about Kit?" Melissa suggested, looking at Drew for approval.
"As long as it's not 'Kitty'," Drew replied, giving Angie a teasing glance. Angie laughed and said she liked Kit better too. The students spent the rest of the morning playing with Kit while Severus read a book in a chair, as if watching small children.
A/N: Well, go on and review. You know you want to...
In the past, Melissa would always spend Christmas Eve with her parents and close family friends. On Christmas day, Angie and her family would come over and they would all drink cider and reminisce. The previous year, Melissa had even talked her parents into allowing Heather, Libby, Davey, Doug, and James to come as well. It had been a joyous affair, and Melissa had a feeling that this year would be anticlimactic in comparison to last.
Melissa was staying at Hogwarts, because her uncle was also staying to supervise, along with, to both her dismay and relief, Drew. She was relieved that Drew was staying because all the other Slytherins, including Vivian and Draco, would be gone. At least she would have company. On the other hand, she was disappointed because although Drew had been cautious around her lately, she couldn't help but feel a bit spiteful towards him. Melissa was not looking forward to spending time alone with him.
The girl was pleased to discover that Ron, Harry, and Hermione were planning on remaining at Hogwarts for their Christmas vacation. They were the only Gryffindors, along with Ron's little sister Ginny, so they had assured her that she could make refuge of their common room during the time. Melissa was extremely grateful for this.
So it was with very little Christmas spirit that Melissa and Vivian went to Hogsmeade to shop the weekend before Christmas. Melissa's purse was full of heavy gold coins; she would be buying for many people this year.
The hardest to shop for was her uncle. After a while, Melissa decided on a leather lesson planner. She had noticed that her uncle taught off of bits of parchment, which were often disorganized.
For Davey she bought a new scarf, seeing as she still refused to send his back to him. Ginny and Vivian (although Vivian thought it was Hermione's) would both be receiving sweaters, Ginny's a deep green and Vivian's a light blue. Melissa picked out a fancy quill and journal for Hermione and a book about the Chudly Cannons for Ron.
Noticing that most of Harry's clothes looked worn and about five sizes too big, and after finding that he had been given hand-me-downs from his cousin Dudley, Melissa bought him a few nice shirts to wear. For Heather, Melissa found a book titled A Hundred Hexes to Ward off Unwanted Suitors. Melissa picked a love story for Libby, who was what Heather would call a "sentimental fool".
Melissa picked out a pair of boots for Angie that she knew that her friend would love. When they went to the robe shop, she saw a gorgeous scarlet cloak. Angie had always had an obsession with cloaks, and Melissa couldn't help but feed the passion this year.
Melissa found a handsome set of quills to give to Draco, and as they were walking out of the store she realized..
"Vivian! I don't know what to get for Drew!"
The girls looked at one another for a moment. Melissa looked worried, and was chewing on her lip. Vivian, on the other hand, seemed absolutely delighted.
"Oh! You're getting Drew a present?" She teased the redhead.
"Well of course I'm getting Drew a present. I'm engaged to him, aren't I?" Melissa snapped. She didn't like the knowing look the blonde girl was giving her.
"Admit it, Melissa, you're fond of him," Vivian prompted.
"Never," Melissa shot back.
"Come on, you have to like him a little bit, at least," Vivian persisted.
"Not in the least," Melissa replied cheerfully. "He gets on my last nerve." "At least admit that he's cute," Vivian smiled mischievously.
"Well, I'm not blind. Of course he's cute," Melissa said. Seeing Vivian's triumphant look, she hastily added, "but that doesn't mean I like him in the slightest. At the moment I hate him with a passion."
"What evil has he done now?" Vivian asked, rolling her eyes.
"He didn't even hint as to what he wanted for Christmas!"
"Did you give him any clues to let him know what you want?"
"No."
"Then you can't hold a grudge against him."
"Watch me."
"You're difficult, Melissa. Anyways, what do you know about Drew?"
"He's always late to class," Melissa replied sarcastically.
"Then I suppose he could use a watch," Vivian replied happily, pulling Melissa off in the direction of the jewelry store. Melissa's mouth hung open in surprise; she had only meant to insult Drew. How did Vivian manage to discover the perfect gift out of an insult?
Forty five minutes later, the girls emerged from the shop having found an expensive but tasteful gold watch for Drew. Melissa hoped, based on what she knew from his style, that he would like it. It doesn't matter if he likes it or not she hissed at herself mentally. You don't care; you don't have to please him. With that thought, the girls headed back to the castle.
Late that night, Melissa sat on her bed amid a mess of paper, tape, and ribbons. She thoughtfully wrapped each gift, attached a small bag of chocolate from Honeydukes, and wrote cards for each one. She also had bought a bag of chocolate for each of the girls in her dorm, although she didn't expect anything in return. With a flourish, she signed the last card and sighed contentedly. She was finally done. Looking at the clock with a yawn, she noted that it was two in the morning.
The other girls in the dorm were still awake, some still wrapping gifts and others having just finished as well. Seeing as the next day was Christmas Eve, and they would all be gone, Melissa decided to give them their gifts early. From her perch on her bed, she tossed a bag to each of them. They all looked at her in surprise.
"Merry Christmas," Melissa stated simply with a sweet smile.
Pansy picked up her parcel and looked at Melissa asking, "Can we open them now?"
"Yup," Melissa chirped. After a moment she added, "It's not very much, though."
Her dorm mates, although surprised, were pleased with the gesture.
"You didn't have to do that," Blaise stated awkwardly.
"I know, I just wanted to," Melissa replied.
"Well, thanks. It was sweet of you, Melissa," a girl named Jeannie said. The others added their gratitude and Melissa smiled. She always loved this part of Christmas, the giving and seeing other people's reactions.
"Well, I'm going to turn in, girls. Merry Christmas if I'm not up before you leave tomorrow," Melissa stated, pulling her drapes closed. She heard the other girls return Merry Christmases and Good Nights through the curtains as she closed her eyes and sunk into a peaceful sleep.
The next day Melissa slept late, which was understandable considering how long she had stayed up the night before. When she did wake up, the dorm was empty. By her bedside table there was a note.
Melissa,
I was going to wake you up to say goodbye, but Draco told me to let you sleep. Because we all know that Draco is the center of my universe.I tried to wake you up anyways. Let me tell you, when you sleep you sleep. I thought you were dead at first. But then I saw you were breathing. So I decided to leave you a note (obviously). Merry Christmas and your present is under the tree in the common room. Unfortunately for you, you won't be able to open it early because I put a few choice hexes on it in case you decided to peek. They'll have warn off by tomorrow, don't worry. I hope you have a good holiday. And Melissa, be nice to Drew. Try to get along, will you?
Love,
Vivian.
PS-Don't tell Draco that I tried to wake you after he told me not to. I have to visit his family over Christmas, and would rather not deal with his wrath. You know how he can get, after all..
Melissa smiled a bit. She knew that Vivian wouldn't want Draco to be upset with her, especially during Christmas. In fact, she didn't think Vivian would be able to handle Draco being upset with her at any time. Although the boys seemed rather oblivious of the fact, it was painfully obvious that Vivian was fast falling head over heals for Draco.
Melissa sighed, knowing that she had better at least attempt to get along with Drew over the holiday. After all, it was his Christmas as well. With her new resolution in place, Melissa cleaned up for the day and went down to the Great Hall in search of a meal and her friends. She made a mental note to visit Severus later that day to say Merry Christmas Eve.
Later that night as she was preparing for bed, Melissa sighed, going over the events of the day. She was regretting the fact that Draco and Vivian were gone already because Melissa had been avoiding Drew as much as possible lately. He made it easy for her, but it did become quite lonely.
Having become tired of being alone, Melissa had gone off to find Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Unfortunately, they had been no where to be seen. Melissa searched the grounds and castle for three solid hours to no avail. Finally Melissa wandered down to the dungeons in hopes of talking to her uncle.
When she arrived there, Drew was just walking out. When Severus saw Melissa approaching, he quickly closed the door to his classroom. Melissa looked at him in surprise for a moment, asking if she had caught him at a bad time. Severus gave her a quick smile and replied that it was nearly time for supper, and why didn't she and Drew go on ahead?
Before she could even react, Melissa was standing outside the dungeon door, where her uncle had just disappeared. She started towards to door, determined to find out why Severus was acting so strangely. Before she had taken two steps, however, Drew shot forward and turned her around, saying that they really should go get something to eat.
Melissa had been too stunned to argue, so she followed in dumb wonderment. What has gotten into those two? Melissa asked herself. She and Drew walked up to the Great Hall in an awkward silence, which neither of the two seemed to know how to break. Melissa had been relieved when she saw that the House tables had been removed and one long table had been provided for the small gathering of students that had remained at Hogwarts this Christmas.
At dinner, Melissa discovered that Harry, Hermione, and Ron had spent the day devising a plan to help Harry "escape" from his relatives that summer. Ginny, apparently, had been feuding with Peeves all day, who had locked her in a magical supply closet and would not let her out. After dinner, Melissa headed to the Slytherin common room to read Pride and Prejudice before going to bed.
Sighing sadly, Melissa crawled under her covers. She didn't want to think about the next day, which would seem void without her friends and family laughing with her. She was overwhelmed with a desire to see her mother, and the sadness of knowing that she never could again was heart wrenching.
Drew stood outside Melissa's dorm, debating whether or not to go inside and bid her goodnight. He was about to knock softly when he heard her softly crying on the other side of the door. He listened for a moment before knocking.
"Melissa?" He called quietly.
"Just go away, Drew." Melissa replied wearily. Instead, he pushed the door open and walked inside. She glared at him, but the effect was lost when he saw the tears that were gently rolling down her cheeks. Drew walked forward and sat next to her as she tried desperately to stop crying.
"Don't you ever listen to anyone?" Melissa demanded, angrily swiping at the tears.
"No," Drew replied, wiping her tears with his thumb. He cursed silently when she flinched away. Melissa turned away from his gaze after a moment, feeling confused. She couldn't decide if she wanted to hate him, or to be his friend.
"What's bothering you, Missy?" Drew asked gently after a moment.
"Nothing," she replied in a dull voice. Next to her, Drew shifted so he was leaning against the headboard, portraying the message that he didn't plan on leaving until she told him.
"I'm just tired, all right?" Melissa snapped testily. After a moment, she added, "You shouldn't be in here, anyways."
"I know," Drew replied, un-phased.
"What do you want?" Melissa demanded hotly. She was becoming angry, and could feel her cheeks flush hotly. Drew turned his eyes to her, and took this all in.
"You're quite pretty when you're angry, has anyone told you that? Well, at least I'm good for something," Drew stated with a smirk.
"I hardly think that making me angry is useful, Andrew," Melissa shot back.
"You're not crying anymore though, are you? If you won't let me comfort you, at least you'll let me distract you," Drew replied turning away. Melissa simply gaped at him for a moment.
"What do you want?" Melissa asked again, this time soft. She avoided looking at him as he responded.
"I only wanted to say goodnight. I heard you and wondered what the matter was."
Melissa shifted, leaning back next to him, saying, "Don't waste your time worrying about it, Drew."
"Why," he asked with a mirthless laugh, "you won't tell me? You don't trust me? You-"
"-you can't fix it. It's pointless to worry about it."
"Then why are you worrying about it, Missy?" Melissa was surprised by the gentleness in his voice. She chanced a sidelong glance at him, and saw that he was staring at the wall resolutely.
"I'm not worrying about it. I'm grieving over it," Melissa said softly after a moment. Drew turned inquiring eyes to her, and Melissa took a deep breath. She quickly dropped her gaze from him, feeling uncomfortable.
Impulsively, Drew seized her chin and forced her to look at him again.
"About what?" He demanded. Melissa tried to jump off her bed, to get away from his interrogation, but he held her steadily with his other hand. Finally she sat back down, and he allowed her to tear her eyes from him.
"What do you think?" She asked softly, with a soft, un-amused laugh.
"Melissa," Drew began slowly, "I realize that you don't want to get married and that I don't make things easier for you, really, but-"
"That's not it, Drew," Melissa interrupted him. "Against my better judgment, and for some god-forsaken reason, I do trust you."
"What is it, then?" Drew asked with a slight frown.
"I miss them, Drew," Melissa responded simply, looking out a window.
"Of course," Drew whispered quietly. He placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her to look at him once again. Her eyes were shimmering with tears which she refused to let fall. Drew pulled her to himself slowly, and she leaned against him sadly.
Melissa bit her lip, still refusing to cry. Drew rubbed her back soothingly, waiting for her breaths to become even. After a while, he pulled away from her. Drew pulled down the redhead's covers.
"Go to sleep, Melissa," he said softly. "You're tired."
"How is it that you determine whether or not I'm tired?" Melissa asked stubbornly, but climbed under the covers nonetheless. Drew smiled a bit and pulled the warm comforter to her chin.
"Because I know that when you don't seem quite so hostile you must be exhausted," he teased.
"True enough," Melissa responded with a yawn. "'Night, Drew."
"Night," Drew said kissing her cheek and leaving the room.
It seemed that Melissa had just fallen asleep when she was being shaken awake.
"Go away and let me sleep, for the love of all that is holy!" Melissa exclaimed, pulling her blankets over her head. She heard laughter and growled menacingly. Suddenly she shrieked as she felt someone jump on top of her.
Melissa sat up quickly, turning to glare at the intruder. Before her was a girl with black hair cut to about her chin. The girl's long legs were stretched out, and her arms were behind her head. Her bright blue eyes sparkled.
"Merry Christmas, Missy!" The girl exclaimed. Melissa simply gaped at her before tossing her arms around her.
"Angie!" Melissa exclaimed.
"C'mon, Angie, don't hog our Missy!" Said a girl with long, dark blonde hair. She grinned as Melissa's face registered more disbelief than before.
"Heather?"
The other girl simply laughed and joined the other two girls on Missy's bed. Melissa reached out and pulled Heather into a tight hug as well. Suddenly the door to the dorm opened, and in walked a third girl, this one with auburn hair that was long and straight.
"Oh, I feel left out!" The girl pouted. The other girls laughed, and Melissa cried, "Come over here, Libby!"
Libby giggled and jumped on top of the other three friends, causing them all to laugh. Heather reached for a pillow, and tossed it at Libby. The pillow missed and hit Angie, who cried out in mock indignation and seized another pillow. The fight ended when the room, and all four girls, was covered in feathers and laughing until tears came to their eyes.
"How did you get here?" Melissa asked after a while, still smiling.
"All I have to say, Missy, is that your uncle is so awesome!" Angie declared.
"Uncle Sev brought you all here?" Melissa asked, her eyebrows shooting up.
"Yes, he wrote us around Thanksgiving-although I suppose he didn't know that it was Thanksgiving, they don't celebrate it in England," Libby responded.
"Anyways, he wrote Angie and said he thought you would appreciate seeing a few of your friends over the holiday, and to pick a group of five at the most," Heather finished.
"We flooed here just this morning. Did you know it takes three hours to arrive in England from America when you travel by Floo Powder?" Angie added.
"The things we do for you, Missy," Libby teased. Melissa just laughed.
"So it's just you three, then?" Melissa asked after a while. The other three girls looked at one another guiltily.
"Oops," Angie said.
"That's right," Libby said, as if she just remembered something.
"Dave's here too," Heather explained with a smile. "We forgot he was waiting downstairs with.well, you'll see."
Melissa bounded from her bed quickly, not bothering to put on a bathrobe. Dave had seen her in her Pjs plenty of times before. When she entered the common room, her mouth fell open.
Dave and Drew were both sitting in armchairs, making polite conversation. That wasn't what surprised Melissa, though. On the ground, playing with a doll was Dave's three year old sister Amy.
When Amy saw Melissa, her face broke into a grin. The girl squealed with delight and ran forward into Melissa's outstretched arms. Melissa laughed and spun the little girl around.
"Lissa!" The little girl cried, her arms wrapped around the older girl's neck.
"Well, hello to you too, Missy," said Davey, his brown eyes shining with amusement.
"Hi Davey!" Melissa cried. She laughed, her face breaking into a grin. "I can't believe you're all here!"
Davey moved across the room to envelope his sister and Melissa in a hug. Melissa laughed and threw one arm around Dave, the other still holding Amy. Drew watched the warm exchange with feigned disinterest. In actuality, he was fascinated. He had never seen people so happy just to see each other.
Drew also felt a pang of jealousy that he could not explain. Instead of dwelling on it, he pushed it aside instead. Walking forward, Drew placed his hand on her shoulder gently. Melissa pulled away from Dave and looked at Drew curiously.
"Merry Christmas, Missy," Drew said with a smile.
"Merry Christmas, Drew," Melissa replied, giving him a shy smile. She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before the three other girls pulled her into a chair.
"You have to open your presents!" Angie declared.
"You guys too! Just a second, I'll go get them," Melissa began to stand up, only to be pushed back down.
"We already did," Libby said with a grin.
"Figures," Melissa teased. She looked at the pile of presents before her. Amy climbed out of her lap to play with her doll once more. Melissa watched the little girl who used to be her next door neighbor with affection before her friends called her attention back to the task at hand.
They all laughed as they took turns opening their presents and talking, catching up. Heather had gotten Missy a fitted, dark green sweater and Libby had gotten her a pair of black pants. Jimmy had sent a pair of black boots (that Angie had picked out) and to complete the outfit, Dave (and his sister) gave her a black robe.
Angie had provided the accessories for the outfit- a silver necklace with a small emerald gem along with a matching bracelet. Melissa would have insisted that the gifts were too expensive if she hadn't known that Angie's oldest sister was a jeweler. Melissa smiled and was about to thank them all when Angie interrupted.
"That's not all, though, Missy!"
Melissa's mouth hung open, "You guys, you already gave me plenty! How much did you spend?"
"Nothing at all for this one," Libby stated with a smile, "We made this for you."
"Oh dear.." Melissa stated, looking at the three girls warily.
"Come on, Missy, it won't kill you," Heather insisted.
"Open it," Angie prompted, holding out a small bag which Melissa took after hesitating for a moment. It was small, but heavy. Finally, Melissa removed the tissue paper and peered inside the bag. Sitting there was an innocent, crystal bottle. Pulling it out of the gift bag, Melissa noticed it was full of a clear liquid.
"What is it?" Melissa asked curiously.
"Smell it," Libby said.
".do I want to?" Melissa asked with distrust.
"I think so," Angie said.
"All right." Melissa said as she carefully pulled out the stopper. She wafted the air above the opening towards her and sniffed tentatively.
"It's not a lab," Angie said with a laugh, "you can smell it."
Melissa smiled sheepishly at her friends and then smelled the liquid properly. She closed her eyes. She didn't know why, but the smell reminded her of home. It smelled so.familiar.
"What is it?" Melissa asked, awed.
"Perfume," Heather said with a grin.
"We made it," Angie added.
"I've smelt this before, haven't I?" Melissa asked.
"Every single summer, and for ten years before that," Libby said mysteriously.
Melissa inhaled the perfume deeply once more. Summer.yes, it smells like summer, Melissa thought. Suddenly her eyes popped open.
"Mama's roses!" She exclaimed.
Her three girlfriends nodded, smiling with a mixture of glee and sadness. Melissa slowly pushed the stopper back into the top of the bottle and placed it on the neatly folded pile of clothes she had opened. Then, without a word, Melissa gave the girls a hug. They smiled at one another.
"How did you." Melissa let her question trail off.
"We picked about twenty of your mom's roses. We figured that.with, well, everything.that is.after.." Libby bit her lip awkwardly, looking to the other two for help.
"We knew how much your mom loved those roses," Heather filled in. Libby nodded enthusiastically.
"There were always roses on your kitchen table and in all the rooms!" Libby exclaimed with a grin.
"And now with.well, no one to tend to them, we thought we'd preserve them for you. So we found a potion in the school library for preserving an essence, and we put your mother's roses in," Angie finished somberly. She looked at Melissa worriedly, "You do like it, don't you?"
"I love it so much, girls," Melissa smiled. "Now is it safe to say thank you?"
"No," Drew said from behind her. Melissa turned surprised. Although she had gotten him a gift, she really hadn't expected anything from him. She raised her eyebrows curiously and he grinned.
"Hold on. It's in your uncle's office," Drew said, still grinning. Heather gave an excited noise.
"You mean you got-" Heather stopped when Drew nodded. She squealed and hugged him. "You're awesome!"
Drew, seeming embarrassed, looked beseechingly at Melissa. Melissa laughed and stood to pry her friend off her fiancé. Drew smiled gratefully at Melissa and then tugged on her hand.
"Well, come on then!" He urged.
"Why's it in Uncle Sev's office, Drew?" Melissa asked as she allowed him to lead her out of the common room. Heather, Davey (with his sister in his arms), Angie, and Libby were close behind them. As Drew and Melissa walked down to Severus' office, Dave asked how the managed not to get lost. They laughed and said they got used to it after a while. In about fifteen minutes, they reached the dungeon office.
"Professor!" Drew called, knocking on the door. "It's us!"
"Of course it's you," came the tart reply, "who else would it be?"
With that, the door swung open. Melissa was surprised to see her uncle wearing a green robe instead of his usual black. She grinned.
"Well," She drawled, "aren't we festive today?"
"Missy," Severus replied, "must I remind you that I do have a silencing potion?"
"Merry Christmas," Melissa cried, throwing her arms around her uncle. Severus gave a short laugh and tried to suppress his smile.
"Merry Christmas, Missy. So you've come to take it?" The last part was directed towards Drew.
"Yes, sir," Drew replied. "Thank you for watching it for me."
"Not a problem. It slept most of the time. I suspect it'll be much more active when it's older, however," Severus replied, releasing Melissa.
"Slept?" Melissa asked, looking from Drew to Heather nervously.
They both grinned and Severus pointed to the hearth. Melissa turned slowly and gasped. Sleeping on the hearth, curled up in a ball, was a large cat. Melissa grinned and walked forward cautiously.
"Oh my gosh, Drew!" She exclaimed.
"Heather said you always liked cougars," Drew said with a smile. Melissa stopped dead and looked more closely at the cat. Instead of seeing a large house cat, as she expected, she saw a cougar that couldn't be more than a month old.
"I tried to talk them out of it," Severus said disapprovingly. "I even spoke to Dumbledore. He, however, insisted that felines were allowed in Hogwarts, and that cougars were felines."
Melissa laughed, turning to grin at Drew. Drew moved to kneel beside her in front of her new pet, and Melissa hugged him. Drew looked surprised for a moment before squeezing her shoulders gently.
"So, what's his name?" Drew asked casually.
"I don't know," Melissa said as she gently scratched the cub's ears. The cub stirred and turned sleepy eyes to them. It stretched lazily before ambling up to the two teenagers sitting before it. Melissa laughed as it began to attack the hem of Drew's robe.
"Aah, how about Vicious Cat?" Drew teased, pulling his robe out of sight. The cub then moved on to Melissa's hair which was hanging over her face. She laughed and pulled it into her arms. The cub batted at her arm with its paws playfully.
"He's just a big kitten, isn't he? Aren't ya?" Melissa said happily.
"You should name him Kitty," Angie said with a grin, hanging over Melissa's shoulder to look at the cub. Melissa smiled at the disgusted look on Drew's face. She was sure Dave had the same look plastered on his face.
"How about Kit?" Melissa suggested, looking at Drew for approval.
"As long as it's not 'Kitty'," Drew replied, giving Angie a teasing glance. Angie laughed and said she liked Kit better too. The students spent the rest of the morning playing with Kit while Severus read a book in a chair, as if watching small children.
A/N: Well, go on and review. You know you want to...