Blood of Enemies, Blood of Friends
Chapter 31 – Happy Christmas
The days leading to Christmas Eve seemed to fly by for those who remained at Hogwarts. The Scoobies and their friends took the time to delve back into their research with regular breaks for recreation and holiday preparations. Giles worked to organize the research effort, categorizing the books that they still needed to read by topic and importance, while Willow turned her attention to searching the Internet.
Wesley and Cat had returned from their weekend in London. They had in truth visited with a close friend of Cat's from her days at Victoriana Academy. However, they had also taken the time to follow up a lead on an ancient text, thought to contain the spell to activate the gemma sanguinis. After making certain inquiries with some less than reputable book dealers, they had returned to Hogwarts. They expected to receive information about the book soon.
While the others were researching after dinner each evening, Buffy, Faith, Robin, and Xander took over patrolling the Forbidden Forest. The student patrols had been put on hold during the break from classes, since many of the students had returned home for the holidays.
Buffy was also spending a lot of time just hanging out and talking with Charlie Weasley. She had to admit that in only a few days, the wizard had made a great impression on her. He was different than any of the men she had dated before. Most importantly, he wasn't a vampire, ensouled or not. He also was not intimidated by her Slayer abilities, like Riley had been. Buffy was finding that the most attractive thing about Charlie Weasley was his contentment with his own life. He was happy being who he was, and he seemed to be more fascinated by Buffy the woman than by Buffy the Slayer. Her only concern was that he lived in Romania.
Charlie Weasley was equally smitten with Buffy. He had yet to find anything that he didn't like about her. He was fascinated with her stories of saving the world, but she seemed equally fascinated with his stories of working with dragons. The thing about Buffy that attracted him the most though was her relationship with her friends. The Scoobies, as she called them, reminded him a great deal of his own big family.
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Dawn was awake very early on Christmas morning. She and Buffy always spent every year trying to be the first one awake – not that it mattered, considering whoever woke first quickly woke up the other. As Dawn lay in her large four-poster bed, she could not help but wonder if Buffy was awake yet.
Dawn debated going back to sleep, since it seemed that Shannon and Hermione were still sleeping. (Lavender and Parvati had gone home for the holidays.) However, when Dawn noticed that there were presents at the foot of her bed, she became too excited to sleep. She hopped out of bed to wake her roommates. "Everybody get up. It's Christmas."
Both Shannon and Hermione moaned, but soon pulled their bed curtains aside. Shannon noticed the gifts at the foot of her bed and instantly perked up. "Presents, we got presents," she squealed. The excitement from her roommates perked Hermione up as well.
"Wait, let's exchange our gifts to each other first," suggested Dawn. Dawn pulled out two wrapped package and handed them to Shannon and Hermione. "Merry Christmas," Dawn practically shouted. Shannon and Hermione also handed packages to Dawn and each other.
Hermione opened her gifts first. She gasped when she saw her gift. Dawn had gotten Hermione a red leather bound journal. It had Hermione's name embossed in gold on the front, as well as some design work. Shannon had gotten Hermione a peacock feather quill and gold ink to use for writing in the journal.
"This is beautiful," said Hermione, as she traced her finger across her name. She could not wait to begin writing in it.
"Every girl needs a diary for her secrets," said Dawn.
"And those secrets deserve to be written with a special quill and ink," added Shannon.
"I love all of it," said Hermione. She smiled at her two newest friends. She loved Harry and Ron, but it wasn't the same as having girlfriends. "Well, what are you two waiting for? Open your gifts."
Dawn and Shannon squealed, as they ripped the wrapping paper from their gifts. Hermione had given them each the same book, "Charms and Potions that Every Woman Should Know." Dawn flipped to the table of contents. "This is so cool," she said. "Um, Hermione, is this where you found that contraceptive potion you were talking about?"
"Yes," Hermione answered. "There are also a bunch of contraceptive charms in there, but they are more for a one time thing." Hermione was slightly embarrassed. "There is also a lot of beauty potions and charms in there," she added.
Shannon smiled. "I cannot wait to try some of this stuff out. There is a potion in here that will change your hair color for just a day. I could go blonde without it being permanent."
Lastly, Dawn and Shannon opened their gifts to each other. Dawn gave Shannon a pair of large silver cross earrings. Harry had shown Dawn the gift he had purchased for Shannon. The earrings matched it perfectly, though Shannon did not yet know this. Shannon gave Dawn a pair of large enchanted combs for her hair. The combs would automatically transfigure to match the outfit that Dawn was wearing at the time.
The girls turned back to the piles of gifts on their beds. All three had just finished opening packages containing hand-knitted sweaters from Mrs. Weasley. Hermione noted that this was the first year that she was given one. Dawn's was blue, Shannon's was purple, and Hermione's was dark pink. The three girls pulled the sweaters over their pajamas, just as Harry and Ron entered the room. Both boys were also wearing their Weasley sweaters over pajamas. Harry's sweater was the same purple as Shannon's. Ron's was, as always, much to his dismay, maroon.
"How did you get up here?" asked Hermione.
Both boys answered by pulling their brooms from behind their backs. Hermione looked disapprovingly. "Blame Shannon. She is the one who originally came up with the idea," Ron reminded Hermione. Her disapproving look only lasted for a minute, because she was in good spirits. It was Christmas, and she was spending it with her closest friends.
Harry placed his broom against the wall and kissed Shannon. "Happy Christmas," he whispered against her lips. He then turned his attention to Dawn. Handing her his invisibility cloak, he said, "I thought you might want to sneak off and exchange gifts with a certain Slytherin."
Dawn thanked Harry, wished the boys a Merry Christmas, covered herself with the cloak, and took off out of the room. She figured that she could spend almost an hour with Draco before she was due in the Scooby common room to exchange gifts with the Scoobies.
Harry turned his attention back to Shannon and pulled her into another kiss. "Merry Christmas to you too," she murmured against his lips.
Harry pulled back and smiled at her. "I have your present," he said, waving a poorly wrapped package in front of her.
Shannon made a grab for the gift, but Harry pulled it out of her reach. He held it out for her again, and again she grabbed only to have him pull it away. "You shouldn't mess with a Slayer this early in the morning," she said. Harry ignored her and continued taunting her with the package.
"You are in so much trouble, Harry Potter," Shannon said, before launching herself at him. Harry tried to pull away, but his seeker reflexes were no match for those of a Slayer. Shannon quickly tackled him down on her bed. Instead of grabbing for the gift, she focused on tickling Harry. He returned the tickling, and in moments the two teens were laughing and rolling all over Shannon's bed.
"Would you like us to leave you alone up here," Hermione kidded from the other side of the room. Shannon and Harry pulled apart still laughing.
"He was taunting me with my Christmas present," Shannon tried to explain. Hermione just raised her eyebrow, before turning her attention back to Ron.
"Will you give me my present now?" Shannon asked. Harry smiled and handed the package to Shannon, who ripped it open without hesitation. She lifted her gift from the box. "This is beautiful," she said. He had given her a thick choker made entirely of silver crosses.
"With this around your neck, no vampire will ever be able to bite you," Harry said.
"It's perfect. It even matches the earrings Dawn gave me," Shannon practically shouted, throwing her arms around Harry and kissing him.
Shannon got up from her bed and walked over to her trunk. She pulled out a thin box and handed it to Harry. He opened his gift to find a dagger, the handle of which was engraved with a picture of a golden snitch with a lightening bolt through the middle.
"This is so cool," Harry said, as he began stabbing and slicing at the air.
"I know that aurors do most of their work with magic, but you never know when you might need to resort to physical combat. It has a sheath that can be worn around your calf, hidden from view. Though I think you should wait to use it until after we learn swordplay in our fighting techniques class," Shannon explained, as she ducked out of the way.
"Oh, right," said Harry, slightly embarrassed as he put the dagger back into the box. "Thank you for the dagger. I love it," said Harry, as he wrapped his arms around Shannon's waist and pulled her in for a kiss.
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Draco woke, when he felt the side of his bed sink down. He jumped back startled, but calmed immediately when Dawn pulled off the invisibility cloak. "Merry Christmas," she said.
Draco pulled her against him and kissed her. "Happy Christmas, Dawn," he whispered between kisses. He sat back and leaned toward his nightstand. Draco picked up a small, neatly wrapped box and handed it to Dawn. She smiled at him and opened the gift. She beamed when she saw her gift. It was a gold medallion on a gold chain. On the medallion was a picture of a dragon, behind which was a sunrise.
"It's beautiful," she said.
"The dragon symbolizes me, and the sunrise symbolizes my Dawn," he said.
"Put it on for me?" she asked. Draco lifted the medallion from the box and clasped the chain around Dawn's neck.
She leaned in and kissed him, before handing Draco his gift. He opened it to find an emerald green silk shirt. "It's for when you visit me outside of school. I figured that you don't own many muggle clothes."
Draco smiled. "I cannot wait to see you outside of school and have you show me the muggle world." Draco had to admit that he was surprised. A year ago, he never would have imagined wanting to know anything about muggles, and now the prospect of experiencing the muggle world with Dawn was beyond enticing to him. Taking Dawn into his arms, he kissed her again.
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While Harry and Shannon were exchanging their gifts, Ron and Hermione sat on her bed. She pulled the curtains closed and placed a silencing spell on them. Ron looked surprised. "I figured that neither of us wanted to see Shannon and Harry all over each other this early in the morning," Hermione explained. Ron nodded. 'I also don't want them to see us all over each other either,' Hermione thought.
"Happy Christmas," they both said in unison. Ron gently placed his hand on Hermione's cheek and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips. They both smiled happily.
Hermione handed Ron a long thin box that was wrapped in metallic gold paper. He opened the box quickly. "Wicked," he proclaimed as he pulled out the sword. It had his name engraved on the hilt. Hermione knew how important it was for Ron to have something that was only his. "Dawn once told me that every Watcher needs a sword," Hermione said.
"I love it," declared Ron as he wrapped his arms around Hermione and kissed her. "But, you should not have spent so much. . ."
Hermione placed her finger to Ron's lips. "This sword could save your life one day. It was worth every penny." She kissed him again.
Ron handed Hermione a messily wrapped package. "Compared to the sword, this really isn't much. . ." She quieted him again with another kiss, before turning her attention to opening her gift.
Ron had put together a large photo album for Hermione. She flipped through the pages, seeing picture of herself, Ron, and Harry through the past five years. There were many pictures from the last few months that included Dawn, Shannon, and Andrew. But her favorite photos by far were those of her and Ron together. The way they looked at each other told the world how they felt. 'No wonder everyone seemed to know we were meant to be together before we knew ourselves,' she thought.
Hermione was so happy with the gift that tears filled her eyes. Ron misinterpreted her reaction. "Mione, if you don't like it, I can still get you something else. I didn't mean to upset you. . ."
She silenced him with yet another kiss, then hugged him tightly. "This is the most wonderful gift that anyone has ever given to me. You must have spent hours putting it together."
"Well, let's just say that I owe a debt of gratitude to Collin Creevy and his knack for taking pictures at some inopportune times. Putting it together though was actually fun. It let me remember a lot of the times we shared."
Ron then returned his attention to Hermione, kissing her again and again. After nearly an hour of kissing, the two teens unintentionally fell asleep curled up together on Hermione's bed.
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Buffy was getting frustrated. "I say that we just forget about the kids and dig into the presents."
"Um, Buffy, what about the whole Christmas is for the children?" asked Xander.
"Well, the children obviously don't appreciate it enough, if they aren't here already," Buffy retorted.
"Buffy, it is only 6:00 in the morning. Give them a chance to get here," chided Giles.
Before the discussion could continue, the portrait opened, and Dawn, Shannon, and Andrew entered the Scooby common room. Dawn had returned to Gryffindor tower to meet her friends after exchanging gifts with Draco. "Merry Christmas," the three teens called.
"Oooh goody, now we get to open the presents," said Buffy, as she literally bounced up and down. She grabbed several gifts from under the tree and began to pass them out.
The Scoobies had chipped in together to get both Dawn and Shannon the newest Firebolt brooms for quidditch. Dawn also received several items of clothing from her sister, her own Watcher journal from Giles, and a cool looking dagger, complete with a sheath meant to strap around her arm sent by Spike.
Andrew was in heaven, having received a complete set of Dungeons and Dragons books and other paraphernalia. The Scoobies had all chipped in for his gift, but Xander was the one who actually made the purchases.
Buffy received several weapons from the Scoobies, as well as some that were sent by Spike. Her two favorite gifts had been given to her by Dawn and Giles. Dawn gave her sister a stuffed pig, which was aptly named Mr. Gordo the Second. Giles gave her a beautiful gold filigree cross. He explained that it had been his grandmother's in her Watcher days, and that he could not imagine giving it to anyone other than his Slayer.
Willow was thrilled by all the spell books that she received. In addition, Xander had given her a box of all yellow crayons. Of course, Xander was rethinking his gift to Willow, when she explained that the crayons would be perfect for coloring in the many comic books that he had received.
The Scoobies had chosen numerous books for Giles, Wesley, and Cat. Giles' most surprising gift, however, was a 'Kiss the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor' mug that had been sent to him by Spike.
Faith and Robin received weapons similar to those that Buffy had received. Robin gave Faith the most exciting gift of all. Faith opened the small box and stared at it for several minutes. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked, almost hesitantly.
Robin took the box from her hand, and got down on one knee in front of her. "I promised that if given the chance, I would surprise you. More than anything I would like to continue to surprise you for many years to come. Faith, I have never met anyone like you. You can be difficult and stubborn, but you have the most beautiful heart of anyone I have ever met. I cannot imagine any woman ever comparing to you. Will you marry me?"
Faith was speechless. She had never even considered the possibility of getting married. But at that moment, it seemed absolutely right. "Yes," she whispered. Then to make sure that everyone heard her, she practically shouted, "Yes."
Robin placed the large ruby ring on Faith's finger. He stood, pulled her toward him, and kissed her. The Scoobies couldn't help themselves. They all burst into applause – all except Anya, who quickly excused herself from the room. Xander began to follow her, but Buffy indicated that he should give her some time alone. She knew that Anya was thinking about her own wedding that wasn't.
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Charlie caught up with Buffy outside the Great Hall just before lunch. "Happy Christmas, Buffy."
"A Merry Christmas to you to, Charlie," she replied.
Charlie's ears turned red as he handed Buffy a messily wrapped gift. "Charlie, you shouldn't have," she said, though the broad smile on her face told him just how happy she was to receive a gift from him.
"I couldn't resist. It isn't anything big," Charlie replied.
Buffy opened the gift. It was a stuffed dragon, a rather cartoonish version of a baby Norwegian Ridgeback. "He is so cute. Thank you so much." Buffy stood on her tiptoes and leaned toward Charlie. She placed a light kiss on his lips, before pulling back. "I got something for you too," she said, handing him a neatly wrapped box.
He opened it quickly. The package contained a stationary set, quill and ink. "So, that you remember to write, when you are back in Romania," Buffy explained.
"I promise that you will be hearing a lot from me," he assured her. He pulled her towards him and kissed her again, this time with a bit more intensity.
"One of the advantages of being a wizard is that I can easily apparate to Hogsmeade to see you each weekend. Assuming, that is, that you would want me to."
"I am counting on it," Buffy replied. She kissed him again.