Chapter 10: The Gift of Life
Over time, Aiden slowly returned to normal. Physically anyways. As November faded and December rapidly approached, she found that there was no time for her to be wallowing in self-pity. The end of the term was coming which meant the piles of homework were coming in. In addition, there was a Hogsmede trip coming up and she had no clue what to get everyone for Christmas.
Aiden had begun dressing in her uniform again, to the relief of all her friends. Unfortunately, with all the time she had spent in the North Tower, she came down with the flu and missed the third game of the Quidditch season. Slytherin ended up losing to Ravenclaw and poor Draco looked ready to die. Of course, this didn't stop him from yelling at Aiden and giving her a long speech about how this was all her fault and that she shouldn't have been going outside so much in her nightwear. Aiden used her refined, selective hearing and tuned out for most of it. When Draco finally took a breath, she assured him that Slytherin could easily make a comeback. All they needed to do was beat Hufflepuff in a rematch (they were pushovers anyways) and then beat Ravenclaw before the term ended. This seemed to cheer him up a bit.
Life was getting better. She had never been closer to Hermione, Ron and Harry (even though she was sure Harry had told the two about her Dark Mark) and her grades were pulling up (courtesy of Hermione's smarts and Ron's procrastination). Plus, the Hogsmede trip was this coming weekend and Aiden could not wait to see the only full magic community left in Britain.
Came Saturday morning, Aiden was up at five, too excited to sleep. In fact she was so raring to go, that she sat in front of the Gryffindor entrance for two and a half hours waiting for the others. Finally, at seven- thirty, Hermione walked out yelling: "Hurry up!!!! Or you two will be late!!!!!!!! Then we'll leave without you!!!!!!!" She was startled to find Aiden eagerly waiting. Laughing, Hermione calmed her down and made her eat breakfast.
The group left promptly at eight and walked through two feet of snow towards the tiny village. When they arrived, Aiden was more mesmerized than when she entered Diagon Alley. The town was so rustic, buildings built of wood and stone. Signs hung from the doors with almost medieval terms on them.
"Where do we go first????" Aiden cried.
"Honeyduke's. I want candy!!!" Ron whined.
"No," Hermione said, "We need to go to the Owl Post first. I want to send something to Professor Lupin immediately."
"Ooh, what?"
"Well, Ron. I wanted to intern at a magical humane society in Ireland this summer. Lupin has some friends he said he could talk to so I'm sending him my résumé."
"I can't believe it. It's been three years, Hermione. Are you still going on about that Spew stuff?"
Aiden leaned in next to Harry and whispered, "Spew?"
Harry whispered back, "It's some weird club Hermione's been trying to start since her fourth year. She thinks house-elves shouldn't be treated like slaves."
"Oooh. I see."
"Ron always thinks she's crazy. But he likes her anyways."
Aiden grinned.
"I knew they liked each other! Have they ever like, dated?"
"Nah, Ron's never had the guts to ask Hermione out. Hermione's had a boyfriend before though. Ron got pretty pissed about that."
"Oh really? Who?"
"Viktor Krum. He's this Quidditch champion."
"Wow..."
"Yeah, but they broke up last year because Hermione figured they were too far apart to do anything worthwhile. So basically, this year is Ron's second chance."
"Really... this is juicy..."
"Oy!! Harry, Aiden. What are you two all huddled up for???"
It seems Ron and Hermione finally stopped fighting. Harry and Aiden smiled innocently, linked arms and skipped off laughing maniacally. Ron's face twitched and Hermione twisted her face.
First stop was Honeyduke's. Aiden was so enthralled with the candy that she practically bought the entire store. Then, the group went to some Quidditch shop (name escapes her mind), where Aiden purchased a book on flying tactics for Harry (she said it was for herself, just to keep it a surprise). At the jewelry shop, she bought a silver ring with a small, hollow stone attached. Inside was a single drop of unicorn blood mixed with a single drop of phoenix tear. Aiden tried to suppress an impish smile as the lady put the ring in a box and wrapped it. She had special plans for this present.
Around mid-afternoon, Ron suggested that they go to Madam Rosmerta's, but Aiden decided to split.
"Aww, why Aiden?"
"I'm sorry you guys, but umm, you know I felt sort of bad for blowing off Draco and Pansy today, so uh... I'm gonna go hang out with them. I'll meet up with you guys at Rosmerta's in an hour okay?"
"I don't know, Aiden..."
But she ran off. The trio looked at each other warily.
"You really think we ought to let her hang around with Malfoy so much?"
"Nothing we can really do about it..."
Actually, Aiden really had no intention of looking for Draco. Remembering that there was a magical repair shop down the street, she ran towards it. The shop was tiny and dusty, like those old pawnshops in the downtown district. There was a bell at the counter and a stumpy looking man sitting behind it, sleeping. It took Aiden several loud "excuse me's" to wake him up, but he finally did.
"Excuse me, sir, but I have a CD—I mean, muggle object I was wondering if you could fix it."
"Let's see it then."
Aiden pulled out a red, slightly dusty CD player and put it on the table.
"Ah, I've seen these before... strange objects indeed. I've always believed that these were the muggles' ways of communicating with aliens, you know?"
Biting her lip, Aiden tried not to laugh. The man tapped the CD player with his wand a couple of times and said it was ready to go. When she asked how much she owed the man, he just said it wasn't a big deal. So, Aiden just wished the man an early Merry Christmas, gave him some candy and left.
"Now, whose presents do I have left to buy? Hermione's and Draco's I suppose..."
Aiden knew exactly what to get Hermione. She was always complaining about Crookshanks' problems. How he shed too much, how the litter box stunk. The girl would never shut-up. So, Aiden purchased a book of spells on taking care of your magical pets and a hairbrush.
Draco's present was more difficult. She hadn't any idea what to get him... In the end, she bought him a winter robe. After all, she did steal his and for some reason he didn't want it back...
Shortly after meeting back up with Hermione, Harry, and Ron, the students went back to Hogwarts. Many began packing because the next day was the first day of the holidays and many were returning home. To Aiden's pleasure, all her friends were staying.
The holiday was amazing. It was snowball fights in the morning, wizard's chess in the afternoon and simple friendly conversation at night. But Christmas Eve was different. Just before going to bed, Aiden pulled Ron aside.
"Hi, Aiden. What's up?"
"Let's talk a little bit about your love life..."
Ron's ears turned red.
"I-I don't like anyone right now..."
"Don't bullshit me Ron. We all know you like Hermione and this is your chance! Look."
She pulled out the nicely wrapped box she had gotten from the jewelry store, a week before.
"Hey! That's that ring you bought at Hogsmede!"
"Yeah," Aiden put the box in Ron's hand, "And I want you to give it to Hermione for Christmas."
"What?? B-but, I already bought something for Hermione..."
"That's okay! Give your present to her in the morning. She won't suspect a thing. Then, tomorrow night, Christmas night... lead her into the Gryffindor common room. Harry and I will get the place empty, I promise. Sit her down in front of the fire, give her the gift and tell her you like her!"
"I-I don't know about this..."
"Come on Ron! You lost your chance once, this is your fresh start!"
Ron was silent.
"Ron. Do you like her or not?"
Suddenly, Ron clenched the box almost defiantly. Feeling giddy, Aiden squealed.
"'Atta boy!!! Now, you better not lose that, Ron! If you do, I will hunt you down and annihilate you. That thing cost me a fortune. Oh yeah, one more thing. Give this note to her, but tell her not to read it until, either you two break up or you die."
Ron laughed and acquiesced.
"Now if you'll excuse me, Ron. I have to go play jolly old Saint Nick and deliver presents to all the deserving little children before going to bed..."
Aiden went to bed that night, feeling exceptionally accomplished. She had played cupid before, but she had never felt so good about a couple other than Ron and Hermione.
Christmas morning. Back home, Aiden didn't get many presents. After all, she had no parents or relatives and she was too afraid to make many friends with the kids at school because of her powers. She usually got one or two presents a year, one from Jared and maybe one from Patty, if she was in a good mood and not getting drunk over one of her ex-husbands. So, it was to her surprise when she found three packages, neatly stacked on top of each other, sitting at the foot of her bed. Unable to wait, she scooped up all the presents and ran down to the common room, where dozens of people were already enjoying their new presents. The room smelled like shit (Aiden was guessing that someone had gotten Dungbombs for Christmas), but she was ecstatic. She spotted Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle sitting in front of the fireplace and went over to them.
"Morning! Merry Christmas."
"Whatever, good morning," Draco said, nose stuck up in the air. Aiden rolled her eyes.
Pansy yelped, "Open mine first! Open mine first!"
Laughing, Aiden pulled out a parcel wrapped in red foil and ripped it open. Inside was a box, and inside that was a gold bracelet with a little "A" on the end. She slipped it over her wrist immediately and shrieked a thank you.
Next, she pulled out an extra long package. In fact, it was so long that when she pulled it out, she smacked Goyle right in the face. On it was a card.
To the best Keeper Slytherin has ever seen, and the first female teammate in centuries: Professor Severus Snape and the Slytherin Quidditch team present you with your very own Thunder Strike broomstick.
Unwrapping the parchment around it, a sleek, black handled broomstick rolled out onto the floor. Engraved into the side of the handle were the words "Thunder Strike" and her name. Harry had told her about this broomstick (more like ranted on about it). It was supposed to be the fastest out there and by far the best model. Aiden nearly knocked Draco over, hugging him. He looked like he wanted to hurl.
Now, Aiden turned to the last package. It was smaller compared to the other two. Inside was a pin, no bigger than her big toenail. In tiny characters was written: Lucas Wang, Keeper, Slytherin. Draco was eagerly looking at the pin over her shoulder.
"I heard of him! My father told me he was the best Keeper in the history of Hogwarts! Everyone venerated him! But who would give you his pin?"
Not sure if Draco's father had told him other things about Lucas Wang, Aiden didn't say that he was her grandfather. All she did was shrug.
"Who knows? But there's an envelope."
She opened the envelope and two things fell out. One was a note, and another was a picture. The note read:
This is a picture of your parents on the night of their graduation. As for the pin, I'd say it's fairly self-explanatory. Merry Christmas!
No signature, but it was pretty obvious who it was from. Aiden picked up the picture. In full color, she stared at her parents. Seventeen or eighteen at the time, her father was tall, with a well-built body. Same black hair, same eyes. For a moment, Aiden wondered whether or not she had inherited anything from her mother and then she noticed her mother's smile. Her smile showed no teeth and was slightly goofy. Just the way Aiden always did. Her mother's mannerisms were all the same as well. The way she constantly cracked her knuckles with her thumbs, or the way she constantly ran her hand through her hair. It was all exactly the same.
In the picture, the two were both smiling and constantly kissing each other. Aiden was so caught up in examining the details of the picture that she jumped when Pansy spoke.
"Wow, they both look so happy..."
Realizing it herself, she smiled.
"Yeah, they do..."
And then something else caught her eye. It was the patches on their robes. Both were bright red with gold lining. Each one had a lion on it and said "Gryffindor." Luckily, no one else noticed it and Aiden put the picture away immediately.
"Uh, well enough about me. What about you guys? Open your presents!"
One by one, each of them opened their presents (mostly consisting of candy) and showed their gratitude. When Draco unwrapped his present, he smirked.
"No problem," said Draco, "Thanks for the replacement."
He pulled out the robe and put it on.
"Look's good on you, "Aiden assessed.
Suddenly, Aiden realized what time it was.
"Ack!!! It's eight already!!!! I gotta go!!!! I'll see you guys later!!"
She quickly ran up to her dorm and threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt. Then she ran out of the common room and up several flights of stairs to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was waiting impatiently outside.
"Oh my god!!! I am soooo sorry!! I just got caught up in this present Dumbledore gave me and..."
Whoosh, all of Hermione's impatience was gone and she pushed Aiden into the common room. The Gryffindor common room was quieter than the Slytherin one. If she had to guess, everyone was down at breakfast.
She joined Harry and Ron on the floor next to the window where she could see the snow covering the Whomping Willow in the distance. They traded presents and opened them. Here was the list:
From Harry- a guide to all the Quidditch teams and their history/ records.
From Ron- A pack of Flaming Chewables (basically, gum, but instead of blowing bubbles, you blow fire) and a black sweater/ fruitcake sent by his mother.
From Hermione- An encyclopedia of all magical creatures that exist.
As for the trio's reactions to their presents:
Harry: "Wow, Aiden!!! I'm gonna go try these as soon at the snow thaws out!!!"
Hermione immediately grabbed Crookshanks and looked up a spell on shedding.
Ron's reaction was particularly memorable. When he unwrapped his present, he looked like a little child in a candy shop. Pulling out the CD player, Ron said, "Whoa!!!!! WHAT IS THIS?!"
Harry and Hermione laughed, knowing full well what it was. Aiden explained it was something used to play music and she told Ron to dig deeper into the box. He obeyed and pulled out one of Aiden's old Beach Boys CD's. She explained how you put the disc in the player and play it. Ron was so shocked when he heard "Kokomo" blasting through the headphones that he screamed: "THERE'S MUSIC COMING FROM NOWHERE!!!!"
Everyone got a kick out of that, but as night approached, everyone became nervous, excluding Hermione, who had no idea about the giant bomb that was going to be dropped on her.
Aiden had informed Harry the weekend before about the task they would have to carry out in order for Ron and Hermione to have peace. The two devised a plan. For the last two days, Aiden had been practicing a flooding spell. Harry had been practicing a drying spell. Promptly at 7:45pm, Aiden would flood the Gryffindor common room. Then, she and Harry will usher everyone out saying that someone will take care of it. Harry will dry the room at 7:55pm and the two will wait casually for Ron to bring Hermione in at 8:00pm.
As scheduled, Aiden stood on the landing of the staircase that led to the Gryffindor common room with Harry. Under her breath she whispered: "Hydorium..."
Shrieks filled her ears as the common room inundated with knee-high water. This was she and Harry's cue to go down and calm the group. Aiden checked her watch. 7:50. She and Harry had five minutes to clear out the place.
"All right everyone! Remain calm! Just evacuate the room and Harry will go get a professor to clear the place out!"
By 7:57, everyone was gone. They were behind schedule and Aiden ran outside to see if Ron was coming.
"Harry! You better hurry! They're coming!"
Harry quickly muttered a "Perchen" and the two ran out and hastily tried to act casual as Ron and Hermione approached. The two both leaned against the wall and whistled, as if rehersed. When Hermione tried to speak, Aiden cut her off.
"Uh sorry, Hermione. I gotta go, err... make my bed. See ya!"
"Umm, right I'm going to help her."
The two ran off down the corridor. Aiden looked at Harry.
"How long do you think this is going to take?"
"Knowing, Ron. Hours."
Feeling nervous that someone might interrupt the two, Harry and Aiden stood on the corner of the corridor to keep people away. They made excuses to students like: "Oh, the room's flooded and someone is taking care or it," or, "You don't wanna go in there, it stinks."
About an hour later, Aiden heard a gentle creaking that echoed through the hall, the way the wedding march echoed down the aisle. Tripping over each other, Harry and Aiden ran towards the Gryffindor common room. Both of them wanted to get their first, so there was quite a fight. When the two actually reached the fat lady, Aiden's hair was totally awry and Harry's glasses were just barely hanging onto his left ear. But differences were put aside when they saw that Ron and Hermione were holding hands. Both of them were blushing slightly.
Identical smiles spread from corner to corner and Aiden and Harry high-fived each other. Then they carried on to congratulate Ron and Hermione.
It was getting late as Aiden could hear the hooting of the night owls. Figuring that this would be another perfect opportunity for McGonagall to give her detention, she gave Ron, Hermione, and Harry each a quick hug and ran off. She didn't notice the mischievous smile each of them had on.
The Slytherin common room was empty and the only noise was the sound of the crackling fire, but Aiden knew there was something out of place. Then, something caught her eye and her mouth dropped. It was her piano. The piano she had had since the beginning of her childhood. The one she had had for so long and didn't even know where it had come from. The one thing she was most reluctant to leave behind when she came to Hogwarts. And there it was.
Feeling like everything was dreamlike, Aiden cautiously stepped towards the piano. It was too good to be true, which probably meant it was. But when she touched the ivory keys, she knew this was reality. There was a piece of parchment taped to the cover under a big, red bow.
It was a difficult task, but we managed to get it here just in time. Aiden, even though we haven't been friends long; the three of us feel you are part of the family. This is a symbol of our friendship. Merry Christmas, my friend.
Underneath the message was signed, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Aiden gulped and put her hand to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. It was overwhelming. Never in her life had anyone ever gone to such lengths to make her happy. She had always believed that everything happened for a reason and now she knew the reason for her sixteen years of suffering. IT was because it all led up to this one moment. This one moment where nothing else in the world mattered. Simply this.
Her hands shaking, Aiden sat down and laid her fingers on the keys. Feeling a rush of "body memory," she played a tender melody. Little dynamic change, and almost no shape would make for a banal song, but this song was different. The lack of fortes and pianos meant that there was nothing to worry about. She played this song with her eyes closed and just let the music flow through her. So enthralled in her song, she nearly fell off her bench when she felt a presence behind her.
Unable to see his face, Aiden knew it was Draco. Probably to come mock me about my mudblood instrument Aiden thought. But his gestures threw her completely. She looked down as Draco reached over her shoulders and put her hands in her lap. Then, a silver necklace materialized in his hands.
Aiden knew from the look of the necklace that it must have cost twice what she had paid for the ring. A few hundred galleons, probably. The necklace was shimmering silver and dangling from it was an emerald snake. The snake was coiled around a mysterious stone that Aiden had never seen before. The gem was clear on the outside, but inside burned a fire. Seemingly small and insignificant, Aiden had no idea how important this fire would become to her in the future.
In too much shock to say anything, Aiden just sat there as Draco wrapped the necklace around her neck and clipped the clasp. Then he put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. He whispered gently, and almost seductively in her ear. His voice sent shivers up her spine and her heart beat faster.
"Merry Christmas, Aiden."
And with that, Draco was gone. Gone so fast that Aiden thought the entire thing had never happened. It was all so surreal. The photo of her parents, the piano, the necklace. Given to her by people who cared about her.
Aiden floated up to the dormitories, deep in thought. As she fell onto her bed, the veracity sunk in. Her life was coming together and falling apart at the same time. Things like this always led to trouble. Her head was full of questions, but that was okay. Nodding off, Aiden watched her parents dance in the photo, with their bright red badges as opposed to her green. Dumbledore isn't gonna blow me off with a picture. I'm going to fill the holes of my past with truth. Not bits and pieces of dreams and visuals.
Aiden would let Dumbledore off the hook for tonight. But come morning, it would be a new day. And a new chance for her to start over.
Aiden fell asleep happy. So happy, that she didn't notice that her Dark Mark was burning more than ever.
End.
Over time, Aiden slowly returned to normal. Physically anyways. As November faded and December rapidly approached, she found that there was no time for her to be wallowing in self-pity. The end of the term was coming which meant the piles of homework were coming in. In addition, there was a Hogsmede trip coming up and she had no clue what to get everyone for Christmas.
Aiden had begun dressing in her uniform again, to the relief of all her friends. Unfortunately, with all the time she had spent in the North Tower, she came down with the flu and missed the third game of the Quidditch season. Slytherin ended up losing to Ravenclaw and poor Draco looked ready to die. Of course, this didn't stop him from yelling at Aiden and giving her a long speech about how this was all her fault and that she shouldn't have been going outside so much in her nightwear. Aiden used her refined, selective hearing and tuned out for most of it. When Draco finally took a breath, she assured him that Slytherin could easily make a comeback. All they needed to do was beat Hufflepuff in a rematch (they were pushovers anyways) and then beat Ravenclaw before the term ended. This seemed to cheer him up a bit.
Life was getting better. She had never been closer to Hermione, Ron and Harry (even though she was sure Harry had told the two about her Dark Mark) and her grades were pulling up (courtesy of Hermione's smarts and Ron's procrastination). Plus, the Hogsmede trip was this coming weekend and Aiden could not wait to see the only full magic community left in Britain.
Came Saturday morning, Aiden was up at five, too excited to sleep. In fact she was so raring to go, that she sat in front of the Gryffindor entrance for two and a half hours waiting for the others. Finally, at seven- thirty, Hermione walked out yelling: "Hurry up!!!! Or you two will be late!!!!!!!! Then we'll leave without you!!!!!!!" She was startled to find Aiden eagerly waiting. Laughing, Hermione calmed her down and made her eat breakfast.
The group left promptly at eight and walked through two feet of snow towards the tiny village. When they arrived, Aiden was more mesmerized than when she entered Diagon Alley. The town was so rustic, buildings built of wood and stone. Signs hung from the doors with almost medieval terms on them.
"Where do we go first????" Aiden cried.
"Honeyduke's. I want candy!!!" Ron whined.
"No," Hermione said, "We need to go to the Owl Post first. I want to send something to Professor Lupin immediately."
"Ooh, what?"
"Well, Ron. I wanted to intern at a magical humane society in Ireland this summer. Lupin has some friends he said he could talk to so I'm sending him my résumé."
"I can't believe it. It's been three years, Hermione. Are you still going on about that Spew stuff?"
Aiden leaned in next to Harry and whispered, "Spew?"
Harry whispered back, "It's some weird club Hermione's been trying to start since her fourth year. She thinks house-elves shouldn't be treated like slaves."
"Oooh. I see."
"Ron always thinks she's crazy. But he likes her anyways."
Aiden grinned.
"I knew they liked each other! Have they ever like, dated?"
"Nah, Ron's never had the guts to ask Hermione out. Hermione's had a boyfriend before though. Ron got pretty pissed about that."
"Oh really? Who?"
"Viktor Krum. He's this Quidditch champion."
"Wow..."
"Yeah, but they broke up last year because Hermione figured they were too far apart to do anything worthwhile. So basically, this year is Ron's second chance."
"Really... this is juicy..."
"Oy!! Harry, Aiden. What are you two all huddled up for???"
It seems Ron and Hermione finally stopped fighting. Harry and Aiden smiled innocently, linked arms and skipped off laughing maniacally. Ron's face twitched and Hermione twisted her face.
First stop was Honeyduke's. Aiden was so enthralled with the candy that she practically bought the entire store. Then, the group went to some Quidditch shop (name escapes her mind), where Aiden purchased a book on flying tactics for Harry (she said it was for herself, just to keep it a surprise). At the jewelry shop, she bought a silver ring with a small, hollow stone attached. Inside was a single drop of unicorn blood mixed with a single drop of phoenix tear. Aiden tried to suppress an impish smile as the lady put the ring in a box and wrapped it. She had special plans for this present.
Around mid-afternoon, Ron suggested that they go to Madam Rosmerta's, but Aiden decided to split.
"Aww, why Aiden?"
"I'm sorry you guys, but umm, you know I felt sort of bad for blowing off Draco and Pansy today, so uh... I'm gonna go hang out with them. I'll meet up with you guys at Rosmerta's in an hour okay?"
"I don't know, Aiden..."
But she ran off. The trio looked at each other warily.
"You really think we ought to let her hang around with Malfoy so much?"
"Nothing we can really do about it..."
Actually, Aiden really had no intention of looking for Draco. Remembering that there was a magical repair shop down the street, she ran towards it. The shop was tiny and dusty, like those old pawnshops in the downtown district. There was a bell at the counter and a stumpy looking man sitting behind it, sleeping. It took Aiden several loud "excuse me's" to wake him up, but he finally did.
"Excuse me, sir, but I have a CD—I mean, muggle object I was wondering if you could fix it."
"Let's see it then."
Aiden pulled out a red, slightly dusty CD player and put it on the table.
"Ah, I've seen these before... strange objects indeed. I've always believed that these were the muggles' ways of communicating with aliens, you know?"
Biting her lip, Aiden tried not to laugh. The man tapped the CD player with his wand a couple of times and said it was ready to go. When she asked how much she owed the man, he just said it wasn't a big deal. So, Aiden just wished the man an early Merry Christmas, gave him some candy and left.
"Now, whose presents do I have left to buy? Hermione's and Draco's I suppose..."
Aiden knew exactly what to get Hermione. She was always complaining about Crookshanks' problems. How he shed too much, how the litter box stunk. The girl would never shut-up. So, Aiden purchased a book of spells on taking care of your magical pets and a hairbrush.
Draco's present was more difficult. She hadn't any idea what to get him... In the end, she bought him a winter robe. After all, she did steal his and for some reason he didn't want it back...
Shortly after meeting back up with Hermione, Harry, and Ron, the students went back to Hogwarts. Many began packing because the next day was the first day of the holidays and many were returning home. To Aiden's pleasure, all her friends were staying.
The holiday was amazing. It was snowball fights in the morning, wizard's chess in the afternoon and simple friendly conversation at night. But Christmas Eve was different. Just before going to bed, Aiden pulled Ron aside.
"Hi, Aiden. What's up?"
"Let's talk a little bit about your love life..."
Ron's ears turned red.
"I-I don't like anyone right now..."
"Don't bullshit me Ron. We all know you like Hermione and this is your chance! Look."
She pulled out the nicely wrapped box she had gotten from the jewelry store, a week before.
"Hey! That's that ring you bought at Hogsmede!"
"Yeah," Aiden put the box in Ron's hand, "And I want you to give it to Hermione for Christmas."
"What?? B-but, I already bought something for Hermione..."
"That's okay! Give your present to her in the morning. She won't suspect a thing. Then, tomorrow night, Christmas night... lead her into the Gryffindor common room. Harry and I will get the place empty, I promise. Sit her down in front of the fire, give her the gift and tell her you like her!"
"I-I don't know about this..."
"Come on Ron! You lost your chance once, this is your fresh start!"
Ron was silent.
"Ron. Do you like her or not?"
Suddenly, Ron clenched the box almost defiantly. Feeling giddy, Aiden squealed.
"'Atta boy!!! Now, you better not lose that, Ron! If you do, I will hunt you down and annihilate you. That thing cost me a fortune. Oh yeah, one more thing. Give this note to her, but tell her not to read it until, either you two break up or you die."
Ron laughed and acquiesced.
"Now if you'll excuse me, Ron. I have to go play jolly old Saint Nick and deliver presents to all the deserving little children before going to bed..."
Aiden went to bed that night, feeling exceptionally accomplished. She had played cupid before, but she had never felt so good about a couple other than Ron and Hermione.
Christmas morning. Back home, Aiden didn't get many presents. After all, she had no parents or relatives and she was too afraid to make many friends with the kids at school because of her powers. She usually got one or two presents a year, one from Jared and maybe one from Patty, if she was in a good mood and not getting drunk over one of her ex-husbands. So, it was to her surprise when she found three packages, neatly stacked on top of each other, sitting at the foot of her bed. Unable to wait, she scooped up all the presents and ran down to the common room, where dozens of people were already enjoying their new presents. The room smelled like shit (Aiden was guessing that someone had gotten Dungbombs for Christmas), but she was ecstatic. She spotted Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle sitting in front of the fireplace and went over to them.
"Morning! Merry Christmas."
"Whatever, good morning," Draco said, nose stuck up in the air. Aiden rolled her eyes.
Pansy yelped, "Open mine first! Open mine first!"
Laughing, Aiden pulled out a parcel wrapped in red foil and ripped it open. Inside was a box, and inside that was a gold bracelet with a little "A" on the end. She slipped it over her wrist immediately and shrieked a thank you.
Next, she pulled out an extra long package. In fact, it was so long that when she pulled it out, she smacked Goyle right in the face. On it was a card.
To the best Keeper Slytherin has ever seen, and the first female teammate in centuries: Professor Severus Snape and the Slytherin Quidditch team present you with your very own Thunder Strike broomstick.
Unwrapping the parchment around it, a sleek, black handled broomstick rolled out onto the floor. Engraved into the side of the handle were the words "Thunder Strike" and her name. Harry had told her about this broomstick (more like ranted on about it). It was supposed to be the fastest out there and by far the best model. Aiden nearly knocked Draco over, hugging him. He looked like he wanted to hurl.
Now, Aiden turned to the last package. It was smaller compared to the other two. Inside was a pin, no bigger than her big toenail. In tiny characters was written: Lucas Wang, Keeper, Slytherin. Draco was eagerly looking at the pin over her shoulder.
"I heard of him! My father told me he was the best Keeper in the history of Hogwarts! Everyone venerated him! But who would give you his pin?"
Not sure if Draco's father had told him other things about Lucas Wang, Aiden didn't say that he was her grandfather. All she did was shrug.
"Who knows? But there's an envelope."
She opened the envelope and two things fell out. One was a note, and another was a picture. The note read:
This is a picture of your parents on the night of their graduation. As for the pin, I'd say it's fairly self-explanatory. Merry Christmas!
No signature, but it was pretty obvious who it was from. Aiden picked up the picture. In full color, she stared at her parents. Seventeen or eighteen at the time, her father was tall, with a well-built body. Same black hair, same eyes. For a moment, Aiden wondered whether or not she had inherited anything from her mother and then she noticed her mother's smile. Her smile showed no teeth and was slightly goofy. Just the way Aiden always did. Her mother's mannerisms were all the same as well. The way she constantly cracked her knuckles with her thumbs, or the way she constantly ran her hand through her hair. It was all exactly the same.
In the picture, the two were both smiling and constantly kissing each other. Aiden was so caught up in examining the details of the picture that she jumped when Pansy spoke.
"Wow, they both look so happy..."
Realizing it herself, she smiled.
"Yeah, they do..."
And then something else caught her eye. It was the patches on their robes. Both were bright red with gold lining. Each one had a lion on it and said "Gryffindor." Luckily, no one else noticed it and Aiden put the picture away immediately.
"Uh, well enough about me. What about you guys? Open your presents!"
One by one, each of them opened their presents (mostly consisting of candy) and showed their gratitude. When Draco unwrapped his present, he smirked.
"No problem," said Draco, "Thanks for the replacement."
He pulled out the robe and put it on.
"Look's good on you, "Aiden assessed.
Suddenly, Aiden realized what time it was.
"Ack!!! It's eight already!!!! I gotta go!!!! I'll see you guys later!!"
She quickly ran up to her dorm and threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt. Then she ran out of the common room and up several flights of stairs to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was waiting impatiently outside.
"Oh my god!!! I am soooo sorry!! I just got caught up in this present Dumbledore gave me and..."
Whoosh, all of Hermione's impatience was gone and she pushed Aiden into the common room. The Gryffindor common room was quieter than the Slytherin one. If she had to guess, everyone was down at breakfast.
She joined Harry and Ron on the floor next to the window where she could see the snow covering the Whomping Willow in the distance. They traded presents and opened them. Here was the list:
From Harry- a guide to all the Quidditch teams and their history/ records.
From Ron- A pack of Flaming Chewables (basically, gum, but instead of blowing bubbles, you blow fire) and a black sweater/ fruitcake sent by his mother.
From Hermione- An encyclopedia of all magical creatures that exist.
As for the trio's reactions to their presents:
Harry: "Wow, Aiden!!! I'm gonna go try these as soon at the snow thaws out!!!"
Hermione immediately grabbed Crookshanks and looked up a spell on shedding.
Ron's reaction was particularly memorable. When he unwrapped his present, he looked like a little child in a candy shop. Pulling out the CD player, Ron said, "Whoa!!!!! WHAT IS THIS?!"
Harry and Hermione laughed, knowing full well what it was. Aiden explained it was something used to play music and she told Ron to dig deeper into the box. He obeyed and pulled out one of Aiden's old Beach Boys CD's. She explained how you put the disc in the player and play it. Ron was so shocked when he heard "Kokomo" blasting through the headphones that he screamed: "THERE'S MUSIC COMING FROM NOWHERE!!!!"
Everyone got a kick out of that, but as night approached, everyone became nervous, excluding Hermione, who had no idea about the giant bomb that was going to be dropped on her.
Aiden had informed Harry the weekend before about the task they would have to carry out in order for Ron and Hermione to have peace. The two devised a plan. For the last two days, Aiden had been practicing a flooding spell. Harry had been practicing a drying spell. Promptly at 7:45pm, Aiden would flood the Gryffindor common room. Then, she and Harry will usher everyone out saying that someone will take care of it. Harry will dry the room at 7:55pm and the two will wait casually for Ron to bring Hermione in at 8:00pm.
As scheduled, Aiden stood on the landing of the staircase that led to the Gryffindor common room with Harry. Under her breath she whispered: "Hydorium..."
Shrieks filled her ears as the common room inundated with knee-high water. This was she and Harry's cue to go down and calm the group. Aiden checked her watch. 7:50. She and Harry had five minutes to clear out the place.
"All right everyone! Remain calm! Just evacuate the room and Harry will go get a professor to clear the place out!"
By 7:57, everyone was gone. They were behind schedule and Aiden ran outside to see if Ron was coming.
"Harry! You better hurry! They're coming!"
Harry quickly muttered a "Perchen" and the two ran out and hastily tried to act casual as Ron and Hermione approached. The two both leaned against the wall and whistled, as if rehersed. When Hermione tried to speak, Aiden cut her off.
"Uh sorry, Hermione. I gotta go, err... make my bed. See ya!"
"Umm, right I'm going to help her."
The two ran off down the corridor. Aiden looked at Harry.
"How long do you think this is going to take?"
"Knowing, Ron. Hours."
Feeling nervous that someone might interrupt the two, Harry and Aiden stood on the corner of the corridor to keep people away. They made excuses to students like: "Oh, the room's flooded and someone is taking care or it," or, "You don't wanna go in there, it stinks."
About an hour later, Aiden heard a gentle creaking that echoed through the hall, the way the wedding march echoed down the aisle. Tripping over each other, Harry and Aiden ran towards the Gryffindor common room. Both of them wanted to get their first, so there was quite a fight. When the two actually reached the fat lady, Aiden's hair was totally awry and Harry's glasses were just barely hanging onto his left ear. But differences were put aside when they saw that Ron and Hermione were holding hands. Both of them were blushing slightly.
Identical smiles spread from corner to corner and Aiden and Harry high-fived each other. Then they carried on to congratulate Ron and Hermione.
It was getting late as Aiden could hear the hooting of the night owls. Figuring that this would be another perfect opportunity for McGonagall to give her detention, she gave Ron, Hermione, and Harry each a quick hug and ran off. She didn't notice the mischievous smile each of them had on.
The Slytherin common room was empty and the only noise was the sound of the crackling fire, but Aiden knew there was something out of place. Then, something caught her eye and her mouth dropped. It was her piano. The piano she had had since the beginning of her childhood. The one she had had for so long and didn't even know where it had come from. The one thing she was most reluctant to leave behind when she came to Hogwarts. And there it was.
Feeling like everything was dreamlike, Aiden cautiously stepped towards the piano. It was too good to be true, which probably meant it was. But when she touched the ivory keys, she knew this was reality. There was a piece of parchment taped to the cover under a big, red bow.
It was a difficult task, but we managed to get it here just in time. Aiden, even though we haven't been friends long; the three of us feel you are part of the family. This is a symbol of our friendship. Merry Christmas, my friend.
Underneath the message was signed, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Aiden gulped and put her hand to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. It was overwhelming. Never in her life had anyone ever gone to such lengths to make her happy. She had always believed that everything happened for a reason and now she knew the reason for her sixteen years of suffering. IT was because it all led up to this one moment. This one moment where nothing else in the world mattered. Simply this.
Her hands shaking, Aiden sat down and laid her fingers on the keys. Feeling a rush of "body memory," she played a tender melody. Little dynamic change, and almost no shape would make for a banal song, but this song was different. The lack of fortes and pianos meant that there was nothing to worry about. She played this song with her eyes closed and just let the music flow through her. So enthralled in her song, she nearly fell off her bench when she felt a presence behind her.
Unable to see his face, Aiden knew it was Draco. Probably to come mock me about my mudblood instrument Aiden thought. But his gestures threw her completely. She looked down as Draco reached over her shoulders and put her hands in her lap. Then, a silver necklace materialized in his hands.
Aiden knew from the look of the necklace that it must have cost twice what she had paid for the ring. A few hundred galleons, probably. The necklace was shimmering silver and dangling from it was an emerald snake. The snake was coiled around a mysterious stone that Aiden had never seen before. The gem was clear on the outside, but inside burned a fire. Seemingly small and insignificant, Aiden had no idea how important this fire would become to her in the future.
In too much shock to say anything, Aiden just sat there as Draco wrapped the necklace around her neck and clipped the clasp. Then he put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. He whispered gently, and almost seductively in her ear. His voice sent shivers up her spine and her heart beat faster.
"Merry Christmas, Aiden."
And with that, Draco was gone. Gone so fast that Aiden thought the entire thing had never happened. It was all so surreal. The photo of her parents, the piano, the necklace. Given to her by people who cared about her.
Aiden floated up to the dormitories, deep in thought. As she fell onto her bed, the veracity sunk in. Her life was coming together and falling apart at the same time. Things like this always led to trouble. Her head was full of questions, but that was okay. Nodding off, Aiden watched her parents dance in the photo, with their bright red badges as opposed to her green. Dumbledore isn't gonna blow me off with a picture. I'm going to fill the holes of my past with truth. Not bits and pieces of dreams and visuals.
Aiden would let Dumbledore off the hook for tonight. But come morning, it would be a new day. And a new chance for her to start over.
Aiden fell asleep happy. So happy, that she didn't notice that her Dark Mark was burning more than ever.
End.