Author's Note: This chapter I dedicate to truth because the day I wrote this two of my best friends couldn't be honest with me and hence I am now not speaking to them.

It's true what they say about truth being a dangerous thing and therefore must be handled with extreme precaution.

I learnt that the hard way.

-Alatariel Aldarian

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The rest of the term came and went in a blur and suddenly the students found themselves nearing Christmas.

Evie, Char, Laura and Lessa found themselves sitting around the common room fire.

Lessa suddenly felt like doing something that involved sugar. "Anybody got any marshmallows?"

"Nope!" Evie shook her head.

"Me neither!" Laura edged closer to the fire.

Char also shook her head. "Sorry Lessa but no marshmallows with me today!"

"Can someone come with me to the kitchens and see if we can get hold of something?"

Evie yawned. "Yeah ok I'll come!" She turned to the others. "Anyone else?"

Laura shivered at the thought of walking down the frozen corridors. "I'll pass".

"You guy's go, I'm nearly finished with this". Char turned back to her writing.

"Suit yourself then". Evie stood up to go. "Let's go Lessa".

"Be back soon". Lessa walked out of the portrait hole with Evie.

"These corridors are freezing! You sure you want to get marshmallows?" Evie hugged her cloak against the chill of the corridor.

Lessa shrugged. "It's sugar!"

Evie served her with a strange look. "Ok".

They walked in silence for a few moments as though saying something would only make them colder.

"Do they even have marshmallows?"

Lessa shrugged. "Maybe".

"Going to go home for the holidays?"

"No, I'm staying right here with you guys. Besides I know that Evanescence is going to play at the Black Lilly sometime in the holidays again and I'm not missing that!"

Evie laughed. "I don't think you could possibly miss Evanescence!"

Lessa looked stricken. "Miss Evanescence?"

"Never mind". Evie looked up. "Here we are".

Lessa reached up and tickled the pear in the painting and the door swung open.

The kitchens were always busy, especially at this time of the year.

"Can I help you miss?" A female house-elf had seen them and hurried over.

"May we have some marshmallows?" Lessa asked her.

"Certainly miss!" She bowed them in.

Evie followed Lessa over to wait near the fireplace. Several house-elves smiled at them.

A few minutes later the elf returned with a basket. "Here you are".

"Thanks!" Lessa took the basket from her.

"Yeah thank-you!" Evie added.

The elf bowed before leaving to return to her duties.

Lessa and Evie started to head back to the common room. "Did you ever feel like you were royalty or what?" Evie spoke.

Lessa gave her a strange look. "What?"

Evie sighed. "Never mind! Hey what's in the basket? There can't possibly be that many marshmallows in there!"

Lessa lifted up the cloth that covered it. "Huge packet of multi-coloured marshmallows, gingerbread people and some Christmas cookies, yum!"

"Mmmm! We only asked for marshmallows!"

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"Still writing?" Laura asked Char a few minutes after Lessa and Evie had left.

"Yeah".

"Is it a new chapter?" Laura began to be curious.

"No, not this time".

"Can you tell me what it is?"

"Well". Char stopped to think. "Well I guess I can let you know what I'm doing but it has got to stay a secret ok?"

"No problem, I won't say anything!"

Char whispered her plan to Laura.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Laura cried out after she'd told her.

Not long after Lessa and Evie reappeared with the marshmallows.

"Yay candy!" Laura lunged.

"Wait a minute!" Evie pulled her back.

"CANDY!" Laura whimpered.

"Get the marshmallows?" Char came and helped Evie hold Laura back.

"Yes! Lot's of sugar!" Lessa started to pull everything out.

"SUGAR!" Laura cried out.

"Lessa quick we can't hold her for too much longer!" Char called out as she held Laura back.

Lessa opened the bag and popped a marshmallow into her mouth. "Sugar!"

Laura made a sudden lunge at the bag, sending marshmallows everywhere, some of them landing on other Gryffindors.

Char started laughing while Evie flicked her wand so that the marshmallows returned.

Cathy, Nicola, Donna and Alexis came to sit near them.

"What's with the flying marshmallows?" Nicola flicked a stray one out of her cloak hood.

"Don't throw them into the garden or mummy steps on them and gets angry!" Cathy quoted.

"What?" Everyone turned to look at her funny.

Cathy shrugged and helped herself to a marshmallow.

"Christmas soon!" Laura popped a melted marshmallow into her mouth.

"Presents!" Lessa started jumping around.

Evie asked them all a question that had been plaguing her. "So who's leaving on the train tomorrow?"

"I know Amy's going home for the holidays". Alexis answered. "She wants to be with her mum for Christmas".

"Sophie and Kiera are too". Donna added.

"I was going to but I decided to stay this year, seems like you all had too much fun last year". Nicola smiled.

Laura started to feel cold again so she moved closer to the fire. "Mum wanted me to spend Christmas at home but I won't, I'm not spending Christmas with Aidan and them all again, not while I can stay at Hogwarts!"

Cathy cried out. "I'm staying and you better get me a hobbit!"

Evie rolled her eyes. "And where exactly are we supposed to get you a hobbit Cathy?"

Cathy glared at her. "I want a hobbit!"

"So basically all of us are staying". Char summarized.

An idea came to Lessa. "We should do something fun!"

"Like what exactly?" Evie was concerned.

"PARTY!" Alexis started shouting.

"Yeah!" Cathy, Nicola, Donna and Lessa cried out in agreement.

"We can find a disused classroom and hold it at midnight on Christmas Eve!" Char's eyes widened at the thought.

"And play EVANESCENCE!" Lessa started screaming.

Char got up and joined her in a screaming dance session while other people in the common room gave them a queer look.

Evie turned to Nicola. "Won't the teachers hear the music and come to investigate?"

Nicola had had the same brainwave. "That's what I was thinking too".

Laura had overheard their dilemma. "I think I know what you can do".

"We're listening". Nicola turned to listen to what she had to say.

"I was late leaving Defence against the Dark Arts last week when I overheard Professor Potter talking to someone; I think he's going to start a DA club again sometime after Christmas in this place called the room of requirement".

"Room of requirement?" Evie hadn't heard anything about this before. "Where's that?"

"I don't know where it is but I think my brother Aidan knows, I don't see him around the school much".

"And you think he and his friends might know about this?"

Laura nodded to Nicola. "Yeah maybe, I mean I don't know for sure but…..well it's a chance right?"

Evie had to agree with her. "Yes. Would you be able to talk to Aidan before he leaves on the train tomorrow?"

"If I go find him now". Laura stood up. "He's probably in his dormitory packing his trunk". She ran off up the boy's staircase.

"Room of requirement". Evie's mind was ticking. The name sounded familiar but she couldn't remember what it was about.

Char was still thinking about the party. "We can have balloons, streamers and oooh candy!"

"CANDY!" Alexis cried out.

"Here's some candy for you". Cathy threw a marshmallow at her.

A few minutes later Laura returned with a piece of parchment in her hands. "He wasn't there but his friends were only too glad to help". She handed the paper to Evie and Nicola.

Evie read the untidy scrawl. "So it's down this corridor and all you have to do is think about what you need?"

Laura nodded. "That's what they said to me".

"This place sounds like an option worth investigating; we should go tomorrow morning after breakfast".

"Nicola's right". Evie had to see her point. "We should go and find out about it in the morning".

"I'm coming as well". Laura insisted.

"No actually you aren't". Nicola started laughing.

"I am so!"

"Laura I think Nicola's joking". Evie couldn't hide her laughter.

Laura started laughing too. "Oh, ok then".

Evie was suddenly overcome with tiredness. She stood up to leave. "I'm going to go to bed, it's late".

"Night". Everyone called back to her.

Yawning, Evie went off to bed.

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"Wha?" Someone was poking her. "Hey stop it!" She opened her eyes.

Laura was standing over her, a finger to her lips. "Sssh! Meet you downstairs with Nicola". She left.

Evie reached for her bedside table and grabbed her watch, it was 6am.

She forced herself to get out of bed, wake Nicola, dress and then met Laura in the common room.

"Laura what's this about?" Evie was still half asleep.

Nicola stood yawning next to her. "Yeah what's the big deal waking us this early on a Saturday? A Saturday I tell you!"

"Sorry". Laura apologised. "But I wanted to find that room before the others woke up and realized you were gone".

"That's ok". Evie forced a smile. "Well have you got the directions?"

"All here!" Laura fished the paper out of her pocket. "Let's go!"

They left the portrait hole "Where are you going this early?" and followed the directions until they came to a deserted corridor.

"The room should be just behind this wall". Evie double checked her theory.

"Now we just have to think about it". Laura closed her eyes and started muttering.

Suddenly there was a pop and a door appeared in the wall.

"Hey! What the?" Nicola still wasn't really awake.

"Shall we go in?" Evie took hold of the door knob.

"Yeah!" Laura was excited.

Evie opened the door so that they could all walk in and look around.

It was a large room with big windows down the side. All different sorts of balloons, streamers and Christmas decorations hung everywhere, with some even on the floor.

Big Christmas trees stood in the corners and below them were presents. On closer inspection Evie noticed that they all had names on them. "Hey Laura there's one here for you!" She held out a large blue one with silver ribbon.

"Oooooh!" Laura lunged. She shook it. "I think I might open this at the party".

"Good idea!" Evie laughed at her standing there shaking the present.

"Wow there's so much cool stuff on this table!" Nicola was looking at a table off to the side of the room.

Evie came over and joined her. "Yay Christmas crackers!" A big pile of them stood in the middle of the table.

"Not to mention all the bowls which I'm guessing will be filled on the night".

"Balloons!" Laura pounced on a red one that was nearly as big as her. "Hey you can't pop these!" She laughed as she sat on it. The balloon swayed, sending her to the floor. "HEY!"

"Careful Laura". Evie warned her.

Evie looked up at the ceiling to see a big pinyata in the shape of a Santa Claus hanging. "Hey cool a pinyata!"

Nicola looked up as well. "There's some mistletoe over there too".

"Yay Pinyata, yay mistletoe!" Laura was still on the floor.

"There's a switch just behind you Evie, can you see what it does?" Nicola asked her.

Evie switched it on. At once all the trees lit up and flashing lights filled the room. Another switch sent confetti everywhere.

"Hey cool!" Laura left the balloon and started dancing in the steady flow of confetti.

Evie switched both of them off. Laura grumbled. "Awww!"

Nicola turned to Evie. "This place will be perfect!"

"It sure will!" Evie couldn't wait.

"Wheeeee!" Laura was falling off the balloon again.

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Lessa, Cathy and Char left the snow covered school grounds in the direction of Hogsmeade.

"We need to arrange for some butter beer" Cathy reminded them all.

Lessa suddenly cried out. "Candy!"

"Yes and candy too". Char nodded.

"We could make the party a costume party?" Lessa suggested. "We could go as Amy Lee!"

"Yeah!" Char was excited now. "Where do we get the costumes?"

Lessa replied. "There's this costume place in the back streets or you could try the fabric shop if you want to make your own".

Cathy had an idea for her costume. "I could go as a hobbit!"

"You could". Char was thinking of her costume. "I might need some black lacy material".

"I know the perfect place!" Lessa ran ahead.

Char and Cathy ran after her.

Lessa stopped running outside the front of one of the shops in the main street. "In here".

They all entered the shop and a bright cheery witch by the front counter greeted them. "May I help you dears?"

"Would you have any black lacy material?" Lessa asked her.

"We got some new stock in yesterday". The witch replied. "Come on out to the back room and I'll show you". She walked through the open door and out to the back.

Lessa, Cathy and Char followed her.

"Here we are". The witch pulled out several rolls of different black materials. "This one is quite inexpensive, very easy to sew and even better to keep clean".

Lessa rummaged through them. "How much for this one?" She pointed to the one she liked.

"Only 12 Sickles and a Knut per metre". The witch replied. "But I can give you a 3 galleon discount today because of our Christmas sales".

"I'll take a metre". Lessa counted out her money.

The witch pulled out her wand and flicked it at the material. At once a metre of it came apart and fell neatly into a pile in her hands. "That all dears?"

Lessa handed her the money. "Can I have the same in this one too please?"

"Certainly". The witch repeated the spell. "That will be 9 Sickles and 2 Knuts".

Lessa handed her the money. The witch placed the folded fabrics into a bag.

"Can I have one metre of this one?" Char asked her.

The witch cut her off some. "Same price for that one".

Char paid her. "Does this come in any other colours?"

"We have stocks in of dark blue, dark purple and dark red but we ran out of green yesterday". The witch showed her the colours.

"Hmmmm". Char had trouble deciding. Eventually she picked one.

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Later that afternoon Lessa called a meeting in the now empty common room to discuss the party.

Several other Gryffindors who were interested in the party (including: Amanda, Joel, Kelsey, Sam and several of his friends).

Laura sat on the floor next to Evie wrapping up what appeared to be some sort of cat toy with some bright red paper.

"It's for Rumour". She explained to Evie. "I bought it for him via mail order, isn't it cute?" She held it up.

Evie laughed. "I bet he'll love it!"

"Has anyone got an idea as to where we can have the party?" Char asked everyone.

"We found a place this morning while you were all still asleep". Nicola answered. "It's this hidden room and we could see that it will be perfect!"

"Where is this room?" Lessa asked her.

Laura handed her the directions on a piece of paper.

Lessa read it then passed it on to the others. "So you said that it's ok?"

"It's just what we want, if not more". Evie answered. "You're all going to love it!"

"There are balloons!" Laura told them. "And lots and lots of Christmas trees!"

"Alright then, it's settled. We go to the Room of Requirement for the party on Christmas Eve at 8pm". Char relayed her notes. "Cathy, Lessa and I went out to Hogsmeade after breakfast to go and get a few things organized. We've already ordered some butter beer and Lessa suggested coming in costume so we bought some fabric for ours today. Also the Black Lilly has another special performance on Christmas so we thought we'd like to go along and have a look. What do you all think?"

Everyone nodded and agreed.

"Great, now I also had a brainwave of my own". Char continued. "I thought we could all have a Secret Santa and at the party exchange the gifts, do you like that idea?"

Everyone nodded again.

"Excellent!" Char conjured up a hat and some slips of paper with her wand. The paper scrunched itself up and fell into the hat. Char flicked her wand again and sent a piece of paper into everyone's hands.

Evie picked up her piece and read the name on it. She had Laura. "Well that will be easy". She thought quietly to herself. "Laura loves Animals and candy". If I go with someone to Hogsmeade this afternoon after lunch then I can get her something".

"Hey Evie!" Alexis came and sat next to her. "Can you get me this if you go to Hogsmeade?" She handed Evie a list.

"Sure, no problem". Evie tucked it into her pocket. "I'm going to see if I can go this afternoon".

"Ok!" Char called everyone to order. "Now about this party, we all need to pay a Galleon for the butter beers and some of the other snacks we ordered. If you can't pay today see me later and we'll arrange something".

Everyone started to head off to the Great Hall for lunch.

Evie sought out Nicola. "Nicola I'm going to have to go into Hogsmeade, want to come?"

"Sure". Nicola replied. "Just let me get my money and my cloak and we can go".

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Char was sitting quietly on her bed going through her notes on the party. Everyone except a couple of people had already paid their galleon but that was ok, they could pay later. She looked up at the needle that was magically sewing her costume.

Already it had sewn one seam in the black material which was good going.

Everyone was going to love her costume, she just knew it. What was even better was that she had gotten some boots and leather for half price which would add that extra touch.

She pulled out the piece of paper with her secret Santa on it. What should she get her?

The door opened and Lessa came in. Char hid the paper immediately.

Lessa pulled out her material too. "How's yours coming along?"

"One seam finished".

"Cool!" Lessa sat on her bed and set the needle to work. "Evie and Nicola went out to Hogsmeade, as did some of the others. I told them about the costume places before they left and Cathy said she'd be up here later to start sewing her hobbit costume".

"Ok". Char went through her notes on the party. "I can't wait for this party! To think we have to wait 2 days!"

"I know!" Lessa lay forward on her bed. "I wrote to Amy about it!"

"I wonder if she will reply!"

"She will!" Lessa had no doubts.

"Evie, Laura and Nicola seem to be not telling us something about that room they went to, do you think we should go and have a look for ourselves?"

"No, I trust them about that and anyway why spoil the surprise?"

"Yeah you're right and anyway we don't have time to do that. We have to have our costumes finished!"

"I edited that spell I used for the Black Lilly so that we can use it for the party".

"Excellent! Speaking of the Black Lilly I invited Craven to come, he has Christmas Eve off work so he said he'd try to come".

"That's cool, anyone else who wasn't at the meeting that you invited?"

"Some of my Ravenclaw friends are coming, they overheard people talking about it in the corridors and they asked me about it".

"Who did you invite from Ravenclaw?"

"Just Tara, Ellen, Ben and Chris. I gave them secret Santa's so it's all ok"

"That's fine, they can all come if they like, and did you tell them not to let the teachers find out?"

"Yeah I told them and they are all coming in costume".

"I was talking to Evie about maybe arranging some other food from the kitchens but she said that it was all in control".

"They're definitely hiding something, but what?"

"I don't know!"

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Evie and Nicola had been trudging in the snow covered streets of Hogsmeade for an hour.

"Let's go and have something to drink in the Tree Broomsticks Evie"

"Good idea". Evie started to head back towards the main street.

"That material shop Lessa sent us to was really very good value".

"I know I can't believe I paid only 20 Sickles all day so far for that material and some of the presents I bought today".

"Laura's going to love that cat toy you bought her".

"I thought as much myself; I mean it looks just like her cat at home".

"I think Char's going to like what I bought her".

"I know she will".

They entered the Three Broomsticks and ordered a butter beer.

"You're costume is going to be good Nicola".

"Well I hope so".

Evie sipped at her drink. "Anything else we have to buy while we are here?"

"I want to get something for everyone at home if I can".

"Same, I also have to get what Alexis asked me for".

"What was that?"

"I think it's for her secret Santa, wonder who he/she is?" Evie handed the note to Nicola.

Nicola read it and handed it back. "Yeah".

After drinking their butter beers Nicola and Evie finished the last of their Christmas shopping and returned to the Gryffindor Common room fire where Donna, Alexis and Amanda were playing cards. Laura was still wrapping presents for people.

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After dinner Evie returned to her dormitory to wrap presents but discovered that Lessa, Char and Cathy were all in there sewing their costumes.

Instead she picked up the bags of stuff to wrap and hurried off to find an empty dormitory. Halfway to the top she saw Kelsey stick her head out of her room.

"Hey Evie, where you going with all that?"

Evie spun around. "Oh hey Kelsey, I'm just trying to find an empty dorm so that I can wrap all of this without the others knowing anything".

"You can come in here if you want, everyone else left this morning except for me and Lilly".

"Thanks Kelsey!" Evie came in and sat down on an empty bed. "Going to the party?"

"Definitely!" Kelsey's eyes lit up. "Wouldn't miss it, pity Lilly didn't want to come though but I guess she thinks she needs to study on Christmas Eve".

Evie gave her a sympathetic look. "Yeah but at least some of the guys from your year are going".

Kelsey grinned. "Yeah one of them stayed back and just my luck I'm his Secret Santa!"

Evie laughed. "Be funny if he had you!"

Kelsey laughed. "That's what I'm worried about!"

Evie started on wrapping up the presents for her friends in a pretty purple and silver paper she had bought earlier that day.

Kelsey sat on the floor nearby. "Want any help?"

"Sure". Evie showed her the pile she was trying to get through. "Just cut some paper, wrap them up and put the label on".

"Does it matter who gets what?"

"No, they're all pretty much the same anyway".

"Ok". Kelsey started wrapping up one of the presents.

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