Part Ten

Christmas break started with pleasant days of doing nothing. Harry, Ron and Erin sat by the fire eating anything they could spear with a toasting fork…which turned out to be a lot of things. When Erin wasn't eating she was studying up on Animagery. The books she checked out were fast being read. But since it was Christmas break she was sure she would have the entire Animagery Room to herself. Of course Harry and Ron were having too much fun to search for Nicolas Flamel. Erin was, but just barely.

Ron was teaching Harry how to play wizarding chess, Harry using a set borrowed from Seamus. Ron's chessman would do anything he wanted; he had inherited it from his grandfather. Ron was good though, Harry had never even played Muggle chess before, but it was a shock when he found out the Chessman could talk and move by themselves. Erin smiled when she watched them play. Harry was getting better all the time.

The day before Christmas Erin was sitting in her usual place and heard Ron laugh, "Hey, Erin, come over here and give Harry a move!"

Erin put her book down and went over to them. She looked at the board thoughtfully for a moment. "Take his queen with your rook." She said before sitting back down.

"I didn't mean for you to do that!" Ron said.

Harry however was smiling. "Thanks, Erin!"

Harry checkmated Ron, for the first and only time. "It never would have happened without Erin helping you." Ron sulked.

"It never would have happened if you had been more careful." Erin said not looking up from her book. "Just congratulate Harry on his victory against you, mind you it might be his only victory, but at least be happy for him."

"Oh, all right." Ron said. "Sorry, Harry."

"No problem. I wouldn't have won though if Erin hadn't caught that."

"Harry…" Erin said looking up. "There's a spider on the back of your shirt."

"Huh?" He turned his head. "Oh, Ron could you—" But Ron had backed away.

"Never mind, Ron." Erin said getting up and wiping the thing off Harry. Her fingers touched him and felt a strange tingle on her neck. Her hand went there, she was surprised, because her scar hadn't ever felt like that before…it had hurt or tingled like a foot being asleep, but it never tingled like this. She shrugged it off. "Harry? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, my scar just felt strange." He said rubbing his forehead. Erin swallowed, that was weird…but not that weird, she reminded herself. She just didn't know how to tell him…

The next morning Ron and Harry called up to the sleeping girl. She groaned and put the pillow over her head, but the two persisted in calling her down. It was way too early for anyone to be up. She didn't bother putting on anything over her nightgown. "Guys, you'd rival a banshee." Erin said coming out into the common room where all the presents were piled under the tree. "Why wake me up this early anyway? Did you want to show me your presents?"

"We wanted you to open yours." Ron said.

"What? I have presents?" Erin asked incredulously. But there they were, a small pile to be sure, but she still received presents. She was in total shock as she kneeled next to them. "But who would send me presents?" She asked…she didn't think Remus had any money…so he couldn't have gotten her a gift. She smiled at the thought of her godfather. She hadn't really thought about him at all lately.

"Well, the lumpy one is from Mum." Ron said. "I think Hagrid sent you something too. The small one there is from Hermione…I recognize her handwriting and the longish one is from Harry…oh and the large flat one under those if from Fred and George."

Erin took up Mrs. Weasley's first and opened it to find a pretty dusty rose pink sweater. "Oh! It's gorgeous."

"Yeah, Mum always does better on girl sweaters." Ron said.

She also found a tin of treacle fudge. "Oh, yum! Ron, I love your mum!"

"Good." He said. "She loves you for some reason. Fred and George write home about nothing but you."

She laughed. "Ron, are you telling me you don't know why?"

"Of course I know why." He said. "But your ego is already big enough because of those two."

Erin laughed and opened Hagrid's gift. "Oh!" It was a book…or rather a scrapbook with a lot of pages to fill with pictures. One of Hagrid was in one of the first ones and he had gotten a picture of the teachers' for another. She smiled. "I am going to have to take some pictures…" She said laughing. "I do have a few for it." She opened Hermione's gift next and was surprised to find a bracelet with charms on it. The charms all meant something…but it wasn't even half filled yet. The girl guessed they would have more to put on. There was a wizard's hat, a lion, a broomstick, a wand, and a wolf. Erin guessed what the wolf was. She clasped it too her wrist and then opened the one from Harry. She stopped short when she looked in the box. "Harry…I can't believe this…"

From the box Erin took a gorgeous music box. She opened the lid and heard the strains to the Hogwarts Carol. "I thought you'd like it." He said. "I saw it in Diagon Alley months ago and remembered it for you. I asked Hagrid if he would see if there was one in Hogsmeade."

"Oh, Harry, it's wonderful. Thank you!" She hugged him.

Before she opened Fred and George's gift Erin noticed that an enveloped had been there too. She opened it and pulled out a letter. She recognized the writing immediately.

My Dear Girl,

I hope that you are behaving yourself at Hogwarts. I think about you often and hope you have made friends. I am sorry I am unable to send you anything by way of a gift, but I am sending you this picture that I thought you would like to have. I love you and hope we can be together soon.

Love always, your godfather,

Remus

Erin took the picture from the envelope and smiled. It was a picture of her mum and dad. They must have been about 13 or 14 when it was taken. They looked so happy. Erin immediately put the picture in her photo album. A tear fell down her cheek and she saw how they hugged each other and waved at the camera. "What is it, Erin?" Harry asked.

Erin slid the letter back in the envelope but showed him the picture. "My mum and dad."

"You look like him." Harry said. "And her…"

"Yes." I said. "He's handsome isn't he?"

"Yeah and she's gorgeous as well." Harry said smiling.

Ron craned his neck to look. "You know Erin, you never told us who your father was."

"Is." Erin said. "He's in Azkaban." But she didn't elaborate and Ron didn't push it.

Erin opened the present from Fred and George then and knew she must have had it backward because Ron and Harry's jaws dropped. She quickly turned it around and put her hand over my face, groaning. "Why can't I have normal guys crushing on me?"

"Because Fred and George have completely alienated you?" Harry chuckled.

"What about you two? Your not alienated from me." She said.

"Yeah." Harry said. "But they don't consider us competition."

"Should they?" Erin asked very pointedly.

Ron went red, but Harry just shrugged. "If they don't then we don't have to worry about it."

"Harry that is the most cryptic answer you have ever given me." The girl looked back at the painting and shook her head. "How did they do this?"

"Well, they might have taken a picture…" Ron said. "And then painted it from the picture."

"They would have had someone take the picture or do the painting." Erin decided. "Who do we know that can draw? Besides Dean that is."

"Well." Ron said. "I think Lee does."

"That would explain it…but how much did they pay him?"

Harry laughed. "Since they were in the same dorm room he has seen them in less clothes than that. At least they are wearing clothes."

"Yeah, if they weren't I would go knock their heads in." In the painting Fred and George were lying on a bed wearing nothing but jeans. Erin sighed. "I am not hanging this up, anywhere."

Fred and George came in. "Ah, we see you've got our present."

"Look, George! Harry has a Weasley sweater!"

"And Erin too, Fred!"

"On with them!" Fred said.

"I have to get dressed!" The pretty girl complained.

Fred smirked. "You look good just the way you are." Erin looked down and groaned; she knew she should have put something on over her nightgown.

"No worries." George said. "You can but only if you agree to wear something… cute."

Erin rolled her eyes as she took her stuff up to her room. There she pulled on a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt and then the sweater. She put on her thick socks and sneakers. When she came back down she was brushing her hair out and wearing it long for once. Harry and Ron had been allowed to get dressed as well and they were all wearing their sweaters.

Ron was wearing a maroon sweater; Fred and George both wore blue with their initial on them. "Guys, why on earth are you wearing each others' sweaters?" Erin asked them when she saw them.

They looked at each other. "I don't think Erin can tell us apart yet, Fred."

"Neither do I, George."

"Guys, do I have to, ahem, prove this?" Erin asked raising an eyebrow at them.

They looked at each other and then promptly switched sweaters. Harry was wearing an emerald green sweater. George looked at Ron. "You haven't got a letter on yours," He observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid—we know we're called Gred and Forge." Erin laughed at this.

"What's all this noise?" Percy had come in with his presents, as a prefect he got them delivered personally to the foot of his bed. He had gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he was carrying a lumpy sweater over his arm.

Fred seized it. "P for Prefect! Get it on, Perce, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry and Erin got one!"

"I—don't—want—" Percy began as the twins forced the purple sweater over his head.

"And you're not eating with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family." With that they frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his sides by the sweater.

Lunch was fabulous. There were turkeys, chipolatas, and peas, roasted and boiled potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce. There were also wizard crackers piled on the table every few feet. Erin pulled her first one with Ron. Out came a chess set and a shower of chocolate galleons! Erin took the chess set and they split the chocolate. George invited the girl to tug another, which she did. It exploded in red smoke revealing a floppy two-peaked wizard hat, which Erin immediately put on, a handful of Knuts and a few Chocolate Frogs. George divided the Knuts evenly and also the chocolate frogs. Erin put the Knuts and frogs into her pockets. Percy was the next one that offered a cracker to her, which she enthusiastically pulled. A pack of luminous balloons appeared, an Indian headdress and a Make-Your-Own-Candy Kit. It had a miniature cauldron and ingredients already in it! And all the ingredients were in the student store cupboard. Percy took the pack of luminous balloons and shoved the other two things at Erin. She smiled and handed Fred the headdress, which he immediately put on and offered the girl a cracker. She pulled on the end and this time green smoke erupted from it. A dozen birds flew up into the air and out fell a plant and a necklace. Fred took the plant and looked at it, his eyes widened and he showed Fred. Erin picked up the necklace. It had a silver 'H' on it with the Hogwarts seal. She slipped it over her neck with the locket she always wore. They were both silver so it looked fine.

After they had eaten their fill and all crackers had been pulled they went back to the Gryffindor Common room and then had a snowball fight on the lawns, which Percy was actually persuaded to join in on. Erin, Harry and Ron made up one team and they creamed the twins and Percy. Not that Percy was so hard to cream…then they went inside and Harry lost to Ron at Chess. He probably wouldn't have been beaten so badly if Percy hadn't been trying to help him.

They had a dinner of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake. After that they were all too full and drowsy to do anything before bed except laugh and watch Percy chase Fred and George around the common room because they stole his Prefect's Badge. In had been the perfect day.

The next morning Erin sat in the Great Hall eating breakfast. Harry and Ron came up, but they sat further down talking in low voices about something. The girl didn't pay much attention, but she was wondering why they were keeping secrets from her. She spent the day in the library since she had finished her books the day before Christmas. Harry and Ron seemed to be avoiding her at lunch and dinner too. She didn't understand what was going on, but she knew she didn't like the way it made me feel. During each meal she ate quickly and got out of there.