Year 3: Chapter 34
Christmas arrived sooner than anyone could have guessed, and with it, the train home for the third years. The girls had just finished packing their trunks when Branwen and Amanda walked in.
"Where have you two been? You should be packing!"
Amanda smiled at Lily.
"I'm staying here, I can't go home; father and I are in the middle of a war and I refuse to get near enough for him to blow me up."
"Over the top or what?"
Alice winked at Amanda as she slammed the lid shut and sat on top of it. Branwen leaned down and picked up a wrapped present that belonged to Lily and handed it over to her.
"I'm staying as well; Tad's coming up Christmas Eve and we're going to Hogsmeade for a meal, then we'll stay up till midnight, open one present and then we go to bed and open the rest in the morning. Then we have Christmas dinner here with everyone else."
"That sounds great! Our Christmases are always boring; we have to go visit the neighbours and then go to bed and get up to open the presents in the morning. It's always the same as well, Aaron complains about the turkey saying it's to dry and then he and dad argue."
Alice sighed as she looked; up it seemed like she didn't enjoy Christmas. Lily smiled sadly at them.
"We go carol singing Christmas Eve and then to midnight mass. Then Christmas day Pa Evans cooks the turkey while we watch the Sound of Music; Oliver and Ginger come down and show us what they've had and then on Boxing Day we always use to go to the graveyard to visit grandpa John... but this year we'll visit mum as well."
Branwen moved to hug her friend who had small tears forming in her eyes.
"At least that's personal Lily, and for the most quiet. Molly and Arthur always come round for Christmas dinner and they bring Bill and Charlie. Well, they run around like mad. Last year Bill stole Charlie's dragon and he spent all morning crying. I swear I need another holiday after Christmas."
She laughed as she picked up a pillow and hugged it close. Amanda sighed at this point.
"See, you all have lovely traditions; all of you. It's all family orientated. Mine is so different. Christmas Eve we have a dinner party. Aunt Amarantha, Severus' mother, comes round with Uncle Charles and of course Aunt Victoria and Uncle William too. We exchange gifts and then I have to spend the evening with Severus, Lucius and Adrian while all the adults sit around drinking. Then of course Christmas Day is the Pure Ball and we're all put on parade so that parents can pick who they want to marry into their family."
They all sat in silence for a few minutes thinking of their Christmas plans and then Amanda spoke up.
"Oh I wanted to give you these before you go away, I was hoping we could open them all together."
She handed each girl a small box wrapped in red paper with golden bows. The wrapping was quickly removed and four gasps were heard before Alice spoke up.
"They're beautiful Mand, but they look really expensive; you can't give us these."
"Alice, I'm loaded! And plus you're all worth it. It's kind of my way of saying thank you for putting up with me this year. I know I've been a pain but you were all great. Besides I can't, they've all been engraved."
Branwen turned the bracelet in her hand over; it was very delicate that was for sure, pure gold and on one side was the word Lioness, then turning it over the other side showed her name.
"Thank you Mand!"
Lily had her in a tight hug and it was followed by all of them hugging.
"How are we going to pay you back for this?"
"Gin, you don't have to... although an invite over summer would be good, I don't think I could cope spending two months at home."
"I was going to have you over for the entire summer anyway I'm not letting you go home, and if your family make you go home I'm making Sirius go with you, you're not staying alone."
Amanda laughed lightly as she pulled Ginny in for another hug. The other three looked on confused but before they could ask Amanda looked at her watch.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the Entrance Hall now? You're leaving in ten minutes."
A rush took over as everybody ran around in a panic, but the girls did make it to the Entrance Hall with time to spare. They found the six boys standing together waiting for them. Joseph was the first to speak up.
"About time girls, we were about to send out a search party."
They all ignored him as they hugged once more.
"Enjoy your Christmas, okay guys"
Branwen and Amanda nodded at the girls and took a step back. Before they had gotten far though Peter's voice was heard.
"Aren't you too coming with us?"
Branwen smiling spoke up.
"Nope, I have Christmas here at Hogwarts every year it's a tradition... plus there's no point me going home because nhad always stays and Tad comes up Christmas Eve so I'd end up here anyway."
Peter reached out his hand to Branwen and she took it stepping back into the crowd. She gave him a hug and a gentle kiss.
"Have a lovely Christmas, Pete."
"It would be better if I could stay here with you."
"You're not staying; your father will go insane! Go home and I'll see you when you get back."
With that said, she went back to stand on the bottom step waiting for Amanda to join her. Amanda was standing with Sirius and James. Smiling lightly.
"You sure you'll be okay here, Mandy?"
"Yes Sirius I'll be fine... okay, father knows I'm staying and if he turns up he'll have to face Dumbledore, so I'll be fine I promise."
Then with a final hug to both boys she stood back with Branwen and they waved as the rest of their friends left for home and their families.
Hello everyone I know it's been a while but I've thrown myself into revision and have little time for anything else at the moment. I hope that you will enjoy this chapter because my first exam is a week Saturday so you're likely not going to get an update until my exams are over.
Annie yeah Lestrange is completely evil but I quite like Malfoy although again he isn't that amusing in this story.
Jessie yeah poor Mand, but I've been thinking how are you and Dave isn't it? I haven't heard any gossip yet. Things are bad here we have a new security guard and I swear he looks like my ex and he's such a prat (he reckons that customer services do not work!)
Firewalker Okay your review was like nice and long so I'm going to tackle it in little bits I think. Now Dumbledore is one of these people that is important in the stories but isn't given much time in them, he's like the uncle that's there but kept in the background, and he's kinda been that way at the moment but he'll again be more important later on, there is a scene I have in my head for fourth year between him and James where he'll be important.
I know I have a lot planned for fourth year and I want to focus on relationships that have kinda been forgotten which is the friendship so there will be a lot of Branwen/Lily along with Sirius/James and Remus and Pete will be thrown in and I'm working on an important chapter for Ginny/Amanda and Alice floats between the two groups and I also have an important Frank/Joseph one that you'll understand due to the ending of this year.
As for the time of year we're now at, I think this chapter is a give away. I was aware that we'd lost time since Halloween was the major mark point and I was like, well where are we? So I thought I'd add Christmas and the next major reminder will be Valentine's Day so you'll know where we are time wise.
A cruise where? I'm going on a seven day cruise next April, down the Nile and then a week in a hotel next to the Nile. I should say that I study Ancient Egypt for my course and I wanted to visit the sites and so cruise. I bet you'll enjoy it.
About Amanda I need to get a break from her to focus on other characters, the rest of the third year is more or less focused on everyone else although there is a step back but she will be there in fourth year I have two major plots decided that she will be in but for the rest she's not going to beat the forefront of the year. Hope that helps 8D
The Unknown One Okay to clear that up they are not related. I know that it could seem like they are because of the family connection but what that is well is that Amanda's father Alistair is best friends with Sirius' father Bootés, and so that's why they were brought up together but there's no relation. Oh and thanks for the review.
Taylin I think we're going to argue about this for years, so I'm going to let you in on a secret. The following is true and it is where I got this storyline from originally and I can't give names away.
One of my friends was in a situation where she was almost raped, the only reason she wasn't was because she managed to get the guy (someone that we all knew and she trusted) off her and run away. That happened when we were fourteen and she only told one of our guy friends. Then four years later when we were eighteen she told me and one of the other girls, nobody else knows. We have about twelve really close friends and only three people know, and that's because she feels that it was her fault a little that she led him on and the more people that now makes it seem that much more real.
I'm not sure if you understand what I'm getting at but I'm basing Amanda's reaction on my friends where it makes it worse the more people that now. I can promise you that she will tell the others but not until sixth year, I know that you seem to think that this year is dragging on and this is the storyline for it all but it isn't. It's only going to be brought up once more in this year and then not again until sixth.
Now I hope this has helped you to understand why nobody else knows. Sirius only found out because he saw it, James by accident but she told Ginny. This is important and goes back to what I said to Firewalker earlier, it's an important sign of friendship and we will see this more in later years.
As for you finding it boring I'm sorry that you feel that way, I must admit it isn't as fun when you're at this points but it's a part of life that not everything is fun. But Christmas is now upon them and I can promise you that the Valentine posts will be fun. So I hope you will stick with it and let's just forget about the Amanda storyline at the moment.
So now that all that is over I hope you will review and I will try to post again between the 14th and 26th May (between my exams)
Kris