By Adaia Swordmaiden
Disclaimer: Guinivere, Rallie, Charlie and Rien? Mine. Plot? Mine. Computer? Dammit, Dad's. Marauders? J.K.'s. You get the picture.
Chapter 10: Dreams and Christmas shopping
Lily woke up to hear Guinivere talking. She looked over at her friend's bed as she sleepily got up. Guinivere was asleep, but tossing restlessly and muttering, occasionally speaking louder. Lily paused, about to wake her up, and listened.
"…No…," she moaned. "No…leave them alone…they didn't do anything…Hold on Ralline…Cochiti…Rien…Papa! PAPA!" She jerked upright and awake. "Huh?" she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes and looking around.
"Come on, it's time to get ready," Lily said, deciding not to mention what she had heard. Guinivere groaned and fell back into bed.
"Why does it have to be Monday?" her muffled voice said from beneath her pillow.
"Because yesterday was Sunday," Lily said matter-of-factly as she began to brush her hair. "Now get up." With another groan, Guinivere crawled and fell out of bed.
"Need tea," she muttered and brought out her wand. "Aguamenti." She pointed her wand at the mug by her bed and then transfigured the water into tea. She took a sip while waving her wand at her bed - it made itself. Within five minutes, both girls were the first out of the dorm and looking like they had been up for hours.
"So are you going home for the holidays?" Lily asked. Guinivere shook her head as they climbed through the portrait hole and out into the corridor.
"Papa thinks that it would be easier for me to stay here," she replied. "What about you?"
"I'm going home," Lily mused. "I've never had a Christmas without my family. If I even thought about it, they'd come out here and drag me back in time for dinner." She laughed but Guinivere didn't join in. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Guinivere said. "Just thinking of my last Christmas."
"What was it like?" Lily asked as they ducked behind a tapestry and began to head down the secret passage behind it.
"It was great. Rien and Charlie came over, as well as Uncle Albus," Guinivere said, smiling. "Rallie couldn't come because she'd broken her- leg and was still in hospital, in a way. But she sent on a present with Rien. Rien turned up early and helped us set up Christmas lunch. Then Uncle Albus apparated and scared Rien out of his wits. He must have jumped a full metre. Then Charlie turned up and Rien, who had a bit of a score to settle with her, tried to spook her. It ended with her threatening to hex him so hard that he wouldn't be able to chan- walk for a week." Guinivere laughed.
"Sounds fun," Lily said as they reached the Great Hall.
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(A/N: this is at the beginning of the Christmas holidays, whenever that is)
"I'll see you in a few weeks," Lily said, waving goodbye to Guinivere before leaving the common-room. Guinivere waved after her before returning to correcting her essay.
"Erratum," she muttered, tapping an incorrect word. It instantly fixed itself. It was a full five minutes of correcting - she had done the essay at one the previous morning - before anyone else came down from the dorms. Then there was a yell from the boys dorm as Guinivere was correcting 'becos' and suddenly Remus came charging down the stairs, looking furious and chasing a certain Sirius Black. Finally, after Sirius had managed to get his wand out and mutter the counter curse for the Leg-Locker curse on his legs, the two boys went over to sit by her.
"Morning," Remus grumbled, glaring at Sirius who was doing his best, and failing, to look innocent. "Who hasn't left for the hols?"
"Me, you guys and some first year," Guinivere muttered. "You guys going to Hogsmeade? I gotta do some shopping and I want to see Rien."
"Yeah, sure," Sirius yawned, stretching out on the floor before the fire.
"I'd like to meet Rien," Remus mused.
"Well you can," Guinivere said, finally rolling up her essay. "I still can't believe that there hasn't been a Hogsmeade visit for nearly amonth!"
"It hasn't been 'nearly a month'," Sirius said as he got up and began to head for the portrait hole. "It's been two weeks. Now come on - there's no way I'm going to Hogsmeade on an empty stomach." Guinivere and Remus hurried to catch up with their bottomless-pit stomached friend. They reached the Great Hall to find that, as per usual when there were very few students at the school, they were all, teachers included, to sit at the same table. All the teachers but Professor Opal, the Astronomy teacher, were there. For the students, Stacy Cockcroft, Ender Harding, the Gryffindor first year girl and three unfamiliar Ravenclaws were there, along with Guinivere, Sirius and Remus. After breakfast, the three Gryffindors hurried out before anyone else, Guinivere eager to get to Hogsmeade and Sirius and Remus trying to keep up. But they still had to wait, as there was only one carriage going to Hogsmeade and the three weren't the only students going so it wouldn't move an inch. Within a few minutes, Stacy Cockcroft and Ender Harding came out of the castle and they all climbed in the carriage. With a jolt, it began to move.
"Doing Christmas shopping?" Stacy asked brightly. All of them but Ender nodded.
"None of your business," he muttered, glaring mutinously out the window.
"What's up with you?" she asked. He glared at her.
"Nothing," he said, returning his gaze to the window. "And if anything was, it'd still be none of your business."
"Hey, she was just trying to be nice," Guinivere said, frowning at Ender. He didn't answer, apparently given up on them all. Stacy was silent for the rest of the trip, looking slightly uncomfortable and fiddling with the bottom of her bright orange t-shirt. Finally they reached Hogsmeade and hurried out of the carriage. Guinivere made a beeline for The Three Broomsticks, Sirius and Remus trailing after her as before. Five minutes later, they were sitting at a table at the back of the large, crowded room, where they could see everything going on.
"Looks like your friend isn't here," Remus mused. Guinivere nodded, gazing around the room. Sirius came back with butterbeers and the three drank in silence.
"I'm going to go Christmas shopping," Guinivere suddenly announced as she finished her butterbeer. "I might see Rien around town."
"We'll catch up in a bit,' Sirius said and Remus nodded. Guinivere got up and, leaving enough money on the table to pay for her drink, left.
A/N: :sigh: this is getting boring. I'm gonna try to liven it up a little next chapter. For your reviews, I greatly appreciate them all but I'm to bloody tired to write down a comment for each of you. But you still get a mention.
Fk306 animelover: maybe he is, maybe he isn't. you can speculate all you want but I'm not telling. Heh, thanx for the review.
Felix: still can't find your account. Maybe it would help if you reviewed while logged in? anyway, thanx but what do you mean by 'red fire'?
And downright thanx to IamSiriusgrl, Hippielover459 and Red-Devil15. the reviews from all of you just make my day! Heh heh heh…