"I was saying," Alicia cut Angelina off, who had just been about to take a breath to speak. "I wanted to give you the grand tour of 'The Pit,' but Angelina thinks that we should stuff our faces full of sweets, then fall unconsious to the floor in a sugary sweet daze." Alicia raised her eyebrows, expecting Katie to mention how stupid of an idea that was, and that a grand tour would be to everyone's delight.
"Well, I guess we could--" Katie started with a shrug, but jumped suddenly when Angelina stepped on her foot. "What was that fo--- OW! Ok ok! We'll eat a bunch of sweets--" she recieved a pout and scowl mix from Alicia, before continuing, "--WHILE we go on the grand tour. I'm sure it's not too difficult to eat and look at the house at the same time." She looked from friend to friend, "Agreed?"
The two girls thought about it momentarily, then agreed heartily. And so, between Alicia and Angelina, most information coming from Angelina, Katie was told almost the entire history and intersting stories of each room, portrait and priceless valuables. "I gave it the name 'The Pit,' when I was seven or so. Before then, my old man called it 'Johnson Jailhouse.' Before that, it was called 'Vast Nothingness,' and even before that, it was called 'The Abyss.'
The two girls were dragging Katie from room to room, telling her every story they knew. Alicia didn't know as much as Angelina, since she was born and raised in this particular house, but she was able to explain everything she loved about the rooms, and recite anything Angelina had told her.
"--and this is my room!" Alicia beamed proudly, throwing open a heavy oak door and showing off her overly decorated room. There was no specific color to the room, it had posters of Quidditch players, one attractive male in particular, over every inch of free space. Her room didn't seem to suit her personality. Katie had expected this to be Angelina's room.
"Don't go inside," Angelina quickly explained, closing the door to the room. "It's a dangerous place to go if you aren't prepared for what lies within. Come on, my room's next."
Again, Katie was surprised by the room's appearance. It did not suit Angelina's personality at all. The room was actually quite boring and plain and organized. That was not Angelina at all.
"Welcome to my shrine," Angelina said with a proud grin. Alicia shook her head, muttering about how boring the room was, and how her's was more exciting, however dangerous it might be.
There was only one word Katie could use to sum up the Johnson house, "Wow."
"--so this old wizard walks in with a muggle contraption clamped onto his little toe. When I asked him what it was, he told me that it was muggle magic." Alicia's mom spoke about her day at work at St. Mungo's. "I tell him that muggles have no magic and he demands to know what that contraption is if it isn't magic." She shook her head and leaned back in her chair placed at the head of the dinner table.
Mr. Johnson laughed, "Did you ever figure out what it was, dear?"
Mrs. Spinnet nodded with a small smile, "It's called a mouse trap. Apparently, muggles use it to capture mice and other small animals. There's some sort of trigger on the thing and it attacks whoever touches it."
"Things these muggles come up with," Mr. Johnson replied, picking up a goblet of fire whiskey and taking a small sip. At that moment, Katie, Angelina and Alicia entered the kitchen laughing and singing the hit song by the singing sesation Vampire Vlad.
"I vant to suck you vlood! Cuz I'm a vampire! OOOOooOOOooOOOooOOOooOOOooOOO" They sang together then dissolved into giggles, or in Angelina's case, full out laughter.
The two adults looked at the teens and laughed lightly. Mrs. Spinnet greeted Kaite, "It's wonderful to see you again, Katie. I hope the girls don't scare into never coming over ever again."
Katie laughed, "I'm afraid you're too late."
The girls sat down at the dinner table and listened to more stories about unusual patients from St. Mungo's. Because Mr. Johnson refused to let the girls have any fire whiskey, the girls had to resolve for pumpkin juice or butterbeer.
"Oh," Alicia's mom began asthough she had forgotten something, "I forgot to tell you girls, the Jordan's are coming over for Christmas dinner." She looked at Katie as the young girl choked on her pumpkin juice and practically spit it out. Angelina and Alicia quickly clapped their friend on the back, then encouraged her to have a little bit more to drink. Katie ignored them, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Well, that had been totally unexpected.
The two adults looked at one another. "Did you say something wrong?"
"I didn't think I did."
Alicia rubbed Katie's back, "Oh don't worry mum. Katie's just probably coming to terms with the fact that she's desperately in love with Lee, and it's just really funny that he's coming to Christmas dinner. That's all."
"Alicia," Katie hissed.
"And it might be a little awkward for her, because she has this mad crush on Oliver Wood. You know him, don't you dad?" Angelina chimed in, ignoring that glare Katie sent her way.
"Angelina!"
Mr. Johnson looked upward as he thought, "I believe I do. He's the captain of the house team, correct?" When the two girls nodded that he was indeed correct, Mr. Johnson nodded in approval, "He's a good enough kid."
"No he's not," Angelina argued.
Alicia picked up, "He's not because he barely notices anyone, and he's psycho obessesed with Quidditch. Besides--"
"Besides," Angelina interrupted, now ignoring Katie's protests, "Lee is a much better match for her, because all of us approve and he's a real sweetheart."
Katie banged her head against the dinner table, hoping there would be a sudden change in conversation. Didn't they have their own lives? Thinking about the affairs of her friends, Katie finally perked up, "Well what about Fred and George?"
This caught everyone's attention and caused Alicia to blush and Angelina to open and close her mouth several times. The adults instantly became parents. "What is this about Fred anf George Weasley, girls? They're sweet boys, but really, you're both much to young to be thinking about boys." Mr. Johnson eyed his daughter and step-daughter carefully.
"Dad, there's nothing seriously. They're just our friends," Angelina began quickly.
"Well, I think you a Fred might have a little chemistry," Alicia began smoothly. Katie giggled. "I mean, you two have been getting rather close lately, in my opinion, and well--"
Alicia stopped when a cool liquid hit her in the face. She gasped and looked at Angelina who was sitting there with a devilish smirk on her face, her goblet emptied. In no time at all a small battle had plagued the kitchen. Even Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Spinnet had joined in once butterbeer found its way from Alicia's goblet to them.
After about five minutes, food had somehow joined in on the fray, compliments of Mr. Johnson. Katie yelped as a pasty cream hit her on the side of the head. She quickly removed it and threw toward a laughing Angelina.
"Ahem," came a disapproving cough of a middle aged woman from the kitchen's entrance.
All motions ceased.
Mr. Johnson wiped his hands on his shirt and quickly stood, "Mother, how are you? We- uh, well, we weren't expecting you until Saturday." The man was acting like a chile being caught stealing from the cookie jar. When the stern looking woman said nothing, Mr. Johnson went on, trying to keep her from making a thourough inspection of the situation. "May I introduce, Katie Bell she's--"
"Bell?" The woman interupted, focusing in on Katie with a scrutinizing gaze."Robert Bell's daughter?" The question was directed now to Katie, who nodded meekly, unable to find her voice. Angelina nudged her friend gently, an indication that an auditory response was required.
Katie cleared her throat, "Yes ma'am."
After Mr. Johnson was lured away by his mother, and Mrs. Spinnet followed behind, the girls looked at each other before dissolving into giggles. "I think Grandma Johnson likes you," Angelina said, imitating her grandmother's tart, stern face.
"Wow, if that's how she is when she likes someone, then remind me never to get on her bad side," Katie joked silently. Once moore, the girls giggled.
Katie could have sworn there hadn't been a large tree in the center of the living room the evening before. Perhaps Mr. Johnson or Mrs. Spinnet had placed it there with magic or something. It was a beautiful tree, that was decorated with red and silver ornaments, and she wasn't sure, but she could have sworn that the tree itself had a bit gold trimming, which made it glitter in the sunlight.
A noise caught her attention and Katie looked to Mrs. Spinnet who was descending from the staricase. She had a bright smile showing on her tired face. It was obvious she had just woken up. Katie smiled an apology, "Sorry for waking you so early. If you're anything like Alicia, you like your sleep."
"Don't even think on it for a minute," Mrs. Spinnet came over to her and admired the tree. "I always wake up early on Christmas day. A tradition I've kept up since I was a child."
Katie smiled, at least she wasn't the only one. She glanced toward one of the many windows, it wasn't even near sunrise yet. She wasn't sure about Mr. Johnson, but Angelina would wake for another hour, Alicia wouldn't rise for another couple of decades. "Happy Christmas, and thanks for letting me spend the holidays with your family."
Mrs. Spinnet smiled, still gazing at the tree, as if remembering a story. She finally looked down at Katie, before making her way over to plush arm chair and seating herself down on it, "Want to hear a little Christmas story?" When Katie nodded quickly and sat on the floor infront of the chair, Mrs. Spinnet rearranged herself on the chair so that she was now settled on her feet. "There was a Christmas celebration in Gryffindor Tower," which was really code for totally hot party, "and I think it was my third year, Edward's fifth, and I was really stupid and tried to catch his attention. He was Mr. Popularity, and I was absolutely invisible. But," Katie noticed Angelina standing on the staircase, listening to the story as well, her face expressionless and difficult to read. Katie's attention went back to Mrs. Spinnet,
"That year, something was different, because," she paused shrugging and shaking her head, wearing that goofy grin Katie would wear whenever she though she would be getting somewhere with Oliver. Katie really didn't have to hear the rest, though. Edward was obviously Mr. Johnson, and those feelings Mrs. Spinnet had felt for him only grew throughout the years. It was a bitter sweet story in its own way, but Katie doubted she'd be able to harbor feelings for someone like that for such a long amount of time.
"You and those sappy love stories," Angelina smirked and joined Mrs. Spinnet and Katie at the tree's side. She smiled brightly, "Happy Christmas."
"Happy Christmas."
As expected, Alicia didn't rise until well past noon, but they had to wait even longer for Mr. Johnson. Once everyone was awake, gifts were exchanged. A gift addressed to all three girls that was from Fred and George shook slightly when they touched it. The girls jumped back, and decided to open the gift in safer conditions and at a much later time.
Before they knew it, the entire household was preparing for the Christmas dinner, and even trying to straighten up the house a bit before the Jordans arrived. Just as Katie finished with Angelina's hair there was a loud, ancient bell chiming somewhere in the house. Someone was at the door.
"I'LL GET IT!" Angelina called as she jumped up quickly, and dashed from her room, leaving a very confused Katie behind.
"No you won't, Angie," Mr. Johnson hurried out of his own room, and raced his daughter down the steps. He pulled ahead of Angelina, "Like I always say, youth is wasted on the young."
Angelina jumped onto the stari rail and began to slide down it, passing her father, "Come on, old man, you've got more juice than that, I'm sure!" She laughed.
Alicia, Mrs. Spinnet and Katie watched the scene from the top of the stairs, shaking their heads and trying not to encourage the two with their antics.
In the end, it was Angelina who reached the door first. She yanked it open still laughing at the fact that she could defeat her father. She opened her eyes to see who she opened the door for, and instantly her face fell and her laughter ceased. "Uh," she began, stuttering weakly as she stared into her grandmother's stern face. "Uh-- Hi?"
"Mother?" Mr. Johnson came to Angelina's aid. "You've been paying a lot of unexpected visits lately, is something wrong?" He gave Angelina a slight nudge, a silent motion for her to go back upstairs and help setting up for the dinner.
"Can't your mother just drop by to deliver a few gifts?" she questioned. When Mr. Johnson opened and closed his mouth several times, Mrs. Johnson held a hand up infront of her son, "I didn't raise you to look like a fish, son, and do not worry, I am unable to stay." With a flick of her wand a large burlap bag went floating past her and into the house. "Happy Christmas to you all," she made a point to make eye contact with Alicia and her mother the quickest of moments. Something told Katie Mr. Johnson's mother hadn't approved of the re-marraige.
"Falalalalalalalala!" Lee yelled loudly as Mrs. Spinnet opened the doors to the well furnished 'Pit.'
"Nice to see you haven't lost your voice," she said as she opened the door wider admitting the Jordan family. She greeted each of them in turn and led them to the dining room where the girls and Mr. Johnson were already seated.
Alicia, Katie and Angelina had their forks and knives at hand, and in a ryhthmically manner, pounded them onto the cerry wood table. "Food! Food! Food! Food! Food!" A moment later, Lee joined their number, and their volume intensified tremendously. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan shook their heads with small grins on their faces.
"Why don't all just calm down so we can eat?" Mr. Johnson suggested, waving his wand. This action caused the young teens to fall silent against thier will. With another wave of his wand, food instantly appeared on the table.
Though they could not speak or make any kind of sound the four young students dug into their food and made a dramatic show of eating their food. For Katie, this would surely proove to be an intersting Christmas indeed.
Alright everyone.. I uhm.. am a bad bad girl and you all hate me for not updating in EONS and I can really really understand if you hate me and everything.. BUT since it is the summer time i might be able to finishe this fic! And start the sequel! That would be great wouldn't it? If any of you have any ideas as to where I should go with this,.. leave me a review and i will get back at ya..
Take care leave reviews... flames.. i dont care.. tell me how much my grammar sucks.. ANYTHING just.. lemme know that you know that im not dead and i want to know that you guys are alright too..
Ok
Peace out..
Later my precious kiddies!
Richi Sama-