A/N: Sorry for the delay. There's 3-4 more chapters and then the end of the story. Enjoy and this chapter has not been beta'd.
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The day before the holiday began, after everyone had finished their exams, Alexia, Sebastian, Orion, Fiona, Timothy, Azalea, and Cassie gathered in the library to say good-bye and to wish everyone a happy Christmas. Although they could have just sent their gifts via owl, they instead decided to exchange gifts beforehand. Sebastian also suggested that it might get too expensive if they all bought one another a gift and thought that drawing a name out of hat and buying only one person a gift would be nicer. They all agreed to this, though Cassie and Orion secretly agreed they would buy each other another gift.
First to exchange gifts was Sebastian. He had drawn Fiona's name from a hat and bought her a book on make-up charms. "Marigold likes this book and has pages 37, 41, 56, and 82 bookmarked in her copy."
Fiona then gave Timothy a special student package from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. In it were gags that would be helpful to anyone attending Hogwarts, or any school for that matter. Timothy loved it and gave Azalea a book on Muggle plants and their uses in potions because she loved Herbology and Potions. Azalea pulled out a heavy box, which was filled with novels that Cassie had said she wanted to read but never got around to reading. Now she had her own copy and no excuse. Cassie had drawn Alexia's name from the hat and decided to give her a necklace that matched a pair of her earrings. When Alexia opened the box, she shrieked, which earned her a glare from the librarian. "How did you know I wanted this? It's gorgeous!"
"Your brother thought you might like it. I'm glad you do," Cassie said as she flashed Alexia a genuine smile. Alexia shyly handed Orion a little box that contained a set of Gobstones, a deck of Exploding Snap cards, and a new chess set. Orion thanked Alexia, but knew not to give her too much credit or it would go to her head. Lastly was Orion's gift to Sebastian.
He gave Sebastian a book of hexes and the counterspells, which he said would come handy, knowing the fights that broke out in the Flint household. With all of the presents having been exchanged, Cassie asked what everyone was planning on doing for the Christmas holidays.
"I'm going to be staying here, since my father and mother are visiting my grandfather in Italy," Timothy added with relief. His grandfather was not an interesting person and he would rather stay at school than spend a week with him.
"Our parents are taking us to Switzerland," Sebastian said.
"We get to go skiing in the Alps! Grandmere hasn't taken us skiing in ages!" Azalea interjected excitedly.
"Mother and Father thought it best that Tristan and I spend Christmas at home with them. Since it's just us, and it's Tristan's last year here, they thought this might be the last holiday we ever get to spend together. He's going to be a bum living at home forever though, so it really doesn't matter. It's just an excuse for them to drag us home," Alexia mumbled almost under breath.
"Timothy and I will have to come up with our own enjoyment without the rest of you. Unless you and Orion are staying with at Hogwarts too?" Fiona asked, directing her question towards Cassie, even though it was Orion who answered.
"We're going to our aunt Andromeda's house for a traditional Black Christmas," Orion said.
"A black Christmas? I've heard of a White Christmas, but never a black Christmas," Azalea asked with some confusion.
"Not black like the color, but Black is our aunt Andromeda's," Cassie began, before Orion interrupted her. "And my grandmother's."
"Yes, your grandmother's and Aunt Andromeda's maiden name is Black. So we're going to have a semi-traditional dinner. With the addition of my family, it would be so traditional," Cassie added with sarcasm. The Weasleys were not traditional purebloods and would not behave the same way other pureblooded families did, like the Black Family.
It was almost curfew, so they all decided to head to bed early, knowing most of them had to catch the train early the next morning. Orion and Cassie were the last to leave the library and lingered in the hallways for a little while. At one point, Cassie changed to subject and asked Orion if he was going to be staying at Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted's house until the Feast and if his father and grandmother were joining him. Orion paused, unsure of what to say. He took a deep breath.
"We'll be arriving the night before Christmas, on Christmas Eve. Grandmother says that is an important day to spend with family. Father agrees that he should get to see me a bit before we head on to Aunt Andromeda's home. I'm still not sure who's picking me up from the station." Cassie seemed disappointed with his response, she was hoping he'd be staying there the entire time. She'd miss her friend, but she knew she'd be busy preparing for the Feast and would not have too much time to dwell on Orion.
"Who usually picks you up from the station?" Cassie queried.
"My godfather Blaise Zabini usually does. But he's gone to Italy to visit family this holiday. My father and grandmother rarely leave the house these days because the press always mob them."
"I know what you mean. Harry and Mum don't like to travel out in public more than they have to because Harry, James, and Serena will be mobbed and Mum and I get pushed aside. So we'll usually just go visit relatives. It's more fun that way, then I can play with all of my little cousins," Cassie said with happiness. She was the oldest of all of her cousins and enjoyed being the one in charge of them. Of course, Lyra and Ares, the ones see saw most often, were the most annoying out of all her cousins.
"How many cousins do you have?" Orion asked. He knew the Weasley family was large, but he had no idea how large they really were.
Cassie started to tick off everyone using her fingers. "Well, first there's my oldest uncle, Uncle Bill, who married Aunt Fleur and has two children. Sophie is nine years old and Jacques is six years old. Then there's Uncle Charlie, who married Aunt Nymph and has two children. Lyra is ten and Ares is eight. Uncle Fred and Uncle George are not married yet, but they date people, or so Mum and Harry say. I've never met their girlfriends. Then my uncle Ron married Aunt Hermione and has two kids. David is eight and Emily is four. Emily's the youngest. James and Serena are five."
"I would never be able to keep track of everyone," Orion said, quite impressed with Cassie.
"Luckily no one else wanted a big family like Nana. I think they all knew the struggles Nana and Pop-pop went through when they were younger and didn't want that with their own families. Mum's got the largest family with three kids now, but Aunt Fleur's pregnant again. I don't want Mum to have any more kids. I mean Sophie's going to be starting school soon and she'll have a little brother or sister. What a pain!"
"I wish I had siblings of any age. You're lucky you have so many cousins and aunts and uncles," Orion said wistfully. Whenever Cassie talked about her family, it always made him want siblings, or even more aunts and uncles and cousins who he actually spent time with. Cassie was a cousin, he reasoned, but she was a distant cousin.
"It's overwhelming on holidays. Luckily, it won't be more than the one day with everyone. And you'll be there, you will save me from the crazy people I call my relatives, right?" Cassie pleaded.
"That's what friends are for, so yes, I'll save you. Good night Cassie. I'm riding with Tristan and Alexia on the train tomorrow, sorry," Orion added apologetically.
"It's okay, Azalea and I are sitting together. Sebastian's going off with Julia. Good night Orion," Cassie said as she turned and waved. Orion watched as she headed down the hallway towards the Gryffindor Common Room. As he head back to his own common room, he thought about the holidays and how different they would be from his previous Christmases. First of all, it would be nice to spend time in a friendly household. During Christmas, his father only left his study for dinner, which was eaten in silence. His grandmother thought it had something to do with Orion's mother, but his father never talked about her. Secondly, it would be fun to spend a holiday with a friend, especially one of his best friends.
The train ride home was peaceful, with Orion and Cassie not seeing each other the entire time. At the station, everyone waved their good-byes. Cassie waited patiently, standing on her tippy-toes to look for Aunt Andromeda or Uncle Ted, both who were very tall. Slowly, people filtered off the platform and she spotted Orion.
"Still waiting for someone?"
"I'm just curious who's going to come fetch me." As soon as the words left his mouth, he spotted his grandmother. Cassie turned around and saw Aunt Andromeda. The sisters walked towards each other, not noticing each other, but noticing the children only.
"Grandmother!"
"Aunt Andromeda!"
"Narcissa?"
"Andromeda? Is that you?" Narcissa asked, shocked that her sister would come to King's Cross Station.
"Why yes! I'm just picking up my niece Cassie. She's Nymph's niece, actually, but I looked after her when she was younger. How about you?" Andromeda asked, even though she knew the only possible reason Narcissa would be at the station was for the young man next to Cassie, Orion Malfoy.
"Have you met Orion?" Narcissa asked, then nudged Orion, whispering to him, "Introduce yourself."
"Hello Mrs. Tonks. I am Orion Malfoy. It is my pleasure to meet you," Orion moved to kiss her hand, but Andromeda pushed his hand away.
"None of this Mrs. Tonks stuff, just call me Aunt Andromeda. Cassie and I have to go, but we'll see you both shortly. Good to see you again Narcissa. Nice to meet you again Orion," Andromeda grabbed Cassie's hand firmly and yanked her away.
"Ouch!" Cassie shrieked as Andromeda tightened her grip on Cassie's wrist. "Why did you do that?"
"I'd rather not confront my sister in public. We did not end on amicable terms. The only reason I even invited her to this bash was because you and Orion asked me to invite her and Draco. My nephew is not always my favorite person, whether or not I love his son."
Outside of the station, Ted Tonks was waiting in the car for Andromeda and Cassie. Andromeda let go of Cassie, who crossed her arms in front of her chest and sat in the back with her nose stuck up in the air. She was eleven and thought she could not be treated like a little girl. When they arrived at the house, she yanked her bag from the trunk and dashed up the two flights of stairs to her bedroom. Twelve Grimmauld Place had four floors, a cellar that no one ever used, the main floor that was used for entertaining, the second floor where Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted's bedroom was, and the third floor where the playroom was. The third floor also had three bedrooms, one of which Cassie was supposed to share with her sister, but Serena usually slept in the other bedroom with Lyra. Ares and James shared the remaining bedroom, with any other children sleeping in the playroom. Harry, Aunt Nymph, Uncle Charlie, and her mum slept on the second floor in one of the many bedrooms there.
Tomorrow Harry, James, Serena, and her mum would arrive and after that, Aunt Nymph, Uncle Charlie, Lyra, and Ares would arrive. For now, Cassie had the whole third floor to herself. She threw her bag on her bed, grabbed a novel from her bookshelf, and curled up on one of the couches in the playroom. It was hours before her uncle came in to check on her and she enjoyed the peace. At her home, there was never any quiet, with all the owls coming and going, James and Serena playing games, and the random visitors that just happened to get lost, but always wanting Harry's autograph. Uncle Ted understood she wanted to be left alone and just put the food on the table, leaving her to eat in peace.
Her thoughts drifted to Orion and she wondered when he would finally show up and where he would sleep. In each of the bedrooms on the third floor, there were only two beds in every room. There were plenty of sleeping bags in the playroom, but Cassie didn't want Orion to suffer sleeping in there for several nights. But she realized Aunt Andromeda would have it under control, after all, she was a perfectionist.
Cassie slept well in her own bed, without the normal chatter that went on in the dormitories at Hogwarts. When her mum arrived, Cassie couldn't wait to tell her about all the friends she had made, conveniently leaving out all the Slytherins, knowing her mum did not want her to associate with Slytherins. Her mum had been warning her against Slytherins since she was little, and to go against her mum's wishes would not be a good idea. Harry, on the other hand, encouraged her as much Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted to meet people from other houses. James and Serena just were happy to see their sister again and annoyed Cassie until she agreed to play with them. Later in the evening, her cousins arrived just in time to distract James and Serena and give Cassie some quiet time. Just as she had settled comfortably on her bed, Harry, Uncle Ted, and Aunt Andromeda came in. Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted sat down on the bed, but Harry paced back and forth, something he did only when he was nervous.
"Cassie, have you told your mum about Orion, Draco, or Mrs. Malfoy coming here for the Christmas Feast?" Harry asked. Cassie noticed how nervous he was. Harry was usually a little paranoid, and he earned it, after all, he was hunted most of his life. This was beyond paranoid, he was petrified.
"No, no. Why would I tell Mum? You three made me promise never to talk about him to anyone. Though all of Hogwarts knows we're friends because of what we did at Halloween," Cassie said.
"What did you do at Halloween?" Uncle Ted asked, a little annoyed because he thought they had played a few tricks on people. Cassie waved him off, saying it was not that important, no one was hurt at all and they weren't given any detentions, which seemed to reassure him.
"Sweetie," Aunt Andromeda began, "please don't mention anything about the Malfoys coming. They'll be here in the morning. Until I call you down in the morning, you're to stay in your room. I'll send Orion up here, alright?"
"That's fine. Just keep James and Serena out of the way. Wait, where's Orion sleeping?"
"He'll either be in James and Ares's room or he'll sleep in the guest room with Draco." Aunt Andromeda continued to mutter to herself, "I wonder where we're going to put everyone."
"Good night. I'm sleepy and tomorrow will be a long day." Cassie added the effect o her falling backwards and sleeping. Harry kissed her forehead, while Uncle Ted and Aunt Andromeda whispered their good nights before closing the door behind them. She knew her mum would come up shortly to check on her, but she fell asleep before her mum came in.
Orion had been looking forward to going to Aunt Andromeda's house ever since he approached Cassie with the idea. Now that it was actually the day he was leaving, he was nervous. What would his father say when he found out his best friend was a Gryffindor? A Gryffinor first year girl? Too late for that, he thought. His grandmother was in no rush to get to her sister's house, but his father wanted to be prompt, saying it showed decency and the ability to forgive. His grandmother insisted that she was not raised to be prompt, that she was a Black, going to a Black event and that she was going to arrive fashionably late. In the end, Orion and his father ended up leaving before his grandmother, who was adamant about arriving late. They Flooed over to 12 Grimmauld Place and found Aunt Andromeda waiting in the foyer. She hurried his father into the library, saying the rest of the house was still in disarray, if he wouldn't mind waiting a few minutes there. She added that she wanted to speak to him about keeping her poor nephew away for so long. Then she pushed Orion up the stairs, whispering, "Go up two flights, it's the door straight in front of the stairs, knock before entering." Orion was not about to argue with her, he knew she was pushing him to go hang out with Cassie.
When he arrived at Cassie's room, she grabbed his hand and dragged him into the playroom, where Lyra and Serena were playing with dolls and James and Ares were playing with toy cars. It was a Muggle playroom. She introduced everyone to Orion and dragged him back to her room. She explained that Aunt Andromeda wanted them to wait there until they were summoned. Orion winced at those words. His father never used summoning to mean a good thing, but Cassie didn't seem to notice.
Andromeda had it planned out. While she was making small talk with Draco in the library, Harry would tell Ginny that Andromeda was looking for her and asked Ginny to go to the library. There, Draco and Ginny would have to be faced with reality. After Harry left, he would find Ted, who would bring the children down. With children being friends, Andromeda could not wait for them to discover the truth. If anything she was worried they had already figured it out. They were smart children, she reasoned.
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A/N: Thanks for reading and please review.
