Christman was here. Valencia, Damon, and Hermione were in a compartment together on the Hogwarts express that was bringing them back to King's Cross Station. June, Noah, Harry, and Ron had all decided to stay at Hogwarts over the holiday break.
Valencia had managed to sneak one of the books from the library that she had checked out a few days before the break onto the train, so she and Hermione both read while Damon sat on the opposite side of the compartment sleeping. And snoring, very loudly.
When the train arrived at the station, Valencia said her farewells to Hermione and Damon and then made her way back through the portal to find her parents. When she spotted them, a smile appeared on her face. She ran over to them and hugged them each before they left the station.
"I missed you both so much," she told them. "I tried to write back to your letter but Aven must have been out every time I went to send the letter because she wasn't there. I mean I eventually found her but that was only two days ago."
"Don't worry about it sweetheart, we're just glad you are back home for awhile" her dad said with a smile on his face.
"How have you been doing at school?" her mom began. "I see that you brought home a new book. Is it for one of your classes?"
"O-oh no… erm I actually borrowed this from the school library. It's about potions and stuff. It's actually really interesting. I think my potions professor just makes potions class seem boring, but this is really cool" Valencia said as she showed them the book. They head just exited King's Cross and were now making their way over to her parent's old yellow car.
"Well as long as you return it then I'm sure no one will mind. Right?" her dad said with a cheeky grin.
When they arrived at the car and began their journey back to their home, Valencia began to tell them all about how her first year was going. She told them everything, from the random excruciating headache she had gotten on her first night to how she was doing in all of her classes, and also about all of the new people she had met and become friends with. She even mentioned how she was attacked by the mountain troll on Halloween, but she later decided that it would have been a better idea to leave that part out because both of her parents started saying how maybe it would be better for her to stay home rather than go back to Hogwarts after Christmas break. She only shook her head and reassured them that everything was fine and that Hogwarts was a safe place.
When they arrived at their home, Val's dad helped her to haul her trunk out of the back seat while her mom grabbed the cage that had Aven in it.
"Val!" someone exclaimed from the front door. When she looked up she saw Luca and Leah standing in the doorway beaming down at her. The smile that had already been on her face grew even wider as she embraced Luca and then Leah in a hug. The twins attended a boarding school not far from where they lived but they had always come home for the holidays.
"Oh my god Valencia you have to tell me all about Horgwits" Leah said as they entered the house.
"Hogwarts" Valencia said under her breath to correct her sister.
"Yes that one. Anyways, did you meet any cute boys?" she asked. Luca rolled his eyes from where he stood beside the two of them.
"Well- I mean there was one-"
"OH MY GOD WHO?" Leah practically screamed.
"Er- well he's actually in third year and his name is Terrence Higgs-"
"Perfect! Did you tell him all about me?" Leah asked. She was staring at Valencia with wide eyes waiting for her response.
"Oh, well not exactly but I guess I can when I go back after break" Val said. She was almost certain that Terence Higgs would want absolutely nothing to do with Leah, but Val couldn't tell her that. Although Terence had been one of the only players on the Slytherin Quidditch team that played fair and was also a rather nice person to talk to, he still had his moments of being a stuck up Pure-Blood.
"Great!" Leah said. She then skipped her way upstairs to her room.
Luca only rolled his eyes at his twin again before turning to Valencia. "I missed you Val" he said as he shoved her playfully on the shoulder.
"I mean how could you not" was Val's response. She smirked at him before turning to take her trunk up to her room.
Luca tagged along behind her. He had taken the cage with Aven in it from their mom to bring it up to Val's room. She opened the door that led into her somewhat small room and heaved her trunk up onto her bed to unpack it.
For the next four hours, Valencia told Luca all about her time at Hogwarts while she unpacked. Leah joined them later to ask more questions about all of the hot boys at her school. The bond that she had with her siblings was unlike most. While she would occasionally get into disagreements with them, they had never really gotten into full blown arguments. They had always all been so close to the point where strangers would just assume that they were all best friends instead of siblings because of how well they got along.
At six o' clock the three of them made their way downstairs for a meal that their dad had prepared. Her mum and dad always took turns cooking so that it wasn't just one of them doing all of the work. The five of them ate and this time Luca and Leah told the family about their school year. Valencia was beyond happy to be back with her family. They laughed and ate and just overall enjoyed each other's company.
Over the next few days, their entire town was covered in a thick blanket of pearly white snow. They all continued to spend every moment they could with one another during the days, and at night Valencia would take to reading her book about potions.
The day before Christmas Eve, Luca, Leah, and Val all decided to take a walk around their neighborhood.
"Oh come on Valencia. Are you sure you don't want to make snow angels?" Leah asked.
"Erm- well… all right fine" she agreed when she saw her sisters puppy eyes. "But only one or two and then we are going to go on the walk."
"Yay! Okay- so… okay let's go in the driveway and make them so mum and dad can see" Leah said as she clapped her hands in excitement.
"Come on Luca, you're making them with us" Val said as she began to tug his sleeve.
"Wha- no. Hey I never agreed to this" he said, but he allowed himself to be tugged along.
The three of them began to make their way out of their house and into the driveway. They had already put on warm clothes so the second they got outside Leah plopped straight into the snow and started flapping her arms and legs back and forth to create a snow angel. Val and Luca followed her lead and they all made their own snow angels in the driveway.
After they finished that, they then proceeded to take their walk around the neighborhood. At one point, about halfway through the walk, Leah shoved Luca into one of the snow banks. Val and Leah burst out into laughter as their brother attempted to push himself out of the snow. He gave them both glares but he couldn't help but break character and smile.
"So how do you like your house at Hogwarts?" Luca asked as the three of them began to retrace their steps back the way they had come from.
"I mean Slytherin is mostly filled with ignorant prats who hate me for my blood and where I come from, but other than that I really love it. Most of the time I'm left alone because no one in my house wants to talk to a muggle-born. Well, all except for June, Damon, and Noah who I talk to every day. I mean I was honestly surprised that I wasn't put into Ravenclaw at first and I still kind of am but I guess I can see a few reasons as to why I was sorted into Slytherin" Val replied.
"Ugh. It really does sound like so much fun at Hogwarts" Leah started. "You should put me in your trunk and sneak me in Val. I'm sure no one will notice. Right?"
"Erm- I don't think that would work Leah" she said with a small laugh.
"Oh whatever. As long as you tell me everything that happens at school then I guess I will be fine" Leah said as she rolled her eyes.
By the time they got back home, Luca was shivering and Leah was ready to collapse on her bed for the next two weeks and do nothing. Val decided to get a little snack in the kitchen but before she could reach it her dad spoke.
"Valencia. Just the person I was looking for. A friend of yours from school is on the phone" he said as he stretched out his hand with the phone in it for her to take.
She had only given her home number to one person at Hogwarts and so when she picked up the phone and heard the voice, she was not at all surprised.
"Hello?" she said into the phone.
"Hi Valencia!" Hermione's voice came from the speaker.
"Hi Hermione. How has your break been?" she asked. A smile appeared on her face as Hermione told her how her Christmas break had been going.
"Oh Val, I was wondering if erm- well would you want to come over for dinner on Christmas Eve? It's okay if you don't want to or if you already have plans but I know that we live really close to each other and I'm sure my parents would love to meet you" Hermione said. Val could tell that Hermione was nervous about asking her.
"Of course! That sounds like so much fun. What time should I come over?" she replied with an excited tone.
"Does 5 work for you? That way you can meet my parents before we eat" Hermione suggested.
"Yeah I can do that" Valencia said as the smile on her face grew. "I'm sure my parents won't have any problem letting me go."
"Alright! Well I'll talk to you then" Hermione said. The smile on her face was obvious through her excited words.
And so it was set. Val's parents were more than happy to let her have dinner at the Granger's on Christmas eve. Her family had never done anything too special on Christmas Eve and instead they had a big dinner and breakfast on Christmas day.
With the rest of the day still ahead of them, the family of five decided to watch a movie and then play a card game. So they watched It's a Wonderful Life, their favorite Christmas movie to watch as a family, and then they played Hand and Foot, a card game that Luca, Leah, and Val had been introduced to by one of their cousins. Then, after dinner, Valencia stuck to her routine and decided to read her book on potions.
The next day was Christmas Eve day, the day that Val was going to Hermione's for dinner. She decided to wear a short red, black, and white plaid skirt with a white turtleneck that she tucked into it and a pair of small blaack boots.
"Have fun sweetheart" her dad said as he hugged her goodbye. "And don't forget, be back by 9 at the latest. Alright?"
"I will" she reassured him.
"I love you, be good, and don't forget to be polite" her mom told her when it was her turn to hug her.
"I love you bye" Val said, but it all sounded like one word as she rushed out the door.
Hermione had been right. The walk from Val's house to hers was only ten minutes since they lived in the same neighborhood. When she arrived at the house she knocked twice and waited. The door opened a few seconds later to reveal a busy-haired Hermione who had a massive smile on her face.
"Hi Valencia," she greeted. She then gestured for her to come in, which she did.
"Ah you must be Valencia, Hermione has told us all about you" a woman with dark hair said as she greeted Val. She had a bright smile on her face, just as Hermione did.
"Val this is my mum and that's my dad" Hermione said as she pointed to a man standing not far behind Mrs. Granger.
Valencia introduced herself to Mr. and Mrs. Granger before the two parents went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, leaving her and Hermione alone in the entrance.
"Would you like to go upstairs?" Hermione asked.
"Sure" Val agreed.
The two went upstairs and Hermione showed Val around her room. As she had expected, Hermione had a large bookshelf in her room piled with books of all sorts. The two of them sat on Hermione's bed and talked about how their breaks had been so far. For the most part, nothing too exciting had happened to either girl and instead only talked about the time they had spent with their families.
When it came time for dinner, the two went back downstairs to enjoy the meal that Mrs. Granger had made. They talked and laughed and all got to know each other. They asked Val a few questions like: "Do you have any siblings?", "Where did you grow up?", and "Do you enjoy attending Hogwarts?". After they finished eating, they all sat at the table a bit longer to continue their conversation before they all helped to clean up.
"Would you care for desert?" Mrs. Granger asked Val.
"Oh actually, mum I have to talk to Valencia about- erm… school. It's important" Hermione said before she could answer.
"Oh alright sweetheart. But do let us know if you would like anything later. Okay?" Mrs. Granger responded with a sweet tone.
"We will mum" Hermione responded before pulling Val up the stairs and back into her room.
"Er- what about school did you want to talk about?" Val asked as the two of them sat down on Hermione's bed.
"Oh, well it's not really school I want to talk about" she explained. "I wanted to ask you about Nicolas Flamel."
"Oh uhm okay, ask away" Valencia said.
"Okay so when you told me everything you knew about Flamel I assumed it would be enough information for me to go off of, but it wasn't. And so I've looked through every book I thought he would be in but he wasn't in any. I can't seem to get any more information about him" Hermione explained. "Erm- so I was wondering if you possibly know anything else about him. I know you said you couldn't remember much but even the smallest details could really help Harry, Ron, and I" she finished.
"Well actually, after you asked me about Flamel I wanted to do even more research on him. I guess I had more luck than you did because I found exactly what I was looking for" Val said.
"Wait, really?" Hermione said. Her eyes grew wide with anticipation and she sat up straight as if the position she was sitting in would help her learn more. "Well… what did you read?"
"Okay so I knew before that Flamel was an alchemist so I checked out a book called Known Alchemists of the Modern Age and another book purely on alchemy. But anyways the names of the books are pretty irrelevant. So basically, I read that Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker, and current owner, of the Sorcerer's Stone" Valencia explained.
"A-and what does the Sorcerer's stone do exactly?" Hermione pressed on.
"Well for starters the stone can turn any metal into pure gold, but more importantly, the stone produces an Elixir of Life."
Hermione sat forward even more, urging her to continue her explanation.
"The Elixir of Life is a sort of potion that the stone makes, allowing the drinker to become immortal" Valencia continued. "That's how Flamel and his wife Perenelle have both lived to be over six hundred years old. They drink the potion regularly, allowing them to both be immortal. The Elixir of Life also allows the drinker to stay younger for a longer amount of time, but I'm pretty sure it only reduces the aging process by ⅕ of the normal speed. So in other words it doesn't slow the aging process down too much."
Hermione soaked in everything that Val had just said before something in her head clicked. Her eyes went wide with a sense of realization.
"W-what is it?" Val asked, confused.
"It all makes sense" was all Hermione responded with.
"Erm- what makes sense exactly?"
"Valencia. Can I trust you?" Hermione said. This caught Val off guard, so she sat there for a few seconds before answering.
"You can trust me with anything" was her response.
"Okay, this is a long story but we have time. So before the school year even started, Harry and Hagrid made a trip to Diagon Alley to get all of Harry's school supplies. The one strange part about the entire trip was their visit to Gringotts. Not only did the two of them go there to get Harry money for his school supplies, but Hagrid also stopped at a second vault. Harry said that there was only one very tiny bag in that vault, and that Hagrid told him that it was something for Professor Dumbledore. Oh it really does all make sense now. Anyways, Hagrid never told Harry what was in the bag but I am now almost certain that it was the Sorcerer's stone."
Just as Hermione had done only moments before, Val leaned forward, urging Hermione to continue her explanation, which she did.
"Now, that part won't really seem to matter unless I explain why it is that Harry, Ron, and I have been so keen on finding out what was in that bag" Hermione said. "Well, I believe now that Professor Snape is going to attempt to steal the stone… so that he can then give it to You-Know-Who. With the power of the stone, You-Know-Who will be able to return."
"B-but why would you think Snape of all people would try to steal it? He's a professor" Val said.
"Well, Harry, Ron, and I accidentally went into the third floor corridor near the beginning of the year and came upon a room that had a three-headed dog in it. Fluffy, is what Hagrid calls it. But that's besides the point. I happened to notice that Fluffy was standing on a trap door, guarding something. And with what you told me, I am now almost certain that it is guarding the Sorcerer's stone. That doesn't really explain why Snape of all people would try to steal it, but on Halloween Snape, during the feast, let the troll into the school as a distraction so that he could try and get past Fluffy. Harry noticed that Snape's leg was bleeding when he found us in the bathroom and that he was also limping the next day, meaning that he attempted to get past the dog, but he failed. And honestly, Snape is a very mysterious and scary person, plus he despises Harry, so I wouldn't doubt that he would try to help bring You-Know-Who back to his former glory" Hermione explained.
"Oh. Oh wow" was all Val said. She was completely and utterly dumbfound. The part about Snape letting the troll into the castle made sense. Hogwarts was one of the safest and most heavily guarded places in the world, and trolls were some of the dumbest creatures. There was no way that it just happened to wander in without aid. There was also no denying that Snape absolutely despised Harry. He picked on him every chance that he got and took away house points from Gryffindor for the smallest things.
"You won't tell anyone right?" Hermione asked.
"Of course not. But- Hermione… is there anything I can do to help? Anything at all?" Val asked.
"Well, I guess you could help us by looking out for signs that Snape really is trying to steal the stone" Hermione suggested.
"O-okay. I don't want any of you getting hurt either, so if you ever need help of any sorts, just let me know. Okay? Promise me you will let me help you three" she said.
"I promise," Hermione said, giving her a weak smile.
Valencia left shortly after Hermione explained everything and began to make her way back home. She had thanked Mr. and Mrs. Granger for their hospitality and said goodbye to Hermione before she had left. When she arrived back home, she said goodnight to her parents and went straight to bed after changing.
The next morning was Christmas. The family of five all took turns opening presents from one another. Although Val loved all of her presents, there was one that stood out the most.
"Okay, and this one is for you Valencia" her dad said as he tossed her a small present.
She caught the present and began to unwrap the red paper. When it was all off, a small white box that opened up on a little hinge was revealed. She opened the box to reveal a small ring that had a thin silver band and a very small white pearl in the middle. When she realized the meaning of the gift, she gasped.
"Wait… no way. There's no way you actually kept this" Val said with her jaw dropped. "I- I thought I lost it right after we left the lake. How did you get it?"
"Well," her mom began "when you placed it down on the picnic table we assumed you would forget about it or end up losing it, so we decided to keep it safe for you and make it into a little gift" she finished. Both her mom and dad had the biggest smiles on their faces.
The white pearl that sat in the middle of the ring was more than just an ordinary pearl. On the day of her birthday, during the summer before she had started her first year, Val and the rest of the family made a trip to a nearby lake to celebrate. That day had been the happiest day of her life. It had been just the five of them at the lake, all living their best lives. Her mum and dad had grilled hot dogs and hamburgers while Val, Luca, and Leah had all fooled around. They skipped rocks across the waters surface, built a little fort in the trees near the lakes edge, and had then insisted on decorating that fort with little rocks and flowers from the area around the lake. The entire family had then eaten the grilled food, talked, and laughed. She absolutely adored her family. Val hadn't asked for much for her birthday, so her parents only gave some new shoes and a few new books. Nothing too flashy, but it had been the best birthday ever.
After they had finished eating, Val, Luca, and Leah had all been playing in the water and splashing each other when Val had found a small oyster that had washed up on the beach-like the shore. She expected to find nothing in the oyster, but when she opened it she had found a singular white pearl laying in the middle. The part that made the ring special was not only the fact that she had found it on her birthday, but also that the chances of casually finding a pearl like that were close to nothing. She had always assumed that she lost the pearl on the same exact day that she found it, but apparently her parents had decided to keep it safe and return it to her on this day, as a gift. She was beyond happy with the small ring.
"I- I love it," Val stammered. And she really did. It was like a little reminder of the day she had spent with her family at the lake; her happiest memory. "Thank you so much" she said as she got up from her place on their couch to give her parents a hug.
"I'm glad you like it," her father said.
"Oh I really do. I'm never taking it off" Val said as she walked giddily back to her seat. She placed the ring on her right ring finger and promised to herself that she would never take it off. She never wanted to lose the pearl again.
They each opened a few more gifts before enjoying a breakfast made up of cinnamon rolls, eggs, sausage and gravy, biscuits and many other things. The Martin family had always gone all out when it came to food, especially when it came to holidays.
The days after Christmas went by far too fast. Val and her family watched movies, played games, and ate way too much food. She was going to miss them when she went back to school. On the last day of break, she repacked her trunk with some of the same clothes that she had before and some new items of clothing that she had stolen from Leah's closet. Val also made sure to grab a few of Luca's sweatshirts after returning the ones that she had taken with her when she first went to Hogwarts. The twins had already gone back to school the day before, so all of Luca and Leah's clothes were hers for the taking. Well, not really but she took them anyways.
The car ride to King's Cross station the next day was spent in silence. Valencia fidgeted with the ring on her finger the whole ride as she was consumed with nervousness and anxious thoughts about leaving her parents again and returning to Hogwarts. Although she knew that everything would be fine, she was going to miss them.
When they arrived at the train station, she hugged and kissed them goodbye before making her way through the portal and over to the Hogwarts Express.
"Hey! Val!" a voice called from behind her as she was about to board the train. She turned around to see Damon jogging towards her with a smile on his face.
"Hey Damon" Val greeted him with a smile. "How was your Christmas break?"
"Oh it was amazing, I'll tell you all about it when we get on the train" he said. The two of them boarded the train and, instead of finding their own compartment, they headed to the back of the train and into the Slytherin car. This section of the train was an open area instead of being separated into individual compartments.
"Oh look, it's the mudblood" Draco Malfoy's voice said as Val and Damon entered the Slytherin car.
"Oh look, it's a blonde prat who doesn't know how to shut his big mouth" Val retorted as she gave him a sinister glare.
Malfoy sneered at her before turning to talk to Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, both first year Slytherins.
She and Damon then took a seat at an empty table and stared at each other rather awkwardly before Damon began to tell Valencia all about his Christmas break. He talked for about an hour before he all of a sudden fell asleep. His head practically slammed into the table and he began to snore slightly. Valencia rolled her eyes before looking out the window to her right.
About thirty minutes passed before someone slid into the seat next to her and another person slid into the seat next to Damon who was still sound asleep. When she looked up she saw Theo Nott sitting next to Damon, and Draco Malfoy sitting next to her.
"So," Malfoy began, "everyone knows that you are close with that other mudblood, Granger."
"Shut your abnormally large mouth you fat git" Valencia said as she glared at him.
Malfoy only rolled his eyes and scoffed before continuing. "I heard Potter talking to Weasley about something… strange right before Christmas break."
"Okay and?" she said as she raised an eyebrow at the blonde.
"And, you're going to tell me everything you know about what they are plotting. Everything. Every little detail that Granger has told you, you are going to tell me, and if you don't I will make the rest of the school year a living hell for you" he finished in a cocky tone.
"Incase you haven't noticed, Malfoy, you already make my life a living hell. I don't see how things could get any worse" she said as she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Yea but I don't" Theo chimed in. "I would have no problem making a mudbloods life absolutely miserable."
"Oohhh I see, you brought your little side kick along to try and scare me." She laughed at the idiocy of his plan. "You really think that's going to work? I mean you said it yourself Draco, I'm the brightest witch in our year."
"You may be the brightest witch in our year Martin, but it's five against one" Malfoy sneered.
"Oh it's five now is it? Let me guess, you, Nott, Zabini, and your two goons that are dafter than the rats that live in the sewers in London. I like my odds, I think I'll take the option of not telling you anything" Val said. A sense of confidence was surging through her, but the more she thought about how little she had actually used all of the spells she had read about, the more her confidence deteriorated.
"Oh really?" Malfoy said. A grin had formed on his face. "I'll get it out of you one way or another. I will know everything that the four of you are hiding. I can promise you that."
And with those words, Draco Malfoy got up from the table and strutted back over to where he had come from. Theo followed closely behind him causing Damon, who had rested his head on Nott's shoulder during their conversation much to Theo's dismay, to fall over onto the bench. He nearly toppled onto the floor but Val was quick to get out of her seat and sit him upright.
What a fucking git. Why can't he ever mind his own damn business. I mean I guess he has to take up all that space in his large ass head with some sort of information Valencia thought. She laughed at the words in her head before she decided that she would join Damon in taking a nap to pass the time. There were still two more hours left until they would arrive at Hogwarts, so Valencia crossed her arms on the table and then rested her head on them. She had never been one to fall asleep easy. She shifted her position on the small bench far too many times and fidgeted with the ring on her finger, so by the time she drifted off into the land of dreams, there was only one hour left until they arrived at the school.