Chapter Twenty-Five: Christmas Morning

The Golden Three got to see just how hard-working Jack Frost can be, when they started to look for something that could help Hagrid with his case about Buckbeak. The four of them had returned to the common room from the library, laden with books, which might help prepare a defence for Buckbeak. As Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in front of the roaring fire, Jack sat in the rafters above them, all four were slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they run across something relevant.

"Here's something… there was a case in 1722… but the Hippogriff was convicted ugh, look what they did to it, that's disgusting-"

"This might help, look -a Manticore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the Manticore off –oh –no that, was only because everyone was too scared to go near it…"

"It's starting to remind me of a Muggle case in Australia, dangerous dogs being banned and put down, maybe we should look up those?"

Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armour and the Great Hall was filled with the usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors. Many had heard Aster saying. "First Halloween, now Christmas. Ester better be just the same."

On Christmas morning, Jack found himself sitting in the boys' dorm with Ron and Harry opening presents.

"I'll open the presents that you guys gave me but the rest; I'm opening with my family."

Harry laughed as he reached for his own at the foot of his bed. Ron was already ripping the paper off his own.

"Another jumper from Mum… maroon again … see if you've go one."

Harry had and so had Jack which surprised all of them, until he read out the note that came with it. 'Fred and George had told me of their new friend. 'The Prince of Mischief' they called you and that blue hoodie you wear on the weekends, so this if from all of the Weasley Clan.'

Jack laughed the jumper was a knitted blue hoodie. He also received a Joke and Prank Journal from the twins. Harry's jumper was scarlet with the Gryffindor lion knitted on the front, also a dozen homemade mince pies, some Christmas cake and a box of nut brittle.

Ron also got a gem the colour of the sky with silver swirls that had a loop of leather attached to the top. Jack explained that it was called a Sky Gem, that if looped over the handle of a broom it will improve fight, and they weren't even out yet.

Harry got one as well. Jack cracked up laughing when Harry opened one of his present to find magic contacts.

"Contacts? One pair? Is this a joke?" asked Harry

"No, Aster watched our first game and said to North you wouldn't have that problem with your glasses if you wore Contacts" Jack said when he stopped laughing seeing Harry thought it as a joke. "And they're Magic contacts they're not like Muggle ones that you can only use once. You can keep wearing the same ones just like your glasses. You put them on when you need them and take them off when you don't."

"What are contacts?" Ron asked looking from the socks his Mum make to match his jumper.

While Jack explained what contacts are to Ron, Harry found a long, thin package that was laying underneath his other presents.

"Hey, what's that Harry?" asked Ron.

"Dunno…"

Harry ripped the parcel open and gasped as a magnificent, gleaming broomstick rolled out onto his bedspread. Ron jumped off his bed to get a closer look as Jack whistled.

"I don't believe it," Ron said hoarsely.

It was a Firebolt, identical to the broom all three boys had seen in Diagon Alley. Its handle glittered as Harry picked it up. He could feel it vibrating, and let it go; it hung in mid-air, unsupported, at exactly the right height of him to mount it. Jack razed his eyebrow 'Still wont beat a 'Wind Rider' they act to a witch or wizards magic core'

"Who sent it to you?" asked Ron, in a hushed voice.

"Look and see if there's a card," said Harry.

Ron ripped apart the Firebolt's wrappings.

"Nothing! Blimey, who'd spend that much on you?"

"Well," said Harry, feeling stunned, "I'm betting it wasn't the Dursleys."

Jack didn't listen after that, he knew this was going to curse some sort of problem, he could feel it as North would say 'in his belly'

'Who would spend that much on an orphaned boy who had just lost his old broom… someone trying to say they are sorry and trying to make up for lost time that's who.' Jack thought as he tried to figure it out as well. 'So it's either Snape, not likely he can't see past James, or… Sirius Black!'

"What're you laughing about?

Hermione had just come in, wearing her dressing gown and caring Crookshanks, who looking very grumpy, with a string of tinsel around his neck.

"Don't bring him in here!" said Ron, hurriedly snatching Scabbers from the depths of his bed and stowing him in his pyjama pocket. But she wasn't listening; she had dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus' empty bed and stared open-mouthed, at the Firebolt.

"Well I'm off I'll see you guys latter." Said Jack knowing Hermione was going to come to the same conduction as he did but for different reasons. But before he left quickly undid the tinsel around the Crookshanks' neck. If any of the three looked over they would just see him patting the cat's head.

Jack, Sandy and Aster had decided to speed the morning in the Hufflepuff Common and open each other's present but wait for North to came back to open the rest. As Jack walked down the hallway the wind swirled around him, it knowing something he didn't.

"Don't wreck it for me Wind," Jack said out loud talking to the Wind as he had for three hundred years. "I like not knowing what they are is half the fun."

"Who are you talking to Frost?" the slickly voice of the Potions Masters asked from the shadows.

"Oh… Um myself… How's your Christmas morning so for?"

"Why do you even what to know?"

"Just wondering if you got anything good for Christmas?" asked Jack "So far I've only opened the presents from my friends, The Twins gave me a Joke and Prank Journal."

"They would" Snape said with an eye roll. "I did get something that I didn't expect, two glass ornaments that represented my self and a friend" Jack smiled as the wind let him hear what Snape said next so quite if the wind didn't help he wouldn't have heard it. "And something she made me promise"

"Well I've got to meet my brothers, Merry Christmas Professor Snape." Jack walked off smiling as he made his way to the Hufflepuff Basement. 'Glad he liked his presents'

There is a Short that goes with this chapter. Read that if you want to learn a little more on the presents Snape got from Jack.

-Doublesims