It was now the second week of December and you could practically see the impatience of the students. We were going home for Christmas in four days. I was not really looking forward to it as I had my cousin, Kieran, coming to stay. Kieran was a pain in the ass. Literately. He had this horrible habit of tapping your ass when he walked past you. Well, he only did that with me and Lizzie. It bugged us to no end. But, on the bright side, I had an arranged 'get-together' with the gang, as we had started referring to ourselves, so in short: me, Draco, Sav and Jack. We were going to meet up at the Three Broomsticks on Boxing day. It would break up the two weeks from Kieran.
"So what are you guys doing over the break?" Sav asked while she filed her nails. She was still an oddball, or perhaps I was the oddball for not getting why you have to use volumising shampoo and moisturise every part of your body 3 times a day. Yeah, perhaps it was me.
"Aw, not much..." Jack said as he stretched his legs in front of him, kicking Draco's feet out the way with his and draping an arm over Sav's shoulder. They had been really close lately, but luckily for me and Draco, there wasn't much PDA going on. As for Draco and Jack, they were like best mates, in the most manly, masculine version of 'bezzies', of course. It was all claps on the back and handshakes, but when you caught them in the middle of a Quidditch debate, it was boyish games. Their voices go higher and higher as the discussion gets more heated, it's quite funny actually, me and Sav crack up when this happens and later on, we mock their girly voices.
"The usual." Draco added, pulling a 'disgusted' face. Poor Draco, he had tried persuading me to let him stay over so he didn't need to go home for Christmas, but after more thinking through he agreed that it would be more trouble than it was worth. That was what made us make plans to meet up. We had agreed not to get presents for each other but just have a meal together at the Three Broomsticks instead.
Draco and I were really close now. He knew quite a bit about me and I knew quite a bit about him too, just apart from family. Draco refused to talk about his family, but he didn't mind talking about other things like his favourite ice cream, favourite Quidditch team...
Lizzie and I cautiously walked towards our front door. Mum and Dad had sent me a letter which I had got this morning at breakfast before leaving for Hogsmeade to catch the Hogwarts Express. They said that we'd have to catch the Knight Bus home as Kieran would already be there and Dad would still be at work; Mum couldn't come and get us from Kings Cross Station by Floo with Kieran there and him being a muggle and all... Kieran is from my Dad's side of the family, therefore making him a muggle and the most annoying muggle anywhere!
We knocked quietly, half hoping that nobody was there but unfortunately, the door was yanked open a couple of seconds after Lizzie's hand left the door.
"Babes!" Exclaimed the over-excited idiot in the doorway. Kieran hadn't changed much since his last visit. Maybe grown a few inches taller but he was still the same ugly git he was before and it appeared that he still hadn't washed his hair since last year.
"Hey Kieran!" Lizzie and I answered him at the same time. We had to be nice to Kieran because he was even uglier when he cries, which he does if he feels that we 'pick on him'. But the stupid, annoying thing is that he behaves himself in front of our parents, so they think they we make it up and he knows that!
We quickly walked into the house and I went into the kitchen while Lizzie whizzed upstairs past Kieran's attempt at a hug. Mum was in front of the sink peeling a load of potatoes in a blue baking apron, that she's had since before her and Dad were even married, with her long curly brown hair pulled up into a messy bun.
"Hi Mum!" I called to her, laughing as she dropped the potato she was peeling causing a wave of water to splash on her apron. She jogged over to me and enveloped me in a wet bear hug regardless of the fact that she had just soaked me too.
"Hello, honey! Are you ok? How was the train ride?" She asked as she went back to the sink, after throwing me a towel to dry off with.
"I'm alright, and it was fine, a bit quiet..." I shrugged after pouring myself some orange juice.
"Good, now where's your sister?"
"I'm here!" Lizzie answered for me, "I was just upstairs, starting to unpack." And avoiding Kieran was silently added on the end. Lizzie hugged Mum tightly before taking my drink out of my hand and draining it.
"Hey!" I joked, poking her in the ribs, just where she's ticklish. Lizzie and I were quite similar, the only difference between us really was our age and the fact that Lizzie was more outgoing than me and made friends easier. But other than that we were practically the same, which was sometimes good and sometimes bad.
"I'm just going to unpack." I decided out loud.
Unfortunately for me, when I got up the stairs with my trunk, Kieran was leaning on my bedroom door, pretending to examine his fingernails. I walked up to him, trying to seem intimidating, and impatiently cleared my throat.
Oh, fancy seeing you here, cuz!" He said, acting surprised.
You slimy little sod! I thought to myself as I noticed him looking me up and down; I defensively crossed my arms over my chest.
"What do you want, Kieran?"
"Hmmm, what do I want?" He smirked. I simply rose my eyebrows, but my jaw slackened when he gave me a suggestive look.
Ugh, disgusting 14 year old boy! I thought furiously.
I shoved him out of my way and quickly got my trunk into my bedroom, slamming the door and locking it behind me.
"Perv!" I shouted through the door.
"Hey, Maya, I was only joking!" Kieran shouted back.
Ha! You better have been joking, you annoying little creep! I thought to myself.
Once I'd heard his footsteps go down the stairs, I turned around to reunite myself with my bedroom.
It was quite a decent sized room, big enough for me to have a double bed, a desk and a wardrobe in there with plenty of room still. The walls have been the same shade of sunshine yellow ever since I was born. In fact the real main change that has happened in here since I was born, has been the baby cot disappearing to be replaced by the bed I now have. My favourite part of my bedroom would have to be my window seat where I sit and read during the school holidays. It was tradition for me to sit in the window seat and read Pride and Prejudice (a tradition that started when I first learned to read, but the books have changed over the years) on Christmas Eve, snuggled in my duvet with a hot chocolate. I was planning on doing that this year as well, whether Kieran was here or not. It wasn't anti-social, it was just relaxing time, my me time. Every member of my family did their own thing on Christmas Eve: my dad, like me, read whilst my mum liked to bake; Lizzie usually either tried lots of make up on or she reread her Witch Weekly magazines and my little brother, Matt, played with his toys, magic and muggle alike. I really didn't know what Kieran was going to do, I didn't really care. We usually had a 'little Christmas plan'. My family were quite 'family-orientated', you could say, so Mum and Dad start their two week holiday from work on the 23rd December and it's that day that we decorate the house and on Christmas day, Matt usually woke us up at about 7am and we open our presents until lunch time.
We celebrated New Year with my mum's family which I always looked forward to. I got on best with my cousins on the Green side of the family whereas with my dad's sister, Lynne, just bugged the heck out of me. Even Dad has told me that sometimes he wished he had a less melodramatic sister. Mum and I had often laughed over how we thought Aunty Lynne would react if she ever found out that we were witches. Aunty Lynne is very house proud down to the point that we have to take our shoes before we've even stepped into her house. And she still insists on getting Lizzie and I bras, socks and knickers for Christmas, calling them 'big girls' undies', which was actually quite embarrassing at the beginning but now we were just used to it. So, really, there isn't actually any wonder why her only son (Kieran) is such a nutcase; he's been spoiled since he was born and has been brought up in a very odd manner. My uncle, Dennis, is just weird. He never speaks, it isn't that he's a mute or anything, he just refuses to talk which is awful because it means that Aunty Lynne talks to make up for her husband's silence. So needless to say that I never really got excited when I found out that the Moores were coming to visit and I was now extremely happy that Kieran was leaving early on Christmas Day, after lunch, and that would be it from them: No more Kieran, no Dennis, and most definitely no Aunty Lynne. Perhaps Christmas this year wouldn't be nearly as bad as I imagined, I just had to put up with Kieran for a few more days.
Christmas Eve
Dear Diary,
MERLIN, SAVE ME! Take mercy, please... Kieran is driving me insane. He has tried feeling me up a total of 12 times. Surely as a witch, I could murder him and make it look like a suicide? Oh no, damnit! I'm still an underaged witch! Darn... Oh, hang on, wait a minute, haha I got it! I could get Draco to help me! He's seventeen, but unfortunately (or fortunately, for Kieran, I suppose), I don't have an owl to contact him and ask him. But I'm sure he'd refuse anyway. I really miss him and kinda wish he was here to help me through Kieran's visit. Next time Kieran comes to our house during the school holidays, I'm staying at Hogwarts. I can't wait until Boxing Day, for two reasons, 1: I can see my friends and 2: Kieran will be gone!
I suppose you're kinda wondering what's going on between Draco and me because the last time I wrote in here was when we weren't talking. Well, we're talking now. But we're friends. I don't even know if he even feels that way for me. We're best friends, but the problem is, I do feel that way for him. And it's getting harder to just be friends now.
It's Christmas Eve today and I did the traditional thing again; I even saw a shooting star! I made a wish but I can't tell you what it was otherwise it won't come true, will it?
I'm gonna go now. I have to pretend I'm asleep because I can hear Kieran and if he thinks I'm still awake, he'll come in my room. Night!
Christmas Day
As per usual, Matt woke me up, and the rest of the family, at exactly 7am. I swear that kid lies when he says that he can't the time. Little devil. Waking up at ridiculous times on Christmas morning died off with me back when I was 11. I was still half asleep when I was stumbling down the stairs to where everyone was gathered, in the lounge. I took in the sight of the Christmas tree that we had decorated not yesterday, but the day before. I felt a thrill of excitement when I noticed the large pile of presents under the mass of fairy lights and tinsel.
"Father Christmas came!" Matt shouted at the top of his voice, bless him, I wish I was still gullible to believe in Father Christmas.
I quickly, well as quickly as someone could go with one of their eyes glued shut by sleep, helped myself to a mug of coffee from the pot Mum had put on the coffee table.
"Maya, sit down!" Matt told me sternly, knowing that nobody could open any presents until everyone was sat in the circle. I plopped down next to Lizzie who actually looked rather without considering the time.
"Good Morning!" She said in an excited voice as she had just been giving a present to unwrap.
"Morning." I mumbled back. I looked at the neatly wrapped square package in my hand. I pulled the paper covered in creepy little grinning snowmen. We couldn't have our usual wrapping paper, the stuff that moved, because Kieran was here. Inside, there was a selection of Special Edition Jane Austen books, all hard backs and with beautiful illustrated front covers. They were quite something to look at. I put the box set carefully beside me and picked up my next present. This one was soft and I tore the paper away to reveal a bundle of green woolly stuff. I soon figured out it was actually a really long scarf.
"It's been charmed to warm all of your body, not just your neck, so with that on, you can't ever be too cold or too warm." Lizzie whispered into my ear.
"Thank you! But I thought we had to wait until after lunch to give the magical gifts?" I whispered back, feeling slightly guilty that one of her presents wasn't here to unwrap.
"We were but I wanted to give it to you now..." She shrugged.
"Oh, right well, then thank you, oh here's one of yours." I said passing her a large, wrapped box.
She grinned at me, pretending to listen to it and shake it slightly, until she finally cracked and couldn't wait any longer. She ripped the paper off to reveal a plain old box.
"Er... thanks?" She said uncertainly. I laughed and told her to open the box.
Inside was a year's subscription to Witch Weekly, to be delivered to her dorm at Hogwarts, a pampering set and a fancy box of chocolates.
"Aww, you're the best sisteer anyone could ask for!" Lizzie exclaimed before attacking me in a hug.
I can officially say that today was an eventful day. We had opened the rest of our gifts and to say the least, I was very pleased with what I had got which consisted of: the box set, the charmed scarf, a hamper full of Honeydukes sweets and chocolates, a bra and a pair of knickers (from Aunty Lynne, of course), a little red dress (which really is gorgeous), a pair of pearl studs and a voucher worth 100 galleons to spend in any shop I wanted in Diagon Alley. This year, I really was spoilt. The voucher was from all of the family from my Mum's side of the family; Lizzie got the same too.
But now, I was exhausted because we had had such a big lunch that I don't think I will need to eat for a week, and then we opened our magical gifts to be followed by an afternoon full of board games and films, once Kieran had left (Thank Goodness!).
I got into my pyjamas and flicked my bedside lamp on; I was going to have a proper look at the Jane Austen box set. I'd just pulled out Emma, when I heard it.
Tap tap tap
There a jet black owl at my window, tapping persistently. It was actually a really eery owl; it's bright amber eyes followed my every move as I got out of bed and went over to the window. It was a really big bird and it was carrying a white enveloppe that had green calligraphed writing on the front. I quickly gave the bird a little pat on the head to show my thanks as there was no way I was gonna go downstairs to get it something to eat at this time at night: I'd wake everybody up! Hesitantly, I untied the letter from his leg and in an instant, he had flew off, hooting angrily at me before he left.
I watched the mysterious owl fly away until I could no longer distinguish his dark feathers against the night sky. I looked down at the enveloppe in my hand, it was heavy, telling me that it was high quality parchment. I wonder who would bother sending me a posh letter? I could only think of one person before I hastily wripped the green seal to reveal just a few sentences:
"Here is something I think you'll like, I hope you've had a wonderful day, Merry Christmas, Love, Draco" I read.
I tipped the something out of the enveloppe and into my hand; I gasped. It was a silver locket with a green jewl enbedded in the centre, dangling on a long silver chain. It was absolutely breathtaking. I put it over my head and it draped down to about my chest. I looked into my full length mirror, the green brought out my eyes and the silver made my skin look creamy. I couldn't believe Draco could be so sweet! That night, I feel asleep wondering what it could mean, clutching the locket tightly.