The year was coming towards December and towards Christmas.

One weekend morning Jack woke up early and went outside to welcome the perfect untouched powdery snow, and got to work on making a snow-fort and a large pile of snowballs.

And he waited, until the other students came out to play in the snow and then he struck, aiming to hit anyone and everyone.

It was a hard battle, everyone who wanted to join in, against Jack Frost.

Jack was having so much fun, that he didn't see Elisa sneaking around the back of the fort to join him.

"Hey," she said making him jump but grin once he saw her.

"Great morning right?" he asked throwing a new snowball at Hufflepuff fourth year.

"Perfect," Elisa agreed "So you want some help or are you ok?"

"Well I guess if you want to help be, My Lady, I'll allow it," Jack said grinning and bowing to her dodging a ball just coming to him.

Rolling her eyes at the name, Elisa just got her wand out and started making more snowballs.

With her help Jack and Elisa won by default of everyone else giving up.

Pleased, Jack and Elisa get up and go on a walk around the frozen over lake.

"My mum sent me some ice-skates yesterday," Elisa said smiling remembering "And I know a duplication spell in case you want to join me."

"Um, thanks," Jack said rubbing the back of his neck losing his smile a little "But, I'm not all that happy with frozen lakes." then seeing her questioning face he said "One a few years ago, over in America, took my sister from me."

Shocked Elisa looked to the lake and took Jack's hand.

"I'm sorry," she said kindly "We don't have to go skating if you don't want to. How about we get some breakfast?"

Smiling Jack nodded.

.

Inside, Jack and Elisa met up with Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Entrance Hall.

"Hey Jack, you going to come and help us in the library later?" Harry asked.

"Aw... do I have to?" Jack whined "We've looked through every book, we're not going to find what we're looking for."

"May I help?" Elisa asked a gentle smile on her lips.

"Oh, were just looking for information some wizard," Ron said giving a polite 'No'.

"Who?"

Jack and the other three Gryffindors looked at each other wondering what to say.

They had agreed to try and keep their searches about Nicolas Flamel to themselves, just so no unwanted ears got the information.

"Just someone," Hermione said smiling back.

"Oh, I see," Elisa said sounding a little upset and let go of Jack's hand "I'll see you later then Jack," she said leaving for the Great Hall.

Not feeling hungry anymore, Jack in a bit of a mood followed Harry Ron and Hermione to the library.


As the days went on it got colder, and one of the coldest places inside the castle was the dungeons where Potions took place.

"I do feel so sorry," Malfoy said one day in his drawling voice "for all those people who have to stay over the holidays because their families don't want them at home." he said looking over to Harry and Jack who both ignored him.

Malfoy had been more unpleasant to both of them since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that Slytherin had lost, he went back to taunting them about neither having a proper family.

It was just Harry to start with, until Jack stood up to him and made him have snot-sicles growing out of his nose while saying "A family is more that something you're born into, Malfoy. It's also the friends you have and the love you have for one another. And I should know about that because that's what my family is to me!"

But it was true that both Jack and Harry were staying at Hogwarts for Christmas.

Harry because he didn't want to go back to Privet Drive. And Jack because his 'mission' was to stay with Harry.

Ron and his brother's were staying too while their parents went to visit Charlie in Romania.

When they left the dungeons that day they were met by a large fir tree with two feet sticking out of it, and loud puffing from behind it.

"Hi Hagrid!" Ron called out.

"Want a hand with that Hagrid?" Jack asked having some experience with how to handle Christmas Trees thanks to North.

"Nah, I'm alright thanks Jack," Hagrid said.

"Would you mind getting out of the way..." came Malfoy's voice from behind them "You two thinking of earning some extra money? How about you Weasley? Thinking of becoming games keeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts I suppose – that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what you're used to."

Before Ron could dive at Malfoy Jack stepped in.

"Well I'd rather live there and be with friends than live in that big, empty, lonely, dark, cold, and boring, place you live in – Malfoy."

Malfoy blinked a few times but surprisingly didn't say anything, and left, Crabbe and Goyle close behind him.

"How did you do that?" Ron asked Jack amazed as they Harry, Hermione, Hagrid and the tree made their way to the Great Hall.

"Do what?" Jack asked tapping his wand against the wall making some frost patterns appear upon it.

"That! Back there!" Ron said pointing to the entrance to the dungeons "How did you one-up on Malfoy and leave in speechless like that?"

"Practice I guess," Jack said shrugging, but before Ron could ask what he meant they had reached the Great Hall where they could see Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.

"Ah Hagrid the last tree – put it in the corner, would you?"

The Hall looked great. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls and no fewer than 12 towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

'North would die of happiness' Jack thought grinning as he watched Flitwick start making gold bulbuls appear and began decorating the new tree.

"How many days till yer holidays then?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," Said Hermione "And that reminds me, Harry, Ron, Jack, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"The library? Just before the holidays?" Hagrid asked following out of the hall "Bit keen aren't ya?"

"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."

"But we haven't been getting very far..." Jack said pouting a little.

"You what!" Hagrid asked strongly "Listen whatever Fluffy is guarding has got nothing to do with you kids, so drop it."

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all." Hermione said.

"Unless you'd like to tell us instead and save us the trouble." Harry added.

"Yeah like I said we're not getting very far, and we've been through hundreds of books, some even twice to check we didn't over look anything," Jack said in a 'this is lame' voice he didn't like reading or books all that much.

"But I know I've read his name somewhere..." Harry said more to himself than anyone else.

"I ain't saying nothing," Hagrid said.

"Guess we'll need to find it out for ourselves," Ron said as Hagrid left and they headed for the library.


"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Jack asked as he piled another book on a mountain high stack and leaned back in his chair giving up.

"Because how else will we know what Fluffy is guarding, Jack?" Hermione asked checking the book she had just finished off her list of 'Books to look in'.

"Curls, we are not ever going to find him..." Jack said rubbing his sore eyes from looking in books all lunch break "He wasn't in Great Wizards Of The 20th Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time, or Important Modern Magical Discoveries, or A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry."

"He has to be here somewhere..." Hermione said sounding as if she hadn't heard a thing Jack had said.

Just at that point, Harry was kicked out from lurking around the Restricted Section and saying he wasn't looking for anything.

Thinking he could use some company, Jack got up grabbed his things and followed Harry out almost bumping into Elisa.

"Oh hey..." Jack said grinning "You wanted to go in there? Because if you do, bit of a warning Madam Pince is a little crabby today."

"I've been here one more year than you have Jack," Elisa said "She's always crabby. Beside I actually came looking for you."

"You did?" Jack asked surprised never hearing that before.

"Well yeah I mean it's the last day tomorrow and I'm going home for the holidays so I just wanted to say good bye and give you your present in person so I knew you got it. But you can't open it until Christmas Morning – I put a spell on it."

With that she reached into her bag and pulled a neatly wrapped present out.

"Wow, thanks," Jack said taking it and feeling it trying to work out what it was but gave up after a bit "I... got you something to..." Jack said playing with his hair – a sign to say he was lying "But it's still in the post so it hasn't got here yet."

"Huh uh..." Elisa said grinning a little "Well if you need to pass it on... to me at my house, here's my address."

And with that she left.

After she had turned a corner, Jack zipped right to the Owlery to send a note to North to ask him to give Elisa Dale one of those Jack Frost Teddy Bears and say it was from him.

Then a little calmer, he went back to meet up with the others and headed off to lunch.

"You will keep looking wont you?" Hermione asked the boys "While I'm away. And send an owl if you find anything."

"Oh yeah because that's definitely what I would like to do during my Christmas Holidays," Jack said sarcastically and could see that silently Ron and Harry agreed but just nodded to Hermione.

"Sure we will," Harry said.

"And you can ask you parents about if they know who Flamel is," Ron said "It will be safe to ask them."

"Very safe seeing as they're both dentists," said Hermione.