December 5th
Rose was sprawled out on the large comfy red couch in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. Her feet were propped up and she had a book resting on her chest. She could feel her eyelids threatening to droop shut, it had been a long day for her and she was exhausted. Rose didn't even notice the faint pop that came from behind her.
"Excuse me, miss!" squeaked a little voice, causing Rose to jump. A small House Elf decorated in an assortment of hats and scarves came scrambling out from behind the couch.
"Yeah?" Rose grumbled, brushing her wild, tangled hair out of her face.
"For you!" the little Elf exclaimed while extending its arm to her. Rose snatched the candy cane the Elf was offering to her.
The moment she grabbed the piece of candy, the Elf vanished with another pop. Every year students could have candy canes sent to their fellow classmates as a sign of adoration but it soon became nothing more than a popularity contest. Rose had never received many candy canes during her time at Hogwarts and usually she would be blushing from flattery. However, this time was not the case. She eyed the small green tag that was tied to the stalk of the candy cane. The handwriting was elegant and loopy and the sight of the name that was written on the tag made her stomach tighten.
From Scorpius Malfoy
She immediately tossed it off to the side where it hit the ground with a crunch.