23. December 1982

"Don't have too much fun without us!"

"Yeah yeah, and you say hi to Amanda for me."

"Eh, when you say my mom's name it just sounds wrong somehow."

From her vantage point away from the group, Wanda watched silently as Pietro laughed out loud at Jasper's words. The latter mumbled something unintelligible before turning to Garrett, who was waiting, to whisper conspiratorially with him. Of course, her brother had to loudly insert himself into the conversation again, whereupon the other two Gryffindors laughed and began to make jokes about him.

At the same time, Wanda stood unmoving at the foot of the large portal, where she waited patiently for Pietro to say his goodbyes to his two friends. The boys were going home for the Christmas holidays while they both stayed at the castle with a few students to enjoy the holidays. She had been relieved when her brother had turned down Jasper's invitation to spend the Christmas holidays with him and his family - but now, as she watched the three boys silently, rubbing her freezing fingers to keep warm, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Because surely he would have a much better time if he spent it with his friends. Wouldn't he?

Discouraged, her shoulders slumped down along with her gaze. As so often before, she felt absolutely out of place in this constellation - like an annoying accessory, dragged along by her brother simply out of a sense of duty, because she was too incapable of making friends of her own.

The words Jasper had thrown at her last month still weighed heavily on her shoulders. They had hit the very sore spot that had been bothering her the most since the beginning of her school year. And she had tried again for that very reason - really tried - to find any common ground with the girls from her dormitory, but in the end there was absolutely nothing except the classes they had together that connected them.

But instead of continuing to chase after her brother as if she were a lost little lamb, she had increasingly retreated to the castle's library. Because if she couldn't make friends here, at least she would return to the orphanage for the summer with good results from her final exams. It wasn't much, but it was a start - something to occupy her mind whenever that bitter loneliness tried to reach for her again.

And even though she was excited about spending more time with her brother again over the Christmas holidays, it only made her feel like an annoying burden again. She wished at least for him to enjoy the holidays - what happened to her was secondary anyway.

She would manage somehow. At least she had managed so far.

"Why are you looking so sad?"

Pietro's voice snapped her out of her gloomy thoughts. She quickly lifted her gaze and forced herself to smile as he nudged her shoulder playfully; concern evident on his face.

"Oh, it's nothing," she murmured dismissively, but she knew Pietro didn't believe a word she said.

Before he could say anything back, Jasper's voice echoed across the courtyard one last time. "Merry Christmas to you two! See you next year!"

She too waved goodbye to him. She knew he didn't like her very much - mainly because she was from the rival house, with whom most Gryffindors had a problem in general.

But she had no time left to think about the strange philosophy of the Hogwarts houses. For no sooner were the two friends out of sight than Pietro threw an arm ungently around her shoulder and led her determinedly back into the castle while playfully poking her in the side. "I can't wait to see what you've got me for Christmas, Wanda."

"You're not getting anything. You don't deserve it at all," she quickly returned, at which her brother made an overly dramatic sound.

Shocked, he put his hand over his heart. "That hurts, little sister."

"You're only twelve minutes older than me."

"And here I thought we were enjoying our first Christmas where we're finally far away from that awful old lady from the orphanage," he ruffled her hair with a grin and when she cursed him loudly, he just took her arm and pulled her strollingly in the direction of the Great Hall. "You and me - and the teachers. It's going to be great, isn't it? I can't wait to see Snape's Christmas spirit."

"I bet he wears a red pom-pom hat," Wanda commented softly, at which Pietro - envisioning the image of Snape wearing a bright red Christmas hat - had to laugh out loud.

None of them could have known at that moment that Professor Dumbledore would actually force the bad-tempered Potions Master to put on such a silly hat in front of his students at the breakfast celebrating Christmas Day.