Christmas holiday arrived which relieved all students within Hogwarts of their study requirements. It was a glorious morning with thick and heavy snow blanketing the school as if tucking everyone in for a long winter's nap. Beautiful decorations adorned the walls adding in lively pops of red and green to the castle. The halls started to smell like fresh pine, and every dinner that was prepared for them consisted of warm and hearty stews.

"Did you hear? They're saying Karkaroff put Harry's name in!"

At least, it was supposed to be a glorious morning. Instead, sneaky whispers filled the Great Hall as students conversed about the recent rumor taking the school by storm. The rumor that Oriane Morissette herself started.

"Idiots," Calista muttered under her breath. "Does anyone else in this school have critical thinking besides us? I mean, seriously! Even if these guys knew about his past as a Death Eater, which I highly doubt they do, why would he of all school personnel put Harry's name in for the tournament?" She huffed as she rested her chin in her hand. "I know we already talked about this awhile ago, but it's still frustrating."

Oriane's eyes began to wander around the hall until they eventually landed on the teachers table towards the front of the room. A quick scan revealed a glaringly obvious empty seat amongst the rest of the teachers. Professor Karkaroff was missing.

"Someone probably just got bored," Emerald pointed out.

"When people are bored, they play gobstones, not start a serious rumor about a professor," Calista retorted.

"Could have been Draco," Oriane piped up. She turned her attention away from the table and looked back at her friends. Charlotte remained characteristically quiet as she picked at the scrambled eggs on her plate. "He's never been one to shy away from malicious rumors."

Calista paused for a moment as if sincerely considering the idea before concluding; "Not even Malfoy's that stupid."

Silence settled over the group as Calista succumbed to her thoughts while the conversations raged around them. It felt odd - no, terrible - being the one responsible for such a thing and not owning up to it, let alone actively throwing the scent off her trail. Her ability to tell a convincing lie had saved her more times than she could count, but it was difficult to ignore the tightness in her chest having to lie that time.

But she couldn't admit it to them. Especially not Calista.

Eventually students began to shuffle out of the hall once they finished their meals. No one was in a big rush to do anything that day, as classes were out for the holiday, and it wasn't as if they could really enjoy the outdoors without either freezing to death or getting buried under several feet of snow. There was always the pile of homework they had been assigned to do over break, but no one was in a rush to do that with the Yule Ball drawing ever closer.

Oriane was the first of their group to rise from the table. Her head leaned back as she looked at the enchanted ceiling above them where beautiful, fat flakes of snow fluttered from the sky only to vanish before falling too close to the tables.

"I'm headed to the owlery," she said, excusing herself. "I'm expecting something from my aunt today."

To her surprise, Charlotte stood from the table as well, still wiping her mouth off on her napkin. "Mind if I join? I've been waiting on something from my uncle, too."

Her words were calm and nonchalant, but there was this fuzzy feeling in the back of Oriane's mind that screamed that she was lying. She wasn't confused as to why, though. With the rumor going around so quickly, the one she had explicitly asked Charlotte's help to start, she knew there was a conversation waiting to happen.

"Yeah. Of course."

Bidding the other two girls farewell, Oriane and Charlotte slipped out of the Great Hall into the rather cold embrace of the surrounding corridors. It was the kind of day that was meant for burrowing under covers with some tea and a good book, which was a luxury Oriane found herself rarely being able to enjoy.

It wasn't until they neared the castle exit that words were finally spoken between them. Oriane hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath until Charlotte scared one out of her.

"So. Is your plan going the way you had hoped?" the girl asked, hand pushing against the door to the castle.

They paused for a moment as the icy winter air stole their words from out of their throats. Luckily the wind was virtually nonexistent, cutting them a break from what could have been cold daggers against whatever exposed skin that they had.

"I don't know yet. It's a waiting game, at this point," Oriane admitted as they began to trudge through the snow that blanketed the grounds. She took care to pull her cloak tight around her body. "How did you even get it to spread so fast? I thought we were going to have to wait longer before it spread through the school."

"You can thank George for that," Charlotte responded simply.

"George? Like, Weasley?"

The girl nodded. "He owed me a favor. Several, in fact."

Now, that piqued her interest. It was no secret that Calista was close with the Weasley Twins, but Charlotte? She wasn't even aware the girl had ever really interacted with them before.

"And what did he do to be in debt to you?" she questioned in a teasing tone.

The slightest of smirks crossed Charlotte's face but her eyes stayed straight ahead. Twisting grey bricks that towered in the distance slowly grew closer as the girls marched forward. A few feathers sat upon the unmarked snow, the dark brown colors standing out against the pristine white snow.

"During my first year here, he played a prank that was meant for Snape, but hit me instead. Which was probably for the best, because I think I'm a bit more forgiving than Snape is but…" she paused as she shook her head. "My skin was stained grey and my hair turned into a mucky green color. I looked like I crawled out of a bog."

Oriane's laugh huffed from her chest in a spit of mist as they approached the base of the owlery tower. The idea of a prank gone wrong on Charlotte should have been terrifying, and yet the mental image of it all was too good not to laugh at.

"It took Madam Pomfrey about a week to work the magic off. I refused to go to class until I looked normal again," Charlotte continued. She pulled on the door to the owlery and held it open for Oriane, who gave her a quick thanks as she walked through the doorway. "We don't talk often, but whenever we do, he never refuses anything I ask of him. Maybe he feels bad."

"Or maybe he saw what you did to Draco second year and he's trying to steer clear of your rage," Oriane offered.

"Yeah, that sounds more likely."

It was only slightly warmer inside the tower, but not by much. Quiet cooing and hooting could be heard far overhead, and the girls looked up and eyed the countless flights of stairs they had to climb to reach where the owls were nested.

"Either way, it's come in handy," Charlotte mused as she began up the first few steps. "Especially when my friends are wanting to make stupid decisions."

Oriane could only sigh in response as she followed her friend up the stairs. A thin layer of snow managed to seep in through the windows, coating the stone in a layer of slick sleet. She couldn't help but curse slightly as she came across a particularly slippery step.

"I know you think it's stupid, but I was running out of options. I needed to catch his attention somehow," she defended. "He seems more terrified of this Death Eater than he was of Voldemort."

"This is Karkaroff, the man is afraid of his own shadow," Charlotte muttered. "Besides, how can you be so certain he'll know it was you who started the rumor?"

Eyebrows drawing together, Oriane dared to look away from the steps she had to traverse and threw an odd look at the back of Charlotte's head. "If you're worried about him reprimanding you or George, I'll gladly step in to take the blow. His anger is supposed to be aimed at me, afterall."

"That's not what I meant," Charlotte bit.

The last few flights of stairs were full of nothing but silence, one that Oriane didn't dare to break. When they finally reached the landing Charlotte instantly looked out of one of the countless windows that surrounded them. White covered everything as far as the eye could see, and any distinct features of the land were blurred out by the monochromatic color. It was beautiful, in a lonely, desolate sort of way.

"I didn't think about it until this morning at breakfast, but there's someone else Karkaroff could go after besides you," Charlotte explained. Her bare hands rested on the ledge of the window, fingers turning pink as they dipped into the thin layer of snow. "Cali's father was a Death Eater. If he suspects she spread that rumor because of his past, then she's one of the people he could go after."

A pit formed in Oriane's stomach, and it felt like the entire tower was crumbling from beneath her feet. "What?"

Whipping her head around, Charlotte turned away from the window to face Oriane once more. "You're joking. You didn't know? She made it painfully obvious! The White Family buried a lot of their accusations six feet under by extorting most reporters back in the day, but even then, why else do you think Cali knows so much about pretty much everything? Jesus, I don't even want to get into the way she's been acting during Moody's class with the Unforgivables."

Mouth going dry, Oriane looked at the ground for a moment as she thought. Had she really missed all the signs that had been in front of her? Was she so caught up in her own messed up reality she hadn't been paying attention to anyone else? To her friends? What could she even have offered if she had noticed sooner?

"He has to know she wouldn't do something like that," Oriane defended. "I mean, even the way she tried to steer me off this course, of trying to find my family's killer. It's obvious she wants nothing to do with any sort of trouble."

"Yeah, well, that's assuming Karkaroff is smart, which he's not," Charlotte mumbled. "Look, either way it's too late, whatever damage is coming our way is already done. Just, maybe act on this sooner rather than later so it doesn't get out of hand."

She didn't need to be told twice. All Oriane had been wanting for the last few months was just answers. To anything. Even the smallest of her questions. If there was a way to get answers out of Karkaroff, she wasn't going to waste time.

"Yeah. Of course," Oriane confirmed.

A quiet screech sounded as one of the owl's in the rafters descended towards the girls. At first, Oriane thought it was her owl giving her the item she had traveled all that way for in the first place, but she was surprised to see the creature hover in front of Charlotte instead. The girl sighed as it rested on the windowsill next to her, and she carefully removed the small letter clutched in its beak.

"Thanks," Charlotte grumbled. "Off with you, now. Bite grandpa on the fingers for me too, will you?"

As if understanding the girl, the owl screeched again and flapped its wings a few times before taking off through the window, soaring away without a single look backwards. Oriane watched carefully as Charlotte ripped the envelope open, a dull look in her eyes.

"Is that the thing from your uncle you were expecting?" she asked, not expecting the girl to receive anything after her previous assumption back in the Great Hall.

"Nope."

Her response was blunt and short and prompted only more questions from Oriane. Instead of asking them, though, she instead stood there and watched as Charlotte's amber eyes scanned over the parchment. Whatever concern and care she had in her face moments before had all but vanished with a concerning speed. It was as if her eyes had been replaced with stone itself, bright and colorful but with none of the warmth.

Something that sounded like it was supposed to be a laugh left Charlotte's throat, but her lips were not curved into even the slightest smile. Her hands crumbled both the letter and envelope into a tight ball where she held it in her palm and looked down at it with disgust.

"What is it?" Oriane asked.

Before Charlotte even got a chance to answer, the letter in her palm suddenly burst into flames. The orange hue reflected off of her skin and it reignited the warmth in her eyes. Oriane jumped back and placed a hand over her chest, trying to quell the sudden panic that took over her body at the sight. The scene only lasted a few moments before the flames died, and the letter was reduced to nothing but ash. Charlotte turned her hand over and let the small black flakes flutter to the ground.

"Bloody hell!" Oriane exclaimed. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Just a bit of wandless magic," she tried to deflect while wiping the soot off of her hands.

"But I didn't even hear an incantation," Oriane urged.

"Consider it a party trick," Charlotte answered bluntly. Her eyes, now back to their glazed over state, focused on Oriane once more. "Didn't you have something from your aunt you were wanting to grab?"

Blinking away her confusion, Oriane looked up at the countless owls overhead. "Right, yeah." It didn't take her long to catch sight of Esme's owl. The poor thing was half asleep while holding a small package in its beak. A sharp whistle was all that was needed to prompt it awake.

It flew down on silent wings before tossing the small parcel Oriane's way. Nearly fumbling, she caught it in her hands and held it close to her chest before offering a quick thanks to the bird. It didn't even give her so much as a coo before returning back up to the rafters to continue its nap.

Attached to the parcel was a letter with her name on it, written in Esme's signature messy handwriting. She had heard a joke some time ago about Healers having the worst handwriting, and well, Esme fit that description fairly well, though the script did look oddly beautiful.

My dearest Ori,

With so many students needing alterations for the Yule Ball, it took them a bit longer than normal to finish your dress, but it's finally done! Should fit like a glove now. Still, you should try it on as soon as you can, just in case it doesn't.

I can't wait to hear all about it! And I'm glad a boy as well mannered as Cedric asked you to attend with him. I'm so excited for you!

With great love,

Esme

P.S. the dog says hi

A grin broke out on Oriane's face as she slid the letter back into the envelope. The only thing stopping her from tearing into the parcel right then and there was the worry that the snow and muck of the owlery would dirty it, so instead she tucked it underneath her cloak where it would be safe from any falling snow.

"What is it?" Charlotte asked.

"My dress for the ball," Oriane answered simply with a grin still on her face.

When she turned her attention back to her friend, she realized the warmth in Charlotte's face had returned. The smallest of smiles painted her lips, and the expression she wore was something Oriane couldn't quite place. A sort of happiness twisted with a sense of longing. It made her heart hurt more than it made it flutter.

"Well, let's go try it on, yeah?" she offered, feet already moving towards the stairs.

Oriane wet her lips, only for the cold December air to freeze them dry in an instant. "Yeah."

The snow had only picked up since they had been inside, and fluffy flakes clung to their clothes and hair like their short existence depended on it. Their walk felt faster going back to the castle than it did leaving the castle. Perhaps it was the promise of warm fires and sweet smelling pine in the Hufflepuff common room that made their small travels more exciting.

But it wasn't long before they reached a bottleneck in their journey, because as soon as they stepped into the Entrance Hall, they were met with Professor Karkaroff himself. The look on his face alone was enough to terrify a troll, and it only worsened as his eyes landed on Oriane. The doorway was plenty wide enough for one to step aside for the other, and yet all three people stayed in their spots as if the winter breeze had frozen them in place.

"Good morning, Professor," Oriane greeted as if she hadn't spent the better part of the week attempting to ruin the man's life.

Muscle flexed underneath the thin skin of his jaw and she could have sworn she heard him crack a tooth or two. He raised a long, bony finger and pointed it at the girl for a short moment before glancing over at Charlotte. Her gaze still reflected the burning parchment she had set ablaze not too long ago.

"You and I will talk later," he said through gritted teeth.

Oriane didn't even have a chance to choke out an answer before he stepped to the side and pushed past the two girls. His long fur coat billowed behind him as he stomped through the once spotless snow, marching off towards the owlery. The doors closed tightly behind him, completely shutting him out of the castle.

"I think it's safe to say he knows exactly who started that rumor," Oriane said behind a poorly hidden chuckle. She should have been worried, and she knew that, but at that moment, she felt nothing but relief.

"Good," Charlotte said as she continued to lead the way throughout the castle. "It's always enjoyable when I'm wrong about something."

The Hufflepuff common room was decorated in more Christmas decorations than the Great Hall was. The warm hearth was adorned with evergreen garland with bundles of holly to line the corners. Poinsettia sat as the centerpiece for every single table, and there was a seemingly endless supply of festive cookies and pastries. A large tree sat near one of the far walls of the room, and it was smothered in Hufflepuff yellow tinsel and topped with a glowing bronze star. Several students sat around the room attempting to do homework, only to be distracted by friends sharing jokes or games.

Ignoring the way her stomach rumbled at the scent of the treats, Oriane pushed onwards towards their room with Charlotte hot on her tail. Casting one last look over the railing down at the lively common room, Oriane opened the door, a giddy feeling in her chest at the thought of trying on her dress.

That feeling died just as quickly as it came once she caught sight of the scene in front of her.

Calista laid flat on her stomach with her face shoved deep into her pillow. Obvious sniffles shook her entire body, and small cries escaped her lips every few seconds. Emerald sat on the edge of the bed, attempting to console the girl by rubbing her back. Every attempt to ask the girl what was wrong was met with nothing but silence and more crying. Even Milo looked concerned as he sat by Emerald's feet, staring up at the two girls with bright eyes.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte instantly questioned as she shut the door behind them.

Forgetting about her dress, Oriane tossed the parcel onto the foot of her bed before rushing to Calista's side. The girl wasn't full on sobbing, yet her emotional turmoil was obvious with the shaking of her shoulders.

"I've been trying to ask her that for the last ten minutes but she won't tell me anything," Emerald explained. "She left the table at breakfast telling me she had to go do something, so I left to come here to work on homework. Then she comes in ten minutes ago sobbing and she hasn't spoken a word."

"I'm fine!" Calista sniffled, voice muffled by her pillow. "I'm just an idiot."

Panic settled deep into Oriane's stomach at the sound of her words. What if she had been wrong? What if Karkaroff had questioned and yelled at Calista about the rumors before coming to the realization it was actually her? She hated that she hadn't thought of the repercussions sooner. She should have listened to Charlotte when she tried warning her in the first place.

"Cali, come on, don't say that," Emerald said, continuing to rub soft circles into the girl's back.

With sudden and sloppy movements, Calista lifted her tear stained face off of her pillow and rolled onto her side to look at her roommates. Her brown eyes were so swollen they were nearly closed shut, yet she wiped at them with the back of her hands to try and clear her vision.

"But I am!" she retorted. She let out a harsh, shaky sigh before pushing herself into a sitting position. Emerald's hand continued to rub at the girl's back even despite all her movement. "Merlin, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Just tell us what happened," Charlotte urged carefully.

Calista's upper lip stiffened as she looked down at her lap. She rubbed at her nails as she attempted to get her breathing under control.

"I tried asking Fleur Delacour to the ball," she finally admitted.

Silence settled so thickly over the girls Oriane swore she was going to choke. She watched with mouth ajar as Emerald's hand quickly moved away from Calista as if she had burnt herself. Charlotte only raised her eyebrows, as if surprised yet relieved that was the only thing that was wrong.

"And… I'm assuming she said no, then?" Charlotte prompted.

"Of course she said no!" Calista whined as she threw her face into her hands. "I don't even know what I was thinking! There were so many people around, and they all saw me make a fool of myself! Damn veela charm or something, I don't know…"

Oriane was so relieved she could almost laugh. Of course she felt bad, as rejection wasn't exactly an easy thing for someone to handle, but it certainly beat getting in trouble with Karkaroff, or worse, her own father. Still, she wasn't going to kick someone who was already down.

"I'm sorry, Cali. That's… really rough," she offered awkwardly.

"Why would you…" Emerald began to ask, but it was like the question died in her throat.

With a huff, Calista pulled her face out of her hands and looked at the redhead. "I already told you, I don't know what came over me!"

Emerald shook her head. "No, I… why would you… you know… ask a girl to the ball?"

If the silence that had settled over the girls earlier was choking, then this new silence was the type that threatened instant death. Whatever shame that had stained Calista's eyes had suddenly been replaced by a confused anger.

"Why wouldn't I ask a girl to the ball?" she asked instead, the anger in her tone hidden but barely. "Do you… think it's weird for a girl to ask another girl or something?"

"I mean…" Emerald swallowed. Her face was starting to blend in with the shade of her hair, and her mossy eyes were quick to look away from Calista.

A sour laugh left Calista's throat as she reached her hands up to wipe away any remaining moisture on her face. "There's no way you're judging me for that. Aye, that's rich coming from someone who hasn't even landed a date herself."

"What?" Emerald stuttered. The color in her face was worsening by the second, and Oriane couldn't help but feel like one of the girls would explode any second. "I- I have a date."

Feigning excitement, Calista crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Yeah? Who?"

Emerald swallowed again. "Cormac… McLaggen…"

Calista didn't even attempt to hide the hearty laughter that erupted from her chest. The girl doubled over, holding her stomach in a similar fashion to how she laughed when Draco Malfoy had been turned into a ferret.

"Oh, now that's rich," she spoke, accent thickening. "I tell ya what, any girl would treat you better than that self centered joke. You're really judging me for asking a girl when you're going to the ball with that weirdo?"

It was impossible for Emerald's eyes to stay in place for more than a second. Her gaze flickered all around the room, landing everywhere except for Calista as she wiped her palms off on her clothes.

"That's not… not what I…" she stuttered.

Suddenly, the girl stood from the bed, eyes focused on the ground for a short moment before stiffly walking to her own bed. Several books and pieces of parchment had been tossed on top of the thick comforter, but she quickly gathered the items in her arms.

"I'm going to the library," she said, voice trembling.

She held her school supplies close to her chest as she refused to face her friends. Quick feet carried her to the door where she departed, refusing to show the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Another, shorter silence settled over the girls as they looked among one another.

"What was all that about?" Calista asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Oriane mumbled.

Calista hummed. "Cormac," she mused after a moment. "What is she thinking?"

"Let's just drop it," Charlotte sighed as she knelt down to give Milo a few pats on the head. "The ball is in a few days, and I'm in no mood for you all to sour it."

Huffing, Calista leaned back on the mattress as her eyes stayed glued to the door Emerald had left through only moments earlier. It seemed that whatever shame she had felt earlier had been quickly washed away by either frustration or anger with her roommate.

"Who are you going with, Charlie?" Calista asked instead, eyes finally moving away from the door.

"Oh, me? No one," Charlotte said nonchalantly. "Finding a date sounds like a headache. I prefer my own company, anyway."

"Well, at least one of us managed to find a good date," Calista said as she eyed Oriane. "Still, twenty-five percent isn't the best but… it'll do."

Oriane felt her cheeks heat up at the comment, but she knew the girl was right. Maybe it was the universe's way of trying to atone for everything that had been thrown her way over the summer and the end of the previous school year. Even with the looming threat of a bloodline killer, she still received gifts as if they were penance.

Gifts like Cedric.

Oh, how her heart still fluttered at the thought of him, at the thought of his lips on hers. It had been the first time she had ever kissed anyone, and she didn't know what she did to deserve for it to go so perfectly, like some sort of dream come true.

Maybe that's why she felt like she had been in a state of limbo for some time. Like her reality had been nothing but a simple dream. Maybe that's why she couldn't get rid of the feeling in her stomach; like there was the looming threat that at any moment she would finally wake up and have to face the real world.