Christmaaaaas
Christmaaaaas
CHRISTMAAAAAAAS
CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAAAS
Ahem. Sorry, just excited. With this chapter coming up, there should only be a few more left, and we can bring this first year to a close! There will, of course, be a few things to cover. The mirror of erised. The stone, accidental alchemy and the beginnings of true alchemy. But first, we must have the first Christmas in Hogwarts.
Before we begin, I do have to answer a review question from Dscot on FFn. Thanks for your question. I think that when it comes to the Weasleys, they have such a hold on story placement because there are so many of them. I happen to have a problem with some usage of them myself. Yeah, Molly Weasley is overbearing, yeah, Arthur is a bit kooky and Ron is… well…
The best of them all left the house and pretty much cut contact except for showing up on holidays. Well, in the stories that is. I feel that they, like every character, hold a lot of potential. In the books, Ron is strong ish, but he's kinda just there as Harry's wingman, who steals the girl. I want to change that here, and I want to do it with a lot of the Weasleys, which is why I've already begun to lay the groundwork for it. Ron being friends with Draco, both trying to escape their families shadow, and both Fred and George, who are already doing that themselves, giving a bit of help.
It's the world of Harry Potter, and despite any problem there will be with them, the Weasleys will always have a place in it.
Also, side note, there is not weirdness when it comes to Charlie. He's never covered in the books, except for "He takes care of dragons." I want him to be more than an afterthought, especially if the thought went into making him a character in the first place.
I hope that answers your question, so without further ado,
Let's go!
—0—
It had been a warm year in England, even for the winter. While it was chilly, external temperatures were not enough to turn rain to snow. The resulting precipitation has soaked through the robes of any brave enough to venture outside, and the wind chilled them to the bone.
Yet, when the students of Hogwarts woke on Christmas Morning, they all looked out of their windows to find that the ground was covered in a fluffy white blanket of snow.
"MERLOT! WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!"
Merlot grunted as Hannah hit her in the face with a pillow.
"Oof* Hannahhhh…"
"No whining! Up up up! The Hufflepuff gift exchange can't happen unless you join us!"
Merlot groaned and rolled out of bed, her hair turning scraggly and a bit dull as she yawned.
"Did your hair just change?" Hannah blinked in awe.
"Hm? Oh… yeah, it does that sometimes." Merlot yawned again, before standing up and stretching. "One two three… and is this better?"
Merlots hair smoothed out and became black and silky smooth once again. Hannah gawked as Merlot raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
"Gorgeous… I am so jealous right now… do you even have to comb that?"
Merlot shook her head. "Nope, always stays pristine. I swear though, some days it has a mind of its own."
Hannah shook her head. "Wild…"
Merlot nodded and looked down at her clothing, a black nightgown with silver embroidery. "Should I change?"
"No silly, it's Christmas! Everyone's wearing their pajamas."
"Oh, okay." Merlot nodded, quickly turning to her bedside table. "Come on Despereaux."
The rat gave a squeaky yawn and hopped into Merlots palm, allowing her to carry him into the central room of the Hufflepuffs Dormitories.
The room was decked out with boughs of holly. A few sprigs of mistletoe dangled from archways and door frames. The fireplaces each held a bevy of stockings, all full from Father Christmas. And at the center of the room, amidst a ring of wrapped gifts, sat a large tree, decorated with bells, candles, popcorn, and paper chains.
"Woah… this wasn't here yesterday…" Merlot gasped. Her attention was taken away by a toy train whistle. Dozens of tiny train track pieces zipped through the air as a miniature Hogwarts express neared the end of its track over the mantles of each fireplace. Each piece fitted themselves together with the next, building a floating bridge as the train chugged onward, eventually landing back upon the first fireplace mantle and beginning its journey anew.
"Hey sleepyhead! Glad you could join us!"
Merlot looked down to see Cedric and Tamsin Applebee sitting with a gaggle of other Hufflepuffs. There were roughly twenty three of them all crowded onto couches, sitting by the tree.
"Are you two coming or what?"
"We're coming Susan." Hannah rolled her eyes. "Come on Merlot."
The black haired witch followed her roommate down the stairs and joined her housemates by the tree. They sat down on the floor with the other lower tears as Cedric stood up.
"Right then, since the others left me in charge for the holidays, I say we start with the gift exchange."
There was a rustle of movement as everyone drew out some package beside their person. Merlot blinked before drawing her wand and giving it a flick with a small mutter. A small leather bag floated out from her and Hannah's room, zipping quickly into her hand where she quickly caught it.
"Okay! So who wants to go first?" Cedric grinned, holding up a black bowler hat filled with tiny folded bits of paper.
One of the sixty years volunteered and reached in, picking out a slip of paper which they carefully unfolded. With a grin, they tapped Susan Bones, the girl who Hannah had spoken to, on the shoulder.
"So, my gift is actually pretty cool, especially since I've only got one year left after this. I got into some enchanting here and there, and made this!"
Susan was handed a small, dark brown pouch with a shoulder strap.
"Is this what I think it is?" Susan blinked.
"Obviously not top of the line, but it will hold around a hundred stones worth of items. A few minor expansions and an ever clean enchantment, it should last you for the rest of your days here!"
Susan's eyes practically glowed as she looked at the bag. She thanked the sixth year profusely before reaching into the bowler hat.
"Oh! I got you Applebee. Here, I managed to pick these up when I was last at the ministry with my mum."
Tamsin was handed a few bottles of potions, which she began to look over accordingly. "Some of these are quite hard to brew… you got them in the ministry?"
Susan gave a mischief filled grin. "Sometimes the fun confiscated items are up for grabs. These were actually taken from a dead potion master, part of an investigation my mum was leading. She said I could take them."
Tamsin nodded, her eyes showing a bit of worry for the girl's attitude towards such a topic. "Okay… next is…"
The giving went on for an hour after that, each hufflepuff explaining their gift and giving it to the person they had picked. Eventually, it came to Cedric, who picked out Merlot's name.
"Ah! Alright, I always try to go with something that anyone would like, so here you are!"
Merlot smiled as Cedric handed her a small box.
"Carved it myself, since I'm starting runes this year." Cedric nodded as Merlot opened the gift.
Nestled among the clumps of Christmas wrapping sat a wooden bracelet with a cord of black leather running around it.
"A wand tie…" Merlot said quietly, lifting the item from its wrapping. "You made this?"
Cedric nodded. "I made a few of them in the last few weeks. It's been a project for class to create a localized anti theft ward, so I tried restricting it to an item that most wizards and wizards can't afford to be stolen.
"The wand…" Merlot blinked, looking over the item's carvings. "You did mess up on the inscription though… your 'ingwaz' is sideways."
Cedric blushed and held his face in his hands. "Darn… I thought I had it too."
"You're already working with runes?" The sixth year from the start of the gift exchange raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yes, Merlot is very good at her work." Hannah nodded.
"I'll be able to fix it relatively easily. Thank you Cedric!" Merlot smiled at the boy, who sighed in mock sorrow, for his craftsmanship wasn't as good as he presumed.
"Oh give it a rest Cedric, it gives me something to work on!" Merlot smiled and handed the sixth year from before her own gift. "Use it well."
The student took the package and unwrapped it, finding a cord of white leather with a single scale hanging from it.
"It's beautiful…"
"It's made of Unicorn leather and the scale of a Welsh Green dragon." Merlot explained. "I carved a small rune array into it, so you can get more out of it than just looks."
The sixth year blinked, looking over the pendant. "Woah… how do you carve them that small?"
"A little secret." Merlot smiled, mentally thanking Despereaux. She had drawn out the rune circle for him to carve, since she didn't trust regular magical means of shrinking and enlargement to preserve the array perfectly. Using a three dimensional array was different, as it was specifically made to shrink an object, like the lemon cube.
"It should grow hot whenever someone is around who wishes I'll intent upon you."
"Like a private enemy glass…" the student blinked. "Thanks Scortwit! This is super cool!"
Merlot simply smiled, before she turned to Cedric, who had drawn his wand. "Next is stockings!"
Merlot waited quietly as everyone else grabbed their stockings, before going and picking up the one with her name written upon it.
Everyone went through the small gifts and candies with smiles upon their faces. Merlot felt her own smile grow a bit as she took out a bag of roasted chestnuts from her own stocking.
"Here Despereaux, they're for you."
The rat let out a happy squeal and dove into the bag of nuts, much to the delight of everyone present.
"Slow down!" Merlot quickly grabbed the rat by the tip of his tail and held him dangling there as he swallowed two chestnuts whole. "You're going to make yourself sick!"
"*Urp* Des-pir-ooooo!"
Merlot rolled her eyes and set the rat back on her shoulder as the rest of her housemates giggled. With a sigh, she handed one of the nuts to her familiar. "Take your time."
The rat accepted the food and began to nibble on it as everyone finished going through their stockings. Cedric began to slowly pass out the gifts from under the tree.
"Looks like this one is for… ah! Scortwit!"
Merlot received her first gift after everyone else had opened a few of their own. The lumpy parcel brought a gentle smile to her face as she looked over the maroon wrapping.
"You know who it's from? It only has your name on it." Hannah blinked, looking at the wrapping. "No grifters name."
"Aunt Molly just doesn't like flaunting her name on the gifts. Ah, this one's better than last year!"
A rich purple sweater, along with a box of chocolates was revealed as Merlot undid the wrapping. The sweater was knit perfectly, with the collar and sleeve cuffs bearing a design made of golden yarn. Upon the breast of the sweater was a golden 'M'.
Merlot folded the sweater up and placed it to the side for later. It was a few more minutes before she received another present, this one from Spearmint.
"Is that the crest of the goblin nation?"
Merlot's heart sang a bit as she broke the wax seal on the letter that came with the gift.
-Dearest daughter,
How I have enjoyed reading your letters these past months. I apologize for sending no replies, the nation has been quite busy.
All politics and rowdy magical beasts of course, nothing truly interesting. King Ragnok, the head of our colony, actually speaks often of wizards. Some is good, some is bad. Lately his mutterings have been a bit worse, strictly because of the break in and subsequent escape from or nation by a wizard.
Chief Healer Grandscalpel will be sending his own regards, along with an important book for you. I myself have picked out something that I rather think you would enjoy, which your tales of learning and troll slaying. May it make your holiday merry.
As always, I give you my love, my only child.
Spearmint.-
Merlot smiled and folded the letter up, before looking at the small wooden box that was sent with the letter. The sides were decorated with carvings of vines, and a single black stone sat in the top.
"What's in it?"
Merlot opened the box to reveal the inside lined with black velvet, upon which sat a bronze ring.
"Woah, they sent you a ring?" Cedric blinked. "All that… for a bronze circle?"
Merlot picked up the ring and looked over its surface. The outside was incredibly plain. A simple smooth circle. However, the inside contained swirls of scratches. Scratches that weren't scratches.
"Feyrune…" Merlot breathed so lowly that nobody even heard. Slipping the ring on, she breathed in, before sighing as a feeling of warmth spread throughout her body, from her finger.
"You… okay?" The rest of her housemates blinked in concern as she opened her eyes.
"Yes. You keep going, I'm all good."
"Okay, we'll the next one is also for you, from a 'Grandpa Scalpel?'" Cedric blinked. "That's some very loopy handwriting. No letter with it though."
Merlot nodded and peeled away the black and gold wrapping that the goblin healer had done, revealing a weathered book bound in carved bark.
"Woah… Grandpa sent you an old old book." Tamsin blinked, leaning in.
"What's it about?" Hannah asked curiously.
Merlot opened the first page and smiled when she found the entire book written in the elder futhark.
"A study on Alchemy, elixirs, transmutations, and sigils." Merlot read. "By Nicholas Flamel."
Most of the students looked confused, but a few leapt up with wide eyes.
"Great Merlin!"
"That's an expensive book!"
"Merlot-"
"It's mine." Merlot quickly spoke. "It was given to me, I will not be selling it."
"But… do you know how much that's worth?" A fifth year mumbled.
"Yes, I do. But have you considered what it means to me?" Merlot raised an eyebrow. "He probably heard about my accidental transmutation and wanted me to learn the proper craft. Thank you very much."
That seemed to quiet everyone down. Cedric cleared his throat as Merlot leafed through the first pages of the new book.
"Next is for you Hannah."
The rest of the gift giving went on for quite sometime. In the end, Merlot received her book, ring, Weasley gifts, and Cedric's wand tie, along with chocolates from Charlie, a few miscellaneous items from the Weasley twins, a scarf, a pair of mittens, and a photo album containing pictures from Scortwit and Charlie as they ventured through South America.
The rest of the day was filled with fun. A big brunch in the great hall, where everyone saw Merlot's Weasley sweater, including the Weasleys. There were a few moments where Fred and George stopped by between visits to other tables.
"Yours looks so much better than ours." Fred blinked, his sweater displaying a large golden 'G'.
"Right? Maybe mum is trying some new styles." George shrugged, his chest bearing a large 'F'.
"Why did you two switch sweaters?" Merlot raised an eyebrow.
The twins blinked. "How did you know?"
"Fred's arms are just a slight bit longer. The sweater he's wearing doesn't completely cover his wrists."
The two twins stared at Merlot, who quickly snapped her mouth shut and spun around.
"Sorry… just years of cleaning makes you see tiny things that are out of place is all. Merry Christmas you two."
The twins continued to stare, before walking away in a trance like state, back to their house table.
Merlot ate her plate of flapjacks and fruit, drinking a cup of orange juice before taking leave of the great hall. She read a bit in her room, looking through the book of alchemy that she had been sent. Around noon, she decided to stretch her legs and walk around the grounds a bit, getting pulled into a snowball fight in the process.
It wasn't necessarily the participants fault, Merlot had successfully ducked and dodged each snowball with minimal effort, but one rogue projectile ended up knocking snow from the castle's roof, which clipped the girl's shoulder on its way down.
"Ow! Really Malfoy? Weasley?"
"Uh oh…" Fred and George blinked from behind their cover of snowy hedgerows.
"We should have warned them against hitting others."
Scortwit glared at her two fellow first years as she reached down and scooped up a handful of snow, carefully molding it into a perfect sphere, she took aim and threw.
The snowball soared through the air as if it were in slow motion. Fred and George watched wide eyed as Merlot's wand flashed into her hand and swung upwards. The snowball expanded as it flew, before plowing into Rons chest and knocking him back into Draco, causing both of them to fall over.
"Serves the two of you right." Merlot sniffed, before walking back into the castle.
Fred and George jumped up and ran over to where Draco and Ron lay, covered in piles of snow.
"We tried to warn you."
"We thought you two were hiding over there…" Draco groaned.
Fred and George chuckled as they helped the two to their feet. "Come on, let's go get some cocoa in the room of requirement."
"We have a few gifts for the two of you!"
The rest of the day passed in a flash, and Merlot found herself on the side of her bed, placing a bookmark in her new tome of alchemy as she watched Hannah fall asleep. With a nod to Despereaux, she pulled the invisibility cloak out from beneath her bed.
It was time to begin the search for the philosopher's stone.
—0—
And that's the end of that chapter. Sorry if the gifts were a bit odd, I don't want to get into the whole swing of wand holsters, so I thought having a tie for strapping a wand to your wrist would be a more… explainable thing. I mean, if you can summon your want to your hand in an instant, why use a wand at all.
Anyways, Next will be Erised, and then Norbert, then a few classes, quidditch, detention, and the gauntlet. And then this first story will be done!
As always, leave a review. If you have questions, i am happy to answer them.
Until next time, Adios!