𝟏.| ✬ 𝒟ℯ𝒶𝓇 ℬ𝒾𝓁𝓁, ✬ {ℬ. 𝒲ℯ𝒶𝓈𝓁ℯ𝓎}

\𝒻𝒾𝒻𝓉ℯℯ𝓃\

~

Eleanora sat in the common room with the Weasleys and Lee, reading a book on potions while Fred and George plotted their next scheme. They'd all signed up to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas and she was slightly put off by her missed opportunity to go to Egypt with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to see Bill. "You'll see him next time he comes home, El," Fred had said, signing his name on the list. "We've got more important things to do."

The 'more important things' ended up being a snowball fight and following Harry around saying things like 'Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through...' After their discussion in the twins' room, they all found the idea of Harry being the Heir rather funny. Percy did not.

"It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly.

"Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Harry's in a hurry."

"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant," said George, chortling.

"Yes; Mr. Potter," Eleanora said, pretending to hold a microphone up to him. "Have you started plotting your next attack yet? Do give us the inside scoop."

"Oh, don't," Ginny wailed as George pretended to ward Harry off with a large clove of garlic.

Eleanora laughed. "I'm going to the library," she said, closing her book and standing up. Both of the twins jumped up to join her.

"We'll come," Fred said.

Eleanora gave them a curious look, then glanced down at Lee who was flipping through a quidditch magazine, suppressing a smile. "Why?" she asked.

The twins thought for a moment. "We don't want you to get too bored," George said finally. "You know how the library is, all those books and quiet." She raised an eyebrow at them. Lee cleared his throat.

"Jordan, why do they suddenly want to go to the library?"

"They don't, they're just scared you're going to get sucked into the Chamber, or rather their mum is," Lee said, not looking up from the magazine.

Eleanora narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean, 'their mum is?"

"She sent us a letter," George sighed. "She heard about the attacks and- you know, you're half-blood- so she said-"

"You're not allowed out on your own anymore," Lee said, finally cracking a real smile. "You're on house arrest, Marks."

Eleanora looked back and forth between the twins, torn between affection and annoyance. "Fine, let's go, but I'm warning you, I'm staying for awhile."

"That's alright, we've brought entertainment," Fred said as they stepped out of the portrait hole.

"No fireworks, Freddie," Eleanora groaned. "Not in the library."

Dear Bill
Merry Christmas! I've enclosed your gift, but don't open it until Christmas morning. I just didn't want to make Circe go all the way to Egypt on Christmas Eve. I think she's getting worn out. I really wanted to come with your parents to visit you, but everyone else wanted to stay here and I got outvoted. Tell your parents I'm sending my love. Speaking of which, I think Percy's got a girlfriend. He's been all giddy lately for some reason and keeps disappearing. If I had to guess (and I've been a pretty lucky guesser this year), I'd say it's another prefect.
There was another attack, a second year and a ghost. People are starting to really panic. Whatever can petrify a ghost must be really powerful, right? I'm trying not to worry too much and just do what you said, which BY THE WAY: you should have told me all of the details about my dad when you got them! You can't dictate which pieces of information I'm ready to hear or not. Is there anything you're still hiding from me? What's he been saying about my mum? And how do you know all of this?
I'm also back to my usual complaint, come home and visit this summer! Please, we all miss you so much and I have so much I want to talk to you about. Have a nice Christmas, Bill.
Eleanora

On Christmas morning, Eleanora woke the twins early by knocking over one of their lamps on her way in carrying her bundle of gifts. She swore under her breath, setting the presents down before waving her wand and muttering, "Repairo." The twins had both jumped out of bed at the sound and were standing in their pajamas, staring at her fixing their lamp. She turned to face them, a wide grinning spreading across her face. "Merry Christmas!"

They sat in a circle on the floor, unwrapping their gifts and showing them to one another. Fred had gotten Eleanora a pair of socks with little snowmen playing quidditch, and the snowmen moved. Eleanora stared at them in excitement until George pulled them out of her hands, replacing them with another gift. He'd gotten her a box of dung bombs, "for your next falling out with Snape." On top of that, Eleanora received a Weasley sweater, loads of sweets, Filibuster Fireworks, and the complete works of Libatius Borage's potion books from Bill, with a note saying, "Mum said you were talking about these in Flourish and Blott's, hope you enjoy. (And I hope you realize you're just as big a nerd as Percy). Merry Christmas, El, I hope to see you soon.
Bill

"And for your final gift, wait until you see what we did to Percy's badge," Fred laughed, stealing some of her chocolate frogs.

When they got down to the Christmas feast, Eleanora that the twins had bewitched Percy's badge to say "pinhead" instead of "prefect." Still chuckling over their joke, they all heaped food onto their plates and joined everyone in singing a few carols.

They all noticed that Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the table early, hurrying away with their heads huddled together in deep conversation, but with all of the festivities going on, it was hard to worry about anything. When they got back to the common room, the three second years still didn't show, so the twins and Eleanora convinced Percy to join them in a game of exploding snap before he went out on Prefect duty, and then decided to have a wizard's chess tournament, eventually falling asleep in a heap on one of the couches by the fire.