Youngblood: Retrieval {Year 5, Book 3}

= Chapter 15 =

"Ready dears? I'm almost finished, just give me a second." Mrs. Weasley shouted from the bottom of the burrow to Ginny, Aspen, and Lillian who were playing a board game.

"Yeah, we are." Lillian and Ginny said in unison.

"Yes, but please don't rush on our account, ma'am!" Aspen said back, smiling.

Molly Weasley came out of her room, with a flattered smile on her face. "Thank you very much, but please, it's okay to call me Mrs. Weasley."

"Of course, Ma- uhm... Mrs. Weasley." Aspen flushed as Ginny and Lillian giggled, returning to their game.

"Boys! Time to go!" Molly yelled up the stairs to Ron, George, and Fred, who popped their heads out of their rooms and came downstairs, heaving large luggage behind them.

Fred smiled over at Aspen and came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. Aspen froze, her face turning several shades of red.

"I had a nice Christmas with you." He smiled sweetly, forcing a smile out of Aspen.

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"Aspen! Aspen! Wake up! It's Christmas!" Lillian shouted excitedly as she pounced on Aspen, waking her up.

Aspen sat up in bed, spotting an exhausted, yet joyful Ginny laughing as she tied her slippers around her feet. Lillian sat back in Aspen's bed as the brunette girl rubbed her eyes. Aspen listened closely, hearing no one outside in the Burrow.

"Is anyone even up?" Aspen giggled as Ginny shook her head.

"Nope, Lilli woke me up just as early." She said as Aspen secretly grabbed her own pillow.

Lillian beamed, obviously the morning person type. Ginny and Aspen glanced at each other before receiving mischievous smirks.

"Then I think it's only fair if we get our payback with a... PILLOW FIGHT!" Aspen and Ginny quickly grabbed their pillows and flung themselves at Lillian, attacking her as she picked up a pillow as well.

The fight continued for some time until Ron, Fred, and George barged in with their own pillows and 'armor' made of cardboard and began to attack the girls. It soon became a massive pillow war between the girls and boys, who had sided against each other that Christmas morning.

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"Aw, come on, Freddie, we've got a train to catch, don't want to be late, now do we?" George smirked mischievously as Fred rolled his eyes and looked back at Aspen.

Aspen exchanged smirks with George and pulled out of Fred's grasp, turning around and booping him on the nose. "Unfortunately for you, your brother is right - Snape will let me off easily, but... not so sure for you!"

She skipped off to join the girls, leaving George laughing uncontrollably and Fred glaring at him as if he would rip his throat out.

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"Hurry up, Ember! That darn train won't wait all year!" Ember's mother said harshly as she came downstairs in a hurry, her black hair tied up in a messy bun and a slim, blood-red silk dress.

"Yes, mother." Ember replied, sounding almost panicked as she hauled her luggage from the staircase.

"Now, that's no way to fix your hair for the trip! You never know who you'll meet and having a greasy trash tie in your hair isn't going to prove anything!" Ember's mother, Lady McClain, took out her wand and waved it at her daughter's hair, transforming it into the perfect braid.

"T-thank you, mother. Goodbye." Ember bowed ever so slightly before walking as quickly as she could towards her father, who was waiting at the door.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The expensive, posh alarm clock went off beside Ember's bed, causing her to groan and slam it hard with her fist, turning it off before she got up and out of bed. She opened her first closet to find only the finest woven sweaters. She slipped her thin body into a navy blue turtleneck and slightly ripped, black jeans.

With a long yawn covered by her hand, she traveled downstairs to find her mother burning a series of neatly wrapped presents. Startled, Ember knelt down by the fireplace, and by her mother.

"Mother, what are you doing!?" She asked, disturbed.

"Getting rid of these useless presents. Candy and sweets will do nothing to make you more of a lady!" Her mother said, outraged.

Ember watched with tears as a package from Pansy shriveled in the flames. She stood up, her eyes welled with tears and ran back into her room. She buried her face in her pillow and began to cry.

'Scree! Scrawe!' A noise came from outside her window.

Ember quickly dried her eyes and opened it, only to let Aspen's owl, Mystic, fly in with a basket of assorted candy, sweets, mini puzzles, and drawing utensils. Ember's pursed lips turned into a smile as she stroked the owl's silky, soft feathers as she ate the chocolate happily.

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"Aspen! Lilli! Long time, no see!" Dove said as she pulled the two Slytherin into a tight hug.

"It's only been three weeks!" Aspen chuckled as she, Lillian, and Dove boarded the cart towed by the threstrals.

"Hey, mind if we join in? We have some news." Eleara said as she dragged a shocked, flustered, and frightened Mya behind her.

"Sure, what's up." Lillian asked, scooting over so Mya could fit as Eleara took a seat next to Dove.

"Well, would you like to tell them, Mya?" Eleara asked, obviously smirking as Mya nodded her head.

"Well, Eleara and I were trying to get into a compartment on the train and I wasn't looking where I was going until I sorta tripped and fell into someone..." Mya began, but stopped abruptly.

"Who did you fall into?" Dove asked as the cart began to move towards the castle.

"I don't know his name; short, blonde hair and dreeeeamy green eyes-" Mya gazed off into the starry sky, her face as happy as it could be.

"Sounds like someone's in loooooove!" Aspen giggled as Mya scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"But the weird thing was, I've never seen him before; does anyone know if we have new students?" She continued, ignoring Aspen's comment.

"No..." Everyone said in unison.