𝑬𝑼𝑷𝑯𝑶𝑹𝑰𝑨|| 𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑

~20~

It was the day before the students would leave for Christmas but they had already decorated for the day. The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling.

The whole school started at the decorations with amazement. The whole school except Asteria. If there was one holiday she hated the most, it was Christmas.

Before students would leave, Hogwarts held a Christmas feast. The hall was filled with talking and laughter but Asteria wasn't as no one wanted to sit near her.

Her hand was on her cheek, supporting her head up. At the front of the hall were the choir who were singing Christmas carols which she rolled her eyes at. To her, there was nothing as pointless as Christmas carols.

Every house would decorate their common room and dorms however Asteria refused which earned her glares for the rest of the day.

She then noticed a short Gryffindor boy walking over to her which made her jump to sit up straight. "Merry Christmas!" Peter exclaimed warmly. "Merry Christmas." She replied with little joy in her voice.

"I've got you something." He said with a warm smile. He then held out a small box. "I'm sorry Peter but I'm not a very Christmas-y person nor did I buy you anything." She explained to him. "It feels rude to accept it." She added.

"Oh, no worries." He replied before he walked away. She could hear the disappointment in his voice and thought about apologising but he had already sat back down at the Gryffindor table.

-☘︎︎-

"I can't believe you actually bought her something." Sirius laughed as the boy sat back down at the Gryffindor table. "She didn't want it. She said she felt bad because she got me nothing." Peter sighed as he put the box back down on the table.

Sirius and James turned around and glared at the Hufflepuff who had her head on the table. "Was that her excuse?" James laughed. "It's obvious that she thinks she is better than you because she's a pureblood." He added which made Sirius nod and Remus roll his eyes.

-☘︎︎-

"Hurry Asteria! We need to make the houses before Santa gets here!" Rosalind called out to her daughter who soon came hurrying into the kitchen of the Manor.

On the table were different gingerbread which they had to hold together and stick together with icing to form a house. "When can we decorate?" The impatient girl asked her mother.

"I think by the time you run around the table 10 times." The woman replied to her daughter. The young girl nodded before jumping off the chair she stood on and started to run around the table. "1!" She called out. "2!" Asteria shouted again. "3!"

The girl ran around the table again but did not call out the number and stood confused. "4," Rosalind told her daughter who nodded before running around again. "5!" She shouted again which made her mother chuckle.

"I think we can start decorating," Rosalind told her daughter who cheered as she climbed back up onto the stairs. She then handed the young girl a coming bag whilst she held the gingerbread house still.

The pair continued to decorate the house until there was no space left, and the rest of the sweets had been eaten. The line where the two roofs met was covered by jelly drops and the bottom of the house was lined with smarties.

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen swung open and hit the wall behind it which made them jump. Cepheus Parkinson stormed into the kitchen and to a cupboard which he slammed open before pouring himself a whiskey.

"Is everything okay darling?" Rosalind asked her husband who groaned in reply. "Look! We made a gingerbread house! Do you want some?" The man shook his head. "Are you sure?"

He violently threw his glass on the floor, making it shatter across the floor, and pushed the gingerbread house off of the table and onto the floor. "Cepheus!" His wife exclaimed. "She didn't shut up!" He shouted back, his face red.

"Darling, can you head to bed?" She asked with a whisper to her daughter before she kissed her cheek and watched her hurry out of the kitchen.

Instead of going to her bedroom, she ran up to the top of the stairs sobbing and stopped at the top of the room. She sat down, burying her face into her hands as she heard the shouting which echoed throughout the manor.