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SNOW WAS SWIRLING AGAINST the icy windows once more; Christmas was approaching fast. Hagrid had already singlehandedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees to the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs; everlasting candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armor and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals along the corridors.
Large groups of girls tended to converge underneath the mistletoe bunches every time Harry went past, which caused blockages in the corridors; fortunately, however, Julianna's frequent nighttime wanderings had given her an unusually good knowledge of the castle's secret passageways, so that she had the advantage to dodge Harry's fangirls by navigating mistletoe-free routes between classes.
Ron, who might once have found the necessity of these detours an excuse for jealousy rather than hilarity, simply roared with laughter about it all. Although Julianna much preferred this new laughing, joking Ron to the moody, aggressive model he had been enduring for the last few weeks, the improved Ron came at a heavy price.
Firstly, Julianna had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted; and secondly, Julianna found herself having a problem whether to stick with Hermione or Ron and Harry, but when Lavender Brown made an appearance, it's definitely not the latter.
Julianna was sitting down at the table with Hermione away from Ron and Harry and Hermione was looking scornfully at them.
'Look at Ron,'
Ron seemed like he was complaining about something to Harry.
'He looks like an absolute prat,' Hermione snapped, poking at her breakfast.
Julianna did not answer, but pretended to be absorbed in the book she bought not long before. Determined as she was to remain friends with both Ron and Hermione, she was spending a lot of time with her mouth shut tight.
'I'm going to get my revenge, I swear by it!'
Hermione's schedule was so full and she had quite little time so Julianna spent her time with Harry instead and Ron was always so tightly wrapped around Lavender that she dared not to go any closer. Hermione refused to sit in the common room while Ron was there, so Harry generally joined her and Julianna in the library, which meant that their conversations were held in whispers.
'He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes,' Hermione said, while the librarian, Madam Pince, prowled the shelves behind them. 'I really couldn't care less.'
She raised her quill and dotted an 'i' so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment. Harry and Julianna said nothing. Julianna thought her voice might soon vanish from the lack of use. She bent over and continued her half-written essay.
