willow! → george weasley ✓

[8] christmastime / the battle of hogwarts

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THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING SPECIAL about Hogwarts at Christmastime, something that always brought Eloise a great deal of joy. Growing up under Gran's care was nice and all, but she had never been a very festive woman, to say the least. Hogwarts was like another world, especially at Christmastime because of all the magic—of course there was always magic at Hogwarts, but it was amplified a thousandfold during that time of year.

It was for that very reason that she chose to visit Neville on Christmas Eve rather than having him visit her in her little Diagon Alley flat. Aside from the Burrow, the castle was the place where she felt the most comfortable. It was like home.

"Lulu!" he greeted cheerfully as he opened the door to his quarters, immediately pulling her into a tight hug. She returned the gesture.

"Happy Christmas Eve, little brother," she said as they pulled apart, beaming at him. He let her in and shut the door behind her, and the two siblings quickly settled themselves on the sofa, the other's gift in their hands. They looked to one another, each carrying a mischievous glint in their eyes.

Ever since Neville had started at Hogwarts, the two siblings had put a fun twist on their yearly holiday gift giving. They would trade gifts, but wouldn't open them yet, instead taking precisely five minutes (or less) to guess what they received before opening the package. The only real prize was bragging rights, but it was still fun and they continued to do it even after all those years.

"Ready?" asked Neville, and Eloise let a beat pass. Then:

"Go!" she announced, and they swiftly exchanged packages before taking to examine them. Both packages were moderately-sized boxes wrapped with nice-looking paper, and neither rattled or gave any indication that something was moving around inside. They had been playing the game long enough that they knew all the tricks; each sibling had stuffed their own box with old Daily Prophets to make it harder.

To anyone else, the game might have seemed silly, especially now that they were full-grown adults, but to them it wasn't silly in the slightest. The holidays had never been too easy for them, what with their parents being confined to a ward at St. Mungo's unable to communicate, and the little game gave them something else to think about. It was fun and simple and very much reminded them of who their parents had once been. They had been fun and simple, so people had said; they would have loved to watch their kids do something like that. It was Neville and Eloise's way of honoring them, but it also gave them the opportunity to get their minds off of the sadness thinking about their parents often brought.

"You've gotten better at this," Eloise murmured as she held the box at eye level, and Neville flashed a grin her way.

"Learnt from the best." She playfully rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the parcel in her hands. After a thorough examination, she let out a huff and set it in her lap, and Neville did the same with his.

"I can say with certainty that I have no bloody clue what you got me." He chuckled.

"Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing. Tie?"

"Tie." She smiled at him and gestured toward his parcel with one hand.
"Go on, open it."

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MAY 2, 1998. Eloise Longbottom had prepared herself for a battle. Ever since the wedding, she knew it was only a matter of time before the full forces of the Death Eaters collided with the full forces of The Order and their allies. She was, however, surprised at the reasoning behind it: Harry Potter had been spotted in Hogsmeade, and everyone was preparing for a fight of epic proportions.