𝒮𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓂'𝓈 𝒜 𝐵𝓇𝑒𝓌𝒾𝓃'

December 25th, 1994

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓎-𝒮𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃

The year's first snowfall had come to Hogwarts on Christmas Eve night. The grounds just the perfect sight for all the students who were spending their first Christmas in the castle. And an ideal start to what many hoped would be a magical day all through the night.

The many children in the castle were up early, starting their gift exchanges and running to catch the letters from owls that flew in nearly nonstop with presents from family and friends who had no faith in presents being left unopened until that very morning.

It was a strange change from the year prior, for the castle to be so full of life on the holiday. No one typically stayed on the grounds for Christmas... not by choice. Not when they had a home to return to, family expecting them with hugs and smiles after months apart.

And while there would exist some heavy hearts from homesickness... several people unlikely to ever want a holiday apart from family again, it would ultimately feel all the more special. The castle was just so special to be at, a Christmas Day so special to be a part of for just one year.

Because the true magic of Hogwarts always comes from its feeling of a home. And that was always most prevalent when its students wandered the halls.

~~~~~~

She jolted awake, an immense panic flowing through her when her eyes flew open to a pitch black. Hands grabbing at the object that had been thrown over her face. She was unable to process anything as she shot up and threw the object away.

Blinking to awareness, she faintly registered the muffled noise from someone off to the side. Brain finally catching up with her panic as she then noted the familiar giggles that followed.

And so she calmed.

Because it was safe. She was in her room, in her bed, and the only threats to her life were that of her friends. Each of them armed with a pillow, the only one who had gotten a turn in using said weapon being Sally-Ann who, as she laid sprawled on the ground, was dealing with the consequences of startling Iris Blackwell.

"Told you it was a bad idea."

Now that startled Iris. To hear that, while familiar but still unexpected, voice. Sure, it had been talked about to invite Theodore Nott to the dorm for Christmas morning... but with her panicked start to the morning, having someone who wasn't such a natural part of this space was just startling. Nothing more, nothing less... even as she began combing her hair with her fingers.

"Yeah, yeah. Still worth it. But presents. Now." Sally-Ann had recovered fast enough, throwing her pillow back to her bed as she made quick grab of her blanket. The air of the dungeons especially crisp in the early morning, all girls unnaturally awake before the sun.

Giggles still were dying down as all the teenagers followed the demand. Iris grumbling to herself the whole way as she joined by the small Charlie Brown tree they had set up in the middle of the room. The poor thing practically lost to all the presents that had been set up the past few days. The only real proof of its existence being the paper star attached to the top.

Theodore was the last to join their circle, dragging Iris' blanket with him, his eyes naturally on that very girl. Something that would be justified by naturally squeezing into the circle next to her and Jane. And he would justify his quick glance at her legs as he sat down to thinking about how much of a lunatic she had to be to sleep in shorts during the winter... but with no ability to give his usual passing comment... maybe that wasn't it.

Throwing the blanket over himself and Iris, totally not an excuse to sit closer than necessary, he then watched as Iris and Sally took the role of passing out the gifts. The girls all fell into their usual chatter, yawns popping in from time to time.