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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

𝐀 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒
"𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑, 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙. "
—𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑉𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑒
𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟕𝟎𝟒𝟏

⋆⋆⋆✧⋆⋆⋆

𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐒 was covered in a glittering layer of snow and the chilly air was replaced with freezing gusts of wind, Christmas approached.

Liliana had decided to stay behind for the break. She had told everyone that it was because her parents were vacationing in Austria for the entirety of December—which was true—but the main reason she stayed was that she wanted to keep an eye on Harry.

Sure, if Sirius Black ever came to attack Harry, she wouldn't be much help, but she knew that boy far too well. He could accidentally walk into trouble if she weren't there, and there was no way she would chance that. 

The day before the end of the term was the day of a Hogsmeade trip. Unfortunately for her, Liliana had seemed to have caught a cold the day before (most likely because Riley had stolen her cloak for "Extra, extra warmth!" when they had gone for an outdoor stroll), so she decided that it'd be in her best interest to not go. Cedric was slightly disappointed at the loss of the opportunity for a date but obviously preferred for her to attempt to recover quickly.

She and Cedric had been dating for about a month by then, and they had gotten closer than ever. She hadn't thought it possible until now, considering the fact that they had been best friends for the past six years. Of course, they were still subject to teasing from the boys, but Liliana didn't mind in the least.

Cedric's parents also happened to be going on vacation to France for the Christmas break, so Cedric would be staying with Liliana at school. It was safe to say that she was more than delighted about this.

After parting ways with her friends, Liliana headed back to the Gryffindor common room as they left for Hogsmeade. The corridors were now mostly empty, the only students being passing first and second-years, who still weren't allowed to visit the village.

As she walked along the corridor of the third floor, Liliana was surprised when she saw Fred and George near the statue of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor, also known as the One-Eyed Witch.

Liliana approached them with furrowed eyebrows, peering at the mischievous glints in their eyes. "What're you guys still doing here? Aren't you two going to Hogsmeade?"

Their faces broke out into grins once they saw who was speaking to them. George confirmed, "Yeah, of course. Been waiting to go to Zonko's forever. But we're waiting for Harry."

"Why?" she questioned as she narrowed her eyes, now more than suspicious. She wasn't liking the playful glimmer in their eyes, nor the smirks they were exchanging with each other. 

"We just want to give him some—" Fred's eyes looked past her, them widening as he saw something. He then whispered loudly, "Psst—Harry!"

Harry, who had been making his way to the common room, turned to them in surprise, asking as he walked to the three, "What are you doing? How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"

"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go." Fred gave him a wink before beckoning him closer. "Come in here. . . ."

The twins led them into an empty classroom, Harry being curious and Liliana being—as she usually was with these boys—concerned.