Christmas Is With You

2

Today's song: White Christmas https://open.spotify.com/track/7fy0Y6uzX0O1UeW0UWeXvh?si=guKnRhIZQMKW1r6-Aciaug

„So tell me, Sybill, what are our chances for a white Christmas this year?" Gilderoy Lockhart had waited for his, admittedly peculiar, colleague to once again ask her this question, his plans for a lavish celebration on the big day depended on the weather being absolutely perfect. Yes, it was only November, but knowing things early couldn't hurt, could it? But, as always when he stopped her in the hallways, she gave him one of her enigmatic looks, shook her head and told him rather indignantly that she wasn't his personal weather forecast. He didn't quite understand, this was one of the few useful applications for divination that he could think of.
"I just want us all to have a wonderful time. I want things to be perfect, don't you remember how exciting Christmas used to be when we were children? When everything was covered in snow and the lake froze? Come on, Sybbie, just one little forecast for your favourite colleague?" He tilted his head and put on his most charming, award winning smile but she seemed to be immune to that.
"If you call me Sybbie one more time, I swear to Apollo, I'll hex you so hard, you won't be able to move until Christmas is well and truly over. And just for the record, we'd sooner see hell freeze over than you being my favourite colleague or me predicting a white Christmas for you. Grow up, for Merlin's sake." she hissed and with those words, she left him, rushing to her tower. How anyone could find him attractive, she had no idea. He was the most selfish, despicable, handsome... Oh no. No, no, no. Just because he was what was conventionally perceived as handsome... Okay fine, maybe he was physically attractive and Sybill was at least a little flattered by his attention, but it meant nothing. Nothing at all. Lockhart was a colleague and not even a good one.

She remembered him from their school days, it was baffling, he hadn't changed a bit since then. She also remembered the little crush she'd had on him when she'd been maybe sixteen, but looking back she realised that it hadn't been him, it had been the fact that life seemed to favour him so much. Unlike him, Sybill had known sadness, disappointment and grief from a very early age. Nothing good had ever happened to her just because, or even if she worked hard for it. But all these good things kept happening to him, despite all his obvious shortcomings. Well, to her they were obvious. Everything was clear to her now. It wasn't Gilderoy himself who attracted her, it was his seemingly close proximity to good fortune and his lifestyle of one coincidence following the other, always guaranteeing the best possible outcome. Sybill Trelawney had an exceptional gift for seeing past people's exteriors. She knew exactly that the Gilderoy Lockhart everyone knew and loved was nothing but a puppet, controlled by a smaller,way less flamboyant Gilderoy Lockhart, who was just as human as everyone else. Personally, Sybill preferred the quiet version, in her opinion being human and having flaws was nothing to be ashamed of. She'd seen him, in moment's when he'd let his guard down for a bit, but they never lasted long enough. The whole situation was tricky and it didn't help that he kept trying to rope her into the preparations for yet another of his stupid events. Didn't he realise that they were despised by students and faculty alike?

Meanwhile, Gilderoy was doing some thinking of his own. Sybill Trelawney had messed with his head in a way he hadn't expected her (or anyone for that manner) to do. The fact that she was almost constantly on the forefront of his mind couldn't be explained by his obsession with having snow for Christmas. As much as he hated to admit it, this probably was a case of severe infatuation. He liked the challenge of making her like him, but so far, he hadn't been very successful. Oh dear, successful... He couldn't possibly let her get closer to him, lest she found out that he was actually... Less than great. Everyone always accused her of being a fraud but most of her predictions were freakishly accurate. It was him. He was the fraud and the realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. And in order to keep up his public image, he had to stay away from her. He couldn't admit that he was fake. That everything about him was fake. And how unfair that people would accuse her of something so despicable. It was the first time in years that Gilderoy actually thought about what he was doing. He felt terrible, maybe that was why he usually avoided reflecting on whatever he was doing. What a predicament. He didn't want to stay away from Sybill, but he also had to keep up all his lies, so the only thing he could do to at least be in her presence for a little while was ask her about the weather on Christmas.
He knew how much she liked snow, he remembered how he'd seen her skate on the frozen lake, back when they had been students. An enchanted scene that just kept getting more magical every time he recalled it. The castle and the grounds had been covered in snow, everything had felt so much lighter. And she had smiled, something she rarely did, and her curls had been flowing freely all the way down to the middle of her back. He needed snow on Christmas. Life had gotten so complicated, he desperately craved the simplicity and magic of these days that were long gone but ever present in his mind.