Chapter 17: Christmas.

A gentle snow fell past my bedroom window two mornings later, covering the land in a pearly, white blanket once more. Eight small robins flew in a circle around the room dropping small, delicate snowflakes as they went thanks to the clock Lyall had enchanted for both me and my brother when we were young. Today it was Christmas and Lyall and Hope was going to get a surprise once they had awoke. Although it was ten-to-nine in the morning, I had been sneaking around the house since at least six-thirty preparing everything with Remus joining me at eight since he had caught me.So that brought us up to now. Me and Remus hiding under the desk in our parents room while a new clock hung on a wall with it being one minute till nine. Both Remus and I look at each other from under the desk and we begin to count down in silence. Ten, nine, eight... A group of small charmed bird toys flew out of the clock silently and began to circle above our parents heads. Three, two, one. Once the clock struck nine, the birds started to chirp Christmas songs (thanks to Remus' charm) and instead of dropping small snowflakes, they dropped snowballs thanks to my charm. Lyall and Hope both awake with a start only to be plummeted with snowballs mere seconds later while both me and my brother laugh our heads off. From the bed, Lyall chuckled lightly and quickly got up along with Hope, while they both grabbed us and put us on the bed. However the snowballs kept falling but instead of on us they went and continued hitting our parents. Lyall quickly cast a non-verbal spell once he had retrieved his wand from one of the bedside tables, which froze all the snowballs mid air. He then made them vanish and stopped the clock too so we were left with our parent's normal bedroom. "Why the hell did you wake us up like that Meadow?" Hope asked, a slight bit of amusement on her face. "Well one, it wasn't just me Rem actually helped and didn't bother stopping me when he caught me sneaking around. And two, IT'S CHRISTMAS!" I shouted the last bit at the top of my lungs whilst running out the room. "I'LL MEET YOU DOWNSTAIRS" I added sliding down the banister of the stairs whilst my parents wasn't looking so that way they couldn't scold me. I hop over the back of the couch as soon as my foot hit the floor and I landed on my back, my head turned in the direction of our Christmas tree. It wasn't much but both Remus and I were more than happy with it, although it was really thin at the top but a little bit thicker at the bottom. It was missing a lot of it's branches and that meant it couldn't hold that many ornaments but then again, we didn't have that many ornaments to put on it. It was a bit limp and every now and again a few needles would fall off of it every now and again but it was old I suppose. Underneath the very scraggly Christmas tree, was a small mound of presents mainly addressed to Remus and I in all different wrapping papers or a festive bag. From my spot on the couch, I could read the different handwritings and immediately recognize who they're from without reading the name. From behind me, I hear Lyall, Hope and Remus all coming down the stairs and falling into the other chairs, well Lyall and Remus pulled me onto the floor first leaving me to sit in an armchair. When the Hope sees me eyeing up the presents along with Rem, the words "dig in" left her mouth and we are already over digging through the presents. From Rem, I had got a few spell books and a bunch of parchment because he knew I used loads during class and for homework. From James, I received a quidditch book and a big red ball he often called a quaffle I believed. Sirius had gifted me a few pranking items which I loved such as stink pellets and dungbombs, he also got me a bowtruckle figure which I am obsessed with.Peter had given me a potions book and another copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them along with a note saying'I know that you already have a copy of Fantastic Beasts but I thought that you could maybe use this one for writing notes instead while you will still have a clean version.'I absolutely loved the idea and mentally reminded myself to thank him when we got back to Hogwarts. A muggle notebook, ink and quill was what I received from Lily. I also got a travelling cloak, a pair of leather boots and some spare money (for some treats for Lynx) was what I received from Marlene and Alice which left me presents from four more people. Two of them was Fabian and Gideon that gifted me some sweets and a big flask of pumpkin juice along with a note telling me that they wanted to hang out with me more back at Hogwarts which I absolutely agreed with because we hadn't really spoke since September. I was next greeted with a biggish box from Dad which consisted of broken Fwooper eggs which was actually the eggs I saw in my vision. Finally, Mum got me some muggle sweets along with a few chocolate frogs and herbology books that I somehow hadn't read before. I did notice that I hadn't been given anything from Naomi but I wasn't expecting anything to be fair thanks to the incident back on the second of September. I wondered what she got for Christmas, that's if she got anything. I presumed she had from her family but them you never know. "Thanks for the sweater Mum" Remus' voice cuts through the air breaking me out of my thoughts. I look over and smile when I realize there is another present under the tree. I pull it out and read the label which was meant for me but who could it be from? Was it Naomi? With a frown I open up the medium sized box revealing a small letter atop what seemed to be a book and beside that was a small potion bottle. I pick up the letter first and see the Hogwarts crest on the back which left me more than confused. Did that mean it wasn't Naomi who sent the parcel? If it wasn't who did? With a frown, I rip open the letter and pull it out of its envelope revealing a letter written in a emerald green ink.Dear Meadow,I know these past few months has been stressful for you so I've decided to enclose a gift for you. I try not to show favouritism for students but I felt as if you deserved what I sent. I hope you enjoy these gifts and find them useful to you.Now for the real reason I have written this letter; I was hoping that the day you return to Hogwarts you could come to my office after dinner. I have something to show you which I think you will quite like. Happy Holidays!Albus DumbledorePs. I do like a Toffee Éclair every once in a while...I reread the letter through once more and frown even more as I reach the end. Why would Dumbledore tell me that he likes Toffee Eclairs? What did he want to show me in his office? Did he know about my visions and that is what he meant by 'these past few months has been stressful'? I place the letter on the floor beside me and look down into the box pulling out the book. It was quite thick and on the top it had a raised bit where if you looked at it on the right side was four eyes. Protecting the pages inside was a monster's jaw which would occasionally move but it never opened. Right on the top in golden letters read 'The Monsters Book of Monsters' while the rest of the book was covered in a brown fur. Trying to avoid the jaw, I pull open the book only to receive a bite on my right hand making a bleed as I let out a very high pitched scream. Dropping the book and crawling up the couch, the rest of the Lupin's noticed that I was trying to escape the biting book but my Dad was so nice and began to laugh. Hope and Remus sends us both scared looks until Lyall gets up and kneels on the book holding it shut. He pulls some tape from one of the coffee table draw and he wraps it around the book multiple times keeping it shut. "Well that certainly brought some drama over" Lyall chuckled while I just glared hissing slightly because I touched my cut. Remus was immediately at my side and looking at my hand while our Mum disappeared into the kitchen coming back with an oil, a paper towel and some bandages before coming over along with Dad. Hope begins to wipe away the blood and rub the oil over the wound which stung badly. "I could of just used some healing spells you know" Lyall brought up earning a glare from his wife."I know but I would rather do it the 'muggle' way just to make sure." Hope quickly finishes bandaging up my hand and she returns all the things to the kitchen cupboard leaving the rest of us in silence."What happened Sis?" Remus asks breaking the silence around us."Dumbledore sent me the book and I went to have a look. But what he forgot to mention was the book bites" I answer nodding to the half opened parcel. Remus opens his mouth to speak but I cut him off knowing that he was going to ask why Dumbledore sent me something. "Dumbledore said in the letter that he needed to see me after dinner when we return to Hogwarts and he sent me things because 'these past months has been stressful'. I don't know if he is talking about the visions and that or even if he knows about them but that's all the information I've got." Hope returns and asks if I was okay which I nodded to before picking up the potion left in the parcel still. There didn't seem to be a label so I didn't open it mainly because I didn't know what it was before I get up from the couch. "I just need to send something to a friend I will be back in a few minutes" I say before vanishing up the stairs and into my bedroom where a small parcel with a letter attached to the top was waiting on the desk with the family owl we had named Hazel. Once she heard the door shut behind me, she awoke and ruffled her feathers standing knowing she had a long way to fly. I pick up the package and secure it to her leg along with the letter once I had opened the window. "Take that to Naomi girl" I whisper which I got a hoot as my reply before Hazel took of out the window and through the light snow.

Naomi's POV.

I was currently lying on my back in my Slytherin dorm watching the snow fly past the window. Most of the students were either at home or playing in the snow or in the Great Hall which allowed me to lay in silence with the chatter in the common room nowhere to be heard. I was slowly falling asleep although it was only like half-one but I was woken up from a tapping on the window. When I looked, an owl was the one knocking with a parcel attached to it's feet. With a frown I walk over to the window and open it, allowing the bird to come in and set it's self down on the bed. It holds out its leg with the parcel allowing me to remove it and fly back out the window to it's owner. I pick up the letter on the top and open it quickly skipping through before going back and rereading it.Naomi, I just wanted to apologise about what happened back in September with my friends. I know we haven't really spoken since then but I just wanted to say that although they won't like it, I am here. When the Christmas Holiday ends, can we maybe hang out and try to be friends?You shouldn't have to go through the next seven years of Hogwarts with no one. Happy HolidaysMeadow Ps. Enjoy the sweets, there is quite a few!I rip over the parcel once I had placed the letter down on the bed to see that there was indeed loads of sweets inside. Meadow was right in saying that there was quite a few inside not that I doubted her or anything. The words 'try to be friends' rang through my head in a good way and I began to think.

Maybe I should try to be friends...