Chapter 38- Christmas Eve

(24th December 1991)

It's currently late Christmas Eve at Hogwarts. The snow is quickly piling up outside as snowflakes continued to dance towards the group, the cold weather just right. The fire is currently burning through air as it carries on making the Common room nice and warm. Harry and I are sat on the carpet flooring with a warm red blanket wrapped around us. Fred is sat on the velvet couch behind us next to Cameron and Lillian. Even though the two have only been dating for a short period of the time they have become close. Cameron's arm is around Lillian as she is huddled closely to his side whilst the two continue to make conversation. Cherry walks into the room along with Tesha with some chocolate and dishes them out to people. Soon after them come over and sit down next to Harry and I on the floor.

"Don't be greedy! Share the blanket, Iris!" Tesha wines as she pulls my side on the blanket over to her.

"Not fair I now don't have any of the blanket!" Harry announces as he tugs on the other side.

"I'll fight you for it," Tesha says to Harry.

"Or I could go grab another?" Fred lets out a laugh. I tilt my head back and look at him and mouth, "Yes please." Fred stands from his seat and it is soon taken by his younger brother, Ron. He grabs the hot chocolate on the side which he knows belongs to Fred and quickly finishes it.

"Delicious!" Ron states. "Harry, what do you want for Christmas?"

Harry takes a second to think before turning to his best friend, "Probably just for happiness and for my sister to be by my side every second of every day."

"How touching," Hermione says from in the corner with a book in her hand.

"Come on Hermione, relax a little. It's Christmas tomorrow!" I say to her. It's sad to say that it's been a while since I've spoken to Hermione. If she's not in her dorm studying, she's in the library and that is one of places I do not want to go to. "Come sit down near the fire and get some hot chocolate in you, it's been a while since we've all sat down. As a house."

Hermione let's out a small sigh," I suppose it wouldn't hurt." "Now that's the Christmas spirit!" Fred walks back into the room with a pile of blankets in his hand. He places the pile onto one of the spare couches and takes a blanket from the top the pile and hands it to me.

"Thanks, Freddie." I thank him. I open the blanket and place it over Cherry and Tesha. "Happy now?"

" Never happier," Tesha replies. In the small space that's left Hermione manages to sit next to Ron.

"What happened to my seat?" Fred questions as he gestures to Ron. "Did you drink my hot chocolate?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," Ron answers. Fred looks at Ron then to me before making his way over. "Move up Tesha!" He demands.

Tesha sends a wink my way and moves up and makes a space for Fred. Once the space is big enough, he doesn't hesitate to sit down and move some of my blanket and Tesha's blanket onto him. "Perfect, now what did I miss?"

" Where's George?" I look up and ask him.

"Oh, I don't know, somewhere with Avery I presume I might be wrong. Oliver is being a Grinch like always and is not leaving his dorm and is cleaning his broom. The guy is getting annoying now."

"Well, there's not much to do apart from wait until tomorrow. The tree is all decorated. And the time is-"

" The time is precisely 11:45pm and 32 seconds," Hermione answers for me.

"Okay, guys let's call it a night." Fred is the first to stand. "Neville, we have left some milk and cookies near the fire so we are all set and ready for bed. Come on everybody it's going to be a long day tomorrow." Fred lowers his hand down to me, like how he did on the Hogwarts Express. My hand lands in his as he pulls me up. "Night Buttercup, sleep well." Before he leaves his gifts my right cheek with a small kiss and then he made his way to the staircase up his dorm.

" You're getting kisses now, he's totally into you." Cherry says from on the floor.

" He is into her, he told me," Ron says.

"H-he is?" I ask which earns a nod from Ron.

"Enough with all this lovey Dovey stuff, let's just go to bed."