Celebrations Announcement

The last week of the month of January started off cold, windy, and wet with the arrival of a snowstorm. The snowstorm raged all through Sunday, before dying off during the early morning hours of the next day. There had been sufficient snowfall that the students who did not follow the paths made by Hagrid found themselves in nearly waist-deep snowfall. Still, many of the younger years cheered up as the great snow battles resumed with Professor Elias Murphy, the muggle studies professor regulating the epic battles.

By dinner time, Rowan was rather drained, and she wasn't the only one as Severus slumped over his meal merely picking at his food too tired to eat. Bethanie, Tiffany, and Sylvia sent Rowan and Severus sympathetic glances and pushed soft food toward them like a basket of freshly baked dinner rolls.

On the other hand, Terry brimmed with delight as he prattled to his friends. "I have wonderful news," he said with a great beaming smile expecting to be asked for more information.

Sylvia without even glancing at her courting partner in a bland tone of voice asks, "Oh my, do go on and share with us the delightful piece of news."

"Gladly," Terry chirpily replied ignoring the lack of interest from all his friends at their house table. "As you know, I have three direct blood aunts' that are my father's sisters, Aunt Rosalyn Mortimer, Aunt Roxanne Feiverl, and Aunt Rhinnaon Seymour."

At the mention of Mortimer, Rowan's head goes up with interest. "Is your Aunt Rosalyn related at all to Professor Mortimer?"

"Aunt Rosalyn is cousin Eponine's mother," Terry happily answered back causing Sylvia to become rather depressed at the information. With such close kinship, it was certain that Eponine Mortimer, the Head of Slytherin would be a regular at family parties (especially once Sylvia married into the Greengrass family).

Ignoring the abrupt dejection complexion of his courting partner, Terry says, "Anywho, the Ministry of Magic permitted Cousin Koris Feviel, the son of Aunt Roxanne to reopen the Leaky Cauldron. Cousin Koris wrote to me and Eponine that he will be opening the Hermetic Cauldron soon. We're both naturally invited, but only cousin Eponine can attend," he muttered a bit gloomily. "Still, Cousin Koris promised to give me a tour once the summer holidays arrive."

Seeing Severus gloomily picking at his food, Rowan grabs a dinner roll and stuffs it between Severus's lips. Severus glares back and retaliates by shoving a pastry at Rowan's lips. Rowan having anticipated this opens her mouth and snaps at her finger of Severus. Severus barely pulls his hand away as Rowan's teeth clamp shut a mere hair length away from the tip of his fingers,

Rowan smirks as she chews causing Severus to angrily starts to eat which had been the entire point. Seeing Rowan's antics, Bethanie hides a smile, while Tiffany playful wrinkles her nose at Rowan. Sylvia was much too dismayed about the news that she had not even noticed the incident.

Licking the pastry crumbs off her lips, Rowan curiously asks, "So what is your cousin Koris like?"

Terry furrows his brow in thought, before replying, "Cousin Koris is much older than I closer to father's age, really," he explained. "Cousin Koris is an artist and considers himself a food connoisseur, but his artistic abilities are tempered with pragmatism. Being the only male heir to the Feviel family, he had strict tutors, and his temperament as such is much closer to father and Uncle Mordecai in that manner."

Terry shrugged and dramatically said, "Although Cousin Koris still is a bit of a daredevil, he married his wife, Zenia despite being a squib." Tiffany openly gaped as Sylvia glanced up in surprise and even Bethanie fanned her face in shock.

Feeling pleased Terry impishly continues, "Zenia is a fantastic chef and Cousin Koris fell head over heels for her food. He vowed to marry no other and Aunt Roxanne and her husband Uncle Feviel had no choice but to accept the marriage. But all worked out fairly well, Cousin Koris's wife gave birth to three daughters, Amy, Tasha, Bella, and a son, Frederick, who are all magical."

"Though you have already met those three female cousins," Terry pointedly said causing them to gaze in confusion at them.

They all scoured their heads unable to believe that. Surely, they would remember them unless it was at the Presentation Ball. Yet there had been so many Greengrass relatives that at some point, they all merged into one.

"Wait, were they some of the band members of the Fiery Maidens?!" Rowan concluded out loud first.

Terry proudly nods his head. "Yup, none of the girls are married yet, but Cousin Koris isn't worried considering how lovely the three girls are. And as for Frederick, he's following in his mother's footsteps as a most reputable magical chef. He's currently courting and hoping to marry and settle down with the daughter of one of the owners of the finest elf wineries."

"An entire foodie family that one," Rowan mumbled under her breath.

Feeling better even Severus begins to look interested in the conversation only pausing to send a glare at Rowan every now and again. Sensing that all attention is upon him, Terry basks in it with great delight. "Even better news is that Father has been advocating the need for a healer's clinic in Hogsmeade and it appears that the Ministry of Magic will finally permit it! The infirmary despite Madam Pomfrey's best efforts is nearly bursting as it is. I have never quite seen the infirmary so full!"

Rowan grimly nods her head in agreement as does Severus. Despite their best efforts, the younger years kept getting sick and that tended to mean a midnight run to the infirmary. It was a rather exhausting thankless job.

Wanting to be a mediwizard himself, Terry happily says, "Cousin Ames Seymour, the son of Aunt Rhiannon hopefully will be able to establish a new healer's clinic in Hogsmeade during the summer holidays."

"Is he a mediwizard?" Sylvia quietly asked.

"Yes, Cousin Ames is a mediwizard," Terry emphatically nodded. "Several of my unwed female cousins from France are all at present apprenticing under him to become mediwitches. So far only one of my female cousins has successfully become a mediwitch, but the other girls are still studying under Cousin Ames. My aunts and uncles are rather reserved in the matter of apprenticeships especially," he paused and softly whispered, "after what happened with Eponine."

"That is understandable," Bethanie sagely said as Tiffany nodded her head in understanding.

"And what is this Cousin Ames like?" Sylvia carefully asked wanting to know more about the family she would likely marry in the future.

"Cousin Ames is a bit plumb, but he is rather cheerful and patient," Terry proudly said. "He's a fantastic mediwizard!" Before Terry's face grew a bit sad, "But he's a widower. His wife, my aunt passed away not long after giving birth to his youngest child and only son, Gerald."

Terry is silent for a bit before briskly moving on. "Cousin Ames has two older daughters, Opaline and Nyx, both at present already attending Beauxbaton's in their 1st and 3rd year. Little Gerald only recently turned ten years old. Thankfully he'll be eleven in our 7th year, so at least I will get to see him attend Hogwarts and be sorted."

"Let me guess, Slytherin," Severus drily interjected before taking a mouthful of food.

"Cousin Ames was a Hufflepuff, if you must know," Terry replied with a shrug. "It is certainly possible that Gerald could be a Slytherin, but he mostly takes after Cousin Ames in personality. In that regard, I do believe that is unlikely."

They were unable to continue the conversation as the entire Great Hall becomes silent as the Headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore rises to a stand at the staff table. His long silver hair and heard are tucked into his belt. His long robes have a moon and star embroidery that sweep down to the floor leaving room for just the top of his buckled high-heeled boots to peek out. His childlike blue eyes sparkle with delight from behind his half-moon spectacles that hang on his long, crooked nose.

"It has been a most pleasant evening," Professor Dumbledore knowingly said. "I know that you are tired after a long day of learning and growing children even more so. As such I will be brief."

"I will be pleased to announce that the Hogwarts Board has instated several more traditional magical celebrations. The first and nearest upcoming is that of the Lunar New Year."

A multitude of whispers fills the Great Hall with excitement and curiosity until Professor Dumbledore says, "A traditional approach to Valentine's Day," which was filled with groans and excited glances from the couples throughout the student body.

"The Eostar commonly known as the Spring Equinox will be celebrated in conjunction with Holi, lastly Beltane in conjunction with Majoma," Professor Dumbledore said with an excited twinkle while Rowan and Severus's faces became darker.

Rowan knew exactly what Holi entailed and as nice and as fun as that may be, she knew who was going to be stuck with the cleanup and the decoration, the Hogwarts's Prefects!

"Now dig in!" Professor Dumbledore happily said before sitting back down to eat.

Ignoring the chattering conversations around her, Rowan grimly digs into her food. She had the feeling she was going to need all the energy she could get for the upcoming events. It was a terrible thing to be a Hogwarts Prefect. She must have betrayed someone in her past life. It couldn't be anything else but karma…