𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐓𝐀 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐀

Chapter 22

Deep in the northern sky

Bright stars are beaming;

Christmas is drawing nigh

Candles are gleaming.

Welcome thou vision rare,

Light glowing in thy hair.

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

"Sankta Lucia" ("Santa Lucia"), English translation

Draco and the other eighth years practised the ceremony the whole Saturday. Soon after breakfast they all went to the choir room with their gowns and scowls where Professor Flitwick was already waiting for them.

"Don't take up your lyrics," he told them as soon as they settled down.

"But wont we need them when we sing?" Weasley asked with a bit of panic in his voice.

"No, it's essential that you know the songs by heart Mr Weasley, and that goes for all of you." He looked over the class ignoring the groans and the angry glares that were sent his way.

"So, now we are going to practise how we walk and stand. The Great Hall is much bigger than this choir room as you all may know, but that does not matter for the moment. The important thing to remember is how quick you walk how you get to your position on the choir rises. There will be one identical to this one where the staff-table stands during the ceremony.

"Now! Everybody stand in their vocal groups just at the door, except you Mr Malfoy."

The whole class stood up and walked to the door that they had just walked through and stood in their groups like they where ordered to. Draco walked over to Flitwick who looked up at him with a smile.

"Now, you are going to walk into the Hall in a Lucia-train, led by Lucia himself. So Mr Malfoy, if you'll stand in the the middle of the room, yes right there," Flitwick said as Draco walked to the middle, "and I'll give the rest of you a place in the train. You are going to walk in pairs, and it's really important that you remember who you are walking with, and who is walking in front of you and behind you.

"Now, all the sopranos, please step forward."

Flitwick formed a line behind Draco, with the girls at the front and the boys at the back, organized after vocal groups.

"Well done everyone!" Flitwick said after he was done. "Now we are going to practise how you should walk. Lucia will lead, as I said before, and Mr Malfoy, you will hold your hands like this." He clapped his hands together and held them to his chest and Draco copied him.

"The train will follow Lucia and when Mr Malfoy come to the foot of the choir rises he will turn around and the train will split in two and go past him to take their positions. Does everybody follow?" Flitwick asked.

"So we are going to follow Malfoy and then split?" a random Hufflepuff asked.

"That's correct. Because you go two and two, Mr Malfoy will be standing in the middle as you walk past him. So, Mr Malfoy, can you start walking in a slow pace and the rest of you follow him?"

The practise went on forever it seemed, and Flitwick directed them to walk correctly, stand in their right spot and so on. The class seemed to have a great trouble when it came to going up the choir rises, and the first in the train where to stand on the lowest steps and the boys at the back where to stand at the head of the rises.