When Fire Meets Gasoline | Wizarding World

chapter forty | a memorable christmas

It was nothing but pure bliss ever since Oliver and Mary kissed that rainy day. Over the next few months, the two were nothing but happiness that radiated off of them, and the others took notice of it. While Jacob and Eliza weren't too surprised at this, Violet felt a bit hesitant, but eventually came around. Andrew, however, took a bit longer, grumbling about it whenever he got the chance to do so. Still, everyone thought it was better than making any snide comments towards Mary.

By the time December rolled around, Christmas was all the six could think about. The idea of keeping their spirits up was something they were determined to do during this month. When the snow began to fall, there was a small hint of excitement from everyone as the air got cold and the forest was covered in white. In a way, they found magic in the winter atmosphere.

As Christmas Eve was creeping among them, the group were sitting around by the fire, finishing up their dinner. They all sat there in silence for a bit with only the cracking of the fire making noise.

Jacob huffed a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "So, I've been thinking..."

"Oh, Merlin, here we go," Andrew mumbled.

"No, this is actually something good," Jacob protested.

"Does it involve any risks of getting us caught or killed?" Oliver asked.

"Well, yes, sort of, but--"

"Then it's a hard pass for me."

"Ollie, just hear me out, okay?" Jacob stated. "Since Christmas Eve is only a couple of days away, I've been in the mood for some...you know, holiday festivities."

The others couldn't help but grin and chuckle at Jacob's remark.

"And what exactly do you mean by holiday festivities?" Eliza asked.

"I mean all of the fun stuff we all did around Christmas!" he exclaimed. "Like roasting marshmallows, singing Christmas carols..."

"Right, as if we can do any of that in the middle of the woods," Andrew retorted.

"No reason why we can't go get some marshmallows right now," Jacob pointed out. "And while we're at it, we can stroll around and look at the lights. That sounds nice, doesn't it?"

There was a short moment of silence from everyone, taking the time to exchange glances of approval to one another. It was the holiday season, after all, and maybe some Christmas cheer would be nice for everyone.

"I mean, it does sound nice," Mary perked up. "I don't think it would hurt to get into the Christmas spirit."

Jacob grinned at Mary's statement. "Exactly." He turned his head towards Violet and grabbed her hand. "What about you?"

The blonde girl shot him a skeptical look. "I don't know. If we get caught--"

"We'll be extra careful," he assured her. "Come on, it'll be romantic, and I know how much you admire that about me."

Violet's face turned red as she giggled. "Yes, that is true." She paused, then sighed in defeat. "Well, as long as we're cautious, then I'm in."

"Excellent!" Jacob exclaimed. "So, as for the other three, what do you say?"

Oliver, Eliza, and Andrew remained apprehensive, giving each other looks of concern. While it sounded fun and cheerful to do, the three liked the idea of seeing something other than trees.

"Let's face it, the lights here won't be like they are back at Hampstead," Andrew stated. "But at least we'll have something to look at, since we didn't see them last year." He took a pause, then continued. "I say we go."