Effervescence | h.p.

i | xxxvi. holly and mistletoe

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. Birds chirped loudly as they flew past windows around the castle, warning students of their upcoming classes.

Lyra woke on a cold day in December, shivering slightly under her heavy and thick pile of blankets she had placed on herself the previous night with the help of her good friend, Hermione. The cold seeping into the small gaps left by the imperfect placement of the blankets encouraged her to remove herself from the scene in order to dress in heavier, warmer clothing.

She slid out of bed and walked towards a small chair that sat near her bed, which had clothes strewn all about upon it. She snatched one of Harry's Quidditch hoodies she had been 'given' by her young best friend — without his knowledge — and wiggled herself into the sea of fabric that hung loosely from her small frame, reaching down to about knee-level.

As it was a Saturday at Hogwarts, the students could sleep-in late and were allowed to wear clothing other than their uniforms around the castle.

Lyra stood in front of the chair in her too-big hoodie, looking between a pair of jeans and a pair of leggings, trying to decide which to wear for the day. The jeans would provide warmth, but would be mildly uncomfortable whereas the leggings would be extremely comfortable, but would provide little protection against the frigid temperatures and harsh conditions.

Picking the pair of black leggings and putting them on underneath the jumper, she tied her hair in a low ponytail at the back of her head and she stuck her wand through the section of hair between her scalp and the tie. When she finished getting dressed and ready, she left the dorm to sit on the sofa in the common room in front of the large fire.

She sat, waiting for Hermione, Harry, or Ron to come down to leave the Gryffindor Tower so they could go to breakfast together, but she decided that she was too hungry to wait for more than three minutes on the couch.

Leaving the common room and then Gryffindor Tower, Lyra headed to the Great Hall alone. She usually wouldn't be forced to travel this journey by herself, normally escorted and accompanied by her friends, but she was not willing to wait today for anyone.

But Lyra was in luck because she ended up finding Fred and George on her way to the hall. They had previously finished setting up a prank, most likely, when Lyra found them — or they found her.

They had seen her coming down the corridor and had noticed she wasn't surrounded by anyone, so they took it upon themselves to surround and protect her on her trek to breakfast.

"Hello, our lovely Ly," said Fred.

"It's been a while, yeah?" questioned George.

"What do you mean?" the little girl asked in return.

"Since we last spoke," George elaborated.

Lyra laughed before responding, "We talked on Thursday at practice."

"But, that was more than twenty-four hours ago, Missy," Fred mock-scolded.

"So? You'll still see me. That doesn't mean you have to talk to me."

George's eyes widened as he placed his hand dramatically over his heart, "D'you hear that, Freddie? Our little Lyra here thinks we don't have to talk to her every time we see her."

Fred copied his twin's actions and gripped his shirt above his heart, "How could she ever believe we could resist speaking to royalty when so she's so easily thrust before us, Georgie? One mustn't pass up an opportunity to speak so closely with those of royal bloodlines."