Beauty and the Beast

chapter nine

December 21, 1945

Samantha had gotten permission to let Tom come to the Dalton house for Christmas. He wanted him to feel appreciated, so she brought him over for the holidays. So Sam, Raine, Tom, and Lilac got on the train. The brown-eyed girl sat with her friends. Raine was with her crush, while the Slytherin prefects sat together in one of the designated compartments. "Thank you for letting me come," Tom told his girlfriend. She squeezed his hand and answered, "No problem." The couple talked for a while on the train. At one point, Valentine climbed on top of their laps, causing them to laugh. They were happy to be together for winter break, since they were usually apart at that time. It would be a special year.

As the three of them got off the train, Roger and Amelia waved to the youngsters. They came over, smiling brightly. Mr. Dalton lightly joked, "Can't imagine the day our daughter brings a boy home anymore. It's here." His wife laughed. "Never lost your sense of humor," she commented. Tom and Sam held hands as Lilac then hugged her mother. Before long, the Daltons and the brown-haired teenager got into the car to get to their residence. As always, Roger and Amelia asked the children about school and how things had been. "Oh, and by the way, Hector sent an owl to me after he scoured at your game. He says that you'd be a great addition to the team. The current seeker of the Chudley Cannons is about to retire, and he's hoping to sign you for next season." Samantha grinned. "Owl him that I'd love to play Quidditch for a living."

They soon arrived at the house. The teenagers went to Sam's room, while Lilac decided to go by the fireplace. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton talked to each other. Valentine just snooped around the house for a while, eventually cuddling up to the younger sister. Samantha and Tom built a fort out of blankets and pillows. They both lied down at the bottom, which was an array of extra pillows. Laughter and smiles were shared as they looked out the window, seeing the snow fall. Sam walked over to the record player and put on "Winter Wonderland". Both teenagers sang along quietly. "In the meadow, we can build a snowman, and pretend that he's Parson Brown. He'll say 'are you married?', we'll say, 'no, man, but you can do the job when you're in town...' later on..." the pair laughed

They played many more Christmas songs that were around that year. Songs such as, "Santa Claus is Coming' To Town" and "White Christmas". There was also a popular song back then that was not holiday related, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". They did not have the vast collection of music that later generations enjoyed. But they enjoyed the wonderful sounds they did have. Samantha's favorite holiday was a rather new one, "Let it Snow". The sixteen year old girl loved winter. It reminded her of Quidditch, a cozy fire, and the joy of giving gifts to one another. But most of all, it reminded her of family. That was very important to her. When she turned off the record player, she sat down beside Tom and leaned against him. Somehow he was family to her. She couldn't stop thinking about how wonderful it would be in four days.

Christmas Eve, 1945

Samantha's family was not religious, however, they did annually attend a church service on Christmas Eve. One of Amelia's friends saw the tall brown-haired teenager standing with her daughter. "Who is this?" She asked Mrs. Dalton. Amelia smiled. "This is my daughter's boyfriend. He doesn't have a family to come home to during holiday break at... boarding school... so she asked if he could come with us. And of course, I agreed," she answered. They then joined the congregation for the night. They lit candles, sang more traditional Christmas tunes (like Silent Night), and bonded with muggle family-friends. Tom was nervous to a slight degree, but holding Sam's hand made him feel more comfortable that night. As they left to return back to the house, snow began to fall. All three of the kids smiled as they saw it. "It's going to be a good Christmas, I know it," Samantha whispered to Tom. The pair held onto one another for a while. They soon returned to their fort and cuddled once again when both of them grew tired and Sam pulled a blanket up to the both of them. The teenagers fell asleep right next to each other.

The next morning, Lilac cracked the bedroom door open. She moved the blanket that was the entrance to the fort then saw them. She got her camera and snapped a picture quickly before returning to her room, hoping she didn't wake them up. And to her luck, she didn't. "Are they awake?" Roger asked quietly. Lilac shook her head. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton then walked into the room and Amelia spoke softly, "Samantha? Tom?" Both of them opened their eyes then got up and left the fort. "Good morning, you two. Happy Christmas," Roger beamed. The girl hugged her parents, followed by the brown-eyed boy. They walked into the living room, where there was presents under the Christmas tree, for not only the Daltons, but Tom as well. The stockings were filled with candy and there was hot chocolate with marshmallows on the table, ready to drink.

Since she was youngest, Lilac had the privilege of opening her gift first. She had received a barn owl from her parents as well as a light purple sweater, the color lilac, in fact. From Samantha, she was given some extra books from Flourish and Blotts. The eleven year old hugged all four of the people in the room with her, followed by the cat. The owl soon perched on her shoulder. Next was Tom, since he was a guest. From Mr. and Mrs. Dalton, he had received a few galleons and season tickets to Chudley Cannons' next season, since it was a last minute gift. Next was Lilac's gift, which was a notebook. Tom had once told her how he had wished to be a professor. If he was honest, that was his second choice, other than dark wizard. Lastly, from Samantha, he had received some chocolate frogs, parchment, quills, ink, a hat, some gloves, and a coat. She had not known her parents and sister would be giving gifts to Tom as well.

Samantha got a better broom from her parents, and cat supplies as well as a green jacket from Lilac. From Tom, Samantha was given two books; one of Potions, the other of Defense Against the Dark Arts. He had known that she loved reading as well as that she wanted to possibly be a professor, auror, or potioneer when she graduated from Hogwarts. Sam thought the gifts were done for when her father handed her a letter. She opened it and read the heading, "CONTRACT". The rest read as follows;

"To Miss Samantha Dalton,

Your father has informed me of your interest in my offer for playing for the Chudley Cannons professionally. You must follow the following guidelines

• No Felix Felicis before games

• Play fair, no fouling

• Play all season, except if injured

• Go to the team healer if you acquire an injury

• Attend all practice and meetings

If you agree to this and are sure you wish to play for the 1946-1947 season, sign below"

- Hector Terrazas"

Samantha grinned as she signed on the blank above where it read "(Player Name Here)". Roger then brought in an orange Quidditch uniform that had the last name "Dalton" on it, as well as "01" for the number. Everyone in the room was joyful at the events of the previous days.