(1) Lux Brumalis (R. Weasley)

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Pixie and Pansy are seated together in the Great Hall, the end-of-year feast about to begin. The hall has been decorated in greens and silvers, a celebration of Slytherin winning the house cup. There is a lighter atmosphere now that they all know that Harry is awake and alive. Now that they all sort of sense that danger has passed. The huge wooden doors suddenly open as Harry enters. The entire hall falls silent as they all turn to look at him. And almost as suddenly as they had fallen silent the whispers start. Everyone is talking about him. Harry moves to join his friends at the Gryffindor table, sliding between Hermione and Ron. Dumbledore steps up to the front of the tables, holding up his hands to silence the hall.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore says cheerfully to the gathered students and teachers. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully, your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and sixty-two points; in third, Hufflepuff, with four hundred and two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two." A storm of cheering and stamping breaks out from the Slytherin table. Pixie rolls her eyes a little but plays her part as a Slytherin. She is still glad they won. It is still her house. "Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin. However, recent events must be taken into account." The room suddenly falls silent again, the smiles on the Slytherin students' faces disappearing as they sense the tone of Dumbledore's voice. "Ahem, I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...First, to Mr Ronald Weasley...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points." Gryffindor cheers erupt from the table. Dumbledore raises his hand to silence the cheers so that he can continue. "Second, to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points." Pixie can hear whispers starting among the Slytherins. "Third, to Miss Pixie Stark...for loyalty and intelligence when faced with impossible odds, I award Slytherin House fifty points" Pixie glances at Snape at the end of the table and he nods slightly at her. It's not much, but it is the acknowledgement that he knows she never once believed that he was behind what was happening. "Fourth.....to Mr Harry Potter..." Dumbledore continues and the room falls deadly silent. "...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points." Pixie quickly does the maths in her head and realises that Gryffindor now has five hundred and twenty-two—exactly the same as Slytherin. They have tied for the House Cup. Dumbledore raises his hand and waits for the room to gradually fall silent again. "There are all kinds of loyalty and courage," Dumbledore continues with a smile. "Friendship can be such a delicate thing, easily broken. Showing loyalty to those around you can offer a great level of comfort when times are hard.....to Miss Pansy Parkinson" Pansy looks up surprised. "I award you nine points" Pixie hugs Pansy tightly with a smile. Those nine points put Slytherin in the lead again, which makes the rest of their table and house happy for them too. "And it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I, therefore, award ten points to Mr Neville Longbottom." That one extra point given to Neville puts the Gryffindors ahead. They've won. The Gryffindor table erupts in raucous cheers and applause. "Which means," Dumbledore calls over the storm of applause, with even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff celebrating the downfall of Slytherin. Pixie knows that her house should mean a lot to her, and them coming in second should make her sad, but with the year that they've had, Harry needs it more, and Gryffindor needs it more. "We need a little change of decoration." Dumbledore claps his hands and suddenly all the green hangings become red and the silver turns to gold. Pixie can't help herself. She stands and starts applauding with the rest of them. The only Slytherin to do so. Draco glares at her.

"Stark, sit down" Draco scolds, trying to reach out and pull her back into her seat.

"Bit me, Fenris" She counters as she claps harder. Ron, Harry, and Hermione look across at her and smile. Pixie winks back at them and Hermione laughs. Pansy shrugs at Pixie's side and then stands too, joining in. The rest of the Slytherins give them dirty looks. But neither care. Pansy knows some of what they went through, what Pixie went through. She's applauding the fact they all came out of it alive and in one piece. That's a miracle in itself.

......

There is a quiet rustling of parchment in a hallway as Ron, Hermione, Pansy, Pixie, Harry, and Neville all go through their exam results together. Sat on the floor in some back hallway. They didn't want to push it with the Gryffindors by having Pixie and Pansy invading their space again.

"I passed" Neville announces with a surprised laugh. Ron leans over to look at his results. His good herbology marks push him into a pass, making up for his really, really bad potions result.

"Neville, why didn't you ask for help?" Pixie scolds him a little.

"I didn't want to be a bother" He whispers, she gives him a look and he shrugs. Pansy glances over at Pixie's results.

"Hardly surprising that you topped all of our classes" Pansy states as they go through their exam results. Pixie smirks slightly and shrugs, peering over Hermione's shoulder to read hers.

"Not without competition" She teases, Hermione snorts and glances at her.

"Even I can't compete with sheer genius" She offers her friend who chuckles and hugs her from behind. She's actually going to really miss them when she goes home. She's gotten so used to seeing them every day. It's going to be strange not having that. She can't say she's going to miss all the danger but her friends. Those she will miss. Hermione seems to sense her mood shift, reaching up to curl her fingers around Pixie's arm around her.

"You're not going soppy on us now, are you, Stark?" Ron teases and Pixie shakes her head into Hermione's shoulder.

"It's been a long year" She points out as she pulls back from Hermione before sitting at her side again. She runs her fingers through her hair and shakes it out.

"No one can argue that" Pansy comments as she hands back Pixie's results. "I'm exhausted and I wasn't running around doing the stuff" She leans back against the wall and lets out a breath. "How is being a first-year this exhausting?"

"It could be worse" Ron mumbles, Pansy lowers her head to look at him.

"How?" She inquires. Pixie snorts a little.

"He's right...we could be dead" Pixie agrees. Ron and Pixie share an amused look before Pansy nods in agreement. That is a very fair point. But Pansy is right too. Being a first-year has proven to be utterly exhausting for all of them. "Or you know...Voldemort could have gotten what he wanted" They all sober slightly with that realisation. Pixie is right. They could be dead. Or Voldemort could have won. Ron shudders a little at that thought. Hermione takes Pixie's hand and they share a look before Pixie smiles brightly. "But he didn't...he was beaten by an eleven-year-old with a rock...He should be embarrassed with himself" Pansy snorts a laugh as Harry smile. Ron suddenly bursts into laughter, leaning back against the wall. Hermione, Harry, Pixie, and Pansy all join in with him, poor Neville looks between them all utterly confused as to why it is so funny.