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The snow cascaded down like a rainstorm as Amelia watched, from the Hogwarts steps, all her friends left her as they departed for the winter holidays. Loneliness settled in within her chest, a tight smile forming on her face. The last couple of weeks filtered her mind with pure contentment, clouding her memory of all the reasons why she hated the winter holidays.
Christmas was the loneliest time of the year. All her new and old friends have gone to spend time with their families, and with a twin brother who stays on castle grounds but doesn't attempt to interact with her. Choosing to only ever speak with Harry and Hermione. It makes her feel vulnerable and isolated. A perfect combination for her melancholy to creep up on her and settle in her head.
The walk back to the dungeons was quiet. Which only made Amelia walk faster. The Slytherin common room was deserted. No students studying or hanging around the fireplace. She knew of one other Slytherin, a sixth-year boy whose parents didn't celebrate such festivities. They usually saw each other when passing through the common room and during mealtime in the great hall. But they knew better than to interact with each other.
One positive outcome of the holidays was the fact that she had the dorm room all to herself.
No Pansy Parkinson nagging her ear off or Daphne's sly jealous eyes piercing her soul at every given moment. It was peaceful, quiet, and safe. It also presented her with an opportunity to practice all the magic that she desired. The hidden stack of books that lived in her truck finally saw the light of day. They lived on her desk with quill marks and pieces of loose parchment hanging out with extensive notes about the spells she wanted to memorize. The extra studying time was the only positive thing that the holiday break had to offer.
Although the entire castle was practically empty with only five or so students on the grounds. That didn't stop the Slytherin students from decorating the common room. A Christmas tree was displayed near the corner of the room, and a string of iridescent light hung on the walls alongside it.
A charmed mistletoe floated around the room which caused mayhem for all the students considering it won't let you leave until the two people captured under it had shared a kiss. All week Amelia watched students run upstairs to avoid it, and others tried to linger near the people they fancied in hopes of the mistletoe picking them. Pansy was one of them. She followed Draco around the common room like a lost puppy but it never once floated over their heads. Amelia found herself stationed away from her friends for a while and hung around with other third-year girls. She feared being trapped in such an embarrassing situation with either Aries, Theo, or Blaise. The idea of kissing any of them caused a shiver to run down her spine.
The next day when lunchtime came around, Amelia walked up to the Great Hall, to find that the house tables have been pushed against the walls as always and a single table set for twelve, stood in the middle of the room. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick were seated alongside Flich.
