Everlasting (H.P x fem.reader) YEARS 1-4

Year One: Chapter Eight

3rd person POV

Christmas was coming.

One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke up to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirell around, bouncing off the back of his turban.

The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again. No one could wait for the holidays to start.

While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows of the classrooms.

Worst of all was Professor Snape's class down in the dungeon, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He was looking at Harry and Y/n as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Y/n stared at her potion in irritation, hand clenching down on the table. Harry was unbothered, though. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant since the Quidditch match.

Disgusted that Slytherin had lost, he tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouth tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed that Harry managed to stay on his bucking broomstick.

So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family. It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas.

Professor Mcgonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had. Y/n, Ron, and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie. Y/n, too, was one of the first signers. Her mum wasn't a big fan of Christmas since they've left America, and she had sent a letter explaining that it would be better for the girl to stay at Hogwarts since she'd be so busy. 

Harry couldn't help but feel slightly guilty at the excitement that had risen in him when he heard the news of her staying. No, he wasn't quite used to such a dejected look splayed over her features. 

After the h/c had read the letter, she made a quick excuse of needing to grab something from her dormitories, shoulders uncharacteristically slumped over as if to make herself invisible from the Slytherin table. 

When they left the dungeons at the end of potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that it was Hagrid.

"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm alright, thanks, Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" Came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them

"Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be a gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose — that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."

Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.

"WEASLEY!"

Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.