The Light of the Dark: Harry Potter x OC

Chapter Eight - Year One

It was only a few weeks later that almost everyone was packing their bags to return home for Christmas, Hermione and I included. We were currently in our dorm, getting ready to depart from the castle for the break.

"Em, can I ask you something?" Hermione asked. I turned and looked at her before returning back to folding my shirts.

"Yeah, of course." I told her.

"How is it that you and Draco are cousins?" Hermione asked.

"What do you mean?" I questioned. Hermione sighed.

"I mean, how are you related? The Malfoys are a Pure blood family, and in the information that I've found it said your mum was a first generation Half-Blood." Hermione explained.

"That would be because he's related to me from my Dad's side." I told her. "I don't know exactly how we're related because I don't know who my dad is. I don't want to know. But Victoria explained to me that one of Draco's relatives is related to my father. I've just always grown up with Draco as a cousin." I told her. Hermione nodded. "Not that it matters. I don't have much interest in that side of my family. It's Victoria that I care the most about." I told her.

"She sounds great." Hermione told me. I smiled.

"The best. She'd love you." I told her.

"Really?" Hermione asked. I nodded.

"Definitely." I informed her, looking over at Harper who was sitting in his cage near my bed.  Hermione smiled and looked down at her watch.

"We should head down and say good-bye." She told me. I closed up my suitcase and double and triple checked that I had what I needed.

"Alright, let's go." I told her. We both grabbed our baggage and Harper and began making our way down to the Great Hall, Hermione telling me about her parents along the way.

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My eyes lit up and a smile crossed my face when we entered the Great Hall. It had been decorated to show the Christmas spirit and it was beautiful. There were a dozen trees, one of which was currently being decorated by Professor Flitwick. I looked at the four house tables, which were the emptiest I had ever seen, until I spotted them. Sat at the Gryffindor table, looking very concentrated, were Ron and Harry. Hermione and I looked at one another after spotting the boys before we made our way over to them. "Knight to E5." I heard Harry say as we approached. His knight piece then moved itself to the spot. Ron looked around the board. Seconds later, a smile and a smug look crossed his face.

"Queen to E5." He said. His queen piece moved towards that spot, stopping only a space before it. Then, as if she came to life, the queen stood up from her chair and picked it up, swinging it around and breaking the knight piece before taking his spot and replacing it.

"That's totally barbaric!" Hermione exclaimed. The boys looked over at us.

"That's wizard's chess." Ron told her, beginning to take the pieces of Harry's knight off the board.

"Just wait until check mate." I said, turning towards Hermione.

"You play Wizard's Chess?" Ron asked. I shrugged turning back towards him.

"Sometimes. Victoria taught me when I was young. We play from time to time." I told him. Ron finished pulling off the pieces of Harry's knight, he took a better look at Hermione and I.

"I see you've packed." He said.

"See you haven't." Hermione told him.

"Change of plans. My parents decided to go to Romania to visit my brother, Charlie. He's studying dragons there." Ron told us. I was about to ask Ron more about this brother's studies but Hermione spoke first.

"Good. You can help Harry, then." Hermione told him. "He's going to go and look in the library for information on Nicolas Flamel."

"We've looked a hundred times!" Ron complained. I leaned closer to them and looked between the two boys.

"Not in the restricted section." I said, a little quieter than usual. I then straightened back up and got a hold on my case. "Happy Christmas." I told them. Hermione gave them a slight nod before we exited the Hall.

Not long after saying good-bye to the boys, Hermione and I got onto the Hogwarts Express. We found a compartment all to ourselves and settled into it. I set Harper and his cage on the seat next to me as Hermione and I began discussing everything that had happened so far this year, as well as what our Christmas plans were, and our next step would be if the boys couldn't find anything on Flamel.

After what felt like a short, train ride, which was actually more like hours long, we arrived at platform nine and three quarters. We quickly gathered our things and made our way onto the platform to look for our loved ones. It only took a few minutes for me to spot the familiar face of my beloved aunt. I got over to her as quickly as I could before setting my stuff down as we engulfed each other into a bone crushing hug. "Oh my God, I've missed you!" Victoria said.

"I've missed you as well." I told her. We then separated and smiled at one another.

"Alright, let's go home. I want to hear about everything you and your friends have been getting up to. I know there's more than what you put in your letters." Vicky told me. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to let my guilty smile show.

"Emily!" Someone shouted. I turned around to see Hermione waving at me. Two adults, who I assumed were her parents, were standing near her, bright smiles on their faces. I gasped.

"Oh! Vicky! Come meet my friend. Her name's Hermione..."

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"Christmas Eve already, huh?" Vic questioned. I just nodded. She and I were currently sitting by the window, watching the snow flakes and how the lights on the houses would light them up. We were baking cookies and were waiting for the last batch to be done in the oven. "Do you think your friends got you anything exciting?"

"I'm not sure." I told her, my mind was half in the conversation while the other half was still focused on the scene outside.

"Oh, look!" Vic said, pointing down the street. I looked to see a group of approaching carolers. They stopped not far from our house and began to sing. We could hear their voices from within. "I love a good muggle carol." I smiled at my aunt and then went back to listening to the carolers.

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I woke up the next morning and ran downstairs. There was a huge pile of presents under the tree. Victoria was sitting in the living room on the couch, a cup of coffee in her hands. "Happy Christmas, Emily!"

"Merry Christmas, Vicky!" I told her. She then got up and walked over to the tree. I followed her and we both sat down together. The two of us began to sort the presents by who they were for. Once we had, we began to open them. A huge smile crossed my face when I saw that my friends had all gotten me something. Ron gave me a few chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Hermione got me a new book titled; The Wizarding World and the Last One Hundred Years of History by Timothy Artemis. Mrs. Weasley had sent me a navy blue jumper with a gold 'E' in the middle. Vic had gotten me some owl and quidditch supplies. The next present I came to made me smile. It was from Harry. He had framed a picture of Ron, Hermione, him, and I. I showed Victoria to show her what Ron and Harry look like. She then began to gush about how much Harry looked like his dad, minus his eyes which were just like his mum's. She then began telling me about how my mum used to be close with the Weasleys.

The rest of the day was spent spending time together and listening to stories about when Victoria was younger and her time at Hogwarts.

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This is a filler chapter just because Emily wouldn't have spent Christmas at Hogwarts so all that happens during Christmas break at Hogwarts with Harry and Ron will just be summarized in the next chapter.