LIFELINE | 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

▪︎ 12.

Christmas time in Hogwarts meant some peace and quiet. Nearly every student left the castle to be reunited with their families. Percy was kind of glad that he could stay in the castle. It meant that he could on his free will study without anyone disturbing him.

But, on Christmas day, like anyone, Percy stopped his studying and woke up to see various presents of various sizes.

Peacefully picking them one by one, he marveled the gifts he got. Upon reaching his present from his mother, he opened the parcel to find the same sweater his mother knitted every year for him and his brothers, getting the same present for five years and more, he was getting tired of it.

When he reached for his other gift wrap, noise came from outside. Pushing his glasses up, he walked over to find the noise coming from the first year's boys room.

Throwing his sweater over his arm, he opened the door and looked irritated

"What is all this noise?" He said, disapproving.

Immediately, Fred seized his sweater.

"P for Prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."

"I – don't – want —" Percy said, his voice muffled as the twins forced the sweater over his head, his glasses falling.

"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," George said. "Christmas is a time for family."

Trying to get out of the situation, Percy retorted as he picked up his glasses. He wanted his peace and quiet very much and didn't like the noise at all.

They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by
his sweater.

Out in the Great Hall, a hundred
fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of
chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy
and cranberry sauce – and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet
along the table were there.

Of course, it wasn't his first time staying over at Christmas, but the castle's wonders did make his eyes glossy in amazement.

As he sat around with his brothers and Harry, who pulled out a wizard
cracker with Fred, and it didn't just bang. It went off with a blast like
a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the
inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice.

Coughing and getting rid of the dust with his wand, Percy simply watched as the white mice scattered around, unable to do anything. The chaos ensued, and Percy watched. It wasn't his ideal Christmas, but even he had to admit, it wasn't bad, and if he could try, he was sure he would have fun.

The food was simply brilliant – maybe not as great as his mother's, he liked his mother's cooking – he took another slice of turkey. And as soon as he put it in his mouth, he felt a sharp pain in his teeth. There was a silver sickle.

"What the—" Percy said, in a slip of a tongue.

"Percy!" Fred gasped. "Were you about to curse?" He asked, surprised at his slip up.

Percy turned pink. "N-No, I wasn't. Look!" He said, showing the silver sickle.

"That came in your turkey?" George asked. "Wow."

And the conversation turned.

Up on the high table, Hagrid was turning red and red with each goblet of wine. Percy watched in embarrassment as Hagrid finally, drunk from the wine, swooped down and kissed Professor McGonagall on the cheek. Light headed from the wine herself, Professor McGonagall giggled and blushed.