🆃🅷🅴 🆆🅴🅰🆂🅻🅴🆈 🆃🆁🅸🅿🅻🅴🆃 || 🅲🅴🅳🆁🅸🅲 🅳🅸🅶🅶🅾🆁🆈

11

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, I woke to find Hogwarts covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and Fred, George and I were lectured by McGonagall for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell 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.

I couldn't 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 in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where our breath rose in a mist before them and we kept as close as possible to our hot cauldrons.

I was waiting for Ron, Hermione and Harry after Potions, when we 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 Hagrid was behind it.

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

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Draco Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be 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."

I lunged at him, snarling as I held him up by the collar, lifting him up until his toes were barely touching the ground; my other hand held my wand, which was pointed straight at his throat. "You will not insult my family, you hear me?"

"WEASLEY!" I let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.

"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' Ron here.

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking

"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him-"

"I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape."

"They truly are immature ridiculous children," I agreed, watching their retreating backs. "Malfoy's insults aren't even original. I mean, c'mon, commenting on our family's status? Like we haven't heard of that before. However, insulting family members in particular... I'll kill him for that. It's awfully low of him."

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

So the four of us followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree- put it in the far corner, would you?"

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. The teachers had outdone themselves this year, and there was a slight chance it could be because Harry had joined this year.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

Just one," said Hermione."And that reminds me- Harry, Ron, Roxanne, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."