Where Your Loyalties Lie

Chapter Four: Christmas

The days passed with lightening speed and soon it was Christmas vacation. I returned home from Hogwarts for the break to spend time with my family. The day after I got home, I went shopping for gifts with a few of my muggle friends. I had told them that my parents had sent me off to a boarding school, but left out the rest of the details for obvious reasons.

Here's what I got everyone: for my mother I got her a pair of pink slippers that she's been wanting since her blue ones fell apart, Dad got a Twins baseball cap (he's missed MLB the most after moving to London), I bought Maddie a straightener to calm her insanely curly hair. A copy of The Wizard of Oz book for Hermione because she's seen the movie and wants the book, and cupcakes for both Crabbe and Goyle. Also, on the train home from Hogwarts I had bought Harry at least 15 chocolate frogs to help him start his card collection, and every flavor beans for Ron. I also got Ron jelly beans to see which he prefers.

Draco was the hardest to find a gift for. I decided to go to Diagon Alley to get his gift since he probably would like wizard stuff better than anything from the muggle world.

After going to Gringotts to exchange muggle money for wizard money, I strolled along the streets in search for the perfect present for Draco. Mom and Dad stayed in the Leaky Cauldron, not interested in helping me shop. As I was walking past one of the many shops, I found the perfect gift. Draco always wears a snake ring. I figured he'd like another ring. I went into the shop and found the perfect ring. It was three galleons, but it was worth it.

While I made my way back to the Leaky Cauldron to meet my parents, I put on the ring. The color instantly changed to red which meant my mood was excited, so true. Katie Brown was written on it in green letters that represented Slytherin house, and a fox was carved on the ring (which is my patronus). I can't do a patronus yet because it is way beyond the skills of a first year according to Hermione, but it is nice to know what it will look like once I mastered the charm.

After arriving home, I dashed to my room to wrap my gifts before I sent them. I was excited for Christmas more than ever.

~~~

Opening my eyes, I stared at the ceiling, not wanting to get up. Then I realized what day it was. I shot out of bed and bolted down the stairs to sit by the tree. My parents chuckled as they came in from the kitchen and sat down on the couch.

"Go ahead and start," Dad said.

I grabbed the closest box and saw it was from Harry. Over the course of the last few days, there were a few owls that had come, delivering presents and I had put them all under the tree to wait to open until Christmas day. It was a Gryffindor t-shirt that he wrote on in sharpie on the back, "Come join the good house." I laughed and tossed it into a pile, planning to wear it on the first Saturday back.

Next was Maddie's gift, a set of nail polish and stickers to put on my nails. The colors were: lime green, hot pink, neon yellow, neon blue, neon orange, and clear (to put on over stickers). Hermione got me some country albums from various artists and Ron gave me a red and green striped-heart shaped box of chocolates (awkward that it was heart shaped). My parents had bought me a few new pairs of shirts and some dresses. Crabbe and Goyle's gifts were the best (not)! Crabbe gave me a piece of paper that said "Happy Christmas" (way to be creative) and Goyle got me a knut (way to dig deep).

That was all the presents under the tree so I was starting to clean up all the paper when I heard a tapping on the window. When I got over to it, I saw a small, snowy owl with a scroll around its ankle. I let it in and it perched itself on the chair.

I took the scroll and opened it to read:

Dear Katie,

Happy Christmas! I hope you're having a good break. I saw this owl and thought she'd make a nice companion for you. The store keeper said she's smaller than average for her kind. Nobody else would take her. She needs love and care and I know you'll meet those standards.