A Spark of Magic - Year One (Magical Hybrid)

Christmas

The months passed, autumn turning into winter. Whenever they could Ember, Hermione and Peter went to the library to look for Nicholas Flamel. Unfortunately they weren't having any luck, much to the hybrid's annoyance. She knew that she'd heard that name before, she just knew it!

Soon Christmas was upon them and most of the students were preparing to go home for the holidays. Ember had opted to stay at Hogwarts and who could blame her? Christmases at the Dursley's wasn't exactly a fun time for her.

Currently, Ron was giving her a lesson in wizard chess. Honestly, she hadn't wanted to have anything to do with him but he just kept pestering her with this snazzy magical game until she agreed to play. Mostly just to shut him up. "Knight to E5", she said. The Knight moves to its destination.

"Queen to E5", Ron countered with a smug look on his face. Behind Ember, Hermione watched as Ron's queen goes over to Ember's knight and whacks the knight with her chair. The ginger haired boy grinned, triumphantly. Only for it to be wiped off of his face when Felix, who'd been perched on Ember's lap, suddenly leapt up onto the table and pounced on Ron's chess pieces! "Oi! He can't do that", the boy exclaimed.

"Apparently he can", the hybrid countered, scratching the kitten behind the ears as he battered Ron's queen in his tiny paws. Ron grumbled and glanced at Hermione who appeared to be already to leave.

"I see you've packed", he remarked, eyeing her trunk.

"See you haven't", the girl shot back.

"Change of plans, my parents decided to go to Romania to visit my brother Charlie. He's studying dragons there", Ron explained.

"Hurray for me", Ember griped under her breath. Christmas in the castle wouldn't have been so bad except now she had to put up Weaslebee for the holidays. Upside, Hogwarts was so big it was highly likely that she'll be able to find a hidey hole away from him. At least...until she had to go back to the dorm for bed.

"Oh well...enjoy your Christmas", Hermione said as pleasantly as she could. The brunette gave Ember a sympatheic look before she departed.

"Now, how about another game?" Ron suggested "but we leave the pet out of it", he added, prodding Felix off of the board which earned him a not so playful nip from the feline.

"Yeah...no, I think I'll pass", Ember states standing up, taking Felix with her "enjoy finding someone else to play with" and with that, she walked away, leaving him alone.

"Well, you don't look so enthused anymore", Peter remarked, meeting her at the entrance, trunk in tow "you were excited about spending Christmas here. What happened?"

"Ron happened", Ember answered "apparently he's staying at Hogwarts for Christmas too".

The brunet pulled a face "that's bad luck", he comments "but hey, at least you can use the excuse to look for Nicholas Flamel to keep away from him".

"I would but..." the ginger sighed "I have scoured the library dozens of times as have you and Hermione. We've found nothing".

"Perhaps it's because we haven't checked the Restricted Section yet", Peter admits "and with everyone gone for the holidays..."

"I'll be able to slip into the Restricted Section unnoticed", Ember finished.

"Given that there'll will hardly be any students; fewer teachers AND your handy gift of phasing...I don't think it should be too much of a problem for you".

"Well, I suppose I'd better succeed in sneaking into the Restricted Section AND find out some information on Mr Flamel in the process", the hybrid declared.