𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 - Harry Potter x Fem!Reader¹

12.. THE MIRROR OF ERISED

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished 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.

No one could 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 their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He was looking over at Y/N as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled.

Y/N, who was measuring out the powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them.

Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Y/N as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Y/N had managed to stay on her bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Y/N about having no proper family.

Y/N thought it was rather sad, to have a life that was so revolved around her, if not a little embarrassing.

Though, it was true that she wasn't going back to Autumn Avenue for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Y/N had signed up at once. She didn't feel sorry for herself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas she'd ever had. Harry, Ron, and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie, one of Ron's older brothers who specialized in dragons. Y/N soon found out that Harry's parents had written to him saying that it'd be best if he stayed at Hogwarts since Harry's younger brother, who was called Jonathan Potter, had gotten horribly sick because he stubbornly refused to listen to his parents when trying to find out what yellow snow was.

"Good," Harry had said to Y/N. "Maybe he'll finally learn to not shove everything he finds into his mouth."

When they all left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they 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 Malfoys 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."

Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.

"WEASLEY!"

Ron 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' his family."

"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."