Which Witch? Harry Potter

008.

EIGHT.
Day After Tomorrow

The trip to Hagrid's, though far from fun, had nevertheless had the effect Riley, Hermione, and Ron had hoped. Harry was no longer brooding constantly on revenge, now focused on wanting to help Hagrid win his case against the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.

The group of four went to the library the next day and returned to the empty common room laden with books that might help prepare a defense for Buckbeak. They sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they ran across something relevant.

Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that even Scabbers poked his nose out of the shelter of Ron's pocket to sniff hopefully at the air.

If Riley Jane was any other person, she would have liked Christmas. Unfortunately, she'd said it herself back when Harry was questioning her "absurdly long name." She wasn't anything normal. That was evident from the day she was born.

Which just so happened to fall on December 25, 1979.

This year, at 3:49 in the morning, on Christmas Day, Riley Jane Lupin turned fourteen.

She was woken by Hermione throwing her sheets off of her.

"It's Christmas, Riley!"

Yeah, she knew.

The two girls met Harry and Ron downstairs. Riley Jane, who was grumbling and yawning with squinted eyes, found Ron pacing impatiently near the pile of presents at the foot of the tree.

"Took you long enough," Ron grumbled, throwing his hands in the air. "We've been waiting for ages!"

"You've been waiting for five minutes," Harry corrected, looking amused despite himself.

"Oi, RJ," Ron ignored Harry's comment, grabbing a parcel from the stack. "Catch."

Before Riley Jane had time to react, he chucked the package right at her. Startled, she fumbled to grab it midair, nearly dropping it in the process.

She shot Ron a glare "What if it was fragile, you prat?"

"It's not," Ron said confidently, grinning. "Open it, you'll see."

Suspicious, Riley Jane ripped at the wrapping paper and pulled out a thick knitted sweater in different shades of amethyst. She held it up, her brow furrowing slightly when she spotted the "R" embroidered on the front.

She stared at the sweater, her mind immediately jumping to the most logical explanation. 

"Ron Weasley, are you so lazy that you just made me open one of your presents?"