It's Christmas Time Again: A Time-Traveling TMS Holiday Extravaganza

January, 2014

It started when I was on the train back to Hogwarts after holiday. Dierks was a prefect so he had to attend to duties before catching me up on the way back - although he assured me his duties were simpler during the holiday, so he'd be faster than he had been at the start of term. He'd stepped into the car reserved for the prefects and smiled at me as I turned to find my way to our usual compartment. "See you soon," he promised, "I'll nick us some treats from the trolly."

"Alright," I said.

"Hey, hang onto my bag for me?" he held out a rucksack.

"Sure," I took it and waved as he went to tend to his duties and I went to find seats. I sat in the usual compartment, the one that had been marked by Sirius Black nearly a half a century before I ever set foot in it. After shoving our rucksacks into the overhead and letting Dobby out of his carrier, I sat leaning against the window, watching London disappear and the countryside take over, watching as snow fell from the sky over the trees and fields we passed. My hand held onto George Michael, thumb absently moving over the plastic. Dobby perched on the opposite bench, licking his paws and staring out the window with keen golden-green eyes.

The trolley witch went by with the sweets cart and I used money Harry had given me for Christmas to buy me and Dierks both some ice mice and Bertie Botts - just in case he didn't get a chance to nick us anything, so we wouldn't have to do without. I'd expected him back before then, but the prefect duty must have run long, and I ate my half of the ice mice waiting impatiently.

Another hour passed and still no Dierks.

I stuck my head out into the corridor to find it empty save for a boy headed for the loo. "Hey, have you seen the prefects?" I asked, and he shook his head and pushed by me.

It took looking into several compartments before I found Jordan Hawke, who was a seventh year Slytherin, and Headboy. "Have you seen Dierks?" I asked him.

Jordan's brows knit together. "Who?"

"Dierks Bell?" I said, "Gryffindor prefect?"

"Who?"

"Bell," I repeated. "Dierks Bell?"

He looked stupified.

"Nevermind. Where are the prefects at?"

"They went to sit with their friends when we were done with our duties," Jordan replied.

I huffed in frustration and ducked out of the compartment, wondering what Hawke's problem was that he had to be such a blighter to me about it.  Who? As if everyone on the train didn't watch every thing Dierks Bell did with a bit of awe, as if his blonde hair and skill on the quidditch pitch didn't excite every person in the castle - girls and guys alike...

But when I spotted another prefect from Hufflepuff...

"What are you talking about? The Gryffindor prefects are Ethan, Gwynn, Niall, and Mari."

"What about Dierks?"

"I don't know anybody named Dierks."

I stumbled out of the compartment, heart pounding. I was running back to the one I'd come from, dizzy with panic, when I ran directly into Victorie, who was just coming out of her the girls loo.

"Hi Teddy!" she greeted me with a smile, then saw my panic and her eyes lit with worry, "Oh, what's wrong?"

"Have you seen Dierks?" I asked.

"Who?"

I stared at her in disbelief and shook my head, "Stop it, that's not funny," I said. It had to be a joke. It had to be. She'd just hugged us both at the Platform in London. She'd invited us to come find her compartment later and say hullo to her and Violet and their other friends. She'd even giggled when Dierks had said some flirty sounding reply.