Charlotte Weasley

Chapter 28 - Christmas Break Begins

The final day of school was upon us at long last before we would all either go home or stay at Hogwarts but have no classes. 

I had received a letter a week or two ago, a few days after Morgan and Quinn's arrival from my parents;

Dear Charlotte, 

Arthur and I, along with George, Percy, and Bill and his family, are planning on going to France for Christmas to spend it with Fleur's family. (Believe me, I would much prefer to stay at home but Bill has told me on countless occassions that it is important for me to get to know them a bit better). 

Well anyways, you can of course join us in France, there is plenty of space at the Delacour Estate but if you don't want to come (which is completely understandable) you can stay at Hogwarts. If you would prefer to join us you can come too. 

We will be in France for the entire break, we are leaving in fact, in a few days but you can use the floo network to come. 

Well I hope that school is fine and the entire family says hello!

Sincerely, 

Mother

I knew immediatly that I wouldn't want to spend two and a half weeks in the company of the Delacours, however nice they may be so I responded immediatly that I would stay at Hogwarts. 

Britt was also staying, Jacob and Albert and a few older students. Valery, Lacey, Morgan, Quinn, and Peter were all going home for the holidays. Most of the school was anyways but Isabelle London, a mean girl in Slytherin along with Mycroft, Edmund. 

There were also a few Ravenclaws in fifth and seventh year as well as a few Hufflepuff second years. We were the only Gryffindors, except a few older students, which meant that the common room would be to ourselves for the most part. 

Hogwarts was almost finished being decorated for Christmas, greenery was hung from all the rails in the staircases, the suits of armour sung Christmas carols when people past, there were floating candles everywhere, not just the Great Hall, and the Gryffindor common room had an enormous Christmas tree. We asked the house elves if we could decorate it and they brought up boxes of ornaments for us to adorn the tree with. 

Decorating the tree took hours as it was fourteen feet high and required some magic to put the ornaments on the top branches. The older Gryffindors who had stayed, a seventh year, Miles Green, a fifth year Lavender Withy, another fifth year, Amanda O'Flatherty, a third year Ludo Pratt, and finally Adora helped put up some of the higher ones. 

Miles, who was some sort of whiz kid was able to enchant some snow to stay frozen and we sprinkled it along the branches.

When completed, it looked gorgeous. 

It was weird though, having everyone out of school, and only having eight Gryffindors. 

At dinner, the entire school, including the few teachers who stayed sat at one long table because some houses had only one student left. 

Proffessor McGonngall sat at the end and was joined by Hagrid, Proffessor Longbottom, Proffessor Trelawny, who only left her tower room during the holidays and summer break, and sadly, Professor Grifiths.

Dinner was very enjoyable and I met a few new people in other houses and talked to the teachers a little.

Proffessor Trelawny, who I would not have until third year looked at me with her enlarged eyes and asked why I sat in the chair I was sitting in. I had no idea what to say but she kept staring until I replied, "Because...".

 But the days leading up to Christmas went by very fast, the collective Gryffindor house went outside one afternoon to have a snowball fight in the courtyard. 

Lavender and Amanda sat on the sidelines for the majority of the games, but Miles teamed up with Ludo, Jacob, and Arnold. 

So that left Britt, Adora and I to scramble behind a tree so we wouldn't get pummled by the oncoming wave of snow.

From their spot on the bench, Amanda and Lavender were able to build a small snow fort/wall with their wands so we dove behind that and Adora began forming snowballs by the dozen with her wand. 

Britt and I tossed them over to the boys who were also making a fort.

By the end of it all, we were all cold and tired but all happy even so.

We trudged through the entrance hall, leaving a trail of snow behind, giving me deja-vu of when I had the mud fight with the Gryffindor Quititch team. 

Christmas Eve dawned a few days later and the Gryffindors went down to eat at the single breakfast table in the hall.

Proffessor McGonnagal was chatting with Professor Longbottom a few seats down in hushed voices. Professor McGonnagal had the Daily Prophet open next to her bowl of cereal.

Amanda and Lavender bent over across the table, a conspiratorial glint in their eyes, "I heard that they found someone in the Forbidden Forest a few days ago." 

"What do you mean?" I sat up straighter.

"Not neccassarily a student but someone."

"Why would they go into the Forbidden Forest of all places, though!" I scoffed.

"Well I don't know, but they might have been hiding, from what, I haven't the faintest clue."

I pondered over what they had said while I walked down to Hagrid's Hut with Britt, we had promised him we would come and visit over break.

I knocked on the door and I swung open, Hagrid was wearing a pink flowery apron and had a large oven mitt on. 

"I just pulled out the muffins from the oven! You came at the perfe't time!" He set a plate of huge blueberry muffins on the table along with glasses of cold lemon water.

We each took a muffin and bit in, compared to his usual cooking, they were delicious.

"So, how have you two been? It's been ages since I last saw ya."

"I actually have a question for you Hagrid, " he nodded for me to continue, "Well, it was something that Amanda and Lavender said during breakfast."

Hagrid scoffed, much like I had done earlier, "Amanda and Lavender? You shouldn't believe a word they say! All they do is gossip, but I'm curious. What did they say?"

"Oh just some nonsense about the teachers finding a person out in the Forbidden Forest."

Hagrid paled the slightest degree and cleared his throat, "Yeah, that's a pile of thestral dung, that is."

"Doubt it," I told Britt when we left soon after.

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"Pile of thestral dung" 

Well as always, all comments and votes are appreciated :)

❤ Rose

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