Always - Welcome to the Wizarding World

Part 20

Christmas Day. The day of the Yule Ball. I woke up much later than everyone else, I looked at my watch sat ticking on my bedside table and realized that I had missed breakfast. I wasn't exactly in the mood for eating. I had awoken to an empty bedroom, so I thought no one would be coming to wake me any time soon and I lay back down back to sleep. I was disturbed a moment later by a knock at the door. Zarah peeked her mop of white curls around the corner, smiling at me.

"Finally, you're up!" she said, skipping into the dormitory and sitting down on her bed, her legs swinging. I yawned and rubbed my eyes.

"Give me a break. It is Christmas, you know!" I chuckled. "Where is everyone? Its quiet".

"Gone to Hogsmeade, I think. They've all opened their presents, as have I! Thank you so much for the purse, by the way, it's gorgeous!" she babbled. I smiled at her. I had bought Zarah a beaded purple purse lined with silk, charmed to hold absolutely anything imaginable. I had added an Undetectable Extension Charm, so she could literally put the kitchen sink along in her bag if she felt like it! I knew she would love it; she always carried way too much on her person, so this would be incredibly useful for her. I climbed slowly out of bed, slipping on my white dressing gown and warm fluffy slippers, stretching my stiff arms and legs.

"I don't suppose I have any presents?" I asked her hopefully. Zarah nodded.

"Of course you do! Come down to the common room!" she commanded, dragging me by the sleeve of my dressing gown. Zarah had given me my present already because, and I quote, she "just couldn't wait any longer!" She had bought me a golden time-turner. She told me Hermione was given one by McGonagall last year and she thought I would get some good use out of it too. I was still worried about the consequences of meddling with time, it could be incredibly dangerous, I was told, but it was worth the excitement!

The common room downstairs looked beautiful; green and silver tinsel and baubles were hung around the room and the tree was lit up with glimmering candles. Underneath it were six presents, each beautifully wrapped, each of them for me. I rushed down the stairs in excitement and sat down next to the tree, feeling like an overexcited child. I hadn't had a family Christmas since I was ten, before my father was killed. Since then, I'd spent the holidays with Mr and Mrs Diggory and Cedric. I remembered what I had bought Cedric for Christmas this year and suddenly felt very stupid. I had spent a lot of galleons on a new broom for the Quidditch tournaments coming up; he was the Hufflepuff team captain. Cedric probably hadn't bothered with buying me anything at all.

Zarah perched herself next to me on the floor and I noticed a beautiful jade necklace placed delicately around her neck. I gestured to it and she looked down, smiling.

"Blaise. He told me that he bought it last minute, but I don't believe him. I think he's a lot more thoughtful than he wants to let on" she giggled, fiddling with it. "Go on, enough about my presents! I want to see yours!" she ordered.

"Okay, okay!" I picked up a small present wrapped in black and gold tissue paper. I unwrapped it; it was a delicate bejeweled vial, a snake head molded into the clasp. I read the beige tag attached to it. 

"Dearest Radia, Merry Christmas. From Uncle Severus". I smiled to myself. I know it wasn't exactly very sentimental, but Severus had never referred to himself as my uncle before. I had also never received a Christmas present from him, as far as I was aware, so this vial was very special to me.

The second present was incredibly obvious as to what it was by the way it was tightly wrapped in brown paper. A broom, a Nimbus 2001, to be exact, the same one I had given Cedric. It was a strong and magnificent thing, sturdy and a dazzling black. The tag read "Dear Radia. Merry Christmas! We hope you are enjoying your first year at Hogwarts. Here's a little something to get your Quidditch career started early! Love from Amos and Martha Diggory. Xxx". I missed Amos and Martha dearly and I had sent them both train tickets to come up to Hogsmeade to visit Ced and I in the next half term. I didn't know that they would get time off work to come and see us, but I sincerely hoped that they did.

The next present I chose to open was wrapped in delicate golden paper. I unwrapped it quickly to reveal a twisting golden hour glass, the aureate sand running continuously through it. It was a gorgeous artifact, a never-ending hourglass. I turned over the tag to read it. "Dear Radia. Merry Christmas. Hopefully this gift will remind you that our time has been precious. Love from Ced. Xxx." I felt like my heart had stopped. Cedric cared. I could have cried, I could have cheered and squealed with joy, but I merely smiled. I don't think I could forgive him just yet, but it made me feel better to know that he valued me. 

Two presents remained and I chose the smallest to open next. It was wrapped in a small black box with a silver glittering bow pinned on top. I opened the velvet-lined box carefully and inside lay a resplendent silver ring, diamonds encrusted into the shank. I gasped, taking it out of its case gently and holding it up to the light, making it reflect striking rainbows onto the walls. It must have been the most valuable and beautiful thing I had ever seen. I gazed at it in awe, slipping it onto my ring finger.

"Bloody hell! That is gorgeous, must be worth a fortune! Who is it from?" Zarah asked me. I flipped over the tag and read it out loud. 

"A beautiful ring for a beautiful girl. Merry Christmas Ray. Xxx". There was no name. I shrugged and passed the tag to Zarah, who inspected it closely.

"A beautiful ring for a beautiful girl? Ooh, not another admirer! Unless it's from the same one!" Zarah teased, winking. I shook my head.

"Don't be absurd! I doubt that I have any admirers. Not any more, at least" I dismissed. Cedric certainly wasn't interested and I had lost Draco to Parkinson. I doubted that a ring and a sweet note like that was hardly Draco's style, anyway. 

There was one last present remaining. "Read the tag first this time! I want to hear who it's from!" Zarah instructed. I nodded, turning over the present in my hands. A small slip of paper fell off it onto the floor; I picked it up and read it out loud.

"My dearest Radia. I hope you are well and enjoying your time at Hogwarts. Amos has written to me telling me all about it. I am so proud of you and delighted that you finally got your letter. What I have given you was your father's before he passed away. I know you have your own now, but I think your father would much rather have it in your possession than mine. I am so sorry that I let you down, please know that I love you and think of you always. Come and visit me whenever you can, I would love to hear your voice. Merry Christmas. Love from Mum". 

"Mum" I whispered breathlessly. Zarah smiled at me. I had told her everything about what had occurred between my mother and I, so she knew how much this small slip of paper meant to me.

"Are you alright, Ray?" she asked, her hand on my shoulder. I nodded, wiping my eyes and unwrapping the present in my shaking hands. It was a long, slender, black box. I prized off the lid and inside it, lay my father's wand. Straight, robust and black, smelling beautifully of elm, I took it carefully out of the box and held it gently in both hands.

"Thiswas my father's. I haven't seen this for years" I murmured under my breath,admiring the delicate craftsmanship. 

At last, my parents whom I hadn't seen orspoken to for years, had given me a piece of them to treasure forever and Icould not have been happier.