The Stone

Chapter Eighteen

Christmas was coming. One morning, 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 head. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver post had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

"I just want to make snow angels," whined Bella shivering as she clutched her books closer to her as she walked to her next class. 

"It's cold, why would you want to do that?" Hermione asked.

Bella glanced at her. "Because it's fun...don't you know what that is?"

"Having fun isn't something that I have time for. With all the classes and homework we have," Hermione shook her head sighing.

Ron gaped at her. "You defiantly need some time out"

"I agree with Ron," Harry says rushing towards them, he overslept again. "But we'll have to wait for the holidays, come on we're gonna be late"

Everyone couldn't wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the draughty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all was Professor Snaps's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in the 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 Bella and Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out the powdered spine of a lionfish, ignored them, but Bella stopped what she was doing to shoot Malfoy a glare. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that Slytherin had lost, he tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Bella, who had heard him, had to be dragged away by Hermione and Ron before she attacked him. No one found what Malfoy had said funny because they were all so impressed with the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family. And since Bella was staying at Hogwarts too, she was thrown into the torment. 

Bella wasn't going home to spend the holidays with her parents like she wanted to. Professor McGonagall had come round the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for holidays, and stopped by Bella to tell her that her parents were too 'busy' for her to come home. Bella knew the truth, and it hurt her. Her parents weren't too 'busy' for her, they just didn't want to face her because they knew she'd have questions. 

Ron and his brothers were staying too because Mr and Mrs Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie. So there will be Bella, Harry, Ron, Fred, and George in the Gryffindor common room. Bella wasn't trying to hide her discomfort of being the only girl.

When they 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 Malfoy's 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 - the hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to"