Fantastic Beasts Stories

Hanukkah

First Night

Queenie sat in her mother's lap as their father lit the first candle of eight with the shamash, the "helper" candle. Saba, as she and Tina called their grandfather, had even come over to celebrate. As the candle was lit, Mama, Papa, and Saba spoke the prayers that were said each night after sundown for eight days of the year. She knew the rhythm by heart but not the words, and as she fumbled along the prayers with Tina, she smiled at her sister, who smiled back through the candle flames.

"Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah." Blessed are you, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made us holy through God's commandments, and commanded us to light the Hanukkah candles.

Once the candle was lit, presents were handed to each of the girls; a chain bracelet for Queenie and a set of quills for Tina with dark blue ink. (Tina still had them years later, perfectly intact. She hadn't had the heart to use them. She kept them in a jewelry box with their mother's engagement ring. The young woman often wondered if either of them would ever use it.)

Second Night

Tina, Queenie, and Mama sat around the table, dinner eaten, the silverware washing themselves in the sink nearby. The lights were off, as they were for every night of Hanukkah, every year. As Papa lit the shamash, the family of four recited the lyrical prayers.

"Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah." Blessed are you, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made us holy through God's commandments, and commanded us to light the Hanukkah candles.

Saba had died a few months ago, and it was their first Hanukkah without him. Queenie's parents had sold his owlry, knowing that they couldn't afford to keep it open without someone there to tend to the birds.

After the two candles were lit, presents were handed to the now older girls. Hair accessories for Queenie and a new coat for Tina.

Third Night

Tina and Queenie sat next to each other in the kitchens of Ilvermorny, and as the older sister lit the shamash, they spoke the Hanukkah prayers.

"Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah." Blessed are you, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made us holy through God's commandments, and commanded us to light the Hanukkah candles.

For the first time since their parents died, the girls were celebrating Hanukkah together. They hadn't managed to procure candles at the orphanage that would fit in the menorah until Tina managed to find some once she learned how to change the size of objects with her magic.

Queenie's gift to Tina was to braid her hair victorian style, weaving flowers and blue ribbons into it for the Christmas party later that evening. (Even among wizards Jews were a minority and Christians a majority.) Tina's gift to Queenie was to teach her a small series of spells to help her get ready in the morning (and be the envy of all the Pukwudgie girls). How to grasp a small amount of heat to curl your hair was one of them, but most of them were just fine-tuning the levitation spell ("Wingardium Leviosa!").

Fourth Night

"Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah." Blessed are you, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made us holy through God's commandments, and commanded us to light the Hanukkah candles.

Tina and Queenie sat together at a small, four-seat table in their new apartment in Manhattan. Queenie was only visiting for the winter holidays from Ilvermorny during her seventh and final year, but as soon as she graduated she insisted that she would move in.