Tory Potter and the Pathological Liar

The Mirror of Erised

"Suspicious" was the first word that came to kind when I realised Christmas was coming. How do wizards celebrate Christmas?

In any case, my two weeks of detention ended without any troubles, and I wasn't caught playing with Fluffy, though there were a few close calls.

One morning in mid-December. Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in a meter and some of snow. The lake froze solid, and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Professor Quirrel around, bouncing off the back of his turban.

The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Mr. Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start.

While the Gryffindor common room and the great hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy, and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms.

Worst of all, at least for everyone else, where Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them, and they kept as close as possible to their hor cauldrons.

I was loving the cold weather. Because I was the equivalent of a human furnace, I actually felt a bit chilled in the winter, especially at Hogwarts. I liked the different feeling in body temperature.

"I do feel so sorry," said 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 Harry as he spoke.

Crabbe and Goyle chuckled.

Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them.

Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouth tree frog would be replacing Harry as seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny because they were all so impressed at 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. Occasionally, if he didn't get a reaction out of Harry, Malfoy would try taunting me.

I had mastered the art of hiding away my winces at the jabs.

It was true that Harry and I weren't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas.

Professor McGonagall had come around the before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and we signed up at once.

We didn't feel sorry for ourselves at all; this would probably be the best Christmas we'd ever had.

Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.

When we left the dungeons at the end of potions, we found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a lousy puffing sound told us that Mr. Hagrid was behind it.

"Hi, Hagrid. Want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right. Thanks, Ron," Mr. Hagrid replied.

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" Malfoy's cold drawl came from behind us. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose - that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."

Ron dived at Malfoy just as Professor Snape came up the stairs.

"Wealsey!" Professor Snape bellowed.