Lumos

41. Status: Commited

• 25th December, 1998, England •

Percy watched the silver snowflakes obliquely fall against the window pane. It was snowing heavily outside, as it often did in the lead up to Christmas. Yet she could spot a momentary lapse of blue sky, a bit of light from the morning sun revealing itself to release a smattering of diamonds across the white landscape. A content smile grew on her face at the pretty view, leaning back on her bed as the nights events cascaded through her memory. She couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep, it felt like she was in a dream.

'It definitely wasn't a dream', she thought as she traced her bruised lips. A giggle erupted from her lips and her hands flew to her mouth to muffle it. Was this how being in love felt like? It was like soaring in the sky with her heart fluttering at the mere thought of him. It felt weird. Aphrodite and her kids weren't exaggerating after all. She rolled to her side to look at the winter scene again. She finally found out what snow reminded her of. It was Draco Malfoy. He resembled the pristine white snow a lot. He is cold and cruel to begin with, but it's somehow beautiful, and you miss it when it's not there. And if you hold it in your hands close enough and long enough, it changes, it melts.

"Percy!" Sally's voice jerked her back to reality. "Percy!"

"Coming Mom!" She shouted back and rushed downstairs in her checkered red and white sweater and a pair of black jeans.

She engulfed her Mom from behind as she placed the breakfast on the table. "Merry Christmas Mom!"

Sally turned around, laughing, she crushed her daughter in a hug, thanking the gods above that her baby girl had survived another year, that she got to celebrate another Christmas with her. "Merry Christmas, darling!" She pressed a kiss on the younger witch's cheek.

Pulling away with a grin, she pressed a kiss on her mother's cheek. She hopped off to a sleepy Paul and threw her hands around the unsuspecting man. "Merry Christmas Dad!"

Paul chuckled and returned the girl's hug, elated at how she had started calling him, though he wondered on how many cups of coffee his daughter was on. "Merry Christmas Percy,"

Her bright grin lit up her eyes as she rubbed her palms together with a mischievous glint. "Now, where's Essie?"

Sally let out a chuckle and beckoned to the said  infant's room.

Noticing the skip at the witch's steps, Paul asked his wife, "What's got her all chirpy?"

He took a seat beside the counter as his beautiful wife shrugged with a fond smile. "Christmas?" She guessed, but the couple knew that there was more to it. "I'm glad she's smiling again," she said with a chuckle, her blue eyes glazed with unshed tears of joy.

Paul took her hand in his own with a smile. "Maybe letting her go to Hogwash wasn't such a bad idea."

Sally smacked her husband's shoulder lightly making him laugh. "Hogwarts," she said slowly as if talking to her younger daughter.

Percy, in the meanwhile, had hopped to her sister's room. She peered into the crib and an involuntary smile formed on her face. "Hello Essie," she cooed at the infant, pinching her rosy cheeks lightly. 'Essie' giggled in response and wrapped her chubby fingers over the demigod's calloused fingers. "Merry Christmas!" Estelle's wide eyes, the same blue ones she had inherited from her mother shone with pure joy and she babbled something incomprehensible. She imitated the child and kept her entertained for a couple of minutes. She ruffled the Estelle's dark blonde hair once more and went back to the kitchen where she saw Paul reading a newspaper and Sally assembling the table which she had almost finished.