MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS.

𝒊. merry little christmas.

━━━━  𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑹𝒀 𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬
𝑪𝑯𝑹𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑴𝑨𝑺 ... hogwarts au
 billverly oneshot, by angelina.

beverly wasn't too sure there'd ever been a happier time at hogwarts. or, in her life, for that matter.

things felt so warm, so throughly warm from the tips of her fingers all the way down to her toes it was hard to keep the everlasting smile off her face. you see, it was christmas eve at hogwarts, and she wasn't sure if there'd ever been a better one. every staircase lined with tinsel and the whole castle smelling of nutmeg, it was like being enveloped in the cheeriest hug that lasted for weeks all the wintertime.

although she knew she had quite a big quiz coming up just six days in preparation for their O.W.L.s, the girl decided it might be okay to just wait until after christmas to finish memorizing her charms. after all, she did want to be with bill for the holiday. it only came once a year.

she grabbed her warmest green sweater, leaving the slytherin girls' dorms to quickly jumble down the staircase that would lead her to the cobblestone courtyard, where she knew bill would be with richie.

the crisp winter air hit her as soon as she stepped out of the warmth of hogwarts, but she could barely feel it through her bubbling excitement. she could feel her cheeks and the tip of her nose grow redder with the chill as she ran over to bill and richie, smiling brightening as bill paused what he was saying to let bev leap into his arms.

she pulled back, letting out paced breaths that made little clouds in the air as she flushed with embarrassment. she knew this giddiness wasn't like her at all; normally she would be a bit more composed, even when in a good mood. bev was known as head girl of slytherin, and girl who was still sweeter than honey but also fit right into her house like two puzzle pieces melded perfectly together.

this fact had originally made her and bill's obvious and immediate attraction to one another a bit difficult. neither houses were elated that some of their most valued students were wanting to converse with one that was so different from the other. you guys are complete opposites, a couple girls had chorused to bev, but something made it so incredibly difficult to stay away from this hufflepuff boy.

perhaps it was the way he got all flustered and tripped over every word when talking to her that made her head swim, or maybe it was how he made her constantly want to be a better person, just by watching him be the person he was. overflowing with love and gentleness and care, taking the time to tend to every person, animal, and plants needs. his ways of extensive cautiousness around delicate plants, and how he was always good at keeping them healthy and growing. 

he was good in the way that he didn't always need to be talking and neither did she, when they were together. they could be perfectly content just sitting or walking in silence, just happy to be around each other. and bill told beverly, one evening, how cute he thought it was that she never missed a detail in anything—how she was always silently observing without thinking it aloud. silently making observations and piecing hints together to make a general profile of everyone she met, trying to decode who they really were and what intentions they held.

it wasn't that she hadn't gotten many compliments over the years, but something about getting it from bill made her lightheaded in the best kind of way. she'd held onto the words for weeks, replaying them in her head and trying to hide the cheeky grin that came with the thought.

but over the years bev grew more and more accustomed to the never ending stream of compliments and encouragement from bill denbrough, as she learned this was something that came naturally with his big heart. he taught her love and patience, and she taught him self confidence and trust. their bond was one that had developed quite slowly, but bev had always thought it was worth the wait.

"haven't seen you this happy since you saw bill turn down audra phillips, miss marsh. what's the occasion?" richie remarked, brushing a hand through his messy hair in that slouchy, boyish way.

"where have you been, under a rock? it's christmas eve!" bev exclaimed, breathless.

"it's not a rock i've been under," richie corrected with a wink, though eddie wasn't around to roll his eyes. bev happily took the position while he was away.

"th-th-there-there are snowflakes in your eyelashes." bill's lips were curled in a smile that bev wanted to smother with a kiss, but she would never give richie that satisfaction.

"oh." bev quickly rubbed a hand over them, giving him a small smile.

"hey, why'd you do th-that? you looked s-s-s-so cute with them," he mumbled, forehead inches from hers. he always knew just how to make her stomach soar with giddiness and pure adoration.

"hate to interrupt the heart eyes you two have got going on here, but i think we've got to be at the great hall in a few minutes, god forbid we miss christmas eve breakfast," richie cut in, looking over to eddie, who was heading towards the three, probably to share the same message.

beverly turned back towards bill, his green eyes looking almost translucent in the warm sunlight. something in the bottom of her stomach brewed, making her wonder if she'd be able to keep down breakfast with how jittery she seemed to be getting around this boy. god, if richie ever found out, she'd never hear the end of it.

the four started through tinsel-lined hallways of the school, following the unmistakeable smell of cinnamon and sugar. bill's hand was still tangled with bev's, and with every step she felt her smile grow wider. since when had she come to deserve this happiness he always managed to give her?