Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that even Scabbers poked his nose out of the shelter of Ron's pocket to sniff hopefully in the air.
Estella and her father were back on good terms after his sudden appearance at Hogwarts, almost immediately after receiving her letter. He valued her privacy and didn't push on how she discovered such information. However, he did have a conversation with her grandfather and refused to say what it was about. Honestly, just the two talking was an improvement. From what she knew, her grandfather was absent throughout Aspen's early life, never truly sticking around until Aspen entered his Hogwarts years.
On Christmas morning, Estella managed to wait until nine to get up. She stammered off her bed and to Hermione. Shaking her awake and moving to the ground where their mini Christmas tree stood. They'd spent the night decorating it together, listening to Muggle Christmas songs, and watching a dozen Christmas music.
"Mione presents!" Estella grinned. Mrs. Weasley had sent her a beautiful grey Weasley sweater with a green letter E in the middle, a dozen brownies that Estella knew would be gone by tomorrow, some Christmas cake, and a box full of chocolate chip cookies with a letter not to tell Ron. From her father, she received a pair of Muggle boots called Doc Martens which she'd desperately been wanting, a grey gemstone ring and matching diamond necklace, And most importantly, a photograph of her mother and father on their wedding day. Estella was a carbon copy of her mother; sometimes, she wondered how her father dared to even look at her.
From her grandfather, an ancient book of ruins detailing the power of seers and their direct relationship to powerful and ancient magic as well as a black jean jacket she'd been wanting and a pair of Christmas socks which she immediately put on. From Hermione, she received a new set of quills and a charmed bracelet that illuminated the surroundings with memories the two shared and of their adventures. If that wasn't best friend material, she didn't know what was.
For Hermione, she'd gotten her a rare novel full of forgotten charms and some of the spells her father created but never released, as well as a guide to Divination and a book indirectly referencing a time-turner that she knew would make Hermione laugh. For Ron, she'd gotten him a couple dozen of his favorite sweets, a signed Chudley Cannons poster, and a guide to eliminating rodents which would either make him really mad or would end up being funny. For Harry, she'd gotten him a guide to taking care of a Firebolt-which she did, in fact, plan to get him-a photo-album of the four with individual photos of them altogether; her favorite was one of the two of them sleeping on the Gryffindor Common Room couch, taken by Sienna, and a small snitch that would fly around but return before going too far away.
The common theme of Estella's gifts this year a guide.
Estella has also received a ring with the initials AB with black diamonds surrounding the engraving. The giver left no note and no traces of who sent it. She assumed it was a gift from her father or grandfather, given the initials most likely stood for her mother's name. She slipped it on her finger, the ring glittering as it hit sunlight.
"Shall we see if Harry and Ron are awake?" Estella nodded, and the two made their way to the male common room, instantly spotting a wide-awake Harry and Ron.
"Hey, guys!" Estella greeted and walked over, taking a seat at the end of Harry's bed after setting her presents on the floor.
"What're you two laughing about?" Hermione asked, carrying Crookshanks, who was looking very grumpy with a string of tinsel tied around his neck.
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Future Nostalgia / Harry Potter Fanfic
Fanfiction"He'd do it again if it meant she got the chance to live." "He looked at her, actually looked at her, and wondered how anyone who saw her, didn't fall in love with her." "A trade was to be made." "Friendship was going to be the only way to get throu...
