pretty girl diggory- R.Weasley

3:9

    Celeste didn't see Harry, Hermione, and Ron for the first day of Christmas break... Getting to the library the next day, Celeste finally found them.

     "Finally," Celeste said, flopping down by Ron. "I was looking for you guys."

    "Buckbeak is going to court," Hermione said, flipping up a new book. "If Hagrid loses Buckbeak dies."

   "Okay, Woah," Celeste said, picking up a book.

      "This might help, look," Celeste said, holding up the book. "a Manticore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the Manticore off --oh -- no, that was only because everyone was too scared to go near it..."

   Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, even though 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 armour and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stairs. 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 at the air.

    Having slept in Hermione's dorm room, Celeste woke up to Hermione shaking her.

    "Merry Christmas, Cel! I told the house elves to bring your presents up here, they wouldn't accept my money though..."

     "Merry Christmas 'Mione," Celeste said, taking Aphrodite off her stomach and sitting up. "You know, Aphrodite looks like she'll give birth any second. I think she'll give birth tonight!"

   "I hope so," Hermione said, opening her presents.

    Celeste opened her gifts and saw she got many candies, broom polish from Cedric and Julian, makeup from Cho, a Weasley sweater, extra cat food from her dad for Aphrodite and her to-be-born kitties, and a nice fiction book set by muggles from Hermione.

    After cleaning up the wrapping paper and grabbing their cats (with some struggle, Crookshanks was very grumpy from the red tinsel around his next and Aphrodite being quite heavy and tired) they left the dorm and went over to Ron and Harry's.

    "Don't bring him in here!" Ron yelled at Hermione once they got in, snatching Scabbers and stowing him in his pocket. But Hermione wasn't listening. She dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus's empty bed and stared, open-mouthed, at Harry's new Firebolt.

     "Oh, Harry! Who sent you that?"

   "No idea," Harry said. "There wasn't a card or anything with it."

    Hermione's face fell and she bit her lip.

     "What's the matter with you?" Ron said.

     "I don't know," Hermione said slowly. "but its a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom, isn't it?"

   "Ron sighed exasperatedly.

    "Its the best broom there is, Hermione," he said.

    "So it must've been really expensive..."

    "Probably cost more than all the Slytherins' brooms put together," Ron said happily. "No offence, Celeste.." he added hastily.

   "Well... who'd send Harry something as expensive as that, and now even tell him they'd sent it?" Hermione said.

    "Who cares?" Ron said impatiently. "Listen, Harry, can I have a go on it? Can I?

    "I don't think anyone should ride that broom just yet!" Hermione said shrilly.