Raising Eleanor

5

CHAPTER 5 - BIRTHDAY AND CHRISTMAS

The end of the year has come, another month has passed rather quickly.

Snow falls gently along the school grounds of Hogwarts, turning this historic castle into an authentic winter wonderland. From up and down the walls, the Christmas spirit comes alive with every present, decoration, and festive lights reflecting the area amid the exuberance of the season.

Little Elaine kept on bonding with her newfound friends along the year, including her classmates that did not happen to be in her house as well. Especially getting along very well with the Gryffindors.

Even she gained some unusual friendship with Draco Malfoy. They fought, they blame each other, but deeply they do care even when they're not admitting it to their own faces. They were like a pair of rivals separated from birth. Since only Elaine that could keep up with his bullies, and the only girl who had ever fought him back in their first year.

For the holiday, Hermione is going home to be with her muggle family but Harry stays, so does the Weasleys because their parents are visiting his brother in Romania. And of course, Harry had nowhere to go. Elaine pity him, for someone so small had already encountered the dark lord himself and that itself had cost him his only family.

Setting that aside, the great hall looked spectacular. Full of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and there stood about twelves towering Christmas trees around the room. Some parts sparkling with tiny lights, the ceiling glittering with hundreds of floating candles.

"I see you're not packed, not going home for the holidays?" Elaine came by to their table, her warm smile ease the surprised tension between Harry and Ron as they just finished playing wizard chess. She was wearing a broken white sweater that goes over her knees, long black matte leggings, winter boots, and of course completed with a pastel pink winter beanie over her head.

"Oh yeah, my mum and dad are visiting one of my brothers for Christmas. Besides, I'm here to accompany Harry as well, what about you Elaine?" The boys were wearing winter sweaters and snow jackets, although that seemed not necessary since they're going to be spending Christmas inside the castle rather than going outside towards the pile of snow that seems to be forming quite thick for this year's December.

"Oh, I always travel with my dad for the holidays. It's a necessity that we do not miss Christmas." Elaine's answer had put both boys in curiosity, "Really? Professor Snape goes on holidays? With you?" Ron asked.

"Well of course, why not? Since dad can apparate, we can go anywhere we want. Last Christmas he took me to this little village by the mountains, I met a stag that day. It's so enormous! And it was cold yet exciting!" she beams, and Harry stares at her in awe.

"That's amazing! So you've been everywhere!" Harry exclaims, he envies the way Elaine can spend the holidays. Harry never really went anywhere for Christmas, he always had to stay inside the cupboard or maybe even cook for the Dursley's feast. Overall, Christmas was never that exciting for him yet.

"Well not really everywhere, apparition have distance limits and we can't really apparate overseas. We just stay to walk alongside the village, eat local foods, and just admire the view I guess. But we always return home at night for dinner." she replied with the same amount of energy she had shown both of them at first encounter.

"It must be fun to be able to do apparition. I mean, you can literally think of any place on the earth then BOOM you're suddenly there. No biggie!" said Ron, imitating the explosion sound as he waves his hand frantically.

"Ah that's where you're wrong, Ron. Apparating is really not that pleasant. Even though I'm not the one doing the apparition, I myself quite enjoy the train ride more than apparition. It gives you this fatigue feeling, and not to mention the drowsiness, and if you don't hold on tight to the person who apparates which incase my dad's arm, you might end up on a different location,"