A Christmas
Scene
Author: Gabriel Baine
Date: 04-30-03 21:24
Gabriel situated the last of the presents, results of a shopping excursion the preceding day, among the others beneath the tree in a far corner of the Granger's main living room. Mrs. Granger placed no more embellishment anywhere than upon her glorious holiday tree. Thousands of soft green needles stretched outward to meet with the luminous yellow lights and shimmering ornaments. Christmas Eve came in cold and gloom, beyond the windows formed a landscape with dulled tones and grays.
Hermione sat on a couch opposite a crackling fireplace whose light cast vibrant shadows about the room, but she relied on a blanket for additional warmth. A quiet murmur of voices flowed in from an adjacent room in which Mr. Granger was watching television. Gabriel joined him shortly while the BBC sports broadcaster browsed the daily headlines; Gabriel watched indifferently. Mrs. Granger's cooking in the kitchen emitted the odors of pleasant spices. The serenity pacified Gabriel, who gathered together a few letters and accompanied Hermione on the couch.
Before leaving Hogwarts he had a brief exchange of addresses with Annabella. Apparently their intentions had been the same as she had sent him a holiday greeting; he had previously sent one to her and she would receive it today. Neither was apologetic in their surprisingly long greetings, in fact there existed no allusions to difficulties in their friendship. Hermione had suggested he sent greetings to his Ravenclaw attachments, but he had declined. The advice proved accurate as many had sent him greetings and he read through them with a pitiful repentance (Hermione sat with a smirk on her face). The last was a letter from his parents, his mother specifically. The barrage of postage alluded to their distant holiday retreat. While appreciative, Gabriel was positive that this letter was essentially another rendition of letters she had sent him Christmases prior when they were not together for the holiday. He piled the letters together and placed them on the floor.
Hermione had since immersed herself in new reading material and sat with her thoughts distant in some story. Gabriel slid his feet across the vacant seat between them and beneath her blanket. "Your feet are cold!" protested Hermione, but suggesting that he get his own blanket would have been a pointless argument, she knew. Shortly the blanket began to recede from her body and 'magically' cover Gabriel. Hermione rejoined with a tug which brought the blanket back to her. Her attempt to re-enter her literary escape was quickly interrupted. Gabriel launched across the couch and, with some care, he landed partially on Hermione and strategically between her and the back of the couch. Without an opportunity to react, Hermione felt herself maneuvered off the front of the couch and onto the floor while the blanket returned to Gabriel's possession. Satisfied, Gabriel peeked over the edge of the couch and looked downward towards Hermione's face. She grabbed an end of the blanket and tugged with a strength which surprised Gabriel and brought him rolling over the edge of the couch. Particularly uncomfortable now, Hermione regretted the action as Gabriel's elbow jabbed into her side before he landed with a thud next to her. While his face winced with pain, he pulled her book from underneath his back and handed it over to her.
Both facing the ceiling and too lazy to continue the scuffle, Gabriel yawned, "So, what's that book about then?" A slight snowfall had begun outdoors as the daylight waned and house up and down the street glowed with lighted windows and glittering lawns of snow.
Voodoo
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 05-01-03 09:18
The first day in the Bahamas had been spent recovering from the long, tiring day before. Py had lounged on the beach, sucking up one cold drink after another while making not so nice assessments of the girls in bikinis, none of whom in his opinion can hold a candle to Isolde.
The second day, Py had ditched his *shudder* Muggle relatives and gone in search of Wizarding locations on the island. As soon as he'd learned where he'd be spending much of the holiday, Py had written to Mr. Valentine and the Stratfords asking them for suggestions. As well traveled as all are, they were able to give Py some very good directions. It only took him a short time to the Wizarding dark arts shopping district and soon he was strolling through an interesting shop devoted to voodoo.
Py spoke at length to one of the saleswomen and when he exited the shop he carried a bag with a couple of voodoo dolls. After a day of shopping, and making some cool purchases, Py stopped at the Owl Post long enough to mail off one of the voodoo dolls to Alexis. She should get her package Christmas Eve or no later than Christmas morning. Knowing how pesky Alexis finds her sister, Py wondered if she'd use the voodoo doll against Mary to keep her entertained until school starts again.
Now, here it is Christmas Eve and Py is once more stuck spending time with the family. He can't help but think that there's something wrong in standing around in shorts and t-shirts, barefoot, and holding a frosty mug full of an icy cold beverage, while singing Christmas carols about snow and sleigh rides.
Twas The Night
Before Christmas
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 05-01-03 09:48
Prompted by Gabriel's yawn, Hermione brought a hand to her mouth to stifle one of her own. Her other hand flipped the book over so that the front cover was visible to Gabriel. "It's the book Professor Logan gave me for my birthday, Wild Flowers and How to Tame Them. I never found the time to read it while we were at Hogwarts," divulged Hermione. "And to answer your question..." Here, she grinned and turned her head to look at Gabriel, who kept his eyes focused on the ceiling. "...the book is about taming wild flowers."
An impish smile broke out across Gabriel's face and he, too, turned his head to meet Hermione's gaze. "I would have never guessed. You're never this fiendish with your other friends," he remarked, grinning.
"How would you know, Gabriel?" Hermione asked, setting the book down on the floor next to her. She raised herself on one elbow, gently tugging the blanket over to her side a little bit.
Gabriel's eyes flashed devilishly as he spoke, "I've watched you. You're so up-tight around them...only thinking about your books and your studies."
"Not to mention, following the rules, staying out of trouble and danger..." Hermione added, rolling her eyes. "What's the point of this conversation?"
"I don't know," Gabriel admitted softly, shrugging his shoulders. After a brief lapse into silence he said, "So...what time are we opening presents tomorrow morning?"
Hermione blinked, smothering another yawn with her free hand. "I don't know," she replied. "Whenever my parents say we can." She smiled and thought about some of the gifts she had mailed off earlier that day.
A rather large package was sent to the Burrow containing presents for Ron and Ginny and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Two packages were sent to Hogsmeade; one with gifts for Sirius and Harry and the other with a beautiful jade-handled, hand-painted mirror for Dierna, who had been so kind as to connect the Granger residence to the Floo Network a few days ago. Another two packages went en route to Hogwarts castle; one was a basket of multi-colored socks for Dobby and the other a book on Bulgarian Muggle football for Viktor. Two remaining packages went to Majandra and Annabella, both consisting of calligraphy sets.
Hermione settled herself back on the floor, resuming her gaze on the ceiling until her eyes fell closed and she drifted away into a dreamless sleep.
Christmas
Break in America
Author: Australia Kingston
Date: 05-01-03 12:02
"Great, just great. I get to spend my Christmas break in America with an aunt that I've never meet," I thought as I rode the train back into London.
~~~~~~The next day in America (somewhere in the state of Oklahoma)~~~~~~~~
12-24-96
Dear Diary,
This place isn't half bad. My aunt seems really nice, and Brett seems to love
her children Whitney and Chance. When we got off the plane last night, they
brought us home and treated like they had known us forever. Brett and I seem
to fit right in here. Tomorrow, Cindy, that's my aunt, is going to take Brett
and I into town and show us what there is to do in Oklahoma. Well I have to
go. Whitney and Chance are going to take us out to their swimming pool. Brett
seems to think that if given the right encouragement, that Chance might walk
across the frozen pool. I'll keep you posted on the rest of the Christmas
break.
Soon after Brett, Whitney, Chance, and I walked down to the frozen pool. And what do you know. Brett was right. Chance tried walking on the frozen pool and broke his right arm. Aunt Cindy wasn't too happy with us, but she said that it would be ok.
The Gang's
All Here
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 05-01-03 15:06
"Sorry we're a little late, Mum," Bill said, wrapping his arms around Molly Weasley for a tender hug. "Adriana needed to pick up some last minute gifts so we stopped by a couple of shops in Hogsmeade before coming here. Can you believe that some of them are still open tonight?"
"Well, they know that business can be very active on Christmas Eve, especially with people like me rushing in to buy some last minute presents," Adriana supplied, smiling. She handed her bags and parcels to Ron, who set them underneath the Christmas tree.
"Why didn't you keep the bank open, Bill?" Charlie asked, rising from his seat to give his brother a jovial clap on the shoulder.
Bill shrugged. "I declared today a bank holiday, Charlie. Today's not a working day, it's Christmas!" He grinned and gave Charlie a brotherly squeeze. "So, what do we have here tonight? A full house?"
"The gang's all here," Arthur said, looking about the room at all of the smiling faces. Helena sat on the couch with Ginny and Blossom. Fred was perched on one of the armrests, his hand clasping one of his girlfriend's, and George stood in the far corner with a cup of egg nog in his hand. Penelope and Percy were nestled together on the love seat.
"All right, how about some Christmas Eve dinner?" Molly suggested with a great smile. She ushered everyone into the tiny dining room, where the table had been magically elongated to hold the family and their guests.
A Small Gathering
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 05-01-03 15:46
Pausing at the window, Lysander observed the gentle rain of snowflakes falling from the illuminated sky. A full moon hung overhead, shining beacons of light down onto the dull rooftops of the buildings and houses in Hogsmeade. It was a beautiful night -- simply perfect for Christmas Eve.
The olive-skinned man turned away from the window, watching as Briar Rose uncovered some of the trays of food she had brought with her from the bakery. Chyler's eyes lit up merrily as she took in the sights and smells of the sure-to-be delicious treats Julian's fiancé whipped up for a small Christmas Eve get-together.
When Lysander found his seat at the small, round table, Julian approached with a chilled bottle of champagne. The cork popped out with a mighty bang, crashing into the wall just over Chyler's head. She jumped, giggling and covered her glass with her hand. "Pumpkin juice for me, please," she reminded.
Julian flashed her one of his finest grins and after filling up everyone else's glasses, he retrieved a pitcher of pumpkin juice for his adopted sister, Chyler. The four then dug into the meal, Lysander often complimenting Briar on her culinary capabilities.
After supper, Lysander presented everyone with one gift. Briar received a medieval wizarding cookbook the bookstore had received a few weeks ago. The rare book was in quite good condition, it's vellum pages illuminated and the script written in Latin. "I knew my Latin dictionary had a purpose," Briar joked as she thanked him for the gift.
For Julian, Lysander had found an imported ivory chess set from China during his last visit to Diagon Alley, and Chyler received a sterling silver necklace with a heart pendant. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy their gifts, especially Chyler whose brown eyes danced with excitement as her husband placed the necklace around her neck.
"A loving gift for my lovely wife," Lysander whispered, kissing her cheek. "Happy Christmas, sweetheart."
A Family
Style Christmas
Author: H Potter
Date: 05-01-03 19:35
Harry spent a little time that morning with Sirius showing him the tunnel and secret vault, learning the various charms and spells needed for each. Harry spent the rest of the morning up at the school with Viktor, practicing Quidditch. Then it was back to town to meet Sirius and Hagrid for lunch. The early afternoon was spent being lazy, enjoying the Christmas music playing on the Wizarding radio, the magically charmed twinkling lights on the tree, and toasting chestnuts and popcorn over the roaring living room fire. As the bright winter day faded into a sparkling, crystal clear night complete with gently falling snow, Harry and Sirius met up with other Hogsmeade residents to go on a Christmas hay ride complete with singing Christmas carols and candlelight.
As far as Harry's concerned, this is the best Christmas Eve ever!
Christmas
at Edinburgh
Author: Annabella Mayberry
Date: 05-01-03 20:19
Annabella sat in a large stuffed chair in their living room watching the snow fall outside of her home while the towers of Edinburgh Castle where visible in the distance. Her sister, Elaine, was on the couch reading a book, while their parents remained in the kitchen preparing hot coco for everyone, which was Anna's favorite.
She picked up the book that was in her lap and the corner of a card was peeking out of the last page of the book. Anna pulled out the card and read it again. It was Gabe's Christmas card to her which she had received today and had already read a few times. Absently, she placed it back into her book and wondered if he had received her present. Anna had sent it to the Granger residence with a present for Gabe and Hermione. She had sent Gabe a book on Quidditch which she hoped he would enjoy called Quidditch Through The Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp and hoped that he didn't already have a copy of it. For Hermione, Anna had bought a journal that was intricately decorated with moons and stars.
After enjoying a hot cup of coco, Annabella decided to get some sleep, as she could not wait to open her presents the next morning. She placed her book on the table, and quickly slipped underneath the covers. Anna did not know how tired she really was until a quick sleep overtook her, and pleasant dreamÕs soon invaded her sleep.
Ghosts of
Christmas Past?
Author: Jet
Date: 05-01-03 21:58
Jet stares daggers after the receding figure of Snape, the whole while muttering to Jude mouse, "Where does he get off accusing me of things I didn't do and then threatening to take off points. Thinks he's so great and smart but all he's ever accomplished is teaching potions and turning traitor. No one likes a traitor. Good thing he chose not to deduct points, isn't it, Jude? Wouldn't want to spoil his Christmas, now would we? Though maybe a little Christmas nightmare fun would do him some good. Ever hear of Bob Marley's ghost, Jude? Excellent story that."
The mouse's struggles increase, it's squeaking getting even louder. Jet frowns and points his wand. "I'm going to put you down now so I can change you back. Better not run off or you'll be cat food before anyone even knows Judie boy is missing."
Jet sets the mouse down and as commanded, it remains still. With a wave of Jet's wand, Jude stands where the mouse had been. Before the boy can run off to tattle on him, Jet immediately casts an Obliviate charm. A puzzled look comes over Jude's face only to be replaced by a friendly grin as Jet says, "Jude, there you are! You're going to miss Christmas Eve dinner."
Together the two Hufflepuffs walk amicably into the Great Hall, both boys going on about how famished they are.
Before Christmas
Author: Mirai Schultz
Date: 05-02-03 09:28
She was with the Jameson's for the holiday break. She couldn't have been happier when her mum agreed to let her stay with Diether's family for the holidays and with her other Hogwarts friends. Kennard is there along with the Triegher siblings. They have been loaded with schoolwork and the short holiday is a welcome break.
"Mama, are you sure you want them to do that?" she heard Diether ask his mom who was stirring something in a big pot in the kitchen.
The other five, she, Kennard, and the Trieghers, are all sitting in the living room with Raymond, Diether's brother. They were telling him of all their escapades at Hogwarts, about the Wizard's Chess and the Quidditch being held, and of course, the dramatic evolution of the relationships of the six friends.
Although she misses the company of her friends back in Switzerland, but, her new friends are making it up. The best thing is, she has Diether to be at her side everytime she needs someone to be with.
"Of course, dear," Anna, Red's mother, answered. "It's been tradition and besides, I think they're going to like it," she continued, giving her son a pat on his hand.
Upon hearing this, Mirai suddenly stood up and rushed to Diether's side.
"What was that I heard?" she asked them.
Diether sighed. "She wants to go through with the tradition."
"Mama..." she trailed off with her reasoning as Anna just shook her head and grinned at the two teenagers mischievously.
Mirai and Diether just groaned together and Raymond, who has been keeping tabs on all the conversations around him, laughed while the other four were clueless as to what they were missing.
Owls Away
Author: Dobby
Date: 05-02-03 16:07
Although Dobby has already given out Christmas stockings to everyone at the school, the House Elf has special gifts for close friends. Before joining the other House Elves in the kitchen to have their own Christmas Eve supper while the remaining students and staff enjoy dinner in the Great Hall, Dobby runs up to the owlery to send off the three packages. For Hermione there is a book on the history of socks. For Harry is his very own snitch and for Ron a quaffle so both can practice Quidditch even when not at school. The owls sent off, Dobby dances his way back downstairs, singing the entire way.
Early Present
Author: Alexis Black
Date: 05-02-03 23:10
The common room was bleak and empty, but Alexis didn't mind so much. In her hands was a genuine Caribbean voodoo doll, courtesy of Pyrrhus Fine. He had even been so considerate as to send some needles with it.
Who to curse? Who to send into inexplicable writhings of pain?
The answer was obvious.
Making It
back to the Castle
Author: Angelina
Date: 05-03-03 01:24
I came to slowly and knew the Christmas feast had begun for the lights in the Great Hall were burning bright. I looked at the castle. I wondered if anyone saw my beacon and wondered what took them so long. I looked at Charles and the lion knelt down in the snow next to me. "Get me to the castle, Charles," I said as I grabbed a bit of mane and pulled myself on.
The trek was fast and a bit bumpy as he ran up the hill towards the courtyard and he then stopped. "Miss Logan, can you make it to the hall?" he asked. I gave a nod and slid off managing to find my footing. I gave the lion a pat. "Take care, Charles. Whatever it was that attacked us may try something again, who knows." Charles gave a low growl and nodded. "Stay on guard and keep close to Hagrid's hut for safety. He knows more about the creatures in there than we do."
Charles left in a hurry and I walked the halls of the school my mind wondering who or what would attack so violently and at this time of the year. Stopping every once in a while I made it to the Great Hall where the sounds of laughter and Christmas cheer could be heard. Leaning against the door frame I managed to push the door open and stumble in, then the sound of cheer stopped as all eyes turned to me.
