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A Gift for Sadie
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 10-26-09 08:33
Professor McGonagall carried a gift wrapped in shiny red paper to the Common Common Room. A tall Christmas tree, festively decorated by Professor Flitwick, occupied one corner of the room. Many packages of different sizes and shapes were already underneath the tree. Professor McGonagall added hers, which was addressed to Sadie Mickle.
With the exception of last year when Professor McGonagall had been at Goen Bren, she'd particpated in the Hogwarts Secret Santa since its inception. For Sadie, Professor McGonagall had chosen a tartan bag which the young Hufflepuff student could use to haul around her books.
After depositing the gift under the tree, Minerva left the Common Common Room and went to the Great Hall for breakfast. Like much of the castle, the Great Hall was also decorated for Christmas. Hagrid had brought in twelve Christmas trees, all of which had different color schemes and ornaments.
Professor McGonagall took her place at the High Table and helped herself to a blueberry muffin and some English Breakfast Tea. Professor Dumbledore soon joined her at the table.
"Good morning, Minerva."
"Good morning, Albus."
"Time has certainly flown, hasn't it?" Professor Dumbledore mused wistfully. "Wasn't it just yesterday that term began?"
"I suppose it's true what they say. Time flies when you're having fun."
Compared to being held prisoner, either in a camp or in a mirror as had been Dumbledore's case, being back at Hogwarts in a normal capacity was the most fun either had had in a long time.
Minerva's period at Goen Bren had stretched on infinitely, but everyday life at Hogwarts had gone by in the blink of an eye. Now it was nearly Christmas and the end of fall term.
"I'm inclined to agree with you, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Would you pass the butter?"
Professor McGonagall handed him the butter dish and took a sip of her tea. In just a short while, she would meet with her fifth year Hufflepuff and Slytherin students. She hoped that they wouldn't have their heads in the clouds, since the holidays were just around the corner.
Fourth Year Gryffindor & Ravenclaw
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 10-27-09 13:35
Sirius has five classes that meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. So far today his 9 am class of first year Hufflepuffs and Slytherins, 10 am class of second year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, and 11 am class of third year Hufflepuffs and Slytherins have met. He spent much of the hour between 12 and 1 eating lunch in the Great Hall with Drucilla and the twins visiting. The twins spent more time having fun at the student tables than they did actually sitting and eating.
Just before 1 pm, Sirius saw Mira, James, and Dru off at one of the castle's working Floos. They were off to London to meet up with the twin's class from Blossom's to attend a holiday program. Sirius then made his way to his third floor office to retrieve his roll book and a stack of study guides.
Exiting the office he secures the door then strolls the short way to the 1st through 4th years' Transfiguration classroom. Some of the 4th years Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students are in the class already, some are lingering in the hallways chatting, and some haven't shown up yet. At promptly 1 pm Sirius begins the class.
"Homework to the front, please."
Over the slight rustle of parchments flying to his desk Sirius reminds the fourth years, "You've a comprehensive exam on Friday. I've a study guide here," Sirius flicks his wand and the study guides pass to the students, "though if you've been keeping up in class and with the homework, you don't really need this. That said, we will go over this guide today and Wednesday. Also on Friday you will each give a practical demonstration. I'll call you one by one to my desk where you'll blindly draw a colored marble. Blue is for hedgehog-pincushion. Yellow is for guinea fowl-guinea pig. Red is for fuzzy ball of yarn-fuzzy kitty. If you draw a white marble, you get to choose which of the three you'd like to demonstrate. If you draw a black marble, I get to choose."
There are snickers at Sirius's use of a black marble for himself. There are also some hands that shoot up. Sirius nods at one student, "Yes, Christopher?"
"Will we only be doing transfiguration, such as a hedgehog to a pincushion, or will we have to then turn it back again?"
"You should be able to fully demonstrate each side of the transfiguration. Any other questions for now?"
The other hands that had been up went down with Christopher's question and no other hands pop into the air so Sirius says, "Right then, let's make headway with the study guide."
Just before two, Sirius ends class with, "The only homework is to go over the rest of the study guide so we can whip through ti quickly on Wednesday, prepare for the exam, and practice your transfigurations."
As the students exit the class, Sirius calls Julietta Wynbourne aside. "Just a moment, please, Etta."
Sirius had drawn Etta's name in this year's Secret Santa. Drucilla had helped him picking out a gift for a fourteen year old girl and she assured him that unless Etta has no interest in fashion whatsoever, she'd love the gift. It's a coat that has a somewhat vintage look to it but that Dru says is stylish among teen witches.
Sirius has small gifts for each of his students, which he will pass out either on Thursday or on Friday, depending on their respective classes but he wants to go on and gift Etta her gift now because he keeps worrying he'll forget about giving it to her until after term ends.
"Yes, Professor Black?" Etta asks, looking slightly perplexed as to why she's been asked to wait a moment.
"I drew your name in Secret Santa. You don't have to open it now, of course. Wait until Christmas if you wish or at least until after your next class, from which I am keeping you."
Etta, a broad smile lighting her face, accepts the gift with, "Thank you! I'll open it straight away after Charms!"
She hurries out, having to excuse herself past the incoming 4th year Hufflepuffs and Slytherins, looking back to acknowledge Sirius when he calls out, "If you get in trouble for being tardy, have Professor Ivy speak to me."
A few minutes later Sirius is addressing his second set of 4th years with the same spiel he'd given the first set.
After Classes
Author: Marzipan
Date: 10-27-09 17:17
Comfortably warm in one of the greenhouses, Marzipan busied herself marking the homework assignments she'd received today. The sun had already begun to set, causing even chillier weather to settle in beyond the greenhouse. With the exception of the coming darkness, Marzi hardly noticed the change.
She'd had four classes today: third year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, with whom she discussed the Jerusalem cherry, a species of nightshade with poisonous fruit and which was also considered a Christmas plant; fourth year Ravenclaw and Slytherin, with whom she discussed butcher's broom, an evergreen herb that looked like holly but wasn't; first year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, with whom she discussed the aromatic resin known as frankincense; and second year Ravenclaw and Slytherin, with whom she discussed rue, an evergreen shrub with many medicinal uses.
Keeping some of her students concentrated proved difficult. The rapidly approaching holidays seemed to be on everyone's mind––Marzi's included. She looked forward to a few weeks without lesson plans and homework assignments. Still, as the adult, Marzi had a little more discipline and had tried to keep her students interested in her lectures. Just four more days, after today!
A knock on the door drew her attention away from the assignment she currently marked. The greenhouse door opened and Weston stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He pulled off his scarf as he approached Marzi's work table.
"How much longer were you planning on working out here?" he asked her, dropping a kiss to her cheek.
"Your lips are freezing!" Marzi complained.
Weston grinned. "Sorry. I had to trudge through all that snow to get to you. It's getting nippy out there."
"It's been nippy all day," Marzi replied, beginning to put away her work.
"Yes, but at least the sun was shining all day. Now it's just about over the horizon. Are you hungry?"
"Now that I think about it," Marzi said, "I'm starved."
"Good. When I walked by the Great Hall, I smelled something delicious. Let's pop in for supper," Weston suggested.
"Okay. I can give Coco her present if I see her there. Otherwise I'll pop by the common room and stick it under the tree."
Marzi had gone to a street fair in Muggle London yesterday and picked up a beaded bracelet that she thought would suit Coco perfectly. The beads were in various complementary shades, like blue, green, and brown. Hopefully Coco would like it!
Secret Santa Gifts (Hydrangea, Glori, Wiggy, Gus)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 10-27-09 19:19
Gloriaspasiana Hodfuffer slides into a seat at one of the Great Hall tables, saying as she does, "I don't mind school, not really, but I can't wait for Christmas hols to start!"
Her cousin Hydrangea Marchbanks quirks an eyebrow at Glori. "You don't normally sit here. What's up?"
Glori shrugs. "Nothing's up. I just thought it would be nice to sit with you for a change." She glances over at the Hufflepuff table adding as she does, "Jasmine might get a little ticky about it though. I promised I'd help her with a Potions assignment due tomorrow but that can wait until after supper I should think."
"Is she not good in Potions because if your assignment is the same as the one I turned in this morning, it's an easy one."
"She's struggling. I overheard Professor Weasley offer to work more with her, like tutoring or something. Jasmine's giving me the evil eye so let me tell her I'll meet her after supper to help her. Be right back."
When Glori returns a minute later she tells Hydrangea, "We're meeting in the commons so we don't have to worry about whispering like in the library. Want to come with?"
"Sure. I'm going that way anyway to put a present under the tree."
"Secret Santa or something else?"
"Secret Santa. I got Catriona Amherst's name."
Glori furrows her brow. "The name sounds familiar but can't place her."
"She's third year Ravenclaw."
"I think I know who you mean. What are you giving her?"
"I was struggling to figure something out for her and was nearly to the point of just telling Mum to get a nice gift for a girl in third year. Then I overheard Cat a few days ago saying she loves cat jewelry but no one ever gives her any because they think she wouldn't like always getting cat themed gifts simply because she's called Cat. I wrote Mum straight away and she sent a lovely pin and some nice earrings. The earrings are by some American Muggle artist called Laurel Burch. Mum fancies her work so went to this one shoppe she knows that carries items by Burch and while there she found the pin too."
cat jewelry for Catriona Amherst
"I had a little trouble at first too but then found something I liked in a catalog. Unfortunately, the sweater I wanted was out of stock when I owled in an order so I clipped the picture out of the catalog and sent it to Mum. She was able to find something very similar, in a nice color, and even got Uncle AJ to help make sure the size was correct."
Hydrangea pauses in reaching for a hot, buttery roll to ask, "Why would Aunt Trina need Uncle AJ's help with that?"
"Because I have Professor Jones's name. She said he told her his guess on Professor Jones's size but got Professor Isuki to find out for sure."
"Find out what for sure? I am so famished!"
Glori scootches over a little to avoid getting an accidental elbow in the size as her brother Wiggersmythe unceremoniously plops down beside her.
"The correct size for the sweater I had Mum get for my Secret Santa."
Speaking around a huge bite of roasted chicken Wiggy says, "Speaking of, you got mine wrapped?"
"Yes, and have it in my bag. I thought I'd leave it in the commons when I leave mine there after supper. I can't believe you're seriously giving him that one shirt."
"It's funny," Wiggy says unapologetically, "especially given how big headed he's been all term."
Glori explains for Hydrangea's benefit. "Wiggy got Alastor Jenkin's name in the draw and got him a couple of t-shirts."
Wiggy interjects, "Alastor has been collecting shirts for all the pro teams and one of the tees I got him is for the Chudley Cannons."
"Yes, but the other," Glori says, "is somewhat sarcastic. It's got written on it I can't hear you over the sound of how epic I am."
Hydrangea laughs, nearly joking on the bite of peas she's just taken. "That's funny!"
"And seriously true when it comes to him lately," Wiggy derisively snorts. "He's been a real arse lately. A shame really because he can be a really likeable bloke."
While Wiggy, Glori, and Hydrangea speculate who has theirs names in the Secret Santa draw and about what they'd each most like to get for Christmas, their cousin Augustus is sitting at the Hufflepuff table having a similar discussion with Caerwyn Valentine.
"I seriously doubt I'm getting that broom," Gus sighs. "The one I have now is fairly new."
"Yeah, same here. I got a new one before school started so I don't think I'll be getting another so soon."
"I'll probably get socks from Gram again," Gus says referring to his maternal grandmother. "She seems to think the only decent Christmas gift for me every year is socks."
Professor Dumbledore, who'd been walking by and happened to overhear, stops to say, "One can never have too many good pairs of socks. People seldom think to give me socks as gifts and I rather wish they would."
Caerwyn and Gus immediately file this information away, both planning on sending Professor Dumbledore socks for Christmas. After the headmaster has gone on, Caerwyn asks, "Do you think he puts his name in for Secret Santa?"
"If he doesn't, he should. He sort of looks like Santa, only thinner. Oh! I didn't tell you!"
"Tell me what?"
"I figured out what to give Professor Douglass."
What to give as gifts had stymied both the boys, Gus getting History of Magic professor Declan Douglass and Caerwyn getting Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Ethan Somerset.
Gus pulls his bookbag into his lap, reaches in and brings out a small box. "I've got to wrap it," he comments as he opens the box just enough for Caerwyn to see an unusual pocket watch nestled inside. "I'd noticed a few times that Professor Douglass wears a pocket watch then last week I really started paying attention to him, trying to figure out what to give as a gift. When we went to class Friday, it sunk in that he has a number of different pocket watches and switches out regularly which one he wears."
Feeling rather pleased with himself, Gus puts the box back in his bookbag, with the plan of wrapping it tonight and placing it under the huge tree in the common commons before breakfast in the morning.
Early Gift
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 10-27-09 23:53
“You realize that Christmas is still like, ten days away, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And you know I haven’t gotten you anything yet, right?”
“Yup.”
“You know, you didn’t have to.”
“I know, but I did anyways.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
“That’s not an answer mister.”
“Seems like a good one to me.”
“Well it’s not.”
“Not even a thanks… I see how it is.”
“Thanks Xavier. It’s beautiful.” I looked at the early Christmas present that was handed to me. It was a gold necklace that was designed to imitate barbed wire, with a setting in the middle that held a long narrow dark red ruby. It was cut in such a way that it reminded me of a dagger.
What's Rugby? (Mason)
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 10-28-09 18:39
Dumping his satchel at the foot of his bed, Mason Jeffers resists the urge to do a header onto the bed, burying himself under the covers. If he naps now he'll probably miss any chance of lunch before his two o'clock Herbology class. As inviting as being burrowed under warm covers sounds, particularly when in less than two hours he'll be bracing himself against the cold to walk to the greenhouse the first years are meeting in today, Mason doesn't allow himself to even sit on the bed. Instead, he throws open his armoire and roots around in the bottom of it.
From behind him Boris Samson says, "Tell me again why we didn't go straight to lunch from Defense Against the Dark Arts."
His voice slightly muffled Mason replies, "I forgot to get the Secret Santa gift to leave under the Christmas tree in the common commons."
"I got that Hufflepuff Flora Dalton."
"What you get her?" Mason asks, pulling out of the armoire, a gold foil wrapped present the size of a shirt box in one hand.
"I was just going to give her a big bag of candy but Mum sent a matching scarf-hat-glove set."
"Keeping the candy for yourself."
"Of course. What's that?"
"A couple of rugby shirts."
Mason has a large gold and red bow in one hand. As he tries to reattach it to the gift he adds, "For the Ancient Ruins chap. Hodfuffer."
"You know he's a famous writer? Even set some novels here at Hogwarts. What's rugby?"
"Some of his relatives have a restaurant in Hogsmeade. Rugby's a Muggle sport. Have any tape?"
"No, but I bet we can find someone who does or who knows a gluing spell. What sort of sport?"
Boris and Mason grab what they need for Herbology, including coats and exit their dorm room heading for lunch in the Great Hall and to drop Professor Hodfuffer's gift off at the common common room, with Mason going into more detail about rugby as they go.