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Jasper & Liannah Before Lunch
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 01-02-11 19:22
While his brother was trying to stay awake long enough in History of Magic to finish an exam and while his sister was making a potion while whispering with Marlow in Potions, Jasper was very much awake and not talking with anyone in Transfiguration. Professor Black is not the stricted of professors but he is fairly no nonsense when it comes to exams, even the practical portions. Jasper quietly waited for his turn to transfigure something. When that turn came Professor Black had him draw a slip from a bag. On the slip is twig to caterpiller. Jasper accepted the twig from Professor Black, placed it on the desk between them, pointed his wand and concentrated. He had a moment of nervousness because of having the professor watching him with such scrutiny but after taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, Jasper knew he could do the spell correctly. He carefully said the spell and to his happiness, the twig transformed into a furry caterpiller.
After that he was released to go. Even though it was a little earlier than he normally grabs lunch, Jasper decided to go on and eat. First though he supposes he should return to Hufflepuff House to his room and get the Secret Santa gift for Zuberi Batuti. Jasper meant to deliver it on Tuesday to the tree in the Commons where everyone else seems to be putting the Secret Santa gifts. He doesn't really know Zuberi because the other boy is both older and in a different house nor is Zuberi one of Alastor's friends. All he knows is that Zuberi used to be a major pain, getting into trouble a lot and once even getting kicked out of a Quidditch match but that he's changed some, though Jasper doesn't know why. Although it's sort of a boring gift, he ended up asking his parents to get a couple of shirts for Zuberi. It would have been nice to be able to go into Hogsmeade and picked out the shirts himself but he's not eligible for Hogsmeade until next year.
Reaching the Commons, Jasper put the present under the tree, nodded at his cousin Daniel, then turned right around and left for the Great Hall, wondering if all the lunch options would be available even though it's a little earlier than his usual time, wondering who drew his name for Secret Santa, and hoping his parents got him at least a couple of the things on the wish list he owled them a month ago.
While Jasper was in Transfiguration, the other second year Wenlock cousin was in Charms. Liannah and Jasper have Defense Against the Dark Arts later in the day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays they have Potions together and also on Mondays they have Fitness & Athletics. Liannah considers Jasper to be one of her best friends so it's sort of a shame that they aren't in more classes together. His fault for being sorted into Hufflepuff.
Like several of her cousins, Liannah hadn't put a Secret Santa gift under the tree until today. With her only morning class being Charms at 10:30, she'd slept in a little, gone to breakfast then went to the Commons to put the gift for Nathaniel Ross under the tree. Liannah had found buying a gift for a sixth year boy she doesn't know to be very difficult. She hadn't even know he was a sixth year until she drew his name and began asking around. Once she had the necessary information Liannah wrote home. Her parents promised to get a nice gift and it was her dad who found something. He sent it to Liannah to wrap, and probably to get her approval on. Given that it's a gift for someone she doesn't know at all, Liannah found the polar fleece hoodie to be nice, and figures it will be really warm to wear, and it's soft to boot.
With Charms behind her until 2005, Liannah walks with a few friends to the Great Hall, all of them eagerly talking about the term ending tomorrow.
The Rabnotts
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 01-02-11 20:17
Being only a first year, Heather had to rely on her parents, Gardner and Rachael, to get a gift for her after she'd gotten permission from them to enter the Secret Santa drawing. She knew they'd say yes because Hadrian and Hunter have been in it each year they've been at Hogwarts with Heather even helping their mum pick out gifts for it in past years. Heather knew asking her parents for help with the gift was a better way to go than relying on either of her brothers. They can both go into Hogsmeade but Heather has a feeling if she'd asked either of them for help on this, she would have ended up with the first think spied that was within the budget set by their parents. Heather ended up looking through lots of owl order catalogs then when she found a few things she liked, marking the pages of those catalogs and sending them to her parents.
Hadrian took a slightly different tact from his sister. He doesn't mind strolling through the shoppes in Hogsmeade and buying something here and there but he doesn't care much for shopping. The fact that he drew a professor's name was another reason he preferred a parent picked gift. Shopping for a non-relative adult even if that professor isn't one of his just seemed too stressful. After the Secdret Santa draw asked his mum straight away to find something suitable.
When Hunter found out what his siblings were doing he jumped on that bandwagon. Hunter had also drawn a professor's name and though she's not one of his this year, she is his head of house and the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts. Finding a gift for Minerva McGongall would be extremely daunting in Hunter's opinion. Rachael Rabnott had gifts to all three of her children by this past weekend. She'd also sent wrapping paper and boxes, letting them know they should do their own wrapping and write something on the cards she'd included for them. Hunter, meanwhile, on the Hogsmeade visit, found something extra to include so decided it was a good thing his mum had left the wrapping to him. That way he could just put the mug with the Gryffindor logo on it inside the same box. Hunter had seen the mug and knowing that Professor McGonagall drinks lots of tea, he thought it perfect for her.
The other gift for Professor McGonagall is a set of burgundy fleece sheets. Professor Somerset, whose name Hadrian had drawn, is also getting a set of fleece sheets but in a green color. From the items in the catalogs Heather had marked, the gift for Zabrynna Ravensdale is a pair of really fluffy, soft pajamas that Heather likes so much she hopes she gets a similar set for Christmas.
The three siblings dropped their respective gifts off at different times, with Hunter being the last one, taking the gift to the Common Commons just before he arrived at the Great Hall for lunch. When he gets there, Heather and Hadrian are already seated, filling their plates. As he's already done with classes for the day, Hunter doesn't rush getting to a seat or grabbing a plate. Instead, he takes his time going to join a spot where several of his friends have congregated, talking about their plans over the break.
(Azaelia) Gift for Jade
Author: Isolde
Date: 01-03-11 08:41
Azaelia hummed quietly under her breath as she moved about the library and picked up the books left behind on tables or on shelves. The library had been extra busy this week, since most classes were having exams to signify the end of Fall Term. Many students had come to the library to find a quiet place to study or to do some research.
Azaelia didn't mind so much that the discarded books hadn't been filed away in their rightful places. Sometimes students didn't remember where they'd gotten them from, and it was best they didn't try to put the books somewhere they didn't belong.
Already, the traffic in the library had taken a sharp decline. It was Thursday afternoon, and only one full day of term remained.
She would be traveling to Chile for Christmas to see her parents. Azaelia was excited about the trip, but even more so because Robert had agreed to come with her. It would be their first Christmas together.
Speaking of Christmas, Azaelia had submitted her name for the Hogwarts Secret Santa. She didn't yet know who had gotten her name, but she herself had drawn Jade Green's. Jade was a first year Ravenclaw student.
Azaelia couldn't say that she knew Jade well. As the librarian at Hogwarts, she didn't really get to know the students as well as the professors might. Azaelia recognized faces more than anything, and the regulars to the library were, of course, the most easy to remember.
During a shopping trip to Muggle London, Azaelia had wandered into a store geared toward tweens and younger teens. There she'd found an animal print purse that she thought would look cute on the arm of an 11 or 12 year old girl.
She'd slipped it underneath the tree in the Common Common Room just that morning and hoped that Jade would like it.
Looking Forward to the Holidays
Author: Ella
Date: 01-03-11 09:29
After lunch, Ella and Francis went to the Gryffindor common room. Ella didn't have any more classes today, though Francis had History of Magic at 2. They two walked in companionable silence to the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Password?" she asked. Besides her pink dress, she wore a holly garland around her neck.
"Baritone," Francis replied.
The portrait swung open, admitting to two Gryffindors into their common room. Ella immediately walked over to the sofa nearest the hearth and collapsed onto it, dropping her book bag on the floor at her feet.
"That worn out?" Francis asked, as he sat down beside her.
"I wouldn't call it that," Ella replied. "I'm just sick of school and ready for winter hols to start."
Francis frowned, which was not the reaction Ella was expecting from him.
"What?" she asked him.
"I really think you should reconsider going home," he said.
"Why? I want to see my mum."
"I know you do, but I think you would be safest here at Hogwarts."
Ella sighed. "Oh, that again." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not frightened."
"Maybe you should be," Francis answered darkly. "That guy is stalking you."
"He hasn't even been seen since Brazil," Ella said. "I didn't notice him when we went to Hogsmeade."
"Which you shouldn't have gone to either!" Francis replied.
"Why not? I was perfectly safe. You were with me the whole time, and I saw Snape lurking around anyway."
Francis shook his head. "I don't like it."
"And you think I do?" Ella asked. "Turns out Zane's a total whack job, but I'm not going to let him control my life. And I'm not going to let you do it either!"
Their argument had started to gain the attention of a few other Gryffindors passing through the room. Ella and Francis became conscious of pairs of eyes on them and immediately changed the subject.
"How come you didn't sign up for Secret Santa this year?" Ella asked him.
"My parents cut my allowance in half because of that detention I got earlier this year."
Ella didn't comment about said detention since she had been involved in the incident that had led Francis to get punished.
Instead she said, "I got Marlow MacDougal." And because she knew Francis would ask, she added, "She's a first year in Hufflepuff. I got her a matching scarf, cap and pair of mittens."
She had placed the gift under the tree in the Commons before going to lunch. Hopefully Marlow would like her Christmas gift!
McGonagalls Giving Gifts
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 01-03-11 11:13
Professor McGonagall didn't have any classes on Thursdays. Instead, she sat in her office and marked exams from yesterday's classes. After tomorrow, Fall Term would be over and the winter holidays would begin. As of yet, Minerva didn't have any great plans. Madoc had invited her to his house for Christmas, with permission from his parents, of course.
Minerva had said she would think about it. There was a possibility her brother might be there, and she wasn't sure if it would be wise to see him again after all these years and for their first meeting to be in front of everybody else.
She would like to attend, however. It had been decades since she'd had a family Christmas.
Like many professors, Professor McGonagall had signed up for Secret Santa. The person she needed to get a gift for was Alexa Wenlock. While antiquing over the weekend, Minerva found a beautiful hand mirror she thought Alexa might like.
Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, Madoc was leisurely making his way to History of Magic class. He really wasn't interested in going, since History of Magic was rather dull, but he was especially disinterested today because he knew he would have to write a boring exam.
He would much rather go see if there was a gift waiting for him under the Christmas tree in the Common Common Room. Like so many other students and teachers, Madoc had submitted his name for Secret Santa. He'd gotten Caerwyn Valentine, whose name Madoc had recognized as belonging to one of the Quidditch players.
Since Madoc wasn't old enough to go to Hogsmeade yet, he'd asked his great aunt for help in purchasing a gift for Caerwyn. He'd described to her what he wanted, and she'd found something close enough. Borrowing wrapping paper from Minerva, Madoc had wrapped the grey striped hoodie and then placed it under the Christmas tree.
With a reluctant sigh, Madoc reached the History of Magic classroom and sat down at his desk. He couldn't wait for tomorrow to be over with!
To Open Or Not To Open (Alexa & Jill)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 01-03-11 20:44
At a table in the Commons cousins Jill and Alexa sit with Marjani Batuti, Jenny Gabble, and Olive Green. They are talking about the usual things - cute boys, holiday parties, what they want for Christmas, and wishing that the last of their exams before the holiday were over already. Also the topic of conversation is whether to open Secret Santa gifts upon receiving them or waiting.
What sparked that particular topic is that fact that Jill has her still unopened gift, from Ramona Mickle, on the table in front of her. Alexa, who'd opened hers the second she found it under the tree, has been encouraging Jill to rip into the gift. They'd moved from that topic or so Jill thought until Alexa leans over and taps the wrapped box.
"Come on. I'm dying to know."
"You'll know soon enough. We're seeing each other Christmas day," Jill points out.
"You're seriously going to wait that long?" Jenny asks.
"Wny not?"
Jenny, holding up her wrist to show off her new bracelet again, a gift from her Secret Santa, laughs. "Because who can stand to wait?"
"I can." Olive takes Jill's side.
"Easy for you to say when you've not gotten your gift yet," Alexa says with a giggle.
Olive shrugs. "So. I still plan to wait until Christmas day."
Jill grins over at the so far silent on the subject Marjani. She points with her eyes to the boots on Marjani's feet. "We know where Marjani stands."
Marjani stretches her legs out, turning her feet from side to side as if inspecting the boots. "And I am not sorry for it. Professor Somerset gave me some very toasty boots. You lot have no idea just how cold this place is to someone from equitorial Africa."
"Is that why you borrow any blanket you can find when sitting in the Gryffindor common room?" Jill asks.
"Yes! And why I always want to sit close to the fire." Marjani pulls the coat she's wearing tighter around her as if for emphasis. "Back to Secret Santa gifts, did I tell any of you who I drew?"
Alexa answers, "You told us yesterday. Hunter Rabnott, right? Time with a pro Quidditch team and VIP seats for a match. He'll love that. I got Blake Holloway." As all the girls at the table either play Quidditch or closely follow it, she doesn't have to explain who he is even though he's a little younger than they are. "I had the worst time trying to decide what to get him."
"And?" Jenny asks.
"You know that one shoppe in Hogsmeade that has all the Hogwarts themed items? I got him one of the sweatshirts with the Hogwarts crest on it."
"I looked at those," Jill says.
"Me too," Olive nods. "I think I'm going to go next week and get one for myself or put it on my wish list."
Jenny nods as well. "I picked up one for my father. I had Carlotta Calloway's name and had already found a cute clutch purse I thought she'd like."
Jill tells them, "I drew Gus van Tassel's name." As with Blake, with Gus being on the Quidditch team, she doesn't have to explain to any of the others who he is.
Olive says, "My little sister thinks Gus is soooooooo cute."
Alexa agrees. "He is cute but he's enough younger I don't drool over him like the younger set. In the Slytherin common room he can't sit down without suddenly being surrounded by a flock of gigglers." To Jill she asks, "Gus is who you got that scrunchy looking sweater for?"
"The grey and white with the front pockets. Yeah. Put it under the tree this morning just before breakfast."
Alexa teasingly wheedles again. "Open yours, Jill. Come on. If you won't, I will."
Jill teases back. "If you do, I'll tell your mum that you want that hideously ugly snot green jacket we saw in Hogsmeade."
"Fine. Be that way. Marjani can sneak it out of your room in the middle of the night and we'll open it then rewrap it without you ever knowing."
Marjani snorts. "Good plan, Alexa, revealing it before we've done it."
Jill starts listing hexes she could put on the gift with Olive offering up suggestions as well. Within minutes, all five girls are snickering as they all start coming up with silly hex ideas to guard presents.
Bending and Secret Gifts
Author: Lilac Middleton
Date: 01-04-11 16:56
“So what are you getting Olive for Secret Santa?” Cee asked Lil as she went down in a perfect split on the ground of the Ravenclaw dormitory. Rose was sitting nearby, wiggling her little piggy nose as if she wanted to try and do the splits too. But she couldn’t, so instead she snuggled back down on the floor.
“A cute little pair of lily hairclips.” Lil answered. “See?” She asked pulling the said lily hairclips out of a cute little purple and pink tote bag she had begun to carry around with her wherever she went.
“Cute! I bet she’ll love those.” Cee was now standing on one leg and stretching the other. Rose looked up from her spot, then laid her head back down.
“That’s what I was thinking!” What did you get Professor Hodfuffer ?” Lil asked as she sat her flower clip down into a tiny white box with a sticker of a fairy on top.
“A hat.”
“A hat? That’s it? A hat?”
“Well, I don’t know anything about him, and he’s a guy, so I got him a hat. Guys like hats. That’s what I get Thomas.”
“Cee, Professor Hodfuffer isn’t your brother!” Lil exclaimed. She couldn’t believe her cousin got the Professor a simple hat.
“It wasn’t a cheap hat.” Cee was now bending over and touching her toes. She looked at Lil through her legs. Lil bent her head down to look at her cousin.
“You should have gotten him a new pocket knife or something. Maybe a bag of candy? Some new ink? But a hat?”
“Hey don’t hate the hat” Cee said standing up now and plopping on the floor in Indian style. She reached for her own tote bag and pulled out a black and silver hat with hat strings on each side. “ I had to carefully pick this hate out of thousands and thousands of hats. “ Cee put her hand in the hat and made it move up and down. “It said pick me! Pick me! Professor Hodfuffer will love ME!”
“Okay Cee, I get it you can stop now.” Lil said giggling.
“Besides it’s not like flower clips are the grandest present.”
“Grandest uh?”
“Yeah shut up. “Lil and Cee both started giggling.
“So, Is Nate coming home with us for Christmas?” Cee asked wrapping her hat in a box. Lilac blushed.
“He is?”
“Yes. He’ll be there for Christmas. But Cee, he’s not used to having lots of kids around to pester him. I hope we don’t bug him. Well, I won’t. But you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I can’t make any promises that the others will.”
“ Oh I know they won’t. But I can’t wait to see Pippa, and Aunt Kelly.”
“What about Dad?” Cee asked. Lil grew very quiet for a moment. Her uncle was a pureblood. He was from an old wizarding family that went back generations. And much like Nate, she had shied away from him. Though getting the pig helped. She looked over at where Rose sat.
“And Uncle Brandon.” She said finally. It would be good to see her uncle again. He was like a father to her. Lil put the finishing touches on her present and then smiled to see Cee that was already done with hers. “Should we?” She started to ask if they should give Olive and the professor their presents now. And Cee nodded.