The terrible weather didn't let up until December. The skies had only just cleared, and there were only two weeks left until the Christmas holidays.
As Christmas drew nearer, the weather grew colder and colder.
The muddy grounds outside the castle had been covered in a layer of sparkling frost overnight, and icicles hung from the towers.
The atmosphere in the school grew more and more festive as everyone prepared for Christmas.
Inspired by last year's pumpkins, Hagrid had grown twelve especially large evergreen trees this year.
Professor Dumbledore personally decorated the top of each tree with a little Phoenix. Whenever anyone passed by, it would sing a beautiful song.
Professor Flitwick decorated his classroom with colorful fairy lights that could fly through the air.
Professor McGonagall decorated her classroom with several lion statues.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but Harley couldn't help feeling that the lions' bellies had been painted with the House Cup and Quidditch Cup trophies.
Even Professor Babbling had reluctantly decorated her classroom, hanging little coffins carved with crosses in the windows.
Harley was bursting with snark.
Never mind the business of carving crosses into coffins—what made you think that old man liked crosses?
Wait, wasn't it weird enough that wizards celebrated Christmas in the first place? Who had led the witch hunts back then?
Of course, what made the young wizards happiest was that the school allowed them to visit Hogsmeade the weekend before the Christmas holidays began.
Harley had arranged in advance to meet the Weasley Twins at the Hog's Head to sign a contract.
She had been looking forward to the Hog's Head for ages, especially since it sold hard liquor to young wizards.
At nine in the morning, Harley and Hermione beat everyone else and were the first to board a