Christmas

Christmas was approaching not long after the Quidditch Match, and Mia and Harry chose to stay at school rather than return to the Dursley family.

After saying goodbye to Hermione, Mia returned to the common room and saw Draco, his things already packed. "Leaving?"

"Merry Christmas. I've already got your present ready." Draco tilted his head as he looked at Mia.

"Merry Christmas."

"You've got nowhere to go anyway, so why don't you come home with me? My mother has wanted to invite you for ages." Draco sounded a little regretful.

"I can't leave Harry behind." Mia handed Draco a dark green scarf.

"This is a present?" Draco put the scarf on. It suited him perfectly.

"A thank-you gift." Mia reached up and adjusted it for him.

"All right, I love it." It was time for Draco to leave. "Come to my house next time?"

"We'll see next time?"

"Halfhearted."

"Goodbye."

Christmas Day

Most of the Slytherin students had chosen to go home, so the common room was quiet.

Mia looked at the pile of presents. Was she really that well-liked?

Mia sat down on the rug and opened a green-wrapped present first. Inside was an exquisite brooch: a little silver snake curled around a dark green gemstone. It was beautiful. Beside the brooch were a packet of biscuits and a letter sealed with the Malfoy family crest.

Merry Christmas. My mother loved your gift.

Draco Malfoy

Mia pinned the brooch to her collar and opened the next present. It was from Theodore, a blue bracelet almost exactly the color of his eyes. Were her usual preferences really that obvious? Looking at the glittering jewelry beside her, Mia's mind wandered for a while.

Mia put on Theodore's gift too. Blaise had sent perfume, and to her surprise, Pansy and Daphne had sent her things as well. She guessed they were trying to win her over. There were also all sorts of presents from the other little snakes, and Mia put them away.

Cedric had sent sweets from Hogsmeade, which were delicious. The twins had sent prank items they had made themselves. Good, she would try them out in a little while.

Hermione had sent a book, and Ron had sent snacks. Good, that was very like Ron.

The professors had sent presents too. Professor McGonagall had given her a beautiful dress that fit perfectly. Hagrid had made biscuits himself; well, she couldn't bite through them. Dumbledore had sent socks, and Professor Snape had given her a notebook on Dark Magic, which Mia loved.

Mia liked to save Harry's present for last. It was a crown.

Mia sat there stunned for a long time. When they were little, Harry had always envied Dudley at Christmas because he received so many presents. But what Harry wanted wasn't the presents; it was the love behind them.

Mia understood Harry, so one Christmas, she had taken the money she had saved by scrimping and brought Harry to the shopping street outside to buy him a present: two matching Möbius strip necklaces. Harry had always treasured his.

Later, as they walked along the street, Mia kept getting distracted by the things around her. She happened to notice a little girl holding her parents' hands, dressed in finery with a crown on her head, just like a little princess.

Harry might have misunderstood and thought Mia envied the little girl, so he took Mia's hand and promised that she would have a crown of her own.

Mia's eyes grew a little damp.

Mia went to the Great Hall to find Harry. The hall was beautifully decorated, with Christmas trees all around it, their branches covered in ornaments. The professors were chatting and laughing in their seats.

Harry was playing Wizard's Chess with Ron, and they were wearing matching jumpers.

"Mia, come over here. This is a present for you from Mrs. Weasley," Harry called to her.

"My mum knitted it. You've got one too."

Mia looked at the dark green jumper in her hands and thought of the warm, kind woman. "Thank her for me."

"Oh, and Mia, thanks for your present." Harry wore a beautiful Golden Snitch bracelet on his wrist. Mia had made it herself, and it bore Ancient Runes she had recently been practicing, which had a protective effect.

"Me too." Ron had received a large package of snacks and a Wizard's Chess set.

"And someone sent me something." Harry briefly explained the Invisibility Cloak to Mia, and they agreed to meet that evening to take a look at it.

"Hey, Miss Little Snake! Merry Christmas! Want to come out and play?" The twins suddenly appeared behind Mia and leaned forward to speak to her.

"We loved your presents!" The twins had received Mia's notes on pranking and a bag of Galleons. The money was an investment; after all, the Weasley Twins really were clever.

"I'm glad you liked them. Where are we going to play?"

"Why, we're going to..."

"Have a snowball fight!"

At first, Mia teamed up with Ron and Harry against George and Fred, and the two sides threw snowballs at each other. But once they got carried away, they stopped caring who was on whose side. Anyone unlucky enough to fall was in for it, as everyone would gang up on them.

"Hey, look over there!" George nudged Mia. It was Quirrell.

Mia raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with Fred and George. "You want to?"

The three hit it off at once and threw snowballs at Quirrell. He couldn't dodge in time and was pelted without any chance to fight back. Mia had a bit of a personal grudge, and the moment Harry saw her like that, he understood: she was getting revenge for him.

After they had left the pitch, Hermione and Mia had privately told Harry the truth about his broom going out of control. Harry didn't understand why either, but he chose to believe them.

Later, they had tried to get information out of Hagrid, and he, a terrible blabbermouth, had accidentally let slip that whatever Fluffy was guarding had something to do with Nicolas Flamel.

Mia had told them that Nicolas Flamel was the creator of the Philosopher's Stone, and they had decided to investigate after Christmas.

Back in the present, Professor McGonagall put a stop to what they were doing, gave them a telling-off, and led Quirrell away.

Mia said it was a pity.