Christmas Gifts

On Christmas Day, Clara woke to Banban stepping on her.

The little rascal was standing on her chest as if he had every right to be there, his round belly pressing down so hard she could barely breathe.

Merlin's stinky socks, Mrs. Albert must have been sneaking him extra meals again-Banban was at least two pounds heavier than the last time he had come to see her, and his already round face now looked like a fluffy brown ball.

When Banban saw she was awake, he lowered his head and pecked at her fingers, then turned his head to direct her attention to the foot of the bed.

A small pile of presents lay there, their wrapping paper sparkling in the morning light slipping through the gap in the curtains. A quick count showed there were at least a dozen.

Her parents had given her a perfume from a very famous luxury brand in the Muggle world, with top notes of lily of the valley and bergamot and a cedar finish. She had liked it for a long time.

Rowle's gift was a pair of pearl earrings, accompanied by a note telling her she absolutely had to wear them that evening.

Cersei's was a gift box of Chocolate Frogs.

A scream from Rowle rang out from the next dormitory. Clara smiled. She had expected that.

"Clara! I'm going to love you to death!"

The next second, a figure lunged at her, knocking her down onto the bed, still clutching an autographed photo of Krum.

Clara had asked Krum to sign it when she ran into him at the library one day. In return, Krum had asked her a very pointless question.

"Are Hermione and Harry a couple?"

Obviously not, Clara thought. Aren't the three of them more like a mother looking after two troublesome, silly grown-up sons?

After hearing her answer, Krum had been delighted and even addressed the autograph to Rowle.

"Ahhh, it's even addressed to me! Lyla! I really have to marry you!!!"

"Let go of me first, Rowle. If you don't, you're going to strangle me!" Clara flailed weakly on the bed, trying to escape Rowle's clutches.

"Hey! You haven't finished opening your Christmas presents!"

Rowle let her go and turned her head, evidently taking a great interest in the remaining packages at the head of her bed.

There were two wrapped in red and gold, Gryffindor's favorite colors. Clara opened them; they were from Hermione and Harry.

Hermione must have heard about her special training lessons from Harry and had given her a pair of tactical gloves.

As for Harry's gift, it was a notebook that laughed out loud.

It laughed whenever its cover was touched, and Clara didn't know how to turn it off, so she had to toss it aside. Even so, its giggling echoed through the entire dormitory all morning.

She had reason to suspect it was a new product from the Weasley Twins.

The last remaining gift was wrapped in black and yellow paper, with C.D. written in one corner.

Cedric Diggory.

Her Christmas gift to him was a moving Golden Snitch ornament. She had seen it in Diagon Alley and thought he would be sure to like it, so she had bought it with nearly half a month's living expenses.

She was actually a little curious about what he had given her.

The box wasn't large, but she could tell that the giver had put a great deal of thought into it.

Clara's fingers paused on the ribbon before she gently pulled it loose. The moment she lifted the lid, she heard Rowle draw a sharp breath.

Inside lay a handmade necklace—a Gabriel petal hung from a fine silver chain, identical to the faint mark on her wrist. Delicate Runes were engraved along the petal's edge, gleaming faintly silver in the morning light. A small pearl adorned the chain beside it, round and soft in appearance.

"Did Cedric know what you were going to wear tonight!?"

Rowle clicked her tongue in admiration. "It goes so perfectly with your dress, Lyla. Tell me! Did you give him the answer in advance?"

"...No, that guy must have seduced you..." Rowle studied her for a moment before settling on that answer.

Clara really wanted to pull the Muggle novels out of Rowle's head and see what sort of nonsense she read all the time.

They still had a Transfiguration lesson with Professor McGonagall that morning, but the usually strict professor seemed even more interested in the evening's ball than they were.

So they did almost nothing in class, and the students were left to discuss their looks for the evening and their dance partners.

Professor McGonagall was also happy to teach some of the boys how to tame their hair, and show the girls how to conjure pretty glitter or make small alterations to their accessories.

By the afternoon, things were much the same as last time. Rowle seemed to be bursting with energy as she and Cersei began frantically styling Clara.

The girls' dormitory had long since turned into a staging ground. Several girls crowded in front of the bathroom mirror, practicing from their notes on curling charms and discussing whether pearl hair clips should go on the left or the right.

Rowle pressed Clara into a chair and declared in a tone that permitted no argument that all her hair should be pinned up, because she had a lovely neckline and it shouldn't go to waste.

Cersei, meanwhile, insisted on applying a very light dusting of silver powder to her collarbones, which sparkled in the candlelight.

The two of them fussed over Clara for an hour. During that time, Rowle clipped the pearl earrings onto her earlobes, and Cersei spritzed perfume twice on her wrists.

She had no desire to rush over to the mirror and check, because she trusted Rowle and Cersei's taste and abilities.

When she finally stood before the mirror, just as last time, she could scarcely recognize herself.

Her silver-white satin dress robes glowed softly in the candlelight, and her pinned-up curls revealed her slender neck.

The only difference, perhaps, was the Gabriel petal necklace.

The necklace fell right at her collarbones, echoing the mark on her wrist.

Rowle and Cersei looked very pleased, especially Rowle.

As the lead designer, she stepped back twice, folded her arms, and surveyed Clara from head to toe as though examining her masterpiece. Then she nodded solemnly.

"Perfect." She turned to Cersei and gave her a wink. "Full marks for the hair, full marks for the makeup, full marks for the accessories, and full marks for the model most of all. I give myself a hundred out of a hundred. The designer's assistant gets full marks too, of course!"

Cersei looked a little exasperated. She turned, pushed Rowle down onto a stool, and began getting her ready for the ball.

Apart from helping curl her hair with a spell, the rest really wasn't within Clara's abilities, so she could only sit beside them and watch Cersei work.

She had to admit, the two designers were equally skilled.

The ball began at eight, and at last, by half past seven, all three of them were completely ready.

Clara and Cedric had arranged to meet in the Hufflepuff Common Room and then set off for the Entrance Hall together.

But now, standing at the entrance to the dormitory passage, she suddenly grew a little nervous.

The hem of her dress fell against the stone floor, the satin cool and silky. The faint mark on her wrist was exposed, giving off a slight, gentle warmth.

The dormitory, so lively and noisy just moments ago, seemed to have been left far behind. Only the wavering glow of wall lamps remained in the passage, and her footsteps sounded unusually clear in the empty stone corridor.

Banban fluttered his brown wings and landed silently on her shoulder. His round body rubbed gently against her cheek, as if encouraging her.

Clara raised a hand and touched the Gabriel petal at her collarbone with her fingertips. The cool silver lay against her skin, and the Runes engraved along the petal's edge gave off a faint, scattered glimmer.

She took a deep breath and gripped the hem of her dress.

Her thoughts began to wander.

What would Cedric's reaction be when he saw her dressed like this? What had his reaction been last time? Would he be surprised? Or would he simply give her a gentle smile as usual?

She stopped in front of the oak door, raised her hand, summoned her courage, and pushed it open.

Warm golden candlelight came spilling in first.

Cedric was standing just behind the door, talking to Dennis. Rowle's dance partner was still Dennis, unchanged.

He had changed into a set of well-tailored black dress robes, the collar setting off his straight shoulders and back. His dark brown hair had been styled, no longer casually fluffy as it usually was, and his features looked even softer and more handsome in the warm light.

His outfit seemed a little different from last time, but Clara really couldn't say exactly what had changed. After all, she truly didn't know much about boys' clothes.

He saw her, and admiration flashed in his eyes. Dennis greeted her, then looked behind her, waiting for Rowle.

Cedric walked toward her.

The carpet muffled his footsteps, leaving only the soft crackle of wood in the fireplace.

The Hufflepuff Common Room was filled with the sweet scent of honey and baked gingerbread. Warm light flowed over his black dress robes, casting soft shadows along his shoulders.

His gray-blue eyes were fixed on her. Clara lowered her head, unexpectedly a little flustered, and instinctively took a very slight half-step back, her fingers tightening around her skirt.

A faint blush spread uncontrollably across the tips of her ears, and even the mark on her wrist seemed to grow a little warmer.

"Clara." Cedric stopped half a step in front of her, his voice soft and slowing almost imperceptibly. "You look really beautiful, not just tonight. And the necklace suits you very well."

Clara raised her gaze and saw a pin on Cedric's chest.

A Gabriel flower made of tiny diamonds and pearls.

It was clearly a set with her necklace.

She looked up sharply. The boy's eyes were sparkling.

"Looks like I bet right, didn't I?" Cedric was pleased that she had noticed the little thought he had put into his accessories. "I made them myself. They look pretty good, don't they?"

A warm flutter rose in Clara's throat. Even her breathing slowed for a moment, and she found herself unable to form a complete sentence.

"You..." She blinked, her throat inexplicably a little itchy. "You made them yourself?"

Cedric lowered his eyes to her reddened ears, the smile at the corners of his lips deepening.

"It took a few evenings." His tone was matter-of-fact, with a touch of youthful pride he couldn't quite hide. "But clearly, I have a little talent for it."

People came and went in the common room. Quite a few Hufflepuff students were dressed and ready, chatting and laughing as they prepared to leave for the Great Hall, while the firewood crackled in the fireplace.

But Clara's world seemed to fall quiet for a moment, and all she could see was the sparkling flower pin on his chest.

Just then, a crisp, hurried patter of footsteps came from the entrance to the passage, mixed with Rowle's energetic shout.

"We're coming, we're coming! Please, Clara! Don't leave without us!"

Rowle strode in wearing her purple dress, its skirt flying and the braid hanging over one side swaying gently with her movements.

Cersei followed her, her dark green gown making her look poised and elegant, a small silver-leaf ornament pinned in her hair.

As soon as the two came out, they saw Clara and Cedric standing together. They had said something, though it wasn't clear what, and Clara's ears were a little red.

Rowle narrowed her eyes and looked back and forth between them for a long while. Only when Dennis coughed twice did she come to her senses.

"Hey, the ball's about to start."

The boy in front of her bent in a courtly bow and held out his right hand.

"Dear Miss Clara, may I have the honor of asking you for the opening dance tonight?"