Merry Christmas

In the blink of an eye, more than half the term had passed, and the students' favorite holiday, Christmas, was fast approaching.

On Christmas morning, Hogwarts lay beneath a thick blanket of snow, and the castle's spires sparkled in the sunlight.

Harry had prepared her gifts early: a magical notebook that automatically corrected essays for Hermione, and a Wizard's Chess set complete with explanations of Quidditch tactics for Ron.

It was very cool and very useless. Supposedly, you could practice Quidditch while playing chess, but according to people who had bought it, it was no use at all.

She had hesitated over Draco's gift for a long time before finally slipping him a box of Honeydukes' newest sweets, along with a note that read, "Don't bother me."

But the gifts for the professors had taken the most thought.

For Sirius, she had chosen a pair of Dragonhide Gloves, with tiny moving dog paw prints embroidered on the lining. For Professor McGonagall, she had picked a set of delicate cat-shaped bookmarks. She had even prepared a portable supply of Chocolate Cauldrons for Lupin, so he could replenish his chocolate whenever he needed to and keep from becoming too weak after the full moon.

She had deliberated over Snape's gift for a long time. In the end, she had commissioned a black turtleneck sweater at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. An understated lily was embroidered in silver thread near the hem, its petals glimmering in and out of sight in the light.

As for Dumbledore...

Although the old man was gone, Harry had still asked many of her classmates for advice before knitting a dark blue scarf herself with her clumsy skills, covering it with glowing golden stars. She had quietly laid it in front of the two old men's grave.

Yes, the two old men.

Snape had made the decision to bury Dumbledore and Grindelwald together.

The greatest wizard in the world had been buried alongside the dark wizard he had captured himself, something unheard of even in the wizarding world. Harry wanted to know what had happened when they were young, but there was no detailed record.

Only Hagrid had said that he once heard from an older Hufflepuff student that Grindelwald and Dumbledore seemed to have been close friends for a time in their youth. That Hufflepuff student had made an immense contribution to the operation to capture Grindelwald.

In the Potions Classroom, the firelight drove away the cold. Snape was marking fifth-year Potions essays, his quill scratching sharp lines across the parchment.

"Snape! Look at this!"

Sirius swept in like a gust of wind, waving his Dragonhide-gloved hands theatrically in the air. Snowflakes still clung to his black hair, and his gray eyes gleamed with pride. "Harry gave them to me! Look at the workmanship, and the paw prints on the lining!"

Without looking up, Snape said, "Black, if your brain hasn't been stuffed full of asphodel, you should remember that this is my classroom."

"A goddaughter really is better than a godson," Sirius said with a smack of his lips, deliberately thrusting the gloves in front of Snape. "A sweet, thoughtful little girl-"

"Out."

"Speaking of which," Sirius said, pretending not to hear as he leaned against the desk, "did little Harry prepare a gift for you?"

The tip of Snape's quill snapped.

Just as he was about to draw his wand, a tawny owl swooped in through the window and dropped a package neatly into his arms. It was tied with a silver and green ribbon, and the label read in neat handwriting: "Professor S. Snape, Merry Christmas. -H.P."

Snape's eyebrows rose slightly, and he put away his wand.

"Let's see who this gift is from." He untied the ribbon at his leisure, deliberately drawing out his words. "Oh-Miss Harry Potter."

Sirius's eyes widened.

As the sweater unfolded, the firelight fell on the lily embroidered in silver thread, casting a soft glow over its petals. Snape's fingertips brushed the flower unconsciously, and his expression softened for a rare instant.

"It seems Miss Potter knows my tastes very well," he said softly, an almost imperceptible note of complexity in his voice.

Sirius's face turned as green as if he had been force-fed Gillyweed juice. He spun around, his black robes billowing behind him. "I'm going back right now to make Harry add a big dog to my gloves!"

The door slammed so hard that the bottles in the Potions cabinet rattled. Snape stood alone before the desk for a long time, then carefully folded the sweater. Outside the window, snow continued to fall silently, and the lily's silver glow flickered in and out of sight in the dim classroom.

Elsewhere, the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room was blazing merrily, turning Ron's face bright red.

He was excitedly fiddling with the gift he had just received from Harry. The chess pieces hopped about in his hands, and the king even took off his crown and bowed to him.

"Harry! Fancy a game?" Ron patted the empty seat beside him, his eyes bright.

Harry smiled and sat down opposite him. Hermione immediately settled down beside her as naturally as could be and handed her a steaming cup of cocoa. A little cream still clung to the rim, and Hermione's fingertips brushed the back of Harry's hand. "Careful, it's hot."

Ginny squeezed in from the other side, her red hair brushing Harry's shoulder. "I'll be the referee." She winked at Ron.

Ron rubbed the back of his head.

He kept feeling that Ginny and Hermione were a little too clingy with Harry, but then again, it seemed fairly normal for young girls to act like that.

The game got off to a smooth start.

Ron's white queen swept all before her, taking three of Harry's pawns in succession. Just as his knight was about to put Harry in check-

"Harry," Hermione said, suddenly leaning closer, "did you read that paper on the Patronus Charm in Spell Innovation?"

"Huh?" Harry turned, her nose nearly touching Hermione's curls. "Oh! I did! That theory about giving a Patronus corporeal form was simply-"

Ron watched as Ginny's fingers darted across the board, and his knight was inexplicably moved to a completely useless position.

"Wait!" Ron's eyes widened.

Smiling, Ginny crushed the snack in her hand.

Ron swallowed and silently swallowed his words.

Just then, the common room door was flung open. Fred and George swept in like two red whirlwinds, carrying the scent of cedar and fireworks.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Fred plopped down to Ron's left and ruffled his hair.

George crouched down in front of Harry with an air of mystery. "A special present-" He pulled a yellowed roll of parchment from inside his robes. "You're going to love it."

Harry's breath caught, and she excitedly unrolled the parchment.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs

Messrs. purveyors of aids to magical mischief-makers

Are proud to present

The Marauder's Map"

The faded ink glimmered in the firelight. Harry ran her fingers over the familiar names, and for a moment she seemed to hear the laughter of the Marauders in their youth.

"This is..."

"A treasure from Filch's confiscated-items store," Fred said with a wink. "It took us three months to crack the spells on it back then."

George lowered his voice. "It can show you where everyone in the castle is in real time-even the secret passages are clearly marked."

Harry's little face flushed with excitement. "This is wonderful! Thank you!"

Watching the scene, Ron suddenly found that the Liquorice Wand in his mouth had lost its flavor. Hermione unconsciously twirled the ends of her hair around her fingertips, while Ginny stared absentmindedly at Harry's profile.

Outside, the snow fell harder and harder, turning Hogwarts pure white. The Marauder's Map grew slightly warm on Harry's lap, and a name labeled "Albus Dumbledore" was moving slowly through the Slytherin dormitory.

But no one noticed that detail at the moment.