The weeks passed on. Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, the week before Christmas break started, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid. Emaline made the very tough decision to not return home to America for the holidays. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Emaline had signed up at once. So were Tulip and Margot, who turned down a trip home and wanted to celebrate with their new friend from America. Harry was staying as well. He didn't want to deal with his aunt and uncle and Ron and his brothers were staying, too. Their parents were traveling to Romania to go and see their Charlie, who is studying dragons.
Tulip was put in detention for bombarding Snape with Emaline's Boom Boom Balls. While she was absent, Emaline started hanging out with her roommate Margot, probably the most beautiful and elegant girl in Hogwarts, becoming a welcome alternative as a best friend for Emaline, "So, Tulip got sent to detention?" she said to Emaline.
"Yep, she pranked Snape with one of my Boom Boom Balls, so if you can't do the crime, don't do the time, as the No-Majs say." Margot chuckled. She then noticed Emaline's Gordian Knot pendant, shimmering in the firelight as they walked down into the dungeons. "That's a lovely necklace you have there."
"Thank you," said Emaline "This is my Gordian Knot pendant from Ilvermorny. Do you know what the origins behind this necklace are?" Margot nodded. "This pendant has many purposes and a deep, illustrious history in Ilvermorny. Isolt Sayre retrieved the original Gordian Knot from the ruins of her family's cottage. It remained her only link to her family for the rest of her life in Ireland and later in America. Thus, it became the symbol of Ilvermorny. A form of the Knot is incorporated into the Ilvermorny Crest."
"That's amazing. So, what are you doing for Christmas, Emaline? Are you going home?"
"I might be staying here at Hogwarts. I already left England before going home for Thanksgiving."
"Where do you live, by the way? I've heard a lot of great things about America," Margot asked
"Portland, Oregon. It's on the West Coast. It's a cool place to live. Definitely perfect for Ravenclaw."
"Hey, Margot!" said a girl.
"Hi! Ah, that's my best friend, Alice. I want you to meet her," As they made their way to the Potions classroom, in the dungeons. Emaline got her first view of Alice. She was also a sixth year and a Ravenclaw but she was just as elegant and beautiful as Margot. From what Emaline saw, she seemed to have an affinity for purple. It was the color of her eyes, she had purple highlights in her long black hair. The only thing that wasn't purple was her headband. It was yellow. And she wore a hydrangea pin on her robe, which was also purple. "You must be Emaline," she said. "Margot told me about you. I'm Alice Evans."
"That's me. I love your hydrangea pin."
"Thank you, it's the symbol of my family. I like your necklace."
"Thank you, too. This is my Gordian Knot necklace from Ilvermorny. Did you know the hydrangea is the house flower of Thunderbird House?"
"I did not," Alice replied, "So are you enjoying Hogwarts?"
"I am. I love it here. I just hope I can stay until the end of the year."
While the Ravenclaw common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons. "I hate going down in the dungeons. it's freezing down there!" said Emaline, shivering. She was almost unable to move her hands from it being so cold. Snape walked up to her to check on her potion. Emaline weakly put up her hand. "Yes, Ms. Goode?" Professor Snape said unpleasantly.
"I really hate to pry, Professor Snape but doesn't this room have a heater or something? I-i-it's freezing in here!"
"No, Ms. Goode. I'm afraid it doesn't. This castle is over a thousand years old. We never thought to put a heating system in here. Get back to work." he replied and then walked off. He didn't seem cold at all. "Yes, sir," said Emaline.
While he wasn't looking, she took out her wand below the table, summoning a gentle wave of warm air that began to fill the room. This spell was strong enough to last the entire rest of the day, thanks to the thunderbird tail feather that lies within her wand.
"Did it suddenly get warm in here?" Alice asked. Margot shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it feels really good." Everyone in the classroom felt warmer. Snape didn't seem to notice. He continued reading The Daily Prophet as if nothing happened. Everyone in the room was relieved by how warm it was in the Potions Classroom.
"Did you do that, Emaline? The warm air spell?" Margot asked as they left Potions Class to go to lunch.
"Yes," she said. "Thanks to my wand, that spell should be strong enough to last the entire day."
"Thank you," Alice said. "That felt really good. I hate going into those dungeons. It's cold all year. And it's even worse in the wintertime."
"And Snape didn't even notice a thing. Did you notice?"
"Not at all," said Margot.
When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, the girls found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.
"Hi, Hagrid. Need any help?" Emaline asked, sticking her head through the branches.
"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Emaline. Why don't you come into the Great Hall during your lunch break? Looks a treat," Hagrid walked away into the Great Hall.
"Absolutely. Hi Harry. And Ron. And Hermione," she said
"Oh. Hi, Emaline," said Ron.
"These are my friends Margot and Alice."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, at last, Harry Potter," Alice said as she shook Harry's hand.
"What happened to Tulip?" Ron asked.
"She got detention for bombing Snape with my Boom Boom Balls."
"That's not good," said Hermione.
"Yeah, I'm not happy with her at all. Fortunately, Margot and Alice are becoming a welcome alternative for me."
"I'm sorry, Emaline, but we should be getting to Potions class. We'll talk to you later." Hermione said.
"Okay. Bye, guys."
"Oh, hey," Ron said before they left, "My mum wants to what your favorite color is."
"Umm. It's purple. Why?"
"Because she's putting together a special Christmas present for you."
"Oh, okay. Be sure to tell her I said hi."
So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.
"Ah, Hagrid, the tree -- put it in the far corner, would you?"
"Of course. I have one more tree to go."
The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.
When Emaline sat down at the Ravenclaw table for lunch, she found Tulip sitting alone and eating. "Hi, Tulip.," she said.
"Oh. Hi, Emaline. I'll tell you what. Detention isn't fun at all. Fortunately, it will be over when Christmas break begins. I will be staying behind. I'm sorry by the way."
"What on earth for?"
"For overusing your Boom Boom Balls. Are you mad?"
"I'm not mad at all. I'm just a little disappointed in you, Tulip. But apology accepted, by the way. You are my best friend and that's all that matters."
"Thank you," Tulip smiled.
A week later, everyone was going away for Christmas. "Hi, everyone!" said Penny who was with her little sister, Beatrice. "We're going home to London for the holidays. I see you haven't packed."
"I wish we could," said Margot "But we can't just leave Emaline alone for the holidays." She then spotted Hermione, who was about to leave, carrying a suitcase. "Hey Hermione!" she yelled. Hermione came over. "Before you leave, I want to give you your Christmas present. I had to stop by Ilvermorny for it." It was a big package.
"Thank you, Emaline." she said politely, "I have a present for you too!" She reached into her pocket and took out a package, a small box. "Thanks, Hermione. Merry Christmas!"
"You're welcome. See you after the holidays."
After Hermione left, Penny got up. "Well, we will see you later. Have a wonderful Christmas."
Once the holidays had started, Emaline, Tulip, Margot, and Alice were having too good a time to think much about anything. They practically had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire, read all the books in the library in the niche. They sat by the hour, drinking tea and coffee, eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork -- bread, English muffins, marshmallows -- and Emaline introduced her friends to her favorite musician: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with some records that she brought from home and brought two barrels of Butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks. On Christmas Eve, the girls went out to the forest, cut down a large fir tree, with some help from Hagrid, brought it back to the common room and decorated it completely in blue; blue ornaments, blue lights, blue and silver garland, and topped it off with a gold star and threw a small party. Professor Flitwick saw the new tree and he loved it. "Well done, ladies," he said. "This is probably the best tree I've seen so far. 10 points to Ravenclaw. To each of you."
They played wizards' chess. This was exactly like No-Maj chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. The set in the Ravenclaw common room was ancient, probably about 500 years old. Emaline later headed to the Gryffindor common room to drop off Harry and Ron's present, a little package full of sweets that she brought back from America, and a blue and cranberry sweatshirt with the Ilvermorny crest on it. Ron said he had a present for her too from his mom and gave her his present. "Thank you, Ron. Merry Christmas."
"Hey, Emaline?" Ron said that as she about to walk off. "Before you go, do you want to come in for a minute and see the Gryffindor common room? Maybe have a Butterbeer?" Emaline looked around to see if anyone was coming. "Don't tell McGonagall," she said and then walked inside.
"Not a word. Come in."
As she walked inside, seeing the Gryffindor common room for the first time, Emaline was amazed. It was a circular room, filled with cozy armchairs, tables, a bulletin board, and a roaring fire. It looked like it was comfier than the Ravenclaw common room. The common room is decorated in several shades of red, which is associated with Gryffindor and there was plenty of gold. The four-posters were covered with thick scarlet blankets and were embroidered with it. There were gold chandeliers hanging around the room. "Mercy Lewis!" Emaline exclaimed. "Brilliant, isn't it?" Fred asked, "It's nothing like the Ravenclaw common room, isn't it?"
"Not even close," she said, as she took a seat on one of the cozy couches, "I think this just might be better." George brought her a Butterbeer. "You must tell us, Emaline. How do they celebrate Christmas at Ilvermorny?" Percy asked.
"Well, Christmas is a lot more traditional at Ilvermorny than it is at Hogwarts and they have lots of stuff to do for students who stay behind. The ghosts have a carol concert, there's ice skating on the Shrouded Lake and snowball fights and we like to go Christmas caroling. All of the Houses throw a party and we later walk around the school and go caroling. We like to sing the traditional No-Maj Christmas carols like Silent Night, Deck The Halls, and so on. Our school has a Ceili band and they put on a special holiday concert for everyone. We have a Carol battle with the ghosts. And we have a huge snowball fight. Thunderbird always joins forces with Wampus and we always go up against the rest of the school. But we eventually end up fighting each other." The boys laughed.
"Blimey. That sounds like fun!" Ron said.
"Maybe tomorrow, we can have a snowball fight. Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor. After we open our presents," Harry suggested.
"We should," Emaline said "Anyway, I gotta go. Thanks for the Butterbeer, guys."
"No problem. Happy Christmas, Emaline. We won't tell McGonagall you were here."
When she returned to the Ravenclaw common room, Emaline saw that her friends had already gone to sleep, all on the couch. She then headed up to her own room and went to sleep and her necklace on the nightstand.
The next morning, Emaline awoke to snow falling and she rushed down to the common room to see a big pile of presents surrounding the Christmas tree they cut down with Hagrid's help. Margot and Alice were already up sorting their presents. "Merry Christmas, ladies."
"Merry Christmas, Emaline," said Tulip. "Looks like my mom sent you something."
Emaline picked up the smallest top parcel. It was from Professor Fontaine in Ilvermorny. It was wrapped in and scrawled across it was: To Emaline, from Professor Agilbert Fontaine. Have a wonderful Christmas. Inside were 4 packs of the American version of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans. She reached inside and pulled out a bean that tasted like a peach. "They have Bertie Bott's in America?" Alice asked, picking out a bean and ate it. "Yum. Passionfruit! I love passionfruit."
"They do. They have some of the same flavors as they do in England but there are some...different ones. There are Chocolate Peanut Butter and honey-baked ham and there are also some interesting ones like key lime, chili cheese, papaya, garlic, cheddar cheese, mango, taco, orange, orange creamsicle, hot dog, hot chocolate, red velvet, bacon, and mashed potatoes. The flavors that everyone at Ilvermorny loves are pumpkin spice and maple syrup. We Americans are always coming up with new flavors almost every day." Suddenly, Margot reached for a green one, ate it and her face was beet-red. "What is that?" she said. "My mouth is burning up!"
"That one's jalapeno. Everyone wants to avoid that one." Margot reached for a glass of ice-cold milk.
She opened a couple of presents from some of her friends in America and then opened one from Professor Ortwin Aurelio, the old seasoned professor of Astronomy at Ilvermorny and another one of her favorite teachers. He gave her a sextant, an instrument that astronomers use, with a graduated arc of 60° and a sighting mechanism, used for measuring the angular distances between objects and especially for taking altitudes in navigation. She then turned her attention towards the present that Ron gave her last night. She opened it and inside was a thick, hand-knitted sweater in purple and a large box of homemade fudge and a letter from Ron's mother:
Dear Ms. Goode,
We have never been introduced, but I am sure my son has told me about you, a lot this school year. You might remember me from King's Cross Station on the first day. I am Ron's mother, Molly, and he constantly writes to me about you. I hope you enjoy the sweater and the fudge that I sent you. Ron has told me that purple is your favorite color. It will definitely keep you warm this Christmas. Let me know when you finish up at Hogwarts and when you return home to America, I would love to meet you in person at The Burrow this summer. Send me an owl if you're interested. Have a very Happy Christmas. Hope to see you soon, dear.
Yours sincerely,
Molly Weasley
"Ooh!" Emaline exclaimed as she read the letter and tried some of the fudge, which was delicious, "I've been invited to come to Ron's house this summer." She tried on the new sweater and it was very comfy, then opened a present from her grandmother, a new reflecting telescope and a box of candy. Her next present also contained candy - a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione. Her next present was from her parents - 3 records of Mozart, including the Amadeus soundtrack. Then came a present from Emaline's sister, Allison - A new purple and silver Thunderbird sweater straight from Ilvermorny, as well as a signed Christmas card from everyone in Thunderbird House and from all of her friends from the other 3 Houses.
After opening up their presents, the girls met with Harry and the Weasley brothers on the grounds, spending a happy afternoon engaging in a vicious snowball fight between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Then, suddenly, what remained of Slytherin and Hufflepuff House appeared out of nowhere and the two Houses had no choice but to join forces. "We must combine forces to vanquish them!" Ron said.
"Agreed!" Emaline exclaimed. They managed to rally and drive Slytherin back. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor emerged victoriously but then they eventually began fighting each other. This time Slytherin joined forces with Ravenclaw. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, the girls returned to the warm, roaring fire in the Ravenclaw common room and enjoyed a nice warm cup of hot chocolate.
"Hey, Emaline?" Ron asked her, "Did you like the sweater that my mom made for you? And the fudge?"
"Yes. The fudge is delicious. And I got invited to your house this summer; before I return home to America."
"Great! And thank you for the Ilvermorny sweater. It's very comfortable"
"What was the most interesting present you got for Christmas this morning?" She asked Harry.
"I got an invisibility cloak. From my dad."
"What? Really?! Those are very rare."
"Yeah. And there was no name on it. All it said on the note was 'Use it well'."
"You'll have to show me when you get the chance."
Emaline had never in all her life had such a Christmas dinner, not like the one at Ilvermorny. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes, as well as the mashed kind; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, prime rib, roast beef, ham, buttermilk biscuits, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce – and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along with the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him. Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Emaline and her friends drank one too many butterbeer and they started singing No-Maj Christmas carols really badly. When they finally left the table, they joined Harry, Ron, and his brothers and walked up to the Gryffindor Common Room and after a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge until she went with her friends back to the Ravenclaw Common Room.