In The End ⁂ H. Potter Twin

Christmas Surprises

Iris turned back to her square gift while the boys debated who sent Harry the broom. The box was red and a little bigger than the size of her palm with a gold ribbon tied around it and in a bow at the top.

Iris pulled the ribbon off and opened the box. What was inside made her gasp softly; a beautiful silver chain with a small heart-shaped locket dangling off of it. A small piece of parchment was resting at the bottom of the box, with a short note sketched in ink.

Iris eagerly picked up the note, reading it hastily.

Happy Christmas

Slightly put out, Iris turned the note over looking for anything else suggesting who it might be from. Not finding anything though, she gave up and stuck the note neatly back into the little red box.

Iris closely studied the face of the locket, it had tiny swirls engraved around the curves of the heart. She gently popped it open and just stared at what she found inside. Slowly her eyes got glassy, as she held back unshed tears.

On one half of the locket was a small moving picture, as all pictures were in the wizarding world, of Harry and her as children wrapped within their parent's embrace. James and Lily Potter were laughing merrily and gazing down at their two little angels, not a care in the world. They were just one happy family at that moment.

The other side was empty, waiting to be filled by her own memories. She wondered who had gotten it for her, who would have access to a photograph like that.

Quickly wiping her eyes, Iris tuned back into the boy's conversation while she worked to clasp the locket around her neck.

They were still going on about who sent Harry the broom, and at the back of her mind, Iris thought that it was likely the same person who sent the necklace.

"Well, he wasn't in the hospital wing," said Ron. "I was there, cleaning out the bedpans on that detention from Snape, remember?"

Harry frowned at Ron. Iris squinted, confused.

What on earth were they talking about?

"I can't see Lupin affording something like this."

"What're you two laughing about?"

Hermione had just come in, wearing her dressing gown and carrying Crookshanks, who was looking very grumpy, with a string of tinsel tied around his neck.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione!" Iris said, cheerily.

"Don't bring him in here!" said Ron, hurriedly snatching Scabbers from the depths of his bed and stowing him in his pajama pocket.

But Hermione wasn't listening. She dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus's empty bed, next to a lazy Buttercup, and stared, open-mouthed, at the Firebolt.

"Oh, Harry! Who sent you that?"

"No idea," said Harry. "There wasn't a card or anything with it."

To Iris's great surprise, Hermione did not appear either excited or intrigued by the news. On the contrary, her face fell, and she bit her lip.

"What's the matter with you?" said Ron.

"I don't know," said Hermione slowly, "but it's a bit odd, isn't it? I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom, isn't it?"

Ron sighed exasperatedly.

"It's the best broom there is, Hermione," he said.

"So it must've been really expensive..."