The next several weeks seemed to fly by. Halloween passed and so did Bonfire Night. Before they knew it, they were in the last week of December before the Christmas holidays. The school was already decorated lavishly for the festive season.
"So what are you guys doing for Christmas?" George asked over breakfast one morning.
"Staying here," said Tee straightaway.
Rose was surprised. Neither of them had mentioned it before. "I thought you would have wanted to go home. You kept saying you missed people."
"Yeah, but I don't wanna miss my first Christmas at Hogwarts," Tee pointed out. "It'll be cool!"
"Okay, who's been feeding you sugar this early?" asked Fred.
Tee shrugged. "There's sugar in my cereal..."
"So I've got a hyper Tee to look after today then," laughed Rose.
"Lucky you," said George sarcastically.
"It's okay," smiled Rose. "You have to make compromises when it comes to friends," she added jokingly.
"Yeah, like when I had to watch 'Tipping The Velvet' with Ariadne," interrupted Tee, making a face. "I didn't like that at all."
"Was that the gay film?" asked Rose. Tee nodded.
"What?" said Fred and George simultaneously.
"Ariadne's a lesbian," said Tee brightly.
The twins couldn't think of anything to say to that. Eventually George just asked, "Why's it called 'Tipping The Velvet'?"
"Because that's what they call it when girls... y'know..." Tee sucked her finger and then made an upwards hooking gesture with it.
Fred choked on his orange juice. George had to hit him on the back. "You don't hold back, do you Kittykat?"
"No way; that's not as fun," grinned Tee.
Rose suddenly leant across the table and slapped Fred's hand. "Ow!" yelped Fred. "What was that for?"
"She's my cat; not yours," said Rose, giving him an evil look.
Fred grinned. "Well, you're gonna have to share now. I think it's cute."
"So does that mean you're gonna stay for Christmas too, Rose?" asked George quickly.
"Yeah, I can't leave my Tee!" said Rose, which made Tee beam happily. "What about you? Are you two staying?"
"Yeah, we usually do," said George. The bell rang, signalling that students should start moving to their first lesson. "Come on, we'll be late for Transfiguration."
In Transfiguration, they'd recently been backtracking to some simpler transformations, but this lesson they were going back for another attempt on changing teapots into tortoises – something that had failed miserably the last time they'd tried. Professor McGonagall gave them their teapots back. Whilst everyone was having another go, she started making her way around the classroom to inspect.
"You'd think she'd get the hint that we're just not gonna get this," muttered Fred.
"Then I suggest you hurry up and 'get this', Weasley," barked Professor McGonagall, making him jump. She'd been standing behind him and none of them had realised. "Your OWLs are drawing closer, which means all of you need to pick up the pace a little."
She carried on over to the other side of the classroom. Tee started giggling. "I thought you were actually gonna fall out of your chair."
"Oh, shut up," grinned Fred, cuffing her round the head.
"I think she's right though," said Rose.
"I wasn't that scared!" protested Fred.
"No, I mean Professor McGonagall," said Rose. "We're gonna have some trouble if we get to our exams and we still can't transfigure a teapot."
"Plus McGonagall won't exactly be happy," added Tee.
"Yeah and no-one wants to get on McGonagall's bad side," agreed George, flicking his wand at his teapot. To everyone's surprise, the structure of the teapot started to change – it grew shorter and broader.
"Keep it up, Weasley," encouraged Professor McGonagall, who was now passing their table to check on the people in front. "You're finally making some progress."
"It must be possible then if George can do it," said Fred brightly.
"Shut up," said George, kicking him under the table. "I bet you won't be able to do it."
"One sickle says I can," insisted Fred.
George grinned. "You're on."
By the end of the lesson, Fred had to pay up. He'd managed to get the general body shape of the tortoise right, but it still had a spout for a head and a handle for a tail. Tee's tortoise had no legs and Rose's was the same baby pink colour the teapot had been and kept emitting steam. George was the only one who'd been successful.
"I think Transfiguration is probably my best lesson," he said, pleased, as they made their way down to the greenhouses for Herbology.
"Yours looked more like a turtle though," said Rose. "It had flippers instead of feet."
"Don't spoil my victory," said George, giving her a poke.
When the whole class was there, Professor Sprout announced, "Today we'll be re-potting Mandrakes. I know you did this in your second year, but they may well come up in your exam. So it'll be good for you to brush up on your skills."
She drew their attention to several large trays full of what looked like regular pot plants. Next to them was a cardboard box containing pairs of brightly coloured earmuffs.
"Now to re-pot the Mandrakes, you simply grasp the leaves firmly, pull and then put them into a fresh pot," explained Professor Sprout. "Remember, you must wear earmuffs. Everyone grab a pair when you collect your Mandrakes."
One by one, each student went up to get a Mandrake, an extra pot filled with fresh earth and a pair of earmuffs.
"How come we have to wear earmuffs?" asked Rose.
"Haven't you two re-potted Mandrakes before?" asked George. Rose shook her head. "Well, it's so you don't hear their cries."
"Why? What happens then?" questioned Tee.
"You die," replied Fred simply.
"What?" Tee knocked over her pot of fresh earth.
"You won't die," reassured George. "If it was an adult Mandrake, then you would. These ones would only knock you out. Fred's just trying to scare you."
"And it worked," Fred grinned. He dodged the kick that Tee aimed at his shin.
"Earmuffs on, everybody," announced Professor Sprout. "I want everyone to be fully protected when we start."
"Make sure they're on properly," advised George, putting a pair on Rose's head for her.
"I'm capable of doing it myself, but thank you," smiled Rose. It was weird – with the earmuffs in place, she hadn't heard a word she'd just said.
