If the week before Christmas had been exciting for everyone at Hogwarts, the day before hosted a literal buzz of it in the halls. After the little happy incident with Fred, your spirits were high and you took in everything about the school's holiday traditions.
The seven giant Christmas trees in the Great Hall illuminated the place so well there was almost no need for the floating candles, the house elves had exited the kitchens for the first time in a blue moon to hang up wreaths under every torch and banners, and every professor was more cheery than usual (even Snape, who by "cheery" meant he had stopped hitting everybody with books every minute he could, and silently looked forward to when he could enjoy a nice hot cuppa watching the snow fall).
You had plenty of fun seeing your friends get dates, too. Seamus and Roger took your advice and Lavender and Fleur had both said yes, so they thanked you profusely. You pretended to be some hugely popular matchmaker guru, but the catch was that your pairing off always seemed to work without as much as a trace of love potion.
You watched Harry and Ron finally muster up the courage to ask the Patil twins, knowing full well they would have a dull time but congratulating them nonetheless. You'd figure out something to let them have fun. The hope you had that somebody would ask you had dwindled away, but not negatively either. Rather the priority had disappeared as well.
You had a pretty deep blue dress for the event anyway, and you did love dancing and were a huge fan of the Weird Sisters.
Interestingly enough, the twins but more so Fred had been disappearing almost every day leading up to Christmas Eve.
"There he goes again," You shook your head, watching as Fred wiggled his way out of the bench next to you and sprinted out the Great Hall during Christmas Eve breakfast, not before giving you a thumbs up. "What do you suppose he's been doing these days?"
Ron, munching on a chicken leg, looked up uninterestedly.
"I wouldn't be surprised if him and George were planning some big prank at the dance. That's what they're always bloody doing when they disappear."
You shrugged in agreement. He was right. You were pretty used to it, in fact. The twins would look more cheery than usual (if that was possible), and would be extra nice to you, because some big prank plan was on their mind.
Most everyone had stayed at school this holiday because of the ball, so it was some people's first time seeing the Hogwarts trees, as well as the magical mistletoe, which would spawn grow over almost any pair of people walking together. You hated it, especially because you kept seeing students obviously trying to walk close with their crush in hopes some mistletoe would notice.
Also because of the more heavily populated school this year during the holidays, post was crazy. You felt bad for the owls. Tons of Christmas gifts of all sizes and colors were being flown in every morning, especially today. Most of them had stamped notes reading "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS MORNING" or included cute little moving pictures of students' families back home.
You didn't talk or think much about it, but it was well known your parents had died long before you began attending Hogwarts without having another kid, and you didn't have the best relationship with them either. It had always been an interchangeable rotation between the Burrow and your grandparent's nearby home in Devon during breaks.
One barn owl elegantly settled in front of you with a parcel, and you smiled with familiarity at the cute stamps your grandparents collected scattered on it. The handmade cards and treats Nan made were enough to make you smile.
"Why would anyone want to read for Christmas?" you heard Ron say, noticing that Hermione's neatly bundled gift very obviously resembled a stack of individually wrapped books.
Hermione shot Ron a look. You supposed she was still annoyed at him.
"You clearly don't seem to know me well, Ronald," she huffed, placing the gifts under the table.
"Open yours, then," you smiled to a perplexed Ron, and George scoffed to your left.
Ron frowned at you. "I'm leaving these for tomorrow."
You put on a singsong voice. "Oh Ronald, we all already know what's it going to be. Might as well put the jumper on now." Ron glared at you, which only made you laugh harder.
All of you started seeing more and more gifts arrive and would pass them down the table for each other, until breakfast was almost over.
That morning, you had offered to help give out gifts to the Hogwarts professors by request of Dumbledore. It was around noon—when you finished sending off the last parcel to Snape—when a certain redhead came barreling toward you, carrying a couple boxes marked in red ink.
Eyeing the boxes he was holding, you recognized the chicken scratch handwriting to be his own.
"Fred, you're back, h—" you said at the same time he crashed into you, pulling you into a massive hug with his free arm right outside the Potions room.
You made a little yelping sound, being entirely suffocated in one second. Talk about unnecessary.
"Right, Fred, whatever prank it is you're excited about, can we get out of the dungeons first?"
He let go of you, but wrapped one arm around your shoulder, tickling the back of your neck for a second and chuckling at the squirming motion you made, before leading you out of the dungeons like you were lost.
"What makes you think it's a prank?" Fred asked, not looking directly at you but leaning his mouth dangerously close to your ear.
"Can you stop that? And because you say that every time you and or George are planning some big prank stunt. You're extra nice and happy today." You shimmied away from his face.
He dramatically frowned at you as you stepped into the main corridor.
"Am I not allowed to be happy during the holiday season? It's Christmas Eve after all, darling."
The last word was spoken as he turned his head away from you to lead you to the library, the only quiet place even during the holiday break by law of Madam Pince.
You read the words on the box he was carrying under his other arm. "Right, so Fireworks for Yule Ball is just a holiday homework assignment?" You said in disbelief. "For a master trickster I thought you'd know better than to label things like that."
Fred rubbed at the back of your head so your hair messed up. You groaned.
"And here I was thinking my messy handwriting made it undetectable. You caught me," He still wasn't looking at you for some reason.
"Maybe for others, but not for me," you replied. You were far too used to helping correct Fred's essays for his messy handwriting to still be of any effect on you.
The library was far warmer than the corridors, by way of the three fireplaces on each end and the center. He led you to a closed off area where you wouldn't be disturbed, usually your favorite place to study.
You didn't really ask what Fred's prank plan was, learning from the past that it was for the best not to ask too many questions.
Fred released his arm and gently took your hand instead, making your heart jump as his thumb grazed your wrist and he sat you down.
"Wait here for a second, okay?" He said, and you were already picking up a random book that had been left on the table in front of you in an attempt to avoid his eyes when he disappeared.
"Didn't know you had such a fascination with—" You looked up to see Fred craning his neck to read the title of the book you were holding as you glanced down at it: "Flesh-Eating Trees of the World'."
You hadn't even noticed when he had come back around the bookshelf you just watched him disappear behind seemingly a second ago.
But now he was carrying yet another box, this one unmarked. "Who knows if I'll ever meet some deadly sapling and get my face eaten?" You knew he liked you bantering back to him.
Fred cocked his head. "The Whomping Willow is one, isn't it? And you know I wouldn't let anything hurt your pretty face," he quipped casually while settling down his cargo, reminding you of Mr. Tumnus with his parcels. Fred now sat on the sofa next to you, lounged with his too long limbs hanging over it.
Again, you knew he was just being his usual self, but maybe the comfortable heat from the fire was making you really savor the casual flirtatiousness coming from your best friend.
"Don't fall asleep in the library," you laughed, seeing his eyes flutter shut and head slump down. "Pince will hit you with a newspaper."
Fred grinned with his eyes still closed. "But it's nice and warm here." You ignored him and leaned over to poke his hand resting in his lap just to annoy him.
His eyes flew open as he looked sideways at you, not with the annoyance you expected but...enjoyment? More than that, though. Longing? Oh, your mind was playing tricks on you again.
"Found you!" George suddenly appeared from behind one of the larger shelves. "You got everything?" He said to Fred, not paying you any mind.
You scoffed. "George, again, you are horrible at greetings."
The younger twin immediately turned and clutched at his chest in mock pain. Then he bowed down to you.
"Forgive me, Your Highness, for it is an urgent occurrence."
You waved him away. "Whatever, peasant."
George looked fake pained once more. "You'll be regretting the way you speak to me later, my lady. You're g—" Fred nudged his foot at the back of George's knee with squinted eyes.
You looked between the two of them, very familiar with their twin telepathy that nobody could read.
"Right, I'll have to steal your boyfriend for a minute, Y/N," George was already pushing Fred away.
"He's not my—" You didn't finish your sentence, knowing it was no use.
George hissed at his brother in a low voice, "I told you we need to be early if you want to have enough setup time. This was your idea, wasn't it?"
George hadn't known you had heard him, so you piped up, "Why are you guys being so suspicious to me about a prank? It's just a Yule ball crash, isn't it?"
You searched both of their eyes, but could read nothing. They had the habit of both going blank if you tried to. "Right, Godric, go, you two," you watched as George hoarded Fred off, Fred throwing you his signature wink and saluting you backwards once he turned away.
You were alone in the library, and feeling quite warm and fuzzy inside for no reason, maybe because of the fireplace ambience and no other sound, the darkness of the library, and the scent of Fred that still lingered.
Deciding you wouldn't go against your own word you got up to go on a pointless walk around the school. It was what you spent most of your time doing during holiday stuck at school. There was an endless amount of places to go to in Hogwarts, anyway.
You exited the library to find the main corridor Grand Staircase, passing by the Great Hall where all the dishes were lined up perfectly down the large room, vacant of people. Most everyone spent their time in the common room, but you headed for the clock tower courtyard instead.
It was already starting to get dark, because of the season, and chilly, but you liked the cold. There were a few people ambling about, but otherwise quiet.
You had a thought to go onto the wooden bridge, and stand against it appreciating the sunset and the beautiful mountains of the Highlands in the distance.
Eventually, you did head back to the common room, deciding to join in on the group festivities and placing your gifts under the mini Christmas tree there. Every year, the Gryffindors always did a Secret Santa, which was just another thing to look forward to.
"Wanna play truth or dare with us?" Dean Thomas called to you from the floor after you had gone to your dorm to place your armful of gifts to be opened by yourself and others under the tree.
Fred wasn't among them, and neither was George, so you shrugged.
"I'm a bit tired. But I'll be the first one up for Secret Santa!" There was a collective good-natured groan.
"You better not wake the whole tower up at 6 am like you did last year," Katie Bell teased. You crossed your arms.
"No, I'll wake the whole tower up at 5 am, because we have the ball too this time! I need to help you all prepare," you retaliated.
Alicia Spinnet snorted. "Says the one who hasn't shown her dress yet."
You scowled. "I wanted it to be a surprise."
You turned and trudged up the steps sleepily but not unhappily, stripping off the sweatshirt and skirt you had been wearing, and falling asleep—this time with relaxed excitement rather than anger—to the sound of laughter underneath you in the common room and other dorms.
You could've sworn right before you fell unconscious a bright orange spark flew by the window.