Roaming the corridors of the castle, with her ingredients safely tucked into her small bag, Evie knew she needed to find a quiet space to brew the Wolfsbane potion. It was a potion that took at least a few weeks to brew properly, so it had to be somewhere it wouldn't be disturbed.
Remus had told Evie stories about a room in Hogwarts castle that would appear and disappear as and when a person had real need of it. It was here that Evie thought she might be able to brew the potion without anyone disturbing her, or finding it accidentally.
As she walked down a long corridor, not far from the great hall, she focused her mind on what she would need in the room in the hopes it would present itself to her. Finally, as she reached the apex of the corridor, surrounded by many grand, beautiful archways, she noticed the doorway beginning to etch itself into the wall on her left.
Once fully formed, Evie entered through the door to find it had exactly what she needed. The room was small, but then she didn't need a lot of space. A work top covered with potion making tools, sat on the right hand side of the room. A small, black cauldron placed in the centre of the room just above a stove, stood next to a rather large potions book which was open.
Closing the door behind her, Evie looked around the room in awe. She could see why it was called the Room of Requirement, it had everything she needed to brew the potion for Remus. As she walked over to the worktop and placed her ingredients out neatly, she turned to look at the open book in the centre of the room. The book was open on the Wolfsbane potion and Evie could see that the concoction would take approximately 2 and a half weeks to brew. Although the instructions did mention that the potion could take a little less or a little longer, it all depended on how fresh the ingredients were. The important thing to note, was that the potion would emit a light blue smoke from the cauldron when it was ready, this made it easier if you weren't sure how fresh the ingredients were. 'That's handy' Evie thought. She had no idea how long the ingredients had been sitting on Snape's shelf, so it was helpful to know the potion would give her its own sign to show when it was ready.
Evie got started on the potion straight away, she could see from the instructions that the first two days of brewing were really important, so she would need to come and check on it during some of the Christmas festivities.
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Christmas morning, Evie woke feeling blue. It just wasn't the same waking up in a dorm room on Christmas, she so wished she could be with her family, but had come to terms with the fact that she couldn't this year. The winter sun was just beginning to rise, Hallie was still sound asleep and Evie didn't feel like going to sit in the common room by herself. Instead, she opened up the large window that stood between the beds, and hopped out to sit on the terrace. She had done this once or twice before, there was something beautiful about watching the sun rise over the grounds. Especially today, the snow glistened like a diamond blanket hugging the landscape. Evie was glad she had brought out her knitted blanket, the air was fresh and a gentle breeze kissed her cheeks, as she sat wrapped up, looking across at the rest of the castle.
She wasn't sure how long she had been sat on the terrace, but the sun was now beaming down onto Evie's face. If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the warmth radiating through her body. She thought about the time she had camped out in the garden with Remus, a few Christmases ago. It was just like today, her and Remus were sat out in the snow, sun beaming down on their faces, looking up at their little cottage which had been decorated with dainty fairy lights. Hope had brought the pair a hot cup of tea "To take the chill off" she said. The memory made Evie chuckle.
As she opened up her eyes, she saw Hallie walking towards her with two steaming cups, "Cup of tea for you, you're mad sitting out here! You'll catch a cold if you're not careful!" she scolded. Hallie didn't quite have the same charm and tact that Hope had, but Evie appreciated the tea all the same.
"Thanks," Evie laughed.
"Merry Christmas Evelyn," Hallie cheered.
"Merry Christmas Hallie," Evie replied.
It wasn't the Christmas either of them had planned. Both girls were home birds, they enjoyed spending their time with family whenever they could. To make up for being at Hogwarts, Hallie had been spending a lot of time with her cousin, Jeremy. He was in the same year as Harry, although he was placed in Ravenclaw so the two didn't know each other that well. However, Jeremy shared a dorm room in the Ravenclaw tower with Lewis Cave, who happened to be Reggie's cousin.
"We better head in and get dressed. Word is that Dumbledore has something to tell us at breakfast... or at least that's what Digs was saying, when I made tea in the Common room," Hallie instructed.
"Something to tell us?" Evie questioned. "He's not closing the school is he? Has someone else been petrified?" Evie quizzed.
"I don't know, don't think so... that's not the kind of vibe I got. Cedric sounded more excited than worried," Hallie responded.
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Sat in the great hall, it was clear to see that most students had gone home. Each house table was barely half full with students. A light breakfast was provided as there was going to be a big Christmas feast in the afternoon. Most students had finished their food by now and a light hum was starting to fill the hall as they began to chatter among themselves.
Dumbledore rose from his seat and stood at the podium, this action caused the room to fall silent almost instantly.
"First of all, I want to wish each and every one of you a very merry Christmas! We have lots of holiday activities planned this morning, should you wish to join in, as well as a magnificent feast planned for 3pm. After that the evening is yours to do with as you will. I know we have faced some challenges in our first term at Hogwarts and we could all do with a pick me up. It is for this reason, that I have decided to suspend ONE of our school rules for the next week. Christmas is a time for family, I know some of you are dismayed that you have not been able to go home for the holidays..." Dumbledore looked over his glasses in Evie and Hallie's direction.
"So, I have spoken with your head of houses and most of us are in agreement... Over the next week, until we see in the new year, you are able to enter another house's common room, IF you have a family member in that house. However, this is for visiting purposes only and I should not find anyone sleeping in a dorm that isn't their own, which was assigned to them on arrival." Dumbledore asserted.
A bubble of whispers began to erupt in the great hall. Hallie grabbed hold of Evie and gave her a tight hug before looking over to the Ravenclaw table, giving Jeremy a wide Grin. Evie looked over to the Gryffindor table to see Ginny and Harry both staring at her with big cheesy smiles on their faces. This was the best possible news under the circumstances. Finally, she was going to be able to spend some time with Harry, AND she was going to be able to spend time with Ginny too. This was a win-win situation. Evie glanced over to Dumbledore who was stepping down from his podium, he looked up and gave Evie a small smile. She felt like Dumbledore had known exactly what Evie's predicament was, and this gesture was a way of helping her cope. 'Surely he can't know about Uncle Moony's situation... could he?' she thought.
Evie was pulled from her thoughts when Harry sat down beside her.
"It's wonderful isn't it, Evie I want you to spend Christmas with me in Gryffindor common room. If you want to that is," Harry blushed. Was he embarrassed?
"Oh Harry, of course I want to! I'm so happy we get to spend some time together, it's nice to have family here... I've really been missing home, A LOT!" Evie responded.
"It really is fantastic, I'm glad I have you... How about after the Christmas feast you come back to Gryffindor common room then?" Harry asked.
"Sounds perfect!" Evie beamed.
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After finishing breakfast, Evie and Hallie went back to the Hufflepuff common room. They had both decided they would write letters home to their family's, play a few board games and then get themselves ready for the Christmas feast.
Dearest Family,
I hope you are all doing OK. I know it is difficult at the moment but I know you are all looking after each other.
I can't begin to tell you how much I am missing you all, Christmas isn't the same without the three of you. Although like you say Grams, Every cloud has a silver lining and today I received mine.
Dumbledore is letting us visit family members in their own common rooms! Harry has invited me over to Gryffindor to spend time with him, which I'm looking forward to. It means I get to spend a bit more time with Ginny too.
I also have a surprise cooking for you, but that will have to be a belated Christmas present.
I wish I was there to say it in person, Merry Christmas! I can't wait to see your faces.
I love you all so much!
Always!
Your Evie xoxo
P.S Thank you for the knitted blanket, it has really come in handy xo
After finishing her letter, Evie noticed that Hallie had barely started hers. She decided now would be the perfect time to go and check on the potion in the room of requirement. She told Hallie she was popping out for a minute and they could play a game and get ready when she returned.
When she arrived at the room of requirement, Evie crept inside, making sure she hadn't been followed before closing the door behind her. She walked over to the simmering cauldron and checked the book, which she had left open just beside it. According to the book, the potion should be bubbling gently and have a dark grey colour to it. As Evie peeked into the cauldron, she was relieved to see it was looking exactly as the book had described. Satisfied that the potion was brewing nicely, she gave it three and a quarter turns anticlockwise, as the instructions suggested and then made her way out of the room.
As Evie faced the door, ensuring it didn't make a noise as it closed, Evie froze.
Someone had watched her leave the room of requirement and was now standing directly behind her.