Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. Allium was also doing this with them but was able to get away before being seen.
The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.
No one could wait for the holidays to start. While 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, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.
"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."
He was looking over at Harry as he spoke but what he didn't know is that his words stung Allium as well. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family. Allium had fallen victim to a number of these.
Professor Snape had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Allium had sourly signed up. She tried her best not to feel sorry for herself. Her brothers were staying, too, because mum and dad were going to Romania to visit Charlie.
When Allium left the potions she decided to follow her brother to try and get up the courage to talk to him, she followed them to a large fir tree. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told her Hagrid was behind it.
"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" She heard Ron ask, sticking his head through the branches.
"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."
"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind two boys and quite a bit ahead of Allium. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose -- that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."
These taunts pissed Allium off but she quickly let go of those feelings as Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.
"WEASLEY!"
Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.
"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."
"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking. As Allium watched from a car she could imagine clobbering his head with a textbook.
"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him--"
"I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape."
"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."
Though she wanted to try and talk to Ron she decided another time would be best.
Allium had heard Harry, Hermione and Ron exit the hall. She heard them talking about someone named Nicholas Flamel. Allium couldn't help but feel the name was familiar, she decided that she would look into it later just to know what her brother was up to.
The days passed and Allium truly didn't have much to do. Her dorm was empty and she had already finished all the homework. The twins would occasionally come by to get her to help them with a prank. Though it was hard for them to get to her since she was mostly in her dorm.
She had been searching through the library for Nicholas Flamel to try and figure out why her brother and his friends would be interested.
It was Christmas finally. Allium had spent the last few months excited for her next Weasley sweater. She wasn't sure if Charlie or Bill had managed to send anything. She had decided to wait with her gifts due the school owls not looking like they would be up for the trip.
When Allium went to bed that night she was excited for not only the feast but whatever the twins had planned.
When she woke early in the morning, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.
She quickly rushed to see what she got. She looked through the packages in glee to find her Weasley sweater but there were only four presents and none were from mum.
As she stared at the four gifts it almost felt like she had been punched in the face. She wished that it was just a delivery error and that her brothers didn't get them either. Yet deep down she knew that her mother hadn't forgotten or that the owls had trouble it was just another cruel backlash of her house.
To try and numb her sorrows she opened the other gifts. There was a dragon scale from Charlie that truly made her smile due to loving to threaten the twins with them.
The second was from bill which was a small mummy that could move. There was also a letter that explained it was just a charm and wasn't actually cursed. He had gotten it from a wizard tourist shop.
The third was from the twins it had made a pop when she opened it. Inside was the small box was a snowball. There was a note in the box saying that it would never melt. Allium laughed thinking about how long it took the twins to figure out that spell.
The third present confused her. It was from Hermione, it was some weird looking candy. There was a note.
Dear Allium,
This is a thank you gift for the troll incident. Since you're a pure blood I have a feeling you won't know what these are. They are called Maltesers they don't have any tricks like wizarding ones. The inside is almost like a cracker but it more dissolved in your mouth. Again thank you
Sincerely, Hermione
Allium tried the odd chocolate which surprised her at how the inside was. While tte inside dissolved it left the chocolate for her to chew. She almost ate the whole bag of chocolates, they were absolutely fantastic. Her father had sometimes brought muggle candy home but this was much better.
Allium had never in all her life had such a Christmas dinner, of course the ones her mum made were amazing but this. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce - and stacks of crackers every few feet along the table. Allium pulled crackers with both George and Fred.
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. Allium Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Allium's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.
When Allium finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of nonexplodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set.
Allium spent the afternoon with her brothers and Harry having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Though the fun came to an end when her brothers went to the their common room. She didn't feel welcome there so she returned to her dorm, tired and alone.
As she lay in her bed her thoughts come to attack of how she isn't welcome. Though the thought that probably hurt the most was the sweater Harry was wearing. It was a sweater she would recognize anywhere, for it was a Weasley sweater. The thought that a complete stranger got a sweater from her mother instead of her stung. She pushed the thoughts and slipped to sleep not knowing what was going on in another repart of the castle.
Two boys were out in a place they shouldn't be with a mirror that showed their desires.
"Look at me!" he said.
"Can you see all your family standing around you?"
"No -- I'm alone -- but I'm different -- I look older -- and I'm head boy!"
"What?"
"I am -- I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to -- and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup -- I'm Quidditch captain, too."
Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry.
"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"
"How can it? All my family are dead -- let me have another look--"
"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time."
"You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents."
"Don't push me--"
A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.
"Quick!"
Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing -- did the cloak work on cats? After what seemed an age, she turned and left.
"This isn't safe -- she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on."
And Ron pulled Harry out of the room. Though what Ron hadn't told his friend is that there was something else in the mirror thta he saw. It was Allium dawned in Gryffindor apparel clearly being switched to that house. One thing that Ron wanted was his sister back but things are hard to be untaught so his mind was stuck with the thought that Slytherins were evil and leaving his sister alone.