CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
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-: sixth year :-
── IN WHICH ITS CHRISTMAS DAY
. . .
Just like the multiple nights before, Rosie had been sleeping in the twins room, as has Angelina - but only for the night before. Lee Jordan had needed to go home, as had their other two roommates.
"Get up you lazy lumps." This time, it was Rosie saying the words, as she woke up rather early that morning, despite her preference for sleeping in. "It's Christmas day!" She half-yelled, jumping up from her bed and practically bouncing around the room.
"God, Rosie, how can you have so much energy." George threw a pillow in the direction of the girl, but because of her constant movement, it ended up hitting Angelina.
With an indignant yell from the girl, everyone but Fred was awake, and glancing at George, Rosie nodded, before practically jumping on the boy.
"What the hell?" Fred whined, as the sudden movement and pain woke him. Sitting on his torso, Rosie peered over him, smiling. "Merlin's balls, that's creepy." Fred swore and pushed Rosie off of him, the girl tumbling to the floor.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Rosie grumbled, getting up from the floor. "Presents." She shouted, the energy and smile back and Fred shook his head, letting the girl sit at the end of his bed and tie back the curtains that surrounded his bed, George and Angelina doing the same for his.
Their presents were in a rather large jumbled pile by the fire place - they guessed it was due to the four of them being from mixed dorms. Rosie took it upon herself to sort through them, and after a few noises of something breaking as she threw them to people, they had a good sized pile on each of their beds.
Sitting cross-legged on the red duvet, Rosie began unwrapping her presents, marvelling at each one. She got a variety of things made by her mermaid relatives - various pretty shells attached to hair pins, and a mirror surrounded by mystical, smooth sea glass.
From a note attached to the dress, Rosie had found out that it was made by her aunt and grandmother, with the help of the mother who had picked out the colours, material and shoes.
In another parcel, was a comb made out of old coral, that had been magicked to look alive. And in another, a box of individually wrapped pearls, that had tiny holes drilled into them - and a note informing her that she could wear them in her hair.
Rosie tended to be spoilt by her water-borne relatives, as was proven by the large pile of sea themed gifts, and the several she still had to go. Her cousin had made her a pair of dark green fishnets - made out of a type of extremely thin seaweed, and her uncle had gone to the work of putting together the mirror and comb - her aunt also having made her a small jacket.
"Gosh Rosie, they must like you." George commented, as he eyed the pile. Both the twins had found out early on about Rosie's mermaid genes, and since then, Rosie had been sharing a few of her many gifts from her underwater family.
"I don't have anything you can borrow, unfortunately. It's mostly ball related stuff." Rosie's eyes flickered over to Fred, who winked at her in return. Rosie and the twins had decided not to get gifts for each other that year - the money that could have gone to that instead going to to the twins' business.
Rosie then turned to the smaller pile of presents from her family. From her parents it was mostly clothes and books, and her brother had drawn a picture of a mermaid with long, pinkish dark hair - which Rosie could only assume to be herself.
Her final parcel consisted of a beautiful knitted purple sweater with a 'R' embroidered in the middle, and a small box of fudge - no doubt from Mrs Weasley. "Remind me to write to your mum and thank you." Rosie nudged George as she went to sit next to him, chin balancing on his shoulder as she surveyed his various gifts.
"Oh!" Angelina exclaimed from across the room, and Rosie looked over, to see the girl holding up a sweater similar to hers, in a dark red, a golden 'A' in the centre.
"Merlin, mum went all out of the knitting this year." Fred said, and looked across to Rosie. "Was this your doing?" He asked, a slightly conspirital smile on his face.
"Maybe it wasn't, maybe I wrote to Molly asking her if she could possibly make Angelina one because I knew we would all be sharing and I didn't want her to be left out when we all had one." Rosie smiled, and Angelina practically threw herself on the girl, squeezing her half to death.
"Let's go to breakfast." Rosie suggested, and the four got up, the two girls returning to their dorm to get dressed, before meeting up with the twins in the common room.
"Who's that for?" George nodded at the neatly wrapped parcel in Rosie's hands.
"It's for Cedric. I was going to ask your mum to make another sweater but I knew it was too much and it's kind of a family and friends thing so I didn't want to give him one.. but I did ask her to make him a pair of socks. There's also a couple other things in there - more to do with the tournament than anything." Rosie babbled, before pausing.
"We didn't say if we were a gifts sort of friendship - would it be awkward if I gave him them?" Rosie peered at Fred, who shrugged.
"I don't suppose it would? You guys have been working pretty closely so I'm guessing he probably has something for you as well." Fred eventually said, and Rosie nodded, smiling slightly.
"I'll be right back." She said, as they entered the Great Hall. Practically bounding over to the Hufflepuff, Rosie leant over and tapped Cedric on the shoulder.
"Merry Christmas, Ced." She smiled, and Cedric got up, returning the smile. "I didn't know if we were getting each other presents but I would rather be safe then sorry so I did get you something." She told him, rather rushed.
"Hey, it's ok." Cedric reassured her, and held out his hand. "I got you something as well. The sweater suits you by the way."
"What can I say, Molly Weasley can knit a great jumper." Rosie shrugged, holding out her gift, hesitating slightly. "Don't open it with me here, I don't want to know your reaction. If you hate it, just tell me later."
"And if I like it?" Cedric smirked at the rushed, blushing girl, carefully passing her the small box.
"Feel free to tell me that as well." Rosie smiled. "I'll see you later." She said, speeding off to the Gryffindor table and slipping into a seat next to George.
"He got you something as well?" Angelina asked, and the twins looked interested. As did most people, a few other Gryffindors leaning over in attempt to see the small box.
"Yeah, he did." Rosie smiled, pulling the dark ribbon on the box, and using a fingernail to slice open the sellotaped wrapping paper. Inside was a small blue box, covered in golden glitter swirls.
Opening the box, Rosie revealed a clear globe, and when she pulled it out, she realised it was a snow globe. Inside, amongst the 'snow' was a girl sat beside a dog, a snowman obviously built up beside them.
"Oh." Rosie said quietly. "It's so pretty." She smiled softly, and around her, a few girls awed, staring at the globe.
A label hung off a small loop of string, and Rosie read it, the writing half messy, half neat - extremely Cedric Diggory.
'I wasn't sure what to get you, but I saw this in one of the back shops in Hogsmeade. The girl reminded me of you. Merry Christmas, love Cedric'. The writing read, and Rosie couldn't help but blush.
She ate her breakfast slowly, every so often reaching out and shaking the snow globe, watching as the snow fell over the scene, a content smile on her face.
Hopefully, it would stay like that, and the ball wouldn't cause any chaos.
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