After a joyful Christmas morning, Anne and Fanny returned to the Slytherin dormitory. With the favor she owed Hermione now repaid, Anne felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders, and so she was in an especially good mood while unwrapping her presents. She didn't even notice there seemed to be more gifts than expected, until she opened one package and let out a startled gasp.
Fanny leaned over to peek. "A book? That's a nice Christmas present. Anne, why are you so surprised?"
Anne handed her the card that came with it, her voice filled with disbelief. "It's from Harry Potter!" Fanny took the card. It read: Merry Christmas, Anne. – Harry Potter. She frowned slightly. "Yeah? So? He sent you a gift. What about it?"
"But I didn't give him one…" Anne said, then grabbed another package from the pile, this one wrapped in parchment and labeled: Ron Weasley. She held it up, even more shocked. "Ron Weasley sent one too? But I didn't get him anything either..."
Fanny frowned and scolded, "Anne, that's not right. You should've thought about giving them something. It's basic etiquette. Think how disappointed they must've been this morning when they didn't get anything from you. And you know the Weasleys' situation, Ron still sent you a gift!"
"I…" How was I supposed to know they'd get me something? What do I do now? She thought about pretending not to have seen the gifts, but Fanny had a point. Even Ron had sent her something. Anne didn't plan to tag along with the trio on their adventures, but she definitely didn't want to offend them, they were the main characters, after all.
"If I go now to return the favor, do you think it's still okay?" Anne looked at Fanny, asking anxiously.
"I think the sooner you fix this, the better," Fanny said seriously. "And don't give them something half-hearted either, Anne, or I'll give you an earful."
"…Fine." Anne sighed, then hurried to her desk, scanning it for ideas. When her eyes landed on a glass display case, a light bulb went off. "I've got it!"
Fanny stood beside her like a watchdog, making sure Anne wouldn't slack off with the gifts. Anne opened her wardrobe, pulling out a small leather trunk filled with Quidditch merchandise, all from Aaron's packages. She dug out the latest edition of the Irish National Team collectible figures, all moving around inside a glass-fronted box, some flying on broomsticks.
"This can go to Ron. He'll definitely love it," Anne said, placing the box on the desk.
Fanny lifted it carefully and nodded. "It's perfect. But honestly, I think Harry would like it even more, he's the Gryffindor Seeker, isn't he?"
Anne pulled out two signed team photos, one of the Irish team and the other of the Bulgarian team, then shut the trunk and stood up. "I think Harry might need something else more… for what he's going to face later." She handed Fanny the Irish photo. "Fanny, could you wrap Ron's gift for me? There's blank parchment over there."
"Alright, but what exactly are you giving Harry?" Fanny asked, already placing the photo on the box and pulling out a large sheet of parchment.
Anne put the trunk back into the wardrobe, then crouched down to pull a larger wooden chest from beneath the desk. It was filled with all sorts of pouches and colorful little boxes. After scanning them, she took a small black box from the lower-left corner. It was palm-sized, with the word DANGER scribbled in bright white ink on the lid.
"This one will do. The other items are too harmless." Anne murmured, holding the box but hesitating slightly.
Fanny paused in her wrapping and crouched beside Anne, eyeing the box curiously. "What's that? It says 'danger' on it?"
Anne made up her mind. She shut the chest and shoved it back under the desk. "It's better if I don't tell you. You'll never need it."
Fanny stood up with her and gave the box a curious stare. "Alright…" Then she went back to wrapping Ron's present. Anne grabbed another piece of parchment and wrapped the black box.
When both were wrapped, Anne wrote Christmas greetings on each.
By lunchtime, Anne arrived at the Great Hall carrying the presents. Luckily, the only ones there were the trio, just as she'd hoped. No crowd, no audience. Perfect. She walked straight toward them.
Harry and Ron had already finished their food, while Hermione was barely touching hers. She explained to the boys that she'd eaten too much in the morning.
As Anne approached, Harry and Ron instinctively began to stand, assuming she was here for Hermione again.
"Good afternoon," Anne said coolly, stopping them. "Harry, Ron, wait, I'm here to see you two."
Fanny also greeted them cheerfully. Hermione raised an eyebrow at Anne's words, clearly curious what this was about.
Anne took a seat beside Hermione and slid the gifts across the table to Ron and Harry, who stared at her in confusion.
"I, uh... forgot to give you your Christmas presents this morning because of some things I had to do," Anne admitted, a bit embarrassed. "So here they are now."
Ron's face lit up as he picked up the small box wrapped in parchment. "Is this for me?"
Anne nodded. "Of course. Go ahead and open it."
Harry took his own package, a small, black wooden box, and examined it, flipping it over in his hands. Then he glanced at Ron's gift. "Can I open mine too?"
Anne gave a small nod, and they both began unwrapping.
"Oh Merlin, this is the newest Irish National Team figure set! And a signed photo! Anne, this is amazing! Fred and George are going to be so jealous!" Ron hugged the box like it was made of gold.
Harry glanced enviously at Ron's box, then looked at his own, with DANGER written boldly across it. Others at the table began to notice his odd gift as well.
"Ahem." Anne cleared her throat, clearly flustered by the growing attention. "Harry, I put a lot of thought into that one too. It's very useful. Just open it."
The box wasn't latched, it slid open. Inside were three twig-like sticks, with a white string attached to one of them.
Anne carefully lifted one. "See that white string? It works kind of like a firework fuse. If you ever find yourself in danger, pull the string and throw it toward the threat. But never at a person."
Everyone stared at her like she'd grown another head. Anne's ears turned pink. "I just think your... trio tends to attract trouble. Ugh, forget it…"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a signed photo of the entire Bulgarian National Team. "Here. This is for you, Harry. My uncle says Ireland and Bulgaria are going to face off in the World Cup finals next year. People will be envious when they see this."
Harry looked a bit ashamed. He'd been a little disappointed with his gift at first, especially compared to Ron's, but now he realized it might actually be something special.
"Thanks, Anne. I think this is a really great gift," Harry said.
"Yeah!" Ron added quickly. "We definitely might need that thing... you know, being the trio and all."
"Then take it." Anne waved a hand, standing up and rubbing her stomach. "Anyway, I'm off to lunch now..." She muttered as she turned away, "Hope all this food helps me grow taller…"
Hermione and Fanny both heard her. Hermione stifled a laugh; Fanny didn't even try.
The Christmas holidays flew by. Soon, Hogwarts was bustling again. Students had already moved on to new gossip, and the Chamber of Secrets seemed almost forgotten, especially since no new attacks had occurred over the break.
Lockhart, of course, wasted no time taking credit for the calm. Anne and Fanny once overheard him talking to Professor Flitwick in the corridor:
"I daresay the danger's passed, Professor Flitwick. I suspect the culprit knows I'll catch them next time. I've gathered quite the collection of clues…"
"Oh, you're asking who it is? Well, I can't say for sure yet. Wouldn't want to accuse an innocent man!"
Anne rolled her eyes at Lockhart's fakery, though Fanny wasn't so sure.
"Maybe he's telling the truth? He has done lots of heroic things… Didn't he say he once caught a banshee?" she said, after Anne mocked him.
Anne didn't bother arguing with a girl clearly dazzled by Lockhart's looks.
Days passed quickly, and soon it was February 14th. Since it was a Friday, Anne hadn't slept in. She and Fanny chatted as they walked from the common room to the Great Hall. But when they entered, Anne thought for a moment she'd stepped into the wrong room.
The walls were covered in giant, glaring pink flowers. Worse, colorful heart-shaped confetti rained from the pale-blue ceiling.
Anne and Fanny headed for the Slytherin table. Malfoy sat there looking utterly disgusted. Pansy, on the other hand, seemed in a great mood as she happily cut into a piece of meat.
"What happened here?" Anne asked as she sat down, brushing confetti off her roast.
Pansy pointed toward the staff table. "Professor Lockhart! He said he wanted to lift everyone's spirits and help us forget last term, so he organized today's event!"
"Wonderful…" Fanny said, pouring herself a cup of milk tea.
Anne glanced over the food, carefully selecting anything untouched by confetti. "Yeah, I don't think so…"
"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "So far, I've received forty-six cards, thank you, thank you! And yes, I took the liberty of organizing a little surprise for you all! But wait, there's more!"
He clapped, and from the entrance strode twelve surly-looking dwarves, each with golden wings and a harp strapped to their backs.
"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" Lockhart beamed. "They'll be roaming the school all day delivering your Valentine's messages! And that's not all! I'm sure my colleagues are eager to join the fun. Why not have Professor Snape teach you to brew a love potion? Or perhaps Professor Flitwick could charm someone with a spell more effective than any I've seen!"
Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. As for Snape, his expression made it clear that anyone asking him about love potions would be lucky to escape without being force-fed poison.
Anne had a sarcastic retort ready, but one look at the starry-eyed Fanny and Pansy stopped her. Better not become the enemy of every girl in the castle.
During Potions class that morning, dwarves barged in repeatedly to deliver Valentine cards. Each time someone received one, Snape's face darkened, and he'd always follow it with a question.
Fanny got five questions. Anne got four. Harry received two cards and was asked four questions total.
After class, Fanny let out a relieved sigh. "That was the first time I've ever been scared to receive a Valentine's card." Still, she eagerly flipped through her collection.
Anne glanced at hers, then shoved them all at Fanny. "Here, you take them."
Fanny eagerly accepted. "Ooh, let me see what people wrote to Anne…"
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A/N: Ah, writing this suddenly made me think, how many invitations will Anne get when the Goblet of Fire year comes? She's quite a looker, after all...
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