Days passed in a blur of classes, quizzes, letters exchanged between classes, and more quiet laughter in the library than Madam Pince appreciated. The castle grew colder, snow powdering the windowsills and the trees around the lake. With each passing day, talk of Christmas filled the common rooms. Excitement bubbled in the air like a well-stirred cauldron. And then, finally it was time.
I was in the Ravenclaw dormitory, sorting through my things and carefully folding clothes into my trunk, separating gifts into tidy little piles. Pandora sat on her bed, struggling to zip her bag, while Emmeline was across from me, whispering to her toad to please stop hopping on the wrapping paper
"Alright," I said, picking up two small, wrapped parcels from the foot of my bed. "These are for you. Happy Yule, in advance."
"Ooh!" Pandora grabbed hers eagerly. "Wait are we opening these now?"
"No," Emmeline said quickly. "We agreed on Yule, remember?"
"Fine, fine." Pandora tucked the gift into her bag and handed me one in return. "Yours. Don't you dare peek early."
I grinned and tucked it beside my scarf. Emmeline gave me her gift too, then added, "You're lucky, you know. Getting as roommates. We have excellent taste in gifts."
I laughed, and together we made our way downstairs, chatting idly. Just as we stepped out of the Ravenclaw common room, a familiar second-year Dirk Cresswell came toward us, cheeks pink and steps hesitant.
"Hi, Petunia," he said quickly, eyes darting toward the floor. He thrust a small, clumsily wrapped box into my hands. "Er—happy Yule!"
I blinked. "Oh! Thank you...?" I tilted my head slightly, confused. "But why—?"
He turned bright red. "You're just.....really nice. That's all. And smart. And...and helpful in Herbology. That time with the Dittany....I mean.....not that you remember but—uh—bye!"
He practically sprinted off, bumping into a suit of armor with a loud clang before disappearing around the corner.
I stared after him, bewildered.
Emmeline burst into giggles. "Merlin's beard. Petunia, that one's got it bad."
I turned to her. "What? No, he just said he was just being polite "
Pandora smirked. "Oh, come on. He's got a crush. You've got admirers in every House. Honestly, it's starting to get ridiculous."
Emmeline nodded solemnly. "But none of them make a move. Because they're all scared Sirius will find out and prank them into the next century."
Pandora giggled. "True. He acts like your personal guard dog. Or... romantic watchdog."
I rolled my eyes. "You're all impossible."
Before I could say anything more, Severus, Andrew, and Felix came up the stairs, carrying bundles of presents. Severus handed me mine with a little smirk.
"We figured it'd be smarter to get this out of the way before the great hall turns into chaos."
Pandora groaned. "Ours are still in our dorm! We'll give them once we finish breakfast—we'll sneak away and pack them into your trunks."
After a quick exchange of gifts, we started heading downstairs toward the Great Hall. We passed by students from every House some gave me candies, others waved and offered tiny cards or sweets. I smiled and thanked each one, cheeks warm from the attention.
Severus raised a brow. "You're becoming very popular."
Andrew grinned. "Miss Popular Evans, graciously accepting her kingdom's tribute."
"Are we supposed to bow now?" Felix added, elbowing me playfully.
"Alright, alright," I said, laughing. "Let's just eat before you lot starve."
As we neared the Great Hall, my eyes caught Lily sitting at the Gryffindor table with Marlene, Mary, and Alice.
Breakfast was a warm affair. The scent of roasted nuts and cinnamon filled the air, and piles of toast and pumpkin jam were already waiting. We ate, joked, and swapped guesses about our gifts.
As our group stood from the Ravenclaw table, half-full goblets and crumb-dusted plates still cluttering the surface, I adjusted my scarf and reached for my gift bag. But just as we were turning to leave, a familiar voice rang out loud, clear, and unmistakably Sirius Black:
"Evans!"
I turned sharply. My group turned with me. There he was Sirius swaggering toward us from the Gryffindor table with his usual dramatic flair, but there was something a bit... off. Like he was trying too hard to look casual. His stride had that Gryffindor bounce to it, but his hands were stuffed awkwardly into the sleeves of his robe, and he was fidgeting with something hidden inside.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked, eyes flicking to my friends especially Severus.
The tension was immediate. Severus didn't move, but his eyes sharpened, like they were quietly sizing Sirius up for a duel. The others lingered too, half-curious, half-ready to drag me away if things got awkward.
I glanced at my group. Emmeline raised a brow. Severus looked instantly suspicious, and Andrew frowned.
"I'll catch up," I told them.
Severus didn't move. "You sure?"
I gave his hand a quick squeeze. "It's fine."
He sighed but nodded, following the others out with one last glance over his shoulder.
I turned back to Sirius, crossing my arms. "What do you want, Black?"
He pulled something out of his robes and shoved it toward me. It was a small, neatly wrapped gift with a silvery bow.
I looked at it, then up at him. "What is this?"
He rolled his eyes. "It's a gift. For Yule. Obviously."
I blinked at him. "We're not even friends."
Sirius frowned. "So?"
"So why would you give me a gift?"
He looked at me like I'd grown antlers. "Because it's Yule. People do that. Merlin, Evans, it's not a proposal."
I raised an eyebrow. "Could've fooled me."
Sirius turned a shade redder and huffed. "Okay, look. You helped me that one time with that charm when even Remus gave up, and you didn't laugh when I tripped over my own robes in front of Professor McGonagall, and you returned my lost quill. That's, like, three nice things. It's only fair."
I tilted my head, amused. "So this is a thank-you gift?"
"Yes! No! Maybe." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine. It's also because I think you're kind of... y'know. Cool. For a Ravenclaw."
I tried not to smile. "That's quite the compliment."
Sirius grinned suddenly, all boyish charm. "Don't get used to it. Next term I go back to being annoying."
I took the gift from him and held it carefully. "Thank you. I'll open it on Yule."
He gave a quick nod. "Good. I hope you like it. . I had to make Remus approve it."
I laughed. "So you're saying Remus has good taste?"
"Terrible taste," Sirius said immediately. "But he's got a better eye for this stuff than I do."
He stepped back, hands in his pockets again. "Alright. Happy Yule, Evans."
I smiled. "Happy Yule, Black."
He turned to leave, then spun back and added, "Oh, and don't tell Snape. He already looks like he wants to hex me."
"No promises," I said, laughing as he jogged off.
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