𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟭 || To Prepare for Christmas

                                    

                                          
The coming arrival of Christmas had really livened Hogwarts up.
                          
For one, there was not a single day that Emery did not spend outside playing in the snow. She built hundreds of snowmen, each doing sillier things than the rest.
                          
In fact, she had been given detention for building a group of snowmen that 'traumatized the minds of the little first years,' as Professor Flitwick put it.
                          
She had build an enormous snowman around a tree, making it look like it was lying down and a tree had grown out of it.
                          
Then, she built a snowman with three heads, and another with two torsos.
                          
But her masterpiece was what got her into trouble.
                          
She had built a large headless snowman lying on the ground, and three other snowmen standing with horror looking at the headless snowman.
                          
She got a detention for that.
                          


                          
The students of fourth year and above were most excited for the ball, which was in two weeks. The Great Hall was in the process of being decorated, and all the Prefects and teachers aided in contributing their bit to the decorations.
                          
Emery, even though she was not a prefect, did her bit too, with a little help from Peeves. The poltergeist had assisted Emery in abducting all the decorations and decorating all the trees outside, claiming that it wasn't fair that the outside doesn't get any decorations.
                          
Another time, Emery got Peeves to steal all the tinsel so she could wrap Filch in it. She called it 'Tinselified Filch.' 
                          
She also placed a Gemino curse on the mistletoe so whenever anyone but her touched it, it multiplied. 
                          
Overall, the teachers appreciated her enthusiasm for decorating, and her Christmas spirit, but she was getting a bit out of hand, and they had no way to control her.
                          
So they just gave her the decorations and told her to decorate the Hall.
                          


                          
Emery was beyond ecstatic. She had boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations, and she was responsible for decorating the entire school.
                          
She sang as she worked, and Peeves helped her.
                          
"DECK THE HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY, FA LA LA LA LA LAAA LA LA LA LAAA," she sang at the top of her lungs, making sure everyone could hear her.
                          
Peeves joined her, and the two came up with an extremely rude song about Filch. Peeves then did the job of spreading the song around, much to Filch's aggravation. 
                          
It was no surprise that the students of Hogwarts all hummed the song under their breaths over the following days, no doubt because Peeves had made sure to drill the catchy lyrics into their heads.
                          


                          
It was four days to the ball when Emery made a very important discovery.
                          
She was heading for lunch in the Great Hall with Cecilia when an owl dropped a letter at her feet. Emery put the letter in her pocket, having it in mind to read it later.
                          
"Who's it from?" asked Cecilia.
                          
Emery shrugged. "No idea. I'll read it later. Right now I'm hungry."
                          
"I wonder what's for lunch," asked Cecilia.
                          
"I hope it's not steak and kidney pie," sighed Emery, grimacing.
                          
"I always wondered why you hate steak and kidney pie so much," said Cecilia, straightening her bag.
                          
Emery looked at Cecilia's bag. "Cecy, your bag is too full," she said. "It's going to break."
                          
"It won't," said Cecilia. "It's sturdy."
                          
But at that moment, the bag strap broke.
                          


                          
Emery looked at Cecilia smugly as her books fell to the floor. Emery was about to help Cecilia pick up the books when she found a hand atop hers.
                          
She was suddenly looking into a pair of crystal blue eyes. It was a boy with brown hair and a slight stubble. Emery had seen him before, but she didn't know who he was. A Slytherin, by the judging of his tie color.
                          


                          
"Let me," he said, picking up all of Cecilia's books and handing them to her. Cecilia was flustered as she tried grabbing them from his hands, only for them to fall down again.
                          
"S-sorry," Cecilia stuttered. "I'll get them."
                          
"I'll do it," said the boy, before picking them up once more. Cecilia stared at the boy, while Emery wondered where she'd seen him before.
                          
The boy stood up after handing the books to Cecilia. 
                          
He turned to face Emery. 
                          


                          
"Lestrange," he said with a cocky smirk. "Rabastan Lestrange."
                          
Emery smiled politely. So he was the brother in law of the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange. 
                          
"Nice to meet you," she said, not meaning the words much. "I'm Emery Fowl."
                          
"It's nice to finally meet your cousin," he told Cecilia. 
                          


                          
Cecilia smiled. "Yeah. Emery, this is Rabastan. He studies with me in the library sometimes," she said softly.
                          
"Cecilia doesn't stop talking about you," said Rabastan. "I must say, it's great to formally meet you."
                          
"And I," said Emery cordially, temporarily at a loss of words.
                          
"Anyway, I have to go now, I've got Herbology in a bit," said Rabastan.
                          
"Bye Rabastan," called Cecilia.
                          
Rabastan smiled. "I'll see you around, Cecy," he said.
                          
Then, he disappeared around the corner.
                          


                          
That was when Emery noticed the slip up that Cecilia thought she was oblivious to.
                          


                          
He called her Cecy.
                          


                          


                          
a/n: THANK YOU ALL FOR 1K READS. 
                          
here's the triple update of today as promised. hope you enjoy.
                          
please vote, comment and share.
                          
love, elsie.