lxiii

                                    

                                          
"A HOLIDAY, PART ONE"
                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
                          
It was the day of Christmas. Although the outside looked cold with the snow that had fallen the night before, the inside of the Longbottom Mansion seemed untainted by the weather. There were birds chirping outside, and the sun rays' reflected off of the snowy surface and made it seem as though the outside glowed.
                          
Alana awoke restful, the blankets felt weightless despite how much space there was between her and the open air of the bedroom. She wiped away the blurriness that plagued her eyes, slowly stepping out of the bed.
                          
This room was too big for her, she thought. But it's not like she is any less fortunate than the family who owns this mansion, perhaps her family was even more fortunate. It did not bother her, in fact: she would have been fine with an even smaller room than this. 
                          
The room was too empty, and perhaps she could have altered it during her stay here, but that is too much of a hassle. Alana slid on her slippers that laid so patiently at the side of the bed. 
                          
She made sure the door was locked, and as it was confirmed — Alana looked under her bed and pulled out the present that had been purchased for Neville the previous day. There was no time for it to be wrapped properly, and Alana forgot to even purchase the right materials to do so. 
                          
On the floor beside her was the newspaper from St. Mungo's that she borrowed. Alana sighed, carefully ripping out the pages that completely lacked a person's face or a big bold title. 
                          
There were no ribbons, ties, or string nearby, she noted. Alana sat up, and grabbed the wand that sat on the side table. It took her a while to think of a spell that could tie this wrapping together, but eventually as she carefully folded over some pages, she pointed her wand to the bundle of paper and cast: "Colloportus!"
                          
She winced, expecting something terrible to happen, but to her surprise: nothing of the sort.
                          
The newspaper seemed to glid effortlessly over the present, and eventually as she turned the object this way and that, she could not even figure out where one page ended and where one page begun.
                          
Alana was pleased with herself. She set the newly-wrapped present on her bed, and she headed over to the bathroom to wash her face. 
                          
She would not have to do much to get ready for the day, after all: today is Christmas. 
                          
In addition to washing her face, she collected her hair into a ponytail, sprayed some citrus perfume, and put on some chapstick and mascara. So much for simple, she thought jokingly. In truth, she was nervous about hanging out with Neville's family, even though they had already met earlier during the break.