My eyes opened quickly, and I shot out of the bathroom as fast as I could. It was Christmas! For years I had woken up early on this special day filled with wonderful food and presents, and today was no exception.
Today, though, I wasn’t waking up in order to get presents; I was waking up to give one. Mr. Filch would probably need my help cleaning up the Great Hall for the feast, and I wanted to go down to Hagrid’s hut and deliver my present before hand.
Arriving at my rooms, I pushed open the door and gasped at what I saw inside. Presents! Not the huge pile of elaborately wrapped expensive gifts Mother and Father usually sent me, but a small stack of four poorly wrapped presents on the sitting room table, giving the dark room an almost cheerful look. I rushed over to them immediately, picking up the first present and ripping open the card.
“Happy Christmas,” I read, sitting down on the floor. “Hold on- we’ll be back before you know it! Sarah.” I smiled, and a small lump formed in my throat. Stupid me, I hadn’t gotten Sarah a present. I’d have to get something for her and give it to her when she came back. Pulling the brown paper off of her present, I gaped as it revealed a beautiful pair of dark blue robes. They were made of a simple material, and I could tell they weren’t nearly as expensive as the robes I wore at home, but it still made me feel all funny inside. Laying the robes aside carefully, I reached for the next present and opened the card.
“See you soon. Joanna.” Joanna? Why was she sending me a present? Sure, we were friends, but I didn’t realize we were gift-giving friends. Another present I would have to make. Opening the package, I smiled in delight as a box of Sugar Quills fell out. She must have remembered how much I loved them.
The third present was from Hagrid: a small wooden statue of an eagle. Luckily I had remembered to get him something in return. But who could the fourth present be from? Mother and Father would never send me a present, especially in a box so grubby looking. Maybe they made it like this as a surprise? My heart began to beat faster as I opened the box quickly.
My heart sank, though, as I pulled out a bottle of Madam Clean’s Ever Scrubbing Solution. Mother and Father would never send me cleaning supplies, even one that would be useful. I managed to find a crumbled card stuck to the bottom of the Scrub and read,
“I thought you could use this. You’re cool.” The note wasn’t signed, and I could feel a blush rising in my cheeks. Never mind the use of childish slang terms; someone thought I was ‘cool’! Somebody else actually liked me! Galloping Gargoyles, what other surprises would today hold?
Humming happily to myself, I changed into a pair of green robes that didn’t show the ground in dirt and skipped off the Hagrid’s, carrying his present. The rest of the students were still in their dorms either sleeping or opening presents, so I was able to enjoy the freshly fallen snow without worrying about running into Alta. The snow was still falling lightly, adding to the three or four feet that was already packed into the ground. Snow always put me in a good mood, and by the time I reached Hagrid’s hut I was practically giddy. Knocking on the door, I began humming to myself again. As the door opened I put a big smile on my face and held the present behind my back.
“Happy Christmas, Hagrid!” I announced, but it wasn’t Hagrid who opened the door.
“Cassandra?” Hermione sounded surprised to see an eleven-year-old standing in the snow. I was a bit surprised myself. “What are you doing here?” Shrugging, I ducked under her arm and into the warmth of the hut. It was cold outside, after all, and I had left my winter cloak in the castle.
Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hagrid sat around a table, looking just as surprised as Hermione. From the expressions on their faces, they had been talking about something important. Well, that was fine. They had barely spoken a word to me since Halloween, so I certainly wasn’t going to acknowledge them. Instead I went over to where Hagrid was sitting, pointedly ignoring the stares of the Seventh years.
“Happy Christmas, Hagrid,” I repeated, placing my poorly wrapped present in front of him. “This is for you.” Hagrid smiled widely at me as he gingerly opened the package. I had gotten him a small bottle of treacle that I had begged off of a house elf; Hagrid seemed to enjoy making things out of it. His grin widened as he saw it.
“Thanks, Cassandra!” He was obviously pleased with it, and I grinned back at him. “Cuppa tea?” Ignoring the looks that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were exchanging, I nodded. “Give ‘er yer seat, Ron,” Hagrid told him, and as Ron rolled his eyes and stood up I delicately sat in his seat, pleased with the situation. Ron was such a gentleman.
“Thank you for the present, Hagrid,” I said as he poured a cup of tea in front of me. “It’s lovely.”
“Don’ mention it,” Hagrid replied, his grin not fading. “Thought it could brighten up those rooms of yours. You know Ron, ‘Arry, and ‘Ermione?” I nodded. “They was just in ‘ere to talk about- well.” Hagrid looked guiltily at the three, who had seemed to tense up suddenly. “Talking. Yer welcome to sit with us at the feast, if you like,” he offered generously, and despite the looks on the faces of the Seventh years, I was touched.
“I’d like that, Hagrid,” I replied.
We made small talk for several more minutes, Hagrid and I chatting animatedly as the trio sat in silence. I would have liked to stay longer, but I had cleaning to do. Dirt never slept.
Promising to join the four of them at dinner, I prepared to leave, shivering a little more than I had to and eyeing Ron’s cloak enviously. Hagrid noticed.
“Give ‘er yer cloak, Ron,” Hagrid told him, and as Ron started to protest, Hermione stopped him.
“It’s alright, Ron, we can share,” she told him with a smile. “Here, Cassandra, take mine. It’ll fit you better.” The nerve of that vixen! I couldn’t refuse it, of course, but I pouted all the way back to the castle. Wearing Ron’s cloak would have been the best Christmas present I could ask for.
*
As I lay in my bed that night, I smiled to myself. Sure, my sheets were dirty and had several holes, and perhaps none of my rooms had natural light. But today had almost made up for it. Mr. Filch had informed me that he would be busy all day, and the last I saw of him he was holding hands with Madam Pince as they walked towards Hogsmeade. I had been able to do my holiday work that Sarah had given me, and by the time I had arrived at the feast I wasn’t covered with dirt as I usually was.
Wearing my new robes from Sarah, I had managed to slip into a seat across from Ron and next to Hagrid- there were no house tables on Christmas. Alta and Emily had sat on the other side of the Hall, and I had stuffed myself silly while getting to watch Ron the entire time. The three of them had eaten quickly and then hurried out, but even then I was able to talk to Hagrid and Professor Slughorn, who, judging by the wine that kept reappearing in his glass was in a very good mood.
Yes, I decided, smiling at the ceiling, today had been a good day.
*
It was the last day of vacation, and I was using the Ever Scrubbing Scrub I had received for Christmas to scrub the stairs outside the Ravenclaw common room. The Scrub really was fantastic. One spray, and it would attack any dirt in sight until I sprayed the spot a second time, upon which all remnant of the spray would disappear. It only worked well on dirt, but it freed up my time to work on more difficult stains, such as the ones caused by the slugs Alta had just poured on my head. The stupid things were stuck in my hair and had even gotten down my robes, an extremely unpleasant experience.
“H-h-here,” came a stuttering voice from behind me, and as I turned around I saw Jeremiah, turning bright red as he knelt next to me with a rag and started scrubbing the slugs from the ground. “G-go to the bathroom and r-r-rinse off. I’ll f-f-finish here.”
“What?” I was shocked. Didn’t this boy hate me? What was with the sudden change? “What are you doing?”
“J-j-just go, Pralent,” he muttered, his face still bright red. Standing up slowly, I turned and made my way to the bathroom. What, exactly, had just happened?
Whatever it was, I thought as I stuck my head into the sink, I would have a lot to tell Sarah and Joanna.
Late Bloomer by Just Tink
Chapter Notes: Thanks to my great beta, Anasuya!